F1 2021 Season

by Guest Thu 07 Jan 2021, 2:33 pm

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.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Sun 01 Aug 2021, 9:24 pm

Bottas and Stroll wipe out half the grid and get a 5 place pen, Raikkonen takes out Mazepin, 10 second penalty

Vettel has like 0.5 litres less fuel than “allowed” and is disqualified…

Makes sense

by No name Bertie Sun 01 Aug 2021, 9:25 pm

The Stewards deemed that Stroll's collision was a separate avoidable incident and so Stroll also gets a five grid penalty for the next race for taking out Leclerc which also damaged Ricciardo's car.

by No name Bertie Sun 01 Aug 2021, 9:32 pm

So Williams go from 6 points to 10 points, and Raikkonen gets a point to take the Alpha Romeos onto a total of 3 points.

In the constructors championship the biggest swing goes against Aston Martin - with Vettel's disqualification and Gasly & Tsunoda's promotion up a place there is a 22 point swing - meaning Aston Martin drop to 7th in the constructors championship with Alpha Tauri going 6th.

Constructors Championship after Hungary & Vettels disqualification:

1) Mercedes (4):..... 303
2) Red Bull (6):....... 291
3) Ferrari (0):......... 163
4) McLaren (0):...... 163
5) Alpine (1):........... 77
6) AlphaTauri (0):..... 67
7) Aston Martin (0):.. 48
8) Williams (0):........ 10
9) Alfa Romeo (0):..... 3
10) Haas (0):............ 0

by dyrewolfe Sun 01 Aug 2021, 9:48 pm

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Bottas and Stroll wipe out half the grid and get a 5 place pen, Raikkonen takes out Mazepin, 10 second penalty

Vettel has like 0.5 litres less fuel than “allowed” and is disqualified…

Makes sense

Damn thats harsh. But having less fuel than allowed indicates they had a higher fuel flow than permitted under the regs...or they under-fuelled from the start. Either way I feel bad for Seb.

Hamilton having medical tests after complaining of feeling breathless & dizzy. Heard a rumour that he might be suffering from long Covid. He was puffing hard during the post-race interview and didn't have anything like his usual energy.

Wonder if we could see Russell standing in for him again?

by GSC Sun 01 Aug 2021, 10:00 pm

AM plan to protest it, apparently there's 1.4L in the car but the fuel pump is broken

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Mon 02 Aug 2021, 8:46 am

As for the race yesterday, continues to be an entertaining season!
Think actually Merc were between a rock and a hard place with Lewis on the restart...if they bring him into the pits with them being the first pit box they wouldn't be able to release him with all the other cars coming in, so he'd have been down the grid (albeit maybe not last).
Has to be the end of Bottas's hopes for retaining that 2nd seat, I don't see how they could ever justify him keeping it now.

Pure bad luck for Red Bull with the crash, both Max and Perez had a good start and were well out of the way of trouble, and now Sergio has lost an engine too. At least Verstappen was able to salvage something with a clearly broken car.
I said it a few weeks back, but this was exactly part of why I didn't think the title race was anywhere near over...things do seem to "happen" to Red Bull/Verstappen a lot more often than Hamilton, and it has done so again so far this year. It's also fairly clear the Merc upgrades brought to Silverstone have bridged the pace gap too.

A shame for McLaren with Norris and then Danny Ric being wiped out at the start, and Danny Ric having a Verstappen-esque car damage issue. Good result for Sainz again, no thrills race

What a weekend for Alpine! Great work to take advantage of the carnage, and for as much crap I've given Ocon since his new deal, he drove a superb race under pressure from Vettel the whole way. Alonso was also brilliant in racing Hamilton, a weekend to remember for the team.

Such a shame re: Vettel's penalty, but even if it does stand he continues to refind his form of yesteryear, a slow pit stop stopped the undercut working just in the end. Bad day for my Lance, very poor crash for someone who is generally very good in the wet.

