Making the Magic of Monaco

Nothing comes close to the spectacle, grandeur and romance of the Monaco Grand Prix. On the calendar almost continuously since 1950, the race is F1’s jewel in the crown. Creating such an iconic race however is no easy task. Turning the millionaires paradise of the Mediterranean principality into a race track takes meticulous planning. Our…

Verstappen’s limited F1 ‘apprenticeship’ comes back to haunt Red Bull

At the time of Max Verstappen’s accelerated graduation to F1 and subsequent promotion to Red Bull, those who questioned the wisdom were lambasted. Verstappen is undoubtedly a prodigious talent and the old adage “if you are fast enough, you are old enough” was frequently rolled out as justification. But being fast is not the sum…

Vettel, Baku, the FIA and Liberty Media

The machinations of F1 politics meant the decision not to punish Sebastien Vettel further for his clash with Lewis Hamilton was inevitable. Despite rumours suggesting FIA President Jean Todt wanted to make an example of the German there are plenty of reasons why there was a slim chance of that ever happening. First up is…

F1: German Grand Prix ‘heroes and zeroes’ 2016

As decisions by the race stewards once again took centre stage, I rate the heroes and zeroes from a pretty dull 2016 German Grand Prix. German Grand Prix heroes 2016 Hero – Lewis Hamilton Hamilton was not pressed on Sunday afternoon. After his teammate Nico Rosberg gifted him the lead off the line, Hamilton simply…

F1: Hungarian Grand Prix ‘heroes and zeroes’ 2016

A look at the stars and villains from the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix – a race that turned out pretty dull after a thrilling, 2-hour qualifying session. Hungarian Grand Prix heroes 2016 Hero – Lewis Hamilton Should he have had pole on Saturday? Yes Did he command the race from lights to flag? Yes Did…

F1 round-up – 9 January 2015

McLaren’s lack of a title sponsor, the disadvantages of being a Wolff and the FIA’s new super licence points system dominated the week in F1. No logo Eric Bouiller was quoted as saying that McLaren may run without a title sponsor in 2015 – the second successive season. At a time when Marussia are bust,…

3 reasons Bernie is backing V8s

Bernie Ecclestone has bemoaned Formula 1’s hybrid power units throughout 2014. Occasional barbs about their volume and the like have now given way to more calculated comments about a return to noisier, less efficient V8 units. Of course for someone like Bernie, volume has nothing to do with it. Ferrari No matter how successful Mercedes,…

2015 – Nico Rosberg’s year

The dust of Abu Dhabi has barely settled and the broken pieces of Nico Rosberg’s car have not been fully analysed. Testing proper for 2015 is still weeks away but there is every reason to believe next season could be Nico Rosberg’s year. His 2014 challenge ended in disappointing fashion. Whilst his team-mate was romping…

Aspiration and F1

It seems that the typically divisive F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone reached a new milestone recently: uniting almost everyone associated with the sport in complete bewilderment. Ecclestone’s comments on F1, it’s audiences, social media and his preference for septuagenarian fans had pretty much everyone aghast. The reality of him being out of touch with modern communications…

Brazilian Grand Prix preview

For a circuit that is used to serving up spectacular championship deciders, it is sad that off-track stories dominate at Interlagos. It is unsurprising however that the plight of Formula 1’s smaller teams is hogging the limelight. And then there were 10… At the time of writing, the Marussia team is confirmed to have folded….