Formula One went back to Imola and it was a weekend to remember for Mercedes as they secured a seventh consecutive Constructors Championship. Lewis Hamilton took his 93rd victory in F1 and it was also a 100th win for Mercedes in the hybrid era.
Is the pressure beginning to tell on Alexander Albon and will he be a Red Bull driver in 2021?
Daniel Ricciardo took his second podium in three races for Renault as the battle for third in the Constructors continues to hot up.
And there were also welcome points for Alfa Romeo with both Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi finishing in the top ten.
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With Williams reaffirming their stance that George Russell and Nicholas Latifi will be their drivers for 2021, Alfa Romeo sticking with Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, and Haas likely to go with a younger driver line-up, there’s every chance Sergio Perez may not even be on the F1 grid for 2021.
And for a driver of his talents, he definitely merits his place in F1.
Having been dropped by McLaren at the end of the 2013 season, it was at Force India in 2014 (now Racing Point) where Perez began to rebuild his career. And arguably, you could argue since then, the Mexican has been one of the most consistent performers in the midfield.
His performance at Portimao last time out just proved how good a driver Perez is. From being spun around on the opening lap and going to the back of the grid, to then end up finishing seventh was a superb result.
Sergio Perez Photo Credit – Artes Max
Ok there may have been some question marks over the way he tried to keep AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly behind him towards the back end of that race. Other than that, it was another strong showing from Perez and he kept up his record of scoring points in every race he has competed in this year.
Disbelief
With hindsight, perhaps the move to McLaren was too soon for Perez in his F1 career. But if you were Perez at that time, why wouldn’t you want to join a Championship winning team like McLaren?
It didn’t work out at McLaren but Perez really has shone at Racing Point and I genuinely feel he is better placed and has the experience now to cut it at a top three team. Could it be at Red Bull Racing?
It could be if Alexander Albon isn’t retained come the end of the season. The prospect of a Verstappen – Perez partnership does sound mouth-watering and intriguing at the same time. If Red Bull are serious about ending the dominance of Mercedes, they need to have two drivers who are consistently on their A game. You know what you’re going to get from Max Verstappen.
Unfortunately, Albon hasn’t quite been up to the mark at Red Bull. If anyone can grasp golden opportunities when they come, it’s Perez and we know he’s excellent when it comes to tyre management.
Perhaps going back to AlphaTauri might not be a bad thing for Albon. You only have to look at what Gasly has gone onto achieve so far this year.
Even whilst writing up this blog, I still find it hard to believe Perez does not have a seat for next year.
And I genuinely feel Racing Point have made a big mistake in letting the Mexican go.
Yes, they are bringing in a four-time World Champion in Sebastian Vettel and maybe it’s a statement of intent getting someone of Vettel’s calibre in. However, Vettel in my opinion, has not been the same driver since making that mistake at Hockenheim in 2018 and has since made many unforced errors.
Vettel is a four-time World Champion for a reason and without question deserves those titles. On his day, he is unbeatable there’s no denying that. In some ways it hurts to see Vettel struggling and perhaps moving to a new team can reinvigorate his career.
2020 has not been plain sailing for Sebastian Vettel. Photo Credit – Artes Max
But I really feel for Checo and it’s not like he’s been released by Racing Point due to bad performances. Racing Point’s loss will be another team’s gain and I really would love to see the Mexican at Red Bull for 2021.
And if that did materialise, I could certainly see Perez give Verstappen a hard time. Red Bull can’t just keep relying on the Dutchman to be up there taking the fight to Mercedes.
Only time will tell to see whether Perez will be in F1 next year. I really hope he is and Perez has already proven he deserves a place on the grid in 2021.
Three race starts, two red flags, eight retirees, the Tuscan Grand Prix let’s fair to say was incident packed from start to finish.
Whilst the result may show it was a Mercedes 1-2, it was a far from comfortable Grand Prix for both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. However, victory for Hamilton means the Brit is now just one win behind Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of wins.
And it would seem Hamilton is well on his way to secure a seventh Drivers title. There’s still a long way to go in 2020, but even so, you would think it’s going to take a miracle to stop Hamilton from being crowned World Champion this year.
An F1 debut to remember
Following an incident-packed and unpredictable afternoon at Monza, the second Italian race didn’t disappoint at Mugello (making its F1 debut).
