And so it all comes down to this: Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen in the Decider in the Desert to determine the destiny of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship crown. Nine months and 21 races after it all began with a gripping duel for victory under floodlights in Bahrain, the championship protagonists are back square on points and ready to duel one more time - this time under the lights of the Abu Dhabi GP's Yas Marina circuit. Lohnt sich der Immobilienverkauf? Kostenlose Marktpreiseinschätzung durch unsere Experten. Ashes: Australia vs England LIVE! Abu Dhabi GP Friday Practice: The story of the opening day in RACE SEASON has all the angles covered to provide the most comprehensive live service for one of the biggest weekends in the sport's recent history after one of the fiercest driver and team championship battles of all time. VERSTAPPEN & SEASON 2021HAMILTON & SEASON 2021The 2021 Formula 1 season has been all sorts of memorable: Young drivers like Lando Norris and George Russell are emerging as cornerstones for the circuit's future, the biggest-ever calendar made way for a race nearly every Sunday and Kimi Raikkonen, unfortunately, still does not have the drink.
But in front of all the wonders that this season has had to offer, the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen has captured the attention of racing fans around the globe. While it's not the first time a championship has been decided on the final race, it could be the most dramatic. Heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton and Verstappen are tied atop the driver's championship table, with the rivals holding 369.5 points each, as they've traded haymakers all season long. Not literally, of course, but they might as well have. The pair have given F1 fans a tremendous amount of entertainment all season: Whether it was Mercedes and Red Bull trying to out-strategize each other or Hamilton and Verstappen colliding on track, it hasn't all been pretty — and sometimes it's been pretty dirty. But the race for the championship comes to an end this Sunday in Abu Dhabi. Here's how the memorable fight between Lewis and Max has gone down: Lewis Hamilton vs. Max Verstappen 2021 May 9: Spain. In Barcelona, Mercedes turned a one-stop race into a two-stop race, and the strategy works: Hamilton passes Verstappen with just six laps left in the race and takes hom the win. May 23: Monaco. After taking pole position, Charles Leclerc cannot start the race, leading to Verstappen starting from pole. He would take the win in Montecarlo, and it would prove to be a big one: For the first time in his young career, Max Verstappen holds the lead in the Formula 1 championship. June 20: France. Turnabout is fairplay: On the second-to-last lap in the GP, Hamilton's tire wear proves too much for a charging Max Verstappen, who overtakes Hamilton and wins the 2021 French GP. The same strategy doomed Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix, and it works out for them vs. Mercedes now. July 18: The United Kingdom. The one that really sparks the drama: Hamilton and Verstappen collide on Lap 1 of the 2021 British Grand Prix, with Verstappen sent careening into the wall at Copse corner at 180 mph, with the impact coming at an astounding 51G. There's some question to whether or not Hamilton initiated the contact: What is certain, though, is that the stewards felt Hamilton was a bit at fault for the collision, assessing him a 10-second time penalty. Hamilton would still win the British GP, even with the penalty. Both Verstappen and Red Bull chief Christian Horner were displeased with Hamilton's post-race celebration, given that Verstappen had landed in the hospital for precautionary measures. It was just the start of the bad blood between the sides. "Max has incurred a 51G accident," Horner said after the race. "Lewis Hamilton is an eight-time world champion. He shouldn't be making maneuvers like that. It's unacceptable. Sept. 12: Italy. Sorry, sir. You can't park here. In the second big, dramatic crash of the 2021 season, Verstappen and Hamilton collide, with Verstappen's Red Bull nearly landing on top of Hamilton's head in Monza. Race stewards deemed that Verstappen was at fault for the crash and assessed him a three-place grid penalty for the next week's race at Sochi. Hamilton made it through with just a stiff neck — but stiffer competition for the title. Oct. 24: United States. In Free Practice 2 ahead of the United States GP, things get a bit testy between Hamilton and Verstappen again: This time, Hamilton and Verstappen go wheel-to-wheel in Texas, with Verstappen calling Hamilton a "stupid idiot" over team radio. Verstappen would take the USGP win and lengthen his F1 championship lead. Nov. 14: Brazil. After starting 10th, Hamilton makes the charge and challenges Verstappen for first on lap 48 of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Verstappen, defending against Hamilton, pushes him off the track, while the Red Bull driver follows him. The stewards deemed no investigation was necessary, and Hamilton latter passes Verstappen to take the win. Dec. 5: Saudi Arabia. The first-ever Saudia Arabian GP made a lasting impression. The track itself lends itself to speed, danger and drama, and there was plenty of that over the weekend, starting in qualifying: Verstappen, looking to push Hamilton