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Quick 10 With…..Dino Zamparelli

He began in karting, the usual route for racing drivers, before moving to the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2007. The following season he took 10 wins and 5 podiums to claim the Ginetta Junior title.

It was in 2009 that he moved to Formula Renault BARC and finished third with 2 wins. The following season he competed in two Formula Renault BARC races and also in the Italian Formula 3 Championship but it was in 2011 that he returned full time to Formula Renault and took the championship title with four wins on the way. That very same season he was a finalist in the 2011 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

He moved to the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2012 and the following season signed for Marussia Manor Racing to compete in GP3 as part of their Young Driver Programme.

He made the switch to sportscar racing in 2015 and began competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, he finished 6th in the championship in his first season and in 2016 and this season finished runner-up to Dan Cammish and Charlie Eastwood respectively.

His dream is to race Le Mans, these are his Quick 10 and he is…..Dino Zamparelli.

What is your favourite racing circuit?

My favourite circuit has to now be Le Mans. I’m not sure it’s the traditional answer as it’s very much a one-off race circuit. But I raced there this year at the Le Mans support race in Porsche Carrera  Cup and it blew me away. It was just amazing and very enjoyable. Over 4 minutes long and the corners were incredible. Other than that, under the normal circuits, Spa and Silverstone are my two favorites. Both for having so much history and some epic corners.

Who was your racing idol?

I suppose I used to love watching Michael Schumacher growing up. I loved his desire to win at all costs.

Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?

Well recently, over the last 3 seasons of Porsche racing, I’ve enjoyed a tough battle against Dan Cammish. Him and his team Redline have been a super consistent and fast package. We ran him close to the title for half a season in 2016, and had some great duels. I wasn’t happy with the performance of my team mid-year onwards, so changed to JTR for 2017 – we had a strong year and had some great battles against Dan and eventual champion Eastwood. Eastwood won it by taking one more win than I did but we scored exactly the same points. It was another good season in Porsche with a new team, and I thoroughly enjoyed racing against Cammish again in 2017.

Considering racers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two racers would you have in your team?

I used to really enjoy watching Juan Pablo Montoya in his prime, when he first burst onto the F1 scene with Williams. He was fast and feisty. So I would probably have him as my driver. I’m also a huge fan and always have been of Fernando Alonso. Both drivers would be capable of winning the championship on pure speed and talent. And both drivers would provide an awful lot of entertainment over the radio comms I’m sure!

If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?

I’d invite my favourite comedian to make me laugh, Ricky Gervais. I’d invite James Hunt, to sit and listen to his countless stories from the 70s. I can’t think of another two, so I’d get Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg along and subtly have every collision they ever had on TV in the background and sit them next to each other. Give them both a beer and see what happened over the night.

Your personal racing number? What was it and the reason behind it?

It’s number 8 because I like it and believe it’ll bring me luck, like the Chinese.

What is the best race you have been involved in?

I would say one of the best races recently was this year at Le Mans for the Porsche Carrera Cup support race. Four of us could have won the race going into the last lap. I climbed back up from 4th to finish 2nd in the end, and we were all nose to tail. I was gutted not to win it overall, out of 60 cars at the famous circuit, but it was an epic battle. It got put up on Facebook later on and received well over 1.5 million views!

Is there a race or series you have not competed in that you would like to or had wanted to?

I always admired the intensity and race craft of Formula Ford. The overtaking in that series was seemingly every lap/every corner. It always looked like a lot of fun. I’d quite liked to have also given GP2 a proper crack. I tested a GP2 car in Abu Dhabi and it was amazing, so I can only imagine racing them would have been a huge experience. F1 as well was the dream when I was younger. Although for pure racing, it would be more GP2/Formula Ford.

How did you get interested in motor racing? What ignited that spark?

It was a local karting track in France where I lived at the time. I went round a few times and got the bug. I never looked back ever since. My wallet certainly has, a number of times.

What is the best advice in racing you have been given?

