Tag Archives: Kimi Raikkonen

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Germany — Qualifying results

Rosberg grabs pole with last gasp run in Q3, pipping Hamilton; Ricciardo P3 for Red Bull in Hockenheim

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg took pole for Saturday qualifying at his home Grand Prix in Germany, hooking up the best lap of the day after he had been unable to bank a timed lap in Q3 due to electrical issues. That put it all down to the last 3 minutes of the session and with the pressure on Rosberg came through, pipping his teammate and archival Lewis Hamilton by 0.1 seconds. Rosberg desperately needs a good result after a string of dominating performances by Hamilton saw the Englishman wrest the championship points lead from him so he can take some momentum and confidence into the upcoming August break.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was right behind Hamilton and his wunderkind teammate Max Verstappen took P4, showing once again that the Red Bull chassis-engine combo is the most improved in the paddock, outstripping Ferrari for the claim of second best to mighty Mercedes. As if to prove that point, the Ferrrais of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel lined up behind the Red Bulls in P5 and P6 respectively. Force India continued to show renewed strength, with Nico Hulkenberg grabbing P7 and Sergio Perez taking P9 on the grid. Perez split the two Williams, a team that has definitely taken a step back this year, with Valtteri Bottas only fast enough for P8 and Felipe Massa back in P10.

Top 10 qualifiers for the German Grand Prix:

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 6 Nico Rosberg MERCEDES 1:15.485 1:14.839 1:14.363 12
2 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:15.243 1:14.748 1:14.470 12
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:15.591 1:15.545 1:14.726 14
4 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:15.875 1:15.124 1:14.834 12
5 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 1:15.752 1:15.242 1:15.142 12
6 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:15.927 1:15.630 1:15.315 14
7 27 Nico Hulkenberg FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:16.301 1:15.623 1:15.510 15
8 77 Valtteri Bottas WILLIAMS MERCEDES 1:15.952 1:15.490 1:15.530 12
9 11 Sergio Perez FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:16.169 1:15.500 1:15.537 17
10 19 Felipe Massa WILLIAMS MERCEDES 1:16.503 1:15.699 1:15.615 13

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrows race airs live from Hockenheim beginning at 8AM Eastern on NBC Sports Network here in the States. Can Rosberg put a stop to Hamilton’s blistering momentum before the summer break? Hope to see you the to find out!

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Hungary — Results & aftermath

Hamilton overhauls Rosberg with victory in Hungary; Ricciardo 3rd for Red Bull

In something of an anticlimactic procedural of a race, Mercedes Lewis Hamilton jumped his pole -sitting teammate Nico Rosberg right at the start and then drove flawlessly to take victory at the Hungaroring. Hamilton’s third victory in a row and his remarkable fifth in the last six contests saw the current World Champion leap past Rosberg into the points lead for the first time this season. Rosberg, who had never been out of the top position in 2016 and trails Hamilton by 6 points, did come home P2. But now he will now have to face the psychological pressure of once again finding himself behind his nemesis and archival just as he has the prior two campaigns when he was runner up. After getting off to such a blistering start by winning his first 4 GP, Rosberg’s season has foundered amidst controversies and internecine warfare between the two Silver Arrows in which Rosberg always seems to somehow get the blame and the short end of the stick. He will be desperate to get a decent result in Germany next week to regain some sort of momentum to take into the long. lonely August break.

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Further back in the field, the two Red Bulls diced all race long with the two Ferraris, with Daniel Ricciardo able to hold off Sebastian Vettel for the last podium spot and wunderkind Max Verstappen playing rough with an increasingly irate Kimi Raikkonen to best the veteran Finn, P5 to P6. Fernando Alonso did excellent work for McLaren with a solid P6, finally showing signs of  the legendary F1 powerhouse getting back towards the top with a solid P7. But his teammate Jenson Button was plagued by mechanical gremlins and had a nightmare race, running 60 laps at the back of the field before retiring, so reliability on the Honda-powered McLaren MP4-31 chassis remains a serious issue. Carlos Sainz was string again for Toro Rosso, coming home P8, while Valtteri Bottas had to settle for P9 in his rather uncompetitive Williams, a team which has definitely taken a step or two backwards this year after a couple of improving seasons. Nico Hulkenberg grabbed the last points paying position for Force India with P10 and his teammate Sergio Perez might also have been in the mix had the team not inexplicably been caught unprepared on a pit stop for tires.

