Drive to Win

Everyone knew this years F1 Championship battle would be close but we didn't anticipate it to be this close! With just three races left in the calendar, Red Bull Racings Max Verstappen holds a slender 14 point lead heading into this weekends race in Qatar and with tensions still high from last weekend's Brazil GP, you can expect much of the same this weekend. Max has made it very clear that he will be racing hard as he chases his first championship and in all honesty, fans shouldn't expect anything less, from both drivers not just Max. There was a big uproar over a move that Max pulled at Interlagos last weekend which saw both him and Lewis run wide after the Merc challenged him for first place. A lot are labelling Max as being reckless and dangerous, this is predominantly from the LH44 fan base but lets look at it from a sporting point of view, both have a lot to lose and while both cars did leave the track it wasn't in a dangerous or reckless manner. Max was defending his lead, braked late and clearly couldn't make the corner hence going wide and forcing Lewis the same way. It wasn't the greatest defending we've seen but we have seen worse before.   

But there is the issue, we, Formula One fans that have been watching from the 80's and 90's as well as the early 2000's have seen worse before. There's been an increase in F1 fans over the past year and half due to the popularity over the Netflix series "Drive To Survive", while like any sport its great to get more support, it becomes annoying to see the newbies throw their toys when their favourite isn't getting things their way. While Lewis is the sports golden boy, I mean his talents and accolades speaks for itself, he has  developed this "lead character" role which is good but at the same time makes it seem like everyone else is against him. This is a false narrative, those who watched his career since he started at Mclaren know this for a fact, he was given preferential treatment at that team from a young age and when things didn't go his way, while his double championship winning partner Fernando Alonso got the victories and strategies right, Lewis used to throw the biggest fit anyone has seen. Now I'm not saying he's a spoilt brat but it surely came across that way, later on though I realised that it was his hunger for winning that made him that way. We are seeing a very similar approach from Max at the moment, which is why he's sort of developed the "evil character" in this series. 

While Max has that hunger, he is still handling things much more mature than young Lewis did, heck even when Lewis was in his prime after joining Mercedes, we saw some really petty bickering from him especially when Nico Rosberg was his partner. So while I understand the frustrations from Lewis fans, this is nothing new to see form younger drivers. The attitude they have in racing now will change as they develop further into the sport. We're witnessing such a fascinating battle play out this season, lets just enjoy it the way its meant to be enjoyed, not throw shade on any driver by calling them names on social media or start witch hunts for no damn reason other than preferential support. We don't need people going into investigating steering wheel angels and telemetry like they're the FIA's very own VAR team or something. While this weekends race at Qatar is suited to the Mercs, there's no guarantee they will walk away with maximum points as it is a new circuit that many don't know much about, likewise for the following race in Saudi Arabia. Either way the race to Abu Dhabi will be an intense one with fans biting their nails till the very last lap at the Yas Marina and personally I cannot wait to see how it ends. 

Formula Max?

The tides are definitely turning in the world of Formula 1, what we thought would be a straight forward season for the Silver (or are they black now?) Arrows isn't really straight forward for Toto and Co. Those pesky Red Bull's are back with their leader Christian Horner to upset the apple cart, but they're only upsetting it for Mercedes-Benz and their loyal support base or which many only discovered F1 in the past 4 years because they rest of us are thoroughly enjoying the competitive nature that this season is throwing at us each and every race week. From strategies to tyre compounds, its been eventful to say the least and with "Super Max" extending his lead this past weekend to 32 points over current champion Lewis Hamilton, it ensures that this season is going to be guaranteed excitement all the way through. Lewis has to dig deeper and not just rely on thinking of the late Madiba everyday to get his 8th world championship title. While most would agree that his team need to do more to assist him, his fan base would argue that its the driver not the car, so whatever the case maybe, Mercedes -Benz in general need to find something special for the upcoming British GP at Silverstone to ensure Lewis stays in the race for that record 8th world title. 

One cannot fault the work Red Bull Racing have done, with the inclusion of their new second driver, Checo Perez, he is proving to be a worthy of that seat while not only assist the team but also Max Verstappen in getting where they are now. It's all working beautifully for them and there is no better example than the Austrian GP which saw Max qualify on pole but found himself behind after a few pitstops but having the pace and the tyres to fight back for first spot and claim victory, much to the delight of his supporters in attendance. Also how great is it to see spectators back in the stands? I know we were grateful to have racing last year but a big part of the sport is having the fans present and getting that whole atmosphere on race day, its just such a mood lifter to have them back in the stands creating that vibe for the teams and the driver. 

