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…
Tag: F1 news today
F1 Chinese Grand Prix practice notes
Rain and more rain wrecked free practice at the 2017 F1 Chinese Grand Prix. A quick review of the (limited) highlights. A wash out in Shanghai Mixed weather conditions might not be the excitement-inducing variable we had hoped for in Shanghai. The vast majority of FP1 was a right-off due not to the rain but…
F1 Australian Grand Prix – heroes and zeroes
In my usual post-race wrap-up I rate the heroes and zeroes from the 2017 F1 Australian Grand Prix. Find out who covered themselves in glory and who covered themselves in gravel. 2017 F1 Australian Grand Prix Heroes Heroes – Ferrari When Ferrari kept Sebastien Vettel for several laps following Lewis Hamilton’s pit stop, we all thought…
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…
McLaren needs to dump Honda
With only one test remaining before the 2017 F1 season opener in Melbourne, the McLaren-Honda partnership finds itself in a familiar position. Following significant progress made in 2016 a radical re-design of Honda’s hybrid power unit (PU) appears to have left the team with significant ground to make up once more. Deja vu for McLaren Honda Drawing conclusions…
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…
If I was Chase Carey…
Bernie is out and the new ‘dream team’ heading up F1 is led by Chase Carey and Ross Brawn. Since the shock departure of F1’s dictator last week Brawn and Carey have been on something of a charm offensive. Everything they have had to say has been met with varying degrees of cautious and fervent optimism. As…
Why Bottas’ deal is for only 1 year
The worst kept secret in F1 was confirmed earlier this week as Valterri Bottas signed for World champions Mercedes AMG. But a single year deal for the Finn means 2018 could see a seismic shift in the F1 driver market. Why Bottas made sense for Mercedes Mercedes signing Bottas was inevitable for a number of…
F1: Manor’s financial woes strengthen case for customer cars
News that the Manor F1 team has gone into administration and is on the brink of financial collapse once more raises serious questions about how small teams can survive in F1. In recent years the F1 off season news has focused on which teams are in financial trouble as much as driver rumours and new car launches. But with the successful arrival…
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…
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