Jordan's Track Talk

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  • Portuguese Grand Prix

    So after two weeks off from racing we have been blessed with a double header… first up we are in Portugal!

    What to expect this weekend… the most obvious is Verstappen vs Hamilton duel which I think gives everyone some excitement during the race 👀. Next up is Perez, he will be wanting to recover from a Imola after he managed to get a 10 second time penalty and a spin too which made him finish P11 overall…

    Russell as well will want to do some redemption after his crash with Bottas at Imola, at least now the dust has settled and apologies has been said and now George can focus on getting them all important points👏🏻 . Ricciardo will want to push himself even more now that his teammate has landed on the podium so early on, so it will be interesting to see how Ricciardo does over the weekend…

    There is some track limits this weekend and they are at Turn 1, 4 and the exit of Turn 15, once again lap time will be deleted throughout the weekend. There has been a second DRS zone added and that is between Turn 4 and Turn 5 with the detection point 35 metres before the left-gander and the activation point 180 metres after…

    My predictions for tomorrow’s qualifying is… P1-Hamilton, P2- Bottas, P3- Verstappen, P4-Leclerc and P5 to Perez. I’d like to see Russel make it into Q3 I think his got it in the bag this weekend👏🏻 Also I would like to see Vettel make his mark tomorrow and show his still got it! Would like to see the McLaren boys up there in top 10 too🙌🏻

    Time for tomorrows Qualifying is: BST- 15:00 and CEST- 16:00, it’s definitely one to watch👀

  • Turkey to replace Canada…

    Formula 1 has confirmed a change to round 7 of the 2021 calendar, the Turkish Grand Prix replacing the Canadian Grand Prix. Due to the ongoing international travel restrictions in place in Canada it became impossible for F1 to enter the country without a mandatory 14-day quarantine…

    It becomes the third race of the year to be officially cancelled after the Vietnam and Chinese Grand Prix suffered the same fate earlier this year…

    Last year we saw Turkey return for the first time in 9 years in F1, which we saw Lewis Hamilton was crowned world champion for a record-equalling seventh time.

    I remember watching last years Turkish Grand Prix and I absolutely loved it! I feel like it will be a very good race there this year with everything being so close so i’m happy to have it back on the calendar for this year😁 Roll on June 11th-13th!!

    The Canadian Grand Prix will be returning to the F1 calendar in 2022, they have just signed a 2 year contract extension to remain on the calendar!

  • Ilott signs as Alfa Romeo reserve

    Ferrari Academy driver Callum Ilott has signed a deal with Alfa Romeo to become the teams second reserve driver, he will also get chances to drive in FP1’s starting on Friday at Portugal. Callum also serves as Ferrari’s test and reserve driver too.

    The Briton is not a stranger to Alfa Romeo, he has tested with them in 2019 and then again in the 2020 Abu Dhabi Young Drivers Test. The 22 year old will share reserve duties with Robert Kubica, who will be unavailable at some grand prix this year due to his racing and testing commitments in other motorsport categories.

    Ilott finished runner-up in Formula Two last year, loosing out to Haas driver Mick Schumacher, the championship went down to the final race in Bahrain.

    I wonder if this is setting Ilott up for next year? As both Alfa Romeo drivers contracts end this year so they may want to get him in while there is a chance. I do believe that Callum does deserve a seat in F1, his very talented and he showed that in F2, now we have to wait patiently for him to get a full time seat in the sport…

  • Green light for Sprint Quali…

    Today its been announced that Sprint Qualifying will be happening this year and at three Grand Prix’s, two European venues and one non-European, these will be announced in due course. Sprint Qualifying will see the drivers battle it out over 100km on Saturday afternoons of the selected Grand Prix’s.

    Fridays Qualifying will see the starting grid for the Saturday Sprint Qualifying, then the result from Saturdays Sprint Qualifying will then decide the starting grid for Sundays race.

    The schedule for race weekend will be the following:

    Friday- 60 minute first practice in the morning and Normal Qualifying format in the afternoon.

    Saturday- 60 minute second free practice in the morning and 100km Sprint Qualifying in the afternoon.

    Sunday- Full distance Grand Prix as normal

    It has been decided, that the top three finishers in Saturdays Sprint Qualifying will receive points- three for first place, two for second and one point for third.

    I think its a good idea that they are only doing it at 3 race weekends to kind of trial it before bringing it to different circuits. I also think this could make it even more exciting (if thats possible) between Hamilton and Verstappen for the title as they will both want to fight for more points on the Saturday as well as the Sunday, I know its only 3, 2 or 1 points but looking at the points now theres only 1 between them and thats due to Hamilton’s fastest lap. I do think people should give this a chance before judging too quick, no one knows how its going to go👏🏻

  • Barcelona F2 Testing

    This weekend we have had the F2 cars back on track at Barcelona for some more testing, once again it was split into morning and afternoon sessions with a total of 18 hours of track time across the weekend.

    Day 1- A bit of a foggy start to the morning session, with teams letting the drivers out for an install lap. Campos shot out on track as soon as it was clear, followed by MP Motorsport however MP didn’t get to set a competitive time as Carlin’s Jehan Daruvala stopped at turn 1 which brought out the first red flag of the weekend. Following the first red flag there was then another as Piastri stopped at turn 3 but he did manage to set a good time overall. After having two cars back in the garage safely Lungaard headed out onto the circuit and posted the quickest time of the morning setting a time of 1:29.606. The morning session finished with Lundgaard at the top with a 1:29.594, followed by Drugovich with a 1:29.772, then followed Vips with a 1:29.988.

