Jordan's Track Talk

Author: jordanlhaynes

  • DTS Season 4 confirmed

    Over the weekend we had an announcement that Drive To Survive will be returning for season four in 2022.

    The Netflix series first aired in 2019 and has been a great success within interest in the sport within the young fans/ American too. It has won numerous awards such as Bafta and Telly award on its ongoing success.

    The series picks up story lines from each team over the course of the season, which offers fans a unique perspective of a race weekend.

    “What it really demonstrated to us is how many fans might be out there, and how can we talk to existing fans but in a different way,” said Holmes. “What the Netflix series shows us is that there is this appetite for content that has no place to be in a [regular] pre-race show. But there is a place for it and people are genuinely fascinated by it. The other thing it’s really demonstrated to us is that what interests people most is the individuals, the personalities, the rock stars, the drivers, or in some cases maybe a few team principals. It’s that sort of personality-driven programming.”

    My Opinion-

    I actually don’t mind DTS, I watch it as its funny, entertaining and gives us F1 fans something to watch whilst F1 is preparing for the new season. But I have always been wary since it started that its giving a false perception, not every race weekend you see is put onto the series and every teams is different. However, i’m happy its back and cant wait for the trailer and release date!

  • Round 12- Spa Race

    Well… I don’t think anyone expected it to go the way it did today…

    First of all I just want to say a big well done to the fans at Spa, I admire every single one of you for for sticking it out in the rain all day to see some racing however, the rain wasn’t holding off today.

    As we done two laps behind the safety car, half points are awarded to drivers in top 10 and I think some teams and drivers will be happy that there is at least some points awarded this weekend!

    George Russell got his first podium in F1 today and some may think its not deserved etc but in my opinion I believe it is, the way he pulls out everything from the Williams is something else. He managed to get it to start on the front row of the grid which I cant imagine isn’t easy but he very much deserves these points, trophy and a better seat…

    Big shame for Red Bull today, when Perez was going to the grid for the start of the race he crashed, and we didn’t think he was going to be able to race due to damage but the FIA said yes but only if they could get all four tyres on in time and to be honest they did it in plenty of time, however because we didn’t have any overtakes etc because of the safety car being out Perez didn’t score any points. They had a chance at free points and close down the gap in the constructors too, but it just wasn’t there day.

    The top 10 are as following: P1- Verstappen, P2- Russell, P3- Hamilton, P4- Ricciardo, P5- Vettel, P6- Gasly, P7- Ocon, P8- Leclerc, P9- Latifi and P10- Sainz.

    Hamilton now leads the championship by only 3 points, so these next two races will mean a lot to both Hamilton and Verstappen. Norris, Bottas and Perez do not move any where in the drivers championship as none of them scored points today…

    One bonus is the fact we don’t have to wait too long for the next race, we’re back next week at Zandvoort!!

  • Round 12- Spa Quali

    WOW! What a quali… I don’t think anyone expected the results we got!

    Max takes another pole position! And next to him on grid will be Mr Saturday himself, George Russell and yes I know! No-one expected that but he had the pace their all qualifying! Hamilton will be starting P3! The rest of the top 10 are: P4- Ricciardo, P5- Vettel, P6- Gasly, P7- Perez, P8- Bottas, P9- Ocon and P10- Norris. Bottas has a 5 place grid penalty which sees him start 13th.

    The rest of the grid look like this (before penalties are added) P11- Leclerc, P12- Latifi, P13- Sainz, P14- Alonso, P15- Stroll, P16- Giovinazzi, P17- Tsunoda, P18- Schumacher, P19- Raikkonen, P20- Mazepin. Stroll also has a 5 place grid penalty which means he will start P20.

    Norris was so quick in Q1 and Q2, unfortunately in Q3 he had a big shunt which ended his qualifying and chance of pole. But the main thing is seeing him get out of the car okay! His being checked over as precautionary measures as usual, updates on him and his car will come as and when there is some. *UPDATE AS OF 22:00pm (BST) Lando has been given the all clear to race tomorrow which is good news, however he does get a 5 place grid penalty because for gearbox change so he will be starting P14*

    Bottas, didn’t have the birthday he was hoping for… qualifying in P8, I expected him to be up there in top 3 at least which is a shame but at the end of the day the points are awarded tomorrow and he has a lot of work to do in the race if he wants to score a decent amount. It does make me think now that George has got himself on the front row in a Williams, will this mean George gets the seat at Mercedes? The announcement should come soon!!

    Daniel Ricciardo starting P4 tomorrow which is amazing for him and the team, definitely shows his starting to get comfortable in the car which is brilliant for the constructors fight against Ferrari, lets hope Daniel gets a good amount of points tomorrow!

    Now I definitely didn’t see both Ferrari drivers starting out of the top 10. I think the team has a lot of work to do over night and figure out a good strategy so both drivers can score points.

    Predictions-

    My top five predictions for tomorrow are: P1- Hamilton, P2- Verstappen, P3- Ricciardo, P4- Vettel and P5- Russell. I think fastest lap will go to Hamilton.

    I think Latifi has a good chance at points again tomorrow, especially if Williams nail their strategy for him. Hopefully we see Bottas finish in the top 10 and not have an incident in the rain like Hungary and Imola.

    I’m very much looking forward to tommorrow, we should see some hard racing and maybe a surprise result!

    Times for tomorrow-

    The race starts at 14:00pm (BST) and 15:00pm (CEST). Don’t forget we also have an F3 race tomorrow as well.

  • Alonso extends contract with Alpine

    It has been confirmed that two-time world champ, Fernando Alonso will be staying with Alpine for the 2022 season, it is the only team he had discussions with for next year.

