Charles wins his maiden F1 home race in Monaco. Oscar followed him in P2 and Carlos P3

King Charles of Monaco

Finally the curse is broken. Charles LeClerc manages to win the home race of Monaco for the first time in his career. This was his third attempt starting from Pole and it was all nerves and jitters for everyone. Yet he managed it in as calm as fashion as possible. Overall it was a boring race with hardly any overtakes happening. Monaco is a narrow street circuit and modern F1 cars are very wide. Barring one overtake from Bottas it was more of a race of tyre management than of going fast and overtaking other cars. Charles and Ferrari were overjoyed with the win at Monaco. He got a big big hug from the teary eyed Prince Philip.

The Monaco race actually started with a bang – literally. First Carlos and Oscar touch each other at turn 1 and Carlos got a puncture. This pretty much meant race over for him. But the heavenly bodies had other plans for him. In the back there was a massive collision as Magnussen tried to go past Sergio Perez and also took Hulkenburg down with him. Red flag happened and the Ferrari team were not only able to fix his car, he got to keep his P3 position as one lap was not done by then. Carlos must be thanking his stars for the second life.

First Podium of 2024 for Oscar

Oscar has been in very good touch but the past results unfortunately do not reflect so. The McLaren has been working well but he was overshadowed by Lando, especially in Miami, as Lando won the race and Oscar was way back the grid due to an accident. That was not the case today. Oscar started P2 and maintained his position throughout the race. In the end he was a bit slow as compared to Charles but it did not matter much. He got the Silver. Meanwhile Lando will have to be satisfied with the P4 as there was hardly any overtaking opportunity. He should still be positive and look forward to the next races. While Red Bull and Max Verstappen are clearly ahead, the 2024 season is long and anything can happen in the future.

A weekend to forget for Red Bull

Red Bull knew that the street circuits do not suit them and Monaco exposed their weakness. Sergio Perez could not get beyond Q1 and crashed in just 500m from the race start. Even Max Verstappen started from P6 and could not do much from there despite having a faster car at times. Still there are quite dominant on normal race tracks. They should be vary though as the development gap is reducing and Red Bull cannot take things that easy.

Mercedes have a slew of upgrades planned but they are still far from McLaren and Ferrari. George finished P5 and Hamilton P7. Yuki Tsunoda got a brilliant P8, Albon got P9 and Gasly finished P10. Some much needed points for Williams and Alpine.

Monaco GP Top 10 : Charles wins home race

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Max wins the British GP to make it 11th consecutive wins for Red Bull. Lando manages to hold on to his position and finish P2.

Max Magic at the British GP

Things were not that smooth sailing as Max would have wanted. He didn’t get a good start and Lando went ahead, the Brit briefly leading the British GP. But Max has 100% confidence in his ability and knows that he has the fastest car on the grid. He didn’t lose patience and was ahead again in a few laps. Then the safety car at lap 33 made the grid pack up again but be was on softs and managed to get a good lead ahead and went on to win the race. This is Red Bulls 11th consecutive race win, equaling McLaren’s record. Max is in the form of his life and everything seems to be going his way.

The same can’t be said about his team-mate Sergio Perez. He had to start P15 and was slow to move up the grid. An unfortunate pit-stop just before the safety car ensured that he finished P6. Given the car, he would have expected at least a podium finish.

McLaren max at the British GP

McLaren have got the upgrades but no one would have imagined them to make such a big leap. From being right at the back of the grid to fighting for P2 is just incredible. Granted that Austria and Silverstone suits McLaren more but still the improvement in performance is impressive. Lando got a great start and took the lead of the race. But he was not match to Max, who eventually got the race lead back in a few laps. Lando but held on to his P2 position. He did get a scare when McLaren put him on Hards during safety car period but he managed to keep Hamilton behind him, who was charging fast on his softs.

Equally impressive was rookie Oscar Piastri who managed to keep the same pace as Lando. Unfortunately due to safety car Lewis got a jump ahead of him and he missed the podium position. McLaren would be hugely impressed with him.