from pole position entering the penultimate race of the 2021 F1 season, was putting together an absolutely dazzling flying lap — until the final turn, when he ended up in the wall. Mercedes would complete the front-row lockout in Jeddah, and Hamilton would get the win, but not without more drama: Hamilton and Verstappen again collided when Verstappen was instructed to give the spot back to Hamilton. Hamilton seemed unclear with the directive, while Hamilton just touched Verstappen and caused damage to his wing. (Editor's note: NSFW language.) Stewards deemed that Verstappen's actions warranted a 10-second time penalty: It amounted to nothing, since Verstappen finished second and Hamilton first. After the race, Verstappen didn't stick around for the usual podium celebration, instead leaving the Mercedes teammates to celebrate by themselves. The race result resulted in a deadlock tie at the top of the driver's championship table: 369.5 to 369.5. Lewis Hamilton vs. Max Verstappen stats Not only are the two tied in points entering the ultimate race of the 2021 season, but the numbers that have lead them to this point are eerily similar as well. In the rare event that both racers DNF this Sunday, then the championship will go to Verstappen, as he owns one more race win over Hamilton in 2021. Here's how their head-to-head-numbers break down: Stat Hamilton Verstappen Points 369.5- 369.5 Race wins 8- 9 Pole positions 6 -8 Podiums 16- 17 Top 10 20- 18 Fastest lap 6- 5 Designed by renowned F1 circuit architect, Hermann Tilke, the Yas Marina Circuit was the second track to be built in the Middle East, following the Bahrain International Circuit.
The concept of a race in Abu Dhabi was first discussed in 2007, with the UAE capital city hosting a Formula One Festival in January of that year, featuring the largest gathering of F1 cars and drivers outside of a Grand Prix. During the festival, it was announced that Abu Dhabi was to host a Grand Prix from 2009 – 16. An extension to that contract was announced in 2014, with the venue hosting the season-ending Grand Prix every year since. The Yas Marina Circuit, which has a capacity of 60,000, attracts more than 125,000 spectators over the course of the weekend, and became Formula One's first twilight race when it made its debut in 2009. For 2021, several corners around the circuit have been reprofiled to create higher speeds and the potential for more wheel-to-wheel racing. The Yas Marina Circuit has played host to some iconic F1 moments right from the off, with Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team driver Sebastian Vettel sealing his first World Drivers' Championship at the 2010 season finale Sebastian came out on top of a four-way title battle between himself, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton, to become the youngest World Champion at just 23 years and 134 days old. In 2014, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix featured a controversial decision to award double points at the season finale for the first (and to date last) time in the history of the championship. The race was dominated by Mercedes, with team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both in contention for the title as the lights went out. Hamilton would eventually win his second title, with Rosberg suffering engine issues in the race. There would be a dramatic rematch in 2016, as Rosberg and Hamilton once again went head-to-head again in Abu Dhabi's fourth title decider, with Rosberg claiming his first and only title before announcing his retirement from F1 one week later. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA
BORN 20 SEPTEMBER, 1975 GRANDS PRIX 95 WINS 7 McLAREN CAREER SPAN 2005 - 2006 Montoya was one of the most exciting drivers to be employed by McLaren in recent years, but he never really realised his full potential after a promising start to his career. Winner of the 1998 Formula 3000 championship he moved to the USA in 1999 where he won the CART Championship and was one of only two drivers – the other being Nigel Mansell – to win the CART title in his freshman year. After also winning the Indy 500, Montoya made his F1 debut for Williams at the start of 2001, scoring his first victory in that year’s Italian GP. He would have to wait until 2003 before scaling the top spot on the podium again, winning that year’s Monaco and German races, and then rounded off his Williams career with victory in the 2004 Brazilian race before switching to McLaren for 2005 alongside Kimi Raikkonen. Montoya quickly demonstrated to McLaren that he had what it took to compete at the highest level and, alongside Kimi, made a formidable pairing for the 2005 seasons. His wins in the British, Italian and Brazilian GPs were copybook performances, but somehow he seemed to struggle at the start of 2006 and could not quite seem to be able to produce the form he had demonstrated the previous year. He also preferred living and racing in the USA so when the opportunity for him to switch to NASCAR presented itself McLaren and Montoya went their separate ways after that year’s US GP at Indianapolis. 18-year-old Max Verstappen rewrote the record books as he became the youngest winner in F1 history.
