German GP: Race - RE-CAP & RESULTS

GERMAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton reclaimed the title lead with victory at the German Grand Prix after Sebastian Vettel crashed out of the lead in changing conditions.

    Vettel led the majority of the first half of the race while Hamilton climbed up from 14th on the grid. The German briefly fell behind Kimi Raikkonen – who was running a two stop strategy -  but Ferrari ordered Raikkonen to let his team-mate past.

    Meanwhile, Hamilton had climbed up to third with an extra long first stint. Mercedes was banking on rain, planning on putting Hamilton straight on Intermediate tyres, but Hamilton was struggling on the soft tyres and was forced to pit.

    Moments later, the rain came and a number of mid-field drivers came into the pits for Intermediate tyres. Red Bull opted to gamble and call Max Verstappen in from fifth, putting him on the green walled Pirellis. The grooved tyres only lasted a few laps before the rain began to clear and those who had taken the gamble returned to the pits for new slicks. Verstappen remained fifth, but put himself out of the battle at the sharp end of the field.

    Conditions were still treacherous, with a number of drivers including Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez spinning on the wet track.

    Vettel was beginning to settle in the lead of the race when he pushed a little too hard, sending his Ferrari through the gravel and into the wall. It brought an end to the German’s race – and his lead at the top of the points standings – and brought out the safety car.

    Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas both came into the pits for fresh tyres. Hamilton, who had now been promoted to third, was initially called into the pits, but was told as he pulled into the pit lane to stay out. The Mercedes was forced to cut across the grass to rejoin the track, prompting a reprimand from the stewards.

    Hamilton led Bottas and Raikkonen behind the safety car. On the restart, Hamilton struggled with cooler tyres and Bottas was able to challenge his team-mate. The pair ran side by side for a number of corners before Hamilton was able to get heat into his tyres and escape up the road while Bottas was told to hold position.

    Raikkonen was unable to challenge Bottas in the closing stages of the race and finished third, ahead of Verstappen.

    Verstappen’s team-mate Daniel Ricciardo suffered another DNF after starting from the back of the grid due to an engine change. He’d been enjoying a strong drive up through the field when he stopped at the side of the field with a power unit problem.

    Nico Hulkenberg finished fifth after battling with Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon.

    Marcus Ericsson took his third points finish of the season in ninth, ahead of Brendon Hartley.

    Carlos Sainz took the chequered flag 10th, but was handed a 10 second penalty for overtaking under safety car conditions and dropped back to 12th, behind Kevin Magnussen, on the corrected times.

    Stoffel Vandoorne, Pierre Gasly, and Charles Leclerc were the last of the finishers.

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 Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 12 Points
5. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 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.  Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / + 2 Points
10.  Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand / + 1 Point
11. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
12. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain
13. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Renault / Belgium 
14. Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
15. Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain / Gearbox
RETIRED - Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / Brakes
RETIRED - Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / Spun off
RETIRED - Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia / Oil leak
RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia / Power Unit

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Hamilton Confirms New Mercedes Contract

HAMILTON SIGNS NEW MERCEDES CONTRACT

    Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has signed a two year contract to continue at Mercedes until 2020.

    Hamilton joined the Mercedes work team in 2013, and has since scored 44 victories with the squad.

    Despite being approached by a rival team, the four time world champion said resigning with Mercedes was a formality and he’d agreed to continue with the squad over the winter.

    “This contract extension has basically been a formality, since Toto and I sat down during the winter, so it’s good to put pen to paper, announce it and then get on with business as usual,” he said.

    “I have been part of the Mercedes racing family for 20 years and I have never been happier inside a team than I am right now.

    We are on the same wavelength both on and off track – and I am looking forward to winning more in the future and shining even more light on the three-pointed star. I’m very confident that Mercedes is the right place to be over the coming years.”

    Hamilton is only the third driver to be confirmed for the 2019 Formula 1 season, along with Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari and Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

    Hamilton’s 2018 team-mate Valtteri Bottas is yet to announce his plans for the upcoming 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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Mexican GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

MEXICAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton secured his fourth Formula 1 world championship in Mexico, despite finishing the first lap at the back of the field after a collision with title rival Sebastian Vettel.

    Vettel started the Mexican GP on pole, alongside Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The pair made contact as Verstappen moved into the lead heading into the first corner, damaging the Ferrari’s front wing. Vettel moved over into Hamilton, who started third, colliding with the Mercedes right-rear tyre.  

    Both were forced into the pits at the end of the lap – Hamilton with a puncture and Vettel with a damaged front wing.

