Purple Sector 1

 Red Bull Firm Favorites as Mercedes and Aston Martin Continue the Chase. Ferrari Hoping to Join the Party with A Raft of Upgrades   Red Bull head into their home race as clear favorites, courtesy of a flawless season that has seen them secure their 100th Grand Prix win recently in Canada. While the drivers' fortunes differ starkly, with Verstappen having led every lap three races in a row and Perez missing out on Q3 for each of the three races, everything points towards another dominant weekend by the defending champions. The only point of interest will be whether Perez can pose a challenge to his teammate and interrupt his current streak of four consecutive victories.   While Red Bull is comfortably ahead, the chasing pack is as tight as it gets. Three teams have a chance to claim any scraps left by the Red Bulls. The Mercedes and Aston Martins, particularly Fernando Alonso, seem to be neck and neck as they continue to get to grips with their new packages that have seen...

  Verstappen comfortably ahead on the timesheets on both practice sessions, with Mercedes and Ferrari getting to grips with their new upgrades. McLaren and Alfa Tauri stayed anonymous, while Haas and Alpine showed early promising signs, finishing the day only behind Fernando Alonso and the Red Bulls.   The first practice session didn't bring up any surprises on the pecking order, as Verstappen was comfortably ahead by three-quarters of a second to the next-best driver, followed by a relatively tight spread through the rest of the field with only six tenths separating Perez in P2 and Bottas in P15. The gap at the top was significantly reduced in the second practice session, with home hero Fernando Alonso just under two tenths behind Verstappen. The Haas of Nico Hulkenberg put in a mighty lap to sit P3 ahead of Perez and Ocon, who completed the top five.   Further down the field, the Ferraris were getting into their strides, trying to familiarize themselves with the...

Upgrades up and down the pitlane, new track configuration, a championship contender looking to bounce back from a disappointing weekend, and a likely home hero—there's plenty to look forward to in this year's Spanish Grand Prix. Team Upgrades Half of the pitlane will be bringing new upgrades at the Spanish GP, marking the first 'traditional' track on the calendar since the season opener in Bahrain. While some of these upgrades may not be as obvious and visible to the naked eye, Ferrari has taken a bold step by adopting a new Red Bull-esque sidepod design, along with a new floor to match it. Mercedes is hoping to build on their new concept that debuted last weekend in Monaco, and with the help of a more favorable circuit they hope to establish a proper baseline for further development over the season. Red Bull, on the other hand, has made minor upgrades as they aim look to maintain their early-season dominance, having won seven out of seven races this season and securin...