F1 Pickings

In the Bahrain Grand Prix he struggled on the medium tyre in Q2 and started 11th, and then in the race he charged up to fifth after an engine issue on the formation lap obliged him to start from the pitlane. Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko suggested the Mexican was losing out to team-mate Max Verstappen in a couple of places at Sakhir in qualifying, notably Turn 1, with Perez noting some ... Keep reading

Hamilton has won 74 races since the start of 2014 and his Mercedes team 103 of the 138 in that period, which has led to suggestions from some observers that such a level of success is solely down to the Black Arrows squad’s car advantages.  Such theories ignore the 22 wins Hamilton scored for McLaren before joining his current team, as well as events where Mercedes has not ... Keep reading

Although Max Verstappen was beaten to victory in the F1 season opener by Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, Red Bull thinks the pace it showed throughout the Sakhir event has put it in the frame for a title challenge. While Mercedes fears that Red Bull already has the edge in speed terms, the Milton Keynes-based team is planning an aggressive update plan to make its car even faster. Red Bull’s ... Keep reading

Norris started the 2021 F1 season opener in seventh, one spot behind his new McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, but drove a measured race to finish fourth which included bold overtakes on Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly. Starting his third season as a Formula 1 driver, team boss Seidl believes Norris has put the lessons he learned in the past to good use, hailing his "very controlled" race. "I ... Keep reading

The Haas driver spun off exiting Turn 4 on the safety car restart early into the Bahrain Grand Prix, moments after fellow rookie and team-mate Nikita Mazepin suffered a similar spin on the opening lap at Turn 3 which ended the Russian’s race. The spin dropped the 2020 Formula 2 champion off the back of the pack but he recovered to produce a largely trouble-free race to finish in 16th place ... Keep reading

After all the expectations surrounding the new Ferrari F2002, Michael Schumacher and his team demonstrated that their decision to debut the new car at the Brazilian Grand Prix was right, with the German taking a moral victory, beating the tough opposition from the Williams drivers. As usual, the story was much more complex than that. Both Ralf Schumacher and Ron Dennis claimed after the ... Keep reading

Hamilton has won 74 races since the start of 2014 and his Mercedes team 103 of the 138 in that period, which has led to suggestions from some observers that such a level of success is solely down to the Black Arrows squad’s car advantages.  Such theories ignore the 22 wins Hamilton scored for McLaren before joining his current team, as well as events where Mercedes has not ... Keep reading

Heading into the season as 'favourites', Christian Horner admits that one of the reasons for Red Bull's significant step forward since last season was a correlation issue with the 2020 car.

Norris started the 2021 F1 season opener in seventh, one spot behind his new McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, but drove a measured race to finish fourth which included bold overtakes on Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly. Starting his third season as a Formula 1 driver, team boss Seidl believes Norris has put the lessons he learned in the past to good use, hailing his "very controlled" race. "I ... Keep reading

In Bahrain he struggled on the medium tyre in Q2 and started 11th, and then in the race he charged up to fifth after an engine issue on the formation lap saw him to start from the pitlane. Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko suggested that the Mexican was losing out to teammate Max Verstappen in a couple of places at Sakhir in qualifying, notably Turn 1. “The negative is that I lose the ... Keep reading

Norris started the 2021 F1 season opener in seventh, one spot behind his new McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, but drove a measured race to finish fourth which included bold overtakes on Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly. Starting his third season as a Formula 1 driver, team boss Seidl believes Norris has put the lessons he learned in the past to good use, hailing his "very controlled" race. "I ... Keep reading

The Haas driver spun off exiting Turn 4 on the safety car restart early into the Bahrain Grand Prix, moments after fellow rookie and team-mate Nikita Mazepin suffered a similar spin on the opening lap at Turn 3 which ended the Russian’s race. The spin dropped the 2020 Formula 2 champion off the back of the pack but he recovered to produce a largely trouble-free race to finish in 16th place ... Keep reading

Zak Brown has reined back on his prediction that Max Verstappen will partner George Russell at Mercedes next season.

Although Max Verstappen was beaten to victory in the F1 season opener by Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, Red Bull thinks the pace it showed throughout the Sakhir event has put it in the frame for a title challenge. While Mercedes fears that Red Bull already has the edge in speed terms, the Milton Keynes-based team is planning an aggressive update plan to make its car even faster. Red Bull’s ... Keep reading

Hamilton has won 74 races since the start of 2014 and his Mercedes team 103 of the 138 in that period, which has led to suggestions from some observers that such a level of success is solely down to the Black Arrows squad’s car advantages.  Such theories ignore the 22 wins Hamilton scored for McLaren before joining his current team, as well as events where Mercedes has not ... Keep reading

Though the matter was discussed over the course of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, F1 and the teams still haven't reached an agreement on sprint races, with money one of the main sticking points.

