Don Robbie

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...

What can F1 fans expect in 2022? By Felix Holland At the end of the longest season in F1 history, drivers and teams deserve a well-earned break over the festive period - but they won’t be able to relax for long.  The 2022 campaign starts on March 20 in Bahrain and pre-season testing begins a month before, so teams need to get their skates on if they’re to be ready.  Add in a whole new batch of technical regulations – the biggest rule changes since 2014 – and it’s certainly not going to be a quiet winter.  Everyone might want to see another Mercedes v Red Bull showdown, especially after what happened in Abu Dhabi, but is that going to happen?  Here’s what we can expect in 2022…  A MIXED GRID  With such significant rule changes, F1 is going to look totally different next season.  After eight years of slight evolution, it's back to the drawing board in 2022. All 10 teams are starting from scratch and that will lead to some unpredictable results up and dow...

By Oli Dickson Jefford The Formula 1 season came to a thrilling, dramatic and hugely controversial end at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday   - and have any of us quite recovered yet? Max Verstappen won his first world title with a final-lap overtake of Lewis Hamilton that came about in unprecedented circumstances, with Hamilton and Mercedes forced to settle for the consolation of taking an eighth straight Constructors’ Championships.   Verstappen and Hamilton’s duel aside it was a dramatic race elsewhere, with several surprises and mini-battles during and settled by the Grand Prix.   Verstappen pips Hamilton: how it unfolded It had been one of the most dramatic seasons in history and just the second time in F1 history that the two leading drivers were tied heading into the final race.   The Dutchman picked up a surprise pole with an astonishing performance in qualifying, but at the start of the race it was Hamilton who immediately went to the front.   There wa...

Five classic F1 deciders: Can Verstappen v Hamilton match these epics on Sunday? By Steve Morgan Forrest Gump’s famous quote that life is like a box of chocolates is perhaps the best description you can use for the 2021 Formula 1 season – because you never know what you are going to get.  Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are at the centre of one of the greatest season’s in F1 history and arrive for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix dead level on points.  F1 has not had such a tense ending since 2016, when Nico Rosberg went toe-to-toe with Hamilton, but the series is littered with some classic endings in its time.  And if this year can come close to matching these five, we’re in for a treat.  1997 – SCHUMACHER TRIES TO TAKE OUT VILLENEUVE!  This is not only a classic final-day race packed with drama but also an example Mercedes are sure to bring up time and again this week.  Michael Schumacher held a one-point lead over Jacques Villeneuve going into Je...

  Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview: Will Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen become champion? By Oli Dickson Jefford In the longest season in Formula One history, just one race remains of 2021 with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen neck and neck at the top of the World Championship standings. This weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will once again be held at the Yas Marina Circuit and take place at dusk, with it set to be night-time once the race has concluded. It will be the second race in the space of a week after Sunday’s dramatic and controversial Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, and it is set to provide a thrilling finale to the season. Profile: Yas Marina Circuit The Yas Marina Circuit has played host to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ever since the race was first brought onto the calendar in 2009. And this is not the first time that the championship will be settled there, with the winner of the 2010, 2014 and 2016 titles also decided in the desert. Drivers will be familiar with the circuit at this p...

By Oli Dickson Jefford After 21 races of thrilling racing, drama - and a decent helping of controversy - it all comes down to the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.   Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have delivered one of the most thrilling F1 title races in the series’ history from start to finish in 2021.  It’s been a battle up there with those between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, and Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.   Things could not be more evenly poised with both men even on points, with both the Drivers and Constructors Championships up for grabs at the Yas Marina Circuit.  Ahead of one of the most highly-anticipated weekends in F1 history, we take a look at the state of play heading into Abu Dhabi.  Driver Standings: Verstappen holds tiniest of advantages  For just the second time in F1 and first time in 47 years, two drivers are level on points in the title race ahea...

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Preview: Will Verstappen become champion this weekend? By Henry Holland The Formula 1 circus has landed in Jeddah for the first Saudi Arabia Grand Prix this weekend and the stakes could hardly be higher.  Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are separated by just eight points in the World Championship standings and, with two races to go, their thrilling fight is going down to the wire.  Hamilton has the momentum but Verstappen has the points, making it too close to call as they shape up for an end-of-season double-header, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to follow next week.  Throw into the mix a first-ever race at a brand-new street circuit, and all the unknowns that come with it, and this is not to be missed.  LAST TIME OUT  Hamilton looked a beaten man just two races ago, as Verstappen celebrated his ninth win of the season in Mexico City. But since then, the Brit has turned the tables on his Red Bull rival.   Hamilton, boosted by ...