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  • Leclerc dominates for second F1 victory of 2022 in the Australian Grand Prix

    Leclerc dominates for second F1 victory of 2022 in the Australian Grand Prix

    Charles Leclerc made another statement in his bid to win the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship after grabbing a dominant victory in the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Circuit on Sunday, April 10, from pole position. 

    The 24-year-old Monegasque dominated from pole position despite being pressured by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen from the start. When Verstappen fell out of the event due to a late mechanical issue, the race was all but wrapped up for Leclerc, who proceeded, defended his top spot through a number of safety car periods and cruised to the win over his rivals while also establishing the fastest lap of the event, thus claiming a single bonus point with the victory.

    The Australia victory marked Leclerc’s fourth Grand Prix career win in his 83rd F1 start and the second of the season as he extended his championship lead in the drivers’ standings from 12 to 34.

    “In Formula One, it’s the first [race] where we control a little bit the gap,” Leclerc said. “What a car today. I did a great job all weekend, but it was not possible without the car. This weekend, especially the race pace, we were extremely strong. The tyres felt great from the first lap to the last lap. We were managing the tyre really well. I’m just so happy. Incredible to win here. We are only at the third race, so it is difficult to think about the championship but we have a very strong car, a reliable car too. For now, we’ve always been there. Hopefully, it continues like this. If it does, we probably have chances for the championship. It’s great to be back in this position.

    Finishing in second place and more than 20 seconds behind Leclerc was Sergio “Checo” Perez, who notched his maiden podium result of the season after having potential podium results in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia evaporated.

    “[The start] was a bit tricky,” Perez said. “Getting my position, Lewis overtook me on the inside, he braked really late and had a really good Turn 1. My first stint was very poor in terms of degradation. We struggled quite a lot, but the hard, the Safety Car – we were unlucky where he lost two positions, which we recovered late there. It was a great result…Looking forward, we’ve been a bit unlucky the first two races.” 

    Settling in the third and final podium spot was George Russell, who fended off teammate Sir Lewis Hamilton to claim his second career podium result and first while driving for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

    “We got to be in it to win it,” Russell said. “[We] Capitalized from other’s misfortunes. We got a little bit lucky today twice, but we’ll take it. There’s so much hard work going on to get us back to the front. To be standing on the podium, it’s special. We are never going to give up. We got to keep on fighting. We were a long way behind and yet here we are, on the podium. I think it’s gonna take some time until we can fight with these boys in red [Ferrari] and blue [Red Bull].  They look pretty exceptional at the moment, but it anyone can [fight them], Mercedes can.”

    McLaren’s Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo came home in fifth and sixth followed by Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly settled in eighth place followed by Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and William Racing’s Alexander Albon, who pitted for fresh tyres on the final lap to retain 10th place for a full circuit and record the first point of the season for himself and for Williams Racing.

    The first competitor to finish outside of the points was rookie Guanyu Zhou followed by Lance Stroll, who received a five-second time penalty for weaving earlier on the track to remain ahead of Bottas. Haas teammates Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen finished 13th and 14th, leaving Haas with no recorded points for the day, followed by AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. Nicholas Latifi, the second driver for Williams Racing, finished 16th followed by Fernando Alonso, whose opportunity to finish in the points evaporated late after he pitted for fresh tyres while being shuffled towards the rear of the field, an issue that also affected Magnussen’s run in the top 10.

    Following a dramatic victory in Saudi Arabia in late March, Max Verstappen suffered his second DNF through the first three scheduled events of 2022 after retiring on Lap 39 due to the engine on his RB18 catching on fire, where he was forced to park in Turn 2.

    Sebastian Vettel, who was making his first start of the 2022 season after being sidelined for the first two events due to COVID-19, retired on Lap 24 after he got loose and spun in Turn 4 before making contact with the wall and ripping off the front wing of his Aston Martin AMR22

    Coming off back-to-back podiums, Carlos Sainz Jr. retired in 20th place, dead last, after he lost his Ferrari F1-75 in Turn 9 on the second lap, where he then cut across the grass, slid off into the gravel and got stuck in the gravel as he was unable to continue despite being dodged by the field.

    Results:

    1. Charles Leclerc, 26 points

    2. Sergio Perez, 18 points

    3. George Russell, 15 points

    4. Lewis Hamilton, 12 points

    5. Lando Norris, 10 points

    6. Daniel Ricciardo, eight points

    7. Esteban Ocon, six points

    8. Valtteri Bottas, four points

    9. Pierre Gasly, two points

    10. Alexander Albon, one point

    11. Guanyu Zhou

    12. Lance Stroll

    13. Mick Schumacher, +1

    14. Kevin Magnussen, +1

    15. Yuki Tsunoda, +1

    16. Nicholas Latifi, +1

    17. Fernando Alonso, +1

    18. Max Verstappen – Retired

    19. Sebastian Vettel – Retired

    20. Carlos Sainz – Retired

    Following the third event of the 2022 F1 season, Charles Leclerc continues to lead the drivers’ standings by 34 points over George Russell, 38 over Carlos Sainz Jr., 41 over Sergio Perez, 43 over Lewis Hamilton and 46 points over Max Verstappen.

    In addition, Ferrari continues to lead the constructors’ standings by 39 points over Mercedes, 49 over Red Bull Racing RBPT, 80 over McLaren Mercedes and 82 over Alpine Renault.

    Next on the 2022 Formula One schedule is Imola Circuit for the third annual Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which will occur on April 24.

  • Formula One 2021-22 Silly Season Update

    Formula One 2021-22 Silly Season Update

    Thirteen races down and nine remain to a competitive 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship season highlighted with a new financial regulation and budget cap for every team, aerodynamic and technical changes to the current F1 cars, sporting regulations, race weekend and on-track activity changes, calendar and circuit changes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a series of on- and off-track, competitive exchanges between two organizations (Mercedes and Red Bull) vying to emerge as champions of 2021.  

    Mixed into the competitive 2021 season are a series of changes pinpointing a number of drivers and teams prior to the 2022 F1 season, with nearly all of the 20 seats on the grid being filled and a majority having guaranteed spots to remain with their current organizations while others are bound to move to a new home for the new season. 

    Here is a rundown of each team and their driver lineup for next season:

    For the first time since 2017, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, which entered this season as the reigning championship-winning team and currently leads this year’s constructors’ standings, will feature a new competitor to its two-car roster. That competitor is George Russell, who was named a Mercedes F1 driver for the 2022 season on September 7. Russell, a native from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England, is currently competing in his third racing season with Williams Racing. Despite being mired back in 15th place in the drivers’ standings, he achieved his maiden podium result after qualifying and finishing second in the rain-shortened Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in late August. Russell will be a teammate to Sir Lewis Hamilton, the reigning seven-time F1 champion who has won four Grand Prix events this season and is runner-up in the current drivers’ standings. Hamilton, meanwhile, signed a two-year contract extension in early July to remain with Mercedes, a deal spanning to 2023, as he continues to his pursuit for a record-setting eighth Formula One title and 100 Grand Prix victories.

    Russell’s transition to Mercedes means that he will be replacing Valtteri Bottas, a native from Nastola, Finland, who has been competing with the silver arrow team since 2017 and has achieved nine career wins in F1. While he has yet to achieve his first Grand Prix victory of 2021, Bottas is up in third place in the drivers’ standings. The Finnish competitor, though, revealed on September 6 that he will be joining Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen on a multi-year basis, beginning in 2022. Bottas will be replacing Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 F1 champion who announced his intention to retire from the sport on September 1. Alfa Romeo has yet to announce its full two-car driver lineup for next season, with the status of Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo’s current second competitor and a third-year F1 driver from Martina, Italy, unconfirmed. 

    Like Mercedes, the Williams Racing team will feature a new competitor to its organization next season. That competitor is Alexander Albon, a former Red Bull Racing competitor who has competed under the Thai flag, as announced on September 8. Albon made his Formula One debut in 2019 while driving for Toro Rosso, now know as AlphaTauri. Midway into the season, he replaced Pierre Gasly to drive for Red Bull and continued to drive for the team through 2020, where he earned two podium results, before being demoted to the role of reserve and development for Red Bull this season. Albon will be a teammate to Nicholas Latifi, a native from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, who is in his second full-time season in F1 and will remain with Williams for the 2022 season. Latifi is currently in 16th place in the drivers’ standings, one spot behind his current teammate, George Russell, while the Williams team is up in eighth place in the constructors’ standings following four top-10 points-paying results.

    Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing Honda, which is runner-up in the constructors’ standings behind Mercedes, will be retaining its two-driver lineup for the 2022 season. Max Verstappen, the current championship leader who has won seven Grand Prix races this season, including the recent Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort, is guaranteed to be with the team through 2023 while Sergio “Checo” Perez, an 11-year racing veteran who won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June, signed a one-year contract extension on August 27 to remain as a Red Bull competitor for another season. Perez is ranked in fifth place in the drivers’ standings.

    Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda, a sister team to Red Bull Racing, will also feature the return of Pierre Gasly and rookie Yuki Tsunoda as the team’s two drivers for 2022, which was confirmed on September 7. Gasly, winner of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, has achieved a podium result at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June along with 12 top-10 points-paying results while Tsunoda, the 2018 F4 Japanese champion, a three-time Formula 2 winner and a newcomer to Formula One this season, has finished in the top-10 five times. Gasly is currently in eighth place in the drivers’ standings, five spots ahead of teammate Tsunoda, while AlphaTauri is ranked in sixth place in the constructors’ standings.

    Like the two Red Bull organizations, Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow, which is ranked in third place in the constructors’ standings, will feature no changes to its driver lineup for next season. Charles Leclerc, who has won his maiden two Grand Prix races since joining the historic organization in 2019 and is placed in sixth in the current drivers’ standings, is under contract with Ferrari through 2024 while Carlos Sainz Jr., the newest member of the organization who has achieved four podium results since 2019, is scheduled to retain his Ferrari seat for 2022. Sainz, currently, is a spot behind teammate Leclerc in the standings.

    Another team that will feature no changes to its driver lineup is the McLaren F1 Team, which is ranked in fourth place in the constructors’ standings. Lando Norris, who has achieved four podium results since 2020 and is in fourth place in the drivers’ standings, inked a fresh multi-year contract in May to remain as a McLaren F1 competitor for 2022 and beyond while Daniel Ricciardo, the team’s newest competitor and a seven-time Grand Prix winner, is slated to remain with the organization on a multi-year basis. Ricciardo is ranked in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, five spots behind his teammate, with nine top-10 results.

    Coming off their recent on-track successes, the Alpine F1 Team, which rebranded from Renault and is in fifth place in the constructors’ standings, will also feature no changes to its lineup for the 2022 season. Esteban Ocon, who won his maiden Grand Prix event in Hungary in early August and is 11th in the drivers’ standings, signed a contract extension in mid-June to remain with Alpine through 2024 while Fernando Alonso, a two-time F1 champion who returned to full-time competition following a two-year break, confirmed in late August that he will return to compete with Alpine next season. Alonso is currently a position ahead of teammate Ocon in the standings.

