#but Lando has a track record for losing pole so who knows

[sunrizef1]

That was so goofy

Everyone was pumped for the last Lando and max laps

Max goes through

Lando goes through

Commentator says Lando’s sector 1 was bad and max is flying

Crowd gets excited

Yellow flag?

George is in a wall.

[f1]

Norris feels lucky to race in era defined by Lewis Hamilton before French GP

Lewis Hamilton has defined an era in Formula One that will be recognised alongside those of other great drivers, the McLaren driver Lando Norris believes. The seven-times champion reaches his 300th race at the French Grand Prix this weekend and Norris acknowledged his achievement, but also emphasised the importance of Hamilton’s influence across the sport and beyond. Only five other drivers have reached 300 races and in doing so Hamilton’s career has stretched across 16 seasons since 2007, during which he has already broken a series of records. With seven titles the 36-year-old has matched Michael Schumacher’s tally but stands alone at the top of the pack with 103 poles and 103 wins. The 22-year-old Norris is in his fourth F1 season and speaking at the Paul Ricard circuit was pleased to say he had raced during what he thought would be known as the Hamilton era, one defined by his competition with drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. “You always hear the stories of when there was Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher and in this period it’s been Lewis,” he said. “You hear about the battles he has had, and those guys had with [Alain] Prost and [Nigel] Mansell. In 20 or 30 years time its going to be the same about Lewis racing Seb and Max. Then somewhere there’s my name a bit further down … You take it for granted initially because you are doing your own thing but in 30 years time that’s when you realise you were in a way lucky to be racing in that time.” Norris, who has shown no fear in battling Hamilton on track, has earned his respect. He praised the youngster when he led the Russian GP last year only to lose out as the rain intervened and Hamilton went on to take his 100th win. He also described him as a great driver after they went wheel to wheel in Austria. Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris celebrate their 1-2 at the Russian Grand Prix in 2021. Photograph: Getty Images Behind the scenes Norris said Hamilton was both popular and personable. “He is well-liked,” he said. “He is a nice person, he seems to always to want to help the Brits and the young drivers. He does give advice with little things, asks what I am planning. He has been through everything so he knows what teams try to get out of you and what you should get out of teams. It’s small things but he is always willing to help.” Norris also praised Hamilton’s role in highlighting issues beyond the sport. “His commitment to equality and diversity and actions in attempting to improve both in F1.” He was a role model then? “I would say so, he has shown that you can be seven-time world champion and go and do other things in your life,” he said. “It’s an incredible achievement to be in the sport for so long to achieve the amount that has. You respect that he does all those other things, a lot of people have criticised him for these things but it’s not like he has to only focus on F1.” Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks. Perhaps Hamilton’s most singular achievement is having won one race in every season he has competed in, a feat unmatched by any other driver but one that is under threat this year with his Mercedes off the pace of front-runners Red Bull and Ferrari. Although he and Mercedes remain optimistic they may yet challenge for wins this year. Indeed, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc led the timesheets in first practice just nine-hundredths up on his title rival, Red Bull’s Verstappen. Hamilton sat out the session as Nyck de Vries took his seat as part of the required rookie driver programme. In the afternoon Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was on top, one-tenth up on Leclerc, with Verstappen in third. Hamilton was in fifth with his teammate George Russell in fourth. via Formula One | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/formulaone

[ricciardodaniels]

But he was replaced. The man was fired for being incompetent, then dragged his geriatric ass over to Alfa Romeo to take the seat of a younger driver. He's pathetic and never should've been in merc in the first place. Toto is probably jumping up and down from excitement, the guy never liked him. George should've gone straight into that seat in 2019 and he’d be at least P2 in the championship right now with Lewid being P1. Then no one would have to worry about Max. But now, because of Valtteri Bottas and his non existent driving skills, Lewis is P2. The man is a clown. A waste of space.

ooft. so hateful, anon. not the vibe.

this perspective really interests me though because it implies to me at least that you weren’t watching f1 in the mid-late 2010s and haven’t really ever ventured backwards. and that’s absolutely fine, nothing wrong with that whatsoever – I’ve never had any interest in the feeder series so when people appear in f1 I know nothing about them either so it’s kinda the same thing?

