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LIVE | Spanish GP 2020: Can Mercedes duo hold off Verstappen?
The 2020 F1 season started in early July. Now it is only mid-August and yet the sixth race is about to start. The continuation of the Spanish Grand Prix seemed to be in doubt for a long time, but it has been given the green light to go ahead.
Return of Perez
The coronavirus has kept the region of Catalonia quite in recent months. All the more coincidental that Sergio Perez returns here to the paddock. After testing positive with COVID-19 just before the first race at the Silverstone circuit, the Mexican was quarantined for two weeks. According to his own words he had only mild symptoms and now that he has been declared negative, he takes over his seat again from Nico Hülkenberg.
Dominance Mercedes continues or...?
In qualifying, there is no measure on the Mercedes car of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas this season. They are more than half a second faster here. Still, last Sunday, Max Verstappen won the race thanks to the wear and tear of the tyres of the competition. Because it's also very hot in Spain, such a scenario could occur again.
Racing Point the outsider
Right behind Verstappen are the two pink cars of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll. They could be throwing a spanner in the works of the Dutchman. If Verstappen wants to attack Mercedes, he will have to do everything he can to keep these two drivers behind him. Because of the high top speed of the Racing Point they are very difficult to overtake.
Can Vettel avert another dramatic weekend?
Sebastian Vettel qualified eleventh on Saturday and said afterwards that he didn't feel it was going so bad. So there's really something wrong with the German's SF1000 and he seems to be heading for another disappointment. Being the first driver to have a free choice of tyres might offer some hope under these circumstances.