McLaren-Honda Tag

 By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Fernando Alonso, gracing the cover of the newest edition of Motor Sport Magazine, proudly proclaims that he wants to win the Indy 500 and Le Mans. It is not the first time the Formula One veteran has made this claim. As his number of competitive years in F1 dwindle, or more accurately; go squandered by McLaren Honda, the once heir apparent to Schumacher is seeking new opportunities to cement his legacy and rediscover the joy in racing. I like this, a lot. Though I haven’t beenRead More

Nico Rosberg’s dream start to the 2016 season continued as the German took his second consecutive victory and his first in Bahrain and his first at the Gulf circuit. Kimi Raikkonen took his fifth second place with Lewis Hamilton recovering to third after a first-corner collision. Before the start there was disappointment for Ferrari as Sebastian Vettel, set to start from third, slowed on the formation lap with smoke billowing from the back of his car. His failure to start, the first of his career, meant a space opened onRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor 1:29.493, the lap Lewis Hamilton put in to claim pole position today at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit to beat team mate Nico Rosberg is the fastest lap ever recorded here. Faster than the mighty V10 era cars, faster than the V8’s, faster than Mark Webber’s 2005 lap record of 1:29.527 set in a Williams with a roaring V10. Hamilton was thrilled with the time and called it “sexy.” F1 might not have to change as much as they thought for 2017 to make the cars faster thanRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Fernando Alonso has not been cleared to race at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. The two-time champ has been sidelined by FIA doctors after the scary crash he had with Haas F1’s Esteban Gutierrez in the season opening Australian Grand Prix. The announcement does not come as a shock as Alonso withstood over 40G’s in one of the most violent crashes in recent memory. Alonso has further revealed that he has a broken rib and a lung issue called a pneumothorax, where air gets trappedRead More

Lewis Hamilton claimed his third Formula One World Championship title with victory in an incident-packed United States Grand Prix that saw the Briton’s Mercedes’ team-mate Nico Rosberg take second place ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. The win, Hamilton’s 10th of the season, puts him on 327 points in the championship, 76 points ahead of nearest challenger Sebastian Vettel. With a maximum 75 points on offer from the final three rounds, Hamilton cannot be overtaken in the standings. Hamilton joins a list of three-time champions that includes Jack Brabham, Sir JackieRead More

In an extraordinary move of empathy, hard nosed McLaren-Honda boss Ron Dennis has reportedly blocked Red Bull Racing from securing Honda power units for 2016. Despite assurances from Christian Horner that, “quitting is not an option” Red Bull’s predicament looks even worse than the weather in Austin this weekend. After having the door shut in their face by Mercedes and then Ferrari, Ron Dennis may be putting the final nail in the coffin of F1’s youngest super power. Supplying another team with engines for next season could stretch issue plaguedRead More

Team boss Eric Boullier has stated that McLaren “intends” to keep longtime F1 veteran Jenson Button for 2016. McLaren has an option on the 2009 world champion’s contract, but also has two youthful talents waiting in the wings in Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne. Both have made a case to be in a second car for McLaren, let alone another team on the grid, which is something Boullier and company might be entertaining. Similar to putting a player on loan in soccer, McLaren may put a transfer fee on theRead More

274 starts in 15 seasons with 15 wins, 50 podiums and a World Championship make Jenson Button the most experienced driver in Formula One today. Despite there being little left for the 35 year old Brit to prove, F1’s elder statesman isn’t ready to hang up his helmet just yet. Now in his sixth season with McLaren, Jenson has gone since 2012 with out a win as McLaren has gone from perennial championship contender to disappointing also ran. The early boom times with the team have now faded and theRead More

Lewis Hamilton outpaced Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg by over half a second for his ninth pole in 10 races, his fifth overall at the Hungaroring. In the Q3 shootout, Rosberg closed on his final attempt on Hamilton, but the Brit followed up with a lap at 1:22.020s to the German’s 1:22.595s en route to an electrifying qualifying performance. Sebastian Vettel pushed Scuderia Ferrari up to third with a 1:22.739s, while former teammate Daniel Ricciardo shot his Renault-powered Red Bull to fourth, tying the Aussie’s best qualifying effort of the season.Read More

Lewis Hamilton edged out Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg by a mere 0.098s in FP3 for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The pair went out with roughly 20 minutes remaining on soft tires and knocked off Sahara Force India’s Nico Hulkenburg, who stood atop the timesheet for much of the session before ultimately dropping to sixth overall. Sebastian Vettel set the third fastest time but the Scuderia Ferrari driver was nearly a full second off the pace compared to Mercedes. The four-time Formula One World Champion was nearly 0.300s over Red BullRead More