The Ratto Report – FCLV 2021 4th Quarter Review

The Ratto Report
4th Quarter 2021

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FCA NEWSLETTER
DESERT REGION – LAS VEGAS CHAPTER
4th Quarter 2021

Written by John Ratto
Edited by Chuck Damus

Dateline: Early October 2021

Things seemed to be very slowly returning to normal; but we were walking on egg shells, wishing and hoping for normalcy as the pandemic lingered. Club activities were again being scheduled, and more importantly were being held…and attended. Socials seemed a convenient and relatively safe way to begin the return to normal life.

Dateline: Early December 2021

And then, just a couple of months later, just when you thought it would be safe to go back in the water, boom! (An homage to John Madden) Omicron, a new variant of the virus, springs into our lives. Suddenly, all bets seem to once again be off, and all prior advances and victories rendered immaterial. As this goes to publication, the ramifications of Omicron are still mostly unknown, so we are once more proceeding blindfolded. We do know (if anything is ever really, like, known) that Omicron spreads easily, much more so than Delta, and that it is not as powerful as Delta. And as of New Year’s Eve, we know that it is spreading like wildfire.

Will this pandemic ever end?

Despite the doom-and-gloom, life has gone on. We had a successful Christmas Party, and we have continued to live our lives in a more or less normal fashion. The virus is not as scary as it once was. Wear a mask. With all this ongoing uncertainty, let’s have a look at some of the events and get togethers we have managed to have during the last quarter of 2021.

October 6: Board Meeting at Siena

We had 11 in attendance, which isn’t bad. Again, it indicates that that there is still interest. The new for 2022 Board was discussed, along with potential drives and activities for the cool winter months. Special attention was given to the Concours coming up in late October. Remember, all members are invited to attend Board Meetings, so come check one out sometime.

October 28: Social at Table 34

Our members turned out in force for dinner and conversation at this southeast hot spot. Maybe that it is because they treat us so well. Or, maybe it was because it was such a beautiful evening for outdoor dining in Table 34’s sheltered patio. In any case, it was a fun evening among friends, with some Ferrari conversation thrown in, and what more can you ask for than that?

November 7: Drive to Callville Bay

Our first driving event in quite a while proved to be a success, with a half-dozen participating cars. Once out on the road most everything was optimal: not too much traffic, warm but not hot, breezy but not windy. The cars were running pretty good as well; they seemed hungry for the fast sweeping turns they were presented. And, after nearly a year of limited access, even the finest roads in the area seemed ready for some action. Only the alarmingly low level of Lake Mead spoiled the vibe. Speaking of hungry, we stopped at the now also re-opened restaurant at the yacht marina for some brunch and conversation, and then it was time to turn around and cruise that fabulous road back to home. I’d have to say the day was a success, especially considering how long it has been since our last visit to this spot.

December 4: Christmas Party

It was less than a crowd, more like a merry lot, of Ferrari faithful (including some recent new members) that invaded Limoncello for our annual holiday feast and festivities. The restaurant was decked out, and by 8pm or so it was full of revelers, all prepared to wish 2021 good riddance and to welcome 2022 with hope for better times ahead. The food was great and the beverages tasty, but the service really stood out – we were very well looked after. If you missed it, then you missed a nice evening with your friends. In any case, onward to the New Year! Please join us!

FORMULA 1 NEWS

Formula 1 Summary – as of October 1

The third quarter of 2021 saw some wonderful and exciting racing. We hope you were able to enjoy some of it. So, let’s have a status report as to the point situations with 15 races in the books. Again, it is close. Hamilton and Verstappen are separated by only 2 points. You cannot ask for a more competitive season.

Drivers:

Hamilton 246.5
Verstappen 244.5
Bottas 151
Norris 139
Perez 120
Sainz 112.5
Leclerc 104
Ricciardo 95

Constructors:

Mercedes 397.5
Red Bull 364.5
McLaren 234
Ferrari 216.5

Moreover, it looks as if a real battle between Ferrari and McLaren is brewing for third in the constructors’ face-off.

So, let’s hope that the excitement continues.

October 10: GP of Turkey

This little used track is 3.3 miles long and contains 14 turns. It features big elevation changes and several good spots for overtaking; the drivers like it. 58 laps were scheduled. High winds and possible rain were predicted for the weekend.

Hamilton (10 spots), Sainz and Ricciardo (both to the rear of the field) took penalties for exceeding the maximum number of new engines permitted.

