Tag: F1

Walking away from a big team

Posted on by James Mackenzie
Daniel Ricciardo driving a Renault in 2019.
Image credit: XPB/James Moy Photography

In honour of Daniel Ricciardo‘s first points for Renault, this is a piece on the history of established, successful drivers leaving established, successful teams and how it worked out for them.

I’m only discussing drivers who left of their own accord – or at least as best we can tell without knowing all the ins and outs – so moves such as Damon Hill’s from Williams to Arrows in 1997 as world champion won’t be included. The 50s had a far more fluid driver-team dynamic; for example, Juan Manuel Fangio regularly changing teams depending on which he thought had the best car at that time. So let’s begin in the 60s.

Results are mixed.

Jack Brabham | 1962 | Cooper > Brabham

Jack Brabham won back-to-back championships with Cooper in 1959 and 1960 but during the second of those seasons was already becoming convinced that he could produce a better car himself, particularly once having helped design the T63 that took him to the championship. After a poor showing from Cooper in 1961, Brabham left to start the team this bore his name.

The first few years were not successful. His team suffered poor reliability, not helped by Brabham’s reluctance to spend money, and in 1965 he was beginning to consider retirement. He handed his car over to several other drivers and the lead-driver role to Dan Gurney. During that season, Gurney took the team’s first win but then announced he was leaving to start a team of his own and so Brabham decided to continue.

It was a good decision. Largely thanks to an inspired decision regarding the new engine regulations, 1966 saw Brabham win his third world championship. And in doing so, became the only man to win the world championship in a car that carried his own name. A record that still stands and likely will for a long time.

Success? Definitely.

Emerson Fittipaldi | 1976 | McLaren > Copersucar

Titles in 1972 with Lotus and 1974 with McLaren saw Emerson Fittipaldi become the youngest double world champion in the history of the sport. A record that lasted more than two decades until Michael Schumacher‘s second title in 1995. Fittipaldi finished the 1975 season as runner-up to the Ferrari of Niki Lauda before shocking the F1 world by announcing he was leaving McLaren for Copersucar – a team funded by a Brazilian sugar marketing company and run by his brother, Wilson.

13th place on his debut set the tone for the venture, however. The Brazilian never won again and managed only two podiums in the remainder of his career, staying at the team until retiring at the end of 1980. He moved into management of the team but it folded in 1982.

Meanwhile, James Hunt won the 1976 world title in the seat Fittipaldi had vacated…

Success? Definitely not.

Niki Lauda | 1978 | Ferrari > Brabham

Niki Lauda’s relationship with Ferrari never really recovered from his decision to withdraw from the crucial Japanese Grand Prix of 1976. Having recently returned from his horrific crash at the Nürburgring and in appalling weather conditions, Lauda said “my life is worth more than a title”.

The following year, despite Lauda comfortably winning the championship, tensions continued to grow. The title was won due to consistency rather than outright pace and Lauda disliked his new teammate, Carlos Reutemann. He said he felt let down by Ferrari for them putting extra pressure on him and announced his decision to quit.

He moved to a Brabham team that had struggled for most of the 1970s and sadly for the Austrian not much was to change during his two years there, with unreliability a major issue. That was except for one race and one infamous car – the Brabham BT46B. A radical design that became known as the ‘Fan Car’. It won its first and only race but was never used again; other teams vigorously protested its legality and team owner Bernie Ecclestone did not want any legal complications whilst he worked on his acquisition of the sport’s commercial rights.

At the end of 1979, Lauda retired, stating he had “no more desire to drive around in circles”. He would return in 1982 with McLaren, however, and win the world championship in 1984.

Success? Not at Brabham but the decision was understandable and he got his third title in the end.

James Hunt | 1979 | McLaren > Wolf

Things went steadily downhill for James Hunt at McLaren after winning the 1976 World Championship. His title defence derailed early in the season due to problems with the new car and, whilst that season ended reasonably well, 1978 was a disaster. Lotus had developed very effective ‘ground effect’ aerodynamics and McLaren were slow to respond. The car was eventually revised midway through the season but it did not work. This, along with the death of his close friend Ronnie Peterson, crushed Hunt’s motivation.

Despite a poor 1978, Hunt was still very much in demand. He turned down an offer from Ferrari, due to their complicated political environment, electing instead to move to Walter Wolf Racing. A team which had won its very first race and powered Jody Scheckter to second in the world championship in its first season. However, the team’s ground effect car was uncompetitive and unreliable.

