By A Narrow Margin, Rosberg Beats Hamilton for Japanese GP Pole

The remaining five races in the 2016 Formula 1 season has the promise to be a tight battle between Mercedes AMG drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Braking away from the remainder of the grand prix race grid in a similar way as happened in the previous two seasons, the Mercedes AMG team is all but guaranteed to clinch the manufacturers' championship. As for the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship, never before in the previous two championship seasons for the German factory organization has resulted in such a fierce battle into the latter stages. Following a bizarre Malaysian Grand Prix last week, Rosberg leads Hamilton by 23 points.

A week after the race where Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo won following Nico Rosberg's lap 1 contact from Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton suffering a power unit failure while leading, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka presents a chance to add another chapter to the circuit's storied history for affecting world championships. For qualifying at the 18-turn, 5.807-kilometer track defined for requiring power, balance and durability from a race machine, Suzuka epitomized the uncertainty of this year's championship.

In the final stage of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, the difference between the Mercedes AMG race cars was just 0.013 seconds. At the end, it was Nico Rosberg that inched his way to a 8th pole position for the 2016 season. The third consecutive year that the German driver will be starting at the front of the race in Suzuka, Rosberg is still chasing his first victory on the track while teammate and front row starter Lewis Hamilton is hunting for this third victory in a row in the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Ferraris led the way in the Q1 session in Japanese Grand Prix qualifying with Sebastian Vettel claiming a slight 0.015-second advantage on teammate Kimi Raikkonen. At the conclusion of the time trials, the two drivers were the second fastest team. Raikkonen was slated to start third on the grid for Sunday's race but his team would need to make a late change of his Ferrari's gearbox resulting in an 8th place starting spot. The second Ferrari of Vettel will also not be able to assume the fourth place starting spot. Following the last race incident, Sebastian Vettel was assessed a three-place grid penalty starting 6th. Vettel is the most winning active Formula 1 driver at Suzuka with four event wins on the track.

Promoted to the second row for the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing team continues to be floating on a wave of success and fortune following the 1-2 finish in Malaysia. The youngster Max Verstappen is starting third while Daniel Ricciardo will be fourth on the grid.

Aside from Mercedes AMG, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari, two other teams have inserted their two drivers into the top-10 at Suzuka. Sergio Perez will lead the charge of Force India powered Mercedes-Benz race cars in Japan by grabbing the 5th spot. Nico Hulkenberg will launch from 9th place. Attempting to iron out some late season bugs in what has otherwise been a decent rookie season, Haas F1 Team ended up with both drivers Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez in the top-10.

In addition to Scuderia Ferrari team cars, two other drivers have been demoted to the back of the Japanese Grand Prix due to penalties due to mechanical repairs. At the back of the field serving a grid penalty is the Manor Racing car for Pascal Wehrlein who's team switched the gearbox ahead of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. Also announced hours before the race's start was news from McLaren Honda that Jenson Button would drop to the back of the grid field due to a engine change. Button's final race at Suzuka as a Formula 1 competitor, the 2011 winner of the Japanese Grand Prix starts in an unremarkable position for a track he fondly races.

Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix will be a 53-lap event set for 2:00 PM local time (1:00 AM Eastern time).

2016 Formula 1
Japanese Grand Prix
Starting Grid 

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
6 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
7 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
8 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
10 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
11 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
12 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
13 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
14 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
15 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
16 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
17 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
18 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
19 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
20 31 Esteban Ocon Manor Mercedes-Benz
21 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
22 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda

What The Night Can Do: Rosberg Retakes Championship Lead With Singapore GP Win

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

Providing an stunning atmosphere for witnessing 22 high-powered, hybrid open wheel machines, the Singapore Grand Prix's Marina Bay Street Circuit has quickly emerged as a standout event on the Formula 1 calendar. Ever since the first running of a Formula 1 grand prix at the street race, the race is known as unforgiving to the point that mistakes can prove costly to both a driver's own run or to other drivers based on the close quarters created by the track configuration.

Last year, the Singapore Grand Prix served as a massive abnormally in the season. Sebastian Vettel won the race for Ferrari while the two Mercedes AMG team cars astonished by missing out on scoring a podium position. After a surreal 2015 outing for Mercedes AMG, the race team returns one year later as teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are engaged in an ongoing title fight unlike any seen in recent previous years. Opening domination by Rosberg was countered by Hamilton over the late spring and early summer overtook his teammate ahead of the summer break. When the series returned to action in late August, Nico Rosberg returned to early season by two claiming victories at the Belgian Grand Prix and Italian Grand Prix. With recent wins, Nico Rosberg recovered to be within 2 points of his fellow Mercedes AMG teammate and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton. In qualifying Rosberg carried on his recent momentum by taking pole starting alongside the Red Bull-TAG Heuer car of Daniel Ricciardo.  

