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Saturday, May 22, 2021

Leclerc Tops Monaco Qualifying But Race Spot in Jeopardy After Crash

Photo Credit: FIA Pool/LAT Images/Pirelli



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In the conclusion of the Spanish Grand Prix, there was a noteworthy statement made by Scuderia Ferrari’s team driver Charles Leclerc ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. He asserted that the group’s strength in the third section of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during the Spanish Grand Prix was an indication that the Italian Formula 1 team would be strong on the Monte Carlo temporary street course.


Following Friday’s on-track action in Monaco, Leclerc's admittance was supported in spectacular fashion. In the second practice session the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. finished first and second fastest. Entering qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, there was a realistic chance the Ferrari team could capture their first pole position since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix. In the hands of the event’s home country favourite, the red car squad prevailed in qualifying although a major setback could remove the Ferrari race car from the top place on Sunday’s grid.


Posting a lap time of 1 minute, 10.346 seconds on the time chart of the Q3 session, Charles Leclerc’s #16 Ferrari clipped the turn 15 barrier in the late seconds of the final qualifying session and would crash. A red flag ended qualifying cementing the Monegasque driver as the fastest and provisional pole sitter for the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc’s starting position is contingent to the extent of the damage to the Ferrari SF21 race car. At the time this qualifying recap has been written, the Ferrari team has stated there was no serious damage spotted to the #16 car’s gearbox but an additional inspection will take place prior to Sunday race. A change to the gearbox could require the incurrence of a five-grid place penalty.

 

Said to have mixed feeling regarding the pole effort, Charles Leclerc ended his post-race Ferrari statement saying “Whatever the outcome, I will give my all tomorrow. It feels great to be at home and to see all the fans around the track. It’s Monaco, it’s very unpredictable, and also challenging for us drivers, especially in the race with so many laps.”


Photo Credit: Foto Colombo Images/Scuderia Ferrari Press Office




If not for the wrecked car at the end of the qualifying session at Monaco, Scuderia Ferrari would have had a lot to celebrate. In addition to Charles Leclerc’s top time, Carlos Sainz Jr. delivered a solid performance on Saturday ultimately resulting in a fourth place starting spot on Sunday’s grid. The struggles of the 2020 Ferrari Formula 1 team are well-documented but the COVID-19 pandemic also changed the historic brand’s intentions to commemorate their 1,000th grand prix start. Meant to take place at the 2020 Monaco race, the event’s cancellation and the reworked Formula 1 schedule caused for a race on Ferrari’s Mugello circuit to be the thousandth event for the team in the series.


Hampered from mounting a late session charge for the pole, Max Verstappen finished Monaco Grand Prix qualifying in the second place position. Along with Ferrari, Red Bull Racing team has displayed the most consistent front-running pace during this weekend on the 19-turn, 3.337-kilometer track. Verstappen was quickest in Saturday’s practice while teammate Sergio Perez posted the fastest time in the first practice session on Friday. Perez will start the Monaco Grand Prix in ninth place as the Mexican was unable to find the same pace as Verstappen throughout qualifying citing dropping track temperatures and traffic.


Photo Credit: Steven Tee/ LAT Images/ Pirelli




The often-dominating force of the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 Team showed a more temperate performance on the tight street of Monaco. Valtteri Bottas settled for third on the grid for Sunday’s 78-lap event citing the late red flag as costing him a chance to take pole. The winner from the last Formula 1 race in Spain, Lewis Hamilton has appeared out of regular form during this weekend through practice and qualifying. Though Hamilton progressed into Q3 in qualifying, he experienced a lack of grip in his #44 Mercedes-AMG race car mustering a seventh place starting spot for the race.


