2021 F1 Spanish Grand Grand Prix: Winners And Losers

Much to the surprise of all F1 fans, the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona served up an interesting race, throughout the field thanks to varying tyre strategies. And it was this bold tyre strategy that saw seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton triumph again in his Mercedes AMG Petronas. Here are winners and losers of the fourth round of the 2021 Formula One season:

Winners

Lewis Hamilton And Mercedes

After scoring a record 100th pole position, Hamilton and Mercedes continued to prove why their success is no fluke. A masterstroke two-stop strategy saw Hamilton overcome a 23-second deficit to Red Bull Honda’s Max Verstappen and score his 98th win in F1. The championship leader further extends his lead to Verstappen by  14 points.

Charles Leclerc 

After a woeful 2020 season, Ferrari seems to be getting back up to their high standards. Star driver Charles Leclerc drove brilliantly to a fourth place finish. In fact, Leclerc overtook Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas for third on the opening lap and was holding up the Mercedes throughout the first stint. But he was eventually overtaken by the Mercedes driver. Nevertheless, a strong showing for the Monegasque driver.

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Daniel Ricciardo 

After a tough first three races, it seems like things are finally coming together for McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian had the measure of teammate Lando Norris for the first time this season, both in qualifying and in the race, as he finished a respectable sixth. 

Losers

Red Bull Honda 

Red Bull surely let this win slip up from their hands. Despite the brilliant start by Max, overtaking Lewis into turn one, the team was caught unawares by Mercedes’ smart two-stop pit strategy. Even team boss Christian Horner was quick to report back to Max that it was just like Hungary 2019 and the failure to react to this smart move has hurt Verstappen’s title challenge. Ultimately, once Hamilton got past him, Red Bull salvaged his race by pitting him once again for softs to earn an extra point for fastest lap. 

Things weren’t rosy on the other side of the garage either. It seemed like Sergio Perez was finally getting the hang of the RB16B, but Barcelona showed there’s still some work to be done. A tough qualifying in eighth and a low-key race to fifth capped off a tough weekend for Perez.

Alpine 

The Alpine squad started strong with Estaban Ocon and Fernando Alonso lining up fifth and tenth for the race. But their race pace wasn’t quick enough, and the pair began falling back. While Ocon managed to hold on to ninth in the end on the one-stop, Alonso’s valiant defense of tenth ended in vain towards the end of the race. In fact, he was forced to pit a second time, dropping him down to 17th place at the chequered flag.

Valtteri Bottas 

Valtteri Bottas’ fate in the race was more or less sealed thanks to losing third to the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc at the start. Being held up in fourth place for the entirety of the first stint, pretty much ruled out any hopes of contending for the race win against Verstappen and teammate Hamilton. A quiet third place finish puts the Finn even further away in the drivers standings.

Formula One will head next to Monaco for the fifth round of the season, scheduled for May 23. On paper, this circuit should suit the characteristics of the Red Bull Honda. So Max Verstappen will be looking to give a counterattack to Lewis Hamilton’s momentum in the driver’s standings.

Also Read:

• Here Are Those Who Shone (And Those Who Didn’t) At The 2021 F1 Portugese Grand Prix

• Here’re The Ones Who Shined And Ones That Fell Short At Formula One’s Season Opener In Bahrain

• Here Are The Winners And Losers From F1’s First European GP Of The Season