Dutchman would have been in line to replace Hamilton at Mercedes if the champion moves to Ferrari but instead he may be the man who keeps Honda in the sportJust days into the new year, with many good intentions already falling by the wayside, Max Verstappen has displayed the boldest of resolve. The Dutchman’s decision to re-sign with Red Bull until the end of 2023 is a commitment of confidence in the future of the team that brought him into Formula One. He clearly believes they can deliver a title-challenging car and in a month marked by attempts to be abstemious, Verstappen’s signature is just the stiffener Red Bull and their engine supplier Honda required.Verstappen will enter his sixth season...
Hamilton’s sixth title and Leclerc’s brilliant debut season shone this year, while Williams were left licking their wounds Related: Ferrari’s historic penchant for a good crisis remains – 90 years down the track | Richard Williams Related: Lewis Hamilton is not only a peerless champion, he is the face of F1 | Giles Richards Related: Lewis Hamilton speaking to Ferrari about ending F1 career with team Continue reading...
Red Bulls Max Verstappen was flawless at Interlagos, altitude sickness for Mercedes and a happy birthday for HondaWhat a difference a year makes. Max Verstappen, after his travails at this race last year, where he was hit by Esteban Ocon while leading, could not have delivered a more impressive performance. Since his crash in practice at Monaco last year he has returned a more complete driver. Red Bulls team principal, Christian Horner, has praised how far he has come and believes he has the ability to beat Lewis Hamilton in a straight fight. On this evidence it would be an unmissable battle. Weaknesses remain qualifying at Mexico was a glaring error but in Brazil he was calm, controlled and flawless...
The track drew praise from several drivers after Sunday’s British GP for encouraging competitive racing and it also benefited from the stewards allowing hard but fair racingWith the signing of a new contract to host F1 for a further five years there was a celebratory air at Silverstone. That F1 had done the right thing was confirmed in spades on Sunday, when the old airfield delivered a marvellous race. The drivers revelled in it and the opportunity for genuine racing it affords. F1’s problems in following closely have not gone away but they are negated on good tracks. Silverstone’s layout encourages a fight and several of the corner sequences give drivers the chance to come back during an attempted pass...
Max Verstappen won the Austrian GP but by the time he was declared the victor there was almost nobody left at the circuitFor a sport in which speed and quick reaction time go hand in hand, the torturously slow wait for the winner of the Austrian Grand Prix to be declared seemed almost wilfully perverse. More than three hours passed after Max Verstappen had taken the chequered flag before he was officially confirmed as the victor, by which time everyone bar the packer-uppers and journalists had left the track. Related: Ferrari reluctantly accept stewards’ call on Verstappen incident Continue reading...