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  • Hamilton prevails over Verstappen to win the Bahrain Grand Prix

    Hamilton prevails over Verstappen to win the Bahrain Grand Prix

    Sir Lewis Hamilton commenced the 2021 Formula One World Championship season in epic fashion by holding off a late challenge from Max Verstappen to win the 17th running of the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit.

    The reigning seven-time Formula One champion started on the front row alongside Red Bull Racing’s Verstappen, who won his fourth career pole position in F1 a day prior to the main event. Through the pit stops and the on-track battling, Hamilton and Verstappen took turns dominating the event over one another and the field. By Lap 40 of 56, though, Hamilton was out in front by more than eight seconds over Verstappen.

    On Lap 53, Verstappen, who was able to methodically decrease his deficit to Hamilton, drew himself alongside Hamilton’s Mercedes on the outside lane through Turn 3 and entering Turn 4. Though Verstappen was able to reassume the lead from Hamilton, he went wide and off the track during the process. In doing so, he had to relinquish the lead back to Hamilton to avoid a penalty.

    Despite keeping the pressure on Hamilton, the Dutchman was unable to gain another run to close back towards Hamilton, who had enough power to claim the checkered flag in first place by 0.745 seconds over Verstappen.

    The victory was Hamilton’s fifth at Bahrain and the 96th of his Formula One career as Hamilton begins his quest for a record-setting eighth F1 World championship. Hamilton also recorded his 75th victory with Mercedes and the 300th Grand Prix victory for a competitor from the United Kingdom. Prior to his victory at Bahrain, Hamilton established another record in the history books by surpassing Michael Schumacher’s record for the most laps led in F1 history with 5,126.

    “I’m so happy,” Hamilton said. “I really, really am absolutely over the moon just to see the response from the team, knowing how difficult today really was. It was so tough. For the first race, I was not expecting to be in that position, being able to keep up with [Verstappen] in the first stint. I was really grateful for that…We knew this weekend and through testing that we were gonna be on the back foot and there’s been a lot of worrying in the team, but we pulled it through…I knew [Verstappen] was catching me massively. I couldn’t do the laps he was doing and I guess in my mind, I was thinking, ‘OK, if I can just hold on to these tyres, make no mistakes, maybe just keep him at harm’s length out of my DRS, which wasn’t necessary in this case,’…it was so hard.”

    The runner-up result was one that left Verstappen with mixed emotions, disappointment in not winning the season-opening event but pleased and confident in challenging Hamilton and Mercedes for this year’s championship.

    “It is what it is,” Verstappen said. “I gave the position back and then, I tried again, but I didn’t have the tyres anymore. Of course, I had newer tyres, but as soon as you get within one and a half seconds, it also degrades very quickly and it’s super hard to follow with these cars, especially with how the wind was today. It was really not helping out of Turn 1, Turn 2 and all critical corners where you want to stay close. It was hurting even more. Of course, I’m disappointed about today, but last year, we would be super happy with a race like this. It also shows how much we have grown. It’s still a positive start to the season and it’s still a long season ahead. I see it as only seven points dropped, and we’ll try to do better next time.”

    Rounding out the podium in third place was Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, who trailed teammate and race winner Hamilton by more than 37 seconds to claim his 57th career podium result in F1 despite encountering a slow pit stop past the midway point of the event. Bottas also recorded the fastest lap of the event.

    McLaren’s Lando Norris finished in fourth place while Sergio “Checo” Perez, who started the race on pit lane after losing engine power during the formation lap, recovered to record a strong fifth-place result in his first start with Red Bull Racing. With his recovery and stellar drive back to the front, Perez was voted Driver of the Day.

    Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crossed the finish line in a decent sixth place followed by Daniel Ricciardo, who completed his first event with McLaren, and Carlos Sainz Jr., who completed his first event with Ferrari.

    Yuki Tsunoda, one of three newcomers in this year’s Formula One season, finished in ninth place driving for AlphaTauri while Lance Stroll completed the points-awarded results on the track in the top 10 by finishing 10th, thus recording a single point for the newly formed Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team.

    The first competitor to finish outside of the points in 11th place was Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen followed by teammate Antonio Giovinazzi, who finished a lap behind the leaders.

