Tag: f1

F1 2019: Bahrain Gp Review – Ferrari Falter in the Desert

As Formula 1 celebrated its 999^thrace in Bahrain through all of it what has remained true is the undeniable fact that it is the most unpredictable sport in the world.

The 2019 Bahrain grand prix dished up a cracking race filled to the brim with drama, overtakes, and astonishing turnarounds. For the first time in his fledging F1 career Charles Leclerc lined up in pole position for the start of a grand prix. As the 99^thpole sitter in the history of F1 the Monegasque driver did everything right. He outpaced not only the Mercedes pair of Hamilton and Bottas but also showed his 4-time world champion teammate Vettel the way in qualifying. Still it was a big day for Ferrari. The front row lockout of the grid finally showed the pace that was indicated in pre-season testing but so conspicuously missing in Melbourne.

Leclerc didn’t make the best of start from pole and quickly fell behind Vettel and Bottas who had jumped his Merc teammate at the start. It was too long though before Leclerc fought his way back past Bottas and into second. Vettel seemed to clear off at the front but such was Leclerc’s pace that by lap 5 he’d let the team know that he was planning to go for the overtake. A lap later he drew alongside Vettel and a thrillingly inch perfect wheel-to-wheel battle ensued before Leclerc took the lead with a move around the outside of turn 4.

Leclerc opened a gap to Vettel relatively easily as the second Ferrari came under increasing pressure from Hamilton. While the first round of pitstops saw Hamilton ahead, thanks to the strategic undercut of pitting a lap earlier, the Merc driver began to struggle on the soft tyre. After the second round of stops the Ferrari and Merc were running in close proximity and ultimately the two went wheel-to-wheel in a breathtaking battle for position. Hamilton, with a slight pace advantage, got the job done around turn 4. It would end far worse for Vettel lost the rear of the Ferrari sending him into a spin. It was shades of 2018 all over again for the German driver who had flat-spotted his tyres so badly the vibrations caused the front-wing to detach itself.

For Leclerc it was easy-going in the lead of the race until lap 46 when he reported that there was something strange with the engine. The Ferrari pitwall confirmed that the MGU-H (Motor Generating Unit-Hybrid) had failed. It resulted in a loss of 160 horsepower and decimated any chance of converting pole position into his first race win. On lap 48 he was little more than a sitting duck as Hamilton overtook him for the lead. Credit to Hamilton who waved regretfully as he passed the young Ferrari driver. A handful of laps later he was passed by the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and looked set to relinquish the final step on the podium to Max Verstappen with two laps to go. But almost unbelievably both Renault’s of Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo simultaneously retired within meters of each at turn 1 which prompted the appearance of the safety car.

As it were Lewis Hamilton scored the 74^thwin of his career ahead of teammate and championship leader Bottas. Some would term Hamilton’s win as lucky and they’d be right to a degree. Reliability has and always will be part of motorsport. But because Hamilton kept enough pressure on Vettel and ultimately overtook him for second on the track he placed himself in the right position to scoop up the win when Leclerc hit problems. That is simply the way the F1 story goes sometimes.

The late safety car meant that Leclerc maintained third place. There would be very few in the paddock or indeed in their living rooms around the world that wouldn’t have been gutted for the 21-year-old. For the entire weekend he’d done everything right only to find out was a cruel mistress Formula 1 can truly be. The good news is that Leclerc has enormous potential and a second chance to secure that first race win will come soon.

Max Verstappen ran a fairly anonymous race for Red Bull and finished fourth while Vettel recovered to fifth. Lando Norris underlined his talent with a fine sixth place finish in the McLaren while Kimi Raikkonen pulled the Alfa Romeo to a seventh place finish. Pierre Gasly recovered from a sub-par quali performance to finish eighth as Alexander Albon in the Toro Rosso and Sergio Perez in the Racing Point finished ninth and tenth respectively.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

April 3, 2019
F1 2019: Australian GP Preview – Ready to go

It’s been an awfully long wait but the start of the 2019 season is here. Twenty-one races, several countries and continents and a excess of expectation await.

Everyone is clamouring to understand and predict the pecking order and while there is a rough idea of who sits where, at least at the top, Formula 1 has always been better when it’s been unpredictable. Still, the probability is that Ferrari are a smidge ahead of Mercedes on pace. But given the unique layout of Australia’s circuit this may not count for much.

