05/09/2021
NEWS STORY
If we may, we'll begin with an updated nursery rhyme.
"Weather Gods go away... please come back another day... like next Sunday, 10 October or 24 October... allowing for COVID-related schedule changes of course."
Let's face it, yesterday's qualifying session aside, after last week's shenanigans we need a 'normal' race day. And now, as we look ahead to one of the most keenly anticipated events of recent times, we want a straight forward head-to-head.
Once again we have Max and Lewis side-by-side on the front row, the pair separated by just 0.038s yesterday afternoon.
Though we are all salivating at the prospect of an epic battle, it is impossible not to recall that infamous opening lap at Silverstone.
Despite the enormous pressure - after all, this race could justifiably be called the Max Verstappen Grand Prix - the man appears as cool as the proverbial cucumber, but so does Lewis.
Indeed, one positively believes his claim that the partisan crowd's intimidation fuels him.
Whatever happens today, whether the race is decided by bad luck, good luck, poor reliability, poor strategy, wind (?) or whatever, all we ask is that there is no silliness, no more controversial comings together.
Last week F1 was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, let's see Max and Lewis put it back for all the right reasons.
In terms of strategy, Max has his work cut out, for teammate Sergio is starting from the pitlane.
Having qualified 16th, the Mexican has taken on a new engine and as a result will start from the pitlane - as will Latifi who has taken on a new nose/front wing assembly and gearbox.
Consequently, while Lewis will have the support of teammate Valtteri, Max is pretty much on his own, unless Pierre Gasly - having qualified an amazing fourth - can be called into play.
Without looking back into Zandvoort's infamous history, we know that this is a punishing, unforgiving circuit, and despite the excellent update it remains so.
Every session has been red-flagged at least once, indeed, six times in total, and there is every reason that this will be the case today also.
If the gravel traps don't get you, the barriers will, and only the bravest of the brave will be seeking out the circuit's few overtaking opportunities.
It's a pity last weekend was such a disaster, for despite the workload, this particular triple-header features three of the best circuits on the calendar.
And as if another Max/Lewis head-to-head wasn't enough, we have the prospect of a scintillating battle for best of the rest.
If, as we are being told, George is already secure at Mercedes for 2022, how will this impact Valtteri? Normally we would expect him to adopt his traditional 'wingman' role, but if he's heading to Alfa or Williams, what's to prevent him 'going solo' and putting his own ambitions first.
Pierre will be under pressure from the Ferrari pair, but they too will be under attack from the Alpines.
Strangely, McLaren and Aston Martin suffered mixed fortunes in qualifying, which should at least guarantee some fun at the back of the field, while Antonio starts from an impressive seventh.
While Pirelli remains undecided on strategy, this is going to be a major factor, and all the more reason why Red Bull will be ruing Sergio's failure to qualify at the other end of the grid. That said, the sceptic might wonder if starting from the pitlane might allow the Mexican to play a part this afternoon.
In an interesting move, just two hours ahead of the race, Michael Masi warned against drivers blocking rivals in the pitlane.
"The positioning of a car in the pit lane during the race, which impedes another car in the fast lane or prevents another car from stopping in or leaving its allocated pit stop position may be considered an infringement of the principles of fairness in a competition along with unsportsmanlike behaviour by a competitor and/or driver," he warns.
The race is a step into the unknown for everyone, but on paper a two-stopper and one-stopper seem quite closely matched - although this obviously depends on a number of different variables such as track temperature as well as tyre degradation.
In practice, the teams will always gravitate towards a one-stopper as the default option if they can: especially considering the tight and twisty confines of Zandvoort.
The optimal one-stop strategy consists of an opening stint on either the mediums or softs, followed by a longer final stint on the hards. Soft to medium seems a bit marginal, considering the expected wear and degradation rates.
However, there are a few question marks that could bring a two-stopper into play as well: especially if it's hot or if degradation is higher than expected on the soft tyre in particular.
All the top ten qualified on the red-banded rubber.
A safety car period or red flag is quite likely and would alter the complexion of the planned strategy entirely.
The pitlane opens and one by one the drivers head out. Among them, of course, is a certain Mr Verstappen. The crowd erupts and orange smoke fills the air.
Air temperature is 21.1 degrees C, while the track temperature is 35.5 degrees. It is bright and sunny. That said, once the race gets underway, much like when the cars first began appearing, the sun is likely to be obliterated by orange smoke.
Sainz and Leclerc assured that conditions will remain stable.
Other than the top ten qualifiers, Stroll, Tsunoda, Vettel and Schumacher start on softs, the rest, bar Perez, start on mediums. The Mexican starts on hards.
They head off on the formation lap, all getting away cleanly.
As the air turns orange, Verstappen is furiously working his tyres.
The grid forms, Verstappen's car pointing inwards towards his rival.
They're away! Caution is the word into and through Turn 1. Verstappen leads Hamilton and Bottas. There are no incidents.