    Esteban Ocon settled in 13th place following an on-track incident with Sebastian Vettel on Lap 46, where Vettel, who had been overtaken by Ocon entering Turn 1, locked up his tires and ran into the rear of Ocon’s Alpine machine in Turn 1, sending both competitors around. Vettel finished in a disappointing 15th place in his first race with Aston Martin Racing and right behind Williams driver George Russell.

    Mick Schumacher, another newcomer in F1 this season driving for the Haas F1 Team, finished 16th after spinning early followed by Pierre Gasly, who damaged his front wing early in the race following contact with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and never recovered.

    Nicholas Latifi, the second Williams Racing competitor, settled in 18th place after retiring just shy of the finish due to a boosting system issue.

    In his return to F1 competition since retiring in 2018, Fernando Alonso, who had a decent run in the making with Alpine, retired in 19th place due to brake issues.

    Nikita Mazepin, the second Haas F1 competitor and the third F1 newcomer of this season, ended his race in 20th place and as the first retiree of the event after being involved in an opening lap wreck in Turn 3, where he slid sideways entering the turn while running at the rear of the field and made hard contact against the barriers, thus sustaining heavy damage to his Haas machine.

    Results:

    1. Lewis Hamilton, 27 laps led, 25 points

    2. Max Verstappen, 29 laps led, 18 points

    3. Valtteri Bottas, 16 points

    4. Lando Norris, 12 points

    5. Sergio Perez, 10 points

    6. Charles Leclerc, eight points

    7. Daniel Ricciardo, six points

    8. Carlos Sainz Jr., four points

    9. Yuki Tsunoda, two points

    10. Lance Stroll, one point

    11. Kimi Räikkönen

    12. Antonio Givinazzi, +1 lap

    13. Esteban Ocon, +1 lap

    14. George Russell, Williams Mercedes, +1 lap

    15. Sebastian Vettel, +1 lap

    16. Mick Schumacher, +1 lap

    17. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri Honda, DNF

    18. Nicholas Latifi, Williams Mercedes, DNF

    19. Fernando Alonso, Alpine Renault, DNF

    20. Nikita Mazepin, Haas Ferrari, DNF

    Following the first Grand Prix event of the 2021 season, Hamilton leads the drivers’ standings by seven points over Verstappen, nine over Bottas, 13 over Norris and 15 over Perez. In addition, Mercedes leads the constructors’ standings by 13 points over Red Bull Racing, 23 over McLaren and 29 over Ferrari.

    With the 2021 Formula One season underway, the next event on the schedule is Imola Circuit for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, April 18.

  • Russell to Mercedes, Aitken to Williams for 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix

    Russell to Mercedes, Aitken to Williams for 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix

    With the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season two races away from concluding, two championship-winning teams announced a shake-up to its driver lineup for the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit scheduled on Sunday, December 6.

    The first was the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, which announced that George Russell will be competing for this year’s seven-time Constructors’ championship-winning team at Bahrain, replacing this year’s seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, and be a teammate to Valtteri Bottas.

    The news comes a day after Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 and was ruled out of the penultimate event of the 2020 F1 season. It also comes following his win at the Bahrain International Circuit last weekend.

    For Russell, he currently competes in Formula One for Williams Racing. Following an arrangement between Williams and Mercedes, Russell, who was viewed as a potential candidate to replace Hamilton, was able to make the transition to Mercedes for this weekend’s event at Bahrain.

    Russell, a 22-year-old native from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England, is in his second season in F1 competition, having joined Williams in 2019 as an F1 newcomer and a future star. Through 36 career starts in F1, his best results are a pair of 11th- and 12th-place finishes and he has yet to record his first points in F1 racing.

    Russell also comes with an extensive background in racing, having started his career through karting. He then won the 2014 BRDC Formula 4 championship before competing in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship the following two seasons. In 2017, Russell won the 2017 GP3 Series championship with ART Grand Prix and remained with the team when he competed in the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship season, where he won the title.

    In early 2017, Russell was added to Mercedes’ junior driver programme. The following season, he was named a reserve competitor for the team before he made his F1 competition debut in 2019 with Williams.

    Russell is due to remain at Williams for the 2021 Formula One season along with Williams’ second competitor Nicholas Latifi.

