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Bahrain Grand Prix 2021

Image Source: XPB

Formula 1—the pinnacle of motorsport—a war of attrition. In F1, if you're not moving forward, then you are being pushed backwards; it's the name of the game. However, in the turbo-hybrid era, Red Bull Racing has been served with the familiarity of the most unwanted kind. They finished P2 in 2014, P2 in 2016, P3 in 2017/2018/2019 and P2 in 2020, but that changes now.

"Out of the final corner he comes, he can see the line in a distance; Max Verstappen goes through; MAX VERSTAPPEN IN ON POLE for the Bahrain Grand Prix by almost 4-tenths of a second!"

Red Bull had not taken pole position at the opening round of the season since Sebastian Vettel in 2013, a pole that marked the beginning of one of the most dominant seasons in the history of F1—the glory of yesteryear that the team has been craving for over half-a-decade.

It took Red Bull 7 seasons to get back on pole position for Round 1, but their moment may have finally arrived.

"Max Verstappen positions himself for a good exit as they head towards Turn 4, side by side, and Max Verstappen is on the outside; he's keeping his foot on the gas, and Max Verstappen leads!"

A few laps later, Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes' 7-time World Champion, crossed the chequered flag first, winning his 96th race and, in the process, extending his record for most wins. Lewis' racecraft and his ability to win was on display for all to see. As the Brit raced on, managing his comparatively older tyres, his talent and racing acumen came to the fore, proving that it's not just the car but the combination of man and machine pushing together for the ultimate glory.

On the other hand, Max Verstappen, Red Bull's most valuable asset, crossed in P2, having to cede the lead earlier in the race because of a track limits infringement. But while the results made for a somewhat disappointing read for Max, having dominated most of the weekend, what became unquestionable after the race was the remarkable pace of the RB16B, and he can take some comfort in that fact— the fact that in 2021, a championship challenge is on the cards for the young Dutchman.

Behind the battle royale, the midfield contenders duelled for invaluable points. McLaren's Lando Norris continued McLaren's resurgence as he finished P4 behind Valtteri Bottas. Sergio Perez, on his Red Bull debut, finished in P5; the race result further justifying Red Bull's signing of Checo as he sliced his way through the field after car troubles on the formation lap forced him to a pitlane start; his pace in the RB16B trumping his predecessor's from a few months ago on the same track.

Behind the #11 Red Bull finished the ever-impressive Charles Leclerc in his improved Ferrari as he headed the remaining points finishers: Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda, all completing their maiden races for their teams inside the points; Yuki Tsunoda arguably the most impressive of them all. Lance Stroll in his Aston Martin was in P10.

Outside the points were the Alfa Romeos of Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi, cementing the belief that the team had made substantial gains over the winter break.

Esteban Ocon, in Alpine's debut race, finished a lowly P13. Ocon trailed his new teammate, returning World Champion Fernando Alonso since qualifying on Saturday. Alonso was running a decent race before retiring with brake issues caused, in a rather comical way, by a sandwich's plastic wrapper. Regardless of a non-finish, Alonso proved that his skills in an F1 car remain undiminished.

George Russell finished in P14, a good result, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the Williams team.

The two German drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher finished P15 and P16, and while one of them would be disappointed, the other would be delighted to finish his first race after his teammate proved how easy it is to make mistakes and, in the process, crash out.

Pierre Gasly and Nicholas Latifi were the other non-finishers.

Formula 1 returns to Imola for Round 2 in April.

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F1 Roundup- Austria

So, after a fairly interesting race at Le Castellet, thanks to Seb Vettel’s first lap collision and an incredible comeback, we arrive at the scenic circuit in Speilberg, Austria where there is tons of stuff going on behind closed doors, allegedly.

Is Kimi Räikkönen going to McLaren?

I don’t think it is happening. While Kimi is still very motivated and happy about being in F1, I just don’t see him going back to Woking especially at this stage of his career as well as McLaren’s. He is a world champion, he has nothing left to prove, he had his prime years where he won the championship and performed extremely well but the last thing he would like to do is to run out of the points in his final outing in F1 and therefore I genuinely believe that it will either be Ferrari or nothing for Kimi as far as 2019 and beyond is concerned. And while there is nothing to say that McLaren can’t pick up their morale and with it their performance in the future, I suppose it is just too big a gamble for someone like Kimi especially at the twilight of his F1 career.

So is he leaving? Will he be ousted for Charles Leclerc?

Ideally, I would like Charles to stay in the midfield for one more season. The midfield has a competitive environment and another year in that environment can only be good for Charles. While I don’t necessarily believe that Charles isn’t ready, I would just prefer that he get used to the atmosphere a bit more. If Mercedes were to give Ocon a seat for next season, I would call his years at Force India the perfect preparation for Esteban before he makes the move to the top. A year at the top of the midfield and another year where he has been right in the mix- just perfect. He is used to the pressure, the expectations and the politics of the sport now, he should be ready. And I would prefer that Ferrari take a similar route with Charles. Maybe another year at Sauber or Haas, whatever suits the squad. But I think spending one more year in the midfield would be the right thing to do. 

