DESERT REGION – LAS VEGAS CHAPTER
3rd Quarter 2021
Written by John Ratto
Edited by Chuck Damus
Dateline: Early July 2021
Was it really three months ago? In some ways, it seems like yesterday. I remember it was hot out there…really HOT. It seems that virtually every day broke, or threatened, an existing record. The oddity of the situation was that this heat wave engulfed the entire west coast. It was flaming in Portland and Seattle…Idaho and Montana…places normally not associated with extreme heat. Meanwhile, the level of Lake Mead was dropping by the day. Our dependence on the Lake and Dam is primal. The Lake supplies the water we drink and use for irrigation…and to wash our precious Ferraris. Moreover, we need the water level to maintain some reasonable minimum so that the Dam can produce power for our neon lights and one-armed bandits. I generally believe engineers can and will solve any problem that arises. However, creating massive amounts of water (or moving it from another locale) is a tough ask. Meanwhile, our elected officials act as if there is no problem, or potential problem, at all. They are doubling down…issuing more building permits. Maybe they know something we don’t. Let’s hope so. We were hoping for a plentiful monsoon season…but it was less than average.
More bad news lurked in the form of the Covid virus. Despite the vaccines, people were and still are catching the disease, and suffering for it. The Delta variant was worst, and truly nasty cases seemed to be reserved for those who had not been vaccinated. The latest surge began in May, and it has become more serious as the summer has worn on. We are now wearing masks indoors in public places again. Keep your guard up; the virus has not yet been defeated.
Despite all of that negative stuff, we managed to have some fun in the second quarter of 2021. So, let’s move on to some good news. These are the events of the quarter, which are already fading into the past.
August 19: Social at Limoncello
Despite our general reluctance to have socials during the summer months, the Board decided to organize one for mid-August. I think we needed something positive to counterbalance all the negative news (retreat from Afghanistan, reemergence of the virus, immigration problems at the southern border …) on
TV. Several factors (the proximity to Car Week in Monterey on the calendar, illnesses, members on vacation) conspired to reduce our turnout, but it was still a happy group that invaded this popular Italian restaurant. The good news: everyone seemed to love the place. Dan and Jan Fogle then announced some double-good news. They are now proud great-grandparents! Moreover, their simply scrumptious 599 GTB Fiorano nabbed a Platinum award at Concorso Italiano, in Monterey the previous weekend. Let me tell you, from, unfortunately, long prior experience, those platinum trophies are hard to get. What makes the story even better is that they drove the car to Monterey (500+ miles) immediately before showing it on the green. A BIG congratulations!
September 23: Social at the Italian-American Club
This event drew a nice turnout of 16-18 members and guests, all of whom seemed to have enjoyed their dinners and have had a fabulous time. We all tip our hats to Bianca for orchestrating another successful get-together. Of great interest to me, and likely to many others as well, was the attendance by Stuart Sobek, the driving force behind the Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance. This show was first held in 2019, and then cancelled for 2020 due to the pandemic. Cancellation of its second iteration must have been a tremendous blow to its continuity and momentum, but it is good to see it alive and kicking for 2021 (October 21 – 24 at the Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin). Stuart is aiming for the stars, and he seems to be succeeding, so we suggest that you attend. Please see lasvegasconcours.com for additional information.
Dateline: Late September 2021
Another quarter bites the dust. But it was certainly an eventful one. Looking back, a few high (low?) lights stand out. The first, and most dramatic, was the retreat from Afghanistan. A mess of massive proportions. But, on the other hand, it was something that needed to be done sooner or later, but something no one was willing to do. So I give Biden credit for biting the bullet. By Christmas it will all be a bad nightmare, and things will improve because of the termination of our active involvement in the quagmire.
The return of the virus was another kick in the gut. It seems odd that people in other parts of the world are begging to be vaccinated, while people here in America reject vaccination, even when it is free (or even rewarded). Then there was the deplorable situation at the border. This one is especially troubling because it calls into question the overall viability of our country. There must be an immigration plan and it must be enforced. Our future depends on it.
Despite all he doom and gloom, we have survived another quarter (and one of the hottest summers in LV history) relatively unscathed. Problems continue to hamper enjoyment of the present, but nothing seems insurmountable. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is ‘enjoy life while you can.’ In the meantime, be sure to visit our website (ferrariclubvegas.com) periodically to find the latest news and information on upcoming events, such as these.