Hunt retired from six of the first seven races and, after the Monaco Grand Prix, announced his immediate retirement from the sport. He could only watch on as Scheckter won the championship in the Ferrari seat he had turned down.

Comebacks almost transpired. First as a replacement for the injured Alain Prost in 1980 but Hunt broke his leg whilst skiing. Then in 1982 he was offered a drive at Brabham by Bernie Ecclestone but turned it down. And even in 1990, at least somewhat due to financial troubles, Hunt considered a comeback with Williams – testing a modern car but running several seconds off the pace.

Success? No. But leaving McLaren was less the issue than turning down Ferrari.

Nelson Piquet | 1988 | Williams > Lotus

Despite winning the title in 1987 at Williams, Nelson Piquet became obsessed with his feeling that he was not being given the undisputed number one driver status he claims was promised to him by the team. Even going as far as saying they actually favoured Nigel Mansell. And so he left for Lotus, having been promised the status he craved there.

Honda, who paid most of his salary, were unhappy with Williams and moved their engines along with the Brazilian. McLaren, also with Honda power, then dominated the next two seasons. Lotus were stagnating and Piquet himself also wasn’t performing. It could be that he was never the same driver after a bad concussion suffered in a crash the previous year, but he significantly harmed his reputation and resorted to attacking his rivals via petty comments in the media.

He later moved to Benetton and won three races in two seasons but never again challenged for the championship.

Success? No and dragged his former team down with him too.

Michael Schumacher | 1996 | Benetton > Ferrari

You could argue that moving to Ferrari is never going to be that much of a risk, certainly compared to some others on this list. But Michael Schumacher left Benetton as the constructors’ champions, having won back-to-back titles himself with them, for a Ferrari team that hadn’t won a drivers’ title since 1979 and had only won two races in the past five seasons.

But Schumacher had grown tired of the way Benetton was run and wanted both an increased salary and a new project.

He got both and we all know how the next decade with the Scuderia played out. After a few years of near misses (or distinctly not missing Jacques Villeneuve’s Williams and subsequently being disqualified from the 1997 season), Schumacher dominated the early 2000s, winning every title available between 2000 and 2004.

Fernando Alonso then arrived and dethroned him with the seven-time champion retiring at the end of 2006. A brief return to the sport with Mercedes in 2010 produced just one podium but Schumacher will always be remembered as the dominant force in Ferrari red.

Success? The success story.

Jacques Villeneuve | 1999 | Williams > BAR

After winning both championships in 1997, Williams had a strange title defence, both in terms of livery – in red for the first time – and performance, without a single win. They had been hampered by the underpowered Mecachrome engine and Villeneuve decided to join the newly formed BAR team for 1999. That decision was also certainly swayed by his friend and personal manager, Craig Pollock, who partly owned the team.

They had lofty ambitions and made boastful claims of winning the championship in their debut year. Claims that ultimately became embarrassing when they failed even to score a point, Villeneuve setting an unwanted record of failing to finish the first 11 races of the season.

During the four seasons that followed, BAR improved somewhat but never enough to take a win. Pollock was sacked in 2002 and, after being outpaced by a young Jenson Button in 2003, Villeneuve left the team. Without a drive, he was forced into a sabbatical before returning for three races with Renault at the end of the year but was off the pace.

He eventually retired from F1 during the 2006 season, whilst racing for BMW Sauber, having effectively been replaced by Robert Kubica after refusing to be part of a potential ‘shoot-out’ with the Pole.

Success? Not at all. A career that nose-dived.

Lewis Hamilton | 2013 | McLaren > Mercedes

When Lewis Hamilton announced he was moving from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 season, there were not many that thought it was a wise decision. McLaren were serial winners and, whilst the last few seasons had seen them second or third best, with Red Bull dominant, Mercedes had generally been also-rans since returning to the sport in 2010. But Niki Lauda had convinced Hamilton that it was a wise decision. And boy, was he right.

There was a solid first season with a victory and fourth place in the championship. But then in 2014, having spent years preparing for the new regulations and hybrid engines, Mercedes produced a car that was in a different league to the rest and Hamilton himself found a new level of excellence.

How certain he, or Lauda, were of the Silver Arrows’ impending dominance is up for debate. But Hamilton’s place now amongst the greats is not. He has won four of the last five titles, narrowly losing out to teammate Nico Rosberg in 2016 after a season plagued with unreliability, and is closing in on Schumacher’s all-time records. Records that most thought would never be threatened.

Whether or not, he can pass those records, Hamilton undeniably made the correct career move. McLaren have not won a race since he left.

Success? If Schumacher is the success story then Hamilton is well on his way to replicating that story.