You wait so long for an F1 race to have a red flag. And all of a sudden, we’ve now had back-to-back Sundays with red flags. Mugello had two red flags.
The first standing start saw Hamilton get away poorly from pole which enabled team-mate Bottas to take the lead. However, carnage was about to unfold on the opening lap.
Racing lasted only three corners because of a crash between Kimi Raikkonen’s Alfa Romeo, Italian Grand Prix winner Pierre Gasly and Haas driver Romain Grosjean.
The incident also took out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who had been struck by engine problems as he accelerated away from third on the grid.
All this led to a safety car, and at the restart, as Bottas bunched up the field down the pit straight, there was a massive crash towards the back of the field.
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen accelerated and then slowed, he said because of cars doing the same in front of him. Williams driver Nicholas Latifi swerved to avoid him and Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi then cannoned into Magnussen.
McLaren’s Carlos Sainz then hit the back of the cars of both Giovinazzi and Magnussen, pitching the Alfa 90 degrees into the air before it came down on all four wheels.
Thankfully, all the drivers in that incident were able to walk away. It may have had its criticism in the past, but you have to say the halo did its job. Without the halo, the consequences could’ve been more severe.
Bottas, who was leading at the time, was perfectly entitled to set the pace. However, his speed, or lack of, may have tricked some drivers behind, who were keen to get a good run on the start-finish straight, into thinking he was at full pace. Which then led to the incident and the first red flag of the afternoon.
Second standing start
The Finn lost the lead of the race following the second standing start with Hamilton getting past. And from that point, the six-time World Champion looked in control despite him and Bottas being told to stay off the kerbs to protect their tyres.
And just when you thought the drama had ended, the second red flag of the race came about following Lance Stroll suffering a puncture around the high-speed Arrabiata corner, with his Racing Point slamming into the barriers.
Lance Stroll: Photo Credit – Mark Gledhill
Stroll was actually having another strong race and well in contention for another podium finish in 2020. I have to say I’ve been impressed with Stroll this season and credit where it’s due. Yes, this year’s Racing Point has similarities to last year’s Mercedes.
However, Stroll has significantly improved his qualifying form and he’s also scored points regularly in 2020. In my view, one of the standout drivers of 2020.
The second red flag presented Bottas with a great opportunity to get past his team-mate at the third standing start of the day. But, he didn’t take the opportunity and was overtaken on the restart by Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo.
Daniel Ricciardo: Photo Credit – Takayuki Suzuki
Ricciardo just missed out on a podium at Mugello which will have been gutting. At the same time though, Ricciardo and Renault can take plenty of positives from the way they’ve performed in the last three races. Definitely something they can build on.
Looks like that tattoo for Cyril Abiteboul will have to wait just a little bit longer. But don’t be surprised if Renault do end up on the podium at least once this season.
Albon
Hamilton went on to take his 90th career victory in F1 with Bottas finishing second. There were also solid points finishes for Sergio Perez, McLaren’s Lando Norris and AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat.
It was a difficult day for Ferrari on their 1000th race with Charles Leclerc in eighth and Sebastian Vettel in tenth. Not the result Ferrari would’ve wanted to celebrate their milestone. Vettel only just held off George Russell’s Williams to take the final point.
There were also useful points for Raikkonen, with the Finn scoring his first points of 2020.
Alexander Albon: Photo Credit – Artes Max
But, one driver who grabbed the opportunity was Red Bull’s Alexander Albon. It’s not been all plain sailing for the Thai driver at Red Bull and no doubt questions about his future with the team will have come about following Gasly’s win at Monza.
From the disappointing result at Monza for Albon to then securing a podium finish at the next race. What a way to bounce back.
Albon pulled off some fine aggressive but fair passes throughout the race at Mugello and took his first podium in F1 by finishing third. If this result doesn’t give him confidence, I don’t know what will.
Maybe this could be the result that leads to a strong second half to the season for Albon and quash rumours of whether he will be team-mate to Max Verstappen next season.
The Thai driver had a pretty good qualifying session on Saturday ending up fourth. If he can replicate that for the remainder of the season, and who knows, qualify even higher, he’ll give himself a chance of securing more podium finishes.
Time will tell but credit to Albon on a fine drive at Mugello.