The best advice I’ve been given is that ‘Motor Racing is primarily a business’. In other words, someone somewhere has to pay for it, be it sponsors, family or manufacturers. This bit of advice helped me to carve out my Porsche sponsorship programmes and continue to race in sports cars, and hopefully allow me to race for many years to come. It’s the advice I say to every young driver who asks me. If you’re quick, then 99% of the time it isn’t enough, you have to offer more than that.

Dino Zamparelli

I have to agree with Dino regarding the Porsche race at Le Mans, I was on the edge of my seat during that race. Epic battle!

I would like to thank Dino for taking the time to answer the Quick 10 and wish him the very best for 2018 and hopefully one day, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

(c) All photos courtesy of Dino Zamparelli and for more photos visit his Facebook page here

You can also visit Dino at https://www.dinozamparelli.com/

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

 

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WSBK Qatar Preview: The Final Outing

One last time in 2017, WSBK take to the Losail circuit to finish the season.

The final round of the 2017 World Superbike championship comes from Losail, in the Qatari desert. Like the MotoGP event, the races will be held under floodlights, although one takes place on Friday evening and the other on the Saturday. This is to respect what is traditionally known as the Qatari weekend. MotoGP previously adopted this format, between 2004 and 2007. Jonathan Rea has never won a World Superbike race in Qatar and will be hoping that he can end that run. The battle for 2nd in the championship is also raging between Welshman, Chaz Davies and Huddersfield’s Tom Sykes. Will we see team order tactics from Kawasaki like last season, to deny Chaz Davies a chance of the silver medallist position?

2nd and 3rd last season are Jonny Rea’s best results in Qatar. The Kawasaki rider has already took wins at 9 out of 12 rounds this season and he will be hoping to make it 10 from 13. Rea has won the last two races and if he was to win the final two races of the season, it’d be the first time ever that Kawasaki have ended the season with four consecutive race victories. It would also be the first time since 1996 that a Kawasaki had done the double in the final round of the season, with Anthony Gobert being the last rider to achieve that. Rea will be hoping to pass Troy Bayliss’ tally of wins, a number at which he is currently level on with the Australian.

Chaz Davies is 2nd in the championship, on 363 points. This is the same number of points as Tom Sykes but Davies is ahead of him on the virtue of race wins countback. The Ducati ace has had a mixed season, blighted by errors which has subsequently led to his demise as a championship challenger once again. Chaz Davies did the double in Qatar last season and was 4th and 2nd in 2015. Back in 2012, Davies’ 363 points would’ve given him the championship, so he is by no means slow or slacking, it is just the inconsistency that has hindered him this year. Chaz Davies last had a pole position at Imola, at which he achieved a double win that weekend too. Can he repeat that achievement?

Tom Sykes is dead level with Davies in the points so that really could be the big focus this weekend. Sykes has had just two wins this season, his worst tally since his sole victory back in 2011, the year he started winning. Kawasaki as a manufacturer haven’t had a 1-2 since race two at Laguna Seca and will be desperate to sign off on a high. Sykes’ last win came in race one at Misano and his last fastest lap was at the Lausitzring, race one. Sykes, like his teammate, has never won at Losail before and had a best result of 2nd at the circuit in race two last season. The last time he won the last race of the season was in 2012 at Magny Cours – the same statistic applies for Kawasaki; the last time they won the final race of the year was the same year.

Marco Melandri has hit something of a run of form towards the back end of 2017. Leading the first Jerez race until a mechanical breakdown four laps from the end wasn’t ideal, however, the Italian fought back in race two and finished 2nd. It was his 12th podium of the season, which stands him in good stead for 2018. Melandri has great form at Losail too, battling with Valentino Rossi in the 2005 Qatari Grand Prix until just a few corners from home. He was only 8th and 4th in 2014 on the Aprilia but on a bike that he is starting to like, he could be a surprise. He qualified on pole for Jerez and if he does the same again at Losail, it will be the first time ever that Melandri has achieved back-to-back poles. Will he continue to set records?

