Apropos Grosjean …
The Frenchman has fond memories of Bahrain. In 2012 he took his first Formula 1 podium here with Lotus, and a year later he repeated his third place. And he also celebrated successes with Haas in the desert. In 2016, he finished fifth in the team’s second Formula 1 race. It’s actually a shame that he will probably finish his last appearance in Bahrain somewhere at the back of the field …
The crane topic is discussed again
In qualifying in Istanbul, a crane at the edge of the track caused a lot of criticism and a need for discussion. “I think we will talk about it at the driver briefing,” announced GPDA chairman Romain Grosjean. All drivers are in agreement on the subject, and it is clear that something like this should not happen “again”.
Kimi Räikkönen agrees and does not allow the argument that the drivers were slow in the situation. “It was so slippery. In these conditions it doesn’t matter how slow you are. You can still lose the car,” he warns. In addition, in Formula 1 you are driving “slowly” at 120 km / h.
© Motorsport Images
The asphalt in Bahrain …
… looks like this this weekend by the way. Unlike in Istanbul, nobody here will complain about a route that is too slippery. On Sunday in particular, the aim will be to keep the tires alive for as long as possible. Not at all easy when you look at these photos. The tires are already pretty worn out.
Vettel wishes to return to Imola
The two Ferrari drivers were asked today which of the “new” racetracks they liked best in 2020. While Leclerc says he enjoyed Mugello the most in qualifying, he would like to return to Portimao or Imola for a race. Vettel also opts for Imola.
“I’ve never driven there before and it was an impressive track,” he explains. He was also happy about his return to Turkey – despite the conditions. By the way, none of the routes mentioned are in the provisional calendar for 2021. However, that has not yet been decided.
The best technology pictures …
… is of course also available this weekend, as usual, in a separate photo series. This is regularly replenished with new snapshots.
Photo gallery: Formula 1 technology: detailed photos at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sachir
Bottas: 2020 is not all negative
The world title is gone and, to be honest, Valtteri Bottas was never really in the position to be dangerous for Lewis Hamilton in 2020. Nevertheless, the Finn explains that he will also take positive things with him from the year. “I have improved in many areas,” he said. However, in some races he simply had “bad luck”.
Ultimately, the difference in the World Cup points looks pretty big. Hamilton currently has 110 points more than Bottas on the account. However, the Finn is of the opinion that he only lacked consistency, that Hamilton did better. All in all, however, it wasn’t such a bad year – it wasn’t over yet.
Lewis Hamilton: Who is Franz Tost?
A curious side story from the press conference in the afternoon: Lewis Hamilton was approached in one scene about a statement by Franz Tost. “Who said that?”, The world champion wants to know, whereupon the moderator Tom Clarkson replies with “Franz Tost”. Then Hamilton: “Who is that?” Clarkson points out to him that Tost is Team Principal at AlphaTauri. Let’s assume that Hamilton just didn’t get Clarkson right. Because Tost has been in Formula 1 longer than he himself …
Verstappen: Title already checked off after Spielberg
The Dutchman was asked in the PK when it had become clear to him this year that the World Cup title would not work. His answer: “At the first race. It was pretty clear that we were too far away.” Incidentally, Red Bull has not had a win in Bahrain since 2013. At that time Sebastian Vettel still triumphed for the bulls. Since then, Mercedes and Ferrari have shared all victories among themselves.
Leclerc wants to learn from Istanbul
P2 would have been possible for the Monegasque, but after a mistake on the last lap at Turn 12, he only finished fourth. He himself explains that he was simply “too optimistic”. He slightly missed his braking point, but that was enough to prevent him from cornering. “It happens. I’ll learn from it, and hopefully it won’t happen again,” said Leclerc.
Incidentally, he has mixed memories of Bahrain. In 2019 he drove a strong race here, but missed his first Formula 1 victory with a defect.
Special design
I didn’t keep a list this year, but I’m pretty sure that hardly any other rider has had as many different helmet designs as Lando Norris this year. There was also a new one in Bahrain, at the first night race of the year he opted for a black helmet.
Formula 2 at the start
After a break of many weeks, Formula 2 returns to the supporting program this weekend. Mick Schumacher is currently fighting for the title there. Michael’s son is currently 22 points ahead of his closest rival Callum Ilott in the championship. So he could win the title early this weekend, the penultimate of the season. If that happens, we will of course keep an eye on it here in the ticker!
Sainz is hoping for a test in the 2018 Ferrari
It doesn’t seem to be planned for Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin, but Carlos Sainz confirms that a test in an old Ferrari could be “an option” for him as soon as he joins Scuderia in the new year. At the same time, however, he also makes it clear that his entire focus is currently still on McLaren. He doesn’t want to be “distracted” by the future. After all, he still has goals with McLaren. Keyword: P3 in the World Cup.
He would also have suggested a completely different idea to Formula 1. Namely a test directly after the season finale in Abu Dhabi with the current bolides. “It would have been nice if Formula 1 had organized a test with drivers like Ricciardo, Sainz, Vettel and Alonso in the new cars. It would have been a great story,” said Sainz. But he understands that this was ultimately “not possible”.
That’s it with the PK!
With that we have reached the end of the XXL press conference. Here in the ticker, of course, it’s far from over, we will continue to provide you with voices and news from the paddock in Bahrain in the coming hours.
Photos: Grand Prix von Bahrain, Pre-Events
Hamilton: completely shut down after world title
The world champion reveals that he received a lot of news after winning the title. But he has not yet answered most of them. That is not meant badly, however. He spent time with his family, conducted a few interviews and, apart from that, tried to just switch off. You can understand it after such a historic title win.
Vettel: No early Aston Martin test
When will Sebastian Vettel test for his new employer for the first time? Officially, there will probably only be one test before the season opener in Australia in 2021. And Vettel explains that he will probably be sitting in the Aston Martin for the first time during this test. In theory, an early test with a car that is at least two years old would also be conceivable. That would be allowed by the regulations. However, nothing seems to be planned in this direction at the moment.
Leclerc: P3 still in the World Cup
As already written, Ferrari is suddenly back in the fight for P3 in the World Cup. They are currently 24 points behind Racing Point. What else is up Charles Leclerc reveals that it is “the goal” of the Scuderia to climb to P3 in the World Cup. But he is aware that in reality this is “very, very difficult”. For that Ferrari needs “three perfect weekends”. Let’s see if that works.
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