Remembering Jules

Nine months after his heavy accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, French Formula One driver Jules Bianchi lost his battle for survival. The sport that had filled his twenty five years of life was also the one that had it taken away. It was the first time in over twenty years that an F1 driver had died as a result of injuries sustained over a race weekend.

Who Were The Year’s Top 5 Performers On The Track?

It wasn’t exactly a vintage year as one team continued it’s dominance, but the 2015 season did have its standout performers. There were overtaking moves to admire and mistakes to be punished. In a season where passing was troublesome, some men made it work better than others. As the calender turns to begin considering the next campaign, it is worth looking at who impressed over the course of 2015.

Rosberg Breaks Hamilton Pole Streak In Spain

Nico Rosberg ended Lewis Hamilton’s run of four consecutive pole positions by taking pole for the Spanish Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton had to settle for second while Sebastian Vettel finished the session in third.

Hamilton Beats Raikkonen Amid Brake Drama To Bahrain Grand Prix Win

Lewis Hamilton took the victory under the lights in the desert in the 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix. Nico Rosberg was second for Mercedes and Kimi Raikkonen was third for Ferrari. 

Hamilton Gets Pole But Vettel Splits Mercedes In Bahrain

Lewis Hamilton continued his run of pole positions to start from pole for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel ensured it was not to be a Mercedes front row as he put his Ferrari second on the grid. Nico Rosberg lines up in his Mercedes in third.

Hamilton Leads Mercedes 1-2 Finish In China

Lewis Hamilton crossed the line ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg to win the 2015 Chinese Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari.

Hamilton Takes Narrow Pole Over Rosberg In China

Lewis Hamilton did not have much to spare as he took pole for the Chinese Grand Prix less than a tenth of a second ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg. Sebastian Vettel finished the session in third for Ferrari.

Vettel Beats Hamilton To Malaysian Win

Sebastian Vettel surprised his Mercedes rivals on a sweltering Sunday in Kuala Lumpur to win the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were second and third respectively.

Hamilton Beats Vettel To Wet Malaysian Pole

Round two of this year’s F1 world championship will have Lewis Hamilton leading the grid when the lights go out as the British driver took pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel finished qualifying less than a tenth behind as he pushed his rival close. Nico Rosberg had to settle for third on the grid.

Controlled Hamilton Takes Victory In Australian Battle Of Attrition

Lewis Hamilton stayed in front of team-mate Nico Rosberg to win the first race of the season. The Briton was followed closely through the race by Rosberg but had it covered as Rosberg never quite got close enough to challenge. Sebastian Vettel secured third place and a first podium in his debut race as a Ferrari driver.

Supreme Hamilton Leads Mercedes Front Row In Australia

The first qualifying session of the new F1 season ended with a familiar face leading as Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Australian Grand Prix. His time of 1:26.327 was almost six tenths faster than the quickest time that team-mate Nico Rosberg could manage for second. Felipe Massa starts the race for Williams in third.

Mercedes, McLaren And Ferrari Make The Headlines At First Week Of Testing

After one of the shortest winter breaks in the sport’s history, Jerez was the venue for Formula One to ease back into action. The first of three pre-season tests saw four days which had plenty of mileage for Mercedes, a troubled start to life in the McLaren-Honda partnership and reason for optimism for Ferrari.

Teams Unveil Cars Close To Preseason Beginning

Not long is left until all current F1 teams have showed off their cars and a number of teams have done just that. While there was a car seen at every 2015 launch, not all of those were the car with which each team will start the season. The period of car launches began with Williams as the first to show the world their new creation.

Trophies Stolen At Red Bull Factory In Break-In

Red Bull are evaluating security after a high number of trophies were stolen from their team factory in Milton Keynes. Over 60 trophies were taken late on Friday night from the building.

Hamilton Controls Race To Win 2014 World Championship

Lewis Hamilton crossed the line to win the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and with it, the Driver’s World Championship. Nico Rosberg failed to finish as any hopes of winning the championship faded away with ERS problems less than halfway through the race. The Williams cars of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas finished the race in second and third place, respectively.

Calm Rosberg On Pole But Hamilton On Title Brink, Red Bulls Excluded From Qualifying

Nico Rosberg did his part to keep his own championship chances going by beating his team-mate Lewis Hamilton to pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Rosberg set his fastest time of Q3 on his second timed lap, under four tenths quicker than Hamilton. Hamilton himself was only narrowly quicker than Bottas in third, quicker than the Finn by over one and a half tenths of a second.

