Formula 1 - Season 2021

[adrafiq.52]

Long story short, They have become collateral of what was done to slow down mercs. One could argue, they gained the performance in the first place by copying mercs. Bold but not original.

[saad2006]

Aston Martin's situation is the perfect example of ''What Goes Around Comes Around''

[genius83]

Norris incident ‘shows gentlemens’ agreement doesn’t work’ – Mazepin
Nikita Mazepin says his penalty for impeding Lando Norris in qualifying shows the so-called ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ between F1 drivers doesn’t work.

Mazepin given grid drop and penalty point for impeding Norris
Nikita Mazepin has been given a three-place grid drop for the Spanish Grand Prix for impeding Lando Norris in qualifying.

Perez has “toughest qualifying” for Red Bull after shoulder pain and spin
Sergio Perez said today’s qualifying session was his “toughest” for Red Bull so far after suffering pain with his shoulder.

Second place “very good” despite narrowly missing pole – Verstappen
Max Verstappen says securing second on the grid for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix was a “very good” result for Red Bull, given the strength of the Mercedes around the Circuit de Catalunya.

Norris: Q1 incident with Mazepin “cost me quali today”
Lando Norris says an incident with Nikita Mazepin in the first round of qualifying cost him a better position when he reached Q3.

[genius83]

Tsunoda apologises to team after suggesting he and Gasly have different cars
Yuki Tsunoda has apologised to his AlphaTauri team after suggesting differences between the team’s cars could be to blame for his qualifying performance.

Misfire on final lap cost Ocon a second-row start for Spanish Grand Prix
Esteban Ocon was pleased to qualify fifth for the Spanish Grand Prix but said he would be starting one place higher if he hadn’t suffered a misfire on his final lap.

[genius83]

Starting 10th will make it “tough” to score points – Alonso
Fernando Alonso believes he faces a challenge to score points in today’s Spanish Grand Prix despite qualifying inside the top 10.

Alpine will have first call on Ocon’s future – Wolff
Alpine will have the first say on the future of Mercedes junior driver Esteban Ocon, according to Toto Wolff.

“Unnaturally gusty” races have disguised Williams’ pace – Russell
George Russell says Williams has not been given the opportunity to show theircar’s pace due to the weather conditions so far this year.

Extremely competitive” Sainz helping to drive Ferrari forward – Leclerc
Charles Leclerc says his partnership with Carlos Sainz Jnr at Ferrari has been key to the team recovering the pace they struggled for last year.

[genius83]

Hamilton hunts down Verstappen to win Spanish Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton took victory in the Spanish Grand Prix after chasing down and passing Max Verstappen in the closing laps.

Spanish GP
Race Results
Pos No  Driver             Car                   Laps Time         Gap        Points
 1  44  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes               66  1:33:07.680s  -           25
 2  33  Max Verstappen     Red Bull-Honda         66  1:33:23.521s   15.841s    19
 3  77  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes               66  1:33:34.290s   26.610s    15
 4  16  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari                66  1:34:02.296s   54.616s    12
 5  11  Sergio Perez       Red Bull-Honda         66  1:34:11.351s 1:03.671s    10
 6   3  Daniel Ricciardo   McLaren-Mercedes       66  1:34:21.448s 1:13.768s     8
 7  55  Carlos Sainz Jr.   Ferrari                66  1:34:22.350s 1:14.670s     6
 8   4  Lando Norris       McLaren-Mercedes       65  1 lap                      4
 9  31  Esteban Ocon       Alpine-Renault         65  1 lap                      2
10  10  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri-Honda       65  1 lap                      1
11  18  Lance Stroll       Aston Martin-Mercedes  65  1 lap
12   7  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo-Ferrari     65  1 lap
13   5  Sebastian Vettel   Aston Martin-Mercedes  65  1 lap
14  63  George Russell     Williams-Mercedes      65  1 lap
15  99  Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo-Ferrari     65  1 lap
16   6  Nicholas Latifi    Williams-Mercedes      65  1 lap
17  14  Fernando Alonso    Alpine-Renault         65  1 lap
18  47  Mick Schumacher    Haas-Ferrari           64  2 laps
19   9  Nikita Mazepin     Haas-Ferrari           64  2 laps
dnf 22  Yuki Tsunoda       AlphaTauri-Honda        6  Retirement

