Mercedes Won the War – But Ferrari Can Still be Proud

The 2017 Formula 1 titles were wrapped up in Austin and Mexico respectively, with Mercedes clinching the constructors title in the US and Lewis Hamilton the drivers in Mexico City.


Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel’s challenge had fizzled out from Singapore through to Mexico and the German now has to secure second place from Valtteri Bottas. But despite the issues the team and driver have faced and the failure to secure either title, they can still be proud of what they have achieved in 2017.

You have to take a step back and reflect on where Ferrari has come since Vettel joined them in 2015. That year saw a revitalized Scuderia take second in the championship and Vettel secured three wins and a pole position on his way to third in the title race, his first win in Malaysia throwing him right into the championship mix at that point.

It all seemed to set up a potential title challenge in 2016 and after the opening race of that year in Australia, it looked like it could be on. Ferrari took the lead at the start of the race, ran 1-2 for the majority and only lost out thanks to a DNF for Kimi Raikkonen and a poor strategy call. But that was perhaps the closest the team got to securing a victory all season.

The team took only 11 podiums across the 21 races, with no victories or pole positions. It was 5 podiums less than what the team had managed in 2015, and Vettel never really featured in the title fight which was eventually won by Nico Rosberg.

The Scuderia slipped behind Red Bull in the constructors standings and finished in third. As 2016 drew to a close and 2017 dawned, people were expecting a battle between Red Bull and Mercedes, with Ferrari perhaps being there in third. No one really gave them a chance. But what transpired was their best shot at a title since 2008.

“The team is growing, and there are many positive aspects. Overall, I think we are on the right path.” – Sebastian Vettel


Five pole positions, five wins and 17 podiums so far this season marked a huge improvement in form and the title battle seesawed between Ferrari and Mercedes, and Vettel and Hamilton. It all went sour with the Singapore smash between Vettel, Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso and the reliability issues in Sepang and Suzuka.

Had it not been for that, Vettel would still be right in the hunt for the title and if he hadn’t endured ‘argy-bargy’ with Hamilton in Baku, he could even be leading the championship! Despite the bumps along the road, Ferrari became title contenders again – all without being given a chance coming into the new season.

This alone is why Ferrari can be proud. Going into 2017 they weren’t given a hope in hell of challenging for this title, yet perhaps produced the overall better race car of the year and really took the fight to the all conquering Mercedes team.

Vettel produced some stellar drives such as Australia and Monaco, and some of his pole laps were sensational with perhaps Singapore and Mexico the standouts in the bunch. Raikkonen’s pole lap in Monaco was also something for the books. Ferrari may have lost the war this year, but they will come back even stronger in 2018. You can bet on that.

Nico Rosberg - "That's it"

After 206 starts, 23 wins, 30 pole positions and 1 world title, Nico Rosberg has retired from Formula 1. Not even a week has elapsed since he claimed Motorsports ultimate prize. And boy did he go out with a bang! He survived what he called "the most intense 55 laps of my career" to take a hugely emotional first title, and at last achieved his childhood dream. And after eleven years in Formula 1, he decided "that's it". 

You have to admire the resilience and tenacity Rosberg has shown this season. He has gone up against one of the fastest there is, in Lewis Hamilton, and been defeated twice in succession. Perhaps most would have called it quits after that. But not Rosberg. No way. He kept going, kept fighting, worked harder than ever in 2016. And it paid off. He refused to go quietly, never once backed down, and gave Hamilton plenty of headaches. It was a great way to bow out of a wonderful career.

He joined Formula 1 in 2006 with Williams, and instantly made an impression. He scored two points on his debut in Bahrain, and set fastest lap. Against more experienced teammate Mark Webber, he fared well. However, things were tough for Williams that year. He scored just once through the rest of the season. This characterised the Williams spell of his career. The car was just not competitive enough to fight with the likes of Ferrari and McLaren, so that made any podium appearances Rosberg made even more remarkable. 

His first two podiums did indeed come with Williams, the first being in Australia in 2008. He was third on that day, as future teammate Hamilton took the victory. The hugs and smiles then have not been seen often recently! The second of the two was arguably one of his best ever drives, with second place in Singapore. He achieved this thanks to the safety car brought out by 'that' crash from Piquet Jr. Had the rather ridiculous 'pitlane closed after SC deployment' rule not been in place back then, he potentially could have won the race as well. He was after all infront of Alonso when the SC went in...

