View From The Bridge

Over the course of Formula One’s 71 year history, there have been an infinite amount of era defining car changes that have helped crown some of the greatest drivers on their way to world domination. Among these coronations, great rivalries were born and produced some of the most incapsulating sporting moments of the past century.  Ayrton Senna battled wheel to wheel with rival Alain Prost for close to a decade, collecting 7 world titles between them. James Hunt beat out Niki Lauda in the race for the 1976 World Championship, and still remains one of (if not the) greatest F1 season ever recorded. Most recently in 2016, Nico Rosberg accomplished the impossible and defeated Lewis Hamilton in a heated season long battle that saw the German capture his one and only world title by only 5 points.  Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansel, Nelson Piquet (right to left) - flickr.com However, in recent years, the glorious magic that had millions of eyes glued to TV screens has gone missi...

With 4 races down and 18 to go, the 2021 Formula One season looks as it’s going deliver on it’s promise to bring back exciting motorsport. From front to back, the F1 back is filled with interesting driver matchups that aim to entertain right up to the chequered flag - a blessing compared to the 1 lap exhilaration that F1 fans have grown accustomed to over the last few years. However, whilst the racing certainly is fast, team principles patience isn’t and therefore some interesting driver changes are already appearing on the horizon - F1’s “Silly Season” has officially begun.  Over the winter break, the main story in F1 was Lewis Hamiltons contract, which remained unsigned until only a month before 2021’s inaugural race in Bahrain. Unfortunately for most, it seems Lewis is here to stay, winning 3 out of the 4 opening races and opening the door to Toto Wolf for a 2-year contract extension which would keep him in the lead Mercedes until 2023. Whilst this does all kinds of good for Ham...

In terms of motorised dominance, John Surtees sure gave it a good go. He remains the only person ever to win world championships on both two and four wheels and holds an infamous reputation for walking away from Enzo Ferrari. There is no question - from his inaugural race in 1950 to his retirement in 1972, he established himself as one of the greatest racing drivers who had ever lived.  To truly break down the man's success, it's probably simplest to divide his success into 3 sections - Motorcycles, Formula One, and Le Mans.  On two wheels, Surtees was pretty much unstoppable. From 1956 to 1960, he won 68 out of the 76 races he entered on both 350cc and 500cc engines and won seven world championships for the famed Italian MV Augusta. As the son of a British Motorcycle Champion, it was destined for the man from Tatsfield, England to follow in the family business and by the time he was 11 he had already had the technical proficiency of any professional mechanic and rider. In add...

Since 2017, there have been 80 Formula One Grand Prix. This means that in the last 4 years, someone other than Mercedes has had 80 SEPARATE chances to win just ONE race. Mercedes have won 52 – Hamilton winning 43 of them. I’m pretty sure even Mercedes fans are now sick of seeing Hamilton and wingman Bottas on the F1 podium, but their dominance as a driver line-up has started to raise some questions – mainly, are they the greatest 1-2 punch in F1 history?    Not even close.    It’s no secret that the fanfare around F1 has gone stale in recent years, and Mercedes dominance is the pièce de résistance. Since Valtteri Bottas joined in 2017, Mercedes have had a 65%-win rate and earned a combined 2,673 points. Hamilton (otherwise known as Batman) has won 43 races in this time, with Bottas winning a very Robin-like 9. Yet, it isn’t something we haven’t seen before – in fact, it’s been a lot worse.  The key difference is that despite there being dominance, it was a ...

I think it's fair to say that the 2020 F1 season was underwhelming, to say the least, with the only 2 major stories being Russell's rollercoaster weekend at Mercedes and Romain Grosjean's immortalisation as the man who walked out of fire. With fans growing increasingly tired of Mercedes dominance, the FIA has finally put a cap on team spending, meaning we should see a much more intriguing F1 season heading into 2021, and if all goes to plan, we might even see new drivers and constructors world champions by the season's end.  Hamilton vs Verstappen  2021 not only represents the worlds hopeful exit from Covid-19 but also could be the year where Hamilton actually has to overtake another car. As the most successful driver in F1 history, most of the past decade has had fans watch Hamilton lead a glorified parade for 60 laps before taking the chequered flag. However, Red Bull and Verstappen see 2021 as their best shot at ending Mercedes 7 year streak as constructors champions...

