The Motorsport Blog

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MERCEDES STRATEGY MASTERCLASS WINS SPANISH GRAND PRIX

Sir Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead over Max Verstappen with a storming drive on an alternate strategy to hunt down the Dutchman’s 20 second lead and pass him to win his sixth Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen had taken the lead with a bolshy move into turn one on the opening lap and kept Hamilton at bay throughout the opening stint of the race, including nailing the Safety Car restart as the Brit lit up his rear end coming out of the final chicane.

Further behind Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari nailed Valtteri Bottas on the outside of turn three on the opening lap to move into the top three, Kimi Raikkonen stormed up to 14th and Mick Schumacher got up to 16th, as Yuki Tsunoda slipped to 18th before retiring with an engine issue.

The leading pair then streaked away, with Verstappen keeping the World Champion behind just outside of a second to prevent him getting DRS.

It was Red Bull who blinked first on the strategy front, pitting the leader on lap 24, but a slow stop put him at risk of being passed by Hamilton, but Mercedes had other plans, keeping the Brit on track until lap 28, which looked to be a mistake when he came out five seconds behind his title rival.

But the Silver Arrows then surprised everyone by calling Hamilton in again on lap 42 for fresh rubber, which allowed their man out into some clean air on track, where could show his real pace, often lapping 1.3-1.5 seconds faster than Verstappen out front.

Valtteri Bottas didn’t help himself or his team by forcing Hamilton to dive past him at the new turn 10, in a move that certainly raised team boss Toto Wolff’s blood pressure.

However, it didn’t matter, as the Mercedes charged up and passed the Red Bull on lap 60, at which point Verstappen pitted for fresh rubber to claim the fastest lap bonus point.

Further behind Leclerc impressed again to come home fourth, Sergio Perez recovered to fifth after a poor qualifying, which featured a stunning move to get round the outside of Daniel Ricciardo at turn one to claim the position.

Carlos Sainz fought back through in the closing stages to claim P7 ahead of Norris, who was put in the shade by his team mate this weekend, and Ocon who had to hold Gasly off at the finish line.

Raikkonen put in a really good drive to come home 12th, miles ahead of team mate Antonio Giovinazzi, despite starting behind him, who also finished behind George Russell, in 15th, Fernando Alonso didn’t have a happy home race, falling off a cliff to finish 17th only ahead of the Haas pair, whilst Tsunoda was the only retirement.

RACE RESULT:

HAMILTON VERSTAPPEN (FL) BOTTAS

LECLERC PEREZ RICCIARDO SAINZ NORRIS OCON GASLY

STROLL RAIKKONEN VETTEL RUSSELL GIOVINAZZI LATIFI ALONSO SCHUMACHER MAZEPIN

TSUNODA - DNF

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HAMILTON WINS IN PORTUGAL

Sir Lewis Hamilton dominated a tyre-orientated Portuguese Grand Prix to take his 97th victory and extend his championship lead over title rival Max Verstappen.

The early stages of the race were dominated by Valtteri Bottas who led a Mercedes 1-2 through the opening lap.

Further behind Carlos Sainz jumped Sergio Perez for P4, Lando Norris put an impressive move in on Esteban Ocon around the outside of turn 11, and Kimi Raikkonen charged up to 12th having started down in 15th.

Raikkonen’s race didn’t last much longer though, as he misjudged a move on his teammate and caught the back of his car, ripping off the front wing and sending him off into the gravel at turn one, and bringing out the safety car on lap two.

Racing resumed on lap seven, with Bottas mastering the restart to maintain the lead, whilst Hamilton dropped behind Verstappen who charged around the outside of the World Champion at turn one.

Further behind Norris again caught the eye, his impressive weekend continued as he passed both Sainz and Perez for P4, whilst fellow Brit George Russell started to drop like a stone, losing three places on lap seven alone.

However, Verstappen’s advantage didn’t last long, with Hamilton coming back past just four laps later, with the Dutchman getting wide on the exit of turn 14, allowing the Brit to get a run and pass for P2 into turn one, whilst further behind Perez retook P4 from Norris.

And the reigning World Champion didn’t look back from there, charging down Bottas’ lead and picking the perfect moment to nail the Fin around the outside of turn one to take the lead.

Verstappen came in for his one and only stop on lap 35, and got the undercut on Bottas for P2, passing him after his stop a lap later after the Mercedes lit up its rear end on the exit of turn three.

Further behind Esteban Ocon continued his decent weekend, passing Sainz for P7 at turn one, as the Alpine finally started to show its pace for the first time this season.

Nikita Mazepin then created some more bad press for himself, turning in on, and blocking, race leader Sergio Perez as the Mexican tried to lap him, landing the Russian with a 5 second time penalty.

Hamilton then retook the lead on lap 51, just before Sergio Perez headed for his first stop after an incredibly long opening stint.The rest of the race saw Fernando Alonso fly through the field, passing Ricciardo, Sainz, with pace that matched leaders, to eventually come home in P8.

The final stages saw Bottas briefly slow thanks to an exhaust temperature sensor error, and Nicholas Latifi make an embarrassing mistake, locking up and going wide at turn three under pressure from Mick Schumacher, handing the German P17 – an impressive drive from the rookie in the Haas.

However, it was Bottas who won the battle between himself and the Red Bulls for fastest lap, after Verstappen ran wide through T14 on the final lap, getting his lap, which would’ve got the bonus point, deleted.

RACE RESULT:

HAMILTON VERSTAPPEN BOTTAS - FL

PEREZ NORRIS LECLERC OCON ALONSO RICCIARDO GASLY

SAINZ GIOVINAZZI VETTEL STROLL TSUNODA RUSSELL SCHUMACHER LATIFI MAZEPIN

DNF – RAIKKONEN

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VERSTAPPEN WINS EXCITING EMILIA-ROMANGA GRAND PRIX

Max Verstappen sailed through all the carnage at Imola to take his 11th career victory on a day that saw Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes fall apart.