October 28: Social at Table 34
November 18: Social at Nora’s
Christmas Party: Early December at Limoncello
FORMULA 1 NEWS
The Formula One Score Board – through 8 races
So, what does the scoreboard look like after 8 races? It looks close. REALLY REALLY CLOSE. And that is a very good thing! After years of domination by Mercedes, it appears that 2021 will be a highly competitive season. Significantly, Perez (in the second Red Bull) is ahead of Bottas (in the second Mercedes). This hasn’t happened in years. It hints that at this moment the Red Bull is the slightly superior car. Max Verstappen and Red Bull can win the championships with a slightly superior car. Here are the statistics:
Drivers:
Verstappen 156
Hamilton 138
Perez 96
Norris 86
Bottas 74
Leclerc 58
Sainz 50
Constructors:
Red Bull 252
Mercedes 212
McLaren 120
Ferrari 108
These results further show that Ferrari is back in the game. The red cars are a threat for high grid positions and for scoring significant points. McLaren is now the team to beat for Ferrari…the battle is on for third place. That certainly makes things more interesting than they were last year.
July 4: GP of Austria (Race 9)
In an effort to reduce travel in these difficult times, two successive races, one week apart, were run at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. This was the second of those races. To recap, the circuit is 2.7 miles in length, features massive elevation changes, and very high top and average speeds. 71 laps were scheduled. Tire degradation is low. Also of note: there were fans, massive numbers of them, in the grandstands. Where were they last weekend? Slowly but surely, and with a few bumpy patches, things are getting back to normal.
Practice: Friday was a pleasant day, but rain was in the forecast for both Saturday and Sunday. Given that the same track had been used a week earlier, everything was familiar to the drivers, and their data gathering proceeded swiftly. As a consequence, little of note transpired in the three Practice sessions, except for the teams testing prototype tires for next year. Oh, and there was some news: Hamilton signed on for two more years with Mercedes-Benz.
Qualifying: It was very hot Saturday afternoon, and the soft tires were degrading fast. Given the situation, everyone at the front attempted to qualify on the medium tires, but only the fastest (the two Red Bulls, two Mercedes, and Norris) succeeded. After a rather stilted qualifying session, the grid order was as follows: Verstappen, Norris, Perez, Hamilton, Bottas, Gasly, Tsunoda (a nice run by the rookie), and Russell (showing that Williams is returning from the hinterlands it has occupied for several years). Both Ferraris started outside the top 10. In a surprise move, Sainz opted for the hard tires to start the race. Most of the others in the field chose the mediums.
Race: Sunday was much cooler with rain in the forecast. This did nothing to dissuade the fans, who were out in full force, with many clad in orange for their favorite – Max Verstappen.
The cars got off to a clean start, with much excitement throughout the mid field. There were numerous battles and position changes among the cars running between 8th and 19th. Lap 4 saw a titanic battle for second between Norris and Perez, a battle in which Norris was the victor. Losing the battle put Perez in a vulnerable position relative to those immediately behind him, who smelled blood. In a flash both Mercedes passed Perez, and then Leclerc had a go as well. Perez managed to fight off the Ferrari, but in the process both cars lost track position to others. In addition, Leclerc was penalized 5 seconds for forcing Perez off track. Soon thereafter, the drivers began heading for the pits, changing from their soft (and medium) tires to the hards, hoping they would make it to the end of the race.
From this point onward, most of the action was in pits, and in the mid-field, where it was hot and heavy. Laps 13 to 50 saw a bevy of pit stops (including – in this order – Vettel, Ricciardo, Norris, Bottas, Hamilton, Verstappen, Perez, Leclerc, and Sainz, who was the last to pit after starting on the hard tires.). These laps also saw many battles in the mid-field, including, notably, Gasly/Stroll, Leclerc/Perez (for a second and then third time), Ricciardo/Vettel, and Hamilton/Norris. During this period, Verstappen was drawing away from the field, while Bottas, in third place, was slowly running down his teammate in second. Also during this time, the stewards were handing out penalties (virtually all 5 second ‘hand slaps’) – and more penalties. Perez got 2, while Leclerc, Norris, Stroll, and Tsunoda got one each.
A few laps later, Bottas caught and passed Hamilton for second place, and an instant later Norris did the same (lap 53). Hamilton responded with a visit to the pits to replace his worn out tires. Meanwhile, in the Ferrari camp Leclerc was moving up. He caught and passed Ricciardo for sixth place on lap 58.
