F1 CAREER S8 2021 Season

Previous: 2020 Season [S7]

Next: 2022 Season [S9]

## Overview

Season 8 of the F1 CAREER will be contested using the F1 2020 official game on PC, with a custom 2021 season grid.

## Teams & Drivers

* All Power Units are 2.0 V6 Turbo Hybrid.
* McLaren used 2020 spec Renault Power Units, badged as Vype.

### **Free Practice Drivers**

 AlphaTauri-Honda
 McLaren-Vype
 Mercedes-AMG

## Pre-Season Testing

### **Red Bull Racing-Honda**

Red Bull were first to take to the track, and finally look to have got things right under the current Gen regulations. The Austrian outfit look to have used the extended period before the new regulations come in to further develop from the RB16 of last year. When the RB17 broke cover, many in the paddock noticed the nose design of the car resembles what Mercedes and Lotus then Renault did in 2015 and 2016, after reaching an end point with the development of the traditional Thumb Nose concept. Many were skeptical is if to adopting a now five year old design concept would be viable, but knowing the expertise of Adrian Newey, he's found a way to make the concept work.

On the engine side of things, Honda once again look to have made steady progress. Honda's 20% steak in the Red Bull team looks to have further benefited both parties, with the chassis for the RB17 and 2021 spec Honda engines being built more in conjunction with each other than in 2020. Having a chassis built around the engine should also benefit sister team AlphaTauri, with the Italian outfit looking to cause an upset and beat some of Red Bull's main rivals in the early rounds.

Verstappen feels this season is his best shot yet at finally claiming a drivers title, with proven talent Alex Albon proving in 2020 he has what it takes to be a race winner on his day, and be there at the front should Verstappen falter.

After a poor qualifying, Albon put in a strong race to open the new season finishing 5th, but behind the AlphaTauri of Sergio Sette Camara. The opening race would be a poor one for the Dutchman, also. A poor qualifying left him in the mid pack before retiring late in the race. Round two showed an upturn in pace but still below Red Bull's expectations. Albon 6th and Verstappen 7th. This left both still behind Sergio Sette Camara in the standings, despite the Brazilian competing with inferior machinery. Verstappen finally showed an upturn in pace at Mexico. Finishing only 3 seconds off the win and taking the fastest lap. Round 3 though would prove difficult for Albon. The Thai driver suffered a front wing failure, forcing an extra stop and leaving him 14th. This was the third wing failure for a driver in two races, prompting discussions as to whether there needs to be a design change to improve safety.

Red Bull appeared to have reached a turning point with their Spanish Grand Prix upgrade package. Verstappen took the team's first pole of the season, and went on to finish second in the race. Albon however, crashed into the Alfa Romeo of Kevin Magnussen behind the Safety Car and was later disqualified from the race.

### **Mercedes-AMG**

Mercedes used the days of testing to try and further their understanding of the DAS system, as when it works for them, the cars have very encouraging pace. Mercedes look to have improves slightly from an underwhelming 2020 campaign, which saw Kvyat take the team's one and only podium finish at the opening round. For a team used to fighting for Championships, their target for 2021 is 'best of the rest', which looks to be 5th.

The AMG branded Mercedes Power Units once again look to be strong, so at least Mercedes and customer team Aston Martin won't have to worry about their straight line speed.

The German giants saw no reason to change their driver lineup, Daniil Kvyat and George Russell will once again have to push 110 per cent every race weekend to extract the maximum from the car. Pascal Wehrlein remains the teams reserve and test driver.

The opening race was difficult but showed encouraging pace for both Mercedes drivers. Kvyat and Russell utilized the impressing power of their AMG branded Mercedes engines to secure a double points finish. Mercedes performed decently again in Round two at COTA. Russell started and finished in 12th, whilst Kvyat recovered to 14th after a Q1 elimination, as it was a Wildcard Race the Russian also secured points. Mercedes showed improvement from 2020 in the early rounds, with Kvyat securing low end points finishes.

### **Ferrari**

The red team's decent down the order looks set to continue in 2021. 2020 saw the team fail to reach the podium for the first time since since the 1980 season. Neither of the drivers managed to break into the top 10 come the end of any of the sessions on any of the days. To make matters worse for the team, the car seems fairly competent in the corners, suggesting it's more than one area the car is weak in. Ferrari may be the most famous name in F1, but they''ll need a miracle to even reach the points.

Ferrari had initially contemplated using last year's car for 2021, and bring a new car for 2022, but early private testing showed that the SF1000 would've been even slower than the B-Spec version the team have to work with now.

Charles Leclerc will look now to lead Ferrari into a new era of dominance. The Monegasque proved he was more than a match for five-time Champion Sebastian Vettel in their two years as teammates. With Vettel staying true to leaving Ferrari, this opened the door for Rio Haryanto to make the move of a lifetime to drive for the team in red. A podium finisher in his own right, Rio learned his seat at McLaren was going to be taken for 2021. Both drivers will have equal status and will have to remember to act on the best interests of Ferrari.

