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Following a wild race in Baku that saw Lewis Hamilton ultimately claim his first victory of the season, drivers are in Barcelona for the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix. Here’s everything you need to know to watch in the United States:
Viewing Information
Note this information is for those who are in the United States
Date: Sunday, May 13, 2018
Start Time: 9:10 a.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPN2
Live Stream: Hulu With Live TV: In addition to their extensive Netflix-like streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of live channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the race on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
Preview
After a “disappointing” start that saw him finish second, eighth and fourth in the first three races of the season, Hamilton got back to his winning ways at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago. Things didn’t go nearly as well for many other top drivers, though, as Valtteri Botas blew a tyre in the final stages, while Red Bull teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen each failed to finish the race for the second time this season.
The win returned Hamilton to the top spot in the drivers’ standings, four points clear of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who finished fourth. But because of Botas’ late devastation, along with Kimi Raikkonen’s second-place finish, Ferrari jumped ahead of Mercedes in the constructor standings.
Outside of a forgettable double DNF in 2016, Mercedes has had a lot of recent success in Barcelona, winning three of the last four races at this track. Hamilton has two of those wins (2014 and 2017), as well as six overall podium finishes in 11 starts, and he is understandably the favorite to make it back-to-back this weekend.
“Barcelona holds mixed memories for us–a double DNF in 2016, but also a dramatic win for Lewis last year after passing [Sebastian] Vettel on track for the lead,” Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff said. “We’re hoping that this year’s Spanish Grand Prix will be a good race for us, but we know that it will be tough.”
Still, there are a lot of good signs for Ferrari. Vettel, who won in Barcelona in 2011, has finished fourth or better at this race in eight of the last nine years. And if he can capture a fourth straight pole, it should serve as a big advantage with overtaking being difficult at this track. Raikkonen is also comfortable here, with a pair of wins to go with five podiums here.
It should also be a good chance for Red Bull to bounce back after last race’s disaster. Verstappen has good memories here, as he captured his first ever F1 win in Barcelona in 2016, while Ricciardo finished third at this race last year.
“It could be quite a defining moment for the season,” Verstappen said. “I’m interested to see how everyone will perform. I believe our car is very fast, we still need a bit more top speed but hopefully that will come.”