The biggest talking points towards F1’s first double headed ball of 2021

Here are six storylines to watch out for over the next two weekends in the Portuguese and Spanish Grand Prix, which will mark the first double-headed events of the campaign.

1. The Bottas-Russell fallout

There will be a lot of interest in how Valtteri Bottas and George Russell react to their big collision at the end of the race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Both drivers were furious at each other after getting together while battling for ninth place in an action-packed race at Imola and then started the guilt game, much to the annoyance of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

After the emotions had cooled from the initial heat of the moment 24 hours after the race, Williams driver Russell publicly apologized to Bottas and announced his intention to call the Finn and clarify the matter with him.

Bottas and Russell will face the media in Portimao on Thursday and it will be fascinating to hear both sides’ views on the events of the last race now that the time is right to digest and reflect.

2. Who will be ahead after two races?

The F1 title fight in 2021 is very well prepared after the first two rounds. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen each have a pole position and a win each.

Verstappen’s brilliant win at Imola last time led the Red Bull driver to reduce Hamilton’s championship lead to just one point.

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Verstappen knocked Hamilton off the line to immediately take the lead before holding on to it by fending off Hamilton’s attack at the first chicane. After a rare mistake that nearly ended his race, Hamilton was forced to make an excellent recovery drive to save second place.

The first two races set the tone for a luscious, seasonal title fight between Hamilton and Verstappen, set by marginal moments.

The upcoming races in Portugal and Spain could lay the foundation for a decisive and early momentum in the title race for Hamilton or Verstappen. But who will take over the Ascension in the next two weeks?

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3. Hamilton has more F1 history in mind

Returning to a place where he broke the record for most wins in F1 last year, Hamilton has another chance to make even more history in the sport, provided he can get the Red Bulls and his teammates in To beat Portimao to pole position again.

A second pole in a row at the Algarve International Circuit would be the 100th time Hamilton has surpassed qualifying to triple digits to become F1’s first Pole Centurion.

Given that there are 21 races left this year, the 36-year-old is likely to hit the remarkable stat and build on his record number even further before the end of 2021.

4. Will Norris keep shining?

Lando Norris got off to an exceptional start to the season with some extremely impressive performances on the first two weekends of 2021.

The McLaren driver beat a strong P4 at the season opener in Bahrain and reclaimed his second career podium at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with another outstanding performance as he returned to the devastation of missing his best qualifying result to date the legs came Saturday in Imola.

Norris bravely held Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes back for a while before finally having to settle for third podium finish, landing 27 seconds ahead of new McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. His performance at Imola was praised by McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl, who said Norris had shown that he had made the “next step as a driver”.

The 21-year-old is third in the championship standings with 27 points, seven points ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Can he continue his great form in Portugal and Spain?

5. Can Vettel and Alonso overcome bad starts?

For two multiple world champions, the start of the 2021 F1 season did not go quite according to plan.

Sebastian Vettel had a difficult start in life at Aston Martin after being released from Ferrari after competing in some terrible races in Bahrain and Imola. He was not only surpassed by teammate Lance Stroll at both events, he has to stray from the brand while Stroll scored two points.

An awkward collision with Esteban Ocon in Bahrain resulted in a penalty that left Vettel in 15th place under the checkered flag. Overheated brakes, another penalty and gearbox problems hampered four-time world champion Emilia Romagna’s Grand Prix and eventually forced her to retire in the final laps.

It wasn’t much better for Alonso. The two-time world champion’s comeback race at Sakhir returned for a third stint in the renamed Alpine roster and ended prematurely after a sandwich bag got stuck in its brakes, causing overheating.

After Alonso had been surpassed by Esteban Ocon all weekend in Imola, he took home at least his first point of his F1 return, but only due to post-race penalties imposed on the people in front of him.

Like Ricciardo at McLaren, both Vettel and Alonso find it difficult to be comfortable and up-to-date with their respective new teams, but hope to take a step forward in Portugal.

6. How will Tsunoda react to Imola errors?

After his great points debut in Bahrain, Yuki Tsunoda fell back to earth with a bang in Imola – literally – when he suffered a severe shunt in qualifying that put him on the grid in Imola.

After failing to achieve his goal of a first appearance in the third quarter, a spin shortly after the safety car restarted as he passed Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes for P8 ruined what had been a very impressive recovery effort up to then.

Tsunoda finally came home 12th when AlphaTauri took another missed opportunity to maximize its seriously fast F1 car in 2021.

For Tsunoda, mistakes were always expected in his rookie season as he faces such a steep learning curve. How he reacts to them will be crucial if he is to realize his much-invoked potential.