Formula 1 - Season 2021

[genius83]

Verstappen: “We would be stupid” to expect an easy fight with Mercedes
Max Verstappen dismissed Mercedes’ claims Red Bull have overtaken them as the team to beat in Formula 1 during the off-season.

Ferrari’s testing performance shows power unit has improved – Steiner
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is sure Ferrari has improved its power unit for the 2021 F1 season following its difficulties last year.

New F1 cars “probably as fast as last year” despite rules changes – Pirelli
Formula 1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli believes new rules introduced to slow cars down this year will not lead to a significant rise in lap times.

Here is the Timing Schedule for this weekend's Bahrain GP:

Bahrain GP
Friday
Practice Session 1   16:30 To 17:30
Practice Session 2   20:00 To 21:00

Saturday
Practice Session 3   17:00 To 18:00
Qualifying Session   20:00 To 21:00

Sunday
Race                 20:00 To 22:00

[genius83]

McLaren signs 13-year-old American karter Ugochukwu to long-term deal
McLaren has signed FIA Junior Karting champion Ugo Ugochukwu on a long-term deal, giving the Formula 1 team an option on the future services of the 13-year-old.

Ferrari: “The engine has made a large step forward”
Ferrari have given the strongest indication yet how much progress they have made addressing their biggest weakness ahead of the 2021 F1 season.

Three days won’t be enough to test new 2022 cars, say teams
Formula 1 teams say the sport will have to increase the amount of pre-season testing next year when it introduces new technical regulations.

Russell and Fowle become GPDA directors as Grosjean steps back
George Russell has taken Romain Grosjean’s place as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association.

Williams hires Volkswagen rally car designer Demaison as technical director
Recently-appointed Williams CEO Jost Capito has recruited one of his former Volkswagen Group colleagues to head up the F1 team’s technical department.

Williams see a design lesson for 2022 F1 car in Volkswagen’s electric ID.R
In appointing Francois-Xavier Demaison as technical director, new Williams CEO Jost Capito has looked beyond Formula 1, but turned to someone he knows well and rates highly.

Alonso predicts “surprises” when teams reveal true pace in Bahrain
Fernando Alonso suspects there have been changes in the balance of power in Formula 1 during the off-season.

[genius83]

Changes to F1’s pre-race End Racism recognition for 2021
Formula 1’s pre-race End Racism recognition will look slightly different in 2021 as the sport seeks to focus attention all aspects of its ‘WeRaceAsOne’ initiative.

$200 million fee for new F1 teams is “absolutely fundamentally wrong” – Jordan
F1’s new $200 million “anti-dilution” fee would have prevented teams like Jordan from entering the sport, its founder Eddie Jordan has said.

“An enormous task”: How McLaren crammed a Mercedes into a car built for a Renault
When the pandemic hit last year, Formula 1 took the sensible decision to postpone the costly introduction of new technical regulations for 2021.

[adrafiq.52]

Incredible midfield and on top of that merc's situation. We might end up having watch parties this season. Hope's are up.

[saad2006]

[genius83]

Risk of sandstorms again during Bahrain GP weekend
Strong winds could impact the results of qualifying and the race during Formula 1’s first round of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, according to pre-weekend weather forecasts.

Haas will bring final update for 2021 car to second race
Haas will bring the final update for its 2021 car at the second round of the championship in three weeks’ time.

Bahrain Grand Prix night race to be solar-powered from 2022
The Bahrain Grand Prix promoters have announced the night race will be solar-powered from next season.

Russell sees himself “representing the younger half of the grid” in new GPDA role
George Russell has explained his motivation behind becoming one of the directors of the Grand Prix Drivers Association for 2021.

Mick Schumacher grateful for tips from Raikkonen ahead of F1 debut
Mick Schumacher said he’s picked up some useful tips from Formula 1’s most experienced driver ahead of his grand prix debut this weekend.

Leclerc will choose his fights better to avoid more “silly” first-lap crashes
Charles Leclerc says he will “choose my fights better” during the 2021 F1 season following a series of first-lap collisions last year.

