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  • BTCC Brands Hatch – Ash Sutton wins 2020 BTCC title

    BTCC Brands Hatch – Ash Sutton wins 2020 BTCC title

    Ash Sutton won his second British Touring Car Championship title as he finished sixth and did enough to take the title from Colin Turkington.

    Rory Butcher won the final round of the 2020 championship with Tom Ingram and Jake Hill rounding off the podium in a rainy third race on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

    The Scotsman took the lead and never lost it as he passed Aiden Moffat and Chris Smiley off the grid. Dan Cammish passed Sutton on the first lap to keep his slim title chances alive.

    On lap four Stephen Jelley went off at Druids after a collision with Andy Neate, meaning both ended the season in retirement.

    Cammish was driving quickly in his Dynamics Honda as he made a double move on Moffat and Ollie Jackson into Clearways. Meanwhile Turkington was passed by Ingram, who no longer could win the title so was free to race without that added pressure.

    Lap 12 and Sutton was on the back of Turkington, but having lost points back at Croft for making a silly overtake, Sutton learned his lesson and was content to sit behind Turkington.

    Up front Jake Hill and Josh Cook collided at Clearways, both losing positions with Cook coming off worse, falling from second to sixth. Adam Morgan, in his final race in the Mercedes A Class as Ciceley prepare to bring in a new car for 2021, was passed by Ingram. He was then tapped by Cammish as he made a clumsy move down the inside at Druids.

    Hill recovered from his tap with Cook to pass Cammish into third place, while Sutton finally passed Turkington into Paddock after seven laps sat on the BMW’s gearbox.

    Sutton then repeated this move as he passed Cook into Paddock for sixth place where he would finish, with Moffat passing Turkington too to compound the BMW driver’s misery.

    Butcher cruised to the win in the end, with Ingram and Hill rounding off the podium. Cammish, Morgan, Sutton, Cook, Moffat, Turkington and Ollie Jackson rounded off the top ten.

    Sutton took the title, adding to his 2017 triumph to become a double title winner in a hard fought campaign which went all the way to the 30th and final race of this truncated season.

    It’s the first time the ToCA provided engine has won the title outright, and Sutton’s Laser Tools Racing is an independent outfit, which only makes Sutton’s victory all the more impressive.

    Pos Driver Car Interval
    1 Rory Butcher Ford Focus ST
    2 Tom Ingram Toyota Corolla +1.522
    3 Jake Hill Honda Civic Type R FK2 +7.679
    4 Dan Cammish Honda Civic Type R FK8 +9.984
    5 Adam Morgan Mercedes Benz A Class +10.521
    6 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 +12.038
    7 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R FK8 +14.094
    8 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 +16.133
    9 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport +17.320
    10 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST +18.431
    11 Tom Chilton Honda Civic Type R FK8 +18.764
    12 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N +19.008
    13 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport +19.217
    14 Matt Neal Honda Civic Type R FK8 +20.935
    15 Michael Crees Honda Civic Type R FK8 +31.358
    16 Jack Goff VW CC +35.780
    17 Paul Rivett Audi S3 Saloon +36.679
    18 Glyn Geddie VW CC +38.623
    19 Senna Proctor Hyundai i30N +39.743
    20 Nicolas Hamilton VW CC +45.302
    21 Jack Butel Mercedes Benz A Class +46.119
    22 Brad Philpot Vauxhall Astra +47.175
    23 Carl Boardley BMW 125i M Sport +54.671
    24 Ethan Hammerton Audi S3 Saloon +3 Laps
    Retirements
    RET Sam Osborne Honda Civic Type R FK2 Mechanical
    RET Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Damage
    RET Stephen Jelley BMW 125i M Sport Crash

    Image Credit: BTCC Media

  • Turkish GP: Hamilton wraps up 7th championship in Turkish delight

    image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsports

    Win number 94, world championship number 7, records broken, records equaled. Lewis Hamilton reigned supreme in changing conditions on Sunday by putting in yet another world class performance to take his 2nd Turkish grandprix win and his 7th world driver’s championship.