    Once the afternoon session got the green light MP were the first team to get back onto the track, with both drivers getting a fast run out of the way. Verschoor charged his way to the top of the table after his fifth lap and then was backed up by his teammate Zendeli. A little while later Zendeli lost control of his MP and managed to tag the barrier… There was then another red flag shortly after this as Nissany lost control at Turn 9 and touched the wall too. Lundgaard was the one to bump Verschoor down to P2 with a lap time of 1:29.827, Verschoor ended up with a 1:30.165 and was very closely followed by Theo Pourchaire with a 1:30.167.

    Day 2- The morning session of Day 2 was the opportune time for some Qualifying simulations, with fresh hard tyres on, the field quickly went out to get a feel for the circuit with Zendeli setting an early pace of 1:29.440. He was shortly knocked down the order after Boschung went two tenths quicker. Half way through the session you saw the teams switching to the mediums however their runs were halted as Nissany spun at Turn 3 and found himself stuck in gravel which brung out a red flag. The session ended with Verschoor on top with a 1:28.280 then followed by Ralph Boschung with a 1:28.474 and then Felipe Drugovich with a 1:28.544.

    The afternoon session is more based on the longer runs to gather data, so to start the session off, Petecof got things under way with a 1:30.684. There were three disruptions in this session with Deledda spinning at turns 12 and 1, and Shwartzman stopped at turn 3. Once things got restarted again the Charouz Racing System pair went first and second with Beckamnn having a 1:29.384 and Samaia with a 1:29.510. Verschoor then made it to P3 with a 1:29.951 and that finished up the second day.

    Day 3- The last day of testing wasn’t as bright as the second day, which led to us seeing some rain at the end of the first session. The field headed out at the earliest opportunity with them switching to their final set of mediums. Their was a brief stoppage which we saw HWA Racelab’s spun at the first turn which brought out a red flag. Action soon resumed, with Drugovich taking control, he was the first the driver to break the 1m 28s barrier for the first time in Barcelona with a 1:27.945. Lundgaard was next to follow, he took a qualifying simulation however he couldn’t nail all three sectors, he managed P2 with a 1:28.285. Lundgaard wasn’t at P2 for long as Piastri came out on fresh medium tyres and set a 1:28.105.

    The afternoon session got underway and the long runs soon started, the HWA Racelab duo set the benchmark times leading with 1:30.346 and 1:32.183. There was a brief stoppage in the opening hour of the session as Lawson touched the wall at Turn 5. He managed to get back out there but then came to halt between turns 8 and 9 with 15 minutes to go. There was a third red flag of the afternoon for Verschoor who stopped at turn 7. The top 3 for the end of the session were Viscaal with a 1:30.280, Nannini with a 1:30.346 and Sato with a 1:30.943.

    In my opinion I believe HiTech, MP Motorsport are strong and so is Lundgaard, all of them seemed to be consistent over the weekend whilst doing simulations and tests. I’m looking forward to the next race weekend and its in Monaco on the 22nd of May.

  • To sue or not to sue?

    During the course of last weekend it came to light that Aston Martin refused to rule out taking the FIA to court due to regulation changes which have severely hindered them this season and we are only two weekends in…

    A series of modifications made last year has reduced the downforce available from the rear floor which has harmed teams with low-rake cars, including Aston Martin. It’s taken the Silverstone based team from race winners to the lower end of the midfield.

    These changes were made for safety reasons given the downforce was becoming too great for the Pirelli’s tyres… However the Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer believes its for other reasons😬

    Although, this is now a different case and it seems like Aston Martin have now dropped this slightly… Szafnauer has softened his stance over the changes after a couple of meetings with the FIA. They are still in talks with the FIA but it was mainly wanting to know what the steps were and that their done properly and equitably.

    In my opinion I don’t really understand why Aston Martin are bringing it up now? As they knew that their car was going to be affected and they weren’t going to be the only ones… The FIA know what they are doing and they want the cars to be safe to keep the drivers safe, as thats what really matters here. It’s not like it got sprung on them with a weeks notice? All the teams agreed to tweak their floors and got given plenty of warning…👀

  • We’re going to Miami!!

    So over the weekend it got announced that F1 will be racing in Miami from next year on a 10 year deal! However the exact date for next year has not been confirmed just yet but its to be expected in the second quarter of the season👀

    The race which is set to be the first since 1959 in the US state, will be held on a new and exciting layout at the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, its home to the NFL’s famous Miami Dolphins franchise.

    The circuit itself will be 5.41 km, it will feature 19 corners, three straights as well as three possible DRS zones… The Hard Rock Stadium which is a sports and entertainment hub which has hosted events from the Super Bowl to rock concerts will sit at the heart of the track.

    Miami will be the 11th different location Formula One has raced at in the United States since it began in 1950, the following are Indianapolis, Sebring, Riverside, Watkins Glen, Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas, Phoneix and Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

    I feel like this is a good move from F1, as its bringing in a new track which makes it more of an exciting race and calendar. It also seems like there is a lot of potential for overtakes/ battles on this track which is what we like! I for one am looking forward to this🙌🏻

    Miami Circuit

  • Round 2- Imola Race

    WHAT A RACE 😳 So much happened I don’t even know where to begin!!