And I think Ferrari might do that. They might just give Kimi another year and leave Charles at Sauber which will be good for the Swiss squad as well as they try and claw their way back to the top of the midfield. 

I think Kimi will stay until 2019. But in my opinion, that will be all. The End.

What about Danny Ric?

He will be staying at Red Bull in my opinion. There are just not enough alternatives for him. He might like the idea of building up a marquee like Lewis did with Mercedes, but I can’t see him leaving Red Bull for McLaren, and I believe that Renault already has Hulkenberg as a future world championship contender.

It is reported that Danny has already signed a deal with Red Bull but the team has not gone public with the announcement yet. How will this deal pan out for our favourite Aussie? Time will tell. Will the Honda engines give Red Bull the clear chance of fighting for the championship? Or will Renault overtake them with their works outfit? 

2019 surely promises to be an exciting season.

Mercedes brings upgrades.

Right after introducing the 2.1 spec engine at Le Castellet, Mercedes arrive at Speilberg with a raft of updates for this weekend’s race. The engines surely gave them a performance boost in France but will this chassis package be the one that will see Mercedes reassert their dominance in Formula 1? Surely no one would want that to happen but, can it happen? The other two teams in the top pack have kept up so far and hopefully, they will bring some upgrades of their own for this weekend’s race in Austria. 

No one wants to go back to the days when Mercedes beat the grid by 30 seconds. But this package can definitely give an edge to the Germans in what has been an exciting fight so far this season.

Third DRS Zone?

There will be an additional DRS zone in this year’s race which will be a part of the track from the exit of Turn 1 till the heavy braking zone at Turn 3. A move which will see the rear flap staying open for basically half the lap. While some believe that this move will make overtaking too easy and too artificial, it is worth trying. Who knows when we will get proper fighting overtakes? Following another car is difficult because of current regulations anyway and you need an advantage of around two seconds (I believe) to overtake another car which isn’t the case right now. Maybe overtakes using DRS is the best thing that we will get before new regulations come into effect next season.

Here are my predictions for the Austrian Grand Prix. 

Winner- Sebastian Vettel Pole- Lewis Hamilton Podium: #1 Sebastian Vettel   #2 Lewis Hamilton #3 Valtteri Bottas

What are yours?

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Canadian GP- Pre Race edition

Sebastian Vettel will begin today’s race from pole position with the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas alongside him. But the real player to look out for will start on the hypersoft tyres in a Red Bull- Max Verstappen who qualified P3. 

The qualifying session for the Canadian GP has left us with quite a few questions. All of which are pretty interesting. 

1. Why did Red Bull choose the hypersoft over the ultrasoft tyres for Q2?

2. Is Hamilton off his game this weekend?

3. Will all the drivers from P7 to P10 be forced to do a two-stop?

Let’s talk about the Red Bulls first. To be honest I wasn’t surprised to see them on the pink-walled tyres in Q2. I always believed that they will do a contra-strategy to Mercedes and Ferrari. But when I realised that both Ferrari and Mercedes have decided to go with the ultras, my belief took a dent. But Red Bull decided to surprise me and did a contra-strategy anyway. 

But what do they believe they’ll gain from this strategy?

The easiest answer is that they want to gain positions at the start, hopefully, take the lead and hopefully, build a gap. But many believe that they missed the trick. Red Bull should have the pace to fight for the victory today but will the hypersoft stint hinder their chances? Maybe. It is believed that the while the ultras may last till halfway through the race, the hypers will only last somewhere between 16-20 laps. Ouch! But Red Bull is good with their tyres, and maybe they think that they can still execute the one-stop with a long second stint on the supers. But will they be able to defend with worn out rubber in the end? They won’t have an equal amount of grip to the people behind (best case scenario) and they don’t have the front-line speed of the Ferrari or the Mercedes. Here’s hoping that they do a good job and don’t turn into sitting ducks on the straights in the final part of the race. 

What about Hamilton?

Lewis made a few mistakes in qualifying and said that he didn’t get any of the laps right. This circuit is believed to be Lewis’ backyard because of his dominant performance over the years in Canada. This is only the second time that Lewis won’t be starting on the front row here and with the championship lead just 14 points, Lewis will be under pressure today, especially with Kimi in a Ferrari and Daniel on his hypersoft tyres starting behind him. Lewis has always liked driving around the Canadian circuit and he will probably push like crazy today. As a fan of the sport, I hope he does and so we can have a six-way scrap for glory.

What about the midfield runners?

The midfield is led by its de-facto leader (sort of because of his consistency) Nico Hulkenberg, who has struggled in the last few races to be P7 but is back in his usual position. His teammate along with the two Force Indias round out the top 10. These are the guys who were forced to run on the hypersoft in Q2 because of the speed that they lack in comparison to the front-runners. So, will they also be forced to do a two-stop? Maybe. And that gives the Dane-Kevin Magnussen and the Kiwi-Brendon Hartley, an advantage as this particular duo will start just outside the Top 10 in row 6, probably on a new set of ultrasoft tyres. 