2009 was a season that could have given so much more. The FW31 was a decent car, but it never really lived up to its potential. A race win potentially went begging in Malaysia, and second place certainly went away in Singapore after a mistake at the pit exit. Ultimately, 2009 was to be Rosbergs final season in blue and white. A deal almost came off with BMW Sauber, before BMW left the sport. That paved the way for him to join Brawn, which was about to become Mercedes. And he joined one of the greatest of all time...Michael Schumacher.

Mercedes hoped for big things in their comeback year, but it took a while for things to really get going. Rosberg comprehensively beat Schumacher in 2010, with 142 points to Schumacher's 72. He also took three podiums and almost won the Chiniese Grand Prix as well. 2011 was even tougher for the team, with neither driver taking to the podium, although they did come close again in China. That same place would be the scene of their first win next year.

It was Rosberg who took his and the teams first win since the Silver Arrows returned, and it was a hugely emotional occasion, coupled with Rosberg's first pole position the previous day. It had taken 111 starts, but he finally achieved it. Second place in Monaco was also to follow, but the Mercedes massively fell off the pace as the season went on. At the end of it, Schumacher retired, and Hamilton joined Rosberg. And we all know what happened next...

Rosberg added to his victory tally over the next three years, with three Monaco victories surely being the highlights. He showed his one lap pace as well, adding 29 further pole positions to the one he took in 2012, and outclassed Hamilton in qualifying in 2014. However, he came up short in his world title quest during the first two years of the hybrid era. He bravely took it to the wire in Abu Dhabi 2014, only to be let down by his car that race. 2015 saw him outclassed by Hamilton, but three successive wins at the end of the year, after a bitter defeat in Austin, raised hope of a 'new' Rosberg in 2016.

Four successive wins gave Rosberg a massive headstart in 2016. However, midseason saw Hamilton claw it back to take a 19 point advantage going into the summer break. But, a resurgent Rosberg took control of the championship again, with wins in Spa, Monza and Singapore, the last probably the greatest drive of his career. He extended that lead to 33 points after Suzuka, and only needed to be second in the last four races of the season to be champion. With the pressure on, he did just that, and his drive in Abu Dhabi, with pressure infront and behind, was a drive worthy of a world champion.

With the title now his, Rosberg made the biggest decision of his career. On the 2nd of December, he announced he was to retire from Formula 1. His statement read as follows; 

"Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my ‘one thing’ to become Formula One World Champion. Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target.And now I’ve made it. I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right. My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen.

“This season, I tell you, it was so damn tough. I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years; they fueled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before. And of course that had an impact on the ones I love, too – it was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target. I cannot find enough words to thank my wife Vivian; she has been incredible. She understood that this year was the big one, our opportunity to do it, and created the space for me to get full recovery between every race, looking after our daughter each night, taking over when things got tough and putting our championship first.

“When I won the race in Suzuka, from the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became World Champion. On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time… and then the lights went out and I had the most intense 55 laps of my life. I took my decision on Monday evening. After reflecting for a day, the first people I told were Vivian and Georg (Nolte, from Nico’s management team), followed by Toto.

“The only thing that makes this decision in any way difficult for me is because I am putting my racing family into a tough situation. But Toto understood. He knew straight away that I was completely convinced and that reassured me. My proudest achievement in racing will always be to have won the world championship with this incredible team of people,the Silver Arrows.

“Now, I’m just here to enjoy the moment. There is time to savour the next weeks, to reflect on the season and to enjoy every experience that comes my way. After that, I will turn the next corner in my life and see what it has in store for me…”

And thus, an 11 year career, has come to an end. Nico Rosberg's childhood dream was to become Formula 1 World Champion. It took him a longtime to achieve it, but he did it. He leaves as the number one, and at the absolute peak of his career. A gentlemen, a racer, a husband, a father...a champion.  As he has said so many times after winning a race, "that's it". Danke schon Nico. Wir werden Sie vermissen Weltmeister! 

