F1 Features

The fall-out from Sunday’s controversial Canadian Grand Prix and the penalty handed down to Sebastian Vettel has shown few signs of slowing down overnight, with the majority of the Formula 1 world decrying the stewards’ ruling in Montreal.

- It would have been a dream narrative for Lewis Hamilton to win in Canada after coming back from an unusual mistake in FP2 that meant he went to the race without a proper simulation under his belt, and later would suffer an hydraulic leak that forced Mercedes to do some extensive work to ge

Well that escalated quickly… After six fairly forgettable races to start the season that offered just two race winners, Formula 1 finally burst into life for 2019 on Sunday in Canada on a dramatic afternoon – chiefly because of what happened off-track as opposed to on it.

It’s the hope that kills you. That’s what Ferrari fans – and, frankly, neutrals eager to see an end to Mercedes’ recent domination of Formula 1 – would have been thinking heading into qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday.

- The joy of Sebastian Vettel’s race engineer Riccardo Adami when he told the German he was on pole for the Canadian GP showed it all: Ferrari desperately needed to get it right and take the chance that Circuit Gilles Villeneuve gave them to be ahead of Mercedes.

- Friday in Canada saw a rare mistake by Lewis Hamilton in practice as he hit the wall exiting the Turn 8/9 chicane, minutes after the talk in the media centre was that “everything is so quiet that it’s almost as if something big is about to happen”.

- The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been part of the F1 calendar since 1978, before Villeneuve himself was anywhere near the legend he later became. But the paddock didn’t change a huge amount in all these years - until now.

Talks surrounding Formula 1’s planned overhaul of its technical regulations for 2021 may be ongoing as officials look to meet the deadline at the end of the month , but the first steps towards

Formula 1 breaks away from the European leg of the calendar for a brief trip across the Atlantic and the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton has seized the initiative in the 2019 Formula 1 title fight with an incredible victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. 

When the announcement was made that Lewis Hamilton had been excused from Wednesday's FIA press conference, a boo from one journalist in the media centre was so loud that it could be picked up on the audio for the broadcast.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 10

- Lewis Hamilton swept to the 77th victory of his Formula 1 career on Sunday in Monaco, leading every single lap for Mercedes. It was his fourth win of the season, and saw him extend his drivers’ championship lead to 17 points over Valtteri Bottas.

For all of the criticism the Monaco Grand Prix may receive in terms of the on-track spectacle it offers, Sunday’s race was proof of how tense and dramatic a race without overtaking at the front of the pack can be.

Mercedes may have been the team to beat so far this year, sweeping to five straight one-two finishes, but for many, neither Lewis Hamilton nor Valtteri Bottas has been the stand-out driver so far this season.

- Lewis Hamilton swept to his second pole position of the season on Saturday in Monaco after beating Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in the final stage of qualifying by eight-hundredths of a second. It marked the Briton's 85th career pole, and the second around the streets of Monaco.

We’ve not even had the race in Monaco yet, and we’re already asking ourselves just how Ferrari has scored yet another own goal in its fight against Mercedes in Formula 1 this year.

- As is tradition in Monaco, Friday was rest day, meaning there were no Formula 1 activities taking place on-track.

- Lewis Hamilton topped both FP1 and FP2 on Thursday in Monaco for Mercedes, marking the first time he has led a session around the streets of the principality since opening practice in 2017.

- Tributes continued to pour in from the Formula 1 community on Wednesday in Monaco following the death of three-time world champion Niki Lauda earlier this week at the age of 70.

Sunday will see Kimi Raikkonen reach a landmark only made by four other drivers in Formula 1 history when he enters his 300th grand prix. But he really, really does not care.

Formula 1 action continues this weekend with the iconic and prestigious Monaco Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton heads to the principality with a seven-point lead over Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in the championship following a lights-to-flag victory.

Valtteri Bottas is enjoying his best-ever start to a Formula 1 season. The Finn has bounced back from a winless 2018 campaign in fine style to record three pole positions and two victories from the opening five races of the 2019 season.

“It’s going to be 1988 all over again, isn’t it?” After seeing Mercedes sweep to not only its fifth consecutive victory but also its fifth-straight one-two finish, the above comment made in the press conference room prior to the drivers’ arrival was made with a feeling of disbelief.