Hello F1 fans! A lot has happened over the last week! It has been a big week in Formula 1. The race itself was shocking. Let me first tell you what happened leading up to the big race.

VERSTAPPEN REPLACES KVYAT AT RED BULL

Max Verstappen was recently promoted from the junior team Toro Rosso to Red Bull. That meant demoting Daniil Kyvat to Toro Rosso. Red Bull have the right to do this because both the teams are owned by the same person. I was really surprised  when I found out. However, I think lots of people saw this coming. The talented 18 year old had a way better season than Kvyat. Red Bull would have also wanted to keep him away from Ferrari and Mercedes. Like everyone else, I thought he wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure. Well, he proved me wrong by winning on his debut.

 

EXCITING SATURDAY BUILDS UP TO GREAT RACE

On Saturday morning, on the third and final practice Ferrari looked very quick, being only 2 tenths of a second of the fastest time. However things were very different in qualifying when they were out qualified by both Red Bulls. The Mercedes had another front row lock out, with Hamilton taking pole.

 

BOTH MERCEDES CRASH ON FIRST LAP

This crash changed the entire outcome of the race. Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda said the incident was “Unacceptable”. The chances of this happening was probably 1000 to 1. Let’s see what happened.

 

1. Rosberg realizes this very late and moves to the right to block Hamilton
2. Hamilton attempts pass on Rosberg, going on the inside.
3. Hamilton goes much faster than Rosberg in first corner, gaining on him quickly.
4. Rosberg passes Hamilton in the first corner, giving him the lead.
5. Rosberg’s late move forces Hamilton on the grass, causing him to loose control and take out Rosberg.

 

DIFFERENT STRATEGIES FOR LEADERS MAKES RACE UNPREDICTABLE

In the race, there were 4 different drivers who had a chance to win! 2 from Red Bull and 2 from Ferrari The different strategies  made the race battle brew nicely. Verstappen and Raikkonen were on a 2 stop strategy, while Vettel and Ricciardo were on the the more aggressive and racier 3 stopper. The drivers on the 2 stop strategy made their final stop with about 30 laps to go, which I thought was way to long. However, the two drivers did well taking care of their tires, and managed to nurse them to the end. Vettel and Ricciardo weren’t able to close the gap, because they were fighting for third.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my post, and I am looking forward to the next race!

 

Fact of the day: At just 18 years old, Max Verstappen shattered Sebastian Vettel’s record of youngest race winner by almost 3 years!