Nico Rosberg - A deserving champion to be

The 2016 Formula 1 season has been up and down for both Mercedes driver's. Rosberg headed into the Monaco Grand Prix weekend with a 43 point lead over title rival Lewis Hamilton. However, the following six races saw Rosberg fall 19 points behind Hamilton. But ever since the summer break, Rosberg has taken hold of the championship again. Going into the last four races of the season, Rosberg holds a thirty three point lead over his rival. This surely is Rosberg's best chance to date of taking his first world title. Along the way, there have been some highly impressive performances from the German, which would make him more than worthy of this championship title.

1.Singapore

Singapore was an absolutely dominant display from Rosberg, putting the demons of Mercedes 2015 race there firmly to bed. Last year saw the dominant champions outclassed by both Ferrari and Red Bull, and heading into the Singapore weekend neither they nor Mercedes themselves were sure if the situation would be different this year. Mercedes, though pushed by Red Bull, had sorted the issues out and the W07 was much more competitive than the 2015 W06. Rosberg's supremacy was asserted in qualifying, when he pumped in a 1m42.584s which was almost eight tenths quicker than anything Hamilton could manage. Hamilton himself was beaten to the front row by Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull, which itself was over half a second adrift of Rosberg's pole lap.

In the race itself, Rosberg got the perfect start and was in full control of the race, whilst his teammate was in a battle for the final podium spot with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. Rosberg was left hung out to dry however, in the last stint of the race. In an attempt to get third place from Raikkonen, Mercedes boxed Hamilton in an attempt to catch him. Ferrari then made a late call to cover off Raikkonen, but a good outlap from Hamilton put him back into third. Red Bull then covered the pair off Ricciardo and he rejoined the race comfortably in second. But, as Mercedes got ready to bring Rosberg in, they noticed that Ricciardo was on a stunning outlap, just as their man encountered some traffic on his inlap. The gap between the two was around 25 seconds. Not enough for Rosberg to come in and rejoin the race in the lead. Mercedes decided to leave him out on his old soft tyres, with Ricciardo catching over nearly three seconds a lap on his fresh super-softs. 

As Ricciardo charged on full attack mode at the end of the race, in his attempt to steal the win from Rosberg, the man himself didn't buckle one bit. He crossed the line just four tenths ahead of the Red Bull, but he had hung on to the victory, and it capped off an absolutely outstanding weekend from the German. If there is one weekend that showed Rosberg is champion material, its this one.

2.Malaysia

Just like in Singapore, Malaysia was a race where Rosberg really had to work to get a good result. Unlike Singapore though, it was only for third place. But it could have been so much worse. Rosberg's qualifying was scrappy to say the least, almost being off the front row entirely thanks to running wide on at turn six on his first Q3 run. However, he salvaged a decent lap that put him in second place, four tenths off Hamilton. He was still confident of the win however, and his Friday long run pace was decent. But at the start of the race, he found himself facing the chasing pack into turn one, as Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari outbreaked himself and pitched Rosberg into a spin as he tried to overtake Max Verstappens Red Bull. Rosberg flicked the car around and began a charge up through the field, knowing that every single point would count as Hamilton lead the race.

It was impressive how Rosberg sliced through the field, as if the other cars just weren't even there. Obviously it helped that he was in a Mercedes, and none of them were! But Rosberg in the past hasn't got his head down like he did in Malaysia when in a similar situation, notably Germany this year. This was a level headed and calm recovery drive, with a bit of fantastic and instinctive driving with his overtake of Raikkonen into turn two. He duped Raikkonen into thinking he was looking for the switchback. Then he saw the gap the Finn had left, and floored it down the inside. There was contact, but it was a brilliant move. The fact the stewards gave him a ten second time penalty makes you wonder whether they want anyone to actually race in Formula 1! Hamilton then dropped out in dramatic style with an engine failure at turn one, handing Ricciardo and Red Bull the victory. Rosberg pulled out enough of a gap from Raikkonen to take third and assume a twenty three point lead at the top of the standings. A crucial race for Rosberg, and an impressive recovery. A lucky outcome, but he still worked to get there. Evident from the sweat on his face after the checkered flag!

