Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Mercedes

  • Hamilton Disqualified, Verstappen Fined

    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!

  • Round 19- Brazil Quali

    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.

    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...
    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!

    Times for tomorrow are-

    Saturday 13th- FP2: 15:00pm – 16:00pm (GMT), 16:00pm – 17:00pm (CET). Sprint: 19:30pm – 20:00pm (GMT), 20:30pm – 21:00pm (GMT).

  • Round 18- Mexico Quali

    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…

  • Mexico GP

    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!

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 5th- FP1: 17:30pm – 18:30pm (GMT), 18:30pm – 19:30pm (CET). FP2: 21:00pm – 22:00pm (GMT), 22:00pm – 23:00pm (CET).

    Saturday 6th- FP3: 17:00pm – 18:00pm (GMT), 18:00pm – 19:00pm (CET). Qualifying: 20:00pm – 21:00pm (GMT), 21:00pm – 22:00pm (CET).

    Sunday 7th- Race: 19:00pm (GMT), 20:00pm (CET).

  • A look into the last 5 races

    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.

  • Round 16- Turkey Race

    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!

  • Round 16- Turkey Quali

    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.

  • Hamilton to take grid penalty

    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…

  • Round 15- Sochi Race

    GET IN THERE LEWIS! Lewis wins the Russian Grand Prix and its his 100th win! He re-takes the lead of the championship once again. Joining him on the podium is Max Verstappen in P2 and Carlos Sainz in P3.

    The rest of the top 10 are: P4: Ricciardo, P5: Bottas, P6: Alonso, P7: Norris, P8: Raikkonen, P9: Perez and P10: Russell. Fastest lap went to Lando Norris.

    Absolute heartbreak for Lando and McLaren, he led the majority of the race and done so well doing it. But when it started raining in the last few laps, he insisted on staying on his hard tyres rather than going to intermediates, he the dropped down the order after having to pit to change tyres. But I have no doubt for the fact that Lando will bounce back and get his first win this year, he has 7 more races to do it!

    Finally Lewis gets his 100th win! He has kept the Mercedes reign at Sochi alive after it being under threat by McLaren. This is fully deserved in my opinion! It wasn’t an easy race with him dropping down the order at the start and having to fight his way through, and Lewis said he wouldn’t of been able to over-take Lando if it stayed dry.

    Carlos Sainz, drove wonderful today started P2 and took the lead from Lando Norris in the first lap. And he done very well to end in P3, and its good amount of points for Ferrari in the Constructors.

    The rain definitely played into the hands of Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas. Max started P20 to finish P2 is amazing, and its all because of the rain he managed so! The same with Bottas he started P16 due to taking an new power unit, but before the rain hit and before he pitted he was out of the points and then he pitted and managed to finish in P5 as they expected earlier on in the race.

    Daniel finishing P4 gives McLaren extra points as well for the Constructors, two great races for him in a row and I am honestly quite looking forward to see what he does at the next race.

    Now the next race is on 10th of October and we are returning to Istanbul Park Circuit for round 16 and its where Lewis took his 7th Championship last year…

  • 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.

  • 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 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)

  • Russell VS Bottas

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

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

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

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

    My Opinion-

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

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

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

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

  • Hamilton Stays till 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

    My Opinion-

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

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

  • Flexi wing saga

    Lately in the news of Formula One we have seen lots of talk about Red Bull using a “Bendy wing/ Flexi wing” since qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix

    At the Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton brought up that Red Bull have a bendy wing which he said was worth an extra three tenths in performance to the Mercedes. After the Spanish Grand Prix the FIA then announced they would have new tests on the flexibility of F1 cars rear wing and will be in place from the 15th of June (ahead of the French Grand Prix)

    Then leading up to the race weekend in Monaco, it came out that McLaren strongly disagrees with the FIA’s current plant to eventually outlaw the ‘bendy wings’. However no matter how unhappy they are with the current plan, they are reluctant to start launching protests against other teams…

    Christian Horner said during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend that such a tweak to the regulations could cost his team “half a million dollars”  an expense they can do without now that Formula 1 teams are working with a budget cap. Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur, agrees with Horner and slammed the decision to move the goalposts mid-season as a “joke”.

    It has now gone onto that Mercedes and Red Bull could end up protesting each other ahead of the next round in Baku unless the FIA provide further clarification on the wing saga. Whilst Mercedes have drawn attention to Red Bulls rear wing, Red Bull have now brought up Mercedes flexing front wing from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

    What are the regulations?

    Article 3.9.9 of F1’s Technical Regulations states: “The FIA reserve the right to introduce further load/deflection tests on any part of the bodywork which appears to be (or is suspected of) moving whilst the car is in motion.

    My opinion-

    Personally, I don’t think its right, if its illegal and doesn’t comply with the regulations then they should change it straight away not wait a month later, I understand it takes time etc but Red Bull could of easily got it done by the Monaco Grand Prix as they had a two week break between them or by Baku as that would be a four week break.