The F1 races keep on coming in 2020 with the latest round taking place at Mugello for the Tuscan Grand Prix. It will mark the 1000th race Ferrari have contested and they’re the only team to have raced in every season of F1.
And whilst this is an incredible milestone for Ferrari, it’s one of their current drivers who’s making the headlines ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix.
It’s now been confirmed Sebastian Vettel has signed a deal for ‘2021 and beyond’ with Racing Point, who will rebrand as the Aston Martin F1 Team from next year. The news comes after Sergio Perez announced he will be leaving the team at the end of the 2020 season, which will mark the end of a seven-year association with the team.
This is despite the Mexican signing a three-year contract with the team last year.
Options for Perez
Whilst it may be seen as a coup for Racing Point to get a driver of Vettel’s calibre in, I genuinely feel sorry for Perez and I must admit I do have a soft spot for the Mexican after he was dropped by McLaren at the end of 2013.
Ever since he joined Force India in 2014, Perez has been one of the most consistent drivers in the midfield and has certainly proven he belongs in F1. And let’s not forget it was Perez who more than played his part in saving the team after Force India went into administration in 2018.
Vettel is a four-time World Champion for a reason and on his day he can be unbeatable. However, I don’t think he’s been the same driver ever since that mistake in the race at Hockenheim in 2018. Nobody is perfect and for sure everyone makes mistakes in life.
But since that race at Hockenheim, we’ve seen the German make a string of unforced errors. I’m not entirely sure Racing Point have made the right decision here by bringing in Vettel and that’s just my view and based on his form since mid-2018. As they say, form is temporary, class is permanent.
I’m happy to be proven wrong and time will tell whether the team were right to sign up Vettel.
So where does this leave Perez? The Mexican in his statement released on Wednesday evening (09/09/20), said he doesn’t have a Plan B, although he intends to carry on racing in F1.
Tengo algo que anunciarles… ¡Gracias por su apoyo todo este tiempo!
Perez has been linked with a seat at Haas and Alfa Romeo (known as Sauber previously). Having started his F1 career at Sauber, it would be totally understandable if the opportunity to go back to Alfa Romeo would appeal to Perez.
Kimi Raikkonen has yet to decide about his future in F1, so Perez replacing the Finn at Alfa Romeo could happen.
However, it got me thinking if Red Bull decided not to stick with Alexander Albon for 2021, would the Mexican be a prime candidate to drive alongside Max Verstappen? I certainly think so and a Perez – Verstappen partnership does sound mouth-watering.
I feel Perez now has the experience to drive for one of the big three teams and I could see him taking the fight to the Dutchman on a regular basis, challenging for podiums and who knows, even win races.
I really hope Perez finds a seat for next year and I don’t think he’ll be short of suitors for 2021.
Williams + Monza
The Grand Prix at Mugello will be the first race weekend Williams will not be led by the Williams family. It will be strange not seeing Sir Frank Williams and his daughter Claire week in week out in the F1 paddock.
But they’ve left an ever-lasting legacy in F1 and the family can hold their heads high.
Seven drivers’ championships, nine constructors’ titles, 114 Grand Prix victories, the third most successful team in the history of the sport behind Ferrari and McLaren, those stats speak for themselves.
Whilst it’s the end of one era, a new one begins at the team. Simon Roberts will run Williams as acting team principal, while new owners Dorilton Capital, an investment group who bought the team last month, search for a permanent team boss.
Whilst we said farewell to the Williams family at Monza, that weekend belonged to AlphaTauri and Pierre Gasly.
Even now I’m still coming to terms with the fact Gasly took a superb win and saying it feels good. Gasly winning in Italy was a feel-good story for F1. No doubt the Frenchman will be heading to Mugello with a huge smile on his face.
From one high speed track at Monza to another at Mugello, it looks like the drivers are going to have their fitness levels tested for sure this weekend. Judging by the circuit guide from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, it promises to be a real rollercoaster ride for the drivers and according to former F1 driver, now Sky Sports F1 pundit, Paul di Resta, drivers might not dip below fourth gear.
I mentioned in my preview looking ahead to the Italian Grand Prix that the beauty of sport is that anything can happen. But I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted what happened on Sunday.
