Five talking points ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix

With the first four races of the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship in the book, we return to familiar ground this weekend as the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya plays host to the Spanish Grand Prix. The fifth round of the year kicks the traditional European leg of the season. Mercedes continued their domination of the F1 season in Baku after securing one-twos in each of the opening four races, with Valtteri Bottas leading team-mate Lewis Hamilton by a single point in the championship standings. Ferrari have disappeared from their rear view mirror after failing to produce the race pace they displayed throughout the 2018 campaign. Here are key talking points ahead of Sunday’s race. Ferrari look to engine upgrade Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc will be bidding to end Mercedes’ dominant start to the season in Barcelona. Ferrari will run an upgraded power unit at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend after bringing a planned update forward by two races. The new engine will use a new fuel, which also increases performance, and the car will have aerodynamic upgrades. Ferrari will be able to continue using its original specification of an engine during Friday practice, meaning it can still balance the mileage across its engine allocation for the year. Mercedes still doubtful Charles Leclerc should have won in Bahrain, but experienced an engine failure. Ferrari were in a strong position in Baku, too, until Leclerc crashed in qualifying.  Credit to Mercedes for taking advantage of Ferrari’s disasters, but team boss Toto Wolff is wary of their title advantage. “We remain quite sceptical of our own performance,” said the Austrian. “Our opponents were blisteringly quick in winter testing, so the Spanish Grand Prix will be anything but easy.” Verstappen is quietly going about his business Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has delivered a prime opening to the new campaign. He has finished third, fourth, fourth and fourth, to sit behind Bottas, Hamilton and Vettel in the standings, just one point adrift of the Ferrari driver. With Red Bull set to take an upgraded package to Barcelona, Verstappen could now be in a position to challenge the sport’s big two. Impressive Lando Norris Lando Norris, the British rookie, has scored double the points of his teammate Carlos Sainz after the opening four rounds. Norris posed with his new company car – a £175,000 orange McLaren 570s Spider – ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend. “You’re not going to miss me in Tesco’s car park with this,” he wrote on social media. Tributes The organisers of the Barcelona race will pay tribute to Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, the two drivers killed at the San Marino Grand Prix a quarter of a century ago. A half-Brazilian, half-Austrian flag will be awarded to the winner of Sunday’s race. The combined flag will also be at half-mast on the entrance to the track.

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