    Despite enduring an up-and-down season, the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, which rebranded from Racing Point and is placed in seventh in the constructors’ standings, is expected to retain Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll as the team’s two drivers for next season. Vettel, a four-time Formula One champion who achieved his first podium result with the team at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June, is in 12th place in the drivers’ standings, two spots ahead of teammate Stroll, who has achieved six top-10 points-paying results.

    Finally, the Uralkali Haas F1 Team, which sits in the bottom of the constructors’ standings and has yet to score a single point through 13 scheduled Grand Prix events, is also expected to retain its two-driver lineup for the 2022 season. Mick Schumacher, an F1 newcomer and the reigning Formula 2 champion who is the son of seven-time F1 champion, Michael Schumacher, is in a tie at the bottom of the drivers’ standings with his rookie teammate Nikita Mazepin, who finished in fifth place in the 2020 F2 standings with two victories and is the son of Dmitry Mazepin, a Russian businessman who is also the chairman and core shareholder of Uralchem Integrated Chemicals Company.

    With the 2022 Formula One full driver-team lineup yet to be determined, the 2021 F1 season is scheduled to resume at Monza Circuit for the Italian Grand Prix on September 12 followed by Sochi Autodrom for the Russian Grand Prix on September 26.

  • Perez capitalizes late to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    Perez capitalizes late to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    In a late chain of events that featured title contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton left in a draw for the championship lead following late on-track issues, Sergio “Checo” Perez came out on top and claimed his first victory of the season in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit, the sixth event of the 2021 Formula One season.

    The 31-year-old veteran from Guadalajara, Mexico, was initially poised for a podium result when his teammate and leader Max Verstappen wrecked with five laps remaining due to a left-rear tyre puncture, an incident that left Verstappen upset following his Monaco Grand Prix victory. With the race red-flagged to have the debris cleared from the wreckage, the race restarted in a two-lap shootout that featured all of the cars restarting in double lanes. Hamilton, meanwhile, was poised to challenge Perez for the victory until he locked up his front tires and overshot the first corner, which took him out of race-winning contention and an opportunity to reclaim the points lead. That all but gave Perez the clean air needed to drive to victory.

    The Azerbaijan victory marked Perez’s second Formula One career victory in his 197th career start, his first as a Red Bull Racing driver and his first since claiming his maiden F1 victory in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix last December. It also marked Perez’s third time standing on the podium at the Baku City Circuit after finishing in third place in 2016 and 2018.

    “I think we all love Baku, right?” Perez said. “It worked well. We had good pace, good start, good first lap. We did everything perfect apart from that restart. Simply, I didn’t have any grip. I had an issue with my tyres and I couldn’t warm them up, so I think that was part of it, of the issue that I had a very poor start. We gave it all. I thought, ‘I cannot miss this race two laps from the end.’ Overall, I’m just very pleased. I certainly did a very good step in understanding the [Red Bull] car, in feeling comfortable. I think there is still a lot to come from us, so we’re just working really hard. I’m giving it my best. The season is still very long, so anything can happen.”

    Despite finishing 18th with a DNF following his late accident, Verstappen, who earned a single point by setting the fastest lap at 206.839 kph, retained the lead in the drivers’ championship standings after Hamilton fell all the way back to 15th place.

    “Yeah, it’s, of course, frustrating and disappointing,” Verstappen said. “So close to the finish, to retire with a tyre blowout. It’s a big shame. Sometime, you can hate this sport for a few hours and then, I’ll be fine again. Up until that point, it was a great day. The car was on fire. I was just matching whatever I needed to do behind me. It would’ve been an easy win, but of course, I know no guarantees are in this sport. Shame because we missed out on an opportunity to make the gap [between myself and Hamilton] bigger.”

    “Basically, when Checo pulled over to the left and I moved to the left, I, unknowingly, hit a switch and it basically switched off the rear brakes and only the fronts were working, so it just went straight,” Hamilton said. “It’s really painful, but I’m really sorry to the team for this day. All I can do is rebuild and know that I gave it absolutely everything today.”

    Trailing Perez to the line by more than a second was Sebastian Vettel, who claimed his first podium result of the season, his first since the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix last November and his first with the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team.

    “I feel good,” Vettel said. “We started 11th, but I think we were very strong today. The team did a great job. We prepared well for the race, knew what to do and execute…good pace throughout. Looking forward to the next races.”

    Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, fended off a late challenge from pole-sitter Charles Leclerc during the two-lap shootout to round out the podium in third place, thus claiming his first podium result since winning his maiden Grand Prix event in Monza, Italy, last September and the first podium result of the season for the AlphaTauri team.

    “It’s been an incredible weekend for us,” Gasly said. “The car’s been very, very strong and [qualifying] was great yesterday. The race was going really well at the start. From mid-race to onwards, we had engine problems, so we started to lose performance, especially down the straights. I knew it would be tight with Charles with our lethal issue. It was quite close racing, hard racing, but exactly how we like it. I really wanted that podium and I’m really, really happy for the guys.”

    Leclerc rallied from his dismal week at Monaco, where he did not make the starting grid nor competed, by finishing fourth while Lando Norris crossed the line in fifth place.

    Fernando Alonso settled in sixth place followed by rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who notched a career-best result. Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Räikkönen completed the top-10 points finishing results.

    Antonio Giovinazzi finished 11th followed by Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, all of whom finished in front of Hamilton. Nicholas Latifi finished 16th while teammate George Russell retired in 17th.

    Lance Stroll ended his race in 19th place and with a DNF following a harrowing accident caused by a left-rear tyre puncture on the high-speed straightaway that sent the Canadian into the wall and with a wrecked Aston Martin F1 car.

    Esteban Ocon finished in 20th place and as the first retiree of the event after an early engine turbo issue took him out of contention.

    Results:

    1. Sergio Perez, eight laps led, 25 points

    2. Sebastian Vettel, four laps led, 18 points

    3. Pierre Gasly, 15 points

    4. Charles Leclerc, one lap led, 12 points

    5. Lando Norris, 10 points

    6. Fernando Alonso, eight points

    7. Yuki Tsunoda, six points

    8. Carlos Sainz, four points

    9. Daniel Ricciardo, two points

    10. Kimi Räikkönen, one point

    11. Antonio Givinazzi

    12. Valtteri Bottas

    13. Mick Schumacher

    14. Nikita Mazepin

    15. Lewis Hamilton, nine laps led

    16. Nicholas Latifi

    17. George Russell, retired

    18. Max Verstappen, retired, 29 las led, one point

    19. Lance Stroll, retired

    20. Esteban Ocon, retired

    Verstappen continues to lead the drivers’ standings by four points over Hamilton with Perez trailing by 36 points. Red Bull Racing Honda also continues to lead the constructors’ standings by 26 points over Mercedes.

    Next on the 2021 Formula One schedule is Circuit Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix, which will occur on Sunday, June 20.

  • Verstappen wins the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix

    Verstappen wins the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix

    There is a new championship leader in the Formula One standings, and it is Max Verstappen after the Red Bull Racing driver claimed a dominating victory in the Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco for his second Grand Prix victory of the season and the 12th of his F1 career.

    The 23-year-old competitor competing under the Dutch flag started in first place after Charles Leclerc, who was scheduled to start on pole position, was unable to take the grid due to a gearbox issue as a result of wrecking his car during qualifying session but opting to not have the gearbox changed as his Ferrari crew deemed it cleared to race and to not have a five-place penalty grid.

    With Leclerc out of contention from the race due to the gearbox issue, Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas started on the front row. When the race started, Verstappen was able to maintain the lead through the first turn and remain out in front for the entirety of the event as he claimed his first triumph in Monaco and made another championship statement. With this victory in Monaco, though, Verstappen and Red Bull Racing were able to emerge in first place with both the Driver and Constructor standings.

    “It’s so special around here, to win and for me, first time on the podium here,” Verstappen said. “An amazing race, it’s a lot of laps around here. You really have to keep your focus, but yeah, it’s really cool…I was pretty much in control.”

    Leclerc, who was initially scheduled to start on pole position in his home event, was the first retiree of the event following his mechanical issues.

    Finishing less than nine seconds behind Verstappen was Carlos Sainz, who tied his career-best result in Formula One and claimed his maiden podium result as a Ferrari driver along with his first podium result since the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. Coming home in third place was McLaren’s Lando Norris, who also tied his career-best result in F1 and his second podium result of the season (third of his career).

    “If you would’ve told me before coming to Monaco that I would finish second, I would’ve definitely take it,” Sainz said. “It’s just the whole circumstances of this weekend, having Charles on pole, me missing out in qualy yesterday, it’s just maybe there are some things that could have had should, but I’m sure that when I reflect back on the weekend, I will be very happy and proud of the weekend.”

    “I don’t know what to say,” Norris said. “I didn’t think I’d be here today. It’s always a dream to be on the podium here. It’s just special. I didn’t think it was gonna happen. A bit of luck…a good car all weekend. We’ve had a strong weekend.”

    Sergio “Checo” Perez, the second Red Bull Racing driver, finished in fourth place for his fourth top-five result through the first five F1 races while Sebastian Vettel, driving for Aston Martin Racing, rallied from a difficult start to this season to finish in fifth place. As a result, Vettel was voted ‘Driver of the Day’ by the fans.

    Pierre Gasly finished in sixth place followed by Lewis Hamilton, who established the fastest lap of the day but was unable to march his way to the front after starting in sixth place and coming off his Grand Prix victories in Portugal and Spain. Lance Stroll finished in eighth place followed by Esteban Ocon and Antonio Giovinazzi.

    Finishing outside of the top-10 points positions was Kimi Räikkönen followed by Daniel Ricciardo, Fernando Alonso, George Russell and teammate Nicholas Latifi. Rookie Yuki Tsunoda settled in 16th place followed by Haas drivers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher, all of whom were making their first F1 starts in Monaco.

    Valtteri Bottas, who was having a strong result in the making, retired in 19th place following a pit stop misfortune on Lap 31, where the right-front tire on Bottas’ Mercedes F1 W12 car could not be removed despite numerous efforts.

    Results.

    1. Max Verstappen, 78 laps led, 25 points

    2. Carlos Sainz, 18 points

    3. Lando Norris, 15 points

    4. Sergio Perez, 12 points

    5. Sebastian Vettel, 10 points

    6. Pierre Gasly, eight points

    7. Lewis Hamilton, seven points

    8. Lance Stroll, four points, +1 lap

    9. Esteban Ocon, two points, +1 lap

    10. Antonio Giovinazzi, one point, +1 lap

    11. Kimi Räikkönen, +1 lap

    12. Daniel Ricciardo, +1 lap

    13. Fernando Alonso, +1 lap

    14. George Russell, +1 lap

    15. Nicholas Latifi, +1 lap

    16. Yuki Tsunoda, +1 lap

    17. Nikita Mazepin, +3 laps

    18. Mick Schumacher, +3 laps

    19. Valtteri Bottas, retired

    20. Charles Leclerc, retired

    Following the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen leads the Drivers’ standings by four points over Hamilton, with Norris trailing by 49 points, Bottas by 58, Perez by 61, Leclerc by 65, Sainz by 67, Ricciardo by 81, Gasly by 89 and Ocon by 93.