A Mercedes 1-2 in qualifying, it’s natural to have thought the Silver Arrows and Lewis Hamilton would’ve gone onto secure another win in 2020. But the racing gods had other ideas.
Hamilton was dominating until he was penalised for being called in for a stop when the pit lane was closed. Two safety cars in quick succession mixed up the order and it was AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly who took the lead after Hamilton served his penalty.
The Frenchman went onto secure a memorable first win in Formula One and held off McLaren’s Carlos Sainz. Racing Point’s Lance Stroll finished third making it one of the youngest podiums in the sport’s history.
If the podium at Monza is a sign of things to come, the future of F1 looks very bright. Who said F1 is boring?
From ghastly to sublime
Writing this review of the Italian Grand Prix and saying to myself Pierre Gasly won in Italy really does bring a smile to my face and I don’t think anyone can begrudge his win. Unless you’re Carlos Sainz who was so close in the end to taking victory.
Pierre Gasly: Photo Credit – Artes Max
I’m so happy for Gasly and I think I’d be right in saying the last 18 months have been pretty emotional for the Frenchman.
Losing his seat at Red Bull, the sad loss of his friend and fellow countryman Anthoine Hubert, his first podium in F1 at Brazil last year. And now winning his first race in Formula One.
Gasly’s story is one of perseverance and never giving up. He could’ve gone into his shell after being dropped by Red Bull during 2019. But I think that experience has made him stronger and now he’s more motivated than ever to succeed.
The 24 year-old has had a stellar 2020 so far and that podium at Interlagos last year may well have proven to be a springboard for his career. Gasly has been one of the most consistent drivers this year and if he carries on his fine form, Red Bull really will have a headache in deciding who will partner Max Verstappen for 2021.
I’m not going to lie, I almost had a tear in my eye when Gasly crossed the finishing line at Monza to take his first win in F1. But he deserved the win and who knows where he can go from here. A truly incredible win for the Frenchman and well deserved.
Young podium
Sainz may have been the oldest of the three drivers on the podium at Monza. But even so, the Spaniard is still only 26 years-old. The McLaren driver I’m sure will have been gutted to just miss out on a maiden victory.
Carlos Sainz: Photo Credit – Artes Max
However, his time will come and he can take so many positives away from the weekend. McLaren’s pace throughout the weekend was pretty impressive and even if there wasn’t a red flag and safety cars, Sainz would’ve been in a great position to secure a podium finish.
Lando Norris finished a fine 4th at Monza to make it a great weekend for the team. McLaren’s rise back towards the sharp end has been great to see and with Daniel Ricciardo joining the team for 2021 as well as having Mercedes engines next year, things are looking rosy for the Woking-based team.
You need luck in any sport and the timing of the red flag worked out well initially for Racing Point’s Lance Stroll. The Canadian was able to get a free pit stop and started on the front row for the second standing start of the race.
A poor start though resulted in Stroll losing several places. However, to still finish on the bottom step of the podium was a fine result for Stroll to keep Racing Point very much in the hunt for third in the constructors.
Gasly, Sainz and Stroll are very much the future of F1 along with many other drivers and it really was refreshing to see a young podium. Hopefully a sign of things to come.
Woes
It was going swimmingly well for Hamilton up until he was penalised for coming into the pits when the pit lane was closed. As a result of having to serve a drive through, the six-times World Champion ended up at the back of the field.
Hamilton was able to carve his way through the pack and ended up seventh. It really was all about damage limitation after the drive through penalty. And the good thing for Hamilton was that none of his closest rivals took advantage including team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
This was a real opportunity for the Finn to make inroads into Hamilton’s championship lead but Bottas didn’t make it count. Bottas never really recovered from a poor start to the race and could only finish 5th. I’m sure he’ll be looking back at the race with some regrets.
It won’t go down as the best of races for Mercedes but make no mistake they’ll be gunning to bounce back at Mugello. You win some, you lose some and Monza just wasn’t to be for Mercedes.
Whilst one Italian outfit celebrated a memorable win, Ferrari had a shocking weekend. Neither Charles Leclerc or Sebastian Vettel made it into Q3 and both drivers retired from the race with Leclerc going off at Parabolica and crashing heavily. Thankfully, the Monegasque driver was able to walk away from the crash.
