Bahrain Grand Prix: Mercedes loses 2 seconds to 2020
The 2020 vs. 2021 difference in qualifying times is not flattering for Mercedes!
The numbers have spoken: yes, F1 2021 is slower compared to 2020. It was no longer a secret but the confirmation is there, all teams drove slower this Saturday in qualifying.
Qualifying gaps chart 2020 vs 2021:
For this table, the best final time per lap of each team was taken into account. Poleman in 2020, 2nd in 2021, Lewis Hamilton is therefore, for example, the reference value for Mercedes.
| Team | Meilleur temps qualif 2020 | Meilleur temps qualif 2021 | Gap 2021-2020 | |
| 1 | Ferrari | 1’29”149 | 1’29”678 | +0.529 |
| 2 | Alfa Romeo | 1’29”491 | 1’30”708 | +1.217 |
| 3 | Red Bull | 1’27”678 | 1’28”997 | +1.319 |
| 4 | AlphaTauri | 1’28”448 | 1’29”809 | +1.361 |
| 5 | McLaren | 1’28”542 | 1’29”927 | +1.385 |
| 6 | Alpine | 1’28”417 | 1’30”249 | +1.382 |
| 7 | Williams | 1’30”182 | 1’32″204 | +2.022 |
| 8 | Mercedes | 1’27”264 | 1’29”385 | +2.121 |
| 9 | Aston Martin | 1’28”322 | 1’30”601 | +2.279 |
| 10 | Haas | 1’30”111 | 1’32”449 | +2.338 |
Ferrari limits the damage like Alfa Romeo or Red Bull.
In detail, differences are to be noted: Ferrari comes out on top, with only 5 tenths of a second more between its best time this Saturday (Charles Leclerc’s 4th place) and that of the qualifying on Saturday, November 28, 2020.
But the analysis is cruel for the SF1000, yes the Scuderia has improved but it was difficult to do worse given how disappointing the Italian car was last year. Leclerc’s 4th place in qualifying this Saturday is certainly heartening for the Tifosi. It confirms that the SF21 is a car with more downforce and more engine power.
Always on the positive side: Alfa Romeo, which also benefits from the progress of the Ferrari engine. Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi both made it to Q2, which only happened once in 2020, at the Turkish Grand Prix. (Räikkönen P8 and Giovinazzi P10 at the time)
At the top after Max Verstappen’s pole position, Red Bull limited the damage with a loss of 1’319” between 2021 and 2020. The same goes for Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri, which secured a top 5 finish with Pierre Gasly.
Mercedes struggling!
On the contrary, the table raises questions for Mercedes. +2.121 for Lewis Hamilton, the poleman of the 2020 edition, defeated this year by Max Verstappen. The gap confirms here the difficulties encountered by the German team, which had completely dominated in 2020… and finds itself with a “diva” still to be settled with the W12.
Behind Mercedes, we find two teams that did not shine in Sakhir in qualifying: Aston Martin, just 10th with Stroll and Haas, at the back with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. Two teams that have been disappointing since the beginning of the winter tests.
