At first look, 2021 is not the most optimistic of years for the Swiss team. The more time goes on both ends of the driver lineup have less of a threat, and one is young, with the carryover of a car that is far from groundbreaking.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 13: Kimi Raikkonen of Finland driving the (7) Alfa Romeo Racing C39 Ferrari during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 13, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
The main aim of this season will be to put the team in the best possible place to make progress when the rule changes come into play come 2022. Especially with the sliding scale of wind tunnel research you can do which is likely to be favouring Alfa Romeo based off of 2020 results.
A tactic seen in other sports, such as the NFL, is ‘tanking’. This is where the team will perform badly on purpose to try and get better circumstances for the seasons following.
As better wind tunnel time comes with finishing further down the field along with the fact both Williams and Haas are looking to make progress this season and Alfa Romeo have been very quiet, the idea of almost writing off 2021 seems painfully more likely than it should be.
Alfa Romeo’s Italian driver Antonio Giovinazzi drives during the third practice session ahead of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in the Emirati city of Abu Dhabi on December 12, 2020. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Kimi Raikkonen is without a doubt a fan favourite within the sport no matter what team he is at. On saying this, the soon to be 42 year old come the end of the season is very unlikely to come back after this season with the massive rule changes coming into play.
Along with the the long line of Ferrari junior drivers waiting to come into the sport the changing from one era to another just looks too simple to no take as soon as it comes.
Antonio Giovinazzi is someone who is under all the pressure at Alfa Romeo. After not really doing anything of note in his first few ventures into F1 it is very fair to say he has to really outperform his teammate in order to keep his seat for the future or the cut throat nature of the sport will grab hold of its next victim.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 11: Fire emerges from the car of Kimi Raikkonen of Finland driving the (7) Alfa Romeo Racing C39 Ferrari during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 11, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
Looking at 2021 as a whole, Alfa Romeo cannot be looking further forward than getting eighth in the constructors championship. Whether they would want to do that is another question.
If they are fully focused on getting the best they can out of 2022 and bounce back in the new era, a few questionable strategy decisions could be deployed that worsens the teams fortunes for this season to better them in the future.
Eighth would be the ideal, but the optimism over what Williams are rebuilding makes it difficult not to believe that Haas and Alfa Romeo will be battling over the bottom spot. Unless, Ferrari sort out their engine.
One thing is almost certain whenever someone brings up Alpha Tauri in conversation, they are just Red Bulls junior team. Due to this many believe they are destined to the back of the midfield, or is there a change in the tide for the Faenza-based team?
The one thing Alpha Tauri have in their favour if they do want to break the shadow of their sister team, is a rule put in place thanks to the 2020 Racing Point. Thanks to the ‘Pink Mercedes’, a fair number of parts of another team’s car cannot be placed on your own unless they are carried over from the year previous. So no more getting year old parts from Red Bull. From this point, they are more independent.
MONZA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 06: Pierre Gasly of Scuderia AlphaTauri and France celebrates with the team after winning the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo di Monza on September 06, 2020 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
Another part that is pivotal to the team that has not changed, is the teams race-winning driver, Pierre Gasly. There is no doubt that Gasly had a difficult time at Red Bull, but being demoted is clearly the best option for him. From being stuck miles behind Max Verstappen, Gasly has become his best self at Alpha Tauri and has spent his time miles in front of past teammate Daniil Kvyat.
Last year was a standout year for Gasly, being known universally as one of if not the best driver of the midfield. The amount of occasions where he outperformed the car and was completely ahead of his teammate was on a unbelievably impressive number of times.
Not to mention, moving up 46 places in Autosports top 50 drivers from 50 to 4. This is even more of an impressive feat when you realise who the only 3 better drivers than him in the year was Formula E’s dominant champion, Antonio Felix Da Costa, the unrivalled talent of Max Verstappen and newly crowned seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. So a year where we could see Gasly taking the car up the field, is more likely than you may think with his hands behind the wheel.