    The lights went out on a fairly wet track at Istanbul Park and all the chaos unfolded as the cars set out on their way. Racing Point had the best possible start they could ask for with Stroll leading into turn one and Perez following him swiftly, thanks to the slow starting Max Verstappen in the Redbull. The Dutch driver failed to get the wheels going and fell behind, allowing the Racing Point drivers to pull away.

    The absolute winner of the start had to be Sebastian Vettel, who started all the way down at 11th and managed to get to 3rd, all on the first lap. His teammate comparatively had a slower start but came alive later in the race to finish a high 4th. The start also saw Hamilton’s only remaining championship rival Bottas tangle with the Renault of Ocon which caused him to spin out, taking him out of contention. Carlos Sainz was another big gainer at the start, leaping six places on the first lap alone.

    As the race progressed, there were no signs of any rain and the track slowly but surely kept drying up. Racing Point, especially Lance Stroll was enjoying a very big lead early vs his teammate Perez while Max Verstappen recovered quickly from a poor start and was battling the fast starting Ferrari of Vettel in the early laps. The track still had considerable amount of water on it at this point but it was Charles Leclerc of Ferrari who blinked first among all the drivers and made a switch to inters.

    Following his pace closely, were many other teams and most of them made the switch to inters immediately in the following few laps. Verstappen however chose to overcut the drivers in front of him and it worked out well for him as he came out ahead of Vettel after the first round of pit stops while the Racing Points were still maintaining 1-2. This led to a nice little battle for a few laps between Vettel and Hamilton as the British driver set about to catch the German, a sight reminiscent of 2017 and 2018.

    Around lap 20, Verstappen seemed to have made the overcut strategy work perfectly for him until he came out 2nd best while chasing Perez and went spinning at turn 11. This caused him to drop down all the way down to 6th as he flat spotted his tyres and was taken out of the picture for the race win. At the midway point after the Verstappen incident, there was a 5-way fight for the race win with Stroll, Perez, Albon, Vettel and Hamilton all covered by 12 seconds as things started to get really tight.

    A second round of pit stops were the order of the day as the inter tyres seemed to be overworked and everybody but Hamilton and Perez made the call to go to a new set of inters. The pair who were 1-2 in the race at this point chose to keep track position as opposed to the rest of the field, a decision which proved worthy at the end of the race with them finishing 1-2 as they were. The second phase of pit stops really altered the course of the race as Lance Stroll, who was once comfortably leading the race started getting picked off by the drivers behind him as the Canadian could not find any grip on his new inter tyres and could only finish 9th.

    The McLarens mad their way into the race in a fine manner after starting as low as 15th and 16th on the grid. Carlos Sainz after getting a really good start,  fully capitalized on it as the race progressed. The Spaniard was calm and collected and took the race as it came to him. He managed both the wet and inter tyres really well and finished an excellent 5th while his teammate Norris also drove a very good race to finish 8th. Renault however could only salvage one point in the race despite starting high up on the grid. Daniel Ricciardo made a couple of mistakes which he could not completely recover from and only managed 10th place while his teammate Ocon managed a 11th place after spinning out at the start.

    It was a day to forget for Valtteri Bottas who had a dreadful start to the race and it did not stop for him there. The Finnish driver kept spinning in the race at regular intervals, pushing him all the way back down after every time he seemed to have made up some ground. His misery was complete when his own teammate lapped him towards the end of the race. It was however Ferrari’s best day of the season with Sebastian Vettel finishing on the podium and Charles Leclerc finishing 4th. At one point, it seemed like Leclerc was on course for a 2nd place finish but his move on Perez came undone as the Monegasque locked up and went wide and his German teammate who was right behind him, took full advantage of the mistake and snatched a podium place on the very last corner of the final lap of the race.

    Redbull would be disappointed after what seemed to be a very good first part of the race for both drivers, ended only otherwise. Mistakes from Verstappen and Albon throughout meant that they could only finish as high as 6th and 7th respectively, which otherwise looked set to be a double podium at one point. Both the Haas cars were forced to retire during the race as so did Nicolas Latifi of Williams, after starting from the pitlane and Giovinazzi of Alfa Romeo. George Russell in the Williams also had to start from the pitlane after damaging his front wing while coming on to the starting grid before the race and he finished at 16th. Kimi Raikkonen in the other Alfa Romeo finished 15th, after having his share of incidents during the race.