Fernando Alonso | 2015 | Ferrari > McLaren

Fernando Alonso could arguably be on this list on more than one occasion. At the end of 2007, he left McLaren, after the most dramatic and political of seasons, to return to Renault. Alonso won just two races in two seasons there, but his second spell with the French team had only ever been a stopgap on his journey to Ferrari.

He succeeded in joining the Scuderia in 2010 and came agonisingly close to titles in both his debut year and 2012. Poor strategy in the final race put paid to his hopes in 2010 and then, in 2012, Alonso drove arguably one of the best seasons in the history of the sport, regularly dragging an underperforming Ferrari to places it had no right to be but agonisingly lost out to Sebastian Vettel by three points, once again at the final race.

The Spaniard became disillusioned, doubting he would ever be provided with a truly title-winning machine, and made a decision that stunned the sport – to return to McLaren.

In 2008, Alonso ever rejoining McLaren would have seemed unthinkable. Indeed, it still did to most in 2014. But McLaren had linked up with Honda on their return to the sport and Alonso dreamed of emulating his hero, Ayrton Senna, and winning in a McLaren Honda.

Sadly, it was not to be. Honda struggled to catch up with the other engine manufacturers, stifled by massively complex technology and McLaren’s strict regime, and Alonso spent the remainder of his career once again dragging the car to places it had no right to be. But now that was the top ten, rather than the top of the podium.

Success? Alonso’s career decisions have almost become a running joke within the sport. The guy just couldn’t pick the right path. A story of what could have been.

Daniel Ricciardo | 2019 | Red Bull > Renault

Daniel Ricciardo worked his way through the Red Bull junior system, progressing to Toro Rosso in 2012 and then being promoted to the big boy seat in 2014, promptly putting the reigning four-time world champion, Vettel, in his place. Ricciardo beat him fair and square and, when Vettel left the team at the end of the season, he became the team leader.

He then spent the last four seasons picking up plucky wins against the odds and pulling off audacious overtakes from way too far back, or “licking the stamp and sending it” as he’d put it. But the ever-likeable Aussie came to feel that Red Bull were beginning to favour their new golden boy, Max Verstappen, and decided to throw the dice with a move to Renault.

Only time will tell how he will compare to the others on this list. It could be an inspired move like Hamilton or a failed experiment like Villeneuve. Renault certainly have the aim of breaking into the current top 3 in years to come and there are new regulations coming in 2021 that could change the playing field completely.

We will just have to wait and see which part of that field Renault end up in.

Success? TBC.

2019 Chinese (1000th) GP report | Hamilton wins with ease

Posted on by James Mackenzie
Mercedes domination and Ferrari politics. Not much has changed in 1000 races.
Lewis Hamilton wins F1's 1000th grand prix.
Image credit: Daimler AG

Lewis Hamilton recovered from a tricky start to the weekend at the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix and ultimately took a comfortable win on what was Formula 1’s 1000th grand prix.

Coming into the weekend, most were expecting Ferrari to be on top. It was somewhat in the balance, with the top two teams having had superiority at one race each this year, but the track layout appeared to favour Ferrari. Particularly considering their straight line speed and the Shanghai International Circuit’s 1.2 km back straight. But it was the Mercedes team who seemed to have the edge throughout the weekend.

The Ferraris had two main problems. Firstly, they don’t seem to be able to release their full engine power consistently on a Sunday. Surely if that’s the case on a grey day in April, they are going to struggle at most races. And secondly, they were losing so much to Mercedes on the long, right-hand corner before the straight, that it didn’t matter anyway. There could be fundamental issues with this car.

Between the two drivers of the Silver Arrows, Valtteri Bottas had held a reasonably comfortable margin of around half a second over his world champion teammate through all the practice sessions. But then Lewis Hamilton did what Lewis Hamilton does. He pulled a bunch of speed from nowhere in qualifying to get within a few hundredths of the Finn’s pole time, then nailed the start and never looked back, sailing off into the distance to claim the honour of winning F1’s 1000th race. The Ferraris meanwhile were struggling – not only with speed but also decision-making…

Ferrari Team Orders: Round 3

That’s three team orders given out in the first three races…and not much to show for them. Charles Leclerc has remained magnanimous and toed the company line thus far, but has certainly given the impression that he has a backbone and won’t stand for this in the long run. In Australia, he dutifully stayed behind Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages despite clearly being faster. In Bahrain, he was asked to stay behind for two laps (for a reason I’m unsure of) but the pass presented itself too easily and he was gone. And now in China, he has been asked to move aside, before being sacrificed in an attempt to slow up Bottas.

