Spanish GP of Formula 1 - Race | Dro’s Live Commentary

 

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are fighting for the Win of the 2021 Spanish GP in Formula One Championship. | Image ©: Daimler AG |

 

The three fastest drivers from the Qualification of the Spanish GP are Lewis Hamilton P1, Max Verstappen P2, and Valtteri Bottas on P3. When the green lights light up all eyes are going to follow these three drivers. Some impacts are possible in the middle of the grid on the T1 right after the start. It would be a very interesting moment for the whole race. Of course, a lot could happen on T2 and the next few turns.

 

 

There are soft, medium, and hard tires available for all drivers. All different tires request different strategies of how many pit stops are going the driver to make. A very important point of the strategies is also the positions of the drivers. Does the driver is a leader; does he's 2nd or 3rd and the race the strategy also depends on the set goals.

 

We're now about the beginning of the formation lap. And it starts. This like all other articles about the F1 this one is going to be live commentary. 

 

 

L1 Turn 1, Verstappen overtakes Hamilton. Leclerc P3 as he had overtaken Botas. Verstappen also did a very nice run and he's gaining some advantage in front of Lewis Hamilton.

 

 

L2 DRS is not open for two laps. So, we have Verstappen, Hamilton +1.874; Leclerc +4.283.

 

On the Replay of the start is clear how Leclerc overtook Bottas. It had happened on T3. Bottas was exactly behind Hamilton and then Leclerc finds his way to do an overtake on the left side of Bottas. It looks like Mercedes prefer to go together and Bottas to not overtake the Hamilton. However, this is also a strategy because there are 66 laps to go.

 

 

L6 Verstappen on P1; Hamilton +1.270; Leclerc +7.472; Botas +0.869; Riccardo +2.330.

 

L7 Bottas is going to catch the Leclerc's ferrari. Bottas is now +0.643 behind Leclerc. Hamilton is also going to catch Max.

 

Yellow flag S2&S3 Yuki Tsunoda said, "Engine stop. Engine stop".

 

L8 Safety Car is deployed.

 

Now we can have some pit stops. Some drivers could try to go on hard tires which last for long or also on mediums.

 

Giovanazzi had some brake in the pit due to a puncher of the front left tire.

 

 

L10 Still Safety Car leads the race. Latifi and Russel are practicing double stack - my favorite event during Formula One  Race day. Meanwhile, Hamilton is closer to Verstappen so Lewis will try to get back P1.

 

At the end of L10 Safety Car goes home.

 

 

L11 Racing. Gasly is under investigation and he received a +5 seconds penalty due to out of position during the start of the race.

 

L12 Verstappen is 1st; Hamilton is +1.022 behind; Leclerc +2.980 and Bottas +3.924.

 

L13 Race Control: DRS Enable. Hamilton is less than 1s behind Verstappen on the main straight.

 

L14 Still Hamilton is the fastest driver during the Spanish GP of Formula 1.

 

L15 Lewis is +1.237 behind Max.

 

 

L16 Leclerc received a message that they are going on plan C. This means that Leclerc is going to do whatever he needs to fight for the top 3 positions. Meanwhile, Sainz has an order to follow plan B.

 

L17 We have a closeup replay of Hamilton's rear left tire that doesn't look good. This means that he could make a pit and thus he's going to achieve P1 due to Verstappen is still didn't visit the box. Such situations like damage on tires or even of the cars also could affect teams' strategies. The racing is in progress and not everything could be planned or scheduled.

 

 

L19 Gasly's team waits for 5 seconds before tires changing. The penalty is completed.

 

L20 Hamilton is +1.162 behind Verstappen. Bottas is about 1 second behind Leclerc. Vettel's front left tire also doesn't look good.

 

L21 Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc, Bottas, Riccardo all first 5 drivers are on soft tires.

 

L22 Vettel's box time is 4s. Changing on medium tires.

 

 

L23 Sainz changed his tires. Stationary for about 2 sec. Hamilton is +0.823 behind Verstappen. Still, Lewis had set the fast lap time.

 

L24 Bottas’s overall pit time 22.311s stationary 2.7s.

 

L25 Max pits; Hamilton is the leader. Max on medium tires. Lewis reported that his tires are ok. Bottas is on P6 after the box.

 

L26 Riccardo pits. Now on medium tires. Stop time 3s and overall pit time is  22.406s. Bottas sets the best lap time.

 

L27 Verstappen set best lap time.

 

L28 Sergio Peresz pits. The leader is Hamilton, Leclerc +12.689s; Verstappen +16.804s.

 

L29 Lewis pits for new mediums. Stationary for 2.7s and pit time 22.220s; Leclerc pits too; So we have Verstappen P1, Hamilton P2 +6, Bottas P3 +7. The point is that Lewis has fresher tires about 4-5 laps than Max so now they are going to catch Max.

