Mercedes have announced that they are seeking a ‘Right of Review’ of the incident which occured during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen defend Lewis Hamilton and see both drivers run wide.
But yesterday, the onboard footage of Max Verstappen got released, and Mercedes felt like with the new evidence which was unavailable to the stewards at the time of decision feel that it is enough for a right of review.
Max Verstappen 🆚 Lewis Hamilton: Wheel to wheel ⚔️
Hamilton started P10 on Sunday, and had been closing on Max for quite some time and finally he attepmted a pass on Lap 48 at Turn 4 but both drivers run wide when rejoining Max was still in the lead.
The stewards noted the incident but decided soon afterward that no investigation was necessary, 11 laps later and Lewis went on to take the win. But with Mercedes taking to social media, yesterday afternoon they want to review the Turn 4 incident. The stewards will meet with representatives from the team to assess the new evidence.
My Opinion-
I’m not surprised by Mercedes wanting to do this, as a key video wasn’t available at the time of the incident they let it slide but now its come to surface they want to see if they can get something out of it. Which I think is fair enough considering that Lewis did get pushed of the track more than necessary.
Let me know in the poll below if you think this is the right decision by Mercedes!
It has been announced that Antonio Giovinazzi has not been retained for the 2022 season, instead Alfa Romeo have chosen Guanyu Zhou to complete their line up.
Guanyu Zhou who is currently sitting in 2nd of the Formula 2 Championship will be the first full time Formula 1 Chinese Driver ever! Zhou, has been linked with being Alfa Romeo’s second driver for several months and was a main contender for the seat.
Guanyu is apart of the Alpine Driver Academy along side title rival, Oscar Piastri. Zhou also has a role as a test driver for Alpine.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Guanyu Zhou to Alfa Romeo Racing,” said Vasseur. “He is a very talented driver, as his results in F2 have shown, and we are looking forward to helping his talent flourish even more in Formula 1. We are proud of our line-up for 2022 and we are confident Zhou will form a very successful partnership with Valtteri. We are also looking forward to welcoming all the new Chinese fans who will join the team: Alfa Romeo Racing is a historical brand and one that embodies the spirit of Formula 1 and we will do our utmost to make the experience of our sport a great one in China.”
Zhou added: “I dreamt from a young age of climbing as high as I can in a sport that I am passionate about and now the dream has come true. It is a privilege for me to start my Formula 1 career with an iconic team, a team that has introduced so much young talent into Formula 1 in the past. Now the dream is reality. I feel well prepared for the immense challenge of Formula 1, the pinnacle of my sport, alongside a proven, world-class talent in Valtteri Bottas. I wish to thank the Alfa Romeo Racing team for this opportunity. Next year the target will be to learn as much as possible and as quickly as possible. To be the first ever Chinese driver in Formula 1 is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history. I know a lot of hopes will be resting on me and, as ever, I will take this as motivation to become better and achieve more.”
My Opinion-
It’s obviously a shame to see someone leaving the sport, and I can imagine Giovinazzi probably feels the same. But to have someone new come in is exciting, with watching Zhou the past few years he is definitely improving more and more as a driver.
It will be interesting to see how he does in the Alfa Romeo next year and especially along side Valtteri Bottas, with both of them new to the team it may take them both a while to get use to the car and team.
Lewis Hamilton WINS the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and to take his 101 win! To think he started in P20 in the sprint race to finish 5th and then have a five place grid penalty to start 10th in todays race and go on to win, it for sure shows this championship is far from over and with only 3 races left now!
Max Verstappen finishes in second place not giving up just yet, but its a good day for Mercedes as Valtteri Bottas finishes in 3rd place on the podium!
The full top 10 are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Bottas, P4: Perez, P5: Leclerc, P6: Sainz, P7: Gasly, P8: Ocon, P9: Alonso, P10: Norris. Perez took the fastest lap point away from Lewis and Mercedes on the last lap.
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton (2-L), Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen (L) and Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas (R) celebrate with Mercedes strategic chief on the podium after obtaining the first, second and third positions respectively, in Brazil’s Formula One Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, or Interlagos racetrack, in Sao Paulo, on November 14, 2021. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP) (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images)
To start, what a race we had! We are so lucky to be witnessing such a close and exciting season, not just between Mercedes and Red Bull but also between the other teams on the track.
First up, gutting day for McLaren in general, Lando had contact with Sainz on lap 1 which saw him drop all the way down to P20 as he had a puncture, he managed to scrape his way to 10th and finish there, as for Daniel he was having a good race until a PU problem which saw him having to retire… This is the second race in a row where McLaren have scored 1 point, can next week bring them something new?
Ferrari then have had another strong weekend, both drivers finishing in top 10, looking more and more likely if they keep going this way they will have no problem securing P3 in the constructors!
There was a collision between Tsunoda and Stroll which brought out a Safety Car, and also saw Tsunoda given a 10 second time penalty… Not a good weekend for him, hopefully next week will be a different story.
The Championship-
Now looking at the drivers standings, there is now only an 14 point gap between Max and Lewis… with 3 races to go, who will come out on top? Looking a little further down, Leclerc who is currently sitting in P6 is only 3 points away from P5 which Lando is currently sat at, these two brilliant drivers will want to give it everything now.
Looking at the constructors, Mercedes now have an 11 point lead over Red Bull, both teams with two talented drivers its going to be a close one for sure! Ferrari have a hefty gap now in P3 making it 31.5 points between them and McLaren, the british based team will be needing something special to happen in the next 3 races if Ferrari carry on like this… Alpine and Alpha Tauri are sat on the same points 112, with Alpine ahead in 5th this is going to be a tight battle!
Onto the next! We are racing at a completely new circuit next week to finish of our triple header and we are in Qatar for its first ever F1 World Championship race!
Valtteri Bottas is on POLE position for the Sáo Paulo GP! He beats Max Verstappen to it after taking the lead on the first lap!
The top 10 are- P1: Bottas, P2: Verstappen, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez, P5: Hamilton, P6: Norris, P7: Leclerc, P8: Gasly, P9: Ocon and P10: Vettel.
We all knew Hamilton would be on a charge today, but to get up 15 places in 24 laps, the reigning world champion is on fire! It makes you think, what could he do with 71 laps tomorrow starting P10? Maybe a win is on the cards…
Not a good start for Ricciardo or Gasly, Ricciardo finished out of the top 10 so he will most definitely be on the charge tomorrow to claw some points. Pierre started the Sprint in 4th and finished in 8th, even thought he will be starting the race in P7 he will be hoping to get a better start tomorrow.
