F1 2021 Season

First topic message reminder :

The season opening Australian Grand Prix & the Chinese Grand Prix have been postponed.

Bahrain Grand Prix on the 28th March to be the first race of the 2021 season.

Formula 1 to revert to 2pm race start times at European races this year.

F1 practice sessions will be shortened to one hour during Fridays across the 2021 season.

Cognizant have been announced as Aston Martin’s new title sponsor. They will be called ‘Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team’.

Alex Albon will drive in DTM this season, on selected race weekends

Lando Norris has confirmed he has contracted Covid, while staying in, Dubai.

Interested to read Ross Brawn thinks hydrogen fuelled cars could be the future of F1.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/57842205

He and others in the sport feel the noise / sound of F1 cars is an important part of the sport. Even some of the drivers agree its part of the thrill of driving them.

While the sport is set firmly on a course to become greener - reducing the carbon footprint of its travel requirements and factories, they also want to make the cars themselves more eco-friendly (even though they account for a tiny proportion of the sport's emissions).

No-one seems keen on electric vehicles. The noise (or lack of it) of Formula E cars, battery saving modes, switching cars are too much of a departure.

So the feeling is they want to stick with combustion engines, but want to find a way to create ones that can run on hydrogen, while still developing the same kind of power and sound.

Interesting news from Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur that they are no longer obligated to run Ferrari backed drivers. Looking increasingly like Raikkonen’s race is run.

Pierre Gasly indicates he’ll honour Red Bull contract after ‘positive talks with Dr Marko’

Verstappen looks too strong at present. Really makes it boring to watch

Max miles clear. It looks ominous

Red Bull yet again so dominant as Lewis beats Max, and Perez finishes behind both Mercs and a Ferrari…wait

Hamilton needed Bottas giving him a tow to just get ahead of Verstappen...
Cooler temperatures at 6pm stifling Red Bull

Qualifying positions for the "Sprint Race" don't officially count for the records regarding qualifying position for the Main Race. So George Russell's 8th position (less than 0.15 s from finishing 4th) is impressive but it is the Sprint Race that counts with respect to race qualifying (and pole position).

Next season's car officially unveiled. Looks stunning IMO. Lets hope it delivers on the closer racing...

You may have spotted it at Silverstone yesterday, but here's a Sky video with the reveal and some discussion (you may want to fast-forward to the 6 minute mark to skip the preamble).

Jeff Navarro wrote:Hamilton needed Bottas giving him a tow to just get ahead of Verstappen...
Cooler temperatures at 6pm stifling Red Bull

Amazing how something so seemingly innocuous as air / track temperatures can give one team an advantage over another. As it is Merc's advantage seems slim enough that Red Bull are still very much in this race.

I’m really at a loss why Hamilton’s lap from yesterday isn’t the ‘pole’. They are distorting the history of the sport by making stupid decisions to make F1 more appealing for braindead Americans.
Ross Brawn, hall of fame legend, really should be doing more to stop Liberty screwing up F1.
Have these silly ‘sprint races’ but pole is always the fastest lap set not the winner of a gimmick mini race.

Checo Perez another mistake as he spins out of the sprint race. Weekend totally ruined now.

Max Verstappen wins the sprint race, Hamilton second and Bottas third.
Full grid:
1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton
3. Bottas
4. LeClerc
5. Norris
6. Ricciardo
7. Alonso
8. Vettel
9. Russell
10. Ocon
11. Sainz
12. Gasly
13. Raikkonen
14. Stroll
15. Giovinazzi
16. Tsunoda
17. Latifi
18. Schumacher
19. Mazepin
20. Perez

I think it's an interesting start. Friday quali is an improvement imo, captures a primetime audience and adds something to a write off day. Adds a certain jeopardy to quali as seen by Perez. Could do with something like mandating everyone uses the hardest compound to remove tyre management

Where they started in Sprint Qualifying and places gained / lost after Sprint Qualifying
1). Hamilton........ (med). -1
2). Verstappen.... (med). +1
3). Bottas.......... (soft)
4). Leclerc......... (med).
5). Perez............ (med) -15
6). Norris............ (med) +1
7). Ricciardo....... (med). +1
8). Russell.......... (med). -1  
9). Sainz............ (med). -2
10) Vettel.......... (med). +2
11) Alonso.......... (soft) +4
12) Gasly........... (med).
13) Ocon........... (soft). +3
14) Giovinazzi..... (med). -1
15) Stroll........... (med). -1
16) Tsunoda....... (med).
17) Raikkonen.... (soft).. +4
18) Latifi.......... (med).. -1
19) Schumacher. (med). +1
20) Mazepin...... (med). +1

Basically those starting on the softs made the most gains of 3 or 4 places (except Bottas) while everyone else more or less finished were they started (except Perez) with a few incidences (e.g. Sainz losing places after being forced off track).

Conclusion: hardly any changes in places occurred - other than those due to difference in tyres used and on track incidences.

3 places for Russell for punting Sainz

GSC wrote:3 places for Russell for punting Sainz

Penalties are really getting OTT this season. I saw Russell vs Sainz as nothing more than 50-50.

I think it was probably fair. Russell locked up but he pushed Sainz off as a result

Checo pit lane start. Back to the skinny rear wing and new engine components. Depending on whether it’s a 2 or 3 stop race, he could still make top 5.

