Jordan's Track Talk

Category: Formula One

  • Round 4- Imola Qualifying

    Round 4- Imola Qualifying

    A very mixed qualifying is now complete from a dry track to a red flag and then a wet track. Safe to say the Imola cat will be keeping dry in paddock.

    But with his first pole position of the year for the current world champion, Max Verstappen!

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Norris, P4: Magnussen, P5: Alonso, P6: Ricciardo, P7: Perez, P8: Bottas, P9: Vettel and P10: Sainz.

    Not a good day for the home heros, both Alpha Tauri’s out in Q1 as they couldn’t manage to get through the next stage of qualifying. Lots of work for them to do in the sprint and the race if they want to score some points this weekend.

    Due to a red flag in Q2, caused by Carlos Sainz, the running stopped in qualifying completely even after the red flag went as the rain started to come down and the drivers had already set some laps so none of them were going to change.

    Mercedes did not have a good qualifying, you could put it down to Carlos’ crash as well as they are just having problems with the car also. Both drivers out in Q2 the first time a Mercedes car hasn’t been in Q3 since Japan 2012

    Williams having more and more problems as the weekends go on, this time for Albon as his breaks set a light whilst in Q1 and cause a stop to the session as there were debris from the brakes being on fire.

    A total of 5 red flags throughout qualifying. A lot for teams to work on. Disappointing that Perez could’ve been higher up and benefit on the fact that Ferrari only have one car at the top.

    A good showing from McLaren, hopefully we see some more good work from the pair throughout the rest of the weekend as well as Haas’ Kevin Magnussen!

    Predictions-

    My top 5 for the sprint is- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Norris, P4: Alonso and P5: Magnussen.

    If it is a dry sprint tomorrow, like expected then I can’t really see much happening. A couple of positions switch around in the top 10 but nothing major unless it’s mechanical issues…

    Times for tomorrow-

    Free Practice 2 F1- 11:30am – 12:30pm (BST)
    Sprint Race F1- 15:30pm – 16:30pm (BST)

  • Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

    We are back this weekend racing not just Formula 1 but Formula 2 and 3 also! We are now in Italy for the return of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The Sprint returns this weekend also, for the first time in 2022.

    Its both Ferrari and Alpha Tauri home race this weekend, can the teams provide a good weekend? Will Max have more reliability issues? Or will he conquer through? Carlos retired last race, can he get back on the podium on Sunday?

    Could we see a wet qualifying? It’s definitely looking that way and a possibility of some rain across the weekend also. This could shake the order up quite a bit!

    Who needs a good weekend?

    Red Bull, or more likely Max. 2 DNF’s in 3 races isn’t a good start for defending his title. I know it isn’t his fault as they were things to do with the car and not himself but he will be wanting this weekend to go as smoothly as possible.

    Aston Martin will be wanting a good weekend especially Seb, he DNF’ed in Australia and will be wanting to get through the whole Grand Prix this weekend.

    Carlos will also be wanting a good weekend also, he has had a good start to the season apart from the DNF in Aus, but with his new contract being announced this week he will be wanting to perform even more than before.

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top 5 are- Pole: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Sainz and P5: Hamilton. Apparently Red Bull are bringing upgrades this weekend, if they work well the fight could be on between both RB and Ferrari.

    A part of me don’t want to count out Russell, we all saw what he could do in qualifying when it was raining and at the moment its predicted to rain whilst quali is going on, so we could see a masterclass from him again.

    Hopefully we see at least one Haas in Q3, would be nice to see both in there as well as the McLaren’s. Lando likes driving in the wet as we all saw last year, so it may help him get further up the grid for the sprint on Saturday.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 22nd-

    • Free Practice F3- 8:55am – 9:40am (BST)
    • Free Practice F2- 10:05am – 10:50am (BST)
    • Free Practice 1 F1- 12:30pm – 13:30pm (BST)
    • Qualifying F3- 14:00pm – 14:30pm (BST)
    • Qualifying F2- 14:55pm – 15:25pm (BST)
    • Qualifying F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm (BST).

    Saturday 23rd-

    • Sprint Race F3- 9:35am – 10:15am (BST)
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 11:30am – 12:30pm (BST)
    • Sprint Race F1- 15:30pm – 16:30pm (BST)
    • Sprint Race F2- 16:55pm – 17:40pm (BST).

    Sunday 24th-

    • Feature Race F3- 7:50am (BST)
    • Feature Race F2- 9:20am (BST)
    • F1 Race- 14:00pm (BST).
  • Sainz signs till 2024!

    Sainz signs till 2024!

    Ferrari and Carlos Sainz have made an agreement (finally), and it will now see Carlos stay with the team for another two years, until the end of 2024.

    Sainz had an excellent debut season with the Italian team last season, scoring points in all but two races and managing to grab four podiums on his way to a career best fifth place in the standings, two places above his teammate.

    Last month, former Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren driver Sainz said he was “extremely close” to signing the new deal with Ferrari and in the days leading up to Ferrari’s first home race of the season an agreement was reached.

    Carlos’ new deal brings him in line with Leclerc, both drivers now being contracted to Ferrari until at least the end of 2024.

    Sainz currently sits in third in the drivers’ standings on 33 points, having finished second and third respectively in the opening two races, before having to retire last time out in Australia. The team will be hoping to have another good weekend this week as they come into the weekend leading both championships.

    I am very happy to have renewed my contract with Scuderia Ferrari. I have always said that there is no better Formula 1 team to race for and after over a year with them, I can confirm that putting on this race suit and representing this team is unique and incomparable. My first season at Maranello was solid and constructive, with the whole group progressing together. The result of all that work has been clear to see so far season. I feel strengthened by this renewed show of confidence in me and now I can’t wait to get in the car, to do my best for Ferrari and to give its fans plenty to cheer about. The F1-75 is proving to be a front-runner, which can allow me to chase my goals on track, starting with taking my first Formula 1 win.

    Carlos Sainz on his new contract.

    I have said several times that I believe we have the best driver pairing in Formula 1 and so, with every passing race, it seemed a completely natural step to extend Carlos’s contract, thus ensuring stability and continuity. In his time so far with the team, he has proved to have the talent we expected from him, delivering impressive results and making the most of all opportunities. Outside the car, he is a hard worker with an eye for the smallest detail, which has helped the whole group to improve and progress. Together, we can aim for ambitious targets and I’m sure that, along with Charles, he can play a significant part in fuelling the Ferrari legend and will write new chapters in the history of our team

    Mattia Binotto, Ferrari Team Principle on Carlos Sainz.

    My Opinion-

    I don’t think anyone expected anything different! I wasn’t sure on how long the contract would be, as Ferrari do have Mick Schumacher to think about. But it was the right decision by the Italian team, after Carlos’ great debut season.

  • Imola tyre allocation

    After a two week break we are back this week and we are in Imola for Round 4, along with Formula 2 and 3.

    Pirelli have chosen the C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft) tyres for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. This is the same nomination which was made for Imola last year, although the compounds are of course different with the latest 18 inch tyres.

    Imola, marks the first sprint of the year, with rules that are slightly revised compared to last year, including more points on offer. The tyre rules are the same as last years sprint events though, rather than 13 sets for a normal weekend, this weekend will see 12 sets.