Amazing start for Sainz, finished P3 after starting 5th, he managed to hold of Perez too both of them starting on the 2nd row tomorrow so that will be entertaining to see the battle between the two.
Predictions-
I think Lewis will take the win, I think his hungry for it and he knows he can get it too. He wants to show everyone his still in this title fight by the moves he does on track!
The rest of my top 5 predictions are- P2: Bottas, P3: Verstappen, P4: Norris and P5: Perez.
Tomorrow will be a very entertaining race, 71 laps of overtaking and strategies taking place. If you wasn’t planning on watching the race I’d change your plans!
5PM (GMT) lights go out, come back for all the details after the race!
Well what a 24 hours it has been! What has not happened since qualifying wow…
First of all Lewis Hamilton got called to the stewards last night about his rear wing it had been deemed that it was not in the regulations for the DRS, but the stewards couldn’t come to a close last night so it resumed at 10.30am this morning…
Max also got called to the stewards this morning an hour before Mercedes due to him touching the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton’s in Parc Ferme after qualifying.
Only now have they come to an answer to both of them. First up Max got a €50,000 fine for obviously touching the Mercedes which isn’t allowed at all and it states that in the regulations so that seems a fair conclusion I’d say.
Now onto Lewis he has been disqualified from qualifying yesterday which means he obviously won’t be starting the sprint race from pole instead Max Verstappen will.
Both Mercedes and the stewards came to the conclusion that Max didn’t have anything to do with the DRS infringement on Lewis Hamilton‘s car…
Merc and the stewards came to agreement that there was an unintentional fault with the rear wing and no obvious reason which has led to the disqualification.
This means that Lewis Hamilton will be starting the sprint race from P20 meaning all drivers move up one place, where ever he finishes today he will obviously qualify but he also has a 5 place grid penalty for a new ICE which will be put on after the Sprint.
Now with only two hours to go to till the final sprint of the season all eyes are on Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to see how well they can do before the 5 place grid penalty comes into play could he somehow get into the top 10 who knows!
Well… It was our first day of action of the Sao Paulo GP and I had no clue what to expect! Lewis has took a new ICE meaning on Sunday he will have a five place grid penalty, but today was all about qualifying!
Hamilton tops the charts and goes fastest out of everyone, showing his not giving up in this fight till the very end! Verstappen joins him on the front row of the grid in P2 and his sandwiched by the Mercedes of Bottas in P3.
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 12: Fastest qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 12, 2021 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
The full top 10 are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Bottas, P4: Perez, P5: Gasly, P6: Sainz, P7: Leclerc, P8: Norris, P9: Ricciardo and P10: Alonso.
I’m quite shocked that both Russell and Latifi out in Q1, I thought maybe they would get into Q2 but they now have two chance to redeem themselves starting with tomorrows sprint!
Another one who shocked me was Stroll who was also out in Q1, starting 16th his right in the middle of any drama that could happen in the beginning of the sprint which could compromise him! Hopefully he gets through it okay if there is any drama, as Aston Martin will be hoping for a strong weekend.
Predictions for Sprint-
I can see pole going to Hamilton, if he gets away unscathed I think he wont really have any challenges tomorrow and he will be hoping to keep P1 so then he starts P6 on Sunday. The rest of the top five I think will be: P2: Bottas, P3: Verstappen, P4: Gasly and P5: Leclerc.
Hopefully we see both McLaren’s and Ferrari’s battling for position tomorrow, with some late overtakes from Danny Ric. Both teams will be wanting to use tomorrow as much as possible so then they can get further up the grid and get more points for Sunday.
Someone to look out for tomorrow is Alonso, we all see how he does in the Sprint the previous two times, so he may be a surprise and be towards the middle of the top 10!
We are back racing once again, for our second race of the triple header. Who will be leaving Brazil victorious? With only 19 points between the top 2 could this weekend be Maxs’ to loose? Or will it be Lewis’? Both have won here before, Max back in 2019 and Lewis in 2016 and 2018.
This weekend isn’t like any normal race weekend, we have the final sprint of 2021, and with the fact that there are more points up for grabs who will be wanting to make the most impact? Could we see a Ferrari or McLaren up there trying to get some points? Or will it be two Mercs against one Bull or the other way round…
In both weekends of the previous sprint races we have had Max and Lewis touch at Silverstone which saw Max DNF on the Sunday, and then the weekend in Monza where we saw Max and Lewis DNF on the Sunday again… Could we see potential of this again on Sunday? Personally I hope not, as I want the battle to come down to the last race!
Who needs a good weekend?
McLaren need a good weekend, after Ricciardo not scoring last weekend he will be wanting to get a good points haul this weekend to help in the fight for P3 in the Constructors, the same goes to Lando as well, even though he started back of the grid last weekend and managed to score one point, he will be wanting to finish higher up than that this weekend.
Bottas will be wanting a good weekend, again after last weekend and not scoring, its put him in a spot where he could potentially loose P3 in the driver standings if Perez keeps having really good races and Bottas not having good ones, this would then effect on the Constructors too with only one point separating the top 2!
Predictions for Qualifying-
My predictions for the top five for qualifying are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Bottas, P4: Perez and P5: Norris.
Hopefully we see a Williams in the top 10 for qualifying this weekend. But traffic will play a part in qualifying tomorrow, so keep an eye out especially if there is a yellow flag.
Pierre will be wanting to do well in tomorrows qualifying, last time out he got a podium here in 2019, so he will be wanting to do well this weekend and possibly pick up the pieces if something like that happens this weekend.
Pirelli have chosen the tyres ahead of this weekend for the Brazil GP, where we will see the sprint race return for the last time in 2021.
The tyres chosen are C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium) and C4 (Soft). This is the same tyre choice which has been made for the raves on the American continent this year, however it is a step softer than the tyre choice nominated in 2019.
The hard tyre wasn’t used extensively on our last visit to Brazil, but this years choice should see an more even use of all compounds potentially different variations in strategy.
The circuit itself-
A lap of Interlagos is short and intense, the lap is one of the few anti-clockwise layouts on the calendar. With a non-stop succession of corners that keeps the tyres working hard- pacifically the front right.