Running historic Gulf oil colouring for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, McLaren Racing had a qualifying outing that netted mixed results. Lando Norris will start Sunday’s main event from the fifth grid position but Daniel Ricciardo, 2018 winner of the Monaco Grand Prix, failed to post a top-10 time in Q2 and settling for 12th place. The remainder of the top 10 starters is also the lone team entrants that broke into Q3. Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly will roll off the grid in 6th place, 2011 and 2017 Monaco winner Sebastian Vettel will start 8th for Aston Martin Racing and Antonio Giovinazzi scored an impressive 10th place starting spot for Alfa Romeo Racing.


Haas F1 Team’s Mick Schumacher crash in the final practice and was unable to post a time in Saturday’s qualifying at Monaco. The Formula 1 rookie will start at the rear for Sunday’s race.


Start time for the 78-lap, 2021 Monaco Grand Prix is set for 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. Eastern time).



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2021 Formula 1 Season
Monaco Grand Prix
Qualifying Results
Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine
1 16 Charles Leclerc Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing Honda
3 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
4 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
5 4 Lando Norris McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
6 10 Pierre Gasly Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
7 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
8 5 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
9 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing Honda
10 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari
11 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine F1 Team Renault
12 3 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
13 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
14 7 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari
15 63 George Russell Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
16 22 Yuki Tsunoda Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
17 14 Fernando Alonso Alpine F1 Team Renault
18 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
19 9 Nikita Mazepin Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari
20 47 Mick Schumacher Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari



Friday, May 21, 2021

2021 Formula 1 Season: Monaco Grand Prix Preview



Monaco Grand Prix
Race Date May 23, 2021
Location Monte Carlo, Monaco
Track Name Circuit de Monaco
Course Length 3.337-kliometer (2.074-mile)
Laps 78
2019 Pole Winner Lewis Hamilton
2019 Pole Time 1:10.166
Past Five Grand Prix Winners
No Race Held in 2020
2019 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG
2018 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer
2017 Sebastian Vettel Scuderia Ferrari
2016 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG
2015 Nico Rosberg Mercedes-AMG



Monday, May 10, 2021

Lewis Hamilton Wins His Fifth Consecutive Spanish Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.



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The fourth event of the 2021 Formula 1 season, the Grand Prix of Spain was the second week in a row that drivers and teams of the top open wheel racing series were pressed into competition. So far in this grand prix year, a fierce battle between Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Red Bull Racing led by drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen has delivered on the pre-season precise of being a close, enduring affair. In qualifying, Hamilton’s #44 car narrowly bettered the Honda-powered race machine of Verstappen for what was the British driver’s 100th career Formula 1 pole.


With two fairly equal competitors in 2021, the results in the past three grand prix events ended in favour of the party that avoided a major mistake. For the third time in four races, Lewis Hamilton would be the driver closest to perfection as he sailed to the win at the Spanish Grand Prix.


While the majority of the race was led by the Honda-powered Red Bull race of Max Verstappen, the Dutch driver was unable to hold off the rush of the #44 Mercedes. Placed on a two-pit stop strategy, Hamilton was trailing the Red Bull Racing entry shortly before he took a set of scuffed medium compound tires on lap 42. Falling to almost 24 second behind Verstappen when he returned to the track after leaving pit road, Hamilton methodically ran down the #33 car with lap times often a second faster than the leader. At the start of lap 60, the Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes AMG race car superior grip and some assist from DRS was too much for the Red Bull Racing pilot. Taking the lead into turn 1, Hamilton comfortably drove to his fifth consecutive victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.


Photo Credit: Charles Coates/LAT Images/Pirelli




“What a day! It was a remarkable job by the whole team again this weekend and it’s so good to see fans back here.” said the defending Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion in a post-race release from the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team adding his pleasure to see several Union Jack flags in the grandstands. Lewis Hamilton’s 98th career victory in the series places him in a 14-point lead in this season’s point standings after four races.

