Bottas Confirmed At Mercedes

BOTTAS CONFIRMED AT MERCEDES FOR 2019

    Valtteri Bottas will continue with Mercedes for a third season after signing a one-year contract extension, with an option for a further year.

    The announcement comes just a day after the team confirmed Lewis Hamilton will remain at the squad until 2020.

    Bottas joined Mercedes in 2017 after reigning champion Nico Rosberg retired. Since then, the Finn has taken three victories, including his first F1 win in Russia last season.

    “It is great news that I will be racing for Mercedes in 2019 and it is nice to announce it here in Hockenheim – not just the home race for Mercedes but also the circuit where I took my first ever single-seater wins back in 2007,” he said.

    “This year, with a full winter of preparation, I have been able to make a good step forward – and I believe that there is still more to come. We have not been lucky in the races this year but the team knows how I am performing, and this is a great sign of confidence in me and my driving.

    I enjoy working with the team, and also being team-mates with Lewis. We have a good relationship, honest and straightforward, and always aiming to get the right results for Mercedes.”

    Bottas currently lies fifth in the drivers’ championship, with four second place finishes so far this season.

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Mercedes Launch 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport)

    Mercedes has launched its 2018 Formula 1 challenger, the W09 EQ Power+, at a filming day at Silverstone.

    Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton both got a small taste of the new machinery, completing 100km of the British track between them.

    After a successful 2017, the new car is an evolution of its predecessor, with no major change in design philosophy.

    “We like some of the character traits from our diva,” said team principal Toto Wolf. “The W08 was the fastest car on the grid, scoring the highest number of pole positions and winning the most races last year. So we were careful not to lose the car’s main strength just to overcome the difficulties.”

    Like with all 2018 cars, the most notable differences are the lack of shark fin and T-wing and the addition of the halo head protection device, but the technical regulations have remained largely the same, which technical director James Allison believes allowed the team to make a more elegant car this year.

    “Last year’s regulations were brand new and we weren’t quite sure which direction they would take us in,” he said. “So last year’s car had a certain amount of wiggle room to adapt if we found that we needed to move around certain aspects of the car.

    This year, being a little more confident of what we’re aiming for, we’ve been able to commit more fully to certain concepts. So we have the packaging much tighter and have taken things to more of an extreme.”

    Since the change in engine regulations ahead of the 2014 season, the Mercedes power unit has been dominant. Though the manufacturer has never been able to stand still when it comes to engine development, “substantial” changes in the regulations have led to significant updates this winter.

    “The amount of change on the power unit for this year is quite considerable and driven by a number of requirements,” said Andy Cowell, managing director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains.. “The biggest challenge we’ve got is lifting our durability limit with the challenge of racing just three engines per driver per championship and two ERS systems.

    That’s a 40 per cent increase in the distance that the hardware needs to do for this year compared with last year. We focused on trying to increase the life of the hardware without losing performance.”

    He added that the team also worked to increase combustion efficiency and reduce hardware friction.

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Abu Dhabi GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

ABU DHABI GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Valtteri Bottas claimed his third Formula 1 victory in the final Grand Prix of the 2017 season, finishing just ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

    Starting from pole position, Bottas held the position at the start of the race and slowly began to build up a gap before the midrace pit stops. Hamilton, with a fresher engine after a replacement during the Brazilian GP weekend, closed in in the second half of the race. The four-time world champion repeatedly cut the gap to his team-mate in the first two sectors of the Yas Marina circuit, only to fall away again in the twisty final sector.

    In the closing stages of the race, Bottas started to pump in fastest laps again and extended the gap to his more experienced team-mate to finish 3.899s clear of Hamilton.

    Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel rounded out the podium positions, but it was a quiet race for the once championship contender. Vettel made a strong start but claimed he had nowhere to go and couldn’t find a way past Hamilton.

    As the race went on, Vettel fell further and further away from the Mercedes duo, crossing the line 15 seconds after Hamilton. There was no pressure from behind, either, as team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was a further 26 seconds back.