Ferrari fumbles, again

Ferrari just couldn’t get their act together. LeClerc and Carlos were holding steady in P4 and P5. But then Ferrari decided to pit LeClerc early and he was not quick enough on hards. Carlos had a worse race as he got passed by Perez, Albon and LeClerc in a matter of few turns. The fight for P2 is tight between Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari. Now it seems like even McLaren has joined the party. Forget fighting for the Championship, that ship has sailed away. Ferrari has to put up their A-game even to compete for P2.

British GP Top 10 : Max winner, Lando P2

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Charles LeClerc scored his third pole position of 2022 season in the Miami Quali. Carlos put in a great performance to get a Ferrari 1-2

Charles Pole, Ferrari 1-2

First F1 race in Miami and the Championship leader takes the first Pole here. Charles LeClerc looked in sublime touch and snatched Pole at Miami Quali. He picked up his form from Australia, as if Imola never happened. However the gap was not that much between him and Carlos and Max – less then 0.2 seconds. All the races that Charles has won has been from Pole and he would be hoping to convert it here too.

Carlos in good form in Miami Quali

The other Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz Jr., has been going through a bad luck phase. He was DNF in the last two race. Even here in Miami he had a crash in the practice sessions and couldn’t do the long runs. Still he managed to get the most of the car and himself. In the final run of Q3, Carlos was ahead of Charles for the first two sectors. Only in the last sector did he lose pace, ending up in P2. Still he would be very happy with the performance. Ferrari would be glad for the front row lockout, their first since Mexico 2019.

Unlucky Max at the Miami Quali

Like Charles, Max too is in very good form and being right about there with the Ferraris. However, he messed up when it mattered the most, the final run in Q3, having to abort the lap after running wide in sector 1. Still he managed P3 and would be hoping to jump places at the start of the race. RedBull does have a faster straight line speed. He will be joined by team-mate Sergio Perez on the second row.

Mixed fortunes for Mercedes and McLaren

Seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton turned things around for the first time in this season. He managed to tame his Mercedes and put in a decent lap to start P6 in the race. George Russell struggled with porpoising and he couldn’t managed to get in Q3.

Lando Norris put in a great performance in his McLaren to get into Q3. He will be starting P14. Luck however evaded Daniel Ricciardo as he couldn’t stitch together a good lap and will be starting P14.

Valtteri Bottas is enjoying being a team leader in Alfa Romeo. Despite the crash in the practice session, he managed to get on top of his car and managed a stunning P5. Alpha Tauri seems to be loving Miami too, with both the cars getting in Q3. Gasly will be starting P7 and Tsunoda P9. Lance Stroll managed to get his car in Q3, ending at P10. The American team HAAS unfortunately did not have a good Quali session, with Mick at P15 and Kevin P16.

Miami GP Starting Grid: Charles on Pole

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2022 Bahrian Test was quite insightful, giving us a glimpse of how the teams are performing and rapidly evolving to come on top of the new regulations. after six days of testing at two different tracks we can begin to sketch the basic outline of the field ahead of next weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, and some undoubted winners and losers are starting to take shape.

Mighty Red Bull at Bahrain Tests

Red Bull Racing and reigning champion Max Verstappen leave Bahrain happiest of all after a mighty final day of testing with a brand-new high-functioning aerodynamic kit.

Verstappen used it to set the test’s fastest time at the very end of the session with a comfortable 0.7-second margin over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc — Mick Schumacher’s interloping time was set during private after-hours testing.

Verstappen’s margin was large enough to make an undeniable statement: Red Bull Racing is the team to beat.

Meredes on back-foot after Bahrain Tests

It’s always a risk to write off Mercedes. The team looked down and out at the end of testing last season but went on to win the first race of the year. By December it had won the constructors championship and had taken Hamilton to within a lap of the drivers title.

But there’s little doubting Mercedes’s troubles this time.

The team brought an aggressive aerodynamic package to Bahrain Test but has struggled to wrap its head around its so-called no-sidepod design, and over three days it failed to solve chronic handling problems that left Lewis Hamilton and George Russell down on the time sheets.