Hamilton found himself a lap down as a red flag was deployed for an accident involving Valtteri Bottas and George Russell but charged back through to finish second, ahead of Lando Norris who impressed to finish third.

The drama started before the race as two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso slipped off the track at Tosa and damaged his front wing, before both Aston Martin cars’ rear brakes caught fire, resulting in Sebastian Vettel being forced to start from the pit lane, AND Charles Leclerc spinning off at Acqua Minerale on the formation lap – however he was still able to take the start from his original grid slot.

Once the race finally got underway Verstappen charged into the lead at Tamburello on the first lap, despite having started third on the grid, as Hamilton failed to close the door and ended up damaging his wing bouncing over the kerbs.

It was then other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz who then spun off at Acqua Minerale, along with the Williams of Nicholas Latifi, who then rejoined the track and squeezed Nikita Mazepin towards the grass, the pair made contact sending the former off into the wall and out of the race.

The Safety Car came out but the drama wasn’t finished there, with F2 champion Mick Schumacher spinning into the wall on the start/finish straight, ripping off his front wing on lap four, and then having to trundle round without a front wing as the pit lane was closed due to his own debris blocking the exit.

Sergio Perez then ran off at Piratella and lost positions, he tried to retake them under the safety car, which landed him a ten second stop/go penalty.

Racing resumed on lap seven, and Pierre Gasly, one of just four drivers to start on the wet tyres, started to go backwards, losing out to Norris, Sainz, Stroll, Bottas, Raikkonen, Russell, Giovinazzi, and Tsunoda before the Frenchman eventually was called in to pit for inters on lap 15.

Carlos Sainz did some rallying, just like his father, going off the road numerous times after his previous spin, including at Rivazza and Tosa – not ideal at one of Ferrari’s home races.

The time for dry tyres arrived on lap 27, Verstappen blinked first whilst Hamilton put the hammer down, however a slow stop brought the Brit out five seconds behind the Dutchman on lap 29.

However, Hamilton continued to close back in on Verstappen as the pair made their way through traffic, that was until the reigning World Champion slipped off the road at the Tosa hairpin on lap 31, through the gravel and into the wall, losing an entire lap to his rival as he managed to reverse back on to the race track.

Mercedes afternoon then got even worse as Valtteri Bottas and George Russell had a huge accident at Tamburello, as the Williams spun into the side of the Mercedes and the pair flew off into the gravel and the barriers, bringing out the Safety Car and then the red flag, both thinking the other was at fault for the incident.

Raikkonen and then leader Verstappen spun on the safety car lap for the restart, however the Red Bull driver was able to hold on to the lead of the race and nailed the restart as Charles Leclerc lost second to a charging Lando Norris, whilst further behind Yuki Tsunoda’s hard work climbing back through the field came to nothing, as he spun off at Tamburello.

Then it was Hamilton’s turn to charge through the field from eighth, first helped by Perez spinning off at the Villenueve chicane to lift him to seventh before passing Stroll for sixth at Tamburello.

And it was that corner that proved to be Hamilton’s hunting ground, also passing Ricciardo, Leclerc and Norris there to climb back up to P2 at the chequered flag, albeit 22 seconds behind winner Verstappen.

The closing stages of the race ended with Nikita Mazepin completing his traditional session spin at Acqua Minerale and Sebastian Vettel being forced into retirement with a gearbox issue.

RACE RESULT

VERSTAPPEN HAMILTON - FL NORRIS

LECLERC SAINZ RICCIARDO STROLL GASLY RAIKKONEN - Under Investigation OCON

ALONSO PEREZ TSUNODA GIOVINAZZI VETTEL SCHUMACHER MAZEPIN

BOTTAS, RUSSELL, LATIFI - DNF

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YOU CAN’T PUT A PRICE ON EXPERIENCE

Sir Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have pulled off one of their greatest wins, with a tactical masterclass to see off a hard and fast challenge from Max Verstappen.

Verstappen had passed Hamilton at turn four on lap 53, only to leave the track and gain an advantage, meaning he had to let the Brit back through into the lead before trying again.

However, the Dutchman couldn’t close back in, meaning Hamilton won by just a few tenths at the flag.

The race was dominated by a lively midfield battle too, with Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz and Kimi Raikkonen involved in a lively battle for the minor points places early in the race, with a stunning double overtake from Sainz to get past Alonso and Vettel, with Raikkonen following him through later on.

Pierre Gasly had a lively afternoon, despite starting a promising P5, his race was over after lap four, just touching Daniel Ricciardo’s rear tyre and ripping off his front wing, which dropped him way down the order, before retiring a few laps from the end of the race.

Valtteri Bottas came home a distant P3 with a bonus point for fastest lap, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris who put in a stunning drive to come home best of the rest in P4, ahead of Sergio Perez who recovered to P5 after breaking down on the formation lap – that lost everyone a racing lap as they had to do an extra formation lap, which could’ve cost team mate Verstappen victory.

Charles Leclerc was the lead Ferrari in sixth following another impressive drive, ahead of Ricciardo and Sainz.

Yuki Tsunoda but in a courageous drive to come home P9 for two points on his debut for AlphaTauri, after a disastrous start saw him drop right down the order before the lap one Safety Car caused by a crash for Nikita Mazepin who spun off into the wall at turn three on lap one.

Lance Stroll took home the final points ahead of the Alfa Romeos of Kimi Raikkonen, who will be disappointed to miss out on points after a strong drive, and Antonio Giovinazzi, who inherited P12 after Sebastian Vettel drove into the back of Esteban Ocon at turn one, spinning the Frenchman and landing himself with a 10-second time penalty.