3.Baku

Up until Saturday, it looked like Baku was all Hamilton. The first race on the new street circuit in Azerbijan had been dominated on Friday by the Briton. But come Saturday, it looked like Rosberg had tuned his car setup much better than his teammate had. Indeed, all through qualifying, Hamilton made error after error. He went off track in every session, almost falling by the wayside before Q3! In Q3 itself, Hamilton pushed too hard, and clipped the wall going through the castle section, ripping off the right front suspension, and he would start the race in tenth place. Just seconds before the red flag for the crash, Rosberg blasted over the line too take pole by over eight tenths of a second from the Force India of Sergio Perez. There was no competition with Hamilton, but Rosberg had looked much more comfortable prior to his crash, so may very well have beaten the Brit anyway.

Come the race, there was no stopping Rosberg. He made a perfect start and no one got a look in from then on. Both he and Hamilton suffered D-rating issues in the race. The difference was Rosberg sorted it out very quickly with no assistance from the team, whereas Hamilton got into a real flap over it, and lost a lot of time in his recovery drive due to that. Baku showed a very calm and shrewd Rosberg, just as we would see later in the year with his Malaysia recovery drive. He drove just as fast as he needed too, and never looked fast in the process. Hamilton had cut into his initial 43 point lead prior to Baku with wins in Monaco and Montreal. But Rosberg fought back, and although Hamilton was to take the advantage again before the summer break, Baku was perhaps the first sign of the year that Rosberg could fight back against Hamilton. He is the rival that won't go away and perhaps this year, he will take the ultimate prize.

4.Italy

Qualifying in Monza was dominated by Mercedes, and in particular Hamilton. He was almost half a second quicker than Rosberg, but both were comfortably clear of the two Ferrari's. Rosberg though was pragmatic, knowing there was every chance he could beat Hamilton in the race, particularity off the start. He wasn't wrong. Rosberg made the perfect getaway. Hamilton, well, didn't. He dropped back to sixth place, as Rosberg vaulted into the lead, and successfully saw off the challenge from Vettel. Hamilton got past Ricciardo quickly, took a bit longer to pass Bottas, then got stuck behind both Ferrari cars. He was helped though by the fact they were on a two stop strategy, Mercedes on a one stop. When he was in clear air however, he couldn't make any inroads on Rosberg. Rosberg didn't just get lucky at the start, he had great race pace to go with it.

When in a situation like this, with his teammate a step ahead, Rosberg has been accused of 'bottling it'. Or, to put it better, making mistakes. This was the case in 2014, where a very similar situation put Rosberg upfront, but Hamilton fought back and pressured Rosberg into a mistake at turn one. The same thing happened in 2015 too, at Austin. In Italy this year though, Rosberg just didn't give up. He knew he had a chance still on Sunday, and he took it. He closed the gap at that point in the championship to just two points. Could he really fight back and overhaul Hamilton again? Yes. He could.

5.Japan

Japan will perhaps turn out to be one of the most crucial races of the season. At a track where he was won twice, this was a place where Hamilton really had to fight back. Unfortunately for him, he didn't manage to do so. He just fell short of grabbing pole position on Saturday, by just 0.013s to Rosberg. But he completely messed up the race start, dropping back to eighth place! Rosberg meanwhile made the perfect launch, and vaulted clear of the field. He had looked like the favorite through practice, and was on Sunday despite the slender qualifying margin. Once clear of the field, he manage the race beautifully. In light of Hamilton's engine failure in Malaysia a week earlier, he pushed only when he needed too, and did not put a single foot wrong. It was similar to his performance in Singapore. It was a weekend where he was just better than Hamilton, and there was nothing that the Brit could do about it. At the checkered flag, Rosberg extended his championship lead to 33 points, his teammate only salvaging third, Verstappen's Red Bull keeping him at bay to the line. It was another drive that showed Rosberg's class.

There are now just four races to go before this season reaches its climax. Anything could happen in those last four races, Malaysia showed us that. Mercedes might find another car between both its drivers like in Suzuka. But whatever happens, Nico Rosberg more than deserves the title of World Champion. Sure, he has got lucky at times. But that's all part of Motorsport isn't it? On his day, he is as fast as anyone, and he shown that plenty of times in 2016. Nico Rosberg is inching closer to his first world title. And after the season he has put together, who can begrudge him of that?

*All photo's used in this article are copyright of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.

