Bucket Style: PUMA x F1

PUMA and Formula 1 have signed an agreement which will make PUMA the official supplier at Formula 1 races, granting the brand the right to produce F1 branded apparel, footwear and accessories.

PUMA will also equip Formula 1 staff and at track and create Formula 1 fanwear that targets the sport’s different audiences with exciting lifestyle and motorsport collections. The contract includes exclusive rights to sell F1 fanwear and fanwear of all ten teams around the race circuit starting 2024.

PUMA has a long and successful history in motorsport, developing fireproof overalls, race shoes and other high-performance racing gear for F1 drivers since the mid 80s as well as teamwear, fanwear and lifestyle collections for some of the sport’s most successful teams. Today, PUMA is one of the leading providers of race gear and lifestyle collections in Motorsport with partners such as Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, BMW M Motorsport and Porsche Motorsport.

The partnership provides PUMA with the opportunity to augment its established dominance in the sport by appealing to a broader fan base, tap into more diverse consumer groups and bring the inspiration of on-track gear to off-track fashion.

PUMA’s subsidiary stichd, a company for licensed fanwear as well as legwear, bodywear and swimwear, will exclusively operate the fan retail stores during race weekends. These shops will sell Formula 1 licensed products as well as replica teamwear, fanwear, and special edition collections from all ten teams on the Formula 1 grid and F1 legends. stichd will operate up to 65 mobile stores at more than 20 races in 19 different countries.

F1 2020 Recap

It's been a strange year of note but many were glad when the FIA decided to go ahead with the 2020 season despite the pandemic and to say they pulled it off is doing them an injustice as the season played out almost 100% with most of those involved hardly being affected by the virus and gave us, the fans a season to remember! Lewis went on to equal Michael Schumacher's record by winning his 7th title this year but apart from Lewis running away with the title, there were some interesting battles in the top 10 places and saw a lot of relatively smaller teams showing their grit and metal when it came to fighting for points places. 

I suppose that is what I enjoyed the most about this season, while we always knew the other drivers, we never really gave them the attention as we were always focused on the bigger teams and their drivers. With the disaster season that Ferrari had, it gave the other teams like Racing Point, Mclaren and Renault the opportunity to close the gap on not so much Mercedes because as per the norm, they were on another level this season, Red Bull had their fair share of disappointments and highlights as well, the best coming in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi which saw Max claim victory at the Yas Marina circuit. 

With the host of drivers playing musical chairs during the season, next years grid will look rather interesting, the biggest shock came last week when Red Bull announced that they've ditched Alex Albon and have offered the second seat to Sergio Perez who will partner Max Verstappen. It's an interesting combination as both drivers are pretty racy and while we all know Red Bull have no rules when it comes to their drivers, so it will be one to keep an eye on. Ferrari have a lot of work to do in the off season with Binotto even claiming that fans should not expect too much from them next year as they will only have a car that will be ready to compete in 2022, not the kinda thing the Tifosi would want to hear but lets just hope that comment was made to throw off the competitors, also with the appointment of the new Ferrari CEO John Alkann this month, he will definitely have something to say about the total embarrassment of a season that they had. 

Vettel's move to Aston Martin Racing will be an interesting one, little to nothing is known about that team or the car but one thing is for sure, if they give Seb something decent he will prove his worth. Many fans would tell you, if Seb had Lewis's car, he would have achieved the same, which many Hamilton supporters rubbished very quickly but if saw what George Russell was able to do with Lewis car at Sakhir, many were left scratching their heads thinking maybe the Seb fans were right? Yes Russell didn't go on to win the race but he was fastest in all practice sessions, second in qualifying and the most bizarre pitstop error from the mechanics cost both their drivers a possible one, two finish. Yes the season was wrapped up by then but seeing something so careless from a team that is faultless was rather odd, sparking the odd rumour mill to suggest that Merc did this on purpose so people wouldn't question Lewis's credibility. 