At the time, the first part of that was pretty understandable – Vettel had been the quicker driver through the weekend and did appear to be stuck behind his teammate. But once freed, he didn’t get away…the Mercedes did. But the second part harked back to the days of Kimi Räikkönen being left on an incomprehensible strategy, purely to cost a Mercedes maybe a couple of tenths. Ferrari waited too long to order Vettel past and his tyres were already damaged from Leclerc’s dirty air, but it doesn’t look like they were ever going to challenge Mercedes this weekend. All they did was cost themselves a 4th place finish.

It could be argued that without these team orders Leclerc would be significantly closer to Hamilton in the title race than Vettel is even with their favouring of him. Either way, these team orders will only matter if Ferrari solve their car issues. And fast.

A Flying McLaren and a Flying Thai

McLaren came back down to earth with a bang here (quite literally in the case of Lando Norris) after their excellent result in Bahrain. They had said that they expected to struggle in Shanghai and so it proved to be with the drivers only managing to qualify 14th and 15th. And then came the torpedo. In fairness, Daniil Kvyat can count himself quite unlucky to receive that penalty. Whilst a little clumsy from the Russian, it looked the type of crash that would normally be filed under ‘first lap racing incident’. Norris was rejoining the track at a pretty sharp angle and left the other McLaren of Carlos Sainz nowhere to go. Add in a bit of understeer from Kvyat and you have an airborne teenager and three damaged cars. Norris did at least utilise the opportunity to continue his reign as F1’s Resident Memelord.

Meanwhile, his former GP2 rival, Alexander Albon, was not long out of the pit lane and possibly wondering if he was set for a tough race fighting his way into the midfield. You could wonder how a rookie would cope mentally with a big crash in Practice 3 that left him out of qualifying and starting from the pit lane. The answer, in this case, was ‘commendably’. The young Thai driver moved slowly but surely through the field and somehow found himself in the points, then impressively holding off Romain Grosjean’s Haas in the final few laps despite being on far older tyres. These are the kind of performances that could have him entering the frame for a future Red Bull drive. And one that could be not too far away considering Pierre Gasly’s current struggles…

An Underwhelming 1000th Grand Prix

The Grand Prix was fairly uneventful beyond the first few laps, but it was the event itself that particularly disappointed. It had been built up for a long time, with a countdown extending back to last season, but in the end it was something of a damp squib.

It’s a shame number 1000 ended up falling in China. The complexities of getting old champions and cars to Shanghai proved too much, so we were left with just Damon Hill driving his father’s Lotus 49B. It also doesn’t help that the country itself has little to no motorsport heritage. Just look at all the empty stands. The promoters claim it was sold out but that’s only due to them closing huge expanses of grandstand. This should have been a massive event. Race 1000 – that’s the milestone. But for all the build up, in reality it amounted to not much more than a few special helmets, some stickers on the cars and the champagne bottles being painted red.

Still, at least people on Reddit made some cool stuff.

The 1000th Grand Prix in 60 Seconds

Answering the Burning Questions

Will Charles Leclerc pick up where he left off after his stunning performance in Bahrain? Not quite. But it’s complicated…

With one dominant race each (in terms of pace anyway), who will come out on top between Mercedes and Ferrari this time? Mercedes, pretty comprehensively.

Can Pierre Gasly get his Red Bull closer to its probably rightful place in the top 6? Well, he did get into the top 6… And claimed the fastest lap. But realistically was still a long way shy of Max Verstappen’s pace.

What happened to Bottas 2.0? Will he reappear here? Inconclusive. Was it Lewis lacking early in the weekend or Bottas 2.0? Either way, we know who ended up with the win.

Who will have the best special one-off helmet design for the 1000th GP? For me, the retro simplicity of Daniel Ricciardo’s Brabham-inspired lid takes it.

2019 Chinese (1000th) GP preview

Posted on by James Mackenzie

Round Three sees Shanghai host Formula 1’s 1000th Grand Prix, hopefully with a race fitting of the occasion.

The Burning Questions

Will Charles Leclerc pick up where he left off after his stunning performance in Bahrain?

With one dominant race each (in terms of pace anyway), who will come out on top between Mercedes and Ferrari this time?

Can Pierre Gasly get his Red Bull closer to its probably rightful place in the top 6?

What happened to Bottas 2.0? Will he reappear here?

Who will have the best special one-off helmet design for the 1000th GP?