Top 10 finishers for the Hungarian Grand Prix:

POS NO DRIVER CAR LAPS TIME/RETIRED PTS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 70 1:40:30.115 25
2 6 Nico Rosberg MERCEDES 70 +1.977s 18
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 70 +27.539s 15
4 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 70 +28.213s 12
5 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 70 +48.659s 10
6 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 70 +49.044s 8
7 14 Fernando Alonso MCLAREN HONDA 69 +1 lap 6
8 55 Carlos Sainz TORO ROSSO FERRARI 69 +1 lap 4
9 77 Valtteri Bottas WILLIAMS MERCEDES 69 +1 lap 2
10 27 Nico Hulkenberg FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 69 +1 lap 1

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

The next race is in but a week, the German Grand Prix from Hockenheim. It’ll be the last race for nearly a month as the F1 circus gets ready for its enforced summer break. Hope to see you then to find out whether Rosberg can recapture some of his mojo or if Hamilton will keep laying down the law!

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain — Results and aftermath

Hamilton triumphs for 3rd straight win at Silverstone; Rosberg loses P2 to Red Bull’s Verstappen on radio penalty

In a remarkable race in front of his countrymen and with typically rainy English summer weather as a key subplot, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton triumphed over the elements and his rivals, taking a remarkable third consecutive victory at the historic Silverstone circuit in Great Britain. Not only did Hamilton beat his points-leading teammate, Nico Rosberg, but he continued to ratchet up the pressure on the German contender by taking victory in four out of the last five contests. Hamilton even got a bonus — and Rosberg another psychological blow — when the stewards penalized Rosberg and his race engineers for disclosing too much “driver coaching” information over the radio late in the Grand Prix when he had a problem with 7th gear. The 10-second time penalty subsequently imposed meant that P2 went to Red Bull’s wunderkind, Max Verstappen, rather than to Rosberg’s true positional second-place finish, doubly galling for the Mercedes driver, as he had spent so much of the second half of the race trying to get by Verstappen. After his win at the British GP, Hamilton now sits only one slim point behind Rosberg in the Drivers’ Championship and also seems to have the lucky breaks back on his side again. With only two contests remaining before the long August break, Rosberg has got to try to recapture the momentum that propelled him to four straight wins to start the year, lest his fragile psyche crumbles in the face of Hamilton’s typically ruthless onslaught.

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

For Verstappen and Red Bull, Rosberg’s technical misfortune was their boon. The 18-year-old Dutchman and his RB-12 chassis excelled in the wet conditions that prevailed in the early part of the contest. With a little more oomph from the “Tag Heuer” (really a beefed-up Renault) engine, it’s possible that the Red Bulls could be a legitimate threat for victories against the mighty Silver Arrows. And Verstappen is certainly living up to the hype despite his tender years. With more wet weather performances like the drive he put in at Silverstone, Verstappen could well inherit the “Rain Meister” title that has been in mothballs since Michael Schumacher’s retirement. Daniel Ricciardo was again not as fast as his precocious teammate and something about his demeanor seems to have darkened considerably since his massive disappointment at Monaco this year when poor pit work by the team literally threw certain victory away. The normally ebullient Aussie did manage a solid 4th-place finish but his 18-second deficit to Vertappen extinguished his normally electric smile.