Before the race started, the first casualty of the 2016 event would be left in the garage as the remainder of the grid assembled. The Haas F1 Team car of Romain Grosjean developed a brake-by-wire issue that put a cap on a nightmarish outing in Singapore for the French driver. Grosjean encountered problems on Friday and Saturday that also kept the Haas F1 Team crew busy maintaining the race car. "I love the race here in Singapore and I love the challenge, but this weekend was just not ours.” said Romain Grosjean in post-race.

A tradition with the previous eight Singapore Grand Prix events has been the appearance of the safety car at some point in the 61 laps. For the ninth event, the perfect record of safety car arrivals was protected after an early altercation on lap 1. A collision involving Carlos Sainz Jr's Toro Rosso-Ferrari impacting the left rear of the Force India-Mercedes of Nico Hulkenberg resulted with the latter mentioned contender impacting the track wall. While Hulkenberg's car suffered race-ending damage, Sainz Jr continued and would finish outside of the points in 14th place.

FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

The factor that played the most pivotal role in deciding the 2016 Singapore Grand Prix was the use of Pirelli tires. The field almost evenly split the execution of two-stop and three-stop strategies with Nico Rosberg being the most notable to only pit twice. Last pitting on lap 33, the lead Mercedes AMG appeared to be in a position to regret this tire plan late. Daniel Ricciardo's three-stop strategy involved pitting at the final time for supersoft tires on lap 47. Despite the extra pit stop, Ricciardo's Red Bull-TAG Heuer car's on-track pace provided some suspense in the closing laps. At one time up to 27 seconds behind Rosberg, the Red Bull Racing machine piloted by the Australian driver made up considerable ground per lap. On the final lap, Nico Rosberg faced the lurking threat of Daniel Ricciardo but was just able to cross the line first maintaining just effort of a gap after 63 laps.

With a narrow advantage of 0.488 seconds over the charging Red Bull Racing challenge, Nico Rosberg rolled to the Singapore Grand Prix victory serving as the German driver's 8th victory for the 2016 season. The win for Rosberg also secures another major first place returning to the top of the season's drivers' standings. With Lewis Hamilton taking a quiet third place in Singapore, the 10-point lead by Nico Rosberg translates to a lead of 8 points heading to Malaysia.

Once-again, Daniel Ricciardo settles for second place this year at a low-speed street course. Following disappointment in Monaco after starting on pole position, the Singapore race was more of a hard, earnest effort. "I don't really leave here with any regrets." said Ricciardo in a post-race discussion. Totaling four runner-up finishes in 2016, the Red Bull Racing driver has taken sole ownership of the record for second-place results so-far this season.

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

A two-time winner at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Lewis Hamilton finished a little over eight seconds behind his teammate. Though losing the points lead in the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship, the race did extend a streak of podium results to seven races for Hamilton.

Ferrari arrived at the 2016 Singapore Grand Prix with optimism after winning the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in 2015. Splitting a two-stop and three-stop tire plan, the additional pit stop allowed Kimi Raikkonen to finished one position ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel.

For one of the McLaren Honda drivers, the first leg of this recent Asian tour shows a great improvement for the second year of the team and engine partnership. After both cars failed to finish the 2015 event due to transmission issues, McLaren Honda collected a 7th place result thanks to inaugural 2008 and 2010 Singapore Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso. Jenson Button was unable to complete his final race on the Marina Bay Street Circuit after minor early race contact on lap 1 eventually led to a brake issue.

Climbing 9 positions from his starting spot, Sergio Perez with the sole remaining Force India race car rose to 8th place. Perez is just 4 points short of 7th place in the overall drivers' championship behind Williams Martini Racing's Valtteri Bottas (both Williams-Mercedes race cars failed to score any points in Singapore).

Finishing for positions behind teammate Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen put the second Red Bull-TAG Heuer race car (two positions higher than his rookie run last year at the track with Toro Rosso. Verstappen was the end driver to finish in the top-10 to operate on a three pit stop strategy. For the Russian driver, the 9th place finish was the first time he recorded a top-10 spot since the British Grand and only the third time since being transferred to the Scuderia Toro Rosso squad. Grabbing the final spot in the top-10, Kevin Magnussen driving for Renault finished for only the second time in the points for a grand prix this season.

With six rounds remaining, the 2016 Formula 1 tour next prepares to run at the Sepand International Circuit for the Malaysian Grand Prix set for October 2nd.

