Ferrari chief happy to consider possibility of Hamilton move

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The prospect of six-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton driving for Ferrari in the future may not be as far-fetched as it once seemed.

Hamilton is one of several F1 drivers whose contracts expire at the end of next year, and Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto did not dismiss the tantalizing idea of poaching the Mercedes star when asked on Friday if he would be interested in signing him.


“Lewis is certainly an outstanding driver, a fantastic driver,” Binotto said at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “Knowing that he’s available in 2021 can make us only happy, but honestly it’s too early for any decision.”

Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc are also out of contract at the end of 2020.

So is Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, and Red Bull’s eight-time race winner, Max Verstappen, thus increasing the prospect of a merry-go-round for the 2021 campaign with experienced drivers potentially changing seats.

“We are happy with the drivers we’ve got at the moment,” Binotto said, referring to Vettel and the highly promising Leclerc. “Certainly at one stage next season we will start discussing and understanding what to do.”

Although Hamilton has previously expressed his admiration for Ferrari as a marquee name in F1, the British driver has made no mention of wanting to leave an all-conquering Mercedes team which has won a record six straight drivers’ and constructors’ championships under the inspired leadership of team principal Toto Wolff.

Wolff and Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 — with Hamilton replacing seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher following his retirement — and they have formed a very tight bond based on the highest mutual respect.

Flatteringly, Hamilton even recently suggested his own future at Mercedes is linked to Wolff’s future with the German manufacturer.

“Lewis and I have grown close over the last seven years … and I think we have built up a lot of trust. For him to say that is nice,” Wolff said on Friday. “I’d also like to know where he goes or if he stays in the future. Can I shed more light? No, for me it was important to finish the season in Abu Dhabi. There are many things to be decided on and we will see over the winter.”

Bottas, too, is keeping his options for 2021 open after winning a career-best four races this season and beating Hamilton in pole positions.



“I can’t remember a time when so many drivers’ contracts are expiring. If I had to decide on my future for 2021 (right now) it would be a no-brainer to continue with this team,” Bottas said. “There are many elements that have to come together, at the same time I have to keep my eyes open and be open-minded about the future.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Hamilton wins British GP, cuts Vettel’s F1 lead to 1 point

SILVERSTONE, England — Lewis Hamilton slashed Sebastian Vettel’s Formula One championship lead to one point by winning a record-equaling fifth British Grand Prix on Sunday as his title rival was left reeling by a late puncture.

Vettel was in third heading into the penultimate lap at Silverstone only to see his front left tire shred – immediately after Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen’s car experienced the same fate.

Raikkonen still made the podium by replacing Vettel in third, but the championship leader fell back to seventh as the 25-point lead he held over Hamilton going into the 10th round of the 20-race season was all but wiped out on an overcast afternoon in central England.

It capped a dominant weekend for Hamilton in front of his home fans and the three-time world champion was assisted by Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas making up seven places to join him on the podium after finishing second.

“Great drive by Valtteri,” Hamilton said over the team radio after claiming victory. “Fantastic job, all weekend.”

For Hamilton, the victory after failing to make the podium in his last two races will vindicate the decision to embark on a two-day holiday to Greece after last weekend’s Austrian GP. The jaunt annoyed racing fans in London who turned up to a flagship showcase of the sport that was attended by the other 19 drivers.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Hamilton wins dramatic Russian Grand Prix

SOCHI, Russia - Lewis Hamilton won a dramatic Russian Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday to take a huge step towards his third world championship after Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg retired early on with throttle failure.

The win was Hamilton's ninth of the season, and the 42nd of his career, and the Briton's untroubled afternoon was a stark contrast to his German team mate's woes.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel finished runner-up at the Olympic Park circuit to overtake Rosberg as Hamilton's closest rival, 66 points adrift of the Briton with four races and a maximum 100 points remaining.

If results go Hamilton's way, he can secure his second successive title in Austin, Texas, in two weeks' time.

Hamilton, who also won the inaugural Russian Grand Prix last year and has now surpassed the tally of victories racked up by the late triple champion Ayrton Senna, now has 302 points to Vettel's 236 and Rosberg on 229.

"It looked like we were going to have a race and I was thinking this is great and we were going to put on a good show," said Hamilton, after collecting the winners' trophy from Russian president Vladimir Putin.

