INDIA in F1

Tag: Lewis Hamilton

  • Lewis Hamilton: The Last Dance!

    Lewis Hamilton: The Last Dance!

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    New Delhi, 2 February 2024: In the words of famous TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, “And on that Bombshell”, Sir Lewis Hamilton has kickstarted the 2024 Formula 1 season with the announcement that he will be driving for Ferrari from 2025 onwards. This is the biggest driver transfer in Formula 1, since Hamilton himself announced he would leave McLaren for Mercedes in 2013, sending shockwaves throughout the paddock.

    On Thursday February 1, it was announced that Hamilton will be joining Ferrari on a multi-year arrangement starting in 2025. He will partner Charles Leclerc as Carlos Sainz will make way for the 7-time world champion.

    Reports of Hamilton joining Ferrari are not a recent development in Formula 1 paddock. In fact, every time Hamilton’s contract has been up for renewal at Mercedes, rumours of the Briton joining the Prancing Horse have flared up. These rumors had little substance though and looked like a pipe dream, as nothing more than casual talks took place between Hamilton and Ferrari. Possibly, these rumors helped strengthen Hamilton’s contract negotiation with Mercedes. But joining Ferrari never seemed feasible for Hamilton as Mercedes was the place to be. Mercedes produced title winning cars from 2014 till 2021, winning eight Constructors’ Championship. Hamilton himself won six of his seven World Drivers’ Championships with the Silver Arrows.

    This time it was different when the news broke. Specifically, the timing was peculiar as Hamilton had just signed a two-year (1+1 year) contractwith Mercedes in August 2023. Further multiple reports coming out of the Formula 1 paddock indicated that this was a story with substance. So, what convinced Hamilton to join the Maranello squad and leave his long-standing family of Mercedes?

    A Lewis Hamilton Perspective

    Hamilton has been a part of the Mercedes family since he was13 years old. His whole Formula 1 career has been powered by Mercedes engines, first at McLaren as Mercedes supplied them, then at the works team itself. He has achieved some mind-boggling statistics with the Silver Arrows powering him. He has 7 World Drivers’ Championships, 103 wins, 104 pole positions and 197 podiums in 332 grands prix. With Mercedes works team alone he has 6 World Drivers’ Championships, 82 wins, 78 pole positions and 148 podiums in 222 grands prix.

    Hamilton is 39 years old now and is at the twilight of his career. It seemed as if Hamilton would hang up his gloves at Mercedes hoping to be crowned Champion for the 8th time, provided the Silver Arrows gave him a car that could challenge for it. He would be a Mercedes man life long, much like Sir Stirling Moss. It only seemed right that what had propelled him throughout his Formula 1 career would the same when closing it as well. Then what is it that made him join the most coveted team in Formula 1?

    Sebastian Vettel once said, “everyone is a Ferrari fan”. In fact, there is no Ferrari without Formula 1 and no Formula 1 without Ferrari. It is every racers dream since a child to adorn the Scarlet Red overalls and drive for the Prancing Horse. Yes, there is romanticism attached to this move. For so long a Hamilton-Ferrari partnership seemed impossible, but now that Hamilton is nearer to the end of his career, it makes sense to take on a new challenge and go for a last hurrah.

    The Briton must have looked at the development trajectory of Mercedes and thought that they cannot challenge for a title for another couple of seasons, combined with the sweeping technical rule changes for both the power unit and the car coming in 2026. 2021 was brutal ending as the championship was taken out of his hand on the last lap in Abu Dhabi, yet his resolve remained strong. Come 2022, a rules overhaul ushered in ground effect cars where Red Bull came out of the blocks strong and Mercedes considerably missed their mark struggling to third place in the championship. Mercedes’ car philosophy of the zero-pod and long wheelbase did not work for the new regulations. Yet, the team decided to stick with it for the W14, their challenger for the 2023 season. W14 did not fare better as it lagged behind the Red Bull- the title winners- by a big margin, even though Mercedes managed to finish 2nd come the end of the season.The Briton publicly demanded accountability and said that the Mercedes technical team had not listened to him regarding what the car needs to be at the front of the field. Hamilton would have taken into account the development of the W15 and though progress would have been made, it might not be enough to take on the title charge.

    Ferrari on the other hand finished 3rd in the championship but had a better car towards the end of the season, getting narrowly beaten by Mercedes. Plus, Hamilton struggled with his Mercedes at the end of the season to challenge for podiums whereas Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race. Combined that with Frederic ‘Fred’ Vasseur is the Team Principal of Ferrari. The Frenchman happens to be a close friend of Hamilton and he was the Briton’s team manager in GP3 and GP2, before Hamilton entered Formula 1. Since joining Ferrari in 2023, Vasseur has brought in several technical people from Red Bull and Mercedes over to Ferrari, to strengthen their technical and engineering department. One of the names that has gone from the Mercedes camp over to Ferrari is Loic Serra who was the Head of Vehicle Performance at Mercedes. He will join Ferrari from 2025 and is one of the key factors why Hamilton is joining Ferrari.

    Loic Serra was said to be at odds over the zero pod and long wheelbase concept used by then Mercedes Technical Director Mike Elliot. Both Hamilton and Serra seemed to echo the same concerns. Furthermore, changes in the Mercedes structure and significant big-name departures have not only played a role in Mercedes’ downfall but Hamilton leaving as well. It started with departures of Aldo Costa and Mark Ellis in 2018. They were pivotal in design of the Mercedes cars that won them both championships from 2014 to 2018. Mercedes would experience success till 2021 though. Andy Cowell, Head of Mercedes HPP departed the team in 2020. He was regarded as the brains behind the architecture and success of Mercedes’ turbo-hybrid power unit, which used to be the field leader. Mercedes’ Technical Director James Allison moved on to a Chief Technical Officer role in 2021, though he came back as the Technical Director after the team struggled for two consecutive seasons in the ground effect era.Lastly, James Vowles, Chief Strategist and another one of Hamilton’s confidants, left Mercedes to be team principal at Williams F1. Although Allison and Toto Wolff- with whom Hamilton shares a fantastic relationship- have committed their long-term futures with Mercedes, it is reported that Allison wanted Serra alongside him due to the success achieved pre-2022.

    All these factors make it look like a tall order for Mercedes to return to the top in the short to medium future. With Hamilton not getting any younger, he has to see where his chances of winning the coveted 8th title are, and his bets are on Ferrari with Mercedes progression plateauing.

    You can read the second and concluding part here.

  • Indian journalist Niharika Ghorpade checks with Hamilton if Red Bull-gap can be closed before 2024

    Indian journalist Niharika Ghorpade checks with Hamilton if Red Bull-gap can be closed before 2024

    The DRIVERS who attended the post-qualifying FIA press conference were: 1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), 2 – George RUSSELL (Mercedes) and 3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes) 

    Question by Indian journalist is given at the top. Press Conference follows:

    Q: (Niharika Ghorpade – Sportskeeda) To both Mercedes drivers, Max has had a margin of half a second in the last weekend and this weekend in qualifying. It seems to be a recurring theme. Do you think that kind of gap can be recovered over the winter given the head start Red Bull have with their ‘24 challenger?
    GR: Yeah, I believe so. I think when we look at our car we see a number of flaws in it. It’s not like we’re looking at it scratching our head thinking where can we improve it? We think there’s loads of places that we can improve it. We’ve made some really good findings recently with regards to the aero of the car and some of the bits and pieces on the car, which is looking very promising. But we can never promise what we’re going to deliver over the winter in terms of a result, because it’s a relative game. We can only focus on ourselves. But I’m extremely confident in my team. Very confident in the decision-makers and the direction we’re heading, that we’ve made some really great learnings. And we won’t trip up and make a mistake as we have done these past few seasons.

    Q: Lewis, are you confident that you can close the gap to Red Bull over the winter?
    LH: I have 100% faith in the guys, the team back in the factory working away on it. And who knows? I mean, we don’t know where they are or where they’re progressing to. I think we just have to focus on our job and not necessarily so focused on necessarily closing that gap. It’s going to be what it is. By the time we get to the first race, hopefully it is closed. 

    Q: Max, everyone talks about closing the gap to Red Bull over the winter. Are you seeing big gains yourself in Milton Keynes?
    MV: Maybe. We’ll find out next year. There’s no point to talk about it now. I’m just enjoying the moment and we keep pushing. We keep working hard.

    TRACK INTERVIEWS were Conducted by Naomi Schiff

    Q: Max, congratulations. It’s another pole position for you on this all important weekend. Is this a step to show what’s possible this weekend?
    Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, I mean a great start to the weekend. It’s quite tricky out there, you know, with the new tarmac, it still needs to rubber in. Very peaky grip. So as soon as you over-push it a little bit, the rear wants to step out and stuff, but of course very happy to be on pole. It’s been a good day for us

    Q: Obviously, tomorrow is a big day for you. You could already be crowned three-time World Champion tomorrow. So if that does happen, what does this race mean on Sunday to you?
    MV: Well, I want to win it, of course. I mean, we put it on pole, so naturally you want to, of course, win the race. But first of all let’s make sure that tomorrow we have a good day as well. I think the car is quick. Of course tomorrow, let’s say, well, morning, afternoon, however you like it, I think it’s going to be, again, a bit more difficult for to get the tyres ready to work well, with the sand coming onto the track as well. But yeah, it’s a great start to the weekend. The car is working well. That’s all I could hope for really.

    Q: Good luck tomorrow and enjoy it out there. Thank you. George, congratulations, tough weekend, with only one practice session on a track that a lot of the teams don’t have a lot of data on. How tricky was it for you out there today?
    George RUSSELL: Yeah, it was a really tricky day for everybody. It was new tarmac, it was really slippery, super windy here, so all the sand is blowing onto the track. And we went out in qualifying and the lap times were just immense compared to what we were doing this morning. So that was good, fun, really happy to be P3 (sic). This is a bit better than we expected.

    Q: Tomorrow we’ll have a better idea of what the race pace is going to look like. But, you know, looking forward to Sunday, what do you think is going to be possible from where you’re starting? 
    GR: Yeah, I mean, Lando and the McLarens are really quick at the moment. We obviously know Red Bull and Max are in a league of their own. But our fight at the moment is with Ferrari to secure P2 in the Constructors’ Championship, we need to be consistent and go from there. 

    PRESS CONFERENCE
    Q: Max, very well done to you. It looked like a tricky session to navigate. But you’ve taken another emphatic pole. How good was the car?
    MV: Yeah, I mean, I think it was difficult for everyone out there, you know, with the new tarmac, there was not a lot of grip. And as soon as you, I wouldn’t even say overstep it, but you tried to just carry a little bit more speed into the corner, the rear really wants to step out and that made it very tricky to find the limit in qualifying run after run, to see how much the track was improving, but then not overdo it. We tried to just follow the track as best as we could. And yeah, my first run in Q3 was good. I was happy with the balance of the car, considering the track conditions. Overall, a good day and more than I could have hoped for really, because it’s always a bit hectic, you know, the Sprint format, to after one session optimise the car. And then especially with this new tarmac as well, it’s probably even more difficult, but it was good.