    Alpha Tauris had a quiet day compared to how the race went after Danil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly finished 12th and 13th respectively. They were however not without incident after a curfew breach with Gasly’s car saw him relegated to the back of the grid before the start of the race.

    A day which promised excitement, chaos and unpredictability truly delivered in what was record breaking race and a record equaling championship for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. The English driver now has 7 world driver’s championships to his name, an honour only shared by Michael Schumacher.

    Pirelli info graphics

  • BTCC Brands Hatch – Sutton has one hand on title with win

    BTCC Brands Hatch – Sutton has one hand on title with win

    Ash Sutton took another huge step towards winning the title with a win in race two at Brands Hatch. Tom Ingram finished second with title rivals Colin Turkington third and Dan Cammish fourth on the road. Turkington received a penalty post-race for overtaking under yellow flags.

    Some drivers elected to start on wet tyres, with the track drying in sunny conditions. Sutton took the lead off the start with a selection of drivers sliding off at Paddock. Jake Hill, Ollie Jackson, and Ingram all slid off. Tom Chilton had an incredible start on the wets and moved into the lead on lap two. Andy Neate, another of the wet shod drivers, was third.

    A few drivers had spins, including Jack Goff at Graham Hill bend on lap five. Ingram was fighting back from his Paddock Hill moment and was seventh, behind Turkington.

    On lap nine the wet tyres were wearing quickly, and so Chilton lost the lead and fell down the order, finishing 18th and a lap down. Neate finished 21st eventually.

    On lap 12 Hill suffered damage at Druids, and Tom Oliphant was next to spin at Graham Hill bend.

    A lap later Turkington developed an issue on his car, with his front right tyre rubbing on the bodywork, but it didn’t seem to hinder him as he kept putting up fast times.

    Sutton was far ahead and cruised to the win with all the action happening behind him as he drove to victory.

    Turkington was fighting with Cammish, with both wanting to keep their title hopes alive. Ingram was in second and the title chasing pair were third and fouth.

    A moment of drama on lap 23 as Paul Rivett spun on the exit of Paddock Hill, his Audi stationary in the middle of the road. All avoided him but Turkington had to swerve to avoid him and only just missed him.

    A hairy moment but he recovered for third on the road, with Ingram’s title hopes now over despite a second place finish. Ash Sutton took the win and has a stronger lead over Turkington with only three drivers now in contention for the title going into the final race of the weekend.

    Pos Driver Car Interval
    1 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50
    2 Tom Ingram Toyota Corolla +4.762
    3 Dan Cammish Honda Civic Type R FK8 +9.370
    4 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport +9.688
    5 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST +10.832
    6 Adam Morgan Mercedes Benz A Class +13.422
    7 Jake Hill Honda Civic Type R FK2 +14.088
    8 Senna Proctor Hyundai i30N +14.418
    9 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R FK8 +14.919
    10 Rory Butcher Ford Focus ST +17.900
    11 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N +22.605
    12 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 +28.823
    13 Michael Crees Honda Civic Type R FK8 +33.011
    14 Sam Osborne Honda Civic Type R FK2 +37.119
    15 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport +37.712
    16 Matt Neal Honda Civic Type R FK8 +42.984
    17 Stephen Jelley BMW 125i M Sport +43.415
    18 Tom Chilton Honda Civic Type R FK8 +1 Lap
    19 Jack Butel Mercedes Benz A Class +1 Lap
    20 Jack Goff VW CC +1 Lap
    21 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST +1 Lap
    22 Brad Philpot Vauxhall Astra +1 Lap
    23 Paul Rivett Audi S3 Saloon +1 Lap
    24 Ethan Hammerton Audi S3 Saloon +1 Lap
    25 Nicolas Hamilton VW CC +3 Laps
    Retirements
    RET Glyn Geddie VW CC Mechanical
    RET Carl Boardley BMW 125i M Sport Mechanical

    Image Credit: BTCC Media

  • BTCC Brands Hatch – Sutton strikes first on finals day

    BTCC Brands Hatch – Sutton strikes first on finals day

    Dan Cammish took the win in the first race of finals day at Brands Hatch. Ash Sutton took the championship lead with second and Tom Ingram rounded off the podium to keep his title hopes alive.