Practice: Not much happened during P1 or P2, as the teams were working hard to obtain data on the relatively unknown track. The big surprise was that lap times were about 6 seconds faster than they had been the last time F1 was here. This was attributed to much high grip resulting from the freshly scrubbed track surface. Saturday morning saw rain and wet conditions for P3. In response, the drivers proceeded on full, and then intermediate wet tires; they found surprisingly good grip (and lap times) while doing so. The Ferraris looked strong, but it was Pierre Gasly in the Alpha-Tauri that claimed fast lap of P3.

Qualifying: the rain abated on Saturday afternoon, but the track was still quite wet, making for challenging conditions. Despite the conditions, everyone tried to set good times on the soft (slick) tires, resulting in a lot of spinning and sliding. However, as the track dried, conditions improved and lap times fell. By Q3, things, and the starting grid, were essentially back to normal: Hamilton (who would start 11th due to his penalty), Bottas, Verstappen, Leclerc, Gasly, and Alonso.

Race: Sunday was cool, cloudy, and wet. Enough so that everyone opted to start the race on intermediate wet tires. Despite some wheel spin, the leaders got off clean. There was some sliding, bumping, and passing in the field, but in general it was an uneventful start. At lap 5 the running order was Bottas, Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez, Gasly, Norris, and Stroll.

As the track dried, the intermediate tires were getting too hot; lap speeds were then limited in order to control tire temperatures. Despite that, Hamilton harassed Tsunoda for several laps, and then finally overtook the Alpha-Tauri. Meanwhile, Sainz, who had started from the very rear, was passing backmarkers left, right, and center. He was up to 11th place by lap 8. As for the three leaders, they were cruising along, saving their tires. Everyone wanted to pit, but it was still too wet for slicks, and lap times were still surprisingly good. So they continued on the wet weather intermediate tires despite the drying conditions. Soon, the tread of these tires was pretty much gone, and they became pseudo-slicks. And lap times dropped even further! A huge surprise. Moreover, the lap times of the few drivers who did stop for slicks, or fresh intermediate wets, were slower rather than faster than they had been. Meanwhile, there was plenty of action in the mid-field as the laps rolled by. Some of the highlights:

Lap 14: Sainz catches and passes Vettel. Hamilton passes Gasly.
Lap 18: Sainz passes Tsunoda.
Lap 22 – 32: A few stop for new tires and are rewarded with slower lap times.
Lap 33: Hamilton catches Perez. A multi-lap, wheel-to-wheel battle ensues.
Lap 36: Hamilton has to abandon trying to pass Perez – tire temps too high.

The crucial moment of decision happened on lap 37. With everyone on rain tires (designed for a maximum of 20 – 25 laps) that were now essentially dead, it seemed that there was no choice other than to stop, either for fresh intermediates or slicks. And many (including Verstappen, Norris, Perez, Sainz, Vettel, and Gasly) did just that. When they returned to the fray they were rewarded with a faster car for about 5 laps, but then with a slower one for the next 15 or so laps, than the cars (including Hamilton, Ocon, and Leclerc) still running their ancient rubber. The question now was – would those grizzled tires last another 20 laps, to the end of the race? The situation was so unclear that Hamilton, when told to pit, refused to do so. At lap 40 the running order was Leclerc (Ferrari!), Bottas, Verstappen, Hamilton, and Gasly.

As the 20 or so remaining laps ticked off, the front runners on newer tires were slowly reeling in Leclerc, but none had the speed to pass the Ferrari. But, then, on lap 47, Leclerc’s engineer blinked and called the Ferrari in for new rubber. Hamilton also blinked (lap 55) and stopped, rejoining in 5th place. But he could never catch, much less pass, those ahead of him who had stopped 20 laps earlier. The final finishing order was Bottas, Verstappen, Leclerc, Hamilton, Gasly, Norris, and Sainz.

This was a tense, exciting race. It was stressful for the engineers in the pits (should we stop for tires or not?) and the drivers (when are these worn out intermediates going to explode?). Hamilton was incensed at the finish, but his anger was misdirected. He was the one who decided not to stop at about lap 37, which, in the end, proved to be the best strategy.

October 24: GP of the USA at Circuit of the Americas (Texas) (17)

This 3.4 mile, 20 turn track is a favorite of the drivers as it offers several spots where passing is possible. It features massive elevation changes, but is also very bumpy in several spots. The surface is abrasive, hinting at short tire life. Top speeds are 200 mph+, and average lap speeds are about 130 mph. The weather report predicted extreme heat, reinforcing the consensus belief that tire lives would be short, making two stops necessary.