 

An opening start where Max Verstappen shot to the lead over the polesitter Lewis Hamilton was not effort to secure victory in Spain. Hindered by a tire change on the first pit stop that lasted more than four seconds and leading on worn medium compound tires towards the end of the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen came up short of winning again at the track where he claimed his first Formula 1 victory in his debut with Red Bull Racing in 2016. Verstappen’s second place finish comes with the consolation of claiming the race’s fastest lap. The #33 Red Bull Racing car was summoned to pit road for soft compound tires in the successful campaign for the extra point in the event. The 2021 Spanish Grand Prix was Max Verstappen’s 100th start with the Red Bull Racing team.


Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli



As was the case with Hamilton and Verstappen finishing in the same spot as their qualifying position, third and fourth place on the starting grid crossed the line after 66 laps in the same spot. Valtteri Bottas grabbed the final podium spot with his Mercedes AMG race car while Charles Leclerc crossed the line in the fourth position. Overcoming a difficult qualifying outing where the Mexican settled for eighth place, Sergio Perez drove his #11 Red Bull Racing vehicle to fifth place at the end of Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. The top-finishing McLaren Racing entrant of Daniel Ricciardo settled for sixth place. The Australian described the event in a post-race press release saying, “It was a good weekend. I would say the best weekend so far as a whole and I felt like I got the maximum out of the car today.”


Photo Credit: Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.




The second Scuderia Ferrari car drive by Carlos Sainz Jr. was the highest-finishing Spanish native in the 2021 Formula 1 race on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso came across the line in 17th place after a gamble to gain a top-10 finish on a single pit stop strategy on medium compound Pirelli tires failed to pay off. Alonso’s Alpine F1 Team teammate Esteban Ocon insured the squad gained points in the Spanish Grand Prix taking ninth place behind the McLaren Mercedes of Brit Lando Norris. Ocon was the only driver to collect points after the warm 66-lap event on a single tire change. Pierre Gasly finished 10th and took the point final of the event in what was an aggressive fight for the spot in the final laps that involved Fernando Alonso and the Aston Martin F1 Racing Team’s Lance Stroll. The only driver not running at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix was Sceuderia AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda who retired on track due to a yet-to-be unidentified issue.


The next race on the Formula 1 racing calendar is the historic Monaco Grand Prix with the main event scheduled for May 23rd.


2021 Formula 1 Season
Spanish Grand Prix
Race Results
Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine
1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing Honda
3 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
4 16 Charles Leclerc Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
5 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing Honda
6 3 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
7 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
8 4 Lando Norris McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
9 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine F1 Team Renault
10 10 Pierre Gasly Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
11 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
12 7 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari
13 5 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
14 63 George Russell Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
15 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari
16 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
17 14 Fernando Alonso Alpine F1 Team Renault
18 47 Mick Schumacher Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari
19 9 Nikita Mazepin Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari
20 22 Yuki Tsunoda Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda



Saturday, May 8, 2021

For The Hundredth Time For Hamilton: Mercedes Driver Grabs Milestone Pole In Spain

Photo Credit: Lat Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd




Lewis Hamilton’s performance in qualifying is one attribute that will establish the knighted British driver as true legend in Formula 1. A tally beginning at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Hamilton’s career count for pole positions eclipsed the previous series record set by Michael Schmacher of 68 in 2017 on the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix. Since the latter part of the 2017 Formula 1 season, the driver of the #44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team car has gone on a tear in qualifying collecting 11 of 21 possible race poles in 2018 and the top spot in 10 of 16 races last year. Entered in his 270th Formula 1 event this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosting the Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has set a new mark of greatness.


Lewis Hamilton muscled his Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance race car around a 16-turn, 4.675-kilometer track in a time of 1 minute, 16.741 seconds in Q3 to take his 100th career pole position. Battling Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen throughout all three qualifying sessions, the Brit’s #44 car edged out the Dutch driver’s Honda-powered machine by 0.036 seconds. In three of the four races this year, the front row has been shared by a Mercedes AMG team car and a Red Bull Racing vehicle.


While Verstappen mounted a challenge against the Mercedes machines in Q3, Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez finished qualifying lacking the pace of his teammate. A spin out by Perez in turn 13 during a Q3 lap hindered the performance of the #11 Red Bull Racing vehicle. The Mexican driver will start the Spanish Grand Prix in 8th place.