Here is the World Standings after Spanish GP:

World Championships Standings
Driver Standings
Pos Driver             Total
 1  Lewis Hamilton       94
 2  Max Verstappen       80
 3  Valtteri Bottas      47
 4  Lando Norris         41
 5  Charles Leclerc      40
 6  Sergio Perez         32
 7  Daniel Ricciardo     24
 8  Carlos Sainz Jnr     20
 9  Esteban Ocon         10
10  Pierre Gasly          8
11  Lance Stroll          5
11  Fernando Alonso       5
13  Yuki Tsunoda          2
14  Kimi Raikkonen        0
14  Antonio Giovinazzi    0
14  Sebastian Vettel      0
14  George Russell        0
14  Mick Schumacher       0
14  Nicholas Latifi       0
14  Nikita Mazepin        0
Constructor Standings
Pos Team           Total
 1  Mercedes        141
 2  Red Bull        112
 3  McLaren          65
 4  Ferrari          60
 5  Alpine           15
 6  AlphaTauri       10
 7  Aston Martin      5
 8  Alfa Romeo        0
 8  Haas              0
 8  Williams          0

Gasly given penalty point for “very silly” grid error
Pierre Gasly has been given a penalty point on his licence for failing to line up on the starting grid correctly ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

[genius83]

Norris admits move on Sainz was “not really allowed” after black-and-white flag
Lando Norris says he didn’t mean to put an aggressive move on Carlos Sainz Jnr after being shown the black-and-white ‘unsporting conduct’ flag during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Bottas says he could have let Hamilton past sooner: “I’m here to race, not let people by”
Valtteri Bottas admitted he could have reacted more quickly to Mercedes’ instructions for him to let team mate Lewis Hamilton past in the Spanish Grand Prix.

‘Bendy’ Red Bull wing Hamilton spotted is legal, Horner insists
Red Bull CEO Christian Horner insists the team’s rear wing design is fully compliant with Formula 1’s regulations, after it was seen deflecting at speed during today’s race.

Hamilton almost ignored call for second pit stop
Lewis Hamilton admits he was ‘conflicted’ about his Mercedes team’s call to bring him in for a second stop that ultimately proved the winning strategy.

Verstappen’s first pit stop surprised Red Bull: “We hadn’t called him in”
Red Bull were surprised by Max Verstappen’s first pit stop during the Spanish Grand Prix, as the team hadn’t called him in.

Verstappen was “a sitting duck” to faster Mercedes regardless of strategy
Max Verstappen said he could see himself losing the lead of the Spanish Grand Prix during the early laps, as Lewis Hamilton was clearly faster.

[saad2006]

[genius83]

Stroll avoids penalty for rejoining track incorrectly, Alonso also cleared
Lance Stroll has been cleared by stewards after he failed to follow the correct procedure for rejoining the circuit at turn two after being pushed off the track by Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton’s second pit stop was a “difficult call” for Mercedes – Wolff
Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff admitted it was a difficult decision to bring Lewis Hamilton in for a second pit stop when he seemed poised to pass Max Verstappen for the lead.

Wolff’s radio complaint about Mazepin was a “very rare” occurrence – Masi
Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff’s complaint to race control about Nikita Mazepin, which was broadcast during the Spanish Grand Prix, was not a typical comment for him to make, according to Formula 1 race director Michael Masi.

Red Bull were “too slow” to win in Spain – Verstappen
Red Bull did not have any strategic options to win the Spanish Grand Prix because they weren’t quick enough, Max Verstappen believes.

Wolff “would be more critical” of Bottas if he’d cost Hamilton victory
Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff says he would be “more critical” of Valtteri Bottas’s slow reaction to team orders in yesterday’s Spanish Grand Prix if it had cost them victory.

Red Bull “desperately need” Perez to put pressure on Mercedes – Horner
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says the team are relying on Sergio Perez to apply pressure to the Mercedes drivers in the championship fight.

