Bahrain

2021 Bahrain GP

F1 is back! My Introduction.

The wait is over, we are under way again! There are some exciting new developments for this season to follow in the first few races, and with the first race weekend behind us, I have made my notes and chosen topics to touch on.

Who am I? I’m an average 22 year old guy, I live in Switzerland and I have been a Formula 1 fan as far back as I can remember. I have dreamed of getting more into F1 for the last couple of years, with the ultimate goal of actually making it into the sport as an analyst or commentator of sorts, however unlikely it may be. My next step after this blog will be to start a YouTube channel when the time is right, considering I get enough of a following who would be interested in more in-depth, interactive discussions.

I hope I can keep everyone who reads this informed, entertained, and active. This is my first entry, I know there is room for improvement so I would love feedback on what you like, dislike, what you’d like to see more (or less) of, and general tips on how I can improve. I already have a few ideas, and I want to work on becoming a genuine alternative source of information and entertainment for you. I currently plan on doing these weekly, with any further entries and topics as my schedule allows. The wording and thoughts are all my own, written in my style. I like to provoke discussions with my own thoughts on certain topics and outcomes, so expect to see controversial opinions early on in the season, for example:

As early as the 2018 Spanish GP, I predicted Mercedes would develop to be untouchable and Ferrari to fall behind Red Bull, denying Vettel his 5th title, no matter if he had a perfect season or not. My opinion was not shared by the vast majority of the F1 community on a certain popular website 🙂

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading my first of (hopefully) many entries in this blog.

Top 2

Starting from the top, the Bahrain GP really made clear who is going to be competing for the WDC this season. While Verstappen seems to have a more tamed and collected car this season, evidenced by his near-perfect qualifying lap, Hamilton was noticeably struggling in comparison, his small mistakes happening due to instability in the rear of the Mercedes, making up most of the difference.

The race was a similar story. It was clear from the get-go that Verstappen had more than enough pace to keep the silver arrow of Lewis Hamilton behind comfortably. An issue with Verstappens’ differential kept the curtains on the true potential of the Red Bull, however, with Max vocal about his struggles with traction out of turns 1 and 2. This made for an exciting tactical battle, with Mercedes able to keep up and trying to force Red Bulls’ hand in the first round of pit stops, pulling in Hamilton for a new set of hard tyres relatively early on. Red Bull decided not to cover Hamilton immediately, committing to their own strategy and waiting another 4 laps before making their move.

The second round of pit stops is where the battle really got interesting. Hamilton again pitted for another new set of hards to go to the end of the race 28 laps from the end. Verstappen, on the other hand, did a full 22 laps on his mediums, after which he pitted for new hards 17 laps from the end, coming out 8 seconds behind Lewis. The Red Bull on fresher tyres clearly had a huge pace advantage over the Mercedes, and 7 laps from the end, Max was already all over Lewis’ gearbox.

The fight that followed really highlighted the brilliance of Lewis Hamilton, putting in an (almost) Vettel 2018-esque performance to keep the Red Bull of Max behind. Max did briefly pass Lewis, but due to the pass being completed off track and Red Bull themselves having complained about Lewis abusing that particular part of the track, Max let him back past on the back straight to avoid getting penalised. Following Lewis from this point on was only ruining his tyres more. After Max made a mistake, locking up slightly and going wide into turn 13, the challenge was all but gone, giving Lewis enough breathing room to bring the car home in P1.

This is an indicator for the rest of the season. The winner will likely be determined by individual performances, with races like Bahrain being key to total victory. The first blow goes to Hamilton, and I am really looking forward to the other 22!

Battle of the constructors (Bottas vs Perez)

After careful consideration, Red Bull brought in former Racing Point (Now Aston Martin) driver Sergio Perez in place of the struggling Alex Albon to help mount a proper constructors challenge on Mercedes. The first signs after Bahrain seem to indicate this was a brilliant move by Red Bull. With Perez running into technical issues on the formation lap, his car switching off completely, it looked like it was all over before he even started. Luckily, he managed to get the engine fired up again with the KERS system, but due to the issue leaving him stranded in sector 3 when everyone had lined up, he had to start from the pit lane. This would put him in a familiar position, last on the grid. Perez methodically cut through the field to end a brilliant comeback drive in P5, noticeably becoming more and more familiar with the Red Bull underneath him each lap.

This will put Bottas under pressure to perform in future races. Considering Perez gets a clean qualifying run and doesn’t run into technical issues in the race, Bottas has a real challenge on his hands to not only protect Lewis, but also the constructors’ title and his own seat at Mercedes. This is a breath of fresh air, seeing two constructors go at it again with comparable cars and drivers! That makes the battle over the whole season extra spicy!

