2021 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Thread

“Max is just more aggressive. He might slip up more often because of that edge, but honestly? He’s better than Hamilton. Things are too easy for Hamilton to win it all with Bottas by his side as a second driver.

“It’s kind of like how Mansell and myself in Williams operated—everyone else was just miles behind. I took the '87 title, even though I wasn't quite at my peak after that early season accident and struggling with the field depth... but I got it, with a little luck. I really should've clinched it in '86, but '87 was the year.

“But man, it was simple. The car was in a league of its own. And let's be real, Mercedes has been leagues ahead of everyone else for years now.

“It’s not that Hamilton lacks talent. It’s just that he’s had an inferior teammate, and his predecessor [Nico Rosberg] was even tougher to beat. He [Nico Rosberg] only managed to win because Hamilton was dealing with crashes and DNFs that year.”

Nelson Piquet Jr, who had that short stint in F1 driving for Renault alongside Fernando Alonso back in '08-'09, chimed in: “I think there are two main factors here: Lewis' experience and Max's drive. Lewis has been in F1 for 15 seasons and I think that, over time, you just start losing that raw hunger. Meanwhile, Max is coming at it like he has a knife between his teeth.

“Lewis has already stacked up seven championships, so he carries a different kind of 'fire.' That matters.

“I see Max more like an MMA fighter—always ready to jump into any fight. It’s a totally different vibe than Lewis, who’s already conquered everything and so on.

“While Lewis' experience gives him an edge in certain spots, Max's sheer willpower and aggression carry more weight.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/v...mpression=true

Pike 🙏 I don't care for his son, but after hearing this, the older one has earned my respect...

And Max is out there hanging with his daughter...😁

neonfox65 said:5 seconds☕

It’s seven hundred. Honestly, he could always claim—"Look, if he had been behind me, I would have let him pass." But well, he couldn't even say that because the guy wasn't even there!

Formula 1 is top notch

Driver of the day;

Helmut Marko on ESPN.com: “with Max and The Car WE Had The strongest Package in Bahrain, but unlike Mercedes-AMG Petronas we weren't quite firing on all cylinders. A few little errors popped up—like picking the wrong racing tires. The fact that Max Had problems with The differential AT The beginning didn't Help either... so getting that lead we wanted just wasn't happening. At the end of the day, we have to admit we weren't quite fast enough to hold off an incredible Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes-AMG Petronas. "

Ralf Schumacher on ESPN.com: “Before the next race in Imola, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Has Two Weeks to remedy its weaknesses and to further improve The Car significantly. WE know fra The pasti that Mercedes is capable of this. "

Marko’s thinking along the same lines: “It really comes down to who has more growth left in them. For us, Imola WE will more or less Drive The Car that started in Bahrain. There WE have to put an end to The mistakes WE made in Bahrain. If we nail that, we're in a great spot.
Our first big upgrade package hits during the third race in USA. "
https://f1-insider.com/formel-1-red-...appen-hamilton

let's goooo

mellowtiger83 said:Poor Sebastian Vettel gets slapped with a penalty because of Nikita Mazepin through no fault of his own—he couldn't even react in time.

I still don't get this whole nonsense situation, not even a little bit...
Not only did he take the penalty, but he also racked up 5—yes, 5 damn penalty points, which is basically halfway to a race ban.🤦

All because Mazepin spun out and suddenly Vettel's lap ended up being even slower than his previous one...

