This week marked the final week before F1’s summer shutdown. The drama from the British Grand Prix opening lap crash continued before fans were treated to a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix. Plus, some reports about the upcoming 2022 season surfaced.
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The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix may be held earlier in the upcoming 2022 season. With Australia unlikely to reclaim their traditional spot as season opener next season, likely looking for an event date later than April, the Bahrain Grand Prix is likely to be the season opener. That race could be followed by the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix the following week, as that’s what makes logistical sense. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix event organizers originally wanted an early season date, but had to settle for a late race to make it onto the calendar for 2021.
In more 2022 news, F1 is reportedly exploring options for changes to the ways that the teams launch cars. Currently, teams reveal their new cars in separately organized car launch events prior to pre-season testing. One reported proposal is to have a 3-day shakedown event at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with no press or fans. Then, before the pre-season testing starts in Bahrain, a launch event would then be held with all of the teams. However, no plans for the 2022 season have been finalized at this stage.
Event organizers have expressed interest in adding a sprint qualifying race to the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend format, should the sport decide to continue with the format beyond 2021. The British Grand Prix was the first of three events that will feature the experimental weekend format this season. The organizers of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix have expressed a similar interest in hosting a sprint qualifying race next season.
Much of the week’s news was centered around the controversial collision between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap of the 2021 British Grand Prix. On Monday, Red Bull filed a petition to review the penalty given to Hamilton. Red Bull claimed to have significant new evidence regarding the incident, claiming the 10 second penalty was insufficient. The stewards reviewed documentation presented by Red Bull on Thursday via video conference. The stewards rejected Red Bull’s petition.
After examining the power unit from Verstappen’s car after his heavy crash in the British Grand Prix during practice on Friday, Honda determined that the power unit from was safe to use. This was critical for Verstappen’s championship hopes. Teams are allocated three power units before they start to receive grid penalties. Both Mercedes and Red Bull are on their second power unit, so prematurely losing a power unit could have put Red Bull at a disadvantage in the rest of the season.
Max Verstappen was the fastest driver in the first free practice session on Friday, leading Valtteri Bottas. Lewis Hamilton was third quickest, as the Brit complained of understeer issues. The session was briefly race flagged for a late crash for Yuki Tsunoda. The session marked the third free practice outing for Robert Kubica.
Valtteri Bottas bested Verstappen in the second session on Friday, the Verstappen fell down to P3 complaining of understeer. Hamilton was able to recover some time compared to FP1, finishing P2. Esteban Ocon was fourth fastest in the session, with Sergio Perez rounding out the top 5.
The final practice session on Saturday ahead of qualifying was lead by Lewis Hamilton, who was looking for his 100th race win this weekend. Verstappen able to set the second fastest time ahead of Bottas. Carlos Sainz narrowly led his Ferrari teammate as Charles Leclerc rounded out the top 5. The session was marked by a heavy crash for Mick Shumacher in turn 11 late in the session, giving the Haas mechanics some work to do ahead of qualifying.
The team was ultimately not able to get the job done before the start of qualifying, preventing him from setting a time. George Russell failed to make it to Q2 for the first time in 2021, as Verstappen set the fastest time in Q1. Verstappen also set the fastest time in a Q2 session that was shortened after Carlos Sainz crashed. Both Mercedes took a different strategy in the session, running on the medium tyres to start the race on that compound instead of the softs. But both Mercedes were able to lock out the front row in Q3, with Hamilton taking pole position in front of the booing Hungarian crowd. Verstappen had to settle for P3 on the starting grid.
The race started on Sunday with damp conditions and there was no shortage of drama on the opening lap. Valtteri Bottas had a very poor start from the front row of the grid, allowing Lando Norris to get by the Mercedes driver before the first corner. Bottas locked up in the first braking zone, slamming into the rear of the McLaren. The duo collected both Red Bull’s on the outside of the first corner. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll made a similar error, taking out Charles Leclerc. The race was red flagged to clear the chaos that forced 5 cars to retire. Max Verstappen was able to continue the race, but with a badly damaged car.
On the restart formation lap, the cars emerged from the pit lane on intermediate tyres, but it became clear this was not the right tyre for the now circuit and all of the cars except for Hamilton dove into the pit lane to change to slicks at the end of the formation lap. This left Hamilton alone on the grid for the restart, allowing him to take a decent lead, but he pitted at the end of the first lap to put on slicks, dropping him to the back of the field.
Hamilton made steady progress through the field, while his championship rival struggled to get into the points with a damaged car. Fernando Alonso treated the fans to some entertainment, as he defended against the attacking Hamilton. The Mercedes eventually got by, but had to settle for P3. It was Esteban Ocon who stood on the top step of the podium for the first time in his career, standing alongside Sebastian Vettel.
After the race, 5 place grid penalties were awarded to both Bottas and Stroll for their roles on the opening lap collisions. Sebastian Vettel was stripped of his P2 finish, after failing to provide an adequate fuel sample to the FIA, having run out of fuel across the line. The team is appealing the decision. Esteban Ocon was given a reprimand for stopping his car on the main straight after the race, instead of parking in parc ferme.
For more information on the race, check out the race report on Racing Clothesline.
Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll were each reprimanded for breaching a pre-race procedure. These drivers did not remove their T-shirts for the national anthem, as was instructed by the race director. Vettel was wearing a rainbow shirt that read “Same Love” in protest against Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ law, while the other three drivers were wearing We Race As One shirts.
Following the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton skipped out on the initial media appearances in the media bull pen, consulting with the Mercedes team doctor. The seven-time World Champion complained of fatigue and mild dizziness. The Brit opened up about potential after effects from COVID-19, which he tested positive for late last season, saying, “I haven’t spoken to anyone about it but I think (the effects of COVID-19) lingering. I remember the effects of when I had it, and training has been different since then. The level of fatigue you get is different, and it’s a real challenge.” He went on to say that he had similar symptoms after the British Grand Prix, but they were not as severe.
The F1 summer break is now in full swing. The teams and drivers will have a month without racing to re-energize and prepare to tackle the remaining 12 races in the season. The season will resume at the end of August in Belgium.
The Weekly F1 Recap on Racing Clothesline is a series published every Monday. Each article breaks down the previous week's Formula One headlines into bite-sized pieces, perfect for casual fans to keep themselves in the loop.