The Dutch teenager, promoted to Red Bull Racing in time for the Spanish Grand Prix, produced an astonishing performance in the sweltering heat of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Having battled to the lead, Max Verstappen held Kimi Raïkkönen at bay for lap after lap as the Ferrari driver probed for a way past. But even with the aid of DRS, the 2007 world champion was unable to close a gap of less than half a second on the race leader. Verstappen took the chequered flag to become the youngest F1 winner in history, the first Dutch driver to win a grand prix and the youngest F1 driver to lead a grand prix – all this on his debut for Red Bull Racing. Max Verstappen becomes F1’s youngest winner Max Verstappen becomes F1’s youngest winner But as undoubtedly talented as Verstappen is, no one expected this when the cars lined up for the start: Mercedes were again the class of the field and held a comfortable margin during qualifying. The only way they might lose was if they tripped over each other. Nico Rosberg got another rocket start from P2 and took the lead, Lewis Hamilton fought back but Rosberg shut the door firmly, Hamilton got on the grass, spun and collected his braking team-mate on the way into the gravel. It meant Mercedes's Spanish GP was over in less than one minute. The inquest will certainly last longer. "That both Mercedes are out after two corners is unacceptable," said Niki Lauda. "Lewis was too aggressive – why should Nico give him room? He's in the lead. I blame Lewis more than I blame Nico." Daniel Ricciardo inherited the lead with Verstappen behind him, followed by Carlos Sainz for Toro Rosso, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Räikkönen behind. It was, frankly, the most exciting grand prix for a long time. In the searing heat on track, tyre strategy was always going to be crucial, with Pirelli suggesting a two-stop strategy would be the best approach. Red Bull Racing and Ferrari both split their strategies: Ricciardo and Vettel three-stopped, Verstappen and Räikkönen did two. Vettel successfully undercut Ricciardo in their final pitstops to set up a fascinating finale: Verstappen held the lead, with Räikkönen within DRS range behind, and down the road Vettel held off Ricciardo. With 20 laps to go any one of the four could have won. In the end, a puncture forced Ricciardo to retire and Verstappen, with Räikkönen in his slipstream, slithered and slid to the line, writing history as he took the chequered flag. Tweet of the Day: Misfiring Fire marshal misses fire When Nico Hulkenberg's Force India went up in flames, this unfortunate marshal got on the wrong end of a fire extinguisher. Whether it be a rebranded giant like Aston Martin or a privateer team like Williams or McLaren building from the ground up, most of the Formula 1 teams on the grid have a long and eventful history. In the case of the works Mercedes team, currently on a run of seven consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles, their history is rich under various different guises. The most eye-catching of those was led by automotive genius Ross Brawn, the self-named Brawn GP team appearing for a single season in 2009 before Mercedes purchased the team in 2010. Brawn himself had an incredible track record in Formula 1, but nobody could have predicted the events of his sole year in charge of his own outfit. Brawn GP can loosely trace its routes back to the Tyrrell team, which emerged in Formula 1 in 1968. Tyrrell won three Drivers’ titles with Jackie Stewart and a single Constructors’ title in 1971. From the Tyrrell days through to present day as Mercedes, the team have been renowned for experimenting with weird and wonderful technological tricks – in fact, the Tyrrell P34 ‘six-wheeler’ is probably the most radical Formula 1 car of all time. They never challenged for a title again after the Stewart days, but Tyrrell continued to operate in F1 until 1998 when British American Tobacco (BAT) purchased the team and raced as British American Racing, or BAR. The British American Racing team, or BAR, raced in F1 for seven seasons, with several household names including Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button driving for them. The British American Racing team, or BAR, raced in F1 for seven seasons, with several household names including Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button driving for them. Following the move to BAR, Tyrrell designer Harvey Postlethwaite was involved with Honda’s Formula 1 project that produced an evaluation car in 1999. Results were encouraging, but Postlethwaite died of a heart attack during the testing in Barcelona and the project was abandoned. BAR had run Supertec-branded Renault engines in their inaugural season in 1999, but they were uncompetitive and unreliable. They switched to Honda engines for 2000 onwards, following the promising test results from the abandoned Postlethwaite project. The BAR team slowly improved over a number of with the Honda engine technology, becoming Ferrari’s nearest rivals in 2004 but remarkably never scoring a victory. At the end of 2005, Honda purchased the entire team from BAR, becoming known as Honda Racing F1 Team from the 2006 season but retaining BAT branding. Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button partnered up in Honda’s first appearance as a works outfit since 1968. After a slow start, their first season built on the late success of BAR as Jenson Button took the team’s first victory in Hungary. Honda then parted with BAT following a tobacco branding ban, and the famous ‘Earth Car’ was revealed for the 2007 season. Problems with the aerodynamics meant they lost all competitiveness they’d had in 2006, falling to eighth in the constructors’ championship. They didn’t fare much better in 2008 despite the arrival of former Ferrari team principal Ross Brawn, abandoning mid-season development to focus entirely on the 2009 car. Both Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello signed contracts to keep them at the team for the 2009 season. The famous Honda RA107 'Earth Car' was extremely eye-catching, but unfortunately its pace was not on par with its striking design. The famous Honda RA107 'Earth Car' was extremely eye-catching, but unfortunately its pace was not on par with its striking design. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Honda revealed they would exit the sport at the end of 2008 amid the financial crisis, unwilling to maintain the team’s $300m budget. The Honda RA109 car that would be used in the next season continued development whilst the team looked for a buyer, with several potential owners mentioned like the Virgin Group and Prodrive boss David Richards. As the weeks wore on without answers, the consequences were significant with the futures of 700 staff and the two drivers hanging in the balance. Many believed they would soon be out of work with limited opportunities to find work elsewhere within the sport – a buyout of the Honda team was realistically their only option. At zero hour and just a few weeks before the season opener in Australia, Ross Brawn partnered with Nick Fry and bought the team and all its infrastructure from Honda for just £1. Honda would no longer provide engines for the newly-formed Brawn GP team – Brawn stated that several manufacturers had offered to supply his team with engines, but Mercedes were chosen as they fitted the chassis best. The FIA also agreed to waive the standard entry fee for a new team, given Brawn’s extraordinary circumstances. Ross Brawn has been a key figure in the sport for more than 20 years, but his days as Brawn team owner arearguably his most fondly remembered. Ross Brawn has been a key figure in the sport for more than 20 years, but his days as Brawn team owner arearguably his most fondly remembered. The first (and only) Brawn GP chassis, dubbed the BGP-001, was mostly based on the Honda RA109 chassis that had been developed throughout the 2008 season. The bodywork was almost completely clear of sponsorship and livery design, except for a fluorescent yellow stripe around the car and a touch of black. Honda had thrown a considerable amount of money at the project and had been developing the complex and revolutionary ‘double diffuser’ setup, which used the rear crash structure to produce class-leading levels of aerodynamic grip. When Honda pulled the plug, a lot of their engineers left quickly for Toyota and subsequently carried over much of their knowledge of double diffusers to their new team. Williams were also able to exploit the idea as they used Toyota engines. The two teams that had led the way in 2008, McLaren and Ferrari, did not exploit this idea and as such were off the pace at the beginning of the season. At the start of the season, though, nobody had executed the double diffuser as well as Brawn had, and their pace at pre-season testing was in a class of its own. Despite arriving at the pre-season testing in Barcelona just three days after the team was saved, they set times over a second faster than their nearest challenger and consistently topped the time sheets throughout their tests. The three teams that had employed the double diffuser – Brawn, Williams and Toyota – were subsequently appealed by the other seven teams who felt the technology was illegal. The FIA didn’t share the same view, declaring the cars legal. Toyota had employed a lot of ex-Honda staff members and as such copied their ingenious 'double diffuser' idea. Many believed they'd be the team to beat in 2009, but they were unable to capitalise on early optimism. Toyota had employed a lot of ex-Honda staff members and as such copied their ingenious 'double diffuser' idea. Many believed they'd be the team to beat in 2009, but they were unable to capitalise on early optimism. In the opening Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, the Brawn duo locked out the front row of the grid with Button in pole position. Red Bull were another team who had started the 2009 season well and their exciting young prodigy Sebastian Vettel qualified third before overtaking Barrichello at the start. He later collided with the BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica and retired, leaving Button to take victory from his teammate with the double-diffused Toyota of Jarno Trulli in third. Miraculously, Brawn had secured a 1-2 on their debut in the sport, comfortably beating seasoned constructors like Ferrari, McLaren and Williams. The races in Malaysia and China that followed both took place in inclement weather, the former being abandoned before the chequered flag and half-points awarded. Button once again took victory in Malaysia but was unable to repeat the feat in China as the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber took first and second place respectively. Despite the protests and controversy surrounding the three teams using double diffusers, it