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Williams vs Haas: Who will finish on top?

Williams vs Haas: Who will finish on top?

26-03-2021 07:00
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Toby McLuskie

With a strong focus on the battle awaiting between Mercedes and Red Bull, many fans of Formula One have the names of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on the ends of their tongues but we may have a battle at the bottom on our hands as well. With Haas clearly opting for a rebuilding stage and Williams confident points will be on offer for them to grab, it seems that we will have a strong battle at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship.

Haas finished on top last season, edging out their British competitors by three points and witnessing Williams’ first ever season with zero points. However this year it does seem like it might be different. George Russell is a flourishing star and alongside Nicholas Latifi, both will be in place to claim their first F1 points for Williams. Both drivers have had the chance to claim points last season but missed out by one place, on some occasions.

Opting for two rookies this year in Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, has indicated that Haas is focusing on the future and, in turn, are preparing more for 2022 than now. This could give the upper hand to Williams in the battle for bottom place in the Constructors’ Championship due to the partnership and feeling in the FW43B compared to the rookie duo in the VF-21, but who looks more likely to claim points on Sunday?

Strong test for Williams

A stronger outing in Bahrain earlier this month from Williams looks to be a key factor for the season ahead but as every F1 fan knows, we will have to wait for the Grand Prix on Sunday to fully see where each team and its car are at.

George Russell was able to find and continue his powerful race pace from last year with the new Mercedes engine and finished his one day of testing with a fastest lap of 1:30.117, over one second faster than Latifi, Schumacher and Mazepin.

“Mr Saturday” is proving himself to be one of the best drivers on the grid already at only 23-years-old and, as was explained in our 2021 F1 predictions video, if Williams is able to provide Russell with a semi-competitive car, a strong points-scoring outing could be on the cards for the British driver.

The results from testing are pointing towards a bottom-placed finish for Guenther Steiner and Haas, but anything could happen when racing gets started, as we saw last season with Pierre Gasly winning the Italian Grand Prix, so we will have to wait and see.

Alfa Romeo stronger in testing than many thought

Whilst Williams and Russell look stronger than last year, Alfa Romeo looked competitive in testing, which was a surprise to many. 41-year-old Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth fastest on day three of testing, ahead of both Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes and Russell, Schumacher and Mazepin, with a time of 1:29.766.

He also completed the most amount of laps on that day at the Bahrain International Circuit, finishing with 165 laps of the 5.412km circuit.

Last season saw Williams, Haas and Alfa Romeo struggling at the bottom with only 11 combined points through the 17 races and the same could happen again this season.

It is still unlikely that Alfa are able to find their way back into the midfield though, due to their power issues from the Ferrari engine last year, despite the strong testing in Bahrain and with the new backing, Williams look the most likely of the three to make the move up and compete in the midfield.

Who do you think will come out on top when we finish the season at the Yas Marina Circuit?

Find out on Sunday when the first points are up for grabs.