Formula 1 is heading to a new circuit this weekend but the first talking point of the Tuscan Grand Prix will be the consequences of Sebastian Vettel’s move to Aston Martin.
Where will Perez go for 2021?
A few months ago Sergio Perez was not expecting to be on the driver market for 2021. That changed after Ferrari confirmed it will show Sebastian Vettel the door at the end of the year, and Racing Point subsequently announced Perez’s contract would be cut short early to bring Vettel in.Perez is a rapid driver with a reputation for consistent points-scoring. He has taken all eight of his podium finishes to date with midfield teams. The first three came with Sauber – currently branded as Alfa Romeo – and a return there could be a possibility.
He has the added appeal of portfolio of Mexican sponsors. That market connection could lead him to Haas, which ran Mexican driver Esteban Gutierrez in 2016, and is also yet to confirm its 2021 driver line-up.
However Perez is unlikely to find a seat as competitive as the one he’s about to vacate.
What kind of race will Mugello produce?
Its fastest bends, the high-speed Arrabbiata right-handers, will be tackled flat-out at over 265kph, Mercedes believe. Covid-19 may have robbed us of seeing F1 cars in action on Japan’s spectacular Suzuka circuit, but in Mugello we should have something close to that. And not only in terms of speed – its run-off areas are largely gravel traps, waiting to punish anyone who drifts wide.
In much the same way as Suzuka, Mugello may prove an especially difficult circuit to overtake on. The trade-off in terms of the spectacle it is expected to produce should more than make up for that, however.
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Can Ferrari find something to celebrate on their anniversary?
But while Spa-Francorchamps and Monza exposed their weakness in straight-line performance, Mugello should at least play a bit more to their strengths. Sad to say it, but snatching a few points might be the best this historic team can hope for in this milestone event.
Has Gasly made the case for a Red Bull return?
Red Bull are keeping the faith with Alexander Albon, though their driver continues to lag well behind team mate Max Verstappen in qualifying, blunting his chances on race day.
But last week’s breakthrough victory for AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, who Albon replaced at Red Bull a little over 12 months ago, can only raise questions over whether the team dropped him too hastily 12 races into 2019. Will he give them further cause to reconsider their decision this weekend?
Did the ‘quali mode’ ban do anything?
The ban on ‘quali modes’ had little obvious effect during last weekend’s race. However some teams suggested its full effect may only become clear after subsequent races at more typical tracks than Monza’s extreme high-speed layout.
If it’s business as usual at the front for Mercedes this weekend, it will seem increasingly as though the ban has had no effect on the world champions, frustrating the hopes of their rivals.
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Win F1 2020 with the Predictions Championship
Don’t forget to enter your predictions for this weekend’s race. You can edit your predictions until the start of qualifying:
Esploratore (@esploratore)
10th September 2020, 11:26
What the hell is this? Isn’t this basically the same as hiring a dreadful lawyer for a higher pay cause he got some trophies from the past but is now worse than your current lawyer, who’s also cheaper?
RedEaredRabbit (@redearedrabbit)
10th September 2020, 13:49
Yes. It’s basically the same as hiring a dreadful plumber for a higher pay cause he got some trophies from the past but is now worse than your current plumber, who’s also cheaper
Sham (@sham)
10th September 2020, 14:07
Yes. It’s basically the same as hiring a dreadful Chef for a higher pay cause he got some trophies from the past but is now worse than your current Chef, who’s also cheaper
David Bondo
10th September 2020, 11:31
Perez is solid enough.
Had a chance to win Malaysia 2012 but bottled it under pressure.
Didn’t take his chances at McLaren. Told to get his elbows out.
Been solid enough at Force India, but was he any better than a rusty Hulkenberg at the end of the day?
For all the criticism of Stroll being kept in F1 because of his father, Perez is in F1 because of Daddy Slim’s cash.
It’s bad luck for Perez, but for better drivers have lost their drives and been forced out of F1.
He had a good run.
Chris Horton
10th September 2020, 11:59
What? I don’t I don’t know where to begin.
Nunof (@nunof)
10th September 2020, 12:36
Don’t forget that, according to the reports, Perez was also pivotal to the saving of Force India and their employees taking the company into administration, only to see the nepotist daddy use it as a spoiled brat’s toy.
black (@black)
10th September 2020, 13:20
He had a chance to win in Malaysia in 2012 (in a completely chaotic race) where he slipped on his attack on Alonso (as have many top drivers done in the past) and he still secured a P2 finish in his second season. He also went on to secure another 2 podiums in some not-chaotic races through his great driving that year.
