THE Spanish Grand Prix takes place this Sunday, and drivers and fans can expect one of the two above-mentioned scenarios.
Either way, it should be a great race at the Circuit de Catalunya.
We can expect some cars to show quite big improvements after having gone back to ‘the works’ to receive the latest in aerodynamic updates as well as other technical improvements over the three-week break.
It is known that, with Fiat’s full financial backing, Ferrari is working extremely hard to close the power gap on Mercedes.
Let us hope this is the case this weekend and that we see a ‘humdinger’ race between these two teams.
Williams Mercedes should be much closer than before, as they have recognised factors which have been holding them back and are expecting a big improvement in performance for Spain.
It will be interesting to see whether Red Bull and Renault have closed the power gap with their car.
Renault has vast experience with racing engines and is up to the task, so the sooner they can get their machine to fire a little harder on all six the better!
The other manufacturer expected to shine is Lotus. They have just come out of a very tough situation, well guided and driven by their new CEO Matthew Carter, who has done a complete turnaround in their financial fortunes in a matter of only one year. Now it’s time to repeat the story on the track!
On the driver front I expect Lewis Hamilton in his Merc to set the pace very closely followed by Nico Rosberg, while Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonnen at Ferrari should be able to breathe down their necks.
Vettel has the ability to do something special and put the cat among the pigeons.
The man to surprise us at Williams should be Valtteri Bottas but if Felipe Massa is on form he can do it too.
At Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo is the ‘speed specialist’ and Daniil Kvyat the ‘gap-taker’.
We mustn’t forget the brilliance of youngsters Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jnr at Toro Rosso.
Also expect good performances from Sauber drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr.
At Lotus we can expect the super quick Frenchman Romain Grosjean to better Pastor Maldonado in we hope much improved cars.
Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez should give another solid performance in their Force India Mercs but they will do well to get into the top 10.
McLaren are working extremely hard at Woking in England and Honda in Japan to get the McLaren moving faster.
In a recent interview Ron Dennis spoke with confidence about their long-term future.
Included in his comments was that Honda’s risk in taking an innovative path with their engine design is likely to be a concern for competitors in the long run.
He also confirmed that Fernando Alonso is on a three-year contract with the team, during which he is sure he will win again.
Tough talking, but with 20 world championships behind them…absolutely possible!
Qualifying will be on Saturday at 2pm with the race at the same time this Sunday.