Verstappen, managing an easy lead, made a second ‘better-safe-than-sorry’ pit stop on lap 60 and cruised to victory. However, there was still action to be found in the waning laps. Alonso and Russell staged an all-out war for the last point paying position, with Alonso the winner, and Sainz managed to get by Ricciardo for fifth on the very last lap. When all the penalty time had been meted out, the finishing order was Verstappen, Bottas, Norris, Hamilton, Sainz, Perez, Ricciardo and Leclerc.
July 18: GP of Britain (10)
Silverstone, located on an old WW2 air force base, is long (3.7 miles) and fast (average speed over 150 mph). After the cancellation of last year’s race due to the pandemic, the track was in serious debt and in danger of default. However, in 2021 the British fans turned out in droves (140,000 were estimated for the actual race), creating sufficient income for the track to remain solvent. Fifty-two laps were scheduled.
Practice – Qualifying: The organizers decided to try a new practice/qualifying format. A normal practice session was held Friday morning. A relatively usual qualifying session was then held on Friday afternoon (instead of Saturday). Saturday morning saw another mostly usual practice session, but then the changes began. Saturday afternoon hosted a Sprint race (17 laps), the grid order for which was determined by the results of Friday qualifying. The results of this race would determine the grid for the actual Grand Prix. Moreover, the top three qualifiers would earn points (3 – 2 -1). A bit strange for sure, but an attempt to keep the fans interested during the pre-race days.
Verstappen forced his way past Hamilton at the start of the Sprint, and managed to hold the lead to the end. Numerous other good battles (Norris/Alonso, Ricciardo/Alonso, Sainz/Gasly, Sainz/Raikkonen) were waged in the short 17 laps, and when all was said and done, the grid for the big race was mostly business as usual: Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Leclerc (a nice surprise), Norris, Ricciardo, Alonso, and Vettel (who has seemed to find a home with Aston Martin). Sainz (who dropped to the rear of the field after an opening lap collision in the Sprint) was 10th, while Perez would start at the rear after spinning off track in the Sprint race. This new twist seemed to find favor with the fans, but little purchase with the drivers. More news when it happens.
Race: It was very hot, at least by British standards, which was causing concern regarding tire wear. With the new rules, everyone had a free choice of tires for the start. Everyone except Perez, starting from the rear, opted for mediums. He chose the hards.
Verstappen and Hamilton staged a war from the start, with Hamilton challenging for the lead on several occasions, and Verstappen rebuffing his every move. Things got really tight, then they banged wheels and Verstappen was off into the barriers at 170 mph. Hamilton managed to maintain control of his mount, but not before Leclerc was past him and into the lead. A Ferrari if first place – that hasn’t happened in a while! Meanwhile, the race was red flagged so that Verstappen’s car and debris could be removed. Racing resumed on lap 4 with Verstappen out, Leclerc in the lead, and Hamilton saddled with a 10 second penalty for causing the crash. At this point Hamilton attempted to get by the Ferrari several times, but failed to make a pass. He dropped back to save his tires and contemplate his situation. He was 2 – 3 seconds behind on track, but 12 or 13 seconds behind in reality. Hamilton needed to get by Leclerc to have any chance to win. But, in reality, the Ferrari, surprisingly, was more than a match for the Mercedes at this point in the action. Then, disaster seemingly struck…on lap 15 Leclerc began experiencing electronic engine control problems. Meanwhile, Hamilton was close behind, waiting for his opportunity. It didn’t come. The Ferrari engineers identified the issue and figured out a patch (about lap 20), allowing Leclerc to remain in the lead.
The first pit stops came at lap 19; everyone that stopped changed to the hard tires, except Perez who went from hard to medium rubber. By this time both Ferraris were running in the top 5, and seemingly experiencing little difficulty with their tires. They appeared to be circulating nicely, cruising to an outstanding result. Meanwhile, Bottas and Norris visited the pits on lap 23, Hamilton did the same (and served his 10 second penalty) on lap 28. Leclerc and Sainz were the last of the leaders to pit, on laps 29 and 30 respectively. Sainz’s stop was quite long, causing him to rejoin the race behind Ricciardo, a situation from which he never escaped.