Alex Lowes sits in 5th place on his Pata Yamaha. The British rider comes to Qatar 16 points ahead of his teammate, Michael van der Mark. Lowes hasn’t finished outside of the top 5 in the last four races and will be hoping to extend that run to 5 – something he hasn’t done before. The Yamaha R1 achieved a podium at Losail last season, with Sylvain Guintoli and they will be looking to repeat that achievement this weekend. Lowes’ best result in Qatar is 7th, from race one last year. Although he can’t reach 4th in the championship, the ex BSB champion will be wanting to come away from Qatar with nothing less than at least one podium. This would be the ideal platform for him to start next season from.

Michael van der Mark returns from his MotoGP commitments in Malaysia and will be doing everything possible to try and catch his teammate for a top 5 slot in the championship. The Dutchman had a 5th and 4th at Losail in 2015 but only a 9th and 11th last season – both occasions, for Ten Kate Honda. The 25-year-old did however win a World Supersport race at the circuit in 2014, so he has winning pedigree. ‘Magic Michael’ has been in the top 10 since leaving Germany and will hope to put together a strong end to his season. Will he shine brightly under the floodlights in Qatar?

It is the final round of the championship and although it has already been decided, you’d be wrong to think that there is nothing to look out for. As said above, the battle for 2nd in the series is well and truly alive and kicking. MV Agusta’s Leon Camier is also in a tight fight for 8th in the championship with Althea BMW’s Jordi Torres and Milwaukee Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty, with just 19 points covering them all. With Leandro Mercado not riding due to his Ioda Racing team pulling out, Lorenzo Savadori needs just three points to overhaul the Argentine rider.

Image by Ducati

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WEC Super Season – 2018/19

As the World Endurance Championship heads to the 6 Hours of Shanghai and then onto the 6 Hours of Bahrain, thoughts have turned to 2018/19, the ‘Super-Season’.

The big news coming from the provisional calendar is that Spa and Le Mans now feature twice, with the return of the Sebring 12 Hours to the calendar which last appeared in 2012. The prologue returns to Paul Ricard in April.

The Sebring 12 Hours will be on the same weekend as the IMSA race, but starting at midnight.

Silverstone remains, though this is partly due to negotiations falling through to bring the race to Mexico City, if that had materialised then the British circuit may not have appeared at all on the calendar. Gone are CoTA, Bahrain and the Nurburgring.

Le Mans and the Sebring 12 Hours will not feature double points, but enhance points the details of which are yet to be announced. It seems fitting that the season will end at Le Mans (second visit), in most fans eyes the greatest race in the world.

The season will now begin in April 2018 and run for 14 months until June 2019. The FIA state the calendar has been designed in conjunction with the regulations to keep costs under control and offer a viable business model for the future of the series.

BMW will join the GT ranks to compete against Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche.

TRS and Manor have confirmed they will compete in LMP1 using a Ginetta chassis, with another unconfirmed team due to enter using another Ginetta chassis.

From next season the WEC will see the incorporation of the LMP1 Non-Hybrid cars into a single classification with the hybrid cars, be it that Porsche have now left Toyota as the only hybrid competitor. It is also proposed to equalise the lap performance of the best LMP1 Non-Hybrid cars by adjusting the instantaneous fuel flow and fuel consumption per lap for the Non-Hybrids. A fuel range advantage for Hybrid cars (one extra lap at Le Mans) will also be enforced.

With two Le Mans races in one season to enjoy, there is a lot of entertainment on offer from the WEC for 2018/19.

