'It was frustrating' – Hamilton opens up on tense Miami radio messages during Ferrari strategy debate Verstappen labels Miami Grand Prix ‘a struggle’ after slipping back to P4 as he reflects on gap to McLaren FACTS AND STATS: Piastri secures McLaren’s first victory hat trick in over 25 years VideoHIGHLIGHTS: Piastri leads McLaren 1-2 after thrilling race in Miami Norris concedes he 'paid the price' as he reflects on Lap 1 battle with Verstappen in Miami Ferrari's 1000th GP weekend at the Tuscan Grand Prix got properly underway on Friday morning as Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel hit the track in Mugello in their special burgundy coloured SF1000s - a tribute to the marque's first F1 colour scheme The car even features revised driver numbers aimed to mimic the hand-drawn numbers of the era while the drivers are wearing matching burgundy overalls Check out how it looks on-track in the image gallery above then let us know what you think of it below Williams duo keen to 'play with strategies' as they target strong result in Miami after impressive Qualifying Cadillac unveil their team logo and brand during dazzling Miami launch event ahead of 2026 entry ‘Just to get into Q3 is tough’ – Hamilton admits Ferrari ‘struggling big time’ after exiting Miami Qualifying in P12 Verstappen surges to pole position ahead of Norris and Antonelli in Miami GP Qualifying HIGHLIGHTS: Piastri leads McLaren 1-2 after thrilling race in Miami © 2003-2025 Formula One World Championship Limited Friends of Clymer help to update the Clymer Library with a $3,300 purchase including a preschool library cart for toddlers which allows children as young as 2 years old to access a book of their choosing; plastic cases for magazines; and two wood bookshelves library director; Angel Wible; Phyllis Miller; Anita Scarperia; and Johanna Beedenbender Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix website Autodromo del Mugello website The Mugello International Circuit is located in the town of Scarperia “Mugello,” to the geographical area where it is located which is a green valley in the northeast of Florence near the Apennines the mountain range that separates Tuscany from Emilia Romagna While road racing had been around the public streets of Mugello for over 60 years the construction of the racing-specific track began in 1972 it was inaugurated with a Formula 5000 race First managed by Automobilclub of Florence the Mugello International Circuit has been owned by Ferrari since 1988 the facility has hosted the group test in Formula 1 — the teams that took to the track were Ferrari Caterham and Marussia — and it is home every year between June and July to the Italian Grand Prix for the Moto World Championship It was also twice the finishing stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race The Mugello International Circuit has received the “Best Prix” Award as the best circuit in the Moto World Championship five times dollars and accurate as of the time of this posting We visited the Mugello International Circuit at the ACI/CSAI racing weekend on 6 and 7 July 2013 we stopped in the center of Scarperia for breakfast: frothy cappuccino and croissant with cream for a total cost of €2 ($2.60) we had a cup of coffee at the restaurant located at the paddock’s entrance (€0.80 We decided to return to the same refreshment point for lunch We ate a small pizza and a bottle of water (0.5 liters) for a total cost of €5 ($6.60) The menu also offers sweet and salted snacks there are some well-marked areas for barbecue The track of Mugello International Circuit extends for 5.245 meters and is situated 292 meters above sea level Cars and motorcycles reach a top speed in the final stretch of the main straight before taking the San Donato curve The roar of the cars that echo in the hills around the plant is an indescribable feeling and really exciting The town of Scarperia dates from the 14th century a building similar in appearance to the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence inside of which is the Museum of Cutting Tools Other buildings in the old town of Scarperia are the Church of Santi Jacopo and Filippo and the Oratorio della Madonna di Piazza These two buildings date back to the first decades of the 14th century Scarperia is home to some culinary festivals which are worth attending there is Sagra del Cinghiale (cinghiale is a wild boar) Sagra del Tortello (tortello is a large ravioli) and Sagra del Fungo Porcino (porcino is a mushroom) About 10 km from Scarperia is Lago di Bilancino It is an artificial basin of about 5,000 square meters that includes various activities there wasn’t the audience that crowded the facility during the Italian Grand Prix (record about 150,000 viewers) but the spectators present were competent and passionate We spoke to some of them who told us the history of the facility and some curious aspects relating to races of the past Reaching the Mugello International Circuit is really easy use the A1 motorway and exit at Barberino di Mugello you have to drive about 15 km to the facility it can be accessed by either the Borgo San Lorenzo (about 5 km away from the track) or San Piero a Sieve (around 7 km away) stations a free shuttle bus service will take you from either station you can still get to the circuit from Borgo San Lorenzo and San Piero a Sieve with regularly-scheduled public buses Ticket prices at the ACI/CSAI racing weekend ranged from €5 to €15 ($6.60 to $19.80) and gave the opportunity to attend the “Prato,” “Tribuna Centrale” (the Main Grandstand) Please note that the entrance fee includes allowing you to park your cars and motorcycles inside the track The Mugello International Circuit is open for 270 days a year (2013 calendar runs from March to November) and offers the ability to run on the track with private cars and motorcycles there is all the information you need to feel the emotion of being race car drivers for a day Racing training is available for both cars and motorcycles with the track offering to time your lap for you As we can read on the website of the circuit Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso once said on Twitter Stadiumjourney.com Italian legend rider Valentino Rossi holds his iconic No 46 at a ceremony prior to the Italian Moto Grand Prix qualifying at Mugello Circuit in Scarperia Italian legend rider Valentino Rossi's iconic number 46 has been retired from use in Moto Grand Prix (GP) at a ceremony held prior to the qualifying at the Italian race at Mugello Circuit on Saturday "Valentino Rossi changed Grand Prix motorcycle racing forever Over 26 seasons of history-making competition the Italian captured hearted around the world and broke myriad records taking the sport to new heights with his mixture of charisma and incredible talent," read the words engraved on a trophy of the number 46 "Named a MotoGP legend upon retiring at the end of 2021 and 235 podiums across all classes tell their own story – but the tale behind the numbers is one of redefining a sport Valentino Rossi (C) of Italy cheers along with members of Team Mooney VR46 at Mugello Circuit in Scarperia Rossi said he had "a mixture of feelings" about his retirement it is a great feeling because it was a long story and an unforgettable career full of great moments and it is also good because I have always raced with the 46 from the first year when he finished second in the 250cc Championship Italy’s Valentino Rossi wins the Laureus Sporting Icon Award during the Laureus World Sports Awards 2022 Virtual Award Ceremony Rossi is the winner of the 2006 Laureus Spirit of Sport 2011 Laureus World Comeback of the Year and the 2022 Laureus Sporting Icon Award He was inducted into the MotoGP's Hall of Fame in November and always a pleasure," said Rossi during the induction ceremony Valentino Rossi of Italy shows during the 'One More Lap' event organized to mark the end of his MotoGP career Rossi is a nine-time world champion across three categories: 125 cubic centimeters (cc) 250 cc and the premier class of 500 cc in the MotoGP world championships 1997: 125 cc road racing with Team Aprilia 1999: 250 cc road racing with Team Aprilia 2004: MotoGP championship with Team Yamaha 2005: MotoGP championship with Team Yamaha 2008: MotoGP championship with Team Yamaha 2009: MotoGP championship with Team Yamaha Valentino Rossi talks with fans during the 'One More Lap' event in Milan Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466 Albon delighted with fifth in Miami as Sainz admits frustrations over inability to score 'bigger' points for Williams ‘We made it count when it mattered’ – Russell satisfied with recovery to podium after troublesome Miami weekend Stella ‘surprised’ by McLaren advantage after 1-2 in Miami as he hails particular area of engineering 'excellence' MONDAY MORNING DEBRIEF: How Leclerc and Hamilton’s opposing Miami strategies culminated in fractious Ferrari radio exchanges MIAMI LOWDOWN: All the key moments as McLaren and Antonelli shine A front row lock out is a good way to bounce back for the team after the disappointment of Monza though This is a phenomenal track and it's very challenging 8 and 9 at around 275 to 285 km/h and the g-forces we're pulling through there is just insane Valtteri has been quicker than me all through the weekend so I've been working hard in the background to try and improve my lines and set-up I got the lap together that I needed in Q3 The wind picked up a bit for the second lap which is why I wasn't able to go any quicker Valtteri did a great job and has been pushing me really hard so I'm glad I could pick up the pace once I got to Qualifying it'll be difficult on such a high-speed track but that should also make it pretty interesting." "It's disappointing to miss out on pole especially by such a small margin and after I had to abort my final lap The yellow flags definitely hampered my Qualifying as I still had more to come with the last lap and was just waiting for the time to get it all right so I was looking forward to going again but I just