Still with no points added in 2021, Alfa Romeo Racing arrives at the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix eager to score points, especially after the 30s penalty that stole the first two points of the season from Kimi Räikkönen at the Emilia-Romagna GP , in Imola (Italy).
In the preview of the race at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, in Portimão, we were chatting with Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi, the two scuderia drivers led by Frenchman Frédéric Vasseur, who told us what they expect from the Portuguese stage of the Formula 1 World Championship. season itself and of course the future.
In the case of the Finnish driver, returning to the Portimão circuit means returning to a stage where he shone last year. Admittedly, finishing 11th doesn't give him away, but the former world champion — won in 2007 by Scuderia Ferrari — had one of the best starts ever in Formula 1, gaining nine positions during the first lap — a video not to be missed…
Asked whether we can expect a similar spectacle in this year's race, Räikkönen prefers not to embark on any major madness: “It's unlikely, but you never know. There was some rain before the start and it was quite slippery. It looked like it was stronger than the others in the first few laps. But in a normal situation this doesn't happen”, said the Finn who, until the 2020 Portugal GP, had never raced in Portimão.
For Giovinazzi, last year's race was a return, as he had already been there in 2015, in the Formula 3 category. Still, the Italian is not indifferent to the design of the Algarve track, which he considers to be “different, very different”, due to the unevenness and blind curves. “But for this new Formula 1 I think it's a great track,” he adds.
Räikkönen, in his own style, didn't want to reveal too much. And when we asked him if the Portuguese track could favor the qualities of the Italian team's single-seater, he just replied: “We hope so, but we haven't driven this year yet, so we have to wait until Friday to see how the track is doing. But we hope to be better than in the last race”.
Giovinazzi: “We have a better car”
After a pre-season where the Alfa Romeo C41 showed itself at a very good level, the first two races of the season ended up not confirming all the potential that the new Alfa Romeo Racing single-seater had been showing. But for Giovinazzi, there is no doubt: “We have a better car”.
Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo Racing driverThis year all the teams are closer and that's good for Formula 1 and for the fans. Especially the teams in the middle group. We're closer to Alpine and Aston Martin and that's good for us because we can go further 'in the middle' and hit some spots as fast as possible.
Aged 27 and only in his third full season in Formula 1, the best that the Italian driver — a native of Martina Franca — has to present is 5th place at the 2019 Brazilian GP, already in the colors of Arese's brand. . This is also his best season, having added a total of 14 points.
Giovinazzi hopes that this season's C41 will allow him to do more and better, but he also knows that there are teams in a better position than Alfa Romeo Racing and that repeating or improving a 5th place requires a “crazy race”.
“We have a better car, but to get more than fifth place it has to be a crazy race, like Monza last year, where anything can happen. And we have to be there in case that happens. Maybe it won't happen again this year, allowing us to improve on that result”, said the Italian.
And is the new format of qualifications convincing?
The week leading up to the 2021 Portuguese GP was marked by the announcement of qualifying sprint races in three Grand Prix of the season. Qualifying as we know it, traditionally held on Saturday, moves to Friday, making room for a qualifying race on Saturday — with around 100 km — which will determine the starting grid for Sunday's main race.
A possible change in the structure of the Formula 1 weekend had been discussed for several years. Now that these changes have been approved, we wanted to know what the two Alfa Romeo Racing drivers have to say about the matter and, starting with Räikkönen, if believe this can improve or worsen competition:
Kimi Räikkönen, Alfa Romeo Racing driverI think we have to wait and see how it goes. I don't know exactly how it will work, what the rules will be and how it will be played. As soon as we have a weekend like this we can say something about it. But for now it's still early.
Antonio Giovinazzi shares his teammate's opinion: “We'll see, but I agree with Kimi. We have to go through the experience to see if it will be better or worse. Only after that can we give feedback“.
And the future?
On the horizon of Formula 1, which began this season to introduce budget ceilings that promise to bring teams closer together, synthetic fuels could also be found.
Nothing is confirmed, but rumors to that effect are increasingly pronounced. On the subject, Räikkönen has no doubts that the future of Formula 1 will pass that way: “I'm sure they will arrive, but I don't know if it will be next year, the following year or when it will be”.
Räikkönen is part of the group of riders who have already won the Drivers' World Championship and that naturally makes him one of the most respected faces in the paddock, starting with his teammate:
Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo Racing driver"I've said a lot of times that I'm very proud to be Kimi's teammate. He was important in my career because he's been with me from the beginning. He's a great reference. I'm really happy to spend another year with him."
The Finnish driver is, by the way, the oldest of the “platoon” of Formula 1, but he guarantees that it is not driving or competition on the track that will make him stop, but all the obligations he has off the track.
“I like to compete, but nowadays there are a lot of things in Formula 1 that I'm not a big fan of. And I think that's what will dictate when I stop. It's not the races.
There is a lot going on besides driving. Driving is just a small part. There are many other things we have to do that keep us busy and force us to travel. It's not the reasons I ride in Formula 1, but it's a big part of it,” explained Räikkönen.
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Giulia GTA is tested and… approved!
Among the many off-track obligations is the link to Alfa Romeo (brand) and, more recently, to the Giulia GTA (and Giulia GTAm), a model that was developed with the help of the two Formula 1 scuderia drivers.
But it must not be these obligations that Kimi is referring to, don't you think? After all, this is the most powerful production Alfa Romeo ever, recovering an acronym — GTA — which since 1965 has been synonymous with the best that the Arese brand has to offer in terms of dynamics and performance.
However, and according to Antonio Giovinazzi, the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the pilots' contribution from being as intensive as was initially foreseen.
“We were supposed to participate, but because of the Covid-19 situation last year we ended up not spending as much time at Balocco (test circuit).
We went there in October and did a few laps when the car was still a prototype. It was there that I had the first sensations with the car, the first feedback. Then I went back to riding with him in Barcelona, at the beginning of the year, and now again in Balocco, before the Imola GP”, said the Italian driver, who identifies several differences compared to the model that serves as the basis for this GTA (and GTAm) version , more focused on track use), the Giulia Quadrifoglio.
Even more radical than the Giulia Quadrifoglio
“It's easy to see the improvements, especially in relation to the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The GTA is lighter and has a rear wing that generates more downforce. That's why it's a better car, faster and more fun to drive, especially on the track”, he said.
Kimi Räikkönen has also already had the opportunity to “get his hands on” the Alfa Romeo GTA, which keeps the Giulia Quadrifoglio's Ferrari aluminum block, with 2.9 liters of capacity and 510 hp, but which the GTA and GTAm see its power rises to 540 hp.
“I only drove it for 4 or 5 laps and it was the test car. It's not the same car that will hit the road, because it was one of the first test cars, so I'm not sure what the final result will be. But I'm sure it will be fun on the track while staying comfortable on the road,” explained the Finn.
Jokingly and knowing that the Iceman (Iceman) — Räikkönen's nickname for several years — transforms when it comes to family, we also asked him if his service Stelvio Quadrifoglio was the perfect car to enjoy the pleasure of lead and at the same time fulfill family responsibilities.
And he was peremptory in his response: “At least it works for me. Of course, each person has different requirements and needs, but we can put everything in there and go anywhere, there's enough cargo space for all that.”
