Red Bull need to respond to their title rivals as racing returns to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix

Formula 1 returns to a familiar track for round four of the Championship. After pre-season testing was moved to Bahrain, it’s the first time drivers will endure the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this season.

The 4.655 km track challenges the teams with its good mix of high and low-speed corners. The challenging turn three right-hander is a great chance to evaluate the balance of these cars. The drivers will endure 66 laps of the track on race day with the current track record set by Valtteri Bottas in 2020.

Last time out in Portimão, we saw all top three drivers – Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Bottas – fight for victory, on-track overtakes and split strategies kept fans on the edge of their seats.

Hamilton found himself in third position behind his teammate and the Red Bull before making his way past the duo to take his 97th career victory, extending his Championship lead over the Dutchman to eight points.

The seven-time world champion dominated last year’s Grand Prix as he started from pole position. The Brit faced little of a fight from behind as Verstappen finished second ahead of Bottas who completed the podium.

Racing Point collected a whole host of points as they finish fourth and fifth, but it’s sad to say that it looks unlikely that history will repeat itself for the now new Aston Martin team.

The Spanish Grand Prix deputised in 1991, the layout has changed a few times over the 30 years and that trend continues this year.

Barcelona will reinstate a modified layout of the old turn 10 following safety improvements this year which could be a small challenge the drivers face throughout the weekend.

Top Ten Prediction

1. Max Verstappen

The Dutchman will respond to Hamilton winning in Portugal, his Red Bull should be well-suited to Barcelona and that is why the 23-year-old will come out on top this weekend. This being said qualifying will be critical as his car seems to have a little less top-end speed compared to the Mercedes duo.

2. Lewis Hamilton

The seven-time world champion knows that it won’t be plain and sailing this year with Verstappen well and truly in the hunt, he won’t be happy without a win but it could be a bit far fetch this weekend.

3. Sergio Perez

Perez has slowly become more comfortable in his Red Bull car, the potential was showcased at Imola in qualifying especially. As he returns to a familiar track, and one that will be good for Red Bull, it will be the Mexican’s time to fight it out at the sharp end.

4. Valtteri Bottas

Despite having the track record, it’s not all smiles for the Finnish driver as he has failed to hit the heights of Hamilton since joining Mercedes. It will be a disappointing weekend for Bottas as he will finish inches away from third.

5. Fernando Alonso

After Alpine’s drastic improvements at Portugal, Spain will be a strong track for the two-time world champion. Returning to his home Grand Prix, which he knows like the back of his hand, it will be key when extracting all the pace out his car.

6. Lando Norris

McLaren’s Norris will continue to impress, collecting a whole host of points for the Woking-based team. Outperforming teammate Daniel Ricciardo and finishing sixth ahead of McLaren’s closest rivals.

7. Charles Leclerc

Leclerc has a lot of potential to do well at the Spanish Grand Prix, he faired well here last season before his engine cut out which saw the Monégasque spin in the final sector. A couple of tenths per lap could see Charles Leclerc between fifth and ninth.

8. Esteban Ocon

Ocon will fail to match the pace of teammate Alonso but will continue his momentum from the Portuguese Grand Prix. The Frenchman has been impressive as of late and a valuable four points will be another stepping stone for the Enstone team

9. Carlos Sainz

Entering his home Grand Prix expectations will be high on Carlos Sainz and Ferrari. It’s clear that the Ferrari is still not quick enough to be at the sharp end and it will be a test for the young Spaniard.

10. Sebastian Vettel

Assuming that the four-time world champion is given car updates entering the Spanish Grand Prix, it could be time for the German to return to the points. Last weekend, Sebastian Vettel looked comfortable in the car and with the relevant upgrades, we could see Aston Martin score a point.

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