F1 Talk: Hamilton out Russell in for Sakhir GP as Haas confirm 2021 driver line-up

After Romain Grosjean escaped a life-threatening crash at last weekend’s Bahrain GP, it was expected that things would calm down in the world of Formula 1. This could not be further from the truth as the action off the track since then has been anything but…

On Monday, Haas F1 announced that Grosjean would not be competing in this weekend’s Sakhir GP. Instead, the grandson of two-times F1 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi, Pietro Fittipaldi would be stepping in replace Romain for at least this weekend’s race.

The Brazilian has been Haas F1 test driver since the start of the 2019 season and has helped the American team through simulator work and tested the car at 2019 pre-season testing at Barcelona in February 2019.

Pietro will join Nico Hulkenberg as a substitute driver this season but for very different reasons. It was also revealed that Grosjean was making good progress in hospital with a video of the Frenchman paying tribute to Dr Ian Roberts, the marshals as well as the halo head-protection device which saved his life as he was in good spirits.

But then on Tuesday morning, we received massive news as newly-crowned seven-times F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton tested positive for coronavirus and it was revealed that he would miss this weekend’s Sakhir GP. The World Champion had come into close contact with someone who had tested positive with coronavirus prior to arriving to Bahrain, but had tested negative for the virus throughout the Bahrain GP weekend.

Then after the post-event test, Hamilton started to feel mild symptoms for what he thought could be coronavirus, so he got himself tested which came back positive. A follow-up test confirmed the result which now means that he has to self-isolate for ten days in his hotel room which means that he will miss this weekend’s Sakhir GP.

Shortly afterwards, it was announced that Haas F1 Team would sign Formula 2 racer Nikita Mazepin for the 2021 season, son of wealthy business owner Dmitry Mazepin. Nikita is currently third in the 2020 F2 championship with two races left to go in the championship which will take place on the outer circuit in Bahrain this weekend.

Speculation was then rife about who would replace Hamilton with Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E driver Stoffel Vandoorne being touted to replace Lewis, with images of him leaving pre-season testing in Valencia to catch his flight bound for Bahrain.

But the choice that most people wanted to see was Williams Racing star George Russell in the Mercedes after all the misfortune he has suffered this season. And as the day developed, it looked increasingly likely that Russell would get his short at the silver arrows. It was then announced this morning that Russell will join Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes for the Sakhir GP in place of Lewis Hamilton.

Russell has been superb in qualifying all season long and is yet to be out-qualified by a team-mate in his F1 career. The British driver has got into Q2 nine times this season which is an extraordinary fate in the machinery that he has been given. With that level of performance it will be interesting to see if Russell can maintain his record of out-qualifying a team-mate when he goes up against stiffer competition in the shape of Valtteri Bottas. Also, it will be interesting to see if he can deliver in the Grand Prix itself, where he is yet to score a point in all 36 races he has taken part in so far.

Obviously with Russell at Mercedes, that leaves a space at Williams. The Grove-based outfit have given their test and reserve driver Jack Aitken the opportunity of a lifetime to fill in for his fellow countryman alongside Nicholas Latifi. Aitken is in his third year of Formula 2 and is currently seventh in the championship standings with two podiums to his name this season. The British driver has shown promise on occasion, and with Russell filling in for Hamilton at Mercedes, this presents a great opportunity for Aitken to show that he deserves a full-time F1 drive for the future.

Aitken’s replacement at Campos Racing for the weekend has not yet been confirmed, but it is expected that their 2021 driver Ralph Boschung will join Guilherme Samaia for the final round of the Formula 2 season.

Last but not least, it has been confirmed that Mick Schumacher will join Mazepin at Haas F1 Team for the 2021 Formula 1 season. Schumacher currently leads the F2 championship by 14 points with two races left to go at the Bahrain International Circuit which will decide the championship.

After yesterday’s announcement, it was expected that Haas would wait until after the F2 championship was decided before announcing Schumacher’s drive, but what has been common knowledge in F1 circles for some time has now been made official.

That announcement now means that just the second Red Bull Racing seat alongside Max Verstappen and the other Mercedes seat alongside Valtteri Bottas have not yet been officially confirmed.

It has been a frenetic 24-48 hours of news in the world of F1. But it means that Fittipaldi is now back on the grid, Russell gets his shot in a race-winning car, and Jack Aitken will make his debut in F1 this weekend. If that was not enough, Haas have confirmed their driver line-up of Mazepin and Schumacher. We are set for a cracking weekend of racing, with all this news only set to add to the excitement for the first F1 Grand Prix around this configuration of the Bahrain International Circuit.