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The 2021 Formula 1 season added another unforgettable race to its archive, as Silver Arrow Valtteri Bottas shot from pole to podium to claim his first win of the season, while Red Bull Max Verstappen reclaimed his lead for the Drivers’ Championship, writes Naman Arora.
Meanwhile, Bottas’ team mate and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton showed his chops as he turned his P11 start, thanks to a grid penalty after an engine change, into a P5 finish.
“Today was probably one of the best races I’ve had ever – apart from that one little slide, everything was under control,” Bottas gushed after the race. “My first win of the year too which feels great and I was happy to bring it home. It also took points off Red Bull so great for me and the team.”
In a rain-drenched incident-strewn race, Verstappen was a wide 14.585 seconds behind Bottas and took home the second place, but was happy to have retaken the lead in the championship. Verstappen’s team mate Sergio Perez came in third, followed by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Hamilton, Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), Lando Norris (McLaren), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine).
“As a team, to finish second and third here was a great result,” Verstappen said, after the race. “It’s good to be leading the Drivers’ Championship again.”
Sainz was the fan favourite Driver of the Day, after he recovered from P19, due to engine penalties to P8.
With a number of drivers taking penalties after new engines, what was supposed to be a transitionary race leading into the final blitz of the season quickly turned into a wet and vapid bid for victory.
Surprisingly, for this season, all drivers managed to finish the race – a rare feat in a season littered with car failures, spins and did-not-finishes (DNFs) all around.
After a week off, the next Grand Prix will be at Austin, Texas on October 24.
