I'd like to see him stuck on seven. That's enough innit? Let someone else have a crack lol.


Come on Max!

I think I'll just root for Aston Martin this year and hope Haas can find some traction.

All will become a little clearer after the Bahrain opener come 28th March.

That's true. So many interesting storylines this season, especially with the driver moves.

I am excited to see what Perez can do in the Red Bull. He has yet to drive it. You hear talk about how the chassis is tricky, prone to snap oversteer. Max can handle it, Albon didn't. Can Sergio? And anyway, perhaps Red Bull temper it a bit over the offseason and it becomes a more predictably balanced car.

I'm also intrigued by Seb's move. Not a fan honestly, and I think Force India, I mean Racing Point, I mean Aston Martin got rid of the wrong driver. Seb's horrible year wasn't just down to the rotten Fez he was driving. He was very mistake-prone. He struck me as disinterested. Will a new team shake him out of it, or is he past it?

Alonso's return is also fascinating. F1 gave him track time in the rookie test a few weeks ago, which I didn't think was right. He's no neophyte. Will Sainz flourish at Ferrari? Can they get back on track or will they wallow in the bottom of the midfield again? Ricciardo should do fine at McLaren. Will Bottas show enough to stick around? Anything short of a title and I think his seat is Russell's for 2022, depending on what Hamilton does.

Really happy to see Imola back on the schedule. Zandy too and Interlagos. Those last two are my favorite tracks to drive in F1 2020. Imola's not in the sim, but has been in others and it's a great drive. I know the drivers were singing the track's praises last year, and rightly so.

But the thing I am most looking forward to is a proper title race. I'm really hoping Red Bull push on with the new lineup and the development freeze. Their engine situation is bad, with Honda pulling out. They need to get this sorted as early as possible so it's not hanging over the team all year. I hope they can take over Honda's setup, but that's a long shot. Red Bull are positioned better than at any point in the past seven years. I hope they give a proper battle this year. Looking forward to it!

Don't forget the aero rule changes and the Mercedes steering trick ban mixing things up as well.

Good point mate. It's hard to know what effect it will have, and which teams will be most affected and which will adapt best. The reduction in downforce is good as far as I'm concerned, as I think Formula One is too much car, not enough driver if you know what I mean, and this sort of thing helps to elevate the driver in the equation. But I think the floor change will be more detrimental to the high rake cars, like the Red Bull. Low rakes like Mercedes may not see so much change. But I'm no aero engineer. The upshot is whichever teams deal with it best will see an advantage in the early going.


Wings, diffusers and the side pods are still open game, so the best technical teams should be able to mitigate the new regs' effects to a degree.

Most interesting aspect for me will be seeing Kimi battling it out for 16th place against Spy-Gate/Crash-Gate/Santander-Gate Alonso. Biased? Nah. Go Ice Cream Man!:arrgh!:

The Ice Man! I laugh at that when you see how angry and vocal he was in his early F1 days. Still, it's great to see Kimi and Fernando still competing with the kids.:Kaleun_Wink:

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has signed a new one-year contract with Mercedes for the 2021 season.

The 36-year-old's previous deal lapsed in 2020 but he will now race for Mercedes for a ninth season.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/55380710

Fernando Alonso has been involved in a road cycling accident and taken to a hospital. He appears to be okay but details are not being provided.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...UCioVNIxn.html

The 39-year-old will spend a further two days in hospital - with his partner Linda Morselli by his side - as he recovers from surgery on his jaw and teeth.

His Italian model girlfriend has reportedly been keeping relatives updated on his condition via WhatsApp.

Taking to social media, Alonso said: "Thanks for all your wishes, I'm OK and looking forward to getting 2021 underway."

A statement from his Alpine F1 team - formerly Renault - said: "Following his cycling accident Fernando Alonso was kept under observation in hospital in Switzerland.

"Medics discovered a fracture in his upper jaw and conducted a successful corrective operation.

"The attending medical team are satisfied with his progress. Fernando will remain under observation in hospital for a further 48 hours.

"Looking forward, after a few days of complete rest, he will be able to progressively resume training.

"We expect him to be fully operational to undertake preparation for the season."
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/14026...k-jaw-surgery/

The 2021 Formula One season starts today with the first race taking place in Bahrain.

Recent practices suggest Hamilton may not have it so easy this season seeing as how Max Verstappen, Red Bull has the first pole position.

Position Driver
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
6. Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
7. Lando Norris, McLaren
8. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
9. Fernando Alonso, Alpine
10. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
11. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
12. Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo
13. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
14. Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo
15. George Russell, Williams
16. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
17. Nicholas Latifi, Williams
18. Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
19. Mick Schumacher, Haas
20. Nikita Mazepin, Haas

Look there's a Shoeme on the track again! :D

Hopefully he'll finish ahead of Vettel 'the finger man'

What a great opening race that was and what a fantastic season lies ahead me thinks.

https://i.postimg.cc/wxwFzkGV/111.jpg