F1BritishGP-2016-1

Ferrari had another tough race weekend and must be wondering if their early season improvements have been caught up by the other teams. Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain — Qualifying results

Mercedes lockout front row at Silverstone as Hamilton tops Rosberg for pole; Wunderkind Max Verstappen qualifies P3 for Red Bull

Lewis Hamilton continued applying the pressure to his points-leading Mercedes teammate, Nico Rosberg, with a blistering lap to take pole late in the third Qualifying session on Saturday at legendary Silverstone. Performing in front of his English countrymen in the stands, Hamilton scrambled for the top time after seeing his previous fast lap deleted for exceeding track limits. That issue seems to bedevil both stewards and drivers with certain efforts being penalized for the track limits violation while others went unscathed for seemingly the same infraction. In any event, Hamilton pulled one out of the bag late in Q3 and pipped his teammate for the top starting spot in tomorrow’s race. Coming a week after the two Silver Arrows came together on the last lap of the Austrian GP and Rosberg saw victory slip away to his archival, Hamilton will be looking to pull ahead of his German teammate in the points and earn his third straight victory at Silverstone.

Red Bull’s wunderkind Max Verstappen out-qulaified his more senior teammate Daniel Ricciardo, P3 to P4. Newly re-signed Kimi Raikkonen bested his Ferrari teammate, Sebastian Vettel, P5 to P6 and worse for Vettel, he faces yet another 5-spot grid penalty for a gearbox change. After a bright start, Vettel’s 2016 season has devolved into a long, tough slog with a series of crashes, technical DNFs and other issues hampering the 4-time world champ’s aspirations to take it to Mercedes.

Valtteri Bottas ran well enough for the seventh-fastest time despite the Williams’ chronic lack of downforce. Carlos Sainz took P8 for for Toro Rosso, Nico Hulkenberg was P9 for Force India and Fernando Alonso qualified P10 for improving McLaren. All three of those drivers will move up one spot due to Vettel’s penalty, with Sergio Perez of Force India inheriting the last top 10 starting spot on the grid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ29-6t0-yo

Marcus Ericsson of Sauber had a scary crash in practice that necessitated a trip to the hospital for further evaluation. Ericsson is questionable for tomorrow’s race start pending more medical tests. Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Austria — Results & aftermath

Mercedes’ Hamilton & Rosberg come to blows again — Hamilton emerges victorious; Red Bull’s Verstappen, Ferrari’s Raikkonen pounce to take P2 & P3

Nico Rosberg thought he had a brilliant come-from-behind victory in the bag at the Red Bull Ring in Austria this Sunday. After being pushed back 5 spots on the grid from a qualifying effort that should have been good enough for P2 when his Mercedes team had to heroically rebuild his car and gearbox following a crash in practice, the German championship points leader made an excellent start, rushing by the two Red Bulls into fifth place. Rosberg continued to methodically work his way up, eschewing an early pit stop and making his tires last while others around him pitted. With Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel running P1 and also on a long tire stint, Rosberg was right behind his countryman to see the Ferrrai’s rear right tire disintegrate on the start-front straight on Lap 27, ending the  4-time World Champion’s race. That left Rosberg, whose Silver Arrow picked up a lot of Vettel’s shredded rubber, leading the race under the Safety Car and upon its withdrawal. Hamilton shadowed him from P2 and the two Mercedes’ aces traded fast laps for much of the middle part of the race.

Vettel-Austria-2016

When Rosberg had a superior pit stop to his teammate on Lap 56, it looked for all the world that he would keep his edge because Hamilton was now stuck behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. But working diligently, Hamilton finally managed to get by Verstappen and into P2 on Lap 63 of the 71 lap race.  And the drag and damage on Rosberg’s car from Vettel’s tire debris seemed to tell over time with Hamilton steadily reeling him in as the laps wound down. On the final lap Hamilton made his move into Turn 2 with a wide outside passing attempt and abrupt reentry on to the racing line that clipped Rosberg’s front wing, causing it to collapse as Hamilton sailed towards victory. Not only that but Rosberg lost his chance at a podium, as first Vesratppen then Raikkonen flew by his wounded Silver Arrow. While Rosberg was later found at fault by the stewards for the crash and given a time penalty, he managed to hold on to his P4 and his Championship lead. And it appeared there was plenty of blame to go around with Hamilton’s aggressive overtaking move vs. Rosberg’s defending. Afterwards Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was fuming at both of his drivers for once again losing out on maximum points, threatening to impose the dreaded team orders. One thing is for certain, the Hamilton-Rosberg relationship is arguably the most toxic since Prost and Senna… or at least Vettel and Webber. And with only three tightly-packed races remaining before the summer break and a mere 11 points separating these Mercedes title contenders don’t look for any cooling of this white hot intrateam rivalry in the weeks to come.