    Congratulations to the top 3, P1 for Verstappen, P2 for Hamilton and P3 for Mr Lando Norris👏🏻👏🏻 It’s safe to say my predictions didn’t come true🤣🤣but I suppose I can’t be right every time😉😂

    Following Norris closely is both Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Sainz, I must say its nice to see them back again and also see them fighting with other teams. So close to Leclerc getting a podium but I am sure he will get at least one this year…

    Now onto the worse part to always talk about, Bottas and Russell… The two came together quite ferociously after Russell was trying to overtake the Mercedes… It hasn’t been a good day for either of them, and I wont be surprised if Toto Wolff has a word with both of them. I do wonder though does this effect Bottas staying with Mercedes?

    I am actually very shocked about Perez and Mazepin, I was expecting fewer mistakes from Perez, he had a good weekend but he let himself down today by spinning/ going off the track and not scoring any points. Mazepin, finished his first F1 race and only managed to spin once during the race which I think shocked a lot of people, including my self😂

    We now have a two week break but we will be back on the 2nd May for the Portuguese Grand Prix and its safe to say I am looking forward to the fight…😁

  • Round 2- Imola Quali

    What a Quali that was! I knew it would be tight between drivers but just wow!😳

    Top 3 for the starting grid for tomorrow are Hamilton, Perez and Verstappen… I really didn’t expect the Red Bulls to be as good as they were in Qualifying as they have had some reliability issues this weekend… Congratulations to Perez for qualifying front row for the first time in his career😁

    I am so happy for the Williams boys, both drivers got into Q2 👏🏻 Russell qualified P12 and Latifi P14. So unlucky for George though! So close to being into Q3 but he will get his chance 👏🏻

    I have to bring up Tsunoda, how gutting for him though being out of all the sessions due to going into the wall 💔 Let’s hope he can make up for it tomorrow as that’s where it counts!

    So shocked with Bottas P8! It’s not like him to be that far back from Lewis! I bet he is so gutted, he has some work to do tomorrow 😬 Lando had a disappointing end! He qualified for P2 until he got his lap time deleted for track limits, his now starting 7th just after his team mate…

    My predictions for the result tomorrow are P1 for Hamilton, P2 Perez and P3 Leclerc. I’d love to see either of the Williams in the points… I think we could possibly have a safety car tomorrow but who knows👀

    Starting times for tomorrow are 14:00pm (BST), 15:00pm (CEST). I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow, I think we’re in for an exciting one 🤩

  • Imola

    Wow that felt like the longest three week break ever! But i’m happy F1 is back this weekend and we are in Imola🇮🇹the home grand prix of Alpha Tauri! Let’s talk predictions and more…

    I feel like so much went on today in the two free practice sessions! There was a couple of yellow flags and red flags, also quite a few track times got deleted as well as some spins… Is there more to come of this over the weekend?

    It is only day one of the weekend and I feel like we are in for a very exciting and close qualifying and race😁.

    Some drivers/ teams who shocked me today was Williams, both drivers were giving it there all and it was nice to see them both up in the top 10 during the session👏🏻 Ferrari also shocked me as well today, both drivers again was giving it their all and stayed consistent being near the top.

    At this track there is some track limits put in place, they are the exits of turn 9 and 15 (also beyond the red, white and green kerb), and the apex of turn 13.

    My top 5 qualifying predictions is P1 for Hamilton, P2 for Gasly, P3 Bottas, P4 Verstappen and P5 Leclerc. I’d like to see Tsunoda start in top 10, and both Williams drivers nearer to the middle of the grid…

    Times for tomorrow are… FP3 is at 10:00 am (BST), 11:00am (CEST). Qualifying is 13:00pm (BST), 14:00pm (CEST).

  • Hülkenberg in? Vettel out?

    It recently got announced that Hülkenberg is Aston Martin’s reserve and development driver for the 2021 season… However does this put more pressure on Vettel to perform well?

    Nico Hülkenberg is very well known with the Silverstone based team, he raced with them between 2012 to 2016. He also stood in for them three times last year when both drivers was off at separate times due to positive Covid tests and then had to quarantine. He can now expect the call to stand in for either of the drivers should either of them miss a race over the course of the season.

    It’s well known that Sebastian Vettel hasn’t had the easiest of year in his career, but with him moving to AM you would think things would start looking up as he is at a new team… Unfortunately not he didn’t have very good luck at pre-season testing and in the first race weekend of the season. I do get moving to a new team things are different and it will be tough etc, but if you look at other drivers it hasn’t been that difficult for them to settle into their teams. Has Vettel lost his mojo? Can he get it back if he has?

    At the moment Hülkenberg’s role is strictly a reserve one, however that hasn’t stopped people from thinking will he be first in line to replace Vettel or even Stroll?

    Everyone knows that Hülkenberg can deliver on a race weekend and he proved that last year when he stood in for the team… I do think Vettel needs to watch himself otherwise he could be out of a seat! Which none of us want but if he doesn’t start performing throughout the weekend then it just may become true and I don’t see him going to another team after this…

    Personally, I would like to see Hülkenberg back in F1 permanently whether that be with Aston Martin or with a different team, his got the talent and I think some teams are crazy to not have him as there driver!