The Brazilian driver, who won titles in 1981, 1983 and 1987, has no doubts the Dutch driver would come out on top in a side-by-side challenge in equal machinery after seeing their battle at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Piquet also questioned the ability of Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas, saying: “It’s not that Hamilton isn’t good. But he has an inferior driver by his side and the ... Keep reading

Although Max Verstappen was beaten to victory in the F1 season opener by Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, Red Bull thinks the pace it showed throughout the Sakhir event has put it in the frame for a title challenge. While Mercedes fears that Red Bull already has the edge in speed terms, the Milton Keynes-based team is planning an aggressive update plan to make its car even faster. Red Bull’s ... Keep reading

The Brazilian driver, who won titles in 1981, 1983 and 1987, said it is “very difficult to make a direct comparison between two drivers if they are not on the same team” but believes the Dutch driver would come out on top in a side-by-side challenge. Piquet also questioned the ability of Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas, saying: “It’s not that Hamilton isn’t good. But he has an ... Keep reading

Bottas finished a distant third behind winner Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, opting to take a third pitstop near the end of the race to claim the point for the fastest lap. But any chance for Bottas to win the opening round of the 2021 F1 season was lost after he was passed for third by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc at the start. By the time Bottas had reclaimed the position, his ... Keep reading

The Australian had qualified in sixth position for his debut with the Woking-based team, but dropped down to seventh in the race, finishing two places and some 20 seconds behind teammate Lando Norris. A disappointed Ricciardo said after the race that he was hoping his lack of pace had been caused by damage to this car. "I felt like I got slower as the race went on," he said. "So I felt like ... Keep reading

On lap 45 of the race Ocon overtook Vettel while fighting for 12th place into Turn 1. While slotting back in behind the Frenchman, Vettel appeared to misjudge his braking and hit Ocon in the rear. Both drivers managed to continue but lost a handful of positions, neither of them getting close to the points. The stewards gave Vettel a 10-second penalty and two ... Keep reading

Bottas finished a distant third behind winner Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, opting to take a third pitstop near the end of the race to claim the point for the fastest lap. But any chance for Bottas to win the opening round of the 2021 F1 season was lost after he was passed for third by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc at the start. By the time Bottas had reclaimed the position, his ... Keep reading

The Spaniard was eager not to take risks immediately after the start, as he didn't want his Ferrari debut in the Bahrain Grand Prix to finish with an early crash. However, by taking it easy, he got shuffled down the pack too much and then had to spend much of the evening recovering before he finally coming home in eighth, two places behind teammate Charles Leclerc. While he had hoped to ... Keep reading

After giving up on a promising tennis career, Piquet rose through the single-seater ranks following the advice of another Brazilian great, Emerson Fittipaldi, and came to Europe to follow his F1 dream. After hard-fought battles in British Formula 3 against Derek Warwick, Piquet made his first F1 starts with Ensign and McLaren machinery in 1978, before finding a home at Brabham in ... Keep reading

American F1 viewers can watch every race live on ESPN channels as part of a three-year exclusive deal signed in 2019, and will show all 23 scheduled races commercial-free from lights-out to checkered flag in 2021. The races are broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC channels, with all practice sessions and qualifying – also shown live – moving around its channels (eg: in Bahrain, FP1 and FP2 were ... Keep reading

Vettel made an inauspicious start to life as an Aston Martin driver in Bahrain last weekend, the German classified 15th after being penalised for a late-race collision with Esteban Ocon's Alpine. That was after he started the race from the back of the field, a Q1 exit compounded by a five-place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement. The disappointing showing added to an ongoing run of ... Keep reading

The Australian had qualified in sixth position for his debut with the Woking-based team, but dropped down to seventh in the race, finishing two places and some 20 seconds behind teammate Lando Norris. A disappointed Ricciardo said after the race that he was hoping his lack of pace had been caused by damage to this car. "I felt like I got slower as the race went on," he said. "So I felt like ... Keep reading

In 1974, Argentina's Reutemann scored his first Grand Prix win, at Kyalami in South Africa. It was significant not only as the first Formula 1 World Championship triumph for a Brabham since 1970, but also the first victory for a Gordon Murray-designed F1 car – by happy coincidence, in Murray's original home country. The fact that Reutemann should find success early in his third season at ... Keep reading