    Q: Given your pole advantage at Suzuka last time out. How confident were you going into the session?
    MV: I felt good. Well, FP1 was OK. But it was all about just fine-tuning a few things and just seeing what the track was going to do, because I had no clue how much it was going to improve.

    Q: You talk about the surface a lot. What about the wind out there today? Did that make it tricky?
    MV: Also. I mean, some places, of course, you had a headwind and then a tailwind, and the car was a bit all over the place because of it. But you have to try and drive around it. 

    Q: And Max, had you completed that second lap of Q3, how much more was there to come?
    MV: I have no idea, because I only got to Turn 4. But the lap before was alright. But for sure, there’s always a little bit more to it, because the track I think was improving every time. But it was OK.

    Q: Now, Max, if you score just three points in the Sprint race tomorrow, you’ll be a three-time World Champion by the time you line up on pole position for the race on Sunday. That’s a thought. How are you approaching the remainder of the weekend as a result?
    MV: Same as always. I mean, it doesn’t really change anything. I just want to have a good weekend. And of course, I know in the back of my mind that’s happening, but it doesn’t add any extra pressure or whatever. I just want to enjoy the weekend and try to do the best I can.

    Q: George, coming to you. Many congratulations, a second front-row start in the last three races for you. The pace of the car was good. Has that come as a bit of a surprise this weekend?
    GR: Yeah, I think it’s been interesting, the second half of the season. The quali pace has been really quite exceptional compared to the start of this year. And I’m feeling really confident in the car. But this weekend, we definitely weren’t expecting to be lining up P2 and P3 on the grid for Sunday. So that is a real pleasant surprise. Of course, Lando was ahead of us and his marginal off wasn’t the different for his pace advantage. So, we know that we’re half a step behind McLaren. But equally, our fight is with Ferrari at the moment. That’s our aim for the remainder of the season. And we just need to secure as many points as possible to seal that off.

    Q: But what about the fight with McLaren here? Oscar Piastri is going to be starting sixth. Lando, back in 10th. Do you think you’ve got the pace to beat them?
    GR: Yeah, definitely. I think we see that the pace converges a little bit come Sunday. Lando was exceptionally fast in Suzuka, so he’s really going to be the biggest threat. But there’s no reason why we can’t both fight for a podium. But there’s a lot of unknowns. We don’t know how the tyre degradation is going to be, the tyre wear, if it’s a one-stop or two-stop. And the track is just constantly changing. And you know, the very first lap in qualifying was, I think, two seconds quicker than the quickest lap in FP1, which was probably the biggest jump I think I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1, so we don’t know what tomorrow and Sunday are going to bring.

    Q: You were fifth fastest in Q1 this evening. You were fifth fastest in Q2. Did you find something? Did you make a jump in Q3 relative to where you’d been earlier in the session?
    GR: I think in Q1 I actually made a mistake on my lap. I lost three tenths, so I think I could have been right up there in the top three. Q2 I ran the used tyre. [Coughs] God, I don’t know what’s going on at the moment . [Coughs] Yeah, stay hydrated! And yeah, in Q2 it was the used tyres, so I think P5 was a strong result. So, it was no big surprise to be sort of fighting for the top three in Q3.

    Q: On Sunday, can you do anything about the man in the middle?
    GR: Probably waving him goodbye, I think, after Turn 1. Max has done an exceptional job. He deserves to be champion this year. Of course, you know, Formula 1, we love the competition, but we can’t take anything away from what he and Red Bull have done. And we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and raise our game into next year and give them a challenge.

    Q: Lewis, many congratulations. Good to see you in P3. As the others have said it was a tricky session. How difficult was it to navigate, from your point of view?
    Lewis HAMILTON: No more difficult than any other qualifying session. They’re always difficult. Yeah, it was obviously a bit windy today. But otherwise, pretty straightforward.

    Q: You were fastest in Q2. So the inherent pace of the car was there. Same question that I asked George, really. Were you surprised by the pace you had here in Qatar?
    LH: Absolutely. I mean, it’s always confusing, because obviously in P1 [sic], you now I was nearly out of Q1, sorry. Which is incredibly frustrating in that moment. But then we get into Q2 and all of a sudden, we’re right up there. So it’s very, very strange. But it’s great for all the team for us to be up there. And George did a great job today. So for us to be so close, it’s pretty awesome. I mean, for me, it was a relatively average qualifying session, Q1 and Q3 particularly. Yeah, if I was able to find that, put together the lap that I did in… That came too early, in Q2. I wish I had that for Q3.

    Q: Can you just talk us through Q1? That must have been a nervous moment for you. What was going on?
    LH: Yeah, just timing. We left the garage a little bit too late. We didn’t get to finish our lap on the medium. And we came in and I think just a bit out of sync, and then just couldn’t put it put it back together. It was quite tricky out there. And there’s a lot of traffic. So when you come to the end of the lap, you had to back up a lot. But generally, I was really grateful to get through.

    Q: And looking ahead to the race on Sunday. Where’s your battle?
    LH: With everyone around me.

    Q: Not the man in the middle. But I mean, I suppose, specifically… 
    LH: No, I’m battling the guy to the right of me for sure. I think, yeah, I’ll give it everything to try and fight him. Maybe like George said, maybe he will just disappear like he does in most of the other races, but maybe we’ll be able to fight.

    Q: What about this battle with Sergio Pérez for P2 in the championship. He’s starting the race back in 13th. Is that on your mind as you go into the race? 
    LH: No, I’m trying to win the race. It  doesn’t matter who I’m fighting against.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Max, can you just talk us through what happened at Turn 4 on your last lap in Q3. Quite a lot of drivers were having oversteer moments on that second go. Was it just trying something different? 
    MV: I tried to carry a little bit more speed into the corner and it just gave up on me. I knew, of course, I had that lap already. So I was like, I’ll just try to push a little bit more and really, you know, try to give it everything I have. But it’s the track surface. At the moment it doesn’t let you push a tiny bit more. As soon as you stress a little bit too much it really snaps at you and you can’t correct it. So that’s a bit of a bit of a shame. But yeah, it was nothing major.



    Q: (Matt Kew – Autosport) To both Mercedes drivers. The trend in 2023, it seems, is for a slower start into the weekend. And then getting faster and faster throughout. Is there any sort of different approach to this weekend that you guys have come out of the block flying?
    GR: I think it’s just learning and experience. I think we found ourselves off the pace at the start of this year, a long way behind where we wanted to be. We were trying many different things with the car. And I think now, probably these last five races, the set-up of the car has been relatively, much the same set-up every race we go to. So, we know what the car needs to maximise its performance. And I think that helps the consistency we build upon it. And that’s also given us good direction into next year. So I think that’s a big factor of it.
    LH: Nothing more to add to that to be honest. 

    Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Max a question for you. You’ve spoken about the challenge of Sprint races, to optimise the set-up with only one practice session. How far away are you from where you would normally be after three, four practices going into qualifying. And has this been the hardest Sprint race to get ready for, given the temperature change, track evolution, everything like that?
    MV: It’s always difficult to say, you know, where we would have ended up if we would have had a normal weekend, but with the track conditions, for sure it’s a little bit more difficult to anticipate stuff, but I think we did the best we could really. I think it’s never going to be perfect. But clearly it was good enough and I was quite happy with the car in qualifying. But, you know, it can also be that you try sometimes – and we’ve had it in the past – that you know you make a few decisions where you think it’s going to be okay and then it doesn’t work out and then your whole weekend is ruined because you can’t touch the car and I think that is a bit of a shame. And that’s maybe something we have to look into for the future if we want to continue doing these kinds of events, because it sometimes… I mean, I understand, of course, for the show it’s good to mix it up a bit, but at least you should be able to correct your mistake or potential mistake.

    Q: (Claire Cottingham – Racefans.net) George, from here and Austria you’ve had no track limits at all. If you could just talk us through what maybe you’re doing differently to make sure you don’t get these infringements. And to the other two, I guess, are the track limit starting to get a bit silly now? We didn’t know who was in third place for the race and Lewis it’s great to see you, but it was a surprise. Could you just talk us through your thoughts on that? 
    GR: Yeah, not too sure. I can’t really speak for the others, just it’s very challenging out there. You’ve got to be very, very precise. We’re talking sort of millimetres sometimes. I’ve had no track limits but two races ago I crashed into the wall and lost a podium, so you know. Yeah, exactly. That was a small track limits there. So yeah, I’m not too sure, maybe. I don’t know. I don’t know but definitely it’s a bit frustrating when we go to great circuits like this, this is a really great circuit, but then it’s so difficult to know where that limit is, where the edge is, and we need to find a better solution for the future.
    MV: Yeah, it’s tough. It’s always tough, honestly. I mean, it’s easy to go just over it. I do think these kerbs are a little bit better. I don’t think people who actually went wide, actually gained time? It’s just a bit annoying, because if you go a little bit wider, like you bottom out and you damage your floor, potentially and you definitely lose time. So I think that has been already a big positive compared to last time that we were here. I think why don’t we really see track limits in, for example, Suzuka, is because it’s old school. If you go off, there’s immediate gravel. Of course, already in some places, Suzuka, you have these like double kerbs. And there might be track limits. But in the older places, which they haven’t touched, you never talk about track limits. So yeah, I would always prefer to see that style of racing. But of course, some places we share with bikes and they like a bit more run-off. And we always have to try and find a compromise. But sometimes it hurts them. Sometimes it hurts us a little bit more, in terms of these kinds of things. 
    LH: Yeah, I think the new kerbs are great. When I went around the track yesterday on the scooter, I thought the kerbs looked quite big. But I think they’re actually really good. And as Max said, I think when you go beyond the highest point of the kerb, you lose time. I don’t feel like at this track we need to have track limits. It’s something that was brought in… The new stewards brough in a couple of years ago. Lando should be up here. I think we need to maybe take these kerbs as a good learning, we can take these kerbs to a bunch of other tracks because obviously MotoGP are fine with these kerbs and we can have these in, like, Austria, for example. And as I said, when you go beyond them… You should be able to utilise them as much as possible, but when you go beyond them, you lose time. So it shouldn’t be the white line necessarily. But anyways, it’s not for me to decide.

    Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Another question to George, please. Ahead of that last run in Q3, we saw you sat in the pit lane for quite a long time as you were talking to the team. I’m just wondering, could you explain what is the thinking there? Are you trying to leave a gap to the car ahead? Is it about tyre prep? What’s the process? 
    GR: Yeah, I think when you’re in the pit lane, and you’re lined up behind all of these cars, you can’t actually see how many cars there are in front of you. And we’re all looking for a five to seven-second gap. And if you’re lined up behind, obviously 10 cars, that’s 50 seconds at least that you have to wait. And you know, some circuits, you want to get those tyres in the right window and it adds inconsistency. So, I don’t really know what the future holds. Obviously, everybody wants to get out on track and get their lap in. But equally you need to get that gap. I think what the FIA have done recently with the set time limit between the safety guidelines is definitely positive, while allowing us to take that gap in the pit lane. But it is sometimes a bit of a stressful moment. When you are sat there for literally a minute. You don’t know if you can make the flag, what’s going to happen, what’s happening to the tyres. So that’s just the challenge.

