Max Verstappen secured his third pole position in as many weeks by beating Lando Norris in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen secured his fourth pole of the season to the delight of thousands of supporters around the Red Bull Ring. Norris wwill line up alongside the championship leader on the front row of the grid, ahead of Sergio Perez and the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
Q1
It was another bright, clear afternoon over the Red Bull Ring as qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix got underway.
Unsurprisingly, the two Haas drivers of Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher were the first onto the circuit as qualifying began, but Mazepin was forced to abandon his initial flying lap after encountering an Alfa Romeo at turn five.
Verstappen set the early pace ahead of the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Lando Norris jumped up to second place with an impressive lap, with Fernando Alonso showing a good turn of pace to go third quickest ahead of the Mercedes.
With time counting down, George Russell was at risk of being knocked out until his final effort of the session proved fast enough to see him through and keep his streak of reaching Q2 in every race weekend of the season alive.
Despite losing his best lap time of the session due to exceeding track limits at turn nine, Daniel Ricciardo just managed to avoid an early elimination from Q1 by just scraping through in 15th place.
That meant that the same five drivers who were knocked out in Q1 last weekend at the Styrian Grand Prix were the same eliminated for the Austrian Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen was the first driver out in 16th, ahead of Esteban Ocon’s Alpine in 17th and Nicholas Latifi in the second Williams.
The two Haas drivers occupied the bottom of the timing screens, with Schumacher ahead of team mate Mazepin in 19th.
Drivers eliminated in Q1
16 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’05.009 |
17 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1’05.051 |
18 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1’05.195 |
19 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | 1’05.427 |
20 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas-Ferrari | 1’05.951 |
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Q2
With no drivers opting to venture out in the early minutes of Q2, Red Bull and Sergio Perez took advantage of a clear track to make their first run on the medium tyres, putting in a 1’04.554.
Hamilton was able to best Perez’s effort on his first lap of the session, before Verstappen took his customary top spot after his first flying lap to go over two tenths ahead at the front of the field.
Norris backed up his early pace by going second fastest, while team mate Ricciardo could only manage 14th after his first run, almost half a second slower than the other McLaren.
With three minutes remaining, the two Ferraris of Carlos Sainz Jnr and Charles Leclerc were also both sat in the drop zone and in need of improving their times in 11th and 12th. However, the team chose to send their drivers back out on the medium tyres, rather than opt for softs.
As the chequered flag flew, Alonso’s hopes of reaching Q3 were ruined by Sebastian Vettel who he caught on the approach to the final corner. Vettel failed to cross the line in time to start his lap and the stewards announced they would investigate the incident after qualifying.
Daniel Ricciardo failed to improve by enough with soft tyres to earn progression through to Q3 and was eliminated in 14th, with the two Ferraris unable to do better on their final efforts and resigned to 11th and 12th, albeit with free choice of tyre for tomorrow’s race.
Ferrari’s failure to progress left the door open for George Russell and Williams, who managed to secure their first appearance in Q3 together in tenth, despite using the medium compound tyres.
11 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 1’04.559 |
12 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’04.600 |
13 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’04.719 |
14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | 1’04.856 |
15 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’05.083 |
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Q3
Verstappen was looking well placed to take the top spot as the final shootout began – and especially so after he claimed provisional pole position by over two tenths after his first run.
Hamilton’s first Q3 effort could only put him third, behind Norris in the McLaren, with Bottas fourth fastest ahead of Perez in the second Red Bull.
Verstappen failed to improve on his own time on his final run, leaving a small window of opportunity for his rivals. Norris came within half a tenth of the Red Bull’s ultimate pace to take second, while Perez jumped up to third behind.
But Mercedes’ hopes of usurping their rivals at the front of the grid were dashed when neither Hamilton nor Bottas were able to better their own positions and were forced to settle for fourth and fifth on the grid.
Pierre Gasly secured sixth ahead of AlphaTauri team mate Yuki Tsunoda. Sebastian Vettel took eighth for Aston Martin, but will be investigated for impeding Alonso. George Russell took ninth place for Williams, with Lance Stroll rounding out the top ten.