Vettel made an inauspicious start to life as an Aston Martin driver in Bahrain last weekend, the German classified 15th after being penalised for a late-race collision with Esteban Ocon's Alpine. That was after he started the race from the back of the field, a Q1 exit compounded by a five-place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement. The disappointing showing added to an ongoing run of ... Keep reading

Vettel made an inauspicious start to life as an Aston Martin driver in Bahrain last weekend, the German classified 15th after being penalised for a late-race collision with Esteban Ocon's Alpine. That was after he started the race from the back of the field, a Q1 exit compounded by a five-place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement. The disappointing showing added to ongoing run of ... Keep reading

The Japanese driver already had a debut point for 10th place in his pocket, but he showed that he already means business by stealing ninth place from Stroll at the start of the final lap. Tsunoda had been frustrated in qualifying, starting only 13th after struggling on the medium tyres in Q2, while his teammate Pierre Gasly ultimately earned fifth. He then lost a couple of places on his ... Keep reading

Bottas finished a distant third behind winner Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, opting to take a third pitstop near the end of the race to claim the point for the fastest lap. But any chance for Bottas to win the opening round of the 2021 F1 season was lost after he was passed for third by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc at the start. By the time Bottas had reclaimed the position, his ... Keep reading

The changes to the floor, brake ducts and diffuser were originally aimed at cutting downforce by 10%, although indications suggest teams have already clawed back half of that. But of more intrigue in Bahrain was how the floor tweaks in particular had favoured some teams over others, with the low-rake concept cars in particular looking like they have lost more. It was no wonder then that a ... Keep reading

On lap 45 of the race Ocon overtook Vettel while fighting for 12th place into Turn 1. While slotting back in behind the Frenchman, Vettel appeared to misjudge his braking and hit Ocon in the rear. Both drivers managed to continue but lost a handful of positions, neither of them getting close to the points. The stewards gave Vettel a 10-second penalty and two ... Keep reading

The changes to the floor, brake ducts and diffuser were originally aimed at cutting downforce by 10%, although indications suggest teams have already clawed back a not-insignificant amount of that. Of more intrigue in Bahrain was how the floor tweaks in particular had favoured some teams over others, with the low-rake concept cars in particular looking like they have lost more. Thus, many of ... Keep reading

The husband of former Williams team boss Claire Williams has hit out at what he perceives a snub by the makers of the {i}Drive to Survive {/i}documentary, {i}Netflix{/i}.

McLaren confirms that floor damage incurred in his clash with Pierre Gasly on Sunday compromised Daniel Ricciardo's race.

On lap 45 of the race Ocon overtook Vettel while fighting for 12th place into Turn 1. While slotting back in behind the Frenchman, Vettel appeared to misjudge his braking and hit Ocon in the rear. Both drivers managed to continue but lost a handful of positions, neither of them getting close to the points. The stewards gave Vettel a 10 second penalty and two ... Keep reading

Ferrari team boss, Mattia Binotto's post-race comment about "finally" having two drivers he could rely on appears to be a clear dig at Sebastian Vettel.

The Spaniard was eager not to take risks immediately after the start, as he didn't want his Ferrari debut in the Bahrain Grand Prix to finish with an early crash. However, by taking it easy, he got shuffled down the pack too much and then had to spend much of the evening recovering before he finally coming home in eighth, two places behind teammate Charles Leclerc. While he had hoped to ... Keep reading

Bottas finished a distant third behind winner Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, opting to take a third pitstop near the end of the race to claim the point for the fastest lap. But any chance for Bottas to win the opening round of the 2021 F1 season was lost after he was passed for third by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc at the start. By the time Bottas had reclaimed the position, his ... Keep reading

The Japanese driver already had a debut point for 10th place in his pocket, but he showed that he already means business by stealing ninth place from Stroll at the start of the final lap. Tsunoda had been frustrated in qualifying, starting only 13th after struggling on the medium tyres in Q2, while his team mate Pierre Gasly ultimately earned fifth. He then lost a couple of places on his ... Keep reading

The Spaniard was eager not to take risks immediately after the start, as he didn’t want his Ferrari debut in the Bahrain Grand Prix to finish with an early crash. However, by taking it easy, he got shuffled down the pack too much and then had to spend much of the evening recovering before he finally coming home in eighth, two places behind team-mate Charles Leclerc. While he had hoped to ... Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton turned the tables on pre-event favourite Max Verstappen with a masterful drive at Sakhir on Sunday, with an aggressive strategy and strong tyre management just being enough to keep his rival at bay. But while Mercedes came out on top this time, it reckons that the characteristics of the Sakhir track tilted things in its favour – and the layouts of Imola and Portimao will be ... Keep reading