UNSPECIFIED – DECEMBER 18: In this screengrab FIA Rookie of the Year Yuki Tsunoda of Japan is presented with his award during the 2020 FIA Prize Giving on December 18, 2020. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for FIA)
Alongside the very capable hands of Gasly, is rookie teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Many who have seen Tsunoda throughout 2020’s Formula 2 season will know of the potential and poor luck that left him unable to mount a title challenge that year. The potential though, is something that could see a star rise quicker than you think.
in 2018, Tsunoda was in Japanese Formula 4, the year after into Formula 3, the year after into Formula 2 and straight away the year after we find ourselves with him in F1. Not many drivers have had that quick of a rise into the sport, maybe only Verstappen who never stepped foot into an F2 car competitively.
Tsunoda is not the prospect that Verstappen once was and has fulfilled. Despite that, the raw pace of Tsunoda I believe will surprise people this year and I also think he will be up to speed quicker than what people believe for him too.
In the first round of 2020 at his first event in a F2 car, he topped the only practice session. At the second round he then topped the practice session and got pole position only for a radio issue costing him when it came to the feature race, the guy truly has a lot of raw speed and will impress is his first year I am sure.
AlphaTauri’s Russian driver Daniil Kvyat drives during the Sakhir Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in the city of Sakhir on December 6, 2020. (Photo by Bryn Lennon / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BRYN LENNON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
One thing for sure is that the team have a strong driver lineup for 2021 and potentially the years to come after. With the 2021 challenger now with us, it is all in the hands of team now to make the most of what they have.
The midfield will be a challenge, there is no doubt. With McLaren pushing to stay best of the rest, Ferrari trying to bounce back, Aston Martins new funding starting to make a difference and Alpines hopeful resurgence under Fernando Alonso it is hard to imagine the smaller Alpha Tauri to make an impact, but it is not impossible.
Arguably, the team has the second or third best driver lineup of these midfield teams. That and the evolution of a car that should be more independent, the team that tends to be stuck in its sister teams shadow, might, just might, make a stand and make itself a challenger in the midfield for 2021.
On the night of the MCL35M launch, I’ll take a look into what the near future holds for a team on the brink of heading back to the big time. Especially with a certain Honey Badger onboard.
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – DECEMBER 03: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Renault Sport F1 talks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Sakhir at Bahrain International Circuit on December 03, 2020 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Florent Gooden – Pool/Getty Images)
Daniel Ricciardo is an A-list name to world of motorsport, there is no doubt about that. Even though the Woking-based team got their guy a year later than they wanted, they have him nonetheless.
As much as Carlos Sainz Jr. was undeniably brilliant with his time at McLaren, the first choice to fill that empty seat at Ferrari if it were based on pace alone would have meant Ricciardo would have found his way there. Now the Scuderia have made their decision, it presents something better for F1.
Now there are two teams that, on first glance, have a No.1 and a No.2 driver. Ricciardo will have that purely through the cost it did to bring him in, but he is not concentrating on this season per say. The true effort is to maximise McLarens chances come 2022.
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 17: Carlos Sainz of Spain and McLaren F1 celebrates after later being awarded third place in the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 17, 2019 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
The team is as stable as it can possibly be. This is because out of all the lineups going into 2021, this is the most likely to stay the same come 2022. Yes Daniel Ricciardo was a big acquisition, but there is no slouch in Lando Norris either.
Norris, only 21, has already proved how capable he is behind the wheel of an F1 car and as most the younger drivers in the sport are right now, he is safer than what drivers used to be in terms of contracts and loyalty from teams.
Teams have faith in their youngsters nowadays and with the main focus on growing yet again into 2022, means even a less than average season would most likely see Norris alongside Ricciardo for 2022.
2021 is going to be continuing the form of last years car to cement the teams place as the third best team in the paddock to push on and try and bridge the gap to the top come the rule change in 2022. That is no small feat, but with the progression from the Woking-based team, they are the best suited to do so.
After seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton signed on the dotted line for at least one more season in 2021, it has left many people talking about what could happen after this season takes place.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 13: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Great Britain during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 13, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
With Hamilton only agreeing to a deal for 2021, that leaves himself, teammate Valtteri Bottas and junior George Russell without a deal for 2022 meaning the fight to prove their worth this season will be as important as ever for all of them If they want it.
Some people are seeing this as a sign that Hamilton is seeing this as a chance to be the outright Greatest Of All Time in terms of titles and then bow out. Which is a possible theory, but others are seeing it as a cautious approach to the team and its future, a more realistic approach.
With a massive rule change coming in 2022, why would you agree to drive a car you do not know about with little aspirations left in the sport? As Hamilton already has seven titles, which could become eight by the end of 2021, why would he take the chance that Mercedes have got a great package for 2022 without seeing what will be produced first?
That is the more likely approach taken by Hamilton and his team. Having such a big rule change upcoming can let him be more cautious without committing to an immediate future with the accomplishments he has behind him. Why take the risk if he is not even sure he will want to be in the sport at that point?
SOCHI, RUSSIA – SEPTEMBER 25: Valtteri Bottas of Finland driving the (77) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W11 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Russia at Sochi Autodrom on September 25, 2020 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Valtteri Bottas has a very different situation heading into the 2021 season. He needs to perform it is as simple as that. If Hamilton decides to stay around and does win the title, Bottas is going to have to be second at worst and very close behind to Hamilton to keep his seat for 2022. Anything less than that and he will be gone.
This has only become the case due to the performance George Russell gave at the outer loop at the Sakhir circuit filling in for the Covid stricken Hamilton. With such a talent waiting to get into the best team in the paddock it will not be too long before Toto Wolff pulls the trigger and get the future, his young talent, in the best car on the grid.
George Russell would seem to have the easiest ride of it in 2021. Dorilton Capital have only recently bought Williams so the full impact of their investment will not be seen until at least 2022. That being said Russell will still have to outperform his teammate and look ready to take the step up. He cannot get complacent and just expect the drive to begin to him.
Off the back of his great performance, despite the result, in his one off outing for Mercedes, there is little Russell can do wrong. Some would argue he is already ready for the promotion, so this season will not be of much use to him.
That will never be the case. Any gains made on this Williams will help getting a car closer to the 100% of the Mercedes and therefore better Russells knowledge. Also if he can battle well with the midfield that will only be a bonus as that is the one ting he has not done continuously yet in F1, down to the car though not himself.
The Williams of 2021 is the first to be named a B-Spec of last years car rather than an all new car for this season. Make of that what you will, if they have made massive gains and wanted the car to be remembered for this seasons performance or if they really aren’t expecting much change and are working more towards 2022.
No matter how this season works its way out, the talk of the Mercedes seat for 2022 will be an ongoing discussion from now until the day we have the lineup confirmed. It is left to the hands of the Drivers
2020 was a surprising season that left many fans and teams involved grateful that we still got to see the 17 race season. Now with the dust settling on the year, a look ahead 2021 gets you more excited the more you think about it, and it all starts here…
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 13: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Great Britain during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 13, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
2021 – Rise of the Bulls?
2020 ended up being an ever progressing year for the Milton Keynes based team. Having Max Verstappen behind the wheel of the RB16 continued to push the package the team had even when it was clearly no where near the level of the Mercedes and their W11.
Although ending the year with positives does raise the question of whether Mercedes have a head start on their 2021 challenger, Red Bull can use the momentum built at the end of the season to really ramp up their title challenge in 2021.
The biggest difference for 2021 and Red Bull is their unofficial second driver, Sergio Perez. The entire paddock is upset to see Alex Albon take a year out for the upcoming season as you cannot fault this man as a person, unfortunately for him, the stats show how good Perez is currently driving and could be the final piece for Red Bull to make a legitimate title attempt in 2021. (Images below by Getty Images)
Who Made the Best Moves?
