F1 | From Hamilton-Bottas to Leclerc-Sainz, the top team pairs under X-ray

The three days of pre-season testing gave us a first, or rather very first, appetizer of what we will be able to see in the 2021 World Championship which will start in the last weekend of March again in Bahrain. Among the innovations that characterize this year are various line-up changes, several of which concerned the top teams. And it is precisely the confrontation between teammates that deserves particular attention given that, never as in this case, the battle promises to be quite compelling.

HAMILTON-BOTTAS. After the soap opera linked to the renewal, which took place in the first months of this 2021, Hamilton is focused on the season that should make him world champion for the eighth time in his career. Despite the difficulties suffered in the Sakhir tests, the Englishman should have no difficulty in rediscovering that winning feeling that currently appears lost with the W12. The last obstacle between Hamilton and his eighth title is Valtteri Bottas. In fact, the Finn, who is lucky enough to drive the same vehicle as the Englishman, is the only one who could worry him even if in recent seasons he has never managed to hold his own in the long term. Bottas (almost) always states that he has a plan to defeat Hamilton. At this point we are really curious and eager to know it, but perhaps in reality not even the person concerned is aware of it.

VERSTAPPEN-PEREZ. On paper the Red Bull duo is the best lineup on the grid. With the hiring of the Mexican, the Milton Keynes team has effectively put an end to its transfer policy which saw two pilots from the youth team sitting on both "cans". If Verstappen is now a solid certainty, there is anticipation to see Perez at work. The former Racing Point standard bearer has a great opportunity ahead of him and he will have to be good not to let it slip away. The dualism with Verstappen will be interesting, of which he may not suffer the psychological subjugation as has happened to others, but also, and above all, the management of the two by the wall. It could be a highly explosive duo that has all the possible qualities to undermine Bottas' second place in the World Championship. And perhaps the Finn would do well to look in the mirrors rather than at Hamilton.

RICCIARDO-NORRIS. It is certainly the most playful and flashy couple in the Circus, but honestly it is an aspect that is of relatively interest to us for sporting purposes. Woking, the signing of the Australian has certainly taken a big step forward and, thanks to the Mercedes power unit, it is the main candidate for third place in the constructors' championship. Ricciardo wants revenge, after the rollercoaster two years in Renault, but finds himself sharing the garage with a Norris whose full consecration we are still waiting for. In fact, the Briton has so far revealed himself to be a still immature talent who has intermittently shown flashes of quality. He will have to be good at holding his own against the strongest teammate he has found since he joined Formula One and learning from his experience. A great challenge for Norris, now in his third season in the Circus.

VETTEL-STROLL. Aston Martin has returned to Formula One as a constructor, from which it had been missing for sixty years, showing off its best suit: the hiring of a four-time world champion like Vettel. After the difficult years at Ferrari, the German is called to redemption and what better opportunity to do so in a team with solid foundations like the English one that wants to open a winning cycle. On the other side of the garage there is Lance Stroll who, compared to Vettel, managed to run consistently in the tests and who should start with an advantage in this direct comparison. But if Vettel really wants to go back to being Vettel, he will first of all have to beat the Canadian. Because as we know, a driver's first rival is his teammate.

ALONSO-OCON. The challenge between the Spaniard and the Frenchman is perhaps the one with the most predictable outcome, like Hamilton-Bottas. In fact, Alonso, who returned to Formula One after two years of absence in the team - name change aside - where he established himself as a great driver, a bit like Ulysses who after much wandering returns to his Ithaca, has not only accepted this challenge to participate. On the contrary. The ego and ambition of the two-time world champion has remained intact and he will do everything to leave his mark in this third adventure in the Circus. What can poor Ocon do compared to the giant Alonso? Perhaps the only solution could be to take notes and capture as many secrets as possible, also because it's not every day you get to share the garage with a champion.

LECLERC-SAINZ. Not since the late 60s had Ferrari presented such a young (and hungry) pair of drivers. Maranello has thus decided to reverse the trend that had characterized it in recent decades, that is, to put at least one world champion or at least an expert driver in a single-seater. Charles Leclerc is the cornerstone of a Ferrari that aims to be reborn and rise like the phoenix from its ashes, alongside him is Carlos Sainz who with his work and talent wants to bring Ferrari back to the top as happened in McLaren. The Spaniard will not be second driver regardless and will aim to exploit the opportunities that arise on the road. Leclerc and Sainz tend to complement each other and the hope of Ferrari, and of the Ferrari fans, is that their possible antagonism can push them to improve and improve the sporting results of the team. It is certainly an interesting couple that deserves particular attention.