Another great aspect of this season is seeing the youngsters pull through, the likes of Lando Norris, Charles LeClerc, George Russell and Pierre Gasly all showing their metal and not afraid of giving it their all on the track. George was unlucky to miss out on his first points finish last week but after showing his worth while driving for Mercedes last year in a few races, we all know the potential talent that lies there. Norris has been simply sublime so far, out racing his much more experienced team mate Daniel Ricciardo for most of this season. Getting his Mclaren to 3rd position at the Austrian GP and finishing 5th the weekend before that only shows that there is grit behind that boyish charm. Many are ear marking him to take over the mantle from Lewis as Britains next great F1 driver and you can see why but if Russell finds himself a competitive car, it could be an interesting battle between those two. 

I tweeted on Saturday that the less said about Ferrari, the better and truth be told they didn't have the worst race but as a life long fan, seeing that Red car finishing in 5th and 8th place does not feel great. Credit to Carlos for fighting for that 5th spot in what is a tough race for the Scudeira as the track is pace focused and didn't suit the car at all but the guys in Maranello have some serious head scratching to do. For the other teams like Aston Martin Racing, Alpha Tauri and Williams, they also have their work cut out watching the front runners dominate week in and week out but the mini battles that occur in the midfield do prove to be rather entertaining as well. It's these battles that add character to the overall race as it would just down right boring watching the top two teams win over and over again. The season is set up nicely and we're not even halfway through yet, I cannot wait to see how the rest of this race calendar plays out. 

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

F1 2018

The 2018 season of Formula 1 officially got under way this morning at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. After what felt like an eternity, the break has finally ended and we can get back to some excited racing, well we hope it's exciting. Then again, it won't be hard to beat the new F1 logo and theme song, not sure what the hell they were thinking when they approved that! Anyway, enough of the bitching, lets see what we can predict for this years race calendar. From initial testing in Spain, it was clear that Mercedes-Benz are the team to beat again this year, with both Silver Arrows showing good speeds, even with that stupid halo on the car. While Ferrari were expected to close the gap on their arch rivals, it seems that Red Bull Racing who have the backing of Aston Martin now have come up as new challengers to the Germans. 

From this mornings FP1, it was evident that RBR's  are taking the challenge to Merc with both drivers just falling behind the Mercs and the Ferrari's rounding up the top 6. In FP2 however, Max Verstappen showed some great speed to pip Bottas into second fastest around the track, so from the onset, Red Bull look to be back and firing on all cylinders. A big question still hangs over their reliability over the entire race duration, as last year saw a few races which ended with just one or none of the cars making home. With it being on home soil, Daniel Ricciardo will also want to push his car and his team mate this weekend to score some good points at his home race. 

Ferrari have been rather quiet about many things ever since testing began in Feb, their speeds haven't been the greatest and there are many already writing the Italians off in terms of their chances of competing against Mercedes let alone winning the championship. Last year saw them get off to a flyer with Vettel winning in Australia and going on to lead the drivers championship up and until the mid-season break after which all went sour for the team in red. While both Sebastian and Kimi aren't showing fantastic times in testing and practice, over a race distance, things might be a little different, so the Tifosi hope. With Red Bull Racing upping the anti, Ferrari definitely have their work cut out for them as they now have 4 cars to fight off on the grid, one things for sure, they definitely have the talent behind the wheel to keep them in the reckoning. 

Mercedes-Benz F1, the poster boys of the past few years of Formula One, it seems like their golden boy Lewis Hamilton can do no wrong but we've seen brief flashes of his frustration last season when things don't go his way. His biggest competitor this season might come in the form of his Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas. Both having the same car, same engine, could this be the year that Bottas doesn't play second fiddle and take the challenge to Hamilton? We've seen it a few season ago when Nico Rosberg did so, it didn't bode well with the Englishman as he even cited favouritism in the camp, to give the German the edge over him. Whatever the case, if Bottas does in deed go full tilt, we hope we don't see a case where both cars take each other out as we did in previous seasons with Lewis and Nico. No doubt though, Mercedes-Benz are the team to beat again this year, it will be interesting to see how the season pans out though. 