Less than a tenth of a second slower than Max Verstappen, the second Mercedes race car driven by Valtteri Bottas will start third for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. Bottas was quicker than Hamilton during the opening two stages of qualifying but settled comfortably into the second row in the conclusion of Q3.


The Scuderia Ferrari team had a very acceptable showing in Spain at the end of Saturday’s qualifying. Gaining pace throughout the three practice sessions, Charles LeClerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. will both start Sunday’s grand prix in the top 10. Leclerc posted a strong 1-minute, 17.510-second lap time in Q3 to place himself in the second row beside Valtteri Bottas. Qualifying sixth and sharing the third row with the Alpine of Esteban Ocon, Sainz recorded a time just 0.002 quicker than the McLaren Mercedes driven by Daniel Ricciardo. The teammates of Ocon and Ricciardo (Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris) also found their way into the top 10 for the 66-lap race.

 

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli



Teams not appearing in the top 10 in a 2021 starting grid for the first time will be Scuderia AlphaTauri and Aston Martin Racing. Lance Stroll finished Q2 just 0.008 seconds short of tenth place driver Fernando Alonso in the session. Pierre Gasly’s Honda-powered AlphaTauri was 0.008 seconds off the mark set by 11th place Stroll.


Entering the triple digits in his career pole tally, Lewis Hamilton’s pursuit towards pushing his victory towards the century mark will face a statistical challenge. After the first three races of the 2021 season, the driver starting on pole failed winning on Sunday.


The 2021 Spanish Grand Prix is will start at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. Eastern Time).



2021 Formula 1 Season
Spanish Grand Prix
Qualifying Results
Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine
1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing Honda
3 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
4 16 Charles Leclerc Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
5 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine F1 Team Renault
6 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
7 3 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
8 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing Honda
9 4 Lando Norris McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
10 14 Fernando Alonso Alpine F1 Team Renault
11 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
12 10 Pierre Gasly Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
13 5 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
14 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari
15 63 George Russell Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
16 22 Yuki Tsunoda Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
17 7 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari
18 47 Mick Schumacher Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari
19 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
20 9 Nikita Mazepin Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari



Friday, May 7, 2021

2021 Formula 1 Season: Spanish Grand Prix Preview


Spanish Grand Prix
Race Date May 9, 2021
Location Montmelo, Catalonia, Spain
Track Name Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Course Length 4.675-kilometer (2.905-mile)
Laps 66
2020 Pole Winner Lewis Hamilton
2020 Pole Time 1:15.584
Past Five Grand Prix Winners
2020 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG
2019 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG
2018 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG
2017 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG
2016 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Lewis Hamilton Repeats As Portuguese Grand Prix Winner

Photo Credit: Unnamed Photographer/Pirelli



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Hosting its first Portuguese Grand Prix last year as part of Formula 1's shuffled schedule caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Algarve International Circuit in the town of Portimao invited the 2020 drivers to a 4.653-kilometer course defined by elevation changes, heavy braking and a long front stretch that served as an effective DRS zone. The venue holding its inaugural Formula 1 race gained noteworthiness when Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team’s Lewis Hamilton claimed his record-setting 92nd career victory in the top open wheel series. A little more than six months after the British driver achieved the monumental win, Hamilton extended his tally for all-time victories with the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix.


The 97th Formula 1 win for the current driver of the #44 Mercedes-AMG race car, Hamilton started 2nd on the grid for the 66-lap event but had fallen to third place early. Following the completion of the first lap, a collision between the Alfa Romeo race cars necessitated a safety car. The #7 machine of Kimi Raikkonen lost its front wing on the front stretch after hitting the rear of teammate Antonio Giovinazzi. Raikkonen retired from the race while Giovinazzi persevered to finish 12th. With the resumption of green flag racing on lap 7, Max Verstappen’s Honda-powered Red Bull race car snuck by Hamilton’s Mercedes.