Traffic can be an issue on the circuit as its a short lap, so you may want to keep an eye out for this over the course of the weekend, especially qualifying, the traffic also plays a bit of a role on strategy for the sprint and race too.
The weather in Brazil at this time of year can range from intense heat to torrential rain, but the circuit shouldn’t be affected as some grooves had been cut to help drain in the event of heavy rain, looking at the weather for this weekend, theres a possibility of rain on Friday right when Qualifying is…
The winning strategy last time out in 2019 was by Max Verstappen, a three-stop where they had two safety cars at the end of the race. Without the safety cars, a two-stop strategy is favoured with the 71 laps on Sunday.
Looking a little further down than F1, but to do with Ferrari’s Driver Academy, they have announced two new signings to join the successful academy.
First one being Oliver Bearman and second Rafael Camara, who were chosen at the end of the FDA Scouting World Finals. The standard was very high this year, which is known for Ferrari as they want to find the most promising up and coming young drivers.
Ollie has had a brilliant year, competing in both Italian Formula 4 and the German Formula 4 he walked away from both of them winning the titles at the age of 16. Italian F4 saw him with eleven wins, five pole positions and two fastest laps. With the German F4 saw him get six wins, five podiums, five pole positions and three fastest laps. He is the second British driver to join FDA after Callum Ilott.
Rafael is currently racing in karts. He is definitely making an impact this year as he won the WSK Champion Cup and the WSK Super Master Cup. He won a European Championship race as well as a Champions of the future race. All getting him to this point now, he is the third Brazilian to join FDA.
They both are joining a successful academy, FDA have seen the likes of Charles Leclerc, Jules Bianchi, Mick Schumacher, Callum Ilott through. As well as currently FDA drivers, Arthur Leclerc, Robert Shwartzman, Maya Weug, Dino Beganovic.
Ollie Bearman says: “I am really happy to have been selected to join the Ferrari Driver Academy. It is a great way to end what has been a really good racing season for me. Just spending a week in Maranello was in itself an amazing experience, especially getting to drive at the Fiorano track. Now, I can’t wait to start working at the Academy and to be part of the Ferrari family and to see what the future holds for me.”
Rafael Chaves Camara says: “I am very happy to have been chosen by the Ferrari Driver Academy. It is a unique opportunity for me and I will do my best to repay the faith shown in me. It is a dream to be part of this big Ferrari family and I just have to thank everyone who has always supported me, especially my parents who are always by my side.”
My Opinion-
I think this is great, i’ve heard a lot about Ollie this year and I kept up on what he was doing while testing Formula 3 last week and I would definitely say he is one to watch out in the future. Just take a look at what his doing at just 16 years old, it makes you think what could he be doing in 5 years? F1 maybe? You may want to remember the name Ollie Bearman for the future.
I haven’t heard much about Rafael until he got announced for FDA but I think now people will be wanting to keep an eye on what he does in the future myself included. To be scouted so young into your career obviously shows you have a tremendous amount of talent.
If you was unsure whether Mexico was an Red Bull track or Mercedes, its safe to say RB stole the show today! Max Verstappen WINS the Mexican GP, with Lewis Hamilton in 2nd and Sergio Perez coming home in 3rd making him the first ever Mexican on the podium at his home race!
It was not Bottas’ day today which is a massive shame after that pole position lap yesterday. Lap one incident which saw him drop down the grid and then a slow pit stop and being held up by Ricciardo. But he did do the second driver role of taking the fastest lap point away from Max Verstappen which helps his team-mate out massively in the championship battle.
The top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Perez, P4: Gasly, P5: Leclerc, P6: Sainz, P7: Vettel, P8: Räikkönen, P9: Alonso and P10: Norris. The fastest lap of the race goes to VB but due to not being in top 10 he doesn’t get that extra point.
Pierre drove brilliantly, it seems that Alpha Tauri had got their strategy right with pitstops as he pitted at the right time and kept hold of P4 for the majoritiy of the race! The same can’t be said with his team-mate Tsunoda, another first lap incident which saw him get hit which caused him to DNF. I was quite looking forward to seeing some good overtakes from him, but these things happen!
Not a good race for Daniel, obviously being apart of the lap 1 incident was the main cause which saw him loose his front wing… he done brilliant defending and his late breaking from Bottas kept the Mercedes up for a long time! Norris done quite well considering he started 18th due to penalty, he done a very long stint on the mediums which saw him work his way up the order and sit in P7 until he pitted which saw him drop down to 10th which he still managed a point!
Good day for both Ferraris, coming home in P5 and P6 which gives them a very strong start to the triple header, if they keep this up McLaren may be in trouble for P3 in the championship here…
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – NOVEMBER 07: Third placed Sergio Perez of Mexico and Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on November 07, 2021 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
The Championship-
Max now leads with a 19 point gap over Lewis, which in reality isn’t anything when we have four races to go and a sprint race too. I don’t think this battle will be over anytime soon…
Mercedes are still leading the constructors with a 1 point lead over RB, so if Valtteri didn’t get that fastest lap and Max did RB would be leading the constructors! Ferrari are now in third with their big points haul this weekend, they really capitalised on Ricciardo working his way down the order on first lap…
Now onto the next race, we are returning to Brazil for round 19! We don’t have to wait long as its only next week and we are also having the third and final sprint race of this season too!
Well well well, it’s a 1-2 for Mercedes!!! Bottas grabs pole position with Lewis sitting in second place and Max Verstappen in third.
I did not expect that today and it also seems that RB did not expect them at either, it definitely seemed going into qualifying that this was definitely Red Bulls but Mercedes turned it round in Q2 and Q3, both of the Mercs done amazing laps!
The top 10 is as follows (before penalties) P1: Bottas, P2: Hamilton, P3: Verstappen, P4: Perez, P5: Gasly, P6: Sainz, P7: Ricciardo, P8: Leclerc, P9: Tsunoda, P10: Norris.
Something we have to remember is Tsunoda, Ocon, Stroll and Norris are all starting at the back of the grid due to engine penalties and Russell has got a 5 place grid penalty due to a gear box change.