but here’s what you might’ve missed:

with the exception of his 2013 williams rookie year (in which he still beat his team mate, 2 year vet maldonado) bottas has never finished outside the top 10 of the WDC. his only other finish outside the top 5 was his final year at williams, when the team as a whole first started to go into decline but he still pulled through in 8th place. if you wanna talk about consistent results, even when he had massa for a team mate (past title fighter, 10+ years more experience) he beat him in the championship all 3 years they were paired together and often outperformed him both in qualifying and in the races.

now, picture it. it’s 2016. the season is over. nico rosberg has finally beat hamilton to a WDC title when–gasp–he announces he will retire from the sport and will not return for next year. valtteri gets the call up for 2017, he’ll go from a team starting to decline to the fastest car on the grid. he is under an immense amount of pressure: a new team, new 3x champion teammate, a new car to try and get to grips with and what does he do on his mercedes debut?

podium, bitch. his first win with them came 3 races later. he finished 3rd in the 2017 championship and the only people above him were the two multiple world title winners on this podium with him.

with regards to his mercedes track record, he’s been top 3 in the WDC the 3/4 seasons, 2/4 of those being 2nd positions. he’s had race wins, pole positions and fastest laps with this team, all contributing to the 4 WCC titles they’ve achieved while he’s been with them.

a brief george related interlude, say that george should have gone straight to mercedes in 2019 is, frankly, ludicrous. he is exceptionally skilled and it’s taken him time to take his current car to where it is now. think about it, it would’ve have been the same process at mercedes but now with 10x the pressure on his rookie, 21 year old shoulders. for a bit of perspective, lando who was a rookie the same year and is also a very talented driver only managed 11th in the wdc that year (sainz 6th, mclaren 4th in constructors). to put george in a merc that early on and take away bottas’s consistent podiums from their points, I struggle to see merc having run away with the WCC in the same fashion, ESPECIALLY with ferrari’s 19 podiums.

now, are there other drivers on the grid that could drive that car to victory? yes, I’m sure there are. however, valtteri’s skill is not the only thing that has made him invaluable to mercedes. the dynamic between him and lewis is not one often found amongst teammates these days in that they have a genuine friendship and respect for each other, a balance that mercedes desperately wanted to achieve after the emotional warfare that was “brocedes”. he cares about the success of the team as a whole and as frustrating as it is for us to hear “valtteri, it’s james” imagine what it’s like to be bottas. in almost 5 years, seeing him lose his rag or call himself the number 2 driver or hit out at the team is a rare sight, and that matters. it’s a level of professionalism that is hard to come across in a driver and a composure that is incredibly difficult to retain over such a long time.

in short, to say valtteri is an “incompetent”, “pathetic” “waste of space” who “never should’ve been in merc in the first place” is not only insulting but is simply not true. hope this helps 😘

(p.s. can we pls give up the narrative that he’s “geriatric” lol he’s literally 32)

[ilovejevsjeans]

Why there’s far more to Russell than qualifying specialism

The old adage in Formula 1 that the first person you must beat is your teammate may be cliched, yet it rings true. Drivers constantly compare themselves with the man across the garage, knowing the importance of becoming the in-house alpha.

It makes qualifying head-to-head records a valued statistic for many drivers. As pally-pally as Lando Norris was with Carlos Sainz at McLaren, he took some pleasure in pipping the Spaniard on Saturdays across their two seasons together (11-10 in 2019, 8-8 in 2020). Fernando Alonso’s 21-0 whitewash of Stoffel Vandoorne in 2018 meant so much to the two-time F1 world champion that he was still trotting out the statistic 18 months later.

But even Alonso’s qualifying prowess looks workmanlike compared with that of George Russell. In his 46 appearances with Williams , not once has he been outqualified by a teammate. He equalled Alonso’s 21-0 sweep in 2019, when paired with Robert Kubica – a grand prix winner – and leads Nicholas Latifi 25-0 in their season-and-a-bit together. The only F1 teammate to ever outqualify Russell is Valtteri Bottas, who pipped him to pole in their single race together at Mercedes – and we all know who really walked away as the moral winner that weekend…

It has led to the moniker of ‘Mr Saturday’ being attached to Russell by TV types, who then rattle out those statistics like tickets from a slot machine every time he makes it through to Q2. As impressive as his qualifying record is, to reduce his significance to that of a quali-day footnote belies the true power of Britain’s burgeoning F1 star. Last year in Sakhir he offered a glimpse of what he could one day do for Mercedes, jumping in at the last minute and making full use of the tools at his disposal. But to be true world champion material requires a greater contribution: it’s being a leader, rallying those around you, and being a figurehead in the team’s progression in every area.

