Red Bulls Max Verstappen was flawless at Interlagos, altitude sickness for Mercedes and a happy birthday for HondaWhat a difference a year makes. Max Verstappen, after his travails at this race last year, where he was hit by Esteban Ocon while leading, could not have delivered a more impressive performance. Since his crash in practice at Monaco last year he has returned a more complete driver. Red Bulls team principal, Christian Horner, has praised how far he has come and believes he has the ability to beat Lewis Hamilton in a straight fight. On this evidence it would be an unmissable battle. Weaknesses remain qualifying at Mexico was a glaring error but in Brazil he was calm, controlled and flawless...
Rookie from Stevenage has won a grand prix in every one of his 13 seasons and matured into an F1 champion of substanceLewis Hamilton is no longer the bright-eyed, fresh-faced prodigy who burst into Formula One at the age of 22. Approaching the middle of his fourth decade, he is a more guarded, reflective man who makes sure every scrap of experience built up over almost 250 grands prix is exploited as, having seen off his contemporaries, he holds a new generation of wonderkids at bay.At the moment, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon and Lando Norris can only stand back and admire the achievements of a driver, once a prodigy like them, who has propelled himself to a position...
Hamilton’s extraordinary feat is built on daunting consistency and he will now want to beat Michael Schumacher’s recordA sixth world championship is an extraordinary achievement by any standard but in reaching it Lewis Hamilton has indisputably proved he is the best driver I have ever seen. People speak about the greats but the way Lewis has gone about racing I believe makes him the greatest. I am in awe of what I see, even as an ex-racing driver.From everything I know from the history of F1, from competing and watching racing, from Juan Manuel Fangio through Jimmy Clark and Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and all the other...
Lewis Hamilton continues in his own sweet way, Mercedes back-up provides total support, Ferrari slip-up again and Renault sound a warningThe world champion elect, Lewis Hamilton, will surely claim his sixth title at the next round in Austin. Were any further proof required that he has been almost untouchable this season, Mexico served up definitive evidence. With Mercedes at their bogey circuit, they required a perfect strategy and the perfect driver to pull it off. Having got through the hair-raising moments of the opening laps, Hamilton put his head down and set about making the most of his team’s superlative call. The data suggested the hard tyre could go for approximately 41 laps. Hamilton needed to make it work for...
Plan announced this week to host race in Florida city faces opposition from some local people due to its impact and noise“A vacuum humping a goat”. Well, try and banish the picture, if that is possible, but consider instead the sound. An unholy conjugation of machine and animal from which Formula One would surely like to keep its distance.This description of the sound of F1 cars is not the aural sculpture the sport wants associated with its expansion in North America. Yet said development, in the form of this week’s announcement of an agreement in principle to host a race in Miami, may yet see the delightfully colourful phrase bandied around for a while longer. Related: Mercedes flex muscles in...