In a sweet move, Alonso begins to pass his teammate and Giovinazzi on the banking at Turn 3. The Alfa driver holds him off and the trio close on Sainz. Running a little wide Giovinazzi is passed by both Alpines, who, it is shown, banged wheels in Turn 3, which gives Sainz some much needed breathing space.
At the end of the opening lap, Verstappen leads Hamilton by 1.734s, with Bottas third ahead of Gasly, Leclerc, Sainz, Alonso, Ocon, Ricciardo and Giovinazzi.
At the back, Perez is 19th and chasing Schumacher who has been passed by his Haas teammate.
Russell reports that Ricciardo's engine is smoking and dropping oil.
Verstappen continues to pull away from his title rival, and by the end of lap 4 he has a 2.3s advantage.
Having been passed by his teammate at the start, Ocon is all over Alonso.
"I'll struggle to keep this pace with these tyres," says Hamilton as Schumacher pits for a nose change following a clash with... who else, his teammate. He switches from softs to hards.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Zandvoort, here.
A massive lock-up for Perez as he hunts down Mazepin.
Ocon complains that Alonso is holding him up.
As Verstappen laps Schumacher, Hamilton struggles to maintain the pace as Bottas drops 6s behind. "Play the long game," the Finn is told.
Perez pits at the end of lap 8, on mediums, emerging not far ahead of his teammate. Now, what were we hinting at earlier?
Hamilton posts a new fastest lap (14.750).
Verstappen is advised that Hamilton could be looking at a two-stopper.
Told that Ocon is just 0.7s behind, Alonso says he doesn't want to get close to Sainz who is ahead.
Vettel pits at the end of lap 10, rejoining in 19th on hards.
Norris is told that Vettel, who was two cars behind, has pitted.
Stroll is all over the rear of Russell's Williams, with Norris keeping a close watch.
Perez posts a new fastest lap (14.596).
A nice move around the outside at Turn 1 sees Latifi relieve Mazepin of 16th position.
"We still think Plan B," Norris is told, "be patient, our time will come."
"Nothing changes Checo, we go long." The Mexican subsequently passes Mazepin at the chicane for 17th.
"At this pace we're not going to interact with the leaders," Bottas is warned. Which appears to answer our earlier question.
Another great move sees Perez pass Latifi for 16th, which is where he qualified.
"I'm on the limit with these tyres," warns Hamilton, He pits at the end of lap 20, the Briton emerging on mediums in third, 4.5s ahead of Gasly.
Next time around, Verstappen responds. Switching to mediums he rejoins in second, 2.2s ahead of Hamilton. Interestingly, neither stop was particularly quick, especially that of the Red Bull driver.
On fresh rubber, Hamilton posts a new fastest lap (13.757).
"You're doing a good job Lewis, this is all part of the plan."
Perez passes Tsunoda for 14th.
Gasly pits at the end of lap 24, the Frenchman rejoining in 7th.
"Tyre are definitely dropping a bit more," says Bottas, "but I guess they'll do a few more laps." The Finn is currently 3.1s ahead of Verstappen who is 1.7s clear of Hamilton.
"Yes," replies Ricciardo when asking is he can do a "Plan A target lap".
"It critical to catch up and pass (Bottas), if we can," Bottas is told.
Giovinazzi, Russell and Stroll all pit at the end of lap 28, as Gasly passes Alonso for 6th.
"This is for the race win, you're defending," Bottas is told.
Suddenly Verstappen is on Bottas' tail. A mistake from the Finn at the chicane allows Verstappen to close in. The Red Bull driver passes the Mercedes on the pit straight. The crowd erupts.
However, Hamilton is just 0.8s behind the Dutchman.
"That was mega," Verstappen is told, "let's go!".
As Bottas pits, at the end of lap 31, Verstappen has built a 1.6s lead.
"He's getting super lucky with traffic, man," moans Hamilton.
Sainz, Ocon, Ricciardo and Schumacher all pit at the end of lap 32.
Consequently, after 32 laps, all bar Leclerc (4th)Alonso (6th), Norris (8th) and Kubica (14th) have pitted.
Russell goes around the outside of Kubica in Turn 1 to take 13th. However, the Williams driver has 5s time penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
Alonso and Giovinazzi pit at the end of lap 34. The Italian having suffered a puncture.
Leclerc pits a lap later, rejoining in 5th on hards.
"We need to use the tyres," Bottas is told, Mercedes needing to get the Finn back up on the tail of the leaders.
A spin for Vettel in Turn 3 briefly brings out double waved yellows. Bottas has to go high on the banking to avoid the Aston Martin.
Everything we've got for the next four or five laps," Verstappen is told. The Red Bull equivalent of Hammertime?
Elsewhere, Hamilton laps 8th placed Perez.
"Keep you pace up Max, this is mega. You've got track position over Bottas as well."
However, Hamilton undercuts his title rival by pitting at the end of lap 39 for mediums.