was in fact Red Bull that were making the strongest case to be Brawn’s main challenger. Button took two more victories in Bahrain and Spain with Toyota and Red Bull his main challengers once again. Monaco saw another victory for Button and another 1-2 for Brawn, but this time the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen was his closest rival. It was clear that other teams were beginning to get the hang of the vastly changed regulations for that season and, given the team’s lack of financial backing and support, Brawn would soon be caught and possibly surpassed. Button was again able to take victory in the next race at Turkey, though, extending his championship lead to 26 points over his teammate with Vettel in third a further six points back. Jenson Button won six of the first seven races for Brawn, giving them a considerable lead in both Drivers' and Constructors' championships. Jenson Button won six of the first seven races for Brawn, giving them a considerable lead in both Drivers' and Constructors' championships. The British Grand Prix was the real turning point in that year’s championship, The cooler conditions led to tyre warmup issues for the two Brawn cars and meant they were uncompetitive for the next few rounds. As the Red Bulls dominated at Silverstone with Vettel leading home Webber, Barrichello managed third but Button had to scramble to sixth. Webber would take his first victory in the German Grand Prix even with a drive-through penalty – Ferrari were also resurgent as Massa took third in the same race. The Hungarian Grand Prix was overshadowed by an accident involving the Brazilian, though, as he was struck on the helmet by a spring on a qualifying lap. With Ferrari now requiring a less favourable replacement in the form of their test driver Luca Badoer, their championship challenge took a considerable blow. Although Brawn had lost their advantage, Barrichello took victory after the summer break in Valencia in a race where both Red Bulls failed to score points. Force India put themselves in the mix with their first pole position in Belgium with Giancarlo Fisichella and, although he was passed by race winner Raikkonen, they took their first points with a second-place finish. Fisichella’s strong showing meant he replaced Badoer as Ferrari’s second driver for the remainder of the season. Championship leader Button, meanwhile, was starting to faulter as he struggled in qualifying and retired from the race following a collision involving three other cars. Italy was a key weekend for Brawn as they took their fourth and final 1-2 of the season, Barrichello leading home Button after executing a strong strategy. Red Bull were starting to cave under the pressure as well, with Webber’s crash in Singapore meaning he could no longer win the title and Vettel unable to reach the podium to keep the pressure on Button and Brawn. A win for Vettel in Japan meant he kept his own championship hopes alive, but after their own steady showing at Suzuka the Brawn team just required half a point to take the Constructors’ title. Lead driver Button could also claim the Driver’s title in the penultimate race in Brazil. In a storm-affected qualifying session, title rivals Button and Vettel took 14th and 16th respectively while Barrichello had pole. Several first-lap incidents promoted the two title contenders up the order and Button continued to capitalise, charging to fifth while Barrichello conceded the victory to Webber up front. Fifth was good enough for Button to take the Drivers’ title and another solid points return by the teammates meant they comfortably claimed the Constructors’ title for Brawn. Unbelievably, having won just one race before the 2009 season and not winning for 10 consecutive weekends, Button claimed his first and only World Championship by 11 points from Vettel. Brawn would take a 3-4 behind the Red Bulls in Abu Dhabi to close the season. The rate at which Red Bull had made up ground on Brawn through the season, combined with their overabundance of technical experts and financial backing, meant it was clear the Brawn success was a one-off. Partially due to costs but also Jenson Button’s remarkable consistency, he famously used a single chassis at every Grand Prix in 2009 and only three BGP-001s were constructed. The car hadn’t been developed much at all through the entire season and so they were very much on the back foot for 2010. Red Bull had ended the season as the superior car and, given the natural progression the better-funded teams would make in the off-season, Brawn saw selling the team as a logical next step. Daimler AG bought a 75% majority stake in partnership with Aabar Investments for £110m, the remainder still under the ownership of Ross Brawn and Nick Fry. The team would be known as Mercedes GP going forward. After surpassing Brawn as the fastest car by the end of 2009, Red Bull would go on to win four consecutive Drivers' titles with Sebastian Vettel (right), also taking the Constructors' titles in each of them with Mark Webber as Vettel's teammate. After surpassing Brawn as the fastest car by the end of 2009, Red Bull would go on to win four consecutive Drivers' titles with Sebastian Vettel (right), also taking the Constructors' titles in each of them with Mark Webber as Vettel's teammate. The team had a win rate of 47% with 8 victories from 17 races. By winning both