Williams ‘felt the best it ever has’ despite late slide to 14th – Russell
George Russell said his Williams was far better to drive in yesterday’s Spanish Grand Prix, despite dropping out of contention for a points finish in the latter stages of the race.

Luckless Giovinazzi laments ‘s*** race’ as team explains bizarre pit stop problem
Antonio Giovinazzi rued another luckless race after a bizarre problem during a pit stop ruined his Spanish Grand Prix.

Hamilton wants to agree new Mercedes contract within three months
Lewis Hamilton wants to agree a new F1 contract with Mercedes before the summer break begins.

FIA “looking at” removing Catalunya’s chicane for future F1 races
Formula 1 could revert to using the original final corners at the Circuit de Catalunya if it returns to the track in future.

[saad2006]

Significantly larger than anyone else

[zia1288]

I really like Peter Windsor's analysis:

[zia1288]

[saad2006]

@genius83 @zia1288

https://whendidmazepinspin.com/

[genius83]

Perez still finding it “very hard to get up to speed” on race weekends
Sergio Perez says F1’s shorter practice sessions this year are making it harder for him to get up to speed in the Red Bull.

Pirelli shift focus of 18-inch tyre development to compounds at Kubica test
Pirelli has largely finalised the construction of its new 18-inch tyres for the 2022 F1 season and is starting work on developing compounds at its test this week.

Working group tackling F1’s track limits problem
Improvements to how track limits are policed in Formula 1 are being worked on within the sport, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said.

Hamilton having best-ever start to season despite “least competitive margin” in car
Lewis Hamilton has made his best-ever start to a Formula 1 season despite having one of the least competitive cars Mercedes has given him, according to a senior engineer at the team.

“Bendy” rear wings which caught Hamilton’s eye to face tougher FIA tests
Formula 1 teams will face tougher tests later this season limiting how far their rear wings may flex.

McLaren to keep “drip-feeding” updates onto 2021 car
McLaren will continue to bring updates for their 2021 car after introducing a new front wing and floor at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Baku gets new F1 deal but will not swap 2021 race date with Turkey
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar until at least 2024 following a contract extension.

Rivals’ “much better top speed” made it hard to gain ground in Spain – Sainz
Carlos Sainz Jnr says that although the Ferrari were quicker over a lap than McLaren or Alpine at Barcelona, a top speed deficit limited their overtaking opportunities.

Tsunoda concerned Sprint Qualifying will take practice time away from rookies
Yuki Tsunoda is concerned Formula 1’s new Sprint Qualifying format will take valuable practice time away from rookie drivers at unfamiliar circuits.

Ferrari draw encouragement for rest of 2021 from Spanish GP performance
Ferrari’s Spanish Grand Prix performance bodes well for the rest of their 2021 campaign, team principal Mattia Binotto believes.

Two reasons why Catalunya may not predict the championship – at least this year
The Circuit de Catalunya has long been regarded as an ideal ‘reference track’ for Formula 1.

Official:
F1 adds extra race in Austria as Turkish Grand Prix is cancelled
The Turkish Grand Prix has been cancelled, just 16 days after it was added to this year’s Formula 1 schedule.

Why McLaren kept reminding Ricciardo: “It feels slow when it’s fast”
If you’ve ever tried your hand at karting, the following experience may sound familiar.

[saad2006]

The Turkish Grand Prix has been canceled

They should've replaced it with Hockenheimring

[genius83]

McLaren to race in one-off Gulf livery at Monaco Grand Prix
McLaren will race in the heritage racing colours of sponsor Gulf at next week’s Monaco Grand Prix.

McLaren's MCL35M Special Gulf Livery

McLaren’s special Monaco GP livery “even better than our usual design” – Norris
Lando Norris says McLaren’s special livery for next week’s Monaco Grand Prix looks even better than the team’s usual design.

Hamilton had an “easy ride” before Verstappen rivalry – Brown
Lewis Hamilton is finally facing serious competition for the world championship, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown believes.