    “Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to everybody at Williams for giving me this opportunity,” Russell said. “I might be wearing a different race suit this weekend, but I’m a Williams driver and I’ll be cheering my team on every step of the way. I see this as a great chance to learn from the best outfit on the grid right now and to come back as an improved driver, with even more energy and experience to help push Williams further up the grid. A big thank you also to Mercedes for putting their faith in me. Obviously, nobody can replace Lewis, but I’ll give my all for the team in his absence from the moment I step in the car. Most importantly, I wish him a speedy recovery. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity and can’t wait to get out on track this week.”

    “Our long-term partnership and George’s affiliation with Mercedes is no secret, and so I’m delighted George has this unique opportunity to join Mercedes, the current Constructors’ Champions,” Simon Roberts, Williams’ Acting Team Principal, added. “We have been working hard to ensure that an agreement could be made with Mercedes to allow him this fantastic opportunity. George very much remains a Williams driver and we look forward to him returning to us fresh from this experience and wish him a successful race this weekend.”

    With his absence, Hamilton will not compete in an F1 event since 2006, thus snapping his 265-race consecutive starting streak that spans back to the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.

    His absence also comes more than two weeks after Hamilton claimed his record-tying seventh world championship following his victory in the Turkish Grand Prix at Intercity Istanbul Park, tying him with Michael Schumacher for the most F1 titles in history. The 35-year-old native from Stevenage, England, has won 11 of 15 Grand Prix events this season, totaling his career wins in F1 to an all-time record 95. He has also achieved 10 poles this season, totaling his career poles in F1 to 98.

    With Russell temporarily joining Mercedes, the second driver announcement came from Williams Racing, which announced that Jack Aitken will be making his F1 debut with the team at Bahrain and compete alongside teammate Latifi.

    Aitken, a 25-year-old native from London, England, who holds dual British and Korean nationality, is a Formula 2 competitor for Campos Racing. This season, he has achieved two podium results and is in 14th place in the Drivers’ standings entering the series’ pair of final races of the 2020 season at the Bahrain International Circuit.

    Aitken comes into F1 competition with an extensive background in racing, having started his career through karting at age seven. He competed in the 2013 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC with Fortec Motorsports. Following a full-time Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 run with Fortec Motorsports in 2014, he remained in the series and joined forces with Koiranen GP in 2015, where he went on to win the championship. Throughout 2015, he also claimed the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps and the Pro Mazda Winterfest. He then competed in the GP3 Series with Arden International in 2016 before joining forces with ART Grand Prix the following season, where he finished in second place in the final standings behind the champion George Russell. Since 2018, Aitken competes in F2, where he has won a total of four races (2018-19).

    In addition to racing in Formula 2, Aitken is a reserve driver for Williams Racing. He is also a former reserve/test driver for the Renault F1 Team. He tested a Lotus at Circuito de Jerez in late 2017 and competed in Williams’ FP1 during the practice session of this year’s Styrian Grand Prix at Austria’s Red Bull Ring.

    “I’m absolutely over the moon to have the opportunity to make my debut with Williams this coming weekend and I am extremely happy for George to have his chance too,” said Aitken. “I really mean it when I say I’ve felt very much at home here since I joined Williams earlier this year, so to get my chance to help the team try to achieve that elusive points finish is an extremely satisfying occasion to say the least. I’ll be doing all I can to prepare in the coming days, but truthfully, I feel like I have been ready since Melbourne. I also want to wish Lewis well in his recovery, and good luck to George getting the chance to drive the Mercedes this weekend.”

    “We are also thrilled this means we are able to give another British talent in Jack Aitken the opportunity to make his Formula One race debut,” Roberts added. “Jack joined Williams at the start of this season, and despite COVID-19 restrictions meaning we haven’t been able to interact with him as much as we would like, he has quickly become a much-liked member of the team. We look forward to seeing him build on his previous experience driving the car in practice, to see what he can do in a qualifying and race situation.”

    Russell’s move to Mercedes and Aitken’s move to Williams are two of three new driver-team pairings for the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix, with Pietro Fittipaldi set to compete for Haas F1 Team at Bahrain and filling in for the injured Romain Grosjean, who continues to recover from injuries sustained following his accident in the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend.