He had a mediocre/solid year at McLaren where the team didn’t finish in the podium all season (not even on the hands of the experienced Button – Button’s best finish P4 once, Perez’s best finish P5 once)…and he lost his seat after just one year because McLaren was a mess and wanted to bring Magnussen in (like that would made them a big team), only to ditch him as well after just one year.
He was most certainly better than Hulkenberg at the end of the day. He won 4 podiums to Hulk’s 0, he beat Hulk 2-1 over 3 seasons and 238-226 on points.
The arguement about Perez owning his place in F1 due to his sponsors doesn’t hold much ground. That might have been true back in 2011 when he got his first drive but since then he has scored 8 podiums, he was equal with Kobayashi 1-1, beaten by Button 1-0, won over Hulkenberg 2-1, Ocon 2-0 and Stroll 1-0. Over these years he has solidified himself as the best (or one of the best) midfield drivers on the grid.
The fact that he “owns” his seat because he comes with some sponsorship from Mexico after all his achivements, is similar to saying Ferrari chose Alonso back in 2010, not because he was a great driver, but because he brought a 40mil/year Santander sponshorsip, so they hired a pay driver…
David Bondo
10th September 2020, 15:23
“He had a chance to win in Malaysia in 2012 (in a completely chaotic race) where he slipped on his attack on Alonso (as have many top drivers done in the past) and he still secured a P2 finish in his second season. He also went on to secure another 2 podiums in some not-chaotic races through his great driving that year.”
If he didn’t make that error with Alonso behind he wins the race. He bottled it. Gasly on the weekend was flawless with the faster Sainz chasing him down.
black (@black)
10th September 2020, 20:58
He was on his second race of his second year in F1 (his 21st start) and may i remind you that race was red flagged due to the torrential rain. Even after the restart it was slippery as hell. For a guy who is on his 21st start and he’s chasing the race leader on a damp track, it’s perfectly normal that he made a mistake and lost about 5sec…he didn’t crash or anything, he didn’t got stuck in the gravel, he just went off and back on track again. God knows that far more experienced drivers than him have made much worse mistakes.
Gasly on the other hand is on his 4th season and won on his 55th race (more than double the experience Perez had). And he was just simply leading the race managing the gap to Sainz, he didn’t have to push like hell to catch another driver in front, he just drove some 25 clean laps and withstood just 1!! attack from a ‘faster’ Sainz on the last lap (and by faster you probably mean he closed the ‘massive’ 3sec gap over 25 laps…?). Oh, and he was driving in a bone dry Monza without even the need to lap cars.
Gasly was flawless no doubt, he won the race after Hamilton was given a 30sec penalty and Bottas was…the usual Bottas. But give me a rest, Perez on his 21st start almost won the race against the RedBulls, McLarens, Ferraris etc, beating all of them on merit as none of their drivers had to give up the lead of the race due to penalties…and he did that with the 6th fastest car…
Duncan Idaho (@didaho)
11th September 2020, 6:00
I was at Sepang that day, and while that means I saw less of the pointy end action than most TV viewers probably did, I was very impressed by his race – not faultless as we all know – but bloody fast on a diabolical surface and to date, the crowning jewel of his career.
Dex
10th September 2020, 13:33
Ocon beat him more often than not.
faulty (@faulty)
10th September 2020, 21:49
Objectively or did he put on more fan-friendly drives?
Not George
10th September 2020, 14:31
I agree completely Dave.
However, I imagine he’ll find a seat somewhere & I’m interested to see if Williams are an option post buyout. I know they confirmed Latifi & Russell, but that was before the sale. Perez’s cash would help & he’s a “solid” performer to rebuild around (why invest your own cash rebuilding when someone else’s is available?). This might be controversial, but I see Russell becoming the new Martin Brundle i.e. hanging around for too long at a lower team and then missing the breaks. He needs to move on from Williams.
Gasly going back to RBR is like going back to an old girlfriend that dumped you; what’s going to be any different this time around? Gasly has more experience/belief in himself, but so does Max.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
10th September 2020, 11:57
I know someone who has met Perez many times and their opinion is that he’s horrendously arrogant to the point of rudeness.
