S BLOXHAM

The same players but a different script for

Formula 1 2021?

It’s three and a half months since the 2020 Formula 1 season came to a close in Abu Dhabi. Thanks to the strange circumstances in which we are currently living, it feels like a lot longer, but this weekend the wait will be over and F1 2021 will properly kick off in Bahrain.

Despite the much-discussed and supposed carryover of last year’s machines, there are plenty of changes and question marks to stir the interest ahead of the new campaign.

Chief among those is whether Red Bull can actually put together a championship challenge. Given recent history and the incredible W11, it was easy to assume heading into the winter that 2021 would be another Mercedes season and we’d have to wait for the major rules reset in 2022 to see the team truly under pressure. But, as Alex Kalinauckas shows in the first piece of our bumper F1 preview (page 17), testing indicates that things might not be so simple.

Ferrari’s recovery (p24), Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin (p28), McLaren’s return to Mercedes power (p32), Fernando Alonso’s comeback (p36), and the 2021 crop of rookies (p40) should also provide plenty of subplots as the season unfolds.

Formula 2 and MotoGP also kick off this weekend. Guanyu Zhou is China’s best hope for an F1 driver and needs to make the most of his opportunities (p72), while Marc Marquez’s future will play a big role in how the pinnacle of motorbike racing plays out (p76).

Kevin Turner Chief Editor kevin.turner@autosport.com

NEXT WEEK

1 APRIL Bahrain GP Our full report on the opening round of the

2021 F1 campaign

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COVER IMAGES Alpine, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Motorsport Images/ Mauger; Sutton

PIT & PADDOCK 6 F1 unveils ‘fastest ever’ street circuit 9 Neal takes a BTCC sabbatical 10 Berger bullish on new DTM era 13 Obituary: Johnny Dumfries 14 Opinion: Alex Kalinauckas 15 Feedback: your letters

F1 2021 PREVIEW 17 Red Bull’s best chance to beat Mercedes? 23 Bahrain Grand Prix preview 24 Ferrari’s latest recovery plan 28 Can Vettel bounce back at Aston Martin? 32 McLaren back with Mercedes 36 Alonso returns home with Alpine 40 The rookies of F1 2021 44 Domenicali’s take on F1’s future 46 Calendar and essential info 47 Tim Wright’s team by team 58 Karun Chandhok’s trackside verdict 64 The tech war triggered by new rules

INSIGHT 72 F2 preview: Zhou’s last chance 76 MotoGP preview: Marquez still key?

RACE CENTRE 82 Bourdais’s Sebring 12 Hours miracle 88 World of Sport: Supercars; NASCAR Cup

CLUB AUTOSPORT 94 New moves in ‘miniature’ tin-tops 96 Deletraz/Campbell to Monaco Historique 98 Junior racers to appear on Top Gear 100 Safety in club motorsport

FINISHING STRAIGHT 102 What’s on this week 104 From the archive: 1989 San Marino GP 106 In defence of: turbo-hybrid F1

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25 MARCH 2021 AUTOSPORT.COM 5