Tag: germany

F1 2020: Eifel Gp Preview – F1 Returns to Nurburgring

The last time the Formula 1 paddock visited the Nurburgring was in 2013. Back then the sport was vastly different to how it’s known today. For one the sports was still running the 2.4-liter V8 and were standing on the cusp of switching to the hybrid power unit packages still being run now in 2020. There was some expectation that works team would excel in the hybrid era but no one could have foreseen the utter Mercedes dominance that ensued.

In 2013 F1 too was on the eve of welcoming Honda back into the sport after its so stunningly quit the sport three months before the start of the 2009 season. Seven years later it’s rather frightening how history repeats itself. Though they’ve given more notice than they this in 2008 Honda has again announced its intention to leave F1 at the conclusion of the 2022 season. It leaves Red Bull, and Alpha Tauri, without an engine supplier and it also leaves F1 in a difficult spot.

For Red Bull they’ll have to consider whether they want to go knocking on a current manufacturers door or even consider building its own engine. There is peril in both choices. For one they may, and probably will, get turned down by Mercedes and Ferrari as neither would want to provide an engine to a direct competitor. Designing and manufacturing an in-house engine is an enormous financial undertaking not to mention the resources required. And there’s no guarantee that it will work as needed straight away. Case in point is Honda who toiled under extreme pressure and were only able to reap the rewards years later. Heck, even the might of Ferrari’s resources can’t get it right.

If all options are exhausted Red Bull could revert to once again running Renault engines. The split between the pair was anything but amicable and Christian Horner and Cyril Abiteboul have nothing but a hate-hate relationship. However, the Concorde has a provision that just might save Red Bull. It states that the manufacturer who has the least amount of customer teams will be compelled to provide an engine should a team have no other option. In this case it will be Renault which will have no customer teams when McLaren switch to Merc power in 2021. It might be some time before anyone knows what Red Bull’s decision will be.

Back in 2013 it was Sebastian Vettel, on his way to title number four, that stood on the top step at the Nurburgring with Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean alongside. It will be some race if those three end up on the podium this weekend. Nevertheless, the Nurburgring is a technical circuit that comprises mostly of high-speed corners and only one or two obvious overtaking opportunities. The level of grip that a 2020 car produces will also shorten the braking distance and even negate some altogether which will make for a exhilarating lap. It may well be even more of an adventure as cold and, potentially wet, weather is predicted for the weekend.

This weekend also marks the 323rd race start of Kimi Raikkonen’s F1 career. It started all the back at the Australian grand epic in 2001 and was followed by glittering stints at McLaren and Ferrari for which he won the world championship in 2007. It also included a deviation to rallying and even some NASCAR in 2010 and 2011. The enigmatic Finn returned to F1 for a two year run at Lotus which was highlighted by a third place finish in the driver’s standings, a slew of podiums, and two memorable wins. The wins were elusive in his return to Ferrari before an outstanding drive secured him victory in Austin in 2018. When most expected him to hang up his gloves off he went to Alfa Romeo.

Though the Ferrari power unit has severely stunted the competitiveness of the Alfa in 2020 Raikkonen has shown that he’s lost none of fire or pace with some outstanding drives this season; not least of all in Mugello. Raikkonen’s so-called imminent retirement has been a story probably the last seven or eight years. And while he is definitely in the twilight of his career his prowess and technical ability means that it’s up to him to call time. But Alfa team boss Fred Vasseur wants the Finn to stay on and it seems likely that the Iceman, easily on the most beloved drivers on the grid, may well line up again in 2021.

October 7, 2020
F1 2019: German Gp Review – Verstappen, King of the Ring

On its day there isn’t a sport that can match the drama, exhilaration, and rapture of Formula 1. And on a rainy day in Germany Formula 1 was most definitely delivered a race to remember.

Saturday qualifying was as embarrassing a day as Ferrari has experienced in some time. Well set to claim at the very least one spot on the front row neither Vettel nor Leclerc made it to the final shootout as both cars suffered technical failures. It left Hamilton to pick up the pieces and secure pole position with Max Verstappen alongside on the front row.