Ferrari now find themselves languishing in sixth place in the constructors. And if they are to at least finish third, they’re going to have to make significant improvements, otherwise the second half of the season could turn out to be a real struggle.
Disappointing as the Italian Grand Prix was for Ferrari, at least there’s a quick turnaround with the focus now on Mugello this weekend. Surely things can’t get any worse?
But the weekend belonged to Pierre Gasly. And even now, saying the Frenchman won the race feels great. A feel good story for Formula One.
The latest round of the 2020 Formula One season heads to the Temple of Speed that is Monza, another high speed track.
And another circuit where you’d expect Mercedes to go well at and rack up another win in 2020. We will see.
However, the headlines going into the Italian Grand Prix is that the Williams family will leave the team after the race weekend at Monza. Sir Frank and his daughter Claire, deputy team principal, are stepping down.
Williams
Sir Frank founded the team in 1977 and turned it into one of the sport’s most successful teams, winning nine Constructors’ championships and seven Drivers’ titles.
Damon Hill – Photo Credit: Martin Lee
I think I’d be right in saying that Williams have had a number of difficult years recently. But with the team now having been sold to US investment group Dorilton Capital last month, could we see a return to more good times for Williams? I really hope so.
When you think of the prestige and history of Williams, it’s hurt to see them struggling and I’m sure I say this on behalf of most F1 followers that we want to see them back at the sharp end of the grid.
It may be the end of Williams being a family-run team, but the Williams family have contributed so much to the sport and I would like to say a massive thank you to Sir Frank and Claire.
My love/passion for the sport started in 1996 seeing Damon Hill driving for Williams and being crowned World Champion at Suzuka. What a race to watch to get me hooked into Formula One.
And it’s because of seeing Damon driving for Williams that I’m still watching every race weekend now.
Whilst Sir Frank may not have been able to attend all the race weekends in recent years, it’s been so refreshing to see Claire take the lead. And not only that, I believe Claire is one of the reasons why we’re seeing more women get into F1 which is great.
You only have to currently look at Hannah Schmitz, senior strategy engineer at Red Bull Racing and Bernadette Collins, head of race strategy at Racing Point.
The start of a new era begins at Williams after the weekend at Monza. Let’s see what the future holds for the Grove-based team.
Ferrari & customer teams
Speaking of struggles, it was a horrible weekend for Ferrari at the Belgian Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel finishing outside the points in 13th and 14th. And if that’s anything to go by, the Scuderia could be in for another hard weekend at Monza.
Charles Leclerc – Photo Credit: Artes Max
Roll back to last year and Leclerc took famous victories in Belgium, and of course, in Italy in front of the Tifosi. How times have changed. Unfortunately, there won’t be any fans at Monza because of the current Covid-19 situation.
But not having the fans at the circuit may not be a bad thing for Ferrari. Under normal circumstances, you may have seen some of the Tifosi show their displeasure with the way things are going for the team.
Unfortunately, Carlos Sainz was unable to start last weekend’s race due to an exhaust failure.
But during the race, we also saw a shot of the Spaniard shaking his head just after Vettel was passed by an AlphaTauri. Was he shaking his head because of the frustrations of not being able to start the race or of Ferrari’s struggles? I’m sure Sainz will be hoping for better when he joins the team.
The Italian Grand Prix will also be a home race for Antonio Giovanazzi. It’s been a difficult 2020 for Alfa Romeo and things didn’t improve at Spa-Francorchamps with Giovanazzi crashing out of the race and Kimi Raikkonen coming home in 12th. Mind you ahead of both Ferrari drivers.
Kimi Raikkonen – Photo Credit: Artes Max
With the way things are going at the moment, it’s not the way Raikkonen would want to end his F1 career. The Finn’s current two-year deal with the team comes to an end at the end of this season. Could 2020 be Raikkonen’s last season in F1? I’d be inclined to say it will be. But I could be wrong.
Raikkonen, as of yet, hasn’t decided whether he wants to continue racing in Formula One in 2021.
2020 has also proven to be a tough year for Haas. With only a single point to their name, at the moment, it’s difficult to see where Haas will score their next points this year.
Even though Williams haven’t scored any points in 2020, they’ve shown significant improvements from 2019 and I feel it’s only a matter of time before they secure their first points on the board. That could spell trouble for Haas which could leave them at the bottom of the standings.