All-in-all, if the bottom four runners in the Top 10 can’t make a one-stop work, they’ll have quite some work to do in overtaking other cars on a track which gives a limited amount of opportunities. 

But then, of course, one safety car and we may just see a Sauber leading today. In short, everything can change with one incident. 

I don’t want to make any predictions but I would love a midfield driver on the podium today. We’ve seen in the past that lot can happen in Canada, especially in Turn 1, and the midfield will be desperate to snatch another podium finish from the front pack this season.

Until tomorrow, it’s goodbye.  

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Bottas Drives to Mercedes

So then, the world was taken by storm when Mercedes announced Valtteri Bottas as Hamilton’s teammate for the 2017 season. ONLY IT WASN’T!

IMAGE SOURCE: THE CHEQUERED FLAG

Valtteri Bottas was the most logical and consistent driver available for Mercedes to hire. Given his strong connections with Toto Wolff, Valtteri was the front runner for the seat when the reigning world champion Nico Rosberg made his decision about retiring from the sport public five days after becoming champion at Abu Dhabi last year. 

Though a lot of people were expecting Mercedes to promote one of their young drivers namely Esteban Ocon and Pascal Wehrlien, it didn’t happen because there was always going to be a fear in doing that. Though no one doubts Esteban’s or Pascal’s talent behind the wheel, no one can expect them to make the leap from the back of the grid to the very front and fight it out for the championship along with Lewis Hamilton. It was expected that both will be staying in the midfield for at least one more season while Mercedes watch their progress closely.

IMAGE SOURCE: BBC

So a couple of days ago, Bottas signed the contract. The duration of the said contract is not known, yet masses believe it to be a one-year deal with an option for the future as Mercedes has stated that they want to keep their options open for 2018. A year when the drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso will become free agents. Bottas will have nowhere to hide if he is not able to keep up with Mercedes’ and the fans’ expectations. 

Bottas had made his intentions clear, he will fight for the championship straight away and will push throughout. He has also stated that he will be close to Lewis, both on track and behind the scenes as he aims to take Mercedes to greater heights along with the three- time world champion. Niki Lauda has also stated that they are expecting Bottas to be just as quick as Nico Rosberg, with Rosberg stating that he will be watching his intra-team rivalry with Hamilton closely. But meanwhile Mercedes do know and accepts that Lewis Hamilton is the best driver around right now and is almost unbeatable at times. 

This will be the biggest test of Bottas’ life as a mediocre season during a season when Mercedes can be under huge pressure from his rivals can affect his career altogether. While there can be an imminent exit from Brackley, his stock in paddock can take a huge drop as well. But this can also turn out to be the most amazing year of his life. 

What will happen? Who will win the intra-team battle? Can Valtteri match Hamilton? Or will he end up as the Robin to Lewis’ Batman?

All questions will be answered when we reach Melbourne in 64 days. Till then, Ciao!

[itsvr27]

My F1 2017 Predictions

2017 is here people, I wish you a happy new year!

So we are 51 days away from the first pre-season test at Barcelona. Three teams have made their launch dates public with Force India, Mercedes and Ferrari launching their cars on February 22, 23 and 24 respectively. But what will be the pecking order this season? There are many speculations around. Here is a brief note about every team and what I expect from them this season. 

Mercedes AMG Petronas: The Defending Champions

Image Source: Wikipedia

Mercedes has been the dominant force in F1 ever since the last regulation revamp in 2014. But will that be the case this time around? If one listens to Christian Horner, the Red Bull boss, Mercedes will still be the team to beat in 2017. But with Paddy Lowe set for a Williams move and Nico Rosberg leaving the team, things might not be completely stable at Brackley. With a new driver line-up this season, Valterri Bottas probably moving to Mercedes to replace Nico Rosberg, Mercedes would try and hold onto their championship titles in 2017.

But I still think that Red Bull will give the Mercedes team a run for their money in 2017. Things won’t be easy for the Silver Arrows this season.

Red Bull Racing: The Challenger

Image Source: Wikipedia

The Red Bull team according to most pundits will be the team that will takeover the throne yet again next season. Everyone knows that Adrian Newey is a genius as far as chassis development is concerned. The Red Bull team showed their ability to take the fight to Mercedes in 2016 and are regarded as the the biggest challenger to the defending champions this season. Red Bull always brings the best chassis to the grid and in a year when aerodynamics will take the driving seat, Red Bull will be pushing for glory yet again with their dynamic drivers in the name of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. With the Renault engine improving with every next upgrade and considering that they are going to bring an all new engine this season in their bid to have the best engine in 2018, things look very optimistic for the Milton Keynes outfit.

Ferrari: Another Push

Image Source: Wikipedia 

The Prancing Horses suffered yet another winless season in 2016. While the Scuderia looked like a serious challenger at the beginning of 2016, things started to change soon and they fall down the order to 3rd. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will try yet again in 2017 with a refreshed Ferrari side who last won a championship in 2007 with Raikkonen. The frustration was pretty obvious for one of the most iconic names in the sport. Will Ferrari finally reach the level at which they deserve to be, or will we see another frustrating season for the Maranello based squad?

