Abu Dhabi GP - Championship Results

1. Evel Marque - 1,123
2. Je suis Charlie - 1,105
3. PickedInAHurry - 1,048
4. The Hope Fulls - 1,043
5. BottHaas - 1,010
6. Jack the Lad - 878
7. The Pitstop Princess - 792
8. Hippy F1 - 738
9. Ferrari Rocher - 714
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 544

Brazil GP - "absolutely bossed it"

This was a "redemption" race...and Verstappen led from pole position to victory.  I didn't have any notes until the last ten laps.  It was a heart-pounding final ten laps.  LeClerc and Vettel collided as they raced for fourth place.  The race was going very well for Albon, heading for a second place finish but hot-headed Hamilton took him out.  Gasly was the star, holding out and finishing second for an amazing podium for Toro Rosso.  The most amazing thing of the race though was Hamilton admitting, straight out of the car, that the crash was his fault.  Wonders never cease.

Brazil GP - Results

1. Evel Marque - 1,071*
2. Je suis Charlie - 1,048*
3. PickedInAHurry - 997*
4. The Hope Fulls - 990*
5. BottHaas - 958*
6. Jack the Lad - 842*
7. The Pitstop Princess - 756*
8. Hippy F1 - 666*
9. Ferrari Rocher - 656*
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 528*

* Home track played

USA GP - "Well done. Great weekend"

I'm typing this up two days after the race.  We just caught up on the post-race interviews and the most notable thing I can remember about the race is that Matthew McConaghay is a bit creepy.

From my notes....

Norris' move on Vettel on lap 1 was impressive, however the Ferraris had cold tyres.  Halloween came out to haunt the drivers with a bump...on the road.  It got Vettel on lap 8.  Ferrari were determined to have a poor race. With poorly prepared tyres, a poor pit stop for LeClerc.

It wasn't until lap 51 that the race really began.  Hamilton pushed Bottas off and then next lap Bottas retook the lead.

The big shocks of the race?  Hamilton has clocked up 6 drivers' championships....6?  Albon was voted driver of the day?

USA GP - Results

1. Evel Marque - 1,016*
2. Je suis Charlie - 1,006 *
3. PickedInAHurry - 975*
4. BottHaas - 943*
5. The Hope Fulls - 932*
6. Jack the Lad - 809*
7. The Pitstop Princess - 731*
8. Hippy F1 - 658*
9. Ferrari Rocher - 627
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 496*

* Home track played

Mexico GP - "Tough race but stuck in there"

Most F1 news and results these days comes outwith the actual racing.  Renault were disqualified from the Japan race and the results below reflect the changes.

The highlight of qualifying was a big crash for Bottas. Was this team orders from Mercedes, intending that Bottas stay 15 points away from Hamilton so he could clinch the driver's championship.  Verstappen then gave a cocky press conference confessing that he didn't slow down when he saw Bottas' shunt.  This cost him and he was given a penalty.

This must have left Verstappen angry as he immediately tangled with Hamilton in the race.   Which gave him a puncture.  There were lots of tyre problems during the race.  Mercedes failed to put a tyre onto Norris' car.  Giovanizzi then LeClerc also suffered botched pit stops.  Otherwise it was a fairly boring race.  Ricciardo's do or die move towards the end was good fun.  Kvyat put Hulkenberg in to the wall on the final lap.  He was given a penalty for this.

Other people's favourite part of the race was Hamilton and his car rising up on to the podium.  Mine was Vettel radioing in: "At the moment, everything is peachy." Peachy? 

Mexico GP - Results (including revised Japan GP)

1. Evel Marque - 974*
2. Je suis Charlie - 967*
3. PickedInAHurry - 922*
4. BottHaas - 888*
5. The Hope Fulls - 859*
6. Jack the Lad - 774*
7. The Pitstop Princess - 706*
8. Hippy F1 - 639*
9. Ferrari Rocher - 573
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 487*

*Home track played

Japan GP - "You are the man"

With the hurricane postponing qualifying until race day, the pressure was on the drivers.  It seemed like it would be shoo in for the more experienced drivers like Vettel and Hamilton.   Indeed Vettel scooped pole position.  Inexperience showed up when LeClerc hit Verstappen on the opening lap, with the debris hitting Hamilton.  He refused to come back to the pits to be fixed which ultimately cost him points and Max a race finish at all.

Old dog Bottas made a fantastic start off the grid: "all his Christmases at once", as Webber said.  This move gave him the win.

Rookies Albon and Norris had a come together on Lap 4.  Old school team orders came into play on Lap 45 when Renault gave Ricciardo the chance to overtake his team mate Hulkenberg and get on with the race.  The closing laps showed us some getting closer and closer battles, with LeClerc taking fresh tyres to try for fastest lap (and failed) and Hamilton catching Vettel.

We didn't see much of the winner Bottas at all.  This was a race I watched the highlights of and I could really see that editorial decisions had been made about the stories shown in the race.  I was surprised more wasn't shown of Bottas or LeClerc or more made of Mercedes securing their sixth consecutive constructors championship.  The hurricane hit both broadcasters hard with most of the star pundits not making it to Japan.  Wasn't Lee McKenzie good though?

