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Hamilton’s front wing had taken a double battering in the Jeddah race on Sunday, following a clash with Esteban Ocon at the restart and then having run into the back of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
The loss of performance was notable on the Mercedes pitwall, with its data suggesting that the downforce deficit from the two strikes was costing Hamilton nearly half a second.
Mercedes trackside …Keep reading
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Formula 1’s first visit to Saudi Arabia provided a memorable and controversial race as tensions flared between title rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
It became the latest chapter in their rivalry following the spats at Silverstone, Monza and Interlagos, but the eventual Hamilton victory means they sit tied on points going into the Abu Dhabi season finale – albeit with Verstappen …Keep reading
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Mick Schumacher triggered a red flag when he spun off at the high-speed Turn 22 early in the race.
Following the restart, an unsighted Nikita Mazepin ran into the back of George Russell as the Williams driver tried to avoid Sergio Perez, who had been spun round by contact with Charles Leclerc.
Mazepin’s chassis was damaged beyond immediate repair, so the spare will be pressed into action for …Keep reading
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Masi caused some surprise at the Jeddah circuit on Sunday when, during the second red flag period, he offered Red Bull the choice of grid slot for Max Verstappen.
With the Dutch driver having been deemed to have gained an unfair advantage when he overtook Hamilton off track at the first corner, Masi gave Red Bull the opportunity to take third or stick with pole.
If the team had decided to …Keep reading
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The Alpine driver had been running third behind Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen for much of the Jeddah race, before facing a late challenge from Valtteri Bottas.
Although he managed to stave off his Mercedes rival for a while, Ocon ultimately lost a drag race out of the final corner and crossed the finish line just more than one tenth of a second behind.
Speaking about what happened at the …Keep reading
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They will go into the finale tied on points, only the second time (after 1974) that has happened since the inaugural world championship in 1950.
Although they are both on 369.5 points, Verstappen is ahead on wins countback, having taken nine victories this season to Hamilton’s eight. That includes the shortened Belgian GP, where there were no racing laps, which also explains the half points …Keep reading
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Ahead of the second red flag restart at the Jeddah circuit on Sunday, Masi spoke to Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and asked the team if it wanted to move Max Verstappen down the grid order.
That was because Verstappen had retaken the lead from Lewis Hamilton after the first restart only by running off track around the outside and gaining an unfair lasting advantage just before …Keep reading
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Verstappen pushed Hamilton off the track during last month’s Brazilian Grand Prix, but FIA race director Michael Masi decided not to refer the matter to the stewards, the incident therefore not being investigated.
After the race Mercedes feared the non-call would set a precedent by suggesting that henceforth they would be allowed to leave the track to gain or keep a position.
At Sunday’s …Keep reading
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The F1 world championship tussle hit boiling point in a chaotic Jeddah race stalled by two red flags and numerous clashes.
The crunch came down to Verstappen running off track in a battle for the lead with Hamilton, and subsequently given a five-second penalty, while in an attempt to give the lead back to Hamilton before the penalty it led to the Mercedes driver hitting the rear of his Red Bull …Keep reading
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The McLaren driver was running in sixth place in the early stages of the Saudi Arabian GP when he took advantage of the safety car for Mick Schumacher’s accident to make a pitstop.
He lost more than the drivers ahead who also stopped, dropping back to 14th place as cars that opted to stay out jumped him.
However, any tactical advantage was lost when the red flag was shown and those who …Keep reading
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