The last thing Haas would want is to finish bottom of the Constructors. It was only in 2018 where the team finished fifth in the standings.
With Ferrari not being able to do anything with their engine for this season, Haas could be in for a real struggle for the remainder of 2020.
It’s not looking great right now for Ferrari and the teams they supply engines to. But the beauty of sport is that anything can happen. And it takes just one moment of greatness which could transform a season.
There’s only so many superlatives you can run out of to sum up Lewis Hamilton’s form this year. Yes, it wasn’t the best of starts to the 2020 season in Austria.
But the six-times World Champion hasn’t looked back. It’s four wins out of six this year for Hamilton and his win at the Spanish Grand Prix was his 156th podium finish, overtaking Michael Schumacher’s previous record of 155 appearances on the podium.
Hamilton never looked in any trouble during the race and drove off into the distance to take another emphatic win this year. The Brit really was in a league of his own and no one came close to challenging him on race day in Spain.
Victory in Spain was Hamilton’s 88th career win and is now 37 points clear of Max Verstappen in the Drivers Championship. It’s looking pretty ominous right now for Hamilton’s rivals and can anyone stop the Brit from taking a seventh Drivers crown? At this moment in time you’d have to say no.
You can only take your hat off to Hamilton. As he gets older, he just seems to be getting better and that comes down to the high standards he sets himself. But also his positivity and belief he can bounce back from difficult situations.
The Spanish Grand Prix was just another example of when Hamilton is on scintillating form, there’s no stopping him. Sometimes you just have to celebrate and appreciate what Hamilton has and could still achieve in the sport.
Podium finishers
Even if he wasn’t able to challenge for race victory in Spain, being able to split the two Mercedes will have been a real positive for Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
After what happened in the first race at Silverstone this year and the warm conditions in Spain, I’m sure many people were hoping for a real tussle at the front between Verstappen and Mercedes. But it wasn’t to be.
Verstappen will no doubt be a World Champion and the scary thing is he’s still only 22 years-old. The way he’s matured and has taken on the lead driver role at Red Bull is very impressive. I have a huge amount of respect for what the Dutchman has achieved so far and he’s only going to get better.
As for Valtteri Bottas, the Finn may look back on the weekend at Spain with ‘what if’ questions. Had he put the car on pole, perhaps he could’ve gone onto take race victory. And had he not made a poor start on race day, maybe he could’ve been in a position to take the fight to Hamilton.
However, Bottas now finds himself 43 points behind his team-mate in the Drivers Standings, even if he did secure an additional point for fastest lap in Spain. If the Finn is to make inroads into Hamilton’s lead, race victory in Belgium has to be the aim.
Lance Stroll
It was great to see Sergio Perez back in the paddock for the weekend in Spain. And he didn’t disappoint. Yes, he got a five-second penalty for ignoring blue flags. However, finishing fifth was a great result for him and the team.
But one driver who I feel hasn’t had enough credit this season is Lance Stroll. Super drive from him to finish fourth in Spain. I’ve come across some negative comments directed at Racing Point and Stroll this season on social media, including comments on decisions made by the team during races to ensure Stroll finishes higher up.
Take the F170 Anniversary race for example. Nico Hulkenburg, who stood-in for Perez, was running ahead of Stroll but raised concerns about vibrations and not being able to finish the race. This led to Racing Point making a late pit stop to ensure Hulkenburg could finish and still score points.
As a result of this, the Canadian benefited and went ahead of Hulkenburg. At the end of the day, safety comes first and in my view the team were right bringing Hulkenburg in for a late stop.
But the comments directed towards the team and Stroll really were uncalled for.
Stroll currently stands fifth in the Drivers Standings and deserves to be there. His qualifying has improved significantly this year and has been in the points consistently. To pull off the move he did to get past Bottas at Turn One on the opening lap was brave and credit to Stroll.
This I feel is the season to judge the Canadian and I genuinely feel he’s done a great job so far. So get off his back.
Standout drivers
Carlos Sainz was an impressive sixth for McLaren at his home race and credit where it’s due, Sebastian Vettel made a one-stop strategy work to finish seventh for Ferrari.
It’s not where Vettel and Ferrari want to be challenging and 2020 has been a very difficult year for the four-times World Champion and the Scuderia.
