Jordan's Track Talk

Category: Formula One

  • Russell to Mercedes 2022

    And finally, the announcement we have all been waiting for! George Russell has officially signed a contract with Mercedes and will be Lewis Hamiltons team-mate for the 2022 season.

    Russell has been a Mercedes junior since early 2017 but has been on loan to Williams Racing for the past three years when he got promoted to F1 in 2019.

    The Brit has had a very good racing career, with him winning GP3 in 2017, the Formula Two championship in 2018. Then since moving to F1 its been tough as we’ve all seen however, things are starting to change. Last year at the Sakhir Grand Prix we saw George step in for Lewis Hamilton due to Covid and well, let me tell you it showed how talented George is. He topped the charts in FP1 and FP2, he then qualified P2 in a car which didn’t fit him and didn’t have much time to prepare at all. He was set to get on the podium this race but due to a mix up in tyres and a puncture he was only able to grab a few points but they were his first in F1!

    Now fast forward to this year and all I can say on George’s performance is wow! His getting the Williams car into Q2 and Q3 and pulling everything out of it! He claimed his first points for him in the Williams in Hungary which everyone was very happy about. And now onto rainy Spa, he qualified P2, he beat two Mercedes (one of is his new team-mate) and a Red Bull. Due to the circumstances at Spa the race got cancelled after over 3 hours of delaying it, which meant George got half points and got on the podium for the first time in his F1 career.

    “It’s a special day for me personally and professionally, but also a day of mixed emotions,” said Russell. “I’m excited and humbled to be joining Mercedes next year, which is a huge career step, but it also means I’ll be saying goodbye to my team mates and friends at Williams. It has been an honour working alongside every member of the team, and an honour to represent the Williams name in F1. “Looking ahead to next season, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t absolutely buzzing. It’s a huge opportunity and one I want to grab with both hands. But I’m under no illusions as to the scale of the challenge; it’s going to be a steep learning curve.”

    “We are very happy to confirm that George will have the opportunity to take the next step in his career and join Mercedes,” said Wolff. “He has been a winner in every racing category – and the past three seasons with Williams have given us a taste of what the future could hold for him in F1.” “Now, it is our challenge together to help him continue learning within our environment and alongside Lewis, the greatest F1 driver of all time. I am confident that as their relationship grows, they will form a strong team and deliver for Mercedes on and off the track in the years ahead.”

    My Opinion-

    I think this is fully deserved, his shown what he can do and it’s time for him to take that next step and be fighting for podiums/wins. I also think that Russell and Hamilton would actually work really well as team-mates, I think George would push Lewis and be consistent in scoring points together.

  • Gasly & Tsunoda retained by AlphaTauri

    Well it seems like a week of driver announcements this week! Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly have been retained by AlphaTauri for 2022.

    Pierre has been with AlphaTauri since being demoted by Red Bull back in 2019 and it saw him get his first win in F1 with AT. His constantly dragging everything out of the car to perform well and it seems to be paying off, and his hoping for some podium finishes this year! His currently sat in 8th in the drivers championship.

    Yuki is new to AlphaTauri, with it being his rookie season in F1, he hasn’t done too bad… He scored points in his first race, which put peoples expectations high but as he is only a rookie you can’t expect him to finish in the points consistently. You can expect mistakes in the first year as they are still learning the car and where the limits are. Yuki is currently sat in 13th in the drivers championship.

    I think for AlphaTauri next year, they will be looking to get more up the front, with both drivers being consistent in the points they would want to be battling for P3, P4 in the championship alongside McLaren and Ferrari

    Looking into the new aerodynamic era of Formula 1, Gasly assessed “there are great things to achieve”. “I’m very excited to see what we can accomplish in the new era of F1 and to keep working with the team as best as I can to bring us forward in the team standings. This year has been very successful so far and I really believe we can work well together to do even better in 2022.”

    “I’m really excited to be staying with Scuderia AlphaTauri for a second season,” said Tsunoda. “It’s an incredible opportunity and I’m so thankful to the team for letting me continue to grow my experience in Formula 1 with them.”

    My Opinion-

    I think this is a good move, both drivers get on well on and off the track. I didn’t see them changing it to be honest, this line-up provides stability into the new season and I think thats good especially with the changes coming in next season.

    I do think Pierre should be in a top car, he deserves to show what his capable off and I feel like his shown what he can do in an AlphaTauri, put him in an Ferrari and he will do brilliant things. However that won’t happen as he is still under contract with Red Bull as a junior driver until 2023, so if he wants to break out of it then the 2023 season is where it happens.

  • Bottas to Alfa Romeo

    After a lot of speculating, it has FINALLY been confirmed, that Valtteri Bottas will be leaving Mercedes and will be joining Alfa Romeo from 2022 onwards on a multi year deal.