    In the Constructors’ standings, Red Bull Racing Honda leads Mercedes by a single point, with McLaren Mercedes trailing by 69, Ferrari by 71, Aston Martin Mercedes by 130, AlphaTauri Honda by 131, Alpine Renault by 132, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari by 148, Williams Mercedes and Haas Ferrari by 149.

    The 2021 Formula One World Championship season will continue on June 6 at Baku City for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

  • Verstappen wins the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, secures first F1 victory of 2021

    Verstappen wins the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, secures first F1 victory of 2021

    Following his loss to Sir Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain, Max Verstappen responded back with vengeance after winning an eventful Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola Circuit for his first Grand Prix victory of the season and the 11th of his Formula One career.

    The 23-year-old Verstappen, who started in third place, wasted no time carving his way to the front at the start of the event, where he went on to dominate, leading all but two of the 63-scheduled laps, and claim the checkered flag by 22 seconds over Hamilton, as he and Red Bull Racing continued to display their early strengths for this year’s championship. 

    Verstappen also survived an event that was highlighted with wet, slick conditions and a high-speed crash involving Valtteri Bottas and George Russell past the midway section of the event.

    “It was very tricky conditions out there,” Verstappen said. “But, I think we managed it well. It was important to get that good start after [the] line, so very pleased with that. Very, very tricky out there. To make the right call, to go from intermediates to slick tires…It just shows you that it’s so tricky out there with cold tires, even in the wet, it’s super easy to make a mistake with these cars. Overall, we did a good job. Very pleased with that. It’s very close [with Hamilton], but it’s exciting like that.”

    Hamilton, who started the day on pole position for the 99th time in his career, endured a wild moment on Lap 31 when he locked up his tires and went off the course in the gravel at Tosa (Turn 7), where he also made light contact with the wall. Despite the incident and being pinned a lap behind, the reigning seven-time Formula One champion made a miraculous comeback in the second half to charge all the way up into second place behind Verstappen.

    With his runner-up result and by setting the fastest lap of the event, Hamilton retained the lead in the drivers’ championship standings by a point over Verstappen. 

    “Considering I was facing the barrier at one stage, a lap down, etc., it was a difficult day in that regard,” Hamilton said. “Max did a fantastic today. Congratulations to him. I had some really good pace in the rain and was catching, but just a little bit impatient with the back markers and caught me out. I’m unhuman, these mistakes happen. I’m grateful that I was back in the race and I could hunt down and get back to second…We got a great battle on our hands. Game on.”

    Unlike Hamilton, teammate Valtteri Bottas was left disappointed and strapped with a DNF following his on-track accident with Williams driver George Russel, where both competitors collided at over 200 mph entering Tamburello (Turns 2 and 3) before colliding into the barriers and coming to rest with destroyed race cars. Both competitors emerged uninjured, but upset at one another over the incident. As a result of the crash, the race went under an extensive red flag period before continuing.

    Behind Verstappen and Hamilton, Lando Norris emerged as a victor after the 20-year-old native from Bristol, England, started seventh and finished in third place and secured the first podium result for himself and for the McLaren F1 Team. The podium result was Norris’ first since the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix as he was also named Driver of the Day.

    “For myself, to repay the favor for the team, but most importantly do myself proud, I feel like I’ve accomplished something,” Norris said. “I feel like I gave it everything and we did the best we could. Definitely, we did that today. I tried hanging on for P2 at the end. Lewis was definitely too quick than us, but I’m definitely a happier guy than what I was yesterday, but just rightly so.”

    Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz came home in fourth and fifth followed by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. 

    Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly and Kimi Räikkönen finished seventh, eighth and ninth followed by Esteban Ocon, who recorded the first point of the season for the Alpine F1 Team.

    Fernando Alonso finished 11th followed by Sergio “Checo” Perez, who started on the front row but was penalized 10 seconds for overtaking the safety car under caution and spun late.

    Rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who started at the rear of the field after wrecking during qualifying session a day earlier, finished 13th after he spun on Lap 35.

    Antonio Giovinazzi finished 14th while Sebastian Vettel, making his second start with the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, settled in 15th after retiring in the final laps due to a gearbox issue.

    Haas F1 drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin finished 16th and 17th, both two laps behind, following a difficult start, where Schumacher lost his front wing and slamming into the barriers while warming his tires and Mazepin was involved in an incident with Nicholas Latifi, who was trying to recover from a spin, past the opening lap in Turn 14.

    Latifi, who crashed into the wall, finished 20th, dead last, with a DNF.

    Results: 

    1. Max Verstappen, 25 points, 61 laps led

    2. Lewis Hamilton, 19 points, two laps led

    3. Lando Norris, 15 points

    4. Charles Leclerc, 12 points

    5. Carlos Sainz, 10 points

    6. Daniel Ricciardo, eight points

    7. Lance Stroll, six points

    8. Pierre Gasly, four points

    9. Kimi Räikkönen, two points

    10. Esteban Ocon, one point

    11. Fernando Alonso

    12. Sergio Perez

    13. Yuki Tsunoda

    14. Antonio Giovinazzi, +1 lap

    15. Sebastian Vettel, DNF

    16. Mick Schumacher, +2 laps

    17. Nikita Mazepin, +2 laps

    18. Valtteri Bottas, DNF

    19. George Russell, DNF

    20. Nicholas Latifi, DNF

    Hamilton continues to lead the drivers’ standings by a single point over Verstappen, with Norris trailing by 17 points, Leclerc by 24, Bottas by 28 and Sainz by 30. In addition, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team remains as the leader in the constructors’ standings by seven points over Red Bull Racing, 19 over McLaren and 26 over Ferrari.

    The next Formula One event on the 2021 schedule is Algarve International Circuit for the Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday, May 2.

  • 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.

  • 2021 Formula One season preview

    2021 Formula One season preview

    With new names on the grid, new stakes on the line and a new start on the horizon for all teams, the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship season is hours away from commencing.

    Formula One is coming off one of its bizarre seasons to date, a season that was delayed until July and featuring a total of 17 Grand Prix events in 14 circuits due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With multiple Grand Prix events across several countries being canceled, the sport took on a new approach to the 2020 season by competing in familiar circuits like Silverstone Circuit and Bahrain International Circuit twice in two weekends while returning to historic circuits like Mugello Circuit and the Nürburgring. In the midst of a scrambling season, the highs and the lows experienced for every team and competitor during race weekends and the rivalry sparked between the teams both on and off the track, the sport was able to etch another season in the record books when the final checkered flag flew at Yas Marina Circuit in December.

    Now with 23 Grand Prix events slated on the 2021 schedule, featuring the return of many countries, the Formula One teams and competitors strive to display every amount of power, speed and competitiveness towards one another to win it all and complete the entire season as scheduled.

    With another pair of championships added to the team’s stable, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team enters the 2021 season with a continuous goal to extend their on-track dominance and leave their rivals in the dust for an eighth consecutive season. Having recorded the seventh drivers’ and constructors’ title for Mercedes, Sir Lewis Hamilton also made history on the track in 2020 by winning 11 Grand Prix events, becoming the all-time Grand Prix wins leader at 95 and tying Michael Schumacher for the most F1 championships in history with seven. While Hamilton sets his sights on winning his record-setting eighth F1 title in his 15th season in competition, teammate Valtteri Bottas, who won twice in 2020 and concluded the season in the runner-up position, aims to overtake Hamilton and leap into the spotlight with his first F1 title in his ninth season in competition. The 2021 F1 season will mark the fifth consecutive season where Hamilton and Bottas will represent Mercedes’ driver lineup as both fight with and against one another for the top spot on the grid and in the championship standings.

    After concluding the 2020 Formula One season as victors in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and as the championship runner-up in the constructors’ standings, Red Bull Racing Honda enters the 2021 season with a simple goal of dethroning Mercedes from their dominance and reclaim their glory as champions since 2013. Leading the way for the team is Max Verstappen, who won twice in 2020 and concluded the season in third place in the final standings. Entering his seventh season in F1, Verstappen will continue his ongoing pursuit to intimidate his fellow competitors and become the next F1 champion. New to the team for this upcoming season is veteran Sergio “Checo” Perez, who is coming off a career-best season in F1 competition where he claimed his maiden Formula One victory at Bahrain in December 2020 and became the first Mexican F1 winner in five decades. Having been released from Racing Point despite a productive 2020 season that nearly brought his racing career to a halt, Perez was picked up by Red Bull Racing, replacing Alexander Albon, and has been given an opportunity to extend his on-track momentum and become a potential championship contender in his 11th season in competition.

    Another team on the rise following a productive, consistent 2020 season is the McLaren F1 Team. With a third-place result in the constructors’ standings, their highest since 2012, McLaren aims to return as race winners for the first time since 2012 and as world champions since 1998. Returning for a third full-time season with the team and of his career is Lando Norris, who claimed his maiden podium result in the 2020 season-opening Austrian Grand Prix and went on to finish in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, though he strives to become the 20th competitor from the United Kingdom to win in Formula One this upcoming season. Like Red Bull Racing and a majority of teams on the grid, McLaren will feature a new face to its stable, this season being veteran Daniel Ricciardo, who spent the previous two seasons with Renault and recorded two podium results in 2020. Entering his 10th full-time season in Formula One, Ricciardo aims to return as a race winner for the first time since 2018.

    Coming off a season surrounded with controversy off the track but an abundant of success on the track, Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, rebranded from Racing Point, aims to take the next step from their fourth-place result in the 2020 constructors’ standings by becoming a regular contender for victories and the overall title in years to come. After claiming two podium results and a career-best 11th-place result in the drivers’ standings in 2020, Lance Stroll returns for a fifth full-time season in Formula One as he strives to become the third Canadian competitor to win in Formula One. New to the team is Sebastian Vettel, four-time F1 champion who spent the previous six seasons with Ferrari. After finishing 13th in the drivers’ standings in 2020. Vettel, who enters his 14th full-time season in Formula One, looks to rejuvenate his career and return to the top of the competition since winning his last title in 2013.

    Next is the Alpine F1 Team, rebranded from Renault, a team that earned three podium results and concluded the 2020 season in fifth place in the constructors’ standings. Returning for a second full-time season with the team and fourth of his career is Esteban Ocon, who claimed his maiden podium result in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and finished in 12th place in the drivers’ standings, though he aims to become the 14th French competitor to win in Formula One. Joining Ocon as a teammate at Alpine this season is two-time champion Fernando Alonso. Regarded as one of the sport’s well-accomplished competitors, Alonso will also be making a triumphant return to the sport since retiring in 2018 and to Alpine, the team where he claimed his two Formula One championships in 2005 and 2006.

