Max vs Lewis: Round 16 of F1’s Title Fight Comes From Turkey
Round 16 of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship takes place in Istanbul, Turkey, this weekend. Following a calamitous Russian Grand Prix, it is Lewis Hamilton that heads the World Drivers’ Championship points standings. His lead is tenuous, just two points and bookmakers believe Max Verstappen is the most likely winner of this thrilling season-long battle.
At this venue 11 months ago, Lewis Hamilton won the Turkish Grand Prix by a yawning 31 seconds. However, persistent rain and a freshly re-laid surface meant this anti-clockwise track resembled an ice rink and the contest was a war of attrition.
Lewis Hamilton (foreground) has won five races this season. Max Verstappen has tasted victory seven times but trails in the World Drivers’ Championship standings. ©LAT Images
With the latest weather forecast suggesting dry conditions on race day, most pundits believe the Englishman will struggle to contain Max Verstappen’s Red Bull this weekend at the Istanbul Racing Circuit. The Milton Keynes constructed car traditionally performs best on circuits that are categorized as ‘high downforce’. Turkey sits firmly in that subsection.
But it would be foolish to discount Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton has more experience of this venue than any other driver – the race was missing from the Formula 1 calendar between 2011 and 2020 – and he has won here twice before.
Furthermore, the 2021 Red Bull has not produced its predicted performance levels at several circuits. It has been uncharacteristically punchy at some of the high-speed venues but, for example, disappointed in qualifying in Hungary – being a sweeping high-downforce venue, that track is technically very similar to Turkey.
Simulations – The Private Form Guide
With testing limited, and Friday practice sessions cut to one hour in 2021, teams are putting more time and resources into their factory-based simulator work. This week the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team released a video illustrating what can be achieved on their track simulator. It clearly demonstrates they believe a race-winning advantage can be gained far from public sight.
This may encourage you to invest in a Hamilton victory on Sunday. William Hill is offering 6/4 about the defending champ registering his sixth race win of the season. He rarely starts at such generous odds ahead of a race weekend. But this apparent act of kindness is a result of uncertainty regarding the potential for the seven-time world champion to start the race from the back of the grid.
So far this season Hamilton has raced with three different engines. This is the maximum permitted under Formula 1 rules. If and when he uses a fourth it will incur a sizeable grid penalty for the forthcoming race.
Speaking to Sky Sports earlier in the week team boss Toto Wolff conceded an engine change ahead of Sunday’s race is “a possibility.” If the call is made to install a new power unit into Hamilton’s Mercedes it will only be announced after qualifying.
Two New Venues to Add Arabian Spice
Following Sunday’s race, there is a sequence of six race weekends within the space of eight weeks. The season’s final races come from the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and finally Abu Dhabi.
Qatar is the last piece of the 2021 season’s calendar to be put in place. Its participation and date was confirmed just a week ago. It has filled a vacant slot left by the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix.
The Qatar race will take place at the purpose-built Losail International Circuit close to Doha. The sport has never visited the country before, and this 16-turn track is best known as a two-wheeled MotoGP circuit.
Saudi Arabia, another country making its Formula 1 debut, has a track which presents an altogether different challenge. Named the Jeddah Street Circuit, the new course has already been declared to be the “fastest street track” on the Formula 1 calendar.
Formula 1 cars may not have ever set their wheels on the floodlit track situated alongside the Jeddah Waterfront, but those wonderful simulators indicate we can expect average speeds in excess of 250 kilometers per-hour. Let’s hope the championship battle is still finely poised when the circus arrives in town.