    Q: (Matt Kew – Autosport) A question for Lewis. I just wondered if you could just please clarify your stance on the difference between Andretti and an 11th team, which one you’re for and against? I think I saw you go on Twitter. Just to sort of fill in some gaps there.
    LH: Yeah, well, I mean, firstly, it wasn’t that I support Andretti. I think from a driver’s perspective, it’s exciting to potentially see more cars. And then the idea of an 11th team… You know, we have over 2,000 people in our team. So that’s, that’s a huge amount of jobs. But we have to make sure that the criteria, which is quite strict is really respected. And I feel like we need to amend the criteria actually, and make sure that there’s an opportunity for real impact, really making sure that if there is a new team, they have to be diverse. They have to perhaps create an opportunity for a female driver to come through. And it has to be diverse from the top up. At the moment, it’s all white owners. And there’s a real lack of diversity from the top down. It’s all male, and that needs to change. So yeah, that was just that’s my thought. But I really do have 100% faith in Stefano, who I’ve known for a long, long time. I think what he’s doing at the top, there’s no one that could do a better job than him. And I know that he will make the right decision. Moving forward, he’s a racer, and he’s passionate about the growth of the sport, so happy to leave it in his capable hands.

  • Carlos Sainz wins, breaks the RedBull win streak: Singapore Grand Prix

    Carlos Sainz wins, breaks the RedBull win streak: Singapore Grand Prix

    Singapore, 17 Sept. 2023: Carlos Sainz took a well worked Sinagpore Grand Prix to end Red Bull Racing’s 15-race winning streak, with the Ferrari driver beating Lando Norris to the flag as the leading pair held of a late-race Mercedes charge that left Lewis Hamilton with third place following a final-lap crash for George Russell. Championship leader Max Verstappen was forced to settle for fifth place at the flag. 

    At the start, Sainz led from pole, while Ferrari team-mate Leclerc, starting from third on the the grid, got a good start on Soft tyres to steal P2 from Russell as they went into Turn 1. Behind the top three, Norris held fourth place on the approach to Turn 1, but behind him Hamilton launched an overambitious attack from P5 and he cut the corner, emerging in third behind the Ferraris. The Briton soon handed the places back. 

    Further back, Verstappen, starting on Hard tyres, was soon up to P10 after AlhaTauri’s Liam Lawson dropped back to 12th at the start and he then passed the Haas cars of Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, to move to eighth place by the start of lap 7.

    Sainz, meanwhile, was controlling the race well. On lap 10, the Spaniard led team-mate Leclerc by 1.3s, with Russell a further 1.5s behind in third place. Norris held fourth ahead of Hamilton and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, while Esteban Ocon in seventh was coming under pressure from Max who was just 0.8s behind. 

    The race now became a tactical battle ahead of the first pit stop window, with the Ferrari drivers lapping slowly to protect their tyres and bunching the field behind. And with no real gaps to drop into the benefit of an undercut was diminished. 

    The stalemate was broken on lap 20 when Williams’ Logan Sargent lost control in Turn 8 and hit the barriers. He was able to get going but with his front wing trapped under his car, debris began to break off and as the American made it back to the pit lane, the Safety Car was deployed. 

    The top seven cars all immediately dived into the pits. The hadr-tyre shod Red Bulls stayed out and when Sainz emerged in the lead, Verstappen was in P2, ahead of Russell, with Peerez in P4, ahead of Norris and Leclerc who had lost time and position during the pit stops when he was held in his box because of traffic.

    The Safety Car left the track at the end of lap 22 and Sainz controlled the re-start well to keep Verstappen at bay. The Red Bull drivers were only flirting with the top spots, however, and over the course of the following laps their aged Hard tyres began to fade badly and they fell back to the lower half of the top 10. 

    At half distance, Sainz led Russell by just 0.8 seconds with Norris 0.7s further back. Hamilton was right on the McLaren driver’s tail, while Leclerc was two seconds behind the second Mercedes. 

    Pérez made his sole pit stop at the end of lap 39, followed on the next lap by Verstappen. They rejoined with Verstappen in P15 and Pérez two places further back. 

    On lap 43, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon lost power and pulled over at close to the pit exit, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Williams’ Alex Albon and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu both headed for the pits, as did Russell and Hamilton, Mercedes stacking their pit stop and gambling on having greater pace than the cars ahead in the final stages. 

    On lap 52, Sainz led Norris by 1.4s, with Leclerc almost five seconds behind the McLaren. Following their stop under the VSC, Russell, lapping over a second quicker than Leclerc was just 1.2 seconds behind the Monegasque driver, with Hamilton just behind. And on lap 54 the Mercedes drivers pounced, both powering past Leclerc who was defenceless on much older Hard tyres. 

    With pace in abundance the Mercedes pair began to close in on Norris and Sainz, but the lead Ferrari driver was alive to the threat and he cleverly allowed Norris to stay within DRS range to boost the McLaren driver’s chances against Russell. 

    Russell’s patience and precision ran out of the final lap. The Englishman closed up to Norris but when the McLaren driver clipped the wall, the Mercedes man followed his line too closely and hit the wall harder. He arrowed off track and up an escape road in a shower of sparks, his race over. 

    And a few hundred metres later, having nursed his tyres through each stint and driven a smart, tactically astute race, Sainz crossed the line to take his second grand prix win ahead of Norris and Hamilton. 

    Leclerc was left with fourth place, but behind him Red Bull staged a late race recovery that saw Verstappen rise from 15th after his pit stop to fifth at the flag ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Pérez, went on a charge, muscling through to P8, though the Mexican driver was summoned to the stewards after the race after appearing to elbow Albon off track as he moved through the order. Lawson took two well-earned points for AlphaTauri and the final point on offer went to Magnussen. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 62 1:46’37.418 
    2 Lando Norris McLaren 62 1:46’38.230 0.812
    3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 62 1:46’38.687 1.269
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 62 1:46’58.595 21.177
    5 Max Verstappen Red Bull 62 1:46’58.859 21.441
    6 Pierre Gasly Alpine 62 1:47’15.859 38.441
    7 Oscar Piastri McLaren 62 1:47’18.897 41.479
    8 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 62 1:47’31.952 54.534
    9 Liam Lawson AlphaTauri 62 – 
    10 Kevin Magnussen Haas 62 – 
    11 Alexander Albon Williams 62 – 
    12 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 62 – 
    13 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 62 – 
    14 Logan Sargeant Williams 62 – 
    15 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 62 – 
    16 George Russell Mercedes 61 – Accident
         Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 51 – Retirement
         Esteban Ocon Alpine 42 – Retirement
         Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 0 – Accident damage
         Lance Stroll Aston Martin 0 – Withdrawn

  • Verstappen wins 100th race for Red Bull; Alonso pushes Hamilton to third

    Verstappen wins 100th race for Red Bull; Alonso pushes Hamilton to third

    Montreal (Canada), 18 June 2023: Max Verstappen scored a lights-to-flag win at the Canadian Grand Prix to seal Red Bull Racing’s 100thvictory in Formula 1, as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso shrugged off late-race brake issues to take P2 and restrict Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to the final step of the podium

    “The 100th Grand Prix win for the team, that’s incredible,” said Verstappen afterwards. “I never expected to be on these kind of numbers myself as well, you know, so, yeah, we keep enjoying, we keep working hard. But today has been a great day again.”

    When the lights went out at the start, championship leader Verstappen got away well from pole position to take the lead ahead of front-row starter Alonso. The Spanish driver, whose getaway was not the best, was passed into Turn 1 by Hamilton, with the second Mercedes of George Russell in fourth place.

    Verstappen soon began to edge away from Hamilton and at the start of lap eight he was 2.4 seconds ahead of the Mercedes. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed when Logan Sargeant parked his Williams at the side of the track, but when the American’s car was removed and the caution ended Verstappen’s progress away from the pack continued and by lap 10 he was almost 3.5s ahead of Hamilton, with Alonso a second off the Mercedes in third place. Russell held fourth ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri sixth ahead of the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg. 

    On lap 12 the Safety Car was released when Russell overcooked his entry into Turn 9 and hit the wall. He limped back to the pits and the SC period prompted Verstappen to pit and switch his starting medium tyres for a set of hard compound Pirellis. Hamilton and Alonso also changed tyres during the SC phase, leaving Verstappen to emerge from his stop in the lead. 

    Behind the top three, both Ferrari drivers opted to stay out on starting medium tyres and they rose to P4 and P5 with Charles Leclerc ahead of Carlos Sainz. Behind them, Sergio Pérez in the second Red Bull also stayed out, on hard tyres, and he climbed to sixth place. The Safety Car left the track at the end of lap 16. Max held his lead ahead of Hamilton and Alonso, and the twin Ferraris kept Checo at bay as the race went green again. 

    At the front, Verstappen again began to draw away and by lap 20 he was again almost three seconds clear of Hamilton. The Mercedes driver was coming under increasing pressure from Alonso, however, and at the end of lap 22 the Spaniard pounced, using DRS to slip down the inside of the Briton’s car as they approached the final chicane to take P2.

    The order at the front settled as the leaders worked their way through the stint on hard tyres, with Verstappen widening the gap to Alonso to 5.2 seconds by lap 33.

    Further back, lead Ferrari driver Leclerc was now three seconds behind third-placed Hamilton. Sainz was two seconds off his team-mate and Checo held sixth, five seconds behind Sainz and seven clear of Ocon. 

    Pérez made his sole stop of the race on lap 38, moving to medium tyres and emerging in P7 behind Albon. Ferrari reacted by pitting Sainz on the following lap and after a 2.8 switch to hard tyres he rejoined ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon who was targeting a one-stop race. Leclerc then pitted from P4 on lap 40 and after taking on hard tyres he rejoined ahead of Sainz. Checo was on the hunt, though, and as Leclerc emerged from the pit lane, the Mexican passed Albon to take P6 just 4.5 seconds behind Sainz and on quicker tyres. 

    Hamilton also stopped on lap 40, heading back to medium compound Pirellis, while Alonso stopped on the next lap, fitting another set of hard tyres. 

    Verstappen made is final stop on lap 42, moving to medium tyres and once again he took the lead for his final stint. 

    Behind the top six, Albon was doing a superb job of keeping Russell at bay. The Mercedes driver had recovered from his early crash and was attempting to wrestle seventh place from his fellow Briton. That battle ended on lap 54, however, when the damage Russell had shipped early on finally took its full toll and he was forced to retire. That left the way open for Ocon to reel in Albon and with 10 laps left the Alpine driver was just 0.4s off the Williams but could finds no way past. 

    The battle between Alonso and Hamilton was also hotting up and with the Spaniard nursing a rear brake problem, the Briton closed in and 10 laps from the flag the gap between P2 and P3 was down to 1.8s. Despite his mechanical woes, Alonso managed to find enough pace to rebuild the gap and he was soon more than two seconds ahead of the Mercedes. 