    The Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit is set to occur on Sunday, December 6.

  • Pietro Fittipaldi to drive for Haas in 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix

    Pietro Fittipaldi to drive for Haas in 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix

    Haas F1 Team announced that Pietro Fittipaldi will be making his Formula 1 debut in the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday, December 6, while replacing the injured Romain Grosjean.

    Fittipaldi, the 24-year-old grandson of two-time Formula 1 world champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, serves as a test/reserve driver for Haas, a role he has held since 2018. The Miami-born Brazilian has attended the majority of F1 races this season.

    The news of Fittipaldi’s F1 debut comes a day following the Bahrain Grand Prix, where Grosjean was involved in a harrowing accident on the opening lap following contact with AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat and sliding into the barriers in Turn 3 at high speed that resulted with his Haas VF-20 being split into half and bursting into flames. Following his incident, Grosjean was able to escape the flaming carnage with minor burn injuries to his hands and ankles before being transported to the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital for further evaluation.

    While Grosjean continues to recover in the hospital with hand injuries, Guenther Steiner, Haas’ team principal, made the decision to have Fittipaldi replace Grosjean for the penultimate F1 event of the 2020 season, where he will compete alongside teammate Kevin Magnussen.

    “After it was decided that the best thing for Romain [Grosjean] was to skip at least one race, the choice to put Pietro [Fittipaldi] in the car was pretty easy,” Steiner stated. “Pietro will drive the VF-20 and he’s familiar with us having been around the team for the past two seasons as a test and reserve driver. It’s the right thing to do and it’s obviously a good opportunity for him. He’s been patient and was always prepared for this opportunity – and now it has come. That’s why we want him in the car and I’m sure he’ll do a good job. It’s very demanding being called in at the last minute, but as I said, I think it’s the right thing to do for Haas F1 Team.”

    Fittipaldi’s racing career started in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, where he won the 2011 track championship at Hickory Motor Speedway while driving for Lee Faulk Racing. He went on to win the 2014 Protyre Formula Renault Championship, the 2015-16 MRF Challenge and the 2017 World Series Formula V8 3.5 title while driving for Lotus. In 2018, he made six career starts in the IndyCar Series for Dale Coyne Racing.

    In November 2018, Fittipaldi was named a test driver for Haas F1 Team for the 2019 F1 season. During the 2018 and 2019 seasons, he has made seven test appearances for Haas. While he has tested Haas’ VF-18 and VF-19 in the past two seasons, he will compete in the VF-20 for the first time on Friday, December 4, during the practice session for the Sakhir Grand Prix.

    Fittipaldi’s F1 debut will mark his first form of motorsports competition since the 2019-20 F3 Asian Championship, where he competed with Pinnacle Motorsport. He is also set to become the fourth member of the Fittipaldi family to compete in Formula One racing, joining grandfather Emerson and his brother Wilson along with Wilson’s son Christian.

    “Most importantly, I’m happy Romain [Grosjean] is safe and healthy,” Fittipaldi stated. “We’re all very happy his injuries are relatively minor after such a huge incident. Obviously, it’s not an ideal set of circumstances to get my first opportunity to compete in Formula 1, but I’m extremely grateful to Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner for their faith in putting me behind the wheel this weekend. I’ve been with the team a lot this season, both trackside and working on simulator sessions, so I’m familiar with the team’s operating procedures on a grand prix weekend. It’s going to be exciting to make my first career start in Formula 1 – I’ll be giving it my all and I look forward to starting in free practice on Friday in Bahrain.”

    The 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit will feature two practice sessions on Friday, December 4, while a third practice session and qualifying will occur on Saturday, December 5. The main event will occur on Sunday, December 6.

  • Hamilton steals victory in Bahrain

    Hamilton steals victory in Bahrain

    Lewis Hamilton wasn’t the dominant driver, Sunday, and he probably wouldn’t have won without misfortune befalling Charles Leclerc. But as the old saying goes, “It doesn’t matter how you won. It just matters that you did.”

    Leclerc was well on his way to his first career Formula 1 victory, until the energy recovery system failed on his No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari SF90 with 11 laps to go. At that point, he was chum in the water.

    Hamilton ran down and passed him going into Turn 14, with 10 to go, and cruised to his 75th career victory.

