Will the title fight close in further?
Having not had time to decompress after the manic weekend in Brazil, F1 is straight back at it, and at a brand new venue in Qatar. This track may not be the best for overtaking, but with the amount of drama going on in F1 right now, I am sure it won’t be a dull weekend.
After the drives we saw from Mercedes at Sao Paulo, they are coming into this race on the front foot, and Hamilton doesn’t have much to lose either, which may have been why the team was so aggressive last weekend. Their power should be valuable on the kilometre long front straight, however Red Bull might have a chance to fight back in the high speed middle sector. In FP1 the advantage looked to be with the Austrian team, but we know they go better in hotter conditions, and sure enough, as the sun went down, Mercedes brought on a pace that no one could match, although it was with Bottas not Hamilton. If Mercedes have turned the engines up, as many think they have, the question may be more about reliability rather than if they can match Red Bull. To be honest, I can’t see Max being able to stop Lewis this weekend, if Mercedes keep their engines on a higher level.
Red Bull have been brought unstuck by the pure power of the Mercedes, and Red Bull cannot turn their engines up to match, as they are close on reliability too. The good news for Red Bull, is that their car looked stuck to the track today, which suggests they have scope to detune it a bit, in return for lap time. Obviously, it won’t be that simple, but it wasn’t a tough day for them. The constructor’s title is almost as thrilling as the main title fight, as Red Bull, after getting within a few points of Mercedes, are losing any grasp on it again, but as we have seen so many times this year, it can turn on its head so quickly.
Are McLaren back? It is hard to say definitively from practice, but the signs are there that they could be closer to Ferrari or even ahead this time. It would take an almighty effort from the team to claw the points back, but Ferrari made the gap in 2 races, so it could swing back that fast as well. There was a rather concerning moment for the team, when Lando lost power when he went harshly over a kerb. It didn’t ruin his session, yet that is something they will need to be wary of.
Ferrari had a pretty horrible day really, as they were both outside the top 10 in FP2, which is not something to expect given their recent form. Plus, we saw Leclerc have a major excursion late in the day, which may have damaged some parts. I would still be rather surprised if they don’t end up with points from the weekend, but these days are likely to put them on the back foot compared to others.
The last time we were at a desert track, back for the season opener in Bahrain, AlphaTauri were right on form, and could have scored well if Gasly hadn’t of made a Lap 1 mistake. Despite that Tsunoda was still able to get a point on his debut, which was a rarity for him in the next few months. So, coming to the desert here, we yet again are seeing some incredible speed from that car, with Gasly finishing in 2nd in FP2, beating Hamilton and both Red Bulls. I don’t think he can keep that up, but 5th is definitely on the cards. Let’s hope Yuki can join him too!
Alpine should be worried by the pace shown by the junior Red Bull team, as whilst it hasn’t been a terrible day for the French outfit, I would be shocked if they can match AlphaTauri. Aston Martin were plagued with technical issues throughout the day, as Stroll lost half of the morning session with a brake failure, and Vettel had loose items in the cockpit in the afternoon. With the harder tyres being brought here, it may not favour Aston Martin as much with their strong race pace.
On a new track, it may be a chance for Williams and Alfa Romeo to get up to speed faster than some of the midfield teams, and grab a few points. Alfa Romeo especially have come on strong in the past races, and probably deserve some reward for their efforts. Mazepin lost most of the days running with a chassis issue, likely as a result of the kerbs, whilst his teammate had an off track excursion, but did well to try and keep the gravel off the racing line.
There is no form guide for the rest of the weekend, but we have the potential for Lewis to close in further on Max for the title, and it is crucial that Red Bull fight back. The tension is growing both on and off the track, so it is only a matter of time before something gives!
-M
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