Provisional calendar:

5 May 2018 – 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

16/17 June 2018 – 24 Hours of Le Mans

19 August 2018 – 6 Hours of Silverstone

21 October 2018 – 6 Hours of Fuji

18 November 2018 – 6 Hours of Shanghai

16/17 March 2019 – 12 Hours of Sebring

4 May 2019 – 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

15/16 June 2019 – 24 Hours of Le Mans

 

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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Mir Wins in Moto3 with Martin and Bastianini in 2nd and 3rd

Newly crowned Moto3 champion Joan Mir backed up his victory and from Phillip Island with another sensational display at Sepang, taking the win after he caught and passed early pace-setter, Jorge Martin. Martin – yet to win a race – finished second, fractionally ahead of Enea Bastianini, after the two had a battle. Bastianini was just 0.039 behind the pole-master over the line to round off the rostrum. Mir now has 11 wins in Moto3, 10 of which have come this year. If he wins in Valencia, he will equal Valentino Rossi’s record of 11 in a season, set back in 1997. Mir is the first rider to win ten races in a year in the lightweight category since Marc Marquez in 2010.

It was Jorge Martin who got the hole-shot from second on the grid; the Spaniard not wasting tines as he bolted into the lead early on, having half a second on everyone by turn 4. It seemed it could be a done deal as he had broken the slipstream of his pursuers but Mir was soon on the Spaniard’s case, as he gave chase to his fellow countryman.

The new Champion reeled in his compatriot and sliced past as soon as he was able to, into turn 9, an overtaking hotspot at Sepang. Despite his superior pace to close to Martin, he didn’t pull away like we thought he would. Bastianini was then able to catch both run-away Spaniards and the three were together on track until a moment between Bastianini and Martin allowed Mir to run free.

Mir was then able to hold onto it and leave the pair behind to tussle it out for the final spots on the podium, with that decided at the final corner in favour of Martin.

Livio Loi put in another great ride after coming back from a broken collarbone earlier in the season. The Belgian had a lonely ride to fourth but demonstrated to doubters and critics that he belongs in the class. He was ahead of an incredible battle for fifth which was won by John McPhee. He made his move late to take the place without allowing his competitors to fight back, crossing the line in P5 ahead of a late-charging Andrea Migno

Romano Fenati fought back and took seventh ahead of his rival for second in the standings, Aron Canet. The result meaning that Fenati is runner up in 2017. Fabio Di Giannantonio was able to improve to ninth, with Dutchman Bo Bendsneyder completing the top ten.

Adam Norrodin had an eventful home race as he was running 4th before a small crash at turn one. Despite the cries from the crowd, Norrodin was back on in no time and was initially fourteenth. By the end of the race, the Malaysian was able to take eleventh and just keep rookie teammate Ayumu Sasaki behind him at the line – but it was a great double points finish and a highly positive home weekend for the Sepang International Circuit Racing Team, as the outfit moves into Moto2 in 2018 with Hafizh Syahrin.

RBA Racing Team duo Juanfran Guevara and Gabriel Rodrigo took P13 and P14 respectively, with Manuel Pagliani completing the points finishers.

Tatsuki Suzuki had a huge high-side crash at turn 15 on lap one. He was joined by Darryn Binder and Niccolo Antonelli in the turn 15 tea-party club.

Image by MotoGP.com

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WSBK Calendar Released – Brno Returns, Jerez Out and Another Lengthy Summer Break

The 2018 World Superbike calendar has been released and it sees some small changes in comparison to this season’s.

The first round will be in Australia at Phillip Island, the typical starting point for the season. We then have to wait 1 month before the next round of the championship, in Thailand, at the Chang International Circuit, Buriram.

The first European round of the year is in Spain, at Aragon before Assen one week later. We then wait 3 weeks until Imola and then two weeks until Donington Park. Two weeks later sees a return to the Czech Republic and Brno – the first time since 2012 that the circuit has featured on the calendar.

Two weeks after the Czech round, WSBK goes State-side and heads to Laguna Seca before Misano – again, two weeks later. This is the last round before yet another, lengthy summer break. There will be no racing in August and the gap itself is 10 weeks long.

After the 10-week hiatus, WSBK heads to Portugal and the Portimao circuit – more of a success in 2017 than in many years before. The series stays in Europe for the French round of the championship at Magny Cours two weeks later.

