Tag:

Formula One

Max Verstappen Wins São Paolo Grand Prix After Hectic Weekend!

by Daniel November 4, 2024

written by Daniel

Last weekend the world of Formula One was a complete chaos. From unwarranted penalties to bad decisions from the FIA. After qualifying it looked like Lando Norris would win the battle against Max Verstappen, as he did during the sprint race. However, the bad weather caused chaos on and off track which led to Max Verstappen’s victory. Even if you don’t like the Dutch driver, this was a race where he deserves credit and deserves to be recognized as the world champion racing driver he is!

Max Verstappen Claims Victory After Starting From 17th!

The qualifying sessions of the race were postponed because of the bad weather. However, when they finally continued, there were 5 red flags in the different qualifying sessions. One of which caused Max to finish 12th, making him start in the 17th position. The bad weather carried on during the race, making it a very challenging race.

Multiple drivers crashed their cars or spun out and were easily passed by Max Verstappen. However, the Dutchman proved that he was the king of the rain. When he eventually passed Esteban Ocon, he showed that he still is World Champion quality and set the fastest lap in the rain… 17 times!

The Race Weekend Stays Controversial!

Throughout the weekend the FIA made some really strange decisions which influenced the result of the sprint race by giving Max Verstappen a 5-second penalty, causing him to lose a position. However, during the qualifying sessions of the Grand Prix, the FIA let a crash be for more than 40 seconds without giving a red flag! This caused Max Verstappen to be out of the last qualifying session!

However, during the race, everything was going exactly right for the Dutch world champion who now holds a 62-point gap from Lando Norris! This brings Max Verstappen one step closer to his fourth world championship!

November 4, 2024

Formula 1

Will The Austin GP Break The “No Safety Car” Streak?

by Daniel October 18, 2024

written by Daniel

After a second summer break, it is time again for petrolheads to gather and watch their idols race around in the fastest cars on the planet. In the past few races, there weren’t many situations which caused yellow flags to be shown. Even when Perez and Sergio crashed at the end of a race only a virtual safety car was deployed. This might sound good, but the crew of the safety car has a different opinion on this.

Since the Spanish Grand Prix, there have been no actual safety car incidents on track. You might think these people can enjoy their “Time off” however, they still have to be ready to race onto the track as soon as something happens. So every Grand Prix, they have been sitting in their suits ready to go. Will this week’s Austin Grand Prix bring a change to their boring routine?

The Sprint Race Raises Chances Of Safety Cars!

At the Austin GP, there will be a sprint race on Saturday to determine the starting grid of the actual GP. The sprint race means a higher chance of people crashing into each other since there are two racing events. The drivers don’t go flat out during the sprint races as they don’t want their cars to get damaged a day before the actual Grand Prix.

The safety car has only made 4 appearances in the 11 F1 Grand Prix that were held at the circuit. And in one of these Grand Prix, the safety car was deployed 2 times. So the chances of having an actual safety car to watch during the race will be small. On multiple occasions, the virtual safety car has been deployed at COTA. This makes it more likely that this method will be used again.

The Austin GP Will Be The Race Of The Upgrades

After having a second summer break, we’re heading into the last 6 F1 races of the 2024 season. The Austin Grand Prix is the race where most teams will bring their final big upgrade packages to the car. Teams like Ferrari and Mercedes already announced the types of upgrades they will bring.

However, it is Red Bull’s upgrade package that everyone is excited about. Since their car is currently unusable by Sergio Perez or Max Verstappen. These upgrades can save Max’s chances of winning the Driver’s championship from Lando Norris.

October 18, 2024

Formula 1

Hamilton Opens Up About “Terrifying” Decision To Leave Mercedes For Ferrari

by Daniel October 13, 2024

written by Daniel

Earlier this year, Lewis Hamilton started off the “F1 silly season” by announcing that he would be joining Ferrari in 2025. He’d replace Carlos Sainz, who will now race for Williams, and join the iconic red team for the next few years. Hamilton will earn 40 million dollars per season he races for Ferrari plus potential bonuses. However, Hamilton still had to tell Toto Wolff about his decision and wasn’t looking forward to it!

Lewis Told Toto Wolff Over Breakfast

Unfortunately for Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari made the signing of the contract public before Lewis had the chance to talk to his current team boss. He had an appointment to have breakfast with Toto later that week. However, it went from a nice way to talk to them to an uncomfortable and scary experience for Lewis.

He told the journalists that it wasn’t his plan to let Toto find out like that, but in the end, the German team principal understood why Lewis wanted to leave Mercedes. He also said that he expected the news to come sooner than later as rumours were going around about a potential deal.

