2011 Formula 1 season: Red Bull and McLaren dominate along with Renault
The 2011 Formula 1 season has started in the most unexpected fashions. The two archrivals, Red Bull and Ferrari are yet to engage in a real contest as a new rivalry has ignited. McLaren have come out of the blue to challenge the Red Bulls while Renault keep
the third podium stair occupied. Ferrari and Mercedes are still mere spectators to Red Bull’s pace.
Two of the 19 scheduled races of the 2011 season have been concluded and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel has been able to occupy the top stair of the podium by any means possible.
He was clearly the fastest driver in the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix. In the Malaysian Grand Prix, the scenario around Vettel was changing dramatically as he was marching toward a podium finish. The real pressure was exerted on Vettel when McLaren’s
Lewis Hamilton came out of the pit-stop on hard compounds to do the last 30 odd laps, while Vettel was still on the softer compounds and had a pit-stop due, sometime soon. Hamilton’s car gave him a problem which was a big relief for Vettel because his fierce
competitor was out of the race.
The sole supplier of entertainment behind the Red Bulls is the McLaren team. McLaren’s duo, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, have shared the entreating duties behind Vettel in the two grands prix.
Hamilton was behind Vettel in the Australian Grand Prix and was almost a moment away from claiming the Grand Prix when he was accidentally went off track and damaged his car’s floor.
In the Malaysian Grand Prix, Jenson Button took the duties from Hamilton and was behind Vettel. Button reduced the gap from Vettel to a mere 3 seconds and put some real pressure on the defending champion.
The lower stair of the podium has been dramatically occupied by the Renault team. Both Vitaly Petrov and Nick Heidfeld have been on the third podium stair twice, once on each occasion. Petrov was invincible in the Australian Grand Prix when he was able to
be ahead of his fresh rival, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Petrov scored his first podium finish in his 20th race.
Renault team’s expectations took a 180-degree turn when young Petrov finished third in the Australian Grand Prix. It was thought that Nick Heidfeld, the more experienced driver taken on board to replace the injured Robert Kubica, will play the anchor role
in the team and will bring some points home, but Petrov stole the show from Heidfeld and scored a podium.
In the Malaysian Grand Prix, Heidfeld was able to take his rightful position in the Renault team as a senior driver when he comprehensively took the podium finish. Heidfeld took the lead form almost five drivers in the first straight and was able to keep
it until the end of the race. Petrov was pursued by, firstly McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, then by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and finally by Red Bull’s Mark Webber. Heidfeld used all of his more than 170-race starts experience and was able to keep these sporting
giants behind.
Petrov also had a good run in his R31 and was going to bring the car in the top ten positions when in 52nd lap, his steering was detached from the car after which he had to stop.
Nevertheless, McLaren and Renault have shown some pace, but Vettel’s luck is dragging him towards the podiums every time. How far this luck of Vettel will go, only time will tell.
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