View From The Bridge

Whenever the F1 circus returns to the streets of Baku, three things are always certain: flat out straights, multiple red flags, and a spectacular drive from Sebastian Vettel. The four time world champion took a trip down memory lane this past weekend, with a drive that earned him a foot on the podium for the first time since Istanbul in 2020. Qualifying 11th on the grid, narrowly missing out to old rival Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas, he climbed nine places and secured Aston Martin’s first points since their Formula One return. However, this isn’t just a flash of brilliance before returning to regularly scheduled mediocrity, but instead is a glimpse of what’s to come.  With the seemingly limitless resources of Lawrence Stroll behind them, Aston Martin Racing have had some mixed results during their maiden voyage of the 2021 season. Having collected a grand total of 5 points from the first four races, they have managed to bounce back and announce themselves as mid table conten...

For as long as most can remember, Lewis Hamilton has retained his title as the king of the Formula One grid and until recently it’s a position that has remained unchallenged. For this very reason, the F1 community has placed Hamilton on an elite pedestal next to the likes of Michael Schumacher and Aryton Senna and if the world ran by the numbers, you couldn’t really mount much of an argument. Alongside an impressive resume of other broken records, Hamilton has led 5,126 laps out of a possible 15,588 in cars that make others look like horse-drawn carts. This distinct advantage over the rest of the field is something that Hamilton has grown with throughout his Formula One career, first starting as Ron Dennis’ wunderkind before moving to become the centre piece of Toto Wolf’s Mercedes empire. Now, I’ll be the first to admit, Hamilton is a great driver and when combined with a car that leans on every possible rule violation, its a recipe for a multiple time world champion. However, what ha...

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...

To say Mick Schumacher hasn't earned his F1 seat would be a mistake - as history as shown us a name only gets you so far. However, as the son of a seven-time world champion, needless to say, there is a unique amount of pressure on this particular drivers shoulders. So, heading into 2021, in the seat of a Ferrari powered Haas, is this boy-wonder headed for a return to his fathers most successful drive?  Just in case you're in a hurry, here's the short answer - yes. It took me a grand total of 3 Google searches to find every possible reason for the Schmacher name to return to Ferrari by 2024.  Firstly, as an F2 World Champion in 2020, Schumacher has definitively shown that he's not just the namesake of his father, but is the living embodiment. It's also not by pure chance that he has ended up in one of three Ferrari powered cars that will lineup on the 2021 grid.   Haas has been powered by a Ferrari engine since 2016, which of course has had its ups and downs, but doe...