Momentum in the title fight shifted against Max Verstappen at Portimao, so now a champion in the making must step up at the Spanish GP.

Red Bull started out in 2021 as ‘favourites’, and although Bahrain did not go quite to plan, Imola was exactly the response that Verstappen needed to reaffirm that he could be a true title contender.

The next step then was to back this up with a win at the Portuguese Grand Prix, a venue where Mercedes dominated in 2020 once the early rain had cleared, but it turned out to be a very scruffy weekend for Verstappen.