Top ten in Q3
1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda | 1’03.720 |
2 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’03.768 |
3 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda | 1’03.990 |
4 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’04.014 |
5 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1’04.049 |
6 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1’04.107 |
7 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1’04.273 |
8 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’04.570 |
9 | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1’04.591 |
10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’04.618 |
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2021 Austrian Grand Prix
- Vasseur on Alfa’s “huge step forward” and why he’s vexed by technical directives
- How Ricciardo “got some enjoyment back” after “really low” first race in Austria
- F1’s penalty points are not “harsh” and won’t be reviewed this year – Masi
- Austrian double showed Sainz found his feet faster than 2021’s other big-name moves
- 2021 Austrian Grand Prix Star Performers
Becken Lima
3rd July 2021, 15:13
finally, F1 is thrilling and unpredictable again!
jff
3rd July 2021, 15:23
Or is it becoming predictable again with a different name?
Becken Lima
3rd July 2021, 15:58
Well, that’s what F1 fans moaned and asked for all those years of Hamilton domination: a different winner.
Let’s enjoy this predictable unpredictability.
Fantomius (@liko41)
3rd July 2021, 20:47
It wasn’t F1 fans asking for that. It was Hamilton dislikers.
nejana
3rd July 2021, 21:32
Yes, and it was ONLY Seb haters who whined about the same person winning before that.
SteveR
4th July 2021, 5:23
Oh come on.
Andy Bunting (@wildbiker)
4th July 2021, 6:49
+1
Dex
3rd July 2021, 19:12
Well I didn’t hope for random races and winners, just a change. This definitely doesn’t feel the same as the last few seasons, we have two fast teams and the rest not too far behind. This didn’t happen for a long time.
S
3rd July 2021, 15:25
It’s not really all that unpredictable, and it’s not particularly thrilling.
bosyber (@bosyber)
3rd July 2021, 15:37
Well, it was pretty thrilling for the midfield and not quite predictable that Norris got his car onto 1st row, Perez did well in improving on the 2nd go at this track, but for both tension in either the championship or the race-win no, it’s not so very surprising and not very promising.
It seems for tomorrow we might just have to enjoy seeing Verstappen doing another supreme drive (which might be something to watch on F1tv in-car channel, or the FX channel ;) On the other hand, with Mercedes seemingly having a bit more straight line pace this time around who knows whether they can be a bit closer? It is what it is, but we shouldn’t diminish the quality we saw from drivers to get those Q3 laps; and Russell, might start 8th.
Broke1984 (@broke1984)
3rd July 2021, 16:02
@keithcollantine. Is it possible for you to revise “report comment” I just accidentally reported this guy for no reason
Dex
3rd July 2021, 19:13
You just did what team managers in F1 do all the time (but on purpose).
Alex
4th July 2021, 0:00
I think the Hamilton fans need to put this bitterness aside and just appreciate the excitement. The Mercedes were getting poles over a second clear of everyone else for the past 7 years.
Mark
3rd July 2021, 18:57
Breaking Russel signed with Mercedes!!
He confessed as much with a interview with jack plooij. Dutch reporter. Look it up. He could not deny it any more!!
Mark
3rd July 2021, 19:14
Jack Saïd you race so good your head must be clear because you have already signed with Mercedes. Russel broke into a smile and said let’s leave it with that. And walked swiftly out of the frame. He just was caught by surprise and broke character. ( is this good english?)
jff
3rd July 2021, 20:01
Is this on YT?
Mark
3rd July 2021, 20:46
https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1411337710699155463/pu/img/gX7pfY31rw8pZfqa.jpg
Mark
3rd July 2021, 20:49
Link does not work. It is on Twitter Austrian gp#
knightameer (@knightameer)
3rd July 2021, 15:13
Norris and Russell, simply wow!!
petebaldwin (@)
3rd July 2021, 15:20
Everyone else gained a little time – Mercedes pretty much matched what they did last time.
petebaldwin (@)
3rd July 2021, 15:20
*wasn’t meant to be a reply but ah well…
Estesark (@estesark)
3rd July 2021, 18:15
Hamilton might only have a few years left in him but between Norris and Russell, the future looks bright for British F1 fans.
