RUSSELL CAN MAKE A MOVE ON MERCEDES
FORMULA One races in Bahrain again this Sunday, but the track layout and grid look rather different to last weekend. This time, the cars will race around the outer loop of the Sakhir circuit, recording lap times of under 55 seconds. The 2.277-mile layout is almost oval, comprising three straights and 11 slow to medium speed corners, and around 74 per cent of the lap is full-throttle.
With such a short track, qualifying should be really close and traffic may present challenges. ‘It’s definitely going to be bonkers, that’s for sure,’ says George Russell, who has the opportunity of a lifetime having won the chance to race the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who is off games after contracting Covid-19.
Lewis will be very relieved this has happened after he’d secured the title and not before. Russell (right), meanwhile, knows a strong performance will put him in the frame to replace
Valtteri Bottas, or a retiring Hamilton, when the time comes. The 22-year-old hasn’t scored a point in his two seasons with Williams because the car has never been up to it. Now he has a car that can, and should, win.
The weight of expectation, however, is enormous and it would be all too easy for George to make a mistake. It’s going to take a cool head and extreme focus to beat Bottas, who has so much more experience of the car, the team, and leading grands prix.
And there’s Max Verstappen in the Red Bull to contend with. Racing Point and McLaren could both have a shot at the podium too. Russell has outqualified Williams team-mate Nicholas Latifi at every round this season, but it’s going to be much tougher against these guys.
We may, therefore, need to temper expectations slightly. If George can finish in the top six with so little prep I think he can consider that a job well done. If he can get on the podium, hats off to the lad from King’s Lynn.
George reveals he received a call from Toto Wolff at 2am on Tuesday. ‘I was actually in the bathroom, which was slightly awkward. He said, “Unfortunately Lewis has caught Covid. He feels fine, which is most important, but we want you to drive”. I went: “Right, okay”. And then obviously had a bit of a sleepless night.’
He added: ‘My aim is to do my best, it always is, but it’s going to be incredibly difficult. Valtteri has been pushing Lewis a huge amount over the years.’
As for Bottas, there’s no excuse for not winning this one. He’s claimed just two wins this year compared to Hamilton’s 11. The Finn has been denied many points because of bad luck and jokes he’d been feeding a black cat outside his home until recently.
There are two new faces on the grid, as well. Londoner Jack Aitken, 25, fills Russell’s place at Williams. Last year he finished fifth in F2 with three wins. Brazil’s Pietro Fittipaldi, 24, will drive for Haas while Romain Grosjean recuperates from his terrifying crash five days ago. Grosjean says it depends if the swelling on his left hand goes down sufficiently whether he will be able to race again in Abu Dhabi or not: ‘If my left hand doesn’t work next week I won’t take a risk and drive.’
Nevertheless, the Frenchman believes it’s important to get back in a racing car as soon as possible. ‘I need to know if I’m able to get back into a car, what I will feel, how will it go – and whether I’m still able to do it.’
With Haas announcing it is dispensing with the services of Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen for 2021, it has signed Nikita Mazepin, who is the 21-year-old son of a Russian oligarch, and Mick Schumacher, also 21, whose father needs no introduction.
Should Grosjean not be fit for Abu Dhabi, it’s possible Schumacher could make his debut early. The F2 championship wraps up this weekend and the German is leading the title chase.