2016 Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix
Race Results

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
3 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
4 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
5 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
6 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
7 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
8 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
9 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
10 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
11 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
12 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
13 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
14 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
15 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
16 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
17 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
18 31 Esteban Ocon Manor Mercedes-Benz
19 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
20 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
21 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
22 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari

Hamilton Heralded as Hungarian Grand Prix Winner

Photo Credit FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

Arriving in Hungary, the 2016 Formula 1 season has officially reached its halfway point. The 10 races prior to the tour's visit to the 4.381-kilometer Hungaroring continues to prove how difficult it is to beat the Mercedes AMG entries. With exception to a Red Bull Racing triumph in the Spanish Grand Prix when the two Mercedes AMG cars beat themselves in the early laps, the German factory team has commanded another season in the open wheel series. However, in 2016, the battle between Mercedes AMG's teammates Nico Rosberg and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has grown to be the most Contentious. After a roaring start of the season by Rosberg winning the first four events but followed by Hamilton claiming four of the last five events, the drivers are separated by just one point.

In qualifying, Nico Rosberg edged out Lewis Hamilton in the last minute of the Q3 session to obtain the pole position, The advantage of placement for the Hungarian Grand Prix was short-lived for Rosberg once the lights went out to start the 70-lap event. While Rosberg achieved a reasonable start from his prime grid position with his Mercedes AMG machine, the Red Bull-TAG Heuer driven by Daniel Ricciardo launch was better allowing the Australian to hound the German driver. During that first lap surge, Ricciardo would successfully overtake the race's pole sitter but would not be the leader at the Hungoraring. As the battle between Ricciardo and Rosberg ensued, second-place starting Lewis Hamilton was handed an opportunity to gain the lead of the race. As Lewis Hamilton held the lead in the early laps, teammate  Nico Rosberg fought to pass the Red Bull Racing vehicle. By lap 3, Rosberg had mastered a move around Ricciardo allowing a Mercedes AMG 1-2 running order.

Racing in the middle of summer, drivers competing in the Hungarian Grand Prix were challenged by the hottest track temperatures experienced this season. According to Pirelli, track temperature reached 54 degrees Celsius. Despite the heat and an eventful qualifying session that involved four red flags, the main event on the 14-turn course was conducted as an orderly affair for most teams. Only one retirement took place after 70 laps.

Throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix, the interval between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg would remain close. A two pit stop strategy was exercised by both Mercedes AMG machines (as was the case with all-but two finishers of the races) resulting in tire changes occurring just one lap apart. Ultimately mirroring each other on pit and tire strategy, the pass for the lead on the opening lap would be the only advantage Lewis Hamilton needed to propel himself to a 48th career Formula 1 victory. Holding on with a 1.977-second margin of victory, Hamilton's 2016 event win was a record-setting fifth for the British driver at the Hungaroring. In post-race transcript, Lewis Hamilton said, "I don't know what the secret is here. Naturally having a great team and everything coming together is key. But it's a track that I think really works well for an aggressive driver".

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

Nico Rosberg finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in second place but the event proved quite costly. Rosberg loses his season-long first place spot in the 2016 Formula 1 Drivers' championship standing. Hamilton is now the series' new points leader posting a six-point advantage on Rosberg heading into the next week's German Grand Prix.

Claiming the final podium spot, Daniel Ricciardo in a Red Bull-TAG Heuer grabbed his first top-three position since the Monaco Grand Prix. With Ricciardo's teammate Max Verstappen taking the fifth place finishing position for the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing closed on Scuderia Ferrari. As Sebastian Vettel placed fourth and Kimi Raikkonen crossed the finish line in sixth, Ferrari maintains second-place in the oveall constructors' championship by one point. Raikkonen's point-scoring run came after a 14th place starting position. Starting the race on soft compound, Raikkonen's race required two stops for supersoft compound Pirelli tires (differing from most teams that started on supersofts and moved to the soft compound).

After a qualifying session where both team cars progressed into the Q3 session (the first instance since adopting the Honda power units in 2015), McLaren Honda was able to only celebrate one driver collecting points in Hungary. Fernando Alonso crossed the finish line in 7th place but Jenson Button experience a hydraulic issue almost immediately into the Hungarian Grand Prix. In attempt to fix the problem, Button and the McLaren team violated Formula 1's radio communication rules. As a penalty, Jenson Button served a drive-through penalty Continuing for most of the race, Button would retire his car on lap 62 when smoke was reported from the McLaren Honda.

Behind Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz Jr finished in eighth place for the third consecutive Formula 1 event with a Toro Rosso-Ferrari. Valtteri Bottas took ninth place for Williams Martini Racing while the final point-scoring position in the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix was obtained by Force India's Nico Hulkenberg.