MCG (@malrg)
4th July 2021, 0:29
@estesark – It sure does, I think Hamilton has probably won his last championship, his two year extension is to keep that immense experience in the Team for transfer to the next guy in Bottas’s car (Russell) and with McLaren on the money with Norris and hopefully Gasly & Leclerc in a competitive machine the upfront battle should be interesting.
Ricardo is one of my favourites, but like Hamilton I think Ricardo’s best is behind him, feels like he is not going to get on top of the McLaren, the gap to Lando is massive.
That said, I still think Hamilton will be competitive and win more races.
Average Quali stats for the Teams still have Merc in front over all, but RB beat them solidly this round and the gap is closing fast.
Average Team Quali for 2021 season to date
Mercedes————3.44
Red Bull————-3.89
Ferrari—————6.39
McLaren————-8.22
AlphaTauri———10.06
Alpine————–11.61
Aston Martin——12.56
Alpha Romeo—–14.94
Williams———–14.94
Haas—————18.78
Average Team Quali for round 9
Red Bull———–2
Mercedes———-4.5
AlphaTauri——–6.5
McLaren———–7.5
Aston Martin——9
Ferrari————-11.5
Williams———–13.5
Alpha Romeo—–15.5
Alpine————–15.5
Haas—————19.5
Jere (@jerejj)
3rd July 2021, 15:14
An exciting qualifying and surprising how Mercedes failed at beating even a Mclaren.
erikje
3rd July 2021, 15:33
Even Lewis agreed the Mercedes engines did better in McLaren.
David BR (@david-br)
3rd July 2021, 15:50
@jerejj Kind of shows the problem is in the low rake car design. But also Norris was exceptionally good to day. It’s not as though Danny Ricciardo is making that McLaren work.
Andy Dancer (@spartan2000)
3rd July 2021, 16:14
No, the engines didn’t do better in the McLaren, Mercedes have just been too complacent over the last 12 months or so on chassis and engine. What else do we need to know today, oh yes who else would have signed Hamilton, an out and out complainer, so that also means he doesn’t get a teammate with any chance of beating him like for like any time soon.
Aapje (@aapje)
3rd July 2021, 17:04
@spartan2000
McLaren have the same engine, so the difference is in car design and setup, not the engine.
Xcm
3rd July 2021, 17:44
It’s not at all like f1 is complicated…
I don’t understand how people can know about f1, and have opinions like these.
MCG (@malrg)
4th July 2021, 0:32
@aapje – Agreed, the difference is in design, setup and Driver.
DrG (@drgraham)
3rd July 2021, 18:46
@spartan2000
What is wrong with people like you?
Complainer?
How many champions have your guys had as team mates…?
You know like… and beaten?
Or while complaining set each and every record there is in modern F1?
Have some respect for the work from all you see before you before benile commentary.
Emma
3rd July 2021, 19:46
Thank you. The lack of respect for the stars of our sport is appalling.
Jeroen van Jaarsveld
3rd July 2021, 15:14
Norris 2nd! Surely McLaren must have had an engine upgrade…
Kribana (@krichelle)
3rd July 2021, 15:14
So… the man with the most poles in history and one who has 3 poles at this circuit and who can outqualify Hamilton, has been outqualified by a customer team and Perez? This is over for tomorrow. Verstappen and Perez should easily get a 1-2 tomorrow.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd July 2021, 15:23
Well, never say red bull 1-2, there’s ALWAYS a problem, so I won’t say red bull 1-2 till AFTER the race ends, if it happens, wasted recent chances being baku 2021 and mexico 2018, always through “mechanical” issues, still they both ended up being wins.
At least they have the potential to get a 1-2 again this year with perez performing similarly to ricciardo after some terrible team mates the last few years.
erikje
3rd July 2021, 15:35
It’s always easy to predict after a race indeed.
Aapje (@aapje)
3rd July 2021, 17:04
@erikje
I have a 100% record!
Spencer (@spencer)
3rd July 2021, 15:14
Now it appears that McLaren received an upgraded PU….
petebaldwin (@)
3rd July 2021, 15:17
Perhaps they have quali mode? Mercedes should have a chat with Masi….. oh…. hang on…….
Lums (@lums)
3rd July 2021, 15:17
Lando to Red Bull pls. Teach Max a thing or two. That McLaren should not be THAT close to a purpose built Red bull for Max.