The opening race would show just how far Ferrari have fallen. Haryanto finished lead driver but only in 15th. The team's struggles continued in round 2, with neither driver finishing inside the top 15. Haryanro's first regular points finish came at Spain, round 6. The Indonesian finishing in 12th.

### **Alfa Romeo-Ferrari**

Fellow Ferrari engine users Alfa Romeo look to build of a 2020 campaign which by even their own admission blew away their expectations. Despite lacking overall downforce, the car had exceptional balance, and was very easy to set up. The AR/21 car is more evolution than revolution, working on the strengths of last year's car, and improved downforce to be competitive on all circuits that don't favour their driver's driving styles. Alfa Romeo will once again look to use the straight line speed from the Ferrari Power Unit to give an added boost to their on track performances.

Following on from the team's monumental success from 2020, which saw Alfa Romeo take a 1-2 finish for the first time since 1950, and the Driver's title for the first time since 1950 and 1951. It's no wonder they keep on 2 time and defending Champion driver Josh Tirowee, and the feisty, Kevin Magnussen for 2020, with the aims of more regular wins, double podiums but most of all, to defend their Championship.

Alfa Romeo looked to have one of the fastest cars in the opening race. Magnussen and Tirowee recording the fastest straight line speeds all race weekend. An alternate strategy for Tirowee left the defending Champion in contention for victory, but last lap contact with the Aston Martin of Sergio Perez left the Brit settling for second. Magnussen backed up the Italian-Swiss outfits early pace finishing fourth. Magnussen was on for another top 5 at USA, but a front wing failure forced the Dane to pit at the same time as Tirowee. Magnussen managed to finish the race, but only in 15th. Tirowee finished fourth with the fastest lap. Magnussen was left to fly the flag for Alfa Romeo in round 3 at Mexico, as Tirowee had to put at the end of the first lap after Norris made contact with the defending Champion. Magnussen finished 4th, with Tirowee recovering to 12th.

Alfa Romeo arrived at the Brazilian Grand Prix with a new black livery, with aims to to further boost F1's 'We Race As One' initiative. Tirowee put the now black AR/21 on pole. Despite losing the lead on the opening lap, an alternate strategy from Alfa Romeo saw the 2-time Champion close down the Renault and retake the lead, going on to take the team's first win of the season. Tirowee also took a 3rd place finish at the Dutch Grand Prix. The 2-time Champion made a statement at the Spanish Grand Prix. Home favourite Fernando Alonso retired mid-race, Tirowee went on to take the all important race win, along with the fastest lap.

### **Renault**

Although it may not have felt like it at the time, Renault made significant progress up the order for the first time since their return in 2016. A race win eluded the French outfit, but their consistent results and better understanding of their car lead them to third in the Championship.

Renault took to the track with a fresh look to the front of the RS37, the new design building off their work from 2020 to better the air flow over the top of the car. These improvements appear to have worked wonders, through medium and high speed corners, the Renault looks more planted than ever. The only weakness looks to be through slow speed corners.

The Renault engine once again looks to be improved, and with no other team to supply current spec engines this season, the teams around Renault will have to set the benchmark to beat for performance. Since Renault's return to F1, Infiniti branding has been prominent with the team, even spending time as title sponsor, but for 2021 Dubai Logistics company DP World take over as title sponsor.

Renault come into 2021 with a whole new driver lineup. Frustration in the team grew with Hulkenberg and Vergne at not securing a race victory, and losing out to Alfa Romeo for second overall due to lack of consistency from both drivers. Esteban Ocon is given a full time drive, after missing out last season, and expected to be the team number 1. That was untill Renault made the name signing of the decade, and sign three-time World Champion Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard not quite ready to hang up his helmet yet. The now 39 year old looks to have come back to a competitive Renault outfit and will look to emulate Prost, Fangio, Schumacher and Vettel by claiming a fourth world title.

Renault F1 CEO and team Principul, Cyril Abiteboul, later revealed that he 'had been in initial talks with Vettel about partnering Ocon, but those talks came to an end once Alonso became available.

Alonso's return to form was instant. The three-time Champion put his RS37 on pole for the season opening Canadian Grand Prix. A controlled drive lead the Spaniard to win on his third debut for the Enstone based team. Ocon would struggle somewhat in the opening race. After being shown up in qualifying by Alonso, Ocon would have a rather uneventful race in the midfield, before retiring in the closing laps. Alonso returned to dominant ways at the Mexican Grand Prix, starting from pole, leading every lap and taking a controlled win. Team mate Ocon finished a strong 3rd, to give Renault the lead in the Constructor's Standings.