    Alonso came back into F1 this year after a two year break and joint Alpine where he one his two world titles. His contract for this year was just a one plus one (He had an option to extend for another year, which he now has).

    The Spaniard, hasn’t had the best season so far he only managed to score five points in the first 5 races but things are starting to slowly look better for him, he scored 8 points in Baku, 6 in Silverstone and 12 in Hungary whilst also defending off Lewis Hamilton to secure his team-mate Esteban Ocon his first win in F1. It will be interesting to see how he does the second half of the season…

    What would be next for him?

    If he chose not to stay, it is more than likely he would aim for Indy 500 and go for the triple crown which includes winning the Le Mans 24 Hours, F1 World Championship and the Indianapolis 500.

    My Opinion-

    I’m not surprised by this at all, I think its the right decision for both Alonso and Alpine especially with the regulation changes coming in next year, it will be helpful to have two drivers who know the team well.

  • Belgian GP

    We have been blessed with a triple header after the summer break and our first stop is the Belgian Grand Prix and I think this is a fan favourite for most including myself!

    Will Hamilton extend his championship lead? Or will Verstappen be ready to claw back some points after the last two races? And finally will it be Ferrari or McLaren come out on top this weekend in the fight for 3rd in the constructors?

    Who needs a good weekend back?

    First of all i’d say the most obvious one is Max, if he wants to get the second half of the season started in the right way he needs to be cool, calm and collected for this weekend. If he doesn’t I can see the following few weeks going Hamiltons way.

    Next up I would say is Valtteri, we all know the rumour mill on whether he should keep his seat at Mercedes and that decision will come soon… But if i’m being completely honest, Valtteri isn’t where he was last year and it shows in his previous performances this season, so I think he needs to prove too many that he deserve a seat in F1 whether that is with Mercedes or another team.

    Another one is Danny Ric, it’s been a tough one for him with getting used to a new car but I feel like his last race was ruined and we didn’t get to see what he has, as the race before Hungary was Silverstone and he had a good result their, so i’m hoping he will have some more good results in this second half including this weekend as its his 200th Grand Prix so a special one!

    Predictions for Quali-

    My top five for qualifying are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Perez, P3: Verstappen, P4: Norris and P5: Gasly. I’d like to see Ricciardo in top 10 and the same with Russell, his on a good streak at the moment and with him scoring points the last race, there will be no doubt he will be wanting to get some more so by getting a good quali position is always helpful!

    The reason Bottas isn’t in my top 5 is because he has a 5 place grid penalty so the highest he can start is P6. Lance Stroll also has a 5 place grid penalty from the last race too but I see him being out of the top 10.

    Times for the weekend are-

    Friday 27th- FP1: 10.30am – 11.30am (BST), 11.30am – 12.30pm (CEST). FP2: 14.00pm – 15.00pm (BST), 15.00pm – 16.00pm (CEST).

    Saturday 28th- FP3: 11.00am – 12.00pm (BST), 12.00pm – 13.00pm (CEST). Qualifying: 14.00pm – 15.00pm (BST), 15.00pm – 16.00pm (CEST).

    Sunday 29th- Race: 14.00pm (BST), 15.00pm (CEST).

  • Tyres for Spa

    Finally, we are back this weekend racing! Pirelli have announced the tyre choices for this weekend.

    We have the compounds in the middle of the range. C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft). This is the same as last years, which was a step softer than the tyres used in 2019.

    Last years race was won with a one-stop medium to hard strategy, all three podium finishers used this. They switched the tyres during a long Safety Car period which influenced this strategy. So this years strategy may be very different to last years depending on what happens at the beginning of the race.

    Spa is one of the most exciting tracks on the calendar and it contains a wide range of demands over the lap. As Spa is located in the foothills of the Ardennes- theres always a high chance of rain making an appearance over the weekend.

    This weekend we also have Formula Three joining F1, they are going into their fifth round of their season. The medium tyre will be used this weekend for them. This compound offers the most out of the three compounds, especially around the demanding and challenging track.

  • Available seats 2022

    Back in April, I done a blog post regarding the drivers market, this post is about available seats as we’ve had a couple of signings already and there is quite a lot of speculation for certain seats left for the 2022 season!

    Mercedes- Now we all know Lewis has re-signed! But the focus is now onto who will join the 7 time world champ as his teammate? Will it be Bottas or Russell? Well Mercedes have said they will make a decision over the summer break… So we really don’t have long to wait! I personally want George in that seat, I think his had his time at Williams now and his proved himself time and time again and this is the next step for him!

    Red Bull- Max is contracted for Red Bull till 2023 so no changes there… However, the second seat this is a difficult one just like last year. Helmet Marko has came forward and said their not entirely happy with Sergio Perez… So if he improves in the second half of the season then he will more than likely get the seat but if he doesn’t, Red Bull could look at possibly getting Pierre Gasly back or maybe Alex Albon? Or possibly junior drivers, Liam Lawson or Juri Vips. I feel like this second seat won’t be decided until the end of the season, just like last year…

    AlphaTauri- Both drivers contract are up this year, there is a part of me which thinks that maybe they won’t change it but part of me is thinking that Pierre may get a chance at Red Bull which means Alpha Tauri have a spot to fill… I 100% think Yuki will re-sign, I think it’d be silly to let him go but if Pierre does leave then who are the options? Well, possibly Juri Vips or Liam Lawson.

    Alfa Romeo- Again, both drivers contract are up this year, however there are many options for Alfa Romeo! The first one would be keep to both drivers but I don’t think they will, I think Kimi will leave at the end of the season. So who could fill the seat? First up is Ferrari Academy driver and Reserve driver for Alfa Romeo Callum Illot, that would seem the most sensible option. But there is a list! Maybe Bottas if he doesn’t get a Mercedes seat? Shwartzman who is another Ferrari Academy driver and currently competing in F2. We also have Mick Schumacher whose currently at Haas. Personally I think they will sign Antonio Giovannazi and Callum Illot…

    Haas- Mazepin has a contract sorted for 2022 as he signed a multi year contract in 2020 for the 2021 season onwards. To be honest I don’t see Mick moving teams yet so I think Haas will keep their line up for 2022.