The traditional season-opener around the semi-permanent Albert Park circuit is unlike any other on the calendar and thus makes it an outlier in terms of performance. The fiddly track is akin to a street circuit albeit with a bit more run off area should the odd mistake arise. The layout comprises a mixture of medium speed corners and places an emphasis on stability under the braking. It is highly possible for a car to go well around this circuit and not truly be one in the running come Abu Dhabi in December but there are still 25 points for the one who sees the chequered flag first which makes it as important as any of the races in the line-up.

New for 2019 are the aero regulations surrounding the front and rear wing area of the car as well as the simplification of the barge boards. In addition, three colours have replaced the rainbow selection of tyre compounds for this season. White, yellow, and red will make up the range of compounds with white being the hardest of the weekend, yellow the medium, and red the softest tyre available.

It’s a big year for the teammates. At Mercedes Valtteri Bottas has to impress Toto Wolff and co enough to keep Esteban Ocon out of his seat. Not in the Finn’s favour is the fact that in order to do so he has to beat, or at least match, his teammate and five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. It’s a tall order for the Bottas but his task is crystal clear.

At Ferrari expectations are high for young Charles Leclerc too. All indications are that the Monegasque driver has all the speed he needs to well at the Italian team but it remains to be seen how he’ll handle the pressure of racing for the most famous mark in motorsport.

The rivalry between Max Verstappen and his new teammate Pierre Gasly hasn’t been given as much attention as the previous two but is no less intriguing. The French driver arrives from Toro Rosso where he easily had the beating of Brendon Hartley. It will be significantly more difficult to consistently out-perform someone like Verstappen.

All of this and the incredibly tight battle for mid-field supremacy hasn’t even made into the conversation yet. While Williams, now sans technical director Paddy Lowe, are unfortunately expected to prop up the rear of the grid the battle between the likes of Renault, Haas, and Alfa Romeo appears especially tight. The most important thing that needs to be known, for now, is that Formula 1 2019 is here.

March 13, 2019
F1 2019: Formula 1 For The Fans?

Sixteen different grand prix venue organisers have recently singed onto a letter that speaks to the concerns that they have for the future of Formula 1. Amongst other issues Liberty Media’s unwillingness to have an open and productive dialogue with various race organisers was raised as one of the concerns.

Another issue raised by race organisers is the introduction of new venues. While the sport should rightly seek out new venues to ensure the evolution of the sport new races should be not introduced to the detriment of existing events. But more worrying was the issue of long-term interest in the sport as more and more fans lose access to viewing F1.

Formula 1 has, nearly, ensconced itself completely behind quite an expensive pay wall and the financial burden on fans is beginning to tell. Pay TV has had a significantly negative impact on viewership as most cannot afford to fork out the monthly DSTV premium in South Africa, nor the monthly subscription charge for Sky in the UK. While Liberty Media has introduced a dedicated streaming service in F1TV, an admittedly spotty service in its infancy, it is only available to countries that do not have an existing broadcasting contract to exclusively air Formula 1 content.

It makes little sense to force people into paying exorbitant subscription fees because the reality is, as proven recently, that they will opt for something less expensive instead. Handing any company a monopoly has never been good idea. Because ultimately these companies are able to hold viewers to ransom knowing that the content cannot be obtained anywhere else. The blunt reality is that Multichoice and the like do not have consumers’ best interest at heart. For them the bottom line is not improving and delivering a world-class product but instead ringing every last possible cent out of the consumer’s pocket. If this isn’t the case, and I’m pontificating a completely false narrative then I challenge Multichoice to bundle together their sports channels and sell it at a rate less than what a premium subscription would cost. However, I feel fairly certain that this would never happen.

But as much as I bemoan the cost of a premium subscription companies like Multichoice and Sky aren’t the only villains in this story. It must also be taken into consideration what broadcasters have to fork out for these exclusive rights. This price, set by Liberty Media, is what almost instantly discounts free-to-air channels from even coming to the table. Let it be known that I am by no means a math whizz or marketing expert but surely more eyeballs equals more opportunity to sell products which means more revenue to advertisers. Therefore, it would, in a world ideally driven by logic, make more sense to broadcast F1 content on free-to-air channels.

Alas, though unlikely we will have to live in hope that something changes in the near future. For now the best we can hope for is that all Formula 1 fans are eventually given access to subscribe to F1TV.

February 4, 2019
F1 2019: Ferrari – Gamble or Guile?

Much has been written about Ferrari’s drafting youngster Charles Leclerc into one of the most coveted seats in Formula 1. While expectations are exceedingly high for the young Monegasque driver there are other quite significant changes that have been made at Ferrari for the 2019 season.