After the race LeClerc was given a couple of penalties and the race was classified at Lap 23 due to problems with the chequered flag. 

There are plenty of drivers who could win the final races this season and plenty who could win the championship next year.  Bodes well.

Japan GP - Results

1. Evel Marque - 923*
2. PickedInAHurry - 871*
3. Je suis Charlie - 846
4. BottHaas - 840*
5. The Hope Fulls - 830*
6. Jack the Lad - 685*
7. The Pitstop Princess - 670*
8. Hippy F1 - 604*
9. Ferrari Rocher - 522
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 463*

* Home track played

Russia GP - "P1 and P2 for the Silver Arrows...that's exactly what we needed"

It was every teachers' disaster for Anthony Davidson pre-race, his smartboard failed.

Francesco Bernoulli has been on and on at me to mention the hilarity that is Lewis Hamilton riding around the paddock on his scooter at every race.  Scooter mentioned.  Will we mention that he doesn't wear a helmet either?

For the first half of the race, there was a virtual argument on the radio between Vettel and LeClerc over who should be given the lead of the race.  It turned out that it wasn't Ferrari's to give away, as they  made a poor pit stop strategy.  Vettel was straight out with a KERS problem too.

Something broke on Russell's car, which sent him into the barrier.  Williams decided to retire Kubica's car, just in case.  It would look bad if you were the one to finally finish the Pole off.

It was another race where Bottas trundled around behind Hamilton.  It makes you wonder why Mercedes didn't roll the dice and try someone else for the next season.

A mediocre race all in all.

Russia GP - Results

1. Evel Marque - 877*
2. PickedInAHurry - 836*
3. Je suis Charlie - 800
4. BottHaas - 790*
5. The Hope Fulls - 770*
6. Jack the Lad - 643
7. The Pitstop Princess - 625*
8. Hippy F1 - 571*
9. Ferrari Rocher - 505
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 405*

* Home track played

Singapore GP - "One and two for Ferrari...awesome job"

Singapore lends itself to controversy and this year was no different.  Was Ricciardo's qualifying disqualification too dramatic?  Should just his lap have been wiped?  Then Vettel overtook the pole-sitter and race-leader (and his team-mate) LeClerc using the undercut.  Through taking the preferable pit stop strategy, Vettel was able to overtake his team-mate off the track.  Was Vettel gifted the race by Ferrari trying to woo him into staying for another season, or to appease him or was it a mistake by the recent rookie?

There wasn't really much racing in the race.  Ricciardo punctured himself on Giovannizi's car.   Not long after Russell was pushed into the wall by Grosjean, thus ending an excellent finishing record for Williams.  Close to the end Kvyat took out Raikkonen, bringing out the third, long Safety Car.  We did fast-forward through a lot of this race.

Overall, what did LeClerc expect from Ferrari?  He was initially angry but quickly kept it in check to explain what a good result it was for the team.  Let's hope he can race again in Russia.

Singapore GP - Results

1. Evel Marque - 830*
2. PickedInAHurry - 798*
3. Je suis Charlie - 755
4. BottHaas - 754*
5. The Hope Fulls - 728*
6. Jack the Lad - 620*
7. The Pitstop Princess - 601*
8. Hippy F1 - 520*
9. Ferrari Rocher - 468
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 399*

* Home track played

Italy GP - "Yes yes yes"

At the end of Q2, there was a rush of cars.  Just like the olden days.  Raikkonen went from hero to zero during it.  Then Q1 drew to a conclusion and the cars went out in a rush and most of them didn't get round in time to carry out a qualifying lap.  I've never seen anything like it.  Well done LeClerc and Sainz for realising that they needed to get a hurry on.

Vettel gave an interview post-qualifying, which gave the sense that a battle between him and LeClerc is brewing.

On to the race, LeClerc played the start very well, giving an inch and taking a mile.  Vettel spun (on nothing), sending Stroll into a spin when he re-entered the track (poorly), who then sent Gasly off when he re-entered the track (poorly).  This was Lap 7.  By Lap 12 they were sitting out 10 second stop go penalties.  I think they got off very lightly given that the same penalty was given to Raikkonen by starting on the incorrect tyres.

There was a good mid-race battle between Hamilton and LeClerc, the latter was even given a black and white flag for it.  I thought the black and white flag was for the end of the race but Brundle cleared things up, it means: "Your driving is unacceptable".

More drama, was yet to come.  Sainz left the pits without a wheel nut on Lap 28.  LeClerc went wide on Lap 36 but no one was close enough to capitalise on it.  Finally, on Lap 42 Hamilton went through the chicane, giving second place to Bottas.  It made me wonder why Mercedes didn't roll the die with Bottas' seat.

It finished with LeClerc in first place and Vettel in 14th.  We've heard Seb roll out a few Italian phrases over the radio and to the crowd but LeClerc took the biscuit and did the thing we've all been waiting for a driver to do for a long time and speak to the crowd in their own language.  Vettel is leaving Ferrari, mark my words.

In other news, it was good to see a resurgence from Renault and Hamilton give a really good interview discussing what the strong points for Mercedes were technically.