Canada 2008 – Sauber and Kubica’s moment in the sun

2008 was the season which Sauber, with the help of BMW, took the fight to Formula 1’s top teams. It was the year which saw Robert Kubica come of age, and it gave him his first, and probably last, Formula 1 victory. On the 8^th June 2008, the Sauber BMW F1 team, had their moment in the sun.

Kubica had qualified in second place behind Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren, with Kimi Raikkonen for Ferrari third. A standard getaway left the top three in the same positions as they had been on the grid. Ahead of Kubica, Hamilton romped away, to open up a five second lead over the BMW. Then, on lap 16, Adrian Sutil’s Force India stopped on track, bringing out the safety car. This was back in the day when the pits closed when a safety car was deployed, so the field had to wait for the pits to reopen.

 When they did, Hamilton led the charge into the pits. A slow pitstop for the McLaren driver dropped him behind Kubica and Raikkonen. The pair reached the end of the pitlane and stopped for the red light, but, for whatever reason, Hamilton didn’t. He narrowly avoided Kubica, but smashed straight into the back of the Ferrari, with the Williams of Nico Rosberg then hitting the back of Hamilton. In one foul swoop, Hamilton had caused mayhem. He and Raikkonen were out of the race, and Rosberg was penalised. This handed the race on a plate to BMW Sauber. But it was Nick Heidfeld who led the way!

Kubica was on a two-stop strategy, whereas Heidfeld was on a one stop. Before Heidfeld lead the field away, seven different leaders headed the field, before it sorted itself out after their pitstops. Kubica was one of those to pit over that section of the race, leaving Heidfeld in the lead. Heidfeld had a decent lead but Kubica was in a much lighter and faster car, and rapidly caught up to his teammate. Knowing resistance was futile, and a podium was still on, Heidfeld duly allowed his teammate through. Kubica did this on just the first lap out of the pits! Kubica never looked back after that, but his teammate had to! A charging Fernando Alonso in the Renault was putting pressure on the German driver, and it looked like Sauber might not get the fairytale 1-2 in which it was currently holding.

  

Alonso’s charge however came to an abrupt end just a few laps later. A rare mistake saw him spin off and damage his front wing and suspension, putting him out of the race. Heidfeld was now safely in second place, and Kubica leading the way ahead of him. Kubica had been the first Pole on pole at the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier in the year, and took a solid podium in that race. Now, on this sunny afternoon in Canada, he was on his way to his first ever Grand Prix victory, and the first for Sauber BMW as well. It was a well-deserved victory for a team of pure racers.

Kubica took the checkered flag and the championship lead with it too. Sadly though, this was as good as it got for BMW Sauber. With a victory in the bag, the team decided to stop development on the 2008 car, to focus on the 2009 car, where big aerodynamic changes were coming in. Unfortunately, this headstart didn’t produce a title contender, and team endured a nightmare season, which culminated in BMW leaving Formula 1, and Sauber nearly going under. Only Peter Sauber’s tenacity saved it from extinction. To this day, it is a huge source of regret for BMW, that they didn’t carry on developing what really could have become, a championship winning car.

As for Kubica, he went to pastures new in 2010, to the Renault team, and impressed massively that year. His F1 career was sadly cut short in 2011, after a horrific rally accident nearly left him without his right arm. On the edge of Ferrari stardom, a promising career was cut short. And in 2008, a promising future for the Sauber team, was effectively wiped out, on the day that promised them so much. The 8^th June 2008. The day which Sauber, had its one, utterly glorious moment, in the sun.

IndyCar 2016 – The Final Act

The 2016 IndyCar season is rapidly drawing to a close, and it could reach a thrilling conclusion. What looked like a walk in the park for Simon Pagenaud all year long has now turned into an inter-Penske duel between himself and his teammate Will Power. Both drivers have four wins apiece, with Power fighting after missing the first race of the year. Heading into the penultimate round of the championship, the gap between them is twenty eight points. Before Pocono, it was over fifty. But a hefty crash for Pagenaud and a stunning victory for Power greatly reduced that gap. Pagenaud clawed back eight points in the Texas 600, but it is all to play for as the season draws to a close.