They are valuable skills which those around Russell at Williams have seen him hone since making his debut in 2019. “He’s just got better and better, and developed almost with every race,” says Dave Robson, Williams’ head of vehicle performance. “Not so much in terms of the driving, that’s always been very strong. But in terms of his understanding of the whole game that we play and everything that we need to get right and we need his help with, it’s just improved endlessly.

“His role within the team is particular, he takes it in his stride in leading that. He’s an excellent asset in all regards.”

The evolution into a leadership role was something Russell was required to embrace quickly. As the depth of the team’s plight became clear in early 2019, there was a contrast in the response of the two drivers: while Kubica – the more experienced, seemingly senior head – subsided into negativity, the junior Russell accepted the state of affairs and got stuck in trying to make a difference.

“2019 was an incredibly difficult baptism of fire,” recalls Robson. “Once he’d got his head around the situation we were in, he was extremely good at being clear about the order of the problems that needed tackling.”

Dealing with a car as devilish as the FW42 helped Russell hone his development skills and feedback, helping the team make big strides in each of the past two seasons and move off the foot of the pecking order in 2021. He even gleaned some helpful slivers of information during his one-race sojourn with Mercedes, feeding back to Williams that it should change its clutch paddle designs after sampling a different steering wheel.

The technical understanding he has forged is “right up there” with the best drivers Robson – once a race engineer to Jenson Button and Felipe Massa – has worked with: “His technical understanding of what the car has to do, how the tyres have to work, and some of the compromises you have to make, is now as good as anyone, I think, in the pitlane.”

It has made Russell not only an important asset to his team, but also to his teammate. Nicholas Latifi joined Williams as a rookie in 2020, and while paired with a younger driver who had just 21 grands prix to his name, he was quickly able to lean on Russell to help his own performances as he got up to speed in F1.

“It’s been hugely beneficial to have a teammate like George,” Latifi says. “Definitely in those opening races at the beginning of the year and throughout the year, [I was] learning from him what I can in the data, seeing what he is asking for from the car, what he thinks the car needs to go quicker, when I was just trying to find my feet and get up to the limit – for sure relying a bit on that information was very helpful.”

Latifi’s confidence may have grown into his second season, but he still finds it a “great help” to have such a strong reference in Russell – even when on the wrong side of the qualifying scoreline. “Part of it just stems from having George as your teammate,” Robson says of their head-to-head record. “He does have an incredible ability to pull something out when it really matters.”

But it is not just Russell’s on-track capabilities that have made him such a powerful and important figure within Williams. The soft skills he has developed off-track, knowing how to best work with the team around him and keep heads up – even through the trickiest of times – has been hugely important to Williams.

“It’s not just his technical input, but also the way he interacts with everyone and his positivity,” says Robson. “Although he can, quite understandably, get frustrated in the heat of the moment, his positivity and general way he is so constructive is very good and exactly what we needed over the last couple of years. He’s played a big role.”

At just 23 years old, Russell has a growing voice and authority that few of his peers boast. It has earned him the respect of the entire F1 grid, evidenced by his appointment as the GPDA’s newest director at the start of this year following Romain Grosjean’s exit from the series, wishing to represent “the younger half of the grid”. Internally at Williams, he has also used his eagerness to speak up to good effect, wishing to make himself heard from day one.

There’s something about him: when he talks, people listen,” says Robson. “It’s important, provided he’s talking about the right thing. Perhaps right at the beginning, he didn’t always get [that] right, but it didn’t take him long to suss that out and understand.”

Robson’s comment is another sign of Russell’s willingness and ability to learn from his mistakes, a trait that fits perfectly with the culture built by Mercedes in its evolution to a title-winning F1 juggernaut.

It was something that he has already had to put into action this year, having brazenly pointed the finger at Bottas for their crash at Imola and then proposed a theory that had tinfoil hats quivering across the F1 Twittersphere. On the flight home after the race with Mercedes head honchos Toto Wolff and James Allison, Russell said he was given some “tough love”, but he acted quickly: he apologised, retracted his comments, and vowed to learn from the saga.

It’s exactly the kind of growth Mercedes wants to see, and will undoubtedly be part of its considerations when it decides on Russell’s future for 2022. He is a free agent, as is Valtteri Bottas, the man he would surely replace should Wolff decide the time is right to cash in on his investment.

But where would that leave Williams? Robson does not mince his words, admitting it would be a “huge loss” for the team both on- and off-track.