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

As mentioned above, Red Bull’s Wunderkind Max Verstappen drove an excellent race to be in position to capitalize on Rosberg’s misfortune and take P2 on the team’s home track and in front of a delighted Red Bull impresario Deitrich Mateschitz himself. Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Austria — Qualifying results

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton grabs pole in drying conditions in Austria, Rosberg P2 but pushed back by penalty; Nico Hulkenberg a splendid P3 for Force India

In a bizarre qualifying session in Austria that saw the Red Bull Ring’s excessive curbing cause rear suspension failure on several cars, including a spectacular accident by Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took advantage of rapidly drying conditions after a rain shower in Q3 to grab the pole time. With one driver after another hurrying to change from Intermediate wet tires onto slicks, the leaderboard shuffled with each passing second in thrilling fashion, as each car that crossed the start-finish line seemed to go faster than the one that preceded it. But in the end it was Hamilton who shone the brightest, willing his Mercedes to the pole and denying a miracle top spot to sentimental and seemingly feasible aspirants like Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Ferrari’s Number 2, Kimi Raikonnen. Better yet for Hamilton, his teammate and Championship points leader Nico Rosberg, while taking second in terms of pure speed, will be forced to start back in P7 come race day due to a gearbox change necessitated by his own suspension failure in free Practice 3. So despite reestablishing himself after a run a poor finishes with his dominant victory in the European GP in Baku, Azerbaijan two weeks ago, the German has been put on the back foot again and sees his Silver Arrows teammate & archrival Hamilton threatening to sail away on this high speed circuit. Perhaps Nico will be praying for rain to open up some strategic possibilities come Sunday. Or perhaps he will be hoping that Hamilton takes one too many curbs of his own tomorrow and is forced to retire prematurely.

Despite not getting a coveted pole, Hulkenberg did manage a fortuitous P3 for the little Force India team and the even better starting position of P2 after Rosberg’s penalty, a fine opportunity for a car that has looked fast all weekend. Unfortunately his teammate Sergio Perez also suffered suspension failure in Q2 and will start from way back in P16. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel could not overhaul Hulkenberg’s time and was only fast enough for P4. But worse yet for the former 4-time World Champion, Vettel will also be pushed back 5 places due to a gearbox change. That will grant the advantage to teammate Raikkonen, who will start from P4 after qualifying P6. Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Europe — Results & aftermath

Rosberg back on track with victory in Baku, Hamilton struggles for P5; Vettel a distant 2nd for Ferrari & Perez scores another podium for Force India with impressive P3

After three disappointing finishes in a row that renewed questions about Nico Rosberg’s mental fortitude, the German Mercedes pilot and Driver’s Championship points leader rallied in the European Grand Prix, storming to victory in the first-ever race at the challenging Baku, Azerbaijan street circuit. After a beautifully clean getaway from pole, Rosberg ran away and hid, dominating the race in clean air and leaving others behind him to scramble for points and positions. It marked a return to form for Rosberg, who won his first four Grand Prix of the 2016 season but then scored a scant 16 points in the next three contests, all the while seeing his teammate and archival Lewis Hamilton creep ever closer to him.