    The Finn, has been partnered with Lewis Hamilton since 2017 and has played a key role in winning four constructors with the Brackley team. Bottas secured nine wins and 53 podiums in his time with Mercedes. However his future at the team has been speculated for quite some time.

    “A new chapter in my racing career is opening: I’m excited to join Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN for 2022 and beyond for what is going to be a new challenge with an iconic manufacturer,” said Bottas. “Alfa Romeo is a brand that needs no introduction, they have written some great pages of Formula 1 history and it’s going to be an honour to represent this marque. The potential of the setup in Hinwil is clear and I am relishing the opportunity to help lead the team forward up the grid, especially with the new regulations in 2022 giving the team a chance to make a leap in performance”

    Vasseur added: “It is a pleasure to welcome Valtteri to the team and we are looking forward to our journey together. With him, we bring to Hinwil a strong team player with experience at the sharp end of the grid. “Valtteri has been an integral part of a team that rewrote the history books and he has four constructors’ world titles to his name: he is the right driver to help Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN make a step forward towards the front of the grid.

    My Opinion-

    I think this is the best move for Bottas and Alfa Romeo. I actually believe this will be good for him, it’s a new challenge for him and he will want to help the team move forward and further up the grid. I look forward to seeing what he can do with the Swiss team!

    We now await on who will be his team-mate for 2022…

  • Round 13- Zandvoort Race

    Well… Max Verstappen wins on his home turf and now leads the championship again, he drove a superb race!

    Hamilton finished in P2 with fastest lap as-well which we all know is major in the championship this year as its so close and then Bottas in P3 which now makes Mercedes have a 12 point advantage over Red Bull in the championship!

    The rest of the top 10 are- P4: Gasly, P5: Leclerc, P6: Alonso, P7: Sainz, P8: Perez, P9: Ocon and P10: Norris. We knew the order wouldn’t of changed too much so I honestly am not surprised by this order at all!

    It does make some changes to the Championship though, which is what we like to see and makes the future races more exciting! Norris is down to P4 as Bottas’ podium means he move us to P3, but I can imagine they will keep swapping round.

    Alonso done very well today, from starting in P9 and finishing in P6 which is a good points haul for the Alpine and Alonso! Gasly, done absolutley mega today, kept his P4 which went un-noticed yesterday but he made it count today and this is where it counts.

    Ferrari had a very good day today, which means a good lot of points for the Italian team, and they will want to excel on their performance this week going into the Italian Grand Prix next weekend!

    We had 3 DNF’s and they were Mazepin, Tsunoda and Russell. All cars retired to pit lane, the reasons are unknown at this time but will be updated later on.

    Now onto the second Red Bull, I don’t think Perez has had the best weekend, he obviously qualified P16 and then Red Bull done a very clever move and changed his power unit which meant he starts from the pit-lane but even then it didn’t exactly go the way they wanted it to. He started on hard tyres and then had to pit on the 10th lap to change to mediums as there was flat-spots. They did however manage to claw some points for Perez. It did make me think imagine if he was on the mediums to start what would of happened? Could we off seen him top 5?

    Now all eyes onto next weekend as we have our second sprint race of the season and we are back at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix!

  • Round 13- Zandvoort Quali

    Well, well, well what a quali that was, at one point I didn’t know who would be where at one point!

    But Max Verstappen manages to get his first pole position of his home grand prix, with Lewis joining him on the front row and it was only 0.38s between the pair. Valtteri takes P3, which makes Max under pressure from both of the Mercedes, especially because of the strategy, Mercedes have both drivers in top 3, where as Max is on his own and his team-mate is no where to be seen…

    The rest of the grid are as follows- P4: Gasly, P5: Leclerc, P6: Sainz, P7: Giovinazzi, P8: Ocon, P9: Alonso, P10: Ricciardo, P11: Russell, P12: Stroll, P13: Norris, P14: Latifi, P15: Tsunoda, P16: Perez, P17: Vettel, P18: Kubica, P19: Schumacher and finally P20: Mazepin.

    I feel like the grid is a bit of a mix match this weekend, there some good results for some teams where as other teams its been quite disappointing…

    I said both Ferrari drivers need a good weekend and they’ve started it of good, but tomorrow is where it counts as thats where the points are dished out.

    Not a good day for Lando, his been a bit of the pace today, whether thats due to having under-estimated the track or just simply being caught out by the red flags in Q2. We all know what he can do, so i’m sure we will see him doing some brave over takes tomorrow to get some points!

    Not the best qualifying for Williams either, having both cars bring out two red flags isn’t the best but lucky for them they have free tyre choice with both cars and hopefully they can play a good strategy to get some points!

    Now onto Perez, who actually quite shocked me. Starting P16, on a track which isn’t known for over-taking but if you want to take risks which we saw some Formula Three drivers do earlier on in the day, they do pay off.

