Mercedes seems to have the upper hand in the new regulations as George wins the opening race in Australia. Fellow driver Kimi Antonelli came second while Charles got the final podium spot.

George takes Merc to victory in Australia

Mercedes looked solid in all the practice sessions. While they missed the regulations from 2022-25, it doesn’t seem to be the case in this new era. They control the PU and also have a solid team which can build a Championship winning car. The Qualifying was astonishing as both the Merc had a healthy lead over Ferrari which seemed like a distant second.

George did not get the start he hoped for as Charles got a solid start. However Mercedes made the most of the Virtual Safety Car and got the pitstops at the right time. George had the pace and eventually overtook the two Ferraris. Kimi did a decent job too with being there with George all the time. Mercedes seem to have the upper hand currently but it needs to be seen if they can sustain it in the entire season.

Ferrari second best in Australia

Ferrari have a good package but they need to work on the performance. Charles LeClerc got a solid start but it was not enough to sustain it. He finished third and Hamilton was fourth. They have a good starting point but fighting Mercedes would not be easy. Ferrari have two solid drivers they just need to get everything together.

Arvid Lindblad scored points in his rookie F1 race. Audi scored points in their first F1 race.

Australia GP : Top 10 – George wins

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George Russell had a performance that came from nowhere in Singapore. Max came second and Norris third.

George wins in Singapore

George by his own admission was not expecting any good performance in Singapore. The Mercedes is more suited to colder temperatures and Singapore certainly is not one. The practice sessions on Friday were not good either. However things came alive in the final Q3 session and George took the Pole position. From then onwards there was no looking back in the race. George was ahead of Max at the first turn and he went on to win the race.

His rookie team mate was not bad either, driving in Singapore for the first time. He finished P5. Mercedes would be hoping to continue the positive turn of events in the Americas too.

Mclaren wins Constructors in Singapore

It was pretty obvious that McLaren will win the Constructors. They were dominant throughout the season and both the drivers performed well. Winning the Constructors 6 races before the season ends is a testament to that.

However their drivers are fighting hard with each other for the Driver’s Championship. Oscar is leading the race but Lando is not far behind. The Quali did not go as well as they would have expected though with Oscar starting P3 and Lando P5. However Lando was on the cleaner side and he managed to sneak in and get ahead of Oscar in the first lap. There was a slight touch and Oscar was not happy about it at all. This is very unlike of him as he stays calm most of the time. The crash in Baku and the pressures of the Championship seems to be weighting him down. Lando has no regrets and sees it as a racing incident but things are starting to heat up between the two. The gap between them is just 22 points and now that the Constructors is wrapped up, it is game on between the two.

Max still in the hunt in Singapore

The Red Bull seems to have come alive with Max winning the previous two races. Even here he almost got the Pole. Max took the risk to start on Softs and get a jump ahead but that did not materialize. Eventually he had to settle for P2. He would still be happy.

Both the Ferraris were disappointing again With Charles finishing P6 and Lewis P8. Alonso finished P7 and Carlos P10.

Singapore GP Top 10 : George wins

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George Russell wins the Canada GP as rookie team-mate Kimi got his first podium. Max came second as the two McLarens collide.

George Magic in Canada

Mercedes have been out of the picture for quite some time. The last three races have not gone well for them, especially Kimi. Even in the practice session Mercedes was nowhere to be been as it was dominated by McLaren. However in the final lap of Q3 George pulled out a stunner to score the Pole. Even Kimi did well to get P4 on the grid. In the race George was faultless and unlike last year in Canada, this time he was able to hold on to the position to secure a well earned race win. Max tried to challenge him at times but he was in no position to do so as George had covered all the bases.

Even the other Mercedes driver, the rookie Kimi Antonelli, did a great job as he overtook Piastri on the first lap and then maintained that position for the rest of the race, earning him his podium in Formula 1. Mercedes have now overtaken Ferarri to become the second best team in the Constructors. The fight for P2 and P3 will be close right till the end of the season.

