St mary of the assumption catholic church

You’ve probably never heard of him, but Will Stevens is the next Lewis Hamilton. At least that is the way his backers see it and they are supporting their decision with heavy investment. The 17 year old from Essex has a contract in his pocket with Honda, which lays out in intricate detail his path from karts to Formula 1. It has been put together for him by his management team of ex F1 drivers Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle, who took him on when he was just 14 years old. It’s only been done once before, but with spectacular success. McLaren boss Ron Dennis discovered Lewis Hamilton, backing him from the age of 13 and steering him through the ranks to Formula 1. The crucial advantage a deal like this gives to a driver is that it virtually guarantees that he will be driving competitive machinery at every level. There are only one or two top teams in each category and the seats fill up quickly each season as the cream rises to the top. The experience and judgement of Brundle and … [Read more...] about Will Stevens – the next Lewis Hamilton?

As this is such a new event and there is so much interest, I thought I would pen an occasional blog over the course of the weekend with extra information and behind the scenes insight. It’s Thursday night and everyone is still at the track, because it’s lunchtime in Europe and most people in F1 are staying on European time. It’s a bit weird going about your daily business at night, but for anyone who has done Le Mans or journalists who have covered night time football matches, it’s fairly normal. My plan is to get to the track around 3pm local time each day and leave around 2am. The problem then is that your body is telling you that it is dinner time, but your watch is saying ‘go to bed’. Some of our TV crew were in the hotel bar last night at 2am (which is fairly normal) and David Coulthard was apparently there, ordering his dinner, as it was the only place still open! He was trying to stay up until 4am. Apparently it is critical that the drivers eat their meals at the … [Read more...] about Singapore first impressions

For the past few weeks the word inside the F1 paddock has been that a deal for Pastor Maldonado to race for Williams F1 next year is done. There is an assumption that this would be at the expense of Nico Hulkenberg, who is in his first season in F1. Williams currently refuse to confirm or deny this, however they did announce this week that Maldonado will take part in the Young Driver test for Williams at Abu Dhabi next month. At 25 he is not exactly a young driver by today's standards, but he qualifies in terms of his level of F1 experience. Although he is understood to have access to a strong sponsor portfolio, possibly as much as €10 million a season, the team will be able to argue that it is not trading down to pay drivers, as the Venezualan Maldonado won this year's GP2 series, as did Hulkenberg last year. However this year's GP2 was particularly disappointing talent wise compared to previous years. The other driver to come through from GP2 this year is 20 year old Sergio … [Read more...] about The Williams F1 team, Hulkenberg and Maldonado

Max Verstappen caused a sensation when Red Bull launched him into F1 at the age of 17 with just a year’s racing experience under his belt. While pundits and ex-drivers fumed at Red Bull’s plans to put someone so young in a racing car, the FIA hurriedly rewrote the rulebook to prevent it happening again . It’s therefore certain that, for the time being at least, no new driver will have a shorter route to F1 than Verstappen, nor claim their first points at a younger age than he did in Malaysia last week. Verstappen is the latest of F1’s second generation drivers, and was born not long after father Jos made his F1 breakthrough. Ironically, his father was also considered somewhat inexperienced when he made his debut for Benetton in the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix as a stand-in for JJ Lehto , aged 22 and with just 53 starts to his name. The older Verstappen continued in F1 driving for largely uncompetitive teams until the early 2000s. By the time he bowed out of F1 following a … [Read more...] about Max Verstappen’s Route to F1

Since the FIA introduced rules restricting what drivers can be told on the radios, one driver appears to have found this more of a constraint than others. In Malaysia as in Australia Nico Rosberg was heard asking for information which his race engineer could not pass on to him. “Can’t help you with lines, Nico” he was told when asking for advice on how to drive his final flying lap in Q3. As we only hear selected radio messages which are chosen for broadcast it’s not possible to be certain that Rosberg is experiencing this situation more than other drivers. And the number of radio messages being played in the television broadcasts and on Formula One Management’s revamped website has fallen since last year , though that may change in races to come. Here’s a selection of the messages which were broadcast last weekend. First practice Session From To Message FP1 Carlos Sainz Jnr Marco Matassa OK some early feedback. Drive-ability big, big step … [Read more...] about 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix team radio highlights