    There were two green flag laps to warm the tyres with rain falling throughout the first race at Brands Hatch.

    At the start Sutton moved up into second with Cammish up to third. The pair were fighting over second with Ingram in the lead. On lap four Cammish moved ahead of Sutton with the top three close together. Cammish did almost pass Ingram into Clearways but after a slight tap from the Honda driver, he backed off.

    Sutton and Cammish were side by side on the pit straight before the Safety Car was brought out by a crash between Glyn Geddie and Sam Osborne at Druids.

    After four laps we were back underway, with Cammish hot on the heels of Ingram. The Yorkshireman passing Ingram into Druids on lap 13 to take a lead he never relinquished.

    Cammish was able to pull away as Sutton and Ingram fought for second. Sutton was next to pass the Toyota of Ingram on lap 22 as he hunted down Cammish for more points in the title battle.

    In the last couple of laps Sutton was taking chunks of time out of Cammish’s lead, but he ran out of laps and Cammish took the win.

    Sutton takes over the lead of the championship by two points from Colin Turkington, who could only finish ninth. Cammish is now 13 points behind with two races remaining with Ingram fourth and Rory Butcher’s slim title hopes now over despite a fine fourth place finish.

    Pos Driver Car Interval
    1 Dan Cammish Honda Civic Type R FK8
    2 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 +0.813
    3 Tom Ingram Toyota Corolla +3.160
    4 Rory Butcher Ford Focus ST +6.538
    5 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST +7.952
    6 Jake Hill Honda Civic Type R FK2 +9.273
    7 Matt Neal Honda Civic Type R FK8 +10.164
    8 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R FK8 +13.519
    9 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport +18.283
    10 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport +19.339
    11 Adam Morgan Mercedes Benz A Class +21.167
    12 Tom Chilton Honda Civic Type R FK8 +21.621
    13 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N +23.221
    14 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 +23.649
    15 Paul Rivett Audi S3 Saloon +31.348
    16 Stephen Jelley BMW 125i M Sport +31.760
    17 Jack Goff VW CC +32.939
    18 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST +36.294
    19 Senna Proctor Hyundai i30N +38.121
    20 Michael Crees Honda Civic Type R FK8 +39.758
    21 Brad Philpot Vauxhall Astra +42.563
    22 Ethan Hammerton Audi S3 Saloon +45.018
    23 Jack Butel Mercedes Benz A Class +45.798
    24 Carl Boardley BMW 125i M Sport +59.266
    Retirements
    RET Nicolas Hamilton VW CC Mechanical
    RET Sam Osborne Honda Civic Type R FK2 Crash
    RET Glyn Geddie VW CC Crash

    Image Credit: BTCC Media

  • Turkish GP: Lance Stroll takes surprise pole in a rain hit qualifying

    image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsports

    Lance Stroll came out on top on Saturday afternoon at Istanbul Park where order was totally disrupted in one of the most chaotic qualifying sessions of the season. He became the first driver who isn’t from the traditional top 3 teams to be on pole since Felipe Massa at Williams, a feat achieved all the way back in the first year of the turbo hybrid era in 2014.

    Racing Point pulled off an unlikely masterstroke by sending out both of their cars on intermediates as opposed to the rest of the field who were on wets,  setting them up for a brilliant race tomorrow. Both Perez and Stroll duly delivered lap after lap and it all paid off in the end with Stroll taking pole position and image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsports

    Sergio Perez taking P3 on the grid.