It’s funny how those same stewards failed to notice that Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso set the fastest laps in Q1 right when Mazepin spun, while they were simultaneously blowing past Carlos Sainz, who was stranded on track under yellow flags, with their pedals floored.😍

But hey, whose fault is it that Vettel isn't driving for Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, or Mercedes...
You can probably just assume none of those clowns calling themselves stewards would ever have the guts to penalize a driver from one of those top teams for some vague bullshit like this.

stormybadger8 said:It’s honestly pretty wild how the stewards somehow missed both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso setting their fastest laps during Q1. It all went down right when Nikita Mazepin spun out, and they just cruised past Carlos Sainz—who was sitting there stuck on track—while the yellow flags were waving and they were basically flooring it. Just pure chaos. 😍

By the time Nikita Mazepin spins out, Fernando Alonso is already hitting Turn 9 and Lewis Hamilton is way up in Turn 6. They aren't even in the same sector as the crash, so honestly, there’s zero logic in penalizing those two. When Alonso pulls alongside Carlos Sainz, he looks like he’s just giving him room—no yellow flags anywhere near them. Same goes for Lewis Hamilton, who’s just a couple corners behind Alonso. Total nonsense.

Then again, you’ve got Valtteri Bottas looking at this from about 100 meters ahead of Sebastian Vettel—and since we don't have any cameras on Vettel, this is basically his view.

Proof right there that Valtteri Bottas is running circles around Sebastian Vettel.


Onboard Bottas
I can't see the link you shared, so I don't have anything to work with yet. Drop the content whenever you're ready and I'll get on it.

It’s blindingly obvious why Sebastian Vettel got slapped with that penalty for not slowing down, while Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso walked away clean. Honestly, everyone except you seems to get it.

https://twitter.com/JunaidSamodien_/...46650772066305

Bottas won't be driving next season. Toto basically cut him loose...

Lando Norris has an interesting take on that controversial overtake:

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/81052...p-a-place.html

''Max is already easily in front. He comes off track due to oversteer, but he was already in front and had already made the action. He could have taken his foot off the gas to get control, but then he would have lost the lead again''

wiredseal7 said:Interesting take from Lando Norris regarding that controversial overtake:

The FIA is honestly just clueless when it comes to the rulebook. Since when does it make sense to overtake someone only to be forced to give the spot right back? Nowhere. I can't think of a single legitimate racing series where that happens. It’s a total joke. If Max had cut a corner, sure, that would be a problem—but he just went wide, just like Lewis Hamilton did 29 laps ago. In my book, that’s just how it goes because the tracks are so narrow... and why even design them that way in the first place? Sebastian Vettel was right—these new tracks feel more like parking lots than actual circuits.

The FIA needs to just let them race—like Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc in the United Kingdom. Who are they to tell those guys how to actually drive? Honestly, I love how in NASCAR there aren't even referees breathing down their necks. That’s pure racing to me...

But here, they nitpick every single bit of contact and then act surprised when nobody is passing. Well, maybe because you aren't encouraging it—you're punishing it.

"Max said that he could have easily made up for the five second penalty by driving away at the front," Helmut Marko on ESPN.com told an American news outlet.

"But then they just would have given him 10 seconds," he insisted.
https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/formula...ko_441363.html

Lando Norris doesn't understand why Max Verstappen had to give up a place

Watching Verstappen's overtaking action, Lando Norris notices the following. ''Max is already easily in front. He comes off track due to oversteer, but he was already in front and had already made the action. He could have taken his foot off the gas to get control, but then he would have lost the lead again,'' says Lando Norris in his stream on Twitch.

The Briton believes that the advantage in the corner is already decisive in a duel. He also points to his own duel with Charles Leclerc. "Here Charles is in front, so he has control of the corner. I have to get off the gas here, because otherwise I'll be on the outside,'' Lando Norris points out the difference with Verstappen's action.
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/81052...p-a-place.html

.

neonfox65 said:The FIA is just plain clueless when it comes to the rules. Since when are you supposed to overtake a driver and then just give the spot right back? It doesn't happen anywhere. I can't think of a single legitimate racing series where that's a thing. It’s a joke. If Max hadn't cut a corner, it would've been a problem, but he just widened his line—exactly what Lewis Hamilton did 29 laps ago. That's just how it works when tracks are this narrow. And honestly, why even build tracks like this? Sebastian Vettel was right—these new tracks look like parking lots.

