AUTOhebdo predictions: good tips in Portimão

He appeared like a devil out of his box at the last moment to style his teammate Valtteri Bottas at the post at the end of a curious and entertaining qualifying session, further dampening the Finn's hopes. Lewis Hamilton is a lord of the track and racing and the driver Mercedes will logically be favorite for the Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. 

The unique nature of the Portimão route, coupled with a new, particularly slippery tarmac, tire strategies that are difficult to identify, and uncertain weather with a risk of rain on the Algarve, could give rise to a race with twists and turns. This was already the case on the 2 circuits which were not present on the initial 2020 calendar and where the F1 has already visited, namely the Mugello and the Nürburgring. Each time, Hamilton went through the pitfalls to win. 

Hungry for records even if he claims not to care, the Briton will try to add a 28th track to his record and eclipse the 91 career victories of Michael Schumacher, a benchmark he equaled in Germany two weeks ago. Hamilton also has the advantage of starting on the clean side of the track, shod with medium tires a priori better suited for racing. 

Max Verstappen, 3rd on the grid with a Red Bull which continues to get closer to the Mercedes in pure speed, could it represent a threat at the start with its soft tyres? Not necessarily because the new Portimão coating still releases a lot of oil, which reduces the advantage of the red tires in terms of grip when the lights go out. In short, Hamilton has all the trump cards in hand.

• Perez more than Leclerc on the podium?

Behind the inevitable leading trio, who could benefit from a possible failure of one of the 3 leaders? On paper, Charles Leclerc seems best placed. There Ferrari confirmed his progress after the introduction of a third section of changes and the Monegasque qualified 3th, less than half a second from poleman Hamilton. Relegated to 4th position, Sebastian Vettel recognized after qualifying that his teammate was evolving “ in another category " Right now. Leclerc will also start with medium tires which could give him an advantage where the soft tires had hampered his start to the race at the Nürburgring. The leader of the Scuderia also qualified 4th in Germany before slipping down the standings in the race. Just behind, Sergio Pérez therefore seems to offer slightly more solid guarantees, he who remains on a pair of consecutive 4th places. The Mexican veteran has built a reputation as a specialist when it comes to scoring podiums with equipment that is less competitive than the competition, he who already has 8 in his career. Seeing him finish such an indecisive 2020 campaign behind the leading trio without the slightest Top 3 would be surprising to say the least.

• The rise of gasly in the Top 6

The pilot’s great 2020 season Alpha Tauri continues with a new entry into Q3 for the Frenchman. Victim of a fire in Free Practice 2 on Friday, Gasly changed chassis from one day to the next but avoided the penalty which would have accompanied the introduction of new engine components. Author of the 4th time in Free Practice 3, the Norman was in the same position at the end of Q1 before finally qualifying 9th. Gasly was slightly disappointed after the session and felt he could have been higher on the grid if the wind had not picked up in Q2 and Q3. The winner of Monza will have to roll up his sleeves if he wants to get the best of McLaren in their place and a Alexander albon a little more incisive to get back into the Top 6 tomorrow afternoon. But Gasly has already reminded us this year that impossible is not French. We will also keep an eye on Lance stroll, modest 12th at the start but excellent in the first laps and equipped with car very competitive. 

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