    In a qualifying session where it looked like Max Verstappen was certain of pole, Redbull’s decision to mirror Racing Point and sticking intermediates on the Dutchman’s car did not quite work out for them. To make matters worse, Verstappen was on his way to a provisional pole lap while the call was made, causing the driver to abandon his lap. In the end, the Redbull driver had to make do with P2, but will be more than fancying his chances for a victory tomorrow. His teammate Albon also had a really good qualifying session putting him at P4.

    The track was heavily criticized as the practice sessions unfolded, especially by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who was quite unhappy with the things out there. Taking 17 out of 17 poles so far this season, it comes as a very big surprise that the German team could only manage P6 and P9 for Hamilton and Bottas respectively. Both their cars struggled to find grip throughout the weekend and a wet track only made matters worse. The championship equation for Hamilton becomes much simpler for Hamilton tomorrow, as he can be crowned champion if it stands this way.

    Q1 started off as scheduled but had to be red flagged with 7 minutes to go thanks to heavy rain and it was a good 45 minute delay until the pitlane opened again. Lap times kept improving once the session restarted but the session had to be red flagged once again as Romain Grosjean in the Haas beached his car in the gravel and could not get it running again.

    A little bit of controversy unfurled towards the end of Q1 when Nicolas Latifi also beached his car in the gravel and there were doubled waved yellows in the middle part of the track. Kevin Magnussen was seen complaining on the radio, alleging that a lot of drivers who made it past Q1 had not lifted their foot of the throttle as required in those conditions. The incident is set to be investigated and could change the line-up on the grid. This resulted in both Haas drivers Magnussen and Grosjean, Williams drivers George Russell and Latifi, Kvyat in the Alfa Tauri all getting knocked out in Q1.

    Q2 was fairly straightforward on an otherwise chaotic session which saw both the Ferraris of Vettel and Leclerc get knocked out after yet another sub-par display, which continued their woes for the season. Both the McLarens were also out of Q2 which is a bit of a blow for the English team considering their competitors Renault and Racing Point had very good qualifying sessions. The team will line up with Land Norris at P11 and Carlos Sainz at P13 and will be playing catch up right from the start.

    Pierre Gasly was another surprise name to not make it to Q3 considering his form throughout the season but the biggest result of Q2 ultimately belongs to Alfa Romeo, which saw both Kimi Raikkonen and Antionio Giovinazzi make it to Q3 while also beating both the works Ferraris in the process. The team will have a very good chance at grabbing some precious points towards the end of the season with Raikkonen starting P8 and Giovinazzi starting P10.

    Renault produced an excellent qualifying result with Ricciardo at P5 and Ocon at P7, giving them a platform to get some crucial points in their bid to take the 3rd place in the constructors championship. Track limits were once again the topic of the session as several drivers kept having their times deleted throughout the session but ultimately, it did not prove costly for anyone which might not be the case for tomorrow.

    A promising race seems to be on the cards with the track offering very less grip to the drivers and to make matters complicated, the weather might also have a say tomorrow. The magic number for Lewis Hamilton’s 7th world championship is set to be ‘8’ as he has to make sure that his teammate and only remaining championship rival Bottas does not outscore him by more than 8 points. If that does happen, the title would be decided in Bahrain, in a couple of weeks time.

  • The Problems With The Provisional F1 2021 Calendar

    The Problems With The Provisional F1 2021 Calendar

    Earlier this week Liberty Media released the provisional calendar for the 2021 Formula One season. While there were minimal surprises, it raised some eyebrows about the integrity of the sport.

    Many believe that the idea of racing in countries with less than ideal human rights records contradicts the mantra “We Race As One” that Formula One has been pushing so often this year. With races in Bahrain and China, as well as the new Saudi Arabia race, many believe that F1 should not be holding races, and thereby drawing in fans, in countries where seemingly dodgy political regimes can reap the economic rewards.

    To counter that, some have argued that it isn’t fair to punish the inhabitants (for whom many will not have had a say in who runs their country) by not allowing any international sport to be held for them to see. Ultimately though, money talks and therefore Formula One is unlikely to avoid controversial venues if they have suitable funds.