The FIA needs to just let them fight, like Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc in the United Kingdom. What does anyone outside the track have to teach them about actual racing? In NASCAR, they don't even have referees, which is exactly what I like—it's pure racing.

But here, they nitpick every little bit of contact and then wonder why there's zero overtaking. It's because you aren't encouraging it—you're punishing it.

Well, it wouldn't be without refs, otherwise everyone would just wreck each other and people would win championships by smashing opponents. The issue is that the rules are too broad and poorly defined. For example, what counts as "gaining an advantage" if you're already ahead? Or does a defending driver get an "advantage" if they go off track while trying to hold their position? I haven't seen them penalize that.

And don't forget, Lewis Hamilton was probably ready to slam into the rear of Max Verstappen just to spin him out since he was closing the door on the corner.
He'd likely just get a 5-second penalty and still walk away with the win, even though he could have totally wrecked his rival's race.

The real issue is that those kinds of collisions aren't punished properly—like when Lewis Hamilton got handed two 5-second penalties for hitting Alexander Albon—and that just encourages aggressive positioning. You end up stuck behind someone who stays on the inside, waiting to collect your rear bumper if you're even half a car length behind.

If they actually factored in the average pit stop time plus a 10-second penalty—maybe even a points handicap depending on how much damage they caused the other guy—people would drive a lot differently.

wiredseal7 said:Not really... without the stewards, everyone would just be wrecking each other—people could basically steamroll their way to championships that way. The real issue is that the rules are too vague and poorly defined. For instance, what even counts as "gaining an advantage" if you're already ahead? Or does a driver defending their position also get an "advantage" if they go off-track just to block someone? I haven't seen them penalize that at all.

My concern is that Lewis Hamilton was probably ready to slam his rear tire into Max Verstappen just to spin him out while he was trying to close the door on the corner.
He’d likely just grab a 5-second penalty and still walk away with the win—not to mention potentially totally wrecking his rival's race...

The problem is that these kinds of collisions aren't being penalized properly (like how Lewis Hamilton got two 5-second penalties for Alexander Albon), which actually encourages this aggressive style of driving and positioning. In the end, you can't pass because he's always hugging the inside line, just waiting to clip you with his rear tire if you're even remotely close...

If they factored in an average pit stop time plus a 10-second penalty—maybe even a points handicap depending on how much damage they did to the other driver—people would definitely drive a little differently.

Well said.👍

He was just ahead because he carried way too much speed into that turn and couldn't quite make the exit. So, honestly—it was the right call to give the position back.

gentlemoose57 said:He only ended up ahead because he went in way too fast to actually make that corner. Honestly, giving the spot back was the right call...

And it was also fair that Lewis Hamilton went wide 29 times 😁

neonfox65 said:It was also right that Lewis Hamilton went too wide 29 times😁

The rules were different back then, so once the stewards made their call, it was final.

I’d give you a penalty for this one... you're just stubbornly sticking to your guns.

Raymond Anderson4 said:Because the rules were different back then, the stewards' decision no longer applied once they changed.

I’d hand you a penalty for this... you're just stubbornly insisting on your own version of reality.

It is quite obvious that the rules are drafted specifically to suit Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes; I fail to see any other logical explanation.

Smedley's breakdown shows that Lewis Hamilton cutting those corners ended up netting him about 2 seconds—basically the exact margin he needed to stay within undercut distance and pull off the win...

🙏

Raymond Anderson4 said:The rules were different back then—once the stewards made their call, that was it. It didn't apply anymore.

I’d give you a penalty card for this one... you're just stubbornly digging your heels in.

You clearly didn't read the rulebook carefully enough. If things were actually clear, Red Bull wouldn't have told Max he could take that line too.

And seriously, changing the rules in the middle of a race? That's just unheard of anywhere on the planet...

So...
https://thejudge13.com/2021/04/01/ha...ahrain-result/
😂 😉

<Looks like they're even tweaking Zandvoort just to give Max an edge...
https://www.insideracing.com/formula...t-for-dutch-gp
😬 />