McLaren: The Resurgent Force

Image Source: Wikipedia

The Woking based squad has had a tough reunion with Honda but the results have started to improve. The McLaren team was probably the most improved team of 2016 with immense improvement even over the course of the season. A statement which can be backed by the fact that they scored 72 points, 45 more that last year, a 166% increase, also Fernando Alonso finished 10th in the driver’s championship with 54 points.

With the token system abolished, many are of the opinion that  the engine manufacturer to gain the most out of this change will be Honda. With McLaren waiting for a win for 4 years now, the team will be desperate to get back to the top as the second most successful team in Formula1 definitely doesn’t belong in the midfield. With Fernando Alosno’s services and also Vandoorne’s, McLaren would like to get back to winnng ways this season. And my predictions are, they probably will. They might not be able to fight for the championship but as the season will progress, McLaren will get stronger.

Renault: Rebuilding Continues

Image Source: Logopedia

When I say, rebuilding continues, it doesn’t mean I’m expecting to see them in the lower half of the midfield. As already stated plenty of times by people and also their newly signed drivers, last year’s Renault was nothing more than a Lotus 2015 B-spec car. While their engine improved as the season progressed, they remained in the lower half of the midfield.

But all this will change in 2017. While already stated above that Renault will bring an all new engine next season, what is also worth considering is that Renault is a manufacturer and started working on their 2017 challenger earlier than most of the teams on the grid. Renault knows how to win and while they have stated that they will only be able to push for a championship in 2019 or 2020, I think anything can happen especially after considering the regulation revamp. Yeah, of course they won’t win races on regular basis this season, I’m not ruling out a few podiums and even a surprise win this season.

And it seems they have found the perfect driver in Nico Hulkenberg, a hungry 29 year old who has finally found himself driving for a manufacturer. Though he has set very conservative goals for this season, I’m sure Renault will provide a lot more!

Force India: The Dark Horses?

Image Source: Logopedia

For me, the team to watch out for this season is Force India. Yeah, they don’t have enough money as the grandees or the facilities but the Silverstone based squad is the team which beats most odds and still shine. I’m not really sure about them. On one side, they are not at the level of a constructor, but on the other hand, they have proved their mettle in 2016. On one hand, they don’t posses any big names in the aero department, but on the other hand, they gave us the nostril-nose! It’s clear that there are some pretty creative people back at the factory. And remember what Newey said a few days ago, “Whenever there is a regulation change, some teams read the regulations better than others. Typically the big teams, who have bigger resources, read them better, but when we had the last big regulation change in 2009 that wasn’t the case, it was Brawn and ourselves who read them better correctly, and the grandees, then Ferrari and McLaren, who struggled a bit.” Remember, Brawn won in 2009!

So anything is possible, can they do it with a seasoned campaigner and an almost rookie? Let’s see.

Williams: Rise or Fall?

Image Source: Logopedia

Williams dropped to 5th this season after finishing 3rd in ‘15 and ‘14. I’m pretty sure they will stay in the midfield for at least this year even though Paddy Lowe is going to move to the Grove based squad. But one can always surprise, right? I don’t think so. Had they been able to keep Bottas, maybe. But now with Lance Stroll and possibly Felipe Massa, I don’t see that happening. Hey. don’t get me wrong, Massa is a good driver, but he isn’t what he was once. So Williams will probably stay where they are at the moment, The Midfield.

Haas F1 Team: Regular Midfield Competitor

Image Source: PlanetF1

Haas had a dream start to the 2016 season but the rookie coundn’t keep up the momentum, something everyone expexted to see. Haas did a great job and another push to climb up the ladder to get into a fight with Williams and maybe Force India as this season progresses isn’t out of question. And with Kevin Magnussen in the side now, the team will be more experienced and stronger than 2016.

Toro Rosso: The Wild Card

Image Source: Formula1

The best chassis in the midfield is possesed by the Toro Rosso team. With the new 2017-spec Renault engine and drivers like Carlos Sainz and Danil Kvyat, the Toro Rosso side can definitely surprise at some events. The team scored only 13 points less than McLaren even after using a ‘15-spec Ferrari engine. The Toro Rosso squad will definitely be a force in the midfield come 2017 season. Watch out!

Manor: Improving Evermore

Image Source: Logopedia

The Manor team with their young drivers impressed everyone and earned respect throughout the grid, With rumors around about a takeover of the team, I expect the money will be used efficiently by the team as it tries to improve furthemore in 2017. But we still don’t know about the driver lineup next season and still many drivers are in the run including as SkySports suggested, the young Ferrari backed Antonio Giovinazzi. I would like to see him in 2017.

Sauber: Another Tough Season

Image Source: Logopedia

Yes. Another tough season is on the cards for Sauber. The team has decided to run the 2016-spec Ferrari engine so that they can concentrate more on the chassis development. It’s like a stone thrown in the dark, who knows, maybe it will hit and maybe just like Toro Rosso this season, with a superior chassis, they can get some important points at the beginning of the season. Their driver lineup consists of Marcus Ericsson and probably Pascal Wehrlien. 