As is becoming the norm, many drivers (including Bottas (again), Alonzo, Vettel, and Russell) were taking on new power units, and suffering the attendant grid penalties. These engine reliability issues were centered in Mercedes powered cars, hinting of potential long term problems with German engines.

Practice: As predicted it was hot. The Ferraris looked good in Practice, but, as usual, the Mercedes and Red Bulls looked even better. Everyone was using the Practice sessions to determine how long the various tire compounds would last during the race, and then developing strategies for timing their stops. It seemed obvious that the soft tires would be useless, so most of the fast guys at the front were planning to start on medium tires and to stop twice. Only those starting at the rear (mostly due to penalties) chose hard tires to begin the race.

Qualifying: Big Surprise: Leclerc was fastest in Q1. Another One: Due to some Ferrari SNAFU, Sainz was forced to start on the soft tires. When the surprises were in the past, the grid was as follows: Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Bottas (penalized to 9th), Leclerc, Sainz (soft tires), Ricciardo, and Norris.

Race: Two things were clearly obvious: the crowd was huge (estimated 140K) and it was HOT. You could see the engineers recalculating their strategies to account for the heat.

Verstappen made a decent start, but Hamilton made a much better one. As a consequence, despite Verstappen’s daring moves to prevent it, Hamilton took the lead. Meanwhile, just behind them the Ferraris and McLarens were having a four car battle for places 4 – 7. After an exciting 3 laps the running order, much to Verstappen’s chagrin, was Hamilton, Verstappen, Perez, Leclerc, Ricciardo, Sainz, and Norris. Everyone expected early pit stops, but no one (other than those pesky engineers) foresaw that they would begin on lap 11 (of 56), or that Verstappen would initiate them. Yet, by lap 14 virtually every car had made its first stop, and had switched to hard tires.

Laps 20-30 saw many good battles in the mid-field, most notably between Bottas and Tsunoda; Raikkonen, Stroll, Giovinazzi, and Alonso; and Vettel and Russell. Meanwhile the leaders were circulating, trying to go as fast as possible without degrading their tires. Surprisingly, on lap 30, Verstappen also initiated the second round of pit stops; he opted for another set of hard tires. Hamilton delayed his second stop to lap 37, also choosing to continue on hard tires. He rejoined in second place, 8+ seconds behind the Red Bull. At lap 40 the running order was Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Leclerc, Ricciardo, Sainz, Bottas, and Norris.

At this point, the game was on. With about 20 laps to go, Hamilton, on newer tires, had to catch and pass (the hard part) Verstappen to win the race. As the final laps rolled by, Hamilton slowly reeled in the leading Red Bull, sometimes gaining as much as a second per lap, but then also losing time while passing backmarkers. By lap 50 Hamilton was about a second or so behind the Red Bull, but it seemed he could not get any closer. He never got the DRS advantage and was forced to simply drive in Verstappen’s wake to the end of the race (lap 56). The final finishing order was Verstappen, Hamilton (a second behind the winner), Perez, Leclerc, Ricciardo, Bottas, Sainz, and Norris.

This was a fabulous, nail biter of a race. Both Verstappen and Hamilton developed winning strategies, but Verstappen’s proved to be just that tiny bit better. The next race will be in Mexico, at high elevation. Both the drivers’ and the constructors’ championships hang in the balance. What more can you ask for? I hope you’ll be watching!

November 7: GP of Mexico (City) (18)

This 2.7 mile track features 17 corners and one long-long straight, where terminal velocity reaches 220 mph. It was warm and sunny all weekend, and the only flies in the ointment seemed to be the extreme dustiness (from lack of use) of the track and the high altitude, which combined to reduce grip and downforce.

As is becoming the norm, a bevy of drivers changed power unit components, and were duly penalized for doing so. When the penalty orgy was over, Stroll, Tsunoda, Norris, Russell, and Ocon had all been penalized to one degree (5 grid spots) to another (10 spots). The only consolation was that none of the front runners were included, most importantly local hero Sergio Perez in the Red Bull.

Practice: The low grip mentioned previously caused precarious conditions and many drivers found themselves spinning and sometimes coming into contact with the barriers. None of these realities did much to change the pecking order: the Mercedes and Red Bulls were at the top of the charts, with the Ferraris and the McLarens close at hand. The data gathered by the teams indicated relatively high tire degradation and the likely hood that two stops would be necessary to complete the 71 lap race.