    I do think Red Bull are just trying to find anything on the Mercedes so they can protest back. I think Red Bull will be the ones looking silly at the end of this, they could of just saved their time and energy and changed it as soon as possible…

    I do see this going on for a little while so come back for some more updates as they happen!

  • Hamilton to stay?

    7 time world champion Lewis Hamilton has said he wants to negotiate a contract earlier this year, as the contract for this year went over to winter break and he said it had “ruined” his time off… The Brit didn’t manage to sign the contract till early February, just over one month away from the pre-season testing and it only being a one year extension.

    Lewis volunteered to test the new 18″ Pirelli tyres for the 2022 season and after being asked why he volunteered at Imola, he replied back saying he plans to be here next year. You can see why he wants to be here next year as obviously after testing the new tyres he knew it wasn’t his time to leave the sport yet and he feels good about them…

    The question everyone is wondering is will he have a new teammate next year? And if he wins the 8th title this year, meaning he will break Michael Schumacher’s record, could he be aiming for his 9th?👀

    To be honest, I want him to stay and I don’t think his ready to leave for at least a few years yet! You can tell how happy and passionate he is in the sport and when his winning/making history.

  • Round 4- Spain Race

    And what a race that was!! I didn’t expect too much to happen but wow😳

    Lewis Hamilton extends his lead in the championship after finishing first, Verstappen finished second after not being able to hold of Lewis after his second pit stop… Verstappen also ended up taking fastest lap too and then we have Bottas who ended up finishing 3rd.

    P4 goes to Leclerc and P5 to Perez who was followed by Daniel Ricciardo. Whatever Ricciardo has done this weekend is obviously working, the only way is up from here🤞🏻

    There was a yellow flag earlier on in the race due to Tsunoda stopping at Turn 10 making his race stop earlier than expected :(

    I definitely thought that the Aston Martins might pull something out of the bag this weekend as both drivers have now got the upgrades but maybe it wasn’t the track for them 🤷🏻‍♀️

    Next up we have Monte Carlo on the weekend off 20th to 23rd May, it’s the race that everyone wants to win, so tune in for more details across the race weekend🤩

  • Round 4- Spain Quali

    Get in there!!! That is 100 poles for Lewis Hamilton 🙌🏻👏🏻 His closely followed by Verstappen and then Bottas…

    The two Ferrari boys seemed to be going good with Leclerc starting P4 and Sainz P6 they have definitely fount the pace…

    Ocon really surprised me he splits the Ferrari’s and obviously the improvements to the Alpine are working as Alonso starts in P10, not the best showing for his home race however😬

    I actually expected better from Perez… his starting in P8 as he spun at turn 13 earlier in Q3 which meant he could only set one time in the session, he will be on the hunt tomorrow…

    A team I haven’t mentioned recently is the Alpha Tauri’s, I feel like Gasly is doing well as usual but poor Tusonda his just gone down hill since the beginning of the season, hopefully we get to see him finish in the points tomorrow🤞🏻

    Predictions for tomorrow are P1 for Hamilton, P2 for Verstappen, P3 for Leclerc, P4 for Ricciardo and P5 for Norris😬, all eyes on to tomorrow👀🤞🏻

  • Grosjean’s special return

    It got announced today that Romain Grosjean is making a special return to F1 with a one off Mercedes test. Seven months on from his horrific crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix and he was determined that his final time in an F1 car wouldn’t be the crash.

    When Grosjean was recovering in the hospital he had received a promise of an F1 test with Mercedes from the main man Toto Wolff… And Toto kept that promise, Grosjean will drive Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 championship winning W10 in a full day test at the French Grand Prix venue Circuit Paul Ricard on June the 29th, he will also pilot the car for a series of demonstration laps ahead of his home race at the same venue two days earlier.

    After an amazing stint of 10 seasons in F1, Romain is now on a new chapter of his racing career, as he is now competing in IndyCar for Dale Coyne Racing.

    I think its such a remarkable and amazing thing to do after such a horrifying crash! It made me so happy when I saw the announcement today, Grosjean is definitely an inspiration to everyone! I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that Mercedes or Toto wouldn’t go through with the promise! 🙌🏻

    If you wasn’t planning on watching the French Grand Prix, I think you should change that! Going to be an emotional one on the 27th of June❤️

  • Round 3- Portimao Race

    And that’s another win for Lewis!! Making him have an 8 point advantage on Verstappen🙌🏻👏🏻 We then had Verstappen 2nd and Bottas 3rd, Bottas also managed to get fastest lap after Max originally got it but he exceeded track limits so it got deleted👀

    Another amazing drive for Lando Norris, unfortunately no podium for him this time around but he did manage to finish P5 and also Daniel Ricciardo from starting at P16 to finishing in the points at P9👏🏻 Amazing drive from the Aussie!

