Top-Down on 2021 F1 pre-season: A viewpoint from our Technical Writer Malhaar

By Malhaar Khaladkar

London, 11 March 2021: The Formula 1 pre-season testing is set to begin on March 12 through to March 14. This year it is being held at the Sakhir International circuit for the first time since 2014. With the 2021 cars about to hit track, here is all you need to know about teams and drivers in pre-season testing.

Key regulations changes in 2021 include floor-space reduction ahead of the car’s rear tyre which is aimed at downforce reduction. The length of diffuser strakes has been shortened as well to aid the reduction in downforce. Reduction in downforce was stipulated by the FIA so that the Pirelli tyres can handle the lateral forces going through them as they were effectively introduced in 2019 and meant for slower (2019) cars.

Other key change is the carry-over of the survival cell, the monocoque chassis to reduce costs for teams due the ongoing Covid pandemic with the revolutionary new cars to be introduced in 2022 instead of 2021. The FIA also introduced a two-token system by which the teams can use their tokens to develop certain homologated parts of their cars. Aerodynamic surfaces can be developed freely.  The ingenious DAS system introduced by Mercedes last year has been banned as well. Other small changes include the weight of Power Unit increasing slightly and the weight of cars going up by 3 kgs to 749 kgs.

Mercedes AMG F1:

The reigning champions will be gunning for a record-extending eighth consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ title this season as they ended the 2020 season on a high with 15 pole positions and 13 wins.

Their 2021 car is called the W12, which has a major carry over of parts and monocoque chassis (as stipulated by the 2021 regulations). They have openly admitted to keeping their cards close to their chest and not showing either the new floor or where they have spent the tokens to develop their car. Mercedes stopped the development of W11 (2020 car) midway through last season to focus on the W12. A lot of work has also gone in the Power Unit side, with Mercedes claiming it to be more powerful and reliable than last year. So, expect them to come out of the blocks quickly.

Mercedes keep their drivers unchanged, only one of the three teams to do so, with Lewis Hamilton signing a one-year contract in February and Valtteri Bottas staying on. For Mercedes this means stability as this gives them the best opportunity to gun for both the titles yet again.

Red Bull Racing:

Red Bull on paper are the closest rivals and challengers to Mercedes for this season. Them winning the season ending Abu Dhabi GP in 2020, means momentum is on their side going in 2021.

The RB16B will be their challenger for 2021. Red Bull, too, have kept their cards close to the chest as they barely revealed the RB16B to the public. They are also hiding their floor details. Red bull have spent their tokens on a new gearbox transmission and rear suspension of the car. Honda has also introduced a new engine, which has the upgrades planned for 2022 originally, but brought forward as they will be leaving the sport at the end of this season. Red bull will be hoping to start the year much closer to Mercedes as this year’s car is 60% carry over of last year’s car.

In the driver department, Red Bull chose to go for Sergio Perez instead of retaining Alex Albon to partner Max Verstappen. Perez brings the consistency and the knowledge of Mercedes power unit to Red Bull which could be key for them to win both the championships. It remains to be seen how Perez adapts to the Red Bull car which in recent history has been tricky to get grips with.

McLaren Racing:

McLaren’s P3 in the constructor’s championship was their best result in the turbo-hybrid era. With a new driver line-up and a new car under the skin they look set to consolidate P3 and move closer to the top 2 teams.

The MCL35M’s biggest change is the power unit. McLaren swapped the Renault power unit for the Mercedes one in 2021, reinvigorating the classic McLaren-Mercedes brand. Mercedes has arguably been the class leading Power Unit since 2014, thus the switch. As Mercedes PU has a different architecture compared to the Renault PU, they have had to modify their monocoque chassis to fit the Mercedes PU, thus, spending their two tokens on it. According to McLaren, this year’s car is a better package compared to last year with the integration of Mercedes.

Daniel Ricciardo replaces Carlos Sainz and will be partnered by Lando Norris. Ricciardo brings race winning experience to McLaren while this will be Norris’ third season with the papaya squad. With Ricciardo having the ability to adapt to a car quickly, podiums can be expected from this season.

Aston Martin F1:

Famous rebranding and signing of a four-time world champion show the intent and commitment of Aston Martin, previously Racing Point to reach the top and… winning! They almost achieved P3 last season and were narrowly beaten by McLaren, Aston Martin will be determined to finish as close as possible to the top-2 teams, beating their rivals in the process.

Their new car is called the AMR21, which is the most different car compared to last year’s car of any team. That is due to them having spent their tokens on a new monocoque chassis, to redesign the sidepod inlets and cooling configuration. They have also got the 2020 Mercedes rear suspension and the improved Mercedes PU. Aston martin have retained the Mercedes low-rake aerodynamic philosophy for this year.

