F1 2021 - Race 1

The 2021 F1 season got underway on 26 March with the first Free Practice session in Bahrain. The season brings with it a number of driver changes and team name changes, but the front runners - i.e., Hamilton and Verstappen - are all too familiar.

One of the newcomers, fresh from F2, has created a questionable reputation for himself already. Nikita Mazepin, a Russian born driver who cannot represent Russia due to their doping ban, caused a stir after an inappropriate video of him and a woman appeared on social media during the off season. Naturally, this had its’s social media uproar, with many fans calling for the FIA and Haas F1 to ban him from the sport. On track, he then spun, at least once, in every session during the first race weekend. He was not classified in the race. Not a great first weekend for Mazepin.

Lando Norris gave us a strong start, with a 3rd in FP1 and 2nd in FP2. He only managed 7th in qualifying, but redeemed that to 4th in the race come Sunday afternoon. In the newly Mercedes-powered McLaren car, he’s looking good at the top of the midfield.

Track limits was arguably the main talking point of the weekend. Max Verstappen had to give his lead back to Lewis Hamilton after passing him on the wrong side of the track limit perimeter. Verstappen was understandably unhappy as Hamilton had previously exceeded track limits at the same corner, with no penalty. The race finished with less than a second between the two, but with Hamilton on top after Verstappen was unable to regain the ceded lead. The on-track battle between the two will hopefully mean more exciting races this season, and will maybe be an end to the Mercedes dominance that we have seen throughout the whole of the hybrid era so far.