When will Mercedes’ hot streak end? Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton have recorded a one-two finish in each of the four races we’ve had so far this season, and the fifth happens to be on a track that − you guessed it − they recorded a one-two finish on last year. Here’s our guide on how to catch his weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, including channels and UK times for practice races, qualifying and, of course, the main event. Bottas and Hamilton have two wins apiece coming into this weekend, and are already in danger of opening up a very healthy lead over their rivals. Sebastian Vettel is the best of the rest, just ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, whose luck surely has to change soon. Unfortunately for the Ferrari duo, Mercedes dominated both qualifying and the practice sessions. Bottas, who was quickest in two of the three practice sessions, has secured pole position. Hamilton starts in second, with Vettel in third and Verstappen in fourth. Read more: Best VPN Spanish Grand Prix Schedule: What time is the F1 on TV this weekend? The fifth stop on the 2019 Formula One world tour is Barcelona, with the main action taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You’ll be pleased to hear that there are no early morning starts this weekend. Here’s this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix race schedule (all times BST): Friday May 10 9:45am − Spanish GP Practice One build-up 10am − Spanish GP Practice One 1:45pm − Spanish GP Practice Two build-up 2pm − Spanish GP Practice Two Saturday May 11 10:45am − Spanish GP Practice Three build-up 11am − Spanish GP Practice Three 1pm − Spanish GP Qualifying build-up 2pm − Spanish GP Qualifying 4:45pm − The F1 Show Sunday May 12 12:30am − Spanish GP Pit Lane 1:30pm − Spanish GP On the Grid 2:10pm − THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX 4:30pm − Spanish GP Paddock 5:15pm − Full race replay Read more: Best free VPN Spanish Grand Prix: TV channel and live stream details Sky now has exclusive rights to F1 in the UK, but you’ll be able to catch the highlights via Channel 4. If you’re a Sky subscriber, you can tune in – in 4K, no less – on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports F1 and Sky One. You can also tune in using the Sky Go mobile app, at no additional charge. Here are some quick-links to help you: If you’re not a Sky customer, but desperately don’t want to miss this season’s opener, you can watch the action by picking up a NOW TV Sports Pass, which will set you back either £8.99 (for a Day Pass) or £14.99 (for a Week Pass). The Week Pass is obviously the best value for F1 fanatics, especially if you’re completely free on both Saturday and Sunday morning. To catch Channel 4’s highlights from 7pm on Sunday, you’ll need to head to the normal broadcast channel or the All 4 website linked below for an on-demand service: Alternatively, you can watch the action using the All 4 mobile app: Share your Spanish Grand Prix race predictions with us on Twitter @TrustedReviews.<doc-sep>PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/Getty Images Mercedes will look to continue their dominance of the 2019 Formula One season in Barcelona, with the Silver Arrows gunning for a fifth straight one-two finish during Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton have split victories over the first four races of the season, opening up a giant lead at the top of the standings. The first chaser, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, sits more than 30 points behind the leaders. Both Mercedes and Ferrari, as well as a host of other teams, have brought upgrade packages to the Spanish Grand Prix, and we'll find out how those changes translate to race pace on Sunday. Date: Sunday, May 12 Time: 2:10 p.m. (BST), 9:10 a.m. (ET) Video Play Button Videos you might like TV Info: Sky Sports F1 (UK), ESPN2 (U.S.) Live Stream: Sky Go, ESPN Player The list of drivers for the season can be found on the F1 website. Track Guide The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya holds no secrets for the drivers, as it is the preferred testing venue in pre-season and the host of this year's winter sessions. It's a relatively slow track that requires plenty of downforce in the setups. The long Turn 3 is vital and easy to get wrong, and overtaking is often reserved for the DRS zones. The track is a great all-rounder, explaining why it's so popular for testing. The teams' familiarity with the track also means setups will be close to perfect, making it a great place to test upgrade packages. Preview Just four races into the season, it's safe to say Mercedes remain as dominant as ever and the rest of the field is playing catch-up. While Ferrari's raw power can match that of the Silver Arrows, the overall balance of the Mercedes is far superior. The advantage has been clear in Barcelona as well: Per F1 writer Pablo Elizalde, Ferrari had the edge at this same track in winter testing: Max Verstappen has comfortably been the better Red Bull driver so far this season, and much is expected from the third member of the "big three" teams in terms of upgrades. The Dutchman took his maiden win at the track in his first race for Red Bull in 2016, but the fact the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Hamilton crashed into each other played a big part in that: Hamilton and Bottas may be battling it out for the championship lead, but they have been relatively well-behaved on track. Another incident seems unlikely, and Mercedes' tremendous pace once again has them in position to add another win.