George Russell managed to come home ahead of Vettel for Williams, whilst Mick Schumacher made the chequered flag on his debut, despite a spin in a Haas car that is clearly a handful, commendable and exactly what a rookie needs to do in a backmarker car.

Alonso’s midfield efforts were in vain as he had to retire with a rear brake issue, he was joined in retirement by Nicholas Latifi who ran an anonymous race, as well as the aforementioned Gasly and Mazepin.

RACE RESULT:

HAMILTON VERSTAPPEN BOTTAS – FASTEST LAP

NORRIS PEREZ LECLERC RICCIARDO SAINZ TSUNODA STROLL

RAIKKONEN GIOVINAZZI OCON RUSSELL VETTEL* SCHUMACHER

LATIFI – DIDN’T FINISH BUT CLASSIFIED GASLY – DIDN’T FINISH BUT CLASSIFIED

ALONSO – DNF MAZEPIN - DNF

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ZHOU WINS FANTASTIC FEATURE RACE

Guanyu Zhou held on for victory in a bonkers F2 Feature Race as tyre management wreaked havoc across the field.

He came home just ahead of a charging Dan Ticktum who could’ve won the race had it been a lap longer, the Brit closed in on the leader following contact with Oscar Piastri while battling for P3, which eliminated the Australian from the race.

Liam Lawson stole the final podium position on the penultimate lap from Richard Verschoor, denying the Dutchman a first F2 podium after a mighty drive saw him lead through the midway stage of the race.

Marcus Armstrong put in a solid drive to come home P5 ahead of Daruvala and a brilliant recovery drive from Robert Shwartzman who came home P7 and with the fastest lap bonus points, after rear-ending Roy Nissany on lap one, which eliminated the DAMS and earned the Russian a drive through penalty which dropped him way down the order.

Felipe Drugovich fell away from the top three just like yesterday, but takes his first points of the season home in P9, just behind Theo Pourchaire and ahead of Matteo Nannini, who finally picks up his first F2 points having them cruelly taken away from him yesterday after Lundgaard’s penalty mishap.

Both he and Beckmann jumped Lundgaard today after he was awarded a five second time penalty which dropped him to P12, massively disappointing for the Dane as he battled for the lead until he started to struggle to keep his tyres alive.

Juri Vips had more bad luck, getting another penalty and unlucky timings of Safety Cars and Virtual Safety Cars saw his recovery drive consistently hampered, he came home ahead of Marino Sato, Ralph Boschung, Guilherme Samaia, Bent Viscaal and Lirim Zendeli – who was unable to recover at all after being caught up in the chaos of the lap one contact between Shwartzman and Nissany, who spun into the German and damaged his front wing.

Gianluca Petecof also retired after his fire extinguisher went off inside the car at turn one, bringing out one of the VSCs, and Alessio Deledda also failed to finish again.

RACE RESULT:

ZHOU TICKTUM LAWSON

VERSCHOOR ARMSTRONG DARUVALA SHWARTZMAN – FASTEST LAP POURCHAIRE DRUGOVICH NANNINI

BECKMANN LUNDGAARD VIPS SATO BOSCHUNG SAMAIA VISCAAL ZENDELI

PIASTRI, PETECOF, DELEDDA, NISSANY – DNF

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DECISION REVERSED

Christian Lundgaard has been reinstated to P2 by the stewards, meaning Daruvala loses his podium and Nannini now doesn’t score points.

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ROOKIES REIGN SUPREME IN SPRINT RACE SATURDAY

Liam Lawson won this morning’s feature race in stunning style as he controlled the pace and held off fellow Red Bull junior Jehan Daruvala.

They both came home ahead of an impressive drive from David Beckmann who took a podium on his F2 debut, and the Prema pair of Robert Shwartzman and Oscar Piastri with the Russian holding off his team mate to the line with some strong defensive driving to recover from his disastrous qualifying session yesterday.

Piastri’s fellow Alpine junior Christian Lundgaard came home fifth after starting ninth, a solid result ahead of another Alpine academy driver, Guanyu Zhou and Dan Ticktum held on for the final point in eighth, despite picking up a time penalty for making contact with Richard Verschoor down at turn one, eliminating the Dutchman from the race.

Lirim Zendeli came home ninth, after Guilherme Samaia’s penalty, and took two points for the fastest lap, whilst Juri Vips put in a solid recovery drive after starting down in P22, to take P10 and pole for the second sprint race.

A much-improved Samaia ended up 11th after his penalty, ahead of Roy Nissany and Bent Viscaal, who also lost a few spots having also been awarded a penalty.

Matteo Nannini comfortably beat his team mate, despite a quiet race, in 14th ahead of Marino Sato, a disappointed Felipe Drugovich, Gianluca Petecof and Alessio Deledda.

There was heartbreak for Theo Pourchaire, who retired after slowing on track whilst running an impressive P2, Marcus Armstrong also pulled up at turn one on lap three, Ralph Boschung couldn’t avoid the ailing DAMS and hit him as he slowed, ending his race after an impressive qualifying effort, and Verschoor had to retire after the contact with Ticktum.

RACE RESULT: LAW, DAR, BEC, SHW, PIA, LUN, ZHO, TIC, ZEN, VIP, SAM, NIS, VIS, NAN, SAT, DRU, PET, DEL POU, ARM, BOS, VER - DNF

Oscar Piastri stormed through to beat fellow Alpine juniors Christian Lundgaard and Guanyu Zhou to victory on the final lap in the afternoon Sprint Race following late, dramatic, Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods.

However a 10-second time penalty for Lundgaard sees him drop down the order to ninth and Jehan Daruvala promoted to the final podium spot.

Richard Verschoor and Theo Pourchaire also marched through the field having started at the back of the grid to take P4 and P5 respectively, just ahead of fellow F3 graduate David Beckmann.

Whilst further behind Marino Sato and Matteo Nannini took the final points positions home, a rare feat for Trident and HWA, the first points for the Italian in his first weekend in the category.