    The asphalt dates back to 2011, which makes the 11 year old surface reasonably abrasive, that’s why we don’t see the same double step between medium and soft tyres, like we did in Australia. The more mature surface at Imola, generates more grip and therefore more heat in the tyres.

    The forces at work on the tyres are generally equal between lateral and longitudinal, making it a flowing track where drivers need to find a good rhythm.

    Imola is an old-school, challenging track, where overtaking can be tricky, also because the circuit is quite narrow in places. So the strategy is likely to centre around avoiding traffic, and effectively the teams start from scratch here in terms of tyre knowledge – as the compounds are completely different this year, and last year’s race also began on the wet-weather tyres, before being interrupted by a lengthy red flag period. Generally speaking, Imola is a medium severity track for the tyres, and it’s a venue that is used quite frequently. This means that we might see a little less track evolution than we’ve been accustomed to at other circuits as the track is well rubbered-in already: the first round of the Pirelli-equipped GT World Challenge took place at Imola last month, which gave us some useful data. These are just some of the factors that the teams will have to take into account when establishing the tyre strategy for the opening sprint session of the year: another first for the 2022 season.

    Mario Isla, Head of Pirelli Motorsport.

    Formula 2

    Formula 2 will support a Formula 1 grand prix at Imola for the first time in 16 years, when the championship was known as GP2. The Medium and Supersoft tyres have been nominated- this will be the debut for the revised supersoft tyre for 2022, featuring optimisations to improve resistance.

    Formula 3

    This weekend will be the first time that the modern Formula 3 championship has raced at Imola. The medium compound is the sole nominated tyre for the first time this season.

  • How long are the ’22 tracks on the calendar for?

    Seeing as some tracks have renewed their contracts already this year, lets take a look at the tracks in the race calendar for this year and see when their contract runs until.

    Bahrain- 2036

    The Sakhir International Circuit signed a huge multi-year contract last month, which makes it the longest contract currently in F1.

    Saudi Arabia- 2031

    With Jeddah making its debut last season, Saudi Arabia has a deal for a decade, if not longer. But the race will be moving from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to another new track in Qiddiya for 2023.

    Australia- 2025

    Imola- 2025

    The historic Italian circuit, signed a new deal last month to stay on the calendar until 2025, after coming on the calendar during the 2020 season.

    Miami- 2031

    The newest addition to the calendar has bagged a 10 year deal before they have even race their!

    Spain- 2026

    Monaco- Expired

    Monaco’s contract, expired last year and no agreement has been announced yet, but the iconic circuit has already been confirmed for this season with an altered weekend format.

    Azerbaijan- 2024

    Canada- 2029

    Great Britain- 2024

    Austria- Multi year deal

    The Red Bull Ring, has a “multi-year deal” according to Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s Advisor, but no confirmed year.

    France- 2022

    The Paul Ricard circuit, could be under threat for not being on the calendar next year as their contract runs out this year.

    Hungary- 2027

    The Hungaroring could potentially be extended for another five or ten years as their are talks already on going.

    Belgium- 2022

    Another track which could be under threat, but I very much doubt it will be as the track has been updated which could see a new deal on the table.

    Netherlands- 2023

    Monza- 2025

    Singapore- 2028

    The Singapore GP, was renewed in January, after being absent for the past two years.

    Japan- 2024

    USA- 2026

    Mexico- 2022

    The last out of 4 tracks which contracts are running out or have run out. I have not heard of any talks going on to renew at this time, but things are always changing!

    Brazil- 2025

    Abu Dhabi- 2030

    China- 2025

    Even though its not on the calendar this year, it still has an contract till 2025, could we see a return soon?

    Qatar- 2033

    After an debut last year for Qatar, it is not on the calendar (at the moment) due to the FIFA World Cup, but it could make an appearance to take over Russia’s spot this year.

  • Traditional venues at risk

    Formula 1 boss, Stefano Domenicali has said “pedigree” is not enough for established venues to be safe from the upcoming calendar shake-up. After the Russian Grand Prix got cancelled last month, Formula 1 is still planning to hold a record 23-race season in 2022.

    There is space in the current Agreement for 25 races to be held in a season, this would create space for new venues to join the calendar, but even if it did go to 25 races, F1 will still need to disappoint some hopeful promoters.

    Domenicali gave an insight into the current discussions saying that there are promoters who have expiring deals and it is likely that some of them will drop off the calendar. There is a possibility that some of the venues could appear on a rotational basis with other venues.

    Apparently the choices of the tracks will be announced soon, and there shall be some new grand prix’s coming aswell. But it is not easy to plan everything in advance for example China.

    What tracks could these be?

    It is understood that France, Monaco, Belgium and Mexico have yet to secure a deal beyond this year…

    The French Grand Prix’s future is the most uncertain, despite recent encouraging words of support from the countries president, Emmanuel Macron, whilst Domenicali suggests that traditional venues like Monaco and Spa- cannot assume their places are guaranteed.

    We know we have to balance the arrival of new races with historic grands prix, and tracks that must continue to be part of our calendar. The arrival of offers from new promoters has an advantage for the F1 platform, and that is to force the organisers of traditional grands prix to raise their level of quality, in terms of what they offer the public, and infrastructure and management of the event. It’s not enough to have a pedigree any more. You also have to demonstrate that you are keeping up. There is also a lot of interest in the Far East. Guanyu Zhou’s arrival in Formula 1 is attracting attention and does not surprise us. Beyond Ferrari, in the end, it is the drivers who make the interest in this sport grow in their countries. We have seen it in Brazil, in Spain and there are many other examples. From China we have had new requests to host a grand prix, and Zhou has yet to have his first race.

    Stefano Domenicali

    My Opinion-

    I can no way see Monaco or Belgium come off the calendar this year, especially Belgium as there have been changes made to the track. I do understand though that they shouldn’t automatically have a spot on the calendar, as that is not fair to other countries which all have to go through the same process of extending the circuit contract.

    Also interesting saying that there could potentially be some new grand prix’s, obviously we have had the Las Vegas announcement but it sounded like there was more than one. I think F1 needs to be sensible about how many more new tracks or returning tracks will be coming back on to the calendar, as it could get silly very quickly.

  • Verstappen launches racing team

    Max Verstappen has unveiled his own racing team ‘Verstappen.com Racing’ which he has launched with full support from Red Bull.

    The World Champion, is well known to be a fan of racing in both the virtual and real worlds and his new team will bring the two together, with the drivers running under the moniker in real life and on screen.

    His father, Jos Verstappen will compete with the Verstappen.com Racing team when he takes part in the Belgian Rally Championship, whilst young Dutchman Thierry Vermeulen will race with the team’s support in the ADAC GT Masters series this year.

    Looking at the virtual aspect of it, Verstappen.com Racing is going to be represented by Team Redline- the team in which Verstappen has won races with in the Virtual Le Mans 24 Hours in the past.

    Racing has always been my biggest passion in life, from the moment I first stepped into a go-kart until today. Besides my own Formula 1 career, racing is what I dedicate most of my time to. I am truly happy that, with the Verstappen.com Racing team, I can share the love for racing with drivers and teams I feel closely connected to. Apart from the fun it brings me, I can also share my racing knowledge with them, which hopefully helps everybody to improve themselves. After agreeing upon a long-term deal with Red Bull Racing earlier this year, I am very happy to be part of the Red Bull family for many years to come. T he close partnership with Red Bull as a company is also reflected in the fact that they are supporting the Verstappen.com Racing team for the coming years, which makes me very proud. I can’t wait to get started and keep pushing flat out.

