Portimao and Algarve International Circuit will be hosting their first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend. Portugal has not hosted an F1 race since 1996 in Estoril. If Lewis Hamilton wins, he will reach 92 victories and become the man with most wins in F1 history. It’s actually a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’, Lewis achieves this. Will this record ever be broken? Definitely! It will take quite some time though I guess.
Honda leaving F1 at the end of 2021 will be the biggest news in the upcoming race in Nurburgring. This means that Red Bull and Alpha Tauri will be looking for a new engine supplier, otherwise they have to produce their own engine. Mercedes is unlikely to provide engines to their main championship rivals, Ferrari has pretty much the worst engine this year while the Red Bull-Renault relationship has reached a low point after their break up in 2018. Big…
After the mayhem at Mugello which saw two red flags, F1 is heading to Russia and to the Sochi Autodrom – a race where Mercedes drivers have triumphed every year since 2014. A lot of discussion in the paddock will be around the safety measures that should be taken to prevent another Mugello-like accident and what needs to be changed in the safety car procedures. Besides that, ex-Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali will be the next F1 CEO and this means…
The Tuscan GP will be the first ever F1 GP held in Mugello circuit – a track that is owned by Ferrari which uses it for testing. The official lap record if 1:39.07 achieved by Riccardo Patrese in 1985 driving a Lancia LC2. I’m sure F1 cars will lap in under 1:20. After a crazy Italian GP, can F1 give us another unpredictable race?
The temple of speed! F1 is heading to the iconic Monza circuit for the fastest race in the calendar. In such a power-hungry circuit, it will be a great chance to observe what impact (if any) the ban of ‘party’ engine modes has on the qualifying session. Mercedes are expected to be hit the most but Toto Wolff has suggested that it may actually give their cars a boost come race day.
Another triple-header is approaching including three of the greatest circuits. Spa francorchamps, Monza and Mugello! I really can’t wait to watch to fastest F1 cars ever built race in those iconic places. On the same note, F1 has announced the return of the Turkish GP (I’ve been lucky enough to be there in 2005) where cars are expected to take the famous turn 8 at full throttle!
Mercedes may have lost for the first time this season but rest assured that they are still as strong as ever – they have not magically become slow. They will be heading to Barcelona this weekend with the will to prove who’s the boss. Last year, Hamilton led a Mercedes one-two with Verstappen finishing third. I would expect to see the exact same podium this year.
If Hamilton can win with three wheels, is there any chance he could lose this championship? This week we have the double-header in Silverstone but do not expect any last lap drama despite Pirelli bringing softer compounds. The teams have learned and we’ll definitely see more pit stops this time. The only question is whether Bottas can challenge for a win and whether Nico Hulkenberg can take a break from his bad luck.
F1 goes to another triple-header with two races in Silverstone and one in Barcelona. Mercedes are the indisputable leaders and do not seem to have any opponent for this season and the next one – given that the cars will remain virtually the same in 2021. Lewis won this race last year by 25 seconds to the 2nd car. Can he repeat that feat this year?
The season so far has gone almost perfectly for Mercedes, McLaren and Racing Point (the “pink” Mercedes), it’s gone decently for Red Bull and has been frustrating for Ferrari. Now F1 goes to a non power-hungry circuit that favours a strong aerodynamic package. Will this mean that Red Bull can challenge Mercedes here? I doubt so but let’s see…