[genius83]

Age no concern for Alonso on return to F1: “I’m not that old”
Fernando Alonso batted away questions about his age on his Formula 1 return, as the 39-year-old said he isn’t committing to a timeline for success with Alpine.

‘I don’t feel like this is my last year in F1’ – Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has played down suggestions he could walk away from Formula 1 at the end of this season, indicating he’s eager for a closer championship contest this year.

Verstappen wants Perez’s arrival to help Red Bull topple Mercedes
Max Verstappen feels the arrival of Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing will help the team pressure Mercedes at every grand prix this season.

Hamilton raised human rights concerns with Bahraini officials and UK ambassador
Lewis Hamilton met with Britain’s ambassador to Bahrain to discuss concerns over the human rights situation in the country.

Official F1 entry list describes Mazepin’s nationality as ‘RAF’
Nikita Mazepin will be entered as a neutral athlete of Russia for his first Formula 1 season, with ‘RAF’ appearing in place of a flag next to his name.

Two Aston Martin staff isolated after positive Covid-19 tests
The Aston Martin Formula 1 team has isolated two members of its staff who have tested positive for Covid-19 in Bahrain.

Leclerc predicts another “very difficult season” for Ferrari
Ferrari is unlikely to rebound quickly from its poor campaign in 2020, Charles Leclerc said ahead of the first race of the new season.

Williams keeps Ticktum on as development driver
Dan Ticktum will remain a part of the Williams Driver Academy for 2021, being announced as one of the team’s development drivers on the eve of the Formula 1 season.

Writing account of painful 2019 season was “a weight off my shoulders” – Gasly
Pierre Gasly says writing an account of his painful 2019 season has helped him to move on from the experience.

Norris: F1 doesn’t have a ‘front field’ and a ‘midfield’ anymore
Lando Norris predicts the gap between the midfield teams and front-runners has closed up ahead of the 2021 F1 season.

Red Bull on top in first practice as Verstappen leads Bottas and Norris
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the first free practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Bahrain GP
Practice Session 1
Pos No Driver             Car                   Best lap  Gap    Laps
 1  33 Max Verstappen     Red Bull-Honda        1:31.394s   -	  12
 2  77 Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              1:31.692s 0.298s  17
 3   4 Lando Norris       McLaren-Mercedes      1:31.897s 0.503s  20
 4  44 Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              1:31.921s 0.527s  15
 5  16 Charles Leclerc    Ferrari               1:31.993s 0.599s  14
 6  11 Sergio Perez       Red Bull-Honda        1:32.071s 0.677s  15
 7  10 Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri-Honda      1:32.195s 0.801s  23
 8  55 Carlos Sainz Jnr   Ferrari               1:32.366s 0.972s  15
 9   3 Daniel Ricciardo   McLaren-Mercedes      1:32.434s 1.040s  20
10  99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:32.786s 1.392s  16
11   7 Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:33.134s 1.740s  18
12   5 Sebastian Vettel   Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:33.157s 1.763s  21
13  18 Lance Stroll       Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:33.233s 1.839s  20
14  22 Yuki Tsunoda       AlphaTauri-Honda      1:33.329s 1.935s  21
15  31 Esteban Ocon       Alpine-Renault        1:33.528s 2.134s  20
16  14 Fernando Alonso    Alpine-Renault        1:33.872s 2.478s  18
17  63 George Russell     Williams-Mercedes     1:34.127s 2.733s  22
18   6 Nicholas Latifi    Williams-Mercedes     1:34.340s 2.946s  22
19  47 Mick Schumacher    Haas-Ferrari          1:34.501s 3.107s  16
20   9 Nikita Mazepin     Haas-Ferrari          1:34.975s 3.581s  16

Seidl confident F1 will solve teams’ Sprint Qualifying concerns this weekend
Formula 1 Sprint Qualifying races will go ahead this year once sticking points around the plan are resolved, two team bosses have said.