championships in its only season, Brawn are the only constructor in history with a 100% championship success rate. Brawn himself stayed on as Team Principal of Mercedes until the end of 2013 but wasn’t able to achieve the same success. He was replaced by Toto Wolff who occupies the Team Principal role to this day. The story of Brawn GP is arguably the most emotional and nostalgic story from that era of Formula 1. It’s not only the fact that they were underdogs from the very beginning given the enormity of Brawn’s task, but also that the legendary Honda company abandoned the project that would’ve surely seen them win their first and only title as a works constructor. The group of individuals that made up the Brawn team were close-knit, an extremely talented and efficient group working with less resource than the average Formula 1 team, with sporadic funding as they jumped from one sponsor to another between races. Many of the influential people in the Brawn project, such as Andrew Shovlin and Ron Meadows, still work with Mercedes to this day and Brawn was their first taste of success that has become so familiar for the team in the turbo-hybrid era. I’m sure that if you asked those people which of their successes they remember most fondly, they’d surely say their days at Brawn. It really was a true David and Goliath story that will probably never be repeated. There’s no denying that the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship season made for compelling viewing, with Ferrari’s revival providing a welcome shot of adrenaline to the very heart of F1 as it ended three years of turbo-hybrid domination by Mercedes...
Early promise One of the greatest aspects was that the signs were there right from the first day of testing in Barcelona, as word spread like a wildfire that Ferrari were ‘Quick’. The Mercedes F1 W08 exuded all the elegance we have come to expect, its antecedents clear in every sleek, evolutionary line and every inch of its long wheelbase. It was a silver arrow, through and through. The Ferrari SF70 was less pretty, somehow stubbier yet purposeful, with its completely different aerodynamic sidepods and bodywork adding its own unique stamp of thoroughbred toughness. And, another great thing, it would transpire that the lap times that Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen recorded at the Circuit de Catalunya were representative. Mercedes hadn’t been sandbagging, and nor had Ferrari been grandstanding with low-fuel runs. Headline news: Mercedes really did have a fight on their hands at last! Mercedes-Benz F1 W08 Hybrid First Run Ferrari SF70-H First Run, Fiorano Mercedes-Benz F1 W08 Hybrid First Run Ferrari SF70-H First Run, Fiorano NextPrevious Enlarge 01 / 02 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari SF70-H at Ferrari SF70-H First Run, Fiorano, Italy, 24 February 2017. © Sutton Images Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari SF70-H at Ferrari SF70-H First Run, Fiorano, Italy, 24 February 2017. © Sutton Images Bigger, wider, faster The new rules package introduced for 2017, which created heavier (up from 702 to 722 kg) but more powerful and grippy cars, played a key role in helping Ferrari to break through. Pirelli’s range of tyres were 25 percent wider than 2016’s in a successful search for a big increase in mechanical grip to go with significant aerodynamic changes. The fronts were almost the width of the previous rears, rising from 245 mm to 305, while the rears increased from 325 to 405. And making their familiar compounds – the hard, medium, soft, supersoft and ultrasoft – softer still, yet capable of being pushed harder and longer by the drivers, resulted in some great racing and a slew of new track records. The overall width of the cars increased from 1800 to 2000 mm, facilitating a new front wing that increased from 1650 mm wide to 1800, the width that was mandated between 2009 and 2013. The wing also has a stylish swept-back shape in plan view, and the length of the nose section was increased slightly. Lower-mounted rear wings, increased in width from 750 to 950 mm, also helped the aesthetics. With greater freedom in the bargeboard and sidepod areas too, a new breed of F1 car emerged which not only looked better but was faster and much, much more satisfying for the drivers, who loved them. Formula One Testing Formula One World Championship Formula One Testing Formula One Testing Formula One World Championship NextPrevious Enlarge 01 / 05 Force India VJM10 front wing detail at Formula One World Championship, Rd18, Mexican Grand Prix, Preparations, Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico, Thursday 26 October 2017. © Mark Sutton/Sutton Images Force India VJM10 front wing detail at Formula One World Championship, Rd18, Mexican Grand Prix, Preparations, Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico, Thursday 26 October 2017. © Mark Sutton/Sutton Images Shark fins on engine covers made their first appearance since 2009, allied to controversial engine cowling-mounted T-wings. With a higher race fuel allowance - up from 100 kg to 105 kg - engine power increased, amid various restrictions on internal componentry and the weight of the MGU-K and MGU-H elements of the energy recovery systems. The unloved engine token development system was shelved, leaving teams free to bring design enhancements during the season so