Red Bull, Mercedes in spotlight as Spanish GP starts F1 triple-header

As Formula 1 prepares for a first triple-header of the 2024 season, Sky Sports F1 assess the key talking points heading into the Spanish Grand Prix.After four successive grand prix weekends where the result was truly up in the air from the start of first practice to the closing stages of each race, there is great excitement heading into the crux of the season's European summer swing.F1 returns to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with practice getting under way on Friday, before heading to the Red Bull Ring in Austria and to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix on the two weekends that follow. There is then just one weekend off before back-to-back races follow in Hungary and Belgium to take the season up to the summer break.After Max Verstappen had won four of the first five races with relative ease, and only been denied a good chance of victory in the one he missed out on due to a reliability problem, a repeat of the Red Bull driver's historically dominant 2023 campaign appeared to be on the cards. Trending Instead, Lando Norris broke his F1 duck for McLaren in Miami, and very nearly beat Verstappen again in Imola with a late charge. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc would then finally win his home race in Monaco, before Verstappen produced perhaps his best weekend of the season to win in Montreal when Mercedes suddenly seemed to possess the fastest car. The upshot is that while Verstappen has a significant 56-point advantage in the drivers' standings over Leclerc, with Norris a further seven points back, there is a feeling the Dutchman is going to be pushed to the limit on a regular basis throughout the remaining 15 races.Will Red Bull live up to expectations?Throughout what has been a relatively tricky last six weeks or so for the reigning constructors' champions, Red Bull have regularly hinted they expect things to run far more smoothly from this point onwards.The characteristics of the track in Barcelona, one of F1's most used circuits for testing, are expected to suit the field-leading aerodynamic efficiency of the RB20. Miami, Monaco and Montreal each had elements that were more troubling for Red Bull and it therefore was not a huge surprise to see them challenged at those circuits.Although at the higher-speed Imola, where Red Bull actually brought quite a significant upgrade, it was more of a surprise to see Norris very nearly chase down Verstappen in the final laps.That race leaves some doubt as to whether Red Bull will enjoy the smooth sailing they hope for on the continent.Mercedes technical director James Allison in Montreal described the RB20 Imola upgrade as a "downgrade", which caught the attention of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who referenced the remark after Verstappen's win in Canada. Not helping Red Bull in recent weeks has been the dismal form of Sergio Perez, who has crashed out of the last two races after leaving himself in a precarious position by failing to advance from Q1 on either occasion.While Verstappen has shown he is capable of getting the job done alone, Red Bull need Perez to start scoring points again if they are to remain on course for a third successive constructors' title.Are Mercedes really back?The surprise package in Montreal was undoubtedly Mercedes, who came from nowhere to seemingly possess the fastest car in dry conditions.A series of upgrades came together to catapult George Russell and Lewis Hamilton into the mix, with the former taking pole before a scrappy race saw him miss out on a good opportunity for victory.While there was frustration from both drivers, Hamilton's stemming more from a hugely disappointing qualifying display that left him seventh on the grid, being back in contention was great news for the team. "The truth is over the last three races we have brought so many new parts, visible and invisible to the eye that have contributed milliseconds to more performance," Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said after the Canadian Grand Prix."I think this is where those marginal gains can have that positive effect and that was just a huge effort from the factory, and I think that we have started to get some real motion now."His old rival, Horner, said during the weekend that Mercedes have, even during their struggles since 2022 under these regulations, performed well on new or 'green' tracks, and appeared hesitant to accept the Silver Arrows' step forward is as dramatic as it appeared in Montreal.Are Ferrari or McLaren a bigger title threat?Even if Mercedes' progression is as dramatic as they hope, a 177-point deficit to Red Bull in the constructors' standings means they are not a genuine threat for the constructors' title.After a pointless weekend in Canada, Ferrari are 59 points back from the leaders, with McLaren a further 40 points adrift. Those are significant yet recoverable margins, particularly if Perez continues to be a weak link for Red Bull, with Ferrari and McLaren able to rely on each of their drivers for consistent perfor