And what a race for Williams! Had to do a double take when I saw Latifi in 3rd place Laugh

but he drove a nice race and Russell did a great job holding others up to protect his points (and sacrificing his "race" to do so), and great to see George finally get some points. If the Vettel thing stands, then it's hard to see Alfa Romeo making up 7 points on them to get 8th in the constructors, considering actually Williams seem to have had more pace with Russell than them anyways.

As for Alfa...what a sh1tshow. I like to think it's karma for choosing the most boring drive lineup possible this year for no reason whatsoever.

And finally a good showing by Mick Schumacher to hold off guys and race for so long in the points - and felt sorry for Mazepin, shambles from Alfa to release Kimi right into his path and totally ruin his race too.

by dyrewolfe Mon 02 Aug 2021, 9:14 am

GSC wrote:AM plan to protest it, apparently there's 1.4L in the car but the fuel pump is broken

Seems a bit of a bizarre situation.

According to the BBC report the officials were only able to get 0.3 litres out of the tank before the fuel pump broke. Wonder how AM intend to prove their claim...leave the car in parc fermé condition until they can remove the fuel tank?

I'm surprised they don't have a siphon or something that doesn't require a pump.

At least Vettel's result will stand until the appeal has been heard.

by No name Bertie Sat 07 Aug 2021, 1:03 am

Following the various collisions at Silverstone and Hungary it seems Red Bull have effectively lost one engine from Verstappen and one engine from Perez, while Ferrari have lost one engine from Leclerc. Verstappens engine was tested in FP1 in Hungary and it was decided to replace it. Perez' engine was damaged when Bottas collided with him, while Leclerc's engine was damaged when Stroll collided with him. Given the financial caps plus replacement part penalties there has been some talk that the present arrangements are somewhat unfair when a team has to pay for another teams on track mistakes with Hungary being a clear cut example of this.

by GSC Wed 18 Aug 2021, 9:57 am

Japan cancelled because they're only willing to pretend covid doesn't exist for the olympics

by Soul Requiem Wed 18 Aug 2021, 2:44 pm

GSC wrote:Japan cancelled because they're only willing to pretend covid doesn't exist for the olympics

The situations aren't really the same. There was a lot to gain from staging the Olympic or rather there was a lot to loss by not staging it, the same is not true of the F1.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Tue 24 Aug 2021, 10:16 am

Raceweek, and seems to be some rumours that Wolff and Stroll Sr are being investigated for insider trading?

Still no announcement on that Merc 2nd seat is making me nervous they're going to actually keep Bottas

by Guest Tue 24 Aug 2021, 12:41 pm

Qatar’s Losail International Circuit being touted as front runner to replace the cancelled Australian GP.
Losail is a magnificent circuit for MotoGP but I’m not sure how it would fare for these modern F1 cars.

by Fluxy Tue 24 Aug 2021, 1:50 pm

Jeff Navarro wrote:Qatar’s Losail International Circuit being touted as front runner to replace the cancelled Australian GP.
Losail is a magnificent circuit for MotoGP but I’m not sure how it would fare for these modern F1 cars.

In the nicest way possible, it looks like a Bahrain 2.0.

Fantasy calendar idea, just do a triple header in Bahrain, but each weekend uses each of the three different circuit formats we have seen in F1 previously.

by Guest Tue 24 Aug 2021, 1:53 pm

Fluxy wrote:
Jeff Navarro wrote:Qatar’s Losail International Circuit being touted as front runner to replace the cancelled Australian GP.
Losail is a magnificent circuit for MotoGP but I’m not sure how it would fare for these modern F1 cars.

In the nicest way possible, it looks like a Bahrain 2.0.

Fantasy calendar idea, just do a triple header in Bahrain, but each weekend uses each of the three different circuit formats we have seen in F1 previously.