didn't get the opportunity we thought it would be nearly impossible to overtake here but during practice we've seen how wide the track is and the different lines you can take through the corners I'm hopeful I'll be able to take the fight to Lewis tomorrow and have a good battle "I'm very happy with a 1-2 in Qualifying and locking out the front row so Qualifying was spectacular - as we expected We have all the ingredients for an exciting race tomorrow with both Red Bulls behind us and it's also great to see Ferrari in their 1,000th Grand Prix with a car up in P5 We're flying a little bit blind for the race Our long runs in practice actually weren't that long so there are still some unknowns We'll have to see how the tyres last and whether it will be a one or a two-stop but there are a few strategic options and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out I'm really looking forward to a good race tomorrow." "Well done to Lewis on another fantastic pole position it's difficult to put the lap together here with so many interconnected corners but he made a big step overnight and was putting in strong laps all session It was a frustrating final lap for Valtteri; he'd found good time compared to his penultimate run as he exited Turn 3 but had to abandon the lap due to the yellow flags Valtteri's been strong here from the word go so he was frustrated to not get a chance to finish the lap but at least his first lap in the final session was good enough to secure the front row This is the closest that we've seen Red Bull all year in Qualifying and that normally translates to them being close in the race They also have two cars up at the front which will give them a few more options Hopefully it will be an interesting race; it's pretty tough on the tyres and there are quite a few strategies that all end up similar on race time so I think we'll see some variety up and down the grid in tyre choice and number of stops." Verstappen split the Mercedes in FP3 and looked right in the fight for pole He faded somewhat in qualifying which he said he expected but won’t be too unhappy with third and the racing line into the first corner he looked more comfortable than he has of late over one lap and locked out the second row with his team mate in his best qualifying since Austria back in July “As a team I think we did a very good job the whole weekend and from the start the car was in a good window which meant it was more about fine tuning We are the closest we have been to Mercedes in qualifying so we can be happy about that and also the gap to the competition behind us is bigger I have good hopes for the race and it is always difficult to predict whether we can fight for the win but I feel a bit more confident than some other weekends We have quite decent top speed which I think is good around here and although it won’t be easy to pass at least the last few corners are quite wide and long so you can take a few different lines if you have the pace to follow Strategy wise as it is a new track we will find out a lot during the race especially about the tyres as track temperatures are going to be quite high tomorrow A Mercedes is never easy to overtake but we will give it all we have and I love this track so I’m really looking forward to the race.” strong qualifying and driving these cars around this circuit on low fuel is just incredible It’s crazy and it takes your breath away so I hope we continue with tracks like this in the future Qualifying fourth is my career best so I’m happy as we are making constant progress Monza was better and here so far has been another step forward there’s still some time to find but we’re consistently getting better and I think without the yellow flags in the last Q3 run we would have gone even quicker I was lacking a bit of confidence but after we made some changes the car became more connected and I could start pushing it clean launch as it’s a long run to Turn One and then hopefully we can have a simple “It’s great to have both drivers up on the second row in qualifying with Max third and Alex fourth and we extracted the most out of the car today We were just a couple of tenths shy of Mercedes but it was one of the closest sessions this year and hopefully we can race well from there Alex has had a strong weekend with his best F1 qualifying result to date which will provide him with confidence ahead of the race We’ve been quick in sector three all weekend so our first opportunity will be on the run down to Turn One and then we will see what we can do from there It’s going to be interesting to see what affect the warm weather has on strategies and of course there’s no historic data here so you’ve got to be prepared to be reactive The drivers are really enjoying this circuit it’s a fast old school track so let’s hope it produces a great race tomorrow.” Both cars made it out of Q1 in what was a marked improvement on the last two races. Vettel exited at the second time of asking but Leclerc made it all the way to the top 10 shootout but then the Monegasque nailed his lap before the yellow flags came out to grab an impressive fifth on the grid Whether he can keep hold of that position tomorrow remains to be seen but today was definitely an upturn in fortunes for the Scuderia at their 1,000th race although I was still able to go through to the next part but from then on we weren’t able to make any progress I’m not really getting the hang of the car which means we won’t be able to show our true pace but I have struggled a little bit this weekend so far “I’m happy to be back in the top ten as I’ve missed tackling Q3 in recent races The last two weekends have been extremely difficult for us so it’s nice to finally see the light "It’s still a bit of an unknown where our pace came from and it is very important for us to find out because that’s how we will consistently be at our best "The characteristics of this track suit our car better I think our medium-downforce package is better in terms of balance compared to our low-downforce one that we were running in Monza and Spa so I had more confidence and that also helped today "P5 is definitely the best we could have done We are lacking performance compared to the guys in front but overall I’m very happy with the balance "It’s going to be a difficult race because we have quite a lot of cars behind us that might turn out to be faster than us Hopefully we can give our tifosi some entertainment and finish in this position or even better." "After two very tough weekends in Spa and Monza we wanted to turn things around and we seem to have managed it he is ahead of the group of drivers that normally fight over a few tenths but the gaps are very small: just five thousandths faster would have moved him up two places We can expect a very tough race tomorrow on a beautiful and spectacular track that is also demanding for both the car and driver "At least ten cars will be fighting for places right behind the top three and we will have to do everything perfectly when it comes to strategy We will have some extra motivation from the fact we want to do our best on what is the Scuderia’s one thousandth Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix." “I think we got everything we could out of the car and overall it’s been a positive day for the team which was important because we only had one set of Soft tyres remaining [having used two sets in Q1] It’s a shame that we have the penalty for the Grand Prix but if I had to lose a place on the grid – I’m glad it’s to my team mate Lance was able to run the car upgrade today so that’s a good sign for the coming races so there’s plenty of unknowns and calling the strategy won’t be easy tomorrow A strong start will mean we have everything to play for in the race.” “It was a little bit frustrating out there today I think we could have qualified in P4 or P5 without the yellow flag on the final runs in Q3 I’d set a comfortable banker lap on my first run and I think I was set to improve significantly on my second there’s plenty of positives to take from today We improved the car overnight and earned a good starting position – and that’s important because overtaking is going to be difficult here I’m happy with the feel of the car and we have good underlying pace so I think we have the potential for a strong result tomorrow We were also able to collect more data on our upgrade package and the early signs are promising It’s been a good day’s work and I’m looking forward to the race now.” “A pretty solid qualifying effort with both cars showing good speed across the sessions it doesn’t change our starting positions as a team with Lance now lining up ahead of Checo Lance was unlucky on his final run in Q3 to be disadvantaged by the yellow flags for Ocon and had to abort the lap That took away his chance of getting ahead of Leclerc The layout of this track suggests overtaking will be difficult tomorrow so it was important to secure good starting positions today I’m confident our race pace will match our qualifying speed and that we can bring home important points tomorrow.” and the yellow flags that came out caught all the drivers behind out – including his team mate We’re still in a good position to score points for the race where I put in a good lap and saved two sets for Q3 I lost the rear and it was a bit messy and there was certainly more to come on the second set there was potential for fifth with a clean lap There will be a lot going on tomorrow and I think there will be a good battle for the top five and hopefully it’s a fun one.” I lost the car on my Q3 run and couldn’t put in a lap time It was one of those times when you push the limits more and more throughout the session and that one was just a bit over It’s a shame as we showed good pace and we could have qualified a lot further up The car was good today and the team did a really solid job especially the step between FP3 and qualifying We’re in a position to score points tomorrow and I know we have the ability to grab some.” “We can be happy to have got two cars into Q3 