    Having managed put his car on the second row of the grid in qualifying, Daniel Ricciardo was set to round off the season with one of his strongest results in the year. He spent the first stint with Raikkonen on his tail, but kept the Ferrari behind him before heading into the pits.

    Not long after the pit stop, though, it became clear there was a problem. Ricciardo ran off into the grass and was told to stop his Red Bull as the engineers had noticed a hydraulics problem. The retirement, his sixth of the season, allowed Raikkonen to take fourth position and secure fourth in the drivers’ championship.

    Carlos Sainz was the only other driver to suffer a retirement. The Renault driver had been battling with Fernando Alonso’s Honda before the pit stops, where his front left tyre wasn’t secured properly. He nearly crashed as he exited the pit lane, and then again at turn three, before coming to a stop.

    Team-mate Nico Hulkenberg also suffered a rocky race. After starting ahead of the two Force Indias, Hulkenberg had a poor start and fell back behind Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon on the opening lap.

    Though he managed to get ahead of Ocon without a problem, Hulkenberg cut a corner to get past Perez and was handed a five second penalty for the incident. The Renault driver managed to build up a gap to Perez though and didn’t lose the position in the pits. He finished sixth, behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

    Perez and Ocon took seventh and eighth, ahead of Alonso, who made a strong pass past Felipe Massa on the run up to the first chicane midway through the race. A strong exit for the Spaniard meant Massa couldn’t stay within DRS range and the retiring Williams driver had to settle for 10th.

    After battling with Lance Stroll early in the race, Romain Grosjean claimed 11th, ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne and Kevin Magnussen.

    Pascal Wehrlein finished 14th, followed by Brendon Hartley, Pierre Gasly, and Marcus Ericsson. Stroll, in 18th, was the final finisher.

RESULTS:

1. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 25 Points
2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points
3. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 15 Points
4. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 12 Points
5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 10 Points
6. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 8 Points
7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 6 Points
8. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 4 Points
9. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / + 2 Points
10. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 1 Point
11. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
12. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
13. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
14. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany
15. Brendon Hartley / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand
16. Pierre Gasly / Toro Rosso-Renault / France
17. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
18. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / Loose Wheel
RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / Hydraulics

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Brazilian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

BRAZILIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian Grand Prix after passing pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas off of the line.

    The Ferrari driver managed a safety car restart on the way to his fifth win of the season, finishing 2.762s ahead of Bottas.

    Newly crowned champion Lewis Hamilton battled his way up through the order to take fourth after starting from the pit lane.

    Vettel was already building up a gap to Bottas when a number of opening lap collisions bunched up the field again.

    Kevin Magnussen collided with Stoffel Vandoorne and Daniel Ricciardo. Vandoorne and Magnussen both retired, though Ricciardo was able to continue after a pit stop.

    A little later in the lap, Romain Grosjean had spun into Esteban Ocon at the start of the lap, causing the Force India to retire and leaving debris strewn over the start-finish straight. Grosjean was handed a 10-second penalty and two penalty points for the incident.

    A poor restart from Bottas allowed Vettel to get away again. The Mercedes tried to stay on terms with the race leader, but there was no catching up. Bottas later tried to undercut Vettel in the pit stops, but Vettel came out just ahead of the silver Mercedes. He managed the distance back to second and Bottas was unable to challenge again.

    Meanwhile, Hamilton was on the move again. The Brit was up into eighth in only a handful of laps and soon looking to find a way past Sergio Perez. The Force India tried to make the move hard for Hamilton, pushing him to the outside of turn one as Hamilton passed. Perez tried to fight back for a number of corners, but Hamilton eventually pulled away.

    His next target was the battling Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. The Mercedes flew past Alonso’s Honda powered McLaren, but passing Massa proved a little harder. A late move up the inside was enough to put him ahead of the Williams, though, and he set about closing the gap to Max Verstappen in fourth.

    A number of backmarkers and a pitstop for fresh tyres meant catching Verstappen had to wait until the closing stages of the race. With less than 15 laps of the 71 lap race remaining, Hamilton was on Verstappen’s gearbox, trying to pressure the Red Bull into making a mistake. Verstappen held firm, but couldn’t stay ahead when Hamilton pulled a move around the outside of turn three to take fourth with just 12 laps remaining.

