Valtteri Bottas Sauber’s sad period came to an end on Sunday in Qatar when it scored its first points of the season.
In the last race of the season in China Zhou Guanyu was unexpectedly eighth and brought his team four points. Bottas, on the other hand, remained in the zero club, remaining in 11th place.
Red Bull won the race Max Verstappen before Ferrari Charles Leclerc and McLaren Oscar Piastria.
The final race in Abu Dhabi at the end of this week is still exciting, as McLaren and Ferrari will decide the winner of the manufacturers’ series.
Urheilu’s F1 expert Jukka Mildh bundles the talking points of the Formula Ones.
What speaks?
In Sunday’s race in Qatar, the jury’s pursuit of surprising situations caused a lot of talk. In the second Haas car, a mirror came off and stayed on the track for a long time.
For example, Bottas drove over the mirror. Ferrari soon Carlos Sainz suffered a flat tire, which is why the safety car came to the track a second time.
The Portuguese has been the race director of the series for only two races Rui Marques.
– Terribly slow decision-making. A few tires burst because of the mirror. It’s a wonder the game wasn’t blown. The track was not cleaned at all, Mildh wonders.
Who surprised?
The surprise of the entire weekend was Sauber, who had a decent race ride for a long time. In both the sprint and the actual race, the team’s drivers struggled to get into the top ten.
In the race, Zhou was a fine eighth. Sauber also benefited from several safety car situations as well as McLaren by Lando Norris and Mercedes Lewis Hamilton punishments.
The fans voted China’s Zhou as the driver of the day. Like Bottas, he also does not have a race driver position for the next F1 season.
– He certainly gained enthusiasm for himself too, when thinking about the continuation of his career, says Mildh.
What about Bottas?
Mildh also liked Bottas’ performance, even though he lost to his teammate and was left without points.
Sauber has new working updates in their car, albeit a bit late, as there is only one race left in the season.
– He was even fighting for the points before Lando Norris passed him. When the car worked well, Bottas was able to show his skills for a long time.
– A small minus is that he lost to his teammate in qualifying and was left without points. He still did everything that could be done.
A flop?
Disappointingly, Mildh lifts Mercedes, which celebrated a double victory in the previous race. With the one who left square one By George Russell it was a good ride but he lost precious time with a too long pit stop.
Hamilton’s race, on the other hand, went wrong at the very beginning, when he took a clear stolen start.
– It was fumbling to do, even though the car was moving. We would have expected better from Mercedes, because they had been doing well until now, says Mildh.
What next?
The record-long 24-race F1 season ends this coming weekend in Abu Dhabi. There is still some effort left in the manufacturers’ World Cup battle.
McLaren’s lead over Ferrari is 21 points. It is the first year since the 2009 season that someone other than Red Bull or Mercedes has won the championship.
In the big picture, the settings for next season will bring interest. Since June, Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari have been fighting for wins. Sometimes also Mercedes.
The settings change from one weekend to another. Exciting battles take place within the Games. The series will run for one more year with the current rules. There is a good chance that all four teams in question will win from the very beginning of the season.
In F1, it is typical that no more than two teams fight for the championship or one dominates. A championship fight between three or four teams is a rare treat.
– If we draw a picture of the future through the Qatar race, it is very promising in terms of sports. One team will not control the situation in the future. When the same rules are used next year, at least Ferrari and McLaren will be tough.
What makes it even more interesting is that there are driver changes in those teams. Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, and the 18-year-old top promise Kimi Antonelli will replace Hamilton at Mercedes.
Mildh considers McLaren to be a slight pre-favorite, which has managed to develop its car the best in the last two years. Mildh believes that Red Bull will be in trouble next season.
– Red Bull must take a good driver next to Verstappen. It’s a really difficult thing, which is why others are on their necks. If Sergio Perez we have to change, it’s a big change.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari after this season. Mildh calls for a posture move from Hamilton.
Hamilton, who was in trouble in the Qatar race, would have liked to give up.
– It’s a big leap when Hamilton comes there and Sainz leaves. Ferrari has to make sure that Hamilton’s motivation stays up. In the Qatar race, it felt like he couldn’t take it anymore.
– He has his heart set on Italy. Still, it is not guaranteed that Hamilton will be at his sharpest anymore. Fortunately, however, he has a very tough teammate who can motivate him.
Below you can see the results of the Qatar race and the points standings of drivers and manufacturers.