UK: pre-qualifying 2021

The Australian Grand Prix, which had been rescheduled, has been formally cancelled. Mildly surprised given how things are easing in most places but the Aussies seem to be taking a cautious approach.

Oddly, I had thought the UK was next up, checked and saw it was Hungary, but apparently I was right before. Apologies for the erroneous Hungary reference before, I’m clearly going slightly mad.

The Mercedes, incidentally, have some upgrades, so we’ll see if that’s enough for them to fight back against Red Bull.

Friday - Practice 1 (already held) and Qualifying (6pm)

Saturday - Practice 2 (12pm) and Sprint Qualifying (4.30pm)

Sunday – Race (3pm)

Drivers can choose whatever tyre they like for the sprint race (the Q2 starting tyre rule is axed for this event). There’s also free tyre choice for the proper race. Medium tyres likely to be used for the sprint. The sprint race is 17 laps long, and while pit stops are allowed they are not required so obviously most will want to make it through on a single tyre set.

Those who finish in the top three will get points (3 for the winner, then 2, and 1). There’s a total time limit of an hour and a half, just in case there’s a red flag. Racing time is limited to an hour. Also, cars are in parc ferme from the start of qualifying which means practically no adjustments beyond front wing fiddling. So if they get it wrong then, they’re wrong for qualifying, the sprint, and the race.

Grid penalties will probably be applied to the race not the sprint. He who wins the sprint race is deemed to have won pole position (obviously check the wording if you’re betting on that sort of thing).

In the first and only pre-qualifying practice session, Verstappen was fastest by a mile. Cars now enter parc ferme, so Red Bull will be very pleased. He was three-quarters of a second ahead of Norris (whose time seems to have been set on the medium, impressively) and Hamilton (who was one-thousandth behind his countryman). Leclerc was just thirteen thousandths further back. Bottas and Sainz followed, then Vettel and Perez (over a second behind his team mate) with Ricciardo and Ocon rounding out the top 10.

Hamilton got a blister on his front right (I think) tyre during practice. May bode ill for the race. We shall see.

So, it looks like advantage Red Bull, with good stuff from McLaren and Ferrari too. Can Mercedes bounce back?

Norris may be value each way to win qualifying. Alas, after a tedious wait he was 15, but no each way option was presented. Had it been, I would’ve backed it.


The pre-sprint ramble will be up tomorrow in the early afternoon, most likely. No idea if I’ll offer a tip. Having three competitive sections to a race weekend has left me as disturbed as the final two seasons of Stargate: SG-1 having both lead characters from Farscape in it.

Morris Dancer

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