Bulls, Stars and Horses: It’s Lights out, and away we go!
Formula One is back!! The 2021 season starts with the Bahrain Grand Prix. Like every season, there is a lot of anticipation surrounding this season. As always there are a lot of questions there as well — Will we see a new champion emerge? Will the Mercedes-Hamilton juggernaut end? Or will he become the Greatest Formula One driver of all time? With so many changes around the grid, how will the teams and drivers perform? Let’s see what are the things to watch out for in this exciting season!
Who performs and who flops?
Last year saw a raft of driver changes across the paddock. 4-time World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, joined the newly renamed Aston Martin Racing, after 6 years in a Ferrari, with a point to prove to all the criticisms that he received in his final years at Ferrari. Fernando Alonso, a 2-time world champion, comes back into the sport after a hiatus of 2 years with the rebranded Alpine team. Carlos Sainz goes into the seat vacated by Sebastian Vettel. Sergio Perez, one of the most consistent drivers of F1 over the years, and whose seat was taken by Vettel, shifts now to the coveted Red Bull seat.
While some have a point to prove to their critics, others will be desperate to prove that they are capable top-level drivers, which shapes up into a brilliant slugfest!
The New Faces
Talking about the rookies of 2021, the future stars, we possibly have the biggest name in the history of Formula One returning to the grid — Schumacher. The son of the legendary driver Michael Schumacher, Mick, makes his debut with the Haas team. It seems almost poetic that the year Lewis Hamilton aims to emulate Michael as the Greatest Ever, Mick makes his debut. Other than him 2 more stars of Formula 2, the Feeder Series of Formula One (Click here to know more about F2), Yuki Tsunoda and Nikita Mazepin also make their Formula One debuts. But every hardcore F1 fan will definitely have their heartstrings tugged looking at the name “MSC” written on the timing sheet.
Focus 2022 and regulation changes
With Formula One due for a massive overhaul in 2022 (To know more about the changes, click here), almost none of the development work that teams do on their 2021 cars will be of use. So, the question for many teams will be — should we focus on improving our 2021, or start development for 2022 as early as possible? Many teams like Haas have already done the latter, while the top teams like Mercedes and Red Bull cannot afford to take their foot off the pedal for this year. This also becomes more important, when we consider the fact that, from this year, all teams will be subject to a budget of $145 Million, to bring the field that tiny bit closer.
Hamilton — the “Greatest Ever”?
With a raft of aerodynamic changes for the 2021 season, pre-season tests indicate that the momentum has shifted away from the mercs and to the bulls over the winter break. Could there be a real challenge from Red Bull, to claim their first title since 2013? This could also mean an end to the dominance of Hamilton. He will be vying to become the outright greatest of all time with an unprecedented 8th title. But Max Verstappen will be out to stop this march in the best way he can!
As you can see, this year promises a lot of things, and as each year of Formula One, there are a lot of potential brilliant storylines and narratives that can unfold, so hold on to your seats, cause we are in for one hell of a ride this season!