    Max Verstappen on his racing team.
  • Round 3- Australian GP

    Round 3- Australian GP

    What a race we have all just seen, this season is truly unknown but it is looking more unknown for Red Bull… Before the race started it looked like another Charles and Max battle, and it was during the race until just over half way through.

    Charles Leclerc wins the Australian Grand Prix, his second win this season and extends his championship lead! Sergio Perez takes P2 and makes the day a bit better for RB. And Mr Saturday is now Mr Sunday, George Russell takes P3!

    The full top 10 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Perez, P3: Russell, P4: Hamilton, P5: Norris, P6: Ricciardo, P7: Ocon, P8: Bottas, P9: Gasly and P10: Albon.

    Well reigning World Champion, Max Verstappen looked like he was going to take P2 after Charles ran away with the lead of the race, but it wasn’t meant to be. He had to retire the car after being asked by his engineer to stop at Turn 2, so Max’s 2nd DNF in 3 races. In that aspect it does not look good for Red Bull with their reliability, if this continues its going to damage their season massively. But Red Bull have to look at the positive with Perez scoring some good points especially after their first round.

    Carlos Sainz, you have to feel sorry for… It didn’t go his way yesterday in qualifying with the Red flag and then his engine not turning on. He started the race in P9, but his race only lasted for 3 laps, as the Spanish driver spun and got stuck in the gravel in which he couldn’t get his car out of.

    McLaren, are they back? Both drivers scoring good points which is good to see especially Daniel at his home race. I don’t think it could’ve gone better for the team. It will be interesting to see where the car will be after they bring upgrades.

    Another good weekend for Mercedes, a second podium for the team this year and a first podium for George with Merc. It looks like the Silver Arrows have a very reliable car, but they still have a few problems, but once those problems are unlocked, could it be a three team constructor fight?

    One person I have to mention is Alex Albon, what a drive! Starting P20 after being disqualified from qualifying- the driver finished P10, his first point for Williams and the first for the team this year. Albon lasted 56 laps on the hard tyre!

    More problems for Aston Martin again, they didn’t have the best weekend and it got worse when Seb crashed into the wall and pulled over to the side to a stop, on lap 24. Will it get any better for the team?

    The Championship-

    Charles extends his championship lead to 34 points, he is sitting top with 71 points. George Russell is in 2nd with 37 after his podium today. Even though he didn’t finish today, Sainz is in P3 with 33 points. Max drops to 6th still with 25 points, with Ocon behind him with a gap of 5 points.

    Looking at the Constructors, Ferrari is in the top spot with 105 points and Mercedes are sitting in 2nd with 65 points, so quite a gap between the two. Red Bull are in 3rd which is quite good considering the races so far. McLaren have done a big leap and now in 4th, where they finished last year.

    We now have a break before our next round, we will be returning to Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on the 22nd to 24th April, it’s a home race for the Scuderia team and the Sprint race returns also, for the first time this year! Formula 2 and 3 return in Imola also.

  • Albon disqualified from Qualifying

    Alex Albon has been disqualified from the qualifying result, after his team were unable to provide the FIA with a sufficient fuel sample from the FW44.

    Albon qualified P16 in Melbourne, faring better than his teammate Nicholas Latifi, who was swiped by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll into a heavy crash in Q1, for which Stroll received a three place grid penalty.

    Already with his own three place grid drop (ironically for his crash with Stroll), Albon had a lot of work to do coming into the weekend. Albon stopped on track after dropping out of Q1- with Williams later unable to provide the required 1.0 litre fuel sample to the FIA, as dictated by Artivle 6.5.2 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations. The driver was then disqualified from the results by the stewards.

    After qualifying, Car 23 had insufficient fuel to yield the required one litre sample.Given this situation, Car 23 is not in compliance with the requirements of Article 6.5 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations. According to Art. 6.5.2 competitors must ensure that a one litre sample of fuel may be taken from the car at any time. The procedure was followed however the one litre sample of fuel was unable to be taken. The stewards determine to apply the standard penalty for technical infringements. Therefore they took into account, that it shall be no defence to claim that no performance advantage was obtained. The stewards have received a request from Williams Racing to allow Car 23 to start the race. The stewards therefore grant permission for Car 23, Alex Albon to start the race.

    The Stewards statement.

    The late red flag in qualifying only gave drivers two minutes to cross the line from leaving the pitlane. That meant Albon had to queue at the end of the pitlane to gain track position ahead of the green light, and Williams head of vehicle performance Dave Robson believes that extended period out in the pitlane and the outlap “race” with fellow competitors may have contributed to Albon’s lack of fuel.

    We could see a problem as he came towards the pitlane at the end of that lap where something wasn’t quite right, so we opted to stop the car just to make sure we didn’t damage anything. I think the fact that we had to go and queue at the end of the pitlane after the red flag to get that lap in meant that the outlap was then a lot more aggressive than we had planned. So, I think that’s why we were a bit lower than we would’ve liked.

    Robson explained the verdict.
  • Round 3- Australia Qualifying

    Round 3- Australia Qualifying

    Well, qualifying in Australia is now complete and what an interesting one it was with two red flags disrupting the sessions.

    But through all of it, Charles Leclerc takes his second pole position of the season, and Ferrari’s first pole in Australia in 15 years! With Max Verstappen in 2nd with his teammate, Sergio Perez joining him in 3rd. Just a note in case anything changes, Perez has to go to the Stewards on an alleged breach of not respect single waved yellow flags.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Norris, P5: Hamilton, P6: Russell, P7: Ricciardo, P8: Ocon, P9: Sainz and P10: Alonso.

    Shall we start off on something good? Both McLaren’s in the top 10!! What an improvement they have made since the first race and its nice to see them back where they should be! Let’s hope tomorrow will be even better for the team.

    Moving on, Stroll and Latifi touched in Q1 after Latifi let him through and then decided to overtake him a few seconds which saw the pair touch and their qualifying come to an end, as Latifi hit the wall in which will cost Williams a lot of money. Strolls qualifying also came to an end there aswell, both starting at the back of the grid.

    Magnussen got out qualified by his teammate for the first time this year so far. Magnussen starting P17 and Schumacher p15. Both Haas cars have got a lot of work to do tomorrow if they want to get into the points.

    Fernando Alonso looked like he was on a flyer and potentially be up in the top 3 until he crashed in Q3 at Turn 11 putting his qualifying to an end.

    Valtteri Bottas run of 103 consecutive Q3 appearances came to an end today as he only managed to go P12 in Q2.

    Predictions-

    Top 5 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Hamilton, P4: Norris and P5: Russell. I feel like this is quite mixed up, especially if Leclerc won as recent years in the Australian Grand Prix the pole sitter does not win from pole.

    Sainz has a lot of work to do, starting 9th whilst his teammate is up in 1st. It will be interesting to see the way the Ferrari works its way through the field.

  • Australian Grand Prix

    We are back in Australia after a long awaited return! Round 3 and it is Danny Ric’s home Grand Prix, but since we was last here in 2019, the track has changed quite a bit with it now having four DRS zones…

    Will it be a good weekend for the home hero? Can Mick finally get those all important points his been waiting for? Seb is back, what can he now do in the Aston? So many unanswered questions, and I can’t wait till we get some answers for them!