    Following their worst recorded season in nearly four decades that was highlighted with on-track issues with speed and capped off with a sixth-place result in the 2020 constructors’ standings, the Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari team enters the 2021 season with a return to the top of the competition being the central focus. Remaining at Ferrari for a third full-time season is Charles Leclerc, who won his first two F1 career races in 2019 but only recorded two podium results in 2020. With Leclerc returning, Ferrari welcomes Carlos Sainz Jr. to its stable for the 2021 season. A rising star in Formula One, Sainz enters his seventh full-time season in F1, having spent the previous six seasons competing for teams like Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren, and will attempt to become the second competitor from Spain to win in Formula One.

    The Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda team is coming off its first full-time season since being rebranded from Toro Rosso, where the team emerged victorious in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix and settled in seventh place in the final constructors’ standings. The competitor who recorded the team’s first victory since being rebranded was Pierre Gasly, who became the first French winner in Formula One in over two decades and notched a 10th-place result in the 2020 drivers’ standings. The 2021 season will mark Gasly’s fourth full-time season in the sport as he aims to repeat the on-track success he experienced the previous season. New to the team and in F1 for this season is Yuki Tsunoda, a 20-year-old native from Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, who settled in third place in the 2020 Formula 2 standings while competing for Carlin and replaces Daniil Kvyat as a rookie Formula One competitor.

    Ending up in eighth place in the constructors’ standings last season and for a second consecutive season was the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen team, which was rebranded from Sauber since 2019. Despite standing as a bottom mid-field team, Alfa Romeo is one of three teams retaining its driver lineup from the previous season for this upcoming season, featuring Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi. Räikkönen, the 2007 Formula One champion, will enter his 21st season in F1 competition in 2021 while Giovinazzi will be making his third full-time season start in Formula One.

    Compared to a majority of Formula One teams that will feature one change to a two-driver lineup, Uralkali Haas F1 Team will enter the 2021 F1 season with a completely new driver lineup with hopes of being competitive and becoming a top midfield team on the grid. Following a ninth-place result in the 2020 constructors’ standings, Haas dropped the hammer by releasing fellow competitors Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean. Replacing them for 2021 will be Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, both of whom will also be making their inaugural presence in Formula One. Schumacher, the son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, is coming off a Formula 2 championship-winning season with Prema Racing while Mazepin, the son of Dmitry Mazepin, Chairman of Uralchem Integrated Chemicals Company, won two 2020 F2 races with Hitech Grand Prix before settling in fifth place in the final standings.

    After concluding the 2020 season with zero recorded points, the 2021 Formula One season will mark the first full-time season that Williams Racing will compete under Dorilton Capital and without founder/co-owner Frank Williams and deputy team principal Claire Williams. Despite a new ownership, the Williams team retains its driver lineup for the 2021 F1 season, featuring George Russell and Nicholas Latifi. This upcoming season will mark the third full-time season in F1 competition for both Russell and Latifi.

    With 10 teams and 20 competitors on the grid, the 2021 Formula One season is set to commence on Sunday, March 28, at Bahrain International Circuit for the 17th running of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

  • 2020 Formula One season in review

    2020 Formula One season in review

    Twenty-three weeks (161 days) since its start, the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season concluded on December 13 when the final checkered flag flew at Yas Marina Circuit following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. While another season of Formula One competition was stamped in the record books, this season has been like none others in recent years.

    Initially set to commence in March, the 2020 Formula One season was also set to mark the start of a new era of motorsports competition, highlighted with 22 Grand Prix events on the schedule and the sport celebrating its 70th anniversary of the first Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. Instead, everything changed in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of this year’s F1 season and several Grand Prix events were cancelled.

    Delayed for four months amid the pandemic, the season was able to make its highly anticipated start on the track in early July as new and familiar Grand Prix events along with old circuits made its way into a rescheduled calendar for a total of 17 events spanning six months.

    Throughout the season, the competitors and teams competed as a unity amid the COVID-19 pandemic while also expressing solidarity against acts of social injustices. Along the way, new and familiar faces rose to the spotlight both on and off the track while the dynasty of a multi-time champion took another step into history. In addition, a number of competitors concluded their final seasons with their current teams, with some set to embark on new adventures with new teams entering a new season while others await their future plans.

    With the 2020 F1 season concluded, here is a rundown of the teams and competitors that competed throughout this season as they look ahead to 2021.

    Amid a pandemic year, there was no denying another dominating on-track season for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, which claimed its record seventh consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships (573 points) and placed its two drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, atop the Drivers’ standings. Since the first Grand Prix event of this season, the Mercedes team was in total control of the championship standings for the drivers and the constructors, winning all but four of 17 Grand Prix events and all but two poles throughout the 2020 season. Following their latest victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in late November, the Mercedes team surpassed the Williams Racing team for the third-most victories in F1 with 115. After eclipsing Ferrari’s previous record of six consecutive Constructors’ championships, Mercedes has an opportunity in making more history and extending their championship streak to eight, which would move them into a tie with McLaren for the third-most Constructors’ titles.

    With 11 Grand Prix victories and another world championship added to his resume, Lewis Hamilton has taken another step towards history as he continues to shatter the record books following another dominating season with Mercedes. Compared to his previous championship seasons, this season was also like none other for the 35-year-old veteran from Stevenage, England, who started the season kneeling prior to every race and expressing solidarity towards the Black Lives Matter movement and against acts of racial injustices. It only took two races into the 2020 season for Hamilton to commence his run for the title when he won the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, Austria, and claimed his first victory of the season. From July to September, he went on to claim Grand Prix victories at Hungary, Great Britain’s Silverstone, Spain, Belgium and Italy’s Tuscany while finishing no lower than seventh. After finishing in third place in the Russian Grand Prix, Hamilton went on to win the following Grand Prix events in Nürburg, Portugal, Imola and Turkey. Following his win in the Portuguese Grand Prix, Hamilton surpassed seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and became the all-time Grand Prix wins leader with 92. Two races later, he clinched his record-tying seventh world championship with a victory in Turkey and tied Schumacher for the most F1 titles. Two days after claiming his 95th career victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton was unable to compete in the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms. With Williams’ driver George Russell filling in at Bahrain, Hamilton was able to return the following week and cap off the 2020 season in third place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Despite being absent for a single race, he walked away with the championship and with a 124-point advantage over teammate Valtteri Bottas, leaving him one title short of holding the most F1 titles of all time. Currently, Hamilton does not have a contract to drive for Mercedes for next season, though he intends on having a new contract with the team set by Christmas.

    For a second consecutive season, teammate Valtteri Bottas opened a new season of Formula One racing by winning the season opener and he went on to finish in the runner-up spot in the final Drivers’ standings behind Lewis Hamilton. On this occasion, he settled behind Hamilton in the standings by 124 points compared to 87 last season. The 31-year-old veteran from Nastola, Finland, started the season with three consecutive podium results, including his win in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. He went on to win the Russian Grand Prix in late September and rack up seven additional podium results, including five additional runner-up results, for the remaining 14 events of the season. Throughout the season, he did not finish in the top 10 three times and he struggled during two Grand Prix events at Bahrain, which ended his title hopes for this season. Nonetheless, he concluded the season with a second-place result in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he also settled in second place in the Drivers’ standings for a second consecutive season. Currently, Bottas is set to return to Mercedes for the 2021 F1 season.

    Settling in the runner-up position in the 2020 Formula One Constructors’ standings with 319 points is the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team, which claimed its highest-points result in the standings since claiming second place in the Constructors’ standings following the 2016 F1 season. Despite trailing Mercedes throughout the season, Red Bull Racing, coming off its second season powered by Honda engines, rallied from double retirements in Austria to record two victories and 24 top-10 results throughout the season. With a win in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to cap off this season, Red Bull Racing aims to close the gap to Mercedes and return as world champions since winning four consecutive titles in 2010-13.

    If there is a current competitor on the grid who emerges as a potential championship threat for the 2021 season, it is Max Verstappen, who is coming off his sixth season in F1 competition. When the 2020 F1 schedule was re-drafted and the season opener was moved to the Red Bull Ring in early July, the 23-year-old Verstappen aimed to start the season on a strong note and with an advantage after winning the previous two Grand Prix events in Spielberg. Instead, his season started off on a low note when early electrical issues sidelined him. He rebounded from his early misfortune by finishing on the podium in the next six Grand Prix events. During this streak, he recorded the first victory of the season for himself and Red Bull Racing in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit in August. For the next nine Grand Prix events, he recorded four additional podium results, but sustained four retirements, which allowed Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to run away with the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships for the 2020 season. While he did not claim his first F1 title, he recorded a dominating victory in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the pole, a victory which allowed him to conclude the season in a career-best third place in the Drivers’ standings with 214 points and provide a potential preview of his run for the 2021 title.

    Following his late but superb on-track audition with Red Bull Racing last season, Alexander Albon was given a full-time ride with Red Bull for the 2020 season with hopes of extending his strong performances and taking the next step in challenging for victories and podiums on a regular basis. His season started off, however, on a low note when he was involved in a late incident with Lewis Hamilton, where Hamilton spun Albon while he was in position of recording his first podium result. Since then, he went on a six-race streak of finishing in the top 10, with his best result being fourth place at the Styrian Grand Prix in July. A week after finishing 15th at the Italian Grand Prix, Albon prevailed over a late battle with Daniel Ricciardo to capture his first podium result in the Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello Circuit with a third-place finish. With his accomplishment, the 24-year-old Albon became the first Thai F1 competitor to achieve a podium result. During the next five races, however, he finished no higher than seventh place as he sustained a retirement and two results outside of the top 10. He rebounded during the final three races of the season by finishing in the top six on the track. Among his late accomplishments included his second career podium result in the Bahrain Grand Prix with a third-place result and finishing in fourth place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In the end, Albon concluded his sophomore season in F1 in seventh place in the Drivers’ standings, one spot better than his rookie season, with 105 points. Despite a strong finish to this season, Albon’s F1 plans for next season remains uncertain.

    With Mercedes and Red Bull emerging as the two front-runners of the 2020 F1 season, it was also a victorious season for the McLaren F1 Team, which achieved two podium results and finished in third place in this year’s Constructors’ standings with 202 points following a strong consistent season for drivers Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris. The result marked McLaren’s return to the top three in the Constructors’ standings for the first time since 2012 and following a year-long battle against names like Racing Point and Renault. It also snapped McLaren’s seven-year span of finishing no higher than fourth place in the Constructors’ standings. With the McLaren Group coming off a new long-term investment deal into McLaren Racing from MSP Sports Capital, an American sports investment group, and switching from Renault to Mercedes engines for 2021, McLaren, winner of 12 Drivers’ championships and eight Constructors’ championships, aims to return as race winners and world champions in the coming years in F1 competition.

    Following a strong 2019 season with McLaren, Carlos Sainz Jr. started this season on another strong note by finishing in fifth place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. The 26-year-old native from Madrid, Spain, backed it up by finishing ninth in the Styrian Grand Prix while also recording the fastest lap of the race and finishing ninth again the following Grand Prix at Mogyoród, Hungary. During the next four Grand Prix events, Sainz’s best result was sixth place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, his home track. The lowlight during the stretch was failing to start the Belgian Grand Prix during to a power unit issue. He rallied back in early September by collecting his second career podium result at Italy’s Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, where he notched a career-best second place behind race winner Pierre Gasly. Despite retiring the following two Grand Prix events at Tuscany and Russia, Sainz concluded the season by finishing in the top 10 for the remaining seven events. In the end, he contributed to McLaren finishing in third place in the Constructors’ standings as he settled in a career-best sixth place in the Drivers’ standings with 105 points. Despite a successful two-year run with McLaren, Sainz is set to join Scuderia Ferrari for the 2021 F1 season.

