Hülkenberg drives off into the night
Midfield battle ends in controversy as Renault edge Toro Rosso & Haas
As the 2017 season comes to an anticlimactic close, the dust begins to settle and we can look back on an intriguing F1 season. Mercedes' invincibility was broken, but not their grasp on both championships. Although, in the end it was reliability rather than pure pace that got the job done. But with Mercedes controlling Ferrari at the front in the desert, the battle for the lower placings got all the attention.
Massa stars in his final farewell
Brazilian secures best of the rest and even steps on podium one last time
It was the pot that refused to boil. After yet another chaotic first few corners, and once Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo had sliced through the field, largely with consummate ease, we were all left waiting on a four-way battle for victory or at least the podium between the Ferraris and Mercedes. Sadly, it flattered to deceive: Bottas ran out of pace, Hamilton ran out of tyres and Räikkönen ran out of interest, leaving Vettel to take the victory.
Mexican standoff leaves Verstappen as last man standing
First lap mess opens opportunities throughout the field
As Lewis Hamilton’s title was all but confirmed in turn three with both title contenders suffering significant damage and critically eliminating Vettel from podium contention, it opened up chances for drivers up and down the field. Some were completely out of position, and seemingly popping Hamilton’s adrenaline balloon as he appeared panicked and downbeat throughout the race. One man who definitely wasn’t out of position though was race winner Max Verstappen.
Red Bull: Past, Present & Future?
Three drivers stood out in Texas with a clear thing in common
F1 didn’t get the head to head showdown it wanted in Texas, or that it desperately built up towards, but there was plenty of on track action to get excited about, along with some traditional postrace controversy. With Mercedes constructors’ champions, all that’s left is for Hamilton to wrap up his fourth drivers’ title, drawing level with Vettel, not to mention unmuddling the mess that’s the midfield between Williams and Haas.
Ocon stars in land of the rising sun
Ocon fends off teammate's attacks to finish best of the rest
As Sebastian Vettel’s championship hopes ground to a halt, some spectacular drives made the Japanese GP worth getting up for. Some made silly errors or saw their hopes ended by punctures, but points were available for those who strung together the Suzuka twists and turns perfectly.
V for victory
Verstappen puts Hamilton’s title dream on ice
As Malaysia waves goodbye to F1, it served up another unpredictable race with a fifth winner of the season and quality drives throughout the field, including a solid debut for Pierre Gasly. But all three stars of the race had one thing in common: the letter V. Just when it looked like Max Verstappen was destined not to have another podium, a guilt-edged opportunity came his way.
Sainz shines on a starry night
Driver market merry-go-round leaves some in a spin
We’ve been waiting nine years but it finally happened. Singapore’s turbulent climate decided to dump its daily rain shower during the race and set up a classic. Drivers and teams didn’t know what direction to go in from the start and it was the top runners that were left looking foolish. That left some of the junior drivers to star and show their maturity as they kept it out of the wall, or their teammates right ‘til the end.
Ricciardo feeds on the vulnerable
Mixed up grid forces big names to fight through the field
We had to wait for them, but there were some impressive performances in Italy. Mercedes romped away and twisted the knife on Ferrari's home ground – made all the more obvious by parading side by side throughout the cool down lap to maximise opportunity for PR shots. Meanwhile, a wet Saturday created good opportunities to surprise in qualifying and a mixed-up grid meant the need for a few recovery drives.
Grosjean enjoys a day at the Spa
Frenchman secures key Haas milestone
F1 got back into action with a lazy Sunday afternoon drive through the Ardennes forest. There were a few flash points, largely triggered by friendly fire as the Force India drivers took turns in trying to “kill” each other. Their incompetence will lead to a completely different team dynamic and opportunities for points for more midfield runners.
Going concern
Honda's Hungarian respite from retirements
These words, from the mouth of Honda’s motorsport boss Yusuke Hasegawa, show just a glimmer of hope about the progress that the Japanese engine manufacturer is making. The McLaren Honda partnership, that was supposed to be such a resplendent return to glory, has been the punchline to many of 2017’s jokes, and it’s been frankly quite painful to watch the McLaren team suffer disappointment after disappointment.
