LONDON (Reuters) - Fernando Alonso will start his home Spanish Grand Prix as Formula One championship leader for the third year in a row this weekend but with more of a fight on his hands than ever.
The double world champion won comfortably enough last season at the Circuit de Catalunya but this time, tied on 22 points with McLaren team mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, the 25-year-old faces a tough afternoon.
Urged on by what is likely to be a record sell-out crowd, the local hero should be favourite in his first home appearance in McLaren colours since leaving Renault last year.
But a lot will depend on just how much his Mercedes-powered team and rivals Ferrari have developed their cars since the last grand prix in Bahrain four weeks ago.
The first race of the European season, after three rounds in Asia and the Middle East won by three different drivers, should provide a clear indication of who has the upper hand.
Ferrari won in Australia with Raikkonen and in Bahrain with Brazilian Felipe Massa while Alonso led Hamilton in an unexpected McLaren one-two in Malaysia.
McLaren (44) are five points clear of Ferrari in the constructors' standings, with BMW (18) a distant third but still with more points than all the remaining eight teams together.
The top two were sounding confident after testing in Barcelona last week, with Ferrari quickest on all but the last day at a circuit that has been remodelled since last year with a chicane replacing the last two quick curves
