With the start of the new Formula 1 season, we take a look at the chances of Red Bull, AlphaTauri and Williams and the signs they will set on the track this year.
Red Bull – the main challengers of Mercedes
Will this year be your year? Red Bull has been firmly in the shadow of rival Mercedes for seven years after Lewis Hamilton won title after title.
Her last win was in 2013 with Sebastian Vettel. The young shooter Max Verstappen promised a lot, but ultimately couldn’t deliver on the biggest stages.
Verstappen, who was brought in by the Toro Rosso junior team in 2016, has finished third in the drivers’ table for the last two seasons, behind Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
The big question about Red Bull is their car: is it actually capable of starting a serious title challenge?
Next to Verstappen is 31-year-old Sergio Perez this year. Perez won a Grand Prix for the first time in the penultimate race of the 2020 season and took his place on the podium after the 190 Grand Prix.
Perez was undoubtedly a talented driver and was driven out of Racing Point in favor of Sebastian Vettel late last year.
This is arguably the first time in his career that Checo drives a really first class car. He’s definitely one to keep an eye on this season.
The key question at Red Bull is whether they can finally seize Mercedes. However, Hamilton and Bottas are still impressive so this will not be an easy task.
AlphaTauri – Ready for a surprise?
Red Bull’s uglier sister, AlphaTauri, is a team that has a point to prove. Nobody grows up to drive for them, but they provide a solid stepping stone to Red Bull’s bright green pastures.
Last season the team finished in a respectable seventh place and took a GP victory in Italy.
Pierre Gasly is on the team for the second year in a row after being dropped by Red Bull in 2019.
Gasly would have hoped to get back to the main team with the drop-off from Alex Albon just for Perez to get the nod on him.
If Gasly is to have the slightest hope of returning to the main team, he needs to have a big season in navy and white and add substance to his high potential.
Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda will partner with Gasly this season, replacing Russian favorite Daniil Kvyat.
The 20-year-old has had a very high rating since his time in Formula 2, having finished 3rd in the 2020 championship.
Both will be put under pressure by Alex Albon, who is hoping for a second chance to prove himself at this level after being dropped by Red Bull and is waiting in the wings.
Williams – The Fallen Giant
Once upon a time, Williams was the juggernaut of F1. Between 1980 and 1997 the team won seven championships with Alain Prost and Damon Hill at the wheel.
Nowadays the team is at the bottom of the leaderboard, with it being a rarity to get points on the board.
The shining light of this team is without a doubt George Russell. Russell entered the F1 mainstream for the Sakhir GP when he was drafted by Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton.
Without a messed up tire change, he would probably have taken his first win as a driver.
Russell is touted as one of the “next big things” in Formula One, and to his credit, he often outperforms opponents in a car that lacks the same quality.
If he can get a few top 10 finishes for Williams this season, his stock hasn’t been hurt at all.
Next to Russell is the hopeful Canadian Nicholas Latifi. Latifi is a late bloomer by F1 standards and was only promoted by F2 at the beginning of the last campaign.
Latifi is hoping to have at least one point on the board for his team at some point, having narrowly missed eleventh place on two previous occasions.
The team will begin its first season without a big Williams name to run the company after Claire Williams – daughter of founder Sir Frank – resigned in September 2020.
Perhaps this break with the past will help the team reach new heights, but the reality is that Williams will struggle to have a real impact on F1 this time around.
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