  • Why F1 could get interesting this season…

    So ever since the Rosberg vs Hamilton days back in 2016, F1 has done a 360 since then and became very predictable, however after the Bahrain race it made me think how things could change and become interesting throughout the season…

    The most obvious one is Hamilton & Verstappen. There is no doubt Red Bull have up’d there game this year and how Mercedes are having a little bit of trouble… The race was exciting from start to finish which I think is so good and also more people would want to start watching it because there is now someone bringing the heat to Hamilton.

    McLaren are on fire, they finished 3rd last year in the constructors and with the first race done the results were Lando 4th and Daniel 7th. They had a strong pre-season test and they showed in the first race they have a strong team, while some may see that Ricciardo finished 7th however we all know that he gets better as the season goes on and it was only his first drive with the team and it does take some time to settle in…

    Ferrari are obviously back! Or at least trying to get back 🤞🏻. I believe they will not finish in top 3 of the constructors at the end of the season, but I do think they will finish 4th or 5th which isn’t bad compared to last years result! The competition for them this year I think will be Alpha Tauri.

    Tsunoda is the dark horse this year! We all saw how good and consistent he was in pre-season testing, and over the race weekend… I do think as his experience grows we will see him grow and see him get more confident and get more points in the races!

  • Has the FIA got tougher?…

    So there’s been lots of changes recently in F1 with changes to the weekend layout and so on but the FIA have got tougher on the teams this year…

    The F1 teams are trusted to come to races with fully legal cars and as well the F1 sporting regulations. These note that “competitors must ensure that their cars comply with the conditions of eligibility and safety throughout each practice session and the race,” and that “the presentation of a car for initial scrutinising will be deemed an implicit statement of conformity.”

    Cars are not examined thoroughly every weekend, for example at the Bahrain after the race, the cars get weighed, and all underwent a series of tests related to their power units were operated during the race.

    At the Bahrain Grand Prix the FIA announced that after every race this season they will check a car at random and do deeper level of checks and analysis.

    Why has this been introduced? Well, there is always rumours and suspicion throughout F1, but relying on either pre-existing or protests by rival teams to flag potential problems is not rigorous enough. Hence why a random check, which could hit any team after the race is the best way to do it.

    In my opinion I can see why the FIA has introduced it, but in the back of my mind it makes me think why didn’t they sort it sooner sort of thing… I do however thinks it’s a good idea and it makes the sport seem more fair in that way, as they wont be picking the same team every single race weekend.

  • Drivers Market

    So with the 2021 season now underway and currently waiting for the next race weekend! Lets talk about available seats and drivers, I always think this is a good subject to talk about as you can make up some good scenarios!

    Mercedes- They have both seats available at the end of this season, as the reigning champions will they keep both drivers for the 2022 season or will they possibly think about putting George Russell in one of the seats and retain one driver? I personally think Bottas may be out of a seat and Russell in one of them and joined by Hamilton…

    Red Bull- So Verstappen’s contract ends in 2023, however Perez is only signed for the 2021 season. Potential candidates I think are Perez (depending on how he does), Tsunoda (the same again) and possibly bringing Albon back in? But then again Albon has to prove that he wants the seat…

    Ferrari- I don’t think there will be any change in the Ferrari line up, Leclerc has a contract till 2024 and Sainz has one till 2022.

    McLaren- Ricciardo’s contract finishes 2023 and Norris 2022, I don’t see either of them leaving the team any time soon!

    Aston Martin- There is some uncertainty of how long both drivers contracts are at Aston Martin however I can’t see either them leaving until after the 2022 season.

    Alpine- The returning Alonso, has signed up for 2 years so his contract is set to end in 2022. However Ocon’s ends this year, I think it depends massively on how Ocon performs this year… Saying that if he doesn’t then I think a potential candidate could be Pierre Gasly…

    Alpha Tauri- Both drivers are up for grabs at the end of this season, could they retain Tsunoda for another year if he gets no other offers? If both drivers leave I could see Albon returning (depending on RB) and maybe somebody from Formula Two just not sure who yet…

    Alfa Romeo- Once again, both drivers only have a years contract ending this year. To be honest I think Alfa Romeo may go with rookies, possibly Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman? Or the team could go down the route of retaining one driver and have one new driver.

    Haas- The team have a line up for the 21′ and 22′ season, so no change there.

    Williams- Both drivers contracts are ending this year, I believe that only one current driver will stay and I think that will be Latifi, and he could be joined by either Jack Aitken or Dan Ticktum possibly…

  • Penalty Points

    Since 2014, Formula One has had a penalty point system in place, where any breaches of the rules mean a drivers’ super licence is given endorsements. If any of the drivers rack up 12 points over a 12 month period they well then be banned for one race.

    Last year there was lots of penalty points given out for a number of different reasons which included failing to respect yellow flags, practice start violations.

    So, going into the new race year the rookies start off with zero, as well as Alonso, Bottas, Verstappen, Latifi, Gasly and Vettel. However in the first race weekend Vettel managed to get 5 over a weekend which has brought him up the table very quickly…

    On the other end of the scale we have defending 7 time world champion Lewis Hamilton and he is joined by Mr Saturday (George Russell) and Lando Norris.