The Track

The Stats

Track Length: 5.451 km

Laps: 56

Race Distance: 305.066 km

First Grand Prix: 2004

Race Lap Record: Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 2004 | 1:32.238

Outright Lap Record: Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 2018 | 1:31.095

Most Driver Wins: Lewis Hamilton | 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017

Most Constructor Wins: Mercedes | 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

The Photos

The Predictions

Podium

Pole Position

Fastest Lap

Driver of the Day

2019 Bahrain GP report | A maiden victory snatched away

Posted on by James Mackenzie
Oh, Charles.
Charles Leclerc at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Image credit: Ferrari/Colombo

Formula 1 can be such a cruel sport…and we saw it at its most callous on Sunday, as Charles Leclerc was denied a maiden victory at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton picking up the spoils.

Leclerc had driven near enough flawlessly all weekend, barring maybe half of the first lap, and he looked to be heading towards his first victory in the sport, in only his second race for Ferrari. But then came a radio message. “There is something strange with the engine.” And so unravelled a fairy tale.

It wasn’t to be for Leclerc as his engine, down on power due to an injector failure, left him a sitting duck on the straights. Lewis Hamilton almost-apologetically passed him to take the chequered flag, as did Valtteri Bottas, before Leclerc was at least saved a place on the podium thanks to a late safety car caused by a bizarre, synchronised double-Renault-failure. The dignity and grace with which he took such a crushing blow was as impressive as his speed – an incredibly mature head on such young shoulders.

But the story of the day was clear: Leclerc is now undeniably a championship contender. As Sebastian Vettel’s chances slipped away with a spin reminiscent of his struggles last season, the young Monegasque kept his cool and sailed off into the distance. Ferrari have clearly fixed their issues from the first race and, whilst Bahrain has always been a strong track for them, this bodes well for a competitive season. The red cars had straight line speed that their competitors struggled to comprehend and, assuming there is nothing sneaky going on that will subsequently be banned, that is hard to fight against. I expect superiority to swing between Ferrari and Mercedes throughout the year, dependent on tracks and updates, but we now have enough evidence to believe that this shouldn’t be the year of Mercedes-dominance the opener hinted at. And that it could well be Leclerc taking the fight to them rather than his multiple world champion teammate…

The Heir to Hamilton’s Throne?

It is very early days, of course, but the start to Lando Norris’s F1 career has been very impressive. When I say ‘the heir to Hamilton’s throne’, I do not necessarily mean I expect him to be a future five-time world champion obviously – that’s just setting the kid up for a massive fall – but more that British fans will want a new home-grown star to cheer for in a few years, whenever the current superstar decides to hang up his racing boots.

That’s not to say that they shouldn’t be cheering for him already. Norris comes across as a very down-to-earth lad – I mean, he’s normally competing online with Joe Public on iRacing hours before a race – with a good sense of humour. Oh, and he’s pretty damn quick too. There have been many junior careers that have promised much but failed to deliver once at the very top table. Norris has won most series he has entered at the first attempt and, having been given his chance early, has taken very little time to appear settled in F1. Any left wondering about his racecraft or wheel-to-wheel credentials, after he spent a few laps stuck behind Antonio Giovinazzi in Melbourne, had their questions answered this race with both some great overtakes and defensive driving, keeping a former world champion (who is more than double his age) behind him to claim an excellent 6th place.

It should be noted of course that he was not the only young Brit to join the grid this year. George Russell even beat Norris to the F2 title last year. Unfortunately, he is currently hampered with an uncompetitive Williams and a teammate who, should he continue to stay in front of, will most likely be sadly written-off as too injured to to be considered a yardstick. But both he and Thai-British rookie Alexander Albon have been impressing so far. Time will tell who of last year’s F2 top three is really the biggest talent but, in the meantime, we can feel safe that the future of British motorsport looks rosy.

Is Dr. Marko Oiling Up the Guillotine?

Pierre Gasly has to find some speed, simply put, and pretty sharpish too. Max Verstappen on the other side of your garage would be intimidating for most on the grid, but currently he is making Gasly look decidedly average. We know about Red Bull’s – or rather Helmut Marko’s – history of impatience with underperforming drivers and there were the first few comments starting to appear over the weekend about it being unacceptable that they were fighting in the midfield.

Max Verstappen at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Image credit: Getty Images

All that said, it appears Red Bull are still to fully understand the intricacies of their new car and it appears as if it may be a bit of a diva. So one would hope the Frenchman is given some time to find his feet. Another reassuring factor for him will be that there is not an obvious replacement – surely Daniil Kvyat’s rollercoaster of a career with the Red Bull programme wouldn’t see them rushing to put him back into the senior team and it is certainly too early for Albon at the moment.

