Red Bull - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

F1 faces a fresh challenge on return to China

FORMULA One returns to China for the first time since 2019 with even world champion Max Verstappen facing a new challenge at a circuit that provided his Red Bull team's first Grand Prix victory 15 years ago. The weekend will host the first sprint of the season, with only one hour of free practice on Friday to fine-tune the cars and do tyre assessments, and the teams have only simulator data to go on. The last time they raced at the Shanghai International Circuit, the cars had 13-inch tyres and a flat floor instead of the current 18-inch Pirelli rubber…

Mar

2024

By PESHA MAGID

Mercedes would do handstands to have Verstappen says Wolff

MOTORSPORT

MERCEDES would do handstands to have Red Bull's triple world champion Max Verstappen driving for them but first, they need a car worthy of his talents, team boss Toto Wolff said. Verstappen has won 19 of the last 20 races and took his second of the Formula One season in Saudi Arabia with an untroubled run from pole position. The Dutch driver's future has been the subject of some speculation, despite Red Bull being way ahead of the rest, as a consequence of allegations by a female team employee against principal Christian Horner. Horner has been cleared, after denying the accusations, but…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Bahrain Grand Prix team-by-team

MOTORSPORT

TEAM-BY-TEAM review of Formula One's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday (listed in their current championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez 2) Verstappen started the season with a grand slam of pole position, fastest lap (lap 39) and leading all 57 laps. The victory was the 55th of his career, and fifth grand slam, lifting Red Bull level with Williams in fourth place on the all-time list with 114. The gap to Perez of 22.457 seconds compared to last year's 11.987 advantage. Verstappen has now led the championship for 40 races in a row. Perez started fifth…

Mar

2024

By ABHISHEK TAKLE

Verstappen dominates F1’s Bahrain season-opener

MOTORSPORT

REIGNING Formula One champion Max Verstappen opened his bid for a fourth successive title in dominant style with an unchallenged cruise to a Red Bull one-two victory in Saturday's Bahrain Grand Prix. The 26-year-old Dutchman enjoyed a perfect day as he led from pole position and took a bonus point for the fastest lap on his way to finishing 22.4 seconds ahead of Mexican teammate Sergio Perez. Carlos Sainz, who will be making way for seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next year, took the final podium spot in third place ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. The triumph under the…

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…

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…

Sep

2023

By The African Mirror

Team by team analysis of the Japanese Grand Prix

MOTORSPORT

TEAM by team analysis of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, the 16th round of the 22-race Formula One season (listed in championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez retired) Red Bull secured the constructors' championship for the second successive year and sixth time in all. Verstappen won in Japan from pole for the second year in a row, his 13th victory of the season and 48th of his career. He also took fastest lap and can win his third title at the next race in Qatar, with Perez now his sole rival but 177 points adrift. The…

Jul

2023

By ALAN BALDWIN

Verstappen takes Red Bull’s 11th win in a row

MOTORSPORT

MAX Verstappen won the British Grand Prix to stretch his Formula One lead to 99 points as unbeaten Red Bull equalled McLaren's 1988 record run of 11 victories in a row. McLaren's Lando Norris finished second in front of a roaring 160,000-strong home crowd at Silverstone, with fellow Briton and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes after starting seventh. "Eleven in a row. That's pretty crazy," said Verstappen over the team radio after what was also his sixth win in a row and eighth in 10 races this season. The double world champion bagged the fastest lap bonus…