Formula 1: 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix

Boy, I really miss the F1 2020, when there was a race almost every weekend :sob:

Nevertheless, after a week’s recess, F1 is back :partying_face::partying_face::partying_face: This weekend’s race will be taking place at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal.

Last Race at the Track: 25th October 2020, won by Sir Lewis Hamilton

Key Features of the Track:

:red_circle: The circuit has little to no grip, which should SPIN quite the tale :joy::joy:
:green_circle: It features an up-and-down-swooping dale, like a roller coaster (which Lando Norris should LOVE)

Who do you think will win Sunday’s race?

13 Likes

The only up and down I see from Norris is on the FP results :grimacing::grimacing::grimacing:

FP1 Results:

Highlights:
:racing_car: Alfa Romeo reserve driver, Callum Ilott, made FP1 debut and finished P17
:racing_car: George Russell made P7 in a Williams :scream::scream::scream:

FP2 Results:

Highlights:
:racing_car: Session delayed by 10 mins due to trackside drain problem

FP3 Results:

Highlights:
:racing_car: MazeSPIN lived up to his name by spinning at Turn 10 late in the session
:racing_car: Norris, Schumacher, and Raikkonen also spun during the session, struggling to find grip

10 Likes

Bottas takes his first pole position of 2021 as Mercedes lock out the front row of the grid!

Verstappen had to settle for P3, with his fastest lap (which would’ve placed him at P1) being deleted due to track limit infringement :pensive:

Russell achieved his career-best starting position of P11 :partying_face::partying_face::partying_face:

The biggest shock of the session was probably when McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo got knocked out in Q1 :scream::scream:

Overall, the combination of high-speed winds and an extremely slippery track made for a tough quali!

Will we see the return of HamBotVer tomorrow? Or will we be surprised by a fresh set of faces up on the podium?

10 Likes

Kimi Raikkonen loses half of his front wing upon contact with teammate Giovinazzi and retires in the 2nd lap of the race as he fails to make it to the pit lane.

Due to the excessive debris, the Safety Car has been deployed and the drivers must go through the pitlane to avoid said debris.

Meanwhile, Bottas complains of overheated brakes. Hopefully, he’ll nail his restart and pull out ahead of his teammate!

9 Likes

Save for the first few laps, it’s been a pretty uneventful race.

Not one to disappoint, Mazepin gets a +5s time penalty for ignoring the blue flags as Sergio Perez tried to pass him. However, since Mazepin is currently in last place, the time penalty is unlikely to make a difference.

Speaking of Perez, what a drive by him :clap::clap::clap: He held out on pitting for 52 LAPS! No one more deserving of Driver of the Day, in my opinion.

8 Likes

Bottas pitted with 3 laps to go, opting for softs. Verstappen also pits but with 2 laps to go :scream::scream::scream:

Not sure what good it’ll do them but who are we to doubt the decisions of Red Bull and Mercedes strategic teams :joy:

7 Likes

They really said :sparkles:add a little bit of spice:sparkles: and switched it up to HamVerBot :neutral_face: This makes it the most recurring podium in F1 history!

Hamilton wins his 97th Formula 1 Grand Prix :muscle::muscle::muscle: Verstappen follows with quite the lag, +29.148s behind him. He almost won the Fastest Lap of the race, but had his lap time deleted due to track limit infringement, thus giving the title to Bottas.

In P3, P4, and 5 were Bottas, Perez, and Norris respectively. Not the most exciting race today, with minimal overtakes in the second half. However, it was a great drive for most of the racers :clap::clap:

10 Likes

Sergio Perez wins the much-deserved title of Driver of the Day :partying_face:

This makes him the only driver to have won Driver of the Day at Portimao, seeing as he won the title at last year’s Portuguese GP as well!

10 Likes

Share your favorite race weekend memes :point_down::point_down::point_down:

7 Likes

8 Likes

9 Likes

5 Likes

:joy:

7 Likes