Formula One Category

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel took his second victory of the season in Bahrain as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton recovered from a poor start and a penalty to finish in second place ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton exerted intense pressure in the final stages, chopping deep into a 13-second deficit to Vettel but the German kept a cool head to thread through traffic and take the flag with 6.6 seconds in hand. Had Hamilton not earlier been penalised for holding up Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo during a pit stop, the battle mightRead More

Valtteri Bottas claimed pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix, edging team-mate Lewis Hamilton by just two hundredths of a second to claim the first front-of-grid start of his career. Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo and the second Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen. Pascal Wehrlein got things underway in Q1 with a time of 1:33.502, but that was soon eclipsed by Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and then by Bottas, who elected to run with soft tyres as he set a P1 time of 1:31.041.Read More

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen set the quickest time of final practice in Bahrain, finishing a tenth of a second ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third. Verstappen’s running in yesterday’s second practice session was compromised when a T-wing broke off Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes and damaged the floor of the Red Bull man’s car, but he recovered this morning to confirm the Milton Keynes competitiveness here with a best time of 1:32.1934, 0.110 up on Hamilton. Verstappen’s qualifying simulation wasn’t without its issues, however, as midway throughRead More

Sebastian Vettel went quickest in the second free practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, before a mid-session “complete shutdown” of his Ferrari that left him briefly stranded on the track. The German’s P1 time came just before half an hour of the evening session, run under floodlights, had elapsed. Bolting on a set of supersofts, the Ferrari power to through a lap of 1:31.310. Later, however, during a longer run in the final 40 minutes of the session Vettel’s car slowed dramatically before the German reported a “completeRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The recent announcement of Fernando Alonso coming over to run in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 has fellow Formula One competitor Sergio Perez expressing his desire to do that same – one day. The focus of the racing world was revealed Wednesday when Alonso confirmed that he would trade one crown jewel event for another, electing to miss the Monaco Grand Prix to participate at the Brickyard. A mix of reviews have come from his rivals, including Perez. The 27-year-old Mexican isn’t willing toRead More

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheets as practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix got underway at the Sakhir Circuit, with the German finishing four tenths of a second clear of Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo. It wasn’t a wholly successful session for Ferrari, however, with Kimi Räikkönen stopping on track early in the session with smoke rising from the back of his car. It left the Italian squad bookending the timing, with Räikkönen 20th and last on the sheet. Vettel’s P1 time, set on soft tyres, came with around halfRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief McLaren F1 have confirmed that Jenson Button will replace Indianapolis 500-bound Fernando Alonso for the Monaco Grand Prix on May 28. It was announced on Wednesday that Alonso would be competing for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil in a McLaren-branded Honda entry with Andretti Autosport. The unique situation brings the 37-year-old Brit back after a stepping out of the cockpit at the end of last season. Having spent time since as an ambassador for McLaren and as a reserveRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Renault Sport F1 Team has appointed Oliver Rowland as its latest development driver for the 2017 season. Competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with DAMS this year, the team will push the 24-year-old through simulator programs with future dates setup on track. “My aim has always been to get a role in Formula 1 so it’s great to see all my hard work pay off,” said Rowland via team release. “The Renault Sport Academy was the perfect training ground and the role of DevelopmentRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso will race in the 2017 Indianapolis 500, driving a McLaren-branded Honda-powered entry run by defending champions Andretti Autosport. The 35-year-old Spaniard cited multiple reasons for wanting to race at Indianapolis in a statement issued by McLaren-Honda this morning. Among them, his desire to emulate the late Graham Hill and become just the second driver to complete the Triple Crown of Motor racing. “I’ve won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, and it’s one of my ambitions to win theRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Pascal Wehrlein will return to action for Sauber in this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. The team announced his long awaited return via social media today, just three days before Free Practice 1 on Friday. Wehrlein infamously sat out the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix due to his less than optimal fitness after the injury he sustained from his Race of Champions crash in January. Taking his place back in the team relegates reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi back to the sidelines after a spectacular debut in Australia, but anRead More