I wonder whether his off-track personality made this an easier decision for Racing Point than it might appear?
Jose Lopes da Silva
10th September 2020, 12:23
Lots of people said that about Prost.
Postreader
10th September 2020, 12:25
Prost is like one of the top five drivers ever, though. Big ego, small name is a bad combination on the other hand.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
10th September 2020, 12:44
Exactly. If you’ve got the ego it needs to be backed-up with trophies.
Jose Lopes da Silva
10th September 2020, 16:49
Couldn’t agree more. Prost is among the very best and is often overlooked. My point was that Prost, too, got fired in the middle of some political power play. However, unlike Prost or Alonso, there were never rumours about Perez personality – although those are usually limited to the top drivers.
Jere (@jerejj)
10th September 2020, 13:52
@sonnycrockett I don’t find him like that. He doesn’t seem like you describe.
Jere (@jerejj)
10th September 2020, 13:52
@sonnycrockett ‘to be’
LB (@burden93)
10th September 2020, 11:59
Shame for Perez now he’s finally got into a car that is a podium contender. However, you can argue that his results have not been good this year (especially with what Hulkenburg achieved in his 2 races), and the whole coronavirus episode probably didn’t help his course either. Imagine he must be in the prime position for a Haas drive now.
It will be interesting to see how Vettel settles in, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him gain pace again as he is relieved of the huge pressure he faced at Ferrari. As much as his reputation has taken a hit in the last few years, he is still 3rd on the list of all time winners so clearly knows how to win a race. He is a proven winner and the kind of driver Racing Point will need to reach the next level. I hope it works out for him.
Not George
10th September 2020, 14:35
“Shame for Perez now he’s finally got into a car that is a podium contender” – yes, but he fluffed it in Austria by damaging his front wing. Where was he at Monza when Stroll was near the front (“free” pit stop withstanding)?
I remember that Ben Edwards casually mentioned that Perez had scored the same number of points as Ayrton Senna without any caveat the points system is completely different!
Balue (@balue)
10th September 2020, 12:56
Very nice livery. The bright red color I now find to be a bit outdated. Childish in a way. It’s not like there has always been a fixed red color so maybe now it’s time to make it a bit more deeper. Not necessarily maroon like this looks like, but somewhere in between.
Jere (@jerejj)
10th September 2020, 13:50
Where will Perez go for 2021? – Haas or Alfa Romeo
What kind of race will Mugello produce? – Hopefully, good, but I have my doubts about this given the track characteristics combined with the difficulty of following due to the current aero.
Can Ferrari find something to celebrate on their anniversary? – Unlikely
Has Gasly made the case for a Red Bull return? – Possibly.
Did the ‘quali mode’ ban do anything? – Too early to make definite conclusions based on a single event on the most straight line speed-dependent circuit.
MEF
10th September 2020, 14:29
So typical of Vettel that he gets fired by Ferrari only to end up in the second fastest car on the grid.
juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
10th September 2020, 14:44
The ban on ‘quali modes’ had little obvious effect during last weekend’s race? Keith, I think Valtteri would like a word with you.
Robbie (@robbie)
10th September 2020, 15:02
@juan-fanger Lol ya not just from VB’s remarks on the radio which TW tried to deflect afterwards, but didn’t LH also imply he missed his little ‘push-to-pass’ button (my wording not his)? Oh I don’t expect this mode ban to suddenly send Merc into the clutches of RBR, but I do think it has already had some effect. Nobody is touching Merc this year anyway though.
Robbie (@robbie)
10th September 2020, 14:55
Not to take anything away from PG’s win, but it was under unique circumstances obviously, so I would think RBR can see through that and are going to be happy to stick with AA.
Gavin Campbell
10th September 2020, 17:53
I dont think anyone has an issue with Aston Martin Racing Point picking Vettel over Perez, its the fact that they picked Lance Stroll over Perez. Stroll is ok but is very peaky – tends to score a podium or top Saturday result and then go missing for a month or two whereas Perez just heads to the bank all season long.
I think we would all be quite excited to see Vettel going up against Perez next year and would be clapping their choice of drivers.
Dave
11th September 2020, 11:32
Wouldn’t mind if he goes off to IndyCar so that Ocon can race in peace.