The Australian had qualified in sixth position for his debut with the Woking-based team, but dropped down to seventh in the race, finishing two places and some 20 seconds behind teammate Lando Norris. A disappointed Ricciardo said after the race that he was hoping his lack of pace had been caused by damage to this car. "I felt like I got slower as the race went on," he said. "So I felt like ... Keep reading

The Australian had qualified in sixth position for his debut with the Woking-based team, but dropped down to seventh in the race, finishing two places and some 20 seconds behind team-mate Lando Norris. A disappointed Ricciardo said after the race that he was hoping his lack of pace had been caused by damage to this car. "I felt like I got slower as the race went on," he said. "So I felt like ... Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton turned the tables on pre-event favourite Max Verstappen with a masterful drive at Sakhir on Sunday, with an aggressive strategy and strong tyre management just being enough to keep his rival at bay. But while Mercedes came out on top this time, it reckons that the characteristics of the Sakhir track tilted things in its favour – and the layouts of Imola and Portimao will be ... Keep reading

Revealing that his father is a fan of Fernando Alonso, rookie Yuki Tsunoda admits to feeling emotional when he overtook the two-time world champion on Sunday.

Mercedes has announced a new partnership with global software company TeamViewer, which includes its Formula One and Formula E teams.

From 19th place on the grid Mazepin tussled with teammate Mick Schumacher going through Sakhir's first corner combination, but then lost control over his car on the Turn 2 exit kerbs. The Russian rookie tried to catch his car but veered off to the left and hit the wall, ending his F1 debut after less than a mile. Mazepin took full responsibility for his mistake, saying he was very sorry for ... Keep reading

The Dutchman had headed into the Bahrain race as favourite for the victory, but ended up losing out to rival Lewis Hamilton after the world champion's Mercedes team went aggressive with its strategy. But Red Bull's ability to respond to what Mercedes was doing was hampered by it not having the same number of tyre sets available. While both Mercedes drivers had two sets of new hard tyres ... Keep reading

The Spaniard was in the mix for a top 10 finish at the F1 season opener as he battled with McLaren, Aston Martin and Ferrari rivals over the early stages of the Sakhir race. But just when it looked like he was on course to deliver points in his first race for Alpine, despite some minor battery problems, he began struggling with overheating brakes and he was forced in to the pits to ... Keep reading

Red Bull and Honda protege Tsunoda was promoted to AlphaTauri at the expense of Daniil Kvyat after a sole season in Formula 2 and immediately impressed by scoring points on his F1 debut in Bahrain. Tsunoda only started 13th on the grid after struggling to put a good lap together in Q2, but then produced a combative display which saw him duel with two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso ... Keep reading

Red Bull and Honda protege Tsunoda was promoted to AlphaTauri at the expense of Daniil Kvyat after a sole season in Formula 2 and immediately impressed by scoring points on his Bahrain F1 debut. Tsunoda only started 13th on the grid after struggling to put a good lap together in Q2, but then produced a combative display which saw him duel with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso before ... Keep reading

From 19th place on the grid Mazepin tussled with teammate Mick Schumacher going through Sakhir's first corner combination, but then lost control over his car on the Turn 2 exit kerbs. The Russian rookie tried to catch his car but veered off to the left and hit the wall, ending his F1 debut after less than a mile. Mazepin took full responsibility for his mistake, saying he was very sorry for ... Keep reading

After missing out on Q3 with the medium tyres, Perez was due to start 11th but triggered an aborted start when his RB16B shut off and coasted to a halt before the final corner. With no power, the Mexican couldn’t communicate with his team, but despite his relative unfamiliarity with the car and the Honda power unit systems, Perez managed to restore power after taking the steering wheel on and ... Keep reading

The Dutchman had headed into the race as favourite for the victory after sweeping all three practice sessions and qualifying on pole by nearly 0.4 seconds, but lost out to rival Lewis Hamilton after the world champion's Mercedes team went aggressive with its strategy. But Red Bull’s ability to respond was hampered by it not having just one set of the hard compound tyres available - having ... Keep reading

A combination of an aggressive Mercedes strategy, pre-race tyre selections and some controversial track limit flashpoints resulted in Hamilton beating Verstappen by less than a second at the end of an epic race at the Bahrain International Circuit. There were talking points aplenty, including the fight for victory between Mercedes and Red Bull, as the 2021 F1 season finally got underway with a ... Keep reading

