Category: Motorsport


Next stop Europe: our recap on the F1 season so far

Filed under: Caterham, Ferrari, Force India, Formula 1, Marussia, McLaren, Mercedes GP, Motorsport, Red Bull, Sauber, Williams by Maithri Jayasuriya — Leave a comment
May 11, 2013

Vettel was full of apologies following the ‘Multi-21′ controversy, but Webber would hear none of it. (Image | AP)

Formula 1 is back this weekend as the fun and games comes to Europe and the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona after a three week absence following the Bahrain Grand Prix. Whilst it hasn’t perhaps started off with the bang that was last year, the action has been simmering just nicely to really take off over the next few races, and the level of intrigue remains high. So it is perhaps worthwhile recapping what has passed over the course of the first four races.

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Five questions ahead of the Chinese GP

Filed under: Ferrari, Force India, Formula 1, HRT, Lotus Renault, Mercedes GP, Motorsport, Red Bull, Toro Rosso by Rob Schatten — Leave a comment
April 13, 2013
The Chinese Grand Prix, now in its ninth year as a Formula 1 venue, is host to plenty of talking points this weekend (Image | providingnews.com)

The Chinese Grand Prix, now in its ninth year as a Formula 1 venue, is host to plenty of talking points this weekend (Image | providingnews.com)

Two rounds down, seventeen to go, and the 2013 Formula 1 season is already shaping up to be a rather intriguing, and at this stage utterly unpredictable, affair.

There are already a great number of talking points following the curtain-raiser in Melbourne and last weekend’s eyebrow-raiser in Sepang, but we’ve taken four to examine and highlighted the three teams in most turmoil up and down the grid…

1) Are team orders still acceptable in Formula 1?

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Exclusive Interview #4: BTCC boss Tony Gilham speaks to TAP

Filed under: British Touring Car Championship, Exclusive Interviews, Motorsport by Rob Schatten — Leave a comment
February 5, 2013
Tony Gilham, former world BMX champion and MMA fighter, has turned successfully to motorsport in recent years (Image | MJP Media)

Tony Gilham, former world BMX champion and MMA fighter, has turned successfully to motorsport in recent years (Image | MJP Media)

This season will see Team HARD., led by former BMX world champion and professional cage-fighter Tony Gilham, attempt the unprecedented challenge of running four cars simultaneously in the British Touring Car Championship having run just one until the last round of last season, when they fielded two.

Just in case that doesn’t sound enough of a test, let me elaborate – HARD. will be running two different cars. One of those, the VW Passat CC, will be making its touring car debut. Only one of the five drivers signed thus far by the squad has previous experience of a complete BTCC season. Then there’s the sponsorship and backing for four cars to find, the logistical nightmare to sort out, the cars to finish building before the campaign starts – and yet the squad are looking at adding a fifth entry to their record-breaking endeavours.

Sounding difficult yet?

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TAP’s top sporting tips for 2013

Filed under: Cricket, Football, Formula 1, Manchester United, Motorsport, Premier League, Tennis, The Ashes, UEFA Champions League, Wimbledon by Chris King — 1 Comment
January 8, 2013

As another sporting year begins there may be a certain feeling that nothing could top the unforgettable year of 2012, which saw a magnificent Olympic Games, the European Championships, a British Grand Slam winner after so long and much more.

Mario Balotelli | Why, oh why is it always him? (Image | Manchester City FC)

Mario Balotelli | Having once again hit the headlines after a row with manager Roberto Mancini in training, we ask: why, oh why is it always him? (Image | Manchester City FC)

However, there are more than enough prizes to be decided over the next 12 months, some of which are fairly easy to predict, while others remain very much open to debate.

The Armchair Pundits, therefore, has taken a look at the calendar and pinpointed five “sure-fire successes”, some of which are bound to be as controversial as Mario Balotelli and about as likely as Tom Daley being handed his own diving-themed show on televi… Oh, hang on.

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Ferrari protest risks tarnishing fantastic F1 season

Filed under: Ferrari, Force India, Formula 1, Lotus Renault, McLaren, Mercedes GP, Motorsport, Red Bull, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Williams by Rob Schatten — Leave a comment
November 28, 2012

As Sebastian Vettel slides past the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne on the run down to Turn 4, the yellow flag indicators can clearly be seen showing on his dashboard, either side of the timing screen. This would seem to suggest that the pass is illegal, which could result in a penalty for the German. (Video | YouTube)

This is the moment which could ruin Sebastian Vettel’s hat-trick of Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship crowns.