    Williams- Both driver contracts are up this year, and there’s lots of speculation on who gets the seats. First up I think Williams will re-sign Latfi, his only in his second season of F1 so his still got lots too prove. But this second seat is like hot cakes! It won’t be available for long… if George does leave to go to Mercedes, there is a queue of people waiting to jump into the seat. The most obvious one is Valtteri Bottas, it would mean going back to an old team and taking a step down into a less competitive car but the team are improving unlike a few years ago. Nico Hulkenberg is an option, he use to drive for the team back in 2010 and is currently Aston Martins reserve this year, this could be a very good option for the team. Williams also have the option of Daniil Kyvat, he no longer has any Red Bill ties and is currently a reserve for Alpine. Personally I know who I want in the Williams seat and he is quite a popular choice and that would be Nyck de Vries, F2 champion in 2019 and Formula E champion 2020-2021. He is also one of the reserve drivers for Mercedes and got the opportunity to be in the Young Drivers test last year. I think this would be the best option for Williams in my opinion!

    Ferrari, McLaren, Alpine, Aston Martin all have pretty set driver line ups for the next season so I don’t see any changes happening there!

  • Japanese GP Cancelled

    Another change has hit the 2021 calendar, we now won’t be going to the Suzuka Circuit in Japan on the 8th to 10th October.

    The race which was cancelled last year due to Covid-19, was meant to be the third race out of a triple header this year.

    A statement from Formula 1 read: “Following ongoing discussions with the promoter and authorities in Japan the decision has been taken by the Japanese government to cancel the race this season due to ongoing complexities of the pandemic in the country.”

    What could replace it?

    Well, there is a long list of circuits which are happy to jump in and take their place. Some of them which come to mind are: Nurburgring, Mugello, Hockenheim and Indianapolis.

    My Opinion-

    It is such a shame that we won’t be at the Suzuka Circuit this year, but we can all understand the reasons why! Obviously a shame for the fans too with how passionate they are and they will have to wait another year to see some F1 cars back on track…

  • Penalty Points 2.0

    Back in April I done a blog post looking at what penalty points are and how many each driver has. This time I want to focus on how many the drivers have now, half way through the season.

    Penalty points get taken off after a year, so seeing as this time last year we was racing instead of summer break, it could shake the order up…

    DriverPoints currentlyDifference from April
    Lando Norris8+3
    Sergio Perez8+6
    Sebastian Vettel6+1
    Lance Stroll6+3
    Nicholas Latifi 6+6
    Kimi Raikkonen 5+1
    Nikita Mazepin5+5
    Lewis Hamilton4-2
    Valtteri Bottas4+4
    Antonio Giovinazzi 4+1
    Yuki Tsunoda4+4
    George Russell4-2
    Charles Leclerc 2-1
    Daniel Ricciardo 10
    Carlos Sainz10
    Pierre Gasly1+1
    Max Verstappen 00
    Fernando Alonso00
    Esteban Ocon0-1
    Mick Schumacher00
    Updated Penalty Points August 2021

    A couple of the drivers need to watch out especially Norris and Perez, they are both only 4 points away from a race ban and with how close this season is, one race ban could change the whole dynamic in the championship standings…

    The order has changed quite a bit, both Hamilton and Russell going down the order quite a bit. A few of the drivers have managed to stay in the same spot, like Verstappen, Schumacher and Ricciardo.

    I think it will be interesting to see at the end of the season where the drivers are with the points, I can imagine a big shake up again…

  • Aston Martin withdraw appeal…

    Aston Martin started to appeal Sebastian Vettel’s disqualification from the Hungarian Grand Prix, however the stewards dismissed it and since then withdrew.

    On the 5th of August, AM started to appeal, the team released a statement saying that the data showed their was enough fuel left in the car.

    On the 9th August, the stewards heard from the team. After hearing the review the FIA revealed Aston Martin had discovered a faulty fuel pump which lead to personnel only extracting 0.3 litres.

    Therefore the officials dismissed the right to review, which means that Vettel’s disqualification from the race still stands.

    Now today (12/08) , Aston Martin have withdrawn their appeal against the disqualification.
    A statement from the team said: “Having considered our position and having noted the FIA stewards’ verdict that there was clear new evidence of a fuel system failure, we have nonetheless withdrawn our appeal on the basis that we believe doing so outweighs the benefits of it being heard.”

    My opinion-

    I can see why the team wanted to appeal, it’s such a close season and 18 points is a lot too lose! However rules are rules at the end of the day, they never would of got away with it which is a shame but I’m sure Aston Martin will get another podium this season!

  • Lundgaard to make debut in IndyCar

    Alpine junior Christian Lundgaard is getting his first taste of IndyCar this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He will be driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

    This opportunity comes for Christian as he tested for the team a few weeks ago and RLL said that it was an eye-catching test with the team which has led him to this incredible opportunity to develop his racing skills and career. “We were very pleased with the job that Christian did at our recent test at Barber Motorsports Park and are looking forward to seeing him perform at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with David Letterman and Mike Lanigan. “It’s going to be a new experience and a big challenge due to the lack of practice time compared to other races.”

    “I’m super excited to try Indy Car next week,” said Christian Lundgaard, who will pilot the No. 45 Honda-powered entry. “I’ve been very fortunate so far in my career to drive some incredible race cars and I’m looking forward to officially adding INDYCAR to that list.”