Both drivers have been incredibly impressive all season. Pagenaud dominated the early part of the season, taking three victories in a row and bouncing back perfectly from a disappointing 2015. And whenever he didn’t win a race, he was more often than not scoring a big haul of points. This was while his rivals like Scott Dixon and Juan Pablo Montoya were having rather difficult seasons, despite the latter winning the season opener. Pagenaud’s cause was also helped with Power missing the first race of the year due to suffering the ill effects of a practice crash.

But as the season has gone on, Power has fought back magnificently. He won the second race in Detorit and then made it back to back victories, winning the next race at Road America. Another win followed in Toronto, and then another at Pocono.  It was there where Pagenuad suffered his first DNF of the season, allowing Power to close right in on him in the standings.  It came on a rare day of inconsistency for Pagenaud, who was never in contention before his accident.

It has also been a season of Penske dominance. They have won eight of the seasons sixteen races, and have taken all bar three of the 14 pole positions so far. It is an incredible achievement in what is a very close and competitive series.

Heading into Watkins Glen this weekend, Power is twenty eight points behind his title rival. It is a decent gap for Pagenaud, but Power is unlikely to give up, and the championship is surely going to go down to the wire at Sonoma. What complicates it further, is that the race there, is worth double points…

Stay tuned…this battle is far from over!

The Rise of Max Verstappen

The rise of Max Verstappen – F1’s youngest ever winner

Max Verstappen exploded onto the Formula 1 scene in 2015, and his rise has been nothing short of remarkable. He has rewritten what many though possible for a driver at such a young age. He has caused controversy, created splendour, and enlivened many a race in his so far short career. Along the way, there have been many impressive drives, culminating in his stunning first win for Red Bull in Spain this year.

The start of something special

Perhaps the first indication that Max was indeed a special driver, came in Malaysia 2015. Qualifying was held in atrocious conditions, and Max made it safely to Q3. During the session, he qualified in an incredible 6^th position. The race was even more impressive. Some incredible race craft,particulary going around the outside of Daniel Ricciardo, netted a solid 7^th place finish. This made him the youngest points scorer in F1 history, at 17 years and 180 days. He beat Danii Kvyat’s record of 19 years and 324 days by more than two years.

Malaysia was the first indication that Max’s age would not hinder him. Far from it, it looked like it might actually help him. Could he go on to achieve Sebastian Vettel like success, except even younger? The Chinese Grand Prix showed even more promise.

Braking perfection

The next race in Shanghai showed the incredible overtaking talent of Verstappen. Battling with the Sauber’s, he made some stunning overtaking moves into the hairpin at the end of Shanghai’s back straight, at one point virtually frightening Marcus Ericsson out of the way. He hadn’t expected an underpowered Toro Rosso to be up his inside! A similar move was made on Ericsson’s teammate, Felipe Nasr. As Verstappen made his mark, teammate Sainz was spinning to the back at turn one. Sainz was currently being rather overshadowed. Sadly, for Verstappen, all of his hard work went unrewarded. Just a couple of laps from the end of the race, his car came to a shuddering halt, thanks to a technical failure. A gutting end to a brilliant drive.

Overtaking Brilliance

Max showed further overtaking perfection in the Belgian Grand Prix. He pulled a stunning move around the outside of Nasr into Blanchimont, going off the track but keeping his foot down, before completing the move into the bus stop chicane.

Further brilliance was shown in the penultimate race of the year, in Brazil. Verstappen made a stunning move around the outside of Perez into the Senna esses, quite possibly his overtake of the season. This followed some bold moves on the likes of Vettel in the US Grand Prix, where he took another fourth place finish. He only narrowly missed out on the podium as well. Verstappens bold overtaking was gaining him a remarkable number of fans, in what was a frustratingly one sided 2015 season.

Meteor Rising

Verstappen’s rise to the top has been meteoric. After four races of 2016, Daniil Kvyat was dropped from the main Red Bull team, and Verstappen was put in his place. The move was seen as controversial, particularly as Kvyat had taken Red Bull’s first podium of the season in China. The switch came ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

No one expected Verstappen to get up to speed with the RB12 instantly. It would always to take to get used to a new car, particularly one as good as the ever improving Red Bull. But his speed in practice was impressive, finishing fourth behind teammate Ricciardo. He claimed he was still getting up to speed too, which was encouraging for the rest of the weekend! Qualifying though was fantastic, and he forced Ricciardo into leaving it to the wire to decide who would line up behind the Mercedes pair. After a mistake by Hamilton put him provisionally second, Verstappen eventually took fourth, a stunning lap from Ricciardo just edging him out. It was a terrific performance though for his first qualifying with Red Bull.