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Formula 1 returning to France would be a victory for the sport’s heritage

Filed under: Formula 1, Motorsport by Chris King — Leave a comment
October 31, 2012

Return | Formula 1 looks set to come back to France, five years after the French Grand Prix was wiped off the calendar. (Image | Formula 1 On Live)

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone announced on Sunday that the sport could soon be returning to France in the wake of construction delays in New Jersey, that have caused the Grand Prix of America to be postponed until 2014.

It could go one of two ways: south to Circuit Paul Ricard, which has not hosted a race since 1990, or back to Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, in central France.

So what does this mean for the sport? Firstly, it could mean the return of a classic racing circuit steeped in history, the setting for 17 Grand Prix races between 1991 and 2008, and almost certainly signifies at least one journey to the land of Proust, De Gaulle and Prost.

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Mercedes ditch Schumacher as Hamilton walks out on McLaren

Filed under: Formula 1, Mercedes GP, Motorsport by Chris King — Leave a comment
September 28, 2012

All smiles | Lewis Hamilton will drive for Mercedes GP next year. (Image | Planet F1)

The world of Formula 1 was moderately stirred earlier today by the announcement that Lewis Hamilton is set to join Mercedes GP. Having been at McLaren for six years, the 27-year-old driver moves to Mercedes hoping to reignite his title challenge.

Hamilton currently sits fourth in the drivers’ world championship, behind Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus-Renault, Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull and Fernando Alonso, his former nemesis, at Ferrari.

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Looking back at the weekend’s other motor racing

Filed under: British Touring Car Championship, Motorsport by Rob Schatten — Leave a comment
September 27, 2012

Yuasa Honda’s Gordon Sheddon took two wins and a third-place at Rockingham at the weekend to move ahead of teammate and reigning champion Matt Neal in the championship standings (Image | 90right.wordpress.com)

Many of you will, no doubt, have been tuned in on Sunday to the Singapore Grand Prix, and suffered with Lewis Hamilton as engine failure cost him not only points but a lot of momentum in his pursuit of drivers’ championship leader, and former McLaren teammate, Fernando Alonso.

I, however, was at a motor-racing event of a rather different nature.

Regular readers of TAP’s motorsport section may have noticed that I’m something of a British touring cars fan, and last weekend I got the chance to fulfill a lifelong (okay, year-long) ambition to go to the BTCC event at Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire.

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A sad farewell to Sid Watkins

Filed under: Formula 1, Motorsport by Rob Schatten — Leave a comment
September 19, 2012

Sid Watkins, the doctor who worked for 25 years to improve safety in Formula 1, died last week aged 84. (Image | LAT)

Most people, even the majority of Formula 1 fans, will never have heard of Dr Sid Watkins until his passing last week was announced on national news. Little will they know, then, just how much is owed to one of the most important figures in F1′s safety advancements of the 1980s and  90s.

Watkins’ career and input in F1′s recent history can barely be measured until you look at the reaction of the professional racing community on Twitter.

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Five observations following the Belgian GP

Filed under: Ferrari, Formula 1, Lotus Renault, McLaren, Mercedes GP, Motorsport, Red Bull by Rob Schatten — Leave a comment
September 2, 2012

A horrifying crash at La Source removed Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean on the first lap but Jenson Button steered clear of chaos to win (Image | Sutton/Corbis)

Jenson Button returned to winning ways at the Belgian Grand Prix at historic Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, notching up his first victory since the season’s opening round in Australia with an utterly dominant lights-to-flag display. Managing to run a one-stop strategy following the opening lap carnage, Button’s incredible consistency helped him preserve both his tyres and his healthy lead for the duration of the 44-lap race.

I had intended to post a ‘Five Questions’ article ahead of this weekend, but I plain ran out of time between work and writing other pieces, so I’m flipping the script. Here, instead, are my five observations in the aftermath of a highly entertaining afternoon’s racing.

1) Is there a better circuit in Formula 1 than Spa?

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