    Like Sainz, teammate Lando Norris had a productive on-track season that started off on a bright note when he captured his maiden podium result in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. Though he initially crossed the finish line in fourth place, the 21-year-old native from Bristol, England, benefitted from Lewis Hamilton being penalized five seconds on the track due to being involved in a late incident with Alexander Albon to finish 4.8 seconds behind Hamilton and move into third place on the track, thus becoming the third podium sitter in F1 at age 20 years, seven months and 22 days. Throughout his sophomore campaign in F1, Norris achieved 13 top-10 results, including the final five events of the 2020 season and two fastest lap times in two Grand Prix events with only one retirement. Like Sainz, Norris contributed to McLaren finishing in third place in the Constructors’ standings as he settled in ninth place in the Drivers’ standings, two spots better than his rookie season, with 97 points. Unlike Sainz, Norris will remain as a McLaren F1 competitor for the 2021 season.

    If there was a team that fought through adversity and intimidated McLaren for third place in the Constructors’ standings all the way to the final checkered flag of the season, it was the BWT Racing Point F1 Team. In the team’s second full-time season as Racing Point, the team achieved an abundant of on-track success amid challenges and a disappointing start to this season. The low moment for the team occurred in July when protests coming from Renault were launched over the team’s use of brake ducts not designed by Racing Point themselves and copying the ducts used by Mercedes in 2019. In between back-to-back Grand Prix events at Silverstone, United Kingdom, the team was fined €400,000 and docked 15 points in the Constructors’ standings after Renault’s protests were upheld. In addition, Racing Point’s two drivers, Sergio “Checo” Perez and Lance Stroll, were absent from a Grand Prix event after testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms. Their absences allowed veteran Nico Hülkenberg to fill in as a relief competitor for a total of three races. Amid the challenges throughout the season, Racing Point remained in contention to emerge as the third-best team in 2020 while achieving its first victory in the Sakhir Grand Prix with Perez. While the team achieved a total of 24 top-10 results between its two-car lineup, late on-track issues during the Grand Prix events in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi left Racing Point behind McLaren as the third-best team in 2020 by seven points. Nonetheless, the fourth-place result in the Constructors’ standings (195 points) marks the team’s best best points results since the 2017 Formula One season when the team competed as the Sahara Force India F1 Team. With the 2020 season concluded, Racing Point is set to rebranded as Aston Martin F1 Team for the 2021 season.

    In his 10th season as an F1 competitor, Sergio “Checo” Perez is coming off a career-defining season that currently leaves him uncertain of his status for next season. The 30-year-old veteran from Guadalajara, Mexico, started the season with three consecutive results in the top 10. His season, however, was placed in jeopardy when he was absent from the following two Grand Prix events at Silverstone due to testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms. During his absence, Nico Hülkenberg filled in, where he failed to make the starting grid for the British Grand Prix but rebounded with a seventh-place result in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. Returning in mid-August for the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Perez rebounded with a fifth-place result. From Spain in August through the Turkish Grand Prix in November, he went on a nine-race streak of finishing in the top 10 and collecting an abundant of points. During this span, he achieved his first elusive podium result since 2018 in the Turkish Grand Prix after coming home in a career-best second place behind the champion Lewis Hamilton. By then, however, it was confirmed that Perez will not be remaining with Racing Point for the 2021 season, though he initially inked a three-year contract extension with the team following the 2019 season. After retiring in the final laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix due to an engine failure and while having a podium spot within his grasp, Perez returned to Bahrain International Circuit with vengeance and won after rallying from an opening lap incident to claim his maiden F1 victory in the Sakhir Grand Prix and in his 190th career start. With his first F1 victory, Perez became the 110th different competitor to win a Grand Prix event and the first Mexican competitor to win a Grand Prix event since Pedro Rodriguez made the last accomplishment in the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix. His final ride with Racing Point, however, ended on a low note during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when an early technical issue sidelined the Mexican. Despite the bitter conclusion, Perez achieved a career-best fourth place in the Drivers’ standings with 125 points. Currently, his racing plans for next season are unknown.

    Like Perez, teammate Lance Stroll also achieved great success on the track in his fourth full-time season as an F1 competitor. Following an early retirement in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, the 22-year-old Stroll from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, went on a seven-race streak of finishing in the top 10 and collecting an abundant of points. By then, he was coming off his second career podium result after finishing in third place in the Italian Grand Prix in early September. The next five Grand Prix events, however, did not fall in Stroll’s favor as he suffered three retirements. In addition, he withdrew from competing in the Eifel Grand Prix in October due to testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms, which allowed Nico Hülkenberg to fill in for his third race as a Racing Point interim competitor. Stroll rebounded the following event on the schedule, Turkish Grand Prix, by capturing his maiden pole position and becoming the first Canadian F1 pole winner since Jacques Villeneuve made the last accomplishment at the 1997 European Grand Prix. He also was one of two F1 competitors not driving for Mercedes to win a pole position throughout the 2020 season. He went on to finish in ninth place during the main event. A week after flipping early in the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit, Stroll again rebounded by claiming his third podium result of his career, second of the season, in the Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain after finishing in third place, two spots behind teammate and winner Sergio Perez. He went on to cap off the season in 10th place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and settle in a career-best 11th place in the Drivers’ standings with 75 points. With Perez departing, Stroll is set to remain with Racing Point that will be rebranded to Aston Martin.

    Another team that contended for the third-place spot in the Constructors’ standings throughout the 2020 season was the Renault DP World F1 Team. Following a difficult 2019 season, Renault’s two-driver lineup, featuring Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon, recorded a combined 24 top-10 results, six more than 2019, and three podium results along with two fastest time laps in two Grand Prix events, both with Ricciardo. The results, however, were not enough for the two-time world championship team to overtake McLaren and Racing Point in the Constructors’ standings, with Renault concluding the 2020 season in fifth place, equivalent to 2019, but with 181 points compared to 91 in 2019. Like Racing Point, Renault is set to be rebranded as the Alpine F1 Team for the 2021 season while sporting the French national colors of red, white and blue and compete with Renault engines. In addition, the team is excited to feature two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso as one of its two competitors for the 2021 season, which will mark Alonso’s return to Formula One competition since 2018.

    For Daniel Ricciardo, his second season with Renault started off on a low note when he retired in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix due to overheating issues. Compared to last season and despite the season-opening retirement, the 31-year-old veteran from Perth, Australia, did not record another retirement for the remainder of this season. Instead, he finished in the top 10 in all but two of the remaining 16 Grand Prix events and achieved two fastest lap times in two Grand Prix events. By the end of September, his best on-track result was fourth place (twice). During the following Grand Prix at Nürburgring, Germany, Ricciardo achieved his first podium result with Renault after finishing in third place behind race winner Lewis Hamilton and runner-up Max Verstappen. The podium result was Ricciardo’s first since winning the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix and the first for Renault since the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. Two races later, he achieved another podium result in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy after finishing in third place. Afterwards, he capped off the season with four consecutive top-10 results and finished in fifth place in the Drivers’ standings with 119 points, his best result in the standings since 2017. Despite a successful 2020 run with Renault, Ricciardo is set to open a new chapter to his resume in 2021 as he will become a McLaren F1 competitor.

    After being left without a full-time seat for the 2019 season, Esteban Ocon began his comeback return in F1 this season when he replaced Nico Hülkenberg as one of Renault’s two competitors. The 24-year-old native from Évreux, France, started the season by finishing eighth in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. He then retired during the Styrian Grand Prix and finished 14th in the Hungarian Grand Prix before recording back-to-back top-10 results at Silverstone. Through the first 15 Grand Prix events of this season and entering the Bahrain Grand Prix, Ocon’s best on-track result was fifth place, which occurred during the Belgian Grand Prix in August. While he achieved eight top-10 results, he also sustained four retirements. Nonetheless, he managed to conclude the season on a positive note when he earned his maiden F1 podium result in the Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit by finishing in second place in his 66th career start and behind ex-teammate Sergio Perez. A ninth-place result in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit following a late battle with Lance Stroll was enough for him to conclude the season in 12th place in the Drivers’ standings, the same spot he finished in following his previous full-time season in 2018 but with 62 points. Following an up-and-down season, Ocon is set to remain with Renault that will be rebranded to Alpine in 2021.

    For the first time since the 2014 Formula One season, Scuderia Ferrari did not conclude an F1 season in the top three in the Constructors’ standings. Instead, the team, which has achieved 16 Constructors’ championships, 15 Drivers’ championships and 237 victories, settled in sixth place in the standings with 131 points, their lowest points result since finishing 10th in 1980. In addition, the team failed to win a Grand Prix event since the 2016 season. Since the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari struggled with pace and speed against the competition. Through the first half of the 2020 F1 season, the team only achieved two podium results with Charles Leclerc. While Leclerc improved with consistency in the second half of the season, teammate and former F1 champion Sebastian Vettel struggled throughout the entire season in finishing in the points for himself and the team. Following a difficult 2020 season, Ferrari looks to rebound and return to competitive form in 2021.

    After achieving his first two Grand Prix events, 10 podium results and a fourth-place result in the Drivers’ standings last season, Charles Leclerc opened his second full-time season with Ferrari by finishing in second place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix following a slow start. Following two results outside of the top 10, he claimed his second podium result of the season in the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, which was followed with a fourth-place result in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. He then sustained two retirements during the next three Grand Prix events, which diminished his hopes for the 2020 F1 title. From Tuscany, Italy in September through Sakhir, Bahrain in November, Leclerc rallied by finishing in the top 10 in seven consecutive Grand Prix events, with a best result of fourth place (twice). Despite his late consistent surge, he concluded the season on a low note by retiring in the Sakhir Grand Prix following an opening lap multi-car crash and finishing 13th in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. When the checkered flag flew and the dust settled, Leclerc concluded the season in eighth place in the 2020 Drivers’ standings, four spots lower than his first campaign with Ferrari, with 98 points, the highest-finishing competitor with double-digit points. The 23-year-old Leclerc from Monte Carlo, Monaco, is slated to remain as a Ferrari competitor through 2024.

    Prior to this season’s start in July and during the pandemic, teammate Sebastian Vettel was thrown into the spotlight when it was announced that he will not be remaining with Ferrari following the 2020 season and following a six-year run with one of motorsport’s iconic names. When the season started, Vettel struggled with consistency and in keeping pace with the competition. Following the first half of the 2020 F1 season, nine races completed, Vettel’s highest-finishing result was sixth place, which occurred in the Hungarian Grand Prix in mid-July. In addition, he had achieved four additional top-10 results, but no podium results and two retirements. Vettel continued to struggle during the start of the second half of the season as he finished no higher than 10th place during the next four Grand Prix events. The following Grand Prix event in Turkey, Vettel captured his first elusive podium result of the season after crossing the finish line in third place. For the final three Grand Prix events of the season, however, he finished no higher than 12th place. In the end, Vettel capped off a long season of racing in 13th place in the Drivers’ standings, his lowest result since 2007, with 33 points. With his time with Ferrari complete, the four-time world champion from Heppenheim, West Germany, is set to join the Aston Martin F1 Team, rebranded from Racing Point.