particularly after our difficult morning today we can’t be totally content with the finishing positions We justifiably showed that the car had more pace than that; we could have been fifth and sixth have to be satisfied with eighth and tenth and see what we can do tomorrow so we hope to have another strong race and double points finish for the team.” Norris looked to be making it into Q3 comfortably but Sainz delivered a fast lap when it mattered to knock his team mate out of the top 10 Norris at least has the consolation of free tyre choice from 11th but wasn’t too impressed today he ran used tyres on his opening effort in the top 10 shootout before losing his second flying lap to those pesky yellow flags “Today was a good reaction to a very difficult weekend so far We finally managed to put a good lap together in Q2 and get through to Q3 It’s disappointing to not fully see what the car was capable of doing in Q3 due to the yellow flag but “We’ve made a lot of set up changes across the weekend and now we’re ready for a challenging race tomorrow when we’ll try our best to fight for points.” but given how much we were struggling in FP3 there are some positives we can take away from today “The car was a long way off the pace this morning and I didn’t have much confidence We made some good improvements going into qualifying and the result could’ve been a lot worse but obviously I’m still frustrated to have missed out on Q3 by a few tenths We’ll push hard tomorrow to make up a few positions and get into the points.” “A challenging two days so far for us here in Mugello we have to accept that P9 and P11 were pretty much everything we could achieve today “The gap to the cars in front of us isn’t huge which gives us the opportunity to fight tomorrow We’ll do our homework tonight and look to the race ahead.” What a difference a few days can make. After looking comfortable top 10 material all through practice, Gasly lost his first flying lap in Q1 to traffic and then caught some understeer on his second to fall at the first time of asking in what can only be called a disappointing display At least Kvyat spared the team’s blushes by making Q2 but he could go no further after making a mistake and running through the gravel “Today was frustrating as everything was going so well all weekend and in quali we pushed the engine a bit more and in my two laps before the finish line I ran out of energy which cost us more than a tenth It’s clearly not good on such a track to qualify so far behind and it’s a shame because everything before that went great We just didn’t manage to put things together in quali and we made small mistakes in the worst possible moment We need to find a way to recover as we know we are faster than this so we’ll try to make our way back into the points tomorrow.” “I had a solid day today as I felt more comfortable with the car in qualifying than in other sessions My engineers did a good job trying to make the car suit my driving better because yesterday I wasn’t very happy but today we definitely made a step forward so in the last run since there wasn’t much to lose I tried to take Turn 7 flat; you try to find time anywhere you can We start from P12 tomorrow and you can fight from there so it will be important to capitalise on anything that might happen.” We have been much more competitive in the sessions leading up to qualifying but we didn't manage to repeat our performance this afternoon and we need to understand what the factors behind this were There is a lot of work to get through tonight in order to be fully prepared for the race and today's result has made it harder than it should have been we feel we have a package to be competitive tomorrow fighting with the cars in the midfield and this is our target.” “P13 is a good result given the circumstances but obviously we want a lot more The car felt quite nice and I felt we got everything we could out of it but it’s still disappointing not to be higher up on the grid We keep pushing for a spot in Q3 and sooner or later we are going to break in We’ll find out tomorrow if we can get in the points in the race: overtaking will be difficult but all we can do is go out there and do our best.” “I’m disappointed to be out in Q1 as today we had the potential to do better but in the second one I just didn’t pull it all together This is a track where a small mistake costs you a lot because this layout is effectively a sequence of corners: if you do a mistake The race tomorrow will be tough: physically tough with high temperatures and on a track on which overtaking is difficult We will try our best to make up some ground.” “To place a car in Q2 for the second race in a row is a good result and we can be pleased with the step forward we have made We had our best qualifying of the year: we’ve made a big improvement in the last couple of months and the gap with our rivals has shrunk considerably although we know we have to keep working hard to keep moving forward It was a shame to lose Antonio in Q1: he was less than 0.2s from a place in the top 15 The race tomorrow will be interesting: strategy will surely play a big role and we need to be ready to react quickly to any circumstances: a place in the points is possible if we play our cards right.” Magnussen just didn’t click with the VF-20 today and struggling with understeer he exited at the first time of asking Grosjean though made Q2 in what was a mini victory for the team but could go no further the race could be an uphill battle for the American outfit who look down on power once again that’s our current target for the short-term in qualifying I guess at Turn 1 I picked up a big gust of wind – the rear of the car completely snapped I didn’t do the long run yesterday with the issues we had on my car I’m pretty sure tyres are going to have a tough time how much of an issue surface overheating is I’m a bit worried but let’s hope I’m wrong Turns six to 10 you’re flat out – that’s absolutely mega.” the car’s gotten better and better all weekend long I had one of the Williams car’s go off in the gravel at Turn 7 there was a lot of gravel and dust coming up That meant I was dead last as it’s so tight here but honestly it felt much better than it was it’s hard to have too big an expectation for the race tomorrow we’ll do what we can to try to make it up in the race.” we were hoping for a little bit more in qualifying At least the good point is we got one car into Q2 – at the moment that is the best we can do Starting from 15th will be tough to get into the points At some stage we will get lucky – somewhere Latifi had to make do with P19 in a quieter day "We were quick from the off and I had a really good feeling in the car We changed the downforce level from yesterday which I planned to run this morning but didn’t get the chance to I am disappointed I couldn’t finish my final lap as that would have been a great way to reward the team as Q2 was definitely on the cards for us today A big thanks to the boys for getting my car turned around after FP3 as there was a lot of work on their hands We made quite a sizeable change going into qualifying and geared the car towards the race tomorrow to have more of a fighting chance but the balance went in the wrong direction for the second and the third I was limited with a lot of understeer; we were compensating for that and we kept adding more and more wing but I am looking forward to the race tomorrow." "A small issue with the brake system on George’s car at the beginning of FP3 required some major work to access the damaged component This gave the mechanics a lot to do to get the car ready for qualifying robbed George of some valuable track time and meant that we missed some of the set-up work that we were keen to do we were able to move some of George’s tests to Nicholas and he and his team did an excellent job to update their run programme and collect the key data It was a great example of the team’s agility and highlights the trust across the garage both drivers were able to go into qualifying with the best set up on their cars "The mechanics did a sterling job to repair George’s car after FP3 enabling him to leave the garage on time at the beginning of qualifying The Q1 session was busy as we looked to maximise track time for both drivers but he was still able to complete a strong sector three despite coming across Hamilton in the last corner Nicholas meanwhile had his tyre preparation compromised by traffic on the out-lap and couldn’t improve on his previous best due to too much understeer and the car had the pace to progress to Q2 today We are a little frustrated by the result this afternoon and we are happy that we made some good decisions in difficult circumstances The team have done an excellent job all weekend and although today we fell a little short "It was another warm day at Mugello with the tyres providing good performance Already in Q1 yesterday's new track record was broken before being lowered further in the final session All the drivers in the top 10 of the grid have chosen to start the race on the soft tyres which obviously has an effect on the race strategy Controlling degradation on the soft at the beginning of the race will be crucial and this will help to decide if it's a one or a two stop race with several different strategies possible The soft tyres were used from start to finish of qualifying today but the harder compounds will definitely come into their own tomorrow especially for the drivers contemplating a one-stop strategy." VideoRACE START: Verstappen narrowly holds onto the lead in thrilling start to Miami GP VideoWATCH: Ride onboard with Verstappen for his mighty pole lap in Miami Former F1 and Le Mans racer Jochen Mass passes away aged 78 Audi announce organisational restructure ahead of F1 arrival in 2026 5 Winners and 5 Losers from Miami – Who excelled in the Sunshine State Tsunoda concedes he ‘made life much more difficult’ with five-second penalty in Miami after battling for final point Antonelli taking plenty of positives from Miami weekend despite