FIA Formula 1 2021, race#4 spanish GP Montmelo 7.-9.5.2021 ! Fernando Alonso's first home race since 2018 - not Sebastian Vettel's favorite race - the battle Hamilton vs. Verstappen ! - NAANII GLOBAL Luxury/Quality Family Lifestyle MAGAZINE 'en Vogue' - NAANII GLOBAL Quality & Luxury Family Lifestyle - MAGAZINE 'en Vogue'-

Go to content

Main menu:

FIA Formula 1 2021, race#4 spanish GP Montmelo 7.-9.5.2021 ! Fernando Alonso's first home race since 2018 - not Sebastian Vettel's favorite race - the battle Hamilton vs. Verstappen !

Published by NAANII GLOBAL & F1 team com teams in Motorsport 2021, F1, Fe, LeMans 24h,.. · 5/5/2021 18:37:38
Tags: FIA, F1, 2021;, race#, 4, SPANISH, GP;, Sebastian, Vettel;, Fernando, Alonso;, Carlos, Sainz;


________________


________________



FIA F1 world championship, race#4, Spanish GP- Montmelo !
strong Spaniards with 'some' home support, not Sebastian Vettel's favorite race and
the battle Hamilton vs. Verstappen


Last Saturday in Portugal it was Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari with a big smile on his face after an excellent qualifying performance that secured him fifth on the grid, but by Sunday evening it was his countryman Fernando Alonso, Alpina who was the more satisfied of the two.

Heading into their home race, Spanish GP, Montmelo 7.-9.5.2021 both Spaniards will be looking to get the better of the other as Ferrari and Alpine looked closely-matched thanks to the latter’s step forward in Portugal, and the pair will have some fans cheering them on on Sunday, with 1,000 spectators permitted (pandemic restrictions / normal 140.000 spectators) to watch the Grand Prix from the main grandstand,
as Alonso takes part in his first home race since 2018 !

Ahead of his first home Grand Prix since 2018, Fernando Alonso has rated his performance in the first three rounds of the season with Alpine after his return to F1 following two years racing in other categories.

Heading into the Spanish Grand Prix, Alonso has scored twice in the last three races with a best of P8 in Portugal last time, but he wasn't overly complimentary about his own performance when asked to rate it out of 10.

“Maybe five. The minimum level necessary,” he replied. “I think I can do much better than what I did so far but at the same time it’s out of three races we’ve scored two times and one time we had to retire the car because of [debris in] the rear brakes. A little bit unlucky in Bahrain but the other races we did score points.

“We could have scored more, probably, yes, but one step at a time. While we are adapting and being comfortable with the team, we need to deliver the results on Sunday and keep on scoring points, and it is what we are doing,” he added.

Alpine have been improving along with Alonso, with upgrade packages at Imola and Portugal that helped them to a brace of double-points hauls. But Alonso is yet to see for himself whether the upgrades have done their intended purpose.

“I think we have to take it one at a time,” he said. "In Portugal it was a good team performance, a good level of competitiveness in our car, in all the sessions apart from qualifying, maybe. But over the weekend it was very strong.
“Now we are here in Barcelona we need to re-confirm if that was a track specific performance or if it was the truth of the Alpine evolution so, you know, quite curious to see what we can do here,” he added.

It’s been three years since Alonso has raced at home in F1 and, while there will just be 1,000 fans compared to the hundred-thousand-strong crowd Barcelona normally draws, he said he's been feeling the support all around him.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “It feels very special. Obviously we miss the fans but we still feel the support from them at home. You arrive here… you feel the support in the airport, the hotel. You feel you are at home, somehow. That extra pressure, that extra adrenaline because you are in your home country, it is special.

“Unfortunately we cannot share the moment with the fans but we try to put a good show on television.”
Sitting 12th in the table after three rounds, Alonso aims to make up ground with his 18th Spanish GP this weekend.



Mercedes vs. Red Bull - the battle

There’s a proper championship battle on the go when tiny incidents can have such a big impact on the outcome of a race, but that’s exactly what happened in Portugal.

Max Verstappen could have been on pole position but for a snap of oversteer at Turn 4 that resulted in his best lap time being deleted in Q3, while traffic was also given as a reason why he didn’t match that effort on his final run. Then there was another small wobble at Turn 14 early in the race that allowed Lewis Hamilton the chance to regain second place, and then the final lap time deletion that cost Verstappen an extra point for fastest lap.

Max Verstappen lost the fastest lap bonus point to Valtteri Bottas thanks to track limits in Portugal.  The fact that each one of those either cost Verstappen a point or a much better chance of victory when they were such small moments shows just how close this fight is.

Barcelona is likely to see more of the same, where Red Bull are hopeful of being slightly more competitive than in Portimao, but Mercedes have been very strong in the past. Getting everything right through the weekend will be crucial, and that means any lost track time due to issues in practice or the slightest error on a qualifying lap could have a major influence. The intensity is only increasing, and we love it !




