Following a strong weekend in Monaco which saw him record his best F1 result since 2014, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso expects Red Bull to be “untouchable” in Spain.

F1 heads to Barcelona this weekend for Round 7 of the championship hot off the heels of Monaco, where Aston Martin and Alonso mounted a challenge to Red Bull.

The Spaniard pushed Max Verstappen throughout the weekend, necessitating a brilliant qualifying lap from the Dutchman to steal pole.

The championship leader was under pressure during the race too, his final margin of victory inflated by Aston Martin’s gamble on slick tyres for Alonso.

However, the 41-year-old doesn’t expect to be in that position again this weekend where he suggests Red Bull will reassert its dominance.

“I will not put any pressure on my team or myself into next week,” he said following the race in Monaco.

“We saw today on race pace, yesterday was very close in qualifying, but today in the race we saw Red Bull again very dominant.

“So we have to accept that things, into next weekend, will be maybe as we saw in any other race this year, where Red Bull is untouchable.”

While Red Bull is expected to remain the class of the field, there are open questions regarding the order behind the Milton Keynes squad.

In Monaco, Mercedes introduced a new car concept as it looks to rediscover its winning form.

The potential of that was masked in the principality though the team will look to learn more about its current package in Barcelona.

That could well see it take a step forward towards the likes of Ferrari, which also had updates coming, and Aston Martin.

“We have to see in a normal circuit, what is the package of Mercedes and the upgrades that Ferrari will bring apparently to Barcelona as well,” Alonso said.

“We have the feet in the ground and, as I said in Miami, it’s going to be a few weekends in the year that we will just be seventh and eighth, and we have to accept that, and some others that we will fight for podiums.

“So I will not get into Barcelona thinking that I will win and disappoint anyone.”