    Lundgaard is currently driving for ART Grand Prix in Formula Two this year and is currently 12th in the standings. Last year he finished 7th in the Formula Two championship.

    Could this maybe be a look towards the future if he doesn’t get a seat in F1? I’m very much looking forward to seeing how he does in IndyCar though!

  • Two week shutdown

    During the summer break we have a two week shutdown in F1. But why some may ask? Well within the sporting regulations it obliges all F1 teams to have two week period where their activities are restricted.

    Shutdown has been apart of F1 for a while and was introduced for two specific reasons – The first is to save costs, this reduces the costs of participation in the sport. – The second is to give hard-working members of F1 teams a chance to have a break from work and recharge for the second half of the season.

    As we all see every year, the seasons are getting longer and longer, with a lot more races crammed into such small margins, this is a rare and crucial opportunity to relax.

    What can the teams not work on during this time?

    Any work which is related to enhancing the performance on the car is not allowed. Those who design, build and run the car alongside those who control developing the car as well as suppliers are affected by the regulations.

    What can they work on?

    Well, the areas which are open are Marketing, Finance and Legal, these don’t directly impact car performance so therefore allowed to open.

    I think that the two week shutdown is very much needed in F1, especially with the season getting longer. It gives time for the employee’s of the teams a proper rest and knowing the fact they can’t go to the teams factory makes things more relaxed! Normally the shutdown is prime time to announce driver line ups for next year! So i’m looking forward to the next few weeks…

  • Dan Ticktum released by Williams

    Williams have officially released development driver Dan Ticktum with immediate effect. The Brit joined Williams back in 2020, after being dropped by Red Bull’s junior programme back in 2019.

    Ticktum helped Williams with their F1 team car development and also assisting them at the factory and at the race track. The reason for dropping is unknown however, Dan Ticktum took to his Instagram stories and said “Myself and Williams parted ways before the recent Latifi related incident just so people know. It wasn’t announced until now as there was no option for an F1 seat in 2022 for me. Thankyou to @williamsracing for the opportunity! Hope to work together in the future!”

    Dan is currently sitting fourth in the F2 championship, his only 19 points from the championship leader, Oscar Piastri…

    This now leaves Roy Nissany who has drove for the British team three times in FP3 this season, their reserve driver Jack Aitken and W Series champion Jamie Chadwick.

    My Opinion-

    Obviously a big shame for Dan as he hasn’t had an easy ride, first being dropped by RB and now Williams, it must be tough for him. I can’t really say much on my opinion for the reason of the departure as it hasn’t been officially announced, only what Ticktum has put onto his Instagram.

    Is this a sign for the future seats for Williams? Have they already decided on who will be in their seats this year? Only time will tell!

  • Round 11- Hungary Race

    WHAT. A. RACE…. WOW, I did not expect this!! We’ve had chaos from the first lap and a very different outcome than expected!

    We had a big collision on first lap which led to Bottas, Perez, Leclerc, Stroll and Norris to be out! Bottas has been given a 5 place gird penalty for the collision… Mazepin also got hit by Raikkonen in the pit lane meaning Mazepins race was over…

    Esteban Ocon is finally a F1 Race Winner he done very well to hold of Sebastian Vettel who finished P2 and P3 goes to Lewis Hamilton after Mercedes messed up in the tyre situation at the restart he climbed up from P14 to P3!!

    The rest of the top 10 are: P4- Sainz, P5- Alonso, P6- Gasly, P7- Tsunoda, P8- Latifi, P9- Russell and P10- Verstappen. Fastest lap goes to Pierre Gasly as he took it from Hamilton on the last lap! A big well done to everyone!

    *UPDATE AS OF 9:15pm (BST)* Sebastian Vettel has been disqualified due to the race officials not been able to take the required fuel sample after the race. This means Hamilton goes to P2, with Carlos Sainz in P3, Hamilton’s lead in the championship is now 8 points… All drivers move up a place…

    Can we take a minute to recognise the fact that BOTH Williams drivers scored points!! FINALLY George Russell and Nicholas Latifi score points! I’m so happy for both of them and the team!

    It wasn’t Red Bulls day today, a bad strategy cost Max places and yes he was driving with a damaged car but he did managed to overtake people with it earlier on in the race so it’s another race which is down to Red Bulls poor strategy…

    Gutted for Daniel Ricciardo, after getting hit on the first lap it just went down hill after that…

    We now have a 4 week break and Lewis Hamilton leads the championship by 6 points, Max Verstappen is second with 186 points and Lando Norris is in third. Mercedes are now first in the Constructors with 300 points, Red Bull are second with 290 and McLaren maintaining their spot in P3!

    We are back on the weekend off the 27th to 29th of August, for the Belgium Grand Prix!

  • Round 11- Hungary Qualifying

    What a Quali! 1-2 for the Mercedes boys with Max Verstappen joining them in P3… The rest of the top 10 are: P4- Perez, P5- Gasly, P6- Norris, P7- Leclerc, P8- Ocon, P9- Alonso and P10- Vettel

    This is what the Mercedes boys needed, it shows the upgrades they got at Silverstone are working a lot!

    Disappointing day for Ricciardo, only managed P11 after being knocked out of the top 10 by Vettel. It seems like something isn’t their with the car today, so hopefully they figure out for the race tomorrow and the fact they have free tyre choice plays into their hand.

    Aswell a disappointing day for Carlos Sainz, he crashed out in Q2 meaning he will start P15 after not being able to set a time. Hopefully he has a better day tomorrow…

    I’m not to sure if Red Bull can do much tomorrow… Verstappen is starting on the softs which won’t last long in the heat and with the race being 70 laps long it’s looking like they will do a two stop which won’t be good if Mercedes are on a one stop.

