Forward of the Portuguese Grand Prix, we check out a few of the principal questions arising from the 2021 season thus far…

Who has the quickest automobile?

Forward of the third race weekend of the season, it is arduous to select which group is the favorite for victory.

Mercedes will possible declare Crimson Bull is the favorite and vice-a-versa as they give the impression of being to shift the strain from one to the opposite, however from the proof of the primary two races it’s too near name.

That is the way in which Formulation One must be. It’s miles extra thrilling to have two (or extra) groups preventing for victory than the close to certainty of 1 group dominating over the course of the yr.

On the two races of 2021, it appeared as if Crimson Bull had the sooner automobile, however it was additionally clear that the margins had been extremely small.

Verstappen was 0.4s away from the quickest Mercedes in Bahrain qualifying and would have been as much as 0.3s clear had he not made errors on his Imola qualifying lap.

However Mercedes emerged as race winners in Bahrain and Hamilton was placing strain on Verstappen earlier than spinning in Imola.

Talking after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin mentioned: “We aren’t going to stroll away from this patting ourselves on the again, saying that we’d have had the sooner automobile by a small quantity.

“We’re strolling away from right here saying, we aren’t ok and they’ll win the championship if we do not enhance our automobile in a short time.

“That’s our mindset, that we’re nonetheless those chasing.”

It is clear that the observe format and climate circumstances will play a task in who has the quickest automobile at race weekends this yr, and Portimao is completely different sufficient from each Bahrain and Imola for the tables to show once more this weekend.

One factor that has grow to be clear within the first two races is that particular person driver errors or distinctive performances can, and can, make the distinction.
–Laurence Edmondson

What’s occurred to the type of the drivers who modified groups?

It is early within the season, however there’s one particular pattern you possibly can see from the primary two races. The drivers in new conditions aren’t fairly on the stage you’d anticipate.

The 4 drivers who swapped groups, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz, and one driver who returned to F1, Fernando Alonso, have all made errors and/or did not match the tempo of their new teammates.

Vettel’s been fairly underwhelming since becoming a member of Aston Martin. Ricciardo’s been off the tempo and even needed to let teammate Lando Norris by way of at Imola — Norris has been the star of the midfield thus far. Perez has been inconsistent, qualifying second at Imola after which delivering a really uncharacteristically sloppy efficiency the next day. Sainz has a troublesome benchmark in Leclerc and has mentioned he is not on the stage he needs to be at fairly but, whereas Alonso regarded pretty unspectacular all through the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

It is early days, after all, however quite a bit was anticipated of those drivers. The actual fact so many good drivers are struggling goes to indicate you ways tough it’s for a driver simply to modify groups and instantly drive to the restrict from the start.

Among the drivers in that listing may merely have met their match in a brand new setting, however every can take consolation in the truth that they don’t seem to be alone in struggling to adapt shortly.

There’s numerous issues which might clarify these gradual begins. Trendy F1 automobiles are sophisticated beasts and observe time is vital to getting on top of things shortly. This can be a huge situation for these drivers – preseason was simply three days this yr, down from six in 2020. That is additionally a deceptive manner of placing it, as a result of it was successfully three eight-hour days break up between two drivers.

These drivers have made the swap at a time when automobiles are kind of an evolution of final yr’s automobiles, that means their teammates are possible much more snug than in the event that they had been becoming a member of a group with a totally new idea. Ricciardo additionally took some time to stand up to hurry when he joined Renault in 2019. Whereas supreme on the brakes at Crimson Bull, studying how one can get probably the most from the Renault, which additionally had much less downforce, was not merely the work of a second.

“I am not naïve to know {that a} new group is a brand new problem,” Ricciardo mentioned at Imola. “I would say I would thought the transition would have been faster, however then it is race two so I do not wish to be like, ‘I used to be anticipating to be on the rostrum already’.”

He added: “Clearly the reference to Lando is a robust one, so I will simply chip away and do higher.”

Alonso might need been away from F1 for 2 years however such is his status that few anticipated something aside from one of the best as quickly as he returned. To his credit score, he refused to make use of the day out of the automobile as an excuse.

“I believe every of us has a unique story and a unique theme or issue,” Alonso mentioned. “I modified groups many occasions — I even modified classes or collection many occasions — and there may be at all times a interval of adaptation.

“But it surely has by no means been an excuse, and it is not been an excuse now. I must be higher. I used to be not on the proper stage this weekend, however I can be in Portimao.”

Crimson Bull boss Christian Horner gave Perez a ringing endorsement regardless of his error-filled second race with the group.

“It is completely different to what he is used to,” he mentioned. “He did a mega job to place it on the entrance row, solely simply missed out on that pole place.

“There’s nice races to come back from him sooner or later. We might see in clear air his tempo was sturdy.”

All of these drivers deserve the advantage of the doubt at this stage within the season, given the restricted period of time they’ve needed to adapt to a brand new situation.

However the clock is ticking and, with three races over the following 4 weeks, the strain will actually begin to mount in the event that they’re nonetheless struggling by the top of Could and the Monaco Grand Prix.
–Nate Saunders

Are Bottas and Perez destined to be wingmen in 2021

As spectacular because the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen has been, it has additionally highlighted a spot in efficiency to their teammates.

After two rounds, Valtteri Bottas is already 28 factors behind championship chief Hamilton within the standings and Perez is 34 factors adrift. There may be loads of time to slim these gaps over the remaining 21 races, but when they develop additional by mid-season will probably be arduous to think about both driver getting again into title competition.