While that is pretty juicy gossip, we won't really give that too much attention, but rather what next season holds in store and that is plenty of drama. The return of Fernando Alonso will be one, with him and Kimi being the oldest drivers in the pack, and many hope the dual between Vettel and Lewis re-ignites again, while us Ferrari fans sit and pray that Carlos and Charles get something decent to drive. Then there's always fun with the youngsters, thanks to the virtual races in March and April, many got close to the likes of Charles, George and Lando, so here's hoping to see more fun from those lot in 2022. Another big name signing into F1 is the Formula 2 champion given a seat at Haas but he has an all too familiar name with the sport, that is because he is the son of Michael Schumacher. Yes, Mick Schumacher joins F1 and looks to rebuild on his fathers legacy and here's hoping to more success for him. 

Formula One 2020

It hasn't been an ideal year for anyone in any form of way but with the world coming to grips with this deadly pandemic, it's good to see some sort of normality coming around. With most public gatherings either being banned or limited to a few number of people, we are also seeing sporting events given the green light with strict policies. One which is getting many excited is the go ahead for the new Formula One season, while we all are enjoying the eRaces with the drivers, nothing beats the real thing. FIA have released dates for the opening 8 races of the season, with some taking place at the same track over two race weekends, now I know it's not ideal but with the number of people involved in the teams and moving of equipment, it really is a recipe for disaster if one person gets infected. So at this stage we will just have to take what we can get, and lets be honest, with F1 the crowds are important to revenue but not that important to what we see on our screens. FIA has said that further races will be announced in the coming weeks for now we cannot wait for the 3rd of July when First Practice starts in Austria!

Grazie Vettel

"Grazei Ragazzi" a phrase we heard 14 times by Seb in his career at Scuderia Ferrari since he joined in 2015 as he won 14 races to date with the team. He was the golden boy of that era in Formula One, winning 4 titles with Red Bull Racing under the guidance of Christian Horner, Seb was F1's hottest property. Apart from Lewis, there was no young driver that came close to him. Sebastian being German looked like the ideal package for Ferrari, he had the mindset of a winner and the Italian German combination harked back to the Schumacher reign so it looked like a match made in heaven for the Italians. The Tifosi were of course over the moon with such a talented signing and looked like Ferrari could be back challenging and more importantly winning again. You see the last time Ferrari lifted the constructors title was in 2008, 7 years on and things were getting rather uncomfortable without any silverware. Little did they know at the time, the team would face further turmoil in their endeavor to get back to the top. 

Ferrari hoped with Seb there to help them, he could rebuild the team back to their glory days with Michael at the helm. The problem was, it wasn't just Michael who took Ferrari to the top, he had the help of Ross Brawn and Jean Todt along with a stellar team of experts to take Ferrari to the heights we saw them achieve. In 2015 it was still a case of finding their feet instead of starting to rebuild. There were good days but there were many bad days. Just when you think they had it all figured out, the wheels would come off the very next race. As a fan, watching it was frustrating and sad, imagine being a driver, one that was touted to emulate the great Michael Schumacher. He definitely had the skill set to do so, anyone who says otherwise would be considered bitter in my books. Even the likes of Lewis would admit this, Vettel needed the backing of the team and the bosses the way Lewis had it at Mercedes. People pin point to Vettel's errors in his last two seasons but rewind back to Lewis at Mclaren Merecedes where he was teamed up with Fernando Alonso, a persona that of a spoilt brat, wanting things done his way, he wanted to be the number one driver based on who he was, not that old Spanish bloke. Lewis then got his opportunity with the Silver Arrows, his team, that similar of the golden era of  Ferrari, with Niki Lauda brought in to give advice and priceless vision to the team and look what they managed to achieve. 

Seb needed that support structure, one that he never got at Scuderia Ferrari and one that was ultimately his demise. The last two seasons were not great for Seb, especially with the inclusion of a new kid on the block as his partner, a young hungry driver that wanted to show he has what it takes to compete for the top spot. He was a risk taker and mule for the team but this proved to be a better option to get the most out of the car. Seb was dealt the raw deal again which forced him into driving more recklessly and ultimately cost him in many races. Singapore 2019 was a race to relish though, Seb did things his way and while we can all go on about how LeClerc was hard done by the team, it was Seb strategy that paid off for him. Canada was not kind to Seb either, hard done by the stewards in the end and left a very bitter taste in the mouth of many. Personally I feel for the German, I never liked him at Red Bull because he was a rival at the time but there was no denying him his talent. Was he another driver that suffered the curse of Ferrari from the likes of Prost and Alonso? Perhaps he had another 2 more titles in him during those 5 years, it's a pity he didn't achieve that at Ferrari, with news of the two agreeing to part ways at the end of the year, it is very hard to see him even achieve a title this year, that is if we do get any races at all. I'd like to see him end his F1 career on a high though, so here's to hoping he does. 