The running order at lap 30 was Leclerc, Bottas, Norris, Hamilton, Ricciardo, and Sainz. Then, Hamilton went on one of his patented tears. He seemed to be very committed. The Mercedes was very fast on the hard tires. Nothing was going to prevent him from winning this race!
The Brit caught Norris on lap 31, and made short work of the McLaren. He caught his teammate on lap 40, and was by him on lap 41. With those tasks completed, he set sail for the leading Ferrari of Leclerc. At this point, with about 10 laps to go, the gap was about 10 seconds. But Hamilton was gaining at over 1 second per lap. It was going to be close. Meanwhile, Leclerc was cruising in the lead. And while he was turning personal best lap times, Hamilton was setting fastest race laps. (In an interview after the race, Leclerc noted that the Ferrari simply did not meld with the hard tires as well as it had with the mediums.) Hamilton caught the Ferrari on lap 49 and flew past it on lap 50. So close – so far. The final finishing order: Hamilton, Leclerc, Bottas, Norris, Ricciardo, Sainz, Alonso, and Stroll.
This was a great race. There were spirted battles (and passes) for position up and down the field. There was nearly constant excitement. There were 140,000 fans in the stands, mostly cheering for Hamilton to catch and pass the red usurper leading the pack. Two Ferraris in the top six is just the icing (and the bright red cherry) on the top. Fabulous race and brilliant outcome, what more can you ask. Only Verstappen and Red Bull were unfulfilled when it was all over.
August 1: GP of Hungary (11)
The 2.7 mile track in Hungary is tight and twisty, featuring 14 corners, and an average lap speed of ‘only’ about 125 mph. Passing is very difficult. 70 laps were scheduled, with rain predicted for Saturday and Sunday. The traditional qualifying format was to be used.
Practice: All three Practice sessions were run under bright skies and high temperatures, meaning tires degraded quickly. Verstappen, surprisingly, was experiencing car set up problems; he could not seem to dial out the pervasive understeer his mount was exhibiting. On the other hand, the Ferraris were performing well, giving the tifosi hope for the upcoming battle.
Qualifying: The predicted rains failed to materialize; instead conditions remained very hot. While everyone wanted to start the race on the more durable medium tires, only the Mercedes were fast enough to move into Q3 on the mediums. All of the other leaders would be forced to start on the softs. Once again, the Mercedes were clearly fastest in the prevailing conditions. The Qualifying order was Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen, Perez, Gasly, Norris, and Leclerc. Sainz, who had crashed in Q2, was 15th.
Race: That rain that had been predicted since late Friday? It finally came on Sunday morning, just minutes before the start of the race. Temperatures dropped and the wind began to howl. The track was suddenly changed, becoming greasy and slippery. Forget the discussion concerning medium versus soft tires; everyone started the race on the intermediate wet tires.
Despite the obvious need for discretion as opposed to valor, Bottas made an idiotic start, one which disrupted or eliminated half of the field. He raced into the first corner at full speed, ramming several cars, which in turn ran into other cars, which in turn led to the race being red flagged, which led to a parade to the pits. Fifteen minutes or so later, when the race was re-started, the rain was gone, and so were a handful of cars. Then something even more bizarre transpired. At the end of the formation lap for the re-start, everyone, except leader Hamilton, aborted their lap and went to the pits for dry weather tires (mediums). Hamilton stopped for normal medium tires at the end of the second lap, but he was now in last place. The running order at this point clearly demonstrates just how jumbled the field had become: Ocon, Vettel, Latifi, Tsunoda, Sainz, Alonso, and Russell. Verstappen, with a damaged car, was running 11th; Hamilton was last.
This set the stage for another of Hamilton’s dashes from the very rear to the front. It took him several laps to catch the first car ahead of him, but once he did Hamilton began an inexorable slash-and-dash through the field towards the front, where Ocon and Vettel were staging their own battle for the lead. Pushing this hard proved problematic for Hamilton’s tires; at lap 20 he was the first to make a second pit top, this time opting for the hard tires. Once back on track, Hamilton continued his assault on the drivers ahead of him; he was up to 7th place by lap 30, when the leaders were Ocon, Vettel, Sainz, Alonso, and Gasly, none of whom had stopped for a second time.
