The Monte Carlo race, besides producing dull racing, posed the question: ‘When is a grid girl not a grid girl?’ The answer: ‘When she’s a female sponsorship representative’Before the weekend a representative from Formula One management had been insistent that the race would not host the return of grid girls. In January when they were dropped the commercial director, Sean Bratches, said grid girls were “at odds with modern day societal norms” and “not appropriate or relevant to F1”. Monaco’s “female sponsorship representatives” would not be standing in front of grid slots nor holding boards identifying drivers, therefore they were not, F1 avowed, grid girls. Which on Sunday transpired to be arrant nonsense. Monaco most definitely had grid girls. Standing...
Red Bull driver looks to make amends for team’s blunder two years ago and may succeed after being fastest on the first day of practicePerhaps the most personable driver in the Formula One paddock, even in adversity, Daniel Ricciardo usually has the ability to ease the pain of setbacks with an endearing, self-deprecating humour. Little wonder then that the Red Bull driver’s thunderous disappointment and anger at the pit-stop error that cost him a win at Monaco in 2016 was so arresting and of such import that two years on, back in Monte Carlo, he is still seeking redemption. This weekend he may just find it.In 2016, Mercedes had been dominant in the turbo-hybrid era for three years and Red...
How Mercedes fare in Barcelona will be telling – they must work the tyres at the correct temperature to unlock performanceLewis Hamilton was absolutely honest after his unlikely victory in Baku. He knew he had inherited a win that with three laps to go was looking like a third place and a further deficit to Sebastian Vettel in the world championship. He came out of it on top and rightly did not opt to celebrate as he might have were it a harder won victory. He is four points ahead of Vettel but made it clear that relying on good fortune would not be enough in what is shaping up to be a highly contested season. The reality, Hamilton knows,...
The Australian showed touches of real quality to win in Shanghai but Max Verstappen is still making mistakesDaniel Ricciardo’s skill at overtaking was never in doubt but his remarkable performance in China was confirmation of just how far he is willing to go. “I know what I can do in the car,” he said before the Australian Grand Prix. “Even if there is a 10% possibility then I am going to do it.” He made good on this promise with aplomb in Shanghai. His pass on Lewis Hamilton was a perfect combination of timing and late-braking but the move on Valtteri Bottas was something else. Ricciardo knew the win was within his grasp but where other drivers may have been...
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen showed Red Bull can be a force while Fernando Alonso gave McLaren reason to be cheerful Related: Australian Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel wins F1 opener with Lewis Hamilton second Continue reading...