Friday marks the 70th anniversary of VE Day and there is unlikely to be victory in Europe for anyone apart from Mercedes when Formula One stages the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend after a three-week hiatus.
Barcelona represents the sport’s return to Europe after the initial flyaways have set out the early-season pecking order. This is the time when teams, like some shabby holiday hotel, make urgent promises of upgrades to make up for falling short in the opening skirmishes in Australia, Malaysia, China and Bahrain.
After Spain there is Monaco, F1’s glitziest weekend, and then, after another long-haul trip to Canada, Austria and Silverstone. By that time most people in the sport are looking forward to the summer break before the autumn schedule and the hectic run-in.
The teams know Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya as well as tourists know the bedlam of La Rambla, the city’s pedestrian thoroughfare, and the local tapas bars. They have already been there twice this year for testing, for the track is a good all-round examination of a car’s capabilities.
Red Bull, after a fizz-less start to the season, believe that they are regrouping this weekend. Their team principal, Christian Horner, says: “We can see on the engine side that Renault are making some steps forward as well. They have done plenty of running on their dynos to iron out some of the issues they’ve had. Hopefully we can use that to great effect in Barcelona.”
Ferrari, after a 2014 season that was their worst in 21 years, have arrived as the next best thing to the dominant Mercedes team and there will be more new bits in Barcelona, while Lotus have promised to bring a reasonably significant package of upgrades to the weekend. Even Manor are likely to move on, if that doesn’t sound like indulging in the fantasy world of Antoni Gaudí, whose architecture is the greatest wonder of this multifaceted city.
But what kind of home race can Fernando Alonso expect? He would love to win here, of course, as he did in his Renault-championship winning days in 2006 and again with Ferrari in 2013. That is out of the question. McLaren have not picked up a single point in four races and Honda’s power unit still looks about as unfinished as the famously incomplete Sagrada Família (they were working on the Gaudí-designed church for most of the last century and the latest bet to get the job done is 2030, though no one is making any promises).
Alonso can appear the most driven, self-obsessed driver in F1, and that is saying something. A leading figure at Ferrari, the team Alonso left at the end of last year, told the Guardian earlier this season: “Fernando Alonso has utter contempt for anybody who is not Fernando Alonso.” This week, a couple of the Spaniard’s former team-mates had some interesting things to say about him. One of them was Jarno Trulli, who was alongside him in his early F1 days at Renault. He said: “I wonder if he might win another race. McLaren won’t get on top of the problems quickly and won’t easily catch up with the teams in front next year.”
The Italian added: “Sometimes Fernando is tough to deal with. Both driver and team should find a compromise and improve the team situation. Fernando is a good team player but both parties need to work together properly. Anything can happen but I am concerned. Fernando’s situation is not ideal to win. I hope I am wrong.”
Alonso, 33, has signed a three-year deal with McLaren but has recently talked about “other priorities in life”. Nelson Piquet Jr, who was with the Spaniard at Renault in 2008 and 2009, said: “It’s frustrating. You’re the best but driving ninth or 10th. I’d understand if he wants to retire. I wouldn’t discount him doing that for a year or two, then returning.”
But drivers, even great drivers, are often not so great when they come out of retirement. Just think of Michael Schumacher. Alonso knows full well that he is already towards the end of his peak years and that is deeply frustrating for him. The sight of a much-improved Ferrari challenging for victories cannot help his mood.
In Barcelona, despite all the upgrades, Mercedes are very much the team to beat. And the only man who looks capable of beating Lewis Hamilton is Hamilton himself. The problem for his team-mate, Nico Rosberg, and everyone else, is that the defending champion looks much tougher and less likely to implode than he once did.
