Formula 1 begins with two Spanish drivers in liza
Last season in Formula 1 was certainly atypical. Marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced the cancellation of grands prix and even the possibility that it would not be contested. It was finally raced, although with an exhausting schedule for all the pilots and members of the paddock . This year will be different. The man to beat is still Lewis Hamilton, although the Red Bull cars are getting closer to the unbeatable Mercedes. Maximum expectation in New Zealand with Carlos Sainz Jr. at the helm of a renewed Ferrari and with the return of Fernando Alonso to the circuits.
Carlos Sainz Jr. he is a new Ferrari driver alongside Charles Leclerc. But the performance of the car is anyone's guess. Will Sainz be able to improve his records with McLaren? ©Michael4Wien/Pixabay
We were looking forward to things normalizing in Formula 1 after a very atypical 2020 , and little did we imagine at the beginning of last year that the season would be about to be cancelled because of the threat of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Although it was finally held in a reduced format, we were left with the feeling that the spectacle of the races had suffered almost irreparable damage. The Mercedes remained intractable and Lewis Hamilton won the championship for the seventh time , equaling the record of the mythical Michael Schumacher .
Still and everything last season left us great moments. As the spectacular victory of Checo Pérez with Racing Point at the Sakhir Grand Prix, which catapulted him to fourth position in the drivers' world championship. This season he is already racing with Red Bull, which will allow the Mexican driver to be able to opt to be at the top of the podium.
We have also lived the definitive consolidation of Carlos Sainz Jr. with McLaren as one of the names to follow, which has allowed him to switch this season to Ferrari, thus confirming the decline of Sebastian Vettel who has moved to Aston Martin and that has led Daniel Ricciardo to the Woking team. Many changes for a season that promises to be spectacular.
Is it time for Red Bull?
Technical changes with new rules were promised for the 2021 season, but Formula 1 officials decided to park everything until 2022 given that we are still in a pandemic. Thus, everything seemed to indicate that Mercedes' dominance would continue as before which was reflected in the general betting trend. Constructors' World Championship and taking the first places in the drivers' world championship with Hamilton and Bottas in front.
But the first tests of the season gave some surprises and we started to glimpse that Red Bull could surprise Mercedes with a Max Verstappen in champion mode. Another pleasant surprise was to see that the performance of the Ferrari has improved a lot , which led to the thought that the Italian team could be the cover this year after a disappointing 2020.
GP Bahrain
The season started on March 28 with the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sakhir circuit. The fabulous thing is that there were more questions than answers, which was certainly an additional incentive for betting .
Would Verstappen be able to overtake Hamilton once the Dutch driver had been the fastest during qualifying ? Who would be in charge of the so-called middle class? Would McLaren be able to keep the pulse in front of a renewed Ferrari? What would be the role of Renault or Racing Point, both with a solid last season?
Finally, Hamilton returned to take the cat to the water, although not without controversy after Verstappen he had to let himself be overtaken by the decision of the race technicians that the Red Bull team accepted without hesitation. Bottas was again the third in discord, while a surprising Norris with the McLaren brilliantly overtook Checo Perez.
So the battle of the middle class was clearly for McLaren with Leclerc sixth. Disappointing was the performance of the Aston Martins (formerly Racing Point) and Alpine (Renault). The Mercedes and Red Bull seem to be on another level completely. We will have to be very attentive to what the Red Bull Honda engine can give of itself, in which it will be the last season of the Japanese company in Formula 1 . The war between Mercedes and Red Bull is more open than ever.
Fernando Alonso returns and Carlos Sainz makes his debut with Ferrari
A lot is going to have to improve Fernando Alonso's Alpine to make his return to Formula 1 worthwhile. No one doubts the quality of the Asturian pilot , but the start of the Renault team's season has been most disappointing. Alonso was forced to retire while Ocon had to settle for thirteenth place.
The premiere of Carlos Sainz Jr. with Ferrari it has been hopeful, although it is still early to speculate whether this year's car will allow him to get closer to the podium . Everything seems to indicate that this will not be the case. His eighth place just two places behind Leclerc has not been a bad start and the room for improvement exists.
Looking at the performance of Norris and Ricciardo with McLaren it seems that Sainz's bet on Ferrari has been a step backwards. And this is certainly the case if you just look at this season. But we know that Ferrari, the longest-running team in Formula 1, he will fight for titles again . Not yet this year. Ferrari's strategy is for 2022. The season will be a magnificent opportunity for Sainz to show everything he can give of himself. In 2022 we will see him fighting for greater heights.
