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Showing posts with the label F1

70th Anniversary Grand Prix Preview: The Heat is on at Silverstone

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(F1 gears up for the 70th Anniversary at Silverstone Photo Courtesy Twitter) Round 5 of the 2020 F1 season marks the 70th anniversary of Formula One racing. It all began here at Silverstone in 1950 and has held 1,022 races this then, spanning across 32 countries. Last weekend we witnessed some of the most extraordinary scenes on an F1 track. The British Grand Prix sprang into action three laps from the end. Lewis Hamilton limped his way to victory while his teammate at Mercedes Valterri Bottas was not as lucky. Charles Leclerc and Ferrari gained heavily from this and picked up their second podium of the season in a car which is struggling this season. Pirelli (F1 tyre supplier) will be the focal point of the race following a series of tyre failures. On investigating the tyre blowouts, Pirelli concluded that the failures were the result of “extremely long use” after early stops under a Safety Car triggered by Daniil Kvyat’s crash. It’s a venue that Mercedes have dominated, winning on se...

Hamilton Hobbles to Win Record Seventh British GP

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(Lewis Hamilton's front left punctured Photo Courtesy: Twitter) A dramatic final few laps of the British Grand Prix saw race leader Lewis Hamilton hobble his way to the chequered flag to claim his seventh British Grand Prix. Undoubtedly, the most bizarre win of his career at Silverstone, after a puncture to his left-front tyre with half a lap still to go.  (Hamiton with his winning trophy at British Grand Prix  Photo Courtesy: Twitter) The Mercedes driver displayed yet another dominating performance in his home Grand Prix until his tyre burst just half a lap from victory. The Brit stretched his Formula One world championship lead to 30 points with his third win on the trot.  (Valtteri Bottas with a punctured tyre Photo Courtesy: Twitter) Mercedes were cruising in for yet another one-two finish up until Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas suffered a puncture of his own with just two laps to go, handing him a P11 finish. Even though Hamilton ended up winning the race, it wa...

British Grand Prix 2020 Preview: Another Lewis Masterclass at Silverstone?

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(Mercedes F1 car W11 Photo Courtesy: Twitter) Formula One returns after a week-long break with the second triple-header of the season with back-to-back British Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton will be a strong favourite to win, having claimed the record for most wins (6) at Silverstone. After a disastrous Austrian Grand Prix, the defending champion found his mojo with poles in the next two rounds. Valtteri Bottas, his Mercedes teammate and winner of 2020 season opener will be eager to get his title challenge on track. With two rounds at Silverstone, Mercedes is expected to dominate on a track suitable for W11. Bottas is currently five points behind Hamilton in the championship table. (Red Bull's RB 16 Photo Courtesy: Twitter) Red Bull may have the second quickest car on race-day, but in reality, after the first three races, they look lost. The car lacks outright pace compared to Mercedes. In the two races Max Verstappen finished, he has been in a league of his own. The two podiums finish...

Will the 2020 F1 Season be Williams’ Road to Redemption?

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(Williams car for 2019 season Pic Courtesy: Google) After a shaky season in 2018, Williams Racing went through the wringer last year. They finished in the bottom of constructor’s championship for two years straight. In 2019, they secured only a point in the entire season, their worst-ever campaign in F1 history. Also, the team has been facing a financial crisis due to pandemic pressure. To ensure the future of a team that is still one of the most successful in F1, they have open sale talks. (George Russell in his Williams car Pic Courtesy: Twitter) But the start of 2020 season brought some encouragement for them. George Russell has impressed in both rounds at the Red Bull Ring and recorded their first-ever Q2 appearance since 2018. Last weekend, he made it Q2 for the second time in a row, but this time he was joined by his teammate Nicholas Latifi. It was the first instance after Monza 2018 that Williams had both its cars in Q2. (Williams Racing team principal Claire Williams Pic Court...

Hamilton Reigns Supreme at Hungaroring, Equals Schumacher’s Record

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(Lewis Hamilton celebrating his win Pic Courtesy: Google) In a race filled with pit stops and drivers struggling with grip, Lewis Hamilton showcased yet another masterclass. He surely has found his mojo back after a disastrous start to the season in Austrian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton demolished the opponents in the Hungarian Grand Prix to secure his eighth win at the Hungaroring. With this victory, the British star equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of most wins at a single venue. The triumph also meant that he now tops the leader board of the driver’s championship. Hamilton lapped everyone up to sixth-placed Vettel, proves his sheer dominance. The Mercedes driver hardly had any threat from the opponents, finishing nearly 9 seconds clear of second-placed Max Verstappen. He also bagged the bonus point for the fastest lap. It was quite an eventful race for Max Verstappen who got it wrong on the kerbs on his way to the grid and crashed into the barrier, causing damage to his front wing...

Ferrari's F1 Crisis after Disastrous Styrian Grand Prix

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Ferrari’s boss Mattia Binotto will be troubleshooting, after the team’s poor performance in the Styrian Grand Prix. (Both Ferraris Colliding in Styrian Grand Prix Pic Courtesy: Google) A bad qualifying became worse when Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel crashed on the first lap, forcing both cars to retire.  Vettel after the retirement said to the press that he was not expecting Leclerc to pull off the move in a tight situation like that. A regretful Leclerc apologised for the incident which happened when he tried to pass Vettel on turn three.  (Vettel's rear wing damage after the crash Pic Courtesy: Google) Previously, both had made contact on the track in the Brazilian Grand Prix last season. It has been a disastrous start for Scuderia this season. 18 out of the 19 points the team has in the constructor's table is because of a lucky podium for Leclerc in the season opener. The second-place finish was mostly due to Red Bull’s retirements and Hamilton’s penalty. (Leclerc...

Hamilton Cruises to Victory, Ferraris Collide

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(Lewis Hamilton Celebrating after his win Pic Courtesy: Google) The Styrian Grand Prix was not as dramatic as the Austrian Grand Prix last week. Lewis Hamilton controlled the race from the beginning to secure his first win of the season and 85th of his career. He delivered a perfectly-judged win from pole position as Mercedes secured a one-two finish at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday. The defending champion made amends from a disappointing outing in the season-opener on the same track last week.  (Max Verstappen in his Red Bull Pic Courtesy: Google) Red Bull’s Max Verstappen maintained his second place for a majority of the race. He tried all he could to fend off Valteri Bottas, but minor front wing damage proved too destabilizing as Bottas in the quicker car completed the pass. (Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel's Clash Pic Courtesy: Google) The midfield battle was more exciting compared to the top three. It was close and sometimes breathtaking racing from the evenly matched teams...