So thank you! For reading and I hope that you will agree with all the points I have made. Till next time, Bye!

[itsvr27]

The F1 2016 Season Review And What’s To Come in 2017

The 2016 Formula 1 season was a season like no other. It had so many memorable moments that I have lost count. Be it when the Ferraris overtook both the Mercedes at the start of the Australian GP or be it those final few moments when Lewis Hamilton ignored team orders to try and retain the World Championship!

So Nico Rosberg is 2016 World Champion! AND THEN HE RETIRED!!

I mean who saw that coming? I’m going to tell you something I did not! Actually, when I first heard about it I thought it was some kind of joke maybe a baseless speculation, but no, it was real. So no World Champion on the grid in 2017. I wish Nico Rosberg best of luck for his future endevours.

Image Source: GrandPrix247

So, what’s next for Mercedes? Who will be in the most eye catching car in Formula 1 next season. Through the news I have learned like many others that the Williams driver Valtteri Bottas in is pole position for that seat. Mercedes has made an initial offer but Williams has declined. Which is understandable considering that their driver line-up for 2017 includes a complete rookie in the name of Lance Stroll, the young Canadian. Their need for an experienced driver is more than Mercedes. So what will they do? As I have read, Williams have stated that they will let Bottas go to Brackley if Williams can get an equally good driver. Acoording to certain sources, Williams are trying to get Felipe Massa back in F1 if Mercedes gets Bottas.

Moving on to the world championship of 2016. Red Bull finished behind Mercedes and are looking like the favorites to challenge Mercedes for next year’s world championship especially after considering the regulation changes and Red Bull’s aerodynamic prowess. Behind them came the Scuderia, after experiencing yet another winless campaign. The Ferrari boys will be looking to get back up the grid next season. Behind them came the surprisingly competetive Force India! With 170+ points, Force India has proved their mettle yet again as the Silverstone outfit beat the Grove outfit Williams for 4th place in the constructors championship. Behind these guys finished McLaren, Torro Rosso, Haas, Renualt, Sauber and Manor, with every team on the grid scoring at least a point.

Coming to the driver’s market now, Till now, as no new Mercedes driver has been announced, the biggest move probably was of this man.

Image Source: DailyMail UK

Nico Hulkenberg finally moves to a manufacturer team. Renault signed him after months of pursuing his teammate Sergio Perez who decided to stay at Force India for 2017. Hulkenberg is not hoping to be fighting for championships straightaway as he understands the problems the Renault team had to face after the late buyout. But Renualt are expecting to be in the midfield at the least in 2017 if not better, and with major regulation changes coming in force from 2017, anything and everything can happen, especially after considering the gains the team made with their engine, which helped Red Bull in winning multiple races this season, and the fact that they have been working on their car since early this season. Will Hulkenberg finally get the glory he deserves? Will his decision prove to be as wise as Hamilton’s, when the latter left McLaren for Mercedes? Or will he spend the rest of his career in the midfield? Let’s hope Renault can give him the car he needs to win in the coming seasons.

Other than Hulkenberg, as stated eariler Lance Stroll and Stoffel Vandoorne will be driving for Williams and McLaren in 2017. Carlos Sainz and Danil Kvyat have both been retained by Red Bull and will drive for Torro Rosso. The former looking for a Red Bull drive in 2018 which seems unlikely at the moment unless something sensational happens in the next 12 months! Esteban Ocon will join the Force India team to replace Nico Hulkenberg as he departs for Renault!

Image Source: The Indian Express

Jenson Button has taken a sabbatical though many including himself feels that 2016 Abu Dhabi was probably his last race. On the other hand Felipe Massa has retired, for now, from Formula 1 after participating in what was his 250th Grand Prix start. With the other Felipe out of job, for now, for next season, it looks like their will be no Brazilian on the grid next season.

For now, this is it. Be sure to return when we find out who will be driving for Mercedes next season. With all the big names under contract, will it be Bottas? Will it be Wehlien? Or will Toto Wolff and Mercedes give us an amazing surprise come 2017. Till then, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[itsvr27]

The Grand Prix of Europe

Nico Rosberg wins the inaugural Grand Prix of Europe in Azerbaijan. 

Nico Rosberg after a string of disappointing races finally steps back on the top step of the rostrum at Baku Street Circuit. This result helped him the extend his lead over Lewis Hamilton and the gap now is 24 points as Hamilton was able to finish only 5th behind the Ferraris and a Force India.

Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari finished 2nd quite a distance behind his German counterpart. He made up just a single place after starting the race in 3rd. He made just a single pit stop and made his soft tyres last till the end.

But behind the quadruple World Champion came an amazingly fast Sergio Perez who gets Force India, for the first time in their career, a second podium finish in a single season. The team looked pumped and so did Checo Perez who lost his front row start yesterday after being handed a 5-place grid drop for a gearbox change before qualifying, but he made his way back up the pecking order after gaining two places on the start and then he got ahead of the Red Bull and had an intense fight with Ice-man for 3rd place and then eventually got ahead of him on the final lap. Though it was not needed as Kimi had a 5 second time penalty and Checo was comfortably in the window. But nonetheless he got ahead and now equals the record for most podiums by a Mexican driver. Overall he did fantastically well in a time frame when Ferrari is trying to poach him. But after some amazing results the thing is will Force India give the Scuderia their in-form driver.