[genius83]

Verstappen stays on top in second practice, pursued by Norris
Max Verstappen completed a perfect first day of the Formula 1 season for Red Bull by going fastest under the floodlights in the second free practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Bahrain GP
Practice Session 2
Pos No Driver              Car                   Best lap  Gap    Laps
 1  33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull-Honda        1:30.847s  -      23
 2   4 Lando Norris        McLaren-Mercedes      1:30.942s 0.095s  25
 3  44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes              1:31.082s 0.235s  24
 4  55 Carlos Sainz Jnr    Ferrari               1:31.127s 0.280s  26
 5  77 Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes              1:31.218s 0.371s  23
 6   3 Daniel Ricciardo    McLaren-Mercedes      1:31.230s 0.383s  22
 7  22 Yuki Tsunoda        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:31.294s 0.447s  23
 8  18 Lance Stroll        Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:31.393s 0.546s  24
 9  10 Pierre Gasly        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:31.483s 0.636s  27
10  11 Sergio Perez        Red Bull-Honda        1:31.503s 0.656s  23
11  31 Esteban Ocon        Alpine-Renault        1:31.601s 0.754s  24
12  16 Charles Leclerc     Ferrari               1:31.612s 0.765s  26
13  99 Antonio Giovinazzi  Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:31.740s 0.893s  27
14   5 Sebastian Vettel    Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:31.769s 0.922s  26
15  14 Fernando Alonso     Alpine-Renault        1:31.770s 0.923s  24
16   7 Kimi Raikkonen      Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:31.862s 1.015s  15
17  63 George Russell      Williams-Mercedes     1:32.331s 1.484s  28
18  47 Mick Schumacher     Haas-Ferrari          1:33.297s 2.450s  24
19   6 Nicholas Latifi     Williams-Mercedes     1:33.400s 2.553s  28
20   9 Nikita Mazepin      Haas-Ferrari          1:33.449s 2.602s  19

No concerns over “creative licence” in Netflix’s Drive to Survive, say team bosses
Formula 1 team bosses say Netflix’s behind-the-scenes documentary Drive to Survive has raised the profile of the series, and aren’t concerned by the “creative licence” the programme makers have taken.

Losing long-serving staff to meet budget cap was painful, says Horner
Christian Horner has revealed the new budget cap set for Formula 1 teams this year led to job losses at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes base.

[genius83]

Different track limits rules for qualifying and race in Bahrain
Different track limits rules will be applied at turn four for qualifying and the race during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.

Downbeat Norris says “it’s obvious what’s going to happen tomorrow” after second-fastest time
Lando Norris lacked confidence in the balance of his McLaren despite ending Friday practice less than a tenth of a second behind pace-setter Max Verstappen.

Hamilton ruing lost downforce as Red Bull outpace Mercedes in practice
Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes must continue improving their car’s rear-end stability after setting the third-fastest time in Friday practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Fourth-quickest Ferrari “didn’t expect to be this competitive”, says Leclerc
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari did not expect to have such a strong start to the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend after his new team mate set the fourth-quickest time in Friday practice.

De Meo did not join talks with Alonso before joining Renault, Rossi insists
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has insisted Renault president Luca de Meo was not involved in talks to bring Fernando Alonso to the team before the 53-year-old took over as president of the group.

Sainz under-driving Ferrari to avoid “stupid mistakes”
New Ferrari signing Carlos Sainz Jnr admits he is still driving himself as he gains more experience with his unfamiliar car.

FIA to conduct new, “deeper” random post-race technical checks on F1 cars
The FIA will conduct new, deeper technical inspections of Formula 1 cars following races this year to ensure all teams comply with the regulations.

Russell encouraged by Williams’ performance in “worst case scenario” conditions
George Russell said Williams’ long-run pace has been “better than expected” after the two Friday practice sessions at the Bahrain Grand Prix, particularly given the windy conditions.

Flying Verstappen makes it three-in-a-row in Bahrain practice
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen continued his perfect start to the Formula 1 season by completing a hat-trick of practice sessions at the Bahrain Grand Prix as the fastest driver.

