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  • Vettel to join Aston Martin for 2021 F1 season

    Vettel to join Aston Martin for 2021 F1 season

    Nearly four months after declaring himself a free agent at this season’s end, Sebastian Vettel has a place to call home for the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship season. That place is the BWT Racing Point F1 Team, which will be rebranded as the Aston Martin F1 team for next season, as Vettel is set to serve as one of the team’s two competitors.

    Vettel, a four-time Formula One champion from Heppenheim, West Germany, is currently in his sixth and final season with Scuderia Ferrari. He was one of the first names to pop up on the free agency list in May and while this year’s Formula One season was delayed amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic when his departure from Ferrari at the conclusion of this season was confirmed. Shortly after Vettel’s departure was announced, Carlos Sainz Jr. was named as his replacement for next season as he will be a teammate to current Ferrari competitor Charles Leclerc.

    Initially uncertain about his future plans following this season, Vettel’s move to Aston Martin scratches his name off the Silly Season topic and it reaffirms his goal in being competitive for himself and the rebranded organization for next season.

    “I am pleased to finally share this exciting news about my future,” Vettel said. “I’m extremely proud to say that I will become an Aston Martin driver in 2021. It’s a new adventure for me with a truly legendary car company. I have been impressed with the results the team has achieved this year and I believe the future looks even brighter.”

    “The energy and commitment of [businessman] Lawrence [Stroll] to the sport is inspiring and I believe we can build something very special together,” Vettel added. “I still have so much love for Formula 1 and my only motivation is to race at the front of the grid. To do so with Aston Martin will be a huge privilege.”

    Vettel’s move to Aston Martin will mark his fifth different team he has driven for since making his Formula One debut in the 2007 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the BMW Sauber F1 Team, which skyrocketed into an illustrious racing career in F1. Among his accomplishments include recording the first win for the Toro Rosso F1 Team in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, winning four consecutive championships from 2010 to 2013 with Red Bull Racing and finishing in second place in the final standings in 2017 and 2018. Currently, he has won 53 Formula One career races, which is third most all time behind Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (89). Fourteen of his 53 F1 wins have come while driving for Ferrari from 2015 to 2019.

    Through the first eight races of this year’s Formula One season, Vettel is ranked in 13th place in the Drivers’ standings as he trails six-time reigning champion Lewis Hamilton by 148 points. He has achieved four top-10 results and a best result of sixth place during the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, but he has also sustained two DNFs with Ferrari struggling to keep pace on the track.

    Vettel’s move to Aston Martin came a day after Sergio “Checo” Perez confirmed that he will be departing the team at the conclusion of this season, despite his initial contract lasting through 2022.

    Perez, a native from Guadalajara, Mexico, is in his seventh season with the team. He joined the organization in 2014 when it was branded as the Force India F1 Team. Midway into the 2018 season, Force India was placed into administration and Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll, father of current F1 competitor Lance Stroll, purchased the assets of the team and the team was renamed to Racing Point Force India. The move allowed Perez, the employees and the team to resume and complete the season.

    This season, Perez has notched six top-10 results, including a best result of fifth place during the Spanish Grand Prix in August, and he is ranked in 11th place through the first eight Formula One races of this season, trailing Hamilton 130 points. He was absent from both F1 races at the Silverstone Circuit in August (British Grand Prix and the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix) after he tested positive for COVID-19 symptoms prior to the main event. During his absence, Nico Hülkenberg filled in Perez’s Racing Point car, where he did not start the British Grand Prix due to an engine failure before coming back to qualify in third place and finish in seventh place in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

    Before his move to Aston Martin, Vettel has nine races left with Ferrari this season, beginning with this weekend’s Tuscan Grand Prix at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Scarperia e San Piero, Tuscany, Italy. The race will occur on September 13 as Ferrari will also celebrate its 1,000th entry in Formula One with a special Burgundy livery scheme on the Ferrari cars driven by Vettel and Leclerc during the event.

  • 2020 Formula One schedule finalized

    2020 Formula One schedule finalized

    More than a month after a delayed start, the ongoing 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season, celebrating its 70th anniversary of the first F1 season, has a full schedule implemented and established.

    This season, 17 Grand Prix races will make up the overall schedule as Istanbul, Turkey; Sakhir, Bahrain; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates will conclude the season with a four-race stretch, starting in mid-November through mid-December.

    For the first time since May 2011, Formula One will be returning to Intercity Istanbul Park in Turkey for the Turkish Grand Prix on November 15. Two weeks later, the sport will run a pair of races on consecutive Sundays at Sakhir’s Bahrain International Circuit on November 29 and on December 6 for the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Sakhir Grand Prix. Finally, the season will cap off at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 13.

    The back-to-back races at Bahrain International Circuit marks the second time this season where a Formula One track will host two Grand Prix races at in the midst of the schedule shakeup. On August 2 and 9, F1 raced twice at the United Kingdom’s Silverstone Circuit for the British Grand Prix and the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

    Formula One has been racing at Bahrain since 2004 (minus the 2011 season that was cancelled due to the Bahraini anti-government uprising/protests). The sport has also been racing at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit since 2009 and as the season finale, except from 2011 to 2013 that occurred at Brazil.

    The final four-race stretch to this season and of the finalized schedule will occur two weeks after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italy, which will occur on November 1. In the wake of the finalized 2020 F1 season, the sport confirmed that the Chinese Grand Prix, which was previously postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has been cancelled for this season. China joins a host of other nations/countries that includes Australia, Canada, United States of America, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Monaco, Azerbaijan, France, Singapore and the Netherlands that will not host a Grand Prix race this season.

    “We are proud to announce that Turkey, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi will be part of our 2020 season,” Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO of Formula One, said. “This year has presented Formula 1 and the world with an unprecedented challenge and we want to pay tribute to everyone across Formula 1, the FIA, the teams, and our partners who have made this possible. While we are all disappointed that we have not been able to return to some of our planned races this year we are confident our season has started well and will continue to deliver plenty of excitement with traditional, as well as new, races that will entertain all our fans.”

