One of the biggest takeaways from arguably the best Spanish Grand Prix ever is the fact that neither Red Bull nor Ferrari have found an edge over each other. The title-contending F1 rivals seem pretty much on par in terms of pace. And on top of that, Mercedes have officially announced their entry into the title fight with an astounding show.

While George Russell gifted Mercedes only their third podium of the season, Lewis Hamilton, after the lap 1 heartbreak, pulled off an incredible comeback to clinch P5, taking home a total of 25 points. Hence, as mentioned earlier, it is finally safe to say that the championship fight has spread its wings into three different teams.

But, as always, we’ve got a twist here! The Monaco Grand Prix is right around the corner and unlike in Barcelona, we might witness a whole new set of teams battling for the podium. One might wonder, how credible is this speculation? Well, here it is.

The F1 teams that could haunt Red Bull & Ferrari

It is a well-known fact that a part of Circuit de Catalunya possesses the characteristics of the streets of Monte Carlo; To be precise, the final sector of Barcelona’s prominent racing ring. This particular sector has a section of slow to medium-speed corners with varying altitude, consequently paying dividends to the high-downforce set-up of the cars.

Hence, let’s take a look at the fastest sector 3 times of each F1 team. Unsurprisingly, Ferrari and Red Bull lead the way with the former posting the best sector time of 27.336s. Only 0.075s behind the Maranello outfit are the raging bulls with 27.411s.

But, here comes the biggest shock – While many would anticipate Mercedes or McLaren to secure P3, reality has Alfa Romeo. The Sauber-led outfit has the third-fastest sector 3 time of 27.443s which is barely 0.03s away from Red Bull.

Watch Story: From Serena Williams to Chris Hemsworth: Celebrities Lured by the Glitz and Glamor of Monaco

We’re not done yet. Just over 0.1s behind Alfa Romeo are the other Ferrari-powered team, Haas, and only then arrive Mercedes and McLaren. Alpine takes P7 followed by AlphaTauri, Aston Martin, and Williams completing the top 10.

Rains likely to play a crucial role

During the latest F1 Nation podcast, Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner affirmed that rain is imminent over the weekend in Monaco. And, well, the Briton is not wrong at all! Weather models are expecting showers coupled with thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday, with the latter taking the biggest hit.

Overall, driving the extremely tricky 2022 F1 cars in the wet streets of Monte Carlo is likely to be one of the greatest challenges for the drivers. So, which one of the 20 drivers is going to overcome the heap of obstacles to clinch the top spot at the Crown Jewel of F1?

Read More: What Went Wrong With Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari F1 Challenger Triggering Tragic Spanish GP Ending