In summary: Mazepin, Schumacher and Tsunoda took a trip into the unknown this weekend in Portugal and used different approaches to overcome their inexperience on a track that is still relatively new in F1.
In the letter
How F1 rookies prepared for the Algarve
None of the three F1 newbies have ever driven in the Algarve before, and they have taken very different approaches to prepare for the Portuguese Grand Prix on the circuit this weekend.
AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, the only one of the three to score points so far, kept it simple and “did a couple of simulation sessions that I usually do before race week”. With most drivers having a tendency to visit their team’s simulator before going on a track with little experience, Tsunoda’s frame of reference was so limited that even Thursday’s run surprised him.
“Much up and down, I didn’t expect that big difference,” he said. “I am looking forward to.”
The Haas couple Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin climbed into real vehicles during the break after the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna in Imola, but in very different ways. Schumacher tested a Ferrari F1 car, albeit in Fiorano, but previously tested privately in the Algarve.
“I was here in a GP2 car in 2018,” he revealed. “It was obvious before it surfaced again so I didn’t ride the new one, I’d probably call it the new bumps here. But it’s a very fun route. It still has the same characteristics as those wavy parts and lots of blind corners. I am definitely looking forward to using it tomorrow. “
His teammate Mazepin spent the last fourteen days off-road in Russia.
“Given the current regulations that I can only test if it’s a two-year-old F1 car, there really isn’t a lot of options I could have done,” said Mazepin. “And then there are Covid-19 restrictions that just allowed me to go home and visit my family, spend some time outdoors, and drive a little off-road. That was the only thing I could have done. So good for Mick that he did what he did, but I did what I could have done. “
F1 affirms that Mexican and US rounds will be held
F1 has assured fans that both of the remaining races will take place in North America following the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix this year. The race was officially canceled on Thursday and a replacement event was immediately announced at Istanbul Park in Turkey in its place.
With the next North American laps in six months, F1 has announced in advance that both races will take place. “With regard to the announcement of the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix 2021, we would like to assure you that the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Mexico City 2021 presented by Heineken will be confirmed next October,” it said in a statement.
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That day in F1
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