    The opening lap incident triggered a battle through the field for both championship contenders. Vettel, who was running 19th by the end of the first lap, pulled off a series of exciting moves to make it up to fourth by the chequered flag.

    It wasn’t enough to keep his championship hope alive, though, as Hamilton’s ninth place put him 56 points ahead of the Ferrari driver with only 50 points on offer from the final two races.

    With Hamilton and Vettel out of the fight, Verstappen was left unchallenged at the front of the field. He was nearly 20 seconds ahead of Valtteri Bottas in second when he crossed the line, taking his third F1 victory.

    Kimi Raikkonen finished third after starting fifth, taking his sixth podium finish of the season.

    Brendon Hartley triggered a virtual safety car just before the midpoint of the 71-lap race. In only his second race in F1, Harley’s Toro Rosso had stopped on track with an engine problem.

    Fellow Renault powered driver Nico Hulkenberg retired with an engine problem, while Daniel Ricciardo’s race was cut short after five laps due to a turbo issue.

    Esteban Ocon took fifth after falling behind Vettel late in the race. He finished ahead of Lance Stroll, team-mate Sergio Perez, and Kevin Magnussen.

    Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10.

    After a strong qualifying, Carlos Sainz Jnr dropped to the back of the field on the second lap. He managed to continue until the final stages of the race, when he claimed his car was pulling on the straights.

    Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson looked set for his first points of the season, but was forced to retire late in the race with a brake-by-wire problem.

    Felipe Massa finished 11th, just ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly, who battled their way up through the field after starting at the back of the grid.

    Pascal Wehrlein and Romain Grosjean in 14th and 15th were the final finishers.

RESULTS:

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

RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / Steering
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Suspension
RETIRED - Brendon Hartley / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand / Engine
RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / Engine
RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / Turbo

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Japanese GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

JAPANESE GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead with his eighth victory of the season at Suzuka whilst a spark plug problem for Vettel brought an early end to his Japanese Grand Prix.

    After taking his first pole at Suzuka in qualifying, Hamilton made a perfect get away as Max Verstappen jumped up to second. A handful of quick laps brought up the gap to Verstappen, more than three seconds ahead of the Red Bull driver by the pit stop window.

    Verstappen pitted before Hamilton, putting in the fastest lap of the race at that point after running side by side with Kimi Raikkonen at pit exit. He was about a second behind Hamilton when the Mercedes emerged from the pits, but the gap extended when Valtteri Bottas let his team-mate past but held up Verstappen.

    The gap was closing again in the final stages of the race. Hamilton was complaining about vibrations and losing pace in the closing laps, allowing Verstappen to close in, but traffic in the form of a battling Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa prevented a last lap shoot out.

    Hamilton finished 1.2s ahead of Verstappen to extend his championship lead to 59 points over Vettel.

    Daniel Ricciardo finished third, a second ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen.

    After frantic work on the Ferrari of Vettel on the grid, he was able to get off the line and was running third before his car started to slow halfway around the opening lap. He complained about lack of power as he dropped back down the order before coming into the pits to take his third retirement in four races.

    Esteban Ocon was once again best of the rest in sixth. The Force India driver made a stunning start and was running third when an early safety car – Carlos Sainz had skidded into the barriers on the opening lap – neutralized the race. It put Ricciardo and Bottas on his tail but Ocon held firm until a virtual safety car – this time Marcus Ericsson had run into the barriers – paused the racing once again.

    Riccardo and Bottas found their way past on the restart. Raikkonen managed to jump Ocon in the pits, dropping him down to sixth and just ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez. The Force India duo have come together on multiple occasions whilst battling this season, leading to the team warning the drivers not to fight one another on track. Perez was asking over the radio if he could pass his team-mate, but was told he couldn’t attack. He finished three and a half seconds behind his team-mate.

    Lance Stroll suffered a strange retirement late in the race. The rookie ran through the gravel after his left front tyre deflated. He pulled to a stop and, though he tried to get going again, was left stranded at the side of the track, bringing out the virtual safety car.

    Nico Hulkenberg also retired late in the race, a mechanical problem leading to his DRS becoming stuck open. He was brought to the pits to retire.

    Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean finished eighth and ninth, with Massa rounding out the top 10 after holding off attacks from Alonso.

