The F1 circus finds itself, for the second year in a row, at the Algarve International Circuit, Portimao for Round Three of the 2021 season. Round Two saw Max Verstappen win at Imola, as Lewis Hamilton recovered to beat Lando Norris to second. The hype was palpable before the race and it did not disappoint.
The seven-time world champion overtook his main title rival in Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and teammate Valtteri Bottas on his way to a typically confident victory in Portugal as Hamilton extended his early title lead.
The Brit eventually won comfortably ahead of Verstappen, but that didn't tell the story of his start to the race as he dropped to third behind the Red Bull following a Safety Car restart.
Crucially, Hamilton passed the Dutchman into Turn One soon after, before an amazing sweeping move around the outside of the pole-sitter Bottas gave him a race lead.
Hamilton, with two race victories to Verstappen’s one to start the season, now holds an eight-point lead over the Dutchman in the driver’s championship.
Mercedes seemed to have a faster car over the weekend, but Verstappen offered a much-needed consolation by pulling off an overtake of his own on Bottas for an eventual second place as Red Bull pulled the pit-stop trigger before Mercedes.
Purple time was taken was Bottas, who finished the podium but had a challenging day on the whole.
In the other Red Bull car, Sergio Perez secured his best race finish for his new team in fourth but was never a competitor for the podium, not helped by slipping behind Lando Norris after the Safety Car - caused by Kimi Raikkonen's stricken Alfa Romeo as he went into the back of team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi on the straight.
The aforementioned Norris eventually finished fifth to continue his brilliant 2021 start, with the young McLaren driver still third in the standings.
Leclerc was sixth for Ferrari, whose other driver Sainz Jr. fell out of the points after qualifying fifth.
Ocon and Alonso scored Alpine’s first double points in seventh and eighth, with the two-time world champion exceptionally quick in the closing stages as he overtook Daniel Ricciardo in the other McLaren. But the Aussie will be happy with his race day after starting 16th.
Meanwhile, Vettel is still waiting for his first points as an Aston Martin driver despite a much-improved weekend.
Next weekend is the Spanish Grand Prix. Another very special circuit and the possibility of another close fight in what is turning into a classic year.
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