The Red Bull driver’s exhilarating charge from 19th to fifth at the Russian Grand Prix showed character and maturityStrong-willed, opinionated, uncompromising: Max Verstappen has always insisted that, when it came to his driving, only one person knew best – Max. Even under a barrage of criticism this season Verstappen vowed he would not change his style. Related: Mercedes team orders leave a sour taste in Sochi as Ferrari struggle again Continue reading...
Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Russia was not ideal but nor was it a repeat of Austria 2002. The Scuderia have much to ponderThe spectre of Austria 2002 continues to hang over every instance of teams employing orders. When Ferrari made Rubens Barrichello move over for Michael Schumacher it was a decision of such cynical overkill it rightly remains infamous. At that point the season was only five races old, Schumacher had won four of them and had twice as many points as his nearest challenger, Juan Pablo Montoya. It was simply unnecessary. Team orders were banned afterwards but it was a rule that proved unenforceable and since 2011 they have been legal. In Russia Mercedes’ decision to make Valtteri Bottas...
Talented French driver was being groomed for a Mercedes seat but a smoothly proceeding career has been turned on its headThere is a sense going into the Russian Grand Prix this weekend that, for the short term at least, it is the last-chance saloon for Esteban Ocon. The talented young French driver revealed this week he is in talks with Williams for a potential seat in 2019. If he does not secure the drive he will almost certainly be out of Formula One next year. Much as young driver programmes are proving invaluable to making it through the F1 ranks, on a partisan grid they can come back to bite you.Ocon drives for Force India in his second full season...
Ferrari’s strategy came up short, Max Verstappen underlined his potential and the future of F1 was leaked on social mediaA weekend that had begun with such optimism for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari ended with the team and driver bearing the demeanour of the defeated. They should have done better. Vettel had hit the wall in FP2, ending his session. He insisted it made no difference to his preparation but crucially second practice was the only one run in exactly the same night conditions as qualifying. Lewis Hamilton pointedly noted that small events have ramifications and he was right. The race might have been different had Vettel been on pole but, forced to go aggressive, Ferrari’s strategy failed. The undercut did...
The 20-year-old Sauber rookie is calm, assured and mature beyond his years, handling tragedy with remarkable composure and F1 with excellent pace and outstanding racecraftThrowing young talent into the heat of the battle at the very front of the Formula One grid is a bold move. For Ferrari, who have chosen to do just that by promoting the 20-year-old rookie Charles Leclerc to the team for next season, it is also out of character, given their usually more conservative approach to appointing drivers. Yet the Scuderia are far from taking a chance with Leclerc, one of the most exciting talents in the sport, who has proved he has the attributes to partner Sebastian Vettel in the most prestigious drive in...