An Afternoon in Algarve

 

A return of Formula 1 to Portimao, a day to forget for some, a gauge of the field which may raise some eyebrows. The Portuguese Grand Prix failed to disappoint in its 2nd year running as the fastest cars in the world returned to one of the most undulating circuits of the season. 

I would firstly like to apologise for my absence on the review and coverage of the previous race in Imola. Being a National Cricketer while studying in university makes it slightly tough to be able to find time to write but that should not be an excuse when you love the sport hence I am sorry. An eventful race, that saw Max Verstappen win after pipping both his teammate and rival at the start, had a red flag, multiple overtakes, and a lot of drivers having to be extremely careful as rain had hit the circuit just before the race start. That however is far in the past which, if you read this blog regularly meaning you are interested in F1, will have moved your attention away to more recent events. 

The Portuguese Grand Prix was very much like the Arrow and Flash - 2 TV shows I used to watch. They started brilliantly with so much excitement and a brilliant storyline only to fall away and become awfully boring. In similar fashion, Portimao was host to a race which, for the first half had multiple permutations and combinations regarding who could win and a lot of action, but a pretty lackluster ending. 

With Valtteri Bottas on pole, it was an opportunity for the Finn to prove his worth to not only the critics but also to his team and Toto. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Here is the basic rundown: the grid got away cleanly. End of the first lap saw Kimi Raikonnen lost his front wing on the pit straight bringing out the safety car. Max had a brilliant safety car restart and overtook Hamilton into turn 1. A few laps later the Briton came back to overtake Verstappen and Bottas in short time. Following the first run of pit stops, Red Bull and Max used the undercut to overtake Bottas and extend their lead in second. Bottas came back to within a second but a sensor failure meant that his car lost power for a few laps and put him further back. Lewis Hamilton extended his lead out in front to claim his 97th race victory, his 150th for Mercedes. 

The top 3 had a race of their own, yes, that has been established. But the real juice came further down the field. Danny Ric starting in 16th, we knew he would have an eventful race with plenty of overtaking. And he did as he made his way to finish 9th. Meanwhile, his teammate experience even more success finishing in 5th behind both Mercs and Red Bulls. Unfortunately, the same dynamic was not seen at Ferrari with Charles Leclerc in a respectable 6th but his teammate Carlos Sainz falling to 11th and outside the points. Starting on the soft tyres, maybe he thought he would be able to get that blazing start that saw him lead the race last year on the slippery surface. A turn of events though it meant he would have to pit earlier and have far older tyres towards the end of the race making him a sitting duck for all to fly by. 

One of those who did fly by was Fernando Alonso. His first time back at the circuit since way back in his career, he enjoyed the raw pace of the Alpine race car to come home in 8th, right behind his teammate in 7th. A good haul of points for the French outfit this time around. Cyril would have been proud I am sure. With Pierre Gasly rounding out the points, he would've hoped for higher up the field though given that he too suffered the same fate as Carlos Sainz. 

So the top 10 would have been relatively happy with their races however the likes of Stroll, Vettel, Russel (who remember started in a career-best 11th for Williams), Tsunoda, and Giovanazzi all would have wished for different outcomes. Seb had shown great pace over the weekend but the Aston Martin's just did not have the race pace that could match their rivals. The same was for Tsunoda who came home a frustrated 15th. In a tangle with his teammate, Giovanazzi had a tough race from lap 1 but made quite a few impressive overtakes, showing his driving ability. The same can be said for Mick Schumacher who overtook Latifi in fine fashion. It was once again, however, Nikita Mazepin (Mazespin if you ask me) who came home in last place, more than a minute behind the car ahead of him. 

Now, if you ask me, I would have never brought Mazepin into Formula 1. Yes, Haas needed the money and yes Nikita's father is a multi-billionaire who can provide that. But at what cost? Your driver is consistently out of his depth here and has no understanding of what is going on. At what point will Haas think it's a better option to have drivers who are capable rather than a dad who's very wealthy. Picking up a driver who finished 5th in F2 is unheard of and has stunned many. All I wish for is a better race next week for Mazepin who has had an awful start to his F1 career. 

We return to Catalunya in less than a week with drivers racing in Barcelona once again. A circuit well known by all on the grid given that it is the usual testing venue for Formula 1, I hope to see a close battle once again between the Mercs and the Red Bulls. See you for a siesta of sorts in Spain in six days. Till then, Ciao!