The sudden death of Sergio Marchionne was a big blow for Ferrari. As the architect and saviour of Ferrari Marchionne was a tremendously important figure for the company and the F1 team. It’s no surprise that, internally, his loss was felt in a big way. A new CEO was announced in the form of Louis Camilleri, the former boss of Phillip Morris International and Ferrari board member. He immediately walked back Marchionne’s threats of quitting F1 and vowed to work in favour of keeping the iconic team in the world’s premier racing series.

Camilleri also stated that there was no need for him to intervene or make any changes to the team given its positive performance. However, it wasn’t too long before he began to ring the changes. First, it was Charles Leclerc in for Kimi Raikkonen followed by an announcement that team principal Maurizio Arrivabene would be replaced by technical chief Mattia Binnoto. Rumours swirled throughout the season of unease between Arrivabene and Binnoto, which, at the time, were dismissed as untrue by Ferrari. However, the rumours sustained and grew to include several suspicions that the relationship between Sebastian Vettel and Arrivabene too wasn’t in a good way.

Binnoto’s new role as team principal will mean that the technical department must be restructured too. After all, Binnoto can hardly be expected to wear both caps of team principal and technical chief at the same time. As team principal of Ferrari he will be tasked with and face an inordinate amount of pressure. First, he’ll be responsible for heading a team with a brand-new driver in the line-up. If, according to many expectations, Leclerc pushes teammate Vettel, ala Hamilton and Alonso in 2007, all the way he’ll have quite a job on his hands to contain such a situation. There is no doubt that as Ferrari team principal he will face relentless and unforgiving pressure to guide the famed team to championship success which has eluded them for a decade.

It is curious however to know why Ferrari has chosen to restructure in this manner, as it isn’t a recipe followed by other front-running teams. At Mercedes it has been stability that has been one of its major strengths. As team manager Toto Wolff has James Allison, formerly of Ferrari, overseeing the technical side of the team while Christian Horner relies on Adrian Newey to keep his hand over the technical side of Red Bull. Even at Williams Claire Williams has Paddy Lowe at the helm of the technical department.

The restructuring at Ferrari signals intent from the Italian team. But equally it reveals that they are still playing catch up with the likes of Mercedes and are yet to hit on an efficient method of running a cohesive team that can execute at the highest level week in and week out. The expectation will be that this reorganizing, across several departments, is the catalyst for finally getting the team onto the front foot from day one.

January 28, 2019
F1 2019: Ferrari Announce 2019 Driver

It has been announced that the Ferrari team has employed the services of Pascal Wehrlein as development driver for the 2019 season.

The role was filled by Daniil Kvyat and Antonio Giovinazzi in 2018 to great effect. However, with Kvyat returning to Toro Rosso for 2019 and Giovinazzi set to make his debut for Alfa Romeo Sauber it leaves Ferrari with an important vacancy.

Wehrlein has previously been in the thick of the F1 action with stints at both Manor, in 2016, and Sauber, in 2017. Wehrlein scored one point at the Austrian grand prix for Manor in 2016 before making the move to Sauber the following season. He was replaced by Giovinazzi for the first two races of 2017 after suffering an injury at the Race of Champions. He managed to score five points for Sauber in a generally unimpressive showing. During this time the German was under contract as a Mercedes driver however this agreement was not renewed at the conclusion of 2018.

In addition to his role at Ferrari Wehrlein is also committed to the Formula E series with the Mahindra team for 2019.

January 8, 2019
Winds of Change Sweeping Through Ferrari

Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene is set to be replaced by current Technical Director, Mattia Binotto. There is no official word from Ferrari at this stage but Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that a confirmation from the Scuderia will come soon.

Depending on which publication you read, word has been swirling around that the relationship between Binotto and Arrivabene had become fractious over the 2018 season following the teams dip in performance towards the end of the season. Ferrari President John Elkann feels that Arrivabene’s time is up at the Scuderia and Binotto is the man for the job following yet another disappointing season with Ferrari missing out on both the Formula 1 drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

Binotto has been at Ferrari since 1995 starting out as a test engineer. He worked his way up the ranks performing many roles within the team from race engineer to chief engineer. He took up the role of head of power units at the end of the 2014 season. Some see Binotto as the reason behind Ferrari’s resurgence in the hybrid era

There is no indication as to who will replace Binotto.