    Now onto the one who impressed me the most… It’s Antonio Giovinazzi starting P7, where did that pace come from in the Alfa Romeo!! You always want to do well on race weekends but even more so when a reserve driver stands in for your team-mate, but he has just excelled today! Could he possibly have a point to prove that maybe he deserves to stay in F1? All I know is that one performance like this isn’t going to cut it, but if he has now fount a good way with the car and use it tomorrow he could be in contention for some points!

    Predictions-

    My top five predictions for tomorrow are: P1- Hamilton, P2: Bottas, P3: Verstappen, P4: Gasly and P5: Alonso. Fastest lap I think will go to Bottas.

    I’d like to see the likes of Norris, Russell, Latifi in the top 10 and get some points but it’s all about the risk in overtaking here, are they willing to do it? I think tomorrow will be a very good race, no-one knows how these 72 laps are going to go but I am very excited!

    Times for tomorrow-

    The race starts at §4:00pm (BST), and 15:00pm (CEST). As well as Formula Three in the morning at 9:45am (BST) and 10:45am (CEST)

  • Kimi out of Dutch GP

    Kimi Raikkonen won’t take part in the rest of the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend due to having a positive covid-19 test!

    Alfa Romeo took to social media telling their followers that Kimi has tested positive with Covid and that “Kimi is displaying no symptoms and is in good spirits. He has immediately entered isolation in his hotel.’’

    However, Robert Kubica is back! As one of Alfa Romeos reserve drivers his stepped in place for Kimi. It will Kubica’s first Grand Prix start since 2019 and his first for the Alfa Romeo team.

    Raikkonen will need a negative test before being allowed into the paddock and it remains unclear if he will be able to race next weekends Italian Grand Prix at Monza

    Wishing Kimi a speedy recovery and hopefully see him back on track soon!❤️

  • Dutch GP

    After 36 years we are back for the Dutch Grand Prix, and its set to be a special one! It’s the home Grand Prix of Max Verstappen and i’m sure he will be wanting to come out on top to give the fans a real show. But could we see Hamilton wanting to give something back on his home turf?

    The fight for P3 in the constructors is still very much on, even more so with the gap down to only 3.5 points… but who will come out on top this weekend? McLaren or Ferrari? It’s all too play for and I can’t wait!

    Who needs a good weekend?

    I think both Ferrari drivers do, they got it wrong last weekend which is a shame but hopefully we see both of them in the top 10 throughout the weekend…

    I’d possibly say Stroll as well, his currently sitting 14th in the championship. His not had the best season compared to his team-mate. His had two DNFs and four other races where his been out of the top 10 so six races in total with no points. I’m not entirely sure why he isn’t performing as well as Seb, as you’d think Stroll’s been in the car and the team a lot longer than Seb so he should be comfortable in it and know roughly what he needs to work on, but were now onto the second half of the season and it doesn’t seem to be improving, so hopefully a good weekend for him.

    Predictions for Quali-

    My top five predictions for this weekend are- Pole: Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Norris, P4: Bottas and P5: Ocon. I’m hoping Russell will qualifying top 10 again, but obviously after coming from qualifying P2 last weekend his confidence is high but we need to be realistic with the predictions for him this weekend as theres no rain forecasted yet…

    This track is so hard to do predictions on as we haven’t got no previous data on it, so we don’t know whether it suits a certain team more or less!

    Times for the weekend-

    Saturday 4th- FP3: 11:00am – 12:00pm(BST), 12:00pm – 13:00pm (CEST). Qualifying: 14:00pm – 15:00pm (BST), 15:00pm – 16:00pm (CEST).

    Sunday 5th- Race: 14:00pm (BST), 15:00pm (CEST).

  • Tyres for Zandvoort

    We are back racing this weekend and we are at Zandvoort and Pirelli have announced their tyres for this weekend.

    We’ve got the hardest of the compounds which is the fourth time they’ve been chosen this season. C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium) and C3 (Soft). With no previous relevant data the hardest tyres are the most suitable choice.

    The track looks quite different than when it did at its last Grand Prix in 1985. In particular, turns 3 and 14 they are both now banked at 19 degrees. As well turn 14 is taken flat-out which generates forces in excess of 4g, while there are two corners which have heavy breaking of around 5g: the entries into Turn 1 and 11.

    As expected from an old circuit, Zandvoort has a distinctly old-school feel to it, with fast and narrows turns with a number of different elevation changes. Zandvoort is located in an area of sand dunes near the beach, with the wind sometimes blowing sand onto the track which can affect grip; which is normally an issue in places like Bahrain. So we could possibly expect some drivers being caught out by the lick of grip.

    We have Formula Three with us again this weekend, and they will also be using the hard tyre. Zandvoort has big demands and banked corners which will take a lot of energy out of the tyres.