    At the front, Verstappen was in total control after 70 laps, he took his sixth win of the season ahead of Alonso and Hamilton. With two laps left, and with a significant gap behind him, sixth-placed Pérez pitted for a set of soft tyres and an attempt at the fastest lap. The Mexican delivered a 1:14.481 to add a point to the eight he scored for sixth place behind the two Ferraris. 

    Seventh place in the race went to Albon with the Briton defending well in the closing stages to keep Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in eighth. Ninth place went to Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin and the final point went to 10th-placed Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 70 1:33’58.348 
    2 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Mercedes 70 1:34’07.918 9.570
    3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 70 1:34’12.516 14.168
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 70 1:34’16.996 18.648
    5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 70 1:34’19.888 21.540
    6 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 70 1:34’49.376 51.028
    7 Alexander Albon Williams 70 1:34’59.161 1’00.813
    8 Esteban Ocon Alpine 70 1:35’00.040 1’01.692
    9 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 70 1:35’02.750 1’04.402
    10 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 70 1:35’02.780 1’04.432
    11 Oscar Piastri McLaren 70 1:35’03.449 1’05.101
    12 Pierre Gasly Alpine 70 1:35’03.597 1’05.249
    13 Lando Norris McLaren 70 1:35’06.711 1’08.363
    14 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 70 1:35’11.771 1’13.423
    15 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 69 1:34’15.291 1 lap /16.943
    16 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 69 1:34’15.725 1 lap /17.377
    17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 69 1:35’08.607 1 lap /1’10.259
    18 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri 69 1:35’13.315 1 lap /1’14.967
         George Russell Mercedes 53 1:13’07.798 Retirement
         Logan Sargeant Williams 6 8’10.072 Retirement

  • Dutch GP: Verstappen wins; Safety car periods ruins Hamilton’s day

    Dutch GP: Verstappen wins; Safety car periods ruins Hamilton’s day

    Zandvoort, 4 Sept. 2022: Max Verstappen took his 10th win of the season at the end of a strategically complicated Dutch Grand Prix defined by two safety car periods, one Virtual and one physical. George Russell finished second for Mercedes ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

    Verstappen led from pole in early stages of the race but the result was thrown into question when it became clear that Mercedes might spring a surprise by targeting a one-stop strategy.

    As Verstappen stuck to a two-stop plan, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton seized the lead ahead of team-mate George Russell. However, two safety car periods swung the pendulum back towards Verstappen and when Hamilton elected to stay out on medium tyres and the Dutchman moved to soft tyres under the final SC, Verstappen roared past the Briton at the restart to take the lead and victory.

    At the start of the race Verstappen made a good getaway and he took the lead ahead of Leclerc and the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

    Behind the top three, Sergio Pérez tried to attack Hamilton on the run to the first corner, but the Mercedes driver defended well. Hamilton then tried to go down the inside of Sainz but the pair made slight contact. Hamilton was then slow through the banked Turn 3 but managed to again hold off Pérez to keep fourth place.

    Verstappen then began to pull a gap to Leclerc and after seven laps he was 1.5s ahead of the Ferrari driver. Meanwhile, behind the top five, Geroge Russell in the other Mercedes was sixth ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was eighth ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and the 10th-placed Haas of Mick Schumacher.

    Pérez pitted at the end of lap 14 and jumped Sainz as Ferrari bungled the Spaniard’s pit stop. Leclerc then pitted from second at the end of lap 17 and Verstappen made his first stop on following lap. The Red Bull driver moved to medium tyres and rejoined in P3 as Hamilton moved into the lead ahead of team-mate Russell.

    With new tyres on board, Verstappen began to chase down the leading Mercedes cars and on lap 23 the Dutchman was 2.6s behind Russell. On lap 28, aided by DRS, the World Champion breezed past the Mercedes around the outside on the approach to Turn 1.

    He quickly began to close on the race leader, with the result that Hamilton pitted. He took on hard tyres. Russell then pitted at the end of lap 31 for hard tyres and he came out in fifth place. Verstappen now led the race, eight seconds clear of Leclerc, with Pérez in third place. The top three were all on a two-stop strategy. Hamilton and Russell sat in fourth and fifth places respectively, with both Mercedes drivers on a one-stop race. Sainz now held sixth place ahead of Norris, Stroll and the Alpine cars of Fernando Alonso and Ocon.

    Hamilton then passed Pérez as he set about narrowing the gap to Verstappen who still needed another stop. However, on lap 44, the complexion of the race changed when AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda hit trouble., and after a confusion about the issue, the Japanese driver was eventually told to stop. He pulled over at the side of the track and the VSC was deployed.

    Verstappen pitted at the end of lap 48 taking on hard tyres and took on hard tyres and rejoined in the lead. Mercedes switched Hamilton and Russell to medium tyres. Hamilton came out in P2 with Russell third ahead of Leclerc.

    The race changed again on lap 55. Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo ground to a halt at the end of the pit straight and the yellow flags were flown and a lap later the safety car was deployed.

    Verstappen pitted and took on soft tyres. Mercedes then pitted Russell who took on softs. Behind the SC, Hamilton, on mediums, now led ahead of Max on softs, with Russell third ahead Leclerc and Checo, who was on mediums.

    The SC left the track on lap 60 and Verstappen on quicker soft tyres, powered past the Mercedes on the pit straight to take the lead and 12 laps later the win. Hamilton was passed in the closing staged by Russell and Leclerc but the Briton managed to hang on to fourth place ahead of Pérez who inherited fifth when Sainz was handed a late five-second penalty for an unsafe release. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso took sixth ahead of Norris and Sainz finished eighth ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

    2022 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix – Race
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 72 1:36’42.773
    2 George Russell Mercedes 72 1:36’46.844 4.071
    3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 72 1:36’53.702 10.929
    4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 72 1:36’55.789 13.016
    5 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 72 1:37’00.941 18.168
    6 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 72 1:37’01.527 18.754
    7 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 72 1:37’02.079 19.306
    8 Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 72 1:37’03.689 20.916
    9 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 72 1:37’03.890 21.117
    10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 72 1:37’05.232 22.459
    11 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Red Bull 72 1:37’09.782 27.009
    12 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 72 1:37’13.163 30.390
    13 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 72 1:37’15.768 32.995
    14 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 72 1:37’18.780 36.007
    15 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 72 1:37’19.642 36.869
    16 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 72 1:37’20.093 37.320
    17 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 72 1:37’20.537 37.764
    18 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 71 1:37’24.851 1 lap /42.078
         Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 53 1:10’40.476 Retirement
         Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Red Bull 43 58’27.741 Retirement

  • Michael Jordan is super inspiring, says Gasly after a dinner with the giant

    Michael Jordan is super inspiring, says Gasly after a dinner with the giant

    DRIVER GROUP 1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Pierre GASLY (AlphaTauri), Alex ALBON (Williams), Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull), Lance STROLL (Aston Martin)

    Q: Lewis, you’re up first of all. How’s Miami been so far for you?

    Lewis HAMILTON: It’s been great. The weather is incredible. And we’ve had such a warm welcome here. So just been happy to be out here and, yeah, been out on the water. Great training. And yeah, the ambience in the town is incredible.

    Q: …bit of golf as well.

    LH: I did something with Tom [Brady]. Yeah, but I’m not really very good!

    Q: Lewis, let’s quickly talk from a performance point of view, what can we expect from you and Mercedes this weekend?

    LH: You can expect that we’ll begin giving it our all, and trying our best. There’s been a huge amount of work going on in the background. Everyone working as hard as they can; you can see we got to a new rear wing, for example. So, I’m just grateful for everyone continue to keep their heads down. And for the amazing, hard work that everyone is putting in.

    Q: Do you think you’ll be closer to the pace?

    LH: I don’t anticipate much change in that sense.

    Q: Pierre, coming to you now. Well, first up, how was dinner with Michael Jordan?

    Pierre GASLY: Well, it was by far the best dinner I ever had really. Honestly, super, super inspiring. Really special evening, just to learn, you know, like the experience and to be able to hear from such a successful guy. I don’t think there was anyone else that inspired me more since I was a kid. And yeah, I mean, it was very, very special.

    Q: You even managed to get him to try your helmet on?

    PG: Yeah, I did. He did. Yeah, we exchanged. So, I gave him one of one of my helmets and gave me a pair of Jordans. So that was pretty cool. But no, mainly just to hear his experience, his career, the mentality, the leadership that he has. Even at his age, he’s so competitive and it was just an amazing, amazing evening.

    Q: Let’s talk on track quickly. Slightly disappointing race for you last time out in Imola. Although you did have a good battle with the man on your right, Lewis Hamilton. Where is the pace of the AlphaTauri at the minute, relative to the opposition?

    PG: Well, we’re still trying to figure out, obviously from track to track it changes.  Imola, we got it wrong from qualifying onwards and we were involved in a crash in the sprint, started from the back and, as we saw, was impossible to overtake. So, clearly fighting with Lewis was not for the positions we like, but I think there is more than that. And now we’ll find out in Miami what we can do. But yeah, we can clearly fight for the top 10. I’m confident for that. And that’s what we will push for.

    Q: Alex coming to you now. Tell us about your experiences in Miami so far this week.

    Alex ALBON: I arrived pretty late. So I haven’t seen too much of the place but it’s been pretty good. It’s hot, very humid. And yeah, my girlfriend was competing maybe two hours away in Fort Myers, so I was out a little bit earlier, watching her play but that was that was about it.

    Q: Quick trip to the hair salon by the looks of things…

    AA: Yeah, it looks red on the on the camera there. Yeah, we got it dyed before Melbourne and we finished 10th and then as the dye faded away, we finished 11th In Imola. So it started to affect the performance! So, we re-dyed it, hoping for more points!

    Q: Well, you finished 11th In Imola, but it was actually still have a great race by you. What can we expect this weekend from Williams?

    AA: Yeah, it was a great race in Imola, and I think we’re fighting at the heels for points. It’s been two good races where we started out of position just with some issues or with a disqualification from Melbourne. So hopefully we can have a bit more of a smoother weekend this time around, especially for the qualifying, and we’ll see. It seems like a very tricky circuit. I do believe that being a new circuit, there’s a bit more opportunity in that. Hopefully we can hit the ground running and be ahead of a few others.

    Q: Sergio, coming to you now. What chance of you making a full-time switch to the Miami Marlins baseball team?

    Sergio PÉREZ: I don’t think so!  I think I’ll stick with what I’m doing for now!  There was not much talent!

    Yeah, but was it fun? Just tell it tell us about the whole experience.

    SP: It’s obviously a very nice experience, to be there with the players learning from another sport. There were a few fans there. So, it’s always nice to learn from other sports.

    Q: It was another strong performance for you at Imola last time out. Do you see any reason why you and Red Bull can’t be the pace-setters this weekend?

    SP: I think we were pretty confident we’re going to be in fight, but it obviously depends on many factors. I think none of us have been used to these track temperatures. We haven’t driven under these track temperatures that we are expecting. So, it will be interesting how the tyres cope with it, and to see which team are able to adapt the best.

