Sebastian Vettel has a 14-point lead in his Ferrari but the second half of the racing year sees the majority of races favouring the Mercedes’ setup and Lewis HamiltonRefreshed, recharged and ready to go again, Formula One enters the second half of the season with the prospect of the remaining nine races proving just as enthralling as the first 11. Where better to reignite the fight than the magnificent challenge of Spa, where Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel will recommence a contest that is likely to go down to the last race?Vettel has the advantage, leading Hamilton by 14 points, but on race wins the pair are even with four apiece. Vettel deserves his lead. He is always at his...
Mercedes and Ferrari have identified the last race before the summer break as crucial but there will also be scrutiny for those not caught up in the title battleOnly one race remains before Formula One takes its annual rest for the summer – a break that after the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend may weigh heavier on some shoulders than others. The next few days will be potentially as instructive in the fight for the world championship as any we have seen thus far. Only a sliver separates Lewis Hamilton from Sebastian Vettel at the top of the table but Budapest has more import than just who will hold the lead when racing returns at Spa at the end of...
British driver shoots himself in the foot days before his home grand prix at Silverstone just as he finally seems to be feeling the love he cravesSilverstone will host a legion of fans this weekend revelling in Lewis Hamilton’s skill behind the wheel, yet this master of the Formula One universe still harbours doubts as to how they really feel about him. Willing and wilful, his character is compelling and complex, so it may be little wonder he still feels the need to prove himself to the British public.Hamilton, who trails Sebastian Vettel by 20 points in the championship, has three world titles and one more would make the 32-year-old the most successful British driver of all time. There has...
Decision to give Vettel a slapped wrist after he side-swiped Lewis Hamilton at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has possibly had a more negative effect than the collisionThe FIA might have declared case closed after taking no further action against Sebastian Vettel for his collision with Lewis Hamilton at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but outside the boardroom it appears to be anything but. The ruling has served only to intensify the spotlight on the incident and its aftermath. Vettel issued his mea culpa to the investigation on Monday and was sent home with a slapped wrist. A decision as surprising as it was at odds with many principles the governing body promotes and which has raised further questions and more controversy.Vettel’s stop-go...
Baku’s incendiary incident provided priceless publicity for the sport but its subsequent judgments need to be more understandable for drivers and fansThe 2017 Formula One season finally reached ignition point in Baku and what a glorious conflagration it has started. Who can not be revelling in the prospect of a championship fight between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel defined not by the buddy movie soundbites of mutual respect that had preceded it but by the edge and needle that characterises F1’s truly great rivalries. What had been a gripping tussle for the title now might just have the ingredients to match the heights of Senna v Prost and Piquet v Mansell.It was, fittingly, a heated moment itself that brought the...