    The newbies who have come into F1 will be racing in Australia for the first ever time! Those being, Nicholas Latifi, Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu.

    Who needs a good weekend?

    I would say the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll needs a good weekend, he has finished outside of the points in both races this year and it seems like the Aston has better race pace, rather than one lap pace. With Sebastian being back its now Stroll’s time to shine, but the question is, can he?

    Yuki needs a good weekend, after not even being able to race last time out, he will want to do the best he can, even more so because of the track, he has a fresh start here as none of the drivers have drove on this track with the new cars and since its changed.

    Perez, will be wanting to be on that podium this weekend, first race was a DNF, and finishing 4th in Saudi Arabia was a good comeback but with Ferrari having both drivers on the podium in the first two rounds, and with the Mexican having a good car underneath him, he knows he can get on their, its just a matter of if he can.

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top 5 are: Pole- Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Carlos, P4: Perez, P5: Hamilton. If Red Bull have brought upgrades to Aus, then I could see them running away with it all this weekend.

    It would be nice to see if McLaren can get at least one car in the top 10 for qualifying. Someone else who will be hoping to get into the top 10, is Mr Mick Schumacher, he has seen what this car can do, finishing in the points in both races for his teammate, so the German will be wanting to qualify in that top 10, to hopefully get those points!

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 8th-

    Free Practice 1: 04:00am – 05:00am (BST), Free Practice 2: 07:00am – 08:00am (BST).

    Saturday 9th-

    Free Practice 3: 04:00am – 05:00am (BST), Qualifying: 07:00am – 08:00am (BST).

    Sunday 10th-

    Australian Grand Prix: 06:00am (BST).

  • Australia tyre allocation

    It’s race week once again which means looking at the tyres for the third round of the 2022 season.

    The nomination for the tyres is rather unusual for Melbourne’s track, with a bigger than normal between the medium and softest compounds. C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C5 (Soft). This will be the race, the softest tyre debuts in 2022 Pirelli range, marking a change from the aborted 2020 race and the 2019 Australian Grand Prix when the C2, C3 and C4 tyres were selected.

    As a temporary facility, Albert Park used to be quite bumpy but the new asphalt may reduce this. The new surface should offer low grip and reasonably contained levels of asphalt abrasion, which is set to result in moderate wear.

    The track-

    The track underwent significant modifications for the first time since 1996 when it made its championship debut.

    Seven corners have been modified with two removed entirely, bringing the total of turns down to just 14 and shortening the track by 28 metres. The most significant modification is the removal of the Turn 9-10 chicane, which is been replaced by a long sweeping bend.

    Turns 1 and 3 have been widened on the inside as has Turn 6, which is now significantly faster. Later in the lap, what was Turn 13 (now turn 11) has been realigned to tighten the angle. The penultimate corner (now Turn 13) is another to have been widened and also one of several to have its camber adjusted to allow for different lines to be taken.

    Compared to previous occasions, and with the drivers not having raced there for two seasons, this year there are a few unknowns to the Australian Grand Prix: first of all the circuit layout has been heavily revised to improve overtaking and, as a result, there’s also new asphalt that should be quite smooth. This means the track is likely to offer very low levels of grip at the start, with a high degree of evolution expected over the weekend and an extremely slippery surface if it rains. We will also head to Melbourne a couple of weeks later compared to previous seasons, when autumn has already started in the southern hemisphere, so conditions could be more variable. Last but not least, there is a completely new generation of cars and tyres that the drivers are still trying to learn about. All these factors mean that there will be a lot of work to do for teams and drivers in the free practice sessions. We decided to opt for the step in the compound nominations because we noticed that there was a relatively small performance gap between the C3 and C4 compounds during development testing, and we believe that Albert Park – with its new asphalt and layout – is a good place to try out this option.

    Mario Isla, Head of Pirelli Motorsport.

  • Reserve drivers 2022

    As the season has started let’s take a look at the reserve drivers each team has.

    Since the pandemic started a few teams have had to call on their reserves and some have changed in the past few years.

    Mercedes-

    Stoffel Vandoorne- Vandoorne, currently competing in Formula E with Mercedes. He has been an official reserve driver for the constructors’ champions since 2020. Stoffel already has experience in F1, with 41 starts to his name from 2016-2018 with McLaren.

    Nyck de Vries- Partnering Vandoorne with the reserve role for Mercedes, he also partners with Stoffel Vandoorne for Mercedes in the Formula E Championship. De Vries is the 2019 Formula 2 Champion and reigning Formula E Champion. He was promoted to Mercedes Test and Reserve driver in 2021.

    Red Bull-

    Liam Lawson- Red Bull junior and current F2 driver is added as Red Bulls reserve driver in 2022. Lawson has been apart of the RB juniors since February 2019.

    Sebastian Buemi- Buemi is Test and Reserve driver at Red Bull this year, after Alex Albon’s departure from the team. Buemi has lots of experience in F1 and other FIA Championships. The Swiss driver has 55 F1 starts to his name from 09-11 with Toro Rosso and has also won the World Endurance Championship twice and the Formula E Championship.

    Ferrari-

    Antonio Giovinazzi- Giovinazzi, has been a Ferrari reserve since 2017. After loosing his Alfa Romeo seat for this year, he went on to race in the 2022 Formula E Championship with Dragon Penske Autosport.

    Mick Schumacher- New to being a Ferrari reserve this year, the Italian team doesn’t have to look far as he takes on this role as well as driving for Haas.

    McLaren-

    Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries- The Mercedes reserve duo are also available to McLaren as part of an agreement between the two teams.

    Paul Di Resta- Di Resta was confirmed as a third reserve driver last year in case both Stoffel and Nyck were occupied during a Formula E race weekend, it is understood that this agreement is still in place for this year.

    Oscar Piastri- The reigning Formula 2 Champion, is a McLaren reserve as well as Alpines. Alpine made an agreement with the British team, to share Oscar.

    Alpine-

    Oscar Piastri- Oscar has been apart of the Alpine/ Renault academy since January 2020 and now moves to the Reserve role after winning Formula 2 last year and not being able to get an F1 seat.

    Alpha Tauri-

    Liam Lawson- Lawson shares both Red Bull Reserve Driver and Alpha Tauri’s Reserve- being a RB junior he has been given a big opportunity.

    Aston Martin-

    Nico Hulkenberg- The super-sub, has been called up for two rounds already this year, and three times in 2020 since loosing his seat for the 2020 season.

    Williams-

    Jack Aitken- Aitken got his F1 debut during the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix when he replace Russell as he got promoted to Mercedes due to Hamilton testing positive for Covid-19.

    Alfa Romeo-

    Robert Kubica- Kubica is a well known name in the F1 paddock. After making a remarkable comeback since his rallying accident, he raced for Williams in 2019 before joining the Alfa Romeo team as a reserve driver. He covered for Kimi last year at Monza and Zandvoort.

    Haas-

    Pietro Fittipaldi- Fittipaldi made his F1 debut in 2020 whilst replacing injured Romain Grosjean for the final two races. He was a favourite for the seat after Mazepin was removed but it went to Magnussen. He still has his reserve role for 2022.

  • Vettel back for Australia

    Vettel back for Australia

    Sebastian Vettel will return to the grid for the third round of the season in Australia after Covid-19 saw him miss the first two rounds.

