SHAPE GUIDE: Who will triumph at the British Grand Prix, as the F1 Sprint makes its debut?

The 2021 British Grand Prix weekend will witness a historic moment in Formula 1 history, as F1 Sprint – a short format meeting that will decide the British Grand Prix grid Sunday – will debut. So before all that, let’s take a look at the drivers who are in good shape ahead of what is shaping up to be a very special weekend at Silverstone.

In the running for the fastest in qualifying

With this weekend seeing the introduction of the F1 Sprint, qualifying is due to take place on Friday and will decide the grid not for Sunday’s British Grand Prix but for the F1 Sprint itself. Let’s first see who is likely to be fastest in Friday’s qualifying session.

Mercedes’ qualifying record at Silverstone is impressive, with the Silver Arrows having been the fastest in qualifying here every year since 2013 – with Lewis Hamilton a seven-time poleman at Silverstone (six with Mercedes, one with McLaren), while Valtteri Bottas in scored two.

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Meanwhile, at the British Grand Prix and last year’s 70th anniversary, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen qualified exactly 1.022 seconds behind the leading Mercedes for both races – a huge margin compared to to modern F1 standards.

But the Dutchman has scored every triple-headed pole position this year to bring his season total to four, while the closest Mercedes have been able to qualify at Verstappen in the last three races – at Circuit Paul Ricard and Red Bull decidedly different. Ring – was 0.226 s.

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Reducing a deficit of 1.022 seconds in 11 months is not easy. But given the momentum of Verstappen and Red Bull currently – and with Verstappen having reduced a seven-tenth deficit at the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix to just 0.036s at the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix – the fight between Red Bull and Mercedes seems to be much closer this Friday.

It seems less likely, however, that McLaren’s Lando Norris could repeat his Austrian Grand Prix qualifying exploits on the longer and more varied track at Silverstone, as Norris started a sensational P2 last time around.

Pole positions in the last five races of Silverstone:

• 2020 (70th anniversary) – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
• 2020 (British) – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
• 2019 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
• 2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
• 2017 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

FAN VIEW: This hat-trick for Max Verstappen in France and then at the Red Bull Ring (twice) means that the Dutchman dominates the F1 Play vote. He outperforms Lewis Hamilton by around two to one ahead of Silverstone this weekend.

In the mix for victory in the British Grand Prix on Sunday

Mercedes’ record for wins at Silverstone is also impressive, the team having won seven of the last nine races here – Hamilton even managed to win the 2020 British Grand Prix despite halfway through the final round with a flat tire, for his seventh victory here (Bottas has never won here, in the meantime).

But Verstappen was actually the last winner at Silverstone, having taken a surprise victory on the 70th anniversary of the Grand Prix after a switch to softer compound tires played in the hands of Red Bull.

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Red Bull is also riding the wave of five-game winning streak, with Mercedes in a winning dry zone they haven’t seen in the turbo-hybrid era, having been comfortably beaten by Verstappen more recently in the Styrian Grand Prix. and Austria.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted, speaking after Verstappen’s victory at the Austrian GP, ​​that Mercedes’ record at Silverstone is “powerful”. But he added “if we can bring that momentum to Silverstone, then there’s really nothing we should be afraid of”.

READ MORE: Horner warns Red Bull must be wary of complacency – but insists there is ‘nothing to fear’ at Silverstone

Of course, the major caveat for Sunday’s British Grand Prix result is what will be the result of the F1 Sprint (more info below), with the order of arrival of the inaugural Sprint from Saturday set to set the grid for Sunday’s race – and with the potential for an upset or three!

Wins in the last five races at Silverstone:

• 2020 (70th anniversary) – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2020 (British) – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
• 2019 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
• 2018 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
• 2017 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

FAN VIEW: Again, Verstappen has the edge over F1 Play, but not quite by the same margin as this qualifying delta. He has the advantage over Hamilton 60-40 as we head into what should be a pivotal weekend. It is still the epitome of a two-horse race. Valtteri Bottas, for example, has so far less than 1% of the vote.

The underdogs of the podium for the British Grand Prix

Obviously outside of Red Bull and Mercedes, Lando Norris is currently the fit driver, having won his third podium of the year in the Austrian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull Ring is sort of a favorite track for Norris, that’s true – but the McLaren driver is in a great position right now, and should be boosted by crowded stands filled with local fans cheering him on throughout. of the weekend.

Be careful, however, of the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Both rank Silverstone as one of their favorite tracks, while Leclerc staged an incredible pair of races here for Ferrari last year, finishing P3 and P4 in a Ferrari SF1000 which was hardly the best car to ever come out of. Maranello.

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If Ferrari manages to maintain their decent racing pace at the Red Bull Ring during what is expected to be a scorching weekend at Silverstone, they will hope to sniff the stands.

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Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, meanwhile, will also be keen to restore his podium credentials, having missed both Red Bull Ring races – while Perez last raced at Silverstone in 2019, after Covid-19 Excluded him from the two races here. Last year.

Podiums in the last five races at Silverstone:

• Mercedes – 8
• Ferrari – 5
• Red Bull – 2

FAN VIEW: Again, maybe we shouldn’t classify McLaren prodigy Lando Norris as an underdog here. His performance so far in 2021 makes him totally dominant in the F1 Play vote to take the best of the rest once you take Red Bull and Mercedes out of the equation. The rest of the “midfielder” is virtually friendless.

Points potential for the British Grand Prix

Norris McLaren’s teammate Daniel Ricciardo managed to put together a solid and relatively straightforward race up to P7 at the Austrian Grand Prix, a result which should put the Australian in a good state of mind ahead of his arrival at Silverstone. , where he scored a nice P4. for Renault at the 2020 British Grand Prix.

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Behind Red Bull’s Norris (14) and Sergio Perez (7), Alpine’s Fernando Alonso is on the second longest point streak of any driver with four consecutive top 10s, and with the two-time winner of Silverstone without a doubt eager to do five this weekend.

There are also two other Silverstone winners in midfield, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen both presumably looking to come back to points after colliding in the final round of the Austrian Grand Prix.

However, one of the most impressive midfielder records at Silverstone belongs to Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, who, although he hasn’t scored since the Monaco Grand Prix, has never finished below eighth place here. Points for the Frenchman this weekend would be appropriate.

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Points in the last five races at Silverstone:

• Mercedes – 176
• Red Bull – 112
• Ferrari – 104
• Renault – 47
• Racing Point / Force India – 29
• McLaren – 24
• Alpha Tauri / Red Bull – 9
• Alfa Romeo / Sauber – 4
• Haas – 2
• Williams – 1

FAN VIEW: Again, the usual suspects account for most of the interest on F1 Play. The Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz as well as Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri arrive for a good support. Former world champions Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel are both expected to succeed at Silverstone.

And what about the outlook for F1 Sprint?

Saturday’s F1 Sprint debut will see a 100km non-stop pit encounter that kicks off at 4.30 p.m. local time, with the result set to set the grid for Sunday’s British Grand Prix – while he There will also be championship points on offer, three for P1, two for P2 and one for P3.

READ MORE: What tires will drivers have for the very first Sprint F1 at the 2021 British Grand Prix?

This is a first for Formula 1, with drivers having to distinguish between hammer and pliers in order to improve their grid position for Sunday’s Grand Prix, without risking damage to their car – or damage. crush completely.

It’s a game of risk versus reward – and while we don’t know how it’s going to turn out, we can’t wait to find out!