<doc-sep>The Formula One paddock is a busy place that hosts a lot of serious business over a race weekend, but this blog will aim to bring you some of the more colourful moments from the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. Bottas the woodsman In Australia, Valtteri Bottas put his dominant victory down to the porridge he ate on race day morning, but in Spain he revealed a new pre-race preparation technique. Apparently Bottas followed Finnish folklore and went walking in the woods to clear his mind ahead of his flight to Spain. "I think there has been research about it that it's good for your brain," he said. "Last week I spent a lot of time in the woods, it might sound crazy but it seems to work." Whatever works for you, Valtteri. 'Banter Steiner' I experienced a nice moment of levity in the paddock on Friday. A Danish colleague and I were chatting about the very humorous parody Twitter account set up for the potty-mouthed Haas team boss Guenther Steiner -- if you haven't seen @BanterSteiner it, here it is -- when the man himself came walking towards us and noticed the fact we were laughing about something. He enquired as to what and, handily, my colleague had his phone in his hand with one of the tweets on screen. Always jovial and occasionally eccentric Haas boss Guenther Steiner is one of the standout characters in F1 documentary 'Drive to Survive' Bryn Lennon/Getty Images We showed Steiner, who read it, laughed loudly and walked away, joking as he did so that he's not allowed to have a Twitter account of his own for that very reason. One of the parodies in particular tickled me, showing a picture of Romain Grosjean driving across the gravel during Friday practice. The tweet said: "Just got a call from @NASA They saw FP1 and think they found their perfect driver for the Moon lander. If Romain can't stay on the f------ track I might consider sending him to the f----- moon." As you can see, the language can be rather colourful, but anyone who has seen Steiner's brilliant appearances on the F1 Netflix documentary will understand why. A change of scenery It's not unusual to see famous people in an F1 paddock. It is unusual to see them helping a team out with pit-stop practice, even if it's in a controlled environment during a practice session. But WWE wrestler Cesaro did exactly that on Saturday morning, helping Toro Rosso remove and replace its front-left tyre. Trading places It looks like the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will be confirmed early next week. It will likely replace Spain on the calendar for next season, with this weekend's race the last on the existing contract. In recent years the Circuit de Catalunya has doubled up as a race venue and the location for pre-season testing, meaning it is one of the more familiar tracks on the circuit for the drivers. "I would miss it," Kevin Magnussen said. "It's been on the calendar all of my career, it's a track you would always come to, always raced there. It's a fun track. It feels like the baseline track for all tracks and it's very familiar, the city, the hotels, the paddock and the track of course. It's nice to have a race like that where you know everything and really feel at home a bit." Most are familiar with Zandvoort too, however, as it is a popular venue for many junior series. "Zandvoort is also a bit crazy, very narrow," Magnussen added. "It's going to be very different, very up and down, it's a very unique track and I'm looking forward to it." The appeal of a Dutch Grand Prix is obvious, given the rise and rise of Max Verstappen. The Dutchman said on Thursday he has always felt like he has a home race, given the fact he spent much of his life living in Belgium, but is more than happy to have a second. He also expects Spain, the location of his first win in 2016, to return to the calendar one day: " I think it's always sad to miss a grand prix, but it's the same with Malaysia. It was also a great venue. Maybe in the future then it comes back again, you never know. Same with Zandvoort, isn't it, it's been away for a while and hopefully it will come back." New digs As the first race after the flyaways, the Spanish Grand Prix is the opening race of the European season -- as such, it's the first time teams are able to transport their motorhomes to the F1 paddock. There are some new ones on display in Barcelona this week. For the first time in 14 years, Red Bull has arrived without its famous Energy Station, having introduced a new complex known as the Holzhaus (or Wood House, as the interior is fashioned from 417m³ of sustainably-sourced Austrian timber). It is based on an old MotoGP motorhome which was used during last year's Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring -- where Max Verstappen claimed the team's first win at its home race. The new Holzhaus -- standing at three floors and with 1,221 square metres of floor space -- can be built in 32 hours and taken down in one day by a crew of 25. The facility is split between Red Bull and its junior team Toro Rosso. It does without air conditioning -- relying on a natural convection design within the walls of the building to keep its occupants cool -- but has a grand total of 26 fridges stocking various varieties of Red Bull. Its kitchen will serve 100kg of pasta, 120kg of fish and 180kg of meat at every race. The Red Bull Holzhaus, which houses the Red Bull and Toro Rosso teams at F1 race weekends. Red Bull Racing "If it sees half as much drama as the old Energy Station, it will be doing well!" team boss Christian Horner said. Although Max Verstappen joked that nothing had changed for where the drivers spend their time, he admitted to already seeing the benefit of Daniel Ricciardo's departure to Renault for this season. "Everything is new except my room," he said. "But I stole Daniel's room because it was bigger." As I discovered on my first visit there, Verstappen's presence looms large over the building... Felt like I was being