Balaclava Image Deep Throttle Logo
Auto Racing History Image
HOME THOUGHTS ESSAYS RANKINGS HISTORY
About Us
Russell's Ramblings
IMSA Thoughts
Photos
F1 Schedule
Master Schedule
Debunking Myths
News Links
Shopping
Ed Donath Archive
Guestbook
In Association with Amazon.com

2021 Qatar Thoughts

THE BIG PICTURE: It wasn't too long ago we thought Verstappen was starting to wrap things up. Two races later, and that was obviously an idiotic statement to make. Two races left. Both Mercedes type tracks. Hamilton trailing by eight points. It's coming down to the wire. Nerves are getting frayed.

EVENT: We must admit, there was a larger crowd than we anticipated. And a very international crowd. A prelude to the World Cup.

TRACK: Drove like Mugello, but surprisingly with a lot more passing ability. And some very entertaining passing at that.

QUALIFYING: An anticlimactic finish as Gasly's tire failure ends the last lap prematurely, but it does cause grid penalties for Verstappen and Bottas, while Hamilton and Mercedes speed are untouchable, Sergio disappoints, and Norris is unaware of a cracked chassis.

RACE: This race was essentially over after the start. The only excitement, though it was interesting, was the fight for the rest of the positions and whether Alonso would get on the podium.

START: Hamilton immediately checks out, Alonso is his old self, Gasly hangs in there, Verstappen jumps three spots, and Bottas mucks the start again.

HAMILTON: Talk about riding momentum right now. Lewis has got to be feeling really, really good.

BOTTAS: Stretched those medium tires a weeeeee bit too far.

MERCEDES: With such an early, comfortable lead, they did the only reasonable strategic move -- simply copy what Red Bull did. No need to be fancy or outthink the situation.

VERSTAPPEN: Max has nerves of steel ... at least outwardly. But, he has got to be feeling the pressure now.

PEREZ: Sergio will be needed now more than ever.

RED BULL: Is a protest coming...?

ALONSO: Pulls off the one stop strategy for his first podium in seven years. Well executed. Well deserved.

OCON: He did try to hold up Perez. But Esteban was on way older tires. There was not much he could do.

FERRARI: Perhaps not as successful as the prior two races, but still a good haul of points compared to McLaren.

MCLAREN: Once again, shot themselves in the foot.

ALPINE: A massive haul of points...

ALPHATUARI: ...as they put themselves in a huge hole for the fight for fifth.

STROLL: Lance needed a good race.

WILLIAMS: Also lost out on the tire gamble for both their cars.

ZHOU: As expected, Antonio Giovinazzi will be out of a ride next year. And as expected, China will get their first driver in F1, Guanyu Zhou. Unfortunately, China will not have a grand prix next year.

FIA: We sound like a broken record. It is totally unfair that drivers who cause yellow/red flags in qualifying do not get penalized while their actions are severely detrimental to others. They have got to start taking away fastest laps when you cause a yellow or red flag, just like in Indy car.

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Wings.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 5 -- The number of points Verstappen has outscored Hamilton in the sprint races (7-2). That difference could decide the world championship.

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: Much was made of Fernando Alonso's first podium in seven years. That came at Hungary in 2014 where he finished second in a Ferrari. He qualified fifth just like at Qatar (before penalties to others moved him up to third). Surrounding him on the podium were the same teams as this year -- Mark Weber in a Red Bull on the top step and Lewis Hamilton (after starting from pit lane) in third for Mercedes.

TWEET OF THE WEEKEND: McLaren tweeting the obvious, "That one hurt."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Clearly indicating the type of role AlphaTauri plays in the Red Bull hierarchy, Pierre Gasly is plainly told by his engineer early in the race when he was leading Max Verstappen, "Max is not your race." Soon after, Verstappen easily made the pass, uncontested.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Fernando Alonso hoping for a return of favor from Hungary, letting his team know, "Tell Esteban to defend like a lion," when Ocon was ahead of Sergio Perez, who was making a run towards the front on fresh tires.

SCHEDULE: With all the controversy about racing in Saudi Arabia, the real question is will the Jeddah track be finished? Less than two weeks and counting...

Copyright © 2021 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.



RACE RESULTS
  Driver Laps
1. Hamilton 57
2. Verstappen 57
3. Alonso 57
4. Perez 57
5. Ocon 57
6. Stroll 57
7. Sainz 57
8. Leclerc 57
9. Norris 56
10. Vettel 56
11. Gasly 56
12. Ricciardo 56
13. Tsunoda(R) 56
14. Raikkonen 56
15. Giovinazzi 56
16. Schumacher(R) 56
17. Russell 55
18. Mazepin(R) 55
NC Latifi 50
NC Bottas 48

Time of Race
1:24:28.471

Margin of Victory
25.743 secs.

