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  • Mexican Grand Prix, Hot and Chili

    GP MESSICO F1/2016 – CITTA’ DEL MESSICO (MESSICO) 30/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    I had to drink many cervezas and eat tacos to stay awake during the Mexican Grand Prix. The only positive think was the atmosphere from the crowd. Once again, the Mexicans showed how passionate are with Formula 1.

    From the other hand, FIA proved again that they don’t want to make the sport interesting and increase the attendance in every race.

    Classic Scenario

    The scenario of the race was the same with the previous races. The two Mercedes were unstoppable, the only thing that matters is who will get the pole and who will lead the race after the first few laps. It is a battle between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

    Behind the two Mercedes, there is a battle for the third place between Red Bull Racing and Ferrari. That is not happening very often, only when Ferrari selects the right strategy and don’t ruin their drivers’ race.

    Further, behind there is usually a battle for the tenth place, where many drivers want to score a point and finish in the top 10.

    McLaren is the only team which sometimes makes the difference and finish in the top 10 like they did in the American Grand Prix.

    Food for thought

    After the race, I was trying to think what to write about the race because I had to write a review of the Mexican Grand Prix. After a while I decided not to write about Vettel, Ricciardo, and Verstappen, they were by far too many reports about them on the web.

    Hence, I took the decision to express my anger on FIA and give some food for thought.

    I have only one question for Charlie and Bernie, why they don’t just replace drivers with robots?

    It will be exactly the same, and let the drivers to race from their homes. There are so many rules that they don’t allow to the drivers to express their skills and drive as they want. It is a joke after almost every incident to see a message at the bottom of my screen which says, “The incident between the drivers is under investigation”.

    Last week a new “under breaking” rule made its debut in COTA. It is ridiculous, if you don’t agree with Verstappen’s move, simply punish him after the race and explain to him that what he did it was very dangerous and it could harm Kimi Raikkonen or any other driver.

    You don’t have to apply a new rule for everything. I understand that Max is too young and his brain is above his head, but to set new rules for every incident is not the solution.

    Also, it is not necessary to punish with no reason other drivers in order to support the new rule which FIA applied a week earlier.

    The sport is going down, and we must do something. It is very sad to see a sport which I loved not to be as it used to be. To pray for rain during a race, to make it more interesting or a mistake from the pit crew during a pit-stop.

    I am close to forgetting what “racing incident” means.

    It is sad to wait for next season, and hope that because of the new rules the balances will change.

    At this point, I want to add, that I want the drivers to race and fight each other under logical conditions. Not to harm each other. But I believe that the majority of them are capable drives and can achieve that.

    Next Grand Prix will take place in Brazil, which is one of my favorite circuits. I hope that we will see something different for the teams.

    Victor Archakis F1 Editor

    Follow me on Twitter: @FP_Passion

    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

  • Ferrari Mexican Grand Prix, Review

    GP MESSICO F1/2016 – CITTA’ DEL MESSICO (MESSICO) 28/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    With all of the headlines surrounding Ferrari and in particular Sebastian Vettel following the Mexican Grand Prix, it can be easy to forget that the Scuderia managed to display the importance of strong qualifying.

    For all the swearing and yelling at both Max Verstappen and Race Director Charlie Whiting, had Vettel had a quicker car in qualifying, he’d have been battling over which step on the podium instead of just to get onto the podium.

    Karun Chandhok made the pertinent point that Vettel could possibly have been challenging for a victory had he been able to qualify higher than seventh, which for long periods was a net eighth as he lost out to Felipe Massa’s Williams at the start.

    Ferrari haven’t always made the right strategy calls this season but they got this one-stop strategy absolutely spot on to catapult Vettel to fifth and within stalking distance of the Red Bulls once he left the pitlane.

    In the end, he did get to spray some champagne but received a 10 second time-penalty that dropped him to fifth for reasons that have been well documented.

    His hard defensive move on Daniel Ricciardo on the penultimate lap made him the first victim of the new “Verstappen rule”, whereby any movement in the breaking zone is banned.

    Kimi Raikkonen was another man who would have been aiming for the skies had he not started behind a slower team.

    He spent the first third of the race behind Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India, which had started sixth and Ferrari eventually put the Iceman on a two-stopper.

    Like Vettel, he also had shown long run pace that would have challenged Mercedes in Mexico City early in the weekend.

    The result leaves Ferrari 62 points behind Red Bull with 86 left on the table, while Ricciardo needs to score six points to guarantee third place this season.

    2016 had promised much more than this.

