It was confirmed yesterday (28/7/22) that Sebastian Vettel will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season, which means the German will thus be leaving Formula 1 after sixteen seasons thus far, which includes fifty-three Grand Prix victories and four F1 Drivers' titles.
Vettel made the announcement during via a social media post, confirming his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season.
Vettel career in Formula 1 started when he stepped up with BMW Sauber back in 2007, substituting for Robert Kubica for one Grand Prix only, finishing eighth place at United States Grand Prix. Around 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, Vettel move to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) replacing Scott Speed. In 2008, Vettel won the Italian Grand Prix and finishing eighth place in the drivers' standings in 2008.
By the end of 2008, Vettel announced that he would be moving to Red Bull Racing for 2009 replacing David Coulthard. Winning four Grand Prixs' that season. In 2010, Vettel won five more Grand Prixs to become F1 World Champion ahead of both Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber by four points after the dramatic season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
For 2011, Vettel won eleven Grand Prixs winning his second F1 Drivers' title. In 2012, Vettel won five Grand Prixs winning his third F1 Drivers' title. For 2013, Vettel won thirteen Grand Prixs (winning nine in a row) winning his fourth F1 Drivers' title in a row.
Then in 2015, Vettel left Red Bull after six seasons which include thirty-eight Grand Prix wins and and four Drivers' Title. Vettel moved to Ferrari in 2015, replacing Fernando Alonso, staying till the end of 2020, winning fourteen Grand Prixs and finishing second place in the drivers' standings in 2017 and 2018.
By the end of 2020, after six seasons Ferrari opted not to resign Vettel for 2021; Vettel moved to Aston Martin for 2021, best result of second place at 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. So far this season, he only managed sixth place finsih at Baku. To conclude Vettel retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the season.
Is it the right time to retire from Formula 1 (he will be 35 at the end of the season), his got nothing to prove. Good luck whatever Sebastian Vettel does next, as his been a great ambassador for the sport and a great driver for Formula 1.
Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix at Hungaroring outside of Budapest.
So Predictions for the race, for the win, I predict Charles Leclerc for the race win in the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton second in the Mercedes and third place for Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Don't forget George Russell, Sergio Pérez, Carlos Sainz Jr., Valtteri Bottas, the Haas drivers, the Mercedes drivers, the Alpine drivers, and the McLaren drivers as-well for a podium place.
Review of the twelfth round of the 2022 F1 season at Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet, for the French Grand Prix.
The race will be the race that Charles Leclerc should have won (a repeat from Spain and Azerbaijan). Leclerc was on pole for Sunday's race ahead of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.
Leclerc took the lead at the start ahead of Verstappen and Hamilton. Leclerc was set to win, until Lap 18 when Leclerc lost the rear end, due to driver error, spun and hit the tyre barrier. He could not reverse out and was forced to retire. Which, give Current Formula 1 Champion Max Verstappen the advantage, leading on lap 19 from Sir Lewis Hamilton to the end to conclude with a race win this seasons French Grand Prix for Max Verstappen's seventh race win of the season.
Meanwhile, Sir Lewis Hamilton finished in second place in the Mercedes, Hamilton was ten seconds behind Verstappen at the end.
Meanwhile, George Russell finished in third place in the other Mercedes to complete the podium, Russell was sixteen seconds behind Verstappen at the end of the fifty-three lap race.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 8
Lewis Hamilton - 9 (finished second)
George Russell - 8 (finished third)
Red Bull Racing - 8
Max Verstappen - 9 (race win, fastest lap)
Sergio Pérez - 7 (finished fourth)
Ferrari - 8
Charles Leclerc - 8 (pole, DNF, Spun)
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 9 (finished fifth)
McLaren - 6
Daniel Ricciardo - 6 (finished ninth)
Lando Norris - 7 (finished seventh)
Alpine - 8
Fernando Alonso - 10 (finished sixth)
Esteban Ocon - 7 (finished eighth)
Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet, near Marseille, South of France. The home Grand Prix for Alpine and the home Grand Prix for Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
So Predictions for the race, for the win, I predict that, Max Verstappen for the win in the Red Bull, Charles Leclerc second in the Ferrari, and third for Carlos Sainz, Jr. in the other Ferrari. Don't forget Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas, the Haas drivers, the Mercedes drivers, the Alpine drivers, and the McLaren drivers as-well for a podium place.