Wasn’t a good day for Aston Martin, Stroll had a big shunt in Q1 which meant he wasn’t able to continue which isn’t what he wanted even though he would be starting at the back of the grid due to penalties he would of liked to be ahead of the other drivers who have penalties…
Bit of a shock to see Alonso out in Q1 too, the Alpine does have pace so it should be getting into Q2 at least…
Predictions-
I have a feeling we will have a crazy race tomorrow, with strategy coming into play and the start of the race with a long straight we could see a different driver leading the race at Turn 1…
My top five for predictions are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Bottas, P3: Verstappen, P4: Perez and P5: Gasly. So I don’t really see much changing apart from Hamilton and Bottas!
Only 12 points between Max and Lewis now, will we see Lewis take the lead of the Championship again? Or can Max try and build that gap up again? Nobody knows but we have 71 laps to see how it goes…
It has been announced that the Chinese Grand Prix has come to a deal to extend their contract until 2025.
Even though this is good news unfortunately it still won’t make an appearance on the record breaking 23-race calendar for 2022 due to the still on-going struggles with the pandemic…
Our last visit to Shanghai was back in 2019 and F1 celebrated its 1000th race which saw Lewis Hamilton take the win ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel
F1 made its debut at the Shanghai International Circuit back in 2004 and Michael Schumacher holds the lap record at 1:32.238
Formula 1’s President and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “This is great news for all of our fans in China and we are delighted to announce this agreement that will see us racing in Shanghai until 2025.”
“Our partnership with the promoter Juss Sports is incredibly strong and we look forward to continuing our long term partnership. While we are all disappointed we could not include China on the 2022 calendar due to ongoing pandemic conditions, China will be restored to the calendar as soon as conditions allow and we look forward to being back with the fans as soon as we can.”
My Opinion-
It’s always nice to see a track we haven’t been at for 2 years to come back but the fact we have to wait until 2023 to be back on the calendar makes it all the better for when we do return!
Overtaking is quite easy round the track so it’s guaranteed to make for a good weekend, they may possibly want to do a sprint race here if they continue to do them past the 2022 season
After two years we are returning to Mexico so we can start of our final triple header of the 2021 season! It is the home Grand Prix of Sergio Perez but will he be fortunate enough to win his own GP for the very first time? Or will the championship come into play…
Could we see Max extending his lead or will disaster struck again in Mexico for the dutchman? All we know is this weekend could either go to Mercedes as Red Bull as both teams have done well here before…
Who needs a good weekend?
I think coming into the last 5 races its tougher to pick out who needs a good weekend, everybody will be wanting to score points and this is where DNF’s will come into play for the teams. But lets pick out a few!
I’m thinking maybe Aston Martin, Vettel and Stroll are currently sitting P12 and P13 in the championship which puts the team in 7th overall, I feel like they need to score a good amount of points this weekend especially if they want to pick up a last minute fight in the constructors with Alpha Tauri who is currently sat in 6th and Alpine who are sat in 5th.
Alpine will be looking to bounce back as having two DNF’s in COTA made them miss out on getting a good set of points, I have no doubt at least one of the Alpines will finish in the top 10 this weekend.
The same goes for Gasly, he DNF in COTA too so he could do with a really good weekend in Mexico, hopefully he gets that as he has been consistent this year. Last time out in 2019, Pierre managed to finish 9th so he will be hoping to improve on that result.
Predictions for Qualifying-
My top five predictions are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Perez, P4: Bottas and P5: Leclerc.
I think for qualifying we will get the same four teams in the top 10 at our last race weekend, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari. Which only leaves two spots left, possibly an Alpha Tauri and Alpine?
Grid penalties could come into play again this weekend which could shake up the order, none have officially been announced as of yet but I can imagine last minute decisions could be made!
We are back for another race week and its that time again to look at the tyre allocation for Mexico.
The tyres in which have been chosen are: C2 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C4 (Soft). This is the same selection when we last raced here in 2019 but a step harder than in 2018 due to the soft tyre being to aggressive for the circuit.
It is also the same range which we had back in COTA two weeks ago, but with the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez it is a very different track. For one it is a lot smoother than two weeks ago, it also has a fast opening sector with a long start-finish straight playing a big part in it.
The circuit itself-
At roughly 2285 metres, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez sits at the highest altitude of any track on the calendar (more than 1000 metres), this then affects the air as its very thin and with the car running high levels of downforce to generate aerodynamic grip through the corner, but it is actually extremely minimised which can then lead to some sliding.
The circuit is one of the most historic circuits in Formula 1 which roots all the way back to the 1950’s. However it has since then been extremely updated before it returned to the calendar in 2015.
The track hasn’t had a lot of running over the past few years, so the drivers should expect a slipper surface at first. The weather is unpredictable at this time of year in so if it does rain all the rubber will be worn away… At the time of this post the weather is clear skies so hopefully it stays that way for this weekend.
Back in 2019, the top three finishers all went with a one-stop medium to hard which saw long stints on the hard. However Charles Leclerc done a two-stop that featured two medium stints and he managed to finish fourth, we could potentially see a mix of different strategies on Sunday.
During the US Grand Prix weekend, it got announced that American racer Logan Sargeant is now officially apart of the Williams’ Driver Academy
This year, Logan led Charouz Racing System to their first victory in Formula 3. Also their highest ever points tally, with Logan finishing seventh in the Drivers’ Standings. With a total of four podiums, including his victory in Sochi he helped the team finish 5th in the Teams’ Championship.
His role within the British team includes simulator work and helping with the car development. We will most likely see him at a lot of race weekends next year when his not racing. Even though it has not been announced what his plans are for 2022, they will be announced in ‘due course’.
Logan joins Roy Nissany, Jack Aitken and Jamie Chadwick in the Academy. All of them looking to be the best…
“I am delighted to be joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy,” said Sargeant. “It’s a team with not only a fantastic history, but a great track record of bringing young talent into Formula 1. I am really excited to begin working with the team and can’t wait to hit the ground running.”
Williams CEO Jost Capito added: “I am incredibly pleased to welcome Logan to the Williams Racing Driver Academy. He’s demonstrated his talent in FIA Formula 3, consistently delivering strong results in an extremely competitive field. I’m proud that Williams will play a part in supporting the progression and growth of another talented young driver.”
My Opinion-
I think this is a good move from both sides, with now the backing of Williams for Logan, he will more than likely be in Formula 2 next year, hopefully it wont be too long until we get an announcement to see his plans. It will be interesting to see how he does next year, definitely one to watch.
