Don Robbie

By Oli Dickson Jefford Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton provided one of the most thrilling battles in F1 history throughout 2021, with the title race hanging in the balance up until the very final lap of the season.   It was a battle that ebbed and flowed throughout the campaign and was stacked with high-quality racing – along with a decent helping of controversy. Verstappen’s charge and ultimate title victory has breathed new life into F1 and anticipation is building for 2022, though this is already a legendary rivalry no matter what happens in the future. F1 is a sport full of classic rivalries, so where does Hamilton v Verstappen rank among those?  Hunt v Lauda, 1976 Many would have learnt about James Hunt and Niki Lauda’s rivalry from ‘Rush’ but for fans of the sport, this is a rivalry many will know like the back of their hand. Heading into the 1976 season Lauda, a hard-working, quiet and understated driver, had the world at his feet after winning his first world title w...

Review of the Qatar Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton’s win at the Qatar Grand Prix means there’s everything to play for heading into the final two rounds of F1 racing action. The seven-time world champion held his nerve after leading throughout to take another victory with the season coming to a head, keeping his title defence alive as he looks to hunt down Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Here’s our review of how all the drama unfolded in Lusail.   Hamilton won’t go quietly   With his back to the wall, Lewis Hamilton produced a stunning win out in Brazil a week before Qatar to keep the Driver’s Championship title race alive against leader Verstappen.   With Verstappen still leading the way, Hamilton essentially needs to win all of the remaining races this season if he is to have any chance of defending his crowd.   And out in Qatar, the seven-time world champion won again, reducing Vertsappen’s lead to just eight points with two races left of the season.   Hamilton’s faultl...

Preview of the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix By Oli Dickson Jefford  Lewis Hamilton will hope to put Max Verstappen under further pressure when the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix takes place this weekend. The title was seemingly heading Verstappen’s way, but a stunning drive from Hamilton in Brazil means that the Dutchman’s lead has been cut to 14 points. With the drivers and constructor’s title races heating up, the 21st race of 2021 promises to provide even more drama. Grand Prix: Losail International Circuit Following the Singapore, Bahrain and Sakhir Grand Prix’s, the Qatar Grand Prix will be the fourth in F1 history to run as a night race. The race was a late introduction into the 2021 calendar, replacing the Australian Grand Prix which was cancelled due to covid-19 restrictions. The Losail International Circuit is 5.38km long and drivers will contest 57 laps on Sunday’s race, with a switch back to standard practice and qualifying after last week’s sprint race. With several nice s...

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...