2021 Spanish Grand Prix Race Preview   -
by  ASTON MARTIN  Cognizant  F1 Racing Team


Lap after lap, session after session; few – if any – Grand Prix circuits have played host to more Formula One laps than the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Spanish venue has become the traditional home of pre-season testing for a reason: it unstintingly challenges both the mechanical and aerodynamic aspects of a modern racing car. As such, it can be an important barometer for performance across the remainder of the year.


- Interviews -

Sebastin Vettel - 4  times world champion - Season 2021 new team, new car, Barcelona not his favorite race ! -



“This weekend, I’ll have the upgrade Lance used in Portugal – which he felt was promising – so I’m looking forward to experiencing it for myself.

Looking at the last race, it’s clear that we have better race pace than single-lap performance, so we’ll be looking to make improvements on Saturday to give us the best chance of points on Sunday. We all know Sunday afternoons at Barcelona can be tricky for overtaking, so it’s important that we maximise our opportunities where we can.”


Lance…
“Portugal wasn’t a great weekend for us – but we got plenty of track running and learned more about the development of the AMR21. We’ve seen how critical it is to extract the maximum from the car – especially in the tight and unpredictable midfield pack – we’ll be aiming for points again this weekend.”


Cognizant's Keys to the Race
After two races on circuits with limited historical data to rely on, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a return to the familiar – but there are still challenges ahead. Our strategy engineers have analysed historic data and recent car performance to predict the key factors that could determine the result on Sunday, presented in partnership with Title Partner Cognizant.

• Strategy: There’s gains to be made with some quick thinking on the pitwall. A pitstop takes roughly 23 seconds, which is quicker than Imola or Portimão, meaning multiple stops are viable. Last year, only five drivers made it to the finish with one pitstop, so expect to see a mix of strategies – especially as Pirelli has brought its hardest and most durable range: C1, C2 and C3.

• There’s usually plenty of action at the start thanks to the 645-metre run down from pole to the fourth-gear Turn One. It’s the third-longest drive into the first corner on the calendar – behind Russia and Mexico. But it’s still tricky for overtaking: 90% of all overtakes completed after lap two (28) in the 2020 race took place at the first four corners of the circuit, boosted by the 800m DRS zone along the main straight.

• During the winter, some minor re-profiling work was done to Turn 10. The revised section has an increased corner radius – largely returning it to the original layout used until 2004. There was just one overtake at this corner in the 2020 race; but with cornering speeds of around 100km/h (62mph) expected at the now-third-gear turn, it’s less likely to offer up opportunities for passing.

• While there were no Safety Cars in the 2020 Grand Prix, historically the chances of a mid-race interruption are common. 60% of all Spanish Grands Prix in Barcelona have featured the Safety Car, and 40% of the last five Grands Prix in have included at least one Virtual Safety Car period.

Unlocking the Lap – with SentinelOne
A lap of the circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya tests all aspects of a Formula One car. From the high-speed first sector to the tight and technical final sector, the Spanish Grand Prix circuit is a blend of the characteristics of Silverstone and the Hungaroring in a unique challenge.

Our official Cyber Security Partner SentinelOne presents the key technical facts and stats behind a single lap of the track.

The 1.1km main straight, where cars reach speeds of 300km/h (186mph), offers a good opportunity for slipstreaming, but the medium-speed Turn One right-hander makes it hard to out-brake a rival into the corner. Drivers immediately barrel into the right of Turn Two and the long, uphill Turn Three. With its slight elevation, a well-balanced car is critical here.

Drivers keep it pinned to the left of the straight to maximise the tricky Turns Four and Five. After the long right-hand bend, the track moves downhill and challenges drivers to find the blind braking point, while averaging around 160km/h (100mph) before braking hard into Turn Five.

Turns Seven and Eight are another tricky combination – the outside kerb is notoriously tricky, especially in low-grip conditions. A good exit sets the drivers up for the climb to Turn Nine, where smoothly cresting the exit kerb is vital for the 300km/h (186mph) straight down to the now-revised Turn 10 hairpin. With the aid of DRS, the run to Turn 10 is a potential overtaking spot.

Reaching speeds as low as 80km/h (50mph), this corner tests brakes, and it begins the low-speed and technical final sector. A short burst into Turn 11 means drivers can take this flat – if they’re brave on the kerbs.


F1 circuit MONTMELO, Spain
In Numbers

Number of laps 66
Lap length 4.675km
Number of corners 16
Race distance 308.424km
Lap record 1:18.183 (Valtteri Bottas, 2020)
Qualifying lap record 1:14.648 (Fernando Alonso, 2006)


Foto/ Video: ALPINA F1 team, Aston Martin F1 Team, Formula 1,  copyright all right reserved


Share|


NG News - Nachrichten - Actualidad
NG Cover, overview, Überblick, resumen
NG's BOUTIQUE 'enVogue' online
NG's 'enVogue' BOUTIQUE online
NG's Polo Magazine'enVogue'
Naanii Global's NG Polo Magazine 'enVogue'
360ºcross platforms: LINKEDIN, WiKIPEDIA, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM , TikTok, Youtube and TWITTER publications NAANII GLOBAL ¨enVogue¨






Back to content | Back to main menu