Porpoising — the bouncing up and down of the chassis when aerodynamically loaded at high speed — has been a major issue for Mercedes with its new kit, but the windiness of Bahrain this week made it difficult to dial it out of the car. It also means the team hasn’t established as strong a baseline of performance heading into the first race as it would’ve liked.

Ferrari in good touch

Ferrari hasn’t skipped a beat across the six days of testing, and the F1-75 has impressed the pit lane with each lap set.

There’s likewise no denying the optimism emanating from the Scuderia garages, and even the Italian media, after two years of reporting deeply underwhelming Ferrari performances, is getting behind the 2022 machine.

There hasn’t been a day that either Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc hasn’t been near the top of the time sheet — particularly impressive in Bahrain, where the team brought no major update and instead focused on honing what it carried over from Spain.

This is positive on two counts. First, its first concept is clearly competitive, and after six full days of working with it, Ferrari will have a strong understanding of its base strengths and weaknesses. Second, it suggests the team has a strong correlation between the wind tunnel, computer simulation and the track, which hasn’t always been Ferrari’s strong suit.

McLaren troubles in Bahrain Test

McLaren was one of the season’s dark horses after three trouble-free days in Barcelona. Fast-forward to Bahrain and it’s badly on the back foot.

McLaren got its sums wrong on brake cooling for the Bahrain desert, and from the moment it hit the track in Sakhir it struggled with “crispy” brakes that prevented it from undertaking any long running.

The team completed the fewest laps of any team in Bahrain.

Complicating matters further was Daniel Ricciardo’s COVID-19 diagnosis, saddling Norris with all three days of testing.

It’s a blow to the Australian’s sophomore year with McLaren, in which he needs to bounce back from his difficult 2020.

Backmarkers actually looking good

Both Williams and HAAS, the perennial backmarkers of the last few season are looking good.

HAAS had to go through some pain with their title sponsor URALKALI forced to leave. They now have much less money and they let go their Russian driver Nikita Mazepin too. But things turned out for better as got HAAS Alum Kevin Magnussen back in the hot seat. Kevin has a lot of experience with the team and they seem to be in a good mood. The add cherry on the top, Kevin put in the best lap time in the final hours of Day 2. Even Mick Schumacher did a great job, falling just behind Max Verstappen on the final day.

Williams looks in a good form too. Nicholas Latifi managed to get the highest number of laps on the final day. Even Albon seems to have taken to the new car very quickly. It doesn’t look like he was not in F1 last year.

The first race of the season begins this week and we cannot wait to see the 2022 season get started!

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While the 2021 FIA investigation to avoid repeating the Abu Dhabi final lap debacle is still not over, we’re almost into that time of year where F1 teams begin revealing their new 2022 cars for the forthcoming season. And with the rulebook undergoing a massive shake-up this year, the new generation of designs should be fascinating.

Simplified aero, a return to ground effect, low-profile tyres, wheel covers; all of these things are being introduced for 2022 cars in the name of closer, more exciting racing, which means teams have had to put their old ideas in the bin and spend Christmas coming up with entirely new ones.

F1 even made a mock-up design of what the new cars would look like (see the gallery above), remember?

And then there’s the new budget cap, which should make it much harder for the biggest teams to simply spend their way out of midfield mediocrity and leave the minnows at the back of the grid. Here’s hoping.

So, here’s a quick rundown of the confirmed dates we’ll see each team’s new contender. Get those e-calendars synced to your electronic devices, folks.

2022 cars reveal schedule

Haas VF-22 – 4 February
Red Bull RB18 – 9 February
Aston Martin AMR22 – 10 February
McLaren MCL36 – 11 February
AlphaTauri AT03 – 14 February
Ferrari F1-75 – 17 February
Mercedes W13 – 18 February
Alpine A522 – 22 February
Alfa Romeo C42 – 27 February
Williams FW44 – TBC

The first three days of pre-season testing commence in Barcelona on February 23, so unless the teams have found a way of lapping their cars underneath an ultra-fast shroud, we’ll have seen all the cars by then. Alfa Romeo, you’ll note, is launching its livery on 27 February, so expect them to be wearing heavy camouflage for the first shakedown in Spain.