Now we only have 5 races left this season so lets take a closer look into them and see what could potentially happen in the next 6 weeks and see who could come out on top at each track…
Mexico:
First up starting our triple header we have Mexico, this is a track which both Max and Lewis has won at twice each and Lewis being the last one to win their back in 2019. But that doesn’t mean its going to go his way as the Honda engine thrives in thinner air which favours the high-downforce nature of the car.
Favourites to win: Red Bull.
Brazil:
Again like above it applies to the race at Sao Paulo. Last time we raced here in 2019, Red Bull dominated with Verstappen taking pole and the race win, and if Albon wasn’t hit RB would of took a 1-2.
RB have a far more competitive car, compared to previous years and this appears to be one of Verstappen’s best tracks. But with the power of the Mercedes engine on what we saw at Austin it could make things interesting.
We also have the last sprint race of the season here, so this could change things up and we could get a very different result…
Favourites to win: Red Bull.
Qatar:
Now coming into races we have never raced and no past results to look at it makes it difficult to predict who will leave on top. All we can do is guess which car will suit the circuit layout more.
Looking at it I am more leaning towards Mercedes, as they will gain a lot of time on the Red Bulls due to the 1km main straight and thats only the most possible overtaking spot. But it all depends on track position, qualifying will play a massive part of the Qatar weekend, and as well as this, set up’s, tyre strategy will also play a big part.
Favourites to win: Mercedes.
Saudi Arabia:
Again, the Jeddah Street Circuit is unknown for F1 and the teams so we will be looking at the circuit itself.
When the words street circuit you initially think of “Red Bull to dominate” but its a completley different circuit to what we are use to. It features some long straights and some high speed sweeping corners, which will benefit the Mercedes more.
As well as this, Hamilton is known to thrive on street circuits (apart from Monaco this year), where as Verstappen’s aggressiveness has cost him (again apart from Monaco.)
Favourites to win: Mercedes
Abu Dhabi:
Now onto the season finale, Mercedes have dominated here winning every race in the hybrid era, however that changed last year when Max won. But with that being said Mercedes, struggled with their car setups all weekend and had engine issues to add to the problem.
With the changes coming to the circuit this year as well, making it possible for more overtakes it could change the race completely and we could see both Merc’s having a really good weekend especially if they figure out what set up is the best one.
Favourites to win: Mercedes.
I’m very much looking forward to these next 5 races, it will be entertaining to see who comes out on top and as well the fight between Ferrari and McLaren.
So one of the main thing I feel like gets talked about in F1 whether there are spare seats or not, is whether Pierre Gasly will ever return to Red Bull?…
Since Daniel Ricciardo left RB back in the 2018 season, its been no lie that the other Red Bull seat has been hard to fill with them now being on their third driver in three years.
It started off with Pierre, but unfortunatley he only lasted 12 races, and Alex Albon got brought in for the rest of 2019 season and the full 2020 season. Sergio Perez is now the third driver to be in that seat for this year and then his got a contract extension till then end of the ’22 season.
It’s no lie that Pierre thinks he should be in that second seat, even more so now that his got a win with Alpha Tauri, and he is putting consistent results in almost every weekend and pulling everything out of the Alpha Tauri.
Gasly admitted that he felt over looked for 2022 promotion speaking to Canal Plus, he recently said: “I felt based on this year I could have deserved a better chance, but that is the decision, it doesn’t stop my motivation.”
My Opinion-
I feel like this is a tough one, Pierre obviously thinks a lot of Red Bull still even after everything so of course he is going to stay loyal to them. But theres a time when you say enough is enough.
Pierre is still contracted to RB till the end of 2023, so I don’t know whether he waits till then to leave RB all together or wait and see if he gets a drive for Red Bull for the 2023 season, but he wont be the only one hoping for a drive then, Alex Albon wants to be a contender for the RB seat in 2023, and if you look into the feeder series, you’ve got RB juniors in there such as, Juri Vips, Liam Lawson, Dennis Hauger, Jack Doohan and many others who will be looking to fill that seat or the Alpha Tauri seats…
I personally don’t see him going back to Red Bull, which is a shame but I do think he will be in a top car in the next few years, which I can’t wait to see!
WHAT. A. RACE! Wow… Max Verstappen WINS the US Grand Prix!! No-one knew how this race was going to go, but it did not disappoint!
The battle between Max and Lewis was something else, first Lewis taking the lead and then the possibility of Red Bull stopping early but it seemed that Max looked after his tyres really really well! Both drivers drove amazing and definitely put on a show…
The top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Perez, P4: Leclerc, P5: Ricciardo, P6: Bottas, P7: Sainz, P8: Norris, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Vettel. Fastest lap goes to Hamilton.
The battles between McLaren and Ferrari this race was something else! It seemed like Leclerc just wanted to get away and he did! He didn’t really have many battles in the race but he fully deserved the 4th position!
At one point, Alonso was providing us with the battles and when they eventually stopped we had Alpine and the FIA communicating about the second one and how it was not fair etc.
Personally, I feel like Bottas didn’t do much. In his first stint I felt like it took a while for his tyres to kick in and then afterwards the gap was too big to other drivers and the only way he went up the grid was due to pit stops.
We sadly had 3 retirements this race, first up being Pierre Gasly, and then both Alpine’s for different reasons.
The championship…
So Max now has a 12 point lead over Lewis, but things can change very quickly… Perez is now into P4 but only by one point so Lando will be looking to get back into that spot.
The gap between Mercedes and Red Bull is only 23 points, so having Perez be in P3 for race really boosted them up higher!
Now onto the next! Only 5 remaining now and the next time we are back we have a triple header…
We’re starting in Mexico on the weekend of the 5th November, who will come out on top?
Well well well… we have Max Verstappen starting on pole position for tomorrow’s race! With Lewis Hamilton lining up next to him on the grid.
This is the 7th time the championship pair have been in the front row together this season… Who will come out on top after the first lap?
The top 10 is as follows: P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Perez, P4: Bottas, P5: Leclerc, P6: Sainz, P7: Ricciardo, P8: Norris, P9: Gasly and P10: Tsunoda. Bottas will be starting P9, so Leclerc to Gasly all move up a place for tomorrow’s race!
It’s good to see Tsunoda in Q3 for the second race weekend in a row! Could this be down to Alex Albon coaching him? This will really benefit Alpha Tauri with the constructors if he is able to score good points in these last few races…
Both McLaren and Ferrari in top 10! I feel like whatever team comes on top tomorrow is due to strategy with when to pit. A downfall on Ferrari is that they have Sainz starting on the soft tyre which will see some degrading quite quickly compared to other tyres.