struggles on way to P6 in the Grand Prix ‘We took the tough decision’ – Vasseur defends Ferrari team orders situation in Miami as he acknowledges Hamilton’s frustration The good news for the Silver Arrows is that their drivers were out front and kept well away from the chaos that ensued behind them, and they put the ghosts of Monza to bed for an emphatic 1-2 finish Bottas jumped Hamilton at the original start before the reigning world champion gained revenge at the first restart using the tow effectively to lead into the first corner it was all eyes on the final restart and Hamilton managed to hold off his team mate and then coast to victory Behind the bad news for the team is that Bottas won’t be happy given he asked to be put on an alternate strategy to his team mate so he could try and fight for the win – but the team put him on the same tyres and negated that opportunity… "Today was one of the most challenging days but it feels fantastic to win such a crazy race It's all a bit of a daze and felt like three races in one day this track is phenomenal and Valtteri was pushing me hard With all the restarts and the focus that was required The first start wasn't great and I lost the place to Valtteri but then the second start was better and I got the place back I had a comfortable advantage after that point but then there was another red flag Anything could have happened on those restarts but fortunately on the last one I got my best start of the day and was able to maintain my position Valtteri was always right there with me and I couldn't make a single mistake otherwise he'd be right there to pass me on the straight A huge thank you to the team here at the track and back at the factories for all their hard work to make this result possible so I'd love to come back in the future." "It feels like we had three races today and it was really tough out there The first part of the race went well for me I had a dream start and maintained my position on the first Safety Car restart Once I lost the position to Lewis on the second start I did everything I could and was pushing really hard especially in the middle stint so I could maintain the distance you need to slide the car more and that uses up your tyres There weren't many opportunities once I lost the place and I just need to keep pushing and keep trying to get better "What an unbelievable race today with so many red flags and restarts There was so much going on and it proved to be quite a tough day for all the teams I'm glad to see that everybody is safe and okay after the incidents during today's race The crash on the main straight looked very scary it was a great race and a fantastic result for the team with a 1-2 finish at Mugello Both of our drivers put in very strong performances and it's just what we'd hoped for To extend the lead in the drivers' and constructors' championships feels good and now we have one weekend off "That's the 100th win since Mercedes returned to F1 as a manufacturer in 2010 and a really proud milestone for everyone in Brackley Lewis lost out at the first one with a bit of wheelspin off the line Valtteri also had a tough time with marbles on the left-hand side of the grid for the final restart and lost a place to Riccardo The Safety Car restart was probably more challenging than the race start itself We'd spent a long time this morning talking it through we knew that the Safety Car lights would go out really late which meant the lead driver can't go early as everyone will sit in their tow and pass Valtteri was controlling the pace at that stage and timed it well but behind him it looked like a few cars had gone slightly too early and it caused a bit of chaos which brought out the red flag It was one of those races where it's normally hard to stay in front as it's so hard to guess what's going to happen next But the team and drivers did a fantastic job and it's a really nice way to finish this triple header." “I am of course very disappointed as I know this could have been a really good race for us I had a good launch at the start of the race and went around Lewis but then the car just didn’t accelerate so I lost a lot of speed and had no power I then dropped back into the midfield and got hit from behind When you drop into the middle of the pack in the first few corners like that it’s quite easy to get involved in a crash so I’m not disappointed about that we shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place There isn’t much more to say but it is just really disappointing for the Team that we had to retire again especially when we looked so competitive but it is of course good to see Alex maximize the result and get on the podium.” “I’m really happy and it took a while to get here It’s something I’ve always wanted and one way or another we haven’t been able to get it so to be there today is pretty special It’s really nice to give the Team something back after they’ve supported me since day one and show them what I can do It was a tough race and definitely not one of the easy ones especially the high speed corners in sector two and with so many re-starts to manage we had our work cut out We struggled to get off the line so I knew I had to be aggressive to get all the overtakes done but we had a really good car and we know it’s good on the brakes so we used that to our advantage When we lost two positions on the final re-start I was fired up as I wasn’t going to let the opportunity of a podium go by so I pushed hard to get third and I’m over the moon with today’s result.” “A bittersweet day but it’s fantastic to see Alex take his first F1 podium He’s done a great job all weekend and he had to pass some tough competitors to fight his way back through the field after a couple of difficult starts All credit to him because he hasn’t let the negativity or external criticism get him down he’s picked himself up and put in a first class performance I think this podium will give him a boost of confidence and self-belief and I’m sure he will only get stronger from here Max was unable to show us what he had today after such a promising qualifying and positive feeling ahead of the race He did the hard bit with a great initial launch and was alongside Lewis but then he experienced a loss of power which caused him to drop into the middle of the pack where he was hit from behind It is enormously disappointing for him because he was really up for it today and you could see we had a good overall package The issue is being looked into by Honda and the Team in order to ensure this does not happen again.” Ricciardo gained a couple of places at the start and always looked up for the fight today He picked off Perez and Leclerc before the first red flags and then passed Stroll at the restart to run third on track There he looked set to stay for a memorable podium until the second restart where Albon was finally able to get past the battling Aussie his brakes were on fire out on track according to the cars behind so it was no surprise when he was retired due to overheating issues “I’m really happy with today’s race and we’re so close to the podium again a long race with the stoppages and incidents but the main thing is that all the drivers are okay It looked like we were on for third towards the end of the race We can’t get any closer than that and we’ll keep pushing but he and Alex [Albon] were just too quick to hold on It hurts not to be on the podium after that which caused damage to the rear of the car and the brake line and we couldn’t put the car back together during the red flag Carlos [Sainz] and I lost a couple of positions there It looked a cool race to be in with lots going on which is interesting and there are more opportunities for big results.” “After a rollercoaster of emotions since Friday We have believed in that podium for a while and the team probably deserved it but Alex Albon had better pace at the last restart with the Red Bull Daniel drove a great race to finish where he did The only regret is that we had only one car in this brilliant race as Esteban had to retire due to a brake overheating problem; the root cause of which will have to be investigated The main takeaway from this weekend is that we should never take anything for granted We came here expecting a very difficult weekend with track characteristics that usually do not suit our car It’s another indication that we can extract more while the factories develop future improvements It’s also been a fantastic first event at Mugello a great track for the drivers and their machines!” Stroll was running strongly and was in the fight for a podium before losing out to Ricciardo. He looked set for a solid fourth until something seemingly broke on the rear of his RP20, sending him flying through the gravel at the second Arrabbiata and into the barriers and that left Perez to bring home some points to the team as he worked hard to keep the McLaren of Norris at bay for much of the race and grab a decent fifth at the flag “I think we did really well to maximise the situation to get to P5 considering how crazy the race was and it’s good points for the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships I’m also relieved to hear that Lance is OK after his big crash The key to our race was keeping our focus and staying calm in all the incidents and red flags I think the podium was a possibility for us today but we just didn’t quite have the pace or the balance to make it into the fight for the podium It was tough to come to a new race circuit and adapt quickly but I think we did well to fight inside the top five this weekend We also saw today that the upgrade Lance ran was promising throughout the weekend so I’m looking forward to trying it out for myself in the coming races.” We’re still investigating the cause of the crash We need to go away and look at the data and fully confirm the reasons for it There were some really strong points on the table and we were closing on Ricciardo for the final podium place before the accident and it was all set up for an exciting finale I’m pleased with