Though most of the weekend had seen the Hockenheimring drenched in sunshine race day was markedly different as the rain came down. It prompted a couple of formation laps behind the safety car but conditions were good enough for a standing start. It was Hamilton who led away cleanly from pole as bad start, similar to Austria, dropped Verstappen down the other. It allowed Valtteri Bottas into second while Kimi Raikkonen scythed his way into third.

Charles Leclerc, starting tenth, made an impressive start to be running sixth within a few laps while Seb Vettel too charged his way through the back-markers to fourteenth. The first Safety Car was brought out by Sergio Perez’s crash, which triggered the first round of pitstops with driver’s swopping full wets for intermediate tyres. The race settled momentarily before the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed for Daniel Ricciardo’s Renault that expired in a plume of smoke.

As conditions improved drivers dived back into the pitlane for dry tyres. With Hamilton and Bottas still running one-two Verstappen struggled to heat his medium tyres and spun in the stadium section but rejoined without any damage. Again, the VSC would be called on as this time Lando Norris retired from the race with a loss of power.

The most dramatic sequence of events was just about to unfold. Leclerc, now in contention for the podium and even the race win, ran wide at the penultimate corner and slammed his Ferrari into the barrier and out of the race which prompted the appearance of the Safety Car. No sooner had Leclerc stepped out of his cockpit when race leader Hamilton lost control of his car at the same corner. Though the Mercedes driver too hit the barrier he was able to rejoin with the need for a few front wing.

He dove into the pitlane but in doing incurred a five second penalty for failing to enter the pitlane before the bollard that indicates the correct pit entry. It wasn’t the end of Hamilton’s misery though as his arrival in the pitbox caught his team unaware. The pitcrew rushed around for the correct tyres and a new nose but thanks to the Safety Car and reduced speed Hamilton emerged in fifth overall.

As the race ‘settled’ Verstappen was comfortably in the lead with Nico Hulkenberg in second ahead of Bottas. No sooner had the whispers begun spreading that Hulkenberg could be on for his first ever podium than the German driver found himself in the same barrier as Hamilton and Leclerc moments later. Yet another Safety Car was called on as drivers were back in the pits to swop dry tyres for inters. However, Lance Stroll and Racing Point gambled on dry tyres which worked a treat as the Canadian driver found himself in the lead as the rest of the field to the pitlane. Verstappen regained the lead of the race shortly afterward with Stroll desperately holding on to second ahead of Kvyat, Bottas, and Carlos Sainz. As Kvyat took second place from Stroll a few laps later it was going from bad to worse for Hamilton who flat-spotted all four tyres in a high-speed 360 in Turn 1.

Mercedes’s day was about to get even worse when Bottas, just like Hamilton, spun at Turn 1. Unfortunately for the Finn he didn’t get away with it and destroyed the front of the Merc prompting yet another Safety Car.

As the race re-started it was Vettel’s turn to come alive. He produced several brilliant overtakes and was past Sainz, Stroll and Kvyat in quick succession. It was a brilliant drive for Vettel who started 20^thand last on the grid, kept his composure amid the chaos, and finished a fabulous second.

Up ahead and well clear of the pandemonium Verstappen led serenely and apart from the earlier spin had no other issues. Apart from Mexico 2018 nearly all of Verstappen’s other race wins have come in dramatic fashion and Germany 2019 was no different. The seventh victory of Verstappen’s career was likely his most mature and reveals a driver ready to be a championship contender.

While Verstappen marched to his second win in the last three races his teammate Pierre Gasly had a miserable afternoon. There were some good moments for the Frenchman but they were clouded by several off-track excursions before a coming together with Toro Rosso’s Alex Albon which put him out of the race. You cant help but feel as Gasly brought his damaged car to a halt it likely also marks the end of stint as a Red Bull driver.

As impressive as Verstappen was it is undoubtedly Daniil Kvyat who deserves driver of the day for a sensational third place finish. It has been a long road back from the doldrums for Kvyat who was first replaced at Red Bull by Verstappen and later sacked by Toro Rosso. It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Russian driver who may find himself back at Red Bull in quick time.

Elsewhere, Stroll eventually finished fourth ahead of Sainz in sixth who survived his own spin in the penultimate corner. Alex Albon made it a double-points finish for Toro Rosso in sixth. While the Alfa Romeo’s of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi finished seventh and eighth on the track the two cars were later given a 30 second penalties for a pre-race rule infringement of, effectively, driver coaching. Alfa have stated their intention to appeal the penalties.