MattDS (@mattds)
3rd July 2021, 15:23
@lums so were you shouting “Stroll to Mercedes” after Turkey last year?
I mean Lando is doing great, but it’s not like Max has left a lot on the table this year nor that Lando is close to him.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd July 2021, 15:24
Could make a case for norris to mercedes as well, he’d put any top driver in trouble.
bosyber (@bosyber)
3rd July 2021, 15:39
Which is why the Sky guys were talking about how McLaren did a good deal in signing him up for a few years, while they were surprised Norris wanted to fix himself to them for such a time at this stage of his career @esploratore1, @lums
Gabriel Souza
3rd July 2021, 15:38
Lando to Mclaren, teach Lewis a thing or two he should not have beaten him in a team and car completely built for Lewis.
Robbie (@robbie)
3rd July 2021, 15:42
Not to take anything away from LN’s great quali lap with a tow, but I will be very surprised if he finishes the race ahead of both Mercedes.
erikje
3rd July 2021, 15:44
I will correct this for you.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
3rd July 2021, 16:02
You don’t really know how good that mclaren is. ricciardo is doing a pretty shocking job and is clearly not comfortable, so he isn’t a good reference for Norris. The car could well be as capable or better than Norris is making it look. We just don’t know.
If it “should not” be there, then he’s been a naughty boy hasn’t he? :D
Anyway, i think Norris has been very good, but the car is also incredibly strong in qualifing.
MegaN00B
3rd July 2021, 20:26
he got a massive slipstream.
But game on! :)
M.
carbon_fibre (@carbon_fibre)
3rd July 2021, 15:18
Perez starts on softs?
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd July 2021, 15:25
I thought they were all on mediums.
jff
3rd July 2021, 15:27
not AMR, and I don’t think AT either.
Russell is though!
bosyber (@bosyber)
3rd July 2021, 15:39
No Russell got through on mediums too jff, he cheered about that when team told him he had 10th.
jff
3rd July 2021, 15:26
mediums.
Jere (@jerejj)
3rd July 2021, 16:43
@carbon_fibre
VER, NOR, PER, HAM, BOT, and RUS on medium
AT and AM drivers on soft.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
3rd July 2021, 15:19
And where is RIC? Can Hulkenberg have a try in that car?
Illusive (@illusive)
3rd July 2021, 15:21
Get in there Norris, the lad can definitely challenge Max in the right car, F1 future looks bright with Max, Norris, George and Charles…even Pierre.
carbon_fibre (@carbon_fibre)
3rd July 2021, 15:22
Gasly brilliant as well… Less than a tenth slower than Hamilton.
HUHHII (@huhhii)
3rd July 2021, 15:22
RB definitely have the best package. Max’s quali lap was pretty bad with horrible exit out of Turn 3 and snap-oversteer at Turn 10. Still pole.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd July 2021, 15:26
Yes, noticed the turn 3 issue, and I’m not one who identifies mistakes easily.
Nigel Tufnell
3rd July 2021, 17:18
It has been the case all season, with Max able to be faster even whilst missing apexes.
There have been previous back to back comparisons by Chandook on Sky TV illustrating this.
The Red Bull can still outpace the opposition even if driven relatively poorly.
Applebook
3rd July 2021, 22:39
Perez outqualifying the Mercedes is enough evidence to suggest that RB is easily the fastest car here. Hamilton has never been strong in Austria, but this is one of Bottas’ strongest races.
MCG (@malrg)
4th July 2021, 0:41
@huhhii – If by package you mean, Team/Car/Driver then I agree 100%. If you mean best Car, I am less convinced.
I think Hamilton at his age is slowing down just a little, and frankly Bottas has never been there as anything more than a wing man, good enough to carry the flag and help Hamilton, but not good enough to beat Hamilton. RB now have two top drivers, both younger and more hungry.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
3rd July 2021, 15:23
Why are they messing with qualifying?
That qualifying session was more exciting than a lot of races that I have sat through.
I am convinced that the people who own and run F1 know almost nothing about F1!