Lights Out and wait....

This was meant to be a post on the 2020 Formula One season, this was meant to be a post on what we could expect in Melbourne, it was meant to be a post on who to watch out for this season and what we could expect but after this early mornings decision by authorities to cancel this weekend's opening Grand Prix in Abert Park, Melbourne, this post is now one of great sadness but also the reality the world is facing right now. 

Yesterday a member of the Mclaren F1 team tested positive for the COVID-19 virus which this was was labelled a global pandemic due to the fast spreading nature of it. The virus takes up to 14 days to show up in tests so there could be many walking around and spreading it without even knowing. The virus which has claimed thousands of lives world over has forced a number of public events and sporting events to either cancel or carry on without any crowds. The virus attacks the respiratory system and with Formula One being such a high intensity sport with drivers losing so much liquids and weight during the race, one can only imagine what effect it could have on them. So the best option was taken to cancel. 

This news does cast doubt on the next scheduled race on the calendar which takes place in Bahrain on the 22nd of March. Bahrain officials already notified the FIA that they plan to have no spectators present for the race a heavy knock but following similar decisions made by the Italian football league, this could be one way of still having sporting events carry on without the risk of contamination. The drivers all issued messages independently via their social media channels, stating their disappointment but also highlighting that it was a necessary decision to make. Until the World Health Organisation finds some sort of way to contain this virus, we can expect a lot more scenes like this throughout 2020.  

Red Bull Cape Town Street Circuit

On June 2nd, the streets of Cape Town will come alive to the sounds of a roaring Formula One car as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing come to town as part of their F1 world road show. Behind the wheel of the car will be none other that F1 legend, and former Red Bull driver David Coulthard. Coulthard is synonymous with the glitz and glamour of F1 racing and will add this iconic experience to an illustrious career which includes 13 race wins and 62 podium finishes.

The Red Bull Racing team return to Cape Towns iconic Grand Parade after 8 years, having been in the city last in 2011. A lot has changed since then and the team are keen to show local audiences just that. Having taken the thrills of Forumla One to far-flung cities like Hanoi, Tokyo and Mexico City, now its Cape Town's turn. Team principle of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner had this to say following the Bahrain Grand Prix, "We received and incredibly warm welcome when we first took our show car to Cape Town back in 2011 and we are delighted to return this year, powering the car down Cape Town's iconic Grand Parade in June 2nd. South Africa has a great heritage in F1, stretching back to 1962 and we look forward to seeing fans, old and new, turn out in fore to witness the spectacle."

David Coulthard also shared his excitement on returning to South Africa after the race weekend in the Middle East, he had this to add, "I'm super excited to be in Cape Town in June for the Red Bull Circuit event. I'll be driving the Formula One car, demonstrating the power, energy and excitement of what Grand Prix racing can bring. I haven't been to South Africa since we were in Kyalami in 2011, so I'm delighted we're bringing Formula One back to Cape Town. See you there, looking forward to it!"

With Coulthard being so familiar with tight street circuits, having two race victories in Monte Carlo, he will be quite keen to try his hand at the Cape Town street circuit having already thrilling thousands of cheering fans in November last year at night in front of the Belfast City Hall. With everything confirmed for June 2nd, its shaping up to be a scintillating spectacle of speed and precision for the whole family. The historic Grand Parade is the idyllic setting to being together the power Formula One and majesty of the Mother City.

For more info, visit www.redbullcaptowncircuit.com

Lights out and away we go!