    It will be very interesting to see how many points everyone will finish on at the end of a 23 race year… Below is how many each driver currently has :)

    Driver:Points:
    Lewis Hamilton6
    George Russell6
    Lando Norris5
    Sebastian Vettel5
    Kimi Raikkonen4
    Charles Leclrec3
    Antonio Giovinazzi3
    Lance Stroll 3
    Sergio Perez2
    Carlos Sainz 1
    Esteban Ocon1
    Daniel Ricciardo1
    Pierre Gasly0
    Valtteri Bottas0
    Max Verstappen0
    Nicholas Latifi0
    Fernando Alonso0
    Yuki Tsunoda0
    Mick Schumacher0
    Nikita Mazepin0
    Updated table of Penalty Points 02/04/2021

  • Day 3 Bahrain- F2

    What a weekend it has been in Formula Two, it feels so good to have it back on TV! On a Sunday we now have a feature race and let me tell you it did not disappoint..

    The three drivers on the podium were Guanyu Zhou, Dan Ticktum and Liam Lawson. It was touch and go whether Zhou would take the win or not but he managed to hold on to it making it his first Feature Race win.

    A safety car brought a stop to Lundgaard and Zhou’s fight for first after Roy Nissany was clipped by Shwartzman which forced him to retire, Shwartzman however didn’t need to retire but was handed a drive-through penalty.

    There was a second safety car after Gianluca Petecof retired, which shook up the order massively as Armstrong was leading with Piastri and Verschoor behind him, however Armstrong quickly dropped back after the restart as Verschoor took the lead on the softs.

    Zhou eventually took back the top spot after Verschoor couldn’t defend anymore. Verschoor then had to defend from Piastri however Piastri was more focused on defending Ticktum, which didn’t end well after they come together at Turn 2 which then led to Piastri spinning off and then out of the race, Ticktum got away unscathed.

    One person who massively impressed me over the weekend was Liam Lawson, he is very talented and one to watch out in the future for sure…

    Next up we have three day testing in April, then after that the second race weekend is in May and they head to Monte Carlo.

  • Round 1- Bahrain Race

    GET IN THERE LEWIS. That is a Formula One race right there… Hamilton held off Verstappen in the first race of the season. Not only did Hamilton win the race he also passed Michael Schumacher’s record of 5,111 for the most laps led in F1 history. Finishing behind Verstappen was Bottas and he also managed to take the fastest lap of the Red Bulls too.

    Lando Norris and Sergio Perez make it fourth and fifth… These two shocked me so much, obviously McLaren has the power etc but Norris was just on another level today, he really held his own. And Perez from starting in the pits as there was an issue on the formation lap to then finish 5th is just wow, you can understand why he got the Red Bull seat now.

    The rookie Yuki Tsunoda made it into the points for his first F1 race and no doubt he is very happy with that! One rookie we should mention is Nikita Mazepin, he spun and crashed on the first lap of his first ever F1 race, he must be gutted…

    Aston Martin and Sebastian Vettel must be gutted too, making their come back to F1 and not having the best of races… Vettel starting P20 as he was handed a 5 place grid penalty after ignoring yellow flag and then he caused a collision with Ocon in the race, Seb finished P15.

    My driver of the day would be Red Bull’s Perez, he done very well and deserves it. Keep an eye out for a poll so you can make your vote! 😜Now we only have to wait 3 weeks until the next race… Which is in Italy from the 16th-18th of April.

  • Day 2 Bahrain- F2

    Second day is done!✅ On a Saturday we have both sprint races.

    Sprint Race 1- First sprint race of the season and let me tell you it did not disappoint… Liam Lawson got away beautifully, he started P3 and finished P1 making his Formula 2 debut one to remember! Jehan Daruvala and David Beckmann completed the top three.

    One person that stood out to me was Robert Schwartzman, he didnt have much luck on Friday however he started P11 and finished P4 just missing out on a podium 😕.

    There was four retirements in total, that included Pourchaire, Armstrong, Boschung and Verschoor all different reasons however not a good start to the season, every point counts…

    Sprint Race 2- Now onto the second sprint race of the weekend… Once again another race with drama and amazing overtakes. Reigning Formula 3 champion Oscar Piastri took the win after overtaking Guanyu Zhou. However, Zhou fell to third after Lungaard made a last minute move, making it an all Alpine academy podium.

    One person who stood out to me this sprint race was Richard Verschoor who started 22nd and finished 5th! He was unlucky in the first sprint race with a DNF but he brought it back in the second!

    First lap battles- Unfortunately two drivers were out after turn 1 as they collided and they were Robert Shwartzman and Dan Ticktum, it ended up bringing out the first safety car of the race.

    The next collision was Zendeli and Lungaard, Zendeli was clipped by Lungaard and then suffered a puncture. However Lungaard suffered a 10 second time penalty which he served in the pits later on.

    Next up we have the feature race which is today and the starting grid is below :)

  • Round 1- Bahrain Quali

    Oh what a fight the first Qualifying of 2021 was !! I was on the edge of my seat literally watching it🤣.