The final race before Formula 1's summer break, the German Grand Prix set for July 31th at the Hockenheimring.

2016 Formula 1
Hungarian Grand Prix
Race Results

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
4 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
5 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
6 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
7 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
8 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
9 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
11 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
12 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
13 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
14 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
15 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
16 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
17 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
18 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
19 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
20 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
21 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
22 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda

Happy Hamilton Celebrates Third Consecutive British Grand Prix Win

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

If you follow mainstream news, it's hard to ignore the United Kingdom has been engaged in a fast-moving transition in an economical sense. Perhaps the British Grand Prix was an ideally-suited distraction for an English audience welcoming momentum of a Formula 1 power unit as opposed to the forces changing a nation.

The 5.891-kilometer track of Silverstone hosts an event that has been a part of Formula 1 since its inception. The British Grand Prix is also a homecoming for several teams including McLaren, Williams Martini Racing and Manor Racing as well as several drivers. Home turf for 2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button and 2016 Formula 1 rookie Jolyon Palmer, the most remarkable current name part of the British brigade is the Mercedes AMG driver Lewis Hamilton. Winning the previous Austrian Grand Prix with a daring but contentious last lap incident with teammate Nico Rosberg, Hamilton continued to demonstrate superiority at Silverstone throughout the weekend leading up to Sunday's main race highlighted by his pole position on Saturday achieved in a dramatic late session run.

The British Grand Prix started on wet weather Pirelli race tires as rain soaked the Silverstone Circuit track surface roughly 15 minutes prior to the event's scheduled start. Due to the water on the track, the field was started behind the safety car. Leading the field for the opening laps of the 2016 British Grand Prix, Hamilton immediately showed the pace that has allowed him to win the previous two events at Silverstone.

Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

The strategy for most of the front-running teams was a two-stop plan. The first stop can early with the transfer from wet weather to intermediate tires. By the end of lap 7, every car on the track had made the switch to the compound. As Silverstone track conditions dried, drivers came to the attention of their crews for medium compound tires between lap 15 and 18. As cars negotiated the wet conditions early, the track proved tricky for many runners to maintain traction. Williams Martini Racing driver Valtteri Bottas attempt to overtake the Force India-Mercedes-Benz race car of Nico Hulkenberg proved costly on lap 10. On intermediate tires, Bottas spun falling from a top-10 position in the race to 13th. The race would not improve for the Finnish Williams-Mercedes-Benz driver as would cross the line in 14th place.

Unable to make it to the first pit stop, Manor Racing driver Pascal Wehrlein lost traction on the wet track and ended his grand prix in the gravel run-off area. Collecting his first Formula 1 point on the Red Bull Ring, an early exit on a rain-soaked Silverstone for Wehrlein is a cruel fate. The British Grand Prix would become a double retirement the Mercedes-Benz powered Manor team when Rio Haryanto slid off-track after 24 laps. Despite being in the back half of the 2016 Formula 1 field, Silverstrone is the first place all season where neither Manor Racing car finished.

As Lewis Hamilton established an unmatched pace, a spirited bout for second place in the British Grand Prix was contested by the second Mercedes AMG race car of Nico Rosberg and the Red Bull-TAG Heuer piloted by Max Verstappen. The drivers battled for a good deal of the race for the runner-up spot with each holding the position through on-track passes.

Leading flag to flag, Lewis Hamilton won the 2016 British Grand Prix convincingly with a 6.9-second lead over the next car that crossed the finish line. Hamilton's 47th career victory in Formula 1, is closes to within four grand prix wins of Alain Prost in the overall record books. Having won his home event four times (including three consecutive years with his 2016 victory), Lewis Hamilton declared the British Grand Prix as the "Best weekend of the whole year!" in post-race transcript. "The engineers and mechanics did a great job, so big thanks to all of them once again. And then the crowd… I mean, where do they all come from? It’s absolutely amazing! Nothing we see in any other country even comes close – and that for me just shows the passion us Brits have for sport, regardless of the weather. It’s pouring down and these guys are just like “yeah, we love it!” This is beyond my wildest dreams, honestly." described Hamilton who enjoys a great personal attachment to the race at Silverstone.

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

Losing 7 points on Hamilton in the championship initially with a second-place finish, Rosberg and his Mercedes AMG team's conduct was a subject to an investigation. A radio communication between Rosberg and his crew regarding an issue with his race car led to unlawful instructions being given to the driver. Due to Formula 1's strict and specific rules on radio instructions, the communication between the Mercedes AMG team and Nico Rosberg cost him the runner-up spot. Given a 10-second penalty for violating the radio rules, Rosberg was demoted to third while Max Verstappen was elevated to second place in the final results. Entering the next race in Hungary, Nico Rosberg possesses just a single point lead on teammate Lewis Hamilton in the season's standings.