This was suppose to be a happy post, seeing that the Formula One season kicks off this weekend in Melbourne but we start the blog on a somber note. A legend of the sport, and FIA Race Director for the past 22 years,  Charlie Whiting sadly passed on this week. He joined the Federation in 1988 and has been integral in not only the success of the sport but also in keeping the needs of the drivers his number one priority during his time. Every single driver, past and present have been giving their heart felt thoughts about Charlie since his passing and this can only show the character of the man he was. We as the fans and public won't really know much about the behind the scenes when it comes to driver briefings, and race management but Charlie ensured that this remained smooth sailing for everyone. He will be missed by one and all in the F1 world. 

Back to the racing, Winter testing normally gives us an indication on which teams to look out for in the season to come and there were no surprises with Ferrari and Mercedes on top of the time charts again, with Red Bull now powered by a Honda engine, not too far behind. Overall it was Ferrari that were the fastest in Spain but if we learnt anything from Winter testing, is to not take these results for granted as come race weekend, given the conditions and strategies, a lot can change. With FP1 and FP2 just being completed at Melbourne, its Merc who showing good pace down under with Ferrari playing catch up. It will be interesting to see what happens during qualifying tomorrow. 

They've been many changes in teams this season with some drivers swapping teams, swapping seats but for the current constructors champions it all remains pretty much the same for them. World Champion Lewis still heads up the driver line-up with Valteri Bottas being the number 2. It was interesting as to how last season started with Toto giving both drivers free reign to compete with each other but obviously to keep the team in mind when doing so but ultimately it was Lewis who forced his way up the points tally which meant Valteri had to bow down for the rest of the season and allow his team mate to compete and win the Championship in the end. So not sure if the team will adopt the same approach again this season or if the 4 times world champions will have a say in how things go down on race day. 

Ferrari, the darling of the sport really need to get some silverware as it's been a good few years without any and I'm sure the powers at be in Maranello have set targets for the team. There has been change at Ferrari, coming from the top with Mattia Binotto taking over the position from Maurizo Arrivabene, interesting move from the Italians and a strategic one at that. There is a change in driver as well with Kimi Raikkonen departing for their sister team. Alfa Romeo Sauber and see's their driver Charles Leclerc come across to partner Sebastian Vettel. Vettel showed good promise at the beginning of last season as he mounted a substantial challenge to Lewis but after some costly errors by him and the team midway through the season saw his challenge disappear. He seems pretty confident about the car this year around and also gave it a name "Lena", with newbie Leclerc along side him, it will be one to watch how their relationship develops over the season. 

Red Bull are still that one team everyone knows not to forget about, Christian Horner still has his work cut out for him this season with a new driver pairing of Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly, lets hope he wont have to deal with as much of the friction there was when Daniel Ricciardo was there. It was no secret that Max and Dan didn't see eye to eye, especially on the race track, none so evident that the race in Baku when the pair collided on the straight. Max still remains RBR's number one drive but he has to prove his worth this year round, some costly errors made him still look immature last season and with now reliability a thing of the past with the new engine suppliers, we hope he will be making things extra exciting on the top of the grid. 

Other notable changes, as mentioned before see's Kimi join Alfa Romeo Sauber. It's always great to have the charismatic Fin in F1, his charm is one the reasons we like to see him on the podium and many like to see him at the drivers gala dinner at the year end so lets hope he scores some decent points this year. Another happy note see's the return of Robert Kubica to the Williams seat, after his leg break it was hard to see Robert's return to the sport happen but he proved everyone wrong and hopefully can fly the flag high for Williams Racing again. With the first race in Australia, we can't forget about the ever smiling Daniel Ricciardo, after a difficult year at Red Bull, he was pretty open after he signed a deal with Renault about his time at his former team, he said he felt no love for him there and hopefully the French will show him a lot of it. Winning his home race will be a stretch but lets hope we see him in the top 6 at least. 

With some new rules being thrown into the mix as well as changes to the cars, this years Formula One season is bound to be another nail biter, even more so than last year. The FIA have now decided to award points to the person who does the fastest lap on race day, so you'll be seeing many gunning to achieve that. This is a tricky one with most teams choosing to look after their engines towards the end of the race but this being optimal time to get those fast laps in, it will be interesting to see who is willing to take the risk for that extra point. I can't wait to see who crosses that checkered flag on Sunday but if the past few races are anything to go by, don't be surprised to see that red car going through first. 

