Struggling team show determination to climb the F1 ladder with a 20-year-old driver who brings no cash but wads of talentLewis Hamilton’s extraordinary run of success may well reach a glorious finale in Austin on Sunday but at the other end of the grid the US Grand Prix represents the first race since Williams resolved to make a new beginning. The once mighty team made a bold statement last week by signing George Russell for 2019.This season is gone for Williams but they can be optimistic, knowing they have publicly committed to hauling themselves back up the F1 ladder. Taking on the 20-year-old British driver was no small matter for the beleaguered team and should be applauded. Related: F1: British...
After a dramatic race Minttu has her say; Ferrari handles the conditions; McLaren and Williams hang their headsWhat had been a thrilling race to the end was still disappointing for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes and they closed it with what felt like sour grapes. The suggestion that Ferrari were deliberately targeting their cars and that Kimi Räikkönen had intentionally hit Hamilton was farcical on many levels, not least that planning to do so would have had to anticipate Hamilton losing places.Equally with damage likely to go both ways and Ferrari very much in the constructors’ fight it would have been self-defeating. Hamilton and Mercedes have since accepted it was a racing incident. Their reaction was perhaps a reflection of the...
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...
The Australian showed touches of real quality to win in Shanghai but Max Verstappen is still making mistakesDaniel Ricciardo’s skill at overtaking was never in doubt but his remarkable performance in China was confirmation of just how far he is willing to go. “I know what I can do in the car,” he said before the Australian Grand Prix. “Even if there is a 10% possibility then I am going to do it.” He made good on this promise with aplomb in Shanghai. His pass on Lewis Hamilton was a perfect combination of timing and late-braking but the move on Valtteri Bottas was something else. Ricciardo knew the win was within his grasp but where other drivers may have been...
The 18-year-old Williams driver must win points soon to silence the critics who believe he should justify his place on the grid beyond his father’s billions“The haters will always hate,” says Lance Stroll with a passivity that almost certainly belies the fact he knows there is more weight to the phrase than its throwaway juvenilia suggests.The 18-year-old Canadian rookie is already under intense pressure and about to face his toughest test on the streets of Monaco. How he comes through it will determine whether he can give his critics reason to reassess. Related: British Grand Prix at Silverstone in doubt over rising fees charged by F1 Related: Ruth Buscombe: ‘F1 drivers don’t care if a woman or a chipmunk calls...