Laps 30-35 saw some spirited competition for positions throughout the field, but those battles proved to be the swan songs of the tires the leaders had been babying since lap 3. Vettel made his second stop on lap 37; it was a slow one that compromised any possibility he might pass Ocon for the lead. Both Ocon and teammate Alonso made their second stops just one lap later, and at lap 40 the running order was Ocon, Vettel, Sainz, Hamilton, Alonso, Tsunoda, and Gasly.
Then, on lap 48, another surprise. Hamilton made yet another pit stop, this time opting for medium tires. He returned in 5th place, behind the Alpine of grizzled veteran Fernando Alonso. This set up what will likely become the defining battle of the 2021 season. Hamilton, on fresh tires, was able to catch Alonso (on much older tires) by lap 54. With 16 laps to go, the question was how fast could Hamilton pass Alonso, and then resume his quest for the lead? The answer was a very long time…a very, very long time. Alonso went to his bag of tricks and used every one…multiple times. Hamilton repeatedly threatened, making move after move, pulling even to the Alpine, having a good look. But Alonso defended brilliantly…over and over and over again. Hamilton tried, but he repeatedly failed. This wheel-to-wheel battle for 4th place went on for more than 10 laps (that is not a misprint). Finally, on lap 65, Alonso made a tiny mistake and Hamilton completed the pass. But, too few laps remained. After a short but spirited tussle, Hamilton managed to pass Sainz for third, but that was it. There would be no Mercedes victory today.
The final finishing order was Ocon, Vettel, Hamilton (who looked as if he was about to faint on the podium), Sainz, Alonso, Gasly, and Tsunoda. Verstappen salvaged 10th, and one single point.
This, ladies and gentlemen, was a fabulous race. This year has seen many good races, but nothing that comes close to this GP of Hungary, which will be remembered as an all-time great. Luckily, the summer break is here. The drivers and mechanics can take a long breath and regroup. Unfortunately, we fans must wait several weeks for action to resume.
August 29: GP of Belgium (12)
The summer break is over and it is time to go racing. Belgium is home to SPA – Francorchamps, one of the most (in) famous tracks on the F1 circuit. SPA is long (nearly 4.4 miles) and fast (average lap speeds are into the 145 mph range, and top speeds nudge 220 mph). The track is located high in a dense forest, so the weather generally varies from cool and damp to wet and raining. The forecast for the weekend was the latter.
With the return to action came several penalties meted out by the FIA for transgressions at the Hungarian GP. Due to a minor fuel error, Vettel was disqualified and stripped of his second place finish. In addition, 5 spot grid penalties were given to Bottas and Stroll for their driving boo-boos.
Another significant news item also popped up: Red Bull announced that the services of Sergio Perez would be retained for at least one more season. This was a smart move, as Perez is the top driver not specifically affiliated to one group of teams (he is a free agent), and he is mature enough to function as Max Verstappen’s spear carrier.
Practice: Friday morning saw damp conditions for P1, but the sun was peeking through the clouds, promising better conditions in the near future. The drivers gingerly circled the track, mostly on intermediate tires. By Friday afternoon, conditions were more acceptable for P2, which saw some aggressive driving. The bad news was that the Ferraris were off the pace. Moreover, late in the session Leclerc spun and hit a wall, doing some damage to his car. When even the mighty Verstappen suffered a similar fate, the session was terminated. Friday night saw extensive rain that carried over into Saturday P3, rendering the information that was being harvested unrepresentative of what could be achieved. Given the unrelenting wet conditions, Saturday afternoon Qualifying was a big question mark.
Qualifying: The deplorable condition persisted into Saturday afternoon. Initially, Q1 was delayed in the hope that the weather would improve. When it did not, Q1 proceeded despite the rain, with everyone on full wet tires. Things improved a bit during Q1, providing a reason for hope for Q2, which everyone ran on intermediate wet rubber. Unfortunately, the rain was back in full force for Q3, which saw Norris in the McLaren suffer a massive spin (5 complete revolutions) and complete annihilation of his car. In response to the conditions, and the evident damage that could be wreaked by them, the session was red flagged until the weather improved. When Q3 was finally run, the resulting grid order was Verstappen, George Russell with an outstanding effort in the Williams, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Vettel, Gasly, and Perez. Leclerc managed only 9th, while Sainz was even farther adrift (11th).
