F1 backmarkers under the pump

I find it remarkable that after just two races into the 2021 F1 season, some pundits are predicting gloomy futures for a few of the drivers based on last year’s performance and their current form.

Accurate predictions are difficult at the best of times so surely right now it is almost impossible to truly assess a driver’s future. Although some do stand out, one being new kid on the block at Haas, Nikita Mazepin.

The Russian, whose father provided a large financial contribution to the Haas team, did not make the best impression on the F1 world after a rather unfortunate social media video of his personal life went viral.

That aside he has yet to cover himself in glory when it comes to on track performance, as we have witnessed from pre-season testing through to race weekends and he has sadly earned the nickname of Maze-spin.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, is quoted as saying. “He is trying very hard – sometimes a little bit too hard. He needs to find that limit, but it’s for him to find, not us. We can help him doing that but learning is painful, you know?

“At some stage that will hopefully stop and he will be in a good place.”

Steiner continued: “I think we jump to conclusions too early.

“It’s like him driving the Mercedes last year. I think he learned something but now he has to learn that our car is not as good as a Mercedes. I repeat, we are here, we have got the whole year to learn, we haven’t got the whole year to spin but we are here.”

At least Mazepin finished the race in Imola despite treacherous conditions. Let us hope this weekend’s race at Portimao will see him bring the car home in one piece.

Another driver taking an awful lot criticism is four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. After his difficult time with Scuderia Ferrari and the apparent problems with setting up their car to suit him, the move to the newly formed Aston Martin was seen as his last chance within F1.

Yet engineers at the AM facility have welcomed his ability to impart any issues with the new car. Unfortunately not all was well during pre-season testing and he was forced to sit out most of his sessions due to car failures. One must consider his limited time in the new car with a new power unit and transmission.

There are significant differences between all cars on the grid and moving from one marque to another involves much more than a simple swop. The German’s track time in the AMR 21 has been incredibly short and his performance should improve in the coming races.

The handling problems with the low rake cars will still be an issue for Vettel and team-mate Lance Stroll, but my feeling is do not give up on Vettel yet.

The Red Bull team was elated at Imola as Max Verstappen took victory and kept in touch with championship leader Lewis Hamilton. Team Principal, Christian Horner was understandably delighted.

It was not a day to remember for Sergio Perez after his second on the grid was not backed by a good race result. Nevertheless Horner praised the Mexican, reportedly saying. ”It was a real shame for Sergio after such a brilliant qualifying.

“Nothing went his way which is frustrating for him, but he’s becoming more and more comfortable with the car and you can guarantee that he will come back strong. Now we need to build on this momentum for the remainder of the season and we will have to go some way to keep Mercedes under pressure.”

Strangely Dr Helmut Marko of Red Bull took a very different view. He referred to Perez’s efforts as “a very bad day”. In an interview with Serveus TV the Austrian said. “It started well in qualifying, Suddenly, out of nowhere, he drives the second-best time. Then we thought that everything would fit.”

He concluded: “Of course, 11th place is more than annoying. Above all, his spin at the restart cost him everything. Basically, it was a very bad day with a bad performance.”

A harsh conclusion from Marko. I hope Perez will produce a result in Portugal this weekend that will cause the Austrian to eat his words.

It is remarkable how many people have written off drivers after less than five hours of seat time. There are still 21 races scheduled for 2021 and I am sure the scene will change.

The big news this week has to be the Red Bull recruitment of Mercedes AMG HPP’s Ben Hodgkinson, as the new technical director for the Red Bull power unit venture. It is a move that proves the Austrian team’s commitment to remaining in Formula One and winning that elusive world championship.