    Jack Prentice
    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

  • Ricciardo secures third place in the Drivers’ Championship at the Mexican Grand Prix

    Red Bull benefited from Sebastian Vettel’s punishment for dangerous driving as the Milton Keynes team locked out the second row in the Mexican Grand Prix.

    The German was penalised by 10 seconds as he moved whilst in the braking zone. The dangerous driving rule was introduced into Formula One this season as Verstappen had broken the gentleman’s rule of not moving under braking. The rule commenced at the United States Grand Prix.

    “I think it was a small bit of justice that the stewards made the decision to penalise Seb (Vettel). It was clearly a wrong move which has been punished according to the rules. As long as we can stick to the rules every week then we won’t have the frustration we felt after the race,” said Verstappen.

    The Dutch teenager was demoted to fourth after his latest exploits: “When I went off the track towards the end I think it was pretty similar to Lewis on lap one, corner one. He went off and I felt he gained an advantage, I didn’t even gain an advantage, I was ahead going into braking and when I came back on the track I was the same distance in front so I don’t understand the penalty.”

    Daniel Ricciardo was the recipient of both Verstappen and Vettel as he finished third: “Obviously I’m happy to get the points and I think that means third for me in the Drivers’ Championship so I’m quite proud of that this year. “

    Christian Horner is happy how far Red Bull have improved this year and is looking forward to 2017: “I’m delighted for Daniel in having secured 3rd place in the Drivers’ Championship, he’s had an excellent season and deserves it. Daniel and Max have been driving brilliantly well, pushing each other on, they’ve both raised the bar and the level that they are operating at now is good to witness.

    “We are chipping away and you are not seeing the margins Mercedes have had in previous years which bodes well not just for this year but for a more competitive Formula One in 2017.”
    Dominic Rust

  • Dovizioso – “The Feeling is Immense”

    Andrea Dovizioso took his first win in over 7 years as he beat Valentino Rossi to win the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang. The race was held in appalling conditions and despite mistakes from Marquez, Crutchlow and Iannone, it was Dovi who would come up trumps in South East Asia.

    “It was very important for me to win a race this year: I’ve been trying for so long and I’ve come close on several occasions, so satisfaction for today’s result is truly immense”, began the Italian.

    “I really powered to the win, because in the first half of the race I could not push too hard, but I didn’t give up, I didn’t make any mistakes and at the right time I passed both Iannone and Rossi and set my own pace”. It took him 151 races to finally win again, the question is can he make it last into next season.

    “I am very happy about the improvements we have made this year, both in the bike and with my team, but also on a personal level. I am working hard also for next year and this win, which has come at the end of the season, is just reward for all the efforts.”

    The win for Andrea puts him a safe 5th in the championship. He is too many points behind Maverick Vinales in 4th, and only 7 points ahead of Dani Pedrosa in 6th, however the latter is injured and not 100% confirmed for the Valencian Grand Prix on the 13th of November.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Bagnaia Bags Sepang Victory, Crash-Fest leaves half the field in the Gravel

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    Francesco Bagnaia (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra) took his second ever career win at Sepang International Circuit, as he escaped at the front ahead of a demolition derby through the field – with Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) taking second for an amazing home result for the SIC team, ahead of another rookie podium for Dutchman Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

    A largely dry track, high ambient temperatures and a full Moto3™ grid characterized the start of the race, before the drama began early and went on to claim almost half the field. There were high rates of attrition on Lap 1, with a first incident at Turn 2 seeing Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) losing control of his KTM and making contact with RBA Racing’s Juanfran Guevara to take both out of the race. Ayumu Sasaki, replacing injured Enea Bastianini at Gresini Racing Moto3, was another early casualty as the 2015 SAATC winner and 2016 Red Bull Rookies Champion retired.

    There was then a crash at Turn 6 on Lap 1, as Jorge Martin (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra) caused a domino effect crash through the racing line on the corner, with Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Philipp Oettl (Schedl Racing GP) caught up in the incident.

    The next drama saw the lead group suddenly shaken up at Turn 7 – after local hero Adam Norrodin (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) also fell at the corner – when World Champion Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Joan Mir (Leopard Racing), Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Sky Racing Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing Moto3) all slid out in unbelievable unison – leaving Bagnaia free at the front to build an incredible lead of over three seconds. Binder and Dalla Porta rejoined, but out of the points and lapped.

    Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) then crashed at the final corner, losing out on the chance to haul in absent Bastianini for P2 in the title, as a missed gear at the end of the back straight put paid to his chances at points – leaving the top six in the Championship again unable to score in the Moto3™ race, after a similar situation in Phillip Island one week earlier.