"Nico made a mistake at turn one and went wide. I overtook him and after that, or maybe even before, he started to have some problems. It is very unfortunate for the team."

"Those last five laps I was just taking it in. I don't know how many times I'll be in this position again," added the champion.

Mexican Sergio Perez finished third for Force India, in a race with two safety car interludes following crashes, after Finnish drivers Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen collided while battling for the final podium place.

Raikkonen finished fifth for Ferrari, a result that kept Mercedes waiting for their second successive constructors' championship.

However, the Finn faced a stewards enquiry into the collision, with the possibility of a penalty for ramming the rear of Bottas's Williams.

Opening lap

The safety car was deployed after Perez's team mate Nico Hulkenberg spun on the opening lap and was hit by the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson with Max Verstappen's Toro Rosso also caught up in the action.

Rosberg had led from pole, holding off Hamilton through the opening corners, but was forced to retire in the pits on the seventh of 53 laps.

"F1 is pretty incredible sometimes how tough it is," the German told the BBC.

"After a great start, leading the race and feeling confident. Straight after the safety car the pedal broke. It was quite dangerous. Definitely not a nice way to end the day."

Hamilton had already taken over the lead as Rosberg wrestled with the problem but his advantage was whittled away when Frenchman Romain Grosjean crashed heavily on lap 12 and brought out the safety car again.

Perez had thought his podium hopes had gone when Bottas and Raikkonen, on fresher tires, passed him in the closing laps but the collision put him right back for his first top three finish of the season.

"One lap before the end it seemed like everything went away from us. I was very unhappy with myself but in the end I thought ''I gave it all"," said the Mexican.

"I did plenty of laps with my tires and had massive degradation. On the last lap when it came it was just amazing."

Brazilian Felipe Massa finished fourth for Williams while Russian Daniil Kvyat was sixth for Red Bull, ahead of Sauber's Brazilian Felipe Nasr and Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado in a Lotus.

In a boost for struggling McLaren, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso finished ninth and 10th respectively.

Spanish rookie Carlos Sainz, who was in hospital only a day earlier after crashing his Toro Rosso in practice, had been heading for his best result after running as high as sixth but retired eight laps from the end. — Reuters

Hamilton wins Malaysian Grand Prix in Mercedes one-two

SEPANG - Briton's Lewis Hamilton won the Malaysian Grand Prix with a pole-to-flag victory ahead of Nico Rosberg on Sunday in a first Mercedes one-two since they returned to Formula One as a works team in 2010.

The 2008 Formula One world champion easily pulled away from his rivals on a dry track with a three-stop strategy to win the race by 17.3 seconds, his 23rd career victory and first in Malaysia at the eighth attempt.

"Incredibly happy, it's my eighth year here [at Sepang] and finally I got that win," the Briton told reporters after taking the checkered flag for his second win for Mercedes since he joined them last year and first points of the season.

"Its quite special to get a one-two, I haven't had many in my career, so that makes it even more special. A great day," added the former McLaren driver.

Rosberg, who won the season opener in Australia two weeks ago, started in third place but squeezed past quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel into the first corner and was able to keep the Red Bull at bay and stay top of the driver standings.

It was Mercedes' first one-two since 1955, their last year as a works team before 2010.

Rosberg almost touched the wall as he took Vettel at the start and struggled to manage his rear tires in the early stages as the two Germans remained close before the Mercedes driver pulled away over the closing laps.

The second place finish moved him on to 43 points in the standings, 18 clear of Hamilton with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso third on 24 points after his second fourth of the season.

Mercedes took the lead from McLaren in the constructors' standings.

"I had a really good start.. got away well and I thought Sebastian was going to put me into the wall but he stopped just before so thank-you for that," Rosberg said.

"My heart skipped a beat a little bit but it was OK. I was trying to chase Lewis but he was a bit too quick today."

Vettel third

Vettel finished third, 7.2 seconds behind Rosberg, for his first points of the season following an early retirement in Australia as he struggled to make an impact on the Mercedes pair without the rain that helped his qualifying bid on Saturday.

Having endured a tricky time during offseason testing, Vettel was delighted to make the podium.

"Congratulations to them, they are bloody quick, the package they have is very, very strong," Vettel told reporters.