    Jolyon Palmer, in his last race for Renault, finished 12th, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Stoffel Vandoorne. Pascal Wehrlein in 15th was the final finisher.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 18 Points
3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 15 Points
4. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 12 Points
5. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 10 Points
6. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 8 Points
7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 6 Points
8. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / + 4 Points
9. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 2 Points
10. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 1 Point
11. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain
12. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
13. Pierre Gasly / Toro Rosso-Renault / France
14. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
15. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

RETIRED - Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / Tyres
RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / DRS Failure
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Collision
RETIRED - Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / Spark Plug Failure
RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / Collision

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Malaysian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

MALAYSIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    After Vettel missed out on qualifying due to an engine issue, it didn't look like things could get much worse for Ferrari, but they did. Kimi Raikkonen was unable to start the race due to a battery malfunction. The team did what they could but it wasn't a quick fix and Ferrari's only hope was Vettel, who started last on the grid.

    As the final Malaysian GP got underway, after the start, Max Verstappen quickly moved up to the front and it only took him a handful of laps to get past Hamilton for the lead of the race. It was no secret that Mercedes were lacking pace and were out of their usual performance, but not many expected Verstappen, who just turned 20 days earlier, to take the lead of one of the toughest races of the season.

    It ended up being a solid race for the Force India duo despite Ocon having an early puncture from a collision with Massa at the start of the race and another collision with Sainz later on. Not to mention, team-mate, Perez, was suffering from a stomach virus all week and was treated with an IV drip pre-race. Perez still scored 8 points by bringing home the car in 6th and Ocon grabbed the last point in 10th.

    Carlos Sainz was the only driver to retire from the race. The Spaniard suffered from an engine problem, which left him out halfway through. Pierre Gasly, who replaces Kvyat for multiple races at the team, finished his 1st F1 race in 14th. 

    Sebastian Vettel managed to catch up quite quickly and was in 5th place by Lap 22. He ended up finishing 4th, keeping the title fight close between him, Hamilton and Bottas. Bottas finished in 5th, making it once of his worst performances this year after multiple podiums. 

    After being left out by the Renault team, in favor of Sainz, Jolyon Palmer found himself having another horrible race. He spun, ended up colliding with Magnussen and ended up spinning again. He was left pointless again, finishing in 15th, just ahead of team-mate, Hulkenberg in 16th.

    Wehrlein and Ericsson finished 17th and 18th respectively. While Sauber has struggled this year, things are keen to look up next year as the team works on it's 2018 car in hopes of finishing better in both the Drivers and Constructors championships.

    Max Verstappen brought home the win for Red Bull and was able to celebrate on the podium with Hamilton who finished 2nd and Verstappen's own team-mate, Ricciardo, who managed to stay ahead of Vettel long enough to secure third.

    While all seemed good, it wasn't until after the race, on the cool-down lap, that Vettel had a collision with Lance Stroll. No action was taken, but on the radio, they were quick to point the blame on one another. Vettel ended up getting out of his damaged Ferrari and hitched a ride on Wehrlein's Sauber.

    Vandoorne, Stroll and Massa all also scored points for their teams.

    

RESULTS:

1. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 25 Points

2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points

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

4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points

5. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 10 Points

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

7. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / + 6 Points

8. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / + 4 Points

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

10. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 1 Point

11. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain

12. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

13. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

14. Pierre Gasly / Toro Rosso-Renault / France

15. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

16. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany

17. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

18. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

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

DID NOT START - Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / Battery

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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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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Belgian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

BELGIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton took another victory on Sunday at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. He fought hard to hold of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in the final laps and was able to make it a weekend to remember. 

    Sauber's day got off to a completely unlucky start when Pascal Wehrlein was forced to retire on lap 3 with suspension damage. His team-mate, Ericsson, finished the race last. Sauber currently stand 10th in the constructors standings with a total of 5 points.

    Max Verstappen was the next retiree, only 5 laps later. Verstappen's car slowed to a stop and the crowd was clearly disappointed, as was Verstappen himself. Being Half Dutch/Half Belgian, the Red Bull driver considered this his home race and it was not how he had wanted his day to go.

    More feisty racing between the Force India duo caused drama on and off track. Perez and Ocon made contact more than once throughout the race. In the beginning of the race, Perez collided with his younger team-mate, and then the two came together again at the end of the race. They both suffered damage to their cars, with Perez retiring from the race with only 2 laps to go. Ocon was able to finish the race in 9th and grab 2 points.

    Ocon wasn't the only one who Perez ran into trouble with either. The Force India driver angered Grosjean as he passed him but left the track when doing so. Perez was slapped with a 5-Second-Time-Penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. He was also given 1 penalty point to his license.

    Kimi Raikkonen was another driver to receive punishment. After failing to slow sufficiently under double-waved yellow flags, the Ferrari driver was given a 10-Second-Stop-Go-Penalty and 3 penalty points to his license. He finished the race in 4th, just 2 places behind Vettel.