    Q: Lance coming to you now. What’s been the highlight of your stay in Miami so far?

    Lance STROLL: Oh, just you know, it’s great to be here, the sunshine. Yeah, it’s a fun city and I always enjoy coming to Miami. Yeah, I’ve got some friends around this week. Yeah, now it’s time to go racing. So really looking forward to it.

    Q: What is the mood in the camp? Because it was a much better race for Aston Martin last time out. Is everyone very buoyed by what happened at Imola?

    LS: It was great to get both cars in the points in Imola. I think it was a big boost for the team. We have to see how we go this weekend. I mean, we’re going to be, you know, pushing hard and coming up with some ideas, setting up the car and try to find some more pace and see how we go.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Jordan Bianchi – The Athletic) This is for all five drivers. Impressions of the track so far, during the track walk, and if you guys have done any sim work, and what you’ve taken away from that?

    LS: Well, it looks fun, it looks challenging. It’s tight, a lot of walls, a combination of high-, low-speed corners with some long straights. So hopefully, we see some good racing. I think there’s some good overtaking opportunities, into 17, into the hairpin. I’m sure it’ll be fun to drive and be a good show on Sunday.

    SP: I think it will be a nice track to drive. It will be interesting to see the grip level, the asphalt looks a bit different. Some places, it looks like it’s already opening up. But other than that, I think it’s going to be a great race. The circuit really has long straights, so for racing, should be a good a good circuit for racing. And yeah, we should give a good, fun race for the fans.

    AA: It was a tricky one, I found. I felt like it was one of the… it took me one of the longest circuits to get up to speed, at least on the on the simulator. It seems very technical. And just doing the track walk yesterday, the kerbs seem to be different to what we’re used to. Sometimes there are no curbs at all. So, I think track limits are going to be a big topic this weekend. But I’m excited. I feel like it’s obviously a good track. And I think it favours the racing, especially. The racing should be good.

    PG: Yeah, I think it’s going to be a cool track. Similar comments to the guys:  very, very long straight, so I guess, good for overtaking, should be quite a lot of action on Sunday. And yeah, quite interesting. This very high-speeds first section, very tight second section, so they will be a compromise to find but all in all, I think they came up with a great track design.

    LH: Yeah, not much more to add to these guys. It looks great.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) For you Lewis. The FIA seems to be continuing with its clampdown on jewellery. You said before that you’ll continue to wear it.  I just wanted to know whether you’ll stand by that. And if it gets to a position where they say oh, you can’t race if you’re wearing the jewellery would you still race? And also, do you feel like you’re being singled out a bit by the FIA, given you’re the driver who probably wears probably the most jewellery on the grid?

    LH: I definitely do wear…  I couldn’t get any more jewellery on today. I mean, I don’t really have a lot more to add than what I already said the last time I was in front of you guys, and we spoke about it. It’s… I feel like it’s almost like a step backwards if you think of the steps we’re taking as a sport, and the more important issues and causes that we need to be focused on and really pushing. I think we made such great strides as a sport. Look, we’re here in Miami, this is such a small thing. I’ve been using… I’ve been in the sport 16 years, I’ve been wearing jewellery for 16 years, in the car only I only ever have my earrings on, and my nose ring, which I can’t even remove. So, it seems unnecessary for us to get into this spat. And so, I’ll try to communicate and work with Mohammed. I think, you know, I’m here to be an ally of the sport,  of Mohammad and Formula 1. And as I said, I think we’ve got bigger, bigger fish to fry,  bigger things to do more impact to have. So, I think that’s really where the focus should be.

    Q: (Chris Medland – Racer) For all the drivers. From next year, we’ll have three races in the US. Knowing the kind of home support you guys have enjoyed in your own home races, what do you think an American driver on the grid would do for the sport over here? And are you guys surprised that over the last 20 years, we maybe haven’t had more get close, or get on to the grid?

    LH: It doesn’t really surprise me: I think it’s perhaps more a cultural thing. You know, here in the States. It’s the NFL, it’s NBA. It’s NASCAR, IndyCar. And I mean, in my 16 years of coming over here, it’s been such a slow build, trying to bring awareness of the sport. Unfortunately, the Americans have to wake up at odd times in order to watch a grand prix. But I think this new step that’s been taken, into bringing awareness, the Netflix show, has really just brought in that amazing fan base, a sport fan base that we have, that there is here in the US. And maybe now’s the time to start focusing on how we can include more people here, because it’s such a diverse country. I’m sure there’s some amazing drivers here somewhere, as they’ve got so many great sporting talents. So, it’d be a good mission for us to find the next one.

    PG: I agree with what Lewis said. I think the culture is the main difference. Coming here four or five years ago, I remember all the fans knew about NASCAR, not many knew about Formula 1. I think to see the evolution, the exposure we got as a sport over the last two, three years, it’s been very impressive and now the fan base is just growing massively. And we can feel it, as drivers, when we see Austin last year: 450,000 people coming over the weekend was a very, very special and unique atmosphere. So now very excited to come back here more often with Miami, with Vegas. I’m sure with that exposure we’re getting now, more and more people are going to get into the sport and yeah, hopefully we will see more of them in the future.

    AA: Yeah, I think same comments as the two of my right. I guess it’s Alexander Rossi was maybe the last one in Formula 1? It seems like, for now at least, a lot of the drivers who’ve got close have come towards the European side to learn how to race, in terms of Formula 3, Formula 2 and that side of things. I see it now with Logan [Sargeant] in the Williams young driver programme. He’s going that way as well. But it seems like right now, it’s a great catalyst for everything to start happening over here. And I’m sure once nce that level starts to help… I think there’s just going to be more people arriving, more younger kids interested in Formula 1, and that’s just going to help everything. And then the talent is going to come.

    SP: Yeah, I think, in my case, for example, coming from this part of the world, it’s definitely harder for us because you have to go at a very young age to Europe, I think. Otherwise, it’s just harder, because you have to grow up with the best drivers in the world at a very young age, and just develop throughout. In the circuits, with the tyres with the racing. I think they have a lot of talent over here. Hopefully soon we can have an American-based driver because it will be good for the sport. But it’s certainly quite hard to do that, because just by being on this side of the world.

    LS: Yeah, it would be great to see an American driver in the sport. I think it would definitely expand the American audience. But, like Checo said, the ladder to Formula 1 is more simple when you race in Europe, come from Europe. If you’re over on the side of the world, we got to move over to Europe to compete in Formula 3 and all that that stuff, and it’s not so simple. But yeah, there’s definitely a lot of talent here, and be great to see an American driver in the future.

    Q: (Jenna Fryer – Associated Press) For Lewis. You manifested this race back in 2017, I guess. You love the US. I’m wondering, has the atmosphere and the event lived up to what you manifested? And what do you think of that marina?

    LH: It definitely is what I expected from Miami. Already, just going through the city, seeing events everywhere. The buzz… I was just in New York, and I would just remember just walking through the streets, and I heard someone talking about ‘hey, you going to Miami?’ and they didn’t know I was there. There’s just talk on the streets: this race, and the excitement. I’ve been to a couple of Super Bowls. This kind of feels like a similar vibe. And what a great place for us to have it, y’know, and around this incredible stadium. I think it’s gonna be an amazing spectacle. And also really cool for people across in Europe, and around the rest of the world to see just how great Miami is.

    Q: And the Marina?

    LH:  It’s stunning! Like Monaco, not as many yachts I don’t think I’ve seen, but I was out there yesterday, just catching the sun and doing some jet surfing, which was pretty awesome. I saw some dolphins, which is nice.

    Q: (Tom Cary – Daily Telegraph) Lewis, another one for you. Just to follow up on Phil’s question earlier. Sorry, apologies is going back to something that you’ve spoken about a lot. But if the FIA really insists on this issue with the jewellery, what is the solution? I mean, you say you can’t take it off. They say you have to: what was the end game here?

    LH: I really don’t know. As I said, I can’t remove at least two of them. One, I can’t really explain where it is. And, what I can say is that it’s platinum that I have, so it’s not magnetic. It’s never been a safety issue in the past. I’ve had, in 16 years, so many MRI scans and not had to take out the platinum, for example, because it’s not been an issue. So yeah. I mean, if they stopped me, then so be it. We got a spare driver, so we’re ready and prepped for the weekend. There’s lots of doing the city anyway, so I’ll be good either way.

    Q: (Giles Richards – The Guardian) Another one for you, Lewis. You said this season is for your toughest since 2009, in terms of the car. Just wondering if you could tell us, in difficult times like these, could you share who you take inspiration from: people, friends, family, team members or people outside the sport: where you where you draw inspiration to carry on?

    LH: I wouldn’t say there was one individual during this time that I I’m focused on. I think I look all around me, and I see I tried to ignore the negative that I see. I’m not really watching the news a lot, but there’s so many inspiring characters out there. And I think just continuously proving that you never give up, you keep pushing. And I love working with this team. Being in a team is such a privilege and working with so many people towards a common goal. And everyone lifted each other up. I’ve had amazing conversations with my team mates in this past week. Incredible how supportive everyone has been through the difficult times, and then we’ve had the most incredible times together. So, you know, a couple of bad races is not going to stop us in our tracks. This is where we unite: this is where we learn more about ourselves as individuals; this is where we, we grow the most. And it makes that eventual success – which I have no doubts we will eventually get to – taste even better.

    Q: (Nathan Brown – USA Today) Lewis, at the start of your Formula 1 career, the US Grand Prix took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now, from what we’ve seen, from Miami, what we expect to see at Vegas next year, do you feel like a track in a venue that was really built around the history rather than the spectacle of the event, would have a fit on the Formula 1 calendar down the road?

    LH: Look I’m a bit old school. So of course, I love the history, particularly in certain circuits. But the older I get, the more I realise it’s about the people. We could go to the middle of nowhere that has very few people, not great accommodation, not great community and for us, as individuals, driving on a track that’s historic is cool – but it’s about the people. And the people really do make… we’ve experienced with pandemic, no one being in there and that’s just no atmosphere. It was like a test day. It was not enjoyable. And now we’re seeing hundreds of thousands of people turn up to the race, energised, excited, keen to learn more. And so, I think the fans are at the heart of what this sport is about, they create it. So for me, it’s, I think, being in cities where we can really engage in communities and actually also have an impact. When you go to those… I love Nürburgring, for example, but there’s not a diverse community there. We’re not actually impacting the place there. Here, we can do something. Yesterday, I met a bunch of kids from diverse backgrounds, who now want to get into engineering and STEM subjects and so, it’s way cooler for me.

    Q: (David Wilson – Miami Herald)  For Lewis, kind of following up on what you were just saying. Everyone’s saying Miami, but really we’re in Miami Gardens, which is the largest majority black city in Florida. Does that have any significance to you? To race in a city like this?