Robbie (@robbie)
3rd July 2021, 15:36
@nullapax Sure, this year. Last year and previous years it was the LH show and predictable. And, as if those running F1 know almost nothing about F1. Come on.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
3rd July 2021, 15:43
@robbie what I am saying is that qualifying is almost 100% guaranteed to be entertaining whereas a lot of the actual races are just 2 hours of boredom.
Liberty Media own F1.
They own it to make money not because they love it.
Wake up and smell reality dude ;)
Robbie (@robbie)
3rd July 2021, 16:12
@nullapax Well…dude…it’s all about the individual. I for one enjoy the last few minutes of qualifying, and am up for a trial of a potentially more exciting way to do that. Something that excites me for more than a few minutes out of an hour.
For me, races and the tension of the start are ultra exciting, and even when a race ends up ‘boring’ in hindsight, while it is going on I am often on the edge of my seat, for anything can happen, and often does.
How you can assume Liberty are only in it for the money and don’t love it, which you couldn’t possibly know, and then accuse me of not being in reality, is laughable. You have your reality, I have mine…dude.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
3rd July 2021, 16:42
If you only
then you have my sympathies.
I love the entire hour. From Nikita to Max I enjoy watching these guys give it all they can ;)
Robbie (@robbie)
3rd July 2021, 16:57
@nullapax Don’t need your sympathies. I’m fine with it coming down to the last few minutes of excitement, other than when one team or driver is so dominant it is predictable that is. But still, happy to accept this is the way, and as I say I’m fine with it. Just grateful to have a thing such as F1 at all. And I’m also fine with an experiment to see if there is a more exciting way. I’m happy for you that you are excited from the start of the quali. I’m not, knowing that in Q1 and Q2 the usual suspects will get eliminated, and they are all cranking it right up. I’d even be happier with a Q4 so there isn’t so much of watching drivers sitting in their cars in their garages. All good though.
Krommenaas (@krommenaas)
3rd July 2021, 19:32
Indeed. The first two laps of races are always exciting, and they last about as long as qualifying actually lasts without all the waiting.
Instead of one qualifying race, they should have five consecutive mini races of five laps each, that would be max excitement :)
David BR (@david-br)
3rd July 2021, 15:53
@nullapax +Totally
The only bit I disagree with, maybe, is the Q2 tyre rule and even that left me wondering today: when it’s on edge whether teams/drivers should risk trying for Q3 on mediums, it makes it really exciting. Russell qualifying against the Ferraris being a brilliant example.
F1 frog (@f1frog)
3rd July 2021, 16:29
@nullapax
Absolutely. The current qualifying format is absolutely fantastic, and adding sprint qualifying in between is so pointless and has zero chance of improving the show. Qualifying in the current format has always been fantastic; even when it’s obvious to all who’s going to be on pole, there are nineteen other grid slots to be sorted that almost always change very quickly in the dying moments of a session. The only problem with qualifying is, as @david-br said, the Q2 tyre rule, but that is in no way an essential part of the format so could easily be scrapped without changing anything else.
HUHHII (@huhhii)
3rd July 2021, 16:37
@f1frog I used to be a big fan of this quali format but I’ve grown completely tired of it with traffic being a massive headache in every single circuit in every single quali session. In the past traffic played a role only in Monaco but now it’s causing issues everywhere.
I wholeheartedly welcome Sprint. I wouldn’t mind a throwback to old system with 60hr of running and 12 laps per driver if Sprint doesn’t work.
HUHHII (@huhhii)
3rd July 2021, 16:38
*60 minutes
Balue (@balue)
3rd July 2021, 19:09
Yeah and so frustrating to think the sprint race qualifying would just sort them out according to race pace..
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
3rd July 2021, 15:25
What’s happening with Ricciardo. Consistent gaps at all kinds of tracks.
jff
3rd July 2021, 15:28
Lando is really excelling; but it must be more than that.
Robbie (@robbie)
3rd July 2021, 15:39
DR obviously still not comfortable in the car, not confident in it. Needs more time and more work with it to find that balanced feeling. When he does the car will be there for him.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
3rd July 2021, 15:50
Not doing his reputation any good. At least we can see some progress from Perez in the Red Bull and even Alonso at Alpine, both adapting to new car/team.