January 7, 2019
Season Wrap: The Year that was F1 2018

The 2018 Formula 1 season is in the history books and with a number of impressive and standout performances will be revered and talked about for some time to come.

Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton

Comparing different eras of the sport is usually discouraged but it is difficult to remember a more dominant team in the sport’s history than Mercedes Benz. Of the 100 grand prix in the turbo-hybrid era, which started in 2014, Merc have won a staggering 74 races. It is a nearly unbelievable statistic until you factor in the Mercedes F1 organisation. From the management structure to the drivers to the irrefutably flawless execution of all processes they leave no stone unturned and nothing to chance. They were pushed in the first half of 2018 and responded in emphatic fashion. Even with the aero changes for next season this team is going to be incredibly difficult to beat.

Of the 74 victories Lewis Hamilton has taken an astounding 51 and with that four world titles. Somehow, despite the car and team at his disposal, he seems able to continually improve from one season to the next and will undoubtedly by a contender in 2019. There will be those who point to his car as the reason for his success but they will do well to recognize that a racing car is only as good as its driver. If you’re still not convinced by this argument consider the fact that Valtteri Bottas, in the same car, finished fifth in the driver’s standings.

Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel

The 2018 season couldn’t have started much better for Ferrari. Evident from the first day of pre-season testing it was clear that Maranello had delivered a car that could fight for, and potentially, win the title. Sebastian Vettel hit the ground running too and for the better part of the first half of the season landed blow after blow on Mercedes and Hamilton. It was the Vettel of years gone by. The unyielding driver who racked up four titles in a row with Red Bull was seemingly on his way to a fifth crown.

But the cardinal rule of Formula 1 is its unpredictability. Before the summer break Ferrari’s chairman Sergio Marchionne passed away. The effect of this shouldn’t be underestimated. Marchionne almost single-handedly turned around Ferrari and that includes the F1 team. He arrived to a team in near ruin and not only righted the ship but made reignited the sense of pride and passion that seemed to be missing in previous years. He was a colossal presence and his sudden death left a gaping hole in the organization. Perhaps this increased the pressure on Sebastian Vettel; an expectation to win for Marchionne and the Ferrari name he nurtured.

Rookie of the year

Charles Leclerc – exceptionally impressive, especially the lap with dry tyres on a greasy track to get into Q3 at the Brazilian grand prix. A few chinks in the armour throughout the season such as silly mistakes and the odd crash. But the Monagasque can hardly be lambasted for them. After all, 2018 was his first year in the sport.

He has one of the biggest challenges next year as a Ferrari driver expected to immediately take the fight to teammate Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and co. It’s clear to all that Leclerc has the speed to hack it in F1. But being a Ferrari driver is completely different challenge. Unrelenting pressure and expectation will be a new test for Leclerc whose performances as Sauber stood out because there was little anticipation that the car would be able to perform as it did in 2018. In 2019, the uncompromising, often brutal, Italian press and fans will exert a level of pressure Leclerc wouldn’t have experienced before.

On the face of it the 2018 Williams may have masked Sergey Sirotkin’s strong rookie season. But dig a little deeper and it will reveal that the Russian’s season has been quite impressive given the car at his disposal. With a quiet resolve Sirotkin worked away on the car. He kept his head down, remained calm, and continually improved his driving ability. He may have come into the sport with significant financial backing but he attracted those backers with his talent that is far different from buying your way into the sport with family money.

Race of the year

The Circuit of the Americas easily produced the best race of the year. Drama at the start, a plethora of overtaking ensured 56 lap of exhilaration. Most of all, the battle between Hamilton, Verstappen, and Raikkonen in the final laps of the race capped a race for which few would’ve been able to predict the victor. Ultimately, it was Kimi Raikkonen who took victory for the first time in 113 races. There were few, if any, in the paddock disappointed with seeing the Iceman on the top step of the podium in Texas.

The Chinese grand prix deserves a mention. The Red Bull team strategy was played to a tee but it was still up to Daniel Ricciardo to make it work on track. The Aussie’s sublime overtakes will stick in the memory for quite some time and so will the remarkable victory.

Driver performance of the year

While Mercedes and Hamilton are rightly team and driver of the year there were some individual performances by drivers this season that stand out. Not least of all was Ricciardo’s drive to a maiden victory on the streets of Monte Carlo. The Red Bull driver had dominated the entire weekend including a pole position on the Saturday. However, a mechanical issue nearly robbed Ricciardo of finally winning in Monaco. Somehow, and despite being as much as 25% down on power, Ricciardo was able to hold Vettel off take the famed chequered flag.