Pics courtesy of GrandPrix247.com

Pics courtesy of GrandPrix247.com

But Hamilton, who had won the last two races in Monaco and Canada, had a poor weekend at this virgin and technically demanding track. After the reigning two-time champion binned his Silver Arrow into the wall in Q3 on Saturday, relegating the fiery Englishman to 10th on the grid, Hamilton was unable to overcome his poor starting position in the race. Bedeviled by brake and ERS issues, as well as by the current regulations banning driver coaching from the pit wall, Hamilton struggled all race long, only finding the true pace of the car late on and coming home for a hardly satisfactory P5 finish. Combined with Rosberg’s win, Hamilton saw his points deficit balloon back out to a daunting but not insurmountable 24 after eight rounds of the championship. Knowing Hamilton, it will only serve to motivate him all the more in the upcoming races but this was indisputably a very good weekend for Rosberg.

Ferrari also had a good if not great weekend, with their top driver Sebastian Vettel taking P2 after a flawless 51-lap run, albeit over 16.5 in arrears of Rosberg’s blistering Mercedes. Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Europe — Qualifying results

Rosberg & Mercedes grab pole at inaugural Baku run; Perez an impressive P2 for Force India; Ricciardo P3 for Red Bull

Just a week after a very eventful and impactful Canadian GP the Formula 1 circus arrived at a brand new street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan for the European Grand Prix. On a track reminiscent of Monaco in its ultra-tight sections through the old town but one that also features long, wide straights suitable for drag racing with speeds up to 345kph/214mph, the teams and drivers had their work cut out for them to come to grips with the green surface and strange geometry of the borderline dangerous Baku layout. And the pilot who showed the fastest learning curve and stiffest nerves was Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, with the German points leader rebounding from his disappointment in Montreal to grab an emphatic pole on Saturday.

Better yet for Rosberg, his teammate and archival Louis Hamilton failed to carry the momentum of his last two victories over and clipped the wall, breaking his right front suspension in Q3 and causing a Red Flag ( and a mad scramble for the other drivers when Quali resumed with a scant 2:30 remaining). Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Canada — Qualifying results

Revived Hamilton grabs blistering Pole in Canada, Mercedes teammate Rosberg a whisker behind for P2; Vettel gives max effort for P3 for Ferrari 

When the story of the 2016 Formula 1 season is written it could well be that Monaco is the race we point to as the one that changed the momentum inexorably. Coming off of their double DNF in Spain when Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg took each other out, Hamilton dominated in rainy Monte Carlo two weeks ago to take the victory and plant the first real seeds of doubt in Rosberg’s previously supreme confidence. Hamilton carried that momentum over into Saturday qualifying in Montreal, Canada with a blistering lap to take pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix. With the Mercedes engine really getting a chance to stretch its legs on the long straights of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Hamilton’s laid down an eye-popping 1:12.812 lap time. Still, it was only faster than Rosberg by a scant .062. With Mercedes back to their front row-lockout ways, it sets up for another potentially contetious start to the race, with Hamilton determined to press his new found advantage over his main competitor and Rosberg just as desperate to regain the momentum that seemed so effortless when he won the first four races to start the season.

Making a valiant attempt to keep up with Silver Arrows, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel also broke into the 1:12’s with a stout effort in Q3. Vettel will start P3 and is therefore in a fine position to capitalize if the two Mercedes cannot control their competitive instincts when the lights go out. Ferrari really needs a good result after a string of mediocre races and one-car finishes lately. And Red Bull is definitely nipping at the Prancing Horse’s heels. They showed excellent pace again in qualifying, with the unlucky Daniel Ricciardo rebounding from his Monaco heartbreak to take P4 and his upstart teammate Max Verstappen, who crashed out in the principality, grabbing P5. The Red Bulls are probably even better in race trim so Vettel had better watch his mirrors.