Bucket Seat: Renault Megane RS Lux

Kicking off this years motoring reviews with something spicy with a French flair to it, late last year I got to spend time with Renault's feisty hot hatch, the Megane RS, my only complaint about it, is that the time I had with it went by too fast...in more than one way. The hot hatch has always been a firm favourite with the boy racers locally and abroad but in terms of market share locally, there was always that one which stood miles ahead of any in terms of sales and with good reason. the Golf GTI has written itself into SA folklore when it comes to this segment of the market and with the more powerful Golf R available, the VW brand is stronger than ever. So how does Renault's competition match up to the Golf? Can it unsettle the VW fanboys and more importantly, earn some street cred on the local car scene? 

DESIGN

The Megane has always been a relatively stylish car which have always been amplified in the RS models but the new blood line in the Renault design is spectacular to say the least, they've taken the term "French flair" and upped it a few notches. The RS benefits from the great looks of the standard Megane but beefed up to make the looks match the performance that is under the hood. Flared wheel arches, a wide booty, air intakes and sculptured extractors make the the RS look intimidating and are functional, as they optimise airflow through the wheel arches. The front splitter reminiscent of an F1 cars front wing pays homage to their F1 heritage and the checkered flag styled fog lights add more dimension to an already stylish front, the 3D honeycomb pattern grill mesh has been reinterpreted by Renault Sport and looks ace. The Megane RS comes fitted with massive 19" Interlagos rims with low profile tyres and visible Brembo brake discs  with coloured calipers. In my opinion, this is the hottest looking hot hatch in the market, the Sirius yellow which I had it is the perfect colour for it as well even though many would opt for the Tonic Orange. 

PERFORMANCE

Lets cut to the chase, this is the thing that everyone wants to know, whats the engine like. Well to put it mildly, its brutal. Renault have done wonders with this 1.8L Turbo engine, as it derives 205kw and 390Nm of torque, much of this has been inspired by their F1 technology and it shows. As much as the engine is a beaut, the overall package that Renault have put together is stunning and how everything works in harmony is what a driver dreams of having in a car. I had the LUX variant of the RS which came with the EDC 6 speed Automatic Double Clutch gearbox, while purist might prefer the stick shift, I really didn't mind the auto, depending on the mode, the gear changes were on point and not drawn out. The RS comes with a limited slip diff fitted in the Cup (manual) version and has 4CONTROL on both, what is four control you might ask? Well in laymen terms, its rear steering, its the first time I've driven a car with it and all I can say is wow, with the beautiful notes the exhaust spits out when driving, I've never taken corners and bends more confidently in my life! And they've even fitting an RS Monitor data display to show you when the rear wheels are turning, along with many other applications loaded, such as tracking lap times, real time telemetry display of your driving and other features too. 

COMFORT

Lets be honest here, no one is going to buy this car for comfort, the interior continues with the sport theme as it has a mixture of good quality plastic, carbon grey and accents of red. The LED mood lighting is impressive and similar to those of higher end German sedans, which change colour depending on the driving mode. The Alcantara sports seats are designed for maximum support with a snug fit and was pretty comfy, even for a big guy like me. The cockpit is very driver focused and the large display screen was easy enough to use. I did experience a lag with it every now and then but the driving dynamics of this car, its easily forgiven. The RS comes with dual zone climate control aircon so you can keep cool while tearing around the corners. The rear passengers have a decent amount of room and even have Alcantara bucket type seats. The overall ride quality is a bit hard and bumpy but with the hydraulic compression stops, the shocks absorbs the bad bumps better. 

TECHNOLOGY

I go write an entire page about the technology used in the engine as I'm still left surprised by it's performance but lets touch on the other elements that help make this car so advanced in tech. 4CONTROL is mind bender when you first hear about it. The tech contributes to incisive steering and optimised road holding, making your cornering more precise, at lower speeds the system turns the rear wheel steering on which turn the wheels in the opposite direction of the front wheels, when you flick the car into Race model, all four wheels turn in the same direction in speeds over 60kph. The Renault RS app is the perfect instrument to see how the car is performing but also gives you real time analysis on your driving so you know when to switch things up. Renault says your driving talents deserve to be recognised, stored and analysed hence the on board telemetry system can give your stats and store them for you. 

