We have had four different winners from three grand prix weekends so far this season, along with four different pole sitters and three different constructors – McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull. Who’s going to come up with the goods in Bahrain this Sunday?
Max Verstappen was absolutely peerless in Japan but that was a circuit where the driver can make a real difference. In Bahrain, which is a slightly more generic lay-out, Red Bull are unlikely to be top of the pile unless something happens to the McLarens. The world champion says he is expecting ‘a tough race’.
This year’s Red Bull, the RB21, is tricky to drive and simply not as fast as the papaya-coloured machine. In raw pace terms, it is behind the Mercedes and Ferrari too, it’s just Verstappen’s brilliance which has delivered results – including second in Australia, and third in the sprint and fourth in the grand prix in Shanghai. The Dutchman is now second in the drivers’ championship, one point behind Lando Norris.
Tempering expectations, Verstappen said: ‘There are still things to improve on the car. We are still working on our tyre management and lacking some pace, so we will just need to work hard and constantly push the car to the limit. However, I do always enjoy going [to Bahrain], it’s somewhere we have gone well. The track is very technical.’
New sidekick Yuki Tsunoda did not qualify well at his home race, his debut in the RB21, but he showed much stronger pace over the weekend than Liam Lawson was able to demonstrate in his two ill-fated races with the team.
Twelfth place was not much to celebrate in Suzuka but Tsunoda will be targeting some solid points this Sunday. If he can’t achieve that, big questions will need to be asked at Red Bull. They will not win the constructors’ title with only one car scoring podiums.
Tsunoda believes he has identified where one of the problems lies, saying: ‘I think if I can understand our tyre prep better, then I can put the car in a better place for race day.’ Helmut Marko has made his expectations clear, with Tsunoda adding: ‘I need to be as close to Max as possible to try and compete for the constructors’ title and benefit the team strategically in every race.’
Having two high-performing drivers in the team should give McLaren a distinct advantage but they have not been using Norris and Oscar Piastri strategically.
If things continue in this fashion, they will take points off each other, potentially harming their constructors’ campaign and giving Verstappen a crack of light in his world-title bid.
In Japan, Lawson outqualified Tsunoda in the Racing Bull but was outshone by Isack Hadjar, who finished seventh. It’s not impossible we’ll see Hadjar in next year’s RB22.
The rookie with a target on his back right now is Jack Doohan, who’s had a dreadful start to his F1 career at Alpine. More broken bits of car this weekend will likely see the Australian dropped in favour of reserve Franco Colapinto.
FIA chief under fire after resignation
The leadership of the FIA is under the spotlight following criticism from two senior motor racing figures. FIA deputy president of sport Robert Reid has resigned, citing a ‘breakdown of governance standards’.
Motorsport UK chairman David Richards published an open letter claiming a ‘distinct failure’ by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, in the paddock this weekend for the first time this season, to honour election pledges.
Richards and Reid were turned away from a recent council meeting for refusing to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
In a statement, Reid wrote: ‘When I took on this role, it was to serve FIA members, not to serve power. Over time, I’ve witnessed a steady erosion of principles we promised to uphold.’
In response, the FIA said it ‘has exceptionally robust corporate governance policies’.
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