Frustration with Formula 1
An extremely tight midfield still overshadowed by Mercedes' absolute mastery of the grid
By Katherine Rowe
An extremely tight midfield still overshadowed by Mercedes' absolute mastery of the grid
By Katherine Rowe
Romain Grosjean’s terrifying and fiery crash during the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix brought a lot of attention to Formula 1 racing, but it was probably one of the most interesting things during this season due to the somewhat monotonous Mercedes domination. However, this year has also been incredible with the addition of new tracks to the calendar, massive changes in the driver market for next year and surprise wins and podiums that feel even more exciting than ever.
Instead of having a negative outlook on Mercedes winning all the time, it’s much more rewarding to focus on other teams that are still improving and working to get on the podium.
While Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton made history when he tied Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world driver’s championships at the Turkish Grand Prix, I was just as excited to see Sebastian Vettel on the podium again after an extremely disappointing last season with Ferrari, as well as Sergio Perez coming in second place.
When Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Valterri Bottas have won most races, I preferred watching Pierre Gasly’s maiden win in Monza with Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lance Stroll taking second and third respectively.
While Mercedes lap everyone on the grid, I focus on my favorite driver, Max Verstappen lapping the other cars with them, as he manages miracles with his Red Bull and keeps races interesting. As Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle says quite often, “Thank god for Max Verstappen!”
Despite the general lack of competition for the Mercedes team this year, next year could bring a much different story. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile’s regulations ensure that the cars in 2021 will not differ too much from this year’s models, but drivers changing teams will definitely have an impact which will hopefully add more competition and make the next season more interesting.
Instead of having a negative outlook on Mercedes winning all the time, it’s much more rewarding to focus on other teams that are still improving and working to get on the podium.
While Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton made history when he tied Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world driver’s championships at the Turkish Grand Prix, I was just as excited to see Sebastian Vettel on the podium again after an extremely disappointing last season with Ferrari, as well as Sergio Perez coming in second place.
When Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Valterri Bottas have won most races, I preferred watching Pierre Gasly’s maiden win in Monza with Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lance Stroll taking second and third respectively.
While Mercedes lap everyone on the grid, I focus on my favorite driver, Max Verstappen lapping the other cars with them, as he manages miracles with his Red Bull and keeps races interesting. As Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle says quite often, “Thank god for Max Verstappen!”
Despite the general lack of competition for the Mercedes team this year, next year could bring a much different story. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile’s regulations ensure that the cars in 2021 will not differ too much from this year’s models, but drivers changing teams will definitely have an impact which will hopefully add more competition and make the next season more interesting.