The final two rounds of the season are both fly-away races. Argentina has been pencilled in for mid-October – two weeks after Magny Cours – and will come from the new Vilicum circuit, although that remains subject to homologation. The final round of the championship will take place in the Middle East in Qatar, at the Losail International Circuit, under floodlights on the 25th – 27th October.

Image by Yamaha WSBK

 

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Throwback Thursday – Targa Florio 1906

Cagno Wins The 1906 Targa Florio – (c) Pathe News

In my second Throwback Thursday feature article I look at the next race in the 1906 Grand Prix Season, the Targa Florio.

The Targa Florio was one of the very first and most challenging races. It was in 1906 when the inaugural race took place.

This race was the brainchild of a wealthy Italian businessman, Vincenzo Florio. He had made a vast fortune in Sicily and he was obsessed with cars. He initially approached a journalist in 1905 in a view to running the race but it wasn’t until 6th May, 1906 when the first ever Targa Florio would take place.

It would be a three laps of a 92.4 mile circuit in Sicily, near Palermo. Each lap would be treacherous as the roads were not designed for cars. Drivers would encounter wild animals during the race and were also at the risk of being held up by bandits in the Madonie Mountains. Most of the route was made up of mule tracks and paths.

One of the main rules was that the entries had to be production cars, of which at that time only ten had been made. One of the entrants, Vincenzo Lancia, organised the betting which in those days was very common at motorsport events. Thirty cars had initially entered the race but due to a dock strike in Genoa travel plans were hampered and only ten drivers made it to the start line.

There were ten minute intervals between cars, Lancia was the first away in his Fiat but he retired due to mechanical failure. The next driver away was Jacques Le Blon driving a Hotchkiss, accompanied by his wife and mechanic Madame Le Blon. They would be the last of the six finishers to cross the line due to a number of punctures suffered over the course.

Maurice Fournier and his brother Achille entered two cars, both Clement-Bayard’s but they would not see the end of the race due to failures, as too would the British entry George Pope driving an Itala.

The other five cars to finish ahead of Le Blon were made up of two Italians, two Frenchmen and a Belgian. Alessandro Cagno, an employee of Itala brought the car home in just over nine and half hours, averaging a speed of 29mph. He was followed by another Italian driving an Itala, Ettore Grazione. Paul Bablot driving a Berliet finished third and his fellow Frenchman Victor Rigal in an Itala was fourth. Finishing ahead of the Le Blon’s in fifth place was the Belgian driver Pierre de Caters.

So much of a success was the Targa Florio that it is still run today, though not in a competitive form.

The next race in the 1906 Grand Prix season would be the Circuit de Ardennes in Belgium and from this race only Paul Bablot would enter.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

 

 

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Oliveira Wins in Malaysia as Morbidelli is Crowned Champion

Two great winners and two exceptional sportsmen

Miguel Oliveira took KTM to their 2nd consecutive victory on Sunday in the Moto2 race, beating teammate Brad Binder to give the Austrian manufacturer their first ever back-to-back 1-2. Franco Morbidelli was crowned champion before the race even got underway, due to Thomas Luthi being ruled out but he still celebrated in style, as he mono-wheeled across the line for 3rd.

The race started and initially, it was Miguel Oliveira who led from Morbidelli and Alex Marquez, with Pecco Bagnaia pushing his way into 4th place. Carnage erupted at the back of the field though, as Andrea Locatelli knocked off Luca Marini who then took down Axel Pons and local hero, Khairul Idham Pawi. Simone Corsi also went ride to avoid disaster. Over at turn 2, Alex Marquez had crashed out, topping a difficult weekend for the Spaniard.

More drama unfolded at turn 6, when Sandro Cortese got his Dynamo Intact GP Suter completely crossed up, ramming the back of Japanese rider, Takaaki Nakagami. Both riders cartwheeled through the gravel trap, with Cortese’s Suter catching fire. Nakagami rode his bike back to the pits and retired from the race. Both Idemitsu Kalex bikes had been innocently taken out in the first half a lap, in what was one of the team’s most important races of the season.