  • Kimi to retire end of 2021

    So, it’s a sad day for Kimi Raikkonen fans as he has announced that he will be retiring at the end of the 2021 season.

    Kimi who currently drives for Alfa Romeo, took to his social media and announced after being in F1 for 19 years that he will be retiring from F1. With a championship to his name, 103 podiums, 1865 points and 21 wins Kimi has most definitely had a good career in Formula One.

    Looking back on his career his been with many good teams, Sauber-Petronans, McLaren-Mercedes, Ferrari, Lotus and Alfa Romeo. Currently Raikkonen is sitting 17th in the championship with only two points, but i’m sure he will be wanting to get a few more before the end of the season!

    It had been going round the rumour mill that he was set to announce it at Monza but I guess you can never always believe rumours! It’ll be interesting to see the coming announcements in the next few weeks!

    My Opinion-

    It’s a shame to see him leave, but you can’t be in the sport forever. At least he can say he has been in F1 for almost 20 years, which many drivers can’t. He should be incredibly proud of all his achievements within the sport and he will be known for his radio messages for years to come!

    Even if your not a Kimi fan, deep down you are truly a Kimi fan… You’ll be missed ❤️

  • Perez retained for 2022

    The seats for 2022 are starting to fill up quick, as Red Bull announced on Thursday 26th that they will keep Sergio Perez for the 2022 season.

    Red Bull have been looking for a driver who will keep up with Max Verstappen and bring the fight to Lewis and Mercedes, they had been unsuccessful until this season…

    Perez has made a strong start for his first season with the team, he took four top five finishes in the first five races and then clenched his first win with the team in his sixth in Baku. Perez is currently sitting in 5th in the driver standings with 104 points, which is just four points away from Bottas.

    “Checo is a highly respected Team member and his experience and race-craft are invaluable as we fight for the Constructors’ Championship,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner. “His integration into the wider Team has been seamless and we have been impressed by his performances during the first half of the season which demonstrate what he’s capable of in our car.”

    What does it mean for Gasly & Albon?

    It looks like Gasly will be leading Alpha Tauri forwards, his had a very good season so far having grabbed points in all but three races this year, the team intend to secure fifth place in the constructors. AlphaTauri are yet to confirm their driver plans for the 2022 season but they are very much likely to keep it the same as the 2021 season.

    Now onto Albon, after not getting his seat renewed this season he went into the reserve driver role and to drive in DTM. Red Bull are impressed with the job Alex has been doing as the reserve, with clocking up miles in the simulator which has made Red Bull stronger this year, it seems they would want to keep him on.

    However, they realise he wants to race and they have said they are supportive of a move to a different team if he can make one work. There are two opportunities either at Williams or Alfa Romeo, both outside the Red Bull family.

    My Opinion-

    I think its a good move that Perez is staying for another year he seems to have done a lot of work within the team to help the championship fight. What shocked me the most, was the fact they announced it quite early, I thought they would of waited till the end of the season.

    It’s obviously a shame for Gasly and Albon as everyone wants to be in the best car, fighting for wins and podiums. But if they keep working on what their doing and being consistent I can see them both being back in a top car in the future!

  • DTS Season 4 confirmed

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

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

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

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

    My Opinion-

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

  • Round 12- Spa Race

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Round 12- Spa Quali

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Predictions-

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

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

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

    Times for tomorrow-

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

  • Alonso extends contract with Alpine

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

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

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

    What would be next for him?

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

    My Opinion-

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

  • Belgian GP

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

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

    Who needs a good weekend back?

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

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

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

    Predictions for Quali-

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

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

    Times for the weekend are-

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

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

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

  • Tyres for Spa

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

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

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

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

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

  • Available seats 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Japanese GP Cancelled

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

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

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

    What could replace it?

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

    My Opinion-

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

  • Penalty Points 2.0

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Aston Martin withdraw appeal…

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

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

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

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

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

    My opinion-

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

  • Two week shutdown

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

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

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

    What can the teams not work on during this time?

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

    What can they work on?

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

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

  • Dan Ticktum released by Williams

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

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

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

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

    My Opinion-

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

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

  • Round 11- Hungary Race

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Round 11- Hungary Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Predictions-

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

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

  • Hungary GP

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

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

    Who needs a good weekend?

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

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

    Predictions for Quali-

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

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

    Times for the weekend-

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

  • Tyres for Hungary

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

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

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

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

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

  • 2022 Car

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

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

    Things which caught my eye on the 2022 car-

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

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

    F1 2022 Car @ Silverstone

  • Round 10- Silverstone Race

    Silverstone did not disappoint!! What a race wow…

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Round 10- Silverstone Sprint Quali

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

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

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

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

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

    Predictions for tomorrow:

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

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

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

  • Round 10- Silverstone Quali

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

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

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

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

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

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

    My Predictions-

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

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

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