"For us there is mostly positives. It's much better than what we expected during the winter."

Alonso was involved in a tight battle with Force India's Nico Hulkenberg in the closing stages before finally overtaking the German, although he will be disappointed that once again the Ferrari looked well short of challenging the Mercedes duo.

McLaren's Jenson Button was sixth with Felipe Massa of Williams seventh just ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas after the Brazilian refused to yield to his Finnish teammate despite team orders to do so.

The row, at a circuit where team orders blew up into a major controversy last season at both Red Bull and Mercedes, threatened to cause friction for the coming races between the new teammates.

McLaren's Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen and Toro Rosso's Russian newcomer Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top 10 of a race that suffered just a couple of light drops of rain despite concerns about possible thunderstorms.

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who was disqualified in Australia pending an appeal, missed out on points for the second race in a row after a disastrous third pit stop when he was in fourth.

The Australian pulled away before his front left wheel was fully attached with engineers sprinting down the pitlane to push him back and fix the issue.

Ricciardo was then given a 10 second penalty for the unsafe release but his chances of points were already over after he shredded a tire and damaged a wing shortly before the stewards' decision and he retired before the end.

"Deep down I'm really disappointed but at the same time there's a little bit in me which is happy because I think I've come out how I wanted to," the Australian said of his start to the season.

"I still want to improve but we've started off on the right foot. So for that I'm pleased. I know a little bit of luck will turn around soon and I'll get my revenge and get some points."  - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Hamilton on pole for Malaysian GP

SEPANG - Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton made it two poles in two races after emerging unscathed from an incident-packed and rain-hit Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.

The Briton saw off Red Bull's quadruple Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel by 0.055 of a second in a session with two red flags, grid penalties, a 50 minute rain delay and more downpours throughout that left drivers struggling for visibility.

The pole was the 33rd of Hamilton's career, equalling the British record held by the late Jim Clark since 1964, and was secured in a time of one minute 59.431 seconds.

"I'm really happy with how well we've done over the weekend, but today was incredible, how heavy was the rain?" Hamilton told reporters.

"It was tricky out there for everyone because at the end it was almost impossible to see. I couldn't see where the track went, where the corners were, where to break.

"I had to bail out of my final fast lap, so it was very close."

Vettel's lap was an impressive turnaround for the German, who retired in Melbourne two weeks ago, after he was called back to the pits after only three laps of the first phase of qualifying with an energy store problem.

The champion re-emerged after a reset of the system and became progressively competitive as the rain grew stronger and felt he could have taken pole had he been able to get in another lap in the final 15 minute session.

"At the beginning of Q1 [the first phase, the heartbeat was rising very quickly when we realized there was an issue," Vettel said.

"Q3 was not perfect. I would have loved to have a second go. My first attempt, I felt there was time to gain here and there.

"It was very close, too close. I should be on the good side for tomorrow but it depends on how good the start is. I'm happy with the result."

Rosberg starts third
Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, winner in Australia, will start from third place with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso joining him on the second row despite an earlier collision with Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat's Toro Rosso that required hurried repairs.

Alonso was on the outside and turned into Kvyat with the incident reviewed by stewards, who opted against any penalty.

"I didn't see him coming, Obviously it was a little bit of an aggressive move on the out-lap with that sort of visibility," the double world champion Spaniard said.

Force India's Nico Hulkenburg finished seventh with McLaren's Kevin Magnussen eighth as he and his team chopped and changed with intermediate and wet tires throughout as they struggled to second guess the weather.

Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne and McLaren's Jenson Button rounded out the top 10 with Williams once again struggling despite some promising pre-season tests.

Felipe Massa will start in 13th while Valtteri Bottas finished 15th but was demoted three places after stewards deemed the Finn blocked Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who qualified fifth, on a flying lap.

"He was on his out-lap. I'll have a word with him," said the Australian driver, who was disqualified after finishing second in Melbourne because of a fuel flow issue.

Lotus's woes continued with Romain Grosjean complaining about his car after qualifying 15th, while teammate Pastor Maldonado failed to make it out of the first phase and will start in 17th.

The first phase of qualifying ended 30 seconds early after Swede Marcus Ericsson lost control of his Caterham, hit the wall before flying back across the track leaving debris and almost hitting Esteban Gutierrez's Sauber. - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com