VERDICT

It's hard to fault this car and when you take everything into consideration, this is the best rand for rand hot hatch on the market. It's cheaper than a GTI, has performance figures that match the Golf R and is cheaper than both of them! The best part about it, is that there's still a Trophy version to come! There's a stigma in the local market when it comes to Renault's that need to be broken but with the success their other models have been experiencing in the market, it wont be long since this one would be recognised too. The biggest challenge Renault SA face is trying to convince those who are contemplating getting a hot hatch, to take a look at theirs instead of following the sheep. I guess that's also my job as well, so if you are in the market for something sporty with an oomph of flair, this is your car. Take it for a test drive and you'll see why I'm raving about this car, it's leagues ahead of its competition and deserves the recognition and street cred it's due.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.8L Turbo
Gear Box	6 Speed Automatic
Power	205kW
Torque	390Nm
0-100	5.8 seconds
Economy	8.5 L/100km
Price	R 549,900

Photography by YuviK Photo 

The Finale

The Formula One season comes to an end this weekend, after Mercedes-Benz AMG Petronas wrapping up the constructors championship in Brazil and Lewis Hamilton, the drivers world championship the race before in Mexico, many wouldn't see the point in this race but you're wrong. With Abu Dhabi being a dead rubber race for most of the last few seasons, it still pulls out all the stops to make sure it's worthy of the season that passed. Having attended one myself, I'd rate it as a must if you're an enthusiast of the sport. It gives you the opportunity to visit a world class track, unlike any other, the glitz, the glamour attached to F1 just escalates in the Emirates, with the track being on an island, the yacht's  all docked along side it, the majestic Yas Viceroy Hotel hovering over the track and of course the fireworks. 

But with every final race of the season comes some sad goodbyes, with drivers changing teams and some drivers bidding farewell to the sport. This year see's one of the greats retire from the sport, a two-time world champion and often one of the unluckiest drivers in the field, Fernando Alonso. His 17 year career in the sport which started for him in 2001 at Minardi wasn't all doom and gloom though with him securing 32 wins, 97 podiums and over 20 pole positions. The Spaniard fort many a great driver in his time, while having stints at Minardi, Ferrari and Mclaren but it was at Renault where he truly flourished winning back to back titles in 2005 and 2006 under the guidance of Flavio Briatore. He will be sorely missed in the sport but after clinching a LeMan's winners medal last year with Toyota Gazoo Racing, he has his eyes set on claiming the triple with a win at Indy 500 in sight. His attempt last year was flawless from his side but as per usual in his career of late, the car let him down. 

There will be many drivers changing seats in next years Formula One season, the big one would be the straight swap between Ferrari and the Alfa Romero - Sauber F1 team, which see's youngster Charles Leclerc and Kimi Raikkonen change over. Much has been spoken about the young french man this season. While we still haven't seen his full potential, Ferrari will expect big things from this talent, after the disappointment of the last two seasons, the Italian team will have a point to prove with them bolstering their line up for next year. As for the Iceman, many breathed a sigh of relief to hear he will be staying in the sport and not hanging up his drivers gloves just yet. The often controversial Fin has been a bit more vocal this year, showing more emotion and jovial-ness on racing weekends. It really looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself out there and to his credit performed damn well, I'm sure much more than what his team expected him to do on certain occasions. It will be interesting to see how he goes about his business at Sauber but either way, we're glad his still apart of the sport. 

The other big name move was Daniel Ricciardo leaving Red Bull Racing to join Renault, the Aussie didn't have the best of seasons and with his high profile clashes with his team mate Max Verstappen during races, that didn't help his morale at all. Red Bull seem to be backing the young Dutchmen who has shown some great potential but often has brain farts at crucial times in races. If Christian Horner can set his head straight, he will be a proper contender next year. Once the fireworks have disappeared from the nights sky in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night, it's a long wait till the lights go out in Melbourne next year March, so lets just soak it all in this weekend and enjoy the season finale. 

