The Formula One circus pitches up in Barcelona this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix with Red Bull’s tantalising tilt at prising the spotlight away from showstoppers Mercedes topping the bill.
Three races in and against pre-season predictions it is Lewis Hamilton who leads Max Verstappen by eight points arriving at the fourth leg of the championship.
Wins last Sunday in Portugal and in the opener in Bahrain leave the seven-time champion in his customary habitat at the top of the F1 drivers’ tree.
Barcelona is a track the teams know intimately as the usual venue for pre-season testing, and with its reputation as a circuit where overtaking opportunities are few and far between the onus will be on Saturday’s qualifying to command a prime front row seat on Sunday’s grid.