F1 2021 - Race 4

The second race in the double header - Spain. It’s the first time in a long while that the Barcelona circuit has been used without the usual preceding winter testing that takes place there. This season, the testing period was held out in Bahrain, ahead of the season opener.

For the second race in a row, the three Practice sessions gave us three different drivers topping the timing charts. Hamilton was the one who converted this when it really mattered, getting pole position on Saturday ahead of Verstappen and Bottas.

The young rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who so far has had a decent start in the AlphaTauri alongside Pierre Gasly, was unfortunately the only driver to retire, after an engine failure not long into Sunday’s race.

Verstappen had a great start, and ended up leading for the vast majority of the race. After tyre trouble and some really great race strategy from Hamilton, he managed to get the better of Verstappen and eventually clinch the victory. Verstappen ended up pitting for softs and getting an extra point for fastest lap, but it was far from the result he deserved. He’s now 14 points behind Hamilton, much closer than he is usually after 4 races. It’s 25 points for a win and there’s always the extra point available for fastest lap at the end of the race. This could be the battle at the top of the table that fans have waited years for!