The huge midfield question mark

The midfield battle this season is looking very unpredictable, with more questions than answers after Bahrain. We saw a strong McLaren, a resurgent Ferrari and the improved forces of Alfa Romeo and Alpha Tauri. Alpine and Aston Martin both seemed to have had a difficult race, but they can easily get involved considering their main drivers become accustomed to the machinery at hand.

Pierre Gasly was unfortunate not to be in the mix, losing his front wing early on and seemingly picking up floor damage, severely hampering his pace. Yuki Tsunoda, however, showed us a glimpse of what we can expect from the midfield this season, which is exciting racing that will be determined by smart tactics and brilliant individual drives. We also surprisingly saw George Russell driving at a decent pace, a nice surprise knowing he’s ready to battle and potentially even challenge for points this season in the Williams!

Only time will tell how the teams and young drivers will develop, but the season is long and it seems everyone is ready to pounce and challenge every little mistake, making this potentially even more exciting than the brilliant midfield battle last season.

It’s imperative to touch on one key challenger in the midfield, possibly the most hyped of them all – Aston Martin. Throughout the preseason, expectations were sky-high for the return of the legendary name. Their technical partnership with Mercedes from last year was carried over to the new team, with it also the low rake concept with which the silver arrows dominated last season. This season, due to the new regulations concerning the rear half of the floor, the low rake concept has been disadvantaged a great amount. So much so, that their CEO openly complained about it in an interview. The lack of pace will make their season feel much longer than it is. It closes up so many strategy options, and Stroll and Vettel will need to bring their A-game week in week out if they want to maximise the points return for the team because every point will count in this super tight midfield.

Vettel’s debut wasn’t a brilliant one, either. From being knocked out in Q1 after Mazepins’ mishap, due to start 18th, to being handed 3 penalty points on his license and a 3 place grid penalty for not reacting enough to yellow flags in qualifying, pushing him to the back of the grid, to running into the back of the Alpine of Ocon after being overtaken for 13th position later on in the race, gathering another 2 penalty points for a total of 5. That’s a long read and a long list of things to go wrong in 1 weekend. It seemed nothing went as expected after he was also passed by Russell in the Williams in the closing stages of the race. The pace just wasn’t there. Whether this is a one-off, just a bad strategy, is hard to say. Vettel is clearly yet to settle down in the car, and the rear end is not as strong as promised, in most part due to the new regulations. He certainly won’t want a repeat of Bahrain, as enough comments are going around on him being “washed up”, although there is little doubt he still has a lot to bring to the team. Vettel now has the chance to prove he’s still up there with the best, even if the car underneath isn’t.

The backmarkers of 2021

Bahrain also cleared up who is expected to run at the back this season. There are 3 drivers, namely Latifi, Schumacher and Mazepin. Haas decided to shift all development focus to 2022, hoping to fully compromise 2021 for a huge improvement next year with the new regulations. Famously, they also decided to take on 2 rookie drivers for this season, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. Schumacher, legend Michael Schumachers’ son, had a relatively quiet and unimpressive debut with his only TV highlight of note being his spin coming out of turn 2.

Mazepin, on the other hand, was being ridiculed all weekend after spinning a few times during different sessions, most notably qualifying. The F1 community is not holding back, making it clear who their villain is. He spun out and crashed out of turn 2 in the first lap of the race, bringing out the safety car and ending his debut a lot quicker than he would’ve wanted. It’s fair to say expectations are very low for the Haas team this season, and in my opinion, both rookies should just focus on driving clean races without silly mistakes to gain experience in F1 machinery. If they can do that, they will get up to speed sooner than they know and can potentially run into Latifi, who is also in a notoriously slow car, albeit slightly improved from last year, evidenced by Russells’ result.

The difference between Russell and Latifi was made clear in the Bahrain GP if it wasn’t clear already. While Russell can challenge a weaker midfield team or driver for position, Latifi is involved in the battle far behind with Haas. Expectations are low, but while the Haas drivers have little pressure on them, Latifi is naturally fighting for a seat next season. There are so many talented drivers who would gladly take his 1-of-20 seat, so the pressure is high and noticeable improvements need to come thick and fast from the Canadian driver.

Conclusion 1/23

All in all, after testing, it was clear that Red Bull was the team to beat, with Mercedes coming up just behind and McLaren being the class of the midfield. Ferrari surprised us most with their much-improved pace and a double points finish, but with a balancing act needed between further developing this seasons’ car and using resources for the new regulations coming next year, it is yet to be seen how they will develop. Unfortunately Gasly, Alonso and Vettel had issues or made mistakes, so expect even hotter fights in the upcoming races involving these main drivers! The battle upfront in the next races could also solidify the favourite for the championship, and the top 2 teams will have an even tougher time deciding where to pour their development resources. This season is turning out to be the most exciting in years, and the outcome cannot clearly be predicted after race 1. Imola will be very exciting, and I’m looking forward to touching on further topics after the first Italian GP of 2021!