Will Red Bull finally become Constructors Champions again?
Cast your mind back to 2013, were Red Bull secured their 4th successive Constructors title. Since then, they have come second 4 times, third 3 times and they even finished 4th back in 2015. It’s been a tough run for the Milton Keynes based team, but they have a chance to secure the title again this weekend. Currently, Red Bull lead Ferrari in the constructors standings by 165 points. To win it this weekend, all they have to do is win the race. If they don’t win the race, they just need to have both drivers finishing in the top 4. Also, if Ferrari don’t outscore them by 19 points, the title will be theirs anyway. I’d be very surprised if we don’t have constructors champions by the end of the weekend.
A home race for Haas
For the first half of the season, Haas were having a great time. However, they have failed to pick up a single point in their last 7 races and they now find themselves level with Alpha Tauri for 8th in the constructors. This year has been about a thousand times better than last year, but it won’t feel much better if they end up finishing in 9th place, just 1 place higher than last year. However, this is their home race. They will hope that they can have a good performance. Historically however, they have only scored 1 point around the Circuit of the Americas which doesn’t fill you with much hope.
Could this be Daniel Ricciardo’s last Formula 1 race in America?
Daniel Ricciardo absolutely loves the United States. This was shown even more this week when he came into the paddock on the back of a stallion. It’s also a track he’s done pretty well at; he’s been on the podium twice and despite his struggles at McLaren, he secured a P5 last year. With him off the F1 grid next year, could this be his last ever F1 race around COTA. I certainly hope not but if it is, both Ricciardo and McLaren will be hoping that he can have a similar result to last year to try and close the 13-point gap between themselves and Alpine for fourth in the constructors.
Can Mercedes find some form again?
It’s no secret that Mercedes haven’t had the best of seasons. However, they have consistently been staying in the race and taking advantage of other people’s errors. It’s even allowed them to stay so close to Ferrari in the Constructors. That hasn’t been the case in the last 2 races though as in Singapore, Hamilton finished 9th and Russell came in 14th and then in Japan, Lewis came 5th and George could only manage 8th. Those two bad races have pretty much ended Merc’s chances of finishing second in the championship so the focus now has to be on trying to have a positive end to the season. Let’s see if they can do it.
Lots of different drivers taking part in FP1
This weekend, 5 different drivers are taking part in Practice 1, with four of them meeting the young/rookie drivers' criteria. One of them happens to be USA’s own, Logan Sargeant. The American finished 3rd in Formula 3 in 2020 and in his first full season in F2, he currently sits in third place. If he has a good showing today, he could put himself in pole position for a full time Williams seat in 2023. Also, 2021 IndyCar champion Alex Palou will get to drive for McLaren whilst the super quick Theo Pourchaire will drive for Alfa Romeo in place of Valtteri Bottas. The young 19-year-old currently sits second in the Formula 2 Championship and I’m telling you now, he’s going to be a star. Also, Robert Shwartzman gets to drive for Ferrari this weekend in place of Charles Leclerc. Shwartzman is a former F3 Champion and F2 Runner-up. And finally, Antonio Giovinazzi returns to F1 as he is driving in the Haas. A great chance for all 5 of them.
コメント