WEEKEND WARM-UP: A red-hot driver market and a four-way fight in prospect as F1 returns to Spain

Where will Carlos Sainz drive in 2025? Is Red Bull’s grip on the constructors’ championship slipping? And how will Fernando Alonso fare at his home race 23 years on from his first appearance in Barcelona? All these questions and more were doing the rounds as Formula 1 returned to Spain, and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, for the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix.

Last time out in Montreal, both McLaren and Mercedes gave Red Bull grief at times before Max Verstappen emerged victorious. Will there be a repeat of that pressure this weekend – that trio perhaps joined by Ferrari, who went from a dream Monaco victory for Charles Leclerc to a nightmare weekend in Montreal.

PADDOCK INSIDER: The key factor distracting Sainz from his massive 2025 decision

Meanwhile, the driver market was a hot topic too, as the fates of drivers including Sainz, F2 hopefuls Ollie Bearman and Kimi Antonelli, and veterans like Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen come under increasing scrutiny.

To dissect all this and more, Will Buxton is joined by former F1 strategist Ruth Buscombe in Barcelona as the paddock prepares for the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix. Hit play in the video up top to tune in.