Hamilton’s Career With Mercedes

Hamilton started his career with Mercedes over a decade ago when he transferred from McLaren to Mercedes. He has over 100 wins, and 84 of them were in a Mercedes car. He also won all of his 7 world titles in a Mercedes. So the decision to leave Mercedes was difficult for the British racing driver.

He said in multiple interviews that each race is a little bit emotional, as it will be the last time he races at that track for Mercedes. Over the 11 years he has raced for Mercedes he has become very close with the crew and other team members of Mercedes. The departure will be difficult for Lewis!

It Is Hamilton’s Dream To Drive (And Win) With A Ferrari!

For many little kids, the Ferrari cars are the ones they like the most. With icons like Michael Schumacher, the bright red liveries and the cool supercars they make for on the road, driving a Ferrari is nearly every man’s dream! This in combination with the nice “little” paycheck that Lewis Hamilton would receive convinced him to accept the offer. Currently, the Ferrari cars are also more competitive and able to win than the Mercedes cars which was also a driving factor to accept the offer.

October 13, 2024

Formula 1

Daniel Ricciardo Drama Continues As Christian Horner Suggests Potential Comeback!

by Daniel October 2, 2024

written by Daniel

Since the Singapore Grand Prix, all the Formula One news has been about a certain driver and his potential future within the sport. It is none other than Daniel Ricciardo and his Formula One career. After last week’s confirmation that Daniel Ricciardo was being replaced in VCARB, most fans accepted the fact that he will most likely not return to the F1 paddock as an F1 racing driver. However, Christian Horner made some statements that will make you doubt everything about the past information!

Nothing Is Certain For RB or Red Bull

Over the last year, we have heard multiple rumours and seen multiple cases that things aren’t going as smoothly within the Red Bull and Racing Bulls team. With workers accusing Christian Horner of creating a bad work environment and internal differences about the team’s future between the 2 large companies that own Red Bull F1.

The way things are coming out in the media right now is showing how divided the Red Bull team really is. Most people also link this to the performance issues of the car. Since the team has no clear communication internally, it can highly affect the performance of each team member.

Christian Horner Suggests Possible Comeback For Daniel!

In one of his latest interviews Christian Horner spoke out about the decision to fire Daniel Ricciardo from Racing Bulls for the remainder of the season. Apparently, it was mostly Helmut Marko’s wish to get Daniel out of the seat as soon as possible. Christian said that Helmut even wanted Daniel out of the car from the Spanish Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo and Helmut Marko behind Christian Horner

However, in the same interview, Christian Horner said something quite interesting, making the future of Daniel Ricciardo within Formula One not as certain as people think. He claimed that Daniel might be back if Liam Lawson or Sergio Perez couldn’t perform at their expected level. These drivers are there to support the team in the best way possible, and Christian Horner said that they know what Daniel is capable of. However, he hasn’t shown it in the past season which was the main cause for his departure from VCARB before the end of the 2024 season!

October 2, 2024

Formula 1

Liam Lawson Gets an Immediate 10-Place Grid Penalty

by Daniel September 28, 2024

written by Daniel

Only a couple of hours after the announcement that Daniel Ricciardo was officially fired, the VCARB team announced that Liam Lawson was taking over his position. However, the rookie immediately will receive a 10-place grid penalty in his first race as a Formula One driver! Keep on reading to discover more about why he is receiving this penalty!

Liam Lawson Gets A 10-Place Grid Penalty For Taking A New Engine!

The team has decided to put a new engine in the car for the season’s remaining races. However, this engine is outside of the team’s yearly allocation of 4. The New Zealand Rookie will get a 10-place grid penalty in the next Grand Prix as a punishment. The team principal says the grid penalty will be served in the Sprint race on Saturday. However, this is not how it works, the penalty will be served in the next full Grand Prix.

If they’re already taking a 10-grid penalty, it would be best to add more new parts before this race. The team would prevent Liam Lawson from losing more spots in future races by sacrificing this race, and giving him a relatively competitive car for the future races!

Liam Lawson’s future With Red Bull Is Not Certain

The introduction of Liam Lawson has been very rough on the Australian driver. This mainly comes from the fact that VCARB did not handle the situation with Daniel Ricciardo with the respect it deserved. So most fans are furious with the team especially after Liam Lawson announced that the team and Daniel Ricciardo knew for over 2 weeks that Singapore would be his last race.

Many people were certain that Liam Lawson would be the permanent replacement for Daniel Ricciardo and that his contract just stated he still had to race this season. However, the New Zealand rookie told some journalists that his contract is only for the 2024 season. So his seat is not guaranteed for the 2025 season.

The future of Red Bull and VCARB is not 100% certain. Max Verstappen is threatening to retire and Liam Lawson does not have a contract for the 2025 season yet!