A further three test days follow at the Sakhir International Circuit from March 10, a week before the season-opening race at the same venue in Bahrain. Until then, here are 10 things we’re looking forward to about the new campaign.

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Before we begin the 2022 season let us acknowledge that 2021 season was mega and we are still not over it. No one had imagined that the title fight will go down the wire, right till the final lap of the final race. In fact the FIA investigation is still going on, so we are not really done with 2021, yet.

However we have move on and look forward to the 2022 season. In around 3 weeks time teams will be unveiling their 2022 cars. So now is a good time to check what is their to look forward to in the coming season.

1. New Regulations :-

The 2022 season marks a new era of Formula 1 with the all-new car designs resulting from sweeping new regulations that will improve the racing spectacle. In addition, several features, including a focus on the ground effect, 18-inch tires, and a redesigned front wing and nose. This means that the cars will race closer to each other, with the potential for more passing on track.

The new cars are also safer, use a higher ratio of sustainable fuel, and look slightly different from previous years. Mercedes has already fired up their W13 engine, and its unveilings will come thick and fast.

2.  Ferrari and McLaren pushing to the front

Ferrari and McLaren are hoping to battle at the front, as both teams have shown glimpses of their giant stature and success in 2021. McLaren, having dominated in Italy with a one-two finish in the season, Ferrari clinched the third position in the championship and almost 200 points more than they did in 2020.

Lando Norris had his best season in 2021, but it was unfortunate that he missed out on the P5 standing. On the other hand, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz proved strongest on the grid, taking points in every race in France. So will Ferrari and McLaren be more than a thorn in the side of Mercedes and Red Bull?

3.  Hamilton vs Russell

Two Brits in the same team? We haven’t had that since Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton joined forces at McLaren, and we know how that worked out. There’s so much hype around George Russell and him being a champion in waiting, but now is the time for him to prove it. His stellar job covering for Lewis in Bahrain in 2020 proved he’s up to the challenge, but can he take the fight to the seven-time champ (and now actual knight of the realm) over a full season? Dear Mercedes, please let them race. Yours, everyone.

4. Hamilton vs Max

Oh yes, how can we forget this. If 2021 season is anything to go by, 2022 will be a banger. Max is in the form of his life and will put in everything to keep the Championship. Lewis is in top form too, losing the 2021 championship  just in the last lap. He will be eager to get the elusive 8th World Championship. Expect Fireworks!

5. Heading into the Great Unknown

Most years, we head into the season with a fairly good idea of what the pecking order will be. Ahead of 2022, nobody has any idea whatsoever what it will look like – and it does not get any more exciting than that.

While the bigger teams are most likely to remain at the front, the budget cap has decreased the advantage they have and there is every chance a midfield outfit or backmarker has nailed the regulation changes far more than anyone else such as Brawn did in 2009 with the double diffuser.

Figuring out whether one team has done so or not will be a lot of fun, just like the season as a whole if the pecking order has been properly mixed up as so many have dreamed of.

Only a few months until we find out…

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Max Verstappen secured pole position in his home Dutch GP. Lewis Hamilton will be giving him company on the front row.

Max Verstappen put Red Bull on pole position for his home Dutch Grand Prix in front of 70,000 ecstatic fans on Saturday. His Formula One rival and championship leader Lewis Hamilton alongside on the front row.

Hamilton, three points clear in the standings after 12 races, was 0.038 seconds slower for Mercedes than Verstappen’s best effort.

The Briton’s team mate Valtteri Bottas qualified third with Frenchman Pierre Gasly fourth for Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri.

The pole was the sixth in the last seven races for Verstappen, and the 10th of his career.

“It’s an amazing feeling of course to get pole position here,” said Verstappen. His Orange Army let off flares and celebrated the pole.

“The crowd is incredible and today was also very enjoyable. The car was really nice to drive and this track in qualifying, once the fuel comes out, is really cool.”

Sunday’s race will be the first Dutch Grand Prix in 36 years. The return is driven by Verstappen’s success and huge following.