    Formula One also disclosed in a released statement that a number of races in 2020 will allow a limited number of fans in attendance while the sport continues to work with each promoter to finalize the capacity/hospitality details. In addition, F1 will continue to work with all promoters and local authorities in determining travel restrictions and health procedures to ensure the safety of all individuals due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic globally.

    The 2020 Formula One season was scheduled to start in March, but it was delayed through the beginning of July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, six races of this season are complete. Following the latest Grand Prix event at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which occurred on August 16, the reigning six-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton leads the drivers’ standings by 37 points over Max Verstappen and 43 over teammate Valtteri Bottas, all of whom are the only race winners through the first six F1 races thus far. Charles Leclerc, Lance Stroll, Alexander Albon and Lando Norris are among the remaining 17 competitors who trail in the drivers’ standings by 87 points or more. In addition, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team powered by Mercedes engines, the reigning eight-time drivers’ and six-time constructors’ championship team, leads the constructors’ standings by 86 points over Aston Martin Red Bull Racing powered by Honda engines, 158 over BWT Racing Point F1 Team powered by BWT Mercedes engines, 159 points over McLaren F1 Team powered by Renault engines and 160 over Scuderia Ferrari powered by Ferrari engines.

    The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season will resume on August 30 at Stavelot’s Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix.

  • Early assessment of the 2020 Formula One season

    Early assessment of the 2020 Formula One season

    The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season is currently in its second one-week break from racing amid a bizarre start to the sport’s 70th anniversary of F1 racing.

    In a season that was scheduled to start in March but was delayed until July amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the final schedule itself remains incomplete, with many races across multiple nations being cancelled until next season or being postponed to an unknown date. Amid the adjustments towards the sporting, technical and regulatory aspects prior to and during a race weekend, the competitiveness amongst the 20 drivers (10 teams) have not changed through the first six races of this season with all pursuing the same goal: win the championship in F1’s 70th season.

    For nearly the entire early portion of this year’s Formula One season, it has been dominated by Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic and the delay of this year’s racing season, the dynamic pairing of Hamilton, Bottas and Mercedes continue to be unstoppable on the track, thus leaving other competitors and teams to grind their gears. 

    It all started during the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring on July 5, where Bottas won and achieved his eighth career victory. Afterwards, Hamilton, the reigning six-time champion, went on to win the next four out of five races, including last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. One of Hamilton’s heroic performances of this season was when he suffered a left-front tyre puncture on the final lap, but he had a huge advantage over the field and enough power to limp home and win the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 2. Following his victory last weekend in Spain, Hamilton recorded his record-breaking 156th podium result in Formula One after previously tying Michael Schumacher for the most (155). He has now won a total of 88 Formula One career races, leaving him three shy of tying Schumacher for the most (91), and has won a record 92 poles (his recent one coming last weekend in Spain).

    Through the first six races of this season, Hamilton, who has finished in the podium in all but one race and who awaits his racing plans for next season, leads the drivers’ championship standings by 37 points over Dutch’s Max Verstappen while Bottas, who has finished on the podium in all but one race and is set to remain with Mercedes for next season, is ranked in third place in the standings and trails teammate Hamilton by 43 points. In addition, Mercedes leads the constructors’ standings by 86 points over Red Bull Racing and strives to achieve its unprecedented seventh consecutive constructors’ title. Despite the season being far from over, the momentum Mercedes continues to exemplify on the track could very well result with the team etching more milestones on the track and in the record books.

    The competitor who emerges as a possible championship threat to Hamilton and Mercedes this year is Max Verstappen. Verstappen, who is currently in his sixth season driving for the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team, is the only non-Mercedes F1 competitor to win this season after he won the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix on August 9 for his ninth career win. Verstappen’s season started off on a low note, where he finished in last place of the 20-car field due to early electrical issues. Since then, Verstappen has recorded podium results through the Spanish Grand Prix (including his win at Silverstone). One of his best performances this season was during the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he rallied from wrecking his car while making his way to the grid to record a second-place finish. Even during last weekend’s race in Spain, where he recorded his third runner-up finish of the season, Verstappen was heard over the radio venting his frustration towards his crew and in failing to keep pace with Hamilton for the win. Despite the early frustrations, he is 37 points behind Hamilton and he has split the two Mercedes competitors atop the drivers’ standings. Both factors are crucial in giving the Dutch competitor and Red Bull Racing time this season to continue to intimidate Mercedes for this year’s F1 crown and pursue more Grand Prix wins. 

    Verstappen’s teammate, Alexander Albon, is currently situated in a tie for fifth place in the drivers’ standings with Canadian Lance Stroll with 40 points. Albon’s first full season driving for Red Bull Racing and since transitioning to the organization late last season started off on a disappointing note in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, where he spun following late contact with Lewis Hamilton while battling for a podium result late in the race and settled in 13th place. This marked the second time since last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix where Albon and Hamilton made contact and resulted with the Thai competitor missing an opportunity in recording his first F1 podium result. For the next five races, he has recorded top-10 results with a best result of fourth place in the Styrian Grand Prix in July. Though Albon has yet to establish his racing plans for next season and beyond, he continues to put his best foot forward on the track while aiming for his first victory and podium result in F1.

    With Mercedes and Red Bull Racing off to a fast start this season, BWT Racing Point F1 Team occupies third place in the constructors’ standings following a strong start. Through the first six Formula One races of this season, at least one car from Racing Point has finished in the top 10. Lance Stroll rallied from retiring during the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix to finish in the top 10 the following five races as he is tied with Albon for fifth place in the standings. Stroll’s teammate, Sergio “Checo” Perez, has also had a productive start to this season, though he missed two races after being diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms. In his other four races, Perez achieved top-10 results with a best result of fifth place last weekend in Spain. He is situated in eighth place in the standings. During his two-race absence, Nico Hülkenberg, who was left out of a full-time ride for this season after being released by Renault, filled in with hopes of returning to the sport next season. Hülkenberg competed in both Silverstone races, where he did not make the starting grid for the British Grand Prix due to an engine failure before he rallied during the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix after qualifying an impressive fourth place and finishing in seventh place. 

