"Verstappen and Red Bull Racing have shown they are more than competitive"

Tougher competition than Hamilton has had in years

"When was the last time Hamilton faced such a constant outside threat?", says Tom Clarkson at the F1 Nation podcast. "I think then you have to go back to 2008 with Felipe Massa. In 2017 and 2018 Ferrari were not consistent enough, and with Rosberg, the rivalry took place within the team. So you have to go all the way back to the beginning of his Formula One career, and when you've driven and won so many races this is exactly what you need to keep it interesting."

Co-presenter Natalie Pinkham agrees with his words, adding that a battle between drivers from different teams is more beautiful to watch than one between teammates. "It's a completely different challenge, and in Barcelona, we're going to see the same thing again. It's impossible to predict in advance who is going to come out on top," Pinkham said.

Formula One journalist Lawrence Barretto adds that despite the fact that the race seemed to go in Lewis Hamilton's favour early on, Max Verstappen could not be levelled out. " The possibility remained that Max would come back because he and Red Bull Racing have shown that they are more than competitive enough to compete with Mercedes," Baretto said.