Rosberg Stays Ahead Of Hamilton In Brazil To Stay In Title Hunt

Nico Rosberg kept calm to stay in front of Lewis Hamilton and win the 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix. Starting from pole, Rosberg remained in the lead for the majority of the race to get his fifth win of the year. Finishing behind Rosberg were Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa in second and third place, respectively.

Hamilton Beats Rosberg To Win United States Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg led from pole but it was Lewis Hamilton who took the victory in Austin. Leading from the race start, a Safety Car period for Adrian Sutil’s retired Sauber and after the first round of pitstops, Hamilton overtook Rosberg for the lead on lap 24 and stayed ahead of his championship rival and team-mate to win the United States Grand Prix. Behind the two Silver Arrows drivers on the final step of the podium was Daniel Ricciardo for Red Bull.

Rosberg Rockets To Unstoppable Pole In Austin

Nico Rosberg did what he needed to do and with authority as he took pole ahead of his team-mate for the 2014 United States Grand Prix. His time of 1:36.067 was almost 4 tenths faster than Lewis Hamilton could manage as the Briton attempted to battle past a brake issue. Valtteri Bottas is best of the rest and will start the race in third for the fifth time in the past seven races.

Rosberg Error Hands Hamilton Russian Win, Mercedes Win Constructor’s Championship

Nico Rosberg’s lockup into turn 2 on the first lap at Sochi left  Lewis Hamilton in a position from which he won the first Russian Grand Prix. Rosberg needed to battle through the field to finish second while Valtteri Bottas finished in third. The Mercedes 1-2 also meant that Mercedes clinched the Constructor’s Championship with three races remaining.

Bianchi Accident Mars Shortened Hamilton Win

An accident which has left Jules Bianchi in hospital a serious condition overshadowed a win for Lewis Hamilton at the Japanese Grand Prix. Jules Bianchi’s crash caused the race officials to red flag the wet race on lap 44 – past two thirds of the total race distance which had been due to be completed. Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel completed a podium on which no champagne was sprayed out of respect for Bianchi.

Rosberg Beats Hamilton To Suzuka Pole

Nico Rosberg put his recent troubles behind him to beat Lewis Hamilton to pole position for the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Rosberg’s best time of Q3 was a 1:32.506, with Hamilton in second position by just under two tenths of a second. Valtteri Bottas put in yet another strong lap to be the only driver to be within a second of the Mercedes drivers and lines up third on the ground.

Hamilton Wins To Lead Championship As Rosberg Retires

A retirement from Nico Rosberg gave Lewis Hamilton a golden opportunity to seize the lead in the Driver’s Championship and it was an opportunity Hamilton took with full force to win the Singapore Grand Prix. A Safety Car period meant Hamilton needed to extract the maximum from his Mercedes for the victory. Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo completed the podium.

Hamilton Tops Tight Qualifying In Singapore

On a night where the top five drivers were separated by less than three tenths of a second, it was Lewis Hamilton who eked that little bit more to snatch pole for the Singapore Grand Prix. His team-mate Nico Rosberg lost out on pole position by just 0.007 – seven thousandths of a second. Daniel Ricciardo out-qualified Sebastian Vettel to finish the session in third.

Hamilton Leads Rosberg With Mercedes Power The Factor In Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton got the trouble-free qualifying session dry conditions that he had hoped for to end qualifying at Monza in pole position. His laptime of 1:24.109 was more than enough to fend off his team-mate Nico Rosberg for his first pole position for four months and give Hamilton a strong shot at cutting the 29-point deficit to Rosberg in the driver’s championship. 

What Do Mercedes Do Next?

Round 12 of the 2014 Formula One world championship may come to be seen as the pivotal point in the battle for the title. Nico Rosberg clashed with Lewis Hamilton for the the lead of the race on the second lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, forcing both men into unscheduled pit-stops which heavily compromised their races. Rosberg needed a new front wing, necessitating a pit stop which is longer than the usual stop for tyres only and went on to finish in second place. 

Ricciardo Swoops To Spa Win Amid Mercedes Muddle

A dry and overcast day was the weather as Daniel Ricciardo took advantage of a clash at Mercedes to take victory at the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix. Following an incident between the two drivers at Mercedes which had Hamilton coming off the worse for wear and later retiring, Ricciardo pushed on from his strong start from fifth on the grid to overtake Alonso and Rosberg, as well his team-mate Vettel. From here it was a case of keeping it fast and on the track to see the chequered flag first.

