That’s why Hamilton hasn’t finished the season yet

Doubtful choice …

Valtteri Bottas won an online vote (which obviously wasn’t very serious) on the best Formula 1 mustache of all time. First, of course, we congratulate him on this “title”, but secondly we must also ask ourselves how did he seriously win against Nigel Mansell? Actually a scandal!

Albon: It’s about trust

Although his future remains unclear, the Red Bull driver assures that he is making progress. “It’s all about confidence in the car. Being consistent and being on the limit all the time,” he explains and recalls: “We had a difficult rear end, especially at the beginning of the year. But it’s improving, as is my feeling. with the car. it’s getting better. ”So far, however, this has only been felt to a limited extent in the results, which is why it continues to shake for its cockpit.

Verstappen: You get used to the circumstances

The Formula 1 circus will be away from home for another three weeks at the end of the season. Due to Corona, strict security measures are in place, direct contact with the outside world is practically forbidden. “Normally you only drive from the route to the hotel and vice versa anyway”, however, Max Verstappen shrugs. “It’s just a little bit further from home now,” he says, and explains, “We’ve gotten used to being in your ‘bladder’ anyway. It’s pretty normal.”

At least for him, the last triple header of the year doesn’t seem to be a mental problem.

About Grosjean …

The Frenchman has fond memories of Bahrain. In 2012 he took his first podium in Formula 1 here with Lotus and a year later he repeated his third place. And he also celebrated successes with Haas in the desert. In 2016, he finished fifth in the team’s second Formula 1 race. It is actually a shame that he will probably end his last appearance in Bahrain somewhere down the field …

The crane theme is discussed again

In qualifying in Istanbul, a trackside crane aroused a lot of criticism and need for comparison. “I think we’ll talk about it at the drivers briefing,” announced GPDA president Romain Grosjean. All the pilots agree on the subject, and it is clear that such a thing “shouldn’t happen again”.

Kimi Räikkönen agrees and does not accept the argument that the drivers were slow in the situation. “It was so slippery. In these conditions it doesn’t matter how slow you are. You can still lose your car,” he warns. Also in Formula 1 you drive “slowly” at 120 km / h.

© Motorsport Images

Asphalt in Bahrain …

… looks like this this weekend by the way. Unlike in Istanbul, no one here will complain about a path that is too slippery. On Sunday in particular, the aim will be to keep the tires alive for as long as possible. It’s not that easy when you look at these photos. The tires are already wearing a little.

Vettel wishes to return to Imola

The two Ferrari drivers were asked today which of the “new” circuits they liked the most in 2020. While Leclerc says he enjoyed Mugello more in qualifying, he would like to return to Portimao or Imola for a race. Vettel also chooses Imola.

“I’ve never driven there before and it was an impressive track,” he explains. He was also happy with his return to Turkey, despite the conditions. By the way, none of the routes mentioned are in the provisional calendar for 2021. This has not yet been ultimately decided.

The best technological images …

… is of course also available this weekend, as usual, in a separate photo series. This is regularly replenished with new snapshots.

Bottas: 2020 is not all bad

The world title is gone and to be honest, Valtteri Bottas has never really been in a position to be dangerous for Lewis Hamilton in 2020. However, the Finn explains that he will also bring positive things of the year with him. “I have improved in many areas,” he said. However, in some races he was simply “unlucky”.

Ultimately, the difference in World Cup points looks pretty big. Hamilton currently has 110 points more than Bottas in the account. However, the Finn is of the opinion that he just lacked consistency, that Hamilton did better. All in all, however, it wasn’t such a bad year, it wasn’t over yet.

Lewis Hamilton: who is Franz Tost?

A curious story on the sidelines of the afternoon press conference: Lewis Hamilton was approached in a scene about a statement from Franz Tost. “Who said that?”, Wants to know the world champion, to which moderator Tom Clarkson replies with “Franz Tost”. Then Hamilton: “Who is that?” Clarkson points out that Tost is AlphaTauri’s Team Principal. Suppose Hamilton didn’t get Clarkson right. Because Tost is in Formula 1 longer than himself …

Verstappen: title already ticked after Spielberg

The Dutchman was asked the PK when it became clear to him this year that the World Cup title was not going to work. His answer: “At the first race. It was pretty clear that we were too far away.” Incidentally, Red Bull hasn’t won in Bahrain since 2013. At that time Sebastian Vettel was still triumphing for the bulls. Since then, Mercedes and Ferrari have shared all the victories between them.

Leclerc wants to learn from Istanbul

Second place would have been possible for the Monegasque, but after a mistake on the last lap at turn 12, he only finished fourth. He himself explains that he was simply “too optimistic”. He missed the braking point slightly, but it was enough to keep him from entering the corner. “It happens. I’ll learn from it, and I hope it doesn’t happen again,” Leclerc said.

Incidentally, he has mixed memories of Bahrain. In 2019 he had a strong race here but lost his first Formula 1 win with a flaw.

Special design

I haven’t kept a list this year, but I’m pretty sure almost no other rider has had as many different helmet designs as the Lando Norris this year. There was also a new one in Bahrain, at the first night race of the year he opted for a black helmet.

Formula 2 at the start

After a hiatus of several weeks, Formula 2 returns to the support program this weekend. Mick Schumacher is currently fighting for the title there. Michael’s son is currently 22 points clear of his closest rival Callum Ilott in the league. So he could win the title early this weekend, the penultimate of the season. If that happens, we will obviously keep an eye on it here in the ticker!

Sainz hopes for a test with Ferrari 2018

It doesn’t seem to be expected for Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin, but Carlos Sainz confirms that a test in an old Ferrari could be “an option” for him as soon as he joins the Scuderia in the new year. At the same time, however, he makes it clear that his full focus is still on McLaren at the moment. He doesn’t want to be “distracted” by the future. After all, he still has goals with McLaren. Key word: P3 in the World Cup.

He would also have suggested a completely different idea from Formula 1. That is to say a test immediately after the season finale in Abu Dhabi with the current cars. “It would have been great if Formula 1 had organized a test with drivers like Ricciardo, Sainz, Vettel and Alonso in the new cars. It would have been a great story,” Sainz said. But he realizes that this in the end “was not possible”.

That’s it with the PK!

With that we have come to the end of the XXL press conference. Here in the ticker, of course, it is far from over, we will continue to bring you rumors and news from the paddock in Bahrain in the coming hours.