    Despite the on-track success between its two-car lineup, Racing Point was deducted 15 points following a protest launched at them from Renault following the Styrian Grand Prix, which alleged that Racing Point copied and utilized brake ducts from the Mercedes F1 W10 car used last season. Following similar protests launched against them in Hungary and at Silverstone, FIA stewards ruled that Racing Point illegally copied the brake ducts from the former Mercedes F1 car and the team was docked 15 constructors’ points and fined €400,000. Racing Point, nonetheless, continues to be situated in third place in the constructors’ standings by a slim margin with 63 total points and a long season ahead.

    Trailing right behind as the fourth best team in the competition is the McLaren F1 Team with 62 points accomplished between its youthful lineup of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Having achieved 12 drivers’ championships and eight constructors’ titles, the McLaren team is coming off a productive 2019 season, but continues to strive in returning back to competitive form and reigniting its past success on the circuit this season. 

    Thus far, the team got off to a fast start during the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, when Norris, currently in his second full-time F1 season, notched his first podium finish and was awarded third place as a result of Hamilton given a five-second time penalty following late contact with Albon. The late turnaround made Norris the third youngest F1 competitor to stand on the podium. In addition to his podium result in Austria, Norris has recorded top-10 results in five of the first six F1 races this season and is situated in seventh place in the drivers’ standings while hungry for more. Sainz, on the other hand, is looking for momentum and a strong conclusion following an up-and-down start to his second and final season racing for McLaren before joining Scuderia Ferrari for the 2021 season alongside Charles Leclerc. Last season, it took him until the first four races of the season for him to claim his first top-10 result. This season, Sainz recorded a strong fifth-place result in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix before he backed it up with back-to-back ninth-place results. He then struggled in both races at Silverstone, where he finished in 13th place in both races, before he rebounded with a sixth-place result at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, his home track. Currently situated in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, Sainz strives to achieve his first podium result since last season in Brazil, along with his first career win, and push for more on the track in his sixth season in F1. 

    Coincidentally, the Scuderia Ferrari team is situated in fifth place in the constructors’ standings with 61 points. Compared to previous seasons, this season has been a struggle for an organization that has achieved 15 drivers’ championships and 16 constructors’ titles. Thus far, Charles Leclerc, who is in second season driving for Ferrari, has achieved two podium results, including a runner-up result in the Austrian Grand Prix. Though he sustained two retirements, including last weekend in Spain, he is fourth in the drivers’ standings while trailing Hamilton by 87 points. Sebastian Vettel, on the other hand, has yet to record a podium result in his sixth and final season driving for Ferrari. The four-time F1 champion from West Germany is in 11th place in the drivers’ standings, trailing Hamilton by 116 points, and has finished no higher than sixth place, which occurred at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix. With Ferrari admitting its struggle to find pace on the track with their new car, they have a long season ahead to turn the corner around and return to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull for podium results and wins on a weekly basis.

    Next is the Renault DP World F1 Team with 36 points and currently in its second season with Daniel Ricciardo and first with Esteban Ocon. For Ricciardo, this season marks his best start with Renault compared to last season. After the first six races of last season, Ricciardo achieved two top-10 results and was situated in 13th place in the drivers’ standings. This season, the Australian native has recorded three top-10 results, which includes a best result of fourth place in the British Grand Prix, and is 10th place in the standings. Ricciardo strives to achieve as much success as possible with Renault as he did in the past with Red Bull Racing before he moves to McLaren for 2021 alongside Norris. Ocon, on the other hand, is continuing to rediscover his competitive form as a full-time competitor following his one-year absence from the sport, where he was a Mercedes reserve competitor last season. This season, since joining Renault, the Évreux, France, native has achieved three top-10 results and is in 12th place in the drivers’ standings while he attempts to repeat the success he produced on the track in 2017 while racing for the Sahara Force India F1 team. Despite this season being far from over, Renault is already setting its sights for next season in returning to competitive form with two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso set to return from a two-year retirement period and reunite with the organization, where Alonso achieved his two series titles with Renault.

    Situated in seventh place in the current constructors’ standings with 16 points is the newly formed Scuderia AlphaTauri team. This team made its debut this season when rebranded from Toro Rosso to promote the AlphaTauri fashion brand, but it remains as a sister organization to Red Bull Racing. Though the team was rebranded, it retained its current driver lineup, featuring Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat, and it continues to run and be supplied with Honda engines like Red Bull. Through the first six races of this season, Gasly has recorded three top-10 results and is in 13th place in the drivers’ standings with 14 points while Kvyat has recorded two top-10 results and is in 16th place in the standings with two points. Though both competitors achieved a podium result last season (Kvyat in Germany and Gasly in Brazil), consistency on a weekly basis is the key element that the competitors and the team have yet to achieve to climb their way through the standings and serve as a competitive threat towards the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

    With two points recorded throughout the first six races of this season in total thus far, the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen is situated in eighth place in the constructors’ standings. The team was rebranded from Alfa Romeo Racing to Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen when Robert Kubica, who raced for Williams Racing last season, joined Alfa Romeo as a reserve competitor and brought his sponsor PKN Orlen with him as a co-title sponsor for the team. Currently, the team’s best result has been a ninth-place run in the Austrian Grand Prix with Antonio Giovinazzi. Giovinazzi is ranked in 15th place in the drivers’ standings and has finished no higher than 14th place (twice) in the last five F1 races of this season. His teammate, Kimi Räikkönen, is ranked in 18th place in the standings and he has finished no higher than 11th place through the six races of his 18th season in Formula One. Räikkönen, Giovinazzi and Alfa Romeo Racing have yet to announce their racing plans and lineup for next season.

    With only one point recorded throughout the early stages of this season in total thus far, this marks the lowest number of points recorded by the Haas F1 Team in the team’s fifth season in competition. Though the team’s two-car lineup emerges into competitive form prior to a Grand Prix race, from practicing to qualifying, they struggle in race trim and keeping pace with the leaders. The team’s best run this season was during the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, where both Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean were racing within the top five in the early stages of the race. In the end, however, Magnussen recorded a 10th-place result and a single point for the Haas team while Grosjean fell all the way back to 16th place. Through the first six races, Magnussen is in 17th place in the drivers’ standings with one top-10 result and three retirements while Grosjean is 21st in the standings with a best result of 13th place, one retirement and no points recorded early this season. With the slow start to this season, Haas, America’s lone F1 team, have a tall mountain to climb in order to muscle their way back into competitive form against the sport’s elite and to achieve their first podium result in F1. 