“It’s been fantastic working with him, right from when we first put him through the evaluation,” Robson says. “It was obvious George had something about him, some genuinely outstanding talent to drive the car. And it’s been probably frustrating at times, but a great journey to be on with him.

“Of course he’d be a massive loss. I think we’ve all put in a lot of time and effort to help him where he needed a bit of help, to guide him, and it would be a real shame to lose that without really seeing the benefits of it in our car.”

CEO Jost Capito says he would “of course” hand Russell the multi-year deal he craves from 2022, should it be viable. “I think he would fit very well to Williams for our future as well,” Capito says. “If he believes in our future, there might be a chance to keep him.”

It is a future that Russell has helped forge for Williams. Steps such as the sale of the team and investment from Dorilton Capital has secured the team’s immediate future, but Russell’s role must be recognised.

Robson agrees, saying he “can take a good amount of credit” for the team’s progress since hitting rock bottom at the start of 2019.

Williams may have a strong history for backing and cultivating young talent, giving the likes of Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg, and Valtteri Bottas their starts. But to be the force that helps lift the team out of its hardest moments, acting as the catalyst in its revival, arguably makes Russell the most important of the bunch – even if he doesn’t stick around to enjoy the fruits of his labour. (X)

[formula-one-thoughts]

Styrian Grand Prix Race Weekend Review

Whilst I think we can agree any racing is good racing, there is an argument to be made that qualifying for the Styrian Grand Prix was more exciting than the race itself. One of the most rain-drenched sessions I’ve ever seen, all of the drivers exhibited incredible skill. I honestly expected far more chaos and crashes than we saw, but was grateful that we were treated to some spectacular displays of driving with only one red flag punctuating the session.  The Racing Points did NOT seem to enjoy the rain, but someone who did was George Russell, who managed to pull off a spectacular P12, and then was promoted to P11 following Charles Leclerc’s grid penalty. It was Williams’ first appearance in Q2 since Brazil 2018, and it was wonderful to see George display the talent he so clearly has (despite his race not going quite so well). The Uno reverse card came out at Ferrari, with this time Vettel pushing Leclerc out of Q3, the German only able to manage P10 at the end of the day. The battle for pole was primarily between the two drivers who have gained the strongest reputations for commanding a rainy track: Hamilton and Verstappen. But while Max put in a brilliant performance, demonstrating great control as he saved his car from a nasty accident after sliding through the final corner (the kind of thing we first saw in Brazil 2016), it was Lewis’s day. He put in a completely commanding final lap that cemented him as back in the game after a disappointing last weekend, the gap between him and Verstappen a mind-blowing and unheard of 1.2 seconds! Sainz, Ocon and Gasly also impressed, qualifying P3, P5 and P7 respectively.

Due to the wet qualifying, everyone had a free choice of tyres come race day, with most drivers electing to begin on the softs. Almost instantly it was all over for Ferrari, an ill-judged move from Leclerc taking their weekend from bad to worse. It goes back to the saying that you can’t win a race on the first lap, but you can easily lose one. His attempt to go down the inside of Vettel was completely unnecessary, and both drivers paid the price (Leclerc did apologise profusely and accept all the blame). With their car not even looking ‘best of the rest’ and this being their second race ending collision in four races, you get the feeling Sainz might be feeling a little less than happy about his upcoming move to the Scuderia. The incident necessitated a safety car for a couple of laps whilst the remains of Vettel’s rear wing were cleared off the track.

The majority of the race was not super eventful, with only one further retirement – Esteban Ocon. Hamilton pulled away from Verstappen and the trio of Hamilton, Verstappen and Bottas in turn pulled away from those behind them. The midfield was closely bunched together for much of the race with lots of good battles, Perez in particular making his mark with a remarkable drive where he was up to 5thfrom 17thby lap 49 (having also pitted), pulling out fastest laps all over the place. Stroll was not able to make quite the same impact, struggling to pass Ricciardo for most of the race. Sainz’s race was rather ruined by a botched pit stop that put him out at the back of the group that included Norris, Ricciardo and Stroll, but he did manage to set fastest lap (and set a new lap record), giving McLaren their first consecutive fastest laps since 2011.

