Formula one

For more than 30 seconds, he believed that he had just summited the Formula 1 world – only to have that notion cruelly ripped away. Felipe Massa went from dreamland to the depths of despair in such a short space of time. But then came the moment which secured his place in the hearts of F1 fans forever, as he accepted the most difficult of defeats with humility and dignity in front of the people who adored him most in the world. It was in 2008 that Massa had the best shot he would ever have to become the champion. In his sixth full season in the sport and third with Ferrari , he was finally ready to make a real bid for the prize he had been dreaming about ever since he first sat in a go-kart. The stage couldn't have been any more ideal, even if the job was a tough one. In front of his own people, at the Brazilian Grand Prix finale, the Interlagos circuit the he had grown up living just a couple of hours away from was the staging ground for his assault. His job was … [Read more...] about F1 star emerged from Michael Schumacher’s shadow to almost stop Lewis Hamilton dominance

Zhou Guanyu snubbed both Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher when revealing his childhood Formula 1 icon. There is much interest in the Alfa Romeo driver this season, not least because he is the only current rookie in the sport. But the 23-year-old is also the first Chinese racer ever to take part in the series, and is helping to bring more attention to F1 as a whole from his homeland. He was still very young when he made the tough decision to leave, despite having begun karting as an eight-year-old living near Shanghai. Aged just 12 when he migrated to the UK, it was a move he made solely to pursue the dream he is now living. Zhou has now revealed that it was not Hamilton or Schumacher who he revered as a youngster watching F1, but another world champion. Asked by AS which driver he followed most closely in his youth, he did not hesitate in answering: " Fernando Alonso ." He added: "I was just more of a fan. In China there was a lot of support for Ferrari and … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher snubbed as F1 rookie names childhood idol

Mick Schumacher has backed himself to break his Formula 1 points duck at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite starting from dead last. Qualifying was a disaster for the German, who simply could not find the pace in his car to lift himself off the bottom of the timing sheets. So he will start the race in Baku from the very back of the grid, while Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen didn't fare much better and will line up 16th. "I'm annoyed because of course the whole situation is a bit stupid," he told Sky Germany as he reflected on another poor qualifying result which makes his chances of scoring F1 points for the first time even more tricky than usual. "The car is better than last place. "The qualifying speaks for itself in this case, it was quite disappointing. We knew that it would be close to get into Q2, but actually we would have had the pace to be a little further ahead." But despite that disappointment, he still believes he is capable of producing something special … [Read more...] about Mick Schumacher upbeat despite starting Azerbaijan GP dead last as ‘my dad could do it’

Fernando Alonso has officially had the longest Formula 1 career in the sport's history, overtaking Michael Schumacher at the top of the list. The German was for so long the most successful racer ever to appear in the sport, and was around for longer than anyone before him as well. Exactly 21 years and three months passed between his first and last race appearance, a record set in 2012 that would take a while to beat. Perhaps 10 years is a shorter timeframe than expected, but it was eclipsed on Sunday when Alonso took to the track for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix . By taking part in the Baku race, his F1 career was officially extended to 21 years, three months and eight days. Had the Spaniard been in the sport for that entire period, then the race in Azerbaijan would also have been his 400th Grand Prix. It wasn't as he had a mini-break from F1 between 2019-20, but he is still creeping towards the current F1 appearance record held by the recently retired Kimi Raikkonen . … [Read more...] about Michael Schumacher record beaten by Fernando Alonso with Lewis Hamilton a long way off

Michael Schumacher will receive the highest honour given out by his home state in Germany next month. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is being recognised by the government of North Rhine-Westphalia at a ceremony on July 20. He will be the recipient of the State Prize, given out just once per year, marking all that he managed to achieve during an incredible career. Fittingly, the prize-giving ceremony will take place at Motorworld in the city of Cologne, which has become something of a shrine to Schumacher's racing legacy. The site is home to a swathe of memorabilia from his career, as well as the family's collection of F1 cars. Schumacher, who has been out of the public eye since his 2013 skiing accident, will not receive the award in person. Instead, his wife Corinna and children Mick and Gina are expected to accept the State Prize on his behalf, while former FIA president and close friend of the family Jean Todt will also be in attendance. North … [Read more...] about Michael Schumacher to receive prestigious award as tragic F1 star is honoured