Max Verstappen out-qualified his Red Bull Racing teammate Daniel Ricciardo for the first time on the Silverstone Circuit Saturday and parlayed it into a second consecutive podium finish. Ricciardo in the second Red Bull-TAG Heuer took the checkered flag in fourth place. Kimi Raikkonen finished as the fifth driver to cross the finish line. Earlier in the week prior to the British Grand Prix, Raikkonen and Scuderia Ferrari agreed to rejoin for a 2017 season. Red Bull Racing and Ferrari are in heavy competition in the 2016 constructors' championship second place position. Ferrari leave the British Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull Racing by just 9 points.

After a disappointing Austrian Grand Prix for Force India, Silverstone resulted in both team drivers taking points. Sergio Perez took sixth place roughly 8/10ths of a second ahead of teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Forced to 11th place at the start of the grand prix, Sebastian Vettel was stalled in his progression up the field in 52 laps. A five-second time penalty assessed to the German Ferrari driver for a late incident with Felipe Massa did not affect him in the final results where he crossed the line in 9th place. Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat came from a 15th place starting position to grab the final point available in the 2016 British Grand Prix. The race was a double-point scoring outing for Scuderia Toro Rosso as Carlos Sainz Jr. bettered Kvyat's effort with 8th place.

Formula 1 drivers and teams receive an upcoming off-week from competition while the Hungarian Grand Prix is set for July 24th.

2016 Formula 1
British Grand Prix
Race Results 

Pos #/ Car #/ Driver/ Team/ Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
3 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
6 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
7 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
8 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
9 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
10 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
11 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
12 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
13 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
14 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
15 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
16 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
17 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
18 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
19 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
20 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
21 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
22 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz

Record Pole Run for Hamilton Marks Eventful British Homecoming

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

The British Grand Prix is among one of the original mainstays on the Formula 1 calendar since its inception in 1950. The previous Second World War airfield in Silverstone was first competed upon for a grand prix race in 1948 for which the circuit has undergone a series of redesigns. The current track for Formula 1 competition is a 5.891-kilometer, 18-turn configuration.

A classic event for the motor racing tour, the British Grand Prix's place as the 10th round in the 2016 Formula 1 series allowed it to immediate follow a surrealistic Austrian Grand Prix. Winning the race in a wild and controversial battle with teammate Nico Rosberg, Brit Lewis Hamilton arrives with the support of a friendly home crowd at Silverstone. In qualifying, Hamilton was intent to claim his fourth pole for the British Grand Prix.

Backed by a speedy Mercedes AMG race car, Lewis Hamilton almost foiled his own pole in the session. Sitting a top time early in the Q3 session, Hamilton's initial effort was celebrated by his home country crowd before the audience and driver were confronted with a sense of loss. Stewards judged Lewis Hamilton had fallen out of the racing boundaries on the Silverstone track section out of turn 9. Prior to qualifying, drivers were informed track limits would be enforced under a situation of zero-tolerance in certain areas of the Silverstone Circuit. Hamilton's pole time was disallowed leaving the reigning world champion in a late scramble to propel his Mercedes AMG back to the optimum position for the start of Sunday's British Grand Prix. Within the late stage of qualifying, Hamilton triumphantly reclaimed the pole position with a lap record of 1-minute, 29.287 seconds. Lewis Hamilton is looking for his third consecutive British Grand Prix victory on Sunday.

Starting on the front row of the British Grand Prix is 2013 race winner Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes AMG 0.319 seconds slower than the pole sitting time. Contending for the all-important World Drivers' Championship, this season has put both drivers in the deepest direct conflict in their fourth year as teammates. Less than a week after the Austrian Grand Prix's last lap scuffle and an acrimonious exchange of words in post-race, Hamilton and Rosberg appears to be playing nice so far this weekend at Silverstone.  

A Red Bull Tag Heuer race car will be positioned right behind each front row starting Mercedes AMG. Occupying the second row, Max Verstappen emerged from qualifying faster than teammate Daniel Ricciardo. In the short history of Red Bull Racing current driver lineup, the British Grand Prix will be the first time Verstappen will start ahead of Ricciardo in a grand prix event.

Behind the Red Bull Racing owned second row, Scuderia Ferrari accounted collectively as the third-fastest time in qualifying. Possessing two former winners of the British Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen will start fifth in the first race since the announcement the Finnish driver will be returning to Ferrari next season. Raikkonen claimed an advantage of 6/10ths of a second over his teammate Sebastian Vettel. Vettel qualified 6th for the British Grand Prix but will have to start in 11th place following a gearbox change made to his Ferrari.