    Whilst the four time world champion was recovering at home, Aston Martin brought in their super-sub Nico Hulkenberg to fill the spot for Bahrain, and then waited round until confirmation came through that Seb wasn’t racing in Saudi Arabia either.

    “TEAM UPDATE: We are pleased to confirm that Sebastian Vettel is now fit to race and will therefore line up alongside @lance_stroll in Melbourne to kick off his 2022 @F1 season at the @ausgrandprix,” tweeted Aston Martin on Thursday after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

    The team are still awaiting a points finish along with Williams- Could the Australian Grand Prix be the one?

    Ahead of Sebastian’s positive covid result- which came after Official Pre-Season Testing- Vettel spoke about the AMR22 and driving it: “The car wants to be driven in a different way. I am playing with driving styles and what I can do. Equally we are playing with the car, we are trying to sort some problems that we have, some of the challenges that we’ve faced, find solutions.here is still a lot to do, everybody is flat-out and there is still a very, very steep and high mountain to climb… but it’s fun, I think the challenge is fun and the belief is there that one day we will reach that peak.”

    Great to see that Seb will be back! He can finally start his 2022 season.

  • Vegas Baby, 2023!

    Vegas Baby, 2023!

    The worst kept secret of 2022 has been confirmed, we will be racing in Las Vegas from 2023.

    The Las Vegas Grand Prix, will be taking place on a Saturday next November, and be joining the one of three races for the United States.

    Las Vegas, hosted a Grand Prix back in 1981 and 82, but this will be the first time F1 cars are going to race on the iconic Vegas strip, with the circuit passing famous hotels and casinos.

    The track itself-

    There are 14 turns, the track will run for 3,8 miles (6.12km), with top speeds expected to hit around 212mph (342km/h).

    The design of the track features three straights, a high speed cornering sequence and a single chicane section, with the Grand Prix set to be run over 50 laps.

    The news was announced at a glittering event in Las Vegas on Wednesday evening with Liberty Media President and CEO Greg Maffei and F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali in attendance.

    They were joined by local stakeholders including Nevada Governor, Steve Sisolak, CEO and President of the LVCVA, Steve Hill and President and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, Michael Rapino.

    Iconic Las Vegas and Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport, is the perfect marriage of speed and glamour. Our confidence in this unique opportunity is evident in our decision to assume the promoter role for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in partnership with Live Nation. We could not be more excited to work with our local partners to create a marquee event. The potential of Formula 1 has been well demonstrated over the last several seasons and the Las Vegas GP will only take it to the next level.

    Greg Maffei, Liberty Media President and CEO.

    This is an incredible moment for Formula 1 that demonstrates the huge appeal and growth of our sport with a third race in the US. Las Vegas is a destination known around the world for its excitement, hospitality, thrills, and of course, the famous Strip.There is no better place for Formula 1 to race than in the global entertainment capital of the world and we cannot wait to be here next year. I want to thank everyone who helped deliver this event, especially Governor Sisolak, the Clark County Commission, Steve Hill at the LVCVA, and our local partners.

    Stefano Domenicali, F1 President and CEO.
  • Third US GP?

    Third US GP?

    Formula 1 seems to be looking at adding a third US race next season as F1 is getting closer to cracking America, with Austin already a staple on the calendar after the attendance last year, and Miami is set to make its debut in May.

    Liberty Media, F1 owners have been looking at ways to increase the sports popularity across the pond. Netflix’s Drive To Survive and more TV coverage there has been a boom in American fans, and the bosses are set to capitalise on this.

    According to the Sports Buisness Journal, talks are ongoing between F1 and the cities officals to bring the sport to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. These talks are apparently well underway, with F1 executives having visited the city several times in recent months to assess how suitable it would be to host a race.

    It’s suggested that the track could pass by the iconic dancing fountains as the drivers would battle their way down a mile of the strip.

    F1 is still yet to comment/confirm anything on this but it is to be suggested the first race could be next year or the year after depending on when it gets confirmed etc.

    It wouldn’t be the first time the Caesars Palace Grand Prix will be featured on the calendar as it did back in 1981 and 1982, before being abandoned due to low popularity.

    But should it be in Las Vegas if they were to have a third? America has a lot of different tracks but could we possibly go to a different track which is already built?

  • Round 2- Saudi Arabian GP

    Round 2- Saudi Arabian GP

    What a great race, these new cars are definitely providing such closer racing which we have been waiting to see!

    The battle between Leclerc and Verstappen does not seem to be slowing down any time soon and I think we are all looking forward to seeing how it goes between the two great drivers.

    But it was Max Verstappen who took the win in Saudi Arabia, with Charles Leclerc finishing 2nd and Ferrari having another great weekend with Carlos Sainz taking the final podium spot.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez, P5: Russell, P6: Ocon, P7: Norris, P8: Gasly, P9: Magnussen and P10: Hamilton.

    An okay weekend for Alpha Tauri, Pierre Gasly managed to get some points after his disapointing race last weekend, but unfortunatley it was Yuki Tsunoda who had the bad luck this week as he didn’t even start the race as he stopped on track on the way to the grid.

    Not a good weekend for Williams, as Nicholas Latifi crashed during the early stages of the race which brought out safety car. Towards the end of the race, Stroll and Albon made contact which brought Alex’s race to an end.

    Ricciardo looked like he had an engine problem at the end as he stopped at the pit entry, the same with Alonso but it looking like an overheating issue instead.

    Another good race for Russell, another good amount of points helping the Mercedes team, great way to start the season. Also a great race for Norris too, starting P11 and finishing 7th, which makes it the first points for McLaren this year.

    The Championship-

    Leclerc leads from his teammate by 12 points, with Max 8 points behind Sainz and George in 4th with 22 points. Ferrari leads the constructors by 40 points from Mercedes with Red Bull just 1 point behind them.

    We are back in less than two weeks and we are returning to Australia for the first time since 2019, for round 3!

  • Schumacher to not race

    Haas driver, Mick Schumacher “physically well” after his high-impact crash in qualifying yesterday. Despite that Haas, confirmed that Mick will not be taking any further part of the Grand Prix.

    The German driver was circulating in Q2 when he lost his car through the back end after riding over the kerbs, the driver spinning heavily into the wall and the impact causing massive damage to his car.

    Schumacher was taken to the circuits medical centre and from there by helicopter to a hospital for a precautionary check.

    But ahead of today’s race, Haas confirmed that Schumacher would not take the race start, writing on Twitter: “In light of today’s qualifying incident, Mick Schumacher will not participate in tomorrow’s #SaudiArabianGP.”

    The team provided an update later on: “We can confirm that Mick has been released from hospital and has returned to his hotel.”

    Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner, meanwhile, confirmed that he’d been in contact with Schumacher following the crash, saying: “I spoke with him directly. He spoke to his mum, I spoke to his mum a few times and kept her updated. He has no injuries which you can see – they just wanted to check on him, doing some scans to see that there is no damage from the impact of the forces. Taking any risks tomorrow, it’s not on,” added Steiner. “We are in Melbourne in two weeks and it’s better to focus on that one to make sure that we are in a good state there.”

  • Round 2- Saudi Arabia Qualifying

    Round 2- Saudi Arabia Qualifying

    What on earth happened today in qualifying! But it’s Sergio Perez taking his first ever pole position in F1! With Leclerc in second and Carlos Sainz on third.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Perez, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Verstappen, P5: Ocon, P6: Russell, P7: Alonso, P8: Bottas, P9: Gasly and P10: Magnuessen.