long as they did not exceed their allowance of four engines per driver for the 20 races. Inevitably, many did, and the unprecedented number of associated grid penalties became an embarrassment for some... Italian renaissance Ferrari’s tremendous improvement was masterminded by technical director Matteo Binotto, whose leadership made the black horse prance again as a genuine challenger. To their enduring credit, Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda at Mercedes had let Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg race, despite some moments of acrimony, but now everyone had what they wanted: inter-team as opposed to intra-team competition. F1 was a two-horse race, and there is nothing better for a sport than having the two biggest teams slogging it out, weekend after weekend. And that, pretty much, is how the season developed until October, when the wheels started to come off the Ferrari challenge. Ferrari seize the initiative Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari underlined their strength with a shock victory in the season opener in Melbourne’s Albert Park, when he beat the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and his new partner Valtteri Bottas by 9.9s. Think of a much-hyped boxing match where the reigning champion gets knocked down in the first round. Ferrari ought to have won the race in 2016, but screwed up their strategy. This time they dominated - and set the alarm bells ringing in Mercedes’ chassis and engine camps in Brackley and Brixworth. It soon became apparent that while the Ferrari worked well on most tracks except perhaps the very fastest, the Mercedes didn’t like low-grip surfaces and tight corners. Later, insiders would refer to the F1 W08 as a ‘diva’, and certainly every effort was made by the engineers to find her sweet spot and keep her happy there. Hamilton hit back with a win in China, but Vettel beat him again in Bahrain. And for the first time in Russia, Hamilton failed to get as much out of his car as Bottas, and the Finn emerged as a title contender by saving Mercedes’ face with a narrow victory over Vettel as Hamilton struggled home only fourth. Hamilton bounced back with a great triumph over Vettel in Spain, beating him fair and square after overtaking the Ferrari on the track, but things were still close and Vettel remained at the top of the points table after dominating the Monaco Grand Prix. Again, Hamilton struggled to get his car set-up right, and shockingly could manage no better than seventh place. By that stage it appeared that Ferrari had a hand on the title trophy, as the SF70 appeared to have so few weaknesses. Hamilton went to Canada in desperate need of a win, and on the 10th anniversary of his first-ever success in his rookie season, he got a very strong one. But Vettel finished a fighting fourth after a first-lap clash with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, which kept him 12 points ahead. Formula One World Championship Formula One World Championship Formula One World Championship Formula One World Championship Formula One World Championship NextPrevious Enlarge 01 / 04 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1, Luigi Fraboni (ITA) Ferrari Head of Engine Trackside Operations, race winner Sebastian Vettel (GER) Ferrari and Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes AMG F1 celebrate on the podium at Formula One World Championship, Rd1, Australian Grand Prix, Race, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia, Sunday 26 March 2017. © Sutton Motorsport Images Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1, Luigi Fraboni (ITA) Ferrari Head of Engine Trackside Operations, race winner Sebastian Vettel (GER) Ferrari and Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes AMG F1 celebrate on the podium at Formula One World Championship, Rd1, Australian Grand Prix, Race, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia, Sunday 26 March 2017. © Sutton Motorsport Images Seb under stress The Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku changed the dynamic. Vettel betrayed the pressure he was under when he unaccountably lost his head and banged into the side of his arch-rival’s Mercedes while they were running behind the safety car. He was torn apart in the media where he was deemed lucky to avoid a race ban, but he still kept the points lead after a loose headrest cost Hamilton victory. Instead, the honours went for the first time in 2017 to a hitherto disappointing Red Bull, courtesy of a great opportunist’s drive by the popular Daniel Ricciardo. Adding to the odd nature of this one, Bottas snatched second on the last lap after recovering from early dramas with fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen, and Canadian rookie Lance Stroll drove a blinder to complete the podium in only his eighth appearance for Williams. Hamilton said that Vettel had disgraced himself, while a beaming Ricciardo admitted that he was giggling like a schoolboy on his slow-down lap. Neither of the title rivals was. Red Bull weren’t quite back at the front yet, though it was clear that renewed focus from Adrian Newey on the aerodynamic front, allied to some decent development from Renault on the power unit, was gradually bringing the RB13 into play. Bottas narrowly beat Vettel again in Austria where Hamilton was once more only fourth; then Hamilton hammered