how the upgraded package performed this weekend and it gives us a good platform for the coming races We were able to make a good start to the race and get a good launch in the restart to keep out of trouble until late on It was an unfortunate result and sometimes that’s how the cookie crumbles “A challenging day for the team on many fronts with two race stoppages including a big accident for Lance caused by what looks like a puncture It was very bad luck because Lance was fighting for the podium all afternoon He was running in fourth place and the failure happened just as we asked him to push up and overtake Ricciardo for third he is ok after a significant impact with the tyre barrier at turn nine but we couldn’t quite match the race pace of Albon and Ricciardo in the end So we leave Mugello with ten more points and having closed slightly on third place in the Constructors’ Championship A day of mixed fortunes in every sense as we cross the mid-way point in the season I have to say a huge well done to the team for their efforts in such a condensed period We will aim to be even more competitive in the second half of the season and there were promising signs from the upgrade package so we're looking forward to the rest of the campaign.” At their 1000th race, it was fitting that at least the drivers brought both cars home in the points for Ferrari It looked at one stage like it could have been much better with Leclerc running third at the start and holding quicker cars at bay Vettel meanwhile sustained damage in contact off the line and looked to be trailing home outside the points but the chaos catapulted him up the field and he made a couple of good moves out on track to steal the last point on offer but then I had a good run into Turn 1 staying on the inside with the Safety Car deployed we could change the wing and rejoin the field I would have loved to capitalise a little bit more on other people’s mistakes but at least we were quite lucky to generally stay out of trouble The positive thing is that we were able to finish in the points but of course we can’t be happy with our position." we didn’t have the pace we needed to keep this position and finished in 8th place which is that we have to work hard to improve our performance "A very disappointing result brings to an end an historic weekend for Scuderia Ferrari at our home track with our one thousandth Formula 1 Grand Prix at least with Charles we managed to get a result in line with our expectations today we didn’t have the pace to allow our drivers to fight with their nearest rivals suffering especially with tyre degradation "Both Charles and Sebastian did the best they could We are working hard to try and correct its basic faults but it’s not something that can be done in a short space of time That doesn’t mean we won’t be bringing new solutions between now and the end of the season but we have to be realistic with ourselves and with our fans." Sainz spun at the start in a racing incident, and was running well outside the points at the Safety Car restart. The cars are the back of the field concertinaed up, and when someone braked sharply that was all it took for four cars to collide in a big incident with the Spaniard one to have his race ended there and then Norris was running further forward and thus avoided that one spending most of his afternoon in the company of Perez He did pick off the Mexican on track but lost the position in the pit stops and couldn’t regain it in the closing stages first of all I'm glad everyone is okay after such a dangerous accident We really need to look into what happened and figure out what triggered the whole situation to make sure it never happens again It’s not the first time these restarts have got dangerous when you’re at the mid-to-back of the field It was a day to take risks and try to go forward at the start because the pace all weekend hasn’t been great We still had the whole race ahead of us and from P15 at the restart I could’ve fought into the points I want to thank the mechanics and the entire team for all their effort and hard work after doing nine races in eleven weekends It was a long race from the start to the finish with the two red flags but I don’t think we could’ve asked for much more I think we capitalised on other people’s mistakes but didn't really have the pace to do a lot more “Everyone that finished ahead qualified ahead and was much quicker but I think from my side it couldn’t have been a much better race thanks to the team for their hard work over this opening stint of races It hasn’t been easy for the team at track or the guys and girls back at the factory the most important thing today is that Carlos and all the guys involved in crashes are okay Carlos was unfortunate to spin in traffic and then was the victim of chaos at the Safety Car restart Lando had a good day: he kept cool all the way through a long and challenging afternoon He and the team performed very well throughout “We really struggled with performance this weekend when compared to our main rivals in the constructors’ championship but we’re very happy with the final outcome of today’s race Nine races in 11 weeks has been the most intense schedule F1 has ever organised and our team – both here at the track and everyone back home in the factory – has risen to the challenge magnificently We’ll travel home now and try to give everyone a bit of rest before looking forward to a more normal schedule in the next few weeks.” Giovinazzi was one of four cars to crash as the first Safety Car pulled in, ending his involvement on home soil in a big incident that thankfully everyone walked away from. As for Raikkonen, a big collision at the start led to an early pit stop for a new front wing He just about avoided the following chaos to work his way up to the points via some elbows out barging with Grosjean a time penalty was dished out for a pit lane infringement as the team called the Finn in very late causing him to cut across the pit lane entry and that dropped him to ninth on the timing sheet “It was definitely not the smoothest of races but we finally managed to bring home some points I am not sure what exactly happened at turn two but I was hit and suffered a lot of damage Probably whoever hit me didn’t expect the pack to slow as much as we did but in any case the crash took away part of my floor and my front wing The damage made the handling of the car really bad and we struggled with the balance: we lost a lot of downforce but in the end we were still able to push at a decent pace I had a slow pit stop but thankfully the second red flag got us back in the fight Then I had a penalty for crossing the pit entry line but after the second red flag I was still able to do some good laps and in the end only lost one place It was far from the perfect execution of a race but we still brought home two important points It’s still a bit of a shame as we have made some good progress and I think we could have finished even higher with a cleaner afternoon but hopefully we will carry the performance to the next few events.” “It’s really frustrating to end a race like this although I am happy for the team scoring points climbing to P14: I felt at ease in the car and who knows how the race could have gone There’s not much I can say about the crash except that it was a very dangerous situation Everyone around me was already up at full speed but suddenly there was [Kevin] Magnussen almost stopped in the middle of the track [Nicholas] Latifi avoided him but I just didn’t have the time – I tried to nobody got injured but it was a very dangerous crash this was always going to be an issue and we have to think on how to avoid this situation happening again in the future.” “A very good result to get back in the points although there still is the feeling we could have achieved more with a cleaner race It was a very tough afternoon in which many things didn’t go in our favour and to bring home a top ten finish shows the strength and resilience of this team To see a big chunk of floor and a front wing come off Kimi’s car before the first lap was over and to lose Antonio from the race at the restart were big blows but we dug deep and did all we could to turn the weekend around and the fact that Kimi was forced to drive a damaged car for the whole race but to be able to open a gap to our rivals big enough to almost nullify the penalty we suffered in the closing stages shows how much of a step forward we have made We are definitely going in the right direction and we can take a lot of motivation from today’s result.” Gasly always had his work cut out from so far back but his race ended on the first lap as he got caught up with Raikkonen and Grosjean and spun out into the gravel with the Red Bull of Verstappen in tow he was one of the very few in the pack to have a relatively quiet race and came home in the points He was summoned to the stewards though for his part in the restart chaos “It’s a shame to finish the race just after the first corner It was quite messy coming into Turn 1 with so many cars side by side I saw some space between Kimi and Romain in Turn 2 I ended up in the middle and had nowhere to go so we collided and that was pretty much it but it’s a shame as I feel like we missed an opportunity for points today I would have liked to have been out there with the guys and fight for points but I think we need to take the positives here because the performance so far has been good so I think we can quite proudly say as a team we didn’t make any mistakes It was important for us to get some good points so I’m happy with the result and I’m pleased with my driving The team did a great job in difficult circumstances during the two red flags and our strategy calls today were the right choices so P7 was a very good result and we took some more points to close the gap in the championship.” Pierre was caught up in the opening lap incident which unfortunately put him out of the race before it had a chance to get going for him he would have likely moved forward in the race