Bahrain GP
Practice Session 3
Pos No Driver              Car                   Best lap  Gap    Laps
 1  33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull-Honda        1:30.577s  -      11
 2  44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes              1:31.316s 0.739s  14
 3  10 Pierre Gasly        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:31.583s 1.006s  13
 4  77 Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes              1:31.855s 1.278s  16
 5  11 Sergio Perez        Red Bull-Honda        1:31.908s 1.331s  11
 6  55 Carlos Sainz Jnr    Ferrari               1:32.108s 1.531s  16
 7   7 Kimi Raikkonen      Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:32.224s 1.647s  15
 8  31 Esteban Ocon        Alpine-Renault        1:32.423s 1.846s  11
 9  18 Lance Stroll        Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:32.431s 1.854s  13
10   3 Daniel Ricciardo    McLaren-Mercedes      1:32.477s 1.900s  12
11  16 Charles Leclerc     Ferrari               1:32.482s 1.905s  17
12  99 Antonio Giovinazzi  Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:32.500s 1.923s  11
13  22 Yuki Tsunoda        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:32.709s 2.132s  15
14   5 Sebastian Vettel    Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:32.755s 2.178s  15
15  14 Fernando Alonso     Alpine-Renault        1:32.820s 2.243s  15
16   4 Lando Norris        McLaren-Mercedes      1:32.860s 2.283s  10
17  63 George Russell      Williams-Mercedes     1:33.323s 2.746s  14
18  47 Mick Schumacher     Haas-Ferrari          1:33.422s 2.845s  14
19   9 Nikita Mazepin      Haas-Ferrari          1:33.622s 3.045s  14
20   6 Nicholas Latifi     Williams-Mercedes     1:33.959s 3.382s  16

Honda now “very, very close to Mercedes” – Tost
AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost lavished praise on the new power unit Honda has produced for the 2021 F1 season.

Verstappen beats Mercedes pair to claim pole for Bahrain Grand Prix
Max Verstappen beat the Mercedes pair to pole position for the first race of the 2021 F1 season, despite picking up damage on his Red Bull early in the qualifying session.

Bahrain GP
Qualifying Session
Pos Driver             Car                    Time
 1  Max Verstappen     Red Bull-Honda         1:28.997s
 2  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes               1:29.385s
 3  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes               1:29.586s
 4  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari                1:29.678s
 5  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri-Honda       1:29.809s
 6  Daniel Ricciardo   McLaren-Mercedes       1:29.927s
 7  Lando Norris       McLaren-Mercedes       1:29.974s
 8  Carlos Sainz Jnr   Ferrari                1:30.215s
 9  Fernando Alonso    Alpine-Renault         1:30.249s
10  Lance Stroll       Aston Martin-Mercedes  1:30.601s
11  Sergio Perez       Red Bull-Honda         1:30.659s
12  Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo-Ferrari     1:30.708s
13  Yuki Tsunoda       AlphaTauri-Honda       1:31.203s
14  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo-Ferrari     1:31.238s
15  George Russell     Williams-Mercedes      1:33.430s
16  Esteban Ocon       Alpine-Renault         1:31.724s
17  Nicholas Latifi    Williams-Mercedes      1:31.936s
18  Sebastian Vettel   Aston Martin-Mercedes  1:32.056s
19  Mick Schumacher    Haas-Ferrari           1:32.449s
20  Nikita Mazepin     Haas-Ferrari           1:33.273s

[genius83]

Verstappen knew he had more time in hand for final pole-winning lap
Bahrain Grand Prix pole winner Max Verstappen said he knew he could find more time on his final qualifying lap, which beat Lewis Hamilton to pole position by almost four tenths of a second.

Vettel unhappy after “mess in the last sector” leads to Q1 exit
Sebastian Vettel said he was frustrated after a “mess in the last sector” and yellow flags on his final run ended his first qualifying appearance for Aston Martin in Q1.

Hamilton: F1’s new aero rules were intended to ‘peg us back’
Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1’s new aerodynamic rules which have been introduced for the 2021 F1 season were intended to cut Mercedes’ advantage over their rivals.

Norris: ‘Everyone thought we were heroes after yesterday but we never going to be’
Lando Norris says McLaren’s performance in qualifying was as expected, despite slipping from second in practice yesterday to seventh on the grid.

Perez says unfamiliarity with car, not strategy, to blame for Q2 exit
Sergio Perez has put his failure to make it into the final segment of qualifying for his first grand prix with Red Bull down to his inexperience with the car.

