The 2021 Formula 1 World Championship is almost upon us, and it looks likely that this year will be pretty normal after a disrupted 2020. While there has been some changes to what could be regarded as a 'normal' schedule, a full 23 race calendar has been put together and includes some tasty treats like a return to Portimao and Imola. The Dutch Grand Prix will finally have its chance to debut, with Zandvoort holding its first race since being revamped for Formula 1, while Saudi Arabia have revealed a new 23-corner circuit for its inaugural race at the end of the year. There's plenty of changes up and down the field, so here's what you need to know for this weekend's season opener in Bahrain.
Driver changes over the winter
There's a complete change in dynamic at the front of the pack, with Red Bull and Ferrari both opting for fresh blood in their line-ups. Alex Albon has been ousted at Red Bull in favour of the experienced Sergio Perez, meaning that Mercedes might not always outnumber the Red Bulls in a strategy fight. In recent seasons, Red Bull's driver pairing have rarely been able to take on the Mercs together, meaning Max Verstappen had to fight all by himself. Not the case this year. Mercedes continue with the tried and tested pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, with the Finn pepping himself up pre-season with talk of being more selfish this season. It's a crucial year for the Finn. Perform, and he likely stays with Merc for 2022. Underwhelm, and George Russell is highly likely to replace him for the start of the new regulations. Ferrari, too, have looked elsewhere for 2021 and brought in Carlos Sainz to replace Sebastian Vettel after becoming disillusioned with their four time Champion. Vettel has found refuge at Aston Martin, the newly rebranded Racing Point squad. His experience and race-winning know-how may be the very thing that the team need as they look to step forward with the additional resources they now have. McLaren, having lost Sainz, have snaffled Daniel Ricciardo away from Renault. The new MCL35M is the only car to have changed engines over the winter, with McLaren returning to Mercedes power after dumping Renault. But don't feel too sorry for Renault. Now rebranded as Alpine, they've convinced Fernando Alonso to return from his extended sabbatical. Despite having not raced in F1 since 2018, Alonso's pre-season test shows he's as razor sharp as ever. AlphaTauri, Red Bull's junior team, have brought in Formula 2 sensation Yuki Tsunoda, replacing Daniil Kvyat. Keep an eye on this young rookie, as his performances in his maiden season in Formula 2 were sufficiently enough to impress Helmut Marko - no easy task. There's no changes at Alfa Romeo or Williams, while Haas have replaced both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. In their places are Russian rookie Nikita Mazepin, who steps up from a solid season in Formula 2, as well as the F2 Champion Mick Schumacher.
What's changed on the cars since 2020?
Fundamentally, the cars racing this year are the same as last season. This is due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing the delay of the introduction of the technical regulations until 2022. Not delayed is the introduction of a budget cap, which caps the spending of all teams to just $145 million over the year with a few exceptions outside this cap. This, along with new aerodynamic testing restrictions that give the less successful teams more development time, means 2021 will be a huge challenge for all the teams. The sweeping changes coming in next season are vast, and are certain to shake up the order, meaning this season will be a delicate balancing act of developing the '21 cars while trying to create an entirely new type of car for next year. The biggest changes to the '21 cars is a reduction in downforce on the floor and the rear sections of the car. This has forced the teams to find solutions to recover this lost downforce, with mixed success. Testing suggested that Mercedes might be the ones to struggle the most with this loss of rear downforce, but don't bet against them finding it back quite quickly, if not immediately. There's also the introduction of a new tyre construction from Pirelli, with the intent of beefing up their structural integrity in light of the huge downforce levels from 2020. So while, on paper, things appear the same, there's still plenty of new obstacles and challenges for the field to face this year.
What to expect in Bahrain?
Having just from pre-season testing at the same circuit, the teams have had plenty of time to dial into the track and aren't likely to be hampered by the reduction, of one hour in total, in Friday practice. With minimal time to rush through any developments in response to testing issues, it's quite likely the pecking order will remain quite similar to what we saw in testing. Expect Red Bull to be fast, Mercedes as well if they can keep the rear in check, and don't rule out AlphaTauri from joining in close to the front with their very tidy and powerful AT02. McLaren are also likely to be very fast out of the blocks, with some believing the MCL35M could be the second quickest car to start the year. Aston Martin, Alpine and Ferrari are all unknown quantities, but appeared to be in the same ballpark as each other in terms of laptime, while Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas will fight over best of the rest. Of course, in a Grand Prix, anything can happen, especially if the expected sandstorms have any effect on Sunday's race.
F1 TV
One way to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix in certain countries is through F1 TV, F1's own digital streaming platform that helps you get inside the pit lane while accessing real-time statistics and timing, along with historical content. Users can live stream every track session for every one of the Grand Prix, along with access to all the onboard cameras and team radios for your favourite drivers. In addition to Formula 1 content, you can also get the F2, F3, and Porsche Supercup action as well. Find out more here .
Most read