The Dutchman had headed into the Bahrain race as favourite for the victory, but ended up losing out to rival Lewis Hamilton after the world champion's Mercedes team went aggressive with its strategy. But Red Bull's ability to respond to what Mercedes was doing was hampered by it not having the same number of tyre sets available. While both Mercedes drivers had two sets of new hard tyres ... Keep reading

An aggressive strategy by the German car manufacturer, allied to some great tyre management and defensive driving from Lewis Hamilton, helped the world champion fend off Max Verstappen at Sakhir on Sunday. But despite the joy of the win, which came off the back of a tricky pre-season test, Mercedes is in no doubt that any prior advantage it has had in F1 has been wiped away. Mercedes ... Keep reading

Those limits were at the heart of the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The race winner downplayed any advantage he may have gained by consistently running wide at Turn 4 – suggesting that he actually helped his tyres when he stopped doing it – but his rival remained convinced that Hamilton hadn't followed what was agreed and understood before the race. The fact that the ... Keep reading

Perez triggered an aborted start when his car shut off during the formation lap and he coasted to a halt. With no power, the Mexican couldn’t communicate with his team, which sent repeated "radio check” messages that went unanswered. Despite his relative unfamiliarity with the car and the Honda power unit systems Perez was able to restore power after taking the steering wheel on and off ... Keep reading

An aggressive strategy by the German car manufacturer, allied to some great tyre management and defensive driving from Lewis Hamilton, helped the world champion fend off Max Verstappen at Sakhir on Sunday. But despite the joy of the win, which came off the back of a tricky pre-season test, Mercedes is in no doubt that any prior advantage it has had in F1 has been wiped away. Mercedes ... Keep reading

Nikita Mazepin admits to being "very angry" with himself following the mistake that ended his F1 race debut almost before it had begun.

From 19th place on the grid Mazepin tussled with teammate Mick Schumacher going through Sakhir's first corner combination, but then lost control over his car on the Turn 2 exit kerbs. The Russian rookie tried to catch his car but veered off to the left and hit the wall, ending his F1 debut after less than a mile. Mazepin took full responsibility for his mistake, saying he was very sorry for ... Keep reading

A discarded sandwich wrapper that got inside his rear brake duct ended Fernando Alonso's hopes of a possible points finish in Bahrain.

Those limits were at the heart of the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The race winner downplayed any advantage he may have gained by consistently running wide at Turn 4 – suggesting that he actually helped his tyres when he stopped doing it – but his rival remained convinced that Hamilton hadn't followed what was agreed and understood before the race. The fact that the ... Keep reading

The Spaniard was in the mix for a top 10 finish at the F1 season opener as he battled with McLaren, Aston Martin and Ferrari rivals over the early stages of the Sakhir race. But just when it looked like he was on course to deliver points in his first race for Alpine, despite some minor battery problems, he began struggling with overheating brakes and he was forced in to the pits to ... Keep reading

The Spaniard was in the mix for a top ten finish at the F1 season opener as he battled with McLaren, Aston Martin and Ferrari rivals over the early stages of the Sakhir race. But just when it looked like he was on course to deliver points in his first race for Alpine, despite some minor battery problems, he began struggling with overheating brakes and he was forced in to the pits to ... Keep reading

Horner admitted to some frustration after the Bahrain race at the way he felt there was a lack of consistency and clear guidance over the policing of track limits at Turn 4. While drivers had been told that anyone abusing the limits in qualifying would have their lap times deleted, for the race there was no such provision – so drivers were free to run wide there. However, drivers had been ... Keep reading

Everything you need to know about the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix... all the details, stats, pictures and quotes.

Horner admitted to some frustration after the Bahrain race at the way he felt there was a lack of consistency and clear guidance over the policing of track limits at Turn 4. While drivers had been told that anyone abusing the limits in qualifying would have their lap times deleted, for the race there was no such provision – so drivers were free to run wide there. However, drivers had ... Keep reading

With Turn 4 track limits never far from the headlines over the weekend, ultimately providing the defining moment of the race, the FIA's Michael Masi sheds light on the rules.

Red Bull boss, Christian Horner insists that Max Verstappen "did the right thing" in handing the lead back to rival Lewis Hamilton after exceeding the track limits while passing the world champion.

Following one of his "hardest races in a while", Lewis Hamilton admits that the final laps, as he sought to stay ahead of his pursuer, Max Verstappen, were "horrifying".

We are all racers in this team and to lose by such a small margin obviously hurts but the positive is that we have put in a strong performance all weekend and pushed Mercedes all the way.

There's a long way to go, but we will continue working to improve in all areas.