Marcus Armstrong went backwards upon the restart having tried an ambitious alternate strategy that was paying off until the late interruptions and ended up tenth.

Samaia came home 11th just ahead of Viscaal in 12th who faced the same issue as Armstrong, ahead of Petecof who put in a solid effort for Campos but couldn’t close in on a top ten finish.

Felipe Drugovich and Roy Nissany proved to be mobile chicanes upon the restart and plummeted down the order - a huge disappointment for the Brazilian as at stages he looked like he could win the race - he ends the day pointless and with a point to prove tomorrow.

The same for Juri Vips who challenged leader Zhou upon the restart, only for his Hitech to lose drive coming out of turn 11, dropping him down the order, with the Estonian eventually pulling over as he took the chequered flag down in 16th, only ahead of Ralph Boschung who had to make an extra late stop.

Alessio Deledda was barely seen throughout the race until he pulled over coming out of turn three, bringing out the final VSC on lap 20.

Liam Lawson was taken about by Felipe Drugovich as the pair made contact, sending the former spinning and ending the Kiwi’s race at turn four on lap 16, gutting as he could’ve made it two from two on his debut weekend.

Lirim Zendeli also retired after contact with Lundgaard at turn one, which gave the Dane his aforementioned 10-second penalty, and saw Zendeli fly off the road at turn two and limp back with a puncture, however it was all in vain as it spelled the end of his race.

Rob Shwartzman and Dan Ticktum were eliminated turn one, on lap one, after the Russian couldn’t avoid the Brit making a cut back in the Carlin, spearing into the side of him, in a role reversal for Ticktum who took out Verschoor at the same place this morning.

RACE RESULT: PIA, ZHO, DAR, VER, POU, BEC, SAT, NAN, LUN, ARM, SAM, VIS, PET, DRU, NIS, VIP, BOS DEL, LAW, ZEN, SHW, TIC - DNF

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ZHOU KEEPS POLE

The FIA stewards in Bahrain have determined Guanyu Zhou will keep his pole position despite taking the chequered flag twice in qualifying, a number of drivers were under investigation, you can find all of the resolutions here:

Car 3 - Guanyu Zhou - taking chequered flag twice - reprimand

Car 7 - Liam Lawson - Entering support pit lane during red flag - reprimand

Car 8 - Juri Vips - Technical Infringement - DISQUALIFIED

Car 11 - Richard Verschoor - entering support pits during red flag - reprimand

Car 12 - Lirim Zendeli - entering support pits during red flag - reprimand

Car 14 - David Beckmann - entering support pits during red flag - reprimand

Car 21 - Ralph Boschung - entering support pits during red flag - reprimand

Car 22 - Gianluca Petecof - entering support pits during red flag - reprimand

Car 24 - Bent Viscaal - violation of pit exit - 500 euro fine for Trident

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Hi Luke. Good Morning. How are you? Have a nice day

Good thanks, hope you are too!

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ZHOU SENDS A STATEMENT OF INTENT

Guanyu Zhou stole pole from fellow Alpine junior and championship rival Christian Lundgaard in the dying seconds of F2 qualifying.

However it’s not all plain sailing for the Chinese driver as he’s under investigation for taking the chequered flag twice, which could land him a penalty and lose him pole position for the Feature Race.

The other UNI-Virtuosi car of Felipe Drugovich will line up third just ahead of Dan Ticktum who caught traffic in the final sector of his final push lap, and cost him crucial lap time.

Juri Vips impressed to be P5 in the Hitech, only to be disqualified for a technical infringement overnight, he was just ahead of a mighty effort from Richard Verschoor, who was only announced in the seat this week and managed to land himself a spot on the third row of the grid alongside the Estonian, despite having a big moment in the second sector.

Jehan Daruvala is seventh having been outqualified by his team mate, ahead of the Prema of Oscar Piastri, and his fellow F3 graduates Liam Lawson, David Beckmann and Theo Pourchaire, who will start tomorrow’s Sprint Race from the reverse grid pole.

Robert Shwartzman ended the session down in P11, and was unable to take to track during the final runs thanks to breaking down on the start/finish straight and bringing out the red flags.

Ralph Boschung put in an impressive effort to start 12th for Campos, ahead of the disappointed DAMS of Marcus Armstrong and Roy Nissany, who make up row seven ahead of Bent Viscaal, who violated the pit exit rules when he encountered clutch problems and earned Trident a 500 Euro fine from the stewards.

Lirim Zendeli will be disappointed to be so far behind his team mate in 16th, ahead of a much improved Guilherme Samaia, Marino Sato, Matteo Nannini, Gianluca Petecof - who also had a big sideways moment on the kerbs during his one and only run, and Alessio Deledda, who as expected propped up the grid, 3.8 seconds off the pole time and 1.6 seconds behind the next slowest car.

QUALIFYING RESULT:

ZHOU LUNDGAARD DRUGOVICH TICKTUM VERSCHOOR DARUVALA PIASTRI LAWSON BECKMANN POURCHAIRE

SHWARTZMAN BOSCHUNG ARMSTRONG NISSANY VISCAAL ZENDELI SAMAIA SATO NANNINI PETECOF DELEDDA VIPS

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CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: F2 PRE SEASON TEST - DAY ONE

David Beckmann ended the day as overall fastest as F2 cars took to the track for the first time in 88 days.

He finished the day ahead of Dan Ticktum who topped the morning’s session, whilst the ARTs of Lundgaard, followed by Pourchaire and the Hitech of Liam Lawson rounded out the top five.

It was a tough day for early Championship favourites Rob Shwartzman and Guanyu Zhou, who both failed to finish inside the top ten.