    Turn 9 then claimed two casualties as Ongetta-Rivacold teammates Niccolo Antonelli and Jules Danilo crashed out in separate but almost simultaneous incidents, with only Antonelli able to remount and remaining in the points.
    At the front, Bagnaia was building his lead over four seconds with 12 laps to go, with Jakub Kornfeil, Bo Bendsneyder and RBA Racing’s Gabriel Rodrigo next on track in the second group. Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) found himself in space on the chase, with World Champion Binder coming back out to rejoin the race after repairs and then sharing the track with the Frenchman.

    The battle over sixth saw local hero Khairul Idham Pawi (Honda Team Asia), Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Racing), Maria Herrera (MH6 Team) and Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate) locked together on track, with Livio Loi (RW Racing GP BV) in tenth but back from the group, fighting to catch up.

    After a trip through pitlane, it was the South African World Champion on the move despite being down the order in terms of position, as he passed Quartararo and Rodrigo to unlap himself at least once – his superior pace allowing him the chance – as Frenchman Quartararo started to reel in the podium places.

    Lapped Dalla Porta moved over to let the podium fight through, with Bendsneyder taking advantage to take Kornfeil for P2, as Binder did the same to allow Quartararo back past for the chance to continue his charge towards the podium.

    A crash for Maria Herrera at Turn 15 in an incident with Livio Loi then prefaced a Red Flag, and with well over two thirds of race distance completed, the results would stand – with the positions determined by standings on Lap 13 as the last full lap completed by the whole field; a dramatic end for a melodrama of a race.

    Bagnaia therefore took his second career victory by an incredible margin, free at the front in an impressive, concentrated ride, with Kornfeil taking P2 by virtue of his position on Lap 13, and rookie Bo Bendsneyder completing the podium.

    Quartararo was fourth as he lost the laps needed to reel in the podium, with teammate Locatelli further back but completing the top five. Marcos Ramirez took another fantastic haul of points in sixth, with Rodrigo, home hero Pawi and Loi in P7, P8 and P9 respectively, despite an apparent problem for the Belgian by Lap 15 when the flag came out. Darryn Binder was tenth in another impressive ride after his P4 in Australia, completing a double top ten for the Platinum Bay Real Estate team.

    The season finale now awaits, as the Circuit de Ricardo Tormo in Valencia gets ready for the Moto3™ grid for the last lights out of 2016.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Zarco takes Malaysian Moto2 Victory and Second Title

    The skies opened ahead of Moto2™ lining up on the grid in Malaysia, with Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) facing down his first chance at the Championship from a soaked pole position – but the Frenchman played his hand perfectly to take an unbelievable win, in front of more podium finishes for Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and wet weather specialist Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP). With Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) finishing in P6 and Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40) outside the top ten, Zarco took the crown in stunning style.

    Folger got the holeshot as the spray kicked up off the start line, with Morbidelli then soon taking him back as polesitter Zarco slotted into third. Title rival Tom Luthi moved from P5 to P8 in the opening stages as the Swiss rider remained cautious in the difficult conditions, with third Championship challenger Alex Rins moving up ten places from 23rd on the grid to 13th in an impressive early gain. But Zarco, 22 points clear of Luthi and a few more of Rins, was the one with the advantage.

    An early crash saw some drama in the intermediate class follow that of Moto3™, as Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) slid out followed by Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) at the same corner – before front row starter Axel Pons (AGR Team) then also retired in the difficult conditions.

    Morbidelli led the field from Zarco after the Frenchman took Folger back, with Xavier Simeon (QMMF Racing Team) in fourth and local rider Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) moving into the top five. Luthi then had a shaky lap as he was passed by both Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Team), with the second man in the title standings down in P8 – but the rain then stopping and conditions improving steadily.

    As Simeon was reeled in by those on the chase, Rins was on the fight back further back on track – with the Spaniard moving up into the top ten by 13 laps to go but out of title contention. As Luthi struggled in the conditions, the two men in Zarco’s way were then down in P8 and P9 and the title got ever closer for the Ajo Motorsport rider.

    The front trio of Morbidelli, Zarco and Folger were locked in a game of chess at the front, as the German kept setting the quickest laps of the three, before Zarco pounced for the lead with 6 laps to go – and disappeared into the distance as he tucked in and pulled away from Morbidelli.

    Another win, after another pole, and another intermediate class crown – the first man to defend the Moto2™ title since its introduction in 2010.

