In 2020, the Portuguese Grand Prix was remembered by fans for a bright fight and many overtaking, but then Lewis Hamilton brought Max Verstappen to the finish line almost 35 seconds and broke Michael Schumacher’s record for the number of victories in Formula 1. The Dutchman is already the favorite for the upcoming race on May 2 – the two previous stages have shown that the fight for the title this season will be extremely competitive. Nikita Mazepin will have to prove his worth against the background of a more successful Haas partner – in Italy, the Russian lagged behind Mik Schumacher for a minute.
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Empty stands
The Portuguese Grand Prix broke into the “royal races” last season after 22 years. This happened in connection with the adjustment of the calendar associated with the postponement of a number of stages due to the coronavirus. And if then 27 thousand spectators were admitted to the Portimao track to the long-awaited joy of local F1 fans, but this year the organizers announced a week before the start that the stage would be held with empty stands.
The reason was the increase in the incidence of COVID-19 in the southern region of the Algarve, where the track is located. The authorities decided to extend the quarantine, despite the hopes of local residents to launch the tourist season, which for them is one of their main sources of income. Meanwhile, the Catalans will have to face a similar problem, since it is already known that access to the Spanish Grand Prix announced in a week will also be closed for spectators.
Canada completely refused to accept the competition, since a 14-day quarantine is a prerequisite for entering the country. At the same time, Istanbul will take Montreal’s place in the schedule, which looks rather unexpected against the background of the lockdown introduced in Turkey. It is expected to last until May 17, while the first Grand Prix sessions are announced for June 11. In the meantime, only Monaco (May 23), Hungary (August 1), Russia (September 23) and the United States (October 24) have announced their intention to allow a certain number of viewers.
New rules
At the same time, changes will take place in the UK (18 July). Firstly, they can test the system of “vaccination passports”, which, as a result, will allow to invite fans to the stands. And secondly, the stage at Silverstone will be the first to test the new weekend schedule. So, at the British stage, the sprint race will be held for the first time. A similar scheme is well known to fans of cross-country skiing and biathlon: the starting grid of the pursuit race depends on the results of the sprint.
According to the new rules, the intermediate qualification will take place on Friday after the first training session. In turn, it will determine the starting field of Saturday’s races, the sum of which will affect the final arrangement of the cars in the race. In this case, the winner and two prize-winners of the qualification will receive additional points according to the “3-2-1” scheme. However, an important condition will be the reduction of sets and a different distribution of tires, the absence of a mandatory pit stop and the rule of a closed park, according to which it is prohibited to make changes to the main components of the car.
On the one hand, the innovation promises to become the main feature not only of the British Grand Prix, but of the entire Formula in the future. The initiators of the changes assume that the rivalry will intensify and, accordingly, the stimulation of the viewer’s interest will occur. On the other hand, critics argue that this will affect the abstract spirit of the “F1”, and the race itself will become more predictable, although after the decrease in engine power in 2014, talk about the inviolability of tradition does not seem entirely appropriate.
Portuguese slides
In reality, the two pandemic seasons of the “royal races” still leave only positive emotions, despite the radical and at times sad shifts in the entire world agenda. In this sense, the situation for bold experiments with the regulations looks quite suitable, as well as with the calendar – the upcoming Portuguese Grand Prix again promises tension from start to finish. In particular, torrential rains are expected in Portimão, and together with the asphalt that was laid there last year, the hilly and fast track faces a lot of surprises.
The main battle will again unfold in the leading group, which, depending on the capabilities of the cars, can be divided into two pairs: Mercedes – Red Bull and Ferrari – McLaren. Obviously, Hamilton, who has grown out of the habit of domination over the years of close struggle, will have to take more risks. For young Verstappen, this pace will be a test of competitiveness. This will aggravate the confrontation between Lando Norris and Charles Leclair – in Italy, both pilots showed quality progress with almost flawless driving.
“I have been saying for a long time that Formula-1 would become interesting, it would be nice if there was rain at every stage,” motor sports expert Igor Yermilin told Izvestia. – Then everything becomes unpredictable and really interesting to watch. Random opportunities appear that can change the balance of power. As for Hamilton and Verstappen, it seems to me that in a rain situation, Verstappen will have the advantage.
At the same time, after a mediocre start to the season, Nikita Mazepin will have to prove his worth in the fight against team-mate Mick Schumacher. In Emilia-Romagna, the Russian was weaker than the German in all components, and the average gap of 0.7 s on a fast lap between them looks just catastrophic, despite the fact that both pilots are debutants in the series. Perhaps this is even strange, because in Formula 2 there was no gap in the level of aerobatics between the riders.
– Mazepin and Schumacher’s piloting styles are slightly different from each other, but in terms of level they are approximately equal rivals, – Igor Ermilin explained. – Here some positive, for someone negative nuances can play a role, for example, tuning a car in the rain on a not very simple track. It would be more correct in this situation to say that the advantage will be gained by the one who will not try to squeeze 101% out of the car. If one of them drives stable at least 95%, then the probability that he will have a better final result, higher than that of someone who will try to get closer to the limits. There will already be a high probability of losing the car, turning around, reaching the bumpers – in general, not the most successful performance.
The Haas management justifies the Russian pilot’s problems with training and provides him with maximum support, urging him to work calmly. However, if this goes on, the idea of inviting the rising star of “Indikar” Colton Hurt to the American stable will turn out to be quite real.