potentially into a points-scoring position Daniil avoided the fuss at the start and then got his head down and settled into the race focusing on managing his tyres and pushing when required keeping himself in position and in contention for points all race The team and driver navigated the two red flags well and were deservedly rewarded with some good points today.” “It was a very exciting race with a lot of entertainment which is what the fans like so they must be happy today Two red flags are very rare in Formula 1 and we were involved in the first of the incidents when Pierre was caught in a sandwich between Grosjean and Raikkonen luck wasn’t on Pierre’s side this weekend in Mugello and I’m convinced at the next race in Russia he will start from zero and bounce back he managed to avoid the chaos at the first start and ended the first lap in ninth position before the first red flag He had another good start and moved up into P7 Our original strategy for Daniil was a one-stop starting on the Prime tyre then moving to the Option but due to the red flags we decided to change it and sent him out on the Option tyre after each restart which helped us improve the performance of the car We added a few more points to our tally and we’ll try to continue doing so in Russia.” Latifi was heavily involved in the Safety Car restart crash which ended his involvement today after he’d climbed through the field in an encouraging display The slew of incidents left Russell in the points and he could well have scored had it not been for the final red flag A poor restart dropped the Williams man to last and out of the points He picked off Grosjean and chased Vettel hard for the final point on offer but came up just short "It’s such a shame as the race was under control we had some wheel spin and this made the final stint very diffciult I am disappointed for myself and the team as I feel like we deserved that Under normal circumstances with the great initial start we had we knew that the leader was going to go as late as possible because of how far forward the line is along with the slip stream effect When you are in the middle to the back of the pack the concertina effect is always much more exaggerated especially as these cars are so fast I almost hit Kevin (Magnussen) in the apex of the last corner when everyone braked again and then again it seemed that everyone went and you are just reacting to the cars around you The cars ahead then braked once more and there was nothing that I could do to avoid it It is unfortunate because we avoided the chaos at the start and picked up quite a few positions I was excited to see how the race was going to unfold "At the end of an incident packed race we are disappointed not to have finished in the points We anticipated a complicated race and had prepared accordingly "Both cars started well and made good progress on the opening lap running 11th and 13th when the first safety car was deployed Nicholas was very unlucky to get hit by the cars behind as the pack concertinaed approaching the control line we made good tyre and strategy decisions throughout the race to get him to ninth place at the second safety car and in a position to race Leclerc for eighth Frustratingly the subsequent red flag lost us track position and allowed Grosjean and Raikkonen to un-lap themselves losing places at the restart and then struggling to overtake Vettel we did a good job this weekend and worked very hard to deservedly get ourselves into a strong position in the race We now need to refine the small details to elevate our race performance from very good to excellent." Both Haas drivers were in the thick of the action today Grosjean was in the sandwich with Raikkonen and Gasly that saw all three make contact before collecting the hapless Red Bull of Verstappen ahead The Frenchman suffered damage and so was running far enough back that he was able to avoid the second large collision at the Safety Car restart that did for his team mate Grosjean later collided a second time with Raikkonen as those two battled for position and further car damage meant he limped home last “It’s one of the strengths of Haas – we never give up I had a big hit at Turn 2 on the first lap then I saw I had two wheels on the grass so I restarted the engine to see if I could get out of the gravel I was able to get going and the suspension was okay At the first red flag I saw the state of the car I didn’t know how we were going to keep racing The guys said to hang in and we did our best But when you’re missing about two seconds a lap “What seemed to happen at the restart was that the leader was going slow all the way to the line but then somewhere in the middle – between me and the front I guess somebody maybe tried to open a gap to get some momentum but they went too early and tried to stop again then I was hit by Giovinazzi – who had nowhere to go This is certainly something to take a look at – in terms of whether or not this thing about overtaking until the line is a good idea or not Maybe it’s a good idea to have it somewhere earlier on the straight I’d got up to P12 from P20 on the first lap This is definitely another missed opportunity.” We’re always part of why it gets exciting – which after a while gets old We ended up in positions where we shouldn’t be ending up When you’re on your back foot it normally takes a long time to get out We’ve had a lot of controversy over these three weekends but they’ve worked hard and kept their heads high Now we’ll see everyone again in Sochi next.” "The inaugural Mugello Grand Prix is one that people will remember for a very long time On a track that was extremely demanding on tyres but the strategies were clearly influenced by the extraordinary turn of events The high number of accidents also left a lot of carbon fibre debris on the track as well as taking care of the tyres throughout a very long afternoon All drivers did a fantastic job under immense pressure delivering an unpredictably thrilling spectacle in Italy for the second weekend in a row STRATEGY GUIDE: What are the tactical options for the Miami Grand Prix the very first Tuscan Grand Prix threw up excitement in spades – as well as more than its fair share of new records and fascinating figures… • Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural Grand Prix at a circuit for the 3rd time in his career – after Austin 2012 and Sochi 2014 • Hamilton today set a new F1 record of 222 career points finishes • He also set a new F1 record with his 42nd consecutive classified finish • Hamilton could tie Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 91 career wins at the next race REPORT: Hamilton beats Bottas to win crazy Tuscan GP, as Albon secures maiden podium • Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas is now winless in the last 8 races after winning the season’s opening Grand Prix in Austria • It was nevertheless Bottas’s 52nd career podium surpassing the total of 2-time champion compatriot Mika Hakkinen • Mercedes achieved a maximum score for the first time this season (1-2 finish plus the fastest lap bonus point) • Mercedes set an F1 record by leading a lap in a 32nd consecutive race (Williams led 31 in a row from Magny-Cours 1995to Imola 1997) • Mercedes-Benz engines are now only 2 short of Ford's F1 record of 228 consecutive races in the points (a Mercedes-powered car has been in the points at every race since Japan 2008) No man born in Thailand had ever been in this position before Albon today.. • Alex Albon is the first Thai driver to appear on F1 podium His famous compatriot Prince Bira – the only other Thai F1 driver – competed in the first world championship Grand Prix in 1950 as well as in Ferrari's debut F1 race Albon is the first Red Bull driver to reach the podium since Daniel Ricciardo – the man he passed for P3 today – at Monaco 2018 READ MORE: 'We shouldn’t have been in that position' – Verstappen rues power problems that led to lap 1 crash today was the 4th time he has finished 4th in a race since joining Renault Sergio Perez maintains his record of scoring in every race he has started in 2020 (he missed 2 races) Lando Norris scored his 5th top-6 finish of the season • Daniil Kvyat scored a top-8 finish for AlphaTauri (formerly Toro Rosso) for only the 4th time in 81 starts for this team • In their very 1st Grand Prix Ferrari finished 1 position behind an Alfa Romeo (driven by Juan Manuel Fangio) in their 1,000th GP they finished 1 place behind an Alfa Romeo driven by Kimi Raikkonen – or at least until he took a 5-second time penalty for crossing the pit entry line • Ferrari scored points with both cars for the first time in 5 races MUST-SEE: Mick Schumacher drives his father’s F2004 ahead of Ferrari’s 1,000th GP at Mugello • Raikkonen’s 9th place was his first points of the year and Alfa Romeo's first points since the opening race in Austria George Russell matched his career-best result of 11th place his 30th career start without a point (the 6th highest of all time) emulated compatriot Olivier Panis (the last French F1 race winner before him) by retiring from the very next race on the opening lap READ MORE: 'I saw some space... it didn't work out' – Gasly says no one to blame for first-lap crash • Only 2 previous Grands Prix have featured 3 standing starts on the same day - Austria 1987 and Belgium 1990 Both were red flagged twice on the first lap Haas duo Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen are out of contract at the end of the year and with the team currently assessing their options for 2021 and beyond both drivers revealed that they’re looking at their own options outside of Formula 1 should they not be retained by Haas On the Thursday of the Russian Grand Prix weekend, Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner said he’d be prepared to run Ferrari junior drivers Mick Schumacher, Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman in free practice sessions this year, as he and team owner Gene Haas take time to consider their driver choice for 2021 – and with Haas having scored