Ferrari S.p.A.

Promoted to sixth place on the starting grid, Williams Martini Racing driver Valtteri Bottas posted a runner-up finish in the 2014 event at Silverstone. Carlos Sainz Jr. is positioned in seventh spot alongside Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg. With the British Grand Prix track known for fast cornering, more encouraging signs are revealed by the Honda engine for 2016. Fernando Alonso splits Force India teammates Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez with his McLaren Honda race car in ninth place.

A race for 52 laps on the Silverstone Circuit, the British Grand Prix is set for 1 PM local time (8 AM eastern time).

2016 Formula 1
British Grand Prix
Starting Lineup

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
6 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
7 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
8 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
9 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
10 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
11 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
12 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
13 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
14 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
15 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
16 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
17 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
18 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
19 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
20 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
21 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
22 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton Wins Intensely Dramatic Austrian Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

For what was a thrilling 71-lap grand prix on the 4.326-kilometer Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, it took the last lap to decide the victor in the 2016 competition between the drivers and teams of Formula 1. For the win, it was an interteam battle between the Silver Arrows appears to reveal a hint at allies in crisis with each other once again.  

Catapulting from a fifth place starting spot to first place late in the Austrian Grand Prix, current Formula 1 points leader Nico Rosberg heading into the race had leapfrogged the Red Bull Racing car of Max Verstappen on lap 62. Verstappen was persevering from a lap 15 pit stop in the late stage as his team elected for a one-stop strategy. Both Mercedes AMG cars were placed on two-stop plans proving to be an advantage late in the grand prix.  

An event Rosberg had gotten used to winning in the past to trips to the Red Bull Ring, the German's final laps were not a pleasure cruise. The use of supersoft Pirelli tires and late-race braking meant Rosberg was unable to built a defining interval over challengers. Snaking past Verstappen on lap 63, Lewis Hamilton began to reel in his teammate's car. Starting the race on pole, Hamilton's first pit stop featured a shaky left rear tire change. While it resulted in no more than a second delay, that stop and Rosberg being on softer tires following the second trip to pit road placed Hamilton behind his teammate on lap 56. As both cars swept past the Red Bull Tag Heuer race car, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were within a second of each other by lap 67.

Starting the final lap, Rosberg flew by the start/finish line with Hamilton close in tow seeking an opportunity to steal the Austrian Grand Prix from his teammate. The moment presented itself into the first turn on lap 71 as the #44 machine of Lewis Hamilton braked late. As Hamilton gained momentum on the outside of Rosberg, the German on the inside line went wide into the corner. Through the block of his teammate for the final lap, the cars of Rosberg and Hamilton made contact with each other. Despite Hamilton being forced to recover into the runoff area outside of the first turn, the #44 car would roar ahead of Nico Rosberg's car as the collision damaged the front wing of the 2014 and 2015 Austrian Grand Prix winner.

Through the remaining distance of the final lap, Lewis Hamilton was left unopposed as he collected his 46th career Formula 1 victory and 1st win at the Austrian Grand Prix. As for teammate Nico Rosberg, the shattered front wing on his Mercedes AMG car resulted in him falling into the clutches of both Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. Crossing the line fourth, Rosberg would later penalized by stewards for the collision between himself and Hamilton. A 10-second time penalty, the German driver retained the position since he held a roughly 14-second advantage on the fifth place car.

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

The latest of many incidents that have occurred between the Mercedes AMG teammates since the 2014 season, the 2016 season sees both drivers on a perhaps the most equal competitive plane. In the ongoing championship, Nico Rosberg now holds an 11-point lead on Lewis Hamilton following the Austrian Grand Prix.  While Hamilton seemed content to accept the last lap contest as a racing deal, Rosberg without the race win was understandably less accepting. "I had the inside line and we both went into the corner a bit long. I was surprised that Lewis turned in and it ultimately meant that we came together" said Rosberg in post-race transcript. Even the Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff could not ignore the last lap incident. "It was incredibly frustrating for the team to see a one-two finish potentially become a double DNF on the final lap of the race" commented Wolff who realizes he may be facing heated tensions between the Mercedes AMG drivers. "As for the collision, I am not going to try and put blame more on one side than the other; it always takes two to tango and, as we have said before, this should not happen between team-mates. We will now let the emotions settle before we sit down and discuss our next steps." Wolff added.

Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

Max Verstappen's second place finish 5.7 seconds behind Hamilton was an impressive homecoming finish by Red Bull Racing. Narrowing beating Raikkonen to the finish line, Verstappen earned his first podium result since his win at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Besides the chaotic end at the front for the end of the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix, the event was filled with moments that skewed from brilliant to wacky. Among the most alarming incident was a tire failure on the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. Occurring on lap 29, the Ferrari sailed down the Red Bull Ring's front stretch as the rear right Pirelli racing slick shredded apart. A sudden failure, Vettel's car slid sideways briefly before impacting the track's inner retaining wall front end first. Thankfully, the impact with the wall was not severe enough to cause injury to the four-time world champion driver as Vettel climbed out of the Ferrari with the race under a safety car. Having yet to pit on the supersoft tires he started the race on, there was also reports Sebastian Vettel brushed the notorious curbing on the Red Bull Ring. With Ferrari, Pirelli is investigating the tire failure. A podium finish obtained by the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen provided some consolation to the efforts for the Italian team.

Back to the start of the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton shared the front row with the Force India race car driven by Nico Hulkenburg in a surprise qualifying result. Unfortunately, Hulkenberg was quickly displaced from the position on the start of the race falling to fifth in the first lap. The German driver of the Force India-Mercedes ultimately had to retire his car with braking issues. While Nico Hulkenberg's race ended in the pits reacting to a brake problem, teammate Sergio Perez crashed on the final lap of the Austrian Grand Prix stopping power on his car was impaired.

Photo Credit: Force India F1 Team

A retirement overshadowed by the Mercedes AMG scuffle on the final lap, Perez's retirement affected the back end of the top-10 running order. As the Force India dropped out of its eight-place position, the major benefactor was the driver running 11th. Pascal Wehrlein, first-year Formula 1 pilot for Manor Racing, scored his first-ever point in competition as he crossed the checkered flag in tenth-place. The 2015 DTM champion German racer collected the first point for the entity Manor Racing since the buyout when it was known as Marussia F1 Team.

Other remarkable finishes in the Austrian Grand Prix included Jenson Button crossing the line in sixth place after a strong qualifying effort by the Honda-powered McLaren. 71 laps at the Red Bull Ring also ended favourably for the Haas F1 Team car driven by Romain Grosjean. After scoring points in three of the first four races for the rookie organization, the American-based Formula 1 team has been brought to reality by the competition of the series. Five races since Haas F1 Team's last top-10 finish, Grosjean collected a seventh place result.

With the 2016 Formula 1 season approaching its halfway point, the British Grand Prix at historic Silverstone is the next round. The 10th race of the 2016 tour is set for July 10th.

   
2016 Formula 1
Austrian Grand Prix
Race Results

Pos #/ Car #/ Driver/ Team/ Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
3 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
4 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
5 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
6 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
7 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
8 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
9 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
10 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
11 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
12 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
13 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
14 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
15 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
16 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
17 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
18 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
19 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
20 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
21 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
22 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari

 

Hamilton Feels Canada's True Patriot Love With Fifth Victory In Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

In 2007, Lewis Hamilton won his very first Formula 1 grand prix on the Notre Dame Island. With the past grand prix round in Monaco, Hamilton collected his 44th victory in a series where he is a three-time World Championship. Prior to the 2016 Canadian Grand Prix, four of Hamilton's career victories were achieved on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Arriving as a hot driver after a lukewarm start to this season, the reigning Formula 1 World Driver's Champion successfully kept the momentum in his favour in Montreal.

A 70-lap event, the Canadian Grand Prix on the 4.361-kilometer Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was held under cloud cover Sunday with an air temperature that topped just 13 degrees. Despite the less than settling weather, rain did not play a part in the race in contrary to what some forecasts predicted. Another year when an affluent and dedicated crowd arrived for the grand prix, many drivers on the grid recognize the  Scoring pole in a very tight battle with Mercedes AMG teammate and current Formula 1 points leader Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton prime position for the 2016 Canadian Grand Prix would be challenged immediately when the lights went out to start the race. The Mercedes AMG cars launch resulted in a practical dead-heat between Rosberg and Hamilton. However, rising against the Silver Arrows, the prancing horse adorned in red that led the field into the first corner. Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari surged masterfully at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix soaring past the Mercedes-powered race cars.

As Vettel possessed an unopposed entrance into the first turn, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were still side-by-side. Following the pair's incident at the Spanish Grand Prix, another lap 1 battle proved nightmarish for the Mercedes AMG camp at the Canadian Grand Prix. Into the corner with Hamilton entering on the inside line, the #44 car exited the corner wide occupying the line of the #6 vehicle of Rosberg. Rosberg was forced off the race track onto the course's grass and was required to slow down to rejoin the Formula 1 pack out of turn two where he fell out of the top-five. After the race, Hamilton cited understeer into the first turn as the reason for crowding his teammate. In a post-race transcript, Nico Rosberg simply called the incident a bad maneuver from Hamilton while also responding "I had to try the move or accept I’d be behind him."

