Formula 1: Same old Mercedes dominance in 2019 Spanish Grand Prix?

Will the Spanish Grand Prix result in the same dominance by Mercedes that has been on display in the race in the past and throughout the start of the 2019 Formula 1 season?

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport have dominated Formula 1 since the V6 turbo hybrid era began in the 2014 season, and their dominance of the Spanish Grand Prix has played a role in that. Additionally, they have dominated the first four races of the 2019 season as well.

After becoming just the second team in Formula 1 history to record three consecutive 1-2 finishes to start a season, Mercedes became the first team in Formula 1 history to record four consecutive 1-2 finishes to start a season.

Mercedes teammates Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton have each won two races and finished in second place in the other two so far this season. Bottas leads the driver standings by one point (87 to 86) over Hamilton as a result of the fact that he recorded the fastest lap time in the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix.

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Mercedes, meanwhile, appear to be running away with the constructor championship, as they lead second place Scuderia Ferrari in the standings by 74 points (173 to 99) already. They are set to go for their fifth consecutive 1-2 finish to open up the season this Sunday in the Spanish Grand Prix, and they appear to have everything they need and more to pull it off.

With the Spanish Grand Prix scheduled to take place this Sunday, May 12, will we see the same old dominance by the Silver Arrows in the 66-lap race around the 16-turn, 2.892-mile (4.654-kilometer) Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya road course in Montmelo, Catalonia, Spain?

Hamilton and Nico Rosberg delivered Mercedes two 1-2 starts and two 1-2 finishes in the Spanish Grand Prix in 2014 and 2015, with Hamilton winning the former from the pole position and Rosberg winning the latter from the pole position. They combined to lead 131 of the 132 laps in these two races.

In the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton and Rosberg locked out the front row once again, this time with Hamilton on the pole. Rosberg got the early lead, and in an attempt to retake the lead, Hamilton caused a collision with his teammate heading into turn four on the race’s opening lap.

Here is a video of this collision.

If not for this collision, Mercedes could very well be going for their sixth consecutive Spanish Grand Prix victory this weekend, as Hamilton won the race in 2017 with teammate Valtteri Bottas in third place, and he led a 1-2 finish over Bottas in the race in 2018.

Will Mercedes continue their recent dominance in the Spanish Grand Prix and to start off the 2019 Formula 1 season this weekend? ESPN2 is set to broadcast the season’s fifth race live from Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya beginning at 9:10 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 12.