We will take the positives and negatives from the first weekend of the season and work hard over the next few weeks to be more competitive at the next race.

Tyre strategy was at the forefront of this exciting race, with Hamilton and Mercedes twice stopping earlier than Verstappen.

It's good to get the opening race of the season under our belts and we now head back to base with a clearer picture of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the FW43B.

Verstappen had closed in on Hamilton during his 17-lap third and final stint – during which he enjoyed an 11-lap tyre-life advantage over his rival – in what was a thrilling conclusion to F1's 2021 season-opener after leading the early stages from pole and falling behind thanks to Mercedes' aggressive strategy calls. The Red Bull driver attacked Hamilton at the outside of the controversial ... Keep reading

We leave Bahrain committed as ever to working hard, improving our car and ensuring we're still as competitive at the final race as we were at the first."

You cannot force these things and you cannot buy them. Every day we are together working is a plus.

Tonight gave us a strong indication of the progress we have made in the last twelve months. We raced with authority, leaving the Alpines and an Aston Martin behind us.

We made a bold call in the beginning to take track position and the lead of the race, then at the end the racing gods were on our side.

The Mercedes driver's third and final stint was 11 laps longer than Verstappen's equivalent, as the Black Arrows opted to take an aggressive strategy to get ahead of the polesitter. The tactic worked, but Verstappen was relentlessly homing in on Hamilton throughout his final 17-lap run to the flag – passing the world champion on the outside of the controversial Turn 4 right-hander with three ... Keep reading

With four laps to go in F1 2021's season opener, Verstappen went off track in Turn 4 in an attempt to snatch the victory away from leader Lewis Hamilton, forcing him to hand the position back to Mercedes' world champion. Verstappen questioned Red Bull's call to give the position back, claiming he would have preferred to risk a potential five-second penalty and try to gap Hamilton on the final ... Keep reading

It's not the best start to the season for us as we had our fair share of bad luck throughout the weekend.

With four laps to go in F1 2021's season opener, Verstappen went off track in Turn 4 in an attempt to snatch the victory away from leader Lewis Hamilton, forcing him to hand the position back to Mercedes driver. Verstappen questioned Red Bull's call to give the position back, claiming he would have preferred to risk a potential five-second penalty and try to gap Hamilton over the final three ... Keep reading

The Mercedes driver's third and final stint was 11 laps longer than Verstappen's equivalent, as the Black Arrows opted to take an aggressive strategy to get ahead of the polesitter. The tactic worked, but Verstappen was relentlessly homing in on Hamilton throughout his final 17-lap run to the flag – passing the world champion on the outside of the controversial Turn 4 right-hander with three ... Keep reading

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton holds off Max Verstappen's Red Bull for victory in an extraordinary finish to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Mercedes ran a different strategy with Hamilton that gained him the lead after he undercut Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the first round of stops. But Red Bull didn’t react, running a medium-medium-hard tyre strategy to Hamilton’s medium-hard-hard that looked to swing back in its favour in the second half of the race. Verstappen had to pass Hamilton on track in his final stint, the race ... Keep reading

After reeling in leader Hamilton on fresher tyres during an absorbing duel, Verstappen used the DRS with four laps to go to attack the Briton into Turn 4. Verstappen managed to pass Hamilton around the outside but went off the track at the exit, an area which the FIA stewards started policing halfway through the race. Verstappen quickly let Hamilton past again on the following straight but ... Keep reading

The world champion took victory in the F1 season opener as he eked out his tyres for a long final stint at Sakhir and held off pre-race favourite Verstappen for the win. Although Verstappen briefly managed to take the lead a few laps from home, he had the give the place back after running wide at Turn 4 – and then the Dutchman was unable to get close enough again for another shot at grabbing ... Keep reading

After reeling in leader Hamilton on fresher tyres during an absorbing duel, Verstappen used the DRS with four laps to go to attack the Briton into Turn 4. Verstappen managed to pass Hamilton around the outside but went off the track at the exit, an area which the FIA stewards started policing halfway through the race. Verstappen quickly let Hamilton past again on the following straight but ... Keep reading

The world champion took victory in the F1 season opener as he eked out his tyres for a long final stint at Sakhir and held off pre-race favourite Verstappen for the win. Although Verstappen briefly managed to take the lead a few laps from home, he had the give the place back after running wide at Turn 4 – and then the Dutchman was unable to get close enough again for another shot at grabbing ... Keep reading

