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As Max Verstappen and Red Bull begin to take charge of both championships, the next installment of the 2021 F1 season comes with a twist. Here are five reasons why we are particularly excited about the next round at Silverstone…
1. The sprint
It’s not a double or triple header at Silverstone, but fear not, as there will be plenty of Formula 1 action on the circuit this year as we give the F1 Sprint format its first try.
Designed to give fans more action and value over the course of a weekend without diluting the main event on a Sunday, the Sprint will see teams compete in a 100km race that will decide the grid. start of the Grand Prix. There is no mandatory pit stop or starting tire for the Sprint – which will take place on Saturday afternoon – and there are points available for the top three.
READ MORE: Everything You Need To Know About F1’s New Sprint Qualifying Format, Including How It Works
The starting grid for the Sprint is defined by the normal way of a three-part qualifying session, with everyone using the softer compound tire. This takes place on Friday afternoon, so there is some competitive action for the three days of the race meeting.
This is the first of three test events scheduled for this year and it will undoubtedly be a huge learning curve, but it’s always fun to see experiences unfold when you don’t know what the outcome will be. And consecutive days where there will be wheel-to-wheel battles on the track can only be a good thing.
Formula 1 sprint qualifying explained
2. Mercedes improvements
Much has been said about Toto Wolff’s comments at both races in Austria, when he suggested Mercedes would no longer develop their 2021 car while Red Bull would continue to add performance.
But there is a little difference between developing and upgrading. You may have stopped development and therefore no longer have wind tunnel tested items, but that doesn’t mean that everything that was developed previously has been made and brought to the car. So when James Allison cleared it up it happened there would have be an upgrade introduced to Silverstone.
READ MORE: Allison confirms Mercedes plans W12 upgrades this season as title battle with Red Bull intensifies
The drivers have been quite timid about the size of the update, but what is clear is that it must provide Mercedes with a solid step forward based on its performance in Austria if it is to fight Red. Bull. Having said that, the W12 was much more on the pace at Paul Ricard before that, so maybe a small step forward could allow Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to regain the advantage.
3. McLaren’s form
One of the successes of the season so far has been Lando Norris’ performances. The 21-year-old has always led the midfield and threatened to disrupt Red Bull and Mercedes on occasion, as was the case in the Austrian Grand Prix.
He started third in the first race in Austria and second in the second race, closing in on a first pole position before losing to Max Verstappen. In the race, he also had the pace to finish second, but had to settle for third after a five-second penalty for forcing Sergio Perez off the track.
READ MORE: Jolyon Palmer – Did Ricciardo’s arrival at McLaren push Norris to a new level in 2021?
It was a third podium in nine races this season for Norris who finished in the top five in every race except Barcelona where he was eighth, and is only three points behind Perez in the drivers’ standings. But it’s fair to say that the Red Bull Ring suited McLaren, with their straight-line performance and good traction, while Silverstone will be a very different test.
Obviously, it’s a tough car to drive given Daniel Ricciardo’s struggles – an ongoing topic of discussion – but it looks like Norris is able to make the most of it every weekend. If he still learns how to do it in a more consistent way, perhaps Silverstone will see Norris hounding Red Bull and Mercedes again, which would bode well for the rest of his season.
4. Penalties for the driver
It’s not that we’re excited about the penalties themselves, but we can’t really escape one of the main talking points in Austria, which is the penalties the drivers were getting in the race and the penalty points. that accompany them.
As is so often the case, opinions were divided within the grid on what was right and what was not when it came to wheel-to-wheel combat, as Lando Norris, Sergio Perez and Kimi Raikkonen all suffered penalties for running (and sometimes hitting) other drivers.
READ MORE: How many penalty points did F1’s 20 drivers receive – and why did they get them?
There has also been some debate over the penalty point system, as Norris is now four points away from a race ban until at least November, and something as limiting as his five-second penalty in the Austrian Grand Prix is accompanied by two penalty points. So many drivers believe that this could potentially inflict too severe a penalty for an accumulation of small infractions rather than particularly dangerous driving.
We’ve been here before in 2019, when Verstappen was deemed to have passed Charles Leclerc legally late in the Austrian Grand Prix that year, and the clarification the pilots got on what would and wouldn’t be allowed in combat. led to an incredible fight between the pair at Silverstone next time around. It would be nice if we got the same result again …
Jolyon Palmer’s analysis: Were the sanctions imposed on Norris and Pérez quite fair?
5. A massive crowd
And if we’re going to get some amazing battles, they’ll be played out in front of the biggest post-pandemic crowd we’ve seen in Formula 1. A capacity crowd is allowed at Silverstone as the UK continues to open up from Covid- 19 restrictions, and that will mean around 140,000 people on the track on race day.
The fans are an integral part of the sport and we missed them dearly last year, when the impact that even a few thousand of them have had on some races this season reminds us of that even more.
READ MORE: 7 legendary drivers tailor-made for F1 Sprint
But after a boisterous atmosphere at the Red Bull Ring the last time around – where a large Dutch contingent was delighted with Verstappen’s victory – it’s probably Hamilton who has the extra support on his side at Silverstone.
British fans support theirs but have always supported all teams and drivers in the past, so the whole grid can count on additional support at the site where the F1 World Championship started 71 years ago.
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