Vettel’s Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen was P6 and the two Mercedes-powered Williams also looked strong, with Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa P7 & P8 respectively. Rounding out the Top 10, Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg had a strong run for P9 on the grid and Fernando Alonso was P10 for improving McLaren.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Canadian Grand Prix:

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:14.121 1:13.076 1:12.812 21
2 6 Nico Rosberg MERCEDES 1:13.714 1:13.094 1:12.874 19
3 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:13.925 1:13.857 1:12.990 24
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:14.030 1:13.540 1:13.166 20
5 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:14.601 1:13.793 1:13.414 24
6 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 1:14.477 1:13.849 1:13.579 23
7 77 Valtteri Bottas WILLIAMS MERCEDES 1:14.389 1:13.791 1:13.670 20
8 19 Felipe Massa WILLIAMS MERCEDES 1:14.815 1:13.864 1:13.769 21
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:14.663 1:14.166 1:13.952 23
10 14 Fernando Alonso MCLAREN HONDA 1:15.026 1:14.260 1:14.338 24

Complete qualifying results available via Fomrula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race starts at a very civilized 2PM Eastern time and is broadcast live on NBC in the States. Hope to see you then to find out which driver can scrape the Wall of Champions on his way to victory and which may have their races undone by it.

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Spain — Results & aftermath

Red Bull debutante Verstappen becomes youngest ever F1 Grand Prix victor after Mercedes drivers knock each other out on opening lap; Ferrari unable to stop wunderkind’s win, finish P2 & P3

In a race that unfolded more like a Hollywood script than a Formula 1 contest the inexplicable somehow transformed into the inevitable on Sunday at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. Despite another front row lockout from team Mercedes, their two talented drivers let their fierce competitiveness overcome their good sense, destroying the team’s day in an instant. As pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton saw himself passed at the start by his archival Nico Rosberg he desperately tried to regain the lead exiting Turn 3 by swinging sharply across the track and to Rosberg’s inside. But Rosberg, slowed now by being in an incorrect engine mode, appeared to coldly shut any perceived opening by jinking to the right, forcing Hamilton onto the grass and into a spin. The Englishman’s out of control Silver Arrow then came back onto the track, tagging Rosberg in the rear and sending the German points leader, as well as Hamilton, into the gravel trap at Turn 4. In an instant both Mercedes’ team cars were beached, broken and out of the race. The previously peerless team had lost the opportunity for a potentially perfect season, Rosberg saw his winning streak snapped at seven races and Hamilton failed to gain any ground in the Drivers’ Championship. While officially the team refused to apportion blame to either driver after debriefing Nikki Lauda did finger Hamilton for an overly ambitious move. Regardless, the incident would never have happened with a little more patience by Hamilton and a little more respect by Rosberg. In the end it was 43 valuable Manufacturers’ points down the tubes for Team Mercedes before the end of Lap 1.

Pics courtesy GrandPirx247.com

Pics courtesy GrandPirx247.com

But Mercedes’ misfortune opened the door to something truly remarkable: Max Verstappen’s first Grand Prix win in his maiden drive for the senior Red Bull team. After replacing Daniil Kvyat during the break between Russia and Spain, all eyes were on the Dutch wunderkind as the race weekend progresssed in Barcelona. And come Sunday he didn’t disappoint. With the dominant Mercedes duo cleared from the field of combat before the end of the first lap that put Verstappen in P2 and saw his veteran teammate Daniel Ricciardo leading the race. Very shortly they would be joined by the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen and that quartet would dual each other in one configuration or another for the rest of the race. As it happened, Red Bull decided to split their strategy, putting Ricciardo on a 3-stopper while electing to have Verstappen only pit for tires twice. Eventually that enabled Verstappen to come out ahead of both Ferraris with Raikkonen his closest pursuer and shuffled Ricciardo back to 4th behind Vettel after the Aussie’s third stop on Lap 45. That’s how they would remain for the rest of the tense race, with Raikkonen hounding Verstappen for the lead and Ricciardo hounding Vettel for the last spot on the podium.

But Verstappen didn’t wilt under the pressure from Raikkonen’s Prancing Horse and the veteran Finn could never find a way past the youngster despite pulling close a few times with the aid of DRS on the start-finish straight. Continue reading →