F1 in Saudi Arabia shifts from human rights to rebel attacks
Hours after Formula One drivers voiced concerns about a race already dogged by human rights issues, Saudi Arabia’s war with Yemen landed on F1's doorstep when Houthi rebels attacked an oil depot near the glittering Saudi track where they were racing.
Hamilton holds off Verstappen to win tense F1 season-opener
(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)SAKHIR – World champion Lewis Hamilton just managed to hold off Max Verstappen to win the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and clinch the 96th Formula One win of his career on Sunday. The race was effectively decided when Verstappen overtook Hamilton on Lap 53 of 56 but went too wide on a turn and off track limits. He was told by his team to give Hamilton the position back, as he risked a time penalty. Verstappen still had a few laps to catch Hamilton and he almost did, finishing just .74 seconds behind the Mercedes driver. Verstappen took a superb pole position on Saturday, the fourth of his career, and started immediately ahead of Hamilton under floodlights at the desert track.
Hamilton positive for COVID-19, will miss F1's Sakhir GP
World champion Lewis Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the Sakhir Grand Prix this weekend, his Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team said Tuesday Dec. 1, 2020. (Hamad Mohammed, Pool via AP, File)SAKHIR – Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss this weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix. But Hamilton woke up Monday morning with mild symptoms and was then informed that a contact prior to arrival in Bahrain had subsequently tested positive, his Mercedes team said Tuesday. This led to a subsequent test returning a positive result, and Hamilton says he has gone into self-isolation for 10 days. Hamilton is the third F1 driver to test positive for COVID-19 this season, following Sergio Perez at Silverstone and Lance Stroll in Germany.
Hamilton clinches record 7th F1 title with win at Turkish GP
Hamilton now stands alongside F1 great Michael Schumacher on seven titles, having replaced the German driver at Mercedes in 2013. Vettel and Hamilton pitted for new tires on Lap 9, followed by Stroll, Perez and Verstappen three laps later. At the restart Hamilton tried to overtake Vettel but locked his tires, while Albon passed Hamilton and Vettel to move into fourth spot. Halfway through the race, Stroll and Perez were ahead of Hamilton but losing ground. Stroll came in for new tires on Lap 37 and Hamilton used DRS to get past Perez one lap later and take the lead.
Hamilton wins Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for 93rd F1 win
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain holds up the trophy on the podium after winning the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, in Imola, Italy, Sunday, Nov.1, 2020. (Miguel Medina, Pool via AP)IMOLA – Runaway championship leader Lewis Hamilton overcame a sluggish start to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday for a record-extending 93rd Formula One victory. The safety car remained on the track following another crash as George Russell lost control and slammed into the track barriers. This gave Bottas a chance to pressure Hamilton with six laps left, but Hamilton got away cleanly after the re-start and clocked fastest laps on his way to another comfortable win. “It was an exhausting race, the speed we were having to go after a poor start," Hamilton said.
Still rising: Lewis Hamilton makes F1 history with 92nd win
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after winning the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. Observers questioned the move and in 2013 Hamilton won only one race while Vettel finished the season with 13. Hamilton was dominant in 2015, sealing his third F1 title at the U.S. Grand Prix with three races to spare. 2, Hamilton won the next two championships in 2017 and 2018 as Vettel blew midseason leads for Ferrari. Last year's title was emphatic as Hamilton won 11 races compared to three for Bottas, finishing 87 points clear of him.
Lewis Hamilton wins Portuguese GP for record 92nd F1 victory
(Jorge Guerrero, Pool via AP)PORTIMAO – British driver Lewis Hamilton made Formula One history on Sunday, winning the Portuguese Grand Prix for a 92nd career victory to move one ahead of German great Michael Schumacher. Hamilton added five more F1 titles and the runaway championship leader is now set to equal Schumacher’s record of seven. Hamilton took a record-extending 97th career pole position, starting ahead of Bottas and Verstappen on a track being used for the first time in F1. McLaren's Carlos Sainz Jr. briefly held the race lead and then Bottas led until Hamilton passed him on Lap 20. Kimi Raikkonen went from 16th to sixth with some typically daring moves but the 41-year-old Finn started to drift back while, up ahead, Bottas led until Hamilton overtook him.
Hamilton wins Eifel GP to equal Schumacher's F1 win record
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the Eifel Formula One Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring racetrack in Nuerburg, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. (Ronald Wittek, Pool via AP)NÜRBURG – NÜLewis Hamilton matched Michael Schumacher's record of 91 wins in Formula One with victory in the Eifel Grand Prix on Sunday as he took another stride toward his seventh championship title. Hamilton started behind his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas but took the lead when the Finn ran wide on lap 13. Hamilton took the win by nearly five seconds from Verstappen, with third for Daniel Ricciardo in Renault's first podium finish since 2011. It was the first F1 race since 2013 at the Nürburgring in Germany and was named the Eifel Grand Prix after a nearby mountain range.
Hamilton chases F1 record again as Schumacher's son debuts
Officially, the German Grand Prix is on hiatus this year, and this race — a late replacement on the coronavirus-affected calendar — is called the Eifel Grand Prix after a nearby mountain range. As many as 20,000 fans could attend, making it the best attended race of the season apart from the Russian Grand Prix. NEW GENERATIONIt's been eight years since Michael Schumacher's last F1 race, and now his son will officially be part of an F1 race weekend for the first time. Michael Schumacher hit his head on a rock and sustained severe brain injuries which left him requiring constant care. When Hamilton and Michael Schumacher last raced together at the Nürburgring in 2011, there were six Germans on the grid including then-world champion Sebastian Vettel.
Bottas wins in Russia as Hamilton misses F1 win record
Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas cruised to the win Sunday after Hamilton, who was leading, was penalized 10 seconds for practicing his starts in the wrong place before the race. Hamilton came into the race looking to match Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 wins in Formula One but had to settle for third behind Bottas and Max Verstappen. Bottas built a sizeable lead over Verstappen with ease and eased to his first win since the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. Hamilton had asked Mercedes over the radio if he could perform the starts at the pit exit, and was told he could. Albon has finished behind his teammate Verstappen every time they have both completed a race this season.
Hamilton wins hectic Tuscan GP, demands justice for Taylor
Taylor was a Black emergency medical worker fatally shot by police serving a narcotics search warrant in her home on March 13. “Justice for Breonna Taylor,” Hamilton said during his interview after winning. The first F1 race on a Mugello track with super-fast corners usually used by MotoGP riders was incident-packed. Ferrari reverted back to an age-old burgundy livery for its 1,000th F1 race, reflecting the color first used by the famed Italian manufacturer. Verstappen, meanwhile, was angry with his team after a second straight retirement following the Italian GP last weekend, where Gasly won his first F1 race.