Silverstone is as British as it gets, but Formula One cannot escape the divisions gripping its homelandIs there anything more quintessentially British than the Grand Prix at Silverstone? A petrol-fuelled romp in the heart of the Midlands couched among country lanes and English villages, the 52-lap race is an unmissable fixture in the sporting summer. This weekend delivered excitement, nostalgia and glory, all wrapped in a neat carbon‑shaped package.The 10th round of the Formula One world championship faced stiff competition this year, with both Wimbledon and the Cricket World Cup scheduled for the same Sunday. Such clash of commitments suggests that major sporting event planners should coordinate timetables; if not for viewing numbers, at least to ease the FOMO (fear...
Max Verstappen won the Austrian GP but by the time he was declared the victor there was almost nobody left at the circuitFor a sport in which speed and quick reaction time go hand in hand, the torturously slow wait for the winner of the Austrian Grand Prix to be declared seemed almost wilfully perverse. More than three hours passed after Max Verstappen had taken the chequered flag before he was officially confirmed as the victor, by which time everyone bar the packer-uppers and journalists had left the track. Related: Ferrari reluctantly accept stewards’ call on Verstappen incident Continue reading...
Title leader underlines dominance at French Grand Prix, while fellow Briton takes the eye with slick manoeuvre and McLaren put Renault to the swordLewis Hamilton may have been almost apologetic after his dominant French Grand Prix win as he appealed for the drivers not be blamed when F1 served up an uninspiring afternoon. However he also pointed out that it had not been easy in the cockpit, nor would there be any relaxation of his overwhelming desire to win. His authority is already stamped on the championship. Sebastian Vettel has fallen away and what threat Valtteri Bottas posed has faltered, perhaps irretrievably. Related: Lewis Hamilton insists rule makers should ask drivers to help improve F1 Related: Lewis Hamilton: F1 governance...
F1 connoisseurs were virtually unanimous in their views over the penalty that not only robbed Sebastian Vettel in Canada but also ruined a classic finish between the world’s best two driversAs a simmering Sebastian Vettel stalked into the room where the top three drivers in a grand prix wipe away their sweat and prepare to mount the podium, the only vacant seat was one under a large portrait of another Ferrari driver, a hero of the past. As well as being the man who gave his name to the circuit on which the Canadian Grand Prix had just been held, Gilles Villeneuve remains a symbol of motor racing at its most daring and flamboyant.Villeneuve was killed in 1982, halfway through...
The three-times world champion witnessed the death of more than 50 of his fellow drivers and campaigned successfully to reduce the chance of such events happening againTwo days after Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, Sir Jackie Stewart, the driver who was instrumental in shaping modern Formula One, will celebrate his 80th birthday: a milestone for the three-times world champion in the year that also marks the 50th since he won his first world title in 1969. The difference between F1 then and now could not be more marked.Death stalked racing in Stewart’s day and that the sport is relatively safe now owes a huge debt to the Scot. His role in pressing for change is well known, but perhaps less so...