    Finally, the Williams Racing hold possession of the 10th and final position of the constructors’ standings with no points recorded this season thus far. For a team that achieved seven drivers’ championships and nine constructors’ titles in the late-20th century, the last three seasons, including the start of this season, have not been playing into the favors of the Williams team. The good news for the organization is that they have retained their current driver lineup, featuring Nicholas Latifi and George Russell, for next season. The bad news is that both competitors are ranked well below the drivers’ standings this season with both struggling to keep pace with the leaders. This season, the team’s best results include a 11th-place finish with Latifi in Austria and a 12th-place result with Russell at Silverstone. Latifi is currently 19th in the drivers’ standings while Russell is 20th and one of four competitors, along with his teammate, to have no points recorded early this season. Like the Haas F1 team, Williams have a tall mountain to climb in order to reignite the on-track success achieved from the past.

    The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season will resume on August 30 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix and the seventh racing event of this season.

  • Bottas to remain at Mercedes for 2021 F1 season

    Bottas to remain at Mercedes for 2021 F1 season

    Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team announced that Valtteri Bottas will be remaining with the team for the 2021 Formula One World Championship season, thus removing himself from the Silly Season equation and completing half of Mercedes’ two-car lineup for next season.

    Bottas, a native from Nastola, Finland, has been racing for Mercedes in Formula One since 2017, when he joined the organization following the surprising retirement of Nico Rosberg, who had just won the 2016 F1 World Championship. Following the first three races into the 2017 season, Bottas notched his first F1 career win and first with Mercedes in the Russian Grand Prix in April. Since then, through August 2020, Bottas has won eight career races while achieving 39 podium results and 60 top-10 results. Last season, he finished a career-best second place in the championship standings.

    This season, Bottas won the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in July. He recorded podium results for the following Grand Prix events at Spielberg, Austria, and at Mogyoród, Hungary. Last weekend, at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, United Kingdom, he finished 11th after suffering a tire puncture in the final laps. He is ranked in second place in the Drivers’ standings and is 30 points behind teammate Lewis Hamilton, the reigning six-time Formula One champion who has won the previous three races of this season.

    “I’m very happy to stay with Mercedes in 2021 and build on the success we’ve enjoyed together already,” said Bottas. “Thank you to everyone in the team and the wider Mercedes family for their continued support and their trust in me. I’m very proud to represent this great team and the three-pointed star on our journey together again next year. The past few years have been all about continuous improvement, working on every aspect of my performance. I’m confident that today I’m the strongest I’ve ever been, but I can always raise the bar. Mercedes embraces the same philosophy: They always want to get better and are always hungry for more. Ever since I fell in love with F1 as a kid it’s been my dream to one day become world champion. I’m in the fight for the title this year and staying with Mercedes puts me in the best possible position to compete for it next season as well.”

    “We are very excited that Valtteri will stay with the team for at least one more season,” Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal, added. “We’re seeing the strongest Valtteri we’ve ever seen this year – in terms of his on-track performance, but also physically and mentally. He is second in the championship, finished the last season in P2 and plays a very important part in our overall team performance. I’m confident that we have the strongest driver pairing in F1 today and signing Valtteri is an important first step in retaining this strength for the future. Valtteri is a hard-working, straightforward guy who has a good relationship with the entire team – including his team-mate, which is not a given when both drivers are fighting for the championship. I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to raise the bar together with us this year and in 2021.”

    The confirmation of Bottas remaining with Mercedes for another season completes another puzzle piece to the 2021 Formula One driver-team lineup, with many big names still uncertain about their racing plans beyond this season. It all started back in May, when Scuderia Ferrari announced that four-time Formula One World champion Sebastian Vettel will be departing the team at the conclusion of this season. A few days later, Carlos Sainz Jr., currently driving for the McLaren F1 Team, was named a Ferrari competitor on a two-year basis, where he will be a teammate to Charles Leclerc next season. At the same time, Daniel Ricciardo was announced as Sainz’s replacement, where he will be a McLaren teammate to Lando Norris next season. Perhaps, the biggest news came in July, when Fernando Alonso, two-time Formula One World champion who retired from racing in F1 following the 2018 season, announced that he will be returning to the sport next season and drive for the Renault DP World F1 Team alongside Esteban Ocon. In mid-July, the Williams-Mercedes team announced that they will retain their current driver lineup for next season, featuring Nicholas Latifi and George Russell.

    Among the current competitors who have yet to announce their racing plans for 2021 and beyond include Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, Alexander Albon, Pierre Gasly, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. Another name who is in talks about returning to full-time Formula One racing next season is Nico Hülkenberg, who had a short stint at the British Grand Prix in filling in the BWT Racing Point F1 Team car driven by Sergio Perez, who was absent due to being tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently awaiting his next negative test result of the virus to return to racing.

    The 2020 Formula One World Championship season will resume on August 9 at the United Kingdom’s Silverstone Circuit for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

  • Hülkenberg to replace Perez for British Grand Prix

    Hülkenberg to replace Perez for British Grand Prix

    BWT Racing Point F1 team announced that Nico Hülkenberg will be returning to Formula One and replace Sergio Perez for this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit.

    A native from Emmerich am Rhein, West Germany, Hülkenberg has made 177 career starts in Formula One, spanning back to his debut in 2010. He recorded his first and only career pole to date in 2010 for the Brazilian Grand Prix while driving for the Williams Racing team. From 2012 to 2016, he raced for the Sahara Force India F1 team and the Sauber F1 team. His last time competing in Formula One was last season as a full-time competitor for the Renault DP World F1 team, a team he competed with since 2017. Following the 2019 season, he became a free agent when Renault opted not to renew his contract in favor of Esteban Ocon and was unable to secure a full-time ride in time to compete in this year’s opener at Spielberg, Austria.