THE STATS: Most Laps: 77 - Richard Verschoor (MP) Most Laps (AM): 38 - Richard Verschoor (MP) Most Laps  (PM): 40 - Bent Viscaal  (Trident) Most Laps (Team): MP Motorsport - 148

Least Laps: 25 - Robert Shwartzman (Prema) Least Laps (AM): 7 - Robert Shwartzman (Prema) Least Laps (PM): 16 - Guilherme Samaia (Charouz) Least Laps (Team): 54 - Prema Racing

Fastest Driver (AM) - Dan Ticktum (DAMS) 1:43.021 Fastest Driver (PM) - David Beckmann (Charouz) 1:42.844 Fastest Rookie - David Beckmann (Charouz) 1:42.844

Results in full:

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HAMILTON MATCHES SCHUMI IN EIFEL THRILLER

Lewis Hamilton won a record-equalling 91st Formula 1 Grand Prix to match the all-time record held by Michael Schumacher.

The Brit inherited the lead after a mistake from his team mate Valtteri Bottas, who then went on to retire with a suspected MGU-H failure.

A late Safety Car brought Max Verstappen back into contention for the win, but the Dutchman was unable to challenge the leader after the restart.

The race started with Hamilton challenging Bottas into turn one, he briefly got ahead as both Mercedes went deep, before Bottas stormed back around the outside of turn two to keep the lead, whilst further behind Alex Albon did well to avoid hitting Daniel Ricciardo, just tapping the Australian after a huge lock-up into turn three.

Antonio Giovinazzi and Nico Hulkenberg also made great starts, finding themselves in P11 and P17 respectively at the end of the first lap.

The first 10 laps were dominated by Gasly and Magnussen battling for P13, the Dane initially getting the upper hand, but the Frenchman eventually came out on top, whilst the opening lap lock-up caused Albon to pit extremely early on lap eight, hampering his race.

Lap nine saw Ricciardo turn on the style with a great move around the outside of turn two on Charles Leclerc for P4, and lap 11 saw Sebastian Vettel have his traditional spin, this one coming at turn one whilst trying to pass Giovinazzi for P11.

The lead changed on lap 13 when Bottas locked up and went too deep at T1, allowing Hamilton to get a run and take the position into T2, and further behind again at T1 Raikkonen got a snap of oversteer on his car whilst battling with Vettel and Russell, causing him to hit the rear left of the Brit sending him into the air, breaking his suspension and ending his race, the Fin, on his record 323rd race start was slapped with a 10-second time penalty – the VSC came out on lap 16 to retrieve the stricken Williams that had limped to T7.

Lap 17 saw racing resume, and Danill Kvyat went off straight away at the turns 13-14 chicane, allowing Albon the chance to pass, only for the Thai to move across on the Russian too early, wiping off his front wing and ruining his race, the Red Bull lucky to avoid a puncture, but got hit with a 5-second time penalty.

The drama then continued with Bottas falling behind Norris and Perez with a power unit issue on lap 18, he was forced to pit and retire a lap later, ending a frustrating afternoon for the Fin. Lap 23 saw Esteban Ocon’s turn to retire, this time a suspected hydraulic problem, and it was a hat-trick a lap later with Albon coming in to the pits also to retire, also with a power unit issue.

Mercedes, Renault, Red Bull and then McLaren were next to have reliability problems! Lando Norris then came over the radio to complain he was also losing power from his engine, quickly diagnosed as a sensor issue, and he started to drop back from his challenge for a podium position.

Perez passed him on lap 30 for P5, and then Leclerc for P4 three laps later, whilst at the same time Sainz and Norris swapped positions without a fight at turn seven, that pass for P6.

Leclerc then repassed Perez into T1 with the use of DRS on lap 34, but it was only temporary, Perez using DRS into turn 13, to get back past, this time conclusively for P4, as Leclerc opted to pit.

When the Monegasque driver re-emerged onto the track, he immediately got into a battle with his team mate for P7, lunging up the inside of Vettel at turn one on lap 39, both Ferraris’ nearly touching as he did so, nearly prompting a repeat of Brazil last year.

Vettel then started to drop down the order with Gasly driving around the outside of the German at turn two for P8, and Hulkenberg getting through for P9 both on successive laps following Leclerc, just before the Safety Car.

That came thanks to the stricken McLaren of Norris, whose engine finally cried enough in first sector, forcing the Brit to pull off at turn six, with his bodywork looking like it was about to catch fire.

Racing resumed on lap 50, with Ricciardo challenging Verstappen for P2 as Hamilton took off, but that nearly backfired as he nearly lost out to Perez who gained momentum when the Dutchman shut the door on the Australian.

Hulkenberg also passed Grosjean for P8, but the race was neutralised thanks to the free pit stops under the Safety Car, ruining the battle for the final podium spot between Ricciardo and Perez, and the fight for points between most of the cars from P8 and below, as all the various tyre strategies and lifespans disappeared as most of the cars came in for fresh rubber.

Hamilton led to the flag virtually unchallenged, Ricciardo took his first podium for 49 races and Grosjean was the big winner from the Safety Car as he was one of the few cars to stay out and came home P9, whilst Raikkonen came home P12 in his record race.

RACE RESULT:

HAMILTON VERSTAPPEN (FL) RICCIARDO

PEREZ SAINZ GASLY LECLERC HULKENBERG GROSJEAN GIOVINAZZI

VETTEL RAIKKONEN MAGNUSSEN LATIFI KVYAT

NORRIS – DNF ALBON – DNF OCON – DNF BOTTAS – DNF RUSSELL – DNF

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BOTTAS BATTLES TO POLE

Valtteri Bottas pipped Lewis Hamilton to pole position at the Nurburgring for the Eifel Grand Prix on his last qualifying lap.

The Fin survived a scare in Q2 after making a mistake on his lap and being forced to run again hovering in P8 at the end of the first runs, dangerously close to the elimination zone.

His lap brings to an end a run of five consecutive pole positions for his team mate Hamilton, as he looks to get his title challenge back on track.

