Sport made to look stupid as Australian with two victories this season may be demoted to the back of the grid in MontrealThe unadulterated delight Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo displayed after winning in Monaco was entirely understandable. After finally claiming the Monte Carlo victory he so desperately wanted, riding a wave of ecstatic emotion was wholly deserved. This week at the Canadian Grand Prix, however, the Australian will be brought back to earth with a painful reminder of the realities of Formula One. He will doubtless still be grinning but likely through gritted teeth in Montreal.Ricciardo’s joy in Monaco came in the redemption he had sought after a pit‑stop error by the team cost him a win in 2016. He...
Lewis Hamilton and Prince Albert might well have the wellbeing of the celebrated grand prix at heart but there is a danger that the sport is losing its romanceThere’s a rule of thumb around talking down the product, a “doing a Ratner” kind of thing, and by God does it apply to sport. Such is the competitive nature of the business, and of the individuals involved, that saying anything remotely critical about an activity in general or a performance more specifically is about as likely as watching a free-to-air Test match.So the aftermath of the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday was quite something to behold. “This is probably the most boring race ever,” was Fernando Alonso’s considered opinion. “Extremely boring.”...
The Monte Carlo race, besides producing dull racing, posed the question: ‘When is a grid girl not a grid girl?’ The answer: ‘When she’s a female sponsorship representative’Before the weekend a representative from Formula One management had been insistent that the race would not host the return of grid girls. In January when they were dropped the commercial director, Sean Bratches, said grid girls were “at odds with modern day societal norms” and “not appropriate or relevant to F1”. Monaco’s “female sponsorship representatives” would not be standing in front of grid slots nor holding boards identifying drivers, therefore they were not, F1 avowed, grid girls. Which on Sunday transpired to be arrant nonsense. Monaco most definitely had grid girls. Standing...
Red Bull driver looks to make amends for team’s blunder two years ago and may succeed after being fastest on the first day of practicePerhaps the most personable driver in the Formula One paddock, even in adversity, Daniel Ricciardo usually has the ability to ease the pain of setbacks with an endearing, self-deprecating humour. Little wonder then that the Red Bull driver’s thunderous disappointment and anger at the pit-stop error that cost him a win at Monaco in 2016 was so arresting and of such import that two years on, back in Monte Carlo, he is still seeking redemption. This weekend he may just find it.In 2016, Mercedes had been dominant in the turbo-hybrid era for three years and Red...
Silverstone organisers quiet over the British Grand Prix’s future and Williams identify the root cause of their difficultiesLewis Hamilton’s dominant win from the front proved he and his car were the class of the field in Barcelona. There is no sense, however, that Mercedes have solved their problems nor that they will necessarily enjoy such an advantage again. This season it is all still to play for. Related: Lewis Hamilton wins Spanish Grand Prix to stretch lead in F1 title race Continue reading...