    “We were definitely lucky today, but you have to take it as it comes,” Hamilton said. “Ultimately, I still gave it everything in the race, and I pushed as hard as I could.”

    Valtteri Bottas finished runner-up.

    Like Hamilton, he didn’t dance around the luck aspect of their finish, especially when he noted that the balance of his car was “beat everywhere.”

    “We did no mistake, as a team, and the car was very reliable,” Bottas said. “And that’s the win today. So all the hard work at the factories is paying off, like this.”

    A timely safety car saved a podium finish for Leclerc, who was quickly losing time to fourth-place Max Verstappen.

    “I’m extremely disappointed, like the whole team, but it happens in the seasons,” he said. “I think we made the best out of it.”

    In the moment, he found it difficult to look on the bright side.

    “…as I said a lot in the past, I’m never really looking at the result, and I’m more looking at the (indiscernible) of what to do better. Today, third was not our place, but yeah, very happy anyway.”

    Sebastian Vettel, after a spin just past halfway and losing his front wing, rallied to a fifth-place finish.

    Lando Norris, Kimi Raikkonen, Pierre Gasley, Alexander Albon and Sergio Perez rounded out the Top-10.

    Race summary

    Vettel took the lead from Leclerc going into Turn 1, on the first lap. On the fifth lap, Leclerc used a run down the pit straight to overtake Vettel going into Turn 1.

    After ceding the lead for one lap, Leclerc cycled back to the front on Lap 16.

    Hamilton pitted from second on Lap 36. Vettel followed suit on Lap 37. Leclerc and Bottas pitted the next two laps.

    For two laps, Hamilton and Vettel battled for third, in Turns 5, 6 and 7. On Lap 38, Hamilton used DRS (drag reduction system) and a massive head wind to overtake Vettel, going into Turn 4.

    “I just gave it everything and braked later than usual and dived down on the outside,” Hamilton said.

    On exit, Vettel got loose and spun out. He recovered and drove on. A few moments later, however, Vettel’s front wing fell off and he was forced to pit (rejoined the race in eighth).

    This set up the aforementioned finish, in which Leclerc’s power unit had a component failure and Hamilton passed him to win.

    “It happens. It’s part of motorsports,” Leclerc said. “Unfortunately, today was not our day, but I’m confident that our team has done an amazing job to recover the lack of pace in Australia.”

    “I’m sure it was a devastating result for (Leclerc), obviously, because had done the job to win the race,” Hamilton said.

    What else happened

    Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo both suffered power failures in Turn 1, with four laps to go. This necessitated a safety car period, and the race ended behind the safety car (the eighth time in Formula 1 history).

    Nuts and bolts

    The race lasted one hour, 34 minutes and 21 seconds, at an average speed of 122.047 mph.

    There was one safety car period for four laps and four lead changes among three different drivers.

    Bottas leaves Bahrain with a one-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers championship.

    Mercedes leaves with a 39-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors championship.

    The next race is in China on April 14.

  • Vettel wins chaotic race in Bahrain

    Vettel wins chaotic race in Bahrain

    Sebastian Vettel outdrove Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps to score the victory in the desert kingdom of Bahrain.

    Hamilton pitted from the lead on lap 42, ate a five-second time penalty and exited pit lane behind Vettel. He closed the gap in the closing laps, but a local yellow on lap 52 — stemming from Marcus Ericsson’s car coming to a halt off the track near Turn 4 — sealed the deal for Vettel to win his 44th career Formula 1 race.

    “Yeah, really a great day. I don’t know what to day (sic),” Vettel said on the podium after the race. “The last half of the in-lap when all the fireworks were there and track was lit up, it was. I just love what I do. I didn’t find any words. It was a really great team effort today.”

    Hamilton finished second, earning his 107th career podium finish.

    “Obviously a very difficult race, it didn’t start out the best, but the pit lane was my fault, so apologies to the team for losing the time there,” Hamilton said. “I tried my hardest to catch up but it was a long old way to go, it was 19 seconds. But I gave it everything I could but Ferrari did a great job today. So we’re going to push hard together, re-gather as a team and come back fighting.”

    Pole sitter Valtteri Bottas rounded out the podium.