Recap of the last round of WRC from last weekends Round seven of Rally Estonia.
Last weekends was the seventh round of the World Rally Championship at Rally Estonia (14th-17th July) that was won by Kalle Rovanperä in his works Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.
While, Elfyn Evans finished second in his works Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, Evans was a minute behind Rovanperä at the end of the rally. Meanwhile, Ott Tänak finished third in his works Hyundai i20 N Rally1, Tänak was two minutes behind Rovanperä at the end of the rally.
Meanwhile in WRC-2 class (Manufacturer entries competing in cars built to Rally2 specifications), that was won by Toksport WRT driver and Current WRC-2 Champion Andreas Mikkelsen in his Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo. Andreas Mikkelsen finished in eighth place overall, he was over eleven minutes behind Rovanperä at the end of the rally.
While in WRC-3 class (Open to privately-entered cars; Rally3 spec cars), that was won by Sami Pajari in his own backed Ford Fiesta Rally3. Sami Pajari finished in sixteenth place overall, he was nineteen and half minutes behind Rovanperä at the end of the rally.
Next stop, Round Eight of the 2022 WRC season for Rally Finland in three weeks time.
Review of Round Eight of the 2021-22 Formula E season held at the Brooklyn Street Circuit in New York City, U.S.A. for two races that weekend.
On Saturday's race, that was won by Envision Racing driver Nick Cassidy in his Spark-Audi. Second was ROKiT Venturi Racing driver Lucas di Grassi in his Spark-Mercedes, he was eleven tenths of a second behind Cassidy in the end. Meanwhile, third was Envision Racing driver Robin Frijns in his Spark-Audi, he was seventeen tenths of a second behind Cassidy in the end.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
On Sunday's race, that was won by DS Techeetah driver António Félix da Costa in his Spark-DS. Second was Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team driver Stoffel Vandoorne in his Spark-Mercedes, he was nine tenths of a second behind da Costa in the end. Meanwhile, third was aguar TCS Racing driver Mitch Evans in his Spark-Jaguar, he was three and half seconds behind da Costa in the end.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Next stop, Round Nine of the 2021-22 Formula E World Championship season at ExCeL London, London, UK for the London ePrix in two weeks time.
Its been seven years today that Jules Bianchi has past away from us, from an accident he was competing in the Japanese Grand Prix nine months before his death, were he collided with a recovery vehicle resulting him going into a coma for nine months resulting his death seven years ago today.
Today it should be celebrating life and never ever forgetting Jules Bianchi.
It was confirmed on Wednesday (13/07/22), Suzuki will leave MotoGP series at the end of the MotoGP 2022 season.
The Hamamatsu-based marque made the shock announcement that it was to quit MotoGP just after the Spanish Grand Prix in early May, despite the manufacture won the MotoGP Cahmpionship with Joan Mir in 2020; though series organisers Dorna soon hit back at its decision due to the brand having last year signed a deal to remain as part of the championship until 2026.
Suzuki revealed in a press release on Wednesday that it had finally managed to work out a deal with Dorna to bring an early end to its shared contract, leaving it clear to quit the series at the end of the year after seven seasons in the series.
The manufacturer cited the decision to “allocate resources on other initiatives for sustainability” as the key reason for its impending exit of international motorsport.
Suzuki riders Joan Mir and Alex Rins currently sits eighth and ninth in the riders standings. The duo look set to join Honda’s ranks for next season, Mir likely to join Marc Marquez within Repsol Honda, while Rins will replace Alex Marquez at LCR Honda next season.
Review of Round Three of the 2022 Extreme E Championship season was the Island X-Prix at Sardinia, Italy.
In Qualifying, Rosberg X Racing lead qualifying with the team of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky.