Bottas’ efficiency in Bahrain was on the same stage to these of Hamilton and Verstappen, however he was let down by a gradual second pit cease. It is not possible he would have come out on prime in that battle, however by way of pure tempo he wasn’t far off.

But in Imola, Bottas clearly struggled. He certified eighth on the grid after which spent nearly all of the race caught in midfield site visitors that he actually ought to have been capable of overtake.

The shortage of efficiency within the race was one of many contributing elements behind his collision with George Russell, as he ought to by no means have been ready the place his Mercedes was vulnerable to tangling with a Williams.

Each the poor qualifying efficiency and his lack of tempo simply earlier than the accident had been blamed on an absence of tyre temperature, which left him struggling for grip at essential factors over the weekend.

Bottas struggled in related circumstances finally yr’s Turkish Grand Prix, and it appears as if it’s amongst his weaknesses in comparison with teammate Hamilton, who received in Turkey and completed second in Imola.

“For me personally, for instance in comparison with Lewis, tyre temperature was so on a knife-edge in qualifying, that generally you get it to work, like me in Q1, once I did a a lot sooner time than in Q3, I acquired them to work,” Bottas mentioned in Imola. “Then for some motive I could not get them to work in Q3 the identical manner.

“It is all about one or two levels of floor or tyre temperature. It is arduous to elucidate. Clearly observe temp was altering a bit, relying how a lot cloud there was and so forth, so perhaps that had a little bit of an element.”

In hotter circumstances at upcoming races, Bottas may be capable to claw his manner again into the title battle, however he already wants Hamilton and Verstappen to expertise a foul weekend to get again on stage phrases.

As talked about above, Perez has swapped groups over the winter and he has admitted he’s nonetheless adapting to his new Crimson Bull.

His sturdy efficiency from the again of the grid in Bahrain and his second place qualifying efficiency at Imola hints at his potential when he get issues proper, however there have already been a number of uncharacteristic errors within the first two races.

By his personal admission he tousled at Imola, together with receiving a penalty for trying to regain positions underneath the protection automobile after spinning out — a rule he mustn’t have fallen foul of.

However even when we minimize Perez some slack, it is arduous to think about him taking the battle to Verstappen week-in, week-out.

“I’ve a great reference in Max, he’s simply getting 100% on a regular basis out of the automobile, and I’m simply adapting myself to it,” Perez mentioned in Imola after qualifying. “Studying, step-by-step, I wasn’t anticipating myself to be right here [second on the grid] for the time being as I really feel I’m miles away from the place I must be.

“Issues aren’t coming naturally but — so [qualifying second] was a great enhance in confidence.”

With the title battle set to be extremely shut between Hamilton and Verstappen, Perez and Bottas might discover themselves shifted into assist roles if their outcomes don’t enhance.

If they continue to be over 25 factors off the lead of the championship by the mid level of the season, Mercedes and Crimson Bull might find yourself calling on them to sacrifice their very own methods — and even observe place — to assist their teammates.
–Laurence Edmondson

Additionally of curiosity…

Has Russell broken his ties with Mercedes?

Russell’s conflict with Bottas was one of many principal speaking factors from the race in Imola as a Mercedes junior driver tangled with a Mercedes race driver and took each out of the race.

The actual fact the 2 drivers are preventing for a similar seat at Mercedes subsequent yr provides additional spice to the story, and it was fascinating that Mercedes group boss Toto Wolff held both drivers to account for different reasons.

However one accident on a moist observe is unlikely to influence the long-term futures of the 2 drivers.

Russell issued an apology to Bottas the next day, which suggests the air was cleared behind closed doorways, and the Williams driver can be eager to remind everybody why he was so extremely rated by Mercedes within the first place on the upcoming rounds.

Except Bottas continues to wrestle for efficiency, it is unlikely the 2 can be sharing the identical part of observe within the close to future, so a few clear races and all can be forgotten.

Has Tsunoda been over-hyped?

After profitable a legion of followers together with his heroics on the opening spherical in Bahrain, AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda made a collection of errors over the Imola race weekend that left him final on the grid and twelfth within the race.

The errors had been a reminder that Tsunoda may be very a lot a rookie, however they need to not detract from the flashes of tempo he has proven in his brief F1 profession.

Like all rookies, he’ll make errors and desires time to be taught from them. At this stage, it is too early to guage him both manner.

Will Aston Martin observe by way of on its criticism of the 2021 guidelines?

After making headlines early within the Imola weekend by calling for a change on this yr’s aero guidelines, Aston Martin toned down its messaging on the problem by Sunday night.

It is appears clear that aerodynamic rule modifications over the winter have impacted some automobiles greater than others, however the debate has now shifted as to whether the foundations had been modified with the intention to peg Mercedes and Aston Martin again or — because the FIA claims — to assist keep away from tyre failures like those at Silverstone final yr.

On Sunday night in Imola, Aston Martin group principal Otmar Szafnauer mentioned: “We have had a few conferences with the FIA and I believe at this level, we’re fairly glad that each one the right steps had been adopted.

“We’re nonetheless in discussions, we’re simply attempting to find what all of the steps had been to be sure that it was executed correctly and equitably. In order that’s the rationale for the dialogue.”

No additional communication on the problem has adopted within the hole between races.