    Hülkenberg’s return to the sport came a day after Perez tested positive for COVID-19 symptoms following an inconclusive test. The Mexican competitor went into isolation following the inconclusive test that later became a positive test for the virus, but he remains in “good spirits” and is physically stable while continuing to recover.

    “I was on my way to the Nürburgring for another racing project when the call from Otmar came,” said Hülkenberg. “That was less than 24 hours ago, so it feels a bit surreal for me right now, but I like a good challenge and this is certainly one. It’s obviously a difficult situation for Racing Point and Checo [Perez]. He’s a buddy of mine, an old team-mate and I wish him a speedy recovery. I’ll step in and try do the best I can for the team!”

    “Having to find a replacement for Sergio at short notice is no easy task, but in Nico we’ve got a fantastic supersub who the team knows very well,” Otmar Szafnauer, Racing Point Team Principal, said. “He’s certainly being thrown in at the deep end, but he’s a fast learner and I’m sure he will get up to speed quickly.”

    Though he has achieved 94 top-10 career results and 511 points in his previous 177 starts, Hülkenberg continues to pursue his first career podium result in F1. His best on-track result in F1 is fourth place, a result he achieved in the 2012 Belgium Grand Prix, the 2013 Korean Grand Prix and the 2016 Belgium Grand Prix.

    With Hülkenberg at Silverstone in time for the first practice session, it remains probable that he will also compete at Silverstone next weekend for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix with Perez not scheduled to compete next weekend, giving the German time to adjust back into the racing seat of an F1 car and a pair of opportunities to break through for his first podium result in F1 while he also continues to weigh in towards his racing plans for the future.

  • Perez to miss British Grand Prix following positive COVID-19 test result

    Perez to miss British Grand Prix following positive COVID-19 test result

    Sergio Perez will not compete in the upcoming British Grand Prix, scheduled on August 2, after testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms.

    Perez, a native from Guadalajara, Mexico, who currently races for the BWT Racing Point F1 team and is ranked sixth in the standings following the first three Formula One races of 2020, was confirmed to have tested positive for the virus after isolating from the circuit earlier on Thursday following an inconclusive test.

    This marks the first time where a Formula One driver has tested positive for the COVID-19 disease, a disease that delayed the start of this year’s F1 season from March to July and has postponed or cancelled multiple events scheduled for this season.

    A statement was issued by Formula One and the FIA following Perez’s test.

    “Perez has entered self-quarantine in accordance with the instructions of the relevant public health authorities, and will continue to follow the procedure mandated by those authorities. With assistance of the local organiser of the British Grand Prix, local health authorities and the FIA COVID-19 delegate, a full track and trace initiative has been undertaken and all close contacts have been quarantined.”

    Like many professional sports, Formula One is utilizing a strict COVID-19 testing regime towards the competitors and traveling team members prior to an event as part of the safety protocols put in place when the F1 season proceeded.

    Racing Point noted that Perez is in “good spirits and is physically well” and that a group of team members that were in contact with Perez were self-isolating and being re-tested as a precaution. The team intends to run two cars for this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit and the team will announce its full driver lineup for the event in the coming days.

  • 2020 Formula One schedule update

    2020 Formula One schedule update

    With the 2020 Formula One season in its first off week following an eventful start to the sport’s 70th year of racing, a new wave of racing events have been added to this year’s schedule that has yet to confirm how many total Grand Prix races will occur this season.

    For the first time since 1996, Formula One will race in Portugal after it was confirmed on Friday, July 24, that the sport will race at Algarve International Circuit in Portimao for the Portuguese Grand Prix. This will also mark the first time where the F1 cars will race at Portimao, which will occur on October 25 and is scheduled to be the 12th Grand Prix race of this season.

    Other venues that have been confirmed to be installed for this season are Nurburgring and Imola. The Eifel Grand Prix at Nurburgring, Nurburg, Germany, will occur on October 11 while the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Bologna, will occur on November 1. Imola is scheduled to be a two-day event, with a practice session to occur along with qualifying and the main event. This will mark the first time since 2006 where Imola will host an F1 event and the first time since 2013 where Nurburgring will host a Formula One Grand Prix race.

    The races at Nurburgring, Portimao and Imola will occur following a one-week break that takes place after the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi scheduled on September 27. The races in Sochi, Nurburg, Portimao and Imola are part of a 13-race schedule currently implemented for this year’s Formula One season. Other countries that are scheduled to host Grand Prix races this season include Great Britain, Spain, Belgium and Italy, which will run two races on back-to-back weekends prior to Russia. The countries of Bahrain, Vietnam, China and the United Arab Emirates have not determined their 2020 F1 schedule for this season.

    Despite the new additions to the racing calendar, Formula One confirmed the cancellation of more events this season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions while opting to keep the communities and colleagues of F1 safe. Among the new wave of cancelled races this season include the United States Grand Prix, the Canadian Grand Prix, the Mexico City Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix. The United States of America, Canada, Mexico and Brazil join a host of other countries that include Australia, Netherlands, Monaco, Azerbaijan, France, Singapore and Japan that have cancelled their scheduled F1 races of 2020. This will mark the first time since 2011 where the United States of America will not feature a Formula One Grand Prix race and the first time since 2009 where Canada will not host the F1 cars.

    All plans are to have the Grand Prix races from each respective country back for the 2021 season while the remainder of this year’s Formula One World Championship schedule will be released at a late date.

    This year’s F1 season was delayed from starting on March 15 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the sport has completed its first three races of the season. It all started at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5 and the Styrian Grand Prix on July 12 also at Red Bull Racing followed by the Hungarian Grand Prix at Hungaroring, Mogyorod, Hungary, on July 19.

    Through the first three F1 races of this season, Lewis Hamilton, the reigning six-time Formula One World champion and driver for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team, leads the standings by five points over teammate Valtteri Bottas, both of whom have emerged victorious through the three races. Max Verstappen of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing is third in the title standings, trailing by 33 points, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Alexander Albon. The competitors who are situated in the top 10 in the standings are Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Sebastian Vettel. Rounding out the 20-car field, respectively, are Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Antonio Giovinazzi, Daniil Kvyat, Kevin Magnussen, Nicholas Latifi, Romain Grosjean and George Russell.

