display
Mick Schumacher would like to make his racing debut “tomorrow” and drive “every day”, Sebastian Vettel would need every kilometer after the sobering days of testing in the desert.
After Schumacher was able to finish his program in the inferior Haas on Sunday morning and further increased his anticipation for the debut, Vettel inevitably spent too much time in the garage again: a problem with the boost pressure on the smart but not yet fit Aston Martin.
The cause was initially unknown.
“Still bitter.
Of course we lose a bit of time, especially me, ”said Vettel, who struggled with defects on the car on all three days and ended up being penultimate six seconds behind - ahead of team-mate Lance Stroll.
Mick Schumacher didn't really care about his 15th place on Sunday.
“It was just fun.
I feel good, I feel ready, "said the 21-year-old son of Formula 1 record world champion Michael Schumacher and promised:" I can't say what will happen this season, but I know that I'll do everything what I can so that it will be good and I can hopefully get a few points. "
Memories are awakened
display
With Schumacher's premiere season, a legendary abbreviation is now returning to the premier class: MSC.
After his father Michael, 52, the 21-year-old is now starting with the same abbreviation that brings back so many memories among Formula 1 fans.
Of course it is not.
Because usually the driver abbreviations consist of the first three letters of the surname.
But since two Schumachers were active with Michael and brother Ralf from 1997 to 2006, they were each given the first letter of their first name to distinguish them.
MSC instead of SCH: Mick Schumacher adjusting his seat for the new racing car
Source: dpa / -
Mick Schumacher now competed under "SCH" in Formula 2 and in his Formula 1 test last year.
That is changing now.
“I wanted the 'MSC',” he explains in “Bild”.
“I have an emotional bond with it.
And it's nice for everyone to see it on the monitors again.
There is something positive about it. "
Dominator Mercedes?
Not in the tests
display
The hope for a thrilling Formula 1 season with the return of the electrifying name Schumacher and the currently or rather stumbling four-time champion Vettel with returning Aston Martin was strengthened by an unfamiliar Mercedes stutter test.
Two weeks before the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, some of the challengers to the Silver Arrows, which were once again painted black, made a significantly better impression.
"I think it's better if things don't go smoothly now than in the race," said defending champion Hamilton quite calmly.
“I don't waste time worrying.
That just keeps me from finding solutions, ”emphasized the seven-time Mercedes champion before finishing the tests in fifth place.
The car didn't seem as stable as usual on the three days. "I think we have an exciting year ahead of us," said Formula 1 director Ross Brawn.
On the final day, the team that Vettel had once also been successful with was particularly convincing.
Max Verstappen drove the fastest lap in the Red Bull and engaged in a thrilling duel with the Japanese newcomer Yuki Tsunoda - from Red Bull's B-Team Alpha Tauri.
“We have improved the car a lot.
It feels better compared to a year ago, ”said the World Cup third-placed Verstappen.
However, his lead over Tsunoda was only 93 thousandths of a second.
display
But also McLaren, recently with Mercedes power again, and Alpine with 39-year-old two-time world champion and Formula 1 returnees Fernando Alonso made people sit up and take notice during the practice laps.
It is impressive to see how fast the other teams are, emphasized Hamilton: "I'm happy, it's more fun."
Vettel's balance sheet: defect, defect and another defect
After his years of frustration at Ferrari, Vettel would have liked to have had more of that.
But: Defect on Friday, Defect on Saturday, Defect on Sunday.
The 33-year-old native of Heppenheim put together 117 laps.
“There are a lot of little things that make the difference,” he said.
"But it is normal that you need more than a day and a half to find your rhythm."
The fact that Vettel could not use the short time optimally like others should not have an accelerating effect when switching from Ferrari to the Aston Martin with Mercedes drive.
"It is like it is.
I think the first few racing meters will be decisive for us, ”said Vettel before the opening race on March 28th in Bahrain.
Mick Schumacher races over the Bahrain race track during the test drives
Source: Getty Images / Clive Mason
Towards the end of last season, two races were started there because of the corona pandemic.
This time around, the Middle East kingdom is benefiting from the postponement of the Melbourne Grand Prix, which should have taken place on Sunday and open the season, but has been postponed until autumn.
Otherwise, the Formula 1 bosses assume that the season will run more smoothly this time than in 2020. “We are quite optimistic for a full season,” Brawn told the pay-TV channel Sky Sport F1: “I think so we through the worst. "
Some drivers already vaccinated
The vaccination offer from Bahrain to the Formula 1 entourage, which some have already accepted, should help to get through the pandemic without major complications.
Franz Tost reported that the entire Alpha Tauri team had been vaccinated, including "almost the entire" Ferrari team, as racing team boss Mattia Binotto said on Sunday, including himself.
The two drivers Carlos Sainz from Ferrari and Sergio Perez from Red Bull also spoke openly about the fact that they had already accepted the vaccination offer.
Like Hamilton, Sainz team-mate Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri), Lando Norris (McLaren) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Perez is one of the drivers who were already infected with the corona virus.