Let's face it, the life of a billionaire businessman ain't all bad. Yes, you have the occasional 2-hour meeting to discuss what fifty-foot yacht to buy, but apart from that, life is pretty much taken care of. But aside from all the materialistic items that can end up in a billionaires shopping cart, money has the ability to buy one major factor in sport - opportunity.  Don't get me wrong, Lance Stroll is a talented young driver and F3 European Champion. However, without billionaire father Lawrence, I doubt he would be anywhere near the 20 seats that F1 provides.  At 19, Lance Stroll became one of the grids youngest drivers in 2017, when his father paid over $80 million for a seat at a struggling Williams. Not only did this place him next to the legendary Felipe Massa, but also gave him his first chance to prove he wasn't a 'pay-to-play' racer. Looking back, this wasn't the best idea for both Lance Stroll and his financially backed father. Over 2 seasons at W...

Having not produced a world champion since Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari have spent a majority of the last two decades behind a rival car. This rival has changed from season to season but as one of Formula One's greatest ever constructors, it seems completely irrational to see them anywhere else but atop of the podium. On the back of one of their worst seasons in 40 years, 2021 presents a major opportunity for the Italian giants to get back on top.    The heartbeat of any F1 car is its driver and Ferrari have procured a stellar line-up for the coming season. Future world champion Charles Leclerc and proven speedster Carlos Sainz Jr are one of the best pairings on the Formula One grid; all they need now is the right car.    Leclerc took over as the lead driver last year after contract complications ended sourly for team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Even with a struggling Ferrari, he still achieved 2 podiums and collected 98 points, finishing 8th in the drivers’ standings. A year ...

Welcome to Greatest Rivals! Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers.  Wednesday 3rd March 2021 - Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg  Although this rivalry doesn't reach the heights of Senna vs Prost or Hunt vs Lauda, it's surely the best that the 21st century has managed to produce. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have spent most of their motorsport careers wheel to wheel both on and off the track and their combined success brought them both to Formula One. But make no mistake, even though they shared the same track and overalls, their journey's to world titles couldn't be further apart; with one given immediate opportunity and the other having to wait 25 years for their shot at world domination.  Statistically, its a landslide. As ...

  Welcome to Saturday\"s Sporting Icon!  Every Saturday, this page will showcase some of history\"s most unappreciated sports superstars. From the winding streets of Monaco to the NBA hardcourt, I think it\"s time to shed some light on the greatness of some of the world\"s least treasured icons. February 21st - Richard Seaman  In the pre-war era of the late 1930s, motorsport was seen in two contrasting lights. In Britain, motor racing was a hobby for the rich and a pleasant past time that looked more like a weekend at the Royal Ascot. On the other hand, Nazi Germany had turned motorsport into a tool for national propaganda, taking the opportunity to display Germany\"s might and technological dominance around Europe. However, there was only one man that ever got to experience both sides of this political battle and at the time, was Britain\"s most successful racing driver; Richard Seaman.  Seaman was born in 1913 into a British family of wealth and made cle...

  Welcome to Greatest Rivals! Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers.  In order to determine a winner, each rivalry will be split into 2 categories: Statistical dominance and individual or team success. In case of a draw, the winner will then be elected from personal opinion.  Wednesday 27th January - Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna  In terms of world sporting rivalries, few will ever touch the globalising excitement that Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna captured at each and every race weekend. As competitors, their styles of driving could not have been more opposing, with each showcasing a unique genius that propelled them to be some of the greatest racing drivers the world has ever seen. Otherwise known as "The Professor", Alain Prost...