    MAX is on pole! Got to give it to him he deserves it massively, he topped all the time sheets of free practice as well as bringing the fight to Lewis whenever he topped his time in qualifying too. Follows him is both the Mercedes, and I am prepared to see the fight tomorrow👀

    A team I am shocked at is Ferrari, they have obviously sorted out their problems last year and improved quite a bit, however I don’t think I should be so quick to judge as it is only the first race weekend out of 23.

    Somebody I do have to mention is Tsunoda, his obviously a rookie but you wouldn’t think it how he drives the Alpha Tauri, he is on fire!!🔥 He is starting 13th on the gird however I think thats good for his first quali!

    Mr Saturday (George Russell) remains Mr Saturday as he out qualifies his team mate once again and starts 15th on the grid. I do feel like Williams have improved since last year and I hope to see them in the points at some point this year.

    One person I am gutted about is Vettel, his starting P18 on the grid tomorrow and thats because of a yellow flag as Mazepin spins in Q1 and messes up his lap, which is obviously unfortunate but its racing at the end of the day, however the real results are tomorrow!

    My predictions for the podium tomorrow is P1- Hamilton P2- Verstappen and P3- Gasly. I would like to see Tsunoda in the points and also see the two McLaren boys be in the top 10!

  • Bahrain Day 1-F2

    So, the season is now fully underway, with the season starting in Bahrain. First up we have free practice and it went a bit like this….

    Felipe Drugovich who drives for Uni-Virtuosi’s finished the fastest in the opening session, behind him with a 1:45.481 was Dan Ticktum who also has been announced today that his continuing with Williams to be their development driver. After an impressive pre-season testing Liam Lawson slid into third just two tenths short behind Ticktum.

    The popular Ferrari Academy pair, Robert Schwartzman who drives for PREMA and Marcus Armstrong who drives for DAMS made it fourth and fifth.

    Now onto qualifying… Guanyu Zhou has took the first pole position for the first race this season and for the second year in a row!! He stole pole from Lungaard by beating him by 0.003s, in third we have Felipe Drugovich.

    There was a red flag near the end of the session and that was due to PREMA’s Robert Schwartzman came to a stop down the pit straight. Leaving the rest of drivers 5 minutes to get a time on the board.

    Finishing 10th in Quali, David Beckmann will however start Sprint Race 1 from reverse grid pole tomorrow.

    Come back for more updates tomorrow on both F1 and F2!

  • The Final 3

    And finally F2 have all their drivers ready and announced for the first race of the season which is this weekend!!

    Trident made a double announcement that they have re-signed Marino Sato for the 2021 season and as well they have announced they have signed Bent Viscaal for this seasons opener in Bahrain.

    21 year old Sato is entering his second full season of Formula Two with the Italian team. Sato made his debut in F2 in the final part of 2019 the same year where he cruised to the Euroformula Open title where he had nine wins, eleven podiums, six poles and five fastest laps.

    Viscaal made his F2 debut in the pre-season testing for Trident and now gets to do it in the first race of the season as well, his made the step up from Formula 3.

    Richard Verschoor completes the line up for MP Motorsport, he is making his F2 debut this weekend. His moved up from Formula 3 after finish 9th last year and 13th in 2019.

    Overall for the 2021 season we have 9 rookies, which is just under half the grid👀 its definitely going to be an exciting season for sure.

  • The Mid Field Battle

    The mid field battle is always the best, there’s always drama on and off the track, last year we had the mid field battle being McLaren, Racing point and Renault.

    McLaren ended up third last year in the constructors championship after a strong season, they are eventually making their way back up to the top to fight for the championship…

    Will it be the same three battling again or will McLaren be taking the fight to Red Bull?

    I personally hope that they do take the fight to Red Bull. I want to see the McLaren boys up on the podium more and fighting for wins! Although I do think they have more of an advantage as they now have Daniel Ricciardo and Lando had a strong season last year

    It will be interesting to see how Alpine and Aston Martin do this year, obviously they both have two drivers who weren’t in their team last year so it may set them back a little bit as they won’t be use to the car.

    If pre-season testing is anything to go by McLaren were very quick and it seemed Daniel settled in quickly. Aston Martin had quite a few problems over the course of the weekend. And Alpine wasn’t actually that bad, I thought they would of been worse to be honest…

    I think it’s going to be a very close season this year especially because of how many races there are, we could see a variety of drivers on the podium this year…

    Only one more week to go till the first race!

  • Mercedes vs Red Bull

    So one of the biggest rivalries on grid is Mercedes and Red Bull, they are the two top teams who are always fighting against each other for the top spot on the podium.

    Every race weekend we always see Mercedes and Red Bull pushing each other, however there hasn’t been two consistent drivers at Red Bull to properly push the silver arrows… However could this all change this year, with having Sergio Perez teamed up with Max Verstappen?

    I always believe that you can never go by how the teams are in pre-season testing as the top teams always hide how good they are but Mercedes have never been that bad before and I don’t know if thats a sign to show whats to come in this season or not?

    There was too many things going wrong for the Mercedes team over the weekend such as Lewis’ two spins which included one bringing out a red flag, also the amount of grip and pace they didn’t have, they was all over the track! (and not in a good way) They also run into an issue on the first session of the first day which only let Bottas do as not as many laps as he would of wanted.

    Red Bull was very consistent over the weekend and they also had the pace unlike the Mercedes. Red Bull have been pushing everything to stop the Mercs from winning another championship and I do think they could possibly do it, IF and thats a very big if Mercedes don’t sort out their problems before the first race which is in 10 days time.