Some drivers have a penalty for the race, which will see them start at the back of the grid: Russell, Alonso and Vettel. Bottas has a five place grid penalty…
Predictions for tomorrow:
My top five predictions are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Perez and P5: Norris.
I think Charles can do really well tomorrow, he finished P4 here in 2019 and he seems to have a lot of pace and confidence in his Ferrari today.
Times-
The times for tomorrow’s race is as follows: 20:00pm (BST), 21:00pm (CEST).
After a two year absence we are now back in the US and at the Circuit of the Americas. All eyes are looking at who will come out on top… Could Mercedes be dominant like last time out? Or will Red Bull be looking to bring their success on from Turkey?
Who needs a good weekend?
I feel like Sebastian needs a good weekend after what happened in Turkey, with going onto Mediums, hopefully the team and Seb can get good points to carry on the fight with Alpha Tauri as Aston Martin are currently sat behind them by 31 points in 7th…
I think that Daniel will want to put on a show this weekend, not only because he loves the US but to make up for Turkey. Hopefully we see a masterclass from him this weekend.
I’m quite looking forward to seeing what Yuki does, it’s a new track for him so either he will get the hang of it quickly or he will not have a good weekend and Alpha Tauri doesn’t need that if they want to fight Alpine for these final 6 races.
Predictions for Qualifying-
My top five predictions are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Bottas, P4: Norris and P5: Leclerc. (Before penalties applied)
I’m hoping we see both Williams in top 10 but if we don’t I’m hoping at least one! We see the pace on the Williams in qualifying and it’s no longer a one off when they get into Q3.
I hope we see Mick get into Q2 again, he is constantly tries to get everything out of the Haas and it feels like his finally getting some recognition for doing so!
There is currently lots of gossip going round about the last seat available for next year in the Alfa Romeo and it seems now that IndyCar driver, Colton Herta is now a possibility…
This comes as Michael Andretti is getting ready to purchase Alfa Romeo, and the link between Andretti and Herta is that Herta drives for his IndyCar team.
Andretti hasn’t kept it a secret that if the ‘right opportunity’ came along to buy a team he would and that team is supposedly Alfa Romeo. Herta’s main sponsor Gainbridge would join Andretti Autosport to “take over” the F1 team, which pushes Herta in line for the seat even more.
Who is Colton Herta?
Looking back in Colton’s career he has won the Pacific Formula F1600 in 2013, in 2015 he finished 3rd in the MSA Formula Championship. 2016 was a year for him as he joined Carlin for the Euroformula Open Championship and finished 3rd, he also competed in the Spain Formula 3 Championship and finished 2nd.
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 26: IndyCar driver Colton Herta driving the #26 car, wins the 2021 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach on September 26, 2021 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
In 2017 and 2018 he competed in Indy Lights and finished 3rd in 2017, 2018 he finished 2nd. Since 2018 he has been competing in IndyCar, with him finishing 3rd in 2020 and 5th this year. Colton is the youngest-ever winner in IndyCar history at the age of 18.
Danica Patrick has said that now F1 is becoming more popular in the US, with having an American F1 team, and Netflix series Drive To Survive. There just missing an American driver. She thinks that having an driver like Herta would only make it more popular.
Pato O’Ward also believes that Herta has ‘everything to be successful’ in Formula One. “He is a very talented, very fast individual, and I think he’ll have no problem. He’s going to be fighting up there, if he is given the right car. There’s no doubt in my mind. Not that it’s going to be a struggle, but everything has its path of learning, but given the right time, he’ll be just fine.” Pato said.
The only thing stopping Colton Herta from having that f1 seat is his super licence, he needs at least 40 points and his currently got 32… Could this be a possible move for him in 2023? His only 21 so his still got a long way to go in his career…
We have F1 back on our screens this weekend and this means that Pirelli have announced their tyres for the weekend…
The chosen ones are the middle of the compound C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium) and C4 (Soft). This nomination is the same as what it was two years ago when we last was at the track.
At this time of year in Texas, the weather is quite unpredictable, with the chosen compounds they should be quite adaptable to a variety of temperatures, although this years race is being held earlier in the season compared to last time.
The circuit has been resurfaced in a few places starting with the start/finish straight (including the pit lane exit) to the end of Turn 1. The exit of Turn 9 through to Turn 10, the exit of Turn 11 through to 12 and then Turn 15 through to Turn 19.
The winning strategy back in 2019 was a two stopper medium-hard-medium from Valtteri Bottas, where as his team-mate Lewis finished second on a one stop medium-hard.
With the track only being resurfaced last year and not much track action either, the track on Friday will be lowest grip, however with having Formula 4 and also W series so by Saturday we should have more rubber laid down.
Formula One has finally revealed the 2022 calendar, with a record-breaking 23 Grand Prix schedule.
The season will begin in Bahrain on 20th March, for the second year in a row it is the season opener. The season will end in Abu Dhabi as usual but its been brought forward to the 20th November.
With the ongoing pandemic conditions, China is not included in the 2022 calendar, however it will be restored to the calendar as soon as the conditions allow it to.
“The 2022 season follows an unprecedented two years for Formula 1 in which the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in revised calendar of 17 races in 2020 and 22 races in 2021 – a huge achievement given the international nature of the sport,” said F1 in a statement.
President and CEO of Formula 1 Stefano Domenicali (above) said: “We are excited to announce the 2022 calendar as we prepare to enter a new era for the sport with brand new regulations and cars for next year that are designed to create closer racing. This season has been incredible so far with great battles on the track, large audiences tuning in and fans returning to the races after the impact of the pandemic. We look forward to welcoming more fans back next season and hope 2022 feels more normal than the life we have all experienced in the past two years.”
My Opinion-
I’m looking forward to seeing how next season goes with the new changes etc, but also the new tracks which are being brought into F1 next year. It will be a tough season considering we are starting mid-March and finishing mid-November, but considering we are currently having a 22 race season, even though some of the races having a two week break, its still a long and hard season for everybody involved in the sport.
I am sure there are many tracks waiting to jump in if some races are cancelled due to Covid e.g Turkey, Mugello and many others.
And Valtteri Bottas WINS the Turkish Grand Prix, making it his 10th win in his career and his first since Russia in 2020! Joining him on the podium is both Bulls, Verstappen in P2 and Perez in P3.