    Coming home in seventh place in the Constructors’ standings and the final team with triple-digit points (107) is the Scuderia AlphaTauri team. Rebranded from Toro Rosso and a sister team to Red Bull Racing, the team finished one spot behind from last season in the Constructors’ standings, but achieved a fair share of on-track success in 2020. The team’s bright moment was winning the Italian Grand Prix in September with Pierre Gasly, which marked the team’s first victory as AlphaTauri but second overall since winning the 2008 Italian Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel while known as Toro Rosso. Throughout the 2020 campaign, the team’s two-driver lineup, featuring Gasly and Daniil Kvyat, achieved a total of 17 top-10 results and gained points in all but two of 17 Grand Prix events this season. The results, however, were not enough for the team to join the battle for the third-best team in the Constructors’ standings, but the team remains poised to be competitive on the track next season.

    A year after being demoted from Red Bull Racing to Toro Rosso and achieving his maiden podium result at Brazil, Pierre Gasly experienced another first in his racing career this season. That first was his maiden Grand Prix win at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy in early September, where the 24-year-old native from Rouen, France, benefitted from an early pit stop and 10-second stop-and-go penalties handed to Lewis Hamilton and Antonio Giovinazzi to carve his way to the lead and hold off Carlos Sainz Jr. to score his first victory in F1 competition. With his accomplishment, he became the first French competitor to win a Grand Prix event since Olivier Panis made the last accomplishment in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. He also became the 109th different competitor to win a Grand Prix event and the first competitor not representing Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull to win an F1 race since Kimi Räikkönen won the 2013 Australian Grand Prix while driving a Lotus. In addition to his win, Gasly achieved 10 top-10 results throughout the 17-race schedule, four fewer than 2019, while also sustaining three retirements. By finishing in eighth place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he was able to conclude his junior season in Formula One in 10th place in the Drivers’ standings with 75 points. Following a productive 2020 season highlighted with his maiden F1 victory, Gasly is set to remain with AlphaTauri for the 2021 season.

    Compared to Gasly, teammate Daniil Kvyat had an up-and-down season in his sixth campaign in Formula One. A year after collecting a podium result in Germany and 10 top-10 results, the 26-year-old native from Ufa, Russia, opened this season with two retirements and finishing no higher than 10th place (twice) through the first seven Grand Prix events in 2020. He rallied during the following three Grand Prix events in Monza, Tuscany and Russia, his home country, by finishing in the top 10. Following a two-race slump in Germany and Portugal, Kvyat recorded a season-best fourth-place result in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in November. For the final four Grand Prix events of the season, however, Kvyat finished no higher than seventh place as he settled in 14th place in the final Drivers’ standings, one spot lower than last season, with 32 points. Currently, Kvyat’s F1 plans for next season remain uncertain.

    Finishing in eighth place in this year’s Constructors’ standings with eight points is the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen team. Compared to last season, where the team opened the season with four consecutive top-10 results, the team opened the 2020 campaign with a single top-10 result, which occurred in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix with Antonio Giovinazzi. Throughout the season, Alfa Romeo’s two-car lineup struggled to gain points and run towards the front. In total, the team secured a best on-track result of ninth place (three times) and five top-10 results, which was enough to emerge as the first team with single-digit points ahead of Haas and Williams (eight). Despite a difficult 2020 campaign, the team will retain its driver lineup, featuring Giovinazzi and Kimi Räikkönen, for the 2021 season.

    The 2020 Formula One season marked a career low for Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 F1 champion, as he recorded a career-low four points, two top-10 results and a final result of 16th place in the Drivers’ standings. Through the first nine races of this season, the 41-year-old veteran from Espoo, Finland, finished no higher than 11th place on the track. He was originally in position of battling for the lead and the win in the Italian Grand Prix in September until he faded in the late stages and finished in 13th place. During the second half of the season, Räikkönen managed to collect his first top-10 result and pair of points in the Tuscan Grand Prix in September. Four races later, he picked up another ninth-place result in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in November. Since then, his next highest result on the track was 11th place. In the end, Räikkönen tied teammate Giovinazzi as the highest-finishing competitor in the Drivers’ standings with single-digit points. With the 2020 season concluded, Räikkönen will remain as an Alfa Romeo F1 competitor next season.

    Following a difficult freshman season in Formula One, Antonio Giovinazzi started off the 2020 season on a stronger note by finishing in ninth place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. It was not until the Eifel Grand Prix in October, however, until the 27-year-old native from Martina Franca, Italy, picked up his second top-10 result of the season (10th place) as he suffered two retirements during the first 10 Grand Prix events this season. He managed to pick up his third top-10 result of the season in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in November following a 10th-place result. Since then, Giovinazzi struggled with pace. In the end, he concluded the season in 17th place in the Drivers’ standings, equivalent to the 2019 season, but with four points, 10 fewer than his rookie season. Like Räikkönen, Giovinazzi will retain his seat with Alfa Romeo in 2021.

    Emerging as the next-to-last team scored in this year’s Constructors’ standings is the Haas F1 team, which achieved a career-low three points in its fifth season in competition. Like last season, the Haas F1 Team struggled with their VF-20 and keeping pace with the competition. It took three races into the 2020 season for the team to achieve their first points of the season with Kevin Magnussen finishing in 10th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix in mid-July. Since then, the team picked up two additional points to this season with Romain Grosjean finishing in ninth place in the Eifel Grand Prix in October. Mired within their on-track struggles were 10 retirements, including a harrowing accident in the Bahrain Grand Prix that left Grosjean injured and sidelined for the remainder of the season. While the Haas F1 Team equalized their result in the Constructors’ standings from last season (ninth place), the team achieved a career-low three points. With the 2020 season complete, Haas is set to feature a new two-car lineup for the 2021 season, featuring Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, and Nikita Mazepin from Moscow, Russia.

    With a single point recorded throughout this season, Kevin Magnussen recorded his fewest points in an F1 season since recording seven in 2016. His lone highlight in 2020 was finishing in 10th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix at Hungaroring in mid-July, the third event of the season, and recording the first point of the season for himself and Haas. Since then, his next highest result throughout the 2020 season was 12th place (twice) as he struggled to earn consistent results. In addition, the 28-year-old native from Roskilde, Denmark, sustained seven retirements throughout the season and he concluded the season in a career-low 20th place in the Drivers’ standings. Following six full-time seasons in Formula One, four with Haas, Magnussen is set to compete in the 2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with Chip Ganassi Racing.

    Like Magnussen, teammate Romain Grosjean endured a long 2020 season that came to a late conclusion. Through 14 of 17 Grand Prix events this season, the 34-year-old veteran who competed under the French flag finished no higher than ninth place, which occurred during the Eifel Grand Prix in October. His next highest-finishing result throughout the 2020 season was 12th place (twice) as he sustained two retirements. Grosjean’s season took a harrowing turn during the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix in late November, when he made contact with AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat, spun and collided into the barriers in Turn 3 at full speed. The impact split Grosjean’s Haas VF-20 in half, where the driver slipped through the upper section of the barrier with the front half of the car and with flames being ignited following the crash. Miraculously, Grosjean was able to extract himself from the wreckage without any assistance before receiving on-track treatment and being transported to the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital by helicopter for further treatment for burns on his hands. After spending three nights in the hospital, he returned to Bahrain and his paddock to be with his team and greet the medical and track/safety workers, among which included Dr. Roberts and medical car driver Alan van der Merwe, who saved his life. While he did not compete in the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix, he ultimately decided to conclude his five-year run with Haas early to focus on his recovery and health. With Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, filling in as a relief Haas competitor, Grosjean capped off the 2020 season in 19th place in the Drivers’ standings with two points. He currently has no racing plans lined up for 2021.

    Finally, the Williams Racing team capped off the 2020 campaign in last place in the Constructors’ standings with zero points. The team started the season on a promising note when Nicholas Latifi finished in 11th place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. Throughout the season, the team’s best result on the track was 11th place (four times) while also sustaining seven retirements. The team’s low point of the season occurred in early September when Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal of Williams Racing, and the Williams family ended their 43-year involvement with Formula One following the Italian Grand Prix. The team was acquired by Dorilton Capital, an American investment group, for €152 million while remaining as Williams Racing and based in the United Kingdom. While the team’s two-driver lineup, featuring Latifi and George Russell, came close in recording a single point at certain Grand Prix events, the team ultimately settled in 10th place (last) in the Constructors’ standings for a third consecutive season.

    For much of the 2020 Formula One season, George Russell, dubbed as a future star in F1, was nowhere towards the front. The 22-year-old native from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England, achieved best results of 11th place (once) and 12th place (twice) while also sustaining four retirements through the first 15 Grand Prix events of this season. Then came an opportunity of a lifetime in the Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit when Russell was selected to drive for the championship-winning Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in place of the champion Lewis Hamilton, who was absent due to COVID-19 symptoms. During his one-race absence from Williams, British-Korean racer Jack Aitken made his F1 debut in place of Russell. Starting the race on the front row along with Valtteri Bottas, Russell dominated the event. During a pit stop sequence in the late stages, however, Russell’s road to victory was stalled when a mix-up in the Mercedes’ pit lane over the tire installments for Russell and Bottas resulted with Russell making another pit stop to have the correct set of tires installed on his car. Dropping back to fifth place, Russell wasted no time carving his way back to the front as he worked his way back into second place Sergio Perez. Just as he had the pace and victory within sight, everything changed when he was forced to make a late unscheduled pit stop due to a left-rear tire puncture. Returning back on the track, he ended the race in ninth place. While he earned his first three points in Formula One racing and established the fastest lap during the race, he was left dejected over the late issue that cost him his first F1 victory. Despite returning to Williams the following week and finishing in 15th place in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Russell concluded the season in 18th place in the Drivers’ standings, two spots better than his rookie season. He is also due to remain with Williams Racing for the 2021 Formula One season.

    Unlike Russell, teammate Nicholas Latifi is coming off his first full-time campaign in Formula One racing, where he replaced veteran Robert Kubica. The 25-year-old rookie from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, recorded a strong 11th-place result in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. He picked up two additional 11th-place results throughout the season while also sustaining three retirements. In the end, Latifi was the lone full-time F1 competitor to not record a single point throughout the 2020 F1 season as he concluded the season in 21st place in the Drivers’ standings. Like teammate George Russell, Latifi will return for a second full-time campaign in F1 with Williams Racing in 2021.

    With the 2020 F1 season complete, the drivers and teams are currently in off-season before returning for the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship season on March 21 at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit for the Australian Grand Prix, the first of 23 Grand Prix events slated on the provisional schedule.