Pole For Rosberg At Wet Spa

At a sodden Spa it was Nico Rosberg who smoothly took pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix. He beat his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by over two tenths of a second to record his fifth pole of the season.

Eleven Down, Eight To Go

The end of F1’s summer break and the return to racing is typically seen as the start of the second half of the season. The three-week gap between the previous Grand Prix in Hungary and the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix includes a two week period where all staff members in F1 teams must take a mandatory break, meaning even those on the phones and emails get rest which doesn’t come often in a sport which is rarely resting from January to December.

As the sport gets going again this weekend, it is sure to deliver more exciting action in the second half just like it did in the first. It may have been dominated at the front by Mercedes with an occasional threat from Red Bull, but all the way through the grid, there has been plenty to be entertained by.

Schumacher Remains Stable In Critical Condition Following Ski Fall

The world of Formula One remains in bated breath as one of its legendary figures lies unconscious in a hospital bed, clinging to life. Michael Schumacher has been in a critical condition for two weeks, with the only change in condition moving from life-threatening to stable, but still critical.

2013 – A Year Of Two Halves And One Name

Those hoping for a competitive and challenging season at the sharp end of Formula One would have been kept interested following the first four races and still enticed by the season’s half-way point. By the conclusion of a year which had tyres as the main talking point, most were just glad to see the chequered flag for the final time in 2013.

Button Wins In Brazil, Vettel Takes Title

Jenson Button took victory in an utterly hectic grand prix where everyone faltered but him. It could have been a McLaren 1-2 but for Nico Hulkenberg colliding with Lewis Hamilton. The conditions ranged from damp, to dry to torrential but it was a similar scenario in which Button thrives. Fernando Alonso did everything he could, coming to the finish in second but it was not enough as Sebastian Vettel finished in sixth, the Red Bull driver taking the Driver’s Championship by three points. Felipe Massa sealed an impressive return to form in third position.

Hamilton Heads McLaren Front Row In Interlagos Qualifying

Freedom in his driving and speed in his car allowed Lewis Hamilton to be well-placed to give his team the perfect send-off in the final weekend of his time at McLaren. Jenson Button came within half a tenth of his team-mate to make it a record 62nd team front row in qualifying, no team now has more front row starts than the British squad. Mark Webber was the leading Red Bull in third, much to Sebastian Vettel’s displeasure as he look to end his quest to become a three-time world champion in fourth position on the grid.

Hamilton Win And Alonso Podium Brings Title Down To Brazilian Wire

In his final races for McLaren, Lewis Hamilton has said that he intends to give it his all for the team he departs at the end of this season, and he showed that his words mean buisness with a strong win in the inaugural United States Grand Prix in Texas. Sebastian Vettel finished second and Alonso did superbly to finish in third and complete the podium.

Vettel Close To Clinch With Austin Pole

Fastest in both of Friday’s practice sessions and in the final hour of running before qualifying, Sebastian Vettel took pole position but was pushed closer than expected by the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton in 2nd.

Raikkonen Wins All-Action Grand Prix In Abu Dhabi

Time and time again this season, Kimi Raikkonen insisted that once a race weekend went without hitches, he and his Lotus team would win. It may have taken a retirement from the leading Lewis Hamilton but the Finn put in a great drive to clinch the first win since his comeback at the start of this season and the first victory of his F1 career since his win at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso took some points out of Sebastian Vettel’s championship lead as he finished in second but a fantastic drive from Vettel ensured that his lead wasn’t cut by much as the German completed the podium in third place, after starting from the pitlane.

Hamilton Dances To Pole Under Dark, Vettel And Alonso Show Pressure

In recent weeks, Lewis Hamilton has looked increasingly relaxed as he comes to the closing stages of his fourteen-year stay with McLaren. He was pleased with the car following Friday practice and stormed to pole position under the lights of the Abu Dhabi circuit, with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in 2nd and 3rd respectively, though Vettel later had his qualifying times wiped out and has to start from the back of the grid due to a rule-break regarding fuel.

Vettel Dominates Indian Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel made it a lights-to-flag win as he took the win at the Indian Grand Prix, finishing over 9 seconds ahead of his title rival Fernando Alonso of Ferrari in second place. It extends Vettel’s title lead to 13 points with three races remaining and a maximum possible points haul of 75 points available.