just a single point this year READ MORE: Haas would consider running Ferrari juniors in Friday practice as they evaluate 2021 options And Grosjean admitted that he’d begun to evaluate seats in other series – making particular mention of Formula E and the World Endurance Championship’s new Hypercar category “Obviously there aren't many seats left in Formula 1 so I do understand the point of view from Haas they're not in a rush,” said Grosjean “But I don't think I'm in a rush either when asked whether going to an American series was an option “IndyCar obviously is a beautiful championship but I’m not really tempted by ovals there's a few endurance championships but I think the future Hypercar [category] in Le Mans 24 Hours and World Endurance Championship can be nice There are some good drivers out there and good teams and Formula 1 obviously everyone can do the maths and see where the seats available are.” READ MORE: Ferrari eye 2021 with Sochi updates designed to ‘correct weaknesses’ on SF1000 However, despite pragmatically keeping his options open, Grosjean did admit that the experience of driving Formula 1 cars around Mugello two weeks ago had reminded him why the series was so special it's absolutely unique what I'm driving.' So Formula 1 is still very appealing in that aspect I guess we'll take some time [to decide]; we're still early in the year doing the best we can and making sure that we can score one or two points before the end of the year.” Both Magnussen and Grosjean are considering their options Grosjean’s team mate Kevin Magnussen also revealed that he was looking at a future outside of Formula 1, with the Dane – whose racing hero Sir Stirling Moss famously competed in categories including rally and endurance racing – admitting that he was looking forward to a racing life outside of Formula 1 at some point “Obviously I'm looking at everything right now and open to everything,” he said “I've had a great time with Haas these last few years and wouldn't mind seeing that continue but I'm passionate racer and would like to explore other things in the future READ MORE: Binotto ‘very excited’ to welcome Sainz at Ferrari, as he stands by decision to replace Vettel “I've always wanted to do other things than Formula 1 I don't know if it's going to be next year or further in the future It's pretty uncertain at the moment when it's going to happen and I wouldn't be able to tell you which way it's going to go “It's always nicer to have certainty,” he added “It's always better to know what's going to happen and just being able to look forward to that and focus and I don't know how long that's going to take but you've just got to try and still focus and get on with your job even though the future’s a little bit uncertain.” Driveable LEGO big builds welcomed to Miami drivers’ parade DRIVER OF THE DAY: Piastri's imperious Miami showing gets your vote This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Link Copied!via Getty Lewis Hamilton They are constantly up there in the debate of who the Greatest F1 driver of all time is it is always difficult to put just one name at the top regardless of which sport it is It is quite common for different people to have differing opinions Each of these drivers definitely deserves to be up there as being the best driver of all time McLaren’s director of Ops and logistics Mark Norris has his own opinion that Lewis Hamilton is indeed the Greatest of All Time Lewis Hamilton’s career is well documented. Through his early ages in the Formula European Championship, F3, and F2 days he has been a part of the McLaren academy now the Director of Ops Mark Norris is well acquainted with the seven-time world champion Having witnessed his drive up close and personal he opines that Lewis Hamilton is the definite Greatest Driver of All time Speaking on the Track Limits podcast on this subject he says “I’ve known Lewis since he was 8 years old when he joined the McLaren academy F3 and F2.” He still remembers the day Lewis Hamilton was announced for the McLaren drive The tipping point for Mark Norris to choose Hamilton over the others is the sheer number of championships the Briton has won over the years “To win the championships seven times – what a guy!” Despite not being able to beat Michael Schumacher’s record there’s an aura about Lewis Hamilton’s performances that for some he is the definitive GOAT even people who’ve been integral in the sport across generations cannot agree on who the single greatest driver of all time is Read more: “Secret Santa” Lewis Hamilton Comes Up With a Unique Way to Fight Back Unglamorous Accusations: “It Is the Thought That Counts” Now, especially after 2023’s domination, a new name has entered the mix. Max Verstappen. Bernie Ecclestone believes so. The former CEO of the F1 group has worked closely with most of the drivers in the GOAT conversation Image Courtesy: ImagoMax Verstappen (L) and Lewis Hamilton (R) he believes that Max Verstappen is the single greatest driver of all time to ever have driven in F1 “Max Verstappen is the best driver to have driven in Formula 1 since the founding of the sport.” He used to rate Alain Prost as the greatest driver before Max Verstappen unleashed himself into the beast that he has turned out to be Watch This Story | From Lewis Hamilton’s Retirement to a Hatchback F1 Car! – Best April Fool’s Pranks What do you think of this debate? Do you think Lewis Hamilton’s records speak for itself? Or is it Max Verstappen? Let us know down below. EssentiallySports is a digital-first sports media house that surfaces the best stories on America's favorite sports celebrities with a fan's perspective to 30+ M average monthly readers. Full Spectrum Services LLP © 2025 | All Rights Reserved The British royal family’s fandom for Formula 1 is no secret Queen Elizabeth II was one of the most high-profile attendees at the first F1 GP held at Silverstone But did you know Prince Harry was among the first people to congratulate Lewis Hamilton on his 2014 world championship win Lewis Hamilton took the world of F1 by storm in his rookie season in 2007 with McLaren He missed out on the championship by just a single point when he completed the unfinished business by winning his maiden world championship Formula One F1 – Mexico City Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez 2022 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates after qualifying in third position REUTERS/Edgard Garrido Prince Harry, who was present at the event, congratulated his countryman with a hilarious team radio message. He exclaimed “Lewis thank you very very much for not letting or making the British public sweat Read More: Rare 72 Year Old Footage Shows Queen Elizabeth Cheering On at the First Ever F1 Championship Race The death of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II saw an outpouring of grief around the globe paid its respects to the royal monarch by observing a minute of silence at the Monza F1 boss Stefano Domenicali was among the first to pay tribute to the departed monarch. He said “For more than seven decades she dedicated her life to public service with dignity and devotion and inspired so many around the world.” Formula One F1 – British Grand Prix – Silverstone Circuit 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton during a promotional photoshoot for the unveiling of the new 2022 F1 car REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge Lewis Hamilton posted a heartfelt message for the Queen through Social Media. The 7-time world champion believed her presence was reassuring to many and called her an iconic leader. He even wrote about his time spent with her “I had the incredible honor of being able to spend time with her We talked about our shared love of dogs and she was incredibly generous with her time.” Watch This Story: From Prince Harry to Will Smith: when celebrities were left speechless at an F1 race The Queen certainly was held in very high regard, not just in Britain, but around the globe. Her gracious presence will certainly be missed for a long time to come. Defending champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he pushed the brakes to the limit – quite literally In a race that involved crashes and standing restarts Hamilton can consider himself fortunate on two occasions Formula One F1 – Tuscan Grand Prix – Mugello Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo during the race | Pool via REUTERS/Miguel Medina One, because Bottas could not replicate his runaway start at the first restart. And two, because he feared the brakes on his Mercedes W11 were forced so hard that they started ‘smoking’ In an interview with the official F1 website “I got to the grid and there was a lot of smoke coming and I was definitely worried Because that burns all the interior of what’s in the upright the start got under way relatively quickly Italy – Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates with the trophy on the podium after winning the race Pool via REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini he almost quickly sped past Bottas round the outside line Hamilton continued to speed up and overtook him it was all about maintaining the gap over his teammate and managing his tires That is exactly what followed until the end of the race The gap between himself and Bottas was around 4.88 seconds which speaks volumes about the way Lewis dominated the race Link Copied!via Reuters Back in 2004, Ferrari was running riots with Michael Schumacher at the wheel The 7-time World Champion won his final Championship in the same year More than a decade later, the F2004 remains a top attraction and style statement for the Formula 1 world.  