I’d advise Gasly not to start watching the new series of Game of Thrones though…just in case…

The Bahrain Grand Prix in 60 Seconds

Answering the Burning Questions

Was Australia a blip for Ferrari or is there a more fundamental problem with this year’s car?Would appear pretty safe to say it was a blip.

Is Bottas really rejuvenated and now a force to be reckoned with? Jury’s out. Normal Hamilton dominance was resumed this race but apparently Bottas had a plastic bag stuck in/on the car for a portion of the race which hampered performance.

Will the new regulations provide better racing at a track with a better potential for wheel-to-wheel racing? That was certainly a great race and with a good amount of on-track battling. Looks promising.

Can Leclerc push on from a mixed first weekend for the Scuderia and properly take the challenge to Vettel? Yes. And then some.

Will the Ricciardo-Hamilton/Avocado&Ham bromance continue? Saw no evidence of any further bromancing.

2019 Bahrain GP preview

Posted on by James Mackenzie

On to Round Two…

The Burning Questions

Was Australia a blip for Ferrari or is there a more fundamental problem with this year’s car?

Is Bottas really rejuvenated and now a force to be reckoned with?

Will the new regulations provide better racing at a track with a better potential for wheel-to-wheel racing?

Can Leclerc push on from a mixed first weekend for the Scuderia and properly take the challenge to Vettel?

Will the Ricciardo-Hamilton/Avocado&Ham bromance continue?

The Track

The Stats

Track Length: 5.412 km

Laps: 57

Race Distance: 308.238 km

First Grand Prix: 2004

Race Lap Record: Pedro de la Rosa | McLaren | 2005 | 1:31.447

Outright Lap Record: Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 2018 | 1:27.958

Most Driver Wins: Sebastian Vettel | 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018

Most Constructor Wins: Ferrari | 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2018

The Photos

The Predictions

Podium

Pole Position

Fastest Lap

Driver of the Day

2019 Australian GP report

Posted on by James Mackenzie

Apologies for this being a bit late – there will be another post later which will explain why. But yes, the first race of the season – the 2019 Australian Grand Prix – is done and dusted…and produced probably as many questions as it did answers. So, let’s get into it.

Bottas Victorious

Well then.

All the very clever people who thought they had cunningly deciphered pre-season testing would appear to be wrong. Obviously I’m not included in that… *Hastily deletes predictions post.* Ferrari certainly didn’t have the fastest car in Melbourne. There are rumours of an issue with the Power Unit but whether it was that or just not getting the set-up right all weekend, the red cars were nowhere. They were a similar distance from Hamilton’s pole lap last year and then only won the race due to some luck with the safety car, before turning up in Bahrain with the quickest car. Most fans will be hoping that they can get to the bottom of the issues so we can have a close season-long battle battle like last year.

It has since transpired that Lewis Hamilton’s lack of pace was at least partially caused by damage to the floor of the car. But either way, it was the Finn who got the better start and then didn’t put a foot wrong and deservedly topped the final results. The newly-bearded Bottas signed off his win by saying over the radio, “To whom it may concern…f**k you.” He really does have a new steel this year, to go with his new beard, and hopefully he can keep that going through the season to take the fight to his teammate and shake off the ‘wingman’ and ‘Robottas’ tags.

Charles Leclerc had a bit of a shaky start to his Ferrari career, nearly colliding with the sister car at the first corner and then running wide whilst chasing Max Verstappen. But came good towards the end of the race and gave Ferrari their first headache, that he had been hoping to cause them, as he was asked to stay behind Vettel after having closed on him rapidly, showing that he may well cause him some problems this year.

Honda on the Podium

I came across this photo comparison on Reddit and it does quite nicely illustrate the transformation of Honda in the last two years. They were a laughing stock in their time with McLaren…but redemption is sweet. The paddock now accepts that, whilst the Japanese company understandably had to play catch-up having started their engine programme years after the other manufacturers, the McLaren philosophies hampered them considerably.

They have joined up with Red Bull, after a successful trial period with their little sister team, Toro Rosso, and instantly flourished, gaining a podium at the partnership’s first attempt. Verstappen made mince meat of Vettel down the straight and, potential Power Unit issues for the Ferrari or not, that would have seemed incomprehensible as Alonso was ranting about his GP2 engine not all that long ago.

I’m happy for them. And glad that we now have four competitive engines in the sport.

