Damn it looks like a really good deal.
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Iâve always liked black (or mostly black) liveries 
I think itâll all come down to how well they integrated the Merc motor.
Yeah⌠that will be the big x-factor for them this year.
If the car improves in average like the other teams when it comes to aero and mechanical grip, then the key to maintain their place in the WCC and perhaps close the gap to merc/red bull is that the new engine works from the first race. And it should be a stronger engine than the Renault they had last year, so they might even manage to close the gap a bit 
If they start the year with a few DNFs though⌠its gonna be tough not to loose out to Renault i thinkâŚ
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Here we go!
As always, Peter Windsor with his keen commentary hitting all of my topics of interest for the 2021 season.
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Iâm so ready for this season to get going!!! P1 in less than 24 hours
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I got so much hope for this season. Hopefully weâll get an interesting title fight.
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I think ultimately it will be a Mercedes Red Bull fight for the WDC, but the WCC may actually go to Red Bull if Bottas doesnât turn it up.
There will be a 4 way battle for 3rd though, thatâs got me very excited. Iâll be rooting for the McLaren duo for that 3rd place slot.
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A lot of interesting stuff this season. RB looks like they may legitimately challenge the Mercs, Vettel in the Aston, Alonsoâs back, Danny Ric in the McLaren, Sainz vs Leclerc, Alpha Tauri may be strong. Potentially a season long fight for the championships + midfield madnessâŚbring it on.
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THEREâS AN F1 THREAD HERE? 
As a RBR fan iâm trying to temper expectations as iâve been heart broken before, but yeah they look strong. RB seemed to have a veryyy smooth testing which wasnât always the case in years prior.
Not all pre season testing is indicative of the actual performance though. Not saying any team will be better or worse but there have been occasions where a team starts to drop off during the season (Ferrari) after good testing.
Oh for sure, i donât think testing tells you about anyoneâs real speed. Weâll find out what theyâve actually got in Quali this weekend.
I guess the real pace will only be shown when the qualifying starts on saturdayâŚ
I do think Mercedes did a bit of âsandbaggingâ during the test, but i also think they have a weaker car than the recent years. I think it is a bit more unstable when driven fast (LH had a few spins), and there might be a question of the reliability as both Merc and âaston martinâ had problems with the Merc designed gearbox during the 3day test. I have no doubts its a fast car though, and if they get the setup right and reliability fixed i fear they will impossible to beat this year too.
I think McLaren can be the a car that surprises and they have very capable drivers. And even though i donât think they can fight for the championships, they could mix in with the Mercs and Red Bull cars at tracks that suits themâŚ
Even if Mercedes fall behind at the start, they have the resources to catch up. Itâs the competitors (Red Bull, Mclaren, etc) best chance to get ahead at the start for a bit and hope reliability becomes a factor later on in the season.
If this season is anything like last year then it will be enjoyable to watch.
BOOOY oh boy. Tomorrow gonna be interesting.
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What have we learned?
Red Bull is quickest, and the Merc is quick but itâs a much harder animal to tame, Hamilton can handle it, Bottas is going to struggle a bit. Unless the Mercs work together at the start, I think itâs an easy win for Red Bull. Itâs going to come down on whoâs got the better pace on the medium compound tomorrow.
Maze-Spin already got his F1 nickname. Alphatauri is quick and may be right in contention for 3rd spot if their young drivers can handle the pressure. McLaren is exactly where youâd expect them to be, Ferrari may fall backwards tomorrow. I think theyâre going to continue to struggle with race pace.
BTW, Tsunoda is a quick driver, he just needs to grow and learn to put a string of good sectors together. But he looks like a genuine talent. Wonder if a Japanese driver with talent driving for Red Bull is enough to keep Honda in the sport?
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Yeah, kinda feel like he couldâve made it to Q3. I think alpha tauri along with redbull use their second driver to gain some data, but hey thatâs just my speculation.
I think not really. Yamamoto already said that he wanted to continue for honda, but the honda execs wants to go for a more renewable energy direction.
Edit: maybe if they win the WCC the honda execs will give it another chance?
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A constructor win could very well influence Honda. If Perez has a good year Tsunoda would stay in Alpha Tauri for at least a year before being promoted. He does look quick though. If Perez doesnât show pace Christian Horner would look to put another driver in that rotating Red Bull seat, but it may be Gasly as he has been showing a lot more maturity since leaving Red Bull.
In terms of initial pace a lot of teams are showing good speed, they are a lot closer to each other than previous seasons. Letâs hope the additional changes to downforce and other restrictions will mean closer action with more overtakes and that we wonât have one team going twenty seconds ahead of the rest.
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