So much so that the 4-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel admired the beauty The beast was taken for a spin before Ferrari’s 1000th race in Mugello. The iconic ride was an eye-catcher as both Vettel and Charles Leclerc took turns admiring the piece of art but Vettel did express a desire of buying one of the F2004 owing to the hefty price tag that it came with “This is my favorite car,” Vettel said. “There was that one, not that exact one, but the same year up for sale, but it was way too expensive. It’s an incredible car.” Formula One F1 – Tuscan Grand Prix – Mugello, Scarperia e San Piero, Italy – September 13, 2020 Mick Schumacher drives the Ferrari F2004 of his father Michael Schumacher during a display run before the race Pool via REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini Charles Leclerc couldn’t hold himself back from exploring the beauty. Expressing his desire to drive the F2004 someday, he spoke highly of Schumacher’s ride. “It looks crazy, it looks very, very nice,” said the Monegasque driver. “But mostly it sounds nice compared to what we have now. It’s part of Ferrari’s history, a very special part of Ferrari’s history, and it looks beautiful. “I had the chance to drive once the 2003 car, never the 2004, but I hope in the future I’ll have the opportunity to drive one of those.” Sebastian Vettel was quick to draw a parallel between the F2004 and the modern-day cars. He pointed out a distinct difference between the two which an amateur can find out. The length of the cars used to be shorter back then. The shorter length eliminated a few hundred kilos that modern-day F1 cars possess. Even though present-day cars do have the added downforce compared to the F2004, the smaller length and reduced weight added to its advantage. Vettel’s biased tone towards the F2004 indicated he’s ready to set rolling if the F2004 was offered to him for a ride. Ferrari Academy driver Mick Schumacher paid a fitting tribute to his father on account of the Italian motorsport giants’ 1000th Grand Prix This is the second time Mick drove the F2004 largely considered to be the team’s most successful car ever He took it out for a spin at Hockenheim last year – just prior to the German Grand Prix the F2004 was out on the tracks of Mugello as part of a demonstration run Mick certainly enjoyed driving his father’s 7th and final Championship-winning car Onboard around Mugello with Mick Schumacher in his fathers F2004 from r/formula1 The legacy of Ferrari’s F2004 can by no means be understated. Weighing 605 kgs, it is said that the car has a horsepower range of 850-1000. Alongside teammate Rubens Barrichello, the legend that is Michael Schumacher took the 2004 Formula One season by storm Securing the world title with a grand total of 148 points, Schumacher won 13 of 18 races with the F2004. To this day, Michael Schumacher holds the joint-record (13) with Sebastian Vettel All thanks to the mightily fierce and powerful F2004 For someone who watches Formula One today, it surely would sound baffling! But, with some innovative thinking by Chief Strategist Luca Baldisserri, Michael Schumacher was able to win that race. The car has indeed seen a host of dramatic, pulsating, and dominant victories at the hands of its driver. Formula One F1 – Tuscan Grand Prix – Mugello, Scarperia e San Piero, Italy – Former Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher’s son Mick Schumacher poses by Ferrari engineers and staff before the race | REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini/Pool Fast forward 16 years and the video sees Mick Schumacher incorporating his own unique driving style. He has been widely tipped to make the move to F1 next year, with Alfa Romeo and Haas as possibilities. Ferrari revealed that it was only a minor issue on Sebastian Vettel’s car The team figured out the problem and worked it out without having to replace any of the components from his car Sebastian Vettel parked his car on the side of the track after the end of Free Practice 2 at the Tuscan Grand Prix This triggered panic in the garage and among the fans But Ferrari has confirmed that it was nothing but an electrical problem The team has also revealed that the issue is only minor and Vettel will still drive with the same engine for the rest of this weekend Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel during practice | Courtesy: Reuters An electrical problem forced the Power Unit to shut down eventually forcing Vettel to stop his car on the track A sensor signaled that there was something wrong in the Power Unit The mechanic had a hard time figuring out the problem The SF1000 through the course of this season struggled with the pace. The latest to join their head-ache was the brakes. Last weekend, Sebastian retired from the race citing a brake failure. Ferrari has revealed that they managed to figure out the root cause of this issue after analyzing it with their brake supplier, Brembo. The brakes were not fitted properly in the left-rear tire which led to further complications. The brake disc heated up and eventually exploded leaving Vettel without brakes. He managed to bring his car back into the pits and retired from that race. Formula One F1 – Italian Grand Prix – Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy – September 6, 2020, Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with drivers during the race Pool | Courtesy: Reuters Entering into their 1000th GP, Ferrari still does not look quick enough during the practice sessions to take its fight to the leading mid-fielders. Renault looks pacy at the moment with the Racing Point equally matching Renault’s pace. Alpha Tauri too looks to have upped its game. Mclaren, who crossed the line in P2 at Monza last weekend looked slower than they expected to be. Ferrari will have a hard time getting both their drivers into Q3. While the lower mid-field teams Alfa Romeo, Williams, and Haas are having a fight of their own. And on top Mercedes and Red Bull are looking strong to bring their cars onto the podium. The Qualifying is expected to be really close between the Mid-field teams. Link Copied!via Reuters There are several aspects to a Formula 1 driver’s life that fans are unaware of. Whether it is stories about their early karting days, first podiums, first trophies, and many more. Supporters are curious about all of these details, and Valtteri Bottas is no different He recently took part in an “Ask Me Anything” session which Mercedes-AMG posted on their YouTube channel And one question asked, was about his usage of the number 77 and if there is a back story to it. Valtteri Bottas replied saying And actually seven was already taken by Kimi So then I just thought double seven would be good When Bottas first revealed the number to his followers on social media Despite a great start to the season following the Austrian Grand Prix He is often the strongest in Free Practice sessions and even Qualifying the same form has failed to materialize in the race He has either had technical errors beating him to the punch or left chasing teammate Lewis Hamilton. Yet, at the end of the day, if there is any driver who can come close to giving Hamilton a fight, it is him. Formula One F1 – Tuscan Grand Prix – Mugello, Scarperia e San Piero, Italy – Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in action during the race Pool via REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini Bottas was actually rather impressive at Mugello. Not just the start of the race, but through the entirety of the weekend. Setting time laps close to the 1:18 mark in practice, the Finn really juiced the W11 for all its worth. He was seamless at the corners and rarely put a foot wrong. Even when the race began, Bottas took advantage of Hamilton’s hesitance to speed down the middle. And almost instantly became the race leader. But the crash led to a standing restart, and unfortunately, Hamilton had a second bite at the cherry. The defending champion did well this time. Therefore, for much of the race, Bottas was left chasing the Briton. Despite securing a P2 finish in the race, Bottas’ focus lies on winning as many remaining races as possible. If he can do that and Hamilton slips up from his end, then we are in for a closer title race this season. When Alex Albon arrived at Red Bull midway through the 2019 season there was a ray of hope from the young driver He had started well enough to prove that he belonged at the team and claimed the seat for 2020 and it has not fully worked out for the Thai driver It has now gotten to the point that Red Bull are now thinking of replacing him with a more experienced option Former Renault driver Jolyon Palmer thinks that the promotion move was a bit “rash” from Red Bull’s end He also said that the management should have thought it through considering pairing anybody with the high-flying Max Verstappen was always going to be tough Writing in his column “It felt a bit of a rash move from Red Bull to switch him with the struggling Gasly last summer They have always been pretty punchy with their young drivers “But putting a rookie alongside Verstappen was always going to be a tricky ask.” Italy – Red Bull’s Alexander Albon in action during the race Pool via REUTERS/Miguel Medina Many of the issues have also revolved around Albon not being in proximity to Verstappen’s qualifying timings The magic figure of ‘within three-tenths’ of Max has always been touted he hasn’t been able to close the gap to Verstappen at all in qualifying.” concluded Palmer on the topic Red Bull have drawn criticism at times, with the handling and timing of promoting young drivers to the main team. Pierre Gasly was victim to being unable to handle the pressure, and rightly so. Formula One F1 – Russian Grand Prix – Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia – AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly in the paddock ahead of the Grand Prix REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov He has since reinvented himself at AlphaTauri, which has rejuvenated both his confidence and racecraft. Albon could possibly do the same if he is presented with that chance. However, the issue now seems to be whether Albon can land the seat Kvyat could vacate at the end of 2020. For F2 driver Yuki Tsunoda is also one of the favorites to drive in the sport next year, meaning it could be the end of the road for Albon in F1.