Vettel faces new investigation for failing to observe double yellow flags
Sebastian Vettel faces the threat of a penalty ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix after being summoned to meet the stewards.

Mercedes also ‘losing a bit on the engine side’ to Honda – Wolff
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted their deficit to Red Bull is down to more than just aerodynamics.

Mazepin says team told him to overtake queue of rivals in Q1
Nikita Mazepin says he was following his team’s instructions when he overtook a queue of cars before beginning his final flying lap in qualifying.

[genius83]

Mercedes prioritised making car “less of a handful” for race
Mercedes say their new car is much harder to work with than its predecessor, and tried to make it more forgiving to drive for the first race of the season.

Honda’s “great winter” is its most impressive effort yet, says Verstappen
Max Verstappen said Red Bull’s pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix shows Honda have done a “great job” with their new power unit.

Wolff sees a 2022 development dilemma for Mercedes after off-season step backwards
When the covers came off teams’ reworked cars for the 2021 F1 season a month ago, the same word was on the lips of many teams at the middle and rear of the grid: “Transition”.

Ferrari have “taken a really quite impressive step”, say rivals
Ferrari’s much-improved performance in qualifying ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix has caught the attention of rival teams.

[saad2006]

At this point, Mercedes can legitimately win an Oscar

[zia1288]

Mercedes Strategy + Hamilton's drive

Being a Ferrari fan it was good to see them at least in points. Alpine and Alpha Tauri didn't perform as well as expected. It was exciting race though.

[genius83]

Hamilton resists Verstappen to deny Red Bull victory in Bahrain GP nail-biter
Lewis Hamilton prevailed in a thrilling scrap with Max Verstappen to win the first race of the 2021 season in Bahrain.

Bahrain GP
Race Results
Pos # Driver             Car                  Laps Time         Gap     Reason
 1 44 Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              56  1:32:03.897s  -
 2 33 Max Verstappen     Red Bull-Honda        56  1:32:04.642s  0.745s
 3 77 Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              56  1:32:41.280s 37.383s
 4  4 Lando Norris       McLaren-Mercedes      56  1:32:50.363s 46.466s		
 5 11 Sergio Perez       Red Bull-Honda        56  1:32:55.944s 52.047s		
 6 16 Charles Leclerc    Ferrari               56  1:33:02.987s 59.090s		
 7  3 Daniel Ricciardo   McLaren-Mercedes      56  1:33:09.901s 66.004s		
 8 55 Carlos Sainz Jnr   Ferrari               56  1:33:10.997s 67.100s		
 9 22 Yuki Tsunoda       AlphaTauri-Honda      56  1:33:29.589s 85.692s		
10 18 Lance Stroll       Aston Martin-Mercedes 56  1:33:30.610s 86.713s		
11  7 Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    56  1:33:32.761s 88.864s		
12 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    55  1 lap
13 31 Esteban Ocon       Alpine-Renault        55  1 lap
14 63 George Russell     Williams-Mercedes     55  1 lap
15  5 Sebastian Vettel   Aston Martin-Mercedes 55  1 lap
16 47 Mick Schumacher    Haas-Ferrari          55  1 lap
17 10 Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri-Honda      52  4 laps
18  6 Nicholas Latifi    Williams-Mercedes     51  5 laps
Not classified
   14 Fernando Alonso    Alpine-Renault        32   24 laps              Brakes
    9 Nikita Mazepin     Haas-Ferrari           0   56 laps              Accident
Fastest lap: Valtteri Bottas 1:32.090s

Here are the Championships Standings after the Bahrain GP:

World Championships Standings
Driver Standings
Pos Driver             Total
 1  Lewis Hamilton       25
 2  Max Verstappen       18
 3  Valtteri Bottas      16
 4  Lando Norris         12
 5  Sergio Perez         10
 6  Charles Leclerc       8
 7  Daniel Ricciardo      6
 8  Carlos Sainz Jnr      4
 9  Yuki Tsunoda          2
10  Lance Stroll          1
11  Kimi Raikkonen        0
11  Antonio Giovinazzi    0
11  Esteban Ocon          0
11  George Russell        0
11  Sebastian Vettel      0
11  Mick Schumacher       0
11  Pierre Gasly          0
11  Nicholas Latifi       0
11  Fernando Alonso       0
11  Nikita Mazepin        0
Construtor Standings
Pos Team           Total
 1  Mercedes        41
 2  Red Bull        28
 3  McLaren         18
 4  Ferrari         12
 5  AlphaTauri       2
 6  Racing Point     0
 6  Renault          0
 6  Alfa Romeo       0
 6  Haas             0
 6  Williams         0

Mazepin “very angry with myself” after crashing out of first race on lap one
Nikita Mazepin says he is “very angry with myself” after spinning out of his grand prix debut just two corners into the first lap.

Hamilton says it will “take everything and more” to keep beating Red Bull
Lewis Hamilton says “it’s going to take everything and more” for Mercedes to keep beating Red Bull after taking a narrow win over Max Verstappen in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Verstappen preferred to take a penalty than allow Hamilton through into lead
Max Verstappen told his Red Bull team they should have let him take a penalty for passing Lewis Hamilton with all four wheels off the track.

Verstappen was right to let Hamilton pass him for lead – Horner
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner defended Max Verstappen’s decision to let Lewis Hamilton overtake him in the final laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix – even though it cost him victory.

Vettel says Ocon collision was “probably my mistake”
Sebastian Vettel said he was “probably” to blame for the collision with Esteban Ocon which led to him receiving a 10-second time penalty.

Tsunoda says passing Alonso in his first F1 race was an “emotional” moment
Yuki Tsunoda says passing Fernando Alonso during his F1 debut was an ’emotional’ moment after watching the two-time champion race at Fuji as a child.

Perez almost quit when car died on formation lap
Sergio Perez has revealed he nearly gave up hope of starting the Bahrain Grand Prix when his car stopped on the formation lap.

Hamilton and Verstappen unhappy with “very confusing” mid-race changes in track limit rules
Lewis Hamilton said he was confused by race control’s changing policy on enforcing track limits at turn four during the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Giving up track position was key factor in defeat to Mercedes – Verstappen
Max Verstappen believes giving up track position to Mercedes was the crucial factor in Red Bull’s Bahrain Grand Prix defeat.

Track limits policy did not change during race despite Hamilton’s warning, says Masi
Formula 1 race director Michael Masi insisted there was no change in how track limits were enforced during the Bahrain Grand Prix, following Lewis Hamilton’s claims to the contrary.

Wolff says the racing gods favoured Mercedes after narrow win over Red Bull
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says Red Bull showed they will be “extremely difficult to beat” during 2021 after Lewis Hamilton’s narrow win over their rivals in Bahrain.

Sandwich bag ended Alonso’s first race back in Formula 1
Fernando Alonso retired from his first Formula 1 race since 2018 after a sandwich bag entered a rear brake duct, causing terminal overheating.

No alarm bells at Aston Martin over Vettel’s troubled debut for team
Aston Martin have backed Sebastian Vettel to bounce back from his troubled first race weekend with the team in Bahrain.

[genius83]

Horner praises Perez’s “very calm head” after taking fifth place from pit lane start
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised Sergio Perez’s performance in his first race for the team in Bahrain, saying he showed a “very calm head” when his car broke down on the formation lap.

Binotto “relieved” by Ferrari’s progress at start of season
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto admitted he was relieved to see confirmation of the progress the team have made in the first race of the 2021 F1 season.

Portuguese and Spanish grands prix expected to be open to fans
The Portuguese Grand Prix is expected to be the first European round of the world championship which fans will be allowed to attend.

Smart and small Tsunoda is Japan’s best chance for a champion – Marko
AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda is on his way to becoming Formula 1’s newest star, Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko predicted.

Turn four kerb changes could solve track limits problem, says Bahrain track boss
The track limits row which marred the conclusion of Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix could be avoided in future through alterations to the kerb configuration at turn four.

[genius83]

Mercedes strategy didn’t catch us by surprise – Red Bull
Red Bull stood by their strategy for the Bahrain Grand Prix after their chance of victory with Max Verstappen fell into the hands of rivals Mercedes.

