From the moment George Russell stepped into Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and almost drove it to victory, his Mercedes future became inevitable. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Finally, in 2022, Russell received his highly-anticipated promotion into the factory Mercedes seat alongside one of the greatest drivers of all time. Now he could finally fight at the front and be in contention for poles, wins and possibly even a championship title. At least, that was how it was supposed to be. Even Russell had to admit that he expected to have more success than he and Mercedes were able to achieve over the start of the 2022 season. The team’s W13 was radical, rigid but not rapid. And as Russell prepared for his first weekend as a full-time Mercedes driver, he and the team knew they would likely not be fighting for the win, for the first time in almost a decade. Valtteri Bottas qualifying ninth in a Mercedes at Imola in 2021 after … [Read more...] about 2022 F1 driver rankings #5: George Russell
When can you turn the car seat around
Helmet rows, hot mics and more forgotten motorsport stories from 2022
The 2022 Formula 1 season was full of drama on track and in the paddock, some of it leftover from the previous year’s controversies. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free With all that going on, it was easy to overlook some of the strange and surprising stories of the last 12 months. Red Bull ‘launched’ a show car Formula 1 car launches always attract huge interest as they can give the first indication of how the teams will compare against each other for the season ahead with any innovative designs. That was especially the case this year as teams produced their first designs for radically new regulations. Preferring not to give the opposition an early peek at their real RB18, Red Bull instead presented a repainted show car at their launch on February 9th. The real thing, which appeared in testing two weeks later, looked very different. Red Bull presents first images of new car for 2022 F1 season Magnussen’s F1 return has big repercussions After … [Read more...] about Helmet rows, hot mics and more forgotten motorsport stories from 2022
Does Ricciardo’s return to Red Bull prove Horner was right about him leaving?
“A shitshow… You guys deserved this.” Those were Daniel Ricciardo’s thoughts on his collision with Max Verstappen during the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the year he quit Red Bull. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The Australian admitted the team’s handling of that notorious clash had contributed to his decision to leave. The pair had twice banged wheels throughout the race, before inevitably colliding for a third time on lap 40, wiping out both drivers as Verstappen attempted to pass his team mate into turn one. The team reprimanded both drivers, but Ricciardo was left with a bitter taste in his mouth which seemingly no amount of energy drink could wash down. Ricciardo had led his new team mate during their first season together at Red Bull in 2016, but it was no secret Verstappen was on an upward trend. The gap narrowed in 2017. By 2018 it seemed Verstappen was increasingly making the team his own as he pursued his dream to become a world champion. … [Read more...] about Does Ricciardo’s return to Red Bull prove Horner was right about him leaving?