    In addition, Mercedes, the reigning six-time Constructors’ champions and eight-time drivers’ champions, lead this year’s Constructors’ standings by 66 points over Red Bull Racing-Honda, 80 over McLaren-Renault, 81 over Racing Point-BWT Mercedes and 94 over Ferrari. Trailing behind by 12 points or less are Renault, AlphaTauri-Honda, Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari, Haas-Ferrari and Williams-Mercedes.

    The 2020 Formula One World Championship season will resume on August 2 at Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain for the British Grand Prix followed by the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, which will also run at Silverstone on August 9.

  • The NASCAR Xfinity Series prepares for historic weekend at Indianapolis

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series prepares for historic weekend at Indianapolis

    For over a century, Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been an epicenter of racing and has featured a festivity of crown-jewel races across different motorsports regions. From the United States Grand Prix in Formula One to the Indianapolis 500 in IndyCar and NASCAR’s Brickyard 400, the track presents the best of racing and entertainment for the fans, the competitors and the teams, especially those aiming to achieve and stamp their name as a winner at the historic racing venue and pressing their lips against the yard of bricks on the frontstretch with a victorious kiss. Now, for the 2020 Independence Day weekend, the 2.5-mile track in Indianapolis will feature a unique and historic schedule lineup to kick off its first racing events of this year.

    For the second time in the last three seasons, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be introduced to a racing event on a track very familiar to its schedule, but with a twist. The twist comes in the form of racing at the venue on a layout that is both an oval and a road course. That will be the case on Saturday, July 4, when the Xfinity Series races on the famed racetrack’s infield road course and parts of its 2.5-mile speedway, including the frontstretch with the start/finish line and the yard of bricks, for its 13th event of the 2020 season known as the Pennzoil 150.

    The Xfinity oval-road course event at Indy features 14 turns, making it a 2.439-mile event, and will span 62 laps, 150 miles. Stage breaks for the race are scheduled on Lap 20, 40 and 62. While the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented NASCAR from allowing drivers and teams to run practice or qualifying sessions prior to a race, there will be two practice sessions on Friday, July 3, at Indy’s road course to prep the competitors and the teams in time for the main event on Saturday. Jeb Burton, driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports, will start on the pole based on a random draw for the series’ race with no fans in attendance throughout the weekend.

    Every competitor and team will receive a first-hand experience of the track’s layout for the first time during Friday’s practice sessions. In January, Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series, took part in a one-day Xfinity testing session on Indy’s road course layout in Team Penske’s No. 22 Xfinity Series Ford Mustang, driven by Austin Cindric. Due to DiBenedetto’s test session, he will not be eligible to compete in this weekend’s series race.

    This weekend’s Xfinity race at Indy will also provide an opportunity for road course ringers like A.J. Allmendinger, Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric, and even hometown heroes like Briscoe and Justin Haley, to master their skills towards the historic track’s layout and stamp their names as the inaugural winner of NASCAR’s road course event at Indianapolis. For drivers like Cindric, Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain and Michael Annett, this weekend comes with an opportunity for them to notch their first Xfinity Series win of the season and receive a free pass to the Playoff with the series reaching its midpoint of the regular season. For others like Myatt Snider, Brandon Brown and Jeremy Clements, this weekend comes with an opportunity to gain as many points and positions as possible, through aggressiveness or consistency, towards the battle for the top-12 cutline and towards the Playoffs. This weekend also features the return of Mike Wallace, a NASCAR veteran since 1990 who last competed in 2015, and the debut of Jade Buford, an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car competitor from Brentwood, Tennessee.

    The 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series has completed 12 races and has featured seven different winners, five of which are full-time series competitors and are guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs. With four wins, including last weekend at Pocono Raceway, Briscoe leads the regular-season series standings by three points over Noah Gragson and 33 over Chastain. Coming off his career-best fourth-place finish at Pocono, Snider holds sole possession of the 12th and final spot to the Playoffs by four points over Brown.

    The Xfinity Series has been racing at Indiana since 1982, but at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis through 2011. In 2012, the series made its debut at the 2.5-mile speedway as part of a doubleheader weekend with the NASCAR Cup Series, which has raced at the famed racetrack since 1994. From 2012 to 2019, five different drivers have won an Xfinity race at Indianapolis with Kyle Busch holding the most with four, including last season.

    While the experience of racing on an oval-road course layout at Indianapolis is new to NASCAR, it is not for the track along with other motorsports regions. Since 2014, the NTT IndyCar Series has raced at the track’s road course layout for the GMR Grand Prix, an event that runs two weeks prior to the Indianapolis 500 on the track’s 2.5-mile oval. From 2000 to 2007, Formula One raced at the Indianapolis road course for its annual United States Grand Prix, where names like Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Rubens Barrichello won. From 2008 to 2015, the track’s road course featured Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Motorcycle racing will return at the track for its MotorAmerica Championship of Indianapolis on October 9-11, 2020. The track’s road course has even held the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, a racing meet sanctioned by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association. The Indy Lights, a development series sanctioned by IndyCar, was scheduled to race at Indy’s road course layout in early July, but the series’ season was cancelled and put in a hiatus until 2021.

    NASCAR, however, is no stranger in featuring an oval-road course venue to its schedule. Since 2018, Charlotte Motor Speedway utilized its infield road course configuration for a doubleheader weekend for the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series during the Playoffs. Known as the Charlotte Roval, the course measures 2.28 miles in length and features 17 turns between the infield course layout and multiple portions of the speedway’s oval-shape track. On March 4, 2020, Daytona International Speedway will host its annual Busch Clash race for the Cup Series on the speedway’s infield road course layout with parts of the speedway’s 2.5-mile high banks under the lights on February 9, 2021. NASCAR’s first oval-road course event at Daytona will mark the first of a six-day span of racing action leading up to the 2021 Daytona 500 on February 14. The layout has previously been used for the IMSA’s annual Rolex 24 at Daytona along with the annual Daytona 200 motorcycle race.