Hamilton takes out Verstappen. Pretty embarrassing

Jeff Navarro wrote:Hamilton takes out Verstappen. Pretty embarrassing

Should be a big penalty for Hamilton - especially based on what we’ve seen the last couple of races.

Yeah I think Lewis has to take a penalty there. He's not close to far enough alongside, he gets nowhere near the apex of the corner

It has to be a stop go or a drive through. Verstappen lucky to avoid severe injury.

Pure desperation really. Saw his last opportunity to catch Max vanish at that corner yesterday and felt he had to do something in the championship this weekend.

But you can't just throw down the inside of one of the fastest corners on the calendar. Never got close to taking the apex, it was a all or nothing lunge in the end.

Still, golden opportunity for Bottas now, imagine Lewis will be carrying some damage

Thankfully Max seems to be ok - could’ve been a bad injury crashing at that speed

Helmut Marko absolutely raging on Sky sports Germany. Never seen him like that before.

Verstappen 51G accident. Genuinely god’s grace saved him.

It is interesting seeing what pressure does to you. Everyone laid into Vettel when he did stupid things, but when you're chasing a world championship in an inferior car you can't pass up opportunities. Same for Max really, not sure he wouldn't be pinning Lewis to the wall if he was behind

10 sec time penalty. Weak by the fia

Max could easily have avoided contact but chose not to. He's made a career from similar moves so can't really complain.

Soul Requiem wrote:Max could easily have avoided contact but chose not to. He's made a career from similar moves so can't really complain.

Yes the car ahead will slow down to let other cars past...

Come on man, let's be real, he was never making that corner

Anyway also a golden opportunity for Lando and Charles here

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:Max could easily have avoided contact but chose not to. He's made a career from similar moves so can't really complain.

Yes the car ahead will slow down to let other cars past...

If Max had practiced what his team is now preaching I may agree but alas he hasn't.

Hamilton ensured by his weak antics Verstappen will bury him come Abu Dhabi

Slow stop for Norris and Bottas up to effective second place.

This is LeClercs to lose though, free choice of pitstop and the Mercs have been bottled up in this race

"Valteri, this is James...."

Many other circumstances this would be a glorious drive through the field. Today it leaves a bit of a sour taste to be honest

Imagine celebrating a weak win. Coward way to get a hollow win

Jeff Navarro wrote:Imagine celebrating a weak win. Coward way to get a hollow win

You'll get over it.

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:Imagine celebrating a weak win. Coward way to get a hollow win

You'll get over it.

Yep when Verstappen buries this fraud.

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:Imagine celebrating a weak win. Coward way to get a hollow win

You'll get over it.

Yep when Verstappen buries this fraud.

Classy words, it's as if motorsport doesn't have a long history of deaths. Seven time world champion is a fraud.

Disappointing in the end from McLaren, never really had the pace to match Ferrari and gave away a chance at a podium in the pits.

Positives for Ferrari to have Sunday pace, even with LeClerc nursing an engine issue

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:Imagine celebrating a weak win. Coward way to get a hollow win

You'll get over it.

Yep when Verstappen buries this fraud.

Classy words, it's as if motorsport doesn't have a long history of deaths. Seven time world champion is a fraud.

Just the car. Hamilton can’t race wheel to wheel as was shown between 2009-2013.

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:Imagine celebrating a weak win. Coward way to get a hollow win

You'll get over it.

Yep when Verstappen buries this fraud.

Classy words, it's as if motorsport doesn't have a long history of deaths. Seven time world champion is a fraud.

Just the car. Hamilton can’t race wheel to wheel as was shown between 2009-2013.

That'll be why he finished the race and Max decided to let his machismo takeover instead.

The punishment can't always fit the crime, particularly when you're calling for more consistency from the stewards.

But it doesn't sit entirely right that you can punt your rival out the race on lap 1, be judged responsible and then take 25 points out of his championship lead. I'm sure it wasn't meditated but still...

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:Imagine celebrating a weak win. Coward way to get a hollow win

You'll get over it.

Yep when Verstappen buries this fraud.

Classy words, it's as if motorsport doesn't have a long history of deaths. Seven time world champion is a fraud.

Just the car. Hamilton can’t race wheel to wheel as was shown between 2009-2013.

That'll be why he finished the race and Max decided to let his machismo takeover instead.

Hamilton finished because Wolff dropped his pants for the FIA.
There’s no respect for a coward like Hamilton.

Verstappen is still leading the drivers championship so it is going to be a question of him and red bull putting this behind them and bouncing back. There are still 13 more races scheduled for this year. Hamilton could have been ahead if he hadn't have made that mistake in Azerbaijan - getting past Perez on the restart but knocking the switch that cancelled his breaking.

What are people's thoughts on the sprint race qualifying? Personally I thought it was a distraction.

No name Bertie wrote:What are people's thoughts on the sprint race qualifying?  Personally I thought it was a distraction.

Waste of time. It was done to dumb down the sport for American viewers

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:Imagine celebrating a weak win. Coward way to get a hollow win

You'll get over it.

Yep when Verstappen buries this fraud.

Classy words, it's as if motorsport doesn't have a long history of deaths. Seven time world champion is a fraud.

Just the car. Hamilton can’t race wheel to wheel as was shown between 2009-2013.

That'll be why he finished the race and Max decided to let his machismo takeover instead.

Hamilton finished because Wolff dropped his pants for the FIA.
There’s no respect for a coward like Hamilton.

Nathaniel is finally letting the veil down.