everyone on his home ground at Silverstone, as Vettel slumped to a tyre-troubled seventh. But Ferrari scored a solid 1-2 in Hungary to send Vettel into the summer break well in command with 202 points to Hamilton’s 188. Play Video Vettel and Hamilton's Baku clash examined The run to the title Belgium marked a turning point. Mercedes were expected to dominate at the majestic Spa-Francorchamps, but Vettel matched their speed in a tense race in which Hamilton played a racer’s cunning card. It seemed inevitable that Vettel would sail past after stalking him mercilessly, but when his one main chance came on the 34th lap after a safety car period, Hamilton backed him up at precisely the right moment. Vettel, in his faster Ferrari, got very, very close to the back of the Mercedes on the run down to Eau Rouge, but as Hamilton feathered his throttle Vettel got a mite too close, too soon, and had to lift momentarily. Hamilton had thus ensured that he could not be slipstreamed out of the lead as they climbed the Kemmel hill to Les Combes at the top of the circuit, and thus went on to stay just far enough ahead to take a crucial triumph. The scores were now Vettel 220, Hamilton 213. That signalled a spree for Hamilton. Mercedes thrashed Ferrari on their home ground, and he took the championship lead from Vettel for the first time. He then won his third race in a row after Vettel, Verstappen and team mate Raikkonen came together in a clumsy start in Singapore, where Mercedes were expected to struggle again. That was the beginning of the rot for Ferrari. In both Malaysia and Japan reliability issues with turbo manifolds and spark plugs cost Vettel dearly. As Hamilton added another 68 points between Marina Bay and Suzuka, Vettel’s score was only 12. Interestingly during this interlude, Verstappen beat Hamilton fair and square after overtaking him in Malaysia, but after catching and passing Vettel in Texas Hamilton was all set to clinch the title in Mexico. He didn’t do it the way he wanted to, after being out-qualified by Vettel and Verstappen, and had to fight up to ninth after the German hit him on the opening lap and cut his right rear tyre, but the two points he won that day secured him his fourth title a race after Mercedes had wrapped up their fourth manufacturers’ crown. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes-Benz F1 W08 Hybrid and Sebastian Vettel (GER) Ferrari SF70-H battle at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Spa Francorchamps, Belgium, Sunday 27 August 2017. © Sutton Images New stars rise… As Kimi Raikkonen remained an echo of his old self, Valtteri Bottas rose well to the occasion as the suddenly retired Nico Rosberg’s replacement and scored those two early victories. He then endured a bruising batch of less than stellar races before his victory under the most intense pressure from Hamilton in Abu Dhabi suggested that he could yet develop into a genuine contender. Whether that was a product more of new champion Hamilton easing off, rather than a personal step forward, remains to be seen. Verstappen truly came of age as an F1 winner in 2017, and if Red Bull continue their progress and Renault get sufficient qualifying power to match Ferrari and Mercedes, he and Ricciardo will make it a three-horse race next season. Others shone in 2017, none more so than Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon at Force India. The management dealt very intelligently with their on-track altercations as the team continued to punch way above their weight. Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz were strong at Renault towards the end of the year when Jolyon Palmer had been replaced, but the reliability of the French firm’s power unit was at times woeful. Williams had their moments before finally saying goodbye to Felipe Massa who did such a good job for them, but need a completely new technical approach to their car, while McLaren and Honda’s performance was as poor as predicted. But when Fernando Alonso gets a Renault engine in what was clearly one of the best chassis, he should fly and Stoffel Vandoorne will go with him. And it was musical chairs at Toro Rosso. Sainz made an early exit to replace Palmer at Renault, and Daniil Kvyat lost out to rookie Pierre Gasly, who was then joined by fellow newcomer (but former Red Bull junior) Brendon Hartley - both of whom are retained for 2018. Max Verstappen (NED) Red Bull Racing RB13 passes Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes-Benz F1 W08 Hybrid for the lead at Formula One World Championship, Rd15, Malaysian Grand Prix, Race, Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday 1 October 2017. © Sutton Images …and legends grow But arguably the biggest feature of the 2017 title fight was Hamilton’s calmness and commitment and his ability always to bounce back stronger after defeat. His remarkable year saw him break Michael Schumacher’s record for pole positions, and brought his victory tally to 62. Vettel, meanwhile, remained a victim of his own occasional hot-headedness, but it’s the difference in their characters that is a key part of their appeal. And because of them F1 is set up for a wonderful 2018 season in which, for the first time in history, two drivers will be fighting for a fifth title. The question now is who – if anyone – can stop them… |
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