McLaren fumble in Canada

In the pre-race interview Lando had said that it was inevitable that he and Oscar will collide at some point in the season, given the closely fought battle between them for the driver’s Championship. No one would have thought that it will happen so soon. Both the McLaren drivers were at different positions on the grid and had different strategy. However they found themselves close to each others towards the end of the race. Lando tried to sneak up behind Oscar but ended up crashing into the wall and that ended his race. Thankfully Oscar was fine and at least he finished P4. McLaren was well ahead in the Constructors but the Driver’s title fight is very much on. Not only Oscar and Lando but Max is also in the fight and given we still have quite a bit of the season in front of us we cannot discount George and LeClerc too.

Max showing promise

Max is the most talented driver on the grid and you can never discount him in the Championship. This season has got a lot of ups and down. Monaco was pretty average but Montreal was different. He had the pace and put himself on the front row. While not being able to challenge George, he maintained his P2 position comfortably. He is very much in the fight for the Championship. Meanwhile Yuki Tsunoda had another pointless race but then Red Bull doesn’t have many options for the second seat.

Ferrari again had a mediocre race with Charles finishing P5 and Lewis P6. Alonso did well to get P7. Nico scored a fantastic P8 with Ocon in P9 and Sainz got the final point at P10.

Canada GP Top 10: George wins

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George Russell had a sublime race as he lead from Pole to win the race at Las Vegas. Max became a four time World Champion. Lewis and Sainz came P2 and P3.

George Magic at Vegas

George Russell had a super drive as he lead from the Pole to win the race at Las Vegas. Mercedes showed some exceptional pace which even they are not able to figure out where it came from. Most likely it is the colder temperatures which worked in the favour of Mercedes. George was concerned whether he will be able to convert the Pole to a race win or not. Ferrari looked mighty strong in Race Pace. However George got a great start and he kept his nose ahead at the first turn. From then on wards there was no looking back. George had some solid pace and was ahead the entire race. There were no yellow/red flags throughout the race and George won smoothly.

Equally impressive was Lewis Hamilton who won Driver of the Day. He looked very strong in the practice sessions. However the Q3 session of Qualifying did not go well and he had to start P10. Lewis did an impressive job in his fast Mercedes and kept moving up the grid to eventually finish P2 in the race. A Mercedes 1-2 has come after a long time. However it has to be seen whether Mercedes are able to maintain the pace or not. Currently they are in a lonely 4th position in the Constructor’s Championship and that is unlikely to change.

Ferrari overshadowed by Mercs at Vegas

Ferrari had a strong pace in the practice sessions and they looked good overall. Mercedes then came out of nowhere and they were clearly quicker than the Ferraris. Still the Ferrari drivers did a decent job and finished P3 and P4, behind the two Mercs. They are very much in the battle for Constructor’s title against McLaren and Red Bulls. Ferrari needs to keep the pace and maintain the momentum as they head in the final two races.

Max World Champion at Vegas

Max has showed this year why he truly deserves to win the World Championship. Despite not having the fastest car all the time he did not put a step out and got every ounce of performance from the car. When he did not have the fastest car he tried to maximize the result. When he did, he ensured that he was P1. Experience did play a big role. He did not buckle under pressure and kept on chipping. Max truly is one of the all time greats of Formula 1

McLaren fumble at Vegas

This weekend was just not meant to be for the Papaya team. They did not have the pace and finished a lowly P6 and P7. Lando is out of the race for World Championship. However the Constructors battle is well and truly on and they are currently leading it. They need to put everything together for the final two race if they want to wins the Constructors.

Hulkenburg was again impressive to score P8. Yuki Tsunoda got P9 and Checo got the final point at P10.

Vegas GP : George winner, Max World Champion.

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Max and Lando crash into each other and end up giving victory to George in Austria. Oscar and Carlos picked up the pieces.

Mega crash in Austria

It seemed to be inevitable as the pressure was building up in Austria. To be sure Red Bull Max were looking to be clear favorites. They had a solid Practice session, the only one, and Max was at the top. Then he was P1 in the Sprint Quali. Then he came first in the Sprint. He was leading comfortably but not by a big margin in the race in Austria and it seemed that a 7-second gap was good enough.