Back at the front, Oliveira had already pulled out an early advantage over Morbidelli, Bagnaia, Brad Binder and local rider, Hafizh Syahrin. Front row starter, Fabio Quartararo, had dropped to 6th but it was the 7th place rider who gained much interest. Up from 17th on the grid, Stefano Manzi had made a sensational start and had got ahead of the likes of Marcel Schrotter and Mattia Pasini.

By the end of lap 8, we saw our first change at the front of the field. Brad Binder forced his way past Francesco Bagnaia for 3rd and kept the position. He then set his sights on Italian, Franco Morbidelli. Further down the field, Xavi Vierge and Mattia Pasini were moving forward, demoting Marcel Schrotter and also Isaac Vinales.

It wasn’t until lap 16 where we saw our 2nd change at the front. Brad Binder moved ahead of Franco Morbidelli, sending KTM into a frenzy in pit lane, as the rookie team now looked like they could be on for yet another 1-2 finish. Back in 4th, the battle was starting to close up, with Bagnaia being hunted down by a resurgent Fabio Quartararo and a hard-changing Matti Pasini. Isaac Vinales had also fought his way back through the field, as he occupied 7th.

As the rain began to fall, Bagnaia was caught, passed and left behind by Fabio Quartararo and Matti Pasini. However, the rain didn’t last and before long, ‘Pecco’ was back ahead and it was Quartararo being dragged back into the clutches of first, Pasini and then, Vinales.

As the rain dissipated, it was Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira who took the win ahead of his South African teammate, Brad Binder. Yet another win for Miguel and another 1-2 for KTM. This is the first time that a manufacturer other than Kalex has won back-to-back races in Moto2 since Suter in 2012, with Marc Marquez at Misano and Brno. Franco Morbidelli came home in 3rd to take his long-awaited Moto2 crown, with Mattia Pasini fighting to 4th.

Image by: MotoGP

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Quick 10 With……James Whitham

His Twitter bio reads “Ex bike racer . . have been skilfully avoiding a proper job for 30 years .. stunt dad”

Prior to gracing our screens, he has won the 80cc British Championship, the 1300cc Production British Championship and the TT Superbike Challenge.

He is a British Superbike Champion having won the title in 1993, was BSB runner-up in 1996 and raced in World Superbikes from 1994 to 1998, a team mate of Carl Fogarty. He competed in World Supersport from 2000-2002 and held the track record at Donington Park until 2007.

He runs trackdays with Paul Drinkwater Sports Motorcycling and his famous “6T9” logo can be seen on the leathers of big names in bike racing and around the circuits all over the UK.

British and World Superbike viewers will recognise him from Eurosport as a TV commentator and pundit. His quick wit, humour and amazing technological insight into bikes is without doubt the best you will find on television. His commentary partnership with Jack Burnicle for British Superbikes is quite possibly the most entertaining TV motorsport duet on air.

He is a true legend, a fantastic bike rider, a respected man on and off the circuit and a genuinely top bloke. His biography ‘What A Good Do!’ is a brilliant read (I highly recommend it).

These are his Quick 10 questions and he is……James Whitham.

What is your favourite racing circuit?

You tend to favour the tracks you go well at, regardless of whether they’re interesting to ride . . my fave UK circuit is Cadwell Park and worldwide is Monza

Who was your racing idol?

Mike Hailwood

Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?

Carl Fogarty

Considering racers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two racers would you have in your team?

Mike Hailwood and Jarno Saarinen

If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?

Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Nando Parrado and Muhammad Ali

Your personal racing number? What was it and the reason behind it?

69 – reads the same either way up !

What is the best race you have been involved in?

’01 World Supersport race Monza . . . 6 of us glued together for the whole race

Is there a race or series you have not competed in that you would like to or had wanted to?

I would’ve loved a season on a 250cc (2 stroke) GP bike

How did you get interested in motor racing? What ignited that spark?