Qualifying: Red Bull was having a last minute, high-velocity structural problem with its rear wings. They were apparently designed to withstand the 200 mph race speeds, but not the 220+ of Qualifying. That is how close the tolerances are in F1 – amazing. A little tape and some epoxy seemed to alleviate the problems, and the show continued. When the dust (literally) had settled, the starting order was determined as follows: Bottas, Hamilton, Verstappen, Perez, Gasly (this guy driving the Alpha-Tauri has become a common sight at the front of the grid), Sainz, Ricciardo, and Leclerc. Virtually the entire field chose to start on the medium tires.

Race: The two Mercedes moved off from the starting line well and approached turn one side-by-side, with Verstappen close on their tails. But the Germans were creating a giant slip stream for the Red Bull; Verstappen was gaining ground. With a bold move, when the Mercedes began to brake for the corner, Verstappen pulled out of their slip stream and passed them both on the outside of the turn! A truly audacious move and he made it stick. Meanwhile, myriad skirmishes were being fought throughout the field, the most significant dropping Bottas from the leaders to the back of the pack. The various bits of carbon fiber carnage brought out the safety car, which departed the track on lap 4 with the running order of Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Gasly, Leclerc, Giovinazzi, and Sainz. This was not Mercedes’ finest hour.

From this point forward, the race featured many long battles in the mid-field. Cars were quite evenly matched, and no one wanted to concede a single place as passing was not easy. For example, Bottas and Ricciardo settled into an epic battle that lasted for the better part of 30 laps. Bottas was faster, but could not get past the McLaren. Meanwhile, Hamilton was working hard to stay ahead of Perez, who was glued to the rear wing of the 7 time world champion, much to the delight of the thousands of fans cheering his nickname – Checo. Vettel spent many laps in close pursuit of Giovinazzi; he finally forced his way past around lap 30, when the running order was Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Gasly, Leclerc, and Sainz.

Lap 30 also saw the first of the pit stops. Hamilton was, surprisingly, the first to stop, but Leclerc, Gasly, and Verstappen quickly followed his lead. Meanwhile, Perez, and Sainz delayed their stops to laps 41 and 43, respectively. On lap 45, with all of the leaders on fresh rubber, the running order was Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Gasly, Leclerc, and Sainz. Moreover, much to the delight of the fans, Perez was slowly catching Hamilton, who was dropping back from Verstappen. A bit farther back in the field, Vettel, Raikkonen, Alonso, and Norris staged a spirited fight for seventh, while Sainz passed Leclerc and began challenging Gasly for fourth. This was all close quarters racing, wheel-to-wheel, and lap-after-lap. The very best Formula 1 can offer.

With 11 laps to go, Perez made his final assault on Hamilton for second place, but it was not to be. The Brit is very experienced and very difficult to pass; he managed to hold his position. The same fate was experienced by both Sainz and Leclerc, who caught Gasly but could not pass him. The final results: Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Gasly, Leclerc, Sainz, Vetter, and Raikkonen. A massive celebration in the pit area ensued to celebrate Red Bull and Perez. Fiesta Time!

November 14: GP of Sao Paolo/Brazil (19)

The Interlagos track near Sao Paolo is often used for big time racing, which Brazilians certainly love; their national hero is, after all, Ayton Senna. The 2.7 mile track incorporates 15 turns and is fast, with speeds up to 220 mph. Initially, the drivers found the track damp and dusty, giving minimal grip. But, as the cars circulated and the sun came out, conditions improved. 71 laps were scheduled. Some pundits were predicting two stops; others insisted that one stop would be faster.

Hamilton took a new engine, and was penalized 5 grid spots for doing so. With both championships so close, such issues become increasingly significant. The point situations are straightforward: Verstappen leads Hamilton by 19 points in the drivers’ championship, while Mercedes is 1 point ahead of Red Bull in the constructors’ race. That is close. This was another Sprint Qualifying weekend, which had the possibility for further shaking up of the situation.

Practice/Qualifying/Sprint Race: Friday morning Practice was relatively uneventful, only the very competitive times set by the Ferraris were of note. Friday afternoon Sprint Qualifying also provided few surprises. The grid for the 24 lap Sprint was as follows: Hamilton, Verstappen, Bottas, and Perez. The Ferraris were sixth and seventh.

Then the merde hit the fan. Hamilton’s rear wing diffuser was found to be opening too far, not by much, but enough to give him a perceived top speed advantage. Verstappen was the first to notice something was amiss when he ‘had a look’ at the Mercedes after Friday Qualifying. This led to an investigation and ultimately a penalty to the rear of the field for the Sprint race for Hamilton, and a 50,000 euro fine to Verstappen for touching the Mercedes in parc ferme conditions. Hamilton was also forced to use an older, spare rear wing from that time forward while his new wing was under examination. Would the championship be won or lost because of such a technicality?