    If Mercedes do some how sort out all their problems and have the pace unlike testing, I do still think Red Bull will have a strong fight against them and there will be a few interesting battles on the track this year!

  • Pre-season testing F1

    Finally! We are back pre-season testing started this weekend in Sakhir,Bahrain. Heres a little overview of how the weekend went…

    Day 1- It seems Daniel Ricciardo settled into McLaren very quickly, he set the fastest time of a 1:32.203 in the morning session and showed the others how the McLaren can do. He was swiftly followed by Pierre Gasly who set a 1:32.231 and who also had the most laps out of the 10 drivers. However it wasn’t so plain sailing for the Mercedes, after the pit lane opened Bottas was back in the garage after 45 minutes and only 1 lap done, they had to replace the gearbox but he managed to get back out with 40 minutes to go and went 10th fastest. The first red flag was called for the 2021 season and that was due to Charles Leclerc as he suffered a possible power unit issue.

    Onto the afternoon session and the drivers were met with a sandstorm, however that didn’t stop any of them! Verstappen drove for Red Bull all day and looked very comfortable after the morning session, he topped the timesheets with a 1:30.674. Verstappen was followed by Lando Norris he managed to put in a 1:30.889, so it seems a very consistent day for the two McLaren boys. As for Mercedes, Lewis managed to add 42 laps to their total however he was struggling for grip and pace too…

    Day 2-

    Another session of Ricciardo back on top he clocked a 1:32.215! He really has settled in to the team quickly and its so nice to see☺️. There was quite a few spins during the morning session which included a red flag and that was brought out by 7 time world champion Lewis, he spun and went into the gravel leaving himself stuck. However once things got started again returning 2 times world champion Fernando Alonso came out second with a 1:32.339, followed him was Perez with a 1:32.478. It looks like Aston Martin are not doing too good, Vettel only managed six laps before a gearbox issue…

    Now onto the afternoon, Bottas went fastest overall with a 1:30.289 and it was good to see the Mercedes back on top😌. Pierre Gasly followed close behind with a 1:30.413. However Lance Stroll finished 3rd overall even though his team mate finished at the bottom of the time sheet.

    Day 3-

    Onto the final day of testing… and Perez was on fire he topped the leader board for the morning session with a 1:30.187 and was swiftly followed by Leclerc who had a 1:30.486 and then to finish the top three was Lando Norris with a 1:30.661. The McLarens have had a pre-season testing with no issues at all over the weekend! Finally, we get to see George Russell back on track! It was his first outing over the testing weekend and he kept it steady throughout his first session and finished P8 overall…

    It was a good day and weekend for the Red Bulls! Verstappen topped the charts for the final session of the weekend with a 1:28.960. Followed him was rookie Yuki Tsunoda he finished with a 1:29.053, I have got to say i’m impressed! He has got the swing of things so quick, definitely think he is one to watch out for this season 👀 Sainz finished the top three for this afternoon with a 1:29.611, at the end of the session he had a brief moment with Raikkonen after they both touched and gone off the track… Hamilton finished 5th overall after he lost valuable time in the first hour of the session. And finally Russell finished 6th overall with a 157 laps behind him!

    And that is a wrap on pre-season testing! Two weeks to go till we are back in Bahrain 🤩. Will Mercedes be able to pull through? Can the Red Bulls keep it up and bring the fight, or have they peaked too early?

  • SF21

    Finally, all 10 teams have now revealed their 2021 challengers. Ferrari were the last to reveal their car this year. To be honest I wasn’t expecting much change as Ferrari is known for its iconic red…

    I love the fact its bright red to then a burgundy red towards the back of the car I think it looks really cool. However one of the things everyone has noticed is the Green Mission Winnow symbol at the back… Personally I think it should either be black or white, as it would a lot more slick than what it does now.

    Only one day to go until testing in Sakhri, Bahrain and just over two weeks till the first race weekend of the year…🥳Below is the line up for this weekends testing.

  • Pre-Season Testing F2

    So for the past 3 days, Formula Two has been testing there 2021 cars in Sakhir, Bahrain this year we have 6 hours of testing a day over the three days and they spilt it to 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours for afternoon testing. Testing went somewhat like this…

    Day 1- As usual in the morning they all set off for their installation lap, then went back to the garage to do further works on their cars. However once things got started again, there was a red flag as Richard Verschoor came to a halt down the back straight in the lead up to turn 14. Once things got started again Dan Ticktum came out on top in the morning session.

    MP were back out straight away in the afternoon session with Zendeli taking back his place at the top of the timesheets with a time of 1:45.010. Reigning F3 champion Piastri made his first appearance at the top of the charts towards the halfway point off the afternoon. However none of the Formula Two drivers could match Beckmann as the rookie finished the afternoon top of the tables with a 1:42.844

    Day 2- Lungaard was a familiar presence at the top of the timesheets in the morning session, his time of 1:43.514 was only the start to his morning as he cemented his position in P1. Viscaal managed to sneak into second behind Lungaard towards middle way of the morning session. Marcus Armstrong was looking more comfortable with his DAMS car on the second morning as he finished in the top three, which beat his P9 on Monday morning.

