The Briton was peerless throughout the weekend in Texas and his wait to become Britain’s most successful driver has surely been delayed only one weekUltimately then, after opening with a pre-race ceremony of razzmatazz and showbiz theatrics, the US Grand Prix was not to be the stage on which Lewis Hamilton delivered the dramatic finale of claiming his fourth Formula One world championship. The win he had looked like delivering all weekend was duly secured but Sebastian Vettel taking second place has ensured their title fight will go to the next round in Mexico.Yet Hamilton has as good as claimed the crown with a drive of verve, composure and dominance that he has delivered so often this season. Not content...
Liberty Media’s $8bn acquisition of Formula One in January has given rise to fresh questions about the series’ intentions in the United StatesAbout an hour’s drive from where I live, in the coastal hinterlands of South Carolina, lies the city of Savannah, Georgia. And every so often I’ll cross the border for a taste of the big city.On one such excursion a few months back, while walking through a neighborhood on the fringe of Savannah’s tourist district, I found myself doubling back to examine a historical marker for something called the American Grand Prize. What’s its connection to Sunday’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas? Well, it’s the granddaddy, an early milepost on the way to Formula One as...
Lewis Hamilton may decide against kneeling for the US anthem in Austin but his interest in political issues is a welcome change in the world of F1Lewis Hamilton is the most fascinating character in Formula One and thankfully so. It is a sport whose participants have become so stage-managed as to have hidden their personalities behind a slick corporate veneer. Hamilton has been steadfast in remaining true to himself. At the US Grand Prix this weekend, he may do so again but with potentially huge and also perhaps unexpected repercussions. If the British driver chooses to kneel during the US national anthem on Sunday, it would put him at the heart of one of the most divisive conflicts between politics and...
Vettel’s contest with Hamilton and Mercedes looks as good as over, Force India bemoan budgets and ESPN to take over from NBCLewis Hamilton grasped his chance, as he always does, with both hands at Suzuka. He had done all the preparation, putting his Mercedes on pole and with Sebastian Vettel out on lap four, he converted it to maximise the damage. The championship is within his grasp but for neutrals this outcome feels like a shame, after a season that had promised to go to the last race. However, Ferrari’s team principal, Maurizio Arrivabene, is not giving up. “We will fight until the last race. The last lap. The last turn,” he said. But in truth, short of a two-race...
The driver controlled his pace out front, matched Lewis Hamilton in every department and showed why he is a prodigious talent with a competitive carIt has been a torrid year for Max Verstappen, who, following pre-season hopes that he would be in a championship fight, were swiftly dashed after seven DNFs. Taking the much-deserved win in Malaysia was a testament to how, despite his sometimes obvious frustration, he has kept his mind on the game. He had said at the Hungarian Grand Prix that he was focusing on making the best of every weekend regardless of the setbacks and when he finally had an opportunity to do so he made it count. Related: Lewis Hamilton: I was lucky to take...