In the first Semi-Final race that was won by Rosberg X Racing with the team of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky. Second was Acciona/Sainz XE Team with the team of Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz, they were nine seconds behind the leaders in the end. While, third was GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing with the team of Sara Price and Kyle LeDuc, they were a lap behind the leaders in the end.
In the second Semi-Final race that was won by Team X44 with the team of Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez. Second was Abt Cupra XE with the team of Jutta Kleinschmidt amd Nasser Al-Attiyah, they were four seconds behind the leaders in the end. While, third was Neom McLaren Extreme E with the team of Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust, they were nineteen seconds behind the leaders in the end.
In the Crazy Race that was won by Genesys Andretti United Extreme E with the team of Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen. Second was JBXE with the team of Kevin Hansen and Hedda Hosås, they were twenty seconds behind the leaders in the end. While, third was Veloce Racing with the team of Christine GZ and Lance Woolridge, they were forty-eight seconds behind the leaders in the end.
In the Final race, Rosberg X Racing took the race win with the team of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky. Second was Team X44 with the team of Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez, were eight seconds behind the leaders in the end. While, third was Genesys Andretti United Extreme E with the team of Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen, they were thirteen seconds behind the leaders in the end.
Next stop Copper X-Prix at Antofagasta, Chile for Round Four of the 2022 Extreme E Championship season in eleven weeks time.
Review of Round Four of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, on the outskirts of Milan, Italy.
The Alpine Elf Matmut team won the race overall and the Hypercar class too of Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão and Matthieu Vaxivière in their Alpine A480, Gibson 4.5 L V8.
While, second place was the Toyota Gazoo Racing, with the team of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa in their Toyota GR010 Hybrid; Toyota 3.5 L Turbo V6; they were three seconds behind the leaders at the end of the race. Meanwhile, third place was Toyota Gazoo Racing, with the team of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López in their Toyota GR010 Hybrid; Toyota 3.5 L Turbo V6; they were two laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
In LMP2 class (all cars using the Gibson 4.2 L V8 engine), RealTeam by WRT team of Rui Andrade, Ferdinand Habsburg and Norman Nato in their Oreca 07 won LMP2 class. They finish in fourth place overall and they were six laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
In LMP2 Pro-Am Cup Class (all cars using the Gibson 4.3 L V8 engine and a team must have a Bronze-rated driver in their line-up) Algarve Pro Racing team of James Allen, René Binder and Steven Thomas in their Oreca 07 won LMP2 Pro-Am class. They finish in tenth place overall and they were seven laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
While in GTE Pro class, was won by Corvette Racing team of Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy won in their Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.. They finish in fifteenth place overall and they were thirteen lap behind the leaders at the end of the race.
While in GTE Am class, was won by Dempsey-Proton Racing team of Sebastian Priaulx, Christian Ried and Harry Tincknell in their Porsche 911 RSR-19. They finish in twentieth place overall and they were fifteen laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
Highlights of the 6 Hours of Monza below, enjoy.
Next Stop 6 Hours of Fuji in nine weeks time for Round Five of the FIA World Endurance Championship
Review of the eleventh round of the 2022 F1 season at the Red Bull Ring, on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria, for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Overall, an enteraining race throughout, Current Formula 1 Champion Max Verstappen on pole for Sunday's race, took the lead at the start of the race. By lap 12, Charles Leclerc kept up with Verstappen from the start, passed Verstappen at turn 4 for the lead on lap 12. Despite, struggling with issues with his car at the end of the race, it was Charles Leclerc day, held off Verstappen to win this seasons Austrian Grand Prix for Charles Leclerc third race win of the season and his first win without starting on pole.
While, Current Formula 1 Champion Max Verstappen finished in second place in the Red Bull, Verstappen was fifteen tenths of a second behind Leclerc at the end.