Italy GP - Results

1. Evel Marque - 749*
2. PickedInAHurry - 732*
3. BottHaas - 699*
4. The Hope Fulls - 695*
5. Je suis Charlie - 674
6. Jack the Lad - 555
7. The Pitstop Princess - 538*
8. Hippy F1 - 493*
9. Ferrari Rocher - 433
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 373*

* Hometrack played

Belgium GP - "a dream come true anyway"

The promise of a great race is always present at Spa...everyone tried their best to line one up during qualifying.  Kubica caught fire and Giovanizzi brought out the red flag.  Raikkonen sustained a leg injury through some sort of naughtiness and Hamilton crashed in FP3.  LeClerc secured pole and Russell took a Williams to the giddy heights of 14th on the grid.

Apart from the tragic events earlier in the weekend, all the elements were there (apart from the threat of rain) for an epic race, hopefully with LeClerc finally winning a race.

The lights went off and, after the first lap, what followed was not that memorable.  With Verstappen out on Lap 1, we looked elsewhere in the top 6 for the battle.  Vettel ran wide and let Hamilton through but even with this error, he easily caught him up and retook the place.  Ferrari looked strong and even a bit of tyre-strategy-jeopardy couldn't reignite the race.

Vettel let LeClerc by on Lap 26, roughly half way through the race.  I am adding this to my list of reasons why he will retire at the end of the year.  A few laps later, Hamilton overtook him.

Norris was the surprise star of the race despite LeClerc winning and it was a shame when he and Giovannizi went off on the last lap.

It's pleasing to have another race winner on the grid....but will we be regretting all this when he dominates for the next five years?

Belgium GP - Results

1. Evel Marque - 712*
2. PickedInAHurry - 685*
3. BottHaas - 666*
4. The Hope Fulls - 665*
5. Je suis Charlie - 616
6. Jack the Lad - 521
7. The Pitstop Princess - 514
8. Hippy F1 - 456*
9= Ferrari Rocher - 365
9= Francesco Bernoulli - 365*

* Home track played

Hungary GP - "sorry I doubted that strategy"

After the race in Germany, Hungary was always going to disappoint but we got off to a promising start with Verstappen claiming his first pole.

As I was in London, I was watching the highlights, which I find confusing as time speeds up and slows down.  Before I knew it, it was half way through the race and Verstappen and Hamilton were having a great battle.

On lap 40, Vettel had a poor pit stop, no change to his position though, so not really exciting.

With six laps to go, Verstappen radioed to his team that: "the tyres are dead".  He'd led the whole race and then DRS gave it to Hamilton.

The main debate was over whether to do one or two stops.  And that was only about the Red Bulls and the Mercedes...we barely saw the Ferraris.

Still Verstappen was happy with P2...sigh.

Hungary GP - Results

These results reflect the post-race adjudications at the German GP.

1. Evel Marque - 664*
2. PickedInAHurry - 647*
3. The Hope Fulls - 640*
4. BottHaas - 609*
5. Je suis Charlie - 560
6. Jack the Lad - 479
7. The Pitstop Princess - 476
8. Hippy F1 - 429*
9. Francesco Bernoulli - 328*
10. Ferrari Rocher - 312

* Home track played

German GP - "Amazing"

Ferrari's shambolic loss of power during qualifying should have been a hint of the topsy turvy, eventful race that lay ahead.

When I saw rain on the grid parade, my heart soar.  This is the sort of race where unexpected teams score points, LeClerc and Vettel were going to storm through the field (with LeClerc breaking his duck) and Raikkonen was starting from 5th.  I knew a good race was on the agenda but...

By the end of the first lap, Raikkonen was up to 3rd.  By the end of the second lap, we had our first spin, by Perez.  There was a safety car and by the fifth lap, Kimi was 11th.  A few quieter laps and then Sainz was off.

Just as Francesco Bernoulli was commenting joyfully on Hamilton's 5.6 second pit stop, LeClerc was off into the gravel and hoarding and we felt that any chance of a good race was gone.  Then, on the same lap, Hamilton lost his front wing at the pit entrance (jammy s*d), the crowd were cheering, Mercedes mixed up the tyres and kept changing their mind.  An investigation was launched about whether he entered the pits on the wrong side of a bollard.  This is all on one lap!  Even better, he was given a 5 second penalty a few laps later for going slow behind the safety car.

We started cheering on the minnows who could achieve greatness but they didn't want to unfortunately.  Hulkenberg went into the barrier from a potential 3rd.  Then Stroll started leading the race...!  We're only two thirds of the way through the race.

With eleven laps to go. Hamilton spins off and recovers, despite the crowd's cheers.  Bottas followed him soon after but couldn't recover.

Unfortunately in the last few laps, Vettel overtook Stroll for third, then Kvyat for second.  What a shame that Kvyat wasn't let off press duties to go and see his newborn daughter; he took advantage of being made to do interviews to make a covert pitch to Red Bull for his old seat back.  Hamilton didn't do any interviews.

A final note, that I have just discovered the injustice that you have to be in the top ten to score a point for fastest lap...never here folks.