    You’ve probably noticed Hamilton who isn’t in the top 10, well, he got knocked out in Q1 and qualified 16th. His first time since 2017.

    Mick had a nasty crash in Q2, which stopped the running for a while whilst checking he is okay and clearing up the track. Thankfully he got out of the car okay and is going to hospital for check ups to make sure!

    McLaren had a better weekend than last weeks already, both drivers making Q2 and starting P11 and P12. Hopefully some points for the team tomorrow!

    So far a good weekend for Alpine, both drivers starting in the top 10. They had a good weekend last weekend so let’s see what they can do!

    Predictions for tomorrow-

    P1: Leclerc, P2: Perez, P3: Verstappen, P4: Sainz and P5: Russell. I think the Ferrari’s are that just bit in front of the Red Bull’s and if the pit stops go okay for the Italian team, I can see them winning the race.

    Hopefully McLaren in the points, that will boost the team massively before a break, and they have clearly made a step forward too!

    Times for tomorrow-

    Feature Race F2: 13:35pm (GMT). Saudi Arabian GP: 18:00pm (GMT).

  • Should F1 even be racing?

    This weekend is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as-well F2’s second round, but should we even be racing their this weekend?

    An oil depot- around 7 miles from the track and owned by F1 sponsor, Aramco- was set ablaze during the first free practice in Saudi and a large black smoke cloud could be seen from the circuit…

    F1 drivers met for four hours yesterday, after practice on Friday- which included team bosses and F1 chiefs, it continued till 2.30am Saudi Arabia time.

    It is to be understood that the drivers raised concerns over the safety of the event in the wake of the attacks. But while the lengthy meetings suggested some drivers may have wanted to boycott.

    But the Saudi Arabian GP is still set to go ahead as planned and team bosses have insisted they will be racing this weekend.

    The fire at the North Jeddah Bulk plant.

    My Opinion-

    Plain and simply I think no. Putting drivers and team members at risk for what? And marshals too, people who are offering their time to make sure the race goes ahead. It’s quite unbelievable we are going to see a race happen.

  • Hulkenberg to race in Jeddah

    Hulkenberg to race in Jeddah

    Sebastian Vettel will miss the second race, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the German is still recovering from contracting Covid-19 before the season opener in Bahrain.

    The news means that, as in Bahrain, Nico Hulkenberg has been called up to jump in the AMR22 again.

    Hulkenberg will now get to experience the dramatic Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the very first time, following a difficult opening for Aston Martin as both drivers didn’t manage to score points.

    The team have confirmed they expect Vettel who is currently recovering in Europe, having flown home after the Official Pre-Season Test in Bahrain to be fit for the Australian Grand Prix weekend taking place from the 8th to 10th of April.

    “It was interesting,” said Hulkenberg after the race. “It was difficult, very difficult to be honest – first time [racing] obviously in a long, long time. There’s so many things happening in the race, it’s so dynamic, the car balance is changing, the fuel load is changing, so it’s difficult to keep up with all these changes and stay on top of things.”

  • Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

    After our first visit in December, we are back in Saudi Arabia for Round 2 of the F1 2022 Championship with Formula 2 also joining us.

    After a double DNF for Red Bull can they have a good weekend or will problems strike again? Can Mercedes sort out their porpoising? How are Ferrari going to go into this weekend after securing pole position, and a 1-2. Well all eyes are onto the weekend…

    Who needs a good weekend?

    Red Bull, straight up. Scoring no points in the opening round isn’t a good start for the team as well as for Max if he is going to defend his title. Perez hasn’t finished the last 3 Grand Prix’s and one of them including Saudi Arabia last year.

    Pierre needs a good weekend, it looked like he was set for points until his car caught fire last week and we all saw how consistent he can be with qualifying/scoring points, hopefully he can turn things around.

    I feel like the Aston Martin’s need a good weekend- I feel like we haven’t seen much of them during testing and last weeks race, I wanna see if they can at least get one car into Q3 or even the points as they were quite clsoe last week.

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five are: Pole- Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Sainz and P5: Hamilton.

    This track is very unforgiving, one tiny mistake and your qualifying could be over- like we saw with Max Verstappen last year- could it happen again on Saturday?

    If teams can’t sort out the porpoising by qualifying and if it is worse here, then it could ruin some qualifying laps which could lead to some shock exits from Q2.

    Times for this weekend-

    Friday 25th-

    Free Practice F2: 11:25am – 12:10pm (GMT). Free Practice 1: 14:00pm – 15:00pm. Qualifying F2: 15:30pm – 16:00pm (GMT) Free Practice 2: 17:00pm – 18:00pm (GMT).

    Saturday 26th-

    Sprint Race F2: 12:30pm – 13:15pm (GMT). Free Practice 3: 14:00pm – 15:00pm (GMT). Qualifying 17:00pm – 18:00pm.

    Sunday 27th-

    Feature Race F2: 13:35pm (GMT). Saudi Arabian GP: 18:00pm (GMT).

  • Records which could be broken this year

    As always, a new season in F1 means potentially some new records being broken, lets take a look at which ones.

    • Most drivers’ championships

    I think this is the most obvious one, but its probably the biggest out of all the records. Lewis is still tied with Michael Schumacher on 7 titles, but if the Briton wins the championship this year he will set a new record.

    • Longest gap between wins

    Current Record: Ricardo Patrese- 6 years, 211 days. This record is ongoing, in a sense, as Fernando Alonso has waited since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix for a victory. A triumph for the Alpine driver this season and it will have been at least eight years since his last.

    • Most Grand Prix appearances/most raced laps/most GP finishes.

    Current Record: Kimi Raikkonen- 349 GPs/18,621 laps/278 finishes. Three of Kimi Riakkonen’s records are up for grabs this year. Firstly Alonso could grab the most Grand Prix appearances: he is currently on 334 to Kimi’s 349.

    Next up, Alonso could complete the most F1 race laps as he just 529 behind Raikkonen. The Spanish driver could break that record by the 10th round this season.

    Both Alonso and Hamilton are in contention when it comes to Grand Prix finishes, however Hamilton is just five behind Alonso, who in turn is 13 behind Raikkonen.

    • Most races with a single constructor.

    Current Record: Michael Schumacher- 179. This could be broken this weekend, as Lewis Hamilton only needs one more Grand Prix start with Mercedes to beat Michael Schumacher’s tally with Ferrari.

    • Most wins at the same Grand Prix.

    Current Record: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – 8. The German driver won eight French Grand Prix over his career, whilst the Brtion has had eight wins in Hungary and eight in Great Britian, one more at either venue and its another record.

    • Most podiums in a season.

    Current Record: Max Verstappen – 18. This happened last year as Max stepped on the F1 podium 18 times out of 22 races. This year there is 23 races, so it could easily be possible if a driver does not have any mechanical issue or be involved in any incidents.

    • Most consecutive seasons with at least one win.

    Current Record: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – 15. Hamilton has enjoyed 15 consecutive seasons with at least one Grand Prix victory, Michael Schumacher also has this record with 15 years from 1992-06.

    • Most podiums from outside the front row.

    Current Record: Kimi Raikkonen – 72. This record requires some work Alonso needs 5 more podiums which were achieved to grab this record.