This promoted Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen to seventh and eighth while Hamilton too benefited by being elevated to ninth. It also means that Williams secured their first point of the season with the elevation of Robert Kubica to tenth.

Although this German grand prix is likely the last for the foreseeable future it went out on a spectacularly high-note. There’s little time for F1 to catch its breath as the paddock head to the Hungaroring this weekend for the final race before the month-long summer break.

July 29, 2019
F1 2018: German Gp Review – Hamilton Delivers Miraculous Win

How dramatically the Formula 1 pendulum can swing. For most of the German grand prix pole sitter Sebastian Vettel seemed well in control and seemingly heading towards a first win at the Hockenheimgring.

He led Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen cleanly from the start and was eking out the first stint on the ultrasoft compound. Meanwhile Hamilton, starting 14^thafter a mechanical failure in quali, was scything his way through the field on the soft compound tyre. Nevertheless, before too long he was a pitstop adrift of the race leader.

Raikkonen pitted first of the front-runners on lap fifteen. On the soft tyre the Finn delivered a string of fastest laps, which ultimately netted him the lead of the race after the pitstop phase. However, as Vettel’s tyres were twelve laps fresher the Ferrari pitwall instructed Raikkonen to let his German teammate through. Hamilton and his Mercedes team chose not to pit and completed a stunningly impressive stint of 42 laps on the soft tyre. It was unquestionably a master class in tyre management.

By now Daniel Ricciardo, starting from the back of the grid due to penalties had pulled out of the race after reporting that he was “losing power”. On lap 46 the rain came in and prompted several drivers, including Verstappen, into the pitlane for intermediate tyres. While the track remained slippery unfortunately for them the rain didn’t increase and they had to switch back to slicks.

Vettel’s race too would be dramatically affected in the slippery conditions. as the race plunged into chaos with a dozen laps to go. Caught out by conditions Vettel dumped his Ferrari into the barriers and out of the race. It brought out the safety car which Raikkonen and Bottas took advantage off by switching to fresh ultrasofts.

Hamilton too was initially called in only to be told to stay out. The Brit stayed out by controversially cutting the pit entry line. Post race a Mercedes team representative and Hamilton were summoned to the stewards for breaching Appendix L, Chapter IV Article 4 (d) of the FIA International Sporting Code. The regulation states that crossing the pit entry line is prohibited. While Raikkonen received a five second penalty for breaching the same rule in the 2016 Azerbaijan grand prix Hamilton was given only a reprimand. Remarkably, the stewards considered the fact that the “team candidly admitted the mistake and the fact that there was confusion” as a mitigating factor. Considering this and the inconsistency of the rule application teams will undoubtedly store this nugget for future reference.

Nonetheless, Hamilton’s drive was a stellar one. His control on the soft tyre and ability to master the slippery conditions makes this victory, arguably, one of the best of his career. The one two victory for Mercedes regains them the lead in the constructors standings by eight points while Hamilton returns to the top of the driver’s standings as well. Raikkonen’s third place, his fourth podium in four races, keeps his third in the standings and some would say still within striking distance should all thing be equal.

Elsewhere, Verstappen finished fourth after a gamble on the intermediate tyres didn’t pay off. Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg proved best of the rest in fifth with Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Marcus Ericsson, and Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley rounding out the top ten. Meanwhile, in addition to Vettel and Ricciardo both McLaren drivers and both the Williams’ failed to reach the chequered flag.

Hamilton now takes a 17-point lead to the Hungarian grand prix next weekend where Ferrari and especially Red Bull are expected to have the upper hand.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

July 23, 2018
F1 2018: German Gp Review – Ferrari Favourite?

Formula 1 returns to Germany and the Hockenheimring for the eleventh round of the absorbing 2018 season.

Throughout the decades Germany and Formula 1 have become synonymous, arguably, because of a man named Michael Schumacher. Schumi’s unprecedented brilliance not only made him a record breaking seven times world champion but also catapulted F1 to superstardom in Germany. What’s more, Schumacher’s relentless genius easily transcended the boundaries of his sport and seeped into the consciousness of sports fans around the globe. To this day hardly anyone would speak of Formula 1 with mentioning the unmatched genius of Schumacher. Keep fighting Michael.