Meanwhile, Sir Lewis Hamilton finished in third place in the Mercedes to complete the podium, Hamilton was forty-one seconds behind Leclerc at the end of the seventy-one lap race.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 8
Lewis Hamilton - 8 (finished third)
George Russell - 8 (finished fourth)
Red Bull Racing -8
Max Verstappen - 9 (pole, finished second, fastest lap)
Sergio Pérez - 7 (DNF, Collision damage from Russell)
Ferrari - 9
Charles Leclerc - 10 (race win)
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 8 (DNF, Power unit)
McLaren - 6
Daniel Ricciardo - 6 (finished ninth, lap down)
Lando Norris - 7 (finished third, lap down)
Alpine - 8
Fernando Alonso - 7 (finished tenth, lap down)
Esteban Ocon - 10 (finished fifth)
AlphaTauri - 5
Pierre Gasly - 5 (finished sixteenth, lap down)
Yuki Tsunoda - 5 (finished fifteenth, lap down)
Aston Martin - 5
Sebastian Vettel - 5 (finished seventeenth, lap down)
Lance Stroll - 5 (finished thirteenth, lap down)
Williams - 5
Alexander Albon - 6 (finished twelfth, lap down)
Nicholas Latifi - 5 (DNF, Undertray)
Alfa Romeo - 6
Valtteri Bottas - 7 (finished eleventh, lap down)
Guanyu Zhou - 5 (finished fourteenth, lap down)
Haas - 8
Kevin Magnussen - 8 (finished eighth, lap down)
Mick Schumacher - 9 (finished sixth, lap down)
Next stop Circuit Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix in two weeks time.
Review of the eleventh round of the 2022 F1 season at the Red Bull Ring, on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria; for Saturday's Sprint Race at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Overall the race itself was enjoyable race to watch. Current Formula 1 Champion Max Verstappen on pole for Saturday's race. At the start of the Sprint Race, Verstappen took the advantage at the start and comfortably lead the race throughout to lead all the twenty-three laps to win the Sprint Race to give Max Verstappen the eight points.
While, Charles Leclerc finished in second place in the Ferrari, Leclerc was sixteen tenths of a second behind Verstappen at the end.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz, Jr. finished in third place in the other Ferrari to complete the podium, Sainz, Jr. was five and half seconds behind Verstappen at the end of the twenty-three lap race.
Review of Round Two of the 2022 Extreme E Championship season was the Island X-Prix at Sardinia, Italy.
In Qualifying, Rosberg X Racing lead qualifying with the team of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky.
In the first Semi-Final race that was won by Rosberg X Racing with the team of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky. Second was Xite Energy Racing with the team of Timo Scheider and Tamara Molinaroa, they were nineteen seconds behind the leaders in the end. While, third was Genesys Andretti United Extreme E with the team of Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen, they were fifty-three seconds behind the leaders in the end.
In the second Semi-Final race that was won by JBXE with the team of Kevin Hansen and Hedda Hosås. Second was Acciona/Sainz XE Team with the team of Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz, they were five seconds behind the leaders in the end. While, third was Team X44 with the team of Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez, they were a lap behind the leaders in the end.
In the Crazy Race that was won by GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing with the team of Sara Price and Kyle LeDuc. Second was Abt Cupra XE with the team of Jutta Kleinschmidt amd Nasser Al-Attiyah, they were twenty-two seconds behind the leaders in the end. While, third was Veloce Racing with the team of Christine GZ and Lance Woolridge, they were twenty-nine seconds behind the leaders in the end.
In the Final race, GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing took the race win with the team of Sara Price and Kyle LeDuc. Second was Acciona/Sainz XE Team with the team of Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz, were twelve seconds behind the leaders in the end. While, third was Rosberg X Racing with the team of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, they were twenty seconds behind the leaders in the end.
Next stop Island X-Prix at Sardinia, Italy for Round Three of the 2022 Extreme E Championship season in a few days time.
Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria. The home Grand Prix for Red Bull Racing.
So Predictions for the race, for the win I predict Max Verstappen for the race win in the Red Bull, Charles Leclerc second in the Ferrari, and third for Carlos Sainz, Jr. in the other Ferrari. Don't forget Sergio Pérez, Kevin Magnussen, Valtteri Bottas, the Mercedes drivers, the Alpine drivers, and the McLaren drivers as-well for a podium place.