    The Xfinity Series will be part of motorsports’ history this weekend as this will mark the first IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader at the same track on the exact date. With the Cup Series slated to run the Brickyard 400 on oval on Sunday, July 5, this weekend will be marked as a triple-header weekend between NASCAR and IndyCar. Prior to the Xfinity race on Saturday afternoon, the IndyCar Series will race its annual GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis road course layout on Saturday morning. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, IndyCar revised its schedule that included postponing the GMR Grand Prix from May to July 4, the exact date as the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ first oval-road course race on the track, and as the second race of the season for the series. Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud, the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner, and Will Power, the 2018 Indy 500 champion, remain the only two IndyCar competitors to win at the track’s road course layout in its six-year history. The IndyCar Series completed its first race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6, which was won by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon.

    The Fourth of July doubleheader will not mark the only IndyCar race at Indianapolis. With the revised schedule, the series will race for the third time at Indianapolis, second on the track’s road course known as the IndyCar Harvest GP, on October 3. The 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 on the track’s oval-shaped layout, which was initially scheduled to run on Memorial Day weekend, is scheduled to occur on August 23 with fans in attendance. Among the names who will attempt to make the starting grid for the race will be two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso, who will drive the No. 66 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet Dallara. The current and revised 2020 IndyCar Series schedule features 14 races across nine different tracks with seven races cancelled, among which includes the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama; the Grand Prix doubleheaders in Detroit, Michigan; the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas; the Streets of Long Beach, California; the Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada; and the series’ anticipated return to Virginia’s Richmond Raceway.

    The upcoming NASCAR and IndyCar races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway serves as part of an eventful race weekend throughout Independence Day weekend. In other motorsports news, Formula One, which will celebrate its 70th anniversary of the first F1 season, will make its first anticipated start of the year at Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, Austria, for the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5. It is the first of two races scheduled at Red Bull Ring with the F1 series to return the following weekend on July 12 for the Styrian Grand Prix. The start of the 2020 Formula One season was scheduled to commence in March, but was paused due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This Sunday will provide a first opportunity for the current F1 drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas for Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc for Ferrari, Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon for Red Bull Racing, Carlos Sainz Jr. for McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo for Renault, Kimi Räikkönen for Alfa Romeo Racing and Pierre Gasly for AlphaTauri along with Haas F1 competitors Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean to compete and make up for the loss time on the track. The current and revised 2020 F1 schedule features eight races across six countries with the rest of the schedule to be determined. Some countries like the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Russia and China have postponed their scheduled F1 races to unknown dates while others like Australia, Monaco, Singapore, France and Japan have cancelled their F1 races this year.

    In addition, the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season will resume on July 4 at Daytona International Speedway for the WeatherTech 240 spanning two hours and 40 minutes. It will mark the second SportsCar race of the season since the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 25-26. There are 10 WeatherTech SportsCar races in 10 different tracks that are currently in schedule to occur through November 14 for the finale, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Florida’s Sebring International Raceway.

    The inaugural Pennzoil 150 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course for the NASCAR Xfinity Series will air on July 4 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC after IndyCar’s GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Road Course, which will air at noon ET on NBC. The NASCAR Cup Series’ Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will air on July 5 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Formula 1 postpones more races due to Coronavirus/Update-Monaco Grand Prix canceled

    Formula 1 postpones more races due to Coronavirus/Update-Monaco Grand Prix canceled

    Like everything else in this world, almost all events are either getting canceled or postponed to a later date due to the Coronavirus pandemic. While Formula 1 made the decision last week not to race at Australia and for the few races following Australia, more news came today as F1 announced they are postponing three additional races in reaction to the virus. Those races are the Heineken Dutch Grand Prix, Grand Premio De Espana, and one of the most prestigious races of them all, the Monaco Grand Prix that was scheduled for late May.

    “Formula 1, the FIA and the three promoters have taken these decisions in order to ensure the health and safety of the traveling staff, championship participants and fans, which remains our primary concern.”

    Originally, these races were supposed to be run in May, but now those races will be scheduled for a later date. Should the Coronavirus wind down or get under control and the travel ban is lifted, Formula 1’s season will most likely start in June at Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, depending on where the other races will fall in the schedule.

    With these races being postponed, Formula 1 officials have decided to move the summer shutdown as they look at scheduling those races later this year. Obviously, we will find out more details in the days to come on what the the 2020 season will look like.

    Update – After this writing, F1 announced earlier this afternoon that the Monaco Grand Prix is now canceled. It’s the first time since 1954 that a race will not be held at Monaco.

  • Formula One 2019 mid-season review

    Formula One 2019 mid-season review

    It’s the summer break in Formula 1 right now and it will continue over a three week period. For some teams like the Haas Racing Team that fields drivers Kevin Magnussen and Roman Grosjean, it is a much-needed break. Other drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen probably didn’t want to see the break as they are dominating the races as of late, especially the Mercedes.

    However, drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc can use a much needed break since they surprisingly haven’t won a race yet as they were expected to at this point in the season.

    Here’s a look at who’s hot and who’s not during the Summer Break and the Mid-season review for Formula 1 in 2019.

    Who’s Hot

    1. Lewis Hamilton – It should be no surprise that Hamilton and Mercedes are at the top of this list. The Englishman has scored eight wins in 12 starts; that’s a win percentage of 66.6%. Hamilton leads the championship points standings over his teammate Valtteri Bottas by 62 points. Should Hamilton keep on winning after the summer break, he’ll have the title wrapped up before the season finale in Abu Dhabi in December. Realistically, it’s a three-way title fight for the top spot right now with Bottas and Max Verstappen lurking behind him. Other stats include 10 podiums, four poles, 352 laps led out of 746 laps complete and an average finish of 2.2. The only time Hamilton has not won a race was at Melbourne, Baku, Speilberg and Hockenheimring. Especially notable in these races where Hamilton has not won, he has either finished first or second. Only twice has the Mercedes driver finished outside the podium and that was at Speilberg where he finished fifth, while Hamilton finished ninth at Hockenheimring, his worst drive of the season. It will be interesting to see if Hamilton can keep up his incredible hunt for another championship to add to his impressive resume.