Ex-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has criticised Haas chief Guenther Steiner for his public criticism of Mick Schumacher and claimed it would not have happened "if Michael was here". Schumacher is still waiting to score his first Formula 1 points, despite being in his second season with Haas and in a more competitive car than he was in his debut year. On top of that, he has been in two very expensive crashes in Jeddah and Monaco which completely destroyed his car. Those smashes led to public criticism from team boss Steiner , who made little effort to hide his disdain as he tries to run the team with the smallest budget on the grid. "It's not very satisfactory having a big crash again," he said, before adding: "We need to see how we move forward from here." While some have agreed that the 23-year-old needs to improve in terms of both performances and results, some others have leapt to his defence. The latest to do so is former F1 boss Ecclestone, who admitted Schumacher … [Read more...] about Nikita Mazepin and Bernie Ecclestone defend Mick Schumacher amid Haas criticism

In case it had not been noticed, the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is personal. But if a reminder is needed, check out Verstappen’s interviews over the past couple of months. Max, do you consciously avoid referring to your title rival by his name? Do you try and not mention the word ‘Lewis’ or, indeed, ­‘Mercedes’? “That is correct,” answers ­Verstappen, who actually DID bring himself to mention his rival’s name after taking pole position for today’s showdown. “Too much has happened this season. “My look on certain people has changed. And not in a positive way. I have found out that certain people show a whole different face when they come under pressure. JOIN THE DEBATE! Who will lift the Drivers' Championship later today? Let us know in the comments There is no love lost between title rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton ( Image: Formula 1 via Getty Images) “Their true character comes to the surface.” The pair are … [Read more...] about Max Verstappen’s clear Lewis Hamilton refusal exposes true feelings on rivalry

Red Bull junior Jehan Daruvala is a step closer to Formula 1 after testing a McLaren and qualifying for a Super Licence. The 23-year-old completed 130 laps at Silverstone while driving the MCL35M – McLaren's 2021 car. As a result, the F2 driver has now completed all the requirements to be allowed to race at the highest level should an opportunity to do so come along. It gives the Red Bull outfit an extra option as they sweat on the future of Pierre Gasly . The Frenchman will remain with AlphaTauri for the 2023 season – the final year of his current contract – but then is expected to look elsewhere as he seeks a drive for a top team. If that is the case, then Red Bull will need to promote the next driver in line from their driver development programme to take his place. That may well be Daruvala, especially in the wake of the suspension of Juri Vips after the Estonian racer used racist language while participating in a video game live stream. The Indian is in his … [Read more...] about Red Bull junior ready for F1 chance with McLaren test as Pierre Gasly future unknown

Sergio Perez has no chance of a fair title fight against Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen , says former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean . Verstappen is the runaway leader in the title race, 46 points clear of his nearest rival after just nine races as the winner of five of the last six. That second-placed contender is Perez, who emerged in the hunt to become champion after his Monaco Grand Prix success . He is three points ahead of Charles Leclerc , who is still considered to be in the race for the title despite the reliability concerns that have affected his Ferrari in recent weeks. But Grosjean believes that the Mexican has no hope of challenging Verstappen due to team politics. "No, Max is the number one and Sergio is number two," said the Frenchman when asked if he felt Perez would be given a fair chance. "That is the way Red Bull has always worked and all the radio communications you get in the race, even in Baku, the message to Perez was 'no fighting' . … [Read more...] about Max Verstappen ‘very clearly’ prioritised by Red Bull as Sergio Perez title hopes quashed

Despite Formula 1 being one of the first major sporting events to return after the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 British Grand Prix was held behind closed doors. It meant the UK fans weren't there to witness one of Lewis Hamilton 's more iconic triumphs at Silverstone. It was the seventh time the Briton had tasted success at his home track, and the way in which he did so at the end of the race could only have been made more dramatic by the presence of his supporters in the stands. Few drivers have ever managed to win a race with just three working tyres, but that was the state of Hamilton's Mercedes when he took the chequered flag at the end of the Grand Prix. That's because he suffered a puncture on his final lap, leading to fears he would be caught by Max Verstappen running in second. He wasn't the first racer to suffer from a front-left failure that day, as the Pirelli rubber took heavy punishment from the demanding circuit. The other Mercedes … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton won British GP on three tyres despite being hunted by Max Verstappen