Alvin's Formula One Blog

In Formula 1, history has a habit of repeating itself. For Lewis, who joined Ferrari in 2025 with the dream of winning in red, the ghosts of the past are never far away. Recently, Sebastian Vettel’s 2020 radio exchange with his race engineer resurfaced, reminding fans of the struggles that have haunted the Scuderia for over a decade. Vettel’s Ferrari career was bittersweet. Between 2015 and 2020, the four-time world champion won 14 races for the Italian team—more than any Ferrari driver in the modern era except Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda. But despite having moments of brilliance and cars fast enough to challenge for titles in 2017 and 2018, Vettel never managed to beat the near-unstoppable combination of Lewis and Mercedes. By 2019, Charles Leclerc had emerged as Ferrari’s new star, often outpacing Vettel. This shift in performance effectively ended Vettel’s time with the team, leading to his departure in 2020. While Vettel’s record at Ferrari is impressive on paper, it’s also a...

A look back at the 2016 F1 season in numbers with Pirelli. I know some of it is unnecessary but it's interesting that they keep track of so many things. "This has been an incredible season both on and off the track," says Pirelli Motorsport Director, Paul Hembery, as the Italian manufacturer reflects on the busiest F1 season ever. "So here are a few facts and figures as a souvenir of a year that will go down in history. "Pirelli has introduced a brand new compound - the ultrasoft - and also new regulations that allowed teams to use three compounds during each race, selected in advance. This extra tactical intrigue proved to be a highlight of the year, enhancing the show still further. "We also had the final season of tyres with a deliberately high level of degradation, as from next year we adopt a new philosophy in line with the latest direction for the sport. "At the same time as completing this season, we were testing for the next one: both...

Here is the conclusions from PlanetF1. Original article is here . Driver of the Day for Max, farewell to Felipe and congrats to the other Felipe. Donington 1993. Barcelona 1995. Monza 2008. Interlagos 2016 Max Verstappen finished third on Sunday but by all accounts put in the drive of the day. “Mega…You’re witnessing something special today,” his boss Christian Horner said. Special is an understatement. The teenager’s drive in the wet is among some of the all-time great drives in adverse weather and reminiscent of Ayrton Senna’s spectacular drive at Donington in 1993, Michael Schumacher’s maiden victory for Ferrari in the rain in Spain two years later, and Sebastian Vettel’s remarkable win for Toro Rosso eight seasons ago. As this column has noted before, Verstappen has an impressive toolkit. In 2016 he has proved he can defend, attack, overtake. And he has got race craft and one-lap pace too. On the evidence available at Interlagos he can do it all in the wet too. Any on...

The Mexican Grand Prix is an FIA-sanctioned auto race held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. It first appeared as a non-championship event in 1962 before being held as a championship event from 1963-1970 and 1986-1992. The Grand Prix returned in 2015 at the Mexico City circuit. The last few races have seen some fascinating strategy gambles from Red Bull and others, so will we see more of the same this weekend, as the F1 teams race for the second time on the revamped Hermanos Rodgrizuez circuit in Mexico City? Over 350,000 people are expected to attend across the three days, with organisers installing new grandstands, such is the demand for F1 tickets in Mexico. The track was brand new last year, so the surface has had a year to shed the oils that are always present in new tarmac and in addition there has been quite a bit of racing activity, so there should be significantly more grip from rubber on the surface. The confines of the Magdalena Mixhuaca park which ...

The race conclusions from PlanetF1. Original article is here . Nico Rosberg is playing the “long game” while Carlos Sainz may have lost out in the Fernando Alonso tussle but could yet have the last laugh. Playing the long game Venus Williams was one of the high-profile figures in the Mercedes paddock this weekend and the US Grand Prix, although not a classic, was befitting of a match at Flushing Meadows as F1’s big boys probed and pushed their opponents on the track. The strategic battle between Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari made for compelling viewing, while some drivers literally pushed their rivals around – here’s looking at you Daniil Kvyat while Fernando Alonso’s light ‘kiss’ on former team-mate Felipe Massa also stands out. Lewis Hamilton may have trimmed Nico Rosberg’s lead to 26 points but as the German said repeatedly on team radio, what matters is the “long game”. Rosberg does not need to take any risks and made it clear in Austin that he will be playing the p...