Alonso lucked into a win at the Dutch Grand Prix. The Alfa Romeo of Kevin Magnussen was the class of the field, but retired mid race with a Ferrari engine failure. Unchallenged from the cars behind, the Spaniard controlled the rest of the race.

### **Aston Martin-AMG**

With the budget cap being pushed back to 2023, Aston Martin have taken the most economical approach to the 2021 season, by purchasing as many parts from Mercedes as legally possible. Many are speculating that Aston Martin will become the official Mercedes B Team in the near future, with HWA Racelab in F2 and F3 running Mercedes backed drivers. This has already birthed the car's nickname the 'Pink Mercedes' as the AMR02 resembles much of the Mercedes W11 from last year. Despite much backlash from fans and teams alike, its no different from AlphaTauri receiving parts from Red Bull. This approach makes the most sense, as the team operates on the smallest budget, and had to design and construct their chassis for this season, as using the Haas 2020 chassis again wasn't a viable option for a competitive car.

After a modest debut season, with a best finish of 7th, and 14/40 points finishes, there's to be no change to the drivers. Sergio Perez showed he'd lost none of his speed following three seasons out. Stroll showed flashes of pace also, but since his dad owns the team, it's unlikely he'll lose his drive any time soon.

The opening race would be a reality check for the team. Perez and Stroll were the last on track finishers, and the only two cars to get lapped. Perez was also involved in a last lap incident with second placed Josh Tirowee. Both Aston Martins had an incident free Round two, claiming 7 points in the Wildcard Race. Perez redeemed himself at his home race. An audacious one-stop strategy allowed the Mexican to finish in 11th, claiming 2 points, and holding off a recovering Tirowee on the final lap.

Pascal Wehrlein returned to the F1 grid at Round 5, the Dutch Grand Prix in place of Lance Stroll who had contracted COVID-19. The German competing in his first race since 2018, qualified 19th and finished the race one place behind Perez in 18th.

### **AlphaTauri-Honda**

The team that was previously Toro Rosso look to build momentum from the end of 2020. For a number of seasons the team has been at the back and significantly off the pace, but now the Italian outfit looks to be back of the road to recovery. A potential dark horse at some early events, with both cars regularly in the top 10, and even going fastest in one of the sessions. Being the sister team to Red Bull, AlphaTauri can expect to benefit from further upgrades from the bigger team throughout the season.

In the words of Red Bull's driver advisor Helmut Marko, Sergio Sette Camara did more than enough to warrant a drive at Red Bull, but with no opening in their driver lineup, the Brazilian will spend another year in the development team. Red Bull remain keen to keep the Brazilian in their program, but if he keeps performing like he did last year, it won't be long until he's looking elsewhere for a more competitive drive. After coming good late last season, Pierre Gasly did just enough to hold onto his drive with the Italian squad.

The opening race would be the teams best showing since 2016. Sette Camara and Gasly were very competitive on long and short runs. Good power from an improved Honda engine lead Sette Camara to finish on the podium for the first time in his career. A revitalized Pierre Gasly finished in 8th. A combined 17 points left AlphaTauri third in the Constructor's. The highest position the team had ever been under any guise.

Gasly's best performance to date came at the Dutch Grand Prix, utilizing the low-drag nature of the AT02, the Frenchman finished 4th and lead Red Bull associated driver.

### **McLaren-Vype**

McLaren come into 2021 with a dilemma. Originally, this year was meant to be the start of the team's new partnership with Mercedes for AMG engines. However the engine deal came too late, and with the virus situation pushing developments back even further, the arrangement has been pushed back to 2022. This means that McLaren will compete this season with an updated version of last years MCL35, therefore exploiting a loophole in the reflations regarding the chassis. If McLaren don't introduce a fully fledged 2021 challenger, they can develop a chassis to properly house the AMG Power Unit for 2021. In turn however, this means that after round one of the season, no performance upgrades can me made to the car.

McLaren will compete using the MCL35B for 2021, with the now year old Renault engines badged as Vype, a sub brand of the team's main sponsor A Better Tomorrow, owned by B.A.T. Mclaren will need to maximize results early, as the engine surely won't hold up to the other teams later into the season.

Lando Norris starts his third season with the Woking team, eager to exploit the possible potential of the car in the early rounds. He'll have to be a fast learner if he's to be on the same level as new team mate, the 2019 Champion Mick Schumacher. Many questioned why Schumcaher would leave Williams for McLaren, but Frank later revealed that no longer have sufficient funds to pay a World Champion driver since losing their BMW backing. Mick will be looking to emulate his father, and build a team back to their dominating ways of the mid 2000s.

