Race Weekend Central

Max Verstappen Dominates for Third Mexican Grand Prix Victory

Max Verstappen celebrates after emerging victorious in the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix. (Photo: Getty Images/Red Bull)

(Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool)

In Formula One’s long-awaited return to Estados Unidos Mexicanos, the action didn’t disappoint in the Mexican Grand Prix. After a wild first lap, Max Verstappen was able to best the field at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to claim win number 10 on the 2021 season and extend his points lead over Lewis Hamilton. After claiming victory …

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George Russell, Valtteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel to Receive Grid Penalties at US Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas Wolfgang Wilhelm

(Photo: Wolfgang Wilhelm/Mercedes AMG F1 Media)

George Russell and Valtteri Bottas will both join Sebastian Vettel in receiving grid penalties for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, the Formula 1 teams announced on Oct. 22. Bottas, who won the most recent grand prix in Turkey on Oct. 10 for his first victory of the 2021 season, will be hit with a …

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F1 Review: Steady & Smooth Valtteri Bottas Wins Wet Turkish Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas celebrates winning the Turkish Grand Prix, drinking champagne, LAT Images

Valtteri Bottas celebrating his Turkish GP win (Photo: LAT Images via Mercedes AMG F1)

Valtteri Bottas nailed the start of the Turkish Grand Prix and then set sail on his way to claiming his 10th win in Formula 1. Bottas’ last win came at the Russian GP in 2020 and he had struggled through some poor performances in 2021, but after starting from pole, he put together a clean …

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Valtteri Bottas Collects 1st Win of 2021 in Turkish Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas celebrates winning the Turkish Grand Prix, drinking champagne, LAT Images

Valtteri Bottas celebrating his Turkish GP win (Photo: LAT Images via Mercedes AMG F1)

Just like last year’s race, the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix was very, very wet. With grip at a minimum and speed reduced, it meant that strategy and playing out the weather was every bit more important. After having a season to forget, Valtteri Bottas finally was able to pickup his first Formula 1 win of …

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F1 Review: Daniel Ricciardo’s Victory at the Italian Grand Prix Ends McLaren Drought

Daniel Ricciardo celebrates on the podium of the 2021 Italian Grand Prix Sept. 12.

(credit: McLaren Media)

For the second straight year, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza (Sept. 12) provided an upset winner.  Last year, Pierre Gasly benefitted from an unusual set of circumstances that placed him in second on a restart after a red flag – a position from which he jumped to the lead and then held on for …

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F1 Slipstream Saturday: Valtteri Bottas Wins Sprint From 1st, Max Verstappen to Inherit Pole at Monza

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo di Monza on September 11, 2021 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

(Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool)

After announcing earlier this week that he will depart from Mercedes at the end of the year, Valtteri Bottas looked like he had a weight off his shoulders, zipping around Monza to claim first place in qualifying and then leading every lap of the sprint race to collect an extra three points for his championship. …

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Valtteri Bottas Joining Alfa Romeo in 2022

Bottas Aussie Win

Valtteri Bottas celebrates his Australian GP win (credit: FIA media)

Valtteri Bottas will partner with Fred Vasseur and Alfa Romeo in 2022 on a multi-year deal in Formula 1, the team announced Sept. 6. Bottas will replace Kimi Raikkonen, who will be retiring at season’s end. In those five seasons for Mercedes, Bottas had recorded nine wins, 17 pole positions, 53 podiums and helped Mercedes …

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F1 Review: Max Verstappen Peerless in F1’s Return to the Dutch Grand Prix

F1 Grand Prix Of The Netherlands

ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - SEPTEMBER 05: Race winner Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on September 05, 2021 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) // SI202109051288 // Usage for editorial use only //

By the end of the first lap, Max Verstappen had cleared Lewis Hamilton by almost two seconds and from then on, he faced no challenge in claiming the win at the Dutch Grand Prix. Formula 1 returned to Zandvoort, Netherlands for the first time since 1985 on Sunday (Sept. 5) and the scene surrounding Verstappen’s …

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Slipstream Saturday: Max Verstappen Wins Pole for the Dutch Grand Prix

Max Verstappen

(Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool)

Max Verstappen ripped off a perfect lap to earn the pole for the Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort on Saturday (Sept 4).  Lewis Hamilton pushed his Mercedes to the edge in an attempt to deny Verstappen’s bid to lead the field at his home GP but came up .038 of a second short.  Valtteri …

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F1 Midweek: The Belgian Grand Prix Debacle & Silly Season’s Answers

Rain cut short the Belgian Grand Prix to just a single lap in a race won by Max Verstappen. (Photo: Getty Images)

Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16B and George Russell (GBR) Williams Racing FW43B behind the Mercedes FIA Safety Car. Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday 29th August 2021. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

The Belgian Grand Prix last weekend stands as the shortest “race” in Formula 1 history, as well as the most pathetic excuse of an event.  Even a few days after the GP, the sport is dealing with the fallout and recognizing that how it handled things in Belgium was unacceptable. Many drivers voiced their opinions, …

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Slipstream Saturday: The F1 Summer Break, Checking the Waters

F1 Grand Prix Of Hungary

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - AUGUST 01: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda with a broken bargeboard during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2021 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202108010407 // Usage for editorial use only //

The Formula 1 show is on hiatus for the next few weeks, taking the customary summer break and allowing all the drivers time to flock to their yachts and relax. The series has raced 11 times thus far, and Lewis Hamilton has managed to find himself atop the standings once again, even if he is …

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F1 Review: Esteban Ocon Awesome in Hungary; Fernando Alonso Mimics Younger Self

Esteban Ocon from F1 on track at the Hungarian Grand Prix. (Photo: FIA Images)

Esteban Ocon on track at the Hungarian Grand Prix (credit: FIA Images)

Esteban Ocon benefitted from calamity at the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix and then a major gaffe by Mercedes to earn his first Formula 1 win on Sunday (Aug. 1).  Ocon, however, was not gifted the victory and was forced to hold off Sebastian Vettel for almost the entirety of the race.  Vettel appeared …

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