Beat your teammate is the first rule of F1. The sport’s greatest rivalries and bitterest feuds have come from intra-team battles and the 2019 F1 season looks set to ignite a few more. We fire up this series examining the teammate battles for the new season with a look at the reigning champions and undisputed…
Category: Mercedes F1
Monaco Grand Prix qualifying notes
Kimi Raikkonen took his second Monaco Grand Prix pole position as Lewis Hamilton had a qualifying session to forget. Meanwhile Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas gave it his all to split the Ferrari’s as McLaren got both cars in to Q3. The Iceman cometh Millions of Kimi fans have been hoping that the speed and…
Is Bottas/Hamilton set to be Rosberg/Hamilton rebooted?
Heading in to the Russian Grand Prix life was pretty good for the Mercedes AMG F1 team. A burgeoning bromance was forming between their drivers – in stark contrast to the at times fiery Rosberg/Hamilton pairing. Ferrari were offering a challenge but not quite enough to completely turn the tide of recent F1 form. Plus…
F1 Russian Grand Prix Qualifying results
For the first time since 2008 Sebastien Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen created a Ferrari front-row lock out in Sochi. Ferrari set the pace and the agenda Critically for Ferrari they were able to lead the tyre strategy through qualifying, putting pressure on Mercedes. The Silver Arrows were already struggling for grip especially in the final…
Defending Mercedes F1 driver programme
Mercedes F1 junior driver programme came in for significant criticism when Valtteri Bottas was given the nod to partner Lewis Hamilton. Despite Pascal Werhlein’s lack of F1 experience many expected the young German to replace his compatriot Nico Rosberg. When he did not, the Mercedes junior driver programme – particularly in contrast to the Red Bull…
F1 2017 pre-season test 1 review
The first F1 pre-season test of 2017 in Barcelona gave us a chance to see the new era of F1. Wider cars, more aerodynamics and giant tyres saw lap times tumble in Spain. So what did we learn ahead of the 2017 F1 season? Mercedes AMG Make no mistake, the regulation changes for 2017 have…
F1: What do Mercedes mean by a ‘brave’ decision?
Toto Wolff was quoted this week saying that the Mercedes F1 team are prepared to make a ‘brave’ decision on Nico Rosberg’s replacement. What that means is open to interpretation and could end up with a surprising end result. Mercedes want to be in a position to secure a fourth successive drivers and constructors world…
Rosberg retires: what happens next?
In a year of completely unexpected results Nico Rosberg’s decision to retire from F1 is one of the more shocking. Less than a week after clinching a maiden F1 World title the German has decided to walk away from Formula 1 and the dominant Mercedes team. Mercedes now have to find a replacement for the outgoing…
F1: Debunking the Hamilton conspiracy theories
The detonation of Lewis Hamilton’s powerunit during the Malaysian Grand Prix had the man himself, his fans and much of the British media crying foul. But a look back at recent F1 history demonstrates there is nothing suspicious or premeditated about it. Somebody doesn’t want me to win – Hamilton Make no mistake Lewis Hamilton’s comments…
F1: Austrian Grand Prix ‘heroes and zeroes’ 2016
The Austrian Alps reverberated to the sound of smashing carbon and exploding tyres at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix. I rate the heroes and zeroes from a dramatic afternoon at the Red Bull Ring. Austrian Grand Prix 2016 heroes Hero – Jenson Button The former world champion was back where he belongs at the sharp…