Bottas and Sainz, along with several others, chose to run the Sprint on soft tires; most opted for the mediums. They proved to be prescient. With more grip, they motored by Verstappen to take the lead. At lap 3 the running order was Bottas, Sainz, Verstappen, Perez, Leclerc, Norris, and Gasly. Hamilton was up to 14th. A few laps later, Verstappen reestablished some order and passed Sainz for second place, but he was never able to wrest the lead from Bottas. The Ferrari, however, remained competitive. Sainz was still in third spot after 10 laps. At about lap 20, those who had started on the soft tires began to see their lap times increase. However, they were bailed out by increasing clouds which dropped the temperature and provided just enough additional life to the soft rubber for them to make it to the end. The result of the Sprint: Bottas, Verstappen, Sainz, Perez, Hamilton, Norris, Leclerc, and Gasly. Hamilton would start 10th after the original penalty for changing his engine was assessed.

Race: Temperatures were MUCH hotter on Sunday than the previous two days. The Sprint format allows the drivers to start on any of the three compound tires they choose; virtually everyone chose the mediums. Bottas made a poor start and was immediately passed by Verstappen, and then by Perez. There was much jostling for position, both at the front and in the field, with some incisive passes and a few touches, leaving carbon fiber in their wakes. This brought out the safety car to allow cleaning of the track. When racing resumed on lap 9, the running order was Verstappen, Perez, Bottas, Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton (moving quickly toward the front), and Vettel.

Hamilton made short work of the two Ferraris, and Bottas simply waved his teammate by. Then the Brit mounted a siege on Perez in second place. A grinding battle of passes and re-passes ensued between the two, but Hamilton finally prevailed, on lap 19. He then set his eye on Verstappen and the leading Red Bull, 4 seconds up the road. While the action was intense at the front, good racing was transpiring throughout the field as well, where exceptional passes were pulled off by Vettel over Ricciardo and Stroll over Alonso.

Considering the on-track action and the heat, it was no surprise that the drivers were noting that their medium tires were nearing the end of their useful lives. Gasly was the first to pit for new rubber (lap 25); he was followed closely by Hamilton, Bottas, Sainz, and Leclerc. In an interesting twist, the two Mercedes chose hard tires, while the two Ferraris chose to mount a second set of mediums, meaning that they would have to stop one more time. How these differing strategies would play out through the end of the 71 lap race remained to be seen.

Verstappen extended his first stint to lap 41, when he stopped for hard tires. During the following 10 laps or so, Bottas, Perez, and Hamilton did the same. When things settled down, Hamilton was clearly quickest on the hard rubber, and by lap 47 he was on Verstappen’s tail. Passing the Red Bull proved to be difficult, however. Hamilton made many feints and lunges, hoping to force Verstappen into an error, but none was forthcoming. They both took unexpected excursions off track, but the running order remained unchanged. Verstappen continued to hold the lead. Finally, on lap 59, the Mercedes passed the Red Bull and then uneventfully motored to victory. The final order was Hamilton, Verstappen, Bottas, Perez, Leclerc, Sainz, Gasly, and Ocon. ,

This was another great race. With Hamilton’s victory, the point races draw closer. This is the home stretch; the finish line is in sight. We hope you see the last push to season’s end. What a Holiday Season it shall be.

November 21: GP of Qatar (20)

This was the first ever F1 race to be contested in Qatar, so little information regarding the idiosyncrasies of the track were known, only the statistics: 3.4 miles, 16 corners, and 57 laps. Oh, and the race would be run at night. The controversy surrounding Hamilton’s rear wing had not been resolved, so a big question mark hovered over the proceedings.

Practice: P1, held on late afternoon Friday, was spent on learning the track and its quirks. P2, held on Friday night, was more of the same. Bottas was quickest in that session, which was no surprise. The competitive times set by Tsunoda in the Alpha Tauri were the only real surprise.

Qualifying: The Ferrari’s seemed to be slowing down during Qualifying rather than speeding up. In an effort to proceed to Q3, Leclerc used soft tires in Q2; he still failed to progress into the final round. In the end, two things stood out. The first was Hamilton’s utter domination of Qualifying and the second was more penalties – to Bottas and Verstappen, both for ignoring yellow flags. The resulting, rather odd, grid was as follows: Hamilton, Gasly, Alonso, Norris, Sainz, Bottas, Verstappen, and Tsunoda.