    Very disappointed for Russell, got knocked out in Q1 which is a shame but like the Brit said you can’t get it right every time!

    Predictions-

    My top five predictions for tomorrow are: P1- Hamilton, P2- Bottas, P3- Verstappen, P4- Gasly and P5- Norris. I think fastest lap will go to Verstappen, Red Bull are going to want to stop Hamilton and Mercedes from getting extra points…

    I’d love to see Ricciardo finish in the points, he has a good chance tomorrow so it’s all eyes onto tomorrow now!

  • Hungary GP

    We are back this week after a two week break and we are at the Hungaroring for round 11, it’s our last race before the summer break!

    Could we see a different championship leader after Sunday? Or will Max Verstappen be aiming to extend his lead after Silverstone? I for one am very much looking forward to this weekend, it’s all to play for once again!

    Who needs a good weekend?

    I think that both Red Bull drivers need a good weekend, considering the fact neither of them had a good weekend at Silverstone the gap has now closed between Max and Lewis and Red Bull and Mercedes. It will be interesting to see what strategy they go for here…

    A good weekend for Pierre and Yuki is needed, it seemed to all go wrong for Gasly at Silverstone, so hopefully he will have a stronger weekend and hopefully the same for Yuki even though he managed to score a point at Silverstone!

    Predictions for Quali-

    My top five for qualifying are: P1- Hamilton, P2- Verstappen, P3- Bottas, P4- Norris and P5- Ricciardo.

    I’d want to see at least one of the Alpine’s in the top 10 and Russell as well, his been really strong in qualifying as always and his put his Williams in the top 10 a few times this year!

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday: FP1- 10.30am – 11.30am (BST), 11.30am – 12.30pm (CEST). FP2: 14.00pm – 15.00pm (BST), 15.00pm – 16.00pm (CEST). Saturday: FP3- 11.00am – 12.00pm (BST), 12.00pm – 13.00pm (CEST). Qualifying- 14.00pm – 15.00pm (BST), 15.00pm – 16.00pm (CEST). Sunday: Race- 14.00pm (BST), 15.00pm (CEST).

  • Tyres for Hungary

    We are back racing this weekend and the tyres for Hungary have been announced.

    The middle of the range have been chosen and they are C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium) and C4 (Soft). This is the same as what Hungary had last year. The circuit doesn’t place any heavy demands on the tyres, meaning these compounds are well suited to the track, especially if the weather is warm.

    Hungary is a very different track compared to the last round at Silverstone, overtaking is tricky on the track so planning race strategy and track position is key. Last years strategy was the wet and intermediate tyres were run at the start of the race because of the rain. But in 2019 (the same compound as 2021) both one and two stop strategies with Hamilton using a two stopper who won the race.

    We have 70 laps of this track, the circuit length being 4.381 km and with only one DRS zone thinks can change very quickly…

    We also have Formula 3 at Hungary this weekend too, they use the one tyre compound and that is the medium compound.

  • 2022 Car

    A life sized F1 2022 car got revealed last week at Silverstone and wow! I actually really like it, I know there is many different opinions but wow! The car was originally meant to be used in this season rather than next years but due to Covid-19 it got delayed.

    There are many reasons why F1 has changed their car but some of the main ones are: -It’s been designed to promote better racing, etc overtaking. Currently preventing closer racing is the downforce loss. -Cars will run on more sustainable fuel. Current regulations see the cars run on fuel which contains 5.75% bio-components, in 2022 you will see the bio-component ratio rise to 10%. In the near future F1 will are looking to introduce fully sustainable fuel. -Safety. F1 has changed a lot within the regards to safety over the years, but next years car has been improved to make the sport even safer. The chassis now need to absorb 48% and 15% more energy respectively in the front and rear impact tests.

    Things which caught my eye on the 2022 car-

    -The things which stood out the most to me on the car was the rear wing, I think it looks a lot better than whats currently on the cars. -The size of the car, you can tell the difference when you have a birds-eye view of both the 2021 and 2022 car next to each other, you can see how slim it is. -Lastly, the over wheel winglets, they feature on the front tyres. They are there to help control the wake coming off the front tyres and direct it away from the rear win.

    I’m very much looking forward to see next years livery on the new car! Long wait to go but something to look forward too.

    F1 2022 Car @ Silverstone

  • F2 Silverstone- Review

    The weekend just gone we had Formula Two joining F1 at the British GP and what a weekend it was for F2!

    Friday- On the Friday we had free practice and qualifying, Dan Ticktum topped the charts in FP with Piastri behind in and Vips in 3rd. We had one red flag during the practice and that was due to Pourchaire, he got out of the car okay and racing went back to normal after this. Next up we had qualifying, Oscar Piastri got his first ever pole position in F2, and Lundgaard got reverse pole for the first sprint race.

    Saturday- First up we had Sprint Race One and Robert Shwartzman claimed another win, making it his second of the season. In 2nd we had Juri Vips, and 3rd was Christian Lundgaard. The trio managed to survive four safety cars in the order they finished in! One of the safety cars was needed for Guanyu Zhou after he spun which didn’t put a good start to his weekend… We then have the Second Sprint Race, and we now have a new F2 race winner and that was Richard Verschoor his first ever F2 win! Marcus Armstrong joined him on the podium in 2nd and the Brit, Dan Ticktum in 3rd. Verschoor led every single lap from lights out to the flag making it a well deserved win. Guanyu and Robert didn’t socre any points in the 2nd sprint race.

    Sunday- On a Sunday we only have the Feature Race, so lets get into it! Guanyu Zhou made a comeback on the Sunday and won the Feature Race making it his third win of the season. Dan Ticktum in second with Oscar Piastri in third. Towards the end Piastri had to hold off Verschoor who was on a late charge for a podium but wasn’t successful.