The rest of the top 10 are: P4: Leclerc, P5: Hamilton, P6: Gasly, P7: Norris, P8: Sainz, P9: Stroll and P10: Ocon. Fastest lap goes to VB as well.
This means that Max is now back in the lead for the Championship, having a 6 point gap between him and Lewis, neither driver has led the championship for two weekends in a row in 7 races… This is getting closer and closer as we get to the last few races!
Lap 1 in the wet wasn’t as chaotic as Hungary, but we did have Alonso spin. He started P5 and then went down to P16. Gasly got a 5 second penalty for causing the spin… Hamilton managed to gain two places in the first lap which put him up to P9, that was the start of the classy overtakes.
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – OCTOBER 10: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT02 Honda leads Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W12 during the F1 Grand Prix of Turkey at Intercity Istanbul Park on October 10, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
I’ve got to say and acknowledge, Yuki Tsunoda. It seemed like he put up a really good fight against the 7 time world champ, which not many other people did, he wasn’t afraid to defend from him.
I think Mercedes had a tough choice with the strategy today, you don’t have to have a mandatory pit when on intermediates and Hamilton was very happy to stay on them tyres. But Mercedes decided to pit him with only 7 laps to go when he was running in the podium places…
The fight between Perez and Hamilton was something else! My heart was in my mouth at one point just how close it was, but both drivers have massive respect for each other and left enough space so they didn’t touch. It shows a lot of people what Perez can do in the Red Bull when he is in that situation.
Carlos Sainz. Wow, what a drive, started P19, finished P8. I think some people will overlook this as he isn’t in the best car, which is true but to get the Ferrari in the points after being on the back row is amazing, fully deserves driver of the day!
I think Aston Martin might have had a bit of the moment sending Sebastian Vettel out on the Mediums… He lasted a lap on them and it quickly sent him down the order and then he pitted for Inters.
So now onto a closer look at the championship! We have Max now leading Lewis by 6 points, Bottas, Norris and Perez all stay in the same places. Sainz still in 6th position from Leclerc but there is only a gap of 0.5 between the pair…
In the constructors Mercedes are still in the lead and by 36 points! McLaren have managed to hold onto P3 and by only 8 points as Ferrari are now starting to close in on them.
So we now have a two week break till the next race, but we will be returning to the Circuit of The Americas after two years for round 17, in this thrilling championship battle!
Well what a qualifying that was, it could of been anyones going into it… But Mercedes once again dominated qualifying just like they have dominated the rest of the weekend.
LH was fastest overall in qualifying but due to his 10 place grid penalty it means pole position goes to his team-mate Valtteri Bottas. The top 10 after penalties is the following: P1: Bottas, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Gasly, P5: Alonso, P6: Perez, P7: Norris, P8: Stroll, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Vettel, Lewis will be starting P11.
I feel like the top 10 is quite mixed up with the top 5 being from 5 different teams, in which we haven’t seen that happen much, unlike last race weekend we saw it being 4 different teams in the top 4.
One person who I have to mention after a BEAUTIFUL lap in Q1 is Mick Schumacher! He said he wanted it to rain today and it did, which left the track wet for Qualifying and it made him get into Q2 for the second time in his F1 career!
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – OCTOBER 09: Mick Schumacher of Germany driving the (47) Haas F1 Team VF-21 Ferrari during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Turkey at Intercity Istanbul Park on October 09, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Pierre done very well today, after only qualifying P12 at the last race, he is back to being up near the top, where he has been for the majority of the year. It always seems like his in the right place at the right time, it’s just a shame to not see him in a top car and then we could see what he really does after having a confidence boost since being at AlphaTauri…
Charles done well too! Being on the second row is just what him and Ferrari need, especially with his team-mate being at the back and one of the McLaren’s being near at the back too which will benefit Charles tomorrow. Another thing I have to mention is Ferrari’s strategy! First up they had Carlos push Daniel out of Q1 so he couldn’t get into Q2 and then Carlos went ahead of his team-mate in Q2 to give Charles a lovely slip-stream to boost him into getting into Q3.
Bit of a down day for Russell and Ricciardo, obviously Ricciardo being knocked out of Q1 which is a shame but we know he can capitalise on other peoples mistakes tomorrow in the race! And for Russell he was set to get into Q3 with a really good time until he made a tiny error on his flying lap which didn’t see him improve and knocked out. But his in a good position to score some points tomorrow and he gets free tyre choice!
Predictions for tomorrow-
I’d say the win will go to Lewis! I have a feeling Mercedes will get his strategy just right! P2: Leclerc, P3: Bottas, P4: Norris and P5: Gasly. I think fastest lap will go to Bottas.
You can’t count out Leclerc, Norris and Gasly tomorrow. I feel like these three will have a battle on track, even though Norris is a couple places behind them, he normally gets a good start either maintaining position or gains positions.
And we are back this weekend racing in Turkey for Round 16 out of 22. We return to the track for the second year as it fills in for Japan.
Could we see an amazing drive from the 7 time champ? Or will Max take away a victory from him? Can McLaren make it 3 good race weekends in a row? It’s all to play for this weekend!
Who needs a good weekend?
I think that Pierre and Yuki need a good weekend in Turkey, they both haven’t had a couple of weekends recently. Not to sure if its just a team thing etc with the strategy going wrong or they are just going through a rough period. For the last two races Pierre hasn’t scored any points, he had a DNF in Italy and the finished 13th in Russia. With Yuki the last three races haven’t been good a DNF in Netherlands, Italy was a DNS and Russia he finished 17th. With grid penalties set to play a role in this weekend hopefully they can capitalise on it.
I’d say both Aston Martins too, obviously we all saw Lance’s pole lap last year so we know he can do well here and also Seb ended on the podium last year here with Ferrari so he likes the track too. So hopefully they can be strong in the AM to get a good amount of points.
I’d also say Perez too, I feel like he hasn’t been there to back up Max much recently apart from Italy. He done well here last year too, as he finished on the podium but I feel like his lost a bit of his drive.
Predictions for Quali-
My top five for predictions are (before penalties): P1: Hamilton, P2: Norris, P3: Ricciardo, P4: Bottas, P5: Verstappen. If its meant to be a wet qualifying like predicted I could see both McLaren’s doing well.