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

70 laps for the 2016 edition of the Canadian Formula 1 round occurred fairly smoothly as only three drivers were reported out of the race at the end. A Virtual safety car period to clear the McLaren-Honda of Jenson Button who suffered a blown power unit on lap 9 was a brief interruption. Another non-finisher in the Canadian Grand Prix was Felipe Massa who parked his Williams-Mercedes for an overheating issue. In the first six grand prix races of the 2016 season, Massa was distinguish as the only driver to have finished in the points in every event. Despite Felipe Massa's exit, Williams Martini Racing would leave Canada in a highly celebratory mood.

Nico Rosberg's eventful start to the race was compounded as the event transpired. Regaining ground through the distance of the grand prix, the #6 Mercedes AMG F1 W07 Hybrid race car proved uncooperative for the German. Rosberg would battle brake and fuel warnings inside his race machine. Costing him a chance at a podium finish, a late race tire puncture required Rosberg to make an unplanned second pit stop on lap 51. Returning to the race, Rosberg ran in fifth place and had instantly set sights on the fourth place Red Bull-Tag Heuer race car driven by Max Verstappen. Despite newer tires and the support of DRS, Rosberg was unable to undertake Verstappen who vigorously fought off the Mercedes AMG driver. On the second last lap for the pair, the Mercedes racer made one final attempt to pass the Red Bull Racing machine. Into turn 13, Rosberg made a late-braking maneuver on Verstappen but couldn't make his vehicle stick. Spinning his Mercedes AMG vehicle after the last-ditch effort for fourth place, Rosberg was able to hold into fifth place by a one-second margin on Kimi Raikkonen.  

The lead battle of the Canadian Grand Prix would be decided on pit road, or rather the lack of pit road for one car. A one-stop strategy proved the edge Lewis Hamilton needed to overcome the Ferrari. While Sebastian Vettel's two-stop plan required the Ferrari to push on soft and supersoft Pirelli racing rubber following the ultrasoft slicks many front-runners started the race on, Hamilton transitioned from ultrasoft to soft tires. When Vettel made his second pit stop on lap 37, the German driver's interval was not large enough to keep Hamilton behind him as he left pit lane. Depending upon his newer soft tires as a possible match to catch the Mercedes and perhaps retake the lead, the Ferrari was held at bay by Hamilton. In fact, Lewis Hamilton's fastest lap of the race was set on the third-last lap of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Crossing the line 5.011 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton gave credit to recently-departed boxing legend Muhummad Ali for inspiring him to the victory. "Over the last 10-15 laps all I could think of was Muhammad Ali – float like a butterfly, sting like a bee – because it really felt like I was floating. For me, and everyone I’m sure, he was such an inspirational figure, so that one was for him.", said Hamilton in post-race. He also fondly remembers the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as the location of his first Formula 1 win during his rookie campaign in 2007. Winning his fifth Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton closes in on the record seven wins at the event achieved in the career of the great Michael Schumacher.

Second place Sebastian Vettel started the grand prix spectacularly but simply came up short. Vettel was quick to cite the efforts of his Ferrari Formula 1 team, "I know that this car is a step forward, we know also that there’s still potential, and we’re not yet where we want to be. I also think we put ourselves under enormous pressure because we want to win. As a team, we came here and did our best, this weekend we were very close and hopefully next week we’ll be there.”, said the #5 car driver.

While the before-mentioned retirement of Felipe Massa was a setback for one Williams-Mercedes, the second team car for Valtteri Bottas more than salvaged their overall showing at the Canadian Grand Prix. The first podium of the season for the Williams Martini Racing team, Bottas repeated his 2015 appearance with a third place finish. "I’m very happy with what we achieved as a team today. It’s a shame with what happened to Felipe, but this gives us a big motivation boost for the next few races. I think today shows that we are a strong team who can deliver good results." said the Finnish driver in post-race.

Since the Spanish Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg's point lead has dwindled from 43 to just 9 markers. Struggles to capture points for one Mercedes AMG driver has come to the benefit of the other team pilot Lewis Hamilton as he is has captured two straight races. The next Formula 1 event is the European Grand Prix functioning as the inaugural occasion the series will run on the Baku City Circuit in the country of Azerbaijan. Teams will only have a week to prepare for the all-new event with the race scheduled on Sunday, June 19th.

2016 Formula 1
Canadian Grand Prix
Race Results

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
3 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
4 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
6 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
7 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
8 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
9 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
10 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
11 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
12 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
13 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
14 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
15 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
16 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
17 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
18 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
19 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
20 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
21 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
22 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault