Verstappen is not kidding

Risk is an intrinsic component in Formula 1 and this is how it is explained that Liberty Media, the promoter of the championship, projects the most ambitious calendar in history, with 23 great prizes spread over nine months, in the midst of a global pandemic.

The World Championship kicks off this Sunday in Bahrain (17.00, Movistar Formula 1 and DAZN), the same place where the previous one ended and where less than two weeks ago a preseason of only three days was concentrated.

On paper, the aerodynamic restrictions applied to the regulations must equal the forces of a contest that has been seeking that for more than five years, taking into account the roller that Mercedes has passed since the introduction of hybrid technology, in 2014.

The star brand, with Sir Lewis Hamilton - he was invested by the Queen of England after donning his seventh crown -, start as main favorites to chain the eighth consecutive double.

The Briton, who already equals Michael Schumacher in number of titles (seven), aspires to separate himself from the German and become, with the data in hand, the most successful driver ever.

However, if you take into account the information left by the winter trials, the Stevenage (Great Britain) pilot probably has more work than in recent years, in which he rode unopposed.

The braking of the cars caused by the aerodynamic cuts seems to have especially damaged the brand of the star while at the same time giving a boost to Red Bull and Max Verstappen, its Boy Wonder.

The 23-year-old Dutchman, a caged lion, has already won the last stop last year and is presenting his firm bid to fight for his first victory.

Mad Max

won this Saturday at Sakhir the first

pole

of the season and the fourth of his record, after beating the two Silver Arrows;

Hamilton (second) and Valtteri Bottas (third).

After his first qualifying trial wearing the Ferrari jumpsuit, Carlos Sainz finished eighth, just ahead of Fernando Alonso, who will start ninth.

“We finished well last year and the hard work done this winter has paid off.

The car works very well in the short laps and also in the long ones, ”commented the Red Bull flag bearer.

More information

• Red Bull cuts the wings of its nursery

• Ferrari wants to be Ferrari again

In the scarce ten days that have passed since the winter tests, Mercedes has been able to correct part of the deficit that became evident with respect to the structure of the red buffalo, a drift that will surely be accentuated with the advance of the calendar and that, unless As surprises happen, it should put the Stuttgart constructor back in command.

For the rest, this first battle with live fire served to certify, on the one hand, the revitalization of Ferrari, and on the other, that Alonso is still special: in his first qualifying session after his return to F1, the Asturian was he got into Q3 and overtook Esteban Ocon, his teammate at Alpine.

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