Was it a good race for Hamilton?
I am not sure if it was simply due to the number of wet races we have had recently, or because of the race itself, but the race on Sunday did not feel as dramatic as the usual wet races we see!
Bottas will be the one person most glad that it was an uneventful day, as he stormed away from the field, and never really looked as though he could be challenged. These are the days that he was hired by Mercedes for, when he can be cool, calm, and so strong, however, it just hasn’t happened enough in his time at the team. I am glad that he got another win for Mercedes, and there is a good chance it could be his last, as Alfa Romeo will probably never challenge for wins!
It was not as much of a disaster as it seems for Hamilton, as starting midpack in the wet, could have spelled trouble. Also, with Max only 2nd, Lewis only lost one more point than Verstappen did last time out, which is pretty good going. Yes, they did mess up the strategy at the end, although it wasn’t a major problem really. In hindsight, they should have stopped when Perez did, as going to the end would have been a big risk for him, bearing in mind the title fight he is in. Otherwise, he battled well, and looks really strong at the moment with that car!
A double podium is a great way to thank Honda for their service, and shows that there is no special livery curse! Verstappen just could not match either Mercedes this weekend, and will have to hope it is to do with the track surface, as otherwise he will have a problem on his hands! Well done to Perez, who did all he could in the race, not only by finishing right behind Max, but for putting up a stout defence to Lewis. If he can get on top of Saturday’s, it could do wonders for the constructors!
For the first time in a while, a team could keep up with Mercedes and Red Bull on true pace, not by holding them up. Ferrari from the outset of the weekend looked superb, however it was assumed they would fall back into the midfield, yet instead, Leclerc could pretty much keep pace with the top 2, and at one point looked as though he could win! It was worth the risk for him to try and stay out, and 4th is still a satisfying result! Sainz cannot be overlooked either, a deserving driver of the day, as he flew through the field, and then late on in the race, was setting fastest lap repeatedly. It was a great points day for them against McLaren.
Gasly, after his incident on Lap 1 had a very quiet day, just gradually dropping back from the leaders. It was another day where AlphaTauri hinted at how good they could have been, if they had executed better throughout the year. As for the Turn 1 spin with Alonso, the penalty was a bit harsh, as he was in the middle of 3 wide, and it is lap 1.
McLaren just didn’t really have anything to fight with, as Norris stayed about where he started, not able to challenge Gasly, which isn’t great for the team 3rd in the constructors. Ricciardo fought as best he could, and the difference between him and Sainz once again shows how weak they were here. They need to bounce back at Austin, before Ferrari get within striking range of them!
Aston Martin ended up gaining a point on Alpine, thanks to another great wet drive by Stroll. I don’t know what it is about him and wet conditions, but he has always done well when it is like this. Vettel would have been much nearer to him, but a costly gamble for dry tyres ruined his race. Alonso lost everything in the lap 1 spin, and then decided to lose more by spinning Schumacher too, probably out of annoyance at losing a chance at points. Ocon not stopping was rather impressive, and also netted the team a point, as well as a piece of history!
Alfa Romeo will be rueing the fact that no one DNF’d, as they were positioned 11th and 12th, by the end. You do have to commend them on their wet weather pace, as I thought the Williams would beat them today. Speaking of them, neither Russell nor Latifi could work the conditions like they have in the past, although they have nothing to complain about in 2021!
Tsunoda as you would expect, struggled in these tricky situations, and did well not to crash. He should have done more in the race, but at least the car is in one piece! Schumacher’s good work was undone by Alonso, early on in the race, although I doubt he would have been any higher than 19th anyway. He can still hold his head high though, that he showed what he could do in the wet!
The European part of the season is over, and the circus now heads to the America’s, before ending in the Middle East. Now is the time when one team could land a hammer blow on the other, and not let them recover until they are out of sight!
-M
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