After the early season exchanges, the Formula One season kicks into a higher gear this weekend with the start of the European season, starting off in Barcelona. The first four races of the season were utterly dominated by the Mercedes drivers, with Lewis Hamilton following up his teammate’s win in the season opener in Australia with three wins of his own, and will look to continue that form in Spain on Sunday, which would be his first win on the circuit. The rest of the teams, and the fans, will be hoping to be able to catch up to the German team, because the championship will be wrapped up sooner rather than later if things continue as they have in these first four races of the season.
Spanish Grand Prix Odds
| Driver | Pole Position | Race Victory |
| Lewis Hamilton | 4/7 | 4/7 |
| Nico Rosberg | 23/10 | 5/2 |
| Fernando Alonso | 36/1 | 16/1 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 27/1 | 16/1 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 27/1 | 16/1 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 103/1 | 50/1 |
| Jenson Button | 60/1 | 100/1 |
| Felipe Massa | 93/1 | 100/1 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 122/1 | 100/1 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 112/1 | 100/1 |
Barcelona, one of the test tracks, is usually the track where most teams bring the improvements that they have been working on from the beginning of the season, and is usually a good indicator as to how the rest of the season will progress. The Mercedes have been uncatchable in the opening races, having best acclimatized to the host of changes brought in for this season, and the rest of the teams have been made to play catch up.
This weekend will prove to be an important marker as to how the following months might play out. The defending champions, the Red Bulls, have been visibly off the pace, with the promising start to the season by Daniel Ricciardo being the main source of optimism, often performing better than multiple championship winning teammate Sebastian Vettel. The team will bring in a few changes to Spain, with a focus on raw speed, an aspect where they were losing out as much as 22 kph in terms of straight line speed in China last time out; way too much if you’re looking to challenge for a world championship.
Fernando Alonso brought Ferrari their first podium of the season in China last time out, an important step in the right direction for the Italian outfit, following an appalling start to the season for the prancing horse. The exit of team principal Stefano Domenicali will have stirred things up in the team, and they will hope that a renewed sense of urgency and direction has been instilled following the positive signs in China. Positive from Alonso’s perspective, anyway. Raikkonen’s form and performance in this early stage of the season must be a cause for concern, though in time the Finn’s class is bound to come through. At Ferrari, however, he will be expected to start delivering before too long.
Following the dominance of Mercedes in the opening four rounds, it is difficult to see another team taking the mantle away from them this weekend, but it is generally expected that things will be marginally closer as the other teams come to terms with the rule changes. A Mercedes win is difficult to argue against, with either driver capable of taking it on the day. Look out for Alonso as well, who will be on home turf, and keen to impress.
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Tagged With : Fernando Alonso • Lewis Hamilton • Mercedes • Nico Rosberg • Spanish Grand Prix