Leclerc thought he might keep Bottas behind after first-lap pass
Charles Leclerc revealed he thought he had a chance to keep Valtteri Bottas behind him after getting past the Mercedes driver on the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

[genius83]

Vettel feeling “not at home in the car yet” after tough weekend
Despite a torrid first race outing with Aston Martin, Sebastian Vettel believes he has identified the problem areas he must work on before the next grand prix.

Mercedes explain error behind 11-second pit stop which ruined Bottas’s race
Mercedes have said that a nearly-11-second pit stop for Valtteri Bottas in the Bahrain Grand Prix came down to human error by a mechanic withdrawing a tyre gun too early.

Ocon: We need to extract the maximum from the car to score points
Esteban Ocon says the Bahrain Grand Prix showed Alpine must extract the maximum from their car to have a chance of scoring points.

Removal of turn nine chicane to cut F1 lap times by five seconds at Albert Park
Revisions to the Albert Park circuit for November’s Australian Grand Prix are expected to cut lap times by around five seconds.

[genius83]

Inconsistent track limits rules confusing for fans, say drivers
Formula 1 drivers have questioned the decision to impose different rules regarding track limits for the race and qualifying in Bahrain.

Bahrain wants pre-season testing to return in 2022
he Bahrain International Circuit operators are keen to host Formula 1’s pre-season testing again next year.

Schumacher’s place at Haas down to Ferrari, not sponsor – Steiner
Haas selected Mick Schumacher as one of its new drivers this year on the strength of his performance in Formula 2, not in order to secure the backing of a sponsor, team principal Guenther Steiner has stated.

[genius83]

Ferrari quicker than McLaren in qualifying but not race trim – Norris
Lando Norris says McLaren appear able to beat Ferrari in race trim but are not as quick as them in qualifying.

AlphaTauri bringing “nice step forward” for car over next three races
AlphaTauri will bring a series of updates for their car over the next three races following their promising start to the 2021 F1 season promisingly in Bahrain.

Norris: McLaren have closed on leaders and can gain “free lap time” from power unit
Lando Norris is encouraged by the progress McLaren has made at the start of the new season and expects further gains in the coming races.

How Honda achieved a win-win with its smaller and more powerful new F1 engine
Changes to the technical regulations during the winter are one part of the reason why Red Bull replaced Mercedes as the team to beat on outright speed at the opening round of the 2021 F1 season.

[genius83]

Alpine bringing “decent upgrade package” for next race after point-less start
Alpine will bring a significant upgrade for its A521 chassis to the next race at Imola following its point-less start to the season in Bahrain.

F1 planning new ‘active aero’ for 2025 cars to slash fuel consumption
Formula 1 is planning to introduce ‘active aerodynamics’ to its cars in order to reduce fuel consumption by a third from 2025.

Mercedes warn development limits may lock in Red Bull’s advantage this year
Mercedes trackside performance engineer Andrew Shovlin says the team may not be able to out-develop Red Bull because of new restrictions introduced for the 2021 F1 season.

F1 poised to confirm ‘Sprint Qualifying’ races as teams agree financial terms
Formula 1’s plan to hold three ‘Sprint Qualifying’ races this year is expected to go ahead after the sport agreed financial terms with teams.

Mercedes will sort car problems within three races, Budkowski predicts
Mercedes will recover quickly from their sub-par start to the 2021 F1 season, Alpine’s executive director Marcin Budkowski has predicted.

Grosjean’s farewell F1 test moves a step closer with seat fitting
Romain Grosjean has completed a seat fitting in preparation for his farewell Formula 1 test, which Mercedes is expected to arrange.

Aston Martin name super-sub Hulkenberg as official reserve and development driver
Nico Hulkenberg will serve as the official reserve and development driver for Aston Martin this year, continuing his long association with the team.

2021 F1 driver salaries: Top earner Hamilton takes pay cut in one-year Mercedes deal
The value of Lewis Hamilton’s next contract with Mercedes – and whether he would keep his place on top of the F1 drivers’ salary list – was a matter of speculation throughout last season.