It really started to heat up on lap 67, with Bottas finally catching Verstappen, who was struggling with older tyres and some front wing damage. It looked like the Finn had got him, but Verstappen pulled off an insane move to regain the position, if only for 1 lap. It really showed Max’s passion that despite knowing Valterri was in the faster car and would eventually pass him he still put up an amazing fight, providing the fans with the entertainment we wanted. In my opinion, this drive, fight, and unwillingness to give up are the qualities of a future world champion. Perez finally caught Albon, but suffered damage that seriously compromised his speed, causing him to drop back. Lando Norris has come alive at the end of both races so far, and it’s great to see. Over the final 2 laps he went from 8thto 5th, capitalising upon Stroll and Ricciardo’s battle that saw both cars go off-track, and then passing the ailing car of Perez on the penultimate corner. The Mexican was soon caught by his teammate and the Renault, and the trio crossed the line three abreast, Perez just clinging on to 6thwith only a second separating Norris in 5thand Ricciardo in 8th. It was a Mercedes 1-2, with Hamilton putting in a totally dominant performance to win the race.

One of the most powerful moments of the weekend came during the podium celebration, when Stephanie Travers, Mercedes’ Trackside Fluid Engineer, accepted their constructor’s trophy. She is one of only NINE women ever to stand on an F1 podium, and the only woman of colour. I want to talk about gender diversity in the sport more in another post, but the importance of Stephanie standing up there alongside the drivers cannot be understated. Representation is so important, and the fact that women and young people of colour could see someone who looked like them on that podium says there is a place for them in the sport. I would read Lewis’s Instagram post if you want to find out more about Stephanie, and I think he was certainly instrumental in selecting her to join him for the champagne. Other teams should take note; although this is only a start, it was a display of genuine (rather than just performative) allyship.

Ferrari need to get their act together for Hungary this weekend; if they don’t show any improvement then I can’t see them having much of a chance of success for the rest of the year. Apart from Sainz’s pit stop it was a great weekend for McLaren, who stand 3rdin the constructors championship, with Norris maintaining 3rdin the drivers (with over half the points he managed to get all of last year). Toto Wolff has said he expects Red Bull to be a threat at the Hungaroring, but he has been known to make these kind of comments only for the Mercedes to appear stronger than ever, so we shall have to wait and see. Verstappen was narrowly beaten by Hamilton for the win last year, but managed to secure his first pole position, and has performed steadily there over the years. However, this is arguably the track where Hamilton has seen the most success – he has won 7 out of his 13 races there, and could be set to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of most race wins at the same circuit. Whatever happens, I can’t wait for more racing.

[astrojmonaf1]

This isn't the F1 we love

History in the making, Unfair Rulings, and Big Disappointments

Formula One is a sport that many define as the closest thing to riding a rocket into outer space because of the downforce generated inside the 800 kg car which is more than the weight of the vehicle itself.

Every time the drivers get behind the wheel, they defy gravity which is very much compared to being inside a Space Shuttle and a modern F1 car can pull more G’s than a Space Shuttle launch. Think about that one for a minute.

This week, Falcon Heavy carried an extraordinary payload, a rocket full of satellites and between them a Solar Sail is known as LightSail 2 the size of a loaf of bread which is the second spacecraft of it's kind with nothing, not one engine but the energy of photons to propel it in orbit and promote space exploration.

Then, NASA on June 27th announced that we are going back to Saturn’s biggest Moon, Titan, to send a helicopter drone named “Dragonfly,” to uncover the fundamental blocks that gave way life to our planet.

That race is no easy feat.

The last time NASA accomplished this was during the Cassini-Huygens Mission, and until this day it remains the farthest aircraft to ever land in the outer Solar System.

Just like Cassini and Huygens, Formula One has a lot of things in common.

A lot of preparation and teams of two, but sometimes not both make it till the end.

This week we saw the youngest podium ever to win in Formula One history at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Amidst back grid positions, penalties for impending drivers and a theatrical ending, and why yes— even a fake document from a pesky fan, because you have to have it all in Formula One, FIA could not taken long to call on their investigation for this year’s winner.

Max Verstappen wheeled banged himself into Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on lap 69 which cost the Monégasque his first win.

The Dutchman had earlier overtaken on Bottas from Mercedes right after saying his hybrid engine was losing power and as if a miracle, recovered.

The Finnish and teammate to Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes was having overheating issues, but kept the pace with the 21-year-old, said “made the most out of it. It was a bit more difficult than we expected, especially with the overheating of the engine, so couldn’t race properly – had to manage all.”

The FIA Regulations clearly state:

Article 27.4. : "At no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically, or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to another driver or any other person.”