However, considering the circumstances, it was a plucky drive from Vettel and who knows could be the springboard for him to get his season back on track.
And once again AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly picked up more points to continue his fine 2020 season so far. Like Stroll, Gasly for me has been one of the standout drivers of the year and if he continues performing as he is, could Red Bull recall him for 2021? You never know.
Spanish GP, race result
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
4. Sergio Perez, Racing Point
5. Lance Stroll, Racing Point
6. Carlos Sainz, McLaren
7. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
8. Alex Albon, Red Bull
9. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
10. Lando Norris, McLaren
Up until the last two/three laps, it wasn’t the most exhilarating of British Grand Prix and was looking like a straight forward 1-2 for Mercedes yet again.
But in sport anything can happen at any time. Remember 2017? Both Ferrari drivers at the time Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen suffered tyre failures in the closing stages of the race at Silverstone that year.
And role on three years later, both Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas suffered the same fate. Unfortunately, for Bottas, a late puncture saw him finish outside the top ten and miss out on a chunk of points. Whereas Hamilton just held on for the race victory to take his seventh win at Silverstone in F1. Not the way he would’ve wanted to take victory. But a win is a win.
Carlos Sainz was having a very strong race and was running as high as fourth. Unfortunately, for the Spaniard, a left-front puncture saw him drop to 13th. A massive shame for Sainz.
Had Max Verstappen not stopped for fresh tyres late on, it’s likely the Dutchman would’ve gone onto win the race. Only Red Bull and Verstappen know whether they pitted to go for fastest lap or they had their own concerns about their tyres.
It was a frenetic end to the race at Silverstone and understandably there’ll be questions about which tyres will be used for the F170 weekend, also at the home of the British Grand Prix.
Standout drivers
You have to say one of the biggest winners from the weekend was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The SF1000 is quite simply nowhere near good enough to challenge for race victories at this point.
And yet, Leclerc has already been on the podium twice in the first four races of 2020. Of course the Monegasque driver will be frustrated the car isn’t good enough to be in the hunt for race wins.
But he’s doing a great job in carrying the Scuderia and was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the late heartbreak Bottas suffered.
It may have been a lucky podium but sometimes when you get the rub of the green, you have to take it and Leclerc certainly did that on Sunday.
Someone else who had a strong race on Sunday and has gone under the radar in 2020 is Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman has gone about his business quietly and was in fine form on race day.
Gasly dispatched Vettel as he rose up into the top 10, and then benefitted from others’ tyres woes to equal his best finish of seventh this year. An excellent drive from Gasly.
AlphaTauri have had their mechanical issues this season and 2020 has been a mixed bag so far for the team. However, without issues, both Gasly and Daniil Kvyat have proven they can take it to the other midfield teams and credit to both drivers.
Whether they end up winning the midfield battle, I’m not so sure. However, they’re a team with two solid drivers who are capable of getting big results. Just look at Germany and Brazil last season.
And also credit to both Renault drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon. It’s not been the best of times for the ‘Honey Badger’ since he joined Renault, but his perseverance was rewarded at Silverstone, with a superb drive to fourth. Admittedly, he gained from Bottas and Sainz’s late individual dramas, but you’ve still got to put yourself in the position to take advantage.
Ocon also benefitted from the late punctures and pulled off a fine move on Racing Point’s Lance Stroll towards the end of the race. Adapting to a new team for any driver is going to take time and it hasn’t been all plain sailing for Ocon at Renault. However, he’s one for the future and certainly has the talent to be a World Champion in F1.
Also a shout out to Lando Norris who took a fine fifth place at his home Grand Prix, to secure more points for McLaren in their fight to be best of the rest behind Mercedes and Red Bull.
Return of ‘The Hulk’
I speak on behalf of everyone in the Formula One community in wishing Sergio Perez a speedy recovery from Covid-19. The Mexican tested positive for coronavirus ahead of the weekend’s British Grand Prix.
This then resulted in a whirlwind 72 hours for Nico Hulkenberg, with the German asked to replace Perez. The start of the weekend looked promising for Hulkenburg and was in the top ten for both first and second practice.