Photo Credit: American Honda Motor Co., Inc




The Portuguese Grand Prix’s polesitter, Valtteri Bottas led the race through the opening 19 laps until his teammate mounted a resurgent effort. Lewis Hamilton retook the second-place spot for lap 11 and would snatch the lead from Bottas on lap 20 maintaining the top spot until his only pit stop on lap 37. Though Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez took possession of the lead of the grand prix by virtue of a long 51-lap opening stint on a set of medium compound Pirelli tires, Hamilton would catch the Mexican pilot before the #11 car’s pit stop.


The majority of the field required just a single pit stop with the timing of the tire change differing depending on strategies. Besides Sergio Perez’s long stint on medium construction Pirelli tires, Lance Stroll extended a set of soft compound rubber to 39 laps on his #18 Aston Martin with the Canadian ultimately settling for 14th place in Portugal. Two exceptions to the single stop plan were the second and third place machines pitting with a handful of laps remaining in the Portuguese Grand Prix with sights set on the championship point for the fastest lap time. On lap 63, Valtteri Bottas came to the attention of his Mercedes-AMG crew that mounted soft compound Pirelli tires to his #77 car. As Bottas was able to post a 1-minute, 19.865-second lap time on the penultimate lap in the race, Max Versteppen launched into his pursuit for the fastest lap in the grand prix. On the final lap, the #33 Red Bull race car would record a lap time of 1 minute and 19.849 seconds. However, the Dutch driver would learn during his post-race interview that the fastest lap effort was deleted for exceeding track limits.


Crossing the line 29.148 seconds ahead of second place, Lewis Hamilton described his 97th career Formula 1 win as a “physically and mentally” tough race in post-race comments on the Mercedes AMG team website. The victory allowed the Brit to place some distance between him and Max Verstappen in the drivers’ points standings. Hamilton is now 8 points ahead of the Red Bull Racing competitor after three races.


On the podium, the two Mercedes-AMG drivers were split by the second-place finishing Max Verstappen. An attempt at a Mercedes-AMG team 1-2 finish was defeated as a result of a faulty exhaust sensor on Valtteri Bottas’ vehicle. Hovering roughly 1.5 seconds behind Verstappen with about 15 laps remaining, the sensor caused the Mercedes-Benz power unit in the #77 car to go into a protection mode that gave Bottas less straight line speed for a period during the event’s latter stage.


Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd




In fourth, Sergio Perez’s extended time on medium compound tires was enough to keep the Mexican driver’s Honda-powered Red Bull race car ahead of Lando Norris. Sitting third in the drivers’ championship after Portugal, Norris is five points ahead of Valtteri Bottas thanks to top five finishes in all three grand prix events so far in 2021.


Charles Leclerc charged from an eighth place starting spot to finish the Portuguese Grand Prix in a sixth place for Ferrari. With cars crossing the line in seventh and eighth on Sunday, the Alpine F1 Team is currently fifth in the constructors’ points. Frenchman Esteban Ocon narrowly placed ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso capturing two additional championship points. Australian Daniel Ricciardo made the biggest move up the running order in the 66-lap race at the Algarve International Circuit. Struggling to get a decent lap in qualifying resulting in a dismal 16th starting spot, the McLaren Racing driver rose to finish in ninth place. Ricciardo is one of five drivers who has scored points in all three races in the current season. Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly battled hard in the final laps to take the tenth and final point-paying position as the #55 Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr. dropped out of the top-10 late due to tire graining.


The 2021 Formula 1 tour’s next round has competitors cross the border from Portugal to Spain for an event on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The 2021 Spanish Grand Prix weekend starts on May 7th and concludes with a 66-lap race on Sunday, May 9th.