    Another issue some have raised is Liberty Media’s insistence on quantity over quality. Initial plans are for a 23-race season sometimes covering tracks that have famously struggled to produce exciting racing. F1 is entertainment as much as sport, and as a result fan enjoyment should be a top priority. If you were to ask F1 fans to create their dream race calendar, very few would have as many as 23 venues, and even fewer would include the likes of France and Spain.

    By focusing on the number of races over the quality of the racing the track produces, some believe you run the risk of wearing the fans out. Yes, we love racing, but if you’re tuning in every weekend to watch very little of it, you’re going to get worn out and lose some love for the sport. This is all without mentioning the impact on the teams being away from their families for so long.

    At the end of the day, Formula One is seen by the owners as a business over a form of entertainment and therefore Liberty Media are certain to want a race calendar that can maximise their profit. Fan opinion is just an aside.

    Feature image courtesy of Racing Point F1 Media

  • F1 Throwback: Massa’s maiden triumph in Turkey

    F1 Throwback: Massa’s maiden triumph in Turkey

    In its short tenure on the Formula 1 calendar, Turkey’s Istanbul Park circuit has helped create plenty of iconic moments. From Red Bull’s infamous clash in 2010 to the many incidents around the mighty Turn 8, it’s not hard to see why the Turkish Grand Prix is a fan-favourite return this year.

    But for Felipe Massa, there’s one Istanbul Park moment that would surely spring to mind before any other—the end of the 2006 race, when he crossed the finish line to become a Formula 1 Grand Prix winner for the very first time.

    Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

    2006 was already set to be a big year for Massa. Having cut his teeth with Sauber, this was the year he was called up by Ferrari to replace countryman Rubens Barrichello as Michael Schumacher’s teammate.

    Prior to Turkey, which was the 14th round of the 18-race season, Massa’s start to life at Ferrari had been mixed. His pace was clear by his four podiums, two fastest laps and qualifying results, but his scorecard was marred by spins and a first-lap collision with Christian Klien and Nico Rosberg in Melbourne.

    With rumours swirling of Ferrari considering a Schumacher/ Kimi Raikkonen partnership for 2007, what Massa needed was a definitive result to close out the season. And that was exactly what he set up on Saturday in Istanbul, when Massa took advantage of several errors by Schumacher to take his first pole position by three tenths over his teammate.

    Given Schumacher’s tight championship battle with Fernando Alonso and Massa’s team role as the German’s rear gunner, Schumacher was still considered the favourite on race day. But come lights out, Massa soaked up the pressure as Schumacher and Alonso bore down on him into Turn 1, and was able to bolt clear by almost a second by the end of the first lap.

    Behind the leading trio, Giancarlo Fisichella spun his Renault at the first corner as he backed out of a move on Alonso, causing a chain reaction incident in the midfield. Raikkonen, Scott Speed, Nick Heidfield and Ralf Schumacher were all caught up and joined Fisichella in pitting for repairs, while Midland’s Tiago Monteiro retired on the spot.

    Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

    On lap 13 the safety car was deployed when Vitantonio Liuzzi spun and stalled his Toro Rosso at the exit of Turn 1, and Massa pitted together with Schumacher, Alonso and Jenson Button. But while Massa kept his position at the front, Alonso managed to jump Schumacher for second as Ferrari’s attempt to double-stack their stops held Schumacher up in the pits.

    When the race resumed, Massa took advantage of his teammate’s battle with Alonso to restore his lead. As Alonso drove defensively to hold off his title rival, Massa continued to get further and further away from the pair and closer to his first victory.

    But on the final lap there seemed to be a cruel final twist waiting for Massa before the finish line. As Schumacher closed to within a few tenths of Alonso and began all but pushing the Renault along, Massa drastically backed off the pace to the tune of several seconds compared to his teammate.

    The understanding was that if Schumacher managed to retake second from Alonso, Massa was obliged to let Schumacher by for maximum championship points—at this late stage in the season, Alonso had a ten-point lead in the standings so a win would have put Schumacher level with four rounds remaining.

    However, despite Schumacher’s best efforts he simply ran out of opportunities to pass Alonso, meaning Massa was free to push on to the line and take the victory with five and a half seconds still in hand.

    Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

    Two weeks later at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Ferrari announced that Schumacher would be leaving the team at the end of the year, and that Massa would stay on to partner Raikkonen. Massa closed out the 2006 season with two more pole positions, a second place at Japan, and a home win at Interlagos.

    He would win twice again at Istanbul Park, in 2007 and 2008, and currently holds the record for the most wins at the circuit.

    There are many moments that define Felipe Massa’s F1 career: the pain of losing the 2008 World Championship, the darkness of his 2009 crash in Budapest, and of course his emotional guard of honour after retiring from the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix.

    His maiden win is every bit as defining as what came after. A thoroughly deserving victory against two of the sport’s greatest drivers, Istanbul Park was a glimpse of the formidable talent Massa had to offer.

  • Hammer year for Mercedes, Τoto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton

    Hammer year for Mercedes, Τoto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton

    A very uncertain year, turned out ideally for Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. The six-time world champion, proved once again that he is currently one of the best, if not the best, driver on the grid, even with the season premiere postponed for a couple of months, Hamilton remained in top form.

    In Austria, Hamilton received a time-penalty and finished fourth, whilst his main rival for the title, Valtteri Bottas claimed the victory. Since then, Lewis has finished only once outside the top three and that was in Monza and he has won nine of the thirteen races this season.

    IMOLA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 01: Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, Winning Constructor Representative, Race Winner Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 and Daniel Ricciardo, Renault F1 celebrate on the podium during the Emilia-Romagna GP at Imola on Sunday November 01, 2020, Italy. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)

    It was only a matter of time until Hamilton matched and then broke Michael Schumacher’s 91 victories record. At the Eifel Grand Prix, the British Champion started second behind his team-mate, it took him 13 laps and a lock up from Bottas to take the lead on Sunday. From there, Lewis Hamilton had a comfortable victory and equalized Michael Schumacher’s wins record.

    Very emotional moments followed, after the chequered flag, Lewis Hamilton said:

    “Honestly as I came into the pit lane that was only when I realised I equalled it, I hadn’t even computed it before that across the line. I couldn’t have done it without this incredible team, everyone continuing to push behind me and giving it their everything. So a big, big thank you and huge respect to Michael.”

    Race winner Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 celebrates on the podium

    At the age of 35, Lewis Hamilton looks on top form and he found the inspiration that he needed to keep him going on full speed. In the past six years only one driver managed to stop him and that was his ex-team-mate Nico Rosberg. In 2016 the German driver won the championship with 385 points, five more than his title rival.

    These records cannot be achieved without having a team, which supports you on every step, during good and bad moments. The key to Hamilton’s success is Mercedes, the team that he is driving for.

    Mercedes, achieved something that no other team has managed in the F1 history, they have won seven consecutive world titles, it is the most successful team in the hybrid era.

    The maestro of this success is of course Toto Wolff. The Austrian has led Mercedes all these years, he is the α and the ω of this team. Alongside him, he has a team of skilful engineers who are working hard to stay at the top each season.

    ALGARVE INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, PORTUGAL – OCTOBER 25: Race Winner Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 celebrates on the podium with the trophy after taking his 92nd Grand Prix win, the most for any driver in F1 history during the Portuguese GP at Algarve International Circuit on Sunday October 25, 2020, Portugal. (Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)

    Toto had a short racing career in motorsport, he raced in Austrian Ford Racing and won the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 1994. After three years, the Austrian, decided to quit racing, he completed his studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and founded his own investment company in 1998.

    In 2009, Toto invested in Williams F1 Racing and after only three years in 2012, he became the Executive Director of the team and Williams celebrated their first victory in eight years at the Spanish Grand Prix.

    By the end of 2013, Toto Wolff purchased 30% of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd. He was appointed Head of the Mercedes group and had the responsibility of the whole Mercedes-Benz group. A few months later, Mercedes celebrated their first constructors’ title in their F1 history and since then they haven’t tasted second place in the championship.

    The good news is that Toto Wolff announced that he will remain at Mercedes in 2021.

    ‘I love this team and I think this is my place’ Wolff said.