Alonso profits from McLaren’s long term strategy
Spanish battle is Hungarian highlight as Alonso and Sainz star
Some may have been ready for their summer holidays in Hungary but there were still good drives down the field and some surprising names scoring solid points. Now the development war starts in earnest, with youngsters (and Robert Kubica) in the cars this week before some much-needed rest for everyone.
Renault rally for anniversary result
Hülkenberg puts in top display to survive unreliability... just
A slow burner nearly set the kitchen on fire in the final laps. While Lewis Hamilton strolled to a victory to prove he’s the king of Silverstone, it all went off behind. Ferrari had already allowed Bottas to steal vital points before the wind left their sails, and their left front tyres. Elsewhere there were some great drives to enjoy, especially from those starting out of position.
Grosjean catches a brake break
Frenchman overcomes brake issues as Haas hit top form
The Austrian Grand Prix wasn’t a thriller, but the slow burner came to the boil just in time as Valtteri Bottas saved his teammate from conceding vital points and brought himself right back to the edge of the title race. While Bottas stifled the Ferrari attack after a stunning, borderline jump start, there were some solid performances in the pack, performing under pressure to secure key results.
Driving it like he Stroll it
Lance Stroll comes of age with maiden podium
Where do you start with this one? What a race! The championship rivals went head to head in Azerbaijan and then came to blows at crawling pace. Hamilton was robbed of victory by his headrest and there were enough collisions to fill up half a demolition derby. The first two drivers on the podium came from the back and some midfield runners secured landmark results while others flat out threw away chances of points.
Pink panthers on the prowl
Force India impress but did pitwall blow golden podium chance?
As ever, Canada didn’t disappoint. While Lewis Hamilton was dominant at his favourite circuit with a sixth win – though Hungary could equal that record later in the year – there was drama through the pack. Let’s not forget that on Sunday morning, Hamilton was ready for a fight, he raised his game in qualifying to set a monumental lap time and once Vettel was wounded and Verstappen was halted, the Brit did everything he could to cut Sebastian Vettel’s championship lead.
Sainz best of the rest once again
Super Saturday proves launchpad for great Toro Rosso result
With the eyes of the motorsport world watching, F1 had to take a supporting role to their own two-time champion’s efforts at Indianapolis. While Ferrari kept everyone guessing with questionable tactics, the midfield and tail-enders waited until the final 30 laps to make things interesting.
Wehrlein continues his return to form
Chaos upfront puts the spotlight on the midfield pack
We may have been starved of action in Russia but the true return to Europe more than made up for it, as the Spanish GP, traditionally a procession, turned into a near classic. Most drivers were involved in one battle or other throughout the race, various strategies were used and the win wasn’t ensured until the final few laps. There may have been a lack of overtakes but it was still intriguing and exciting, oh and a boy met his hero too – well done FOM and Ferrari!
Confusion is nothing new
Räikkönen's revealing radio message in Russia
Kimi Räikkönen’s now infamous radio transmission during the Russian Grand Prix, where the Finn was confused by which Mercedes driver was storming out front, and which was lagging behind somewhat. There are two interesting sides to this radio message – firstly, Kimi’s humourous inability to keep up with what’s going on, and secondly, the fact that no one was really expecting Bottas to dominate his teammate in Sochi quite so much.
Squeaky Bottas time
Valtteri holds off Vettel to join the winning club
As the Russian GP settled into a processional pattern, there were two drivers who were the class of the field. Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel were barely challenged with only a brief flash from Kimi Räikkönen the only thing to concern their duel, bar lapping distant midfield runners. In the end, it may have been Mercedes' turf on paper but Bottas stole this one from Ferrari by catching four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel napping not once but twice in the first four laps.
Sebastian shows his mettle
Ferrari take control with the duel in the desert
We know a little more about the title race now. Mercedes showed Ferrari a fresh pair of heels on Saturday but when the points were counted on Sunday, Ferrari came away with the win. They're now leading both championships after an aggressive strategy allowed them to easily control Merc’s threat, with a little help from two Lewis Hamilton errors.
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