Race: Held at night in the desert under high power lighting, the race seemed surreal. Nevertheless, the racing was quite real, and ultra-intense. At the start, Alonso immediately passed Gasly. Verstappen, also on a tear, passed three cars in the first lap. Meanwhile, Bottas made a terrible stop and fell five spots. By lap 5 things had settled down a bit, and the running order was Hamilton, Alonso, Verstappen, Gasly, and Norris. Sainz was seventh, the highest placed Ferrari.

The early laps saw some spirited battles waged in the mid-field, most notably between Perez and Sainz, Leclerc and Raikkonen, Ricciardo and Giovinazzi, Perez and Ocon, and Stroll-Tsunoda-Bottas-Norris-Gasly. Perez, in particular, was moving up fast, while Bottas seemed mired in quicksand. Meanwhile, at the front, Hamilton was setting a fast pace and pulling away from Verstappen in second place. Gasly (who started on soft tires) was the first of the leaders to stop for new rubber (lap 14), and by lap 20 most of the other leaders had done the same. Virtually everyone switched to the hard tires, hoping they would last until the end. Meanwhile, Perez forced his way past both Leclerc and Alonso.

Around lap 40, though, the hard tires began to fade and the race pace slowed appreciably. To cap off a terrible day, Bottas suffered a puncture on lap 34, and was never a factor after that. Several of the leaders made second stops, but the field was so spread out that it often made little difference. When the checkered flag waved at the end of lap 51 the finishing order was Hamilton, Verstappen, Alonso, Perez, Ocon, Stroll, Sainz, and Leclerc. With third and fifth place finishes, the Alpines were clearly the toast, and the surprise, of the day. Meanwhile, the championship races tightened up; two races to go.

December 5: GP of Saudi Arabia (21)
This would be the first F1 race ever run in this oil rich principality, which is surprising considering the symbiotic relationship between oil, money, and fast cars. Anyway, given the desert heat, the race would be run at night on the beautiful, fast, but very daunting street circuit measuring 3.8 miles and encompassing 27 turns. Why daunting you might ask? Well, 27 turns, plus barriers only inches from the cars travelling at an average lap speed of 160 mph call for a lot of courage, not to mention skill…and at least a little faith. One definite result of the circuit layout was that cleaning debris or removing crashed cars would be very difficult. 50 laps were scheduled.

With 21 races in the books, the point situation heading into the penultimate battle is amazingly close, with Verstappen holding a slim 8 point lead in the drivers’ championship, and Mercedes holding an even slimmer 5 point lead in the constructors’. It was put up or shut up time.

Practice: The Practice sessions were devoted mainly to learning the track and gaining confidence in edging up to the barriers as lap times tumbled. P1 was, surprisingly, run without incident, but Leclerc made a slight error at the end of P2 and hit a wall at high speed. His Ferrari was crushed, with bits and parts strewn everywhere. Was this an omen of things to come, or merely a warning to slow down?

Qualifying: As the late afternoon/early evening temperature dropped, speeds went up. It was simply breathtaking to watch these drivers circulating at nearly 200 mph just inches away from the barriers. All of the fast guys ran Q2 on the medium tires, so they would also start on them. The Ferraris looked good until Sainz scraped a wall in Q2 and had to settle for 15th on the grid. At the last moment of Q3, Verstappen also rubbed a wall the wrong way, thereby losing his last and best time, and likely pole. The resulting grid order looked like this: Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez, and Gasly.

Race: Every rare and strange thing possible occurred during this race…each two or more times! There were what seemed to be a hundred passes, three additional standing starts, an additional rolling start, numerous encounters with the barriers, numerous encounters between cars, multiple safety car periods/red flag periods/virtual safety car periods, etc. Given all the action, we’ll just look at the really strange things that went down.

Oddly, after this build up in excitement, the start was the calm before the storm. Pretty much everyone maintained position and decorum, and the calm continued for about 10 laps, with Sainz the only driver making waves by moving up 5 places in the early action. Then on lap 10, Schumacher hit a wall, bringing out the Safety Car so the debris could be swept up. Some of the leaders pitted for new tires, many did not. Three laps later, repairing the Schumacher damaged barrier triggered a red flag, and pit stops by most that had not stopped just a few laps earlier. Verstappen definitely was the beneficiary of this chaos; he assumed the lead. However, he lost his advantage quickly when Hamilton jumped him on the standing restart. After another accident and similar messy cleanup period and another standing restart, the leaders were Ocon (Alpine), Hamilton, and Verstappen. By lap 18 however, Verstappen had passed Hamilton and Ocon to regain the lead. At lap 20, with a long way to go, the running order was Verstappen, Hamilton, Ocon, Ricciardo, Bottas, and Gasly. The Ferraris were down in 10th and 11th.