    LH: It definitely does have a significance. I think just, as I said, just like in my 16 years… The first five or 10, maybe five years or so, I didn’t see many people of colour in the grandstands. When I was on stage, very, very few people of colour, you know, not as diverse as I’d hoped. And as I said, yesterday, I was standing on stage and I’m seeing I’m seeing the crowd as… it couldn’t be any more diverse. And that’s amazing for me, to not be the only one there, which is nice to see. And it’s just it’s just great to be seeing that we’re tapping into those different cultures, those different communities who perhaps once didn’t think it was for them because they didn’t see someone that looked like them in the sport, maybe. And I think that’s the super encouraging. And as I said, there’s more to do in terms of encouraging these young kids not only to be NFL players or basketball players but… education is key and STEM subjects can lead to so many different avenues. And you can be a racing driver, also. So it’s pretty neat.

    Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) To the other for drivers, aside from Lewis, do you guys have any sympathy for Lewis’s position with regard to the piercings debate? Is he right? Are there bigger fish to fry? And just to conclude with yourself, Lewis, we’re assuming you’ve made your position clear to the FIA, regarding your piercings, and if so, what was their response? Thank you.

    PG: I do understand. I do, I do believe there are bigger, bigger things to focus on. And I appreciate FIA are looking after our safety. That’s also their priority and our priority. My personal case, I have also religious item that I wear with me, when I’m racing, which are important to me, which I don’t feel comfortable not having was me driving the car. And I do feel it’s a little bit personal. We should have the freedom to do what feels right for us. At the end of the day, we have the responsibility to go out there put our life at risk. And I do feel it should be a personal choice, but I respect the FIA and their will to always improve the safety. But I’ll appreciate a talk with them, to see if we can find a better solution than such a strict decisions as they made. So we’ll see what we can do.

    AA: I think Pierre sums it up well.  There’s not really much to add to that. I still agree with Lewis’s comments, I understand. It’s our bodies at the same time as well. Like everything when you’re older, you’re prepared to have those consequences if, you want to do what you want to do, then so be it. You have a freedom for yourself. So yeah, that’s all.

    SP: I fully agree with Pierre and Alex in this case is good, from the FIA point of view to look after our safety because at the end of the day, it’s for us. But as Lewis said, he’s been in this sport for so many years, and he’s been doing it, and he already has them with him, so it’s, it’s not like that easy to remove them. So I think it would be good to find a compromise, to work together with them. And, and yeah, just make sure that we are all in the same line and not against each other. And I think that will be the important thing.

    LS: Nothing more to add, really. I think it’s great that the FIA is looking out for our safety but little things like a little piece of jewellery and stuff, I think it’s our own responsibility, as well to just accept the risk of something happening, wearing a bracelet or ring or whatever that might be. I get the big picture. But, I think there’s other things to focus on. Definitely bigger fish to fry,

    Q: Lewis, anything you want to add about your discussions with the FIA?

    LH: I’m willing to sign a waiver to take the responsibility away from them in that respect if I need to. But I think, Iike Pierre was just saying, it’s about individuality and being who you are. And I did try  Mohammad for example this morning, but I’m sure he was super busy. But I sent him a message, just reassuring him that I want to be an ally, I don’t want to fight with you guys over this. This is very silly: let’s have great weekend. But I’ve not heard back yet. So, maybe he’s texted me. I don’t know. But I try and speak to him before the race.

    Q: (Luke Smith – Autosport) Lewis after the race in Imola, Helmut Marko said, when you were lapped by Max, he said maybe Lewis thought he should have stopped last year. The day after, I think you put up a post on Instagram saying ‘I’m working on a masterpiece – it’s up to me when I’m finished’. When you hear comments like that from Helmut, does that motivate you even more just to fight back and get further up the order and back to the top of the game?

    LH: I mean, I don’t listen to those silly comments to be honest. Ultimately, I mean, there’s a… it’s been interesting to see there’s quite a lot of disrespectful comments that I’ve seen over time, but it’s to be expected. And yeah, I just keep my head down. I know who I am. I know what I do. I love what I do. Going through a tough time. We didn’t come out of the starting blocks the way we wanted, but we’re fighters. And if you don’t know that about me, then you just don’t know me and that’s totally fine. I’ll doing my best to huddle up and group up with the team and fight as hard as we can.

  • Max Verstappen sparkles at FIA awards gala; Hamilton, personality of the year

    Max Verstappen sparkles at FIA awards gala; Hamilton, personality of the year

    Paris, 17 Dec 2021: The event, hosted by British TV presenter Nicki Shields and French Formula 1 commentator Julien Fébreau provided a glittering backdrop to the FIA Annual General Assembly Week. It was also Jean Todt’s last appearance at the FIA gala as FIA President, before he ends his term of office on 17 December.

    An audience of 800 guests celebrated the outstanding performers and performances of 2021 while the personalities and rising stars were lauded and those lost to the motor sport fraternity in 2021 were remembered. 

    The evening was the crowning glory of a spectacular year for Dutchman Max Verstappen, who at 24, became one of the youngest FIA Formula 1 World Champions. The Red Bull-Honda driver was embroiled in an enthralling season-long battle with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes-AMG Petronas.

    In receiving his award from President Todt, Verstappen said: “Becoming world champion is my life goal achieved. Everything that comes next is a bonus. Of course I am going to keep pushing and I’m going to be in F1 for a few more years yet,” he said. “While it’s nice to be called world champion, I think more about the long journey and the all the hours I have spent working with my Dad to be here. It’s been a long and tough season and I feel amazing to have finally achieved my goal. I hope I can do this many more times. It’s been an incredible battle with Lewis, one of the greatest drivers ever in Formula 1. We really pushed each other. At the end of the day, we can look each other in the eyes and respect each other which is really important.”

    FIA Deputy President for Sport Graham Stoker handed over the third-place trophy to Valtteri Bottas. James Allison, the Chief Technical Officer, accepted the eighth consecutive world championship trophy for the Mercedes-AMG-Petronas team.

    The French duo Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia clinched their eighth FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers and Co-Drivers respectively. Their efforts helped to secure the champion manufacturer prize for Toyota Gazoo Racing. They were presented with their award by WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel. 

    The FIA World Endurance Championship drivers’ champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez received their award from FIA Vice-President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Toyota Gazoo Racing claimed the prize for Champion Hypercar from ACO President Pierre Fillon.

    Dutchman Nyck de Vries took the race victory at the 2020-21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship finale in Berlin to secure his first title. De Vries, at 26, not only became the youngest title-winner in Formula E history, but also its first World Champion. Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle presented the award.

    The Dutchman’s points haul, along with team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne, enabled Mercedes EQ to take the teams’ title which was accepted by team principal Ian James.

    Johan Kristoffersson collected his fourth FIA World Rallycross Championship crown at the end of an absorbing weekend of action at the Nurburgring, snatching the title from the clutches of countryman Timmy Hansen as the 2021 campaign concluded in a dramatic dead-heat. 

    Timmy Hansen, joined by his brother Kevin, took the team championship honours for Hansen World RX Team. 

    Esports was also recognized during the event in the shape of the FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships. Toyota’s Coque López accepted the Manufacturer Series award on behalf of team-mates Tomoaki Yamanaka and Igor Fraga whilst Valerio Gallo received the Nations Cup Trophy.

    The stars of tomorrow, the FIA Karting World Champions came in the shape of Tuukka Taponen (OK), Kean Nakamura (OK-Junior) and 

    Winners all: The winners of the year’s FIA championships with Jean Todt at his last Awards Ceremony as he reliquishes the FIA president post today. Photo: FIA

    Noah Milell (KZ). FIA Karting Commission President Felipe Massa handed over the silverware along with Angelo Sticchi Damiani, President of the Italian Automobile Club and Max Verstappen, who had a decorated karting career of his own. 

    The FIA Formula 2 Championship winner Oscar Piastri, recently signed as a test driver for Alpine Formula 1 team in 2022, also took the Rookie of the Year Award. The prize is voted by members of the FIA Drivers Commission, led by the Commission President, nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen. Rene Rosin represented the champion team Prema Racing. Formula 3 honours went to Dennis Hauger while Giacomo Ricci accepted the team trophy on behalf of Trident Racing. 

    In addition to the Championship titles, a number of other awards were presented. 

    The Outstanding Official of the Year Award went to Anselme Bigirimana, who has been a member of the Burundi Automobile Club (CAB) since 1970 and joined the executive committee of the CAB after a serious accident forced him to retire from competition. Bigirimana is ever-present in all the development activities of motor sport in Burundi. 

    The FIA Personality of The Year Award, decided by permanently accredited FIA media, went to Lewis Hamilton. 

    Action of the Year celebrates the most spectacular moments of the past racing year and is the only prize of the evening voted for by motor sport fans around the world. In 2021, the fans favoured former world champion and current Alpine Formula 1 team’s Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard was acclaimed for his battle with Lewis Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix. 

    The recipient of the FIA Founding Members’ Club Heritage Cup was Robert Dewar on behalf of the Concours d’Elegance Kenya.

    The evening concluded with tributes to President Todt.  He was presented with 20 helmets from each of the current Formula 1 drivers by the CEO of Formula 1, Stefano Domenicali.

    Domenicali said: “Your professional life has always been characterized by true values. We thank you for all that you have done for the motor sport community and also for safety and human rights. You are leaving a lasting legacy.”

    Richard Mille, President of the FIA Endurance Commission, in a personal tribute, said: “He’s somebody you can call at 3 o’clock in the morning with a problem and he will wake up the world to solve the problem. We are going to miss him so much.”

    The President’s son, Nicolas Todt added: “I want to tell you how proud I am to have a father like you who taught me so many important values. Your successes are due to your passion for motor sport, your willingness to always push the boundaries, your capacity to get the very best from your colleagues and to never take no for an answer.”

    And in recognition as President Todt being the inspiration behind the FIA Safe and Affordable Helmet Programme and his dedication across the twin pillars of motor sport and mobility, he was presented with a commemorative Safe and Affordable helmet signed by all the World Champions awarded during his term as President of the FIA. 

    President Todt said: “Life is made in chapters. Being a co-driver was my first. And now this chapter is over. Twelve years is a long time. The job is demanding. I know that the FIA will get fresh blood, a fresh team. Amongst the legacy I leave, I leave an amazing team which is able to continue to deliver the job with the new elected team. I still have the same passion. I am blessed, I still love motor racing. Now it is time to give something back in other areas of life. I am an old man but in good form and we will see what comes next.

    Proceedings ended with the traditional ‘family photo’ and a final applause for all of the 2021 champions and category winners as the curtain fell on what has been a successful motor sport year. 

    Click here to see the event image gallery and here to read the FIA prize giving brochure.
     