I guess these Middle Eastern locations will want to try and beat each...all these places are pretty wealthy.
Bahrain
Saudi Arabia
Potentially Qatar.

by Guest Fri 27 Aug 2021, 1:14 pm

Checo Perez re ups at Red Bull for 2022

by Guest Fri 27 Aug 2021, 3:59 pm

Verstappen(rear right corner) and LeClerc(front left corner) managed to smash their cars in FP2

by Guest Sat 28 Aug 2021, 11:41 am

2021 calendar reduced from 23 races to 22 races. One TBC race announcement imminent.

by Guest Sat 28 Aug 2021, 3:06 pm

Mega crash for Lando Norris at Eau Rouge. Fortunately he seems ok

by GSC Sat 28 Aug 2021, 3:52 pm

FIA probably take a long look at that corner after this season.

by Guest Sat 28 Aug 2021, 3:59 pm

Verstappen masters horrid conditions to bag pole. George Russel p2 and it was a lap for the ages. Hamilton third.

by GSC Sat 28 Aug 2021, 4:01 pm

Great opportunity for Russell to audition for that Mercedes seat by taking out Max at T1

by GSC Sat 28 Aug 2021, 4:02 pm

Anyway one of those weird quali sessions on a drying track where being last to set a lap is critical

by Guest Sat 28 Aug 2021, 4:10 pm

If Bottas has some self respect he’d quit and give that seat to Russell

by Guest Sat 28 Aug 2021, 8:40 pm

Toto Wolff seems to be suggesting George Russell will be a Mercedes driver in 2022.

by No name Bertie Sat 28 Aug 2021, 9:46 pm

I believe Lando was on his third and final engine replacement at Belgium because his previous engine was destroyed at Hungary by someone crashing into him. So it seems likely Lando will take a new engine as well as a starting at the back penalty presuming he is able to start ~~- but he has to start at the back anyway~~. Real shame for Lando as he was looking really strong for the pole.

With regard the Mercedes situation Toto Wolff had previously said it was a choice between stability and future talent when it came to the second driver decision. However I am not sure how well the stability argument is sustained given nothing will be stable next year when it comes to the new cars being introduced. Furthermore it is not clear how much longer Lewis Hamilton will remain at Mercedes while other teams already have young talent and likely future world champions leading the way - Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren.

by GSC Sat 28 Aug 2021, 11:21 pm

By all accounts the only reason it hasn't been announced that Russell will be in the Merc next year is so Toto can sort Valteri a move first

by Guest Sun 29 Aug 2021, 12:46 am

Kimi Raikkonen is currently holding up the driver market for the other remaining seats.
Bottas has an offer from Williams but Alfa Romeo also interested in the Finn. But Bottas only viable if he replaces Raikkonen.

Red Bull now shopping Alexander Albon around for a seat in 2022. Id assume they want him at Alfa Romeo as well.

Nikita Mazepin has been retained for 2022. Haas has an option on Mick Schumacher but Ferrari would be interested in moving the German to Alfa to see how he compares against Raikkonen/Bottas.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Sun 29 Aug 2021, 9:26 am

GSC wrote:By all accounts the only reason it hasn't been announced that Russell will be in the Merc next year is so Toto can sort Valteri a move first

Yep it seems an inevitability, which it should be really. Russell’s lap yesterday was ridiculous

by No name Bertie Sun 29 Aug 2021, 10:54 am

No name Bertie wrote:.... it seems likely Lando will take a new engine as well as a starting at the back penalty presuming he is able to start ~~- but he has to start at the back anyway~~. Real shame for Lando as he was looking really strong for the pole ....

Lando will start in P9 but because he is likely to need a new engine, a new gearbox etc then he will be starting at the back.

