Yuki Tsunoda only realized in a conversation with the media how much he had influenced the laps of the Red Bull drivers at the end of qualifying. Dieter Rencken brings this story and more out of the paddock.
Saturday
Although I have 45 minutes to reach the track, in heavy traffic I almost miss my appointment at 9:30 a.m. for coffee and croissant with Sauber team boss Frédéric Vasseur. I arrive just in time.
We discuss his driver plans and other excerpts, then it goes to the team boss meeting with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. I later learned from a Formula 1 source that the meeting had been informed that three Grand Prix had renewed their contracts or were planning to do so in the near future. The smart money is in Abu Dhabi, Spain and Singapore, which bring pen to paper, which in turn destroys the hopes of a number of hopefuls.
I usually pull up for the final practice session, but the FIA has eased a number of restrictions, so I request a pit stop instead and spend the hour walking up and down watching the teams go through their schedules. It’s my first pit lane visit in a session in almost two years – another welcome sign that F1 is gradually returning to normal – and I’m a bit nervous when I hear an engine start.
I use the time until qualifying with discussions with various team media representatives, then I have lunch in the media canteen – roast beef and puree with vegetables, followed by “Chocbanana” cake. Yummy stuff. I also run into one of the brightly colored paddock dwellers in ‘Day of the Dead’ clothes.
As soon as I have eaten, I get a call from Graham Stoker, Vice President of Sports and FIA presidential candidate in Mexico as part of the umbrella organization’s affordable helmet project – which last week made a pact with Uber Eats to ensure that all of their delivery drivers wear the cheap but effective headgear. As part of the campaign, the teams painted one helmet per driver and are also pretty chic. There is too little time for Stoker and me to dig into his election manifesto, so we agree to catch up next week.
After the qualifying hour, the only story in the paddock is how Red Bull managed to tear defeat from the jaws of victory, but the standout moment for me is Yuki Tsunoda’s face in the so-called media ‘mixed zone’, when he realizes his politeness Get out of the way Sergio Perez indirectly failed because of the finals of the two Red Bull drivers.
The full impact of the incident only became apparent to the 21-year-old after the assembled media asked him for his opinion on the incident and his media officer played the footage on her phone. Tsunoda obviously hadn’t known what was happening behind him.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asks us, his youthful face grimacing with worry lines. No, he did not, as the analysis of the incident made clear.
After the last interview, I pack my things and make my way to the shuttle. The traffic is as horrific as it was 10 hours before and no wonder – the organizers report 135,000 visitors on day two. If they had reported twice, I would have believed that the grandstands were also so full.
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Sunday
Although I don’t have early appointments, I leave at my usual time to make up for traffic, which is worse, if any, than on Saturday. Once on the racetrack, I go to the Covid test center for my last nasal invasion of the weekend before flying home on Monday evening.
I’m looking for background information from teams on their respective attitudes towards the cost cap and the regulatory changes for 2022. Without exception, everyone believes that the coming season will be an improvement on this year – but logic dictates that for every team advancing on the starting grid, one something else has to slip off. Of course, not everyone can be right. More on that later in the week.
My next stop is Haas to talk to team boss Günther Steiner about 2022 and meet Uralkali director Paul Ostling, who is in Mexico to oversee the company’s partnership with the US team. Its driver Nikita Mazepin is the son of the majority shareholder of Uralkali, Dmitry Mazepin.
I ask Ostling about their plans to challenge the lost verdict on the case they brought against the administrators of Force India, which was sold to Lawrence Stroll (and has since mutated into the Aston Martin F1 team) rather than Uralkali, the supposedly made a better deal.
Though Ostling won’t comment on the plans, he says Uralkali is focused on the future and helping Haas improve, which is the closest thing to admitting that any calling is off the table.
The next stop is a highlight of the weekend. I rush to the starting grid because I have to be there before 12:20 p.m. (when the pit lane opens) or have to wait until 12:30 p.m. (closes). The much-missed grid walks were the favorite part of my pre-Covid race weekends, and now they’re back, albeit with limitations. You only notice how much you miss something good when you take it away.
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On my way up I meet various team members and finally stop at safety car driver Bernd Maylander, who is standing next to the red AMG GT R. As originally announced by RaceFans, from this season onwards, the tasks are split between Mercedes and Aston Martin’s Vantage, so I ask Bernd which of the two he prefers.
In his opinion, the Vantage is better on tight tracks because it’s lighter and more compact, while the heavier and larger AMG is best on fast, flowing tracks where it can put its extra 60 horsepower to good use. So Silverstone is tailor-made for the AMG, while the Vantage is better suited for Monaco, I ask? “Yes,” he nods with a grin.
With the race starting at 1am – the earlier the better, I say – it’s all over by 3pm, so I go to the mixed zone to get feedback from the drivers before the (indoor) zoom calls begin . During his session, Christian Horner, who said on Saturday that his two drivers were “Tsunoda”, admits that he was a bit harsh on the AlphaTauri rookie.
After half past four I leave the route and arrive at the hotel an hour later to have enough time to pack for my next flight. I also read the newspapers quickly and learn from the Times that universities are being told not to accept donations from a trust set up by former FIA President Max Mosley because he is linked to racist material from his father’s political party. Mosley cannot even find peace after his death …
Mexico City Grand Prix 2021
Browse all articles about the 2021 Mexico City Grand Prix
