Formula 1 is entering its fourth race weekend of the season, as the battle at the top of the constructors between Mercedes and Red Bull is already well underway. Meanwhile, the battle between the best of the rest and midfield teams is beginning to develop and has already seen a number of surprising results in the opening rounds.
With that in mind, Park Life Sport is taking a look at five drivers to watch out for this weekend, who could be set to impress in Barcelona.
Carlos Sainz
The Ferrari new boy arrives in Catalunya following a mixed start to his career with The Prancing Horse following his move from McLaren. Sainz was solid if unspectacular in the previous race in Portimão, finishing eighth, consolidating his place in the constructors. Sainz had impressed many at the Emilia Romagna GP, finishing fifth, his highest finish so far this season. Ferrari have made good progress following their dismal performance in 2020, with the SF1000 finishing a dismal sixth, their worst performance since 1980.
However, Ferrari have focused much of their development this year on their downforce, and with the Barcelona track heavily focused around that, Sainz and teammate Charles Leclerc will be optimistic going into the weekend. Although without the home fans that would likely increase his resolve at his home race, expect Sainz to be challenging throughout the race.
Fernando Alonso
The other Spaniard on the grid, Alonso has steadily improved performances in the opening three races and will hope to continue that positive momentum. After a DNF in the season started in Bahrain, where the Alpine car appeared to be well off the pace. Finishing 10th & 8th respectively in the subsequent two races will have improved Alonso’s optimism for the rest of the season.
The former two time World Champion joined Alpine following his departure from the sport after a stint with McLaren in 2018, and will hope to use his home race as an opportunity to close the gap on his teammate Esteban Ocon.
Esteban Ocon
And now onto the other side of the Alpine garage. Like Alonso, Ocon appeared well off the pace in the season opener but after two consecutive point finishes, the team will be hopeful to increase the gap between themselves and the bottom five teams. Ocon is currently outscoring his vastly more experienced teammate in Alonso however, and after achieving Alpine’s best result of seventh in Portimão last weekend, and will hope to capitalise on their rivals struggle for consistency so far.
The Frenchman is now into his fifth season in Formula 1, and will be hoping to continue bettering his teammate, especially after last season where he struggled to compete with his high-flying teammate Daniel Ricciardo, finishing 57 points and 7 places below the Australian.
Daniel Ricciardo
Ricciardo was considered a massive coup for McLaren as a replacement for Sainz after his departure for Ferrari after another impressive drive for Renault in 2020, but has experienced a change in fortune this season, and not for the better. Ricciardo currently sits seventh in the constructors, with his teammate Lando Norris splitting the Mercedes and Red Bulls with his 37 points so far this season leaving him third.
For Ricciardo, he will likely see this weekend as a prime opportunity to improve in the car, with qualifying being a concern, going out in Q1 in Portimão. Despite that, McLaren have arguably been the most consistent team so far this season, being the sole team to have both drivers finish in point scoring places in all three races, and will be backed to continue that run.
Lance Stroll
Despite a significant drop-off from last season in terms of results, Stroll will be hopeful for a return of consistent points. The newly rebranded Aston Martin team, formerly Racing Point in previous seasons, have been one of the talking points this season, and all for the wrong reasons. Both Stroll and new teammate Sebastian Vettel have been well off the pace this season, with the Canadian’s five points reflecting the teams total so far, as they currently sit a lowly seventh, the lowest of the point scoring teams this season.
Stroll has had past success in Spain however, finishing fourth in 2020, and has improved significantly in recent years in his tyre management, something that the Catalunya circuit is notorious for. Aston Martin team boss Otmar Szafnauer will need Stroll to channel that ability if Aston Martin can recover as the season progresses.
