The F1 title race comes down to fine margins and the absence of racing knowledge at Ferrari has been evident as Mercedes has taken controlWhen Sebastian Vettel poked the nose of his Ferrari alongside the flank of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull as they hurtled into Suzuka’s Spoon corner on the eighth lap of Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, he was doing what racing drivers do. Or so he claimed later.“If I don’t go for that gap, and the gap is there,” he said, “I might as well stay at home.” Related: McLaren reach their nadir in Japan as Vietnam prepares to welcome F1 | Giles Richards Continue reading...
The Japanese Grand Prix was a miserable one for McLaren, while for Toro Rosso and Red Bull there were positive signsFernando Alonso’s ire at the Japanese Grand Prix after he was penalised for leaving the track and gaining an advantage after being pushed off by Lance Stroll at the chicane might have been the low point of the Spaniard’s weekend. But for the team, qualifying in Japan will be a moment they would rather forget. Suzuka’s magnificent layout is one of the great tests in F1, it rewards a good car and exposes the failings of others. McLaren looked terribly vulnerable. They were comfortably the slowest cars in qualifying – a statement that would have been dismissed as comic a...
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...