September 28, 2024

Entertainment Formula 1

Build Your Own Formula One Team With New Lego F1 Sets!

by Daniel September 27, 2024

written by Daniel

There are more and more adults who like buying Lego sets to build for display. Lego has a large variety of different sets you can buy. You have city skylines, or you can build your favourite characters from movies such as Star Wars, Harry Potter and even Marvel movies! However, in recent news, Lego has announced that they’re making a whole new Lego line for one of the most popular sports in the world: Formula One! Soon you will be able to buy your own Lego F1 set, keep reading to discover more about it!

A Whole New Lego Line for Formula One

You might have seen some smaller Lego-themed sets such as the Lego Speed Champions McLaren F1 team or the McLaren or Mercedes Lego Technic set. However, these sets don’t have space for all the teams of the Formula One Grid.

Since the introduction of Drive to Survive on Netflix, the sport has become a lot more popular and gained fans worldwide. This means that more people are willing to buy merch or Formula One-themed merch or products. And this is why Lego and Formula One have agreed to make a whole new lineup for Formula One Lego sets.

Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo with Lego

These sets will probably be larger display models such as the Star Wars Helmets of famous characters that you can put on shelves. So you will be able to buy the larger scale models, to add to shelves in your office or other spaces in your house!

You’ll Have to Pay Up For The Lego F1 sets!

Lego is already one of the most expensive toys people can buy. Especially the sets for adults who have real money to spend on their hobbies. The most popular sets are the ones from Lego Star Wars which can cost up to 600 euros for the biggest sets.

However, Formula One fans will get their chance to build cool Formula One cars with these new sets. However, if the Star Wars sets are any indication of price, the fans will have to bring a full wallet if they wanna buy the set of their favourite team!

September 27, 2024

Formula 1

VCARB Announces The Replacement Of Daniel Ricciardo!

by Daniel September 27, 2024

written by Daniel

One of the main topics within Formula One news over the past few weeks has been the future of Daniel Ricciardo within Formula One. He was brought back as a driver of Alpha Tauri, now known as VCARB, to eventually replace Sergio Perez in the Red Bull seat. However, he never was moved to the Red Bull team, and most recently his future within F1 was questioned.

Yesterday evening VCARB team principal posted an official statement on their X page, thanking Daniel Ricciardo for everything he brought to the team over the past years. This was one of the only things that the team announced publicly after Daniel Ricciardo’s last race.

VCARB Immediately Replace Daniel With Liam Lawson

Only a couple of hours later a new post was posted on VCARB’s X page, welcoming Liam Lawson as the new driver for the remainder of the season. It was introduced that Yuki and Liam would be fighting for points over the next few races, which many people considered to be a “dig” at Daniel Ricciardo’s performance in the team.

There were not many people against the introduction of Liam Lawson as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo. However, with the way that the team decided to handle things, many fans will be angry with VCARB and will unfortunately also be angry with Liam who just wants to start his F1 career!

Daniel Ricciardo Deserved A Better Goodbye

Daniel Ricciardo might not have been a world champion, however, he has won multiple Grand Prix. He also has grown to be one of the most liked drivers by any Formula One fan. Even all drivers on the grid consider him one of the most fun drivers to be around.

This is why many fans and drivers are quite surprised by how Daniel was treated after his last race. There were no team celebrations or radio messages broadcasted to let fans know that he would lose his seat. Throughout the week journalists kept asking questions about his future, which he couldn’t answer truthfully. But there was no support from his team in any of these situations.

Eventually, he stayed the longest in the media pen after the Singapore Grand Prix. He even gave some journalists an interview of nearly 15 minutes. Afterwards, he headed to his room at the VCARB team centre and stayed in there alone. Later he was the last driver to leave the Singapore track. On his way out he took pictures with fans and even gave his hat away to one of these fans. In the end, he left the track all by himself.

September 27, 2024

Formula 1

Daniel Ricciardo Says Farewell To The F1 Paddock By Himself

by Daniel September 23, 2024

written by Daniel

Each Formula One season drivers will be replaced or will just quit the sport. Some will be missed and others will be forgotten, however, when it comes to Formula One icons who leave the sport, teams will often celebrate the years they have spent together. This is what was expected when Daniel Ricciardo would leave the sport, but he said farewell to the sport all by himself. Keep on reading to discover more!

Daniel Ricciardo Left The Paddock As The Last F1 Driver There

After the Singapore Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo was the driver who stayed in the media pen the longest. He talked to every journalist who wanted to ask questions. And sometimes these conversations would take up to 15 minutes. In most of the interviews, he was his happy self with his iconic smile, while in others, he looked like he was holding back some tears.

After staying in the VCARB block for a while he eventually left the paddock as the last driver that night. He took his time going outside, taking pictures with fans and hugging crew members of the Red Bull team. Eventually, he left the paddock all by himself!