@saad2006
Hockenheimring is facing serious money problem so that is why it lost last year's chance against Nurburgring to held the race. This year they are not even in contention for a race while the rumour are that Turkey and China are on standby for the second half of the season where more race cancellations can be happened.

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

Monaco GP
Thursday
Practice Session 1   14:30 To 15:30
Practice Session 2   18:00 To 19:00

Saturday
Practice Session 3   15:00 To 16:00
Qualifying Session   18:00 To 19:00

Sunday
Race                 18:00 To 20:00

[saad2006]

Hockenheimring is facing serious money problem so that is why it lost last year's chance against Nurburgring to held the race. This year they are not even in contention for a race

Well that sad and disappointing

McLaren to race in one-off Gulf livery at Monaco Grand Prix

Lando's words sum it up perfectly

It looks much better than the normal livery

[saad2006]

[genius83]

Norris sees no cause for concern in run of Q3 setbacks
Lando Norris says he isn’t troubled by the fact he hasn’t been able to improve his lap time during the final phase of qualifying in recent race weekends.

No point changing 2021 car to suit my driving style – Alonso
Fernando Alonso doesn’t want Alpine to change his car to suit him this year because of the new technical regulations which will come into force next season.

Spain showed McLaren will “have our work cut out” in Monaco – Ricciardo
McLaren’s drivers are braced for a challenging weekend in Monaco based on data gleaned from the previous round of the championship.

Norris commits to McLaren with new “multi-year” deal
Lando Norris has extended his deal to drive for McLaren after signing a new “multi-year” agreement with the team.

Track limits clarified for Monaco’s chicane, traffic lights to control escape road
Formula 1 has tightened the track limits for Monaco’s Nouvelle chicane ahead of this year’s grand prix, where an unusual traffic lights system will again be used.

Monaco will be cool and cloudy for first grand prix in two years
As with several other European grands prix this year, Monaco is set to see markedly cooler conditions than its previous running.

Hamilton: Verstappen “feels he has a lot to prove” in title fight
Lewis Hamilton believes he will be able to avoid any collisions with Max Verstappen as he is playing the long game in the world championship fight.

Monaco Grand Prix is “never exciting” and format must change, says Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton believes Formula 1 should introduce a different format for the Monaco Grand Prix because overtaking is too difficult around the street track.

[genius83]

F1 drivers’ defensive moves have become more “rude” – Raikkonen
Formula 1 drivers have become more aggressive in their defensive moves in recent years, Kimi Raikkonen believes.

Mazepin feeling “not too confident” with car ahead of Monaco GP debut
Nikita Mazepin admitted he still lacks confidence in his car ahead of his first time racing in Formula 1 in Monaco.

Verstappen brushes off “clickbait” questions over contact with Hamilton
Max Verstappen insisted he has “nothing to prove” in his championship fight with Lewis Hamilton and gave short shrift to questions over whether contact between the pair is inevitable.

Monaco qualifying “magic” could get Williams into Q3 – Russell
George Russell suspects Williams have an opportunity to make it into Q3 at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Perez: The pressure is coming from me, not Red Bull
Sergio Perez says any pressure on him to perform at Red Bull is coming from himself, rather than anyone within the team.

Awarding more points for other races doesn’t devalue Monaco GP – Leclerc
Formula 1 has not devalued one of its most famous and historic races by awarding less points for it than other rounds of the championship, according to home driver Charles Leclerc.

Drivers sorry for fans affected by “last minute” French GP date change
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly empathised with fans whose have been affected by the change of date for the French Grand Prix.

Norris: McLaren told me things a driver wants to hear
Lando Norris says he committed to McLaren for 2022 and beyond based on his confidence in the team and assurances from senior staff members Andreas Seidl and Zak Brown.

McLaren urging FIA to take tougher stance on “bendy” wings
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl says the FIA is moving too slowly to prevent teams using flexible rear wings, and putting teams who comply with the rules at a disadvantage.

Perez leads Sainz as Leclerc hits trouble in first practice
Sergio Perez put Red Bull on top in Monaco, setting a best time of 1’12.487 as the chequered flag fell on the first practice session.

