5 Reasons This Formula One Season Is A Must-Watch

With the world having slowed down over the past 14 months, it’s no wonder you’d be hankering after the excitement of a global sport like the F1®. The season kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix from 26-28 March, and with new team dynamics and tricky technical regulations, we can expect a season full of unpredictability, excitement and drama.

Here are five reasons why you should be gearing up to watch Formula One™ live, plus more world-class sports, with a NOW Sports Membership:

1. Newcomers and comebacks

The return of Fernando Alonso after a two-year hiatus has many fans eager for the start of this season. Alonso rejoins Renault, now rebranded as Alpine, for the 2021 and 2022 season, after winning two championships in 2005 and 2006 with the team.

Other familiar faces have switched colours, with Sebastian Vettel going to Aston Martin, Daniel Ricciardo joining McLaren, Sergio Perez defecting to Red Bull and Carlos Sainz signing with Ferrari.

There are also three fresh faces in the mix, most notably Mick Schumacher, the son of Michael. Mick starts with one-to-watch Yuki Tsunoda, who joins AlphaTauri. The 20-year-old’s ascent to the F1 scene has been a fast one, having gone from F4 to F1 in just over three years; he could be the first-ever Japanese driver to win an F1 championship in the near future.

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2. A record-breaking 8^th

After a period of uncertainty, Lewis Hamilton finally signed with Mercedes for a year-long contract, giving the British driver a crack at earning a record-breaking eighth championship. No one knows the real reason for this stalling, but Stefano Domenicali, CEO of F1, suggested it may be that Hamilton needed to reflect on what his racing future holds, having just turned 36.

It seems like the future looks bright – Hamilton currently holds the joint record with Michael Schumacher, but is predicted to surpass his seven wins so long as the F1’s new faces don’t upset the podium.

With this set to be a gripping season, make sure to watch all the action as it happens live on NOW.

3. New wheels, better deals

In recent years, F1 teams have been limited to four days to test new cars before the season starts. Yet in a year with so many changes, here’s another, with testing time now being cut to three days. That means some racers might burn rubber in Bahrain without being fully familiar with their car, causing a hectic start to the season.

Fast problem-solving skills are ultimately going to decide who will win the Constructors’ Championship (awarded to the highest-scoring car manufacturer of the season), where the prize money is vital for small teams to fund their cars – the higher the classification, the higher the money. If it keeps playing its cards right, as evidenced from last season in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull has a good chance of coming top of that category after a seven-year drought, ending Mercedes’ domination since 2014.

4. Testing times threaten grid positions

This season’s new Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions add even more pressure to development teams, as wind-tunnel tests are limited to 40 a week. Not everyone will get the full number, with the pecking order dictating that the higher a team was in the last season’s constructors’ classification, the fewer testings they are allowed, to give smaller teams some type of equity.

It will be even tougher in 2022, with more radical technical guidelines to follow, meaning big teams will most likely focus this season’s allocated testings on their 2022 cars, rather than current ones. Throughout the season, there might be car failures during qualifying, which threaten vital grid positions in races like the Monaco GP, or, even worse, at a crucial point during the actual race. Anything could happen.

5. Fresh circuits

The F1 organisation will try to keep its full calendar this year, having missed out due to the pandemic in 2020. So far, Covid-19 has forced the cancellation of the Chinese GP, bringing back in its stead the legendary Imola Circuit in Italy, last used in 2006. After such a long hiatus from the racing scene, fans should expect a weekend of historical proportions during the second round of the championship.

The Portimão Circuit, on the other hand, is a fairly new addition, first used last season. A new circuit heralds its own challenges, as drivers may be unfamiliar with the specific tarmac and niches of the track. After many misjudged it last year, we’ll have to wait and see how they adapt.

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