Wrapping up the rest of the teams, there are some that could cause disruptions to the top 3, Force India, Williams, Torro Rosso and Sauber Alfa Romeo come to mind. These teams are not only there to make up the grid but could prove to be vital in determining race results, they might have some surprises up their sleeves as well. One which team that many hope have a few surprises is Mclaren, the bright orange, Renault powered car that will be fizzing around the track this year, piloted by fan favourite, Fernando Alonso and second driver Stoffel van Doorn has been showing some pace so far, with the cars finishing in the top 10 at the end of FP2. So who knows, maybe this year might see them scoring some decent points. 

Regardless of which team and driver you support, I'm sure we are all just glad that Forumula One is finally back, nothing can be read into the first few races because as last year went to prove, leading the championship for half the year doesn't mean anything if you can't follow it up in the second half. Pressure is on for me to pick a race winner for this weekend, seeing that I nailed it against all odds last year. With rain expected for the weekend, that could throw a massive spanner in the works, if it were dry I would have gone for Bottas to pip his partner, but in the wet, we can't really be sure who will be strong so I'm going for my exact pick from last year, Vettel to bring the car home in first place on Sunday. 

Formula One - First half complete

The teams and drivers have now gone on their summer holidays, a mandatory break forced into the F1 Calendar so members of formula one have a summer break. It's in essence a 2 week break from all track activities but spans over 3 weeks with 1 week for testing and preparations. The break splits the season into two halves so to speak and with the first half now completed after last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, this years title and constructors race is proving to be a lot more riveting than expected. 

While being a massive fan of the Italian team, I didn't expect Ferrari to be as competitive as they have proven to be this season. They were ruthless and dominant in Hungary, a race that drivers title hopeful Sebastian Vettel had to win to ensure he extends his lead in the championship after it his points gap was reduced to just 1 after the Silverstone Grand Prix which saw his title rival, Lewis Hamilton finish in first place. At the beginning of the season I picked Ferrari to surprise everyone and win the Melbourne race, that victory went on to spur a great revival of this F1 team and ignited a spirit that was last season when Schumacher was in the team. They brought the fight right to Mercedes who had a relatively easy last two years in F1 and one that was much needed to make the sport interesting for viewership. 

That's not to say Mercedes have been poor this season, their number one man Lewis Hamilton has a point to prove after losing out to his team mate last year in the drivers championship. While the team won't admit it, after Nico Rosberg's departure and the addition of Bottas, Lewis is very much their number 1 driver, as was proved on Sunday when Bottas allowed Lewis through to try and catch the Ferrari's but was unsuccessful and valiantly gave back the position just before the race was over. Merc will head into this break scratching their heads on what they can do to catch the red team and make a surge in the second half of the season. They're not far off but there is many factors that play its part. Tyres being a big one with the last few races seeing a lot of drivers getting punctures and blisters. 

While the other teams do make up the pack, it's been interesting to watching them fight it out for the remaining points places. Red Bull Racing have had a decent few races which saw them get onto the podium a few times. Their drivers are young and hungry, maybe just a bit too hungry as proved on Sunday with Max driving into Ricciardo on the first lap. Reliability also played its part at their home race in Austria, hopefully they can sort out those niggles and salvage their season when the break is over. There will be plenty of fight in the back as well, with Mclaren surprising in Hungary, who knows what could happen, would love to see Alonso get up on that podium at least once this year, it is a long shot but you never know what could happen. 

F1 2017

The first free practice sessions got under way early this morning in Melbourne and with it ushers in the new Formula One season. Many enthusiasts were waiting for this day ever since the checkered flag was waved in Abu Dhabi last year, I was one of them. While some were a bit disappointed by the dominance of the Mercedes team last year, I thought the drivers battle for the championship between Lewis and Nico was pretty intense and made for fascinating viewing. Both drivers had their own style and brought 110% to every race, and while there was no love lost for most of the season, in the end even when the German managed to pip his team mate, they both displayed great sportsmanship. That for me is what racing is all about. 

There is a reason F1 is one of the most richest sports in the world, the glamour attached to it will never fade, it is the rock-star in the sporting world and will remain so in the foreseeable future even with the sale of it late last year which saw long time CEO of the FIA, Bernie Ecclestone relinquish his title. Even though he was loathed by many, Bernie was the man that put F1 back on the map and gave it the prestige it deserved and while there were many controversial moments in his tenure, and boy were there a lot, there is no denying he played a pivotal role in the sport. 