Lando was there at P2 but he was not able to close the gap. Then a botched pit-stop by RedBull reduced the gap from 7 to 3 seconds. This gave Lando the opportunity he was looking for and he was right there at the gearbox of Max. With more than 10 laps remaining there was plenty of opportunity to pass by. Before even the crash happened there was plenty of bickering by both the drivers. Lando accused Max of moving in the braking zone and Max accused Lando of dive-bombing. Lando tried going on the inside for a few times, locked up but could not hold on to the lead. Then he tried going from the outside and Max just moved a bit more towards Lando. This was enough to cause a crash between the two front-runners. Both ended up getting puncher. Max still somehow finished P5 but Lando had to retire his car.

This crash was eerily reminiscent of the 2021 season where Max pushed the limits with Hamilton. Max and Lando are good friends but it will be tested for sure Austria onwards. Max doesn’t have the edge of the last two seasons and he needs to push harder to stay in front. Lando meanwhile is hungry for more wins and even to be in the fight for the championship.

George picking up the pieces in Austria

As the two front-runners crashed, it was George who was actually 13 seconds behind them, picked up the pieces and won the race in Austria, his second F1 win in his career. To be fair he did have a good weekend overall and deserved to be the one to win. Lewis Hamilton was out of touch this weekend and had some damage to his car too. He finished P4.

Oscar did not have the qualifying he expected with his last lap deleted. That would have put his car on P3 and potentially he could have won the race. However he would be happy with P2, given that he started P7. Carlos did a decent job too. P5 was expected and ended up P3 on the podium. Pere had another weekend to forget as he finished P7.

HAAS in form in Austria

Another team that ended up doing well was HAAS. Hulkenburg finished a mighty P6 and Magnussen P8. They would be chuffed with the points haul. Ricciardo came in at P9 and Gasly got the final point.

Austria Race Classification : George wins as Max Lando collide

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George Russell secures his first in F1 at Brazil. Lewis Hamilton came second, making it a Mercedes 1-2, first for the season.

Roaring Russell in Brazil

When George Russell for called up for a Mercedes spot in 2021 he never would have thought it would take him so long to win a race. Well destiny had some other plans for him. With the rule changes Mercedes went for a radical design, unique on the grid. Unfortunately the radical design did not convert into race pace. Mercedes was far behind the Red Bulls and the Ferraris and were nowhere near Championship contention. Still both George and Lewis stayed positive. They were consistent and regularly scored podiums, although a race win remained elusive.

That is until now. Mercedes slowly figured out their porposing issues and brought steady development to their car. Mexico was really good them and for the first time they had the pace to compete for wins. Still Mercedes was not very optimistic in replicating the pace at other tracks. That wasn’t the case to be. In Brazil George had a brilliant drive in the Sprint race, overtaking Max Verstappen and finding himself first on the grid. Lewis Hamilton too had a superb race, going from P8 to P3 and having a Mercedes front after row after Sainz penalties.

George had a flawless race. He was ahead at turn 1 and never looked back. Mercedes did not make any mistake in strategy, earning George his first win in Formula One. It has been a hardly earned victory for him, given his struggles in Williams and even at Mercedes. This is one to remember for a long time.

Max and Lewis clash in Brazil again

It was a deja vu moment for us fans as Max and Lewis collide in the first half of the race. Max was handed a five second penalty and had to take an extra pitstop to fix his front wing. Still he went into damage control mode and ended up finishing P6. Lewis meanwhile drove brilliantly despite the minor damage and slowly moved up the grid to finish P2. This was a good opportunity for him to score a race win. It he doesn’t win at Abu Dhabi, which is the last race of the season, then it will be the first year since 2007 where he has not won a single race.

Multi-21 for Red Bull again

Max Verstappen despite having won the World Championship refused to let his team-mate Sergio Perez pass through. Apparently this was some revenge for Monaco where Sergio crashed and taking away Max’s chance to get a Pole. Still this was really uncalled for. The team had given him very clear instruction to let Sergio pass by and he blatantly refused team-order when he has already won the Championship. Red Bull will have to work hard to mend the relationship between their drivers.