Q1 started with Hamilton going fastest, only for the Brit to be beaten by Verstappen, who challenged the Mercedes throughout the session, and Bottas who slotted into P2.

Further behind, Lando Norris impressed with a lap good enough for P4, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo P5 and Charles Leclerc P6 – in what looked to be a much-improved Ferrari, who have brought new upgrades for the weekend.

However, the session belonged to Kevin Magnussen and Antonio Giovinazzi, both of whom are fighting for their futures in F1, and both made it through to Q2, outperforming their cars and more experienced team mates, ending the session in P12 and P15 respectively.

Kimi Raikkonen will start his record 323rd race start from P19, and Nico Hulkenberg, who was called up in replacement of Lance Stroll THIS MORNING will start P20 having only had 20 minutes of running in his car.

The start of Q2 saw Hamilton beat Bottas by seven tenths, as the latter made a mistake in the first sector on his lap.

The Silver Arrows were then split by Sergio Perez, who was then beaten by Norris who found himself up in P2 early on.

The Red Bulls then impressed, with Verstappen going fastest and Alexander Albon up in P3, whilst their sister team occupied P14 and P15.

Magnussen and Giovinazzi continued to impress with P12 and P13 at the end of the first runs, however that wasn’t to last.

Hamilton ended the session fastest ahead of Verstappen and Bottas, Leclerc improved to P5 from the drop zone, to eliminate team mate Sebastian Vettel at his home race.

Q3 saw Bottas beat Hamilton by 0.013s, only for Verstappen to top the time sheets, with the top three covered by just 0.083s, ahead of Albon in fourth.

Hamilton then went quickest again, only to be beaten by a flying Bottas by 0.25s, ahead of Verstappen and an impressive Leclerc, whilst the Renault’s managed to outqualify the McLarens.

QUALIFYING RESULT:

BOTTAS (Q3)              HAMILTON VERSTAPPEN              LECLERC ALBON              RICCIARDO OCON              NORRIS PEREZ              SAINZ VETTEL (Q2)              GASLY KVYAT              GIOVINAZZI MAGNUSSEN              GROSJEAN (Q1) RUSSELL              LATIFI RAIKKONEN              HULKENBERG

[themotorsportblog]

HONDA LEAVES F1: FIVE BOLD PREDICTIONS

Honda are taking another hiatus from F1, opting to have a break from the sport at the end of it’s current deal with Red Bull and Alpha Tauri, but what’s next for them, their drivers and the teams they supply?

Tsunoda will be left in No Man’s Land

The big winners from this announcement are current Alpha Tauri driver Daniil Kvyat and reserve driver Sergio Sette Camara, who may now face less competition for a seat in the junior team as the main backing behind F2 racer Yuki Tsunoda getting a seat was Honda wanting a Japanese driver in the sport.

Without Honda’s influence Red Bull will once again have full control over the four race seats they possess on the grid and can put whichever drivers they like in there.

Tsunoda has had a decent season in F2 but far from the standout campaigns of Ilott, Schumacher and Shwartzman (even though he’s fallen away of late) having lost a win in the Styrian Feature Race thanks to a faulty radio, picking up a lucky win at Silverstone after the leaders collided and then dominating at Spa, his fortune at Silverstone being the main reason he’s still in the hunt for the title.

His title race may still be on but, he will surely have to win it now to make an impression on Dr. Marko, and with a current 44-point deficit to overturn with just two rounds remaining its looking like a tough ask. In addition to the big black marks against his name for failing to score in either race in Austria, Hungary and Mugello, he may outrank Kvyat who’s days seem numbered, but won’t do the same to Sette Camara so it’ll be a case of close, but just not enough seats available.

Next Stop: Formula E

Honda mentions specifically about developing Carbon Neutral and Battery EV technology in this morning’s press release.

These are two things heavily linked and related to Formula E, with its battery-powered electric racing, and its vow to become the first carbon neutral sport, which is now a reality.

The series became the first sport to achieve a certified net zero carbon footprint in its efforts to combat climate change last month, and it shows how serious the championship takes this and how much of an attractive prospect it’s becoming having already captured: Audi, Porsche, BMW, Nissan, Jaguar, DS and Mercedes – with the Silver Arrows the only team on that list that currently competes in F1.

Honda will want to develop this new technology and go and race its direct competitors in Formula E, rather than hanging around in F1, failing to dislodge the monopoly Mercedes has on the sport.

Red Bull & Alpha Tauri will go back to Renault

Mercedes and Ferrari certainly aren’t going to want to start providing a title rival with an engine deal that could see them beaten using their own power.

That leaves both teams with only one option, heading back to Renault with their tail between their legs to heal the wounds created by their previous split, in the hope of striking up a new deal.

That is unless someone new comes in at very late notice, Porsche have been sniffing around for a while, and it was revealed that they did have a test engine built for a 2021 entry – however they were unable to strike a deal with all the other suppliers about abandoning the MGU-H component.

With only potentially 18 months until the start of the 2022 season that doesn’t leave long for the development of the abandoned engine plans, and they already have a works in Formula E to concentrate on…

They’ll be gone for a while

Honda plans, according to their press release, seem set until achieving Carbon Neutrality in 2050, and F1 doesn’t seem part of those plans in any form. This hints that they could be gone for a while, having been absent from the sport between 2009-2014, 1993-1999 (even though Mugen remained) and 1969-1982.

You can expect this break to be as long as the latter as the company looks ahead to developing battery and carbon neutral technologies, which are involved in F1, but to a lesser extent than somewhere such as Formula E.

This difference in priorities could lead to a lengthy split, until F1 can agree a new set of principles which fall more in-line with the ones the Honda board has already agreed on.

