German won four championships and grew from spiky young antagonist to universally loved pillar of the sportBowing out with the crowd on their feet delivering a standing ovation and chanting your name is perhaps the fondest farewell a competitor can hope for. In Abu Dhabi on Sunday Sebastian Vettel called time on his Formula One career with just such a reception. Admired and respected, Vettel’s departure genuinely leaves the sport a little bit poorer.The 35-year-old completed his final GP at Yas Marina after 16 years in F1 and having won four world championships. It has been some career and notably for a perceptive, thoughtful character, one not of a straightforward trajectory. Here then was a man ending his career amidst...
The double world champion is failing to see the bigger picture by not returning the favour to his Red Bull teammateAppearing to bear a grudge is far from a good look and for a double Formula One world champion it cannot help but diminish the sheen of success. Max Verstappen might have felt he made a point in refusing to give up his place to teammate Sergio Pérez at the São Paulo Grand Prix but his actions came across like those of an irascible child, self-obsessed to the point of being unable to grasp the needlessness of his actions nor the potential harm they might bring on himself in future.At Interlagos, George Russell took his first F1 win and Mercedes’...
Red Bull’s breach of budget cap during driver’s 2021 title season continues to create a toxic atmosphere within the sportFormula One’s budget cap was intended to draw financial lines in the sand. With the furore of its breach by Red Bull still echoing, it appears to have instead become a rallying call to form battle lines in what is an increasingly combative and toxic atmosphere bemoaned by many within the sport.Red Bull were deemed to have broken the £114m budget cap for 2021 by £1.86m and acknowledged this in an “accepted breach agreement” with the FIA. The team conceded they had broken the cap and accepted a £6.05m fine and a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time. Continue reading...
Exceptional performance on and off the track means both drivers’ and constructors’ titles will soon be wrapped upMax Verstappen may be pushing the pedals in Singapore on Sunday as he attempts to seal his second Formula One world championship but the Dutchman and the rest of the paddock know it is his Red Bull team who have been masterfully pulling the strings this season.Verstappen’s march to the title has been so fearsome it now seems almost as if it was inevitable from the off, yet this was far from the case. 2022 has been a masterclass from an F1 team firing at every level. Red Bull have stepped up at the sharp end with such confidence and precision that they...
After slow start Dutch driver has shown imperious calm and, backed by his masterful team, a second world title is imminent“It’s not going to spoil my day,” was Max Verstappen’s deadpan response when asked about the booing he received on the podium after victory at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. The Dutchman even wore a wry smile as he shrugged it off. As well he might, the rumble of discontent from Monza’s tifosi an insignificant background to the resounding success that has all but secured his second Formula One world championship.After a nail-biting conclusion to last season, when his contest with Lewis Hamilton went to the wire of that controversial decider in Abu Dhabi, this year could not stand in...