The feisty Dutchman cost himself victory in Brazil and caused a lot of trouble by not letting the Force India driver unlap himselfYoung, feisty, uncompromising, unapologetic and talented – we already knew that about Max Verstappen but it turns out he is sweary too and not adverse to being a tad fighty. If he is auditioning as a role model for teenage rebels, this wild one may as well be fitted for his “What’ve you got?” leathers now.Yet for all the uproar and condemnation of his altercation with Esteban Ocon at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the incident, a moment of public emotion increasingly rare in F1, should be the least of his regrets after Sunday’s race. Related: Max Verstappen hits...
Liberty wants to expand Formula One to ‘destination cities’ but it will need to win over teams who want a reduced seasonThe Communist-ruled republic of Vietnam and Formula One might not be the most likely of bedfellows. Yet confirmation that the country’s first grand prix will take place on the streets of Hanoi in 2020 is of little surprise given F1’s global expansion over the past two decades.F1’s owner, Liberty Media, wants new markets to expand their fanbase. Vietnam, like so many other modern F1 venues, is angling for the prestige and worldwide audience that influences investment and tourism long after the chequered flag is waved. It is a simple equation then, but one at which Liberty at least is...
Five-times champion is the dominant force in grands prix and on social media, with no other driver coming close to his publicity generating profile in the wider worldTwo years into their tenure as the owners of Formula One and Liberty Media have known only one champion. With Lewis Hamilton taking the title in four of the last five years Liberty have inherited a period of singular supremacy by the British driver. Ordinarily this might be cause for concern as they seek to expand the sport but right now they must be positively relieved that if there is to be a dominant star, it is Hamilton.Hamilton and his Mercedes team have been the pre-eminent force in F1 since 2014. They have...
Mercedes maestro has complimented his adherence to grand prix track etiquette with a trail-blazing love of rap music and fashion designAs Lewis Hamilton has just discovered, five is a magical number in motor racing. It means one thing and one thing only. It is the number of times Juan Manuel Fangio won the drivers’ world championship in Formula One between 1951 and 1957. For almost half a century, that feat looked as likely to be equalled as Don Bradman’s Test average. Like the Australian genius, the Argentinian maestro enjoyed an eminence setting him apart not just from his contemporaries but from those who preceded and those who followed his era.Then along came Michael Schumacher, who rewrote every significant record –...
The reigning champion is already the third British driver to clinch the crown in Mexico, following Surtees and Hill, but he will hope to do it in finer style than he did last yearIt seems almost certain that Lewis Hamilton will finally close out his fifth world title in Mexico City on Sunday, seven days after being denied in Austin. He will take huge pleasure in having done so regardless of where it is secured yet it is not hard to imagine that he will want to give this remarkable achievement a fitting finale, one of panache, confidence and control to reflect a superlative season.John Surtees, without doubt among motor sport’s greats, won his championship here in one of F1’s...