Then came race day…

Barely legal for the Champagne

We all know what happened on lap one. Rosberg and Hamilton took each-other before the race had hardly begun, which left the Red Bull’s one and two, Ricciardo leading. And thus followed quite possibly the race of the season so far. Ricciardo restarted the race well following the safety car, with Carlos Sainz third. The Ferrari pair swiftly passed the Toro Rosso. Vettel and Raikkonen were arguably faster than the Red Bull’s. Indeed, when in clear air, Vettel was quicker than the RB12’s. But the Red Bull’s superior traction out of the last corner meant the Ferrari’s never had the chance to pass them into turn one with the DRS.

As the race went on, Ricciardo couldn’t quite drop Verstappen. He followed in his footsteps, matching, and sometimes bettering, his pace. Things then began to get very interesting! Vettel and Ricciardo were on different strategies than Verstappen and Raikkonen. They were on the favoured three stop, with the other pair on the two stopper. This strategy shafted Ricciardo, cycling him behind Vettel after the last pit stops. Verstappen though, was managing his tyres beautifully, but Raikkonen was bearing down on him. There were three questions that needed answering. Would the Ferrari and Red Bull’s tyres last? Would Vettel and Ricciardo catch them? And, if they stayed ahead of their teammates, would Raikkonen get past Verstappen?

As it turned out, neither Vettel or Ricciardo caught Verstappen. The Australian’s left rear blew up with just a handful of laps to go, after failing to pass Vettel. Vettel never closed up to the pair ahead due his battles with Ricciardo. And despite immense pressure, Verstappen held off Raikkonen and took a stunning first win in only his first start with Red Bull.

 It was the biggest sporting news of the weekend, and made headlines all around the globe. He had defied all the critics who had questioned his promotion to F1 pre 2015. He had shown that age is just a number. He had done something incredible. At the age of just 18, Max Verstappen was a Grand Prix winner.

The star still rises

The following race in Monaco was a disaster for Verstappen, crashing out in both qualifying and the race. But since then, impressive drives have followed in Canada, Austria, and Silverstone, to net three more podiums. A disappointing Hungarian Grand Prix was soon forgotten about with another podium in Germany.

Verstappen’s star continues to rise. The question is, how far can it continue to do so?

The curious case of Ferrari and Raikkonen

In 2014, Kimi Raikkonen returned to Ferrari after two impressive years at the Lotus F1 Team. 7 podiums, including a win in 2012, netted an impressive third place in the championship after three years away from the sport. The following season yielded more success. Victory in the opening race of the year set up a title charge, and more races should have gone his way, particularly the German Grand Prix. His first year back with Ferrari though was a complete disaster. Raikkonen only scored 55 points, compared to teammate Fernando Alonso’s 161. The following season, 2015, was much better, and netted three podiums. However, new teammate Sebastian Vettel scored three wins. He also amassed almost double the points of Kimi, and was rarely off the podium.

In 2016, the Iceman’s form has improved. He has already taken three podiums, and he came close to winning the Spanish Grand Prix. But his inconsistent form lead to many questions about his future at Ferrari beyond 2017. Ferrari put all that to bed at the British Grand Prix however, and re-signed Raikkonen for 2017. However, I feel Ferrari need to have a rethink after 2017. Raikkonen needs to go. But why?

Raikkonen has yet to win at Ferrari since rejoining the team. Whereas teammate Vettel won three races in his first year with the team in 2015. If Ferrari want to become constructor’s champions again, they need a driver who cannot just score consistently, but someone else who can win races. Both Mercedes drivers are capable of winning races and winning championships, even if one of them is still seeking their first title. Both of Ferrari’s drivers are world champions, but only one of them is driving like one. This is why Ferrari need to look elsewhere for its championship ambitions.

But who can replace the Iceman? Which driver would best fit the team?