    We had one safety car this race as predicted and that was for Kimi Raikkonen when trying to over take his team mate early on in the race which means Kimi’s race ended quicker than expected😬

    Perez seemed to be on form today more than Verstappen anyway👀, unfortunately he missed out on the podium just but done his best finish with the Red Bull team!

    The Alpine pair were on fire today Ocon finished P7 and Alonso P8, Alonso done some amazing overtakes towards the end of the race trying to get more points for the team!

    We only have to wait a week till the next race and we are in Barcelona 🇪🇸 all eyes onto then👀

  • Round 1- Bahrain Race

    GET IN THERE LEWIS. That is a Formula One race right there… Hamilton held off Verstappen in the first race of the season. Not only did Hamilton win the race he also passed Michael Schumacher’s record of 5,111 for the most laps led in F1 history. Finishing behind Verstappen was Bottas and he also managed to take the fastest lap of the Red Bulls too.

    Lando Norris and Sergio Perez make it fourth and fifth… These two shocked me so much, obviously McLaren has the power etc but Norris was just on another level today, he really held his own. And Perez from starting in the pits as there was an issue on the formation lap to then finish 5th is just wow, you can understand why he got the Red Bull seat now.

    The rookie Yuki Tsunoda made it into the points for his first F1 race and no doubt he is very happy with that! One rookie we should mention is Nikita Mazepin, he spun and crashed on the first lap of his first ever F1 race, he must be gutted…

    Aston Martin and Sebastian Vettel must be gutted too, making their come back to F1 and not having the best of races… Vettel starting P20 as he was handed a 5 place grid penalty after ignoring yellow flag and then he caused a collision with Ocon in the race, Seb finished P15.

    My driver of the day would be Red Bull’s Perez, he done very well and deserves it. Keep an eye out for a poll so you can make your vote! 😜Now we only have to wait 3 weeks until the next race… Which is in Italy from the 16th-18th of April.

  • Mercedes vs Red Bull

    So one of the biggest rivalries on grid is Mercedes and Red Bull, they are the two top teams who are always fighting against each other for the top spot on the podium.

    Every race weekend we always see Mercedes and Red Bull pushing each other, however there hasn’t been two consistent drivers at Red Bull to properly push the silver arrows… However could this all change this year, with having Sergio Perez teamed up with Max Verstappen?

    I always believe that you can never go by how the teams are in pre-season testing as the top teams always hide how good they are but Mercedes have never been that bad before and I don’t know if thats a sign to show whats to come in this season or not?

    There was too many things going wrong for the Mercedes team over the weekend such as Lewis’ two spins which included one bringing out a red flag, also the amount of grip and pace they didn’t have, they was all over the track! (and not in a good way) They also run into an issue on the first session of the first day which only let Bottas do as not as many laps as he would of wanted.

    Red Bull was very consistent over the weekend and they also had the pace unlike the Mercedes. Red Bull have been pushing everything to stop the Mercs from winning another championship and I do think they could possibly do it, IF and thats a very big if Mercedes don’t sort out their problems before the first race which is in 10 days time.

    If Mercedes do some how sort out all their problems and have the pace unlike testing, I do still think Red Bull will have a strong fight against them and there will be a few interesting battles on the track this year!

  • Williams To Increase Partnership with Mercedes

    Williams have been in F1 since 1978, it was first founded by Frank Williams and a British engineer called Patrick Head in 1977. Throughout the years they have gone on to win races and championships. Through 1980- 1997 they won nine constructors championship. Claire (Frank Williams daughter) took over from Frank in 2013. In September 2020, Frank and Claire Williams decided to step away from Williams and the sport but leaving their name.

    It had been sold to a New York based private investment company called Dorilton Capital in August. It has then since been announced that Jost Capito is now the chief Executive Officer and Simon Roberts is now the team principal.

    In 2014 Williams announced they was partnering with Mercedes for a power unit. The deal was originally a seven year agreement but then in 2019 they announced that from 2021 they would be working with Mercedes for a further 5 years. Claire said ” Mercedes has been one of the sports most successful engine suppliers and we believe that they will continue to have an extremely competitive package going forwards.”

    With new rules coming in 2022, Williams will now use Mercedes gearboxes and other related hydraulic components from 2022 onwards. Williams say that the increased partnership with Mercedes who have won 7 straight constructors, will enable them to implement a more efficient design and manufacturing process in the long term, which allows the team to focus it resources more effectively in other performance areas.

    Toto Wolff, the CEO and Team Principal of Mercedes said ” We are pleased to expand our technical cooperation with Williams through this new agreement. For Williams it makes sense to acquire the integrated powertrain after running our power units since 2014.” ” This is a project we’ve been discussing with Williams for some time and i’m glad we have been able to bring this extension to fruition”

    Some may ask why? But in reality it’s a good move form both Williams and Mercedes, with Formula One constantly changing with new rules coming into play including the budget caps. Its a big decision from Williams but it could well be a game changer…