people always go on about this circuit being a good measure of how good a car is, and if that's true merc can be very pleased.
curious how leclerc has been just a bit shite both yesterday and today too.
Something was definitely going on with the car in my opinion. Even Brundle was saying that it looked an absolute handful in the race. Idiotic "Leclerc is dogshit" comments aside, you don't go from being on pole and 4/10ths up on your teammate to 6/10ths down and out in Q1 at the same circuit from one season to the next unless there's an issue. Whatever else people may say about Leclerc, anybody who thinks that he doesn't have good one lap (quali) pace is frankly a moron.
In terms of Catalunya being a measure of how good a car is, I don't wish to sound condescending, but I think that you've perhaps got that backwards. It's more that teams know more how their car will perform given their strengths and weaknesses at that particular circuit given the amount of testing done there.
I share your view in the ignoring Verstappen thing, but I do really miss the drama of 2021.