David BR (@david-br)
3rd July 2021, 15:56
@pinakghosh I’d say the only definitive improvement is Alonso. Perez is doing well in races but still falling off on one lap pace at too many venues. Ricciardo’s star has well and truly faded sadly. I don’t see him ever getting close to Norris now.
Neutralino
3rd July 2021, 16:07
@pinakghosh
Agreed
And Sainz has adapted fairly quickly too, being not too far off Leclerc’s pace a lot of the time.
Out of all the drivers who switched teams, it’s only Ricciardo who hasn’t found his feet and so using that as an excuse doesn’t hold much water anymore.
IVAYLO
3rd July 2021, 16:43
@david-br
Perez’ lack of one lap pace is consistent with the rest of his career though. Sainz, Alonso and Vettel are all really starting to get there. Tsunoda, Schumacher and Mazepin suffer the usual rookie teething problems. Ricciardo won’t catch up to Norris this season and his best years are probably behind him. Even at the best of times he wasn’t as good as some of the young talent currently on the grid anyway.
CashNotClass (@cashnotclass)
3rd July 2021, 16:55
It seems a bit too much to ask of Pérez to actually match Verstappen, who has probably been the man to beat in F1 for the last two years. Pérez’ strength has always been the race rather than qualifying, so if he can mix it up with the Mercedes drivers on Saturday he’s already doing all that Red Bull wants him to; distract and disrupt.
Alonso has similarly never been a qualifying master, but he has heaps of pace regardless and is an extraordinary driver who has been fast in pretty much everything he’s ever driven. It’s no surprise to see him now solidly taking the lead with Alpine.
MCG (@malrg)
4th July 2021, 0:46
I’m a Ricardo fan, and for me I feel like I am seeing the decline of an excellent driver, not sure he is going to get on top of it as there has been no consistent progress so far, it is up and down with glimpses of ability but nothing that stays with him. I do hope I am proven wrong.
hamiledon
3rd July 2021, 16:29
-They are faster than us on the straights
-No chance this time, we are using the same engine
Dave (@davewillisporter)
3rd July 2021, 16:38
Crofty said during quali that the Mclaren was 5km/h quicker than the Merc on the start finish straight.
This is F1 not drag racing! There’s this thing called aero.
erikje
3rd July 2021, 17:35
Tell that to Toto/Lewis. They did not seem to know that.
Dave
3rd July 2021, 16:37
Great qualifying laps from both Lando Norris and George Russell. Good luck out there, Lando and George.
JL (@j-l)
3rd July 2021, 16:45
Max of course got the largest round of applause, but the fans were really cheering for those two guys as well, really cool to see.
jff
3rd July 2021, 20:10
Amazing the amount of McLaren supporters in orange.
AMG44 (@amg44)
3rd July 2021, 16:49
Mercedes have a flawed chassis and low rake design philosophy for this year. Forget about getting any pole position and Championship now.
They should focus on races and tire management is their only hope if they were to win a few more races this year.
CashNotClass (@cashnotclass)
3rd July 2021, 17:01
That seems a bit premature; Mercedes has 3 poles to Red Bull’s 4.
In the two other sessions where Ferrari got pole, Mercedes was faster than Red Bull in Azerbaijan (Ham P2, Ver P3) and in Monaco Red Bull only just edged out Mercedes’ second driver (Ver P2, Bot P3 +0.025 behind Ver).
DaveW (@dmw)
3rd July 2021, 16:57
Mercedes took wing off and they were no faster over the lap. But it’s worse than that because more wing flatters in qualifying where you use drs at will. In the race their deg will be worse than before with softer tires. Sadly for them I can’t see anything but RBR in a 1-2 going away.
stjs16 (@stjs16)
3rd July 2021, 17:59
The McLaren is a bit of a Bottas (ie. better qualifier than racer) but to be that close to the RB with MV driving is amazing progress for the team. Although, I do wonder if Mercedes are setup for the race knowing they would struggle to get pole.
Cristiano Ferreira
3rd July 2021, 20:52
I think McLaren’s car is the other way around. Better in race than in quali.