    2021 FIA PRIZE GIVING GALA | CHAMPIONS & AWARD WINNERS

    FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS
    Max VERSTAPPEN

    FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR CONSTRUCTORS
    MERCEDES-AMG PETRONAS FORMULA ONE TEAM

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS AND CO-DRIVERS
    Sébastien OGIER & Julien INGRASSIA

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MANUFACTURERS
    TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

    FIA HYPERCAR WORLD ENDURANCE DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
    Mike CONWAY, Kamui KOBAYASHI, José María LÓPEZ

    2021 FIA HYPERCAR WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
    TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

    ABB FIA FORMULA E WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS
    Nyck DE VRIES

    ABB FIA FORMULA E WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MANUFACTURERS
    MERCEDES-EQ

    FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS
    Johan KRISTOFFERSSON

    FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS
    HANSEN WORLD RX TEAM

    FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPION – KZ
    Noah MILELL

    FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPION – OK-JUNIOR
    Kean NAKAMURA

    FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPION – OK
    Tuukka TAPONEN

    FIA CERTIFIED GRANTURISMO CHAMPIONSHIPS WINNER – NATIONS CUP
    Valerio GALLO

    FIA CERTIFIED GRANTURISMO CHAMPIONSHIPS WINNER – MANUFACTURERS SERIES
    Coque LOPEZ

    FIA CERTIFIED GRANTURISMO CHAMPIONSHIPS WINNER – MANUFACTURERS SERIES
    Igor FRAGA

    FIA CERTIFIED GRANTURISMO CHAMPIONSHIPS WINNER – MANUFACTURERS SERIES
    Tomoaki YAMANAKA

    FIA PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
    Lewis HAMILTON

    FIA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
    Oscar PIASTRI

    FIA ACTION OF THE YEAR
    Fernando ALONSO

    FIA JUNIOR WRC CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS & CO‑DRIVERS
    Sami PAJARI & Marko SALMINEN

    FIA JUNIOR WRC TROPHY FOR NATIONS
    FINLAND

    FIA WRC2 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS
    Andreas MIKKELSEN

    FIA WRC2 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR CO-DRIVERS
    Torstein ERIKSEN

    FIA WRC2 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS
    MOVISPORT

    FIA WRC3 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS
    Yohan ROSSEL

    FIA WRC3 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR CO‑DRIVERS
    Maciej SZCZEPANIAK

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS
    HYUNDAI 2C COMPETITION

    FIA AFRICAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS & CO‑DRIVERS
    Carl TUNDO & Tim JESSOP

    FIA EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS & CO‑DRIVERS
    Andreas MIKKELSEN & Sara FERNÁNDEZ

    FIA EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS
    TOKSPORT WRT

    FIA MIDDLE EAST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS & CO‑DRIVERS
    Nasser AL-ATTIYAH & Mathieu BAUMEL

    FIA NACAM RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS & CO‑DRIVERS
    Ricardo CORDERO & Marco HERNÁNDEZ

    FIA EUROPEAN RALLY TROPHY DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS
    Mustafa ÇAKAL & Özgür AKDAG

    FIA RGT CUP DRIVERS & CO‑DRIVERS
    Pierre RAGUES & Julien PESENTI

    FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS‑COUNTRY RALLIES DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS
    Nasser AL-ATTIYAH & Mathieu BAUMEL

    FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS‑COUNTRY RALLIES FOR TEAMS
    OVERDRIVE SA

    FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS‑COUNTRY RALLIES DRIVERS – T3
    Cristina GUTIÉRREZ

    FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS‑COUNTRY BAJAS DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS
    Yazeed AL RAJHI & Alexey KUZMICH

    FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS‑COUNTRY BAJAS DRIVERS – T3
    Dania AKEEL

    FIA EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – RX1
    Andreas BAKKERUD

    FIA EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – RX3
    Yury BELEVSKIY

    FIA RX2e CHAMPIONSHIP
    Guillaume DE RIDDER

    FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS
    Oscar PIASTRI

    FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS
    PREMA Racing

    FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS
    Dennis HAUGER

    FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS
    TRIDENT

    FORMULA REGIONAL EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP BY ALPINE CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Gregoire SAUCY

    FORMULA REGIONAL AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP POWERED BY HONDA
    Kyffin SIMPSON

    FORMULA REGIONAL JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Yuga FURUTANI

    FORMULA 3 ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Guanyu ZHOU

    F4 USA CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Noel LEÓN

    F4 SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Dilano VAN’T HOFF

    F4 UAE CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Enzo TRULLI

    F4 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Oliver BEARMAN

    F4 GERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Oliver BEARMAN

    F4 BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Matthew REES

    F4 JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Seita NONAKA

    F4 FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Esteban MASSON

    F4 CHINESE CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA
    Andy CHANG

    FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP LMGTE FOR DRIVERS
    Alessandro PIER GUIDI & James CALADO

    FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP LMGTE FOR MANUFACTURERS
    FERRARI

    FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMP2 DRIVERS
    Charles MILESI, Ferdinand HABSBURG, Robin FRIJNS

    FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMGTE AM DRIVERS
    Alessio ROVERA, François PERRODO, Nicklas NIELSEN

    FIA EUROPEAN TRUCK RACING DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
    Norbert KISS

    FIA INTERNATIONAL DRIFTING CUP FOR DRIVERS
    James DEANE

    WTCR – FIA WORLD TOURING CAR CUP FOR DRIVERS
    Yann EHRLACHER

    WTCR – FIA WORLD TOURING CAR CUP FOR TEAMS
    Cyan Racing Lynk & Co

    WTCR – FIA WORLD TOURING CAR CUP FOR JUNIOR DRIVERS
    Luca ENGSTLER

    FIA WORLD LAND SPEED RECORDS
    Gianmaria AGHEM

    FIA OUTSTANDING OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR
    Bigirimana ANSELME

    FIA FOUNDING MEMBERS’ CLUB HERITAGE CUP
    Robert DEWAR

  • Hamilton quickest in FP2: Final GP to decide champ

    Hamilton quickest in FP2: Final GP to decide champ

    Yas Marina (Abu Dhabi), 10 Dec 2021: Lewis Hamilton went quickest in second practice for Formula 1’s championship showdown at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit, with the seven-time champion finishing ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

    Hamilton’s title rival Max Verstappen finished fourth, more than six tenths of behind the Briton as Kimi Raïkkönen crashed heavily in the final moments of the session.

    Bottas set the early pace on medium tyres with a lap of 1:25.339.  McLaren’s Lando Norris, on soft tyres, then took over in P1 with a time of 1:25.153, before Hamilton moved to the top of the order with a lap of 1:25.127.

    After a slight lull, during which Norris briefly moved back to P1, Hamilton found more pace and retook P1 with a lap of 1:24.943 before working down to best of 1:24.126 as the firstr quarter of the hour passed. Hamilton’s best time put him nearly a second clear of Verstappen who had a lap deleted for exceeding track limits.

    There was a nervouse moment for Bottas when his clipped the wall on the exit of Turn 14 but he was able to return to the pits to have the damage assessed.

    The Finn soon retunred to the action on soft tyres but he was unable to better Hamilton’s medium tyres time, ending up 0.146s adrift. Bottas made another attempt, however, took top spot with a lap of 1:24.083.

    Hamilton and Verstappen then appeared on the softs, but neither was able to better Bottas’ time. Ocon then delivered a surprise by posting a lao of 1:24.034 to take P1 for Alpine.

    Verstappen went for anther lap but again couldn’t find sufficient pace. Hamilton made two further attempts and after falling short on his second attempt his third of 1:23.691 at last netted him P1  That put him 0.343s clear of Ocon, with Bottas 0.392s back and Verstappen down by 0.641s.

    Sergio Pérez finished fifth in the second Red Bull, ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, the Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz and the second AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly.

    With just over one minute left on the clock Räikkönen crashed. The Finn lost the rear of his car in Turn 14 and he slide into the barriers severely damaging both ends of his Alfa Romeo. The session was red-flagged and was not restarted.

    2021 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:23.691 26 227.164
    2 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:24.034 0.343 29 226.236
    3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:24.083 0.392 29 226.105
    4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:24.332 0.641 25 225.437
    5 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:24.400 0.709 26 225.255
    6 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:24.495 0.804 27 225.002
    7 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:24.532 0.841 26 224.904
    8 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:24.557 0.866 29 224.837
    9 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:24.844 1.153 29 224.077
    10 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:24.940 1.249 27 223.823
    11 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:24.959 1.268 26 223.773
    12 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:25.108 1.417 27 223.382
    13 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:25.153 1.462 27 223.264
    14 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:25.195 1.504 27 223.153
    15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:25.385 1.694 26 222.657
    16 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:25.440 1.749 23 222.514
    17 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:25.549 1.858 29 222.230
    18 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:25.687 1.996 22 221.872
    19 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:25.784 2.093 27 221.621
    a20 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:26.336 2.645 26 220.204

  • Drama-filled maiden Saudi GP leaves title rivals level on points

    Drama-filled maiden Saudi GP leaves title rivals level on points

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    Lewis Hamilton took his third consecutive victory for the first time this season in a drama filled first ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, ahead of title rival Max Verstappen in P2. Both title protagonists are level on points heading into the season finale. Valtteri Bottas completed the podium as he got past Esteban Ocon just before the finish line on the last lap.

    London, 6 December 2021: Both Mercedes cars started on the front row with Max Verstappen starting in P3. Everyone got off to a clean start as the Silver Arrows maintained formation, Lewis Hamilton leading Valtteri Bottas. Bottas job was to keep Verstappen at bay behind in P3. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc maintained P4 ahead of second Red Bull of Sergio Perez who was unable to pass the Monegasque.

    The race turned over its head on lap 10 as Mick Schumacher hit the barrier at turn 23. A safety car was called out to neutralise the race as both Hamilton and Bottas pitted for hard tyres to save time while Verstappen stayed out and assumed the lead of the race. Soon the FIA red flagged the race, a controversial decision but nonetheless safety is paramount.It meant that Verstappen would get a free tyre change and would lead the grand prix when resumed.

    Graphic by Pirelli

    It was a standing start as the racing resumed on lap 15. Hamilton got an electric start from P2 as he went past Verstappen. But the Dutchman broke late, going off at turn 1 and then cut in front of Hamilton at turn 2, as a result both ran wide and Verstappen maintained the lead while Esteban Ocon got past Hamilton for P2. Behind there was carnage. Perez was tagged by Leclerc as the Ferrari driver had no where to go. This incident wiped out Perez’s front wing and damaged the transmission. Further back, George Russell slowed to avoid the spinning Perez as Nikita Mazepin collided in the back of the Williams driver, spewing a large amount of debris.

    Graphic by Pirelli

    Another red flag was called out as the marshals cleared the cars and track. Meanwhile in the pits, negotiations were taking place between FIA, Mercedes and Red Bull over Verstappen’s illegal move at the second start. Ultimately all parties deciding that Ocon would start on pole, Hamilton would inherit P2 and Verstappen would start P3.

    Having had poor starts the first two times, Verstappen chose the medium tyres instead of hardsfor the third restart, to go to the end of the race and so did Bottas. Hamilton stuck to hard tyres as Mercedes thought they will have better wear compared to the mediums.

    Once again, Hamilton had a better start compared to Ocon in P1. Hamilton tried to cover Ocon, but Verstappen dived down the inside, sandwiching Hamilton between himself and Ocon. Thus, Verstappen assumed the lead with Ocon in P2 and Hamilton in P3. Behind, Bottas tried to get past McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. By the end of the lap Hamilton eased past Ocon and resumed his charge to catch Verstappen.