Opportunities for Japanese drivers will become limited again

Nobuharu Matsushita, Nirei Fukuzumi and Tadasuke Makino have all made it to F2 in recent years but have been unable to any further with their single seater careers, in fact the latter two have had to scamper back to the Super Formula to continue their racing journeys.

Whilst it’s unknown what will currently happen to Tsunoda and countryman Marino Sato (who isn’t backed) the support of a Japanese company such as Honda to help their careers progress is pivotal if they want to make the step up to Formula 1, but without them involved in the top level of motorsport, any form of backing is incredibly unlikely, especially without Toyota involved either.

In fact, Tora Tokagi is the last Japanese driver to make it through to F1 without the backing of either manufacturer (although he was hugely backed by Satoru Nakajima, who was Honda-affiliated before retirement) and he left the grid after just two hopeless seasons in 1998-99.

Every single Japanese driver to have raced in F1 this century has had significant backing behind them before entering the sport, and without either company competing in the sport, it’s unlikely we’ll see another for a while, especially with the limited seats on the grid…

What do you think will happen next for the likes of Red Bull, Alpha Tauri and Yuki Tsunoda? Let me know!

Follow me on Twitter: @Luke2Wallace

[themotorsportblog]

HAMILTON WINS MAGIC RACE AT MUGELLO

Lewis Hamilton took his 90th career victory, seeing off a stiff challenge from Valtteri Bottas in a crash filled first-ever F1 race at Mugello.

The win takes Hamilton to within one win of the all-time record of Michael Schumacher, who sits on 91, as the F1 circus head into Russia in two weeks’ time.

The race started with Bottas charging into the lead ahead of Hamilton into turn one, Max Verstappen went backwards as his car developed an issue and going into turn two, Luco, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll made contact, spinning the McLaren, whilst further behind, last weekend’s winner Pierre Gasly hit Kimi Raikkonen, who hit Max Verstappen and took Romain Grosjean off with them, Verstappen and Gasly were out as the others limped back to the pit lane for repairs.

The Safety Car was deployed for several laps before the race tried to resume itself. This proved unsuccessful though, with a slow restart catching out the midfielders, they sped up before the leaders and hit some of the slowers cars ahead, seeing Antonio Giovinazzi get airbourne, having hit the back of Kevin Magnussen, and collected Carlos Sainz and Nicholas Latifi, all the cars were eliminated and the race was red flagged. Racing laps completed: 0, retirements: 6.

The DNF tally then hit seven as Esteban Ocon retired under the red flags after a brake fire, meaning only 13 cars were still running.

Lap 10 saw the second standing start and Hamilton immediately retake the lead, as further behind Raikkonen got past Russell for P10 and Vettel slipped to 13th and last.

Lap 15 saw Daniel Ricciardo make his first move into turn one, for P5 on Sergio Perez, and after that Charles Leclerc started to go backwards, losing out to Stroll, Ricciardo, Albon and Perez on successive laps, all into turn one, before pitting for fresh rubber on lap 21, he re-emerged down in P13.

The following laps saw Mercedes warn their drivers about running over the kerbs and insisted they needed to be easier on their tyres, whilst further behind RIcciardo had his hands full trying to defend P3 from Stroll and Albon.

Mercedes fears were then realised when Stroll flew off the road at turn nine, Arrabbiata 2, with a puncture, a huge impact in the tyre wall saw him take his time getting out of the car.

The race was then red flagged for a second time whilst the marshals repaired the barrier and removed the stricken Racing Point.

A third standing start on lap 46 saw Hamilton lead away as Ricciardo jumped Bottas for P2 into turn one, Raikkonen and Grosjean flew up to P8 and P9 respectively as the Ferrari’s dropped back again and George Russel fell to P12 and last.

Bottas got back past Ricciardo in to turn one on lap 47, and Grosjean fell backwards to P12 and last after a handful of laps as the Scuderia managed to bounce back from their poor start.

The final action saw an absolutely stunning move from Alex Albon on Ricciardo to rob him of a podium finish as he took P3 on the outside of turn one and through the inside of turn two.

After that all the attention turned to Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and George Russell, with the Fin and the Brit competing for their first points of the season.

Raikkonen had a five-second time penalty but managed to do enough to come home ahead of both Vettel and Russell for P9, whilst the Brit was unable to get past the German for the first points of his career.

The race result sees the first podium of Albon’s career, the first points of the season for Raikkonen, the 200th career points finish for Vettel and 30 races without a career point for Russell, the sixth longest streak of races without a point in the sport’s history.

RACE RESULT:

HAMILTON - FASTEST LAP BOTTAS ALBON

RICCIARDO PEREZ NORRIS KVYAT LECLERC RAIKKONEN - 5 SECOND TIME PENALTY VETTEL

RUSSELL GROSJEAN

STROLL - DNF OCON - DNF LATIFI - DNF SAINZ - DNF GIOVINAZZI - DNF MAGNUSSEN - DNF VERSTAPPEN - DNF GASLY - DNF

[themotorsportblog]

GASLY WINS BONKERS GRAND PRIX

Pierre Gasly won his first-ever Formula 1 Grand Prix, with a stunning drive at Monza, to see off a challenge from Carlos Sainz after Mercedes threw victory away.

It’s also Alpha Tauri’s first win since being rebranded, their only other victory coming with Sebastian Vettel in 2008, at the same circuit, only the second victory for a team who has its roots back with the formation of Minardi back in 1985.

The race start saw Daniel Ricciardo on the grass on the way into turn one, the McLaren pair of Sainz and Lando Norris got past Bottas into turns one and four, whilst eventual winner Gasly had contact with Albon, which forced the Red Bull off via the grass.

Bottas then fell behind Sergio Perez on the exit of the second Lesmo and behind Ricciardo, with the Renault sneaking through on the way into the Ascari chicane.

The order at the end of lap one read: Hamilton, Sainz, Norris, Perez, Ricciardo, Bottas, Verstappen, Stroll, Ocon and then Gasly, with Kimi Raikkonen also getting a great start to find himself up in P12.