“He did a fantastic lap and deserves the pole,” said seven times world champion Hamilton, as some boos could be heard from the crowd.

Good job by Ferrari boys

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz qualified fifth and sixth with Antonio Giovinazzi standing out in seventh for Alfa Romeo.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso will line up eighth and ninth and Daniel Ricciardo qualified 10th for McLaren.

Williams drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi both crashed in the second phase of qualifying and brought out red flags.

Russell, who started on the front row at the previous race in Belgium last weekend after an astonishing qualifying lap, hit the barriers backwards but managed to keep the car running and returned to the pitlane with nearly four minutes remaining.

The Briton took no further part in qualifying and will start 11th, and when the track action re-started, Latifi then lost control and smashed into the barriers in a much heavier impact.

“My tyres were going and I was pushing too hard,” said Russell. “I just attacked that corner too much and lost the rear. I’m sorry to the team.”

The second stoppage, with a minute and 38 seconds to go, meant McLaren’s Lando Norris failed to get in a quick enough lap to go through to the top 10 shootout.

Disaster for Sergio

Verstappen’s Mexican team mate Sergio Perez and Aston Martin’s four times world champion Sebastian Vettel were the big casualties of the first phase.

Vettel, who will start in 17th place, was blocked by dawdling Haas drivers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher, and the three were summoned to see stewards after the session.

Mazepin blamed Schumacher in comments to Sky Sports television.

“He overtook, backed me up, and put me into Seb. I’ll have a word with the team to see why that happened,” said the Russian rookie.

Poland’s Robert Kubica, standing in at short notice for 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo after the Finn tested positive for COVID-19, qualified 18th and ahead of the Haas pair.

Dutch GP Quali Classification : Max and Lewis on the front row

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In yet another one of those crazy race, thanks to the rains, Esteban Ocon came out on top and managed to stick to his position at the Hungary GP. Sebastian Vettel came second but he got disqualified as the stewards were unable to take fuel sample after the same, so Hamilton is P2 and Carlos Sainz P3.

The race started with both the Mercedes on the front row, followed by the two Red Bulls in the second row. It was raining though as the race started and everyone was on inters.

Chaos at the start of Hungary GP

As can be expected from a rain soaked start, there was absolute chaos at turn 1. It all started with Valterri Bottas getting a bad start and then trying to compensate for it by breaking late. This stalled his front wheels and sent him crashing into the rear of Lando Norris, who actually got a very good start. Then he took out Sergio Perez whereas Lando crashed into Max. Meanwhile Lance Stroll couldn’t brake on time either, crashing into Charles Leclerc and ending both their races. Daniel Ricciardo had a spin too but he managed to survive somehow. Bottas and Stroll have been given 5-place grid drops for triggering the turn 1 crashes.

Red Flag and a lone start. Ocon on top

All the crashes and wet conditions led to a red flag. Red Bull was able to fix Max’s car but not 100%. Nikita Mazepin had to retire as Kimi Raikkonen crashed into him while coming out of his pit stop. The track was drying very rapidly and so everyone pitted before the race re-start, except Lewis Hamilton. He was the only one to start the race and that was one hell of a scene.

This put the Alpine of Esteban Ocon on the top and he just never looked back. Sebastian Vettel, who somehow managed to escape all the carnage of turn 1 was right behind Ocon but couldn’t get past him. Dirty air is a big issue and the Hungary track is not the most suitable one for overtakes.

Unlucky Max

Yet another race to forget for Max Verstappen. He got hit by Bottas from behind for no fault of his own, which severely damaged his car. Thanks to the Red flag, the mechanics somehow fixed his car but it was not 100%. He started P13 after the re-start but was struggling hard to overtake even the HAAS of Mick Schumacher. Honey Badger – Daniel Ricciardo – kept him behind for almost all the race and he finished P9. Just two race ago he was 31 points ahead of Lewis. Now he is 8 points behind. Red Bull needs to keep their hopes high if they want to win the Championship.