  • 2020 Formula One mid-season review

    2020 Formula One mid-season review

    The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season has officially reached its halfway point in a bizarre season like none other in recent years. Mired by a delayed start spanning four months and changes to its racing schedule amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the sport, celebrating its 70th anniversary of the first Formula One season, is currently in its third off-weekend break from a 17-race schedule revised from 22 before the drivers and the teams embark on an eight-race stretch to the conclusion of this season. With that, here is a rundown of all that has occurred throughout this year’s competitive F1 season as the competitors and teams prepare to finish this season on schedule while also setting their sights for next season and beyond. 

    Through the first nine Formula One races of this season, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team leads the Constructors’ standings with 325 points while its two-driver lineup, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, lead the way in the Drivers’ standings. Even in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic across the globe, the resilience and dominance of the Mercedes team led by Team Principal & CEO Toto Wolff continues to be exemplified on the track and on a race weekend. With eight Drivers’ championships, six consecutive constructors’ championships and 109 career wins in F1, the team strives to achieve another pair of championships (Drivers’ and Constructors’ standings) and extend the winning legacy brought forth by the late Niki Lauda, three-time F1 champion and a former non-executive chairman of Mercedes.

    For Hamilton, the reigning six-time Formula One champion from Stevenage, England, who is on the cusp of tying Michael Schumacher for the most F1 titles at seven, the 2020 season marks his second consecutive season where he has achieved six victories through the first nine races of a new season. He started off on a rough note this season by being penalized to a fourth-place result in the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg after making late contact with Alexander Albon. Since then, he went on to claim Grand Prix victories at Styrian, Hungary, Silverstone, Spain, Belgium and the recent GP event in Tuscany, Italy. With 90 career wins in F1, Hamilton is one victory away in tying Schumacher for the most wins of all time at 91. By finishing no lower than seventh place through the first nine races of the season, Hamilton leads the standings by 55 points over teammate Valtteri Bottas. Though he is primed for another championship run this season and a shot at making history on the track, Hamilton has yet to confirm his racing plans for the 2021 Formula One season. 

    Teammate Bottas, who is in his fourth season with Mercedes and achieved a career-best second place in the Drivers’ standings last season, has had a consistent start to this season that started off on a high note when he won the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg. Since winning his eighth career F1 race, Bottas has achieved six additional podium results, including three second-place results, a fifth-place result in the Italian Grand Prix and a season-low 11th-place result in the British Grand Prix. The Nastola, Finland, native trails teammate Hamilton by 55 points as he attempts to become the sixth competitor to win an F1 title while driving for Mercedes. Unlike Hamilton, Bottas is already set to remain with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team for the 2021 Formula One season.

    Trailing behind in second place in the Constructors’ standings and with a total of 173 points is the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team with Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon currently driving for the team. Having achieved four Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships, none since 2013, the team managed by Team Principal Christian Horner has been lurking behind the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari in recent years. With Ferrari struggling to keep pace this season, Red Bull Racing is currently the second-best team in the garage and aims to take the next step forward to return to the top of the standings and back as champions of the world.

    After achieving seven career victories in Formula One from 2016 to 2019 and notching a career-best third-place result in the Drivers’ standings last season, Max Verstappen approached the 2020 season with momentum and high expectations to challenge Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas for this year’s title run. His season did not start off on a strong note, however, in the Austrian Grand Prix when his car experienced electrical issues. The 22-year-old Dutch competitor rebounded the following three races by finishing in the podium, including back-to-back runner-up results. In the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in Silverstone, United Kingdom, he achieved his first victory of the season and became the first non-Mercedes competitor to win in 2020 while recording the 63rd F1 career win for Red Bull Racing. He went on to achieve two additional podium results the following two races, but is coming off back-to-back retirements in two Grand Prix races in Italy. He is situated in third place in the Drivers’ standings behind the two Mercedes competitors and trails Hamilton by 80 points while he continues to pursue his first F1 title. While multiple Formula One competitors have contracts set to expire this season or next season, Verstappen is locked into a contract with Red Bull Racing through 2023.

    For Albon, who took over one of Red Bull Racing’s two rides late last season and recorded enough impressive results to earn a full-time seat with Red Bull this season, the first half of the 2020 season has been an up-and-down year for him. During the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, Albon was involved in a late incident with Lewis Hamilton while battling for a podium spot (marking his second incident with Hamilton since Brazil in 2019). He rebounded the following six races by posting top-10 runs in all of them while achieving a best result of fourth place. After finishing 15th in the Italian Grand Prix, Albon achieved his elusive maiden podium result, third place, in the Tuscan Grand Prix. Albon’s first podium result came in his 30th start in F1 as he became the first Thai competitor to achieve an F1 podium result. Through the first nine races, Albon is in fifth place in the Drivers’ standings as he trails Hamilton by 127 points. Unlike Verstappen, Albon and Red Bull have yet to announce if their partnership will continue beyond this season.

    The third-best team in the Constructors’ standings with 106 points is the McLaren F1 Team with Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr. driving for the team. Having achieved 12 drivers’ championships and eight constructors’ titles, none in either category since 2008, the team currently managed by CEO Zak Brown has struggled in keeping pace with the competition for wins and titles since the start of the 2013 season. From 2013 to 2018, the team’s best result in the Constructors’ standings was fifth place (twice) In addition, Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button recorded the team’s lone podium results during the six-year span. Last season, the competitiveness of the team began to turn around for the better as the team’s two competitors, Sainz and Norris, racked up strong results, including a podium result with Sainz in Brazil, to place the team in fourth place in the Constructors’ standings. By being the third-best team through the first half of this season, McLaren aims to extend their current on-track success, return to competitive form like from the past and contend for their first F1 win since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.

    For Norris, who achieved 11 top-10 results and concluded last season in 11th place in the Drivers’ standings, the 20-year-old competitor from Bristol, England, kicked off a new season of racing on a positive note by finishing in third place and claiming his maiden podium in F1 as a result of Lewis Hamilton being penalized for a late on-track incident with Alexander Albon and Norris finishing 4.8 seconds behind Hamilton, thus promoting him to the podium. At age 20 years, seven months and 22 days old, Norris became the third-youngest competitor to achieve an F1 podium result. Since his podium result, Norris has finished in the top 10 in all but one event. He is currently in fourth place in the Drivers’ standings, trailing Hamilton by 125 points, and looks to add his name as a potential title threat for this season and for years to come.

    For Sainz, who achieved 13 top-10 results, his maiden podium in the Brazilian Grand Prix and a sixth-place result in the Drivers’ standings last season, this season has been an up-and-down season for him. The 26-year-old competitor from Madrid, Spain, opened this season by recording three consecutive top-10 results. For the next four races, however, he only achieved one additional top-10 result and he did not make the starting grid for the Belgian Grand Prix due to a power unit issue. Nonetheless, he rallied the following race by notching a career-best second-place result in the Italian Grand Prix and claiming his second career podium result in Formula One. An early elimination due to a wreck in the recent Tuscan Grand Prix, however, places Sainz in 11th place in the Drivers’ standings, 149 points behind Hamilton. Nonetheless, Sainz aims to join Fernando Alonso, a two-time F1 champion, as the lone competitors from Spain to win a Formula One race. Unlike Norris, who will remain with McLaren next season, Sainz is set to join Scuderia Ferrari for the 2021 season, replacing Sebastian Vettel.

    Next is the BWT Racing Point F1 Team, the first team with double-digit points at 92 and currently ranked in fourth place in the standings with Lance Stroll and Sergio “Checo” Perez driving for the team. The team has experienced an abundance of bright on-track moments and results in their second full-time F1 season under the Racing Point banner with Otmar Szafnauer serving as the CEO & Team Principal of the team and with Canadian billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll supporting the team as a part-owner. The only controversial moment for the team this season was when Racing Point was docked 15 points and fined €400,000 between the two GP events in Silverstone as a result of fielding RP20 race cars at the beginning of this season that had an identical design to the 2019 Mercedes car, a protest that was launched by Renault and upheld by the FIA upon review of the team’s use of rear brake ducts that were not refined while being used into the DNA of the RP19 car. Despite the controversy, 15 top-10 results between three competitors through the first nine races have kept the team in contention of emerging as the third-best team for this season. The team is also set to rebrand as Aston Martin F1 Team in 2021.

    For Lance Stroll, the 20-year-old son of Lawrence Stroll and who achieved six top-10 results and a 15th-place result in the Drivers’ standings last season, this season marks his strongest start to a Formula One season compared to his previous three seasons. After retiring in the season opener in the Austrian Grand Prix due to engine issues, Stroll went on a seven-race stretch of finishing inside the top 10. This included a third-place result in the Italian Grand Prix, which marked his first podium achievement since finishing in third place in the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Though he retired in the recent event, the Tuscan Grand Prix, following a late accident, he is in sixth place in the Drivers’ standings, which would mark a career-best result for him, and is 133 points behind Hamilton. Despite a strong start to this season, Stroll has yet to confirm his racing plans for next season.

    For Perez, who achieved 11 top-10 results and a 10th-place result in the Drivers’ standings last season, this season marks his strongest start to a new season of racing in three years. The 30-year-old Guadalajara, Mexico, native started the season by notching three consecutive top-10 results. His season, however, took a downhill turn when he was forced to sit out of both Silverstone races and was replaced by Nico Hülkenberg after being tested positive for COVID-19 symptoms. Once he returned to the track, Perez went on to finish in the top 10 through the last four races. His best results have been a pair of fifth-place finishes (Spain and Tuscan GP) as he strives to achieve his first podium result since finishing in third place in the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Despite his results, Perez will not be remaining with the team that is set to be rebranded to Aston Martin and his future plans in racing is currently unknown. 

    For Hülkenberg, who was left without a full-time ride for this season following a three-year run with Renault, this season marks his first absence from the season-opening race since he failed to take the starting grid for the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. The opportunity for the Emmerich am Rhein, West Germany, native to return to F1 came during both races at Silverstone when Sergio Perez tested positive for COVID-19 symptoms. For the British Grand Prix, he was due to start in 13th place, but he did not make the grid due to an engine failure. Returning for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, Hülkenberg redeemed himself by starting in third place and finishing in seventh place. The seventh-place result marked his 96th top-10 result in his 178th career start in Formula One as he is still pursuing his first elusive podium result. Though Hülkenberg is not a full-time competitor this season and has not raced since August, the six points he recorded at Silverstone are more than Kimi Räikkönen, Antonio Giovinazzi, Kevin Magnussen, Nicholas Latifi, George Russell and Romain Grosjean combined through the first half of this season. Despite his two-race stint at Silverstone, Hülkenberg is still searching for a full-time ride and a return to F1 racing next year.