    13 cars went out on track when the lights went green in the afternoon session, however a red flag stopped the session after Petecof stopped at turn 13. After resuming the session there were a further two red flags as Lawson and Zhou both stopped on the track, however both managed to get back out onto track. Dan Ticktum topped the charts again with a 1:42.185 followed by his team mate Daruvala with a 1:42.619

    Day 3- The final day of testing, and no one was messing about! Almost everyone headed out on track with Vips setting a 1:42.224. Although he didn’t stay up there for long as his team mate Lawson was quicker by 0.006s. However none of these finished top at the end of the morning session. It was indeed Marcus Armstrong, with a 1:42.173.

    In the afternoon, only four drivers went out as soon as the lights went green, with Zendeli taking first place out of the four. Boschung, who drives for Campos darted round the track with a 1:44.905. However no one could top that in the final session of pre-season testing.

    This season is going to be an interesting one in Formula Two, lots of rookies who are very talented but also lots of talented drivers who have been in F2 before. Just over 2 weeks to go till the start of all the action gets underway at Sakhir…

  • FW43B

    9 out of 10 cars have now revealed their cars for the 2021 season… Todays was Williams and personally I wasn’t expecting much change, well how wrong was I…

    Honestly i’m in shock, it looks so good and so different for them! Lets hope it brings them some luck this year and get some points! The pair driving the FW43B will be George Russell and Nicholas Latifi their third year being partnered together.

    However saying this, I do feel like theres a lot more blue on the track this year… Clearly its favoured with the people who designs the cars 😉😂

    Teams:Launch date:
    McLaren15/02/21✅
    Alpha Tauri19/02/21✅
    Alfa Romeo22/02/21✅
    Red Bull23/02/21✅
    Ferrari 26/02/21(Team)✅ 10/03/21 ( Car)
    Mercedes02/03/21✅
    Alpine02/03/21✅
    Aston Martin03/03/21✅
    Haas04/03/21✅
    Williams05/03/21✅

    Only one car launch left which is Ferrari on the 10th of March, then after that we have testing which is starting a week today!

  • AMR21 & VF21

    So after 61 years of not having Aston Martin in Formula One, that has all changed now… Below is the AMR21 challenger for the 2021 season!

    We all knew the car was going to be the Aston Martin racing green but I really don’t know what I was expecting, it certainly isn’t whats pictured above (and i mean that in a good way!)😍🙌🏻 The pink as well just makes it pop! I think its been done beautifully.

    It will be interesting to see how it does on the track next week in Bahrain, especially with Sebastian Vettel driving it too. Its going to be an interesting year!

    Today we had Haas’ car launch, wasn’t really expecting much change for the car but it actually looks alright! I don’t think its the best looking car on the grid but its not the worst F1 livery i’ve ever seen.

    It’s the car Schumacher and Mazepin will be driving for the 2021 season… Going to be an interesting battle between these two..

    Teams:Date:
    McLaren15/02/21✅
    Alpha Tauri19/02/21✅
    Alfa Romeo22/02/21✅
    Red Bull23/02/21✅
    Ferrari 26/02/21(Team)✅10/03/21
    Mercedes02/03/21✅
    Alpine02/03/21✅
    Aston Martin03/03/21✅
    Haas04/03/21✅
    Williams05/03/21

    8 teams down… 2 to go, next up we have Williams tomorrow then Ferrari next week

  • W12 & A521

    So Mercedes have launched their W12 and all i can say is WOW, I didn’t think they could beat last years livery but they somehow have… Being a big fan of Mercedes and Lewis I was too excited for this one and it really did not disappoint.

    The main change is the engine cover, it now has AMG over it all, also having the numbers which aren’t in bold and red unlike last years. They have added some silver back into it, so maybe they are looking to go back to the silver arrows next year👀. They also still have Niki Lauda’s red star on their too as a tribute to him.

    Alpine also launched their first F1 car today and I was a bit hesitant of what to expect but the first words out of my mouth was WOW…

    It is very different to the cars which have only tweaked their livery a little… but it does look good and definitely will stand out whilst on the track.

    Teams:Launch Date:
    McLaren15/02/21✅
    Alpha Tauri19/02/21✅
    Alfa Romeo22/02/21✅
    Red Bull23/02/21✅
    Ferrari 26/02/21(Team)✅ 10/03/21(Car)
    Mercedes02/03/21✅
    Alpine02/03/21✅
    Aston Martin03/03/21
    Haas04/03/21
    Williams05/03/21

    Next up is Aston Martin on the 3rd March at 15:00 GMT, keep your eyes peeled for more updates as we go👀

  • C41 and RB16B

    So another busy week of car reveals getting ready for the 2021 season, this week we had Alfa Romeo and Red Bulls.

    Personally I think that Alfa Romeo looks better this year… there’s not really many changes with cars this year but the tweaks to the cars are looking good so far!

    The Red Bull have minor changes to their livery, including taking off Aston Martin signs. Perez and Verstappen have been testing the RB16B at Silverstone after the car got released, however there not giving too much away… I feel like they’ve either got something good and are waiting to show it off or the complete opposite👀 whatever it is I’m looking forward to seeing it on track

    Next week we have an easier busier week! We have Mercedes, Alpine, Aston Martin, Haas and Williams. Keep coming back for more updates!