MOTORSPORT - The African Mirror

Feb

2024

Lewis Hamilton shocks F1 with surprise Ferrari move

WHETHER Formula 1 (F1) chooses to acknowledge this or not, a historic moment happened on February 1, 2024, when Mercedes AMG F1 Petronas team driver Sir Lewis Hamilton was announced to become a Scuderia Ferrari driver from the 2025 F1 season. Social media across all platforms all but shook when British broadcaster Sky Sports F1 News dropped the bombshell reports of Hamilton’s unexpected exit from the Brackley-based team following the 2024 season. The announcement trended higher than the global football deadline day and had football social media accounts reposting the news as well. https://twitter.com/scuderiaferrari/status/1753133900925129140?s=46&t=fie-xWLwPZ0SYPvWeGCBvA It was initially considered a rumour…

Jan

2024

By MPHO RANTAO

FE heats up for double Diriyah leg under the lights

MOTORSPORT, MOTORING NEWS

ROUNDS two and three of Formula E (FE) season ten continue in Saudi Arabia on a circuit nestled between UNESCO-protected ancient sites. DS Penske driver Jean-Eric Vergne grabbed pole for the first leg of the Diriyah E-Prix doubleheader, beating out Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans by just 0.072 seconds at the finish line. Vergne grabbed his 16th career pole in Formula E and the team’s first pole since São Paulo in 2023, when JEV's teammate Stoffel Vandoorne took P1, and Vergne’s first since Jakarta in 2022. Defending World Champion Jake Dennis will start race one from third after losing out…

Jan

2024

By MPHO RANTAO

Championship gauntlet thrown by Wehrlein in Mexico E-Prix win

MOTORSPORT, MOTORING NEWS

SEASON ten of the much-anticipated 2024 ABB Formula E World Championship kicked off to a fiery start at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with the Hankook Mexico City E-Prix, where German driver Pascal Wehrlein of Tag Heuer Porsche grabbed the first win of the season. However, victory is not yet confirmed for Wehrlein, who is under investigation for a technical infraction, along with defending champion Jake Dennis of Andretti Avalanche Racing. Wehrlein challenged rivals and won from pole position, ahead of Envision Racing’s Sébastien Buemi and Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy in second and third, respectively. “It was a tough race…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Team-by-team analysis of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

MOTORSPORT

TEAM-BY-TEAM analysis of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina (in final championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez 4) Verstappen took his record 19th win of the season, 54th of his career, seventh in a row, and fourth in succession in Abu Dhabi. He won from pole and also set the fastest lap. The Dutch driver has set records for most points scored in a season (575), and most podiums (21), and he became the first driver to lead more than 1,000 laps in a season. He finished 17.9 seconds clear of Leclerc,…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Verstappen finishes dominant season in record style

MOTORSPORT

RED Bull's triple world champion Max Verstappen wrapped up Formula One's most dominant season with a record-extending 19th win in 22 races at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The pole-to-flag victory, for the fourth year in a row under the Yas Marina floodlights, left the 26-year-old alone in third place in Formula One's all-time list of winners with a career 54. Only seven times champions Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91) have won more. Sergio Perez finished second on the road for Red Bull but a five-second post-race penalty dropped the Mexican off the podium, behind Ferrari's Charles…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Team-by-team analysis of the Las Vegas Grand Prix

MOTORSPORT

TEAM-BY-TEAM analysis the Las Vegas Grand Prix, penultimate race of the Formula One season (listed in championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez 3) Verstappen took his record-extending 18th win of the season and Red Bull's record 20th of the campaign. The 53rd career victory also completed a U.S. triple for the year and sent him level with Sebastian Vettel in the all-time lists. The Dutch driver started on the front row and seized the lead at the start, pushing Ferrari's Leclerc wide and collecting a five-second penalty that he served in the pits. He then fought back…

Nov

2023

By GABRIEL ARAUJO

Hamilton ‘incredibly proud’ of Vinicius after Socrates Award

MOTORSPORT

Lewis Hamilton said he felt "incredibly proud" to see Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior receive this year's Socrates Award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony and vowed to continue speaking out against racism. Brazilian Vinicius, who has been racially abused in LaLiga games in the last two seasons, was recognised for starting a foundation that is building schools in impoverished areas and investing in education in his home country. "It's really remarkable to see people out there who are facing such challenges and are just being brave in the face of it," Hamilton told Reuters on Wednesday in an interview ahead…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

Team-by-team analysis of the Mexico City Grand Prix

MOTORSPORT

TEAM-BY-TEAM analysis of Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix, the 19th race of the 22-round Formula One season (teams listed in championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez retired) Verstappen lined up third and made a great getaway to take the lead into the first corner. He also led cleanly from the re-start. The win was his 16th of the season, a record, and 51st of his career to go level in the all-time lists with French great Alain Prost. He has now won five of the last six races in Mexico. Perez tried to pass Ferrari's Leclerc at…

Oct

2023

By ALAN BALDWIN

FIA ‘revisiting’ Hamilton track-crossing incident in Qatar

MOTORSPORT

FORMULA One's governing body is reviewing Lewis Hamilton's punishment for crossing a live track without permission at last weekend's Qatar Grand Prix amid concern the penalty was not tough enough. The seven-times world champion collided with Mercedes teammate George Russell at the first corner at Lusail, abandoning his car in the gravel and crossing the track to return to the pit lane. The Briton was given a reprimand and fined 50,000 euros ($52,545), with 25,000 suspended for the rest of the season on condition he did not do it again. The governing body said on Sunday it was 'revisiting' the…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

Team-by-team analysis of the Qatar Grand Prix

MOTORSPORT

TEAM-by-team analysis of Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix, round 17 of the 22-race Formula One season (listed in championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez 10) Verstappen took his first win as a triple world champion, a title secured in the Saturday sprint, after starting on pole position. He also secured the fastest lap. The win was his 14th of the season and 49th of his career. Perez started in the pit lane with hard tyres after parts were replaced following his sprint crash. He collected 15 seconds of penalties for exceeding track limits and dropped to 10th at…