Don Robbie

Top five F1 drivers of 2021 By Charlie Bennett It’s almost three weeks since Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to win perhaps the most controversial F1 World Championship in history – but they weren’t the only drivers to shine in 2021.   Verstappen is the new king of the road and Hamilton will have to find an answer to the Dutchman’s brilliance if he’s to regain the title, but there were 18 other drivers on the grid this season – some good, some not.   So, without further ado, here’s our top five drivers from 2021 and – spoiler alert – it includes a couple of familiar names on top.     1. Max Verstappen   Max Verstappen may divide opinion because of his no-holds-barred on-track manner, but there is no disputing his brilliance behind the wheel of a racing car.   For years, pundits and journalists have waited to see him and Lewis Hamilton go at it for the title and in 2021, the Dutchman finally had the car to do it.   Jenson Button already labels the 24...

F1 Awards: Who are the big winners in 2021? By Violet Turner As 2021 draws to a close, it’s awards season – and in F1 there are plenty to be dished out.  Max Verstappen landed the biggest prize of all by beating Lewis Hamilton in all-time classic of a season to become the first Dutch driver to be crowned world champion.  But there are plenty of other awards to be handed out, so let’s get cracking.  BEST DRIVER – MAX VERSTAPPEN  Who else?  How the season ended may have left a bitter taste for many but Verstappen was as innocent as Hamilton on the last lap and winning his first world championship is just reward for one of the greatest individual seasons ever.  That might be a bold statement but in 22 races, Verstappen finished first or second a staggering 18 times. Of the four he didn’t, he was helpless when his tyre blew at 200mph in Azerbaijan, causing him to crash out from the lead. In Silverstone, luck was not on his side when he came together with Hamilt...

By Oli Dickson Jefford In his 15th season in F1, Lewis Hamilton produced perhaps the greatest drive of his career in Brazil. Everything had gone against the seven-time world champion in the early stages of the weekend, as he was forced to start at the back of the grid for sprint qualifying. And even after his stunning performance in that, a five-place grid penalty meant he dropped from fifth to tenth for yesterday’s starting grid.  But that extra barrier was no issue, as he stormed up the field to seal one of his greatest victories - and keep his title hopes alive. Hamilton closes in on title race Momentum was definitely with Max Verstappen in the title battle, who had won the past two races and took a 21-point lead to the starting grid. The Dutchman was fancied by many to win this weekend and started Sunday’s race well ahead of Hamilton in second place. He instantly took the lead from Valtteri Bottas but could not stay ahead of a charging Hamilton. The weekend was not without cont...

Mexican Grand Prix Review: Verstappen dominates to extend championship lead as Red Bull close in on Mercedes in constructors' race By Oli Dickson Jefford Max Verstappen edged closer to a first world title with a dominant display at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday. The Red Bull star holds a 19-point lead over seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton with only four races to go for the Brit to knock the Dutchman off the top of the leader board. Where the race was won and lost Red Bull were favourites to win this weekend, meaning that the Mercedes 1-2 in qualifying led by Valtteri Bottas came as a surprise. Yet, when the race began, it was immediately advantage Red Bull and that never looked like changing. Verstappen eased past both Mercedes cars with teammate and home favourite Sergio Perez also starting well, while Bottas spun and ended up at the back of the field. The Finn was stuck in 18th following the opening lap chaos, and was never able to recover. With Bottas at the back, Ham...