Race: Sunday’s weather was simply more of the same: Ominous grey skies, frigid temperatures, and unrelenting rain. How bad was it? Perez crashed driving from the pits to the grid. Then, just when it looked like the race would begin, it was delayed repeatedly in 5 minute increments. Finally, about a half hour late, the field cautiously began to circulate behind the safety car. After a couple such laps, the race was aborted due to the drivers’ complaints of lack of visibility caused by the spray from the tires.
Then – nothing. Hour after hour, nothing. Finally, seemingly a lifetime later, the stewards announced the race would start-resume in 10 minutes. Everyone geared up for whatever might happen because it was still raining hard. In any case, the field followed the safety car out on track and, on tippy-toes, completed a couple more laps at which point the race was red flagged one more time. This time, there would be no more effort to resuscitate it. The Belgian GP was over and the race went into the books as having been partly completed (hence the few laps run for no apparent reason). As a result, half points were awarded. The finishing order was, not surprisingly, very similar to the starting: Verstappen, Russell, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Vettel, Gasly, Ocon, Leclerc, Latiffi, and Sainz.
After a string of excellent races, a clunker was inevitable.
September 5: The Dutch GP (13)
The circuit known as Zandvoort, just a few hundred miles from the previous week’s race at SPA, hosted the thirteenth race of this busy season. This track, always a driver favorite, has not hosted a GP in nearly 35 years, probably due to lack of spectator interest. Well, this year, with home-boy Max Verstappen in the field and challenging for the title, there was plenty of interest, and the grandstands were packed with fans dressed in the bright orange livery of the area. More than 70,000 were on hand, most for the entire three day race weekend. The track itself is short (2.6 miles), and tight, twisty, and undulating. Some of the turns have as much as 19 degrees banking (a lot). Race distance was 72 laps.
As the weekend was beginning, Kimi Raikkonen announced his retirement as of the season’s end. Say what you will about Kimi, he had a great career (including one world championship – driving for Ferrari!), and he certainly did things his way.
Practice: The Practice sessions were generally held in cool temperatures and under bright, sunny, blue skies. Marvelous conditions compared to those at SPA the weekend prior. Despite the excellent weather, all three Practice sessions were disrupted and significantly shortened by cars spinning into walls, causing major damage. As a result, the teams had little data upon which to make their Qualifying and race preparations and simulations. Looking back, after the completion of P3, Verstappen looked to be the man to beat, which was just fine with the fans in the grandstands.
Qualifying: The times were initially very close (with less than one second covering the top 10), and generally remained so as the track’s grip improved from the rubber being laid down. Everyone’s next lap was typically a good bit faster than their previous one. As a consequence, when he miss-timed starting his final Q1 lap, Perez failed to make it into Q2, a disturbing situation for Red Bull. Both Russell and Latifi spun in Q2, and the ensuing red flags curtailed the proceedings just as the rack was reaching its apex of performance. Fortunately, Q3 was relatively calm, and the grid looked like this: Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Gasly, Leclerc, and Sainz. Yes, the Ferraris were looking good!
Race: The top 10 all started on the soft tires, which were projected to have a fairly long life at this track. After all of the accidents that marred Practice and Qualifying, It was a welcome change that the field rolled off without much incident. Verstappen managed to hold the lead, with the two Mercedes close on his heels. Farther back in the field, Alonso, the foxy old veteran in the Alpine, managed to move up two places in the first lap.
Lap 21 saw the first pit stops, with Hamilton being first. Verstappen followed his lead into the pits, leaving Bottas in the lead, but on old tires. That didn’t last long. With fresh tires, Verstappen caught and passed the, sending Bottas to the pits for new rubber. Meanwhile, much of the field had also stopped, choosing to continue on the various available tire compounds. On lap 35, after most of the field had stopped, the running order was Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Gasly, Leclerc, Sainz, Norris, Perez (up from last place).
Things started getting interesting on lap 40, with strategy dictating planning. Hamilton made a second stop, opting for the medium tires. One lap later, Verstappen (mimicking Hamilton) also made a second stop, but he chose the hard tires. As a consequence, Verstappen and Hamilton, on different compound tires, were poised for a long stint (about 30 laps – nearly half the race) culminating in either victory or defeat. At first, Hamilton on the medium rubber began to very slowly reel in the leader, closing to within 3 seconds. But then, around lap 55, Hamilton’s medium tires began to fade, and Verstappen, on the hard tires, regained the pace. Verstappen slowly began pulling away and won the race. The fans went wild. The finishing order was Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Gasly, Leclerc, Alonso, Sainz, and Perez.
