Race Weekend Central

F1 Review: Lewis Hamilton Wins, Red Bull Rises, and Sebastian Vettel Looks Lost

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The start of the 2021 F1 season in Bahrain (credit: FIA images)

The 2021 Formula 1 season is already being billed as a battle between defending champion Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.  Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, the titan team of the past seven years, and holding seven championships is backed by confidence and his road-tested team. But Verstappen has been nipping at Hamilton’s heels for the …

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Lewis Hamilton Kicks off the 2021 F1 Season With a Win in Bahrain

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(Photo: FIA media)

Sir Lewis Hamilton prevailed in a clean battle with Max Verstappen in the Bahrain Grand Prix (Sunday, Mar 28).  Hamilton earned his 95th win and kicked off the 2021 season with a win in his chase for an eighth championship. Verstappen appeared to have the advantage throughout the race, as his Red Bull consistently showed …

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Max Verstappen Earns Pole for Bahrain Grand Prix; More F1 News

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Red Bull looks like the car to beat in Bahrain (credit: FIA images)

Max Verstappen will start from the pole for the 2021 Formula 1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.  The battle the sport needs started to take form on Saturday (March 27) when Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton at the end of qualifying by almost four-tenths (0.388 secs). Hamilton will start second with his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas sitting …

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Covering the Grid for the Formula 1 Opener Bahrain Grand Prix

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Williams Racing with new livery in Bahrain (credit: FIA images)

The Formula 1 season will go lights out this weekend, this year starting in the unusual location of Bahrain. With the exception of three years – 2006, 2010, and 2020 – Australia’s Albert Park has hosted the inaugural race since 1996. The switch to Bahrain Grand Prix for 2021 comes on the heels of last …

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Kyle Larson Won, But NASCAR Goes In Circles

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Kyle Larson celebrates Las Vegas victory (Nigel Kinrade Photography)

People lose their jobs all the time for all kinds of reasons.  Many of these firings are for good reasons – like perpetrating an upper decker in a small office bathroom or writing that the boss is a stupid orangutan in lipstick across a window.  These do not seem like positive workplace behaviors. To lose …

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McLaren on the Rise, Finishes Third in the Standings

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McLaren at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (credit: FIA images)

Sitting ten points behind third-place rival Racing Point, the McLaren team looked like a long shot to make its way to third in the constructor’s standings.  Racing Point had claimed victory with Sergio Perez at the Sakhir Grand Prix the previous week and its cars had been strong all year.  Even if Perez were starting …

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Max Verstappen Earns Pole for the Season-Ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen (Photo: Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool)

In a surprising result, Max Verstappen claimed pole on Saturday (Dec. 12) for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The result ends a season where Mercedes dominated qualifying, taking every pole except this one at Yas Marina. For Verstappen, the pole is the fourth of his career and sets the Dutch driver up in the best …

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Sergio Perez’s Long Trip to Victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix

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Sergio Perez celebrating at the Sakhir GP (credit: FIA images)

Sergio Perez has both endured and enjoyed a journeyman’s career.  On Sunday, he earned his signature first win, a moment that seemed long overdue for the 30-year-old Mexican driver. Perez has hovered near the front of the pack all season long, but circumstances finally proved favorable, and he capitalized on having a car good enough …

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Valtteri Bottas Earns Sakhir Grand Prix Pole Position

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Valtteri Bottas (photo courtesy of Mercedes F1 Twitter)

Valtteri Bottas nabbed his fifth pole position of the 2020 Formula 1 season on Saturday night (Dec. 5).  The Fin held off his temporary teammate by 0.002 seconds to secure the pole and earn Mercedes another front-row lockout.  George Russell, filling in for the COVID-stricken Lewis Hamilton, looked impressive in his drive for the Silver …

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2020 Top NASCAR Storylines: Bubba Wallace Finds His Voice

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(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

Bubba Wallace enjoyed his best statistical season in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020; the previous two seasons, Wallace finished 28th in the final standings, but he made gains to finish 22nd this year. If those gains seem modest, it is because they are.  Wallace may have improved slightly but the real notice for the …

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Lewis Hamilton Takes Pole Position for the Bahrain Grand Prix

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Red Bull at the Bahrain Grand Prix 2020 (credit: FIA Images)

Lewis Hamilton notched his 98th career pole position and 10th of the 2020 Formula 1 season on Saturday (Nov. 28).  The seven-time champion will start alongside his teammate Valtteri Bottas for the Bahrain Grand Prix. For Hamilton, the pole is another show of his season-long dominance in a year where he already has won 10 …

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What Went Wrong for Lance Stroll

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Racing Point (Photo: Zak Mauger/BWT Racing Point F1 Media)

For half of the Turkish Grand Prix, Lance Stroll looked like he would become a first-time Formula 1 winner. Stroll’s clean getaway at the start of the race on Sunday (Nov. 15) turned into an impressive lead and provided evidence that Stroll was coming into his own as a driver. As the 101st pole-sitter, and …

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