F1: Bahrain GP Preview

March 25, 2021 March 25, 2021

The season opener is nearly upon us, starting tomorrow [Friday] and coming to a climax on Sunday with a race under the lights.

The season will cover 23 tracks in almost every part of the world. Of course, COVID-19 has already affected the calendar, swapping Melbourne to the end of the season, and Bahrain now starting it.

We will also see new tracks with Netherlands (originally scheduled for 2020) and Saudi Arabia included, as well as returns for Imola and Portimao. Most excitingly of all, F1 will be in front of fans, notably with a limited capacity at Silverstone.

The first round kicks off with practice 1 and 2, taking place during the evening and night. Starting this year, the practice sessions will only be an hour long, meaning just three hours of track time before qualifying, opposed to four last season.

This is on top of the one three-day testing session permitted, too. Therefore, there should be a lot of hectic track action during these practice sessions.

The anticipation is, if possible, higher than any other season due to the fascinating test sessions. McLaren were impressive, constantly at the front of the grid and putting in high lap counts, showing their reliability. Lando Norris, starting his third season with the legendary team, seems to be constantly getting better, and his new team mate, Daniel Ricciardo, was frequently setting impressive lap times.

Mercedes, a team that has completely dominated the entire hybrid era, had troubling test sessions, struggling with the handling and grip levels, as well as the reliability. Lewis Hamilton, going for his eighth title, spun a couple of times, and barely managed a top five time. Valtteri Bottas struggled for pace, too.

A team eagerly awaited is AlphaTauri, themselves bringing in talented youngster Yuki Tsunoda, who is also the first F1 driver to be born in the 21st Century, and is paired with 2020 Monza GP winner Pierre Gasly. Throughout testing they looked as quick, if not quicker, than Red Bull, with Tsunoda occasionally giving Max Verstappen a run for his money.

Overall, I think any excitement of Mercedes failing will be short lived, though. McLaren, using Mercedes’ engines for this season, seemed to be doing a lot of short, fast runs, therefore giving Mercedes the relevant data, whether intentionally or not.

Moreover, there have been two weeks since the last track action, which is ample time for tweaks. I do, however, feel the battle will be a lot closer, and think the race win will not be all plain-sailing for Mercedes.

Driver to watch: Daniel Ricciardo

Team to watch: AlphaTauri