2019 brings it with a major change to aerodynamics and potentially a reset in the running order. It also brings with a number of questions. Can legendary teams like Williams and McLaren make their way up the grid? Will Mercedes’s domination continue? How will Leclerc fair as a Ferrari driver?

December 5, 2018
Abu Dhabi Gp Review – Hamilton Win Brings Down the Curtain

Despite the fact that the 2018 Formula 1 season consisted of 21 races it ran through the calendar rather quickly. As the season finale Abu Dhabi grand prix brought down the curtain on a season that will be remembered by many for a variety of reasons.

One of the biggest and most lasting memories of F1 2018 will be Lewis Hamilton. An unrelenting and near faultless charge has earned him a fifth drivers’ title which he easily capped with victory in Abu Dhabi. The victory marks the eleventh of the season for Hamilton who was never troubled on his way to the chequered flag.

The race got underway in dramatic fashion as a clash between Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg sent the latter into a barrel roll. Stewards rightly deemed it a racing incident as Hulkenberg was able to walk away from the spectacular crash without injury. The safety car was needed to clear up the debris by which time the fast starting Charles Leclerc had already dispatched Daniel Ricciardo to be running fifth.

Up ahead Lewis Hamilton’s easily gapped teammate Valtteri Bottas at the restart after the safety car period. The Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen followed in third and fourth. Though he started sixth on the grid Max Verstappen dropped to tenth at the start of the race as his engine engaged a safety mode off the start line. At the restart of the race he found himself in close attendance with none other than Esteban Ocon and his Force India teammate Sergio Perez. He got past the Perez relatively easily but it would take slightly more to get eighth off Ocon. Nevertheless, from quite a long way back he dove for the inside line into the Turn 7 hairpin and with a bit of contact was past the Frenchman. There is no doubt that he would’ve had the Brazil incident well in his mind.

A lap later Kimi Raikkonen pulled off to the side of the start/finish straight as his Ferrari succumbed to an electrical failure. Despite attempting to restart the car there was nothing to be done as the Finn signed off his career at Ferrari with a DNF. Raikkonen’s stricken Ferrari did bring out the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) which allowed race leader Hamilton to score a relatively cheap pitstop.

While Hamilton pitted early Red Bull attempted the opposite strategy with Daniel Ricciardo by running the Australian driver much longer on his Ultrasoft tyres. Though he led the race for some time it was clear that Hamilton had the pace to negate any advantage Red Bull would get from running longer. Astonishingly and despite being in the desert the camera picked up spots of rain. The few drops though weren’t enough to affect the track surface and Ricciardo dived into the pits on lap 34. He emerged in fifth and seemed to set to make a go of getting on the podium in his final race for Red Bull.

Further ahead Vettel took advantage of Bottas’ mistake and snatched second place from the Finn. It wasn’t too long before another error allowed Verstappen onto his gearbox and eventually past him. Ricciardo too made short work of the doleful Bottas who eventually finished fifth. There is much for the Finn to contemplate over the winter as he now has the unenviable stat of being the first Mercedes driver since 2012 to not win at least one race in the season.

While there was little in the way of a close battle at the sharp-end of the race the midfield ensured for several dices with a three-way battle for position between Stoffel Vandoorne, Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez providing the best entertainment.

It was as easy a Sunday drive as Hamilton has likely experienced in 2018 and it demonstrates a shift in his own mentality too. In previous years his motivation would take a determined dip after securing the title but it never materialized in 2018. It is a great testament to Hamilton and his ability that despite a near faultless season he still sees room for improvement.

While Hamilton upped his tally of wins to 73 Sebastian Vettel secured second with Verstappen in third for Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo’s late charge fizzled before the chequered flag but in his 100^thrace for Red Bull still finished a solid fourth. While Bottas dejectedly trundled home in fifth Carlos Sainz was best of the rest in sixth. 2019 Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was seventh ahead of Sergio Perez in eighth while Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen completed the top ten. Though Nico Hulkenberg was out on lap 1 he maintained his seventh position in the championship standings. Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen finished third in the driver’s standings despite not seeing the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.

There should rightly be a few days of reflection about the 2018 Formula 1 season. After all, it provided extreme highs and created memories that will likely live on for quite some time. But Formula 1 is a sport that relentlessly focuses on the future and with 107 days to go to the Australian grand prix it cant come soon enough.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

November 26, 2018
F1 2018: Abu Dhabi Quali Report – Hamilton Romps to Pole

Decked out in shiny new golden dome Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton romped to pole position for the final round of the 2018 F1 season in Abu Dhabi.

