10 June 2024 , 15:13
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F1 fans have been begging for more competition at the front for a long time now and, finally, their prayers have been answered.
Red Bull are clearly still the ones to beat. Max Verstappen has won six of the nine races held so far this season but, over the last month, things have got much more difficult for the defending champions.
First, McLaren emerged from the pack in Miami to prove they are capable of giving Red Bull a headache. And then Ferrari did the same in Monaco, meaning Verstappen has won only two of the last four races - a comparatively poor record for the Dutchman given his success since the start of 2022.
Verstappen still has more points than anyone else to his name over the last four rounds, but the figures make it clear that he has competition. He has 84 points in that timeframe, while Lando Norris has scored 73 and Charles Leclerc 62.
It took Mercedes a little longer to get involved and George Russell and Lewis Hamilton only scored 36 and 34 points respectively over those four races. But both those totals were given a healthy boost by their best result of the season so far in Montreal on Sunday.
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Yes, the track clearly seemed to suit their cars. But third and fourth place for the Silver Arrows was also a result of the upgrades they have been bringing in recent weeks, with more on the way next time out at the Spanish Grand Prix.
All eyes will be on Mercedes in Barcelona to see whether they have truly joined the fight at the front. They may not be able to fight Red Bull straight away, but proved in Montreal that they are capable of giving the others a headache when they get things right.
McLaren enjoyed a couple of races in which they were the only ones capable of taking the fight to Verstappen. When Ferrari dominated in proceedings in Monaco, it took away an opportunity for Norris and Oscar Piastri to grab another win.
And the Briton admitted after the Canada race that things will get even harder for them if the Silver Arrows truly have made the step up. Norris said: "With Mercedes joining, it's only going to make it harder to score big points like we did today."
Red Bull will be concerned about how quickly the performance gap has shrunk, especially as Sergio Perez has hit an awful patch of form at the same time as others have stepped up their game. But having McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all taking points off each other while squabbling for podiums may well end up clearing their path towards more titles at the end of the year.