ferrari - The African Mirror

Feb

2024

Racing for Ferrari fulfils a childhood dream, says Hamilton

LEWIS Hamilton said he was determined to leave Mercedes on a high this season before fulfilling a childhood dream by racing for Ferrari in 2025. Britain's seven-times Formula One world champion stunned the sport when his move on a multi-year deal was announced on Thursday. Hamilton, 39, said in a post on Instagram on Saturday that the decision felt right and reminded him of his move to Mercedes from McLaren at the end of 2012. "I feel incredibly fortunate, after achieving things with Mercedes that I could only have dreamed of as a kid, that I now have the chance to fulfil…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Ferrari must get on top of engine failures, says Leclerc

SPORT

CHARLES Leclerc expressed concern about Ferrari's engine reliability even as he celebrated returning to the top of the Formula One podium for the first time since April. The Monegasque's Austrian Grand Prix victory was his third in 11 races this season, lifting him to second in the championship but a hefty 38 points behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen. "I definitely needed that one. I mean, the last five races have been incredibly difficult for myself, but also for the team, obviously," he said. "It just felt like everything was against me. So, finally we had a breakthrough good race today…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Hamilton’s historic win at Sochi marks his 100th

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO On a partly wet Russian afternoon, world champion Lewis Hamilton drove like a legend to win the Russian Grand Prix, retake the world championship race and became the first driver in F1 history to record 100 victories. After he took the chequered flag, Hamilton conceded that a century of victories was a hard toil all the way. “It was hard work,” he said.”. To get to a hundred…” Hamilton’s driving and Mercedes strategy won the race that many thought was going to be won by McLaren’s Lando Norris, who led the race until lap 50 of the 53…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

I am lucky to be alive, says Hamilton after rival’s tyre landed on his head

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO THE rear right wheel of his rival's car landed on the safety Halo, just above his head, and seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who escaped with a headache, knows that he is lucky to be alive. There was drama in Lap 26 of the Monda F1 race when Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen battled into the tight Variante del Rettifilo. Hamilton had just pitted and Verstappen was making his way to the front after a horrific 11 second pit stop. With none of the drivers prepared to give room, Verstappen car ended on top of Hamilton's…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Red Bull outpace Mercedes in Austria

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO A thrilling display in Austria went down for pole position, with Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen taking the top spot ahead of the main event on Sunday. Verstappen managed to clock his fastest time for Q3 in his first run at 1:03.84, following a successful practice where he led in practices one and two. “It’s been a very good weekend,” said pole-sitter Verstappen. “Again in qualifying the car was really good to drive. “It was not easy to deal with the traffic in the last few corners to get a clean run but I think that first lap…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Red Bull dominate French GP

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO RED Bull driver Max Verstappen won a fantastic French Grand Prix - passing reigning championship winner Lewis Hamilton of the penultimate lap at the Paul Ricard Circuit. Verstappen, who was aided by an exquisite team strategy, found himself making two stops where the rest of the field stuck to the premeditated one-stop strategy. Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, fresh off his maiden Red Bull win, executed the one-stop strategy to perfection gaining a place on Mercedes' Valterri Bottas. The race in Le Castallet was Red Bull's first double-podium in over two years and the first time Red Bull has…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Ferrari goes from fast cars to haute fashion

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO FERRARI, a dominant force in the motorsport world, have made their entry into the cutthroat world of fashion. Showcased below the factory’s production level, with the V12 assembly line enveloped in a red glow, the “Prancing Horse” launched their first ready-to-wear collection from its Maranello factory in Italy. The collection was created in the classic Ferrari colour palette of Ferrari red, black and Scuderia yellow in light sustainable fabrics. Unlike the conversative and understated clothing pieces that Ferrari’s loyal (and older) fanbase would normally wear, this new collection includes trench coats, bomber jackets, parkas and loose-fitting trousers —…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Leclerc grabs pole in Monaco

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO FERRARI showed an injection of pace throughout preparations for Saturday’s three qualifying sessions - the results were overwhelming with Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc qualifying in pole position with his first run in the third session (Q3). Leclerc’s session took an unexpected turn preparing for the second run in Q3 as he clipped the barrier on the entry into turn 16. The driver stepped out of his car unharmed but the session was ultimately red flagged with less than a minute to go. The stunning turn of events left the vicious Red Bull of Max Verstappen, hunting for pole…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Hamilton wins drama-filled Tuscan Grand Prix

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO FERRARI marked a major milestone, Mercedes stole the show and Red Bull celebrated a debut podium. That encapsulates the high drama at the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix at the Mugello Circuit, which saw two red flag restarts after crashes and ultimately a 90th win for defending champion Lewis Hamilton, who withstood a strong challenge from teammate Valterri Bottas, finished the race in 2nd position. The win means that Hamilton is now 55 points ahead in the world championship table and is within one win of matching F1 legend Michael Schumacher’s record. "It was a bit of a daze.…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Ferrari celebrates 1000 Grand Prix races

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO FERRARI celebrates a special milestone this weekend and the start of the festivities came with a change in fortunes out on the track. The Ferrari team and cars will sport different colours for the Toscana Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit, to mark the historic 1000th race. Out on the track, Charles Leclerc provided much needed hope that the team might emerge from a slump of form which has seen them fail to claim a podium position since the post-COVID-19 restart of the F1 season. The team’s 2020 car - the SF 1000 - has disappointed, failing to…