Review of the 2021 season: Alfa Romeo Ferrari

After a difficult 2020 when it only managed to get ahead of Haas F1 and Williams, Alfa Romeo intended to move closer to the midfield and become a regular candidate for the top 10 in the race in 2021.

For the third consecutive season, Kimi Raïkkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi were holders and the team based in Hinwill in Switzerland counted on this continuity to achieve its goals .

The season

The first races see the Alfa Romeos closer to the mid-table teams in terms of performance, but that is by no means transcendent. Kimi Raïkkönen in particular is in difficulty in qualifying but more efficient in the race, while it is the opposite for Givonazzi. The two men do not seem able to play the points on a regular basis and the Finn must wait for Baku to score his first point of the year, the Italian having finished tenth in a race before in Monaco.

In a season where you have to know how to seize opportunities, Alfa Romeo has a tendency to go through its meetings. This was particularly the case in Hungary during a chaotic race where she saw her rival Williams put her in the back of the head, the English team scoring ten points in one fell swoop while Raïkkönen only brought back one. . Williams also takes advantage of Spa and the “free” points distributed to almost definitely distance Alfa Romeo, scoring twenty points against three in the general classification.

After catching COVID -19 and saw Robert Kubica replace him at short notice in the Netherlands then in Italy, Raïkkönen signs the best result of the season for Alfa Romeo by finishing eighth in Sochi then in Mexico, the Finn using all his experience each time. Giovinazzi meanwhile did not take advantage of good Q3 obtained in Zandvoort then in Monza and will obtain a ninth place in Saudi Arabia as the best result of the year.

La end of the year takes place in a rather gloomy atmosphere, Raïkkönen having announced in September that he would leave F1 at the end of the season and Giovinazzi knowing that he had very little chance of being kept in 2022. The lack of result n ‘No help and Alfa Romeo finally finished penultimate in the constructors’ championship with thirteen small points.

Review

On paper, Alfa Romeo seemed to have the car to finish eighth among the manufacturers, but its lack of presence and responsiveness during chaotic races has ultimately benefited his rivals, notably Williams. Certainly, progress has been posted compared to 2020, but between a Raikkönen in difficulty in qualifying, a Giovinazzi not always efficient in the race and unlucky and a general atmosphere at half mast, 2021 will ultimately remain a disappointment.

Alfa Romeo will be the only team to display a 100% renewed driver duo in 2022. Valtteri Bottas arrives from Mercedes and will hope to revive, while Chinese Guanyu Zhou will make his F1 debut .

Statistics

– 9th in the constructors’ championship with 13 points (8th with 8 points in 2020)
– Best race result: 8th (9th in 2020)
– Best qualification: 7th (8th in 2020)
– Qualifications report: 20 Q1, 20 Q2, 4 Q3