The Midfield Order is Anyone’s Guess

It looks as if Haas may just have the edge. But they conspired to throw away a strong finish at Melbourne through failing to put a wheel on properly yet again! Will those kind of issues cost them the privilege of claiming best of the rest, as they did last season? They were also quicker at Melbourne than most other tracks last year. The rest of the midfield was covered by a few tenths in qualifying and formed a nice train for much of the race too. Lando Norris was unfortunate to get stuck behind the long-running Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi, which cost him his shot at breaking the record for the youngest debut points-scorer. Kimi Räikkönen put in the experienced, solid performance you’d expect and Nico Hülkenberg did what he does and finished higher up than his car probably belonged (and not on the podium obviously). Renault have some work to do on this year’s car but it would appear to have potential. It was a real shame to hear the clearly-audible groan of the crowd as Daniel Ricciardo fell down a gutter and destroyed his front wing mere seconds into the Grand Prix. The Aussie home race curse might just be real.

The Hulkenberg train at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.
Image credit: Formula 1

Have the Regulation Changes Actually Made a Difference?

As Norris sat stuck behind a visibly-slower Alfa Romeo lap after lap, even with the new, more powerful DRS, you started to wonder if these new regulation changes, aimed at reducing ‘dirty air’ and making it easier to follow and thus pass the car ahead, had actually done anything. The midfield train, shown above, then added to those doubts. But I will withhold judgement for now as the traits of the Melbourne circuit have always made it one of the hardest to pass on. It is a street circuit with a layout that doesn’t lend itself to much overtaking and the many support races mean the F1 rubber that would normally be laid down over the course of the weekend is removed ahead of race day. Some of the drivers have made comments indicating an improvement so let’s see how things shape up after a few different circuits.

The Australian Grand Prix in 60 Seconds

Predictions that I’ll probably regret making

Posted on by James Mackenzie

As I said, I had planned to do this post on Thursday but delayed it after the news about Charlie Whiting. But with only two practice sessions gone (and Ferrari potentially keeping their true pace under wraps), I think making some F1 2019 predictions for the entire season is still probably fair game… No? Well, I’m doing it anyway.

World Drivers’ Championship Top 5

1st: Sebastian Vettel

I just have a gut feeling that Ferrari are finally going to pull it together this year and that Vettel’s experience in the end will be enough to see him to the title. The Ferrari has been behaving very nicely in pre-season and we know from his Red Bull years what he can do if he’s in a car he likes, leading from the front.

2nd: Lewis Hamilton

Whilst I believe Ferrari will have the better car this year, I also believe that Hamilton is the better driver and that he’ll push Vettel all the way. He won’t be in a hurry to give up the mantle of being the most successful active driver (at least in terms of championships) and he overcame the odds in, arguably, a slightly slower car last season. But it may end up too big a challenge to conquer this year.

3rd: Charles Leclerc

I can see Leclerc surprising people early on and matching Vettel’s pace; potentially leading the championship after a few races (à la Hamilton in ’07). But ultimately I think a bit of inconsistency will creep in and he’ll slip back as it gets to the sharp end of the season. We saw those rookie mistakes in the shape of a few spins last year – not that that couldn’t also be said of Vettel – and I think the unbridled passion of the tifosi weighs on even the strongest of shoulders. Leclerc has remained realistic about this season and finding his feet so, whilst he may not come out on top this year, I expect great things from the young Monegasque.

4th: Max Verstappen

As I have said previously, I think Red Bull will be there or thereabouts this season – snatching the odd win and getting on the podium a fair bit. They’re unlikely to be in a position to challenge for titles in the first year of their partnership with Honda, but I think Verstappen will continue to channel his speed into more consistent results and less crashes this year. And end the season with a repeat of last year’s respectable 4th place.

5th: Valtteri Bottas

It’s very much make or break this year for Bottas. ‘Valtteri, this is James’ became one of the most overused memes of last season and that is how the F1 world now sees him – as the ‘wingman’ he so didn’t want to be. Ironically, his disapproval of the term is what made a headline out of it and caused it to stick. But sadly, excellent new facial hair or not, you just can’t see him posing much more of a challenge to Hamilton this year. It can’t be easy going up against an all-time great but after three years in his shadow, and with the highly-rated Mercedes protégé Esteban Ocon waiting in the wings, will it be the Finn’s final year in a Silver Arrow? I think so.

World Constructors’ Championship Top 5

1st: Scuderia Ferrari

As stated above, I think the Scuderia will finally get it right this season and come out with their first Constructors’ Championship in over a decade. After a lot of pain and a fair few near misses during that decade, it would be a poetic result and a fitting tribute to their former chairman, Sergio Marchione, who died last year.

