Photo Courtesy of racefans.net
San Luis Obispo High School students excitedly tuned into the first official race of the Formula One season on Sunday, March 20 which took place at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. Viewers anxiously watched all twenty drivers attempt to complete fifty-seven laps around the track, hoping their favorite participant would end out on top.
“The whole race had me on the edge of my seat! With a new season comes brand new designs for the cars, and with the new regulations, racing has become way more competitive. I just wanted everyone to cross the finish line, but at the same time, I really wanted to see my favorite team do well,” said senior Makenna Osterfeld.
Right off the bat, the race weekend saw competitors struggling, as teams such as McLaren Racing, Alfa Romeo, and Williams Racing dealt with reliability issues in the qualifying session on March 19. In addition, four-time world champion and German driver Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in German reserve driver Nico Hülkenberg taking his place.
Fan favorite and reigning world champion Max Verstappen, a Dutch driver for Oracle Red Bull Racing, hoped to start off the season strong. Verstappen was running in second for the majority of the race, but suffered fuel pump issues which led to complete power failure, ultimately causing him to stop two laps before the finish. Similarly, Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull, Mexican driver Sergio Perez, dealt with power problems, causing him to spin out of third place, exiting the race on lap fifty-six of fifty-seven. Verstappen and Perez weren’t the only drivers to not finish, as Frenchman Pierre Gasly of Red Bull’s junior team, Scuderia AlphaTauri, also experienced power issues.
“Seeing Verstappen and Perez struggle and ending up having to end the race early was super disappointing. I’m rooting for Verstappen to win the championship again, but in order to do that, the power issues have to be sorted out. I just got into Formula One, and seeing the craziness of this race has me wanting to watch more,” said senior Nivashini Saravanakumar.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was won by Charles Leclerc, a Monegasque driver for Scuderia Ferrari, followed by his Spanish teammate, Carlos Sainz Jr. Rounding out the top three was seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, a British driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team. This marks the first one-two finish for Ferrari since the Singapore Grand Prix in 2019, and makes Ferrari the team to beat this season.
The next Formula One grand prix will take place on Sunday, March 27 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. SLOHS students can watch the race on ESPN as the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix kicks off at 10:00 a.m.