Sebastian Vettel has come on-board to be alongside Lance Stroll. Once again, Vettel brings championship winning experience and feedback to improve the car. If the drivers are able to capitalise on the car’s “expected” potential, then they could finish P3 by the end of the season.

Alpine F1:

Another team which had a re-brand and signed a world champion for this year. Alpine, previously Renault, will be hoping to make gains to consistently challenge McLaren and Aston Martin in the fight for P3.

The A521 is an evolution of the RS20 with main changes coming internally. They have introduced a new power unit. To supplement that Alpine has spent its tokens on the rear of the car with a new gearbox transmission and rear suspension. As Alpine do not have power unit customers, they will be at a disadvantage in testing due to less data compared to other manufacturers. It remains to be seen if this will hinder their progress in 2021.

Alpine have signed two-time champion Fernando Alonso in the wake of Ricciardo leaving for McLaren. Alongside him will be Frenchman, Esteban Ocon. Alpine are hoping that with the speed and experience of Alonso they can take the fight to McLaren and Aston Martin, with achieving regular podiums their top priority.

Scuderia Ferrari:

Ferrari had their worst season in F1 in 40 years as they finished P6 with a draggy car and a sub-par engine. They will be looking to bounce back getting ahead of the pack with the new engine and new driver line-up.

The SF21 is a radical evolution of previous year’s car. It has a new front wing and nose, coupled with an all-new Ferrari engine which is better than last year. According to Mattia Binotto their straight-line speed for this year has improved compared to last year. Ferrari have spent their tokens on a new gearbox transmission and rear suspension as they look to make the rear of the car even tighter for aerodynamic gains.

Ferrari have signed another young blood, in the name of Carlos Sainz who though young, will be going in his seventh season in F1. Alongside him will be Charles Leclerc in his third season with Ferrari. Both drivers are proven so it remains to be seen if the car can propel them to the front of the field and at least secure P3 in the constructors by the end of the season.

AlphaTauri:

AlphaTauri had a good baseline to end with last season and with the introduction of a newly promoted driver it could be a fantastic season for the Faenza based team.

AlphaTauri’s 2021 challenger is called the AT02. With a good baseline from last year, AlphaTauri elected not to use Red Bull’s 2020 rear suspension, instead sticking with 2019 rear suspension setup in a bid to optimize it fully. Instead, they have spent their tokens on a new thinner nose cone structure and a new front suspension setup. Along with that, they too receive the upgraded 2021 Honda engine.

AlphaTauri has retained 2020 race winner Pierre Gasly and signed a promising F2 driver, Yuki Tsunoda. AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost is confident that if they maximise the potential of their car, they will be able to challenge the likes of McLaren and Aston Martin.

You can watch the 11 March 2021 video here.

Alfa Romeo:

Alfa Romeo had a difficult season in 2020 as their chassis was not up to their expectations and the slower Ferrari engine accentuated their problem. They have also opted for stability in sticking with the same drivers this season.

The C41 shows promise according Alfa Romeo as they have heavily reworked the car. They hope to get better performance from the new Ferrari engine. They have spent their tokens on the new thinner nose cone as well as a new front suspension setup to iron out the inherent understeer in previous years car.

As mentioned, Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi will stay with Alfa Romeo for a third consecutive season as they hope the experience of both will propel them into the mid field fight.

Haas F1:

Haas had another mediocre season as they finished P9 at the end of the 2020 season. With a completely new driver lineup and injection of funds, Haas will be hoping to turn their fortunes around.

Haas have not revealed their 2021 challenger, the VF21 yet. This will be done on the morning of pre-season testing in Bahrain. They did reveal the livery of the car. Haas are also yet to fire up their power unit for the first time as due to covid restrictions it has not been possible. Haas have also confirmed that no upgrade packages will brought to the VF21 as the team will fully focus on 2022 car.

Haas field a new driver lineup of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. Both are rookies and will be their first season in F1. Inexperienced yet both are fast as Schumacher won the 2020 F2 title and Mazepin finished in the top 5.

Williams F1:

A fast driver lineup and improving car Williams look on the rise as they will try to get back in the midfield and contest for points regularly. Their aim is to beat Alfa Romeo and Haas this season.

The FW43B is an evolution of last year’s FW43. Their main focus has been weight reduction of the car for 2021. Williams have not spent any development tokens this year, instead electing to fully optimise their package. Williams have also said that they will aggressively develop the FW43B in the early stages of the season in a bid to challenge the mid field rivals.

Williams will continue with George Russell and Nicholas Latifi. With this stability and speed of both driver Williams are hoping to be consistently in the midfield battle and score points.

*Malhaar Khaladkar writes on F1 and technical aspects of the sport. The passionate student based in London, is also a keen student of the sport. After successfully completing one year of an analysis piece, after every race last year, Malhaar will continue to bring to you the nuances of the sport with a Monday comment piece after every race. We invite your comments and suggestions.