In the laps that followed, virtually every scrape with the walls or between cars elicited a safety car, virtual safety car, or red flag. Meanwhile, by lap 30, at the front of the pack the situation was getting tense. Hamilton was closing up on Verstappen, and indicating he was going to pass come hell or high water. These two waged a spirited, and perhaps beyond the rules, battle for several laps that included jostling and running beyond track limits. Finally, Hamilton made a pass, forcing Verstappen to go off track. However, when Verstappen managed to cut the corner and return to the fray in first place, the stewards instructed him to give the place to Hamilton. Unfortunately, Hamilton, following the slowing Red Bull, was not informed and knew nothing of this. Instead of just moving past Verstappen, Hamilton, perhaps anticipating some sort of chicanery from Verstappen, approached the rear of the Red Bull, expecting some blocking maneuver. But Verstappen continued to slow, leading to Hamilton to drive straight into the rear of his car. Surprisingly, neither car suffered much damage, and both were able to continue to the end. The final finishing order was Hamilton, Verstappen, Bottas, Ocon, Ricciardo, Gasly, Leclerc, and Sainz.

Well, certainly everyone got their money’s worth. This race was one for the ages. And, when all the dust settled and all the debris had been removed, we found ourselves with a dead heat between Hamilton and Verstappen in the drivers’ championship. The next race will determine who wins, and who loses…probably.

December 12: GP of Abu Dhabi (22)

This was truly a season for the ages. It was the longest by any reasonable measure, both in duration (March into December) and number of races (22). And after all that we come to the end with the top two drivers tied in the point battle. As the proverb says, “up and down the pit lane you could cut the tension with a knife…even a dull one.” May the best man, and machine, win.

The circus returned to a significantly modified, and hopefully improved, track in Abu Dhabi, one of the Arab Emirates. The revised Yas Marina circuit is 3.3 miles long and incorporates 16 turns. The plan called for 58 laps. It is faster than the previous layout, but not by much. As is becoming common and popular in this part of the world, the race was run at night.

Practice: The Practice sessions were relatively uneventful. Most of the time and effort was directed to leaning and analyzing the revised circuit. The Mercedes seemed to be a bit faster than the Red Bulls, but they were close. The very impressive lap times posted by Yuki Tsunoda in the Alpha Tauri were surprising. At this point the massive improvement in the fortunes of Yuki Tsunoda must be lauded. He started out as the driver demanded by Honda in exchange for them to continue to supply engines to Red Bull and Alpha Tauri. And he drove that way. He was fast, but erratic and prone to finding barriers all the others managed to avoid. At mid-season, he had improved little, and the jibes and jokes were heard up and down pit lane. But, as the season draws to a close, Tsunoda seems to have found his bearings, and he seems to have found the balance between being competitive and being dangerous. Hats off to the young man, his future is looking up.

Qualifying: The two protagonists in our story (Verstappen and Hamilton), plus Bottas lurking in the wings, ran Q2 on the medium tires, meaning that their strategy called for only one tire change, from medium to hard. Most of the other fast guys opted to start on the soft tires, meaning they would likely need two stops. Many of the experts believed that Hamilton had specifically chosen to use the same tires as Verstappen to reduce one variable in their showdown. At the very end of Q2, though, when it was too late for Hamilton to change his tire choice, Verstappen ‘managed’ to flat spot his last new set of mediums. Since he did not want to start the race on these compromised tires, he mounted a set of new soft tires and set his fastest Q2 time on them. He would thereby be forced to start on them. Or, perhaps forced is not accurate, was this his plan all along? In any case, this separated the strategies of the top two drivers: Verstappen would have the advantage of more grip at the start and for the first 10 or so laps, but Hamilton’s advantage meant his tires should last many more laps. Which strategy would prevail? In another strategic ploy, Verstappen utilized the tow of his Red Bull teammate to set fastest time and claim pole. The starting order: Verstappen (s), Hamilton (m), Norris (s), Perez (s), Sainz (s), Bottas (m), Leclerc (s), and Tsunoda (s).