Lewis makes the most after initial fiasco

It is not for nothing that Lewis Hamilton is a 7-time World Champion. After the initial fiasco with the race re-start, Lewis went all the way behind in the grid. However he never lost hope and kept overtaking. Mercedes went for a 2 pit-stop strategy and Lewis made it work brilliantly. Lewis undercut both Max and Daniel in a single swoop after the pit-stop, putting on the Hard tyres. He however met his match in two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso. Despite having a relatively slower car, Alonso kept Lewis behind him for as many as 6 laps. It is one of the best driving duels we have seen in the entire season. This ensured that Lewis could not overtake Vettel and Ocon in the end.

Superb day for both the Williams driver

Yes! it finally happened. After struggling and toiling for so many years George Russell managed to score points for the Williams team. Even Nicholas Latifi scored points and that certainly is the icing on the cake.

A good days for Alpha Tauri too as both Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda managed to get points. Carlos Sainz must be very happy for his second Ferrari podium – albeit coming in a strange fashion.

Hungary GP point scorers. Ocon wins a fantastic race

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The inaugural Tuscan GP was complete madness with two red flags and eight car ending in DNF. Lewis Hamilton eventually crossed the chequered flag, followed by Valtteri Bottas and Alex Albon.

Here are the 9 key points of the Tuscan GP.

1. Two Red Flags in a single race.

If Monza was crazy the Mugello took it a notch above. This was only the third time in F1 history that we had two red flags in a single race. The first red flag was due to collision right at the start which led to Gasly and Max out of the race. There was debris all over the starting line and a red flag was needed to take the race cars out of the circuit and clear the debris.

The second red flag was triggered by a puncture in Lance Stroll’s car which sent him hurtling towards the barrier. His car had to be towed out and the barrier restored for the race to start again.

There was another safety car period too due to the collision between Antonio, Carlos, Nicholas, and Kevin. So effectively we had three race in a single session.

2. First podium for Albon.

A podium was Albon was long due. He missed out twice on his podium due to collision with Hamilton but this time things fell in place and Albon secured the third place.

3. Max out on the first lap.

The Red Bulls looked good in all the practice session and they occupied the second row of the grid. However even before the race started, Max’s car had issues. It seemed that the mechanics fixed the problem but apparently the issue persisted. Max got a good start but his car gave up as he tried to go full throttle. He kept running behind and eventually someone crashed into him, throwing him in the gravel pit from which he did not recover. Two consecutive DNF for the flying dutchman.

4. Points finish for both the Ferrari cars.

There was much fanfare around the 1000th race for Ferrari and deservedly so. Given the dire recent performance of Ferrari though everyone concerned about the embarrassment of performing disastrously at their own circuit. 

Thankfully they were saved the blushes. Vettel lost his front wing at the start of the race but then drove cautiously to finish in 10th position, just in the points.

Charles had a great start from his 5th position and managed to be in the third position. However he just could not hold on to it, given the lack of power in the Ferrari engine. He kept slipping behind, went for multiple pit stops and eventually finished a respectable 7th.

Better than the double DNFs at Monza.

5. DNFs for all the podium holders of Monza.

The roller coaster journey for Gasly, Carlos, and Lance continued. They all could not finish the race after snatching a podium at Monza.

Monza’s race winner Gasly was taken out in the first lap itself. Carlos got caught in a botched start after the yellow flag. Lance was doing well but had a puncture late in the race which sent him crashing in the barriers.

6. No tattoo for Cyril, yet

Daniel Ricciardo looked in very good form. Renault was doing well at this circuit but Ocon had to DNF due to brake overheating issue. Daniel had a sublime drive and was 3rd for most of the race. But Albon’s Red Bull suddenly came alive in the last stint on the softs. He easily overtook Daniel to take the final podium position. Daniel finished 4th. He also won the ‘Driver of the day’.

7. Sergio, Lando and Daniil did well for their teams.

The midfield was heated and alive,  as always. Racing Point, McLaren and Alpha Tauri all ahad their one driver taken out of the race. Their other drivers – Sergio, Lando and Daniil did well and earned the points, finishing in P5, P6 and P7 respectively.