    Five seconds behind Kimi Raikkonen, taking a podium after starting from the pit lane seemed like a realistic goal in the closing laps. Hamilton was in DRS range of Raikkonen when a small lock up meant he fell away from the Ferrari a little. Right up until the chequered flag, Hamilton searched for a way past Raikkonen, but Raikkonen kept the Ferrari ahead to take his third consecutive third place finish.

    Ricciardo had an equally exciting climb up through the field after the early pit stop to take sixth, just behind team-mate Verstappen.

    The Massa-Alonso battle continued throughout the race, albeit paused at various moments to allow front runners to pass. In the closing stages of the race, Alonso was right on the back of Massa but he couldn’t find a way through and, with Perez not too far behind, the Spaniard didn’t want to attempt anything too risky.

    Even as the leaders took the chequered flag, Alonso was still all over the back of Massa, forcing the Brazilian to defend hard in front of his home crown. The Williams was sliding all over the track as it approached the finish line, but it was just enough for Massa to take seventh – best of the rest – at his home GP. It moves Massa ahead of team-mate Stroll in the drivers’ championship, and marks his best result since Bahrain early in the season.

    Alonso also moved ahead of his team-mate in the championship. Eighth place and the four points that comes with it moves him ahead of Vandoorne and just four points behind Magnussen with one race remaining.

    Perez took ninth, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz, and Pierre Gasly.

    Brendon Hartley suffered another retirement when he was called into the pits midway through the race.

    Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein finished 13th and 14th, ahead of Grosjean and Stroll, who spent the entire race battling to not finish last, often to the frustration of those trying to lap them. Stroll was forced to pit on the penultimate lap after a series of lock-ups caused a puncture.

RESULTS:

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 25 Points
2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 18 Points
3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 15 Points
4. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 12 Points
5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 10 Points
6. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 8 Points
7. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 6 Points
8. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / + 4 Points
9. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 2 Points
10. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 1 Point
11. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain
12. Pierre Gasly / Toro Rosso-Renault / France
13. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
14. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany
15. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
16. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

RETIRED - Brendon Hartley / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand / Engine
RETIRED - Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / Collision
RETIRED - Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / Collision
RETIRED - Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / Collision

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Mercedes Confirms Bottas

VALTTERI BOTTAS CONFIRMED AT MERCEDES FOR 2018

    Valtteri Bottas will continue with Mercedes Formula 1 team in 2018.

    The 28-year-old joined Mercedes at the start of 2017 after the shock retirement of reigning world champion Nico Rosberg. Since then, Bottas has taken nine podium finishes from 13 races, including two race wins. He is currently third in the drivers’ championship.

    Bottas had initially only signed a single-year deal, but has now confirmed he will race with Mercedes in 2018.

    “As a driver, I’ve been able to learn and grow massively and we have already enjoyed some really good moments this season that I will never forget,” he said.

    I’ve been very impressed by the mentality, commitment and the team spirit this team holds.

    Partnering Lewis has also been really good and I’m enjoying the respect we have and the will to push the team forward together.

    When the team hired me for the 2017 season, they took a leap of faith by putting their trust in my skills. The new contract for 2018 shows that I’ve earned that trust.

    I’m happy to have celebrated my first race wins in a Silver Arrow. However, there’s always room for improvement and I still have not shown my full potential.”

    Bottas took his first race win in Russia at the start of the season. His best finish up until that point had been two second place finishes for Williams in 2014.

    One of the key benefits Bottas brought to Mercedes, aside from strong potential, was the promise of a less rocky relationship with team-mate Hamilton than his predecessor.

    “For our team, the bonus factors are the respect and sportsmanship that have grown between our two drivers,” said team boss Toto Wolff. “The chemistry and dynamic between Valtteri and Lewis work and are what we need to take the fight to our competitors.

    There have been ups and downs – more ups, fewer downs – and some great highlights like his two race wins in Russia and Austria. Overall, the balance of his performances and his upward trajectory made it a no-brainer for us to continue with him in 2018.”