Getting back to the action this year, one still feels that the rest of the teams have a lot catch up to play to the Silver Arrows, but while some teams may still be just shy off the pace, it doesn't mean they won't play a major role in being deciders this year. Ferrari is one of the teams that invested a lot of time during the off season to get their car ready for the start of this one, unlike last year where they were left scratching their heads and went back to the drawing board after the first few races. With the hungry German, Sebastian Vettel still unofficially leading the way for the Italian team, you can be sure that the fight is very well on with the leaders. The ever charismatic Kimi Raikkonen doesn't really care what number driver he is, he just gets the job done and prefers not to be disturbed while doing it. It's a solid partnership that should collect a handy amount of points for Scuderia Ferrari.

The next real team I see challenging has to be Red Bull Racing, for so long they were the leaders in recent season with Vettel leading the way to back to back championships for the team you can't help feel that their bubble of bad luck is waiting to pop. With the Aussie driver Daniel Ricciardo leading from the front, he will want to make a mark at his home GP this weekend. His co driver Max Verstappen isn't too shabby either with him taking his first win last season and showing he has what it takes to handle the pressure and get the results. So far in the free practice it was RBR that showed the most resilience against Mercedes so this weekend will be interesting. 

While the other teams are a lot to discuss, they aren't there to merely make up the numbers. There's been some good improvements in most of the teams and some great drivers that are making their mark with them as well as some experienced drivers. Williams see's Felipe Massa return in what must be the shortest retirement ever recorded and Fernando Alonso is back to try and propel Mclaren Honda back to the top where they once were so used to being. With new aerodynamics and engine changes to the cars, as well as bigger tyres, this should make for more  over takings and closer racing for the lower lying teams which will have a major impact this years championship. So you can be sure that the pink Force India car isn't the most exciting thing on the track. 

Coming back to the title favourites, while I want to believe Ferrari and RedBull have managed to close the gap, early indications still say that the Germans are quite ahead of the pack and with Lewis Hamilton bitter for losing out on his 4th title last year, he will be ready for it this year. They have a strong team and with their new driver Valterri Bottas on board, he should be the perfect number two man to assist Lewis in his quest this year. While I say they are favourites, the first race of the season has always been tricky for them with a surprise winner most of the time. So I'm going again with that scenario and hoping Lewis is right and backing Ferrari to take home the first win of the 2017 Formula One race calendar. 

Bucket Seat: Ferrari LaFerrari Spider

Today's post was meant to be about the new Aston Martin and Red Bull collaboration, the AM-RB 001, sounds like a drawing number. The car itself is bonkers, its designed by the top dogs at Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin so you know this car means business and it will be powered by a naturally aspirated V12 engine, which could be taken from the Vulcan but couple that with F1 tech and aerodynamics, you could have a Hypercar worthy of the title. They only plan on building between 99-150 of these and thereafter 25 track only versions and already a host of people have put their names down for it, I mean it looks superb and sounds superb so I don't blame you if you have the cash!

Like I said though, this post was meant to be about the AM-RB 001 as it was unveiled yesterday but then the guys in Maranello shortly lifted the covers of this beauty...

 *cue angels singing*

The Ferrari LaFerarri Spider, well that's what most of the world are calling it but the official name will be made public at the Paris Motorshow in October, which some think may be called 'Aperta' which means 'Open' in Italian. The car, even though is just a LaFerrari with no roof looks superb, I mean picture you're favourite supermodel, and seeing her topless, that's what this car is to many motoring enthusiast. The launch colour in black with the red detailing just makes it that more insatiable. 

The car is still powered by that amazing naturally aspirated V12 engine that provides a mind blowing soundtrack and now it will be amplified with no roof, it also has the hybrid motor which bumps up the power to just under 1000 bhp. Forget wind in your hair, you might end up with a hurricane! Anyway, Ferrari totally came and stole the thunder from Aston Martin yesterday and while they have a superb car in the AM-RB 001, one can't help but turn their head towards this beaut. 

Oh and if you do qualify to buy one and were thinking of it, it's a bit late. All are sold out and all the owners have already received their keys which was delivered to them in a fancy carbon fibre box.