Stroll then got past Verstappen into turn one for P7, only for the Dutchman to get back past a lap later, whilst lap six saw Sebastian Vettel’s race finish, a brake failure at turn one saw him cruise back the pits to retire.

Kevin Magnussen was the next driver to retire from the race, pulling over on the exit of Parabolica by the pit lane entry, bringing out the Safety Car, and prompting fateful decisions from Alfa Romeo and Mercedes to pit Giovinazzi and Hamilton while the pit lane was closed, landing both drivers a 10 second Stop/Go penalty.

Lap 24 saw racing resume, but not for long, Charles Leclerc put a stunning move on both Alfa Romeo’s to move into P4, only to fly off the road at the Parabolica in a huge crash, ending Ferrari’s home race in a double DNF.

Damage to the barrier brought out the red flag after a couple of safety car laps.

Lap 28 saw a standing start get the race back underway with Hamilton leading before his penalty, Raikkonen rose up to third, whilst Lance Stroll blew his chance of winning the race, dropping back from P2 off the start, and running wide at T4 to drop him even further behind.

Hamilton came in at the end of the lap and handed the lead to Gasly, who wouldn’t relinquish it from there on in, whilst Max Verstappen pitted to retire.

Raikkonen held on until lap 34, when he fell behind Sainz, Stroll, Norris, Bottas, and Ricciardo all on successive laps to fall down to P7.

Having come back out in last, Hamilton was back into the points, at the expense of Raikkonen by lap 46, he ended up P7, and set the fastest lap.

However all the attention turned to the battle for the lead, with Sainz closing in lap after lap on Gasly, constantly threatening but unable to find away through, despite having a lead of just 0.8 seconds with two laps to go, the Frenchman held on to take a famous victory, and surely the first of many, the last man to win for the team here went on to be a 4-time World Champion.

Further down the field, Nicholas Latifi finished 11th, agonisingly just outside of the points, whilst George Russell came home in 14th, in Sir Frank and Claire Williams’ final race for their family team, before handing the reigns over to Dorilton Capital.

Gasly becomes the first Frenchman to win in F1 since Olivier Panis at Monaco in 1996, and it’s the first win for a non-Mercedes/Ferrari/Red Bull driver since Kimi Raikkonen in Australia for Lotus back in 2013.

RACE RESULT:

GASLY SAINZ STROLL

NORRIS BOTTAS RICCIARDO HAMILTON OCON KVYAT PEREZ

LATIFI GROSJEAN RAIKKONEN RUSSELL ALBON GIOVINAZZI

VERSTAPPEN LECLERC MAGNUSSEN VETTEL

[themotorsportblog]

SCHUMACHER STROLLS TO VICTORY

Mick Schumacher recovered perfectly from yesterday’s qualifying crash to stroll to victory in the F2 Feature Race after Callum Ilott stalled in the pits to cost him victory.

Ilott missed, what was effectively an open goal, after his title rival Robert Shwartzman was running outside of the top 10, meaning he could’ve retaken the Championship lead.

Schumacher made a perfect getaway, shooting through a number of cars to take P2 on the way into turn one, as behind him Ghiotto and Tsunoda dropped to P4 and P5, and Marcus Armstrong climbed his way up in to P11.

The German then challenged Ilott into turn one for the lead on lap four, but to no avail, as further behind Tsunoda retook P3 from Christian Lundgaard, only for Lundgaard retook the position into Parabolica, only for the Japanese driver to run wide and floor it to then get back ahead, somehow not earning a penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Lap 6 saw Lundgaard get past the Carlin again at T1, as the pair went three-wide with Luca Ghiotto, who ended getting squeezed off the road, and also lost P5 to Roy Nissany into T4.

Tsunoda and Ghiotto then retook the positions before Ilott opted to pit from the lead, he then stalled as he tried to pull away and dropped right down the order.

This handed Schumacher the lead, as Nissany pushed Mazepin off the road at the first chicane, pushing him through the gravel and dropping him down the field.

Schumacher then pitted from the lead, and Ghiotto followed a lap later after leading, and he jumped Tsunoda for P3.

Mazepin’s afternoon then went from bad to worse as he dramatically slowed on the way to the Parabolica, dropping him to P19, but crucially, was able to get going once more.

Dan Ticktum then decided to pit from the lead, having run the alternate strategy, and he emerged ahead of Ilott, only to be passed under braking into the second chicane.

Ilott was on a charge, he fought his way into P7, getting past Armstrong into T1 and closing in on and passing title rival Shwartzman at the same place, just a lap later for P6.

Behind the charging Ilott, who also took P5 from Deletraz, the MP Motorsport cars made contact for the second weekend in a row, with Matsushita forcing Drugovich off the road again, into the second chicane whilst battling for P14.

Luca Ghiotto then lined up Lundgaard for P2 into turn one on lap 28, Lundgaard tried to challenge the Italian into the second chicane, but ran out of road and dropped back.

Zhou got back past Ilott, but fortunately for him, Shwartzman also lost P8 and reverse grid pole to Dan Ticktum with just two laps to go.

Ticktum also got P7 on the final lap, relegating Deletraz to P8, but Schumacher ran to the line unchallenged to take his first win of the season, and close in on the Championship lead, now joint between Ilott and Shwartzman, ahead of tomorrow’s Sprint Race.

RACE RESULT:

SCHUMACHER GHIOTTO - FASTEST LAP LUNDGAARD

TSUNODA ZHOU ILOTT TICKTUM DELETRAZ - REVERSE GRID POLE SHWARTZMAN DARUVALA

VIPS PIQUET AITKEN ARMSTRONG MATSUSHITA DRUGOVICH MARKELOV ALESI NISSANY SATO SAMAIA

MAZEPIN - DNF