2024 F1 Spanish GP: Top 10 conclusions

The 2024 F1 Spanish GP ended with Max Verstappen once again fending off Lando Norris to pick up his seventh win of the season. The race began in a scintillating fashion when George Russell jumped to the lead from P4 at the start. From that point on, Max took the lead from the Mercedes driver and never looked back.

The challenge from Norris was real, however, as the McLaren driver went for a major tire differential, which helped him claw back the lead Verstappen had. In the end, the gap between the two drivers was only two seconds as the Red Bull driver held off the McLaren counterpart. In P3, we had Lewis Hamilton, who picked up his first podium of the season. George Russell was P4 as he fended off Charles Leclerc to the line.

In another race weekend where it was very tight at the front of the grid, what did we learn? Let's take a look.

2024 F1 Spanish GP: Key takeaways

#1 This is a dress rehearsal for next year's title battle

What we are seeing this season in terms of battles and back-and-forth jabs between Max Verstappen and his competitors is a dress rehearsal for next season. Red Bull has been caught and now it is going to be a battle to be perfect. Until now, it's Max and his team who is succeeding in that, but teams like McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari are learning from the leader. It's all a precursor for a title battle that's going to happen next season.

#2 2024 is becoming legacy-defining for Max Verstappen

What Max Verstappen is doing in his Red Bull this season is clearing any doubts over who is responsible for the success he has achieved since 2021. The Dutch driver's success in 2022 and 2023 was starting to get attributed to the car. This season, once again, he's starting to show that it's the driver who's making the difference.

#3 Lando Norris and McLaren lost this one

The race was more or less decided on the first lap of the race when Lando Norris conceded position to Max Verstappen. Had he not done that, we would be looking at a different winner. Unfortunately for Norris, he only has himself to blame for it.

This is precisely why even though McLaren should be praised for making it a fight at the F1 Spanish GP, you can't praise them too much because they should have won the race.

#4 Mercedes should be happy with the F1 Spanish GP

The first step for Mercedes at Barcelona was to gain confirmation that whatever the team had shown in Canada was not fool's gold. Well, they've shown that. What they've also shown is that the team can fight for a podium now at different tracks. This bodes well for the team as it charts its way back to the front.

#5 Ferrari is starting to look like the old Scuderia

Fast-tracking upgrades, a strategy that was less than ideal, and not moving Sainz out of the way of Leclerc in the second and third stints soon enough. This was a Ferrari that had a striking resemblance to the team that Mattia Binotto ran, not Fred Vasseur.

Ferrari showed in the F1 Spanish GP that the aspirations with which the team is seemingly built, there's still work to be done to reach there. The team was fourth best this weekend, and the honeymoon period is now over for Fred Vasseur.

#6 Alpine has a positive result in the bag

Alpine was P6 in the championship last season. The manner in which it is slowly starting to become the best of the rest, the same result is not too far for the team. The car was great around Catalunya, now the next part has to be to continue improving the car in the upcoming rounds.

#7 Adrian Newey better be joining Aston Martin for Fernando Alonso's sake

Aston Martin was shambolic this weekend and Fernando Alonso has openly admitted that things are only getting worse for the team in the next two races. The Spaniard also revealed that the team has found a solution to some of the bigger problems it faced with the upgrades.

According to Alonso, the next upgrade will show improvements. For Alonso's sake, let's hope that the next upgrade shows improvement or that Adrian Newey is joining the team because in every other aspect, Aston Martin is in deep trouble.

#8 Carlos Sainz isn't getting a Mercedes or Red Bull seat anytime soon

Carlos Sainz throwing the pre-race agreement/understanding with Charles Leclerc out of the door and pulling off an overtake was not what you want from a driver. Especially if you're looking for a team player who could supplement a team's campaign.

Carlos has more or less always kept himself at the forefront, especially when he's fighting for his future. If you're Mercedes or Red Bull and you look at him ignoring pre-race agreements, you're quietly happy about the fact that you didn't offer a contract in the first place.

#9 RB needs to find form after a disastrous F1 Spanish GP

The F1 Spanish GP was the first race where RB brought an extensive upgrade package and by the looks of it, the team could not even understand how to make it work. The problem with this situation is that Alpine is starting to perform.

The F1 Spanish GP was a P9-P10 finish for the French squad, which was a repeat of what the team had in Canada as well. RB can't afford bad days and needs to focus on being more consistent.

#10 F1 Spanish GP showed Red Bull cannot continue with Sergio Perez

The 3 to 4-tenths of a second gap works when a car is dominant. It doesn't work when the team is in this tight battle and your leader is left to fend for himself alone. The F1 Spanish GP was a race that saw Sergio Perez finish P8 while his teammate won. This is not the first or last time that this will happen.

For Red Bull, the F1 Spanish GP is a clear indication that Sergio Perez cannot continue in this role for long.