2021 Formula 1 Season
Portuguese Grand Prix
Race Results
Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine
1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing Honda
3 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
4 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing Honda
5 4 Lando Norris McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
6 16 Charles Leclerc Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
7 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine F1 Team Renault
8 14 Fernando Alonso Alpine F1 Team Renault
9 3 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
10 10 Pierre Gasly Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
11 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
12 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari
13 5 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
14 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
15 22 Yuki Tsunoda Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
16 63 George Russell Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
17 47 Mick Schumacher Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari
18 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
19 9 Nikita Mazepin Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari
20 7 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari

Last Modified By: 2514052
Last Modified On: Tuesday, May 04, 2021  15:51:31

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Bottas Takes Pole After Breezy Qualifying in Portugal

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd



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The 2021 Formula 1 season first three races has three different drivers leading the field to the grid placement for Sunday.


By a super tight margin of just 0.007 seconds, Finland’s Valtteri Bottas has edged out his Mercedes-AMG teammate Lewis Hamilton for the pole for the Portuguese Grand Prix on the Algarve International Circuit. Bottas’ first pole for the year, the effort by the two Mercedes drivers was enough to secure the team’s its first front row lockout in the 2021 season.


The German factory team’s capturing of the first two starting spots was a coup after two previous events where the Red Bull Racing car of Max Verstappen broke up what was a common sight after qualifying in 2020. Verstappen did set a 1-minute, 18.209-second lap time in Q3 that would have put the Dutch driver on pole for a second time this season but the time was erased due to his #33 car exceeding the track limits in turn four. Both Red Bull Racing cars are positioned on the second row on the grid ahead of the 66-lap race with Verstappen settling for third fastest and Sergio Perez fourth after Q3.


The #77 machine’s 1-minute, 18.348-second pole-earning lap time in Saturday’s Q3 session came on a slippery track under windy conditions. Winds gust up to 30 kilometer per hour played havoc with a number of drivers through the time trials for Sunday’s main race. There was also uncertainty between whether the soft or medium compound Pirelli tire was preferable for recording the quickest lap. Lewis Hamilton set a time of 1-minute, 17.968 seconds in Q2 using the medium compound racing slicks. However, the fastest lap times for all the Q3 entrants came on sets of the softest construction tires.


Lando Norris is the highest starting McLaren for the Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday positioned beside Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. The second McLaren driven by Daniel Ricciardo struggled with traffic as well as tire grip through the opening Q1 session and failed to post a lap better than 16th fastest. Starting in ninth place will be Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly while tenth place for tomorrow’s Portuguese Grand Prix will be held by Sebastian Vettel. The qualifying performance for Vettel was his first time in Q3 with the Aston Martin Formula 1 team.


The 66-lap 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix is set to start time of 3 p.m. (10 a.m. Eastern time) on Sunday.




2021 Formula 1 Season
Portuguese Grand Prix
Qualifying Results
Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine
1 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
3 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing Honda
4 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing Honda
5 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
6 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine F1 Team Renault
7 4 Lando Norris McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
8 16 Charles Leclerc Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari Ferrari
9 10 Pierre Gasly Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
10 5 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
11 63 George Russell Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
12 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari
13 14 Fernando Alonso Alpine F1 Team Renault
14 22 Yuki Tsunoda Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
15 7 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari
16 3 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
17 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team Mercedes-Benz
18 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing Mercedes-Benz
19 47 Mick Schumacher Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari
20 9 Nikita Mazepin Uralkali Haas F1 Team Ferrari



2021 Formula 1 Season: Portuguese Grand Prix Preview


Portuguese Grand Prix
Race Date May 2, 2021
Location Portimao, Algarve, Portugal
Track Name Algarve International Circuit
Course Length 4.653-kilometer (2.891-mile)
Laps 66
2020 Pole Winner Lewis Hamilton
2020 Pole Time 1:16.652
Past Five Grand Prix Winners
2020 Lewis Hamilton
Held at Circuito do Estoril
1996 Jacques Villeneuve Williams-Renault
1995 David Coulthard Williams-Renault
1994 Damon Hill Williams-Renault
1993 Michael Schumacher Benneton-Ford