    Who impressed me the most this weekend?

    I’m really impressed with Dan Ticktum this weekend, he was nice and consistent and obviously got on the podium twice which is a very good points haul for him and the Carlin team. I’d also say Richard Verschoor, obviously his first win within F2 and he scored some good points on the Sunday too, it seems like his got lots of confidence in the car which is very good!

    Who needs to improve?

    We have a little while till were next on track with F2, and the people I think who needs to improve are possibly Liam Lawson, I think his a very good young driver and obviously his got to grips with the HiTech car very quickly, but I expected more form him at Silverstone, but maybe the track just didn’t suit him this particular weekend. I also think Marcus Armstrong, his with the Ferrari Driver Academy so obviously very talented, but I feel like this season was his chance to prove that to people but only at the fourth round he scored his first podium this season!

    The next F2 race is in Monza and on the 10th to the 12th of September, i’m looking forward to see if we have a new championship leader after the weekend their or if Oscar Piastri can extend his!

  • Round 10- Silverstone Race

    Silverstone did not disappoint!! What a race wow…

    Hamilton has grabbed his 99th win of his career and his 8th British GP win! Leclerc finishes in P2 and Bottas in P3.

    The rest of the top 19 are: P4- Norris, P5- Ricciardo, P6- Sainz, P7- Alonso, P8- Stroll, P9- Ocon and P10- Tsunoda.

    We only had two DNF this race and that was Max Verstappen due to contact with Hamilton early on in the race which gave him a 10 second time penalty, then the second was Sebastian Vettel due to an issue with the car. Max has ended up going to hospital so I wish him a speedy recovery whatever the injury is!

    Both McLaren and Ferrari boys done so well both finished in the points and Leclerc got his highest finish of the season so far! The constructors is going to be so close now!

    Now onto the last remaining Brit, George Russell, brought the car home in P12, so close to points but we’re all very proud of him for such an amazing weekend!

    We now have a two week break till the next race and that is at Hungary on the 30th July till 1st August. Will Hamilton get his 9th win at the Hungaroring Grand Prix, or will Max be as hungry as ever? It’s all to play for!!

  • Round 10- Silverstone Sprint Quali

    Well that is the very first F1 Sprint Quali done and what a 17 laps they were!

    Max got a very good start and took the lead from Lewis but the Brit wasn’t giving up that easy and kept pushing Max! However it wasn’t enough and Verstappen took P1, Hamilton- P2 and Bottas- P3!

    The rest of the top 10 are: P4- Leclerc, P5- Norris, P6- Ricciardo, P7- Alonso, P8- Vettel, P9- Russell and P10- Ocon.

    It wasn’t Perez’s day as he spun on lap 5 and fell all the way down to P19, and then he eventually had to retire the car meaning he now starts the race tomorrow in P20. This shows how important the F1 sprint is, one little mistake and it could be all over for you and then you would have to do a lot of making up to do tomorrow in the race.

    There was an incident on lap 1 with Russell and Sainz, where they made a bit of contact and Sainz dropped back to P18, this is set to be looked at by the stewards afterwards, so hopefully more information coming soon! *UPDATE* – George Russell has a 3 grid place penalty drop for tomorrow’s race meaning he will now start P12. Ocon, Sainz and Gasly all move up one place!

    Predictions for tomorrow:

    My top 5 for tomorrow are, P1- Hamilton, P2- Bottas, P3- Norris, P4- Ricciardo and P5- Leclerc, with the fastest lap going to Hamilton.

    I’m going to predict that Russell will finish P7! Don’t know if that’s too out there but I’m very hopeful and his got the home crowd to cheer him on!

    All eyes onto tomorrow now and I’m very much looking forward to it!!

  • Round 10- Silverstone Quali

    GET IN THERE LEWIS!!! Pole on his home track and no better way to do it! P2- Verstappen and P3- Bottas!

    The rest of the top 10 are- P4- Leclerc, P5- Perez, P6- Norris, P7- Ricciardo, P8- Russell, P9- Sainz, P10- Vettel.

    Honestly, WOW I’m so glad George got into Q3! He was definitely right about the crowd because when he got into Q3, the roars around the circuit was unbelievable!

    Big well done to Daniel as-well! Mega day for him and to be right next to his teammate is the performance we want to see from him!

    The Mercedes upgrade definitely seem to work very well so far and it’s about time they brought something, it’ll be very interesting to see their plan for the rest of the weekend

    Red Bull I feel like had a good afternoon but when it went to the qualifying session in the evening they kind of lost their form and that ended up with Max not being first…

    My Predictions-

    For Sprint qualifying I think P1 will go to Hamilton, P2- Bottas, P3- Norris, P4- Perez and P5- Ricciardo.

    I’m very much looking forward to seeing this Sprint Qualifying tomorrow and what drama it will bring to the track!

    Tomorrow we have Practice 2 at 12:00pm – 13:00pm (BST) and then Sprint Qualifying at 16:30pm – 17:00pm (BST)

  • Silverstone GP

    We are back racing this weekend and we are at Silverstone, the home of many F1 teams and three drivers, Russell, Norris and Hamilton! We have a big weekend coming up with 140,000 fans there and not just F1 there either, we have F2 and the W series this weekend.

    Can Lewis be victorious in-front of his home crowd? Or will Max extend his lead?… Will Lando Norris achieve another podium? Can George Russell score some points? SO many unanswered questions and I am here for it!!

    This weekend at Silverstone we have a special thing happening, on Thursday 15th July, F1 will be unveiling the life-size 2022 car, with a talk through on the machines revolutionary design. This will be streamed on F1’s Youtube channel and Facebook at 15:00pm (BST) and 14:00 (UTC).

