F1 Spanish GP: Five things to watch out for

What impact will the FIA’s flexi front wing clampdown really have?

Barcelona is the backdrop to the FIA’s clampdown on excessive wing flexing. Following measures to reduce rear wing flexing for the start of the season, the much more significant decrease in front wing flexing will be introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix. From this weekend onwards, the manner in which front wings are allowed to bend under load will decrease by a third, a measure that arrived through a technical directive over the off-season.

There are two elements to this. Firstly, the measure theoretically punishes teams who have been exploiting aero-elasticity more than others, with McLaren and Mercedes considered to be at the forefront of this practice. Secondly, it is expected all 10 teams will have to make their front wings more robust as even squads who haven’t been playing games in this area would still be at risk of falling foul of the regulations. After all, teams strive to make their cars as light as possible, so they were never going to make their front wings any stronger than they needed to be, whether they are flexing or not.

The big question is what impact this new directive will have on the pecking order. Are McLaren’s wings going to be clipped and will Red Bull — which hasn’t had to make such big changes to its design — really be back in the game? That is a difficult question to answer, because Barcelona offers a wide array of corner types with high downforce turns that favour Red bull and more technical sections that benefit McLaren. On top of that, most teams are expected to bring regular upgrades as well to muddy the picture.

McLaren’s rivals will certainly be watching with intent what happens to the papaya team’s competitiveness and how its pace evolves over a stint, with front wing flexibility helping the car remain balanced through various corner types. For what it’s worth, McLaren is adamant that its competitiveness won’t be impacted and maintains that flexi-wings aren’t a silver bullet.

– Filip Cleeren

Can Norris back his Monaco performance up?

Winning in Monaco — from pole as well — was a great way not only to get back into the championship fight but also to answer the critics. Lando Norris is still a major player in 2025, and he won’t just allow Oscar Piastri to march towards the title.

The speed was never in doubt, but it was consistency that let Norris down in the rounds leading up to the Monaco Grand Prix, and one-lap pace was also missing. The weekend in the principality was almost perfect for the Briton, and he’s now just three points behind Piastri in the championship.

He often says he doesn’t believe in momentum — yet it seems important that he keeps it going in Barcelona. Another win would automatically put him back at the top of the standings, which wouldn’t be a bad boost for his confidence.

– Oleg Karpov

Was Monaco a one-off for Ferrari?

Yes — until Ferrari proves otherwise. Monaco was always going to be a strong weekend for the team. Charles Leclerc has excelled at his home race in recent years — with one win and three pole positions in the past four editions — and the Italian squad has placed at least one driver on the podium in six of the last seven races there.

So, it was no surprise to see Leclerc just one-tenth of a second away from pole on Saturday, ultimately finishing second in the race. However, the concern is that Monaco was Ferrari’s strongest weekend of the season so far.

The real test is whether Ferrari can carry that form into Barcelona — a very different circuit, where the team hasn’t had a driver in the top three since Sebastian Vettel finished second behind Lewis Hamilton in 2017.

Adding to the uncertainty are the new limits on front wing deflection. Fred Vasseur said after Monaco that these limits “can be a game-changer for everybody.” Whether they will benefit Ferrari remains to be seen.

– Federico Faturos

Will Alonso finally score?

One of the most puzzling stats of the 2025 F1 season is that Fernando Alonso is — along with Sauber junior Gabriel Bortoleto — the only driver to have competed in every race without scoring a point. Even more surprising is his comparison with teammate Lance Stroll, who has scored all 14 of Aston Martin’s points this year — enough to keep the team from being last in the standings.

Alonso called himself the unluckiest driver in the world — and while that’s clearly tongue-in-cheek, there’s an argument that he’s been at least one of the least lucky man on the grid in 2025. In Monaco, where just staying in the top 10 often guarantees points, he suffered a freak engine failure. That extended his scoreless run and matched a statistic last seen in his rookie season with Minardi in 2001: zero points after eight races.

Now comes Spain, his home race and “his” circuit, with which he recently signed as ambassador. It’s the first traditional track after Aston Martin’s successful upgrades in Imola — theoretically another chance to open his account. History, and the undeniable talent he still shows behind the wheel, demand that Alonso will finally shed the zero this weekend — just as the first third of the championship comes to an end.

– Jose Carlos de Celis

Is Barcelona an apple or a pear?

Andrea Stella is a very special individual. Speaking to the media last Friday in Monaco, he found a unique way to explain the performance swings between McLaren and Red Bull in 2025 — and why it’s impossible to compare the two teams without factoring in track characteristics. There are “apples”, according to the McLaren boss, which suit his team more — and “pears”, which suit their main rivals.

Imola, Jeddah and Japan — where Max Verstappen and Red Bull were dominant — fall into the latter category. Meanwhile, Bahrain and Miami clearly favoured McLaren.

“I think we have ahead of us some circuits that will be like Silverstone,” he told Motorsport.com last Sunday. “I think it will be more of the category of Saudi, Imola, for instance. And I expect Red Bull to be very strong there. I think some low-speed stuff, like Canada, I would expect, hopefully, McLaren to be competitive. Barcelona, I think, is a little bit in the middle.”

Does that mean we can expect a tight battle between the championship contenders — or will Stella come up with another fruit to describe Barcelona track post-weekend? We’re about to find out…

– Oleg Karpov