Monaco GP
Practice Session 1
Pos No Driver              Car                   Best lap  Gap    Laps
 1  11 Sergio Perez        Red Bull-Honda        1:12.487s  -      35
 2  55 Carlos Sainz Jnr    Ferrari               1:12.606s 0.119s  31
 3  33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull-Honda        1:12.648s 0.161s  38
 4  10 Pierre Gasly        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:12.929s 0.442s  36
 5  44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes              1:12.995s 0.508s  33
 6  77 Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes              1:13.131s 0.644s  35
 7   4 Lando Norris        McLaren-Mercedes      1:13.236s 0.749s  30
 8   5 Sebastian Vettel    Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:13.732s 1.245s  32
 9  22 Yuki Tsunoda        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:13.746s 1.259s  38
10   7 Kimi Raikkonen      Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:14.081s 1.594s  30
11  18 Lance Stroll        Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:14.090s 1.603s  32
12  99 Antonio Giovinazzi  Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:14.106s 1.619s  27
13  14 Fernando Alonso     Alpine-Renault        1:14.205s 1.718s  36
14   6 Nicholas Latifi     Williams-Mercedes     1:14.268s 1.781s  40
15   3 Daniel Ricciardo    McLaren-Mercedes      1:14.281s 1.794s  35
16  31 Esteban Ocon        Alpine-Renault        1:14.320s 1.833s  38
17   9 Nikita Mazepin      Haas-Ferrari          1:14.616s 2.129s  32
18  47 Mick Schumacher     Haas-Ferrari          1:14.801s 2.314s  34
19  63 George Russell      Williams-Mercedes     1:14.840s 2.353s  35
20  16 Charles Leclerc     Ferrari               1:19.618s 7.131s   4

Ferrari take on extra 18-inch tyre test as Mercedes pull out over budget cap concerns
Mercedes have pulled out of the 18-inch tyre test they were due to participate in next week out of concerns it would have caused them to exceed F1’s new budget cap.

Horner insists Red Bull rear wing is legal as Wolff hints at protest
Red Bull CEO Christian Horner says his team have no concerns about any protests over the legality of their rear wing design.

Leclerc leads Ferrari one-two in second practice
Charles Leclerc was quickest in the second practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix, which came to an early end after Mick Schumacher crashed.

Monaco GP
Practice Session 2
Pos No Driver              Car                   Best lap  Gap    Laps
 1  16 Charles Leclerc     Ferrari               1:11.684s  -      27
 2  55 Carlos Sainz Jnr    Ferrari               1:11.796s 0.112s  25
 3  44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes              1:12.074s 0.390s  22
 4  33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull-Honda        1:12.081s 0.397s  21
 5  77 Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes              1:12.107s 0.423s  25
 6   4 Lando Norris        McLaren-Mercedes      1:12.379s 0.695s  19
 7  10 Pierre Gasly        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:12.498s 0.814s  22
 8  11 Sergio Perez        Red Bull-Honda        1:12.708s 1.024s  20
 9  99 Antonio Giovinazzi  Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:12.746s 1.062s  22
10   5 Sebastian Vettel    Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:12.982s 1.298s  20
11   7 Kimi Raikkonen      Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    1:13.065s 1.381s  24
12  14 Fernando Alonso     Alpine-Renault        1:13.175s 1.491s  20
13  18 Lance Stroll        Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:13.195s 1.511s  20
14  31 Esteban Ocon        Alpine-Renault        1:13.199s 1.515s  21
15   3 Daniel Ricciardo    McLaren-Mercedes      1:13.257s 1.573s  23
16  63 George Russell      Williams-Mercedes     1:13.509s 1.825s  25
17   6 Nicholas Latifi     Williams-Mercedes     1:13.593s 1.909s  24
18   9 Nikita Mazepin      Haas-Ferrari          1:14.407s 2.723s  20
19  47 Mick Schumacher     Haas-Ferrari          1:14.416s 2.732s  20
20  22 Yuki Tsunoda        AlphaTauri-Honda      1:14.829s 3.145s  11

Mercedes drivers see pace-setting Ferrari as genuine contenders in Monaco
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were impressed by Ferrari’s pace after their rivals ended Friday practice fastest in Monaco.