Saudi Arabia Grand Prix – The best / worst of the editorial staff

The TOP 3:

A truly historic championship.

Whatever one may have thought of the Grand Prix, one thing is certain: this 2021 championship will go down in history and will be remembered for a long time to come! Hamilton’s victory helps to maintain the suspense regarding the future world champion of drivers.

For the first time since 1974 between Clay Regazzoni and Emerson Fittipaldi, the two drivers are tied on points at the start of the final Grand Prix of the season, with Verstappen having the advantage in number of wins at this point.

So, eighth record title for the legend Sir Lewis or first title for the spearhead of the new generation Verstappen? Place your bets!

2. A magnificent Ocon, poorly rewarded

Although Verstappen was elected “driver of the day” by internet users, it was indeed the Frenchman who, in the shadow of the titans’ duel, stood out in a very good way! Starting 9th, the Frenchman could have seen his race end in the first meters by being squeezed by Tsunoda but the Norman extricated himself beautifully from the turmoil of the first lap by gaining no less than 3 positions.

Preferring not to stop, he was one of the main beneficiaries of the red flag caused by Schumacher to climb to 4th place. At the restart, the Alpine driver managed to overtake the two Mercedes and found himself behind Verstappen after the commotion between the two protagonists and before a new race interruption.

Taking advantage of the “offer” made to Red Bull as a penalty, Ocon starts from pole position at the new restart but is quickly overtaken by Verstappen and then Hamilton before bravely holding onto his third place… until 100 meters from the finish line where Bottas on his Mercedes passed him.

Bitter at having missed the podium, the Frenchman can be satisfied with a performance that left no one indifferent in an absolutely bizarre Grand Prix.

3. A masterful qualifying session

Much criticized for its dangerousness, the Jeddah track still had the merit of offering us a high-quality qualifying session.

Impressive onboard cameras, equally impressive recoveries signed by Carlos Sainz, proximity to the walls offering insane top speeds… An absolutely perfect mix punctuated by the superb battle between Verstappen and the Mercedes, with a legendary lap by the Dutchman unfortunately ending in a crash in the last corner!

If we often remember the races much more than the qualifications, this one (and particularly Verstappen’s lap) will remain memorable.

The FLOP 3:

1. The International Amateurism Federation (also known as FIA) for all its work

If it were up to us, we would have only put one Flop for this Grand Prix and of course we would have chosen this one.

If we have regularly highlighted in previous events that Michael Masi and his team have partly allowed us to have a spectacular championship, this Grand Prix was a real setback as a whole. Find our more detailed analysis within our editorial.

2. The “dirty” side of the Hamilton / Verstappen battle

Let’s be clear: we love this battle, the first one this fierce since Nico Rosberg left in 2016. Simply put, some questionable maneuvers on both Hamilton’s and Verstappen’s side somewhat tarnish the beauty of this battle between champions.

Indeed, considering the aggressiveness sometimes beyond the limit during this Grand Prix, it is normal to wonder how things will unfold on the Abu Dhabi side as the two protagonists are tied in points in the championship for this final round.

We all want to see a great show regardless of who the champion is in the end, because its impact will be historical in either case. So gentlemen, make us dream and show yourselves in your best light, especially in front of the children watching you!

3. Aston Martin always lower

You would say anecdotal and you would surely be right. Nevertheless, Aston Martin hit rock bottom during this Grand Prix with a double elimination in Q1 and a performance level barely above that of Latifi and the Haas and behind Russell and the Alfa Romeo.

As a reminder, this team was fighting for 3rd place in the constructors’ championship last year, had won a race, a pole position, and several podiums.

Well helped, indeed, by its crude resemblance to the previous year’s Mercedes, Aston Martin has always been recognized during the Force India era as the team that achieved excellent results with limited resources. Since Lawrence Stroll’s takeover, we are forced to admit that this team spirit no longer exists.