F1 Features

The word “Tifosi” is best-known in Formula 1 in reference to Ferrari’s loyal tribe of fans that follow the team all over the world, with its largest congregation appearing at Monza each year for the Italian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 9

- Charles Leclerc scored the second victory of his Formula 1 career on Sunday at Monza, soaking up heavy pressure from Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to hold on for the win.

History almost repeated itself at Monza on Sunday.

- Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix descended into one of the more farcical sessions in recent Formula 1 history as a cat-and-mouse game between the drivers to avoid giving their rivals a tow caused seven of them to miss out on a final flying lap in Q3.

It’s all a bit dull really. Grid penalties; stewards’ summons; blah blah blah. It’s all red tape that serves to detract from much of Formula 1’s lustre and allure.

- Charles Leclerc continued his recent good form by topping both FP1 and FP2 at Monza on Friday for Ferrari. Leclerc has now led eight consecutive sessions – including all three legs of qualifying at Spa – for Ferrari. He edged out Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by just 0.068 seconds in FP2.

- The motorsport paddock reconvened still mourning the death of Anthoine Hubert last Saturday at Spa in the Formula 2 race. Hubert’s team, BWT Arden, will enter just one car to this weekend’s F2 round.

Having failed to win a race in the opening 12 rounds of the 2019 Formula 1 season, Ferrari heads to its home event seeking a second victory in as many races.

The 2019 Formula 1 season resumed following a summer hiatus at the Belgian Grand Prix on a weekend that was overshadowed by tragedy.

Saturday at Spa will go down as one of the darkest days in recent motorsport history as the death of Formula 2 racer Anthoine Hubert rocked the community to its very core.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 9

- The Spa-Francorchamps paddock returned to action on Sunday in Belgium following the tragic death of Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert on Saturday at the age of 22. The planned F2 Sprint Race was cancelled, but the Formula 1, Formula 3 and Porsche Supercup races went ahead as planned.

So cynical has the Formula 1 community become that even as Ferrari ran one-two with a clear straight-line speed advantage over Mercedes nearing the pit stop window in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, most were left wondering how it would throw the win away.

- Ferrari swept to a one-two finish in both FP1 and FP2 on Friday at Spa, showing the might of its engine and straight-lined speed advantage over the field. Sebastian Vettel led from Charles Leclerc in FP1 before they swapped for FP2.

- Thursday proved to be a day of announcements as both Mercedes and Renault finalised their line-ups for the 2020 season. Mercedes confirmed Valtteri Bottas would be continuing for next year as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate, prompting Ocon to be snapped up by Renault in place of Nico Hulkenberg.

12 months have passed since Sebastian Vettel last stood on the top step of the Formula 1 podium.

As the Formula 1 grid grows ever-younger and the likes of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and George Russell – all 21 or younger – taste success, there are growing signs of a generational shift in the sport.

Red Bull has decided to roll the dice on its driver line-up at the mid-way point of the 2019 Formula 1 season by swapping Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon from the Belgium Grand Prix.

As important and as intricate as the chassis design of a Formula 1 car can be, the most explicit way fans will view them is through their liveries and colour schemes.

“I tell you - the day we get beat by somebody who’s born in 2000 and upwards, we will know it’s time…”

Billy Monger’s story of his harrowing accident and inspiring comeback is one well told over the past two years and will, by his own admission, always shape his life. But it isn’t the story he wants to tell now.

Who have been the stand-out performers in Formula 1 so far this season? We crunch the numbers from our regular driver ratings and see who comes out on top. 1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 8.83

In the battle to set off the dominoes in the Formula 1 driver market, few would have expected Red Bull to be the team that made the first move.