Many changes in the driver line ups will be seen come FP1 in Australia next year, but who will have made the right move?
With the midfield proving how tightly fought it was in 2020, 2021 can truly show who is performing, or if it is the car. McLaren taking third in the Constructors Championship is a major boost for the Woking based team alongside the acquisition of Australian Daniel Ricciardo who partners the ever-growing talent of Lando Norris. That twinned with the investment brought in after Abu Dhabi puts McLaren in a brilliantly optimistic position come the start of the 2021 seasaon.
(Images above by Pool/Getty Images)
To follow up from that you have to see where the man Ricciardo will be replacing has gone. That is Carlos Sainz Jr. to Ferrari. The Scuderia had one of its worst seasons in recent memory after their 2019 power unit was deemed illegal so could not have the same illegalities in its 2020 challenger. With this being said, a lot of work over next years power unit has been put in behind the scenes this season with Team Principal Mattia Binotto taking weekends away from the team to help back at the factory.
This, hopefully, improved package alongside the rejuvenation of their driver lineup with Sainz Jr. partnering the undeniable talent that is Charles Leclerc could again, in theory, lead to gains being made to close that gap to the Mercedes which we know will be at the top again with what is 99% likely to be the same driver lineup for them also.
(Images above by Tolga Bazoglu and Clive Mason/Getty Images)
We then move forward to the man that Sainz Jr. will be replacing at Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel. The four-time world champion is leaving Ferrari in a very bittersweet manor. The option not to renew a contract with Vettel seemed very unexpected in the paddock but never seeming to phase Vettel.
As soon as Racing Point came looking, as the most competitive option out there for him, it was a no-brainer for Vettel, especially as they now transition into the Aston Martin brand. The steps made for 2020 can only boost hopes for the future having the third fastest car on many an occasion and would have third if not for the penalty for having the rear brake investigation and not losing their drivers due to covid for three races of the season. The optimism in this camp is more towards 2022 to start pioneering their own car fully.
(Images above by Peter Fox and Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
The most unknown team come next season, at least before pre-season testing, is Alpha Tauri. Being relatively unknown when it comes to development and no idea of what percentage gets handed down by Red Bull, no one then knows where they would expect this package to be in 2021, especially after its inconsistency throughout 2020.
The one thing that does show promise within the team is the driver lineup. Pierre Gasly coming off of the year of his career so far which left him fourth in Autosports top 50 drivers of 2020. Alongside is Yuki Tsunoda, 2020 F2 driver of the year and 2020 FIA rookie of the year. Tsunoda is a sought after prospect having not stayed in one class for two years since his introduction to the formula categories starting in F4 in 2018.
The pairing will only go from strength to strength after what will be the inevitability of the second Red Bull seat being up for grabs come 2022 into the new generation of cars.
The Return of a Fierce Force
Going full circle to the team that Ricciardo left is Renault. The team that ended 2020 on many a positive although unfortunately more often on Ricciardos side of the garage and not the driver they are retaining in Esteban Ocon.
Despite that, with the change to Alpine for 2021 rather than the Renault name and the return of the talent that is Fernando Alonso Alpine could not be more optimistic on the next couple of years.
(Images above by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Alonso has never seemed more determined and hard working as he does right now, so in 2021 him and the team will look to continue the upward curve with the hope of 2022 being that one big last shot at a car concept to work between the two.
The Backfield
There is not a lot of optimism on the teams at the back of the field making huge strides come the start of 2021. All three teams of Haas, Alfa Romeo and Williams were all at times challenging the back of the midfield but never on a consistent basis. Alfa Romeo are likely to have the best chance as they were ahead of Williams in terms of performance and have also kept the same driver lineup.
