2021 Portugal Thoughts
THE BIG PICTURE: Is Mercedes pulling ahead in the development race? Or, was Red Bull hampered by their inability to get their tires to work on this particular track and we still have a nip and tuck battle? We'll hold those thoughts for a week.
EVENT: Usually, when weather spices up a race, it's due to rain. Not wind, which usually doesn't really spice things up.
TRACK: A great undulating track to watch on TV. It must be immensely more fun to watch the cars on it in person.
QUALIFYING: While everyone was talking about the number one drivers, along comes Bottas to snatch the pole, Hamilton and Verstappen just didn't put a final lap together when it counted, Vettel finally gets a top ten, Russell impresses again, and Ricciardo is hugely disappointed.
RACE: Not as boring of a race many are making it out to be. For a long while, no driver was really, truly safe in their position even if in hindsight it turns out nobody was able to make a move.
START: Bottas handles the pressure just fine, Perez not so much, Norris and Ocon have a mighty duel, Ricciardo begins his move, and Kimi looks down and runs into the back of his teammate.
HAMILTON: Another hard working victory.
BOTTAS: Once again, when the chips are on the table, Valtteri folds.
MERCEDES: If you just want another Rubens Barrichello wingman, then fine. Otherwise, put Russell in your car.
VERSTAPPEN: Got the most out of the race considering his tires just wouldn't grip and his car just couldn't handle the wind.
PEREZ: Sergio finally does what he's paid to do, finish no worse than fourth. Now, he needs to steal points from Mercedes.
NORRIS: Lance is undefeated so far this season amongst the best of the rest.
RICCIARDO: While Daniel really needs to crank it up.
LECLERC: Another fine effort.
SAINZ: Carlos had no tires left at the end of the race.
OCON: Two races in a row, Esteban beats Alonso. In both the race and qualifying.
ALONSO: Yet, Fernando looked much more like himself in the race.
ALPINE: Still a ways to go, but that's more like it.
ASTON MARTIN: A horrid season so far for the team formerly known as Racing Point also formerly known as a race winner just last season.
TSUNODA: After an impressive debut, Yuki has been showing why he is a rookie.
WILLIAMS: Fast in one-lap configuration (i.e., qualifying), but an absolute handful in race trim, especially due to its extreme sensitivity to wind.
SCHUMACHER: Mick is approaching F1 just like he did with F2 and F3 -- slow, methodical progress. His race followed the same pattern, eventually passing a Williams for his first position on merit.
RAIKKONEN: The most experienced driver on the grid makes a silly, silly rookie mistake.
FIA: A dirt slow, last place Russian driver nearly takes out the leader of the race after ignoring five blue flags. And all the Stewards did was hand out a five-second penalty. Did we mention he was dirt slow and in last place (by a minute!)? What the hell is a five-second penalty going to do to the guy? Make him shake in his booties?
WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Wind.
STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 14 -- The turn which costs Max Verstappen the fastest lap bonus point because he couldn't keep it on the track.
HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: The Algarve International Circuit in Portimão has now hosted it's second Portuguese GP, equaling the amount hosted by the Circuito da Boavista, a street circuit in Porto. It hosted in 1958 (won by Stirling Moss in a Vanwell) and 1960 (won by Jack Brabham in a Cooper-Climax). Though Boavista held other events called the Portugal Grand Prix (some of which ran F3 cars), these were the only two which counted for the Formula 1 World Driving Championship.
TWEET OF THE WEEKEND: {Social Media Blackout}
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Toto Wolff on how his attempted encouragement of Valtteri Bottas went in one of Wolff's rare radio messages to his drivers, "He was hunting him down. But when I came on the radio, it kind of flatlined."
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: In the understatement of the race quote, from Kimi Raikkonen, "Purely my mistake."
SCHEDULE: The truckers travel 1,200 miles to Catalunya.
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