2021 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Thread

Raymond Anderson4 said:I totally missed that, my bad...

Missed it too! Completely flew under my radar.
I’m watching, focused, and then—boom—this massive ad for some "Cunt Empire" thing pops up and takes over the whole screen. Obviously lost my spot because of that.

I have a feeling that Lewis Hamilton might just take the win tomorrow. 👍

Nice work, Max! That was seriously convincing.
I think the hype surrounding this year's Red Bull is actually justified—it looks like Max finally has a car that can fight.
Judging by the satellite team's pace, it’s obvious Honda really knocked it out of the park this time.
Of course, this is just one qualifying session. I'll be a bit more cautious once we get a few races under our belts.
Ferrari is looking better than expected. 👍
Smells like a good season ahead.🙂

It really comes down to how much race pace Red Bull Racing actually has. If they’re pulling away, expect Mercedes-AMG Petronas to try something unconventional with their strategy. When you're fighting a faster car, playing it safe usually isn't enough.
In my opinion, the ideal scenario would be if we see Ver, Ham, and Bottas running in that order after the first lap. If Valtteri Bottas can stay glued to the back of those two, he could pull off an undercut. That doesn't just help his own position; it might even force Max Verstappen into an early pit stop. If that happens, it clears the track for Lewis Hamilton, giving him the breathing room to go for a longer stint and then launch a late charge on fresh tires to hunt down the win.
Lewis has this knack for stretching out his stints, and I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to lean into that tomorrow.

wiredcanyon39 said:Alonso pulled a fast one. ☕

I wouldn't bet on that...
Honestly, I think Alonso is right up there with the guys likely to grab a penalty after qualifying...
And they could be looking at some massive ones.
It wasn't just the Alpine F1 Team screwing over Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Perez...
They also had Sainz just sitting there on track while basically everyone cruised past him under yellow flags...

stormybadger8 said:That’s probably not a given...
I guess Fernando Alonso might be one of those facing a penalty after qualifying...

Oh, great. Just when I was about to do a little happy dance, I stumble right onto this post. 😁

So, we’re already dealing with drama involving Nikita Mazepin—and we haven't even gotten started yet.

I mean, seriously, he just ruins qualifying for six different drivers, including two world champions.

Hate! Pure Hate! Absolute collective Hate!

Max managed to handle that Mercedes-Benz even with the floor damage—just adjusted on the fly during that last lap. It really goes to show how much he struggles when qualifying doesn't go his way.

Sergio Perez had a rough start. He got left behind—partly because of the tire strategy mess with those mediums. But if he finds a good rhythm or catches a lucky SC, he’ll be clawing at the back of that top three pretty quick. Still, he's no Alexander Albon...

And yeah, Carlos Sainz ended up losing out to Charles Leclerc at the end. ☕

Mercedes—they're something else. Despite all the issues, they still managed to snag 2nd and 3rd—which looks even better when you consider how disappointing the Aston Martin was.

ruggedhawk20 said:Two and eight, Neighbor—two and eight.

Seriously, though—it's not like Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton is some bottom-tier squad losing to lesser teams. They don't mess up tactics, and their cars aren't falling apart. Anyone sitting in a Red Bull Racing seat right now—ever since Max took over—would have about as much chance at a title as someone hitting the Powerball jackpot.

We all needed someone else out there on the track instead of Mercedes. Honestly. Just hoping this isn't a one-hit wonder for a single qualifying session...

wiredseal7 said:Max managed to handle that Mercedes-Benz even with the floor damage... really adjusted nicely during that final lap. It just goes to show—qualifying is definitely his weak spot...

Christian Horner says that floor damage cost him about 0.1...

darkmarlin16 said:Only the Ferrari fans over on this forum actually posted the fastest lap time.

Carlos just absolutely slapped Charles Leclerc☕

Richard Walker38 said:That’s all you need to know about Perez

Sainz is destroying Leclerc 🤣

darkmarlin16 said:I saw this coming from a mile away. I knew he’d be slapping Charles Leclerc around.

Daniel Castillo76 said:I’m just waiting for Charles Leclerc to start sobbing over the team radio after four or five races.
Ferrari thought they were bringing in a second driver, but it’s just going to be more fighting in the end

sent with my RMX2063 using Tapatalk

☕

So, does anyone actually know what happened with Carlos Sainz?

Tomorrow we’ve got the guys at Ferrari starting up front in red while everyone else is stuck in yellow. He might even snag a podium... Ferrari really found their groove again, if you ask me.

ruggedhawk20 said:It’s going to be tougher for Max than it was back in 2020—but honestly, the title is already Lewis Hamilton's. Just give it up on any other scenarios and start looking toward 2022.

🙂

Of course, they’re still stuck in sandbagging mode. 🤣

I guess Max finally has a real shot at fighting for the title now. The car looks incredible, and he drove it brilliantly to secure a decent lead over Mercedes-Benz. Charles was also great, though I'm just hoping he doesn't end up crashing into someone again right at the start of the race. 😁

Dana Murphy4 said:Max finally has a real shot at fighting for the title—the car is absolute perfection, he drove like a beast, and ended up with a nice little cushion over Mercedes-Benz. Charles was also killing it, though I’m just praying he doesn't smash into someone at the start of the race again. 😁

We all know exactly who Charles Leclerc keeps running into most often. He’s basically a walking magnet for certain people!

🙂

Dana Murphy4 said:Charles Leclerc is great too—just hoping he doesn't decide to ram someone else during the opening lap again.😁

We all know who's sitting right in front of him, lol.
Honestly, those top three are probably just terrified of anyone ruining their weekend.☕

Carls should be flying past everyone ahead since he's on softs—while the rest are stuck on mediums

So, honestly, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Ferrari jumps into P1 after a few laps...

We’ll have to see if Lewis can hunt down Max, though—the Mercedes-Benz looked pretty quick on those hards

neonfox65 said:Max finally has a car capable of winning the championship, so I suppose we'll just have to sit back and see if he can actually deliver when it matters most.☕

I think we are all on the same page here! Max truly does have a title-contending machine under him now. I guess if that championship slips through his fingers—if someone else takes it, especially if it ends up being Lewis Hamilton—then maybe we might all finally agree that Max isn't quite the elite driver everyone claims he is.😁

neonfox65 said:Carls should be faster than everyone ahead since he's on softs while the rest are on mediums.

So, I wouldn't be surprised if Ferrari finds themselves in P1 after a few laps.

We also need to see if Lewis can overtake Max, because the Mecca on hards looked pretty quick.

What a Ferrari. Charles definitely isn't going to take the lead after just a few laps. Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-Benz are simply too fast for Ferrari, no matter how you look at it.