Ferrari may have found a surprise F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP advantage

The Barcelona-Catalunya grand prix is shaping up to be a true tyre battle. Long-run simulations at the end of Friday’s second free practice session revealed one thing above all else: exceptionally high tyre degradation across the entire Formula 1 field.

In some cases, drivers lost as much as five seconds of pace within just ten laps – even on the supposedly durable C3 compound, which serves as the medium tyre this weekend.

This extreme degradation could completely reshape the Formula 1 pecking order on race day.

Charles Leclerc topped the long-run charts for Ferrari at the end of the session. The Scuderia not only brought eight upgrades to the SF-26 in Spain, but also appears to have arrived with a car that traditionally struggles to bring its tyres up to temperature, yet suffers less degradation as a result – a potential trump card in Barcelona.

After accounting for differences in stint lengths and tyre compounds, Leclerc was 0.16 seconds per lap faster than Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. By contrast, teammates Lewis Hamilton (+0.83) and George Russell (+1.4) encountered significant difficulties with their long-run pace.

Is Ferrari really the favourite in Barcelona?

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

These results come as something of a surprise. In recent years, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has generally been considered a challenging venue for Ferrari, while Mercedes and McLaren have traditionally performed more strongly there.

Reigning world champions McLaren were, on average, 0.39 seconds per lap slower during the long runs and also struggled with severe tyre degradation. However, the team looked much stronger over a single lap, as did Mercedes.

As a result, it remains difficult to identify a clear favourite for the remainder of the weekend. The teams now have time to analyse the data and adjust their setups to cope with the high degradation levels, meaning the competitive order could still shift considerably.

Red Bull only the fourth-fastest team?

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Red Bull is equally difficult to assess. Max Verstappen managed only sixth place in the qualifying simulations, while the team's long-run pace (+0.45) was broadly comparable to McLaren's, leaving them noticeably behind Ferrari and Mercedes.

Red Bull proved particularly competitive in the high-speed first sector but lost time through the corners. Ferrari, meanwhile, struggled on the straights yet gained significant time in the second sector. Mercedes and McLaren appeared consistently strong across all three sectors.

Midfield: Finally more points for Audi?

Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

In the midfield battle, Racing Bulls and Audi impressed once again, continuing the strong form they displayed in Monaco. Arvid Lindblad finished seventh in the second practice session, while Gabriel Bortoleto followed closely behind in eighth for Audi. The German team also looked solid during the long-run simulations.

With an average deficit of 1.02 seconds per lap to the outright pace, Nico Hulkenberg recorded the strongest long-run performance among the midfield drivers – and by a comfortable margin. The next-best midfield runner was Haas driver Oliver Bearman, who was already losing nearly two seconds per lap.

Williams endured a more difficult day. The team last scored points in Barcelona ten years ago, and this year's pace appears unlikely to change that trend. Their long-run deficit stood at 2.75 seconds per lap. Only Cadillac (+3.13) and Aston Martin (+4.56) were slower.

Tyre Battle: Pirelli expects “At least two atops”

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Tyres remain the dominant story of the weekend. Degradation levels were enormous on Friday, and even in qualifying trim the performance gap between the three compounds appeared relatively small. The expected gains from switching from the medium to the soft tyre largely failed to materialise.

For the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, Pirelli has deliberately selected a softer tyre range, bringing the C2, C3 and C4 compounds instead of the usual C1 to C3 selection. Even so, a two-stop strategy was already the fastest option last year, and under the current conditions it appears all but unavoidable.

Longrun analysis - Kevin Hermann

“We wanted to encourage more pit stops, at least more than one,” Pirelli Motorsport Director Dario Marrafuschi explained to Sky. “We expected two stops, but under these conditions tyre degradation is becoming very severe.”

“The rear tyres are overheating significantly, making life extremely difficult for the drivers. On Sunday, at least two pit stops will probably be necessary – everything beyond that will depend on the conditions.”