The Japanese Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Traditionally one of the last, if not the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix has been the venue for many title-deciding races, with 13 World Champions being crowned over the 27 World Championship Japanese Grands Prix that have been hosted. The first two Japanese Grands Prix in 1976 and 1977 were held at the Fuji Speedway, before Japan was taken off the calendar. It returned in 1987 at  Suzuka , which hosted the Grand Prix exclusively for 20 years and gained a reputation as one of the most challenging F1 circuits. In 2007 the Grand Prix moved back to the newly redesigned Fuji Speedway. After a second race at Fuji in 2008, the race returned to Suzuka in 2009. New additions to the Formula One calendar tend to be homogeneous affairs lacking in local colour. But the unique Suzuka circuit’s fairground setting and famously dedicated fans make it unmistakably Japanese. It also...

Lewis will rise to the challenge First included in the Formula One World Championship in 1999, the current Malaysian Grand Prix is held at the Sepang International Circuit at Sepang, Malaysia. FIA-sanctioned racing in Malaysia has existed since the 1960s. But only from 1999 did Malaysia get a proper world class F1 track with the one built in Sepang. The Sepang International Circuit is located near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, approximately 60 km south of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. It is the venue used for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix and other major motorsport events. The circuit was designed by German designer Hermann Tilke, who would subsequently design the new facilities in Shanghai, Bahrain, Turkey, Valencia, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Korea, India and Austin, TX. The main circuit, normally raced in a clockwise direction, is 5.543 kilometres long, and is noted for its sweeping corners and wide straights. The layout is qui...

Well that not much of a race for me. I switched off halfway as there was no point watching Lewis having to manage his brakes all the way and can't attack. This article reproduced from Planet F1. Original article can be found here . One has to feel for Nico Rosberg. He may have taken the lead in the Championship, but his great performances are never extolled like Lewis Hamilton’s. At the same time, his failings are prodded, poked, studied, and arguably held against him. There was no failing at Singapore in 2016, though. From his outstanding pole lap – more than half a second clear of his nearest challenger – to his perfect race, this was a performance worthy of nothing but praise. Toto Wolff claimed, however, that some perspective was required as Hamilton’s woes in FP2 had set back his race preparations. Would Rosberg have received the same sympathy had such bad luck befallen him? Let’s be clear that there is no suggestion of conspiracy against Rosberg, but the answer is...

The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race on the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The event takes place in Singapore on the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was the inaugural F1 night race and the first street circuit in Asia. Spaniard Fernando Alonso won the first edition of the grand prix, driving for the Renault F1 team. The Singapore Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar through at least 2017, after race organizers signed a contract extension with Formula One Management on the eve of the 2012 event. Singapore’s street race under night lights has been a dazzling addition to the calendar though the track is more a test of endurance than skill. It boasts 23 turns which are almost all slow and the majority of them are right-angled. Like Baku, Sochi and – of course – Monaco, this is more a tour bus route than a track. That isn’t to say it can’t catch drivers out. The combination of frequent bumps and braking zones, unforgiving walls and energy-sapping humidity...

Enjoyed the Italian GP? I didn't. A bad start from Lewis handed the race to Rosberg. "Pure class"? I disagree but I still will post this article just so that we can see at the end of the season how deluded Rosberg was. Of course he has a chance at the title but on pure pace and skills, Lewis wins hands down. Only luck can win it for Rosberg. This article was written by Michelle Foster of PlanetF1. The original article can be found here. Pure class from Nico Rosberg at a grand prix that proved that speed doesn’t guarantee good racing. Rosberg’s got something It was a classy win for Nico Rosberg as he raced unchallenged to his maiden Italian Grand Prix win. Detractors will say it was an easy one, made uncomplicated by Lewis Hamilton’s start misfortunes, but Rosberg still did had to do the work. He still had to lay down the fast laps, build a lead over the Ferraris – and over Hamilton by more than a second per lap in the opening stage – and he had to maintain hi...