watched at new Red Bull hospitality. Looked up... pic.twitter.com/TIsHKkOIXQ — Nate Saunders (@natesaundersF1) May 10, 2019 (Before people start assuming Red Bull only cares about Max, Pierre Gasly's picture was directly opposite) Next stop for the Holzhaus will be Monte Carlo, when it will be loaded onto a giant barge and floated into the harbour for the duration of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. Max Verstappen talks to media at the Red Bull Holzhaus, situated in the Circuit de Catalunya paddock. Dan Istitene/Getty Images Red Bull isn't the only team showing off a new facility. Racing Point has arrived with a swanky new complex of its own to mark its new partnership with sports betting platform SportPesa. The team was renamed from Force India for 2019 following Lawrence Stroll's takeover of the team last August -- the Canadian billionaire has promised to invest heavily in the team. A team spokesperson told me the new facility -- standing a 800 square metres, but also spread across three floors -- underlines Stroll's commitment to improving the team on and off the track. It can serve 800 meals across a race weekend and, like the Holzhaus, can be constructed in less than two days. Notice anything a little... different? 👀 🙌 if you're up for a tour of our new digs!#MakeItCount #F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/VFBe8z5AGR — SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team (@RacingPointF1) May 9, 2019 Haas' team members will have a bit more space for lunch this year, too, with the team unveiling an expanded motorhome for the 2019 season.<doc-sep>
Mercedes has enjoyed the best start to a season in Formula One history, taking four consecutive one-two finishes to open up a 74-point lead in the constructors' championship. Will Ferrari respond before it's too late? What time does it start? How can I watch it? This weekend's Spanish Grand Prix is set to get underway at 2:10 p.m. BST and 9:10 a.m. ET. For U.S. viewers, all of this weekend's sessions are live on ESPN: Friday -- Practice Practice 1 - Friday, May 10, 4:55 a.m. - ESPN2 Practice 2 - Friday, May 10, 8:55 a.m. - ESPNU Saturday -- Qualifying Practice 3 - Saturday, May 11, 5:55 a.m. - ESPN2 Qualifying - Saturday, May 11, 8:55 a.m. - ESPN2 Sunday -- Race Pit Lane Live - Sunday, May 12, 7:30 a.m. - ESPN3 On The Grid - Sunday, May 12, 8:30 a.m. - ESPN2 Race - Sunday, May 12, 9:05 a.m. - ESPN2 U.K. viewers can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1. Check local listings for all other territories. Can Bottas 2.0 actually challenge for the title? Only twice in 12 years has Lewis Hamilton's teammate been able to get the better of him over the course of a Formula One season. Jenson Button achieved it when the two were at McLaren back in 2011, arguably Hamilton's worst season and one where he suffered a spate of mechanical issues. More recently it was Nico Rosberg who bested Hamilton. The German did it in 2016 en route to his sole world championship crown. Bottas' impressive start to 2019 is one which has surprised many. The Finn has already claimed two wins from the first four races, a stark improvement from his winless 2018 campaign that left his position at Mercedes in jeopardy. Other than his mediocre weekend in Bahrain, which still ended in P2, Bottas has been a real match for Hamilton so far this year, at times he has even looked to have had the edge on the five-time world champion. The question is whether or not he can sustain it as Hamilton generally steps up a gear when racing returns to Europe. Last year, from races five to 14, Hamilton outscored Bottas 186-119. Needless to say that can't happen again if he wants to challenge for the title. Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes celebrates on the podium after winning the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Charles Coates/Getty Images Which car will suit the track? The Circuit de Catalunya is a track which every driver is familiar with, given it's the home of preseason winter testing. Mercedes has been the dominant force on Saturday in Barcelona, taking all five pole positions in the V6 era. On four of those occasions the Silver Arrows have locked out the front row. On Sunday it's been Hamilton who has had the best of it in recent times winning in 2017 and 2018, however, like Azerbaijan in the last race, Spain has thrown up some surprise race results in recent times and it can be a tricky one to predict. Ferrari's pace in testing at this very circuit was ominous, but they appear to have fallen behind Mercedes after the first four races. Still, if circuit form is anything to go by, this could be the Scuderia's best chance of taking a win, particularly given they are bringing their first planned engine upgrade. While wins have been scarce, Red Bull has always enjoyed the circuit with double top-five finishes in two of the past three years. Max Verstappen might yet find himself on another podium. Down the order, Haas could potentially rediscover some form this weekend. The American team had great pace last year in Spain which resulted in Kevin Magnussen finishing sixth. Haas was also lightning quick in pre-season testing in Barcelona. The stat files 10 - Different winners of the Spanish Grand Prix in the past 12 years. 18 years, 227 days - Max Verstappen's age when he won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix on his Red Bull debut. 7 - Fastest laps by Michael Schumacher in Spain. More than any other driver in history. 100% - Mercedes has scored pole position at Barcelona in every year of the V6 turbo era. Kimi Raikkonen - The only driver outside of the top three teams to score points at every race in 2019. Kimi Raikkonen drives his Alfa Romeo during the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.