It almost seems as if they were quick enough to deliver a penalty against Sebastian Vettel who had nowhere to go when Lewis Hamilton kicked him out of track in Canada, and it showed.

“I had nowhere to go,” Vettel said, to Lewis Hamilton when he was broadcasted through by Sky Sports after the race was over, “Seriously, I had nowhere to go.”

Sebastian Vettel, superpositioned the FINISH order of the signs once he caught up to the two drivers, Leclerc, and Hamilton in Canada.

Yes, stewards, you can fool yourselves but not a man behind the wheel!

The rules stand clear on this one.

And although this year's rules were changed to allow overtaking to increase by 50%, that oversight by the judges caused Vettel the race by 5 seconds which subsequently handed Hamilton first place.

That same discrepancy and too much power in the stewards allowed the Monégasque to lose the track not because he could not win it but because of incompetence from the governing body.

A dramatic end indeed which translates it to another week in Formula One, even if Verstappen was able to break the 1-2 Mercedes partnership, FIA, you had one job, just one, and you messed it up.

What does that mean for the greatest single seat racing sport in the world? The biggest stage in racing that is? It means that even if Honda Racing waited nearly 13 years, for their big break by Verstappen, and Congratulations— for it must feel excellent that you got something handed to you unfairly well, the real winners here are the Fédération.

It means there is a big problem going on with Formula One.

Their penalty process or lack thereof has become a substantiated mess.

FIA forwent their own rulebook when it comes to the violations but happily look away when it pleases their judges.

No wonder why fans have taken it upon themselves into forging fake documents.

They no longer have the ability to trust the governing body, there is no credibility left in the sport after they have blatantly showed to favor certain teams, especially after changing the rulebook to appease them.

Whatever credibility the fans used to have in this organization there is none left, and can you blame them?

The whole system is wrong. Do they know how it works? It is their system after all, but it is broken, and it needs a complete overhaul.

Two hundred and three thousand attendees turned up today in Spielberg, Austria, to celebrate the legend, Niki Lauda, where they saw a Turn named after him. Were he still with us today would he be proud?

This is a massive sport, with millions of fans visiting the circuits and audiences tuning in tandem online and through cable TV, cheering for their favorite teams, from Ferrari to McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes to name a few of the top favorites.

There are currently 20 male drivers in the series.

It isn't an easy feat to get licensed for Formula One; many think that the name helps, that it may be a ticket to get into Ferrari Driver Academy, but that is not true. You have to have talent.

And this year's alumni prove it; it isn't like any other group of drivers in the history of the Federation.

Without a shadow of a doubt, they are the youngest group Formula One has ever put behind the wheel and inside a helmet.

We saw Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, and Lando Norris set some impressive records in Austria this week.

The young British driver from McLaren was poking fun early about keeping the Aussie on check from DRS.

It was a beautiful thing when he was radio’d. ”Like, Forever?” he replied to his team.

Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, 21, winning pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday, while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton 5 time World Champion, was given a three-place grid penalty which forced start him in the fifth position on the grid for impending Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen.

He went as far as saying “We’ve been chipping away at it, but right from the get-go we noticed a bit of a deficit to the Ferraris,” Hamilton said.

“We definitely underestimated how fast they would be, I would say, and I think ultimately on the straights.”

“They really kill us on the straights.” because the Monégasque was leaving him in the dust by a margin.

Raikkonen gave a middle finger at the five-time world champion as Lewis overtook him. About the incident he said, "He blocked me, simple as that," Raikkonen said.

It is known that Hamilton can get tricky on those laps and get off the hook with penalties, FIA notwithstanding has looked the other way and handed them to other drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari's teammate to Charles Leclerc, who after the Canadian Grand Prix was given a five-second penalty, which ultimately cost him the race to Lewis Hamilton.

During the Austrian Grand Prix, his luck had not changed.

The air pressure line to the engine was acting up, and the mechanics had to shield his car from view while Leclerc had to leave him behind to go on the circuit. Vettel had to stay on the vehicle for as long as he could.

“The car was obviously broken so we couldn’t fire it up and go,” he said.

“We fairly quickly made the decision to change, but it’s not so easy to take the bodywork off.”

“We done everything we could be we couldn't get it done in time." he continued.

“There's nothing you can do inside the car. It's nobodies fault, but we need to understand what happened and make sure it doesn't happen again.”

“At that time it's nobodies fault, I knew most likely that if we fixed it, there would be one run, so I tried to focus solely on that.”