These days there is another German at the forefront of the sport. Sebastian Vettel, aiming to win a fifth world title, currently leads the driver’s standings by eight points from Lewis Hamilton. And if he was determined to take victory at Silverstone one can only imagine that he’ll be even more resolute to win on home soil.

Ferrari’s stunning pace in Silverstone would’ve come as a bit of a surprise to Mercedes given the team’ long running domination of the British circuit. Mercedes have been an incredible team at the forefront of Formula 1 for the last three and a half years. But they’ve been placed under enormous pressure in 2018. Ferrari has pushed the German mark into uncharted territory and they haven’t responded in the most elegant of ways. Off the track technical director James Allison called Raikkonen’s clash of wheels with Hamilton in Silverstone “either incompetent or deliberate”. Peculiar statements like this only tell of one thing – they’re starting to feel the pressure.

Nevertheless, they are an incredibly resourceful and driven team who will bounce back sooner rather than later. Their first opportunity to do so comes this weekend around the 4.574 km Hockenheimring. The circuit’s layout is a blend of long straights and a final sector of medium-speed corners that should play to the strengths of a superior aero package and may bring Red Bull somewhat in to play.

The hairpin in the first sector of the lap is a key area for overtaking and demands good braking performance. Despite a relatively short lap drivers and engineers seek to strike a balance between top-speed and downforce. “You’d like to have the downforce for the stadium and to keep it steady on the brakes but equally you don’t want too much drag on the straights,” says Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo.

The final sector is not favourable for overtaking but the stadium section is a vital element to what makes the German GP unique. The decidedly muted sound of Formula 1 cars should make it possible to hear the cheering of the crowds, should a certain German driver be leading the race.

The driver’s will need to vigilant at the start of the race as the first corner tightens dramatically before opening up onto the straight. Although there is an expanse of run-off area a touching of wheels or front-wing is a high probability.

Though it may be the home race of Mercedes it’s likely to be a difficult task for Hamilton and co to beat Ferrari to the chequered flag. And if either Hamilton or Bottas best the Italian team it’ll be 67 laps you wouldn’t want to miss.

July 19, 2018
F1 2017: Fan Survey Results Revealed

The global fan survey conducted by the Motorsport Network has been released today and details several aspects fans deem most important to the sport.

Download your copy of the Report here:

F1 Survey Fans Report 2017

May 26, 2017
F1 2016: German Gp Review – Hamilton Surges, Rosberg Falters

After the Saturday qualifying session Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg was on top of the world after delivering a stunning lap, for pole, under extreme pressure.

But the German’s euphoria on home soil was short lived as teammate Lewis Hamilton rocketed into the lead of the race. Hamilton went on to taste the sweet success of victory at the German grand prix while teammate Rosberg stumbled at home.

Not only did Rosberg fall behind his teammate but also both Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. For several fleeting moments it appeared that Rosberg would have the pace to recover to second place. But the afternoon went horribly pear-shaped for the Merc driver. In an attempt to overtake Verstappen he tried an Austria-esque move, which, again, didn’t pan out. It resulted in a 5-second penalty and despite being in the cockpit of the most dominant car on the grid Rosberg slunk home in fourth place.

After the Russian grand prix Rosberg had a 43-point lead over Hamilton. But now we’ve seen a 62-point swing in Hamilton’s favour. There’s only so many times you can accept losing points to a teammate before it becomes awkward. Yes, there is still half a season to go but this dramatic swing in points will do nothing to quell the questions Rosberg’s psychological make-up.

Red Bull Racing completed a satisfactory day at the office with their first double podium since the 2015 Hungarian Gp. Ricciardo led home teammate Verstappen and ensured that Red Bull head into the month-long break ahead of Ferrari in the constructors standings.

With 5^th and 6^th for Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari have big concerns heading into the summer break and are now behind Red Bull not only on points but also in terms of raw pace.

Nico Hulkenberg delivered the best Force India could hope for with seventh place while drive of the day belongs to McLaren driver Jenson Button in eighth. The Brit summarily out-performed his highly acclaimed teammate Fernando Alonso who finished twelfth.

