The first Dutch Grand Prix for 36 years proved to be worth the wait after the event was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. The Dutch fans created a brilliant atmosphere and Max Verstappen delighted them with a fine drive to take a home win and the track itself, in my opinion, is a brilliant addition to the F1 calendar. After playing the track on the F1 2020 game I thought that it would be spectacular to see the drivers attack it. To me it is a good blend of historic, old school race track and updated venue. The old traditional venues like Zandvoort have so much more character and charm than the new modern tracks that have come become a part of the sport. The return of some of these events from the past has been one of the best things about F1 in recent years I think.
Although the race itself may not been the most exciting, there was an intriguing strategic gam played by Mercedes to try and outfox RedBull. Unfortunately forcing early stops didn’t pay off for the reigning champions and a two three was all the could muster. No one could really be surprised about that though, RedBull were the form team all weekend and Verstappen never looked like being put under that much pressure.
Team mate Sergio Perez had a good drive back through the field after having to start from the pitlane to finish eighth but the star of the weekend for me was Piere Gasly who scored a great fourth place.
I think Robert Kubica deserves a mention too as he had to deputize for Kimi Raikkonen at short notice after the Finn tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday morning. Kubica has driven this years Alfa before but stepping in mid weekend is always a challenge. Robert had good pace and drove a solid race so well done to him. He will also be filling in for Kimi at Monza this weekend too.
Kimi Raikkonen brings us onto the second part of this weeks blog which focuses on the driver moves that have been announced over the last week. Kimi told the world before last weekend that this will as expected be his last season in F1. It is even more of a shame that he is having to miss events as he gears up to say goodbye to the sport.
This news lead on onto another press release on Monday that finally answered the question about where Valterri Bottas will be driving next year. His multi year deal with Alfa Romeo signaled to the world that George Russell would be getting his much anticipated chance at Mercedes. Many has predicted this and in recent weeks it appeared to be an open secret but I have to admit that for a while I thought that Merc would go with the easy option and retain Bottas.
Clearly though the team decided to think of the future and allow Russell his opportunity. It is understandable that they did this as George has done all he can do at Williams and proved his worth, I also think there may have been a fear that if they did not promote him now than he may have been stolen by a rival team. I’m not sure how big a threat this would have been but it surely must have been something that had to be considered.
It is definitely the right decision though as Russell needs that step up if he is to continue his progress and he will be able to learn so much alongside Hamilton. And from a fans point of view it is awesome as next season will be fascinating, how their relationship develops and how they race together are questions we will await the answers to and it will add a brilliant new element to the story of 2022.
As for Bottas I think he will be a good replacement for Kimi, he is a talented racer and the experience gained at Merc should be a good asset to Alfa as they try to move up the grid. It would have been a shame if he had not got a drive and disappeared form the sport.
Talking about disappearing form the sport that is not something that will happen to Alex Albon as he has been given a chance to return to the grid as Russell’s replacement at Williams alongside Latifi. For Williams, who are steadily improving it was important to have someone with F1 experience in the team. RedBull have been trying to help Albon make a return and this it appears was a problem for Mercedes as they didn’t want someone contracted to a rival team driving a car with their engine in the back. As a result Albon no longer has a contractual relationship with RedBull. This seems a bit petty on Mercedes part really but Albon got his drive so it worked out in the end.
With Alpha Tauri also confirming their driver line up for 22 that measn the only drive still to be filled is the second Alfa Romeo seat. There are a few rumours goimg around about that and I would have thought that something will come out shortly. It is does appear though that Antonio Giovanazzi will not be staying on.
So it has been quite an exciting week for F1. This weekend we have Monza which is always a thrill and it is the time we have sprint qualifying so either way that will provide something to talk about. I always look forward to the Italian Grand Prix as it one of the classics so roll on Sunday!!.
My F1 talk 