A brave gamble on tyre strategy coupled with a masterclass in calm under pressure, sees Lewis Hamilton deny Max Verstappen a victory that seemed all but assured.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton holds off Max Verstappen's Red Bull for victory in an extraordinary finish to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Mercedes and Red Bull deployed differing tyre strategies, with Verstappen's offset rubber life advantage in the final stint meaning he was chasing Hamilton after leading the early stages from pole. With four laps to go, Verstappen attacked Hamilton around the outside of Turn 4, which was been heavily policed for track limits by the FIA, and as the Dutchman went too wide off the kerb he was ... Keep reading

Mercedes ran a different strategy with Hamilton that gained him the lead after he undercut Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the first round of stops. But Red Bull didn’t react, running a medium-medium-hard tyre strategy to Hamilton’s medium-hard-hard that looked to swing back in its favour in the second half of the race. Verstappen had to pass Hamilton on track in his final stint, the race ... Keep reading

Mercedes and Red Bull deployed differing tyre strategies, with Verstappen’s offset rubber life advantage in the final stint meaning he was chasing Hamilton after leading the early stages from pole. With four laps to go, Verstappen attacked Hamilton around the outside of Turn 4, which was been heavily policed for track limits by the FIA, and as the Dutchman went too wide off the kerb he was ... Keep reading

Result of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

Speaking after his one day driving the FW43B in pre-season testing earlier this month, Williams driver George Russell said he expected the team's 2021 performances to "yo-yo" depending on how much wind was blowing at each venue. Russell and teammate Nicholas Latifi outlined this again ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix – taking place at a venue where gusts of wind regularly catch out ... Keep reading

In a year that had the risk of being a stale repeat of 2020, with teams carrying over their chassis, the performance swings shown at the Bahrain season opener have been quite dramatic. All teams have been slowed by the changes to the floor, brake ducts and diffuser regulations, but some have suffered much more than others. A look at the qualifying time comparisons from last year's Bahrain ... Keep reading

The four-time F1 world champion, preparing for his Aston Martin debut after switching from Ferrari over the winter, was knocked out in the first session of qualifying in 18th place ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix after aborting his final flying lap due to two separate yellow flag incidents. Vettel, who was initially cleared in an FIA stewards’ hearing for not respecting a single waved yellow ... Keep reading

Verstappen gave Red Bull the first pole position of the 2021 season with a storming run to his fourth career pole at the Sakhir track on Saturday, finishing ahead of Mercedes duo Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. After climbing from his W12 following Mercedes' first season opener qualifying defeat in the turbo hybrid era, Hamilton said he "absolutely gave it everything I had, but unfortunately it ... Keep reading

Speaking after his single day driving the FW43B in pre-season testing earlier this month, Williams driver George Russell said he expected the team’s 2021 performances to “yo-yo” depending on how much wind was blowing at each venue. Russell and team-mate Nicholas Latifi outlined this again ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix – taking place at a venue where gusts of wind ... Keep reading

The four-time F1 world champion, preparing for his Aston Martin debut after switching from Ferrari over the winter, was knocked out in the first session of qualifying in 18th place ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix after aborting his final flying lap due to two separate yellow flag incidents. Vettel, who was initially cleared in an FIA stewards’ hearing for not respecting a single waved yellow ... Keep reading

Sebastian Vettel has been handed a 5-place grid penalty for his failure to respect the double yellow flags at Turn 1 in the closing stages of Q1.

The Russian rookie, preparing for his maiden race outing in F1, was seen jumping the warm-up lap queue, overtaking three cars running slowly ahead of their final flying laps. F1 drivers have a gentleman's agreement not to overtake each other during warm-up laps. Mazepin, however, passed three rivals before spinning in front of them, ruining the laps of Alpine's Esteban Ocon and Aston ... Keep reading

A strong pre-season test for the Woking-based outfit, allied to some rapid laps in Friday practice at Sakhir, pointed to McLaren emerging as the main threat to Red Bull and Mercedes. But Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris ended up qualifying sixth and seventh on the grid, having been edged out by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly. McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl ... Keep reading

In a year that had the risk of being a stale repeat of 2020, with teams carrying over their chassis, the performance swings shown at the Bahrain season opener have been quite dramatic. All teams have been slowed by the changes to the floor, brake ducts and diffuser regulations, but some have suffered much more than others. A look at the qualifying time comparisons from last year's Bahrain ... Keep reading

Verstappen gave Red Bull the first pole position of the 2021 season with a storming run to his fourth career pole at the Sakhir track on Saturday, finishing ahead of Mercedes duo Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. After climbing from his W12 following Mercedes’ first season opener qualifying defeat in the turbo hybrid era, Hamilton said he “absolutely gave it everything I had, but unfortunately ... Keep reading

