Lewis Hamilton is aiming for an eighth title but faces a tough challenge from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio PérezCar W12 Engine Mercedes Principal Toto Wolff Debut France 1954 GPs 227 Titles 7 Last season champions Continue reading...
The next two F1 races in Canada and France will be key for a team hoping to break the monopoly at the topDaniel Ricciardo knew the scale of the task he was taking on when he left Red Bull for Renault last year and he did it, as ever, with a beaming smile. The Australian was venturing into a long-term project he hopes will present him with the chance to compete with his former team, as well as Ferrari and Mercedes, for the world championship. It was a bold move based on being convinced that Renault’s plan, investment and organisation would be in contention after several years.In Monaco last weekend, a circuit Ricciardo has truly mastered, not least with his...
Former world champion’s typically forthright reaction after US Grand Prix reveals frustration of five-year wait for victoryKimi Räikkönen is clearly a popular winner and there was a sense of relief that in his fifth year since rejoining Ferrari he returned his first win for the team in his second stint. It was a long time coming, 2,044 days since his last victory, for Lotus at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. “Fucking finally” was the Finn’s typically forthright reaction. He had earned it, with a perfectly executed drive begun by beating Lewis Hamilton through turn one. Ferrari may have dispensed with his services next season but the US Grand Prix proved that Sauber will have a driver still able to bring...
On the eve of their home grand prix, the Austrian team believe a new engine could provide an incentive for their senior driver to remain with themThe Red Bull team owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, must have felt somewhat aggrieved that the timing when he finally secured a race in Austria – under whose flag his team race – proved to be, well, just out. With four drivers’ and constructors’ championships between 2010 and 2013, when Mateschitz brought Formula One back to what had inevitably been rechristened the Red Bull Ring in 2014, a glorious homecoming might have been expected.What transpired fell far short and his team have almost been in transition ever since. As they return to Spielberg a new chapter...
Sport made to look stupid as Australian with two victories this season may be demoted to the back of the grid in MontrealThe unadulterated delight Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo displayed after winning in Monaco was entirely understandable. After finally claiming the Monte Carlo victory he so desperately wanted, riding a wave of ecstatic emotion was wholly deserved. This week at the Canadian Grand Prix, however, the Australian will be brought back to earth with a painful reminder of the realities of Formula One. He will doubtless still be grinning but likely through gritted teeth in Montreal.Ricciardo’s joy in Monaco came in the redemption he had sought after a pit‑stop error by the team cost him a win in 2016. He...