Race: Verstappen made a terrible start. Despite being 25 feet to the good in grid position and being on the soft tires, Verstappen bogged down and was immediately passed by Hamilton. His soft tire advantage was dust in the wind. Now desperate to do something, Verstappen made a bold move to repass Hamilton a few corners later. Hamilton was forced off track, while Verstappen succeeded in making the corner and continuing on track. Hamilton rejoined after short cutting the corner, still in first place. At this point, everyone believed that Hamilton would be directed to give the position to Verstappen, but the Stewards decided otherwise. Hamilton was permitted to maintain the lead, and the race win looked to be well within his grasp. As might be expected, not all the action was at the front; by lap 10 the two Ferraris were 4th and 6th.

With his soft tires fading, Verstappen was the first to stop (lap 14); looking to mimic the Dane’s moves, Hamilton, perhaps surprisingly, did the same on lap 15. Both switched to the hards, hoping they would make it to the end. Then something that seemed of little importance happened. But this year, nothing is of little importance. After his stop, Hamilton had to work his way back up the field, and in doing so he caught Perez (who had not yet stopped) on lap 19. Hamilton hoped to move past with little opposition from the Mexican on his aging soft tires, but he was wrong. Perez staged an epic 2 lap defense of his position, allowing Verstappen to significantly reduce his deficit to the Mercedes. In contrast, when Hamilton caught Bottas several laps later the Finn waved him bye. In all fairness, Bottas provided little resistance to Verstappen several laps later. At lap 30, the running order was Hamilton, Verstappen, Bottas, Perez, Alonso, and Gasly.

At lap 36, an accident and its debris initiated a Virtual Safety Car period during which Verstappen and Perez stopped for new hard tires. Hamilton, on the other hand, continued without stopping, despite that fact that his hard tires had already done 23 laps. Now it seemed that the question was whether Verstappen, on his new tires, could catch Hamilton, on his old ones within the remaining 22 laps. The gap was 18 seconds. As the laps ticked off, Verstappen incrementally reduced the gap to Hamilton, but not to the degree that would be required. He was still about 7 seconds behind when, on lap 53 (just 5 laps from the end), Latifi went off track, eliciting the Safety Car so that the hazard could be removed. When the field slowed and bunched up behind the Safety Car, Verstappen went to the pits for a third time and mounted a new set of soft rubber. Hamilton chose not to pit, but rather to maintain his advantageous track position. Verstappen returned behind Hamilton, but also behind the bunched up lapped traffic behind the leader. As the few remaining laps ticked off while the field was behind the Safety Car, the marshals moved quickly to remove the damaged car, but it seemed that the race would end without another racing lap, which would give the win and the championship to Hamilton. But, on the penultimate lap, the lapped traffic was allowed to pass the leader and the Safety Car, leaving Verstappen immediately behind the leader. Then the green flag was waved. At this point, on his old rubber, Hamilton was a sitting duck and Verstappen easily passed him. A moment later the race was over, Verstappen had won, and he was also Champion of the World!

The finishing order, which seemed of little importance at this time, was Verstappen, Hamilton, Sainz, Tsunoda, Gasly, and Bottas. Leclerc was tenth.

Overview – 2021 Season
This was without doubt one of the best/most exciting/closest Formula 1 seasons of all time. Virtually every race was contested, most were highly contested. And the best action was right at the front, where seemingly equal drivers (Max Verstappen and Louis Hamilton) duked it out in seemingly equal cars (Red Bull and Mercedes) lap-after-lap and race-after-race to a last lap, last race finale that bent the time-space continuum. There was also plenty of controversy (including on the last few laps of the final race), but that just served to spice things up.

Let’s have a look at the final standings of the top drivers and teams.

Final Drivers’ Standings

Verstappen – Red Bull
Hamilton – Mercedes-Benz
Bottas – Mercedes-Benz
Perez – Red Bull
Sainz – Ferrari
Norris – McLaren
Leclerc – Ferrari

Final Constructors’ Standings

Mercedes-Benz
Red Bull
Ferrari
McLaren

This has to be regarded as a major come back year for our red chargers. After a dismal 2020, Ferrari was once again in contention for podiums and even victories in 2021. In other words, things returned to normal.

Outlook – 2022 Season

A completely new set of regulations pertaining to the cars will come into effect for 2022. It will be, essentially, starting from scratch, designing from a clean sheet. This means that any team could possibly come up with the better mouse trap, and turn the power pyramid on its ear. But, don’t count on it. The best, most highly funded teams generally seem to come up with the best solutions, and the fastest cars at the first race of the new season. Nevertheless, there are always some surprises, so be watching for a new season to begin in March 2022. Meanwhile, Forza Ferrari.