THE Ferraris are getting better so expect a big step forward in Spain, with many updates on the car.
Fernando Alonso loves Catalunya and being in front of his home crowd, is performing at his personal best at the moment.
The question is, can he overcome the all-conquering Mercedes Silver Arrow team of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg?
Mercedes will also be getting better as we start the European season after the end of part one and the fly away races.
Hamilton and Rosberg are both very eager to beat each other, let alone Alonso, but home advantage is always a factor and can subtract a quarter of a second per lap, or more at times.
Expect a flock of Ferrari and Spanish flags for Fernando around the track on Sunday!
While the pressure and focus is on Alonso, let’s hope his highly talented teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, returns to his old and exciting form which we all know he is capable of.
Nothing breeds success like success and he needs a taste of it to set the Prancing Horse team free again.
McLaren is another team expecting to get back on form with a big upgrade in Spain. They have the drivers in Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen, as well as the dominant Mercedes engine and, with Ron Dennis at the helm, it is time for them to start shining.
Force India Mercedes has, in the meantime, taken much of the usual McLaren limelight with its cars very well driven by Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.
They will be going all out to maintain their success. Nico Hulkenberg impressed me some years back as a future champion when he won the Durban A1 Grand Prix and is a man to watch.
I think we can expect Renault to make some big strides to close the engine performance gap on Mercedes soon, and this could happen in Spain.
So don’t be surprised to see Sebastian Vettel and fellow young Turk Daniel Ricciardo giving the silver cars a much harder time this weekend in their state-of-the-art Red Bull marvels.
It also means that Lotus should have a considerable lift in performance from their agile gold and black machines led by Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. We shall keep a keen eye on their progress.
Williams Mercedes is the only other team that can set the cat among the pigeons. They have the right ingredients for success and two highly capable drivers in Felipe Massa and Valtterri Bottas.
If their new package in Catalunya works well we could all be in for a surprise.
TV times: qualifying at 2pm on Saturday, race at 2pm on Sunday.