It was easy to discern the great spirit of the two McLaren drivers from the radio comms between them and their pitwall. It hasn’t been easy for these two champions to endure this car but it does reveal a great deal of their passion for racing for still being as spirited as ever behind the wheel.

Hamilton now leads the driver’s standings by 19 points. There is no doubt that Rosberg is a talented driver but the questions and doubts about his mental strength will be raised once more.

(All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport)

August 1, 2016
F1 2016: Free Practice 2 Report German Gp – Rosberg Tops Timing Sheet

Nico Rosberg topped the timing sheet at the end of the second free practice session for the German grand prix.

The Mercedes driver out-paced teammate Hamilton by four tenths of a second to end the 90 minute practice session with a quickest time of :1:15:614. Lewis Hamilton, 0.394 adrift, finished the session in second overall ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Max Verstappen slotted his Red Bull into fourth ahead of Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo in fifth and Kimi Raikkonen in sixth. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh quickest in the Force India ahead of Jenson Button, Sergio Perez, and Fernando Alonso.

The long runs suggest an advantage for Mercedes especially on the red-walled supersoft tyre but the Red Bull of Max Verstappen was able to turn laptimes on the yellow-walled soft tyre not far off the Mercedes pace. At the end of Friday Ferrari is currently the third best team behind Mercedes and Red Bull. However, their pace should improve on Saturday as they bolt in some fresher engines.

McLaren’s Jenson Button made a trip to the hospital after complaining for an eye irritation but the visit is believed to only a pre-cautionary matter.

The issue of track limits was shoved into the spotlight as the stewards warned that they would clampdown on anyone who ran over the white line on the exit of turn 2 more than three times.

July 29, 2016
F1 2016: German GP Preview – Hockenheimring Returns!

The last time the F1 paddock visited Germany’s Hockenheimring was in 2014. Back then Mercedes’ dominance was just getting into its stride and Sebastian Vettel was still a Red Bull driver.

Given the amount of things that have changed it feels impossible that the race around the Hockenheimring was just two years ago. In 2016 Lewis Hamilton is a triple world champion, Sebastian Vettel has settled into life as a Ferrari driver, and there was no American team on the grid.

What remains unchanged is the mystic and attraction of the Hockenheimring. They will all be fighting it out on a German circuit that varies quite a bit from what was seen two weeks ago in Hungary. The layout includes just two high speed corners as the rest of the lap is comprised of medium speed corners. This requires stability under braking and conversely good traction out of the slower speed corners.

Overtaking here is easier than at the Hungaroring but Red Bull and Ferrari are unlikely to have enough to challenge Mercedes. For Red Bull the fact that the German circuit is very much power limited will have a big impact on their pace. However, expect to see Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen loitering near the top few positions and likely giving the Ferrari’s a tough fight.

The Italian team have been thrown a bit of curveball with the departure of tech chief James Allison. It’s never a good sign when one of the head honchos leaves mid-way through the season but it is likely that Allison did not in order to spend time with his young children. The immediate impact on Ferrari won’t be too significant. They still have scheduled updates to fit to the 2016 car throughout the season as they shift focus to their 2017 challenger.

In Germany the cooler weather may once again be Ferrari’s foe. Throughout the season the team has consistently struggled with maintaining optimum tyre temps in cooler conditions.

The run down to turn one tightens quite quickly and it remains to be seen how hard the two Merc boys will fight for dominance when the light goes out. You can’t help feeling that if Rosberg is beaten by Hamilton here it may be championship over for the German.

July 28, 2016
GPDA 2015 Fan Survey Results – General Overview

The Grand Prix Driver’s Association (GPDA) has released the result of their global Formula 1 fan survey.

The overall make-up of the global survey revealed that more than 215 000 fans from 194 countries took part in the survey. “As F1 drivers we share a passion and deep love for our sport with our fans…We want to give every F1 fan the opportunity to share that passion and for us to understand what they really think about us and our sport. We’ve heard the calls for fans to be consulted and this is our initiative to make that a reality,” writes GPDA chairman Alex Wurz.

The survey ran from the 22nd of May through to the 8th of June 2015 with the top five represented countries listed as the UK, France, USA, Austria and Germany. The prominence of France and Germany is significant if you consider than neither of these countries currently form part of the Formula 1 calendar. It is noteworthy too that the US fans feature high up the list as Formula 1 has invested a great deal to grow its brand here.The Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Italy and Brazil comprised the rest of the top ten countries.