The five-time champion lapped the Yas Marina circuit is a staggeringly quick 1:34:794 while teammate Valtteri Bottas was second on the timing sheets. The one-two lock out secures a record-breaking fifth consecutive domination of the front row in Abu Dhabi.

Elsewhere, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third quickest and will share the second row of the grid with departing teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Though Red Bull turned an impressive pace in free practice they weren’t able to replicate it in quali. In his final race for Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo is slated to start fifth with teammate Max Verstappen alongside in sixth.

Haas F1’s Romain Grosjean proved to be best-of-the-rest in seventh while Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, and Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg complete the top ten. In what is he last quali session, at least for some time, Fernando Alonso could only qualify 15th in his McLaren. He does however ensure a season whitewash of 21-0 over teammate Stoffel Vandoorne in qualifying.

(1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Vettel, 4. Raikkonen, 5. Ricciardo, 6. Verstappen, 7. Grosjean, 8. Leclerc, 9. Ocon, 10. Hulkenberg, 11. Sainz, 12. Ericsson, 13. Magnussen, 14. Perez, 15. Alonso, 16. Hartley, 17. Gasly, 18. Vandoorne, 19. Sirotkin, 20. Stroll)

November 24, 2018
F1 2018: Abu Dhabi Gp Preview – Adieu Formula 1 2018

Unfortunately all good things must eventually come to an end. So it is the case for, amongst other things, the 2018 Formula 1 world championship season.

For the final round of the season the Formula 1 paddock makes its home in the Abu Dhabi paddock as the cars and drivers ready themselves for a dash around the Yas Marina circuit. Introduced in 2009 the Abu Dhabi grand prix has provided a most fitting and spectacular backdrop as the season finale. It is unique as the only race that starts at dusk and ends under floodlights thereby making it the only twilight race on the calendar.

While the Yas Marina complex is an impressive complex the 5.5 km circuit hasn’t exactly been known for delivering spectacular races. Designed by F1’s architect of choice Herman Tilke the track is dominated by 1.2 km straight which naturally rewards those with a bit more engine power. The straight is bookended by slow-speed corners that will encourage overtaking. The track surface is especially smooth which should be in favour of those who have a tendency to put extra of their tyres.

It isn’t only the 2018 season that comes to its conclusion this weekend either. Double world champion Fernando Alonso bids Formula 1 farewell after a storied career. In 2001 he showed up as a fresh-faced rookie driver at Minardi. From Minardi he joined Renault and won back-to-back titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 before moving to McLaren for 2007. He made a brief return to Renault in 2008 and 2009 before joining Ferrari in 2010. Unable to win a title with the Italian team Alonso returned to McLaren at the start of the 2015 season.

His speed and unapologetic hunger to win was immediately evident and a trademark of his years in the sport. Not only did he popularized Formula 1 in Spain but he is also, by many, considered to be one of the best drivers of his generation. Of his talent there is little doubt but his is a career also tinged by several controversies. But still there can be no uncertainty that Fernando Alonso’s name will forever be written and remembered the folklore of Formula 1.

Despite four years of uncompetitive racing at McLaren Fernando Alonso has lost none of his racing spirit and certainly none of his desire for desire for victory. In 2019 he will continue to race in the World Endurance Championship while making another bid for victory at the Indianapolis 500 and the famed Triple Crown. And though it seems unlikely there is nothing to suggest, despite his age, that he couldn’t make a return to Formula 1 in the future.

Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen’s 151^stfor Ferrari will also be his last for team. The Raikkonen/Ferrari story has been an fascinating one highlighted by the ultimate pinnacle of the world championship in 2007. While Raikkonen moves to Sauber for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, where he hopes “to have fun”, he remains, to date, Ferrari’s last F1 world champion.

Daniel Ricciardo too moves into the next phase of his racing career as he competes in his final race for Red Bull this weekend. Not too long ago it was unfathomable to imagine the popular Aussie as anything other than a Red Bull driver. However, his move to Renault for 2019 is an enormous challenge and he will leave the Red Bull stable with his head held high and several dazzling victories.

Valtteri Bottas is staying put at Mercedes and will be hoping to add a dazzling victory to his otherwise mediocre season. The Yas Marina circuit, and its smooth surface, is one that suits Bottas’ driving style and he’d be a good bet for the win this weekend is he hits the sweet spot.

November 21, 2018