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Italian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

ITALIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton ended the Tifosi's hope of a Ferrari win as he soared to victory in Monza. This win  also gave Hamilton a points lead over Sebastian Vettel in the Championship standings. Team-mate, Bottas, was second on the podium and Vettel brought his Ferrari home in 3rd.

    Despite finishing in 3rd, Vettel got the whole crowd cheering and chanting in a huge cloud of red smoke while he was up on the podium. He even manned one of the TV cameras and filmed the crowd below. 

    Daniel Ricciardo finished in 4th, but Verstappen had a less than perfect race after colliding with Felipe Massa in the beginning of the race and ending up with a puncture from the clash. Verstappen ended up finishing in 10th and got the last championship point. He could at least breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn't another retirement.

    It was a clean race for the Force India duo. The two worked together on track and managed to avoid contact. Esteban Ocon, who had a better start, finished in 6th and brought 8 points home for the team. Perez also received points, finishing a bit further back in 9th.

    Jolyon Palmer was the first to retire a few laps after a tangle with McLaren's, Fernando Alonso. Palmer was given a 5-Second-Time-Penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during the tussle and then soon retired with a transmission issue. 

    Both McLaren drivers retired from the race as well. Vandoorne was first with electrical issues and then Alonso with a clutch problem. 

    The only other driver to retire was Marcus Ericsson, who suffered from suspension troubles. His team-mate, Wehrlein, finished 16th.

    Hulkenberg, the Toro Rosso duo, both Haas drivers and Raikkonen also finished the race, with only Raikkonen scoring points out of the 6 drivers.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 18 Points
3. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 15 Points
4. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 12 Points
5. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 10 Points
6. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 8 Points
7. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / + 6 Points
8. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 4 Points
9. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 2 Points
10. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 1 Point
11. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
12. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia
13. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany
14. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain
15. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
16. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Clutch*
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Suspension*
RETIRED - Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / Electrical
RETIRED - Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain / Transmission

* - Notes Ericsson retired on lap 49 and Alonso on lap 50, but both qualified as finishing the race as they had completed over 90% of the race distance.

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Hungarian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

HUNGARIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    It was a Ferrari 1-2 on the podium as Vettel brought the Italian team another win this season. It didn't come easy either. He struggled throughout the race with the steering and towards the final laps it was suggested that he even let Raikkonen pass as it appeared he was going faster.

    Going back to Lap 1, it was all chaos at the Red Bull garage following first lap contact between Verstappen and Ricciardo. The two had collided and Ricciardo was sent into a spin that ended his race before it could even really begin. Verstappen was found guilty of causing the collision and was handed a 10-Second-Time-Penalty which was added to his final race time. Following the accident, Ricciardo had some choice words about his younger team-mate. Verstappen, however, apologized to Ricciardo.

    More contact was also happening in the beginning of the race and this time it was between Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg. The two bumped wheels more than once throughout the race and Grosjean eventually retired after a failed pit-stop that left him with a loose tyre. He ended up having to pull over and stop the car before things became any more unsafe for the other drivers. The team ended up being fine for the unsafe release.

    Hulkenberg was also involved in a minor incident with other Haas driver, Kevin Magnussen, While Magnussen was clear to put the blame on Hulkenberg, even going as far as telling him to "Suck my b***s", the stewards found Magnussen responsible for forcing Hulkenberg off track and he was handed a 5-Second-Time-Penalty.

    Paul di Resta, who replaced an unwell Felipe Massa, was having a decent race considering it was the first time he'd driven a 2017 F1 car outside of the simulator. However, his race ended early due to an oil leak. Stroll was unable to get into the points this time around as he finished in 14th.

    Both Force India drivers were able to keep things clean on the track and managed to score another double-points finish. Perez in 8th, grabbed 4 points while Ocon finished 9th and got 2 points for the team. Force India still stand strong in 4th in the constructors championship and it doesn't look like Williams will be catching them anytime soon.

    There was a tight battle for third place between the two Mercedes drivers and Lewis Hamilton proved to be faster on his tyres. Early on in the race he suffered from a radio malfunction that left him unable to contact his engineer and the team. He could hear them, but for the team it was silence. 