An encouraging opening race confirmed McLaren's early season pace. Both Schumacher and Norris were able to compete at the head of the midfield. The MCL35B came alive in Round two. COTA short had been a strong circuit for McLaren, and 2021 was no different. Mick Schumacher took his first pole for the team, as the team's first in almost 10 years. Both cars were strong in the race, with only the Renault of Esteban Ocon challenging. Lando Norris eventually went on to record his first victory in F1. This was also McLaren's first win since 2012. McLaren also gained the lead of the Constructor's Championship fr the first time in the V6 Turbo-Hybrid era.

Norris went from hero to zero at the next race at Mexico. On the opening lap onto the stadium section, Norris tried to make a three-wide overtake, launching over the curb, Norris lost the rear and took off the front wing of Josh Tirowee's Alfa Romeo.

### **Williams-Honda**

Much like Ferrari, Williams' decent down the order looks set to continue. Despite showing good pace in 2020, the team only managed a single podium with Latifi at the German Grand Prix. After losing their BMW backing for 2020, William's weren't expecting to keep themselves at the front, but despite the sizable payout for winning both Championships in 2019, Williams made the decision to keep back most of the prize money to focus on the new regulations. With the regulations being pushed back, this will hurt Williams in the short term, with development being limited for the FW43 which will compete for the next two seasons. Clair Williams also revealed their biggest expense in 2020 was paying their Champion driver Mick Schumacher, although he earned his paycheck, it wasn't possible for the team to pay a driver that amount again. This being the factor that allowed Schumacher to move to McLaren.

    The most notable change among the Williams team is the loss of title sponsor ROKiT. An official statement is yet to be given from either side, but its speculated the split was due to the team's rapid decline in 2020. With BMW power long gone and Champion driver Mick Schumacher leaving for McLaren, Williams will now be more reliant than ever on the money they've saved through their recent successful years to design and build their 2023 challenger for the new regulations.

Proving he's more than a pay driver, Nicholas Latifi starts his second season with the team. Filling the seat left by Mick is another German. Nico Hulkenberg comes full circle and rejoins the team he made his F1 debut with in 2010. Hulk, falling out of favour at Renault showed he can still take the fight to the very best in F1, and will look to push Latifi on track to maximize the performances and point scoring chances, just like Schumacher did last season. Dan Ticktum remains the third driver, and if he can can produce a good campaign in F2, he could be looking at a race seat some time soon.

Williams' lack of pace was revealed at the opening race, with neither Latifi or Hulkenberg finishing in the points. Hulkenberg finished 13th again in round 2, but as it was a Wildcard Race it yielded 8 points for the German. Latifi also claimed a point.

### **Toyota Haas**

Defending Constructor's Champions Toyota look for another season towards the front of the pack. The team look to once again continue their incredible reliability record, with only 1 mechanical failure last season coming late in the season for Hamilton. Like most the other cars on the grid for 2021, the TRD121 is evolution not resolution. On one lap pace the cars look untouchable, much like last season, but look beatable over a stint.

After narrowly losing out on his second Championship title for the last three seasons, Lewis Hamilton is more motivated than ever to finally take his glory at the team he's helped raise from the ashes. Nobuharu Matsushita stays on as rear gunner. The Japanese driver proved he was something of a qualifying specialist last year, but will need to work on his race performances if he's to claim his first race victory in F1. F1's newest flying Finn Niko Kari remains the reserve driver for Toyota.

Round one would start poorly for the Japanese outfit. The team were experiencing electrical issues that was preventing the TRD121 running at full power. Whilst the issues were unlikely to lead to a race retirement, the calculated loss of performance was 0.5 seconds per lap. Hamilton and Matsushita had a decent race considering, but they were far away from the early season domination from 2020. Toyota's issues continued into round 2. Both drivers once again experiencing issues, but less so on Matsushita's car, with the Japanese driver finishing in 5th, whilst an ailing Hamilton could only manage 11th. Toyota again struggled in round 3. Matsushita finished lead car only in 7th, whilst Hamilton struggled with the persistent electrical issues finishing down in 15th. Further engine issues persisted in the Dutch Grand Prix, with Nobuharu Matsushita retiring early on with an engine failure.

## Championship Standings

Points were awarded to the top 12 classified finishers using the following structure:

During Wildcard races, all drivers would score points. 25 for the winner, 20 for second, 18 for third, 17, 16, 15, etc. During these races and driver can take the point for fastest lap and 5 points would be awarded for pole.

Click on the points table to enlarge it.

Key;

* ¹ - Pole Position
* ² - Started in second
* ³ - Started in third

* Gold - Race Winner
* Silver - Second Place
* Bronze - Third Place
* Green - Points finish
* Blue - Classified finish outside of the points paying positions (regular points races)
* Blue ^ - Driver did not finish, but was still classified
* Purple - Did Not Finish
* Black - Disqualified
* White - Driver/ Team did not race
* ***Bold*** - Fastest lap