With hardly any time to recover from the Portuguese GP last week, the Formula One World Championship hops on to the neighbouring country for the celebration of the Spanish GP 2021. The fourth round of the season’s calendar is thus taking place this weekend (May 7-9) at the Barcelona-Catalonia Circuit. 

Mercedes and Red Bull have alternated places at the top of the podium for the first three rounds of the year so it is only fair to assume that we will be treated to a new chapter of their intense rivalry this weekend.

If everything goes to plan, both teams will come head-to-head for the victory once more at the Montmeló track, which will finally open its doors to one thousand lucky spectators in the stands. 

The team of the silver star arrives in Spain as leader of both the driver and constructors’ standings, albeit with a very slim margin.

Mercedes is currently ahead of the Austrian team by 18 points (101 against 83), while Lewis Hamilton (69) has only eight more points than Max Verstappen (61) at the driver’s standings.

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The Briton, who has won in Montmeló for the last four years (2017-2020) plus on another occasion with McLaren in 2014, will aspire to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of six victories in the Spanish track. 

Verstappen, however, is determined to make things very difficult for the seven-time champion, and he is no stranger to victory in the Spanish track. The Dutch pilot won in 2016 in his debut in Catalunya.

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Besides the two dominating forces and their leaders, the other great protagonists of the weekend will be local heroes Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso.

In his first appearance at home with Ferrari, the racer from Madrid wants to turn the page on his Portugal blunder, where he could only manage the eleventh place. According to the ’55’, who has always scored points in Montmeló, his goal is to finish in the top-5 this Sunday. 

Alonso, for his part, will face the commitment in great spirits after having achieved a very good rhythm in the final laps at the Algarve, where he took his Alpine to the eighth position. 

Another focal point of the Spanish GP will be McLaren, and particularly its driver Lando Norris. Currently third in the standings (37 points), the Englishman is establishing himself as one of the most distinguished drivers of the championship.

Meanwhile, his new partner Daniel Ricciardo will continue adapting to his MCL35M. Norris will command his team in the fight to preserve their leadership of the midfield, a realm where both Alpha Tauri and Aston Martin should be battling to move upwards. Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo and Williams can only hope to score the first points of the season. 

The Barcelona circuit: The archetype of a demanding track  

Montmeló is considered one of the most demanding circuits in the calendar for its combination of high-speed sections with a very slow final sector all of which poses a real challenge for both drivers and engineers, who have to find the best settings to maximise the cars’ performance. 

The configuration of the track and the abrasive, tire-destroying asphalt requires cars to be endowed with optimal aerodynamics coupled with good traction and great braking stability. 

All of this will make the Catalan race a major touchstone that will serve to consolidate the performance – and chances of success – for the rest of the season. 

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Images of Spanish GP: F1.com.