Not a bad outcome for Ferrari, which extended its lead for third place over McLaren.
September 12: GP of Italy (14)
The GP of Italy is typically held at Monza, generally known as the Temple of Speed (naturally). The long 3.6 mile track features only 11 turns, perfect for producing 160 mph average lap speeds. One pit stop for tires seemed to be the consensus. For the second time this year, the race would be run using the Sprint Qualifying format.
As the drivers began to get down to business, information on their homes for next season trickled out. George Russell will leave Williams for Mercedes, ousting Bottas who will move to Alfa. Alex Albon will return to take Russell’s seat at Williams.
P1 and Friday Qualifying: Not much happened during P1. The big news was that there was little difference between the lap times achievable on the soft and medium tires, meaning that use of the soft tires in the race was unlikely. Friday afternoon Qualifying saw lots of traffic and more than a few penalties for exceeding track limits. Initially, the Red Bulls were a bit off the pace, which was surprising. As anticipated, the Mercedes were fast. The speed of the McLarens was very surprising. When the three Qualifying sessions were completed, the grid order for the Sprint Race (to be held Saturday afternoon) was Bottas, Hamilton, Verstappen, Norris, Ricciardo, Gasly, Sainz and Leclerc.
P2 and the Sprint Race: The teams planned to use P2 to develop and fine tune their strategies for the Sprint Race and the GP. However, less than half way into P2, Sainz spun and hit a wall, bringing out the red flags and terminating the session – and the gathering of information.
The Sprint format allows the drivers to choose any tire for the 18 lap Sprint Race; most chose the mediums. Hamilton made a poor start and immediately dropped to fifth place. Stuck behind Norris, he was never a threat or factor in the short race. There was some good action between other drivers, however, with Alonso and Stroll gaining positions with excellent passes. The finishing order of the Sprint was Bottas, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Norris, Hamilton, Leclerc, and Sainz. That would be the grid for the Grand Prix, except for Bottas, who would be forced to start from pit lane due to penalties for taking on a new engine.
Race: Sunday was sunny and hot. Everyone had a free choice of tires for the start, and all (except those relegated to starting from the pits) chose the medium rubber. The start was hectic, with both Hamilton and Ricciardo moving up one position. After a few laps, things settled down and the running order was Ricciardo, Verstappen, Norris, Hamilton, Leclerc, and Sainz.
Lap 9 provided some big excitement as Sainz and Perez staged a massive battle for seventh place. These two passed and then repassed each other several times. Meanwhile, Hamilton was closing up on Norris running in third place, and Ricciardo, the race leader, was slowing and clearly holding up Verstappen, who could not find a way to pass the Aussie. By lap 20 it was clear that the medium tires were degrading fast; pit stops began shortly thereafter. Ricciardo stopped on lap 22, and Verstappen did the same only one lap later. However, Verstappen’s stop was very, very long; he returned in tenth place. Hamilton stopped on lap 26, and he also suffered a long stop. As a consequence of these coincidences, he rejoined immediately next to Verstappen, and a heated battle for position began. First there was some jostling, then a massive collision. Then both were out of the race. This caused the Safety Car to be deployed and allowed those who had not yet stopped for tires to do so, gaining a big advantage. Leclerc was the biggest beneficiary; he was suddenly elevated to second place. When the Safety Car left the track on lap 30, the running order was Ricciardo, Leclerc, Norris, Perez, Sainz, Bottas, and Stroll. Soon thereafter, Norris passed Leclerc with an audacious move, both Bottas and Perez passed Sainz, and finally Perez squeezed by Leclerc with a bold pass.
At this point (between laps 30 and 40), Bottas, on medium tires, was fastest on the track, mainly because everyone else was on the hards. However, as the laps clicked off, this advantage lessened and by lap 43 Bottas was slower than many of the cars he had just passed. This (and the absence of Hamilton and Verstappen) led to some good fights at the front in the final laps, but when the dust had settled the finishing order was Ricciardo, Norris, Bottas, Leclerc, Perez, Sainz, and Stroll. All in all, it was a wonderful day for McLaren and a very good one for Ferrari as well.
September 26: GP of Russia (15)
This track, located at the resort city of Sochi which hosted the Olympics a few years ago, is 3.6 miles of medium speed corners (18 in total). As such, average lap speeds are ‘only’ about 130 mph. 53 laps were scheduled. Rain of epic proportions was predicted for Saturday, with milder rain forecast for Sunday.