    “Yeah, it was really a tricky race for me; struggling with the pace all through the race,” Bottas said. “I think in the first stint we found a bit of an issue with the tyre pressures and that explained the rear end struggle. But ever since that I was just rear limited and I was out of the tools on the steering wheel, so it was just oversteering all through the race, which is why the pace was slow, which is a real shame because for sure the target for today was a lot, lot higher.”

    Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo round out the top-five.

    Bottas led the field off the start and held the lead exiting Turn 1. But Vettel, starting third, powered past Hamilton to take second and challenge for the lead. The top-five kept kept within sight of the leader, rather than the leader pull away as is typical in a F1 race.

    Vettel pitted from second on lap 11. Moments later, Max Verstappen suffered brake failure and his car slid into the outside wall in Turn 1.

    “I hit the brake pedal. Suddenly, I lost all the rear brake pressure,” Verstappen said. “So I only had the front’s left and you can’t stop the car.”

    On lap 12, Carlos Sainz, who was exiting pit road, made hard contact with Lance Stroll in Turn 1. Stroll’s car stalled past the exit of Turn 1 and brought out the safety car.

    While that was happening, Bottas and Hamilton pitted on lap 12. Hamilton was held up because the Mercedes crew wasn’t ready for him to pit yet. Adding to that, he was handed a five-second penalty for “driving too slow on pit entry” (for impeding Riccardio).

    Vettel cycled to the lead under the safety car period and held off Bottas on the ensuing lap 17 restart. He pitted from the lead on lap 33 and Hamilton, whom Bottas let by for second on lap 28 after reporting his rear tyres were “overheating,” assumed the lead.

    Prior to his final pit stop, the talk was Hamilton was going to one-stop his race with his five-second penalty. But he put that to rest when he pitted on lap 41, served the five-second penalty and left pit lane in third, setting up the run to the finish.

    Vettel leaves Bahrain with a seven-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers’ championship.

    Ferrari leaves with a three-point lead over Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.

  • Hamilton wants to try his hand at Daytona

    Hamilton wants to try his hand at Daytona

    Fernando Alonso took the motorsports world by storm yesterday when he announced that he was bypassing the Grand Prix of Monaco to enter the 101st Indianapolis 500 on the same day. So naturally, other Formula 1 drivers were asked if they would do so as well down the road.

    Among them was three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who’s no stranger to the NASCAR world. He was a guest of Jeff Gordon’s at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 in 2015.

    He was asked, based on Alonso’s decision, would he run an “iconic race” such as Indy or Le Mans if given the chance.

    “Probably a NASCAR race, like the Daytona 500 maybe,” he said.

    Hamilton would be only the second Formula 1 world champion to compete in the Daytona 500 and first after winning a title (Mario Andretti won the Daytona 500 prior to his 1978 title).

    For Hamilton to run the Daytona 500, if he ever does attempt it, he’d likely run an ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway or Talladega Superspeedway as other drivers with no prior restrictor plate racing experience have done. But NASCAR has the discretion to allow a driver with no prior experience racing at Daytona or Talladega to race at Daytona and/or Talladega regardless. Their résumé committee looks over all drivers based on different factors, such as experience, speed of tracks, etc.*

    He also said he’d like to do MotoGP.

    “I’d like to ride a MotoGP,” he said.

    But Hamilton added that unlike Alonso, he wasn’t going to “miss out any of the races in Formula 1.” He also didn’t answer whether or not he would run the Indianapolis 500 or the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as was asked in the original question.

    The two other drivers part of the media availability, Stoffel Vandoorne and Sergio Perez chimed in on the question.

    “Yeah, I think I’ve decided to do the Spa 24 Hours instead of Hungary this year,” Vandoorne exclaimed.

    “I certainly wouldn’t miss Monaco because for me Monaco is my favorite weekend in the whole calendar. So I wouldn’t miss Monaco and normally you have that clash,” Perez said. “But I’d like to do some other racing. I certainly have some interest in IndyCar. The Indy 500 is certainly one of the best races in the world, so I’d definitely to do some.”

    *This article has been corrected to show that a driver with no prior restrictor plate racing experience may compete at Daytona and/or Talladega at NASCAR’s discretion. It incorrectly stated previously that NASCAR requires prior experience for restrictor plate races.