    • Most frequent pairing on the podium.

    Current Record: Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel- 56. If Verstappen joins Hamilton on the podium 10 times this season, Max will take over from the former Red Bull driver.

    • Most consecutive race finishes.

    Current Record: Lewis Hamilton- 48. Carlos Sainz is currently on a streak of 30 consecutive Grand Prix finishes- if Carlos manages to finish 19 more races in a row he will be the new holder of this achievement.

    • Most pole positions at the same GP.

    Current Record: Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – 8. Ayrton Senna took eight poles in the San Marino GP, Schumacher took eight in Japan and Hamilton has eight in both Australia and Hungary, one more at either and he’ll have the most pole positions at the same Grand Prix.

    • Most consecutive wins at the same GP.

    Current Record: Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton – 5. The Brazilian has won five Monaco Grand Prix in a row whilst Hamilton has a streak of five consecutive Spanish GP wins.

    • Most laps led without a win.

    Current Record: Chris Amon – 183. New Zealander Chris Amon, dubbed my many as the ‘unluckiest’ F1 racer of all time, led 183 laps without winning a Grand Prix. But George Russell has led 59 laps, if leads 125 more laps without winning this achievement will be this… Surely not though?

    • Most home podiums.

    Current Record: Alain Prost and Lewis Hamilton – 11. Prost took 11 French Grand Prix podiums over his career and is matched by Hamilton on 11 British GP podiums, only one more until its another record for Hamilton.

    • Most pole positions for an engine manufacturer.

    Current Record: Ferrari – 232. Ferrari have the chance to extend their records as the most successful F1 engine manufacturer in terms of wins (240), pole positions (232), fastest laps (260) and podiums (784) this season. Mercedes is second in the charts in all but the championships stakes (where they sit behind Ferrari, Williams and McLaren), can only break the Scuderia’s record of pole positions this season; the Silver Arrows having 220 to their name.

  • Saudi Arabia tyre allocation

    Four months after Formula 1’s first visit to Saudi Arabia, we are returning this week along with Formula 2.

    Pirelli have chosen the compounds for this weekend, those being the middle of the range: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft). This is the first time this season the C4 compound is making an appearance.

    This choice has been made due to Jeddah’s track characteristics (both layout and asphalt), the expected temperatures, as well as the data from last years race. The new surface offered a good level of grip and reasonably contained levels of asphalt abrasion, which could lead to moderate wear and degradation.

    Due to the rapidly flowing layout, the track isn’t particularly demanding in terms of traction and braking, there is expected to be a high degree of track evolution over the weekend thanks to the Formula 2 support race.

    The fastest street circuit on the calendar has changed since making its debut, as the result of modifications requested by the governing body following a few on-track incidents last time. These consist of opening up slight lines through corners by moving barriers further back, whilst the final turn (27) has been widened by the removal of a grandstand, which could make the lap slightly faster.

    Turn 13, still features 12 degrees of banking, helping the rapid flow of the circuit that makes it the second quickest lap of the year overall, after Monza.

    Jeddah marks a completely different challenge compared to the opening grand prix in Bahrain due to the diverse track characteristics, both in terms of layout and asphalt. Driver will also use a softer range of compounds this weekend to cope with the specific demands of the track, which is nearly as quick as Monza. The teams head into Jeddah with no experience of these tyres and cars on the circuit, and conditions could be somewhat different from last time in Saudi Arabia, with the race now being held at a different time of year and a few track modifications in store. The nominated compounds are the same as 2021, but their make-up has also changed entirely from last year. As a result, the teams will have a lot of work to do to assimilate as much data as possible during free practice, especially in FP2 which will be the only relevant session, being held at the same time as qualifying and the race.

    Mario Isola, Head of Pirelli Motorsport.

    Formula 2

    The Formula 2 season, continues in Jeddah where the Medium and Soft compounds are nominated, this is a step harder than the supersoft, which was the softest option last year. The soft tyre, will present a different challenge for drivers which add more options in terms of strategy and helping with any potential safety car restarts.

  • Round 1 – Bahrain GP

    Round 1 – Bahrain GP

    WHAT A RACE!!! So much drama and I have no clue where to start! Mr Charles Leclerc turned his pole position into the race win, making it Ferrari’s first win since 2019! His teammate made it a 1-2! And Lewis Hamilton made up the final podium spot in P3!

    Verstappen who started P2, attempted to undercut the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc on lap 15, cutting down what was 3.5s gap to just 0.35s when Leclerc emerged in the lead on Lap 16. That then triggered a three lap box strategy set to come into play.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Sainz, P3: Hamilton, P4: Russell, P5: Magnussen, P6: Bottas, P7: Ocon, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Alonso, P10: Zhou.

    Pierre Gasly brought out the Safety Car on lap 46, as he stopped his Alpha Tauri on the side of the track as it had flames. This started a flurry of pit stops.

    Red Bull, looked set to take a podium and 4th, but it all went wrong when Max started reporting problems on Lap 44 just before a safety car but when the safety car went in he had to retire on lap 55 as the problem did not go… Then Perez was reporting problems as well, he ended up spinning at Turn 1 when his engine gave way on the last lap…

    It’s not looking good for Red Bull and Alpha Tauri, it looked like Gasly’s was an electrical fire- but to have both RB’s to go out with some what a power unit issue it makes you think could this be a knock on effect for furture races?

    Where to start with McLaren… Obviously not good with qualifying yesterday but today in the race it seemed like they was pulling everything out of the car and wasn’t getting further. I think they are still battling their problems from testing- and once they do battle them I do believe they will have a good car.

    Kevin Magnussen in his first race back- scoring 5th! What a comeback for him and the Haas team, they are definitely looking like they are in the mid-field battle. Mick finished 11th- making it his career best finish and just missing out on points!

    Alfa Romeo too, looking like a midfield team, Bottas scoring his first points for the team and Zhou Guanyu scoring his first ever points and on his debut too.

    Not long to wait until the next race, as it is next weekend and we are back in Saudi Arabia for Round 2. Will Ferrari be victorious again? If so will it be Charles or will Carlos get his first ever F1 win? It’s all to play for!

  • Round 1 – Bahrain Qualifying

    Round 1 – Bahrain Qualifying

    Well, that was a madness of a qualifying session! WOW, with these new cars it could of been anyone’s, but it looked like it was going to Max Verstappen’s but it was not…

    Charles Leclerc takes his 10th pole position and second at the Bahrain International Circuit, as he beat Max Verstappen to the top spot by 0.123s. It was Carlos Sainz who took P3 making it a very strong start for the Italian team.

    The top 10 are- P1: Charles Leclerc, P2: Max Verstappen, P3: Carlos Sainz, P4: Sergio Perez, P5: Lewis Hamilton, P6: Valterri Bottas, P7: Kevin Magnussen, P8: Fernando Alonso, P9: George Russell and P10 going to Pierre Gasly!

    I think Lewis got the most out of the car today, where as George messed up on his last quali lap missing the breaking zone in Turn 1, hence why he qualified 9th. I would say I’m most intrigued to see how the Mercedes race pace is tomorrow and if the porpoising affects them as much as it previously has…

    Mr Valterri Bottas leaves Mercedes and goes to Alfa Romeo and with his first qualifying session with the team he goes and sticks it in 6th! Definitley seems the Ferrari power unit is a lot better this year compared to last as this bring me onto…

    Kevin Magnussen!! WOW. The Haas has qualifying pace! But even with a hydraulic issue K-Mag got the car into a great position in which will be his first grand prix tomorrow in over a year! His teammate done a superb job, qualifying 12th- lets hope for some masterclass overtaking from Mick tomorrow to see him in that top 10!