Formula 1 drivers and teams united in condemnation of the sexual harassment suffered by some female fans who attended last weekend’s round at the Red Bull Ring , in addition to reports of homophobic insults and racist slurs. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free One female fan reported on social media that a group of men lifted her skirt, telling her she didn’t deserve respect because she was a Lewis Hamilton fan. The stories of other women were widely reported during the weekend. RaceFans spoke to another fan prior to Sunday’s race, who recounted her experience. “The first things started on Saturday evening when we were waving at the drivers going home in their cars,” she told us. “There were drunk Max [Verstappen] fans screaming and asking weird questions like, “What are you doing?” and just generally being rude and insulting the security, who called the police because they were acting really weird. “After that, I took the shuttle to Knittelfeld and … [Read more...] about Another fan’s experience of harassment last weekend – and why F1 must act

A team under scrutiny, Ferrari have brought what at first glance seems like an unusual rear wing configuration to Suzuka. Having made history last time out in Singapore as the team to end Red Bull’s winning streak, Ferrari are keen to add another win in Japan but will Red Bull return to their recognisable form? Let’s delve into the technical details that might reveal the answer to this question. Suzuka circuit track configuration Suzuka is one of the few “true racing” tracks with a rich history on the calendar. Here, the aerodynamic efficiency of the cars and the skill of the drivers come to the forefront. One of the most significant features of this track is the immense tire wear. Lateral forces are enormous due to the fast corners, which affects the tires, especially rears. For this weekend, Pirelli has prepared the hardest compounds, C1, C2, and C3, for this very reason. Furthermore, it’s important to note that from an aerodynamic perspective, this track is somewhat … [Read more...] about Ferrari throw the dice with final upgrade of the season at Suzuka

Max Verstappen said the RB19 was “enjoyable to drive again” in Japanese GP Friday practice, with ex-Aston Martin strategy chief Bernie Collins doubting Red Bull can be stopped based on that form. Red Bull had highlighted Singapore as a potential stumbling block to their pursuit of an undefeated F1 2023 campaign, though few expected their run of dominance to come to an end, with Verstappen having won 10 grands prix on the trot, while Red Bull’s winning streak stood at 15. Both streaks were snapped in Singapore though, with Verstappen and Red Bull then heading to Suzuka looking to ensure that those struggles were a mere blip. And it seems like that is exactly what it was. Max Verstappen enjoys driving Red Bull RB19 once more The Dutchman came flying out of the blocks to top FP1 by six-tenths over Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, and though Leclerc in the sister Ferrari SF-23 narrowed Verstappen’s advantage to three-tenths by the end of FP2, Verstappen nonetheless has put down a daunting … [Read more...] about Red Bull ‘looking unstoppable’ as Max Verstappen declares RB19 ‘enjoyable’ again

The 23-year-old Dane is fresh off a banner season in Indy NXT, where he claimed five wins, eight podiums and sat on the pole five times en route to winning the championship. He won’t be alone for next Monday’s on-track trial, sharing the seat with 2019 Indy NXT title winner Oliver Askew, who hasn’t competed in IndyCar since 2021. While there are aspirations to find a seat on the grid for next season, Rasmussen remains tempered in his approach. “For the time being, that's all it is, is a test,” Rasmussen said. “It's going to be me and Oliver Askew and we'll see what that leads to.” The opportunity couldn’t come at a better venue as the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural terrain road course was where Rasmussen ignited his title push, going flag-to-flag to win his first race of the 2023 back in April. “I love coming to Barber,” Rasmussen said. “It's going to be intense. That's a physical track, but I'll be up for the challenge and am looking forward to it.” Read Also: The … [Read more...] about Rasmussen braces for upcoming Barber test with Ed Carpenter Racing