2nd: Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport

Mercedes equalled Ferrari’s record of five consecutive double World Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles last year and they would love to make that record their own. But it appears that the team they are trying to prise that record from have produced the best car and the toughest challenge that the German team have faced since they began their domination of the sport in 2014. They’ll push them all the way but maybe six in a row will be just too big of an ask.

3rd: Aston Martin Red Bull Racing

Come 2021, with a couple more years’ experience and integration for Honda and new regulations for Adrian Newey to get his teeth into, I think Red Bull could well end up the team to beat again if they play their cards right. But for now I don’t see them challenging the top two on a regular basis and probably having a few more retirements than them as well. Obviously no one looks close to challenging them for third though.

4th: Renault F1 Team

The midfield pack is already widely-accepted as very, very tight this year. But if I have to pick someone to finish best of the rest then I’m going for Renault. They probably have the best driver line-up of the group and clear long-term aims of making the top three into a top four, towards which they have been making steady progress in the last couple of years. And being a works team never hurts.

5th: Alfa Romeo Racing

I struggled to decide between Alfa and Haas for fifth place. Both the effective Ferrari B-teams have shown some good form and put forward a good case for being in the top five. Haas produced what some believe to be the second-quickest fuel-corrected run in pre-season testing. But I fancy the Italian team to edge it over the whole season, based mostly on the impressive progress they made through 2018 with their new funding.

Best-Placed Rookie

Lando Norris

I may have gone with Antonio Giovinazzi but he doesn’t count as a rookie, having competed in two races at the start of 2017. So of the three true rookies – Britons, Lando Norris and George Russell, and British-born but racing under a Thai flag, Alexander Albon – my choice would be Norris. Sadly, it looks a lot like Russell’s Williams will be struggling with the 107% rule and, whilst their two teams look finely balanced, Albon has looked a little shaky in testing. Norris also beat him in F2 last year.

Most Exciting Race of the Year

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Aside from the bizarre aesthetics of Baku itself, as the cars flash between backdrops of castles, Renaissance architecture and new, futuristic towers, the last two races have been absolute corkers. 2017 had Vettel deliberately driving into Hamilton under the safety car and Bottas passing Stroll on the line for 2nd place. Then fast-forward 12 months and we had that Red Bull crash and Bottas this time picking up a puncture whilst leading with a few laps to go. The Azerbaijan GP just seems to have a knack for unpredictability and drama, so it’s where my bet for the race of the year goes.

Craziest Driver Move of Silly Season

Fernando Alonso to Red Bull

If this prediction comes true, then I will quite rightly gloat for the entirety of 2020. Let’s say that… Gasly gets trounced by Verstappen. Helmut Marko refuses to re-promote Kvyat to the big team and Albon hasn’t shone. The Red Bull junior programme has run a little dry. Alonso has won the Indy 500 at his second attempt and, with the Triple Crown under his belt, is now interested in F1 again. Christian Horner picks up the phone…

Will Nico Hülkenberg Finally Get a Podium?

NO

Charlie Whiting, 1952-2019

Posted on by James Mackenzie

I was halfway through writing a predictions post when I heard the news about Charlie. And he is absolutely worthy of his own post rather than any kind of footnote.

Charlie Whiting has been a name synonymous with the sport throughout my time following it. Growing up, I remember classing him, along with Professor Sid Watkins and of course Bernie Ecclestone, as the ‘important grey-haired men’.

He started in the sport over 40 years ago as an engineer at Hesketh Racing, before becoming chief mechanic for Nelson Piquet during his title-winnings years of 1981 and 1983 and then moving into various roles within the governing body – culminating in his most famous, long-term position as Race Director.

Jake Humphrey shared a touching story about his first day in the F1 paddock – Charlie had come over and introduced himself, whilst reassuring him that ‘this place is known as the piranha club…but it’s also a family’. Bernie was probably the godfather of that family, but Charlie was the dad.

You can hear that in the hundreds of radio messages every season, if not race, where the drivers will address him by his first name, whatever the situation.. In the few behind-the-scenes clips of driver briefings that we outsiders get to see, the respect that every driver had for him was plainly obvious.

For this to have happened on the very eve of a new season is particularly shocking and his absence will overshadow the weekend, along with leaving a giant hole in the sport in general. The show will go on, but it won’t be quite the same.

I’d like to think he can now join Professor Sid and Ayrton Senna on that fishing trip in the sky.

Rest In Peace, Charlie.

Charlie Whiting, RIP.
Image credit: AFP