    2. Valtteri Bottas – If it’s not Hamilton who is having impressive drives, it’s his teammate Bottas who is the other Mercedes driver. Bottas sits second in points, 62 behind Hamilton. In 12 races he has collected two wins (Melbourne, Baku) and nine podiums and has sat on the pole three times (Shanghai, Baku, Catalunya). Bottas has 103 laps led and only one DNF that occurred at Hockenheimring, the only difficult day for the Mercedes team who otherwise finishes on the podium if not winning the race. The Finland native is already besting his 2018 stats where Bottas ended with eight podiums and two poles and 84 laps led. Needless to say, Bottas and Mercedes are working well with each other this year.

    3. Sebastian Vettel – I think at this point in the season we would have expected Vettel and the Ferrari to win 12 races into the season. Some would say he should have won at the Canadian Grand Prix where Vettel was somewhat pushed off the track in one of the sectors and came back on the track dangerously and then was penalized by the stewards for the action. To this day, Vettel and his fans believe they still won the race where they came up second in the overall results after the time penalty. Since then, Vettel has had some disappointing finishes of fifth at Paul Ricard, fourth at Spielberg and 16th at Silverstone, one lap down. He has rebounded a little bit in the past two races, however, as Vettel has finishes of second and third respectively. At Mid-season, he has 73 laps led down from last year’s 345 laps led. Vettel has only been able to amass six podiums compared to his 12 last year. He has also been down on his average finish with a 4.4 where last year the German had a 3.9 average finish. Perhaps this summer break will be a good time for Vettel and his Ferrari team to reset and come in with a clear mind when Formula 1 returns to Spa Francorchamps on September 1. However, Vettel is likely out of the title hunt being 94 points behind, fourth in the standings.

    4. Max Verstappen – A driver heating up as of late is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who took the checkered flag at Spielberg and won a popular victory at Hockenheimring. While Verstappen has not yet matched his 2018 podium finishes, he is starting to come into his own in the past couple of races. In 2019 at the summer break he has five podium finishes with a worst finish of fifth at Montreal and Silverstone. Otherwise, Verstappen has finishes of second, third, fourth or winning the race. He has an average finish of 3.3 already bettering his 2018 average finish, where it was 6.1 at the end of the season. Verstappen still realistically has a chance to win the title at the end of the season at 69 points behind but he will need a lot of help over the next several races in order to catch Hamilton in the title hunt.

    5. Charles Leclerc – Leclerc is having a decent season so far for his Ferrari team. He has almost matched his teammate Vettel’s podium finishes by having five of them. Leclerc more than likely could have had two more, if it weren’t for two DNFs at Monte Carlo and Hockenheimring which were both due to crash damage. Otherwise, his stats are solid with an average finish of 6.2 and 118 laps led. He has come close to winning multiple times, quite notably at Spielberg where Leclerc qualified on the pole position and finished second after leading 58 laps. He qualified on the pole one other time at Bahrain, the second race of the season after Melbourne. Leclerc has only completed 86 percent of the laps or 647 of the 746 laps possible. He is already doing better than last year when the Ferrari driver did not record any podiums, poles or laps led. I think it’s safe to say that his championship hunt is over as he is 118 points behind. Still, there are a lot of races remaining, nine in total, but he will have to start winning right out of the gate when the series returns September 1.

      Who’s Not

      1. Kevin Magnussen – It’s been a difficult season for Magnussen and his Haas F1 Team who has faced sponsorship rumors throughout the season. His best finish occurred at Melbourne where Magnussen finished sixth. After finishing sixth the 2019 season has not been kind to the Denmark driver with no podiums, no pole positions and no laps led. He has finished off the lead lap eight times and did not finish the Silverstone race due to a crash that relegated to him to a retirement in the running order. Magnussen will have to pick up the pace if he wants to be back at Haas Racing Team next year.

      2. Robert Kubica – Speaking of difficult seasons, it’s been one for Kubica and the ROKiT Williams Racing team who has been struggling all year. Kubica was only able to record a point at Hockenheimring where he finished 10th after starting 18th. Despite the 10th place finish his other finishes have been disastrous finishing 17th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 15th and recently 19th at Hungaroring. The summer break might be good timing for Kubica and the Williams Racing team who quite possibly need the break most of all. Kubica sits 18th in the standings.

      3. Antonio Giovinazzi – Giovinazzi sits last in the series points standings in what has been a painful season. The Alfa Romeo Racing driver has only been able to record one point in the Spielberg race where he finished 10th after starting seventh. However, his finish was one lap down in that race. The Italian native has finished one lap down or more in most of his races this year. Giovinazzi’s other best finish occurred at Bahrain with an 11th place finish. The Alfa Romeo Racing driver will have to pick up the pace more throughout the rest of the season if Giovinazzi wants to impress his team.

      4. George Russell – Like his teammate Kubica, Russell has had a frustrating season so far with his ROKiT Williams Racing team. His best finish took place at Hockenheimring a few weeks ago when Russell finished 11th. In other races, it’s been a struggle to finish on the lead lap. The Englishman has finished two laps down in most races and is last in the points standings. It looks like this will continue for the rest of the season but hopefully, Russell will find some motivation despite his disappointing finishes in the second half of the season.

      5. Daniel Ricciardo – With a new team in hand, Ricciardo was hoping for a fresh start with the Renault team but that hasn’t been the case. The Australian has only been able to record a best finish of sixth at Montreal. Other finishes include a seventh at Shanghai, ninth at Monte Carlo and seventh at Silverstone. Ricciardo has four DNFs (Melbourne, Bahrain, Baku, Hockenheimring). With those finishes, his average finish has come to 12.8 down from last year where it was 9.3. Here’s hoping the summer break is just what the doctor ordered for the Australian and his Renault team.

    There you have it, your list of who’s hot and who’s at this point in the 2019 Formula 1 season. For the most part, it has been a battle between the Mercedes and the Ferraris’. However, lately, it’s been a battle between the Mercedes and the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver Verstappen. Three drivers have a shot at winning the title, with Hamilton having the better advantage with a 62 point lead over his teammate Bottas.

    While a lot can and will happen in the nine races remaining, drivers fourth on back in the championship standings will need a lot of help to catch Hamilton who rarely makes a mistake in his races.