    Even a non-Hamilton and Mercedes fan has to admit that this driver and that team managed to achieve something unique in the sport, they have proved that money is not the only key to success, a team spirit and the correct decisions are needed as well.

     

  • 2020 Turkish Grand Prix Preview

    2020 Turkish Grand Prix Preview

    After a nine-year absence, Formula One will finally make its long-awaited return to Intercity Istanbul Park this weekend, as F1 gears up for the final four rounds of the championship.

    With Mercedes having sealed a remarkable seventh-straight Constructors’ Championship in Imola last race, Lewis Hamilton has his sights set on a seventh drivers’ title, and could achieve such if he finishes within seven points of Bottas – so a P2 would seal the deal so long as the Finn does not take the fastest lap.

    The Silver Arrows pair are now the only two drivers left who have a mathematical chance of winning the title, and Bottas’ efforts both for the team and his own championship gains have been praised by Hamilton. The championship leader has paid tribute to Bottas in the last week, saying that he “does not get the credit he deserves,” describing him as an “amazing team mate” both on and off the track.

    Valtteri Bottas stands on the podium after winning the Russian Grand prix – Courtesy of Mercedes Media

    Overall, the pair have blown away the competition from the excellent Max Verstappen and Red Bull, at the track where, last time a Formula One race was held, Sebastian Vettel won for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

    This was, of course, a time of the last great period of dominance in the sport, but Mercedes have since far surpassed that, and Vettel’s new employers Ferrari, who last won this race in 2008 with Felipe Massa, have flattered to deceive in a hugely underwhelming 2020.

    Felipe Massa was the last Ferrari driver to win in Turkey 12 years ago – Courtesy of Ferrari media

    Living fairly vicariously on their past successes, the Italian team’s performance improvement, particularly with Charles Leclerc, has not gone unnoticed, but they are now a world away even from the 2018 car that almost carried Vettel to title victory.

    However, perhaps even more enticing is the incredibly engaging battle for fourth in the drivers’ championship and third in the constructors’. Two-time podium finisher this year Daniel Ricciardo leads Leclerc by 10 points, with a further 22 points covering the six positions between fifth and tenth.

    Daniel Ricciardo’s two impressive podiums have put him in fourth in the championship – Courtesy of Renault Media

    Holding that tenth spot is Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly, who sits just one point behind Alex Albon in the senior Red Bull team. The Thai-Brit will be more than aware that he has less than a handful of races left to impress Christian Horner and Helmut Marko enough to convince them to give him a drive in 2021. His unfortunate error of judgement the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix left him 118 points off Lewis Hamilton and 98 points behind team mate Verstappen.

    This weekend very much has an end-of-season feel about it, as Mercedes look to build on their success, teams and drivers vie for best of the rest, and drivers set out to Istanbul with a point to prove for next year.

    The 5.3 Kilometre Istanbul circuit has been one of the magnificent bi-products of the Coronavirus-hit season, and it is unlikely that we will see it on a Formula One calendar again after this year, so enjoy it!

  • Alesi dropped from Ferrari academy amid budget problems

    Alesi dropped from Ferrari academy amid budget problems

    Giuliano Alesi has been dropped from the Ferrari Driver Academy and run out of funding for 2021, according to his father Jean.

    Alesi’s journey through the F1 feeder series’ has largely been financed by private backing raised by his father, who recently spoke out about the rising costs of Formula 2 after admitting he sold his Ferrari F40 to add to Alesi Jr.’s budget.

    Speaking to Swiss newspaper Blick, Alesi Sr. said: “We have no sponsors for 2021, Ferrari fired him from the Academy and I can no longer raise private funds.”

    Ahead of the most recent F2 round in Sochi, Alesi left HWA to join MP Motorsport for the remainder of the campaign. However, Alesi Sr. said that the €80,000 fee needed to leave his HWA contract early has contributed to his son’s funding issues.

    Alesi is 17th in the F2 standings having yet to finish in the points since the opening race of the season in Austria.

    Giuliano Alesi, HWA (Scuderia Ferrari Press Office)