As well I think Russell would do well as he likes qualifying in the wet as he normally gets quite high up! Hopefully Latifi will make an appearance into Q3… Hopefully Charles will do well this weekend, as I feel he needs some luck thrown his way!
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – OCTOBER 08: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Williams Racing FW43B Mercedes during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Turkey at Intercity Istanbul Park on October 08, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Lewis Hamilton, who is currently leading the 2021 championship by only two points is receiving a 10 place grid penalty for Sundays Turkish Grand Prix.
His W12 has been fitted with a new internal combustion engine (ICE) and exhaust but the driver has only exceeded his allocations of new ICEs.
It was expected for this to happen before the weekend, as Turkey is a strong track for Mercedes and Lewis even though he has never been on pole here. There was lots of rumours going around that Mercedes would take a penalty in the next couple of races.
His rival, Max Verstappen took a full new power unit at Sochi which saw him start 20th and then finish on the podium in 2nd.
Last year, at the Turkish GP it saw Lewis starting sixth to then win the race, it wasn’t an easy race in the wet either.
My Opinion-
I didn’t really see them taking the penalty anywhere else to be honest, and its good the fact its not at the back of the grid either, so he does have some work to do but not as much as we expected. If Mercedes get there strategy right and the rain comes into play then this may be Mercedes and Lewis’ weekend…
We are back racing this weekend and we are returning to Turkey for the second year in a row as this year it fills in for Japan.
The tyres which have been chosen for this year is the middle of the range which are: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium) and C4 (Soft). This is one step softer than last year when the Turkish GP was held in November.
The decision to go one step softer was due to the data which was collected last year, the track demonstrated average levels of abrasion and low grip which resulted in an extremely slippery surface. The track was entirely re-asphalted just before the grand prix last year, since then the asphalt may have matured slightly as well its been completely cleaned with a high-pressure jet.
The most well known corner at the Istanbul track is Turn 8, which is very long (640 metres) and it gets taken at high speed. We didn’t get to see full effect of Turn 8 last year due to the rain…
Turkey, is quite a tough track for the tyres, with lots of force going through them, the cars run higher downforce here to help push the tyres ontp the ground. As well as this there are many corners which put demands on the tyres. Turn 1 is approached with a significant descent before heading uphill. The back straight also contains a swooping uphill kink which is nicknamed ‘Faux Rouge’.
This years weather is a big question mark, the race is obviously being held a month earlier than last year, but with the rain dominating the weekend the teams don’t have much relevant tyre data.
The winning tyre strategy last year which brought Lewis Hamiltons 7th title was one-stopped as he was on eight laps with the full wet tyres and then followed by 50 laps on the intermediate tyres. Lewis was one of only four drivers to pit once, the majority of the drivers stopped twice.
Red Bull and Alpha Tauri are set to run a special livery this weekend at the Turkish Grand Prix as a special tribute to Honda.
If the Japanese GP was going ahead it would of been this weekend, which means Honda’s last home grand prix, unfortunately due to Covid-19 restrictions means that they will miss out.
The RB16Bs of both Max and Sergio will run in a predominantly white livery which is inspired by the pain scheme of the Honda RA272 where Richie Ginther raced to victory at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.
Where as Pierre’s and Yuki’s AlphaTauri’s will feature the word ‘arigato’ which is the Japanese word for ‘thank-you’ this is aimed to be on the rear wings of the AT02.
Red Bull’s partnership with Honda launched back in 2018, since then Honda have helped both Red Bull and AlphaTauri reach the top step of the podium, with Red Bull scoring 13 victories to date and AlphaTauri taking hone a memorable win on home turf in Italy 2020. In total Red Bull and Honda have together scored 35 podium finishes and 11 pole positions.
Team Principle and CEO of Red Bull Racing Honda, Christian Horner said: “We had all been looking forward to giving Honda’s Japanese fans a chance to celebrate our extremely successful relationship in Formula One, on home soil at Suzuka. With the race falling victim to the pandemic, we just couldn’t let the weekend pass without paying tribute to Honda and its amazing home fans by bringing a little bit of its heritage to Istanbul. The livery chosen for our cars pays homage to Honda’s remarkable F1 journey and hopefully we can give fans another victory in those legendary colours this weekend.”
My Opinion-
It’s a lovely gesture from RB and AT however I cant comment too much on what it looks like as all we have is a little teaser video below, but from what I can see it looks good…
So with only 7 races left of this season, the talks for next season has started on how it will look calendar wise.
For 2022 they are expecting and wanting to run a 23 race calendar, starting in mid March and finishing in mid November. Where as currently this season started end of March and finishing in mid December.
Even though Covid-19 has changed the calendar quite a bit this year for the second year in the row, this years championship is still set for its longest ever season, with 22 races on the calendar and 15 already completed, F1 wants to go one better next year.
The 2022 Calendar is set to revealed later this month. Some races have already confirmed when they will be holding their event, as newcomers Miami have confirmed the weekend of 6-8 May for their first F1 Race.
“I can anticipate that, for sure, the calendar will be done with 23 races,” said Domenicali in an interview with Sky Sports “Of course we will be very respectful towards the Covid regulations issued around the world from the different governments. But that is our aim that F1 can give this sign of hope and to go to normal things to enjoy.”
“The idea is to make sure there is the right rhythm to the calendar,” he said. “There are of course considerations related to periods to make sure logistically the flow has to be right. “One thing I can tell you, without discovering too many things is that next year the season will start in the middle of March and will finish in the middle of November.”
This year F1 introduced the Sprint format, in three different weekends, the first being at Silverstone, the second in Monza and the third which is yet to come in Brazil. In Stefano Domenicali’s interview he has said that: “I can say we will not go everywhere with the Sprint format. It is something we want to keep for one third of the races more or less and to connect with a certain different way of giving rewards and points and to connect with specific circuits that as you know would make the difference.”
So its looking roughly like about 7/8 race weekends next year with the Sprint format, after positive feedback from promoters.
My Opinion-
I’m 50/50 on the Sprint format, it gives you three full days of action which I and everyone loves but its not the traditional F1. Being at the first weekend they trialled it at was good, the atmosphere was amazing all weekend, and it was so busy, it definitely attracted more people to come for the full weekend!
But with them adding it to 7/8 races next year i’m a bit sceptical about, I think personally they need to try it at either 3 different tracks next year, to see how it goes their. Or do it at Silverstone and Monza, then either one/two completely new ones as-well.
Jordan's Track Talk 