Haas however are in a bit of unknown with two rookies no matter who ends up in the car. Mick Schumacher will be very solid after getting to grips with the car and with hopefully either Callum Ilott or Pietro Fittipaldi alongside means that the team is very much an unknown when it comes to 2021. Ferrari could bring a power upgrade to both, it also could not, and rookies are never a dead set good acquisition so it will be interesting for sure.
George Russell is likely to get the maximum out of the Williams without a doubt and will be forever putting pressure on the Mercedes team if any contract conditions and negotiations are lengthy like we have seen this year.
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – DECEMBER 06: 2020 F2 Champion Mick Schumacher of Germany and Prema Racing and 2020 F2 runner up Callum Ilott of Great Britain and UNI-Virtuosi Racing talk during the Formula 2 Championship Prize Giving Ceremony at Bahrain International Circuit on December 06, 2020 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
A Way Too Early Prediction
Even with 2021 not even being here yet let alone the season itself it seems like a good time as we start the offseason to get a really early prediction out there.
Now I can say without a doubt, as soon as wheel turns at pre-season testing that this will change. But here it is, my way too early drivers and constructors championship.
Drivers;
Max Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton
Sergio Perez
Valtteri Bottas
Fernando Alonso
Charles Leclerc
Sebastian Vettel
Carlos Sainz Jr.
Pierre Gasly
Daniel Ricciardo
Lance Stroll
Lando Norris
Yuki Tsunoda
Esteban Ocon
Kimi Raikkonen
George Russell
Antonio Giovinazzi
Mick Schumacher
Nicholas Latifi
I cannot place a 20th driver as I will not talk about the person who currently has the second Haas seat and will not place a person that I do not know who it is.
Constructors;
Red Bull
Mercedes
Ferrari
Aston Martin
Alpine
McLaren
Alpha Tauri
Alfa Romeo
Williams
Haas
There it is, debate away and see the updated version after pre-season testing.
After a recent announcement confirming all previous rumours that Formula 1 will in fact go to some historic circuits unplanned to the original calendar, it has sparked some questions for what could happen for the rest of this year and years to come.
To start, even the idea of going to Mugello and these three circuits this year is unbelievably exciting as they are all circuits people would love to watch an F1 car go round.
Unfortunately that does bring our first problem. Qualifying will be great at these venues and that is undoubted. The races on the other hand, concern is the first thing that comes to mind.
With Mugello and Portimao having one noticeable overtaking points with Imola not having one, the races might end up being dull for the sacrifice of having some of the greatest qualifying laps we could ever see.
Dirty air has been all too common a theme over the years of the latest generation of car and these tracks would help produce a lot with the high-speed nature of the corners making it difficult for people to get close to each other.
Motorsports: FIA Formula One World Championship 2013, Grand Prix of Germany, #5 Jenson Button (GBR, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes), (Photo by Hoch Zwei/Corbis via Getty Images)
What does this hold for the rest of the calendar?
Now that the rumours we all heard became true, what is coming up on the horizon for the rest of the season?
Currently, the rumours are that after the race at Imola, the teams would be heading east for a double-header of Vietnam and a return to Malaysia at Sepang.
This is all again positive news for Formula 1. Vietnam still getting its debut in 2020 is great news to see the new track even if it is not when it was first scheduled. Then to go Sepang would be just great news. Drivers love the place, fans love the track and it always produces great racing.
Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen drives his car during the third practice session of the Formula One Malaysia Grand Prix in Sepang on September 30, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images)
The only other news on the horizon is a double-header afterwards in Bahrain on two separate layouts of the circuit before concluding the season at Abu Dhabi.
If this is to be true we would have an 18 round season that would only be four short of the original season length. A great effort would be made to pull this off in such a confined time gap.
Another question all of this picks up is what happens to future calendars? If all these circuits are options for this year why could they not be for future years?
There are definitely circuits on the calendar people do not like and produce poor race weekends. So could we see them being replaced? With the original idea of the Miami GP we know Liberty Media, owners of Formula 1, are happy with scrapping the idea of one venue per country.
