F1 Tag

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

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

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton powered towards the 63rd pole position of his career in Shanghai, edging out Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by just under two tenths of a second, with the German claiming second spot on the grid ahead of the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas by just 1000th of a second. Hamilton was the first to make a move in Q1 setting the early pace with a time of 1:33.333. Team-mate Bottas then slotted into P2, four-tenths behind the three-time champion. The Briton’s time in P1 was short, however, as VettelRead More

Sebastian Vettel edged team-mate Kimi Räikkonen to head a Ferrari one-two in a busy final practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas was third for Mercedes, almost four tenths of a second adrift of Vettel. Vettel’s best lap of 1:33.336 came 20 minutes from the end of the session and put him over a second clear of Räikkönen. The Finn then responded with a lap of 1:33.389, just 0.053 behind the German. Ferrari’s supersoft pace set a tough benchmark for Mercedes to beat and when the team’s driversRead More

Friday’s second practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled due to poor weather conditions that prevented the medical helicopter from operating. The first session at the Shanghai International Circuit had already been disrupted due to the helicopter not been able to land at the hospital designated for the event, and with little improvement in conditions in the following hours, the start of the second practice period, scheduled for 2pm local time, was delayed. Eventually, with around 12 minutes remaning in the time allotted, the decision was taken toRead More

Max Verstappen set the fastest lap of opening practice for the Chinese Grand Prix in a session heavily disrupted by red flags. In damp and cool conditions Verstappen found a gap between two lengthy stoppages to post a best time of 1:50.491 on intermediate tyres, a lap that put him almost 1.6s clear of Williams’ Felipe Massa. The session got under way at the scheduled time but was halted soon after as weather conditions elsewhere in Shanghai made it impossible for the medical helicopter to land at the hospital designatedRead More