A sixth world title – one shy of Michael Schumacher’s record – is odds-on for the Briton but elsewhere there’s all to play for, especially in F1’s midfield and for Alexander AlbonHaving enjoyed his best opening 12 races, Lewis Hamilton is in position to seal his sixth world championship with his most successful season. That the title, which will move him above Juan Manuel Fangio and behind only Michael Schumacher, is in his grasp is beyond doubt. He has already won eight races, to lead his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by 62 points, and Hamilton usually only improves on the run-in. Last year he won four of the first five races after the summer break; nine races remain, starting with...
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...
Scuderia admit risks need to be taken in Montreal, it’s looking good for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s season is becoming a fast track of learning experiencesMercedes came within a whisker of losing a win that was in their hands in Monaco. Having put Lewis Hamilton on the medium tyres, the team principal, Toto Wolff, admitted the British driver had saved their race in bringing his car home and preventing Max Verstappen having a chance to pass. It was welcome for giving the race a tense climax that would otherwise have been lacking. Hamilton was vocal about his concerns throughout, which have been criticised but are the understandable complaining of a driver in a pressure situation he could do nothing...
In the absence of Ferrari and Mercedes, the new documentary allows characters like the acerbic Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner, to shine and show F1’s human faceSkill, drama, spectacle and of course entertainment are the elements that should drive Formula One with, hopefully, a fine narrative to push the show along. Netflix certainly believes the sport has a story to tell, even though the two biggest names involved – Ferrari and Mercedes – refused to play ball when their cameras roamed the paddock last season. The result, Formula 1: Drive To Survive, is released on Friday and as it turns out, Netflix perhaps achieved something even more intriguing in their absence.The 10-part series was made by executive producer James Gay-Rees,...
Ferrari lead the field, Red Bull-Honda are showing promise and the midfield scrap looks set to be even more hotly contestedThat Ferrari have a good, potentially great, car this year was clear by the end of the first day of testing when Sebastian Vettel was positively purring at how the SF90 had performed. By the end of day eight, his optimism had been entirely justified and they must be considered favourites going into the first race in Melbourne on 17 March. Definitive judgments from testing are dangerous but the Scuderia’s form is impossible to ignore. Vettel set the fastest lap, with a time of 1min 16.221sec. They completed 997 laps in total, second only to Mercedes, while their engines look...