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Alpine failed to score any points in its first grand prix since the rebrand of Renault’s works operation as it failed to take the fight to its upper-midfield rivals from 2020. Esteban Ocon spent the majority of the race outside of the points after dropping out in Q1 and was hit by Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages. Teammate Fernando Alonso qualified ninth, and was on the fringes of the points before a brake issue forced him to retire after 32 laps. Alpine found that the performance of its car fell below expectations in the warmer sessions in Bahrain, suggesting the team has some heat sensitivity to combat with the A521. “It's fair to say we're less happy with the car in the hot sessions,” Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski explained. “FP3 [in Bahrain] was a bit more difficult for us, and we got back to a level of competitiveness that is more representative in the evening sessions, so FP2 and qualifying. “The temperature has been quite extreme. It was hotter … [Read more...] about Alpine “scared” itself in Bahrain with hot-weather struggles

Albon was dropped by the senior Red Bull outfit over the winter for failing to consistently match teammate Max Verstappen over the course of the 2020 season, with ex-Racing Point driver Sergio Perez hired as his replacement. Unlike his predecessors Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly, who were placed at the then-Toro Rosso team following their demotions from Red Bull Racing, Albon hasn’t yet been given a second opportunity in F1 at what is now AlphaTauri. Instead, the Thai driver will contest selected rounds of the new-look DTM series in an AF Corse-run Ferrari 488 GT3 in 2021 while remaining in F1 as a reserve/test driver for both the Red Bull and AlphaTauri teams. The 25-year-old got his first proper taste of a GT3 car earlier this month at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, before getting more running under his belt in the official pre-season test at Hockenheim this week. While success in the DTM would boost his profile, Albon insists the primary objective of his programme is … [Read more...] about Albon: Reserve duties will play bigger role than DTM in F1 return

Normally when the leader of a Grand Prix has a problem on the power unit that costs him 160hp, over two seconds a lap of pure performance, the pursuing drivers will find a way past. Had Daniel Ricciardo’s problem occurred anywhere other than Monaco, they would have done. And had it occurred before the only round of pit stops in the race, then he might have been vulnerable to a strategy move, like an undercut, from Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton. But Ricciardo had made his only stop of the afternoon before his MGU-K failed. Although he had to play with the controls of the car, shifting the brake bias forward, for example, to help the rear brake temperatures, his car’s gentler treatment of the softest tyres in the Pirelli range was superior to Ferrari and Mercedes. And that proved to be enough to keep him in position on this most difficult of tracks on which to overtake. Because it’s Monaco; track position is everything, as Lewis Hamilton learned to his cost in 2015 … [Read more...] about Strategy Report: Why Ricciardo’s pursuers played it ‘ultra’ safe

As part of a push by the FIA to slow cars down for this year, a number of changes were made to the regulations to cut downforce. A section of floor has been removed ahead of the rear wheels, plus new restrictions have been imposed on brake ducts and diffuser dimensions. With downforce cut by up to 10%, the cars have been slowed – and Leclerc has noticed a change in approach even if the 2021 challengers do not require an all-new style. "In terms of driving [style] there were no changes, but there is something different," he said in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com's Italian site. "You have to push a little less when entering corners, because the rear of the car is more difficult to manage due to the modified floor." Leclerc is a driver who likes the rear end of his cars to be loose, as it allows him better rotation in the corners. It was believed to be a factor in why he struggled much less with last year's Ferrari than then teammate Sebastian Vettel. … [Read more...] about Leclerc: 2021 cars more difficult to manage on corner entry

Rossi registered his worst qualifying result in his entire 25-year grand prix career in last weekend’s Doha round in Qatar, having limped to 21st aboard his Petronas SRT Yamaha. He failed to salvage much in the race after qualifying second-to-last, the 42-year-old coming away from the second round of the season without points in 16th having also faded from fourth to 12th in the Qatar GP the week before. Following his worst start to a premier class season since his maiden campaign in 2000, Rossi admitted he was unsure if his form would rebound when MotoGP returns to Europe starting with next week’s Portuguese GP. Reviewing the Doha race in his new ’99 Seconds’ YouTube series, Lorenzo – who spent seven years as Rossi’s teammate in MotoGP – was scathing in his assessment of Rossi’s performance, but expects him to be stronger come the fourth round at Jerez. "Rossi has disappointed me, as I suppose he has disappointed his fans because a lot is always expected from … [Read more...] about Lorenzo: Rossi “disappointed” me, his fans in Doha MotoGP