Review of Round Seven of the 2021-22 Formula E season held on the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan in Marrakech, Morocco.
The race was won by ROKiT Venturi Racing driver Edoardo Mortara in his Spark-Mercedes. Second was DS Techeetah driver António Félix da Costa in his Spark-DS, he was two seconds behind Mortara in the end. Meanwhile, third was Jaguar TCS Racing driver Mitch Evans in his Spark-Jaguar, he was six seconds behind Mortara in the end.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Next stop, Round Eight of the 2021-22 Formula E World Championship season at Brooklyn Street Circuit, New York City, USA for the New York City ePrix in two weeks time.
Review of the tenth round of the 2022 F1 season at Silverstone, Northamptonshire, for the British Grand Prix.
Overall the race itself was enjoyable, entertaining race to watch and the best race of the season so far.
Carlos Sainz Jr. was on pole for Sunday's race. At a dry British Grand Prix. Max Verstappen took the advantage at the start, the race was red flag after Pierre Gasly and George Russell made contact and caused Russell to lose control and hit Guanyu Zhou. The impact flipped Zhou's car and he skid across the track upside down. His car bounced over the tyre barrier, hit the catch fencing and came to a rest wedged in a small gap between the fence and tyre barrier.
Thankfully, Guanyu Zhou was able to escape with help from the medical crew and race marshals. Whatever is your opinion about the halo on the Formula 1 car, halo has done its job for saving Zhou's life.
60 Minutes later for the restart of the race, Sainz Jr. took the lead at the start ahead of Verstappen. Until lap 10 when Verstappen took the lead, until lap 12, Verstappen later ran over debris, that resulted in a loss of pace giving Sainz Jr. the lead again. By lap 21 Charles Leclerc took the lead after Sainz Jr. pitted for tyres.
With Ferrari set to win the race until lap 38 when Esteban Ocon retire with a broken fuel pump at copse corner resulting the safety car deployed. Leclerc didn't pit for tyres stayed on his hard tyres while Sainz Jr. Sir Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Pérez pitted for new soft tyres. A move Ferrari will wan't to forget for not pitting Leclerc when needed to. On lap 43, when the safety car went back into the pits Sainz Jr. took the lead ahead of Leclerc, while Leclerc finished fourth in the end. After overtaking his team-mate it was Carlos Sainz Jr. day, winning his first ever Grand Prix win to win this seasons British Grand Prix.
While, Sergio Pérez finished in second place in the Red Bull, Pérez was four seconds behind Sainz Jr. at the end.
Meanwhile, Sir Lewis Hamilton finished in third place in the Mercedes to complete the podium, Hamilton was six seconds behind Sainz Jr. at the end.
Finally, Haas driver Mick Schumacher eighth place, giving him his first point finish in Formula 1, first time the Schumacher name is in the points since his father Michael Schumacher finished seventh at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2012. Schumacher was eighteen seconds behind Sainz Jr. at the end of the fifty-two lap race.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 7
Lewis Hamilton - 9 (finished third, fastest lap)
George Russell - 6 (DNF, Collision with Gasly)
Red Bull Racing -7
Max Verstappen - 8 (finished seventh)
Sergio Pérez - 9 (finished second)
Ferrari - 9
Charles Leclerc - 8 (finished fourth)
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 10 (pole, race win)
McLaren - 7
Daniel Ricciardo - 5 (finished thirteenth)
Lando Norris - 9 (finished sixth)
Alpine - 7
Fernando Alonso - 9 (finished fifth)
Esteban Ocon - 6 (DNF, Fuel Pump)
AlphaTauri - 5
Pierre Gasly - 5 (DNF, Collision damage with Tsunoda)
Yuki Tsunoda - 5 (finished fourteenth)
Aston Martin - 8
Sebastian Vettel - 9 (finished ninth)
Lance Stroll - 7 (finished eleventh)
Williams - 6
Alexander Albon - 6 (DNF, Collision with Vettel)
Nicholas Latifi - 7 (finished twelfth)
