Barcelona (AFP)
The Barcelona trials will be for a period of three days this week, and before the start of the new year for “Formula-1”, a preliminary stop for the teams participating in the World Championship, to see the radical changes that have occurred in cars, under the umbrella of the new technical laws for a new era at all levels. Never before in the history of the tournament has 23 major trophies been organized.
Although the new year will start from the Bahraini Sakhir circuit on March 20, the teams are well aware that everything starts from the current testing that begins on Wednesday, when Dutch champion Max Verstappen and British runner-up Lewis Hamilton, seven-times world champion, will watch alongside the other 18 drivers. , closely and with firsthand in Catalonia the initial results of many months of work and development on new cars.
The supervisors of the first category decided, following the decision to reduce the number of trial days before the start of the competitions to only three days in Bahrain in 2021, to make room for the teams for more trials, so two periods of a total of 6 days were approved similar to what happened in 2020, knowing that the number of days The total during that year was 8, unlike previous years, where trials were held on longer periods.
This year, it was decided to hold the first trials in Barcelona from 23 to 25 of this month, without a public presence or a television escort, provided that the date will be renewed later in Bahrain from 10 to 12 next, but with the masses allowed to enter and under the eyes of the cameras, where the ten sheds will be able To see the latest designs imposed by “Formula-1”, which was postponed for a year due to the repercussions of the Corona virus.
The new technical laws adopted this year aim to reduce the performance differences as much as possible between the teams, while imposing the equation of the possibility of cars catching up with each other closer, and thus more likely to overtake. arenas. While the cars will be equipped with larger tires measuring 18 inches instead of 13 previously.
Formula 1 sporting director Ross Braun has anticipated the likely events and scenarios for the new year, saying: “There will always be teams that do a great job on the front row.”
“I’m optimistic, and I think we’ll see more cars at the front, and of course in a few months, when everyone will have the opportunity to see other people’s cars and how much they have developed,” he added.
Verstappen and Hamilton sparked the championship last year with a thrill unlike any in recent years, with the drivers title being decided on the last laps of the final race at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit in favor of the Red Bull driver at the expense of the Mercedes, while the speed-lover hopes to see more title contenders. , starting with the “running horse” Ferrari, passing through McLaren, without forgetting the “former Renault” Alpine, who ranked in the same order last year at the manufacturers.
On the other hand, especially with the drivers, the Chinese Guanyu Zhou will be the only junior “Rocky” who will take his first steps in the queen class with the Alfa Romeo team, knowing that the third-placed in Formula 2 last year entered the history of the championship through its wide door, even before To get behind the wheel, as he became the first Chinese driver to participate in “Formula-1”.
Zhou hopes to benefit from the experience of his new colleague and the newly arrived following leaving Mercedes, Finnish Valtteri Bottas, while Hamilton will team up with his young compatriot George Russell from Williams in the “Silver Arrows” team, knowing that the latter compensated for the absence of his star by bringing in Thai Alex Albon, a former Red Bull driver. And returning to “Formula-1” through the gate of the ancient British barn, which is going through its first year without its founder, “Sir” Frank Williams, who died on November 28 at the age of 79.
Barcelona will also be the first stop for German Nils Witich and Portuguese Eduardo Freitas as racing director, as they were handed the task of managing grand prix and resolving conflicts on the tracks, with Herbie Blasch assisting them as permanent first advisor.
This duo replaces Australian Michael Masi, “44”, who was sacked last week by the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
The 24-year-old “Mad Max” car, crowned with the title for the first time in his career, will carry the number one instead of the usual 33, while Hamilton’s task will be to win an eighth title to break his association with the German legend Michael Schumacher “7 each”, and sit alone at the top “Formula-1”.