8. George came close to getting points, but couldn’t.

With all the DNFs George Russell looked in a good position to get the points. He was in 9th position before the final stint after the red flag. Unfortunately his start didn’t go well and he finished P11, just outside the points.

9. Valtteri just couldn’t catch up with Lewis.

Valtteri had a great start, overtaking Lewis and being P1. However he lost his position after the first re-start and just couldn’t catch up with Lewis again. He had tyre issues too, apparently and was nowhere close to challenging Lewis despite so multiple re-starts to the race. Bottas was ahead of Lewis in all the practice sessions but Lewis pipped him when it mattered, in the qualifying session. Valtteri must be one frustrated Finn. He would be hoping to do well in the next race Sochi where he had much better results in the past.

Final Tuscan GP Race Classification :-

Video highlights of the incredible Tuscan GP.

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Sergio Perez revealed today that he will be leaving Racing Point from 2021. Sebastian Vettel will replace him in the renamed Aston Martin team for ‘2021 and beyond’.

Adios Checo!

Sergio Perez said the 2020 season would be his last with the Silverstone-based squad, despite the fact he signed a three-year contract just last year. Four time world champion Sebastian Vettel will replace him.

He added that he has no “Plan B” in terms of a drive for 2021, and that the move “hurts a bit as I bet on the team during very rough times” – referring to the period in 2018 when the team went into administration, before being bought out by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll.

In a statement he said: “Everything in life always has a beginning and an end, and after seven years together, my time with the team will come to an end after this season.

“It hurts a bit as I bet on the team during very rough times; we managed to overcome obstacles and I am very proud of saving the jobs of several of my team mates.”

Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer said: “Perez has been part of the Silverstone family for seven years and in that time has become one of the most complete drivers on the grid.

“If there was ever a sniff of a podium, Perez was ready to pounce, and those five podiums represent some of the finest days in the history of this team.

“Outside of the car, Checo is a true character and a good friend, and it’s been a pleasure working with him for such a long time. Although we will say goodbye at the end of the year, there are still nine races to go and plenty of opportunities for Checo to make some more special memories with this team.”

ENTER SEBASTIAN VETTEL

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel will remain in Formula 1 beyond this season after putting pen to paper with Racing Point, who will rebrand as Aston Martin F1 Team from 2021.

Racing Point say the 33-year-old’s deal, which is for ‘2021 and beyond’, “is a clear statement of the team’s ambition to establish itself as one of the most competitive names in the sport.”

Seb said, “I am pleased to finally share this exciting news about my future, I’m extremely proud to say that I will become an Aston Martin driver in 2021. It’s a new adventure for me with a truly legendary car company. I have been impressed with the results the team has achieved this year and I believe the future looks even brighter.

“The energy and commitment of Lawrence [Stroll] to the sport is inspiring and I believe we can build something very special together. I still have so much love for Formula 1 and my only motivation is to race at the front of the grid. To do so with Aston Martin will be a huge privilege.”

Vettel had been in discussions with billionaire Lawrence Stroll’s team for several months, following Ferrari’s decision to let him go at the end of the year, with McLaren’s Carlos Sainz taking his place alongside Charles Leclerc next year.

Sergio Perez had a multi-year deal which ran until the end of 2022 while Stroll’s son Lance is in the other seat.

1000th race for Ferrari

But on Wednesday evening, on the eve of the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello – Ferrari’s 1000th race – Perez shocked the F1 world by revealing he will leave the team at the end of the year and has no “Plan B” in terms of a drive.

That paved the way for Racing Point to announce Vettel – who won four consecutive championships with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013 – would be joining them, alongside Stroll, for their first season under the Aston Martin brand.

“Everybody at Silverstone is hugely excited by this news,” said Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer. “Sebastian is a proven champion and brings a winning mentality that matches our own ambitions for the future as Aston Martin F1 Team.

“On a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, Sebastian is one of the best in the world, and I can’t think of a better driver to help take us into this new era. He will play a significant role in taking this team to the next level.”

Vettel is currently 13th in the drivers’ championship, with just 16 points and a best finish of sixth in eight races this year as he has struggled for pace in what has been an uncompetitive Ferrari.

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