My dad was a motorcyclist and took me to spectate at some race meetings as a kid . . . I was doomed from there really !

What is the best advice in racing you have been given?

Mick Grant always said that I should leave a team or sponsor on the best of terms . . . Don’t burn your bridges I suppose . . . good advice.

 

I have said this before, but when you get to interview somebody who you are a fan of and have great respect for then as a writer it is a dream come true.

In this instance I am truly thankful for James taking the time out from his busy schedule to answer the Quick 10 and can’t wait to see him and hear his funny, intelligent and interesting insight on BSB next season. I want to wish James all the best of health and thank him and Paul Drinkwater for this opportunity.

For more information on James and the track days on offer please visit http://www.jameswhitham.com/ and you can follow him on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/Jimwhit69

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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Hamilton joined an elite list in Mexico, but the race offered a glimpse toward next season.

Normally when a Formula One World Championship is decided, it answers all the questions you had throughout the season. Who’s the quickest? Who’s in the best form? Which team is the best?

The Mexican Grand Prix was far more than F1 tying up loose ends as Lewis Hamilton joined an elite list of just four other drivers in winning the World Championship four times.

Mercedes content pool.
Lewis Hamilton is now a certified great after a fourth championship.

Like Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and 2017 rival Sebastian Vettel have all had their fair share of fortune, with all men in that list taking the title in consecutive years as their teams enjoyed spells of domination.

But statistics and numbers is far from the point of this article.

If Max Verstappen’s confidence had been hit after THAT penalty in the USA, he certainly didn’t show it at the first corner.

The Dutchman offered up more bold overtaking as hung it out around the outside of Vettel’s Ferrari, as the German and Hamilton collided at the exit of turn three to leave the champion-elect with a rear right puncture.

From there on, he simply drove away as Valtteri Bottas simply could not keep

Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo have entertained all season

up in his Mercedes, while he himself gapped Kimi Raikkonen easily.

Verstappen and teammate Daniel Ricciardo have shown over the past month the potential that Red Bull has going forward, with the team now able to challenge and beat the two heavyweights at the front after falling back earlier in the season.

However, it won’t be all plain sailing for Dietrich Mateschitz and company. The team will lose their Renault engines after 2018 as the French company have told the team that they do not want to continue their F1 partnership, while they will supply McLaren.

Talking of whom, it was another encouraging weekend for the sleeping giants at Woking.

Fernando Alonso set the quickest middle sector of anyone in the first qualifying session. And, as ever, he made everyone knew how well his lap had gone.

There’s been more punch from the Spaniard recently and his rude move on the Ferrari-powered Haas of Romain Grosjean midway through the race told everyone the fire remained, while his attempts at holding off Hamilton

Spa Francorchamps, Belgium.
Sunday 27 August 2017.
Fernando Alonso, McLaren, on the grid.
Photo: Steven Tee/McLaren
ref: Digital Image _R3I1331
In poor machinery, Fernando Alonso once again showed why many regard him as an all time great

towards the end entertained and enthralled.

It is estimated that the Renault Power-Unit is about a second faster than the Honda unit. If that rings true, he would have been very close to the front of the grid and looking at podium in Mexico.

Should McLaren have a chassis as good as this year’s, the good times might finally start returning to one of F1’s most popular teams.

And what of Ferrari? Had Vettel not had an Asia from hell during which he retired twice and lost a probable 45 points, this title fight would still be well and truly on.

GP UNGHERIA F1/2017
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER FERRARI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)
Despite a poor Asia, don’t rule out Vettel and Ferrari next year either.

It’s certainly not goodbye from Maranello as far as front running is concerned and with the driver hierarchy that appears to be in effect there, you wouldn’t bet against Vettel putting up another stern challenge in 2018.

Mercedes will once again be in the conversion as they bid to extend their dominance to a fifth consecutive season.

Hamilton claimed straight after the race that there is more titles left in him, so the motivation remains.

If all these factors play out, 2018 could be a real treat.

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