For various strategic reasons too complicated to explain here, many of the teams decided to use new power units for this race. The cars that did so were those of Verstappen, Leclerc, Bottas, Latiffi, and Leclerc, all of which were penalized to start at the back of the field.
Practice: P1, held on Friday morning, was sunny and windy. As a wash out was expected for Saturday, the teams got busy gathering data as soon as the track opened. As expected, the Mercedes were quickest, but the Red Bulls, Ferraris, and McLarens were close to the pace. P2 also saw a high level of activity, with Mercedes again setting the pace. As expected, P3, scheduled for Saturday morning, was a complete wash out due to a deluge of biblical proportions.
Qualifying: Luckily, conditions improved as the day wore on, permitting Qualifying to proceed on Saturday afternoon. The track was still very wet though, and everyone ran the early sessions on intermediate rain tires. Even so, they were slipping and sliding in the damp conditions. However, by Q3 things had improved to the point where slicks were faster. As the conditions improved, Hamilton seemed to be having more difficulties than most. In the final minutes of Q3, when conditions were best, he managed to hit a barrier wall in the pit entrance and then spin on his final timed lap. I’d have to say the pressure was on, and Louis was feeling it.
Nevertheless, the conditions added to the drama, producing a grid order that was truly a head-scratcher: Norris (McLaren), Sainz (Ferrari!), Russell (Williams?), Hamilton, Ricciardo (McLaren), Alonso (Alpine?!), and Bottas. That tutti frutti was truly an eclectic surprise.
Race: Race morning was cloudy and cold, with the possibility of rain in the air. Most opted to start on the medium tires, while many of those at the back of the field (fast cars that had been penalized) decided to start on the hard rubber. The start was tight and very exciting, with many fighting hard to gain (or maintain) position. Despite that, there were no collisions and the first laps were without major incident. With a couple of laps in the books, the running order was Sainz (yes, a Ferrari led the field!), Norris, Russell, Stroll, Ricciardo, and Hamilton. As for those who had started in the rear, Leclerc was up to 12th, Bottas to 14th, and Verstappen to 15th. Then, Verstappen got especially aggressive and passed Bottas (lap 6), Gasly (8), and Leclerc (10). Meanwhile, Ricciardo was delaying Hamilton’s progress, and Norris and Sainz were staging a spirited battle (ultimately won by Norris) for the lead. This was great racing.
Stroll was the first to stop for fresh rubber (lap 13), followed shortly by Russell, and Sainz, and then a few laps later by Ricciardo, Hamilton, Verstappen, Norris, and Bottas. These stops, many of which were atypically slow due to new FIA rules governing pit stops, led to a series of daring passes among the front runners, many of which had not yet made their first pit stops, including those who had started on hard tires at the rear of the field. The field was jumbled-up, and the racing was all the better for it. At lap 37, after everyone of note had made a stop, the running order was Norris, Hamilton, Sainz, Ricciardo, Perez, and Verstappen. At this point, with more than 15 laps remaining, Hamilton got busy with the task at hand. He slowly began to reel in the leading McLaren, and everyone was preparing for an epic battle for the win between the grizzled vet and the fresh faced youngster.
Then, on lap 46, the unthinkable happened. Rain! At first, it seemed unbelievable. Not a drop had fallen all race, and now it was raining with 5 laps to go. At first, the rain was light and the optimists were predicting it would not be heavy or last long. No way, Jose. As the cars slowed (lap times increased by up to 20 seconds) down to maintain their tenuous grip to the tarmac, the rain grew heavier. By lap 47, many were stopping for intermediate wet tires. Hamilton stopped on lap 49. With cars slipping and sliding, Norris decided to try to make it to the end. But, after exiting the pits it only took Hamilton a few moments to re-catch Norris, who then spun under the pressure.
Then the race was over. The finishing order was Hamilton, Verstappen, Sainz, Ricciardo, Bottas, Alonso, Raikkonen, and Norris. So, we have another win for Mr. Lucky, his 100th. We can say what we will about Hamilton, but he is truly an amazing driver, all the more so because he drives best when the odds are stacked against him. And again, we had a race of high excitement. This season will be long remembered for its unusual occurrences and high drama.
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 points situation. 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