Ferrari made the most at Brazil

Ferrari had the race pace but circumstances were unfortunate. Carlos has a 5 place grid penalty and he had to make an extra pitstop to resolve brake issues. Also Charles had a crash as Lando knocked him off but he miraculosuly kept moving on. Carlos and Charles finished P3 and P4 respectively and should be happy with the result.

Brazil GP: Race Classification , First win for George

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George Russell wins thrilling sprint in Brazil, Max Verstappen slips to fourth

George found pace in Brazil

Russell had three attempts at passing Verstappen before he finally overtook the Red Bull driver on Lap 15 on the run to Turn 4. 

After getting past surprise pole sitter Kevin Magnussen and leading the early stages, Verstappen appeared to pay the price for running on medium tyres while his rivals all opted for softs. 

Verstappen picked up front wing damage after running over debris and had contact with Carlos Sainz when the Ferrari driver dived down the inside for second place on Lap 19. 

From there Verstappen struggled for pace, with 2021 title rival Lewis Hamilton also getting past as he turned in an impressive recovery drive over 24 laps to finish third after starting eighth. 

Russell will start Sunday’s grand prix from pole position, leading an all-Mercedes front row with Sainz set to serve a five-place grid penalty for an engine change. 

Verstappen finished ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in fourth, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took sixth ahead of Lando Norris’ McLaren. 

Having led the opening two laps, Magnussen eventually dropped to eighth at the chequered flag but claimed the final point on offer for Haas. 

Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10 for Aston Martin and AlphaTauri respectively. 

It was a nightmare race for Alpine, with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon finishing a lowly 15th and 18th following an early tangle.

Brazil Starting Grid : George and Lewis will lead from front row

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George Russell pulled off a surprise Pole at Hungary. Ferrari boys came P2 and P3. It was a day to forget for Red Bull.

Miracle from George at Hungary

It will be a day that George will not forget any time soon. Coming to Hungary Mercedes brought in a slew of upgrades but none seem to be working in the Friday practice session. George even admits to Mercedes team having a moment of crisis Friday evening, questioning the entire philosophy of their car in the 2022 season. But things turned around and how for the Silver Arrows. The weather changed on Saturday and so did their fortune. Some minor tweaks here and there, small adjustments and a banger of a lap from the young Brit resulted in a first pole for the Mercedes team in the 2022 season. His team-mate and seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton had DRS issues in the final run, else it would have been a front row start for the Silver Arrows. Mercedes long run pace is still unknown so the race will be very exciting to watch.

Ferrari : There but no quite

Ferrari needs to go all guns blazing if they want to stay in the Championship race. As Mattia Binotto said, ‘Nothing less than a Ferrari 1-2 is acceptable to us at Hungary’. They had the pace but were narrowly pipped by George. Carlos Sainz seems to be getting a hang of the car and did better than Charles LeClerc who has garnered multiple poles this season. Still Ferrari would not mind P2 and P3 going into the race. Ferrari needs to make the most of the Red Bull fiasco.

Red Bull : A Day to Forget

Things went from bad to worse for the Championship leaders. Sergio Perez seems to be a bit out of touch with the upgraded Red Bull. He put in a good lap in Q2 but it was deleted for violating the track limits but was re-instated by the FIA after observing that he did not really violate the limits. But in all this confusion he couldn’t put in a clean lap and will be starting P11. Max Verstappen had good pace, in fact even better than they had expected. But he could not put in a clean lap in his first Q3 run but even worse he had a power failure in his final Q3 run, relegating him to P10. We cannot count him out though as he would be looking to make up the places quickly in the race.

Upgrades working for McLaren

Upgrades have brought McLaren to life with Lando making the most of it and will be starting P4. His team-mate Daniel Ricciardo still not in complete sync with the McLaren will be starting P9. Alpine did a great job with Ocon at P5 and Alonso P6. Valtteri Bottas would be happy to be back in Q3 and will be starting P8.

Sebastian Vettel who announced his retirement at the end of 2022 season couldn’t get out of Q1.

Hungary GP : George on Pole

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