    The team eventually decided to ask Bottas to let Hamilton past and that if he could not pass Raikkonen or catch either Ferrari within 5 laps, he was to give 3rd back to Bottas and at the final lap, Hamilton did as he was told. While he lost out on a podium, he still got 12 points for his 4th place finish.

    Hungary proved to be one of McLaren's best performances so far this season with both drivers scoring points and managing to finish the race without any engine failures. Fernando Alonso finished in 6th place and Vandoorne in 10th, grabbing the last championship point. This could be a sign of better things yet to come for the struggling team.

    Nico Hulkenberg ended up being the last retirement of the race due to brake issues but still qualified as finished as he completed over 90% of the race distance. His team-mate, Palmer, finished in 12th, just ahead of Magnussen, Stroll, Wehrlein and Ericsson.

    Formula 1 now heads on to its Summer Break but not everyone gets to go on vacation so quickly. The teams and a handful of drivers from F1, F2 and GP3 will stick around to complete a 2-Day in-season test at the Hungaroring. 

RESULTS:

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 25 Points

2. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 18 Points

3. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 15 Points

4. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 12 Points

5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 10 Points*

6. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / + 8 Points

7. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / + 6 Points

8. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 4 Points

9. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 2 Points

10. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / + 1 Point

11. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

12. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

13. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark**

14. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

15. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

16. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / Brakes***

RETIRED - Paul di Resta / Williams-Mercedes / Great Britain / Oi Leak****

RETIRED - Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / Wheel Nut

RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / Collision Damage

* - Notes Verstappen had 10 seconds added to his final race time

** - Notes Magnussen had 5 seconds added to his final race time

*** - Notes Hulkenberg retired on lap 69 but qualified as finishing the race as he had completed over 90% of the race distance

**** - Notes Paul di Resta replaced Felipe Massa (Illness)

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British GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

BRITISH GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton took a dominant victory at Silverstone whilst Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen suffered tyre failures late in the race.

    Hamilton led from lights to flag to take his fourth win of the season and fourth consecutive British GP victory. He was challenged at the start of the race by Kimi Raikkonen, who started second, but defended well and was able to keep the Finn behind.

    After an early safety car to recover the stranded Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz after he was hit by Daniil Kvyat, Hamilton was able to pull away from Raikkonen, building up enough of a lead to pit and emerge in first. He finished more than 14 seconds ahead of second place.

    Championship rival Sebastian Vettel spent the opening part of the race struggling to pass the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. Vettel tried a move up the inside at Stowe, pulling alongside Verstappen. The pair pushed one another hard, both complaining about the other’s driving standings, but Verstappen managed to stay ahead.

    Vettel was only able to pass Verstappen in the pits, where Verstappen suffered a slow stop and exited behind the Ferrari.

    Running second and third in the final stages of the race, Ferrari looked set for a double podium, but both drivers suffered punctures in the closing laps. Raikkonen dropped to third, behind Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, who had started ninth. Vettel had further to drive on his deflated tyre, and finished seventh, behind Nico Hulkenberg.

    Verstappen took fourth, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who climbed from 19th on the grid after a turbo failure in qualifying.

    The Force India duo of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez took eighth and ninth. The pair spent the majority of the race battling one another and Nico Hulkenberg, but were able to keep it clean and avoid contact. The double points finish, takes them to more than 50 points clear of Williams.

    Felipe Massa rounded off the top 10, whilst team-mate Lance Stroll took 16th.

    Stoffel Vandoorne finished just outside the points. Having made it into the final qualifying session, he lost out to Ricciardo, Bottas, and Massa.

    Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean took 12th and 13th, ahead of Marcus Ericsson and Daniil Kvyat, who was handed a drive through penalty for the collision with Sainz.

    Pascal Wehrlein in 17th was the final finisher.