    Stoffel Vandoorne, who had an unlucky start to his home-race weekend, with that 65-Place-Grid-Penalty for multiple engine component changes, was able to turn things around and safely bring his McLaren-Honda across the finish line. It may not have been in the points, but finishing the race was victory enough. The same couldn't be said for his team-mate. Alonso's retired on lap 26 due to an engine issue.

    With Hamilton taking the win and Vettel close behind in second, it was Daniel Ricciardo who completed the podium. Raikkonen, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Massa, Ocon and Sainz also scored points in the race.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points

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

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

4. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 12 Points

5. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 10 Points

6. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 8 Points

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

8. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 4 Points

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

10. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / + 1 Point

11. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

12. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

13. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

14. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

15. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

16. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

RETIRED - Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / Collision Damage*

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Engine

RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / Engine

RETIRED - Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany / Suspension

* - Notes Sergio Perez retired on Lap 43 but qualified as finishing the race as he had completed over 90% of the race distance.

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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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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Canadian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

CANADIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    It was quite a dramatic start to race day as there was trouble on the grid before the warm-up lap. Daniil Kvyat's Toro Rosso stalled with a gearbox malfunction while the rest of the cars had already started to head around the circuit. Kvyat failed to re-join his grid position before the first Safety Car line. Kvyat was then supposed to start from Pit-Lane but instead moved back to his original grid spot. The Toro Rosso driver was given a drive-through penalty and then an additional 10-Second-Stop-Go-Penalty as well as 2 penalty points on his license. 

    Once the race started, Lewis Hamilton pulled away from Vettel in the Ferrari, while Bottas was quick to follow his team-mate. Max Verstappen managed to get ahead of Vettel as well with a fantastic start. Further in the back, there was contact between three cars: Grosjean, Massa and Sainz.

    Carlos Sainz had attempted to move to the right side of the track and failed to see Grosjean coming up alongside of him. The two collided and Sainz was sent sliding into Massa. Both Sainz and Massa spun out and Sainz ended up in the barriers while Massa's Williams came to rest in the grass. Grosjean suffered front wing damage and pitted shortly after the accident. Sainz was given a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for the upcoming Azerbaijan GP and also 2 penalty points were added to his license. 

    Despite Verstappen's fantastic start, the Red Bull driver pulled over to the side of the track with a faulty battery on lap 11. His race was over. Mean while, team-mate, Ricciardo, was running up in 3rd behind Bottas and Hamilton.

     Kevin Magnussen was given a 5-Second-Time-Penalty and 2 penalty points to his license after overtaking under the Safety Car while the marshals were removing Verstappen's stricken Red Bull.

   In the later half of the race, after Raikkonen pitted, there was a tight 3-way battle between Ocon, Perez and Ricciardo for that last spot on the podium. Ocon had moved up to 5th following Raikkonen's pit-stop and was just under 2 seconds behind his team-mate. Perez was quickly catching Ricciardo and made multiple attempts to overtake the Aussie. As laps continued to fall away, Force India made the suggestion to Perez that he let Ocon by so Ocon could have a try at passing Ricciardo. Perez, however, insisted the team let him continue trying. There were no official team orders and they continued to battle it out on their own terms.

    Towards the end of the race, Kvyat reported vibrations coming from his engine. He went into the pits and took his penalties and then the pit-crew had trouble while changing his tyres. They then quickly attempted to place on another set, but by then he was told to stop the engine and they retired the car.

    By the final laps, both Ferrari drivers had caught up with the Force India duo and while Raikkonen had looked to be quick, he overshot the chicane and lost his pace due to overheating rear brakes. Sebastian Vettel, however, was able to overtake both Ocon and then Perez a few laps later.

    What looked to be McLaren's first points finish of the season with Alonso running in 10th, bad luck struck the team once more and the Spaniard retired on lap 68 due to an engine issue. Vandoorne managed to get to the end of the race but finished in 14th, just a handful of positions away from scoring any points.

    Lance Stroll finished his home grand prix and scored 2 points for Williams by crossing the finish line in 9th. It's quite a victory for the rookie, who had never driven on the circuit in prior years with other racing series.    

    Lewis Hamilton took home the win for Mercedes, followed by his team-mate, Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo who managed to hold on to that last podium position, despite Vettel being super close in the final laps.

    The teams can now look forward to heading to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in two weeks' time.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points

2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 18 Points

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

4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points

5. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 10 Points

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

7. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 6 Points

8. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 4 Points

9. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / + 2 Points

10. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 1 Point

11. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

12. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

13. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

14. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

15. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Engine

RETIRED - Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / Mechanical Issue

RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / Battery

RETIRED - Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / Collision

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

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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