    Rounding out the top five and the first half of the Formula One teams in the Constructors’ standings is the Renault DP World F1 Team, currently with 83 points and with Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon driving for the team managed by Cyril Abiteboul and Marcin Budkowski. Having won two championships in 2004 and 2005, the team has finished no higher than third place in the standings since winning back-to-back titles. From 2009 to 2019, the team emerged as the fifth-best team in the final Constructors’ standings three times, including last season. This season, through the first nine races, Renault is situated in fifth place in the Constructors’ standings, ironically, and have tallied 11 top-10 results between its two-car lineup. Like the Racing Point organization, Renault is set to be rebranded as Alpine F1 Team and sport the French national colors of red, white and blue on their race cars. The team is also set to feature two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso as one of their two competitors for next season as they strive to return to championship contention. The 2021 F1 season will mark Alonso’s return to the sport since he retired in 2018 and his return to Renault since 2009.

    For Ricciardo, this season, which marks his second with Renault, started off as a season for him to rebound and reignite his past achievements and competitiveness on the track throughout his career and following a disappointing 2019 season highlighted with eight top-10 results and a ninth-place result in the Drivers’ standings. The season, however, did not start on a high note when he retired early due to overheating issues. Nonetheless, Ricciardo has achieved a total of six top-10 results through the first nine races of this season and he is ranked in seventh place in the Drivers’ standings while trailing Hamilton by 137 points. Finishing as high as fourth place three times on the track indicates how hungry he is in returning to the podium and winning an F1 race for the first time since 2018. Despite the recent strides and strong results on the track, Ricciardo is set to join McLaren next season and be a teammate to Lando Norris.

    For Ocon, who made his return to full-time Formula One racing this season following a one-year absence, the 2020 season was a year for him to rejuvenate his career and past success when he drove for Force India/Racing Point F1 Team. The 24-year-old Évreux, France, native started the season with an eighth-place result before he retired the following race due to overheating issues. Over the next seven races, he has achieved four top-10 results, a best result of fifth place, and one additional retirement. He is ranked in 12th place in the Drivers’ standings and is 160 points behind Hamilton while also being 13 points behind in cracking the top-10 mark. Ocon is set to remain with Renault and be a teammate to Fernando Alonso next season.    

    The team that leads the second half of the 10-team field in this year’s Formula One grid/standings with 66 points is Scuderia Ferrari with Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc currently driving for the team led by Team Principal Mattia Binotto. Having won 16 Constructors’ championships and 15 Drivers’ championships since 1950, the Ferrari powerhouse organization has struggled on the track throughout this season. With the team emerging as the second- or third-best team over the last decade, only two podium results through nine races this season marks their worst since 2014 as the team aims to rebuild itself back into competitive form approaching next season.

    For Vettel, a four-time Formula One champion and a 53-time race winner who achieved only one victory and a fifth-place result in the Drivers’ standings last season, the 2020 season marks his slowest start to an F1 season in recent years. He started the season with a 10th-place result in the Austrian Grand Prix. Over the next eight races, Vettel has achieved four additional top-10 results and two retirements. Thus far, his best on-track result is sixth place, which occurred in the Hungarian Grand Prix. He is in 13th place in the Drivers’ standings and trails Hamilton by 173 points with a tall mountain to climb to fight his way back into winning contention. After six seasons with Ferrari, including this season, Vettel is set for a fresh start by joining Aston Martin F1 Team in 2021.

    For Leclerc, who is in his second season with Ferrari and achieved his first two victories in Formula One last season before concluding the season in fourth place in the Drivers’ standings, this season has also been a struggle. Unlike Vettel, this season started off on a promising note for Leclerc when he finished in second place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. Since then, Leclerc has managed to achieve one additional podium result, third place at the British GP, and two additional top-10 results. Mired within his season are three retirements as he is in eighth place in the Drivers’ standings and trails Hamilton by 141 points. Unlike Vettel, Leclerc is set to remain with Ferrari for next season.

    Next is the newly formed Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda team, the last team in the current Constructors’ standings with double-digit points at 53 and with Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat driving for the team. Formerly known as Toro Rosso and as a junior team to Red Bull Racing with the philosophy of providing newcomers a chance to compete in Formula One, the team was rebranded to promote the AlphaTauri fashion brand, a parent company of Red Bull, while continuing to run on Honda engines. In addition to retaining drivers Gasly and Kvyat, Franz Tost remains as Team Principal of the team, Graham Watson remains as Team Manager and Jody Egginton runs as Technical director. On the track this season, the results have been mixed between Gasly and Kvyat from one race to another. The team’s lone highlight has been winning at the Italian Grand Prix in September with Gasly, indicating how primed the team is in pursuing more victories in the near future.

    For Gasly, who was demoted from Red Bull Racing to Toro Rosso in the late stages of last season but concluded the season on a high note by scoring his maiden podium in the Brazilian Grand Prix with a second-place run, this season has provided its share of the highs and lows. The 24-year-old Rouen, France, native finished seventh in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix and recorded three additional top-10 results through the Belgium Grand Prix. Then, at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, Gasly shined the brightest of the field when he emerged with the lead late in the race following a stop-and-go penalty involving Lewis Hamilton and held off Carlos Sainz to win his first Formula One career race. With his accomplishment, he became the 109 different competitor to win a Formula One race and the first French F1 competitor to win since Olivier Panis made the last accomplishment in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. The win vindicated his resilience to triumph against his struggles and his potential in competing for wins on a weekly basis. Coming off his recent Grand Prix event in Tuscany, Italy, where he was involved in an opening lap multi-car wreck, Gasly is in 10th place in the Drivers’ standings and is 147 points behind Hamilton. Despite the success this season, Gasly has yet to confirm his racing plans for next season and beyond.

    For Kvyat, who achieved a podium result last season during the German Grand Prix along with a total of 10 top-10 results before finishing in 13th place in the Drivers’ standings, his results of this season’s first half mirrors his progress from the first nine races of last season. He started the season by finishing 12th in the Austrian Grand Prix. Since then, he recorded four top-10 results, including a best result of seventh place in the Tuscan Grand Prix, and has sustained only one DNF. Despite the progression, he is in 14th place in the standings, 180 points behind Hamilton, and needs to gain 33 points to crack the top 10 in the Drivers’ standings. Like Gasly, Kvyat has yet to confirm his racing plans for next season and beyond.

    The first team in line with single-digit points, four, is the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen team with Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi driving for the team currently led by Frédéric Vasseur. Since the team began racing under the Alfa Romeo Racing banner in 2019, their two-car lineup have achieved a total of 15 top-10 results through the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix. Their best results are fourth and fifth place with Räikkönen and Giovinazzi in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix. Like last season, the team continues to run as the eighth-best team on the grid.

    For Räikkönen, who is in his second season with Alfa Romeo and achieved nine top-10 results and a final result of 12th place in the Drivers’ standings last season, just a single top-10 result marks the lowest top-10 results he has recorded through nine races into a season. Having won his first and only F1 title in 2007, Räikkönen’s lone top-10 result this season was a ninth-place result in the Tuscan Grand Prix. He is tied for 16th place in the Drivers’ standings and with his first two points to this season. Räikkönen has yet to announce his racing plans for next season and beyond.

    For Giovinazzi, who is in his second full-time season in F1 racing and recorded four top-10 results and a final result of 17th place in the Drivers’ standings last season, the 2020 season started off on a promising note in ninth place. Since then, his next highest result on the track over the next eight races was 14th. In addition, he has sustained two retirements. He is tied for 16th place in the Drivers’ standings with Räikkönen and with two points recorded this season. Like Räikkönen. Giovinazzi has yet to announce his racing plans for the 2021 F1 season.

    Trailing behind with only a single team point in ninth place in the Constructors’ standings through the first nine races is the Haas F1 Team with Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean driving for the team led by the team’s principal Guenther Steiner. Compared to their previous four seasons in F1, where the results have been up and down between its two-car lineup, the first half of the 2020 season has been a down season for the team as they continue to struggle in keeping pace with the competition like all of last season. 

    For Magnussen, who is in his fourth season with the Haas organization and has achieved only four top-10 results last season, just a single top-10 result through the first nine races into an F1 season marks his lowest since 2016. His top-10 result, nonetheless, remains the lone highlight for the Haas team this season. Aside from the top-10 result, Magnussen has finished no higher than 12th place while he has also sustained five retirements this season, including the season opener in Austria and the two recent Grand Prix races in Italy. Currently, the 27-year-old Magnussen from Roskilde, Denmark, has yet to confirm his racing plans for the 2021 F1 season.

    For Grosjean, who has been with the Haas F1 team since its inception in 2016 and who notched three top-10 results last season, the 2020 season marks the first time where he has completed the first nine races without a single top-10 result and without recorded points. Grosjean started the season with a retirement in the Austrian Grand Prix. Though he was able to finish the next eight races, he has finished no higher than 12th place (twice). He joins Nicholas Latifi and George Russell as the lone F1 competitors to achieve zero top-10 results through the first nine races of this season. Like Magnussen, Grosjean has yet to announce his racing plans for next season.

    Finally, the Williams Racing team occupies the 10th and final spot in the Constructors’ standings with no points recorded this season and with Nicholas Latifi and George Russell driving for the team. Having won seven Drivers’ championships and nine Constructors’ titles, none since 1997, the team slipped back in the standings since finishing in third place in 2015 and have been the 10th-place team on the grid since 2018. Amid a struggling start to this season, the Williams team was acquired by Dorilton Capital, an American investment group, for €152 million. Following the purchase of the team, Claire Williams, Team Principal of Williams, departed from the team following the Italian Grand Prix. Though the team remains under the Williams banner and operates in the United Kingdom, the Williams family is no longer involved in Formula One racing since the team’s inception in 1977 by Sir Frank Williams.

    For Latifi, who is in his first full-time season in F1 racing and spent the previous two seasons as a test/reserve competitor, this season started off on a promising note when he finished in 11th place in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix and came up one spot short in recording a point for the Williams team. Since the season opener, he has achieved an additional 11th-place result in the Italian Grand Prix, which marks his highest result this season. Despite the on-track struggles and strives, the good news for Latifi is that he is set to remain with Williams for the 2021 F1 season.

    For Russell, a former Formula 2 champion who is currently in his second season in F1 racing and concluded his first full-time season last year in 20th place in the Drivers’ standings, this season started off on a low note when he retired due to fuel pressure issues. Over the next eight F1 races, the 22-year-old King’s Lynn, United Kingdom, native finished in the top 15 three times and his highest result is 11th place, which occurred in the Tuscan Grand Prix. He joins teammate Latifi and Grosjean as the lone F1 competitors to record zero points through the first half of this season. Like Latifi, Russell is set to remain with Williams for the 2021 F1 season.

    With the first half of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season complete, the second half of the season will commence on September 27 at Sochi Autodrom for the Russian Grand Prix followed by the return of Nürburgring for the Eifel Grand Prix on October 11 and at Portimão’s Algarve International Circuit for the Portuguese Grand Prix on October 25. Next on the revised schedule will be the Emilia Romangna Grand Prix at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy, on November 1 followed by the Turkish Grand Prix at Tuzla’s Intercity Istanbul Park on November 15. Formula One will then race at the Bahrain International Circuit for the Bahrain Grand Prix on November 29 followed by the Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain’s Outer Circuit layout on December 6. The revised 17-race schedule will conclude at Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 13.

  • 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.