Gender equality is something that has been debated over for centuries. In 2021, the situation is still not perfect, but major steps have been taken to make the sporting world a more inclusive place. The Olympics have played a major role in this and was the very first sight of women's participation in sport on a global scale when they were invited to compete in the 1900 Paris Olympics across five events. Since then, women's participation has exploded into almost every sport at both the Olympic games and as professionals. However, watching professional sportsmen compete against professional sportswomen is still something that is rarely observed and can only be found in events such as Tennis (mixed doubles) and Equestrian. So the question is, will we ever see professional unisex sport, and what are the needed steps to get there?   Anatomically, there are a lot of differences between male and female athletes. For example, higher levels of testosterone in males allow for increased m...

Dominance is a concept that is rarely found in sport but is something that can take many forms. Some look in the win loss column. Others look to a teams influence and impact on the global sports stage.  However, no matter how you define it, some of history's greatest sports teams have gone above and beyond to produce some of the most dominant and influential eras of sport, and it is something that we all should be proud to have witnessed. So with that in mind, the aim of this article is not to find the greatest team of all time, but is focused on shining a little light on the golden age of sport that we're all so lucky enough to live in.  New Zealand All Blacks - Rugby  When you think about world rugby, you think about the All-Blacks. For the last 112 years since their inception, they have reached a level of global dominance that no nation from any sport could ever dream of. Since 1909, the All-Blacks have won 77% of their games and hold the joint record of most World Cup...

In the last decade, Mercedes has dominated the Formula One scene with a blend of fast drivers and an unbeatable car which has turned a once thrilling race weekend into a glorified 2-hour parade. In 2020, this story has largely stayed the same but the end of this season brought about a very interesting question concerning Mercedes's immediate future. With both drivers beginning to consider retirement, the need for young new drivers to compete with youthful lineups at Ferrari and Red Bull, is something Mercedes need to start thinking about. In addition, with Hamilton's contract still under negotiation and Bottas confined to a one-year deal, this leaves Mercedes with a lot of options moving forward; all of which look to include George Russell.  As a former F2 World Champion combined with solid performances over the past 2 seasons, George Russell has established himself as a member of the Formula One grid lineup for the foreseeable future. However, his performance for Mercedes in t...

When I sat down to write this article, the obvious big names came to mind. Pep Guardiola. Phil Jackson. Sir Alex Ferguson. Ron Dennis. Hall of Fame-worthy names that have managed some of the biggest names in the sporting world. But I know what you’re thinking. Not that controversial right? But then I started thinking back to questions that my old lecturers in university would ask me.    “What is the coach’s job?” “What roles and responsibilities do they fulfill?”  “What is the difference between a good coach and a great coach?”    Let’s break it down. Fundamentally, a coach’s job is to manage and teach an athlete to help them reach their next level of performance. This could be anything from teaching a kid his first step-over to helping Premier League players understand a new counter-attacking concept. Within their role as a coach, their job is not just limited to screaming on a side-line on Saturdays and drawing up plays on their whiteboards. In fact, at any le...

Sporting analytics have become a major factor in all of the sports, with its ability to be the great equalizer in comparing past heroes with present talent. Within Formula One, one man who is quickly breaking all statistical milestones before him is a 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton. Spanning over a 14-year career, Hamilton ranks within the elite in most categories including pole positions (1 st ), wins (2 nd ), and championships (1 st ); finishing only behind F1 legends such as Michael Schumacher and Jack Villeneuve. So, if one was just to look at the numbers, there is no doubt that Lewis Hamilton is one of the (if not the) most dominating Formula One drivers of all time. However, if you probe a little deeper, Hamilton has never been one to battle it out at the back of the pack with the likes of Toro Rosso or Williams; scrambling for points as the runts of the field. Instead, even as a rookie, Hamilton has consistently been on the front row, competing with the best drivers the p...