    Baldassarri came home in a lonely fourth after getting the better of those behind but unable to catch the front trio, with home hero Hafizh Syahrin getting a good pay off for his battles throughout the race as he completed the top five.

    Tom Luthi finished the race in P6 after finding some more pace later in the race – but was unable to stop the Frenchman from taking the title. Fellow hopeful Alex Rins, after starting in P23, came home in fourteenth to similarly bow out in Malaysia.

    An incredible ride from Alex Marquez saw the 2014 Moto3™ World Champion move up from a difficult qualifying in P21 to fight for P4 and then cross the line in seventh – gaining 14 places in tough conditions a week after sitting out the Australian GP through injury.

    Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) made good on his practice showings at Sepang to ride through the field into an impressive top ten position, as the 2015 FIM CEV Repsol Moto2™ championship runner-up came home in P8. Luca Marini (Forward Racing Team) split the Tech 3 Racing Team in P9 in tough conditions, with the second Tech 3 of Isaac Viñales completing the top ten as all three took some serious scalps on their way to big points hauls.

    Wildcard Ramdan Rosli (Petronas AHM Malaysia) had a stunning ride at his home GP, as he came home in twelfth and ahead of some usual Moto2™ frontrunners.

    The curtain came down with a wheelie across the line as Zarco cemented his place in history once again – becoming the first Frenchman to win more than one Championship in Grand Prix Racing, followed by a trackside celebration as both he and a body double did a signature backflip.

    Next stop: Valencia, and the Circuit Ricardo Tormo – where Rins, Morbidelli and Luthi will now have their final showdown behind the new World Champion in the table.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Dovi Dominates Malaysian Grand Prix to make it 9 Winners in 2016

    Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) took his second ever victory at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, as he navigated the torrential conditions of Sepang to emerge as the ninth winner of 2016: an all time first for the MotoGP™ World Championship to write another chapter in the ever-changing history books of the premier class. After dueling for the lead earlier in the race, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) came home P2, with teammate Jorge Lorenzo completing the podium.

    Lorenzo got the best start off the front row, but it was Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) from Row 2 who moved through the furthest – up to second around Turn 1 – with Lorenzo ahead and the frontrunners shuffling. With Rossi pushed down to P4, the front group of the Movistar Yamahas, Ducati Team and Marquez were joined in the fight at the front by Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro – before the Spaniard then slid out at Turn 1; able to rejoin but down the order.

    Rossi fought his way back into the lead before Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) struck to take P1 – despite still recovering from a cracked vertebra from a crash in Misano – and the Maniac held firm. Teammate Dovizioso was holding off Marquez in third and fourth, with Jorge Lorenzo stalked by Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) just behind.

    A duel broke out at the front between Rossi and Iannone, with the Maniac true to form and hitting back as the Doctor attacked, before a Turn 15 move saw Iannone take back the lead and power out of the corner ahead – with the speed of the Desmosedici GP16 unthreatened on the main straight.

    Dovizioso and Marquez were far from out of the fight, with both moving back to gain on the Italian duo in the lead. Lorenzo was the rider finding himself out of podium contention as he fell down to sixth, moving back into the top five as Phillip Island winner Crutchlow then fell at Turn 2 – the first shot of melodrama in the Malaysian GP.

    Two more high profile crashes then rocked the front group, as reigning World Champion Marquez lost his Honda at Turn 11 and slid out – rejoining in the points but out of contention for the victory – followed by early superstar Andrea Iannone at Turn 9, who was unable to rejoin but walked away unscathed.

    Dovizioso vs Rossi: Italy vs Italy: Yamaha vs Ducati became the duel at the front – and Rossi was beginning to suffer with the front tyre. With a handful of laps remaining, the rider from Tavullia ran wide at Turn 1 and left his compatriot able to get through, with ‘DesmoDovi’ needing no further invitation to start building a gap.

    Keeping it calm and on the road, the number four Ducati crossed the line an incredible margin clear by the penultimate lap, before letting that advantage eke away on his way to the flag – keeping everything minimal risk. Rossi kept his Yamaha upright in second, as Lorenzo took a solid result in the wet to complete the podium, with the caution that at the start saw the Mallorcan overtaken then converted into a good haul of points as he kept it on the road.

    Dovizioso’s spectacular win, as well as marking the ninth different victor of the year, is his second premier class victory – the first being Donington Park in 2009 – and the second win this season for the Borgo Panigale factory, after a long drought since 2010.

