PRE-SEASON testing just wrapped up in Bahrain with the cars finishing over 3,000 laps collectively, and with different drivers coming out on top at the end of each day.
After winning the culminating race of the 2020 season, Max Verstappen continued to demonstrate his skills and tenacity as a driver by topping not just one, but two of the three testing days. This led seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to say that the Red Bull “(is) going to be a different animal this year. A strong line-up with the two drivers and a really good car.”
But with just 3 days of testing, will Hamilton’s statement prove true, or will his crew at Mercedes just continue its dominance until the new regulations are introduced?
Until the lights go out in the first race on the 28th of March, we have yet to know the real score. Everyone has a chance to prove themselves this year as they aim to make a mark in the 71st season of the Formula 1 World Championship.
Here’s a brief overview for each team as they brace for the season ahead.
Mercedes
Mercedes has been dominating the sport for seven consecutive seasons and they don’t look like they’re going anywhere else anytime soon.
Regulation changes might shake things up for 2022 and beyond, but in the meantime, Mercedes will likely extend its dominance into 2021 with Lewis aiming for an 8th title and Valtteri Bottas ready to have more control and be less submissive as a teammate. However, the team admits that there are some issues with their engine, and Hamilton didn’t exactly have the best performance during testing.
In spite of all this, the silver arrows are confident that everything would be in place by the time they hit the road for the first race.
Red Bull
The Milton Keynes-based team is a force to be reckoned with this year as they’ve got both the pace and a superb driver lineup to complement it.
Max Verstappen is a highly-rated driver who will be entering his sixth year in the sport at just 23. He’s had a lot of time to mature and to improve, and with Red Bull’s team management strongly backing him, it won’t be long until he bags his first championship.
Joining him would be his new teammate, Sergio Perez, who had his maiden win at last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix. After a stellar 2020 season, where he finished fourth despite missing 2 races, Checo is ready to bring his experience to the table and score massive points to help the team with their championship bid.
McLaren
McLaren fought strongly in the most recent season. It’s likely to only go uphill from there with a new power unit and the addition of an experienced, race-winning driver in the form of Daniel Ricciardo.
Lando Norris is also entering his 3rd season with the team and looks more confident with his racing ability. However, we don’t think that we’ll be getting the “meme team” that fans have hoped for, as Daniel and Lando appear to be more serious and competitive this year. But let’s hope for a strong and healthy team dynamic, as this would be an asset for the team’s success.
Aston Martin
The Racing Point team saw a commercial rebranding, which led to the comeback of the British car manufacturer into the sport, 60 years after it left.
Aston Martin has employed the services of 4-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel to partner with Lance Stroll in their bid to rule the midfield and become the “best of the rest.” Armed with a stunning green livery, the AMR21 was introduced to the world a la-Bond style — and even had a cameo from football star, Tom Brady, during the launch.
Everyone has high hopes for the team this year and all eyes are on Seb as we are hoping to see him regain his mojo after a devastating end to his career with Ferrari.
Alpine
There’s lots to look forward to as Renault rebrands itself into the Alpine racing team and welcomes the return of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso into the grid. Despite a recent cycling incident, the Spaniard is fit and ready to compete after a brief retirement from the sport.
He will be partnering French man Esteban Ocon, who will be entering his second season with the team. After his maiden podium at the Sakhir Grand Prix, Esteban has become more confident and is ready to prove himself against his new teammate. With the departure of Cyril Abiteboul and the arrival of Laurent Rossi as the new team principal, things are shaking up at Enstone.
Ferrari
2020 was definitely a year to forget for the Scuderia. They ended the season at 6th place in the constructor standings, which left people wondering if Ferrari would be able to bounce back this year. With engine improvements and a new two-tone livery that features a neon-green Mission Winnow logo, the team has certainly been making changes with their 2021 challenger ⎼ the SF21.
They also have one of the most exciting line-ups for this year with the arrival of Carlos Sainz to backstop Charles Leclerc as he enters his third year with the team. We can only hope that things would look up for this legendary team and that we would see them back on top to continue their legacy.
AlphaTauri
Months after their unexpected win in Monza (with Pierre Gasly taking the chequered flag), fans are still reeling from that momentous occasion. Pierre is now ready to take on the role of “team leader” and guide rookie Yuki Tsunoda as he enters the grid.
The Japanese racer ended a successful F2 rookie season with third place in the standings and had the second fastest time during the last day of pre-season testing. Lots of potential there, and we can’t wait to see him battle it out on track with his teammate and all the other drivers. Fresh from its most successful year as both Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri, the team hopes to continue its momentum and score more points this season.
Alfa Romeo
Iceman Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi are back for their third year in the Ferrari-powered team. Raikkonen, moreover, is celebrating two decades in the sport.
Alfa Romeo weren’t necessarily fighting within the midfield in 2020 ⎼ given the poor performance of Ferrari’s engine that year ⎼ but despite this, the drivers were able to extract every drop of horsepower out of the car, and had some memorable moments (remember Raikkonen’s charge from P16 to P6 in Portimao?).
The team hopes to improve this season and make their way through the pack, and it looks like they’re on the right track, with Kimi finishing fourth fastest on the third day of testing and Antonio emerging as the fifth fastest on the second day.
Haas
Haas took a gamble by enlisting two rookies to fill their 2021 driver line-up. The line-up features Mick Schumacher ⎼ son of the legendary Michael Schumacher ⎼ who is coming off fresh as the champion of the 2020 Formula 2 season, and controversial Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, who got into hot water after he posted an inappropriate video of him groping a woman’s breasts on his Instagram Stories.
However, Mazepin’s father has made a huge investment in Haas, and it is believed that this largesse is what’s keeping the team afloat. With their newfound resources, the team hopes to challenge for points this year but they are focusing their developments on the 2022 challenger.
Williams
2020 marked the end of an era with the departure of Sir Frank and Claire Williams, ending the family’s involvement in the Grove-based team that Sir Frank himself founded. Due to poor financial performance that has caused a negative impact in the recent seasons, the team has been acquired by Dorilton Capital and hopes to relive its glory days in the sport.
They’ve made a couple of improvements on their car, and driver George Russell sees 2021 as the year that Williams would no longer finish last in the constructor standings. His teammate Nicholas Latifi is also motivated and aims to close the gap between them, especially during the Saturday qualifying sessions.
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