The Race to 5

There's no denying I'm a big fan of Scuderia Ferrari, from the early days with Mansell to that unforgettable Schumacher era, and with others like Kimi and Fernando of late, the team brings so much to the sport, many say if Ferrari ever left, Formula One should shut up shop. Now in saying this, I am a proud supporter of the two cars on the grid every race day and for many who have been following the World Drivers Championship battle this season, it's been all too familiar with Sebastian and his car showing great promise in the first of half of the season but failing dismally in the latter. While this year was a bit closer than last, the end result was evident from 5 races left on the calendar, it would have taken a miracle and some extreme bad luck  for Lewis Hamilton not to secure his 5th title. 

While both drivers fought hard this season, there can be only one winner and last weekend in New Mexico, Lewis Hamilton showed the world why he was the best at what he does. The Brit is an incredibly talented driver and even though his car was not the fastest, he made the most of it where it counted, around the bends and in qualifying securing more pole positions than Vettel or higher placings on the grid. He also had the backing of a great team who's strategies for every race weekend was near perfect, all of this helped him achieve his 5th world drivers championship and credit must be paid to him for achieving this accomplishment. 

However, I have a bone to pick with many about his rival Vettel. While he might not be everyone's cup of tea, the sport has painted him with a black brush in the latter half of the season. With Formula One's TV deal, most of the international stream has to put up with the rubbish that Sky Sports has to say. Sky Sports being British have a certain bias towards their own driver, even though they won't admit it. It's with this bias that many tend to dislike Lewis which is really sad because he is really a great driver. There were a number of incidents that contributed to Vettel's title challenge demise this year, some were faults by him, many by the team in terms of strategy etc but for most of it, it was just racing and at the end of the day, that is what Vettel is, a racer. 

Now if you hark back to Vettel's career when he just began, he took chances, made them count and hence he was so successful at Red Bull Racing, granted the car was brilliant but his driving played a big part in him achieving so much at such a young age, fast forward to present day and nothing has changed in his driving style, unfortunate for him he just had a lot of bad luck this season. In the clashes he had with the Red Bulls, both in Japan and Austin, both were recognised as racing incidents, and if you analyse both closely, he had a gap and in the case in Austin he had the better racing line but yet the Sky Sports team chose to label it as "rash", "dangerous", and my favourite "desperate" by Sebastian. It's like none of those former drivers they have on their commentary team ever raced before. There was an opportunity to overtake, he took it, it didn't work out, and most of the time its a 50/50 on what would happen and unfortunately for him, he spun on both cases. Then there was blame put on the car for doing what it did, it's like he could never win with these commentators. 

Karma soon came to bite them in the ass in Austin though, with VSC called in early on in the race, just after 12 laps, Mercedes brought in Lewis for a change in tyres as he was behind Kimi at the time and wanted to get his lead back after it was taken from the start and hopefully wrap up the title that weekend. The Sky Sports team saw this as a genius move and wondered why Ferrari didn't do the same, its as if they had amnesia and forgot all about how heavy on tyres the Austin track is. With a 1 stop strategy this would be disastrous for any driver! As the race went on, Lewis began to suffer, lost many places in the field and had to go back for a tyre change again, the commentary team didn't acknowledge Ferrari's reluctance to take the gamble and pit their cars early but rather focused on how Lewis saved his race but ultimately couldn't seal his 5th drivers title that weekend. 

It gave Ferrari and Vettel a glimmer of hope going into Mexico but even they knew it was all done and dusted even before the weekend began. As per normal in Mexico, the Red Bulls were on fire and secured a top two spot in qualifying, Ricciardo suffered mechanical failure again during the race but left the road open to Max Verstappen to claim his 5th race victory, with Hamilton finishing in 4th place, it was enough for him to claim victory in the drivers title challenge, some nice words were said between him and Vettel, which is always great to see, even though the commentary team want us to believe they hate each other. All is not lost for Ferrari though, they're still in for a shot at the constructors title with them trailing Mercedes Benz by 55 points, with Lewis wrapping up his title, we're not sure if he will be racing as hard as before and with Bottas having a point to prove after playing second fiddle the entire season, these last two races could be quite spectacular to see.