Ajay
3rd July 2021, 18:52
I actually subscribed to F1TV this year expecting a fight between LH and MV.. but looks like the same as previous years, except its MV at the front now with no competition…
Also, just goes to show how hard merc have worked all these years to be ahead of RB… a slight focus shift to 2022, and RB beat them… so it was close all along, it’s just that merc were just keeping that developments gap to RB..
Next year, just hope to see better “racing”. I’m a LH fan, but I’m totally fine with him losing as long as ther is racing.
MrRusty87
3rd July 2021, 21:57
It’s not just a shift of focus but also the budget cap. Mercedes can’t just throw more money at the car now.
Im really dissappointed with mercedes/toto/lewis and how they have acted in the media the past weeks.
Really sore losers, especially when taken in mind the had the best engine in the hybrid area by miles, and actually had meetings on how much to down tune the engine so the FIA/other teams wouldn’t notice.
Balue (@balue)
3rd July 2021, 19:13
Stunning by Norris and McLaren, but kudos to Perez too. He was really struggling, but managed to nail it when it mattered.
I don’t know what Ferrari was thinking. They were so good on the tyres last weekend, there would be no need to be too fussed with the softs as it looks they were.
Pjotr (@pietkoster)
3rd July 2021, 20:42
Hamilton, Botta’s and Mercedes are still sandbagging. At the end of the season the will beat Ferrari.
MCG (@malrg)
4th July 2021, 0:50
@pietkoster – Ha Ha, your funny
Cristiano Ferreira
3rd July 2021, 20:50
Is “Sir” Hypocrite Still I Whine 44 going to say anything about the Power Unit in that McLaren? Oh… wait.
Instead of just spreading rumors of cheating against the competition, he should start driving better.
Also Ricciardo… another flawless performance by him.
DaveW (@dmw)
3rd July 2021, 21:19
Try meditation.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
3rd July 2021, 22:10
Ricciardo is getting outclassed by Norris. How good is this smiling guy, to nick P2 from two Mercedeses and one Red Bull?
Verstappen seems to cope with skiny rear wing well, better than Perez. I can only imagine a booring drive to P1 for Max…
But P2 is wide open. Mercedes should be racy, Perez is faster and stuck behind…
There is also Norris, what can he do from there?
Ajaxn
3rd July 2021, 22:40
Absolutely rediculas.
I thought so when Hamilton gave up the chance to retake the championship after Verstappen tire blow out in Azerbaijan.
Now we have underpowered Mercedes being outpaced by Lando Norris with Mercedes own last year’s engine specs.
Absolutely rediculas.
Qeki (@qeki)
3rd July 2021, 22:49
When was the last time Mercedes got beaten by a customer team in dry conditions??
DaveW (@dmw)
4th July 2021, 0:09
In qualifying? Maybe by Williams at this very track with bottas and massa? This has not been a great track for Mercedes. In a race, I don’t know. But I expect Norris to be the last car in the lead lap again. They don’t have the race pace of the top two teams.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
4th July 2021, 1:23
What a cracking qualifying from Lando! It’s not like he filled a void with Max miles ahead. He was right on him! Norris is really showing his worth this season. Shame for Ricciardo, but it’s so good to see McLaren at the pointy end on genuine pace. Hopefully they’ll find a little more to close on the red bulls and Mercedes on race pace.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
4th July 2021, 2:23
I wonder how much the removal of DAS from Mercedes affected the rest of the design in the front of their cars?
papaya
4th July 2021, 5:28
Lol, re-quote from Verstappen for its relevance: “that’s what happens when you stop cheating…”
Anon A. Mouse
4th July 2021, 6:42
Hurts them when preparing a hotlap, on formation laps, and during VSC/SC restarts. But it’s probably a weight savings that let’s them play with their ballast a bit more. The floor changes hurt Mercedes much more. In previous years there was an unbelievable level of stability during cornering, the car just seemed to turn on demand. This year’s car looks like it slides through the turns more than ever (see Austria T1, T3).
Balue (@balue)
4th July 2021, 10:03
Mercedes’ trick was apparently to send vortices along the floor edge to seal it for ground effect, which they couldn’t do as well when the floor was reduced for this year (which was probably the whole reason for the rule change).
Balue (@balue)
4th July 2021, 10:03
*comment to previous thread