Unfortunately, ‘The Hulk’ just missed out on a place in Q3 on Saturday and if the weekend couldn’t get more unfortunate, a drivetrain seizure on race day meant Hulkenburg wasn’t able to start the race. A real shame and not what he would’ve wanted on his return to F1.
Racing Point are yet to confirm whether Perez will be cleared to return for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. If he doesn’t, fingers crossed Hulkenburg can at least start the race and who knows secure some big points for the team.
On the evidence of what we’ve seen in the first three races of the season, it’s going to take something very special to beat Mercedes in 2020.
Not only did Lewis Hamilton take the chequered flag at the Hungarian Grand Prix, it was his eighth win at the Hungaroring – equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of eight wins at one venue.
Like at the Styrian Grand Prix, Hamilton was in control from start to finish and once again put in an emphatic drive to take the lead in the Drivers Championship from team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
It wasn’t a straightforward race for Bottas though as the Finn moved before the lights went out and then stopped again. The subsequent slow getaway resulted in him dropping to sixth place on the first lap.
Bottas did recover to finish third but it’s small things like his slow getaway in Hungary that could make the difference in who will be crowned World Champion in 2020.
Right now it’s difficult to look beyond either Hamilton or Bottas in who will take the Drivers crown this year.
And with the British Grand Prix coming up, you wouldn’t back against Mercedes taking another win.
Strong drives
Whilst there were many standout drivers on Sunday, I want to focus on three drivers in particular. Firstly, Max Verstappen. What a stunning drive from the Dutchman on Sunday.
You’d be right in thinking Verstappen would be up against it after crashing and breaking his Red Bull car’s front wing in wet conditions before the race.
However, the Red Bull mechanics on the grid did a phenomenal job to ensure his car was repaired just before the start – and Verstappen then paid them back immediately by surging from seventh to third off the line.
To split the Mercedes was a great effort from Verstappen. Mind you, you just know the Dutchman will drive the wheels off his Red Bull and won’t give up.
Finishing second on Sunday may have felt like a win for Verstappen. However, he’ll be hoping Red Bull can get closer to challenging Mercedes and give them a much harder time on the track. But the signs are positive.
Quick mention for Alexander Albon as well who put in a fine performance to finish fifth after starting from a lowly 13th. For sure Albon will want to be finishing races higher than fifth. But his performance in Hungary should give him confidence going forwards.
Second driver I want to talk about is Lance Stroll. A very strong weekend for the Canadian and credit where it’s due. Out-qualifying his more experienced team-mate in Sergio Perez and then finishing fourth in the race ahead of the Mexican, a great result for Stroll.
I think this is the season to judge Stroll and see how he fares. Since he’s been in Formula One, he’s been unlucky having to drive a fair amount of uncompetitive cars, even if he did finish on the podium in Azerbaijan in his debut season.
And with speculation around Sebastian Vettel replacing Perez for 2021, some F1 fans may feel it’s Stroll who should be replaced. Having said that, I genuinely feel Racing Point should continue with Perez and Stroll for next season for stability.
If Stroll can replicate what he did in Hungary for the remainder of the season, the Canadian could be in for a very strong 2020 season and the year he proves doubters wrong.
And finally I want to give a shout out to Kevin Magnussen and Haas. The start to the 2020 season has been a very tough one for Haas.
The Dane opened Haas’ points account for 2020 with an opportunistic drive to the point after the team pitted both their cars at the end of the formation lap for dry tyres and jumped up the order when others did likewise several laps later.
However, after finishing ninth, he was handed a 10-second time penalty after stewards deemed that when pitting Magnussen, Haas had illegally used “driver aids”. That dropped him a place in the final results.
Despite that, I’m really happy to see K-Mag and the team off the mark. I’m sure finishing inside the top ten on Sunday will have felt like a victory for the team considering the struggles they’ve had this year.
You need a break and a rub of the green at times. And Magnussen got that. Hopefully, that point will give everyone in the team a boost and motivate them to get closer to challenging the likes of Renault and McLaren.
Onto Silverstone now for the British Grand Prix and cannot wait.
It’s not where Vettel and Ferrari want to be challenging and 2020 has been a very difficult year for the four-times World Champion and the Scuderia.
Gasly dispatched Vettel as he rose up into the top 10, and then benefitted from others’ tyres woes to equal his best finish of seventh this year. An excellent drive from Gasly.
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