Last Race at the Track: 29th November 2020, won by Lewis Hamilton for the 3rd year in a row
Key Features of the Track: It’s a challenging circuit, with drivers battling not only each other but natural hurdles like high-speed winds and fluctuating temperatures The off-camber and downhill Turn 10 is the crown jewel of the circuit, both feared and celebrated by the drivers.
The first race of the season, it’s a pretty regular part of the F1 calendars over the years. For those of you who are returning F1 fans, you may remember this as the race where Romain Grosjean was involved in a massive crash
While Mercedes hasn’t filled out the first row of the starting grid per usual, they are starting 2nd and 3rd. There is speculation that this could be a strategic move on Mercedes’ behalf, in order to provide more overtaking opportunities. Either way, the car seems to be in top form for today’s upcoming race.
The race hasn’t even begun but trouble has already arisen for Sergio Perez in the formation lap. His car stalled on the side of the track during the lap and was wheeled in to the pit lane, the exit of which will be his start point.
The stewards declared an extra formation lap, which in turn reduced the number of laps in the race to 56.
Looks like that second Red Bull car is cursed after all
The first race of the 2021 season sure is action-packed so far!!
Pierre Gasly just lost his front wing, enabling the Virtual Safety Car.
Mick Schumacher spun out into the gravel during the same time frame, but rejoined with little difficulty and even managed to get the fastest lap for the moment. Great job Mick
Cursed as it may be, Perez seems to be making up for the mechanical issues with his his superb driving, currently holding P11 and fighting Raikkonen for P10
Speaking of Raikkonen, did you guys know that this season marks the 18th season of his and Fernando Alonso’s? Both drivers debuted in F1 in 2001 and took 2 year gaps from the sport.
It’s last year’s usual podium finishers, but mixed up a little: Ham Ver Bot instead of the Ham Bot Ver we’d become accustomed to.
But WHAT A CHASE Verstappen gave Hamilton, a 0.745 second gap between them. I must say that I was disappointed when Verstappen couldn’t take the win, despite his BEAUTIFUL overtake just a couple of laps before.
Mad respect to Hamilton for fending Max off so well though You could really tell what a seasoned driver he is.
Bottas finished 3rd and bagged the Fastest Lap of the race, earning him an extra point in addition to his 15 position points.
In 4th place finished Norris, followed by Sergio Perez who also won Driver of the Day
A great day for the Ferraris, with Leclerc in 6th and Sainz in 8th place. Much better than last year, at least.
Vettel, unfortunately, did not fare so well at his new team, finishing P15 after a 10s penalty. He also suffered a 5 place grid penalty in quali yesterday. Overall, not Seb’s weekend. His teammate Stroll finished P10. A far cry from Racing Point’s P3, eh?
Not only did Hamilton win yesterday’s race, but he also beat yet another one of Michael Schumacher’s records.
For many years, Schumacher has held the record of Most Laps Led at an astounding 5111 laps. Hamilton broke this record by leading 5126 laps as of yesterday
And that, I believe, wraps up the discussion for this weekend’s race. See you guys on the 18th of April for the Imola Grand Prix!!!
P.S. If you missed the race, you can find the highlights here.
It’s a challenging circuit, with drivers battling not only each other but natural hurdles like high-speed winds and fluctuating temperatures
The off-camber and downhill Turn 10 is the crown jewel of the circuit, both feared and celebrated by the drivers.