Red Bull Has Not Confirmed The Departure of Daniel Ricciardo

Even though throughout the weekend Daniel and other Red Bull members gave vague hints about the departure of the Australian driver, it’s not confirmed. There hasn’t been an official statement from Red Bull or VCARB that Daniel is leaving the team or the sport.

The next race is only in 3 weeks, giving them much time to address the fans properly. Most people find it incredibly inconsiderate of Red Bull to leave Daniel Ricciardo hanging out to dry. Especially if he left the sport with no support or no proper celebration. They also think that Daniel Ricciardo was such an iconic face in the F1 paddock, and deserved a proper send-off by the VCARB or Red Bull team!

Daniel told multiple journalists that he would love to go into different racing sports to keep his passion alive. However, there are still rumours that he might make a comeback to Red Bull’s big team, by replacing Sergio Perez!

September 23, 2024

Formula 1

McLaren Chooses Norris As Their Main Driver For 2024!

by Daniel September 12, 2024

written by Daniel

Within Formula One teams, you always have 2 drivers, one being the favourite driver and getting the priority over the other. For example, within RedBull, Max Verstappen will get priority over Sergio Perez when it comes down to closely winning a race. Teams don’t want their drivers to have to “battle” each other risking both cars to get damaged. However, McLaren has a different idea. They have said from the moment that Oscar Piastri joined them, that both drivers could go for the championship and that they could take the battle against each other seriously.

McLaren Helps Lando Norris Win The Driver Championship

In the week before the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, McLaren announced that they were now prioritizing Lando Norris to win his first world title. There are multiple reasons why they chose Lando over Oscar Piastri. One of the biggest reasons is the driver standings, Lando Norris is only 68 points away from Max Verstappen, while Oscar Piasrti is still over 100 points away from him. Another reason is that Lando Norris has been out-qualifying his teammate by a small margin and has taken multiple pole positions.

The team discussed this with both drivers who, according to the McLaren team, knew what they had to do. The first race this new strategy would be used was going to be the Italian Grand Prix in Monza

Oscar Piastri Doesn’t Agree

However, if you have watched the Monza race or its highlights, you will know that Oscar Piastri took the lead from Lando Norris in the first corner. This messed up Lando’s racing speed which dropped him back to 4th place. Oscar drove off to lead the race.

Charles Leclerc was able to win the race because of a questionable strategy from McLaren. Oscar Piastri was second with Lando Norris coming in third. This wasn’t the race that McLaren was hoping for! Monza is one of the easiest tracks to stay in the lead and they had a front-row start for both their cars!

September 12, 2024

Formula 1

Mercedes’ Excitement For The 2026 Season Makes Lewis Doubt his Decision!

by Daniel September 10, 2024

written by Daniel

Even though the 2024 season is still ongoing and the 2025 season still has to start, multiple teams are already making statements about their newest cars. Especially Mercedes is happy about their current developments for the 2026 season!

In 2026 the regulations about the Formula One cars will change drastically. These changes happen every couple of seasons and have a big impact on the cars. Each year the teams improve the design of the previous cars to get them as close to perfection as possible. But whenever these changes get introduced, teams have to start from scratch. The interpretation of the rules will be the determining factor in the development of the cars. Understanding these and creating something that is as close to the edge of the rules as possible is the key to success! However, these new designs will be the first iterations of the cars. This means that teams will have to figure out if their interpretation will also benefit them in real life!

Why are they so excited for the next season?

In preparation for the 2026 season, Mercedes has started working on the engine. These engines are supplied to multiple teams, who then design their cars around the engine in a unique way. The team has been sharing some vague information about their progress in developing the engine, saying that they are way ahead of expectations.

In one of the interviews, it was said that the vibe on the work floor feels like it did back in 2014! This was the year when the turbo hybrid engines were introduced and Mercedes developed one of the most dominant F1 cars of all time!

Having the same feeling in the workplace would be a good indication of the confidence of the team. This could be big for Mercedes F1 and possibly mean great success when the new regulations get introduced in 2026!

Did Lewis Hamilton Make a Mistake When Leaving Mercedes?

If the feelings represent the quality of the engine Mercedes is building, it could mean a second win streak for Mercedes drivers. The last time this happened was in 2014 and Lewis Hamilton won multiple world champion titles because of it. However, earlier this year Lewis announced that from 2025 onwards, he would be racing for Ferrari F1. Ferrari is currently in a good position, but the new regulations might throw a curveball at them!

It would be possible that Mercedes will become the next dominant team again. This means that Lewis Hamilton’s chances of winning his 8th world championship might be completely over. However, this is still speculation since no one has made the actual car. The regulations for the 2026 season can still change which could have an effect on the cars.

September 10, 2024

Newer Posts

Older Posts