Qatar Grand Prix – The Best / Worst of the editorial staff

↗ TOP N°1 – Spectacular rebound of Alpine

As the fight for the fifth place in the World Constructors’ Championship is fiercely contested between AlphaTauri and Alpine, the French team finds the resources to crush its rival as there will only be two races left.

25 to 0… The score is impressive and should allow Alpine to attack these final two races serenely.

Beyond the mere accounting result, it is the image of a united team that is pleasing to see. In Hungary it is Esteban Ocon who wins. Today it is his Spanish teammate who steps onto the third step of the podium. In both cases we can only admire the happiness that each one feels for the other, and that is what makes the true strength of this team.

↗ TOP No. 2 – Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes: the calm strength

A new perfect race for the silver arrow number 44. Unlike the Sao Polo Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton did not need to force his talent to conquer his 102nd victory.

Mercedes and Hamilton have pinpointed a detail that allows them to calmly regain the advantage in the race for the driver’s title.

Beating Schumacher’s record for the number of titles now seems within reach.

Once again, the British show us all their determination and mental strength to never give up.

And Toto Wolf adds: “

« They woke up the lion »

”

“They woke up the lion” says Wolff #QatarGP 🇶🇦 #F1 https://t.co/DoJ2ct65mh

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2021

TOP #3 – The “old-timers” liven up the pack

Funny anecdote: it is the veterans of the peloton who make the most overtaking during the Grand Prix in 2021.

Alonso, Vettel and Räikkönen are locked in a merciless battle. They are at the top of the hierarchy with only one overtaking move separating them.

Lacking the car that would allow them to regain a new world title, the “old-timers” prove that they still have the talent and determination necessary to be among the twenty able to drive a Formula 1 car.

FLOP N°1 – The Ghost McLarens

Completely absent in performance for a few races, the orange cars are now completely outpaced both in terms of points and on the track by Ferrari.

Unless there is a completely improbable turnaround, McLaren should finish their 2021 campaign in fourth place in the championship. The English team is not putting up any resistance to the Italian firm, and is even being caught up in pure performance by the front of the “midfield”.

It is a sad end of the season for this team, which surely must put all its efforts into preparing an effective 2022 car.

FLOP N°2 – Panic at AlphaTauri?

Luck did not smile on AlphaTauri on Sunday. Despite being quite competitive in qualifying and practice sessions, the Faenza cars were completely absent during the race.

We were expecting much more from a Pierre Gasly starting in second place. His “fight” for big points only lasted a few laps.

At the start, he failed to contain Alonso’s and his Alpine’s vigor. Then he quickly had to give in with a small mistake against the leader of the mother team Max Verstappen.

If in the moment, this mistake costs him his third place. Over the duration of the race, it costs him the points.

On Tsunoda’s side, unfortunately nothing new. The Japanese rookie seems to find a bit of pace in qualifying but struggles greatly in race pace.

Unfortunately, at the end of the Qatar Grand Prix, they seem to have lost their duel against Alpine.

FLOP N°3 – Are Pirelli tires a bit tight?

Some drivers complained about the Italian tires. However, these are the hardest compounds that have been brought to Losail.

However, the constraints imposed on these tires were difficult to bear. Especially during this famous very fast triple right turn.

If the most striking fact was Valtteri Bottas’s front left tire explosion in the middle of the race. Too many drivers had to hold back their efforts in order to contain the premature wear of their tires.