His teammate on the other hand finished a lowly 9th after getting overtaken by the Red Bull during the final gew laps. For Nico Hulkenberg this was definitely a dissapointing weekend because it was another weekend where his teammate beat him by a long margin. Hulkenberg would now go back and think what would have happened if he would not have made that mistake yesterday at turn 16. He had the pace to start on the front row as he and Checo were more or less equally fast and after Checo’s penalty he could have had a front row and most probably a podim finish, but his non-podium streak continues and while his teammate might land a Ferrari drive next season, what is left to see is where does Nico Hulkenberg stands at the moment. Has he lost the edge? Has he lost the motivation? Can he ever become Champion of the World? It remains unclear but it seems like he will definitely be staying at Force India for the moment.

And for Lewis Hamilton, it was always an uphill battle as he stated yesterday. In the race he looked as though he might just catch Rosberg at the very end but then engine problems kicked in and it made it a far more difficult job for the Brit. He finished 5th and is now 24 points adrift of Rosberg and Nico won his 19th grand prix today. Stats say that now driver has won 19 race and not won  a World Championship. But stats are, but numbers as Hamilton keeps an attitude of a street fiighter and he won’t give up just yet as there are still 13 race left.

Behind him finished Bottas, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Hulkenberg and Massa as Williams saw their lead over Force India getting trimmed to 31 points and the kind of form that the Force India is showing at the moment, the Williams just might need to take a look in their rear mirrors rather than just pushing to get ahead of Red Bull. 

Jenson Button in the McLaren just finished outside the points in 11th as we saw the first retirement of Pascal Wehrlien’s career when he said to the team that the his brakes are gone!

People like me had their money on the line for a Safety car which never came on the circuit, quite SURPRISINGLY! But it was a good race all in all and we will be looking to come here next season. Hope you enjoyed the race and the blog. Remember to come back and read, when we will see who takes the chequered flag in Austria. Till then, it’s a goodbye! 

[itsvr27]

The Monaco Grand Prix

LEWIS HAMILTON ENDS THE DROUGHT! Boy that was some race to be honest. What a tremendous drive it was by the reigning world champion. Lewis Hamilton clinches his 44th career victory in his number 44 Mercedes AMG Petronas. It was a amazing result for a man who had another engine problem yesterday giving him only one flying lap which he used to get a 3rd position on the grid. Intrestingly the last time Lewis won in Monaco was in 2008 which was almost under the same conditions, from 3rd and in a rain affected session.

Though this man Daniel Ricciardo was not happy at all as a slow pit stop took away his chances of easily winning the race. He led convicingly in the beginning and was around 13 seconds ahead of then second running Rosberg. But Mercedes made the call and asked Nico to move over and give Lewis a go, which he did. As far as Nico Rosberg is concerned he finished at a low 7th place behind the likes of the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg who stormed past him on the final lap on the start-finish straight. That was some bad luck for Rosberg who saw his championship lead getting cut down to 24 points! So Lewis Hamilton can get ahead of him with a win provided that Rosberg gets a DNF.

But behind all that, Sergio Perez for the 3rd year in a row gets a podium for Force India due to what was an absolutely amazing strategy which saw Perez ahead of Vettel after the drivers stopped for slick tyres. He achieved the feat from 7th on the grid. Before the race the buzz was that this could be the chance Nico Hulkenberg had been waiting for. He qualified a brilliant fifth and was definitely in the running for the podium provided that any mistakes were made by those running ahead of him. But as it turns out everytime Force India gets it right, its always on Sergio Perez’s side of the garage. Therefore the guy from Emmerich, Germany has to wait a little longer. But as a team the SFI got 23 points that gave them a solid boost in the championship. They now are in a very comfortable position in 5th some 11 points clear of Torro Rosso.

Behind him finished the only left Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel whose teammate Kimi crashed during the race and retired due to a broken front wing. Fernando Alosno finished a scintillating 5th fending off the likes of Nico Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg who were in relatively faster cars. Mclaren gets another double points finish as Button took 9th place starting from 12th. The drivers that did not finish the race included the two Renaults and the two Saubers who actually ran into each other causing a double retirement. The Torro Rosso of Danil Kvyat who looked good all weeked was also unable to finish the race as well as the man who replaced him at Red Bull, Max Verstappen. 

The Williams of Massa took the final points who will be looking to come back strong in Canada, a track that’s gonna suit their car a little more than Monaco.