"You've got great pace, great pace," Verstappen is told.
The Dutchman subsequently pits, switching to hards he heads out still leading, while Hamilton is in traffic. "Why did you put me with these guys," asks the Briton.
The title rivals trade fastest sectors, Hamilton posting a 13.292.
Verstappen asks about the pace of the hard tyre, and is told that they're working well for Ferrari.
After 41 laps, Norris is the only driver still to stop. He is currently 7th.
Norris and Mazepin pit at the end of lap 43.
Consequently, after 43 laps, it's: Verstappen, Hamilton (+ 2.5), Bottas (+ 7.9), Gasly (+ 29.5), Leclerc (+ 8.2), Sainz (+ 10.6), Perez (+ 12.6), Alonso (+ 3.5), Ocon (+ 0.4) and Ricciardo (+ 15.7).
Not for the first time, Norris is concerned about tyre strategy, the Briton feeing that there was more life left in his previous set. "We'll talk about it later," he is told.
Vettel makes his second stop of the afternoon as Ocon complains about a plastic bag in his front-left brake.
Norris and Ricciardo switch positions under what appear to be team orders.
As Alonso closes on Perez, teammate Ocon is just behind.
"I'm not going to make it to the end on these tyres," insists Hamilton. Of course, based on experience, we don't know if that message is for Mercedes or Red Bull.
Perez pits at the end of lap 48, thereby leaving the Alpines in free air, Alpine air.
As he emerges from the pits, Perez is passed by Russell for 11th.
Despite his tyre issues, Hamilton posts a 13.124.
"We need to retire, stop in front of the garage," Tsunoda is told. With Mazepin having retired earlier, the AlphaTauri is the second retirement of the afternoon.
"They're just so fast," says Hamilton.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Zandvoort, here.
"Let's go Daniel, you're going to hold Perez up here." Aware that the Mexican is on softs, McLaren are seeking to protect Norris who is hard on the heels of the Alpine pair.
Told to look after his tyres, Hamilton insists that he wants to close the gap to Verstappen. "OK," comes the reply.
"Let's go, who's next," asks Perez as he goes around the outside of Ricciardo in Turn 1.
After 57 laps (of 72), Verstappen leads Hamilton by 1.744s.
Now concerned by a possible "power cut", Hamilton is told that there is nothing to worry about.
Verstappen is told that he's losing out to Hamilton in the Turn 1 apex and Turn 3 apex.
The crowd continues to cheer their man, rising every time he passes.
"These tyres are starting to drop off, man," warns... well, you know who. That said, they were "dropping off" ten laps ago.
That said, the Briton has dropped 4s behind.
"Is he complaining about something?" asks Verstappen. "I think his tyres are done," he is told.
As Perez closes on Norris, Alonso closes on Sainz.
Alonso, on mediums, reels in Sainz who is on hards.
Perez passes Norris for 9th, and though the McLaren driver tries to fight back he simply doesn't have the pace. Replay shows they clashed as they went through Turn 1, lifting the Red Bull in the air. "That was not very fair," says the Mexican.
"Box, box, box," Bottas is told, at the end of lap 67, Mercedes clearly targeting fastest lap.
"We're not going for fastest," Bottas is told. "Why not," he asks, only to be told that fastest lap is reserved for his teammate who will be pitting again.
When Hamilton asks if he if he is pitting again, he is told that it is for precautionary reasons due to a vibration.
Bottas posts purples in the first two sectors before being told to abort. He slows but still posts the fastest lap.
As Hamilton pits at the end of lap 70, the crowd erupts... and not for the first time.
Hamilton rejoins in second, 24.9s down on Verstappen, and 30.4s ahead of his Mercedes teammate. They are the only drivers on the same lap.
"OK Max, bring this home, Hamilton is in."
The engines are drowned out by cheering as the Dutchman begins the final lap.
As the DJ gets the party started (again), Hamilton crosses the line at 11.097 to claim fastest lap.
Bottas is third, ahead of Gasly, Leclerc, Alonso, Sainz, Perez, Ocon and Norris.
Ricciardo is eleventh, ahead of Stroll, Vettel, Giovinazzi, Kubica, Latifi, Russell and Schumacher.
"Guys, there were just too fast, today, this weekend," admits Hamilton, "we gave it all."
Not a classic but then again not the bore-fest some events have become.
After last week we all needed something to lift out F1 spirits, and even if you're not into the 'Max Factor', it would be hard not to get caught up in the infectious atmosphere, a bit like Monza.
Though Hamilton has lost the advantage in the drivers' standings, Mercedes still leads Red Bull as far as the teams are concerned, both championships a long way from being decided.
While Bottas takes third from Norris, today appeared to be a clear message from Mercedes in terms of the Finn's 2022 plans, while Ferrari leapfrogs McLaren and Fernando once again proves that there's life in the old dog.
All in all, a great weekend.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Zandvoort, here.