    McLaren… My heart breaks for them- they showed so much pace in Barcelona testing, then it went downhill last week in the Official Pre-Season test with their breaks and Ricciardo having covid set them off on the back foot. Norris starts P13 and Ricciardo P18.

    A quick mention for Alex Albon aswell! First time back in over a year and in a Williams so a completely new car and team to learn and he out qualifies his team mate!

    Predictions for tomorrow-

    I think if Charlex and Max don’t come together tomorrow afternoon then it could be Charles taking the race win- but the pair have history and have collided here…

    Top 5 I think will be: P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Sainz and P5: Hamilton.

    I do think both Haas’ will score points tomorrow and hopefully Bottas in the Alfa Romeo too. Definitely will be interesting to see the different strategies and how the pit stops will play out with the new tyres.

    Times-

    Feature Race F3: 09:00am (GMT), Feature Race F2: 10:40am (GMT), Bahrain GP: 15:00pm (GMT).

  • Bahrain Grand Prix

    We are back! Finally it’s race weekend and we are at the Bahrain Grand Prix for round 1 out of 22. Lots has happened since we was last here, new cars, new team-mates, new tyres and a new world champion!

    But, who will be world champion this year? Someone new or will we see Max Verstappen defend his crown? Or will Lewis be hunting for his 8th… It’s all to play for this year and it all starts here at the Bahrain International Circuit.

    Who needs to shine?

    Considering its the first race of the season I would say all, but I will give you all a few of my choices!

    Mick Schumacher and Yuki Tsunoda both going into their second year this season so I’d like to see them two do well across the whole weekend and it will be interesting to see if Haas have the pace and what Mick can do with it!

    Guanyu Zhou, the only driver to graduate from F2 this year, so all eyes on him, with him having Valtteri Bottas as his teammate it will be interesting to see how he does compared to him.

    Alex Albon, back in F1 after a year out and in a Williams, he has a lot to prove, especially showing the team that it was the right decision to bring him into the team, but Alex will also have to fight to stay in F1.

    Kevin Magnussen, again a year out- but this time it’s different as he hasn’t spent his time in one of the teams sim/ going to the track for a grand prix weekend.

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top 5 for qualifying are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Hamilton, P4: Sainz and P5: Russell.

    If Mercedes sort out their propoising I can see them being up there for pole position, but I have to give it RB and Max as they have a very fast car it seems but I do think it will be close between RB and Ferrari.

    I also predict that we see a Haas in the top 10, maybe an Alfa Romeo too, this then might cause some shock Q2 exits…

    Times for this weekend-

    Friday 18th March-

    Free Practice F3: 8:25am – 9:10am (GMT), Free Practice F2: 9:35am – 10:20am (GMT), Free Practice 1: 12:00pm – 13:00pm (GMT), Qualifying F3: 13:25pm – 13:55pm (GMT), Free Practice 2: 15:00pm – 16:00pm (GMT), Qualifying F2: 16:25pm – 16:55pm (GMT).

    Saturday 19th-

    Sprint Race F3: 10:05am – 10:45am (GMT), Free Practice 3: 12:00pm – 13:00pm (GMT), Qualifying: 15:00pm – 16:00pm (GMT), Sprint Race F2: 16:40pm – 17:25pm (GMT).

    Sunday 20th-

    Feature Race F3: 09:00am (GMT), Feature Race F2: 10:40am (GMT), Bahrain GP: 15:00pm (GMT).

  • Vettel out of Bahrain GP

    Vettel out of Bahrain GP

    Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss the season opener in Bahrain. The four time world champion is currently doing well.

    Vettel will be replaced by the team’s reserve driver, Nico Hulkenberg who will be in the car from Friday practice. This weekend will be Hulkenbergs first Grand Prix since the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, when he stood in for Lance Stroll at Racing Point after the Canadian tested positive aswell.

    It was the third time he filled in for a race driver that year, having replaced Sergio Perez for the two race weekends at Silverstone.

    The former Renault driver will be making his 180th Grand Prix start on Sunday, in which he is still looking to break his podium duck.

    The news comes after Daniel Ricciardo returned a positive test last week, in which he missed the Official Pre-Season Test, he has since returned a negative test and has returned to the paddock today (Thursday).

    Speaking prior to his positive test, Vettel had said he hoped this season would see a marked improvement from Aston Martin. “Everything is new in Formula One and I think we’re looking at a very tight battle, and some very close gaps, between all the teams,” he said. “There’s a lot to play for – and that’s F1 at its best.”

    Wishing Sebastian a get well soon and hopefully we see him in the car next week!

  • Should Malaysia make a comeback?

    Should Malaysia make a comeback?

    The Malaysian Grand Prix, had been apart of the F1 World Championship from 1999 to 2017, where it was held at the Sepang International Circuit. In 2017, it got announced that the Malaysian Grand Prix was cancelled due to not being profitable.

    But with the F1 calendar having changed so much in recent years, with new tracks being added and old tracks coming back and the recent events of Russia no longer holding a GP, could we see Malaysia make a comeback?

    Twitter in Malaysia, has recently been trending with #Sepang, soon after going viral the hashtag went worldwide. A Malaysian motorsport news outlet has claimed that the Circuit committee has conducted an emergency meeting, then a local motorsport outlet said that the meeting was regarding hosting F1. As well as this, Sepang Circuit on twitter tweeted a number of tweets hinting at the idea of a return for F1.

    The Malaysian GP lost its glamour to its neighbour, Singapore as the start-studded night time Grand Prix attracted major crowds compared to Sepang. The Marina Bay Circuit then became the hotspot for F1 fans in the South East Asian region.

    But with the Singapore GP not being on the calendar since 2019 and only making a return this year, could their be room for the Malaysian GP to make a comeback?

    My Opinion-

    I personally think it should make a comeback, I used to love watching the Malaysian GP, but since covid and with South East Asia not having a GP in over 3 years surely tickets would sell out quickly for the Singapore GP, so having the Malaysian GP makes sense, a bit like having two US Grand Prix’s.

  • Ricciardo set to race

    Daniel Ricciardo has tested negative for Covid-19 and will be returning to Bahrain paddock on Thursday in time for the season opener.

    McLaren had a number of drivers on standby if Ricciardo had tested positive, those being Nyck de Vries, Stoffel Vandoorne, Paul Di Resta and Alpine reserve, Oscar Piastri.

    The Australian tested positive during the Official Pre-Season Test last week, leaving his teammate to conduct the three days of running for the Papaya team. Norris completed 200 laps over the 3 days- having the highest individual tally.

    McLaren did however, run into problems with their overheating brakes and will have spent the time between the test and the Grand Prix attempting to fix those problems as they aim to join the frontrunners.

    “McLaren F1 Team confirms that after testing positive for Covid-19 last week, Daniel has now returned a number of negative tests and will therefore return to the paddock on Thursday ready to compete in this weekend’s Bahrain GP,” said the team on Wednesday ahead of the Grand Prix. “Daniel has been feeling better each day as he continued to recover while in isolation following local regulations in Bahrain.”

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