GP Racing UK May 2021
Every month, its stunning photography and unrivalled journalism gives readers unparalleled access to the world of grand prix racing. GP Racing captures the drama, asks the questions, and delivers the comment on Formula 1 - one of the most popular and exciting sports in the world.
in this issue
no more waiting in the wings for bottas
@BenAndersonF1 For all the (justified) talk of Max Verstappen and Red Bull-Honda finally being in the mix to challenge Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes for the world championship, there is another man who desperately needs the momentum to swing in his direction this year. This month’s cover star, Valtteri Bottas, has entered his fifth season driving for Formula 1’s best team. He readily admits to Stuart Codling in a revealing interview (see page 32) that such a team as Mercedes expects nothing less than a title from him to justify several years of gainful employment. Bottas has come back from the brink of quitting altogether after a dreadful 2018 season, working tirelessly to reinvent himself and raise his game. Now he’s driving for his career, up against the best driver of this generation in…
contributors
DAMIEN SMITH Part 2 of Damien's fantastic history of Team Lotus focuses on Jim Clark, the driver who just was Lotus in the sixties. See page 68 ALEX KALINAUCKAS Alex investigates how AlphaTauri is continuing to aid Pierre Gasly's superb rehabilitation since his demotion from Red Bull in 2019 (p56) OLEG KARPOV Is Schumacher Jr adjusting well to F1, despite the weight of expectation heaped on him? Oleg examines how Mick's getting on (p62) STUART CODLING Codders has a frank chat with Valtteri Bottas about the Finn's time at Mercedes and his make-or-break season ahead (p32)…
parade
Airtime after start time Rain in the hour before the start of the Emilia Romagna got the photographers rubbing their hands in anticipation of some action – quite the reverse since we’d spent the preceding two days cursing the slate-grey sky and perma-gloom. Overtaking is tricky here, marvellous though the circuit is, so the race start was bound to be a lively affair. And so it came to pass as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen swooped down upon Tamburello on the opening lap. You could see Lewis wasn’t going to surrender easily but he ran out of asphalt, and I was waiting on the inside of the track to capture the airborne moment that followed. Where Imola, Italy When 3.03pm, Sunday 18 April 2021 Details Canon EOS-1DX MkIII, 70-200mm lens, 1/1250th @ F5.6 Sweet light on…
insider
01 CALENDAR CHANGES AGAIN Turkey steps in as Canada cancels 02 SPRINT QUALIFYING CONFIRMED Why controversial format will be field-tested 03 LOWE LIFTS LID ON WILLIAMS STINT CANADA LEADS COVID CALENDAR CHANGES 01 Barring the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which will take place behind closed doors, Formula 1 will now not leave the boundaries of Europe until at least September, when the Russian Grand Prix is due to take place. The Canadian Grand Prix scheduled for 11-13 June has been cancelled and replaced by a stand-in event at Turkey’s Istanbul Park, which also hosted a round last year. It’s the second time the Montréal event has been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this latest development comes against a background of rising cases in Canada. Authorities have imposed travel restrictions which would have required F1…
f1 mastermind
Q1 Of the 150 American drivers to start world championship F1 races who has started the most: Mario Andretti or Eddie Cheever? Q2 How many world championship F1 races has Imola now held? Q3 True or false: Ferrari never managed to win an Australian GP at Adelaide? Q4 Kimi Raikkonen last won a GP in 2018, but how many races did he lead that season: 2, 4 or 7? Q5 At which six circuits on the 2021 calendar has Fernando Alonso never scored an F1 podium? Q6 Which race does Lewis Hamilton have to win this season to hold outright the record for the most F1 wins at one circuit? Q7 Which three drivers won a world championship F1 race driving a March? Q8 Williams won its first constructors’ championship in 1980, but who finished second that…
the f1 analyst
@benedwardstv MONACO HOSTS HOMECOMING STREET PARADE Formula 1 is returning to the streets over the next few weeks, something we have missed watching for a while. The Olympic Park circuit at Sochi reminded drivers of concrete walls and tight corners in September last year, but it’s not a true street course and there were no others on the COVID-limited calendar of 2020. Monaco and Baku are about to remind us how minor mistakes can have big consequences. Margins for error are tiny and track limits that are normally defined by Race Control become less of an issue when they are marked by solid barriers and buildings. Racing in Monte Carlo also increases the tension through the sheer honour of winning such a prestigious event. Over the years there have been plenty of surprise results…
