Spanish Grand Prix preview: Verstappen to extend lead

The drivers make the short trip across through France from Monaco to Barcelona this week for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

We preview the race below.

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Verstappen and Red Bull to remain clear at the top

Max Verstappen won his fourth Grand Prix out of six this season in Monaco to go 39 points clear of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. The Dutchman and his team have been the dominant force in F1 this season and at 4/11 he will expect to pick up his fifth win of the season in Barcelona, the track where he won his first ever F1 Race and in doing so became the youngest ever winner of a race aged just 18, not to mention it was his first ever race for Red Bull.

Sergio Perez had a weekend to forget in Monaco, with it ending before it had even properly started as he crashed in qualifying and failed to make up for it in the race, crossing the line in 16th position. Perez has managed to pick up two wins this season and is 7/2 to make it a hat-trick, but with his teammate in red hot form and on a track he loves, ‘Checo’ may have to settle for a podium finish at 2/5.

With Red Bull so dominant this season, leading the Constructors’ Championship by a whopping 129 points after just six races, it seems almost certain that one of their drivers will win in Barcelona at odds of 1/14.

If anyone is to challenge Red Bull, Fernando Alonso looks the likeliest. It is the Spaniard’s home Grand Prix and following on from what was an exemplary performance in Monaco to finish second, Alonso will hope to continue this seasons’ fine form with a win at 8/1. A podium finish at 4/7 would be more than satisfactory for an Aston Martin team fighting for places in the Constructors’ Championship.

Hamilton now just best of the rest?

With Max Verstappen, Serio Perez and Fernando Alonso having put some distance between themselves and the rest of the drivers this year, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton may have to settle for the title of best of the rest at the moment. The Brit manged just his second top four finish of the season so far in Monaco and he has recorded only one podium finish. After years of being favourite for every race, Hamilton is 9/4 to finish on the podium in Barcelona, and while that would be a great achievement he may not see it as such.

Although inconsistent, Esteban Ocon has given a better account of himself this season and the Frenchman achieved a season’s best third in Monaco and he will hope to build on that. At 20/1 he looks unlikely to manage consecutive podiums but a high points finish would certainly go a long way to boosting his reputation on the grid. He has every chance of finishing in the top six at 5/2 to gain some crucial points for Alpine in their fight for fifth spot in the Constructors’ Championship.

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