    Fernando Alonso retired just after the half way stage with a fuel pressure drop, and Jolyon Palmer failed to make it to the grid.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 18 Points
3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 15 Points
4. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / +12 Points
5. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 10 Points
6. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 8 Points
7. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 6 Points
8. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 4 Points
9. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 2 Points
10. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 1 Point
11. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
12. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
13. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
14. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
15. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia
16. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada /
17. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Fuel Pump
RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / Collision

DID NOT START - Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain / Hydraulics

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Austrian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

AUSTRIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Between kerb controversy and a possibility of storms, the Austrian Grand Prix got underway, following the GP3 and Formula 2 rounds that took place just hours before. 

    It was a clean and quick start for Valtteri Bottas, who practically fled away from the rest of the field and caused a commotion among some other drivers. Both Vettel and Ricciardo came over their radio systems to suggest that Bottas may have jumped the start. The Mercedes driver was investigated but he was found not to have done so and no further action was warranted.

    While everyone hoped to get through the opening laps without any accidents or too-harsh wheel-banging, it was an unfortunate end for Max Verstappen, who was hit by Alonso, due to his McLaren being tagged by Daniil Kvyat. 

    The crowd was instantly upset, as it was Red Bull's home race and before it could hardly begin, one of their drivers was out. Verstappen retired due to clutch issues and damage from the collision. Alonso also retired with damage to his car as well.

    Daniil Kvyat was given a Drive-Through-Penalty for causing a collision and got handed two penalty points to his license as well. Kvyat was not the only one to receive penalty points. Lone McLaren driver, Vandoorne, was handed the same punishments as well for ignoring blue flags.

    Kevin Magnussen was the next to retire due to a hydraulics issue and before he could be censored, his radio message was played loud and clear. A very audible and drawn out "F*** this." was heard from the Danish driver as he was forced to pit and abandon the race. Magnussen had been looking towards a points finish, but it was Grosjean who managed to keep his Haas together to bring it home in 6th for 8 points.

    Carlos Sainz was the final retirement due to an engine problem. This was not the first issue that Sainz had had during the weekend either. Mechanical gremlins had hampered him from getting in any lap times during the first half of Free Practice 3. His team-mate, Kvyat, didn't have a much better race as he brought his Toro Rosso across the finish line in 16th.

    It was a solid performance for Force India, following their Baku clash that sent tensions rising. This time it was a smooth and clean race for both Perez and Ocon, with Perez finishing in 7th to grab 6 points and Ocon just behind in 8th to take 4 points. Perez has now moved up to 6th in the Drivers Championship standings and Force India remains 4th in the Constructors Standings.

    Lance Stroll kept his points-scoring finishes alive by bringing home the last championship point as he finished in 10th and denied Palmer his first point of the season. Massa finished 9th, adding a couple more points to Williams' tally. 

    Valtteri Bottas kept his focus and was able to grab his second win for Mercedes and his second win in F1 altogether. Vettel had come close to catching him in the final laps but Bottas remained calm and collected and was able to keep the Ferrari driver at bay.

    

    Lewis Hamilton, who started 8th following his 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change, had no issues charging through the pack of cars to try and fight for a chance at the podium. Unfortunately in the end, Hamilton missed out as Ricciardo was able to hold him back for third, giving the crowd the Red Bull podium finish that they had been hoping for.

RESULTS:

1. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 25 Points

2. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 18 Points

3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 15 Points

4. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 12 Points

5. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 10 Points

6. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 8 Points

7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 6 Points

8. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 4 Points

9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 2 Points

10. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / + 1 Point

11. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

12. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

13. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany

14. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

15. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

16. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / Engine

RETIRED - Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / Hydraulics

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Collision Damage

RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / Clutch + Collision Damage

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Azerbaijan GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

AZERBAIJAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Daniel Ricciardo took his first win of the season after an eventful Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver battled his way through the order after debris in his brake duct put him at the back of the field early in the race.

    He was joined on the podium by Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas, the Mercedes driver snatching second as the pair took the chequered flag.

    Both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel pitted from the lead of the race after colliding on track, and finished just outside the podium positions.

    Safety cars and red flags disrupted the action on multiple occasions, often to clear debris from the track. One such safety car led to controversy when Vettel hit the back of Hamilton’s Mercedes. Vettel clamed Hamilton brake tested him, but telemetry later showed this wasn’t the case. Vettel pulled up alongside Hamilton to vent his anger, and the two drivers’ wheels touched.