“As much of a pain it is, it's good to see that the other car came through and got pole.”

“I'm happy for the team, obviously not happy for my side. We'll have a good day and a good race tomorrow.”

Following Vettel’s comments Mattia Binotto, Ferrari F1 team boss said "It is an engine problem, "We had miscombustion on one cylinder, but it's yet to be understood.” which indicates they will be taking Vettel’s engine back to Maranello, Italy ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

This is Charles Leclerc's second career pole position after qualifying in Bahrain Grand Prix back in March, but missed out due to a cylinder malfunction where he allowed Mercedes AMG F1 Team took a 1-2 victory, Hamilton-Bottas from the overtook him in his last ten laps.

The Monégasque, who was repeatedly proving his driving credentials with speed, in Spielberg, started his driving career, karting at a very young age.

This time, however, was a different story, qualifying to leave the Mercedes in the dust by a margin, with Max Verstappen from Red Bull right behind him following his karting days from 2012.

This time seems as if “Chal Lelerc,“ as he joked on Twitter earlier in the day to the @F1 page when they @ mentioned him “Lelerc“ on a Tweet, was testing a rocket, because he broke the circuits record by 1.03.003 mins in which he evidently pushed himself to the limit, broken the year prior by Alfa Romeo's Kimi Räikkönnen by 1:06.957 mins.

“The car felt amazing actually,” said Leclerc during the FIA conference. “In FP1 I struggled a little bit, but then we did some changes, and from FP2 it was quite good and a big pleasure to drive this car on the limit. It just felt great, and I'm very happy to bring the pole position back home - but tomorrow we need to finish the job.”

Not in vain, he calls this his favorite circuit since in 2017 he won his first cup while he raced for Prema Racing in F2. It's safe to assume that after this loss and the stewards unfairly ruling he will continue to push to get that #1 Championship Title he deserves.

No offense to the winner, Max Verstappen but that ruling was uncalled and the stewards got it wrong.

FIA did give an opening for Ferrari to appeal but Mattia Binotto, Ferrari's Team Boss rejected it “to support the sport.”

“What's Ferrari's opinion and position - we still believe this is a wrong decision, that's our own opinion, we believe that Charles left the entire space, he had no fault, a collision has happened, and he has been pushed and forced off the track,” Binotto continued

“We believe these are clear rules, which we may appreciate or not, and these are exactly the same rules which have been applied in past races.”

“Having said that, we respect fully the decision of the stewards, they are the judge and we need to recognize that, and more than that I think that as a Ferrari fan - and I'm an ultimate Ferrari fan - I think it's time for F1 to turn the page and to look ahead.”

“As we often said, we should leave the drivers free to battle, so we may not be happy of the decision, we are not supporting the decision, but somehow we understand the fact that we need to move forward, and overall I think that's good for the sport and good for F1.”

Binotto may be looking to move forward from this one, but the fans won’t and if by 2021, FIA has not devolved from how their rulebook has immiserated fans worldwide, then, RIP Formula One.

Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix by 2.724 seconds, leading Charles Leclerc in Second Place, and Valteri Bottas in Third.

Congratulations on your big win.

By: Jennyffer McCulley June 30th, 2019

📸 : Reuters / Getty / AFP

[f1chronicle]

5 Big Talking Points From 2020 Eifel Grand Prix

Given his penchant for dominance and sheer consistency, most headlines upon the completion of a FORMULA 1 race read something like the following:

“Lewis Hamilton wins from pole to register yet another victory.”

Not that what transpired at the Nurburgring was a walk in the park for the six-time world champion, now gunning and most certain to bag a seventh title crown. But then, great drivers don’t need pole positions always to seal a race-win, right? At times, the front row starts, and making most of an opponent’s quandary does the trick, provided one reacts at lightning speed.

So when pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas locked up on lap 13 in the approach to a right-hander and went slightly wide, it was his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who clinched the lead, a position he’d never throw away. But not before having been denied a near-certain pass right at the start where he was all but out in the lead with the Finn making up for a sluggish getaway putting all great reflexes into defending from the Briton.

From a statistical perspective, the Nurburgring had plenty of headlining material, the venue returning to the grid after a gap of 7 years to produce a cracker of a contest with amazing battles all around the grid. But from a sentimental perspective too, the Nurburgring ensured that FORMULA 1 and its doting fans got plenty to cheer about.

What were the 5 big talking points from the 2020 Eifel GP?

The Champion Draws Level With The Master: Hamilton’s 7-11 feat!

It can only take the master to challenge the champion of the sport and what was fitting, to say the least, was that Lewis Hamilton, who was targeting Michael Schumacher’s race win tally, was able to do so at the great champion’s homeland.

With 91 race wins, Hamilton just needs another to clinch an incredible first; in becoming the only driver in the sport’s seven decade history to record 92 race wins.

A feat that given his unbelievable consistency shouldn’t take that long.

But apart from Lewis’ record-smashing feat, credit must be given to the way he retook the lead on Lap 13 with his teammate locking up the front tires as the duo battled in the run to a right-hander.

In a perfect demonstration of “you miss, I hit”- Hamilton, who had all but passed Valtteri seconds from the start itself, launched into the lead after Bottas quite simply failed to control the proceedings at the front. From there on in, it was down to Hamilton’s excellent race-management that led to another incredible race win for the Mercedes, and the Briton’s seventh this season.

Daniel smiles, and so does the world

Few drivers are as regarded for their race-craft as they are for their smile other than the Australian Honeybadger. For someone who prior to arriving at the Nurburging, where he last raced in 2013, had managed four P4 positions, Daniel Ricciardo realized what he had been targeting a while: the most achievable result in the form of a P3 finish.

Showing once again a demonstration of fine driving, the dauntless driver collected 15 valuable points as a result of some excellent overtaking, including the pass on Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and his excellent defending from Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, easily the faster of the two battling cars.

As a result of Daniel’s determined effort, Renault also achieved their first podium since 2011 Malaysia (where Quick Nick Nick Heidfeld excelled for the French team), perhaps the more memorable result than the tattoo Cyril shall now get!

Several retirements minus serious accidents: Nurburgring smiles

At a track where starting 1928 onwards, there have been no fewer than 78 fatalities, including deaths of 4 Formula 1 drivers, the challenges of driving at the desperately dangerous Nurburgring can be a bit too overwhelming.

Although, the track has undergone a few redesigns in a bid to make the race track more adaptable and modern F1-car friendly, one just never knows what might the circuit throw up on the race day.

Though thankfully there weren’t any accidents as such on Sunday, October 11, there were, no fewer than 5 retirements, including those of Lando Norris, Alexander Albon, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, and George Russell.

And while there was a collision between the Red Bull driver and Alpha Tauri’s Daniil Kvyat, which led to the Russian’s race being compromised, it was the Thai-British driver who race-retired eventually, never really recovering from the damage he self-inflicted courtesy a move you’d reckon he never should have made.

It didn’t help that the Russian Torpedo finished P15 having already had an underwhelming qualifying performance and not in the least, Alex Albon, who would have wanted to do much better, having begun from fifth on the grid.

Spare a thought for Antonio Giovinazzi, if not Kimi

For a driver who until arriving at the Nurburgring hadn’t managed to reach Q2 even once on the much-important Saturdays, Antonio Giovinazzi was a reformed driver at the 2020 Eifel GP.

One who was determined to stabilize a career that given recent rumors- that he might be losing a drive for 2021- began strongly by first putting his Alfa Romeo into Q2 (for the first time this season) and next by finishing ahead of his teammate, Kimi Raikkonen.

His P10 was a fine performance not only given the lackluster form the Italian had endured of late, having last scored a point 10 races ago. Moreover, his was the only Alfa that scored any points at the dangerous Nurburgring, ending with 2 vital collections, as a result of which the Martina Franca-born overtook Raikkonen on the standings, landing on sixteenth.

Max does all he could have

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished his first-ever drive at the Nurburgring in a Formula 1 race in second, next-best only to Lewis Hamilton. Not just a fine performance by Red Bull’s go-to driver but also an indomitable one in that it was Verstappen who set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:128:139 on the final lap. A great result given the fastest car of the race as seen throughout the 60-lap run was the Mercedes, not the Honda-powered machine.

Having driven a controlled race where at one point in time, he was firmly in business to even strike record-breaking Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen didn’t put a foot wrong at the 2020 Eifel GP, succeeding in collecting 19 points at the end (18 for P2+1 for fastest lap). A performance that allowed him to cut his gap to Valtteri Bottas on the Driver Standings, the Dutchman now on 147 points to the Finn’s 161.

Nurburgring’s special effort also meant that this was Max’s second P2 finish starting the Russian GP, this being his fifth P2 result of the year.

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