    There were three virtual safety car periods between laps 28 and 36 to pick up debris from Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin as he and Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen came together resulting in carbon fiber confetti.

    By the time VSC ended, Hamilton was within a second and hot on the heels of Verstappen. He got DRS and pulled alongside the Dutchman on the outside on lap 37. Going into turn 1, Hamilton was slightly ahead but Verstappen broke late and went wide, Hamilton to avoid collision went wide as well and joined the track at turn 2. Meanwhile, Verstappen simply cut turn 2 and emerged with a bigger lead than he had before. Hence, he was instructed to give the position back and the lead to Hamilton.

    Hamilton shines under the moon in the first Saudi Arabian GP on Sunday. Pirelli photo

    It was a bizarre sight as Verstappen slowed down to let Hamilton by, but the Briton had no idea about that, hence, he slowed down a well. Both drivers not wanting to cross the DRS detection line first as the car behind would get DRS. Then Verstappen seemed to brake check Hamilton as the Mercedes’ front collided with the Red Bull’s rear. Post- race investigation of the incident resulted in Verstappen getting an additional 10s-time penalty. The resultant collision damaged Hamilton’s front wing but the wing did not lose its integrity.

    Race control once again told Verstappen to give up the place on lap 42. The Dutchman did so at the last corner, but immediately overtook him. Hence, again the Red Bull driver was instructed to give up the position on lap 43. This time Hamilton pushed Verstappen wide at the last corner and maintained the lead. From here on Hamilton extended his lead as Verstappen suffered with higher tyre wear. He was further awarded a 5s time penalty for going off the track and gaining an advantage on lap 37- where he pushed Hamilton off the track as well. From there on Hamilton comfortably won the race, even with a damaged front wing while Verstappen consolidated P2. Bottas at the last moment won a drag race against Ocon as he clinched the final podium position.

    The win plus fastest lap for Hamilton meant that he was equal on points with Verstappen heading into the season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a week’s time. Meanwhile, Mercedes extended their lead in the constructor’s championship to 28 points.

    Ocon had to settle for P4 ahead of McLaren’s Ricciardo in P5, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly outraced both Ferrari’s to finish P6 as Charles Leclerc finished P7 and Carlos Sainz finished P8. Outgoing Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi finished P9 ahead of Lando Norris in P10, the McLaren driver not finishing higher than ninth in the last four races.

    Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll missed out on points as he finished in P11. Williams’ Nicholas Latifi crossed the line in P12 ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in P13. Yuki Tsunoda looked to score points but his coming together with Vettel meant he finished P14 ahead of Raikkonen in P15.

    The non-finishers were Vettel, Perez, Mazepin, Russell and Schumacher.

    Mercedes had the faster car in race trim but struggled to switch on the soft tyres in qualifying. They did lock out the front row owing to Verstappen’s crash into the last corner as he was up by more than two and a half tenths. Mercedes and Hamilton have now won the last three races and with Hamilton equal on points and the momentum with them, Silver Arrows have a good chance to wrap up both championships. Red Bull focused more on qualifying this weekend and it showed as they had a superior car in one lap pace. They were slower in the race compared to Mercedes as they had a straight-line speed deficit as well as medium tyres wore faster than the hards.

    Alpine struggled with qualifying pace as their highest position was P9. But come race day they made the most of red flags and Ocon ran in the top three for majority of the race, Alonso struggled partly due to his electric deployment not working properly and then having a spin midway through the grand prix. McLaren once again struggled in qualifying compared to immediate rivals Ferrari but again made the best use of stoppages as Ricciardo was able to finish P5. Norris lost out on positions due to pitting under the safety car and then a red flag being deployed. He was also caught out on the Perez-Leclerc incident as he had to slow down and fell to the back of the grid. Ferrari showed tremendous qualifying pace, especially in the hands of Leclerc who outqualified Perez’s Red Bull. They had decent race pace as well, achieving another double points finish and looking like they have cemented P3 over McLaren in the constructor’s championship.

    AlphaTauri’s Gasly showed superior race pace compared to the Ferrari cars as he finished in P6. Tsunoda too showed pace to finish in the top 10 had he not collided with Vettel. Alpine looked to have cemented P5 over AlphaTauri in the constructor’s championship. Aston Martin had a race to forget as they showed dismal qualifying pace, both cars getting knocked out in Q1 and no car finishing in points. Giovinazzi had a brilliant race for Alfa Romeo as they close the gap to Williams in Eighth with one race to go. Williams once again were unable to score points as they lacked pace to challenge the top 10. The Haas car struggle this weekend with it being difficult to drive around this high-speed circuit.

    Saturday Qualifying Results were:

    P1: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes)P2: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes)
    P3: Max Verstappen -33 (Red Bull)P4: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari)
    P5: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull)P6: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri)
    P7: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren)P8: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri)
    P9: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine)P10: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo)
    P11: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren)P12: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo)
    P13: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine)P14: George Russell- 63 (Williams)
    P15: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari)P16: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams)
    P17: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Aston Martin)P18: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin)
    P19: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas)P20: Nikita Mazepin- 9 (Haas)
  • Lewis Hamilton wins ahead of Max Verstappen: Qatar GP

    Lewis Hamilton wins ahead of Max Verstappen: Qatar GP

    Qatar, 21 Nov 2021: Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took a dominant Qatar Grand Prix victory to narrow the Drivers’ title gap to Max Versatppen to eight points, as the championship-leading Red Bull driver recovered from a five-place grid penalty to finish second and take the point for fastest lap. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso finished third to score his first podium finish since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix.

    Pole sitter Hamilton got away well at the race start and quickly began to establish a strong lead at the front of the pack. Behind him Verstappen’s recovery from a five-place penalty for failing to heed double yellow flags in Q3 after an incident involved AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was founded on as superb getaway when the lights went out.

    Starting seventh behind Mercedes Valtteri Bottas, who had also received a grid drop of three places for a similar offence, Verstappen was quickest out of the blocks at the start, slipping between Bottas and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz as they headed to Turn 1. And after hugging the inside line through the opening corner he found himself in P4 after Turn 2, despite kick up the dust when Alpine’s Fernando Alonso drifted wide as they approached the apex.

    He quickly began to close on Gasly, who made his first front-row start after being boosted up the grid by the penalties elsewhere The AlphaTauri man went wide in the final corner as DRS was activated and Max breezed past on the pit straight. And on lap five he made the dame move past Alonso to claim second place, 3.7s behind Hamilton.

    Further back, Versatppen’s team-mate Sérgio Pérez was also on the march and after powering past Esteban Ocon on lap nine the Red Bull driver was up to sixth place. Gasly was then passed by the hard-charging Mexican.

    Pérez now began to chase down McLaren’s Lando Norris. The McLaren driver’s soft tyres were beginning to faded and the Red Bull man claimed fourth place by easing past the Briton at the start of Lap 18.

    Verstappen then made his first visit to the pit lane at the end of lap 17, taking on hard tyres in a 2.2s stop. Mercedes responded on the next lap and after a similar swift switch to Hard tyres he rejoined in the lead, the full length of the pit straight ahead of his Dutch rival.

    Pérez made his stop at the end of lap 19 and after taking on hard tyres, he began to once again scythe through the order, making his way back to P5 by lap 28, behind Alonso.

    He attacked at the start of the following tour and after feinting right, which caused Alonso to cover aggressively, Pérez dived left and went to the outside of the Alpine through Turn 1. Alonso hung on to his line and the pair went through Turns Two and Three wheel-to-wheel.  However, armed with a better exit from Three, Pérez was able to muscle past to take fourth place.

    At the front, though, Hamilton was comfortable and holding a seven-second gap to Verstappen at the end of lap 33. Bottas was in trouble though, suffering a puncture on lap 34 He went off track mid-way through the lap and rejoined and that allowed Sergio to close in and sweep past the Mercedes man to claim third place. Bottas made it back to the pit lane but after an 11-second stop for hard tyres and a new nose, the Finn rejoined in P14.

    On lap 40, Hamilton was 8.5s ahead of Verstappen, with Pérez some 52.8s behind his team-mate. Alonso now held fourth place ahead of Norris, with the second Alpine of Esteban Ocon in sixth place ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the Ferrari’s of Sainz and Charles Leclerc. Vettel held 10th place ahead of Gasly who had made a second pit stop.

    Verstappen made his second pit stop at the end of lap 41, taking on medium tyres in a superb 2.1s stop. Pérez followed moments later and he too went for mediums, rejoining in P7 with Stroll, Ocon and Norris.

    Stroll was despatched swiftly and then the Mexican attacked Ocon at the start of lap 48. He powered past the Frenchman around the outside into Turn 1 and though the Frenchman tried to fight back, resistance was futile and Pérez took P5. He was, however, 15 seconds behind Fernando Alonso with Norris still in the way in P4.

    The race then took another turn in the final laps as Norris and both Williams drivers, who were both attempting one-stop races, suffered front-left punctures similar to the one that eventually caused Bottas to retire.

    The damage to Norris was not severe and the McLaren driver was able to return to the pits. He dropped to ninth, however, and Pérez was boosted to fourth place, 11 seconds behind Alonso. Williams’ George Russell was next to suffer and when team-mate Nicholas Latifi went off track and his car proved hard to recover, the VSC was deployed.

    Perez was just six seconds behind Alonso under the caution but with a single lap of racing left when the track eventually went green again, the Mexican driver was forced to settle for fourth place behind  Alonso, who took his first podium finish in seven years.

    Ahead Hamilton took the chequered flag to claim his seventh victory of the season. Behind him Verstappen made sure of the extra point on offer by taking on soft tyres for a final tour of 1:23.196. His P2 finish and that extra point mean he is now eight points ahead of Hamilton with two races remaining. In the Constructors’ battle Mercedes now head Red Bull by five points.

    Behind the top four, Ocon finished fourth for Alpine – putting them 25 points clear of AlphaTauri in the battle for fifth in the Constructors’ Championship – ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc. Norris finished ninth and the final point went to Sebastian Vettel in the second Aston.

    2021 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix – Race
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 57 1:24’28.471
    2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 57 1:24’54.214 25.743
    3 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 57 1:25’27.928 59.457
    4 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 57 1:25’30.777 1’02.306
    5 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 57 1:25’49.041 1’20.570
    6 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:25’49.745 1’21.274
    7 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 57 1:25’50.382 1’21.911
    8 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 57 1:25’51.597 1’23.126
    9 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 56 1:24’29.186 1 lap /0.715
    10 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 56 1:24’34.067 1 lap /5.596
    11 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 56 1:24’39.660 1 lap /11.189
    12 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 56 1:25’02.071 1 lap /33.600
    13 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 56 1:25’02.397 1 lap /33.926
    14 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 56 1:25’05.206 1 lap /36.735
    15 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 56 1:25’29.614 1 lap /1’01.143
    16 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 56 1:25’31.192 1 lap /1’02.721
    17 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 55 1:24’46.509 2 laps /18.038
    18 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 55 1:25’08.856 2 laps /40.385
         Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 50 1:15’59.831 Tyre
         Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 48 1:12’40.238 Retiremen