The final results are below:

1. Lewis Hamilton — 1:59:29.133

2. Daniel Ricciardo — +7.252

3. Sergio Perez — +13.825

4. Sebastian Vettel — +15.846

5. Fernando Alonso — +85.076

6. Nico Hulkenberg — +92.999

7. Nico Rosberg — +93.290

8. Carlos Sainz — +1 LAP

9. Jenson Button — +1 LAP

10. Felipe Massa — +1 LAP

11. Valtteri Bottas — +1 LAP

12. Esteban Gutierrez — +1 LAP

13. Romain Grosjean — +2 LAPS

14. Pascal Wehrlein — +2 LAPS

15. Rio Haryanto — +4 LAPS

RET. Marcus Ericsson — +26 LAPS

RET. Felipe Nasr — +28 LAPS

RET. Max Verstappen — + 43 LAPS

RET. Kevin Magnussen — +46 LAPS

RET. Daniil Kvyat — +60 LAPS

RET. Kimi Raikkonen — +68 LAPS

RET. Jolyon Palmer — +71 LAPS

I hope you enjoyed the Monaco GP as much as I did. I hope that we can have an even better Canadian GP when we arrive there in two weeks time. Till then, its a good bye!

[itsvr27]

Spanish GP 2016

“Max Verstappen you are a race winner!”, said Red Bull Racing Boss Christian Horner. We have seen something quite unbelievable unfold today. History was made the moment the 18 year old boy from Hasselt, Belgium who drives under the Dutch flag saw the chequered flag before anyone else earlier today. Max Verstappen is the youngest ever Race Winner in Formula1. He is the first Dutch driver to win a grand prix. It was definitely  an emotional moment for the guy who was driving for Torro Rosso a couple of weeks ago but now he is a race winner. The intensity in the circuit of Catalonia was palpable and the young man left everyone awestruck. Even the marshals were on their feet giving bows to the prodigy. People talk about Michael Schumacher’s first win for Ferrari here 20 years ago when he won the race by an unbelievable margin of 40 or so seconds. And I won’t be taking a huge leap of faith when I will say that this victory of young Max Verstappen will be right there alongside the God of Formula1! People will talk about this race for decades to come surely.

Starting from 4th on the grid Max immediately got ahead as the two Silver Arrows collided. He was running 2nd for quite a while before Red Bull decided to switch Daniel to a three-stop strategy. A podium looked a possibility for the Dutchman but Daniel’s strategy didn’t reap any fruits as Max looked set to win his first GP. Although fending off someone of Kimi Raikkonen’s pedigree is quite an accomplishment itself but that was just one of the big things he did today.

Talking about the race now, it was quite a dramatic start as Nico Rosberg again took first place away from Hamilton at the start but Hamilton came back and a move trying to get ahead of his teammate ended both his race and his teammate’s. Niki Lauda has slammed Hamilton as the reason for the double retirement as the reigning world champions lost quite a chunk of lead in the Constructors Championship to both Ferrari and Red Bull. And for Lewis Hamilton, the points difference in front remained the same.

Behind Max Verstappen finished Kimi Raikkonen who tried immensely to get ahead on a track where it is not easy to overtake. He tried for as many as 15 to 20 laps but to no avail as the young man looked determined to win his first race in F1. And the action didn’t end there. Behind them their respective teammates were giving each other a hard time as Daniel took Sebastian to the limit before his left rear tyre punctured. 

Behind them was a quiet track with Bottas finishing 5th ahead of Sainz, Perez, Massa, Button and Kvyat. Nico Hulkenberg’s bad form continues and his car caught fire ending his race and making him retire for the second consecutive race. Fernando Alonso who was looking set for another points finish this time on home turf lost power in his McLaren-Honda forcing him to retire as well. 

But this race will always be remembered as a race where a champion was born. The 18 year old Max in his second season takes victory in a race which saw a safety car and what was most fascinating was that he made his tyres last for a whopping 31 laps while his teammate had a puncture. This day will go down in the history books.

Max Verstappen has surely started his era of greatness!

I will be back when we go back to Monaco in a couple of weeks time. Till then, its a goodbye!

[itsvr27]

Max Verstappen to replace Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull Racing

So it happens. Max Verstappen replaces Kvyat at Red Bull with immediate effect. The Dutchman will be behind the wheel of the RB12 from next Friday with Kvyat taking his old seat at Torro Rosso. It’s quite sad for Kvyat as he did a superb job back at Shanghai where Red Bull got their first podium of the season but a string of unwanted contacts and crashes made Red Bull make the big call. 

But I don’t think that the decision to promote Max was taken just because Daniil rammed Sebastian and compromised Daniel’s race at Russia or because he was causing some kind of headache to Vettel who had a moment with him even at China. I think it was taken because Red Bull knew that their rivals, in the name of Ferrari and Mercedes, were in line to offer a contract to Verstappen if RBR does not promote him to Red Bull by the end of the year. And Red Bull knew that they cannot let that happen, that they cannot give their biggest asset (most probably) to their arch rivals. They needed to make a call and they made one. 

People say that Helmut Marko always had a liking for Max and that he wanted him to be promoted soon, and with Daniil committing blunders on the race track, they might have just got their excuse to promote him in the middle of the season. Though it is a very good decision taken by Red Bull administration and it is something that I predicted during the beginning of the year, you got to feel for Daniil Kvyat. He is practically demoted no matter how nicely you put it. Red Bull feels that Kvyat will get a chance to prove himself and get back in form once he gets back to his old team. 