    Stewards investigated the issue, and deemed Vettel to have driven dangerously. He was handed a ten second stop go penalty for the incident.

    Before the penalty was decided on, the race was red flagged so marshals could clear debris, and everyone returned to the pits.

    Hamilton got a good start on the restart, but had to return to the pits because his headrest was loose and needed to be secured. The late pit stop dropped him down the order.

    Vettel pitted to serve his penalty on the following lap, emerging from the pits just ahead of Hamilton.

    At the front of the field, Ricciardo was leading. The Australian had climbed up to fifth by the time the red flags were brought out. On the restart, Ricciardo overtook both Williams drivers with one move to take third, behind Vettel.

    Once in the lead, Ricciardo was untroubled by Stroll in second. Stroll also had a big gap to those behind him, but that wouldn’t last.

    Like Ricciardo, Bottas had had a difficult start to the race. The Mercedes driver collided with Kimi Raikkonen on the opening lap and was forced to pit for a new front wing. Over the course of the race, Bottas slowly moved up through the field. A move past Kevin Magnussen in the final stages of the race put him in third, but he was more than five seconds behind Stroll.

    Bottas flew once he was past Magnussen. He spent the final laps cutting down the gap, and was just close enough to snatch second from the rookie in the final second.

    Esteban Ocon crossed the line behind Vettel and Hamilton.

    Force India looked set for a strong result at the midpoint. Whilst Vettel and Hamilton were colliding, Sergio Perez and Ocon were right behind. But the two Force India’s collided when one clipped a kerb. Both came into the pits, and the team wheeled Perez into the garage ready for retirement. But he was able to rejoin the race after the red flags.

    Ocon was able to get back out with fresh tyres to finish sixth.

    The Force India collision also ruined Raikkonen’s race.

    After the contact with Bottas at the start of the race, Raikkonen had dropped down the order. He’d enjoyed a strong recovery and was inside the top ten when the Force India’s collided. He ran over the debris from the incident, puncturing his tyre. On his drive back to the pits, he damaged the floor of his car and looked forced to retire.

    Like Perez, he was able to rejoin the race after the red flag stoppage. Both Perez and Raikkonen later retired from the race.

    The pair joined five other retirees.

    Jolyon Palmer was the first man to exit the race. The Renault driver had little running all weekend, and was forced to start from the pit lane as he couldn’t qualify on Saturday. He slowed on track and tried to return to the pits, only to stop in the pit lane.

    Daniil Kvyat was the next retiree, stopping on track when his car shut down. The Red Bull was cleared under red flags, unlike Max Verstappen’s car. Verstappen was battling with Sergio Perez early in the race when his engine failed and he stopped on track, bringing out the safety car.

    Nico Hulkenberg was sent into the run off after clipping the wall and damaging his front wheel, before Felipe Massa retired late in the race with a broken damper.

    Behind Ocon came Magnussen, Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso.

    Having started 19th, Alonso started the race battling with the Sauber drivers. As the race progressed, though, Alonso moved up through the field and was running as high as fifth in the final stages of the race. His tyres began to fail and he fell back to ninth. The team briefly considered pitting for new tyres, but decided against it.

    Pascal Wehrlein took 10th ahead of Marcus Ericsson and Stoffel Vandoorne.

    Vettel extended his lead over Hamilton to 14 points. Hamilton’s gap to team-mate Valtteri is now only 28 points.

RESULTS:

1. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 25 Points
2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 18 Points
3. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / + 15 Points
4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points
5. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 10 Points
6. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 8 Points
7. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / + 6 Points
8. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / + 4 Points
9. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / + 2 Points
10. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany / + 1 Point
11. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
12. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
13. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France /

RETIRED - Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / Debris Damage
RETIRED - Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / Broken Seat
RETIRED - Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / Dampers
RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / Collision
RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / Engine
RETIRED - Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / Mechanical Issue
RETIRED - Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain / Mechanical Issue

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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