The demographics of Formula 1 reveal that the average age of F1 fans are between 25 and 44 years old, with their support spanning an average of ten years. Of these fans only 1 in 5 has attended a grand prix in the last twelve months. The survey revealed that the biggest motivating factor are good vantage points, pit lane walkabouts and paddock tours. It seems F1 fans would like to see an approach similar to that NASCAR takes in the US. Here, fans are able to roam around the pitlane and paddock area and in a decidedly more relaxed atmosphere interact with their favourite drivers.

July 2, 2015
F1 2014: German GP – Relentless Rosberg Scores Home Victory

Life happens to be pretty good if you’re name is Nico Rosberg. Not only has he extended his Mercedes contract but he’s gotten married in-between races, secured a comfortable pole position on Saturday and wrapped up a dominant home grand prix victory to boot.

The battle for supremacy between the Mercedes teammates was dealt a severe blow as Hamilton was exiled to 20^th place on the grid following a brake disc failure in qualifying and a subsequent gearbox change.

Nico Rosberg was completely in control of the 67 lap German GP as he led fellow front-row starter, Valtteri Bottas, to the chequered flag for his first victory on home soil. The Finn delivered yet another stunning drive to hold off a recovering Lewis Hamilton for his third consecutive podium. Even though Williams’ biggest target is to finish ahead of Ferrari in the constructor’s championship their ability to keep one Mercedes at bay is, on merit, is a tremendous result.

McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen’s inexperience was telling as he collided with the Williams of Felipe Massa into turn one. Massa’s car was flipped onto its roll-bar before coming to rest on the tarmac run-off area of turn one. The Brazilian was uninjured but suffered his second retirement in three races.

In fairness, Magnussen should have yielded the corner to Massa as he was out of the Williams driver’s sight. The incident was mopped after a short safety car period and the race re-started with Rosberg in the lead.

Lewis Hamilton unleashed a determined drive from the back of the field but it wasn’t without a few risky moments. There was slight contact with Kimi Raikkonen at the hairpin as he passed both the Ferrari driver and Daniel Ricciardo. Later on a rather dicey attempt at overtaking Jenson Button into the same hairpin resulted in a damaged front-wing endplate. A three-stop strategy meant that Hamilton ran the last two stints of the race on the quicker supersoft tyre. However, despite his clear pace advantage he was unable to overtake Bottas for second place. Hamilton’s rather glum face after the race showed his disappointment with the third step of the podium. Some may take exception to Hamilton’s body language but it tells of a driver for whom winning is the only acceptable result.

A spin by Sauber’s Adrian Sutil on the main straight gave rise to a contentious moment in the race. The stricken Sauber was parked horizontally on the straight which would ordinarily prompt an appearance from the safety car. Surprisingly, the race director chose to forego the safety car and opted for marshals to recover the car under double-waved yellow flags. Any situation in which marshals are required to venture onto the circuit is a safety risk which makes this decision controversial.

Behind the podium finishers the rest of the field put on an exhilarating show of wheel-to-wheel racing at its finest. Sebastian Vettel got the better of Fernando Alonso in a fabulous fight for fourth before Daniel Ricciardo continued a thrilling battle with the Spaniard. Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button. Kevin Magnussen recovered to ninth after his collision with Felipe Massa while Sergio Perez rounded out the top ten positions.

While all twenty-two Formula 1 drivers have by and large respected the rules and each other there have been too many instances in the past where the fear of a penalty curbed their eagerness to take the fight to each other. As a result the exhilarating fights throughout the field at Silverstone and in Germany are a direct result of the steward’s announcement that they would take a more lenient stance on dishing out penalties.

Daniil Kvyat’s race came to a fiery end as the rear-end of his Toro Rosso was engulfed by flames. Lotus Romain Grosjean’s difficult season continued as the Frenchman was forced into retirement with a suspected power unit issue.

If Lewis Hamilton was unsure about the prowess of his teammate before it is definitely not in doubt any longer. An unrelenting Nico Rosberg has extended his championship lead to fourteen points and what is particularly threatening is that he appears to have done it with disturbing ease.

July 22, 2014