Lewis Hamilton is confident McLaren can challenge for the win in Spain, although concedes it is still difficult to know who is on top.
The start of this year's Championship has been exciting for Formula One followers as, to date, four different drivers have won the four grands prix. It is a clear indication of how tight the battle at the front is this season.
And Hamilton is expecting more of the same when the F1 circus heads to Barcelona, a circuit that is well known by all the drivers as they frequently test there in the winter.
"Our performance at Barcelona during winter testing looked promising - but the form of the season is still very hard to read, so it's difficult to predict who'll be at the front next weekend," said the McLaren driver.
"Nonetheless, we had a great race there last year - I pushed Sebastian all the way to the finish. I think we have a comparatively stronger car this year, so I hope we can have another strong race."
Hamilton, who failed to pass Vettel even with the aid of DRS down the main straight last year, is also hoping Barcelona doesn't live up to its long-established reputation.
"It'll be interesting to see how straightforward overtaking will be this year," Hamilton sid.
"It's always been a tough place for passing - as I found out last year - but I really hope DRS and KERS-Hybrid combined will make it a little easier.
"I think it's going to be one of the toughest tracks of the year for overtaking, but I'll be hoping for a strong performance in qualifying in order to make it as straightforward as possible in the race."