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 31: Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF90 leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF90 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 31, 2019 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)
If this were to be the case, could calendars of future seasons with the next generation of more race-friendly cars go back to these venues? I certainly hope so as there is no question it would be a spectacle.
The future continues to look brighter and brighter for motorsport as a whole and in particularly Formula 1.
As winter testing has been an gone and we are less than a week away from the first media day of the year it is a good time to take a look at the running order, at least, what I think it is.
As of right now, I would think it would be fair to assume that Haas are 10th and last. Even with their own incidents they still had more time than Williams with their engine issues but were the only team not to clock 700 laps during testing. Not only that they were tenth in outright lap time. Albeit they never used the C5 tyre and if tyre-corrected they would not be last. But with the slowest time and the least laps and the conservative approach to understanding this years car as they could not last years, makes it seem a long time before Haas push forward.
Next is very tight but I’d believe that Williams are just ever so slightly behind Alfa Romeo. Williams who were so atrocious last year have seemed to make good steps forward and were only hindered this year by an engine they source in rather than their own work. With Alfa Romeo it’s a bit more hazy to guess. Their best time was set by their reserve driver Robert Kubica who was on average 0.625 seconds slower than rookie teammate George Russell last year and never out-qualified the rookie. So despite them being slower than Williams on the time sheet I believe there is room for adjustment with this team.
Alpha Tauri is next on the list. At the beginning of the season I can see this car sitting in a very lonely seventh in the Constructors Standings. If tyre-corrected they were seventh quickest on the timesheet and were sixth in laps completed. Right now the easily have the pace to be ahead of the three behind, but aren’t quick enough to quite be apart of the front of the midfield.
The next three are the most difficult to judge. McLaren, Renault and Racing point. Unbelievably close are these three teams. Racing Point have been smart in taking significant influences from last years World Championship winning Mercedes W10 and implementing it into their own RP20. I would say they’ve been clever. They have not copied the car, just used a lot of features and blended them to make their own car.
McLaren and Renault looking to build on previous years but with all three teams setting their best time on different tyres this is one is more difficult to do. As of right now it looks like McLaren take sixth, literally thousandths of a second behind Renault in what looks like an unbelievably close battle. Then the Racing point taking fourth being a tenth or two up the road on the two teams behind, impressively as, out of the three, they set the second best time on the slowest tyre out of three, the C3. Fourth should be comfortably theirs and if anything they should be looking forward.
Now, Ferrari. What is going on? In my opinion, it’s simple, they are sandbagging. This is due to two things in my mind. One being last years testing and how they over-performed and ended up trying to catch up to Mercedes throughout the season. So this year they are understanding the car better, put some upgrades on in Australia and be better than what we think. Also, I believe the engine has been very much turned down over concerns of the FIA’s investigation into the power unit of last year. Now with the FIA “… could not prove Ferrari engine illegal.” in the past week so as much as they were worried in pre-season that worry should be wiped away. Despite all of this, I still believe they are behind Mercedes and Red Bull.
Red Bull are an intriguing team this year. They are quietly confident and had a very promising pre-season test. At the start of the year though I don’t think they’ll be able to fight Mercedes all the way in the opening two races and will be playing catch up early on. Easily second, but as much as they improved, a team you can believe are putting a bit more resources into next years car already as the regulations will change. Now that is not a fact, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Adrian Newey already has a good understanding of what he wants to do with the car.
First, this year, I believe is the easiest thing to call heading into the season. Yes Mercedes DAS system is tricky on the eye and looks flashy. But the real work has gone into the rear suspension that sets it apart from any other. Just exquisite work. That alongside the fact their fastest time of a 1:15.732 was 0.537 seconds quicker than anybody else they were also the only team to exceed 900 laps in testing, a very impressive feat. Now speed they have, the one concern they have on the season ahead is the reliability of their power unit. It has had its issues in testing which could hinder them. One thing for sure though is that when it is working, the W11 is one very special bit of machinery.
Sports Insider by Gerren Scapens 