So what are the option left now on Kvyat’s plate for next season? A promotion once again looks unlikely as I feel the current Red Bull driver line-up is the one that can get the Milton Keynes outfit back on the top of the pecking order. A drive with Renault maybe. Maybe Haas if Romain decides to jump ships next season. But the chances look pretty bleak at the moment. With Red Bull already stating that they have a long term agreement with all their four drivers, the question that remains is, for how long will Kvyat remain with the franchise once he realizes that there might not be a move up now.

[itsvr27]

The Russian Grand Prix 2016

I am kind of having a deja vu right now. Its like I am in 2013 again. A German winning races like its a walk in a park. People who are finishing behind him are 20 seconds behind. A man who starts on pole, leads every lap, puts in the fastest lap and wins the race. Nico Rosberg is everything Sebastian Vettel was in 2013.

So we had a pretty exciting Russian Grand Prix yesterday. Once again a few drivers were unable to control themselves in the tight Turn 2 which included local hero Danil Kvyat, who rammed the back of the four-time World Champion and the man who was pretty unhappy with him a couple of weeks back at Shanghai, Sebastian Vettel. In what was a very uncomfortable radio message from him which was totally obvious and justified given that it is was second non-finish of the season after he had problems with his PU at Bahrain earlier this year, he expressed his feelings about the crash. But it was not only him who had problems in Turn 2. The man at his 100th Grand Prix weekend Nico Hulkenberg was also unlucky as Esteban Gutierrez hit him in his rear which took out Nico and rookie Rio Haryanto’s Manor. All this gave a chance to drivers like Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean and especially the McLaren-Honda of Fernando Alonso. All these drivers went on to score points for their respective teams. McLaren would have been pretty pleased as they got their first double points finish since Hungary last year. 

But in F1 one’s satisfaction leads to the disappointment of another. The two teams who must have been a little, if not a lot unsatisfied, were Red Bull and Force India. The VJM09 has pace and potential but another weekend which was anything but trouble free must have been disappointing for a team that came into this season with the aim of beating the likes of Red Bull and Williams. Nico Hulkenberg for the second year didn’t see chequered flag at Sochi while last year podium finisher Sergio Perez had a puncture in the first lap itself which made it a recovery driver for the Mexican. Though he went away with his first points of the season, Force Indian must have been expecting a lot more than 2 points. And as far Red Bull is concerned, they caused problems for themselves as Danil Kvyat was responsible for Daniel Ricciardo’s problems too which forced Daniel to pit, which heavily compromised his race. And while their closest rivals Williams scored 22 points and cut their advantage in third in the standings, the two drivers in the RB12  were unable to score even a single point. 

But it was another stellar drive by Nico Rosberg who wins his 18th race and 7th in succession, a feat only achieved by Alberto Ascari, Sebastian Vettel and the great Micheal Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton was stunning as he battled his way through the pack to finish 2nd after a bad Saturday. The Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonean took the last podium spot. 

It was a good race weekend all in all. The drama, the excitement, safety cars is what we as fans love. Now we go to Barcelona and begin the European leg a week from Sunday. Some major updates coming for various teams at the circuit where we kicked off the season with pre-season testing. Till then its a goodbye! 

[itsvr27]

Formula 1 2016 Season

So the 2016 season has started with a bang! It is definitely going better than the last season. Though the new qualifying regulation was not too great. What people didn’t really like in the new system was that there was no running in the last few minutes of the final session. But the new system has been scraped and the FIA has decided to go back to the 2015 qualifying system immediately. Although I must say that we saw a crackerjack of a show at Bahrain where the two Ferraris and Mercs decided to pay a visit to the circuit in the closing stages but still there was no running in the final one and a half minutes and that is something that spoiled the show to a little extent. 

Back in 2012 and 2013 when I started watching F1, we used to have cars coming one after the other and passing the chequered flag after the original 10 minutes used to end. That is what we may get to see on the 16th when we get back to China. 

As far as the racing is concerned, we have had some amazing fun in the first couple of races this season. The midfield pack is just amazing and I must say that the new American outfit in the name of the Haas Formula1 Team has surprised everyone in the paddock as well as every fan around the globe. I feel that one of these days they will pushing for a podium and that will be a pretty cite as this is what we want to see in F1. Romain Grosjean has definitely made an amazing decision by switching to the new American outfit. The first points finish back in Melbourne looked like a lucky points finish but the speed that they showed in Bahrain was stupendous!

I hope that we will get to see a lot more races like those in the coming months and in the coming years. 

As far as the drivers championship is concerned, Nico Rosberg is looking unbeatable right now. Sure, Lewis Hamilton hasn’t been the best of the starters this season but still, Nico looks in a very good place at the moment, 17 points ahead on the three time defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton. But what about the Ferraris? Well there speed looks pretty encouraging and they have a couple of second place finishes so far so they are looking improved but I feel that they are not at par with Mercedes at the moment. We can only hope that they get back up at there behind their rear-wings. Let’s see what happens in China!