    Who needs a good weekend?

    I would say Lewis, yes he has performed well recently but he really needs a win this weekend! So lets hope there is some upgrades to the Mercedes…

    I’d also say Pierre Gasly, he has had a good season and is currently 9th in the drivers championship but I feel like this weekend he will have something more to give. He has a fast car and he knows what his doing with it so I don’t see why not he will finish quite high up!

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top five for qualifying are Pole- Hamilton, P2- Bottas, P3-Verstappen, P4- Norris and P5- Perez.

    I’d like to see Daniel end up somewhere in the top 10 and close to his team-mate too, I think it would be a great start to the weekend for the British team. Again, I’d like to see George get into Q3, hopefully the crowd gives him that extra boost…

    I feel like Esteban Ocon needs a good quali, he hasn’t had very good past weekends, hopefully the two week break have let him chill and feeling fresh for Silverstone.

    Times for the weekend are-

    Friday- W Series Practice Session- 09:40am – 10:10am (BST) F2 Practice Session- 11:30am – 12:15pm (BST) F1 Practice 1- 14:30pm – 15:30pm (BST) W Series Qualifying Session- 15:55pm – 16:25pm (BST) F2 Qualifying Session- 16:50pm – 17:20pm (BST) F1 Qualifying Session- 18:00pm – 19:00pm (BST).

    Saturday- F2 Sprint Race 1- 08:50am – 9:40am (BST) F1 Practice 2- 12:00pm – 13:00pm (BST) W Series Race- 13:25pm – 14:05pm (BST) F2 Sprint Race 2- 14:45pm – 15:35pm (BST) F1 Sprint Qualification- 16:30pm – 17:00pm (BST).

    Sunday- F2 Feature Race- 10:50am – 11:55am (BST) F1 Race- 15:00pm – 17:00pm (BST).

    Come back here or my social media for more updates over the weekend! You can find my social media in the contact me section of my page :)

  • Tyres for Silverstone

    Pirelli have announced what tyres will be available this weekend at Silverstone which is holding the first ever F1 sprint.

    The hardest of the compounds will be used C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium) and C3 (Soft). They will also be supply 12 sets of slicks rather than 13 with two sets of C1, four sets of C2’s and six sets of C3s. The compounds are the same as last year apart from the new rear tyres from when Hamilton suffered a puncture on the final lap.

    With qualifying now taking place on Friday evening and a change to normal practice, all drivers must use the soft tyre for the session, which normally its a free choice. Now onto the Sprint on Saturday, the teams will have a free choice of starting tyres, with also a free choice for the race on Sunday too.

    The test tyres they used in Austria, will now be used from British GP till the end of the season, they have reconstructed the rear tyre making them more robust.

    We also have Formula Two back this weekend for Round Four, they have been allocated the hard and medium tyres, which is being used for the first time in 2021 for them.

  • How Silverstone will work

    This coming weekend we have the British GP, and this year is a little different than others… It’s the first weekend of this season to be trialling the sprint qualifying.

    Below is in detail of how it is set out across the weekend and the times for it. The only day which stays the same is Sunday.

    Friday- In the afternoon (as usual) we have a 1 hour free practice session. In the evening we then have the normal qualifying which is usually on a Saturday afternoon. The qualifying will give us the starting grid for Sprint Qualifying.

    Saturday- In the afternoon we have a 1 hour free practice session. Then in the later part of the afternoon/ early evening we have the new Sprint Qualifying, this will usually run for 100km so roughly 30 minutes. The top three finishers will be awarded points, 1st = 3points, 2nd = 2 points and 3rd = 1 point. The results from this will then be the starting grid for Sundays race. During the sprint qualifying, pit-stops and tyre changes are not mandatory however the pit lane is open, if drivers want to change tyres.

    The times for this weekend are: Friday: FP1- 14:30pm till 15:30pm (BST), Qualifying- 18:00pm till 19:00pm (BST). Saturday: FP2- 12:00pm till 13:00pm (BST), Sprint Qualifying- 16:30pm till 17:00pm (BST). Sunday: Race- 15:00pm till 17:00pm (BST)

    I’m very lucky to be there this weekend, and to see the new layout. It will be interesting to see how it could possibly change up the order, and with there a few points up for grab this could mean quite a bit to both the Drivers and Constructors.

  • Russell VS Bottas

    The big talk in contracts recently is who will be joining Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year? Mercedes wanted to sort out Lewis’ contract first as both the team and himself wanted it to be done as quickly as possible, unlike last year. The main two drivers for contention are current Williams driver and Mercedes junior, George Russell and the other is current Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas.

    Russell seems to be going from strength to strength every race and season, last year he got called up last minute to replace Lewis at the Sakhir Grand Prix and I think we all saw how well he did in a car he doesn’t drive, didn’t actually fit into and had no time to prepare! We’re now currently seeing him put the Williams in and around the top 10 in Quali, seeing him fight for points and finish near the top 10. George has been at Williams for three years now after being loaned out to them from Mercedes, and his helped the British team develop so much and you can see how they have improved! Russell has also got approval of two time world champion Fernando Alonso, with George getting called “A future world champ”.

    Where as Bottas has been at Mercedes now since 2017, and his put in some good performances since his been with the team and his played a good part in the Constructors, but now this season it’s like his not there much within the team. He hasn’t had the best start to the season, his had no wins, two DNF and at one of the races he didn’t even finish in the points. Is it just simple bad luck? Or does he feel the pressure? Who knows!

    Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal say “We value them both for their strengths and for what they can contribute to the team” on both George Russell and Valtteri Bottas.

    My Opinion-

    I do actually reckon a deal has been done but there holding off on announcing, I did think they would do a double announcement on the weekend of Silverstone for both Hamilton and Russell.