Safety Car
None

Virtual Safety Car
1 for 2 laps

Lead Changes
None

Lap Leaders
Lewis Hamilton

Fastest Race Lap
Max Verstappen

Pole Position
Lewis Hamilton

CURRENT STANDINGS
  Driver Pts.
1. Verstappen 351.5
2. Hamilton 343.5
3. Bottas 203
4. Perez 190
5. Norris 153
6. Leclerc 152
7. Sainz 145.5
8. Ricciardo 105
9. Gasly 92
10. Alonso 77
11. Ocon 60
12. Vettel 43
13. Stroll 34
14. Tsunoda(R) 20
15. Russell 16
16. Raikkonen 10
17. Latifi 7
18. Giovinazzi 1

  Team Pts.
1. Mercedes 546.5
2. Red Bull 541.5
3. Ferrari 297.5
4. McLaren 258
5. Alpine 137
6. AlphaTauri 112
7. Aston Martin 77
8. Williams 23
9. Alfa Romeo 11
 
 

2024 Thoughts
Bahrain Saudi Arabia Australia Japan
China Miami Emilia Romagna Monaco
Canada Spain Austria Great Britain
Hungary Belgium Holland Italy
Azerbaijan Singapore United States Mexico City
Sao Paulo Las Vegas Qatar Abu Dhabi

2023 Thoughts
Bahrain Saudi Arabia Australia Azerbaijan
Miami Emilia Romagna Monaco Spain
Canada Austria Great Britain Hungary
Belgium Holland Italy Singapore
Japan Qatar United States Mexico City
Sao Paulo Las Vegas Abu Dhabi

2022 Thoughts
Bahrain Saudi Arabia Australia Emilia Romagna
Miami Spain Monaco Azerbaijan
Canada Great Britain Austria France
Hungary Belgium Holland Italy
Singapore Japan United States
Mexico City Sao Paulo Abu Dhabi

2021 Thoughts
Bahrain Emilia Romagna Portugal Spain Monaco
Azerbaijan France Steiermark Austria Great Britain
Hungary Belgium Holland Italy
Russia Turkey United States Mexico City
Sao Paulo Qatar Saudi Arabia Abu Dhabi

2020 Thoughts
Austria Steiermark Hungary Great Britain Anniversary
Spain Belgium Italy Tuscany
Russia Eifel Portugal Emilia Romagna
Turkey Bahrain Sakhir Abu Dhabi

2019 Thoughts
Australia Bahrain China Azerbaijan Spain
Monaco Canada France Austria
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Russia Japan
Mexico United States Brazil Abu Dhabi

2018 Thoughts
Australia Bahrain China Azerbaijan Spain
Monaco Canada France Austria
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Russia Japan
United States Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2017 Thoughts
Australia China Bahrain Russia
Spain Monaco Canada Azerbaijan
Austria Great Britain Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Malaysia Japan
United States Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2016 Thoughts
Australia Bahrain China Russia Spain
Monaco Canada Europe Austria
Great Britain Hungary Germany Belgium
Italy Singapore Malaysia Japan
United States Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2015 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Canada Austria
Great Britain Hungary Belgium Italy
Singapore Japan Russia United States
Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2014 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia Bahrain China
Spain Monaco Canada Austria
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Japan Russia
United States Brazil Abu Dhabi

2013 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Canada Great Britain
Germany Hungary Belgium Italy
Singapore South Korea Japan India
Abu Dhabi United States Brazil

2012 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Canada Europe
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Japan South Korea
India Abu Dhabi United States Brazil

2011 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Turkey
Spain Monaco Canada Europe
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Japan South Korea
India Abu Dhabi Brazil

2010 Thoughts
Bahrain Australia Malaysia China
Spain Monaco Turkey Canada
Europe Great Britain Germany Hungary
Belgium Italy Singapore Japan
South Korea Brazil Abu Dhabi

2009 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Turkey Great Britain
Germany Hungary Europe
Belgium Italy Singapore
Japan Brazil Abu Dhabi


Archived CART/Champ Car Thoughts
Site Index | Search | Contacts | Ad Rates |


Copyright © 1999-2024 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.
The names, logos, and taglines identifying Deep Throttle are proprietary marks of Deep Throttle. All other trademarks and service marks are property of their respective owners. Deep Throttle is an independent electronic publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any series, team, driver, or sponsor. Privacy Policy.