The 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be remembered for sure in the future, but perhaps for Formula 1 it would be better to forget quickly, and shift attention to a 22nd race where the two title contenders will finish on equal points. This one in particular is however a curious coincidence, considering that the points this year were not only awarded in the race, but also from sprint qualifying and fast laps, and that there were half points from the pseudo Belgian Grand Prix. The problem, however, is that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix took place and it cannot be ignored. Everyone is gone over the limits. THE pilots beyond the limits of regulation and of the runway, the race direction beyond the limits of what is allowed and what is sown, and before them Formula 1 herself, thinking of racing on the Jeddah track. Starting from the last point, the fact that there have been no serious incidents this year does not mean that they have not emerged security issues (even when the drivers ran with their backs uncovered it is not like a fatal accident occurred at every race), and to see, after years of battles over safety, Formula 1 that, in the name of the Saudi dollars, takes the initiative, approves the project and finally runs on a track with such insidious characteristics, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
As for the race direction, we certainly find nothing to say that for many situations, such as the first red flag or the negotiation on Verstappen’s starting position, they were inadequate at the level that Formula 1 needs. However, there is something that, in the opinion of the writer, it goes further. The commissioners and the race director rely on a regulatory system absolutely unsuitable and that no one bothered to recalibrate with a view to the future. The idea that the stewards rotate between one event and another, for example, is a correct approach to avoid that any personal prejudices can become a problem, but the stewards themselves should provide clear tools to apply, instead of general rules and penalties to be chosen from the deck. All then creating from time to time previous to refer to and which become a labyrinth of situations from which it is often difficult to get out. The immobility in the regulation appears clear if we think that after the Vettel affair in Canada not a comma of the rules has been changed, but it was decided to only modify them the interpretation. Then the rules are treated as interpretable, flexible and every situation becomes subject of endless discussions between team and race direction. Contrary to what many think, however, the “right” it’s a science, like mathematics or physics, and in this sense it should be thought and applied. Clear instructions are needed which stewards become more performers than performers. Obviously the race direction must have not only the tools, but also the character and the courage to apply them. Seeing what was happening on the track in Jeddah, the natural thought was to make a football comparison, in which a not very charismatic referee found himself refereeing a nervous final. And when the referee can’t keep the game in hand, ends up that the players get hurt, and in Arabia we did not miss much in the end.
Of course, in turn, the interpreters of this world championship have also given their contribution, with the track practically becoming a far west where everything seemed to be valid. Let me be clear, up to certain limits it is also right that this is the case. We are not talking about a sport that thrives on pure fair play, but rather one of the greatest sporting expressions of selfishness, so that there are tricks, hard entrances, rivalries and a few pushes every now and then is probably right. But then let’s go back to where who directs the series must make a decision on which Formula 1 do you want to see on the track: the one in which the drivers apologize and let themselves pass and pass by extending their hand or the one in which you also fight to win the world championship? Probably neither is wrong, but knowing which line is would be of enormous help to pilots, stewards and the public. Stefano Domenicali has a strong personality, and is endowed with extraordinary abilities that give him the authority to impose himself. This is one of those times when the leader’s charisma must emerge so as not to make its role that of a pass-through for shareholders and a facade for journalists, but of decision maker able to ferry the circus in the waters more manageable from a purely sporting point of view.
Now, following this long series of personal considerations inevitable after such a Grand Prix, you can get back on track and do some performance evaluations, although the tender was not particularly indicative. The race pace was numerically almost impossible to analyze given the continuous interruptions for Virtual Safety Cars and difficulty overtaking for many pilots. Ahead Hamilton certainly had a step advantage, but this was also thanks to Verstappen’s choice to leave with medium rubber in the last restart, which put the world leader in a lot of difficulty in the last phase of the race. In general, however, the Red Bull performed extremely well in everyone the sectors guided and in the changes of direction, but despite better cornering speeds, the stages of traction and of braking gave Hamilton a more competitive car for the race, thanks to the power of the power unit and to a perfect mechanical trim on the longitudinal axis of the car. Behind the first 3 comes a great Or with, evidently capable of maximizing situations of confusion. Seeing where Alonso has finished it emerges that in such a roccambolesque race and on a track that is in any case complicated the pace of the cars emerged relatively, but rather the situations made the difference. Situations that have obviously gone in favor of Ricciardo and against Leclerc. The Monegasque said he found himself in great difficulty with hard tires in the restarts and this has brought back a little to the old problems of tire preparation. A great job in these terms had been done by the team during the winter, but obviously the tire can be prepared and managed in the launch laps in qualifying, but little can be done in a standing start situation. The difficulties of Leclerc in the restarts were evident also considering the overtaking suffered by Giovinazzi and even by Tsunoda. Noticed by a few, the little Japanese from Alpha Tauri, before making a mess, passed Leclerc outside the dish in a truly courageous maneuver, with the Monegasque in any case clearly having difficulty in finding grip.
Looking at the graph of relative gaps, the Ferrari pace looks like that from third force, much better than Gasly and Ricciardo, but it is difficult to make an assessment that is not gross given the situation. Finally, Giovinazzi’s beautiful weekend should be underlined, who at least saved a good performance to remember in his experience in Formula 1. In a few days the last challenge of the year on the renewed Abu Dhabi track. Mercedes has practically the constructors ‘title in its pocket while for the drivers’ title at this point Hamilton should be the favorite, but everything is hanging by a thread. The reliability issue could play a key role, combined with the fact that when you play everything in a single race, obviously anything can happen, let’s hope anyway. no more than what happened in Jeddah.
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