Today's race, given the weather conditions is likely to be highly unpredictable. One thing that is highly likely though is that Russell will be swallowed up at the start or soon after - given he has had difficulty making good starts (maybe something to do with the tyres not working well when cold) and the fact there are faster cars behind him. As long as Lando has a fully working car under him then the conditions could allow him to gain significant number of points, although I presume the car set up will be guesswork.

by No name Bertie Sun 29 Aug 2021, 11:16 am

formula1 dot com wrote: BREAKING: Norris to take 5-place grid penalty at Spa as McLaren confirm gearbox change after Q3 crash

Lando Norris will take a five-place grid penalty for today's Belgian Grand Prix after McLaren confirmed they have changed the gearbox in his MCL35M following his high-speed crash in qualifying on Saturday.

.... crashed early in Q3 at Raidillon in a dramatic shunt that did substantial damage to his car, and saw him taken to hospital for checks and a x-ray on his elbow.

He was released on Saturday evening and cleared to race, as McLaren assessed the damage to his car. And on Sunday morning they confirmed they had changed the gearbox - but not the chassis - meaning he will have to take a five-place grid penalty, but not start from the pit lane.

It means Norris will start the race from 14th position .... in Q3 he was classified 10th, but was moved up to ninth as Valtteri Bottas had a five-place grid penalty to serve in Belgium

Norris said on Saturday evening that he was bruised but was ready to race ....

“.... It was tricky going out in Q3 because, even on the out-lap, I was saying how wet it was because I was aquaplaning quite a bit ..... a combination of pushing a bit too much for the weather at that point and aquaplaning a little bit in the middle of Eau Rouge ...."

by Guest Sun 29 Aug 2021, 1:33 pm

Perez out after crashing on way to grid

by Guest Sun 29 Aug 2021, 2:27 pm

Conditions are appalling in Spa. I certainly won’t be willing to race in these conditions

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 2:29 pm

Don't think this race is going anywhere anytime soon

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 2:50 pm

At this point it doesn't like this race is a goer

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 2:54 pm

Weather not supposed to get much better and sooner or later bad light is just gonna compound it

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 2:57 pm

Also that there's about 2 hours left to run the race

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 3:17 pm

Won't be a full race distance if we get going, Perez is allowed to start from the pit lane

by Guest Sun 29 Aug 2021, 3:42 pm

Red Bull pit crew are insane. They’ve managed to rebuild Checo’s Car

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 3:56 pm

Masi saying they might just run a couple of laps behind the SC so it classifies for half points.

Williams are all in on that

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 4:35 pm

Theyve abandoned the 3 hour limit, but the race will only be an hour long when it starts. Though the light fading combined with spray makes me suspect that's not realistic

by Guest Sun 29 Aug 2021, 5:15 pm

'Race' starts at 17.18pm GMT. Seems like just a few laps to get classifcation.

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 5:21 pm

For now it's a few recon laps under SC to check whether it's runnable

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 5:23 pm

Well it's now a classified race

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 5:27 pm

Yeah its not nearly close to runnable, red flagged and not sure they'll try again now we're under an hour.

As it stands Russell is getting 9 points and a podium though

by Guest Sun 29 Aug 2021, 5:33 pm

This could be very significant down the line. Max now has 6 wins. If he and Hamilton are tied on points this could influence the title. Not good.

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 5:35 pm

Big winners are Sainz and Latifi getting points because Perez and Norris crashed

by Guest Sun 29 Aug 2021, 5:53 pm

Race finished.
Verstappen 'wins', Russell 2nd and Hamilton 3rd.

by GSC Sun 29 Aug 2021, 5:58 pm

Doesn't look like the weather will be any better tomorrow so not sure that was feasible anyway

by Guest Sun 29 Aug 2021, 6:04 pm

So to avoid loss of tv money and refunds for the fans. They did this farcical ‘race’. To top it off there was a podium celebration. Ridiculous.

by Guest Tue 31 Aug 2021, 1:23 pm

Looks the driver market will finally come to ahead at Monza.
Reports coming out that Kimi Raikkonen will announce retirement at Monza.
Valtteri Bottas will join Alfa Romeo as the replacement
George Russell obviously to Mercedes
And lastly Alexander Albon looking like favourite for Williams seat...I wonder if they’ll switch Honda/Red Bull engines.

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