What the Spain result tells F1 about the next phase of the Mercedes/Red Bull title fight

OPINION: Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have recovered from their pre-season woes to take three wins from the opening four races of 2021. But each time Red Bull and Max Verstappen have pushed them hard. So, what clues did the latest round of that battle – the Spanish Grand Prix – tease about the next stage of the season?

Alex Kalinauckas May 12, 2021, 8:19 AM

It would be understandable if the Red Bull Formula 1 team is feeling somewhat frustrated after the first four races of 2021.

Red Bull has closed the gap to the Mercedes squad that produced what is likely to go down as one of the best F1 cars in history – aided by the changes to the rear floor rules – and started the season with the fastest car. And yet, the Black Arrows squad still leads both championships, with Lewis Hamilton now on three victories to Max Verstappen’s one, following his Spanish Grand Prix triumph.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.