There will be also less tolerance for moving in the braking area at any stage of a grand prix, or late moves in response to the car behind. In recent years the FIA has followed a “let them race” philosophy, and has usually made allowances for contact on the first lap, with instances being judged as racing incidents. However, in the light of an ongoing discussion last season, there is now ... Keep reading

There will be also less tolerance for moving in the braking area at any stage of a Grand Prix, or late moves in response to the car behind. In recent years the FIA has followed a “let them race” philosophy, and has usually made allowances for contact on the first lap, with instances being judged as racing incidents. However, in the light of an ongoing discussion last season there is now ... Keep reading

A strong pre-season test for the Woking-based outfit, allied to some rapid laps in Friday practice at Sakhir, pointed to McLaren emerging as the main threat to Red Bull and Mercedes. But Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris ended up qualifying sixth and seventh on the grid, having been edged out by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly. McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl ... Keep reading

The post-qualifying press conference with Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

The Russian rookie, preparing for his maiden race outing in F1, was seen jumping the warm-up lap queue, overtaking three cars running slowly ahead of their final flying laps. F1 drivers have a gentleman's agreement not to overtake each other during warm-up laps. Mazepin, however, passed three rivals before spinning in front of them, ruining the laps of Alpine's Esteban Ocon and Aston ... Keep reading

For in a year that had the risk of being a stale repeat of 2020, with teams carrying over their chassis, the performance swings shown at the Bahrain season opener have been quite dramatic. All teams have been slowed by the changes to the floor, brake ducts and diffuser regulations, but some have suffered much more than others. A look at the qualifying time comparisons from last year’s ... Keep reading

Nikita Mazepin has explained why he broke the so-called 'gentleman's agreement' by overtaking cars in the final moments of Q1.

As a globally known personality, the world champion's words carry weight, and he's been granted the opportunity to use his fame for good. To his credit he has consistently done exactly that – and this week in Bahrain his focus has turned to human rights. The sport travels to several countries where the subject is an issue for campaigners. It's inevitable that as a major international event a ... Keep reading

After two years away from the sport, Alonso qualified ninth at Sakhir, taking full advantage of Pirelli's softer tyres in Q2 to book a place in the Q3 shootout. Despite outqualifying teammate Esteban Ocon, who starts Sunday's curtain raiser in 16th after failing to survive Q1, Alonso said there is still "more to come" from him as the season progresses. "I have to get better myself first of ... Keep reading

After two years away from F1, Alonso qualified ninth at Sakhir, taking full advantage of Pirelli's softer tyres in Q2 to book a place in the Q3 shootout. Despite outqualifying team-mate Esteban Ocon, who starts Sunday's F1 curtain raiser in 16th place after failing to survive Q1, Alonso said there is still "more to come" from him as the season progresses. "I have to get better myself first ... Keep reading

The often unpredictable rear end of the RB16 proved a handful for both Max Verstappen and Alex Albon at times, but the that the RB16B is much more predictable Red Bull spent a large portion of last season focused on fixing it, as it discovered quite quickly that the RB16’s performance was flawed owing to a correlation issue between its simulation tools back at the factory and the ... Keep reading

The often unpredictable rear end of the RB16 proved a handful for both Max Verstappen and Alex Albon at times, but the evidence is clear that the RB16B is much more firmly planted. Red Bull spent a large portion of last season focused on a rectification programme, as it discovered quite quickly that the RB16’s performance was flawed, owing to a correlation issue between its ... Keep reading

Red Bull's Max Verstappen will start the 2021 F1 season opener from pole position, ahead of the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Charles Leclerc will line up fourth on the grid for Ferrari, ahead of an equally impressive Pierre Gasly in the AlphaTauri. When is the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix?  The Bahrain Grand Prix will be held on March 28 at the Bahrain ... Keep reading

Fernando Alonso has clarified a comment made earlier in the week when he suggested he was better than the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

As Max Verstappen confirms the RB16B's pace is for real, world champion, Lewis Hamilton claims that 2021 rule changes are another attempt to handicap Mercedes.

Christian Horner confirms that pole-man Max Verstappen incurred floor damage that probably cost him a tenth of a second.

The four-time F1 champion is making his Aston Martin debut this weekend following his switch from Ferrari over the winter, but endured a frustrating qualifying in Bahrain when he was knocked out in Q1 after having to back off on his final flying lap due to traffic and yellow flags. Vettel had to slow down at Turn 1 after Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin spun ahead of him, with the Russian having just ... Keep reading