The Honey Badger

Probably the most obvious choice for Ferrari is Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian is one of the most highly rated drivers on the grid, and for good reason. His 2014 season was nothing short of stellar, and he has put in many an impressive drive since his three victories that year. Two wins have escaped him this year, the one at Monaco after one of the qualifying laps of the hybrid era, if not maybe the lap of the era. Daniel is incredible on the brakes, and his smiley exterior hides a ferocious animal. An animal that knows what to risk and when to risk it, more often than not making it work. The word ‘mistake’ is not one that is often associated with Daniel. Officially though, Daniel is at Red Bull for the next two seasons (2017-’18), and that doesn’t look set to change. However, he recently admitted that he was on Ferrari’s ‘shopping list’ if they did decide to oust Kimi. That surely won’t change in 2017. "Am I the only driver on that list? Probably not. Am I their top pick? I don't know” says Daniel. "I'm aware they'd be interested; I don't blame them!”. Whilst there has been no physical contact between either party, Ferrari would be foolish to not at least consider Ricciardo for the drive in 2018.

‘Checo’

A few years ago, you wouldn’t even consider Sergio Perez for this list. However, since joining Force India after a tough season at McLaren, things have only gone up for Checo. Despite teammate Nico Hulkenburg being highly rated, Checo has been the one who has taken four podiums for Force India since he and ‘The Hulk’ became teammates. He has taken two podiums in the last two races of this season alone, and qualified second on the road in Baku. After finishing behind Hulkenburg in the 2014 standings, Checo beat his teammate last year and looks on course to do so again this season. His tyre management is also second to none, the podium in Russia last year partly down to this, much like some of his 2012 podiums with the Sauber team. Ferrari will surely be knocking on his door.

The man himself sounds happy to be linked with the Scuderia, saying "As a racing driver it makes you feel proud, especially how my career has been in the past years”. "I know I'm doing a good job and performing well and working well with the team [Force India]. That's good for everyone." Checo historically has had one year renewals with Force India. If that is the case again this year, he could be a free agent for 2018. This perhaps might make him the most likely Raikkonen replacement.

The Iceman mark 2?

Having said that, you cannot rule out current Williams star Valtteri Bottas. The young Finn was one of the stars of 2014, taking six podiums on his way to fourth place in that year’s standings. He was in contention for victory in both Austria that year and at Silverstone last year. Some of his qualifying performances have also been stellar, for example Russia 2014, where he almost took a stunning pole position, and Russia this year, where he outpaced Raikkonen’s Ferrari to take a Vettel-penalty-assisted front row start. His drive this year in Canada to third place was superbly calculated. 

The only issue perhaps is his performance against Massa, particularly in 2015. Massa fared pretty well against the young Finn last year, which suggested that Bottas wasn't quite the real deal, bearing in mind Massa's lacklustre performance in his latter days at Ferrari. This year however, that's completely changed and Bottas has completely overshadowed Massa.

Perhaps Valtteri is the least likely of the candidates to move to the Scuderia, particularly as Williams are very keen to keep hold of him. but Bottas is certainly still within a shout of the Ferrari drive.

An All-Star German Lineup

Perhaps even less likely of a choice is the current championship leader. Nico Rosberg is yet to seal a new Mercedes deal, although at the time of writing it is looking more likely he will stay with the Silver Arrows. But, I am convinced that Rosberg has held some form of discussion with Ferrari. He has never denied this. The man himself has said “Of course I’m in an interesting situation, I just want to see what the future will be. Let’s see”. He is an improved driver and man in 2016, and has bounced right back from his slumps in Monaco and Canada. He should have taken victory in Austria, but for that last lap. His racecraft, something that was questioned a lot over the last two years, is certainly not lacking. The move he made around the outside of Hamilton at the start in Spain was brave and brilliant. A move that you would normally find Hamilton doing. With the German on form, Ferrari will certainly be interested. With Raikkonen now resigned for 2017, and a multiple year deal at Mercedes now inevitable, the Ferrari door is probably shut for now for Rosberg. But rest assured, Rosberg will be one to watch in the coming years. He could yet end up 'Red'.

Signing Raikkonen for me was not the right thing for Ferrari to do. His performance has been inconsistent and we've yet to see a race win on his return to Ferrari. Yes, he's improved this year and yes, his experience may help the team with the new regulations for 2017. But beyond that, there are plenty of drivers who could do a much better job at Ferrari. If his form doesn’t improve, the Iceman’s days are surely numbered.