    However I want George in that Mercedes seat! I think he deserves it, his worked very hard in the past 3 years and I think that’s clear for everyone to see. Mercedes need to think about the future here and where they want to be after Lewis leaves…

    The thing what confuses me about Valtteri is the fact he says his fighting for championships and his said it this year as well, when in reality he isn’t… Yeah he has landed on the podium a few times this year but so has other drivers…

    The decision over the second seat will be made over the summer break and it seems that Toto Wolff has got a hard decision to make!

  • Australia Cancelled Again

    It has officially been announced that the Australian Grand Prix which was due to be held on the 19th to 21st of November.

    Normally the Australian Grand Prix is the season opener in March, however this year instead of cancelling it they postponed it till November, obviously it has not worked in their favour but it won’t be long till we are back!

    The circuit had some upgrades whilst not being in use such as Turns 9 & 10, the chicane has been removed to allow higher speeds. Turn 13, it now allows more overtaking opportunities. There is also some widening of corners at 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 6 & 7 and 15.

    It has not been revealed yet which circuit will take its place. Some of the possibilities that I can think of are: Hockenheim, Nurburgring, Mugello, Sakhir (outer track). Let me know in the poll below what you think!

  • Round 9- Austria Race

    WHAT A RACE!!! Wow just wow, so many overtakes and battles on track with lots of penalties too…

    P1 goes to Verstappen again! Then we had Valtteri Bottas joining him on the second step with Mr Lando Norris adding another podium to his collection in P3!! The rest of the top 10 are: P4- Hamilton, P5- Sainz, P6- Perez, P7- Ricciardo, P8- Leclerc, P9- Gasly and P10- Alonso. With also the fastest lap point going to Verstappen aswell

    Honestly wow! Norris is on fire this year! After having an unfair penalty at the beginning of the race his managed to get on the podium! He also grabbed driver of the day!

    Absolutely gutting for the other two Brits on the grid, Hamilton picked up damage and couldn’t excel as well as we know he could! And for Russell he missed out on the points today towards the end, but he drove an absolute wonderful drive after loosing places at the beginning then running in the points and battling Alonso toward the end, his time will come!

    Ricciardo drove beautiful today his definitely got the pace there so now he just needs to work on the qualifying and hopefully soon he will be fighting for podiums!

    We had 19 finishers today, with Esteban Ocon out due to having contact with Giovanzzi on lap 1!

    There was some lovely battles on track and good over taking too, however there were a couple of penalties given out which some I think some were unfair like Norris’ but Perez got two five second penalties for pushing Charles Leclerc twice…

    Tsunoda also got two five second penalties for going over the Pit Lane entrance line on two separate occasions…

    Now, we have a two week break until Silverstone and I’m happy to say I will be there at Silverstone this year, so I’m looking forward to giving you all pictures and updates as i’m there on my blog and blogs social media too!

  • Round 9- Austria Quali

    And what a qualifying that was! No Mercedes on the the front row and no Red Bull 1-2 either!

    Max Verstappen adds another pole to his collection with Lando Norris joining him on the front row for the first time ever. The rest of the top 10 are: P3- Perez, P4- Hamilton, P5- Bottas, P6- Gasly, P7- Tsunoda, P8- Vettel, P9- Russell and P10 to Stroll

    I am very impressed with George! Finally made an appearance in Q3 and what a man! Big well done to Williams and George for getting the car into a very good position.

    I can imagine that Norris is very happy with P2! I did not expect that this weekend and it’s very nice to see him getting the praise he should, every weekend he delivers for the team and it’s being recognised, unfortunately his team mate starts P13

    Both Alpha Tauri drivers in the top 10 and starting P6 and P7 which is very good for the team! I did think they would of got higher but tomorrow is where it counts

    Both Ferrari drivers missed out on the top 10 with Sainz starting P11 and Leclerc P12, they are both very good in the race here in Austria so it will be interesting to see what strategies they have

    Very shocked for Alonso, he didn’t manage top 10 due to an issue with Sebastian Vettel on his flying lap but his starting P14, Alonso will be another to watch tomorrow!

    My Predictions-

    My top 5 predictions are: P1- Hamilton, P2- Norris, P3- Bottas, P4- Perez and P5- Gasly. I think fastest lap might go to Bottas!

    I would love to see George in the points tomorrow, we saw how well he done last week until he had to retire, so I’m hoping he does well tomorrow!

    Ricciardo as-well I would like to see in the points, it’s so important for the constructors but the Ferrari are very strong in the race…

    Times for tomorrow are: 14.00 (BST) and 15.00pm (CEST)

  • Hamilton Stays till 2023

    It’s has been announced today that Lewis Hamilton will be staying in Formula One until 2023!

    We all knew that Lewis and Mercedes were talking about contracts early this year compared to last year as they wanted to get it out the way and focus on the year ahead!

    And they have just done that… The Brit who is currently on a one year deal has just signed for two years meaning he will stay till at least 2023, depending on whether he signs another contract or not.

    Hamilton and Mercedes are currently trying to beat Max Verstappen and Red Bull to the drivers and constructors championship this year as Red Bull close the gap down unlike previous years!

    “It is hard to believe it’s been nearly nine years working with this incredible team and I’m excited we’re going to continue our partnership for two more years,” said Hamilton.

    It is still unclear who will partner with Hamilton at Mercedes but the main two who are up for contention are current Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes junior and current Williams driver George Russell.

    My Opinion-

    I’m very happy about this! Lewis is partly the reason I got into this sport and I’ve watched him since his very first season in 2007! It’s honestly so nice to see how much he has grown within the sport and all what he is doing with BLM and the diversity within F1.

    I think it’s the right move from Mercedes too as the regulations change next year and having someone with so much experience will help with the new car!