 

 

L30 Bottas has told to follow Lewis catching Max Verstappen.

 

L31 Hamilton sets a new best time of 1:21.276 - 1.4 seconds quicker than Verstappen. So, Lewis is 3.0 and decreasing the gap to Max. Bottas is +7 on P3.

 

L32 Hamilton sets the new best time.

 

L33 33 laps passed 33 on the go.

 

L34 Hamilton is in the DRS range. He is 0.932 behind Verstappen.

 

L35 Lewis is getting around +0.8 to Max. Very soon Hamilton is going to overtake Verstappen.

 

L36 Hamilton is about +0.6 to Verstappen.

 

L37 Lewis is still the fastest driver during the race.

 

 

L38 In front of Max there is some traffic and thus makes keeping the leader position even harder. However, Lewis is going to overtake him anytime soon. Lewis is still faster than all other drivers.

 

L39 Hamilton is +1.120 behind Verstappen. Maybe Lewis is giving himself a little break.

 

 

L40 Vettel again on soft tires. We have Yuki Tsunoda who had a problem with the engine and he's out of the Spanish GP of Formula One.

 

L41 Lewis is +0.936 behind Max. At the end of the straight Lewis is +0.5 behind. Overall we have a clear racing day so far. No impacts - no damages. Beautiful. Pure racing.

 

L42 At the end of the straight line before T1 Hamilton is even +0.4 closer to Verstappen.

 

L43 Hamilton is going to have a new set of mediums. Pit time - stationary: 2.3s; overall pit time: 22.203 s. Verstappen P1, Bottas +10s P2; Hamilton is +13s P3. Lewis is +23s behind Max Verstappen.

 

L44 We have 22 laps to go. Lewis has a 22% chance to catch Max. Lewis is nervous about catching the Max. Hamilton's team told him that they had made it before.

 

 

L45 Max is informed that Lewis is going to catch him about the last lap. Verstappen P1, Bottas P2 +11.165s, Hamilton +20.025s on P3. Lewis continuous to sets the best lap times during this race.

 

L46 Hamilton is already +19s behind Verstappen.

 

L47 Lewis +18.376s behind Max. Sainz pits for 2.7s stationery and 21.856s overall time.

 

L48 Max Verstappen is wondering how he could manage to the end talking to the radio. Lewis is +15s behind Max. Bottas is +9.867s behind Max.

 

L49 Bottas received instruction: “So, pick up the pace…”

 

 

L51 Hamilton is already about 11s behind Max Verstappen. Bottas keeps his P2 about +9s. Bottas received a message from the box that Lews is on another strategy fighting for the win and he is +4 seconds behind.

 

L52 Order for Bottas "Don't hold Hamilton!". Hamilton is now on P2 +11.258s behind Verstappen.

 

L54 Hamilton is now 10.001s behind Verstappen. Bottas is making another pit. His pit exit gives him P4 but he is on soft tires. This means that Bottas is going to fight for the best lap time point. Valtteri is on new tires so it shouldn't be a problem to get Leclerc who is now on P3.

 

L55 Lewis's time is 1:20.smth and still, he's the fastest driver. Soon this role will be taken by Valtteri.

 

 

L56 Lewis Hamilton is +6.693s behind Max Verstappen. Lewis -1.877s faster than Max. Valtteri Bottas starts to set new best lap times.

 

L57 Leclerc is also making a very good performance as he started from P4 and he is about to close the race on P4. Ferarri looks is back in the game. Hamilton is +3.066 behind Verstappen.

 

L58 Prez is now fighting for the best lap time point.

 

L59 Bottas on P3 +27s behind Hamilton. Lewis is +0.880 behind Max. It's time.

 

 

L60 Lewis is overtaking Max. Hamilton P1; Verstappen P2, Bottas P3. Bottas is the faster driver now.

 

L61 Max Verstappen changing his tires so probably he is going to fight for the fast lap point.

 

L62 Perez sets new best lap time. Any time soon Max is going to set the new best lap time from my point of view.

 

Race Control: Under investigation Alonso and Stroll. Stroll was forced to get out of the track and he couldn’t follow the speed bumps on Turn 1. Stroll gives back the position to Alonso so it shouldn't be any problem. 

 

 

L63 Verstappen sets best lap time. He is on P2.

 

L65 Verstappen is +18s behind Hamilton. Max is the fastest driver on the race track. Bottas is +10.535 behnind Verstappen.

 

L66 Final Lap. Lewis Hamilton is the winner of the Spanish GP of Formula One. Max is +16 seconds behind. Bottas finishes on P3.

 

 

1:18.149 is the fastest lap of the race and that lap time belongs to Max Verstappen.

 

Lewis Hamilton has 98 wins so far. That's nice. 2021 Spanish GP of Formula 1 Ended.