Bulls Charge To Front Row In India

Looking to make it four wins in a row, Sebastian Vettel looked strong in Friday practice and carried his recent form into Saturday as he took pole position for the Indian Grand Prix. The winner of last year’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix, Vettel made a mistake on his first run in Q3, running wide but made up for it as he took top spot away from his team-mate Mark Webber to record the 35th pole position of his career.

Vettel Coasts To Win To Lead Championship

Sebastian Vettel made it three in a row after he took the chequered flag at the Korean Grand Prix. Vettel took the lead from Webber before turn 1 and stayed there when it mattered. The 25 points for the win mean that he now stands on top in the Driver’s Championship standings by 6 points over his main title rival Fernando Alonso who claimed the race’s final podium position in third.

Webber Leads Red Bull Front Row At Yeongnam

After Sebastian Vettel’s domination of the weekend in Japan, the German was widely tipped to start the race from the front in Korea. He starts from the front row but it is his team-mate Mark Webber who will head the grid for the third Korean Grand Prix.

Vettel Victory Piles Pressure On Alonso Championship

Never hassled from the start, Sebastian Vettel kept his lead from the start and took the maximum 25 points as he effortlessly won the Japanese Grand Prix. His main rival for the championship, Fernando Alonso, failed to finish the race as the two-time champion got into trouble at the race start, coming into contact with Kimi Raikkonen and receiving a puncture, ending his race.

Hamilton Heartbreak Enables Vettel Victory In Singapore Night

Under the lights, it was always going to be a long afternoon for the drivers who made it to the end of the race. Sebastian Vettel was the first, crossing the line finishing 60 of the allocated 61 race laps as the race hit the two-hour time limit. Jenson Button was second and Fernando Alonso in a third place which keeps him on top of the championship and remaining in a good position to take this year’s world driver’s title.

Hamilton Too Cool For Rivals In Singapore Qualifying

In contrast to his 2011 form, Lewis Hamilton in 2012 seems to respond to pressure by doing his talking on the track and in style. In what looked like a battle between the Englishman and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel as the pair traded times in Q1 and Q2, Q3 saw Vettel not live up to the billing as the German finished the ten-minute shootout half a second away from Hamilton’s pole position lap. The performance of the McLaren driver was a clear indicator that speculation on his future employment is not affecting his displays on the race track.

Afternoon Stroll For Victorious Hamilton As Alonso Stretches Title Lead

Monza was never the happiest of locations for Lewis Hamilton as in his previous five Italian Grand Prix, he had only finished on the podium once. The 2012 event brought a different result as he drove his McLaren to a win which was never in doubt. Leading from the start, he kept first place for most of the race, only briefly falling behind when pitting.

McLaren Men In Front With Ferrari In Reverse

A week which intensified with fierce speculation over his future could have a winning end as Lewis Hamilton put his McLaren Mercedes on pole position for tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix. His quickest time was good enough to beat Jenson Button to first spot by 0.123 of a second.

Button Beats Chaos To Win Belgian GP

A big accident at the start of Sunday’s race effected a few drivers in some way, but not Jenson Button as he took a win which was never out of his hands. His lead from the start-lights to the chequered flag ensured that a race was won with the winning driver in front throughout for the first time this season.

Session Of Surprises Climaxes In Button Pole

Heading into the summer break, McLaren and Lewis Hamilton were looking to be the combination to beat. As the sport got back into action following the month-long hiatus which ended at Spa, it was McLaren’s other contender in Jenson Button who stole the headlines on Saturday afternoon.

Hamilton Stays Ahead Of Chasing Lotus To Win Hungarian GP

From the first practice session on Friday morning to the chequered flag on Sunday afternoon, there was one man and one man alone who was out in front in a league of his own. After being quickest in two of the three practice sessions and only then was he second to his team-mate, he took pole position by a wide margin of four tenths of a second on Saturday.

Alonso Stays In Front To Win German Grand Prix

Never dominating but usually in control, Fernando Alonso became the first driver to take three victories in 2012 with a strong drive at Hockenheim. It is his third successive podium finish and his second consecutive win at the Hockenheim venue, having won when the venue last hosted the German GP in 2010. The 25 points for the victory increases his championship lead over Mark Webber to 34 points, which means Alonso will still hold the lead after the Hungarian Grand Prix whatever happens in Budapest.