    Loris Baz and Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) were the unsung heroes further back on track as the drama ahead stole the spotlight, with Baz showing incredible wet weather pace once again, into fourth with five laps to go. Barbera then overtook his teammate, with the two crossing the line to complete the top five in another Brno-esque triumph for the team.

    Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had an uncharacteristically quiet race as the Silverstone winner struggled slightly in the wet conditions, nevertheless taking a solid P6 and good haul of points. Alvaro Bautista shone for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini once again in Malaysia with an impressive seventh place for the Noale factory, ahead of Assen winner Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich), who completed the top ten.

    World Champion Marc Marquez – despite his crash – crossed the line eleventh to retain Phillip Island as his only DNF in a stunning year on his scorecard.

    The paddock now return to Valencia as Marquez prepares to ride at home for the first time since taking his third premier class crown – but the one remaining race now begs the question…

    …can there be a tenth?

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Ferrari US Grand Prix Review

    GP USA F1/2016 – AUSTIN (TEXAS) 23/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    If ever there was a way to sum up Ferrari’s 2016 season, Kimi Raikkonen’s US Grand Prix was it.

    Raikkonen had moved from fifth to fourth having passed Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and was looking like threatening Daniel Ricciardo’s third place, when, as usual this season, errors meant the end of his challenge.

    During his second pit stop, Ferrari left the wheel gun on his front right tyre and as a result, it wasn’t fixed properly. The Iceman would get no further than the end of the pitlane before he retired.

    Teammate Sebastian Vettel collided with Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas at turn one – not his first lap one wheel-banging this season, but was unscathed and until both Raikkonen and Verstappen retired was running sixth, unable to do anything about crowd-favourite Ricciardo in third.

    The German said that fourth was the maximum that Ferrari were capable of at Texas and he wasn’t far wrong, as strategic mishap was the main reason behind Raikkonen’s pre-retirement assault on Ricciardo.

    Ferrari are almost 60 points behind Red Bull and will now not finish second in a season in which they had promised to fight for first with Mercedes, and Mexico promises much of the same as Austin in view of the similar layout of both circuits.

    The Prancing Horse will have long turned their attentions towards 2017 with the radical technical changes providing an opportunity to leapfrog incumbent champions Mercedes.

    But they will keen to take any opportunities for a victory this season given that the top brass have already labelled this tumultuous season a failure after not building on the successes of 2015, where Vettel took three victories.

    The Scuderia will be less than buoyed by their performance in Mexico City last season, as Vettel spun multiple times and collided with Ricciardo at turn one, while Raikkonen clashed with fellow countryman Bottas and retired.

    Last year’s Mexican Grand Prix was a sign of things to come for Ferrari this season. Will this season’s edition prove the same?

    Jack Prentice

  • Rosberg faces first title chance in Mexico

    GP MESSICO F1/2015 – 31/10/15
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Despite losing points to Lewis Hamilton in last weekend’s United States Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg arrives in Mexico City with his first chance of claiming the 2016 World Drivers’ Championship.

    With twenty-six points in hand over his teammate, Rosberg could mathematically clinch the title providing he wins the race with Hamilton finishing tenth or lower. The odds of the German wrapping up the championship on Sunday are admittedly slim considering Hamilton hasn’t finished a race outside the points since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, but the possibility nevertheless highlights the impressive work Rosberg has done to come within touching distance of the crown with three races to spare.

    For Hamilton, it also underlines the importance of every point, as the Briton has insisted that he will not concede defeat until the title is mathematically decided:

    “The moment you give up is the moment you lose. I’ve never been one to give up and I don’t plan on starting now. There are still plenty of points available and anything is possible.”

    Hamilton’s main advantage coming into this final stretch of races – aside from any potential momentum gained from his Austin win – will be that he has plenty of past experience of tight championship battles on which to draw.

    By comparison, this will be the first time Rosberg has been in such a position. Given his past propensity for faltering in high-pressure situations, this first true shot at the title will be a real test of Rosberg’s new, more relaxed approach to racing – an approach which ironically surfaced at this same event last year.

    “To be in a championship battle at the end of the year is awesome,” the German said, “but my approach is to keep it simple. There are many things that can happen during a race weekend which are out of your control, so it’s best to just block all that out and focus on the job at hand.

    “That’s what’s worked best for me and how I feel at my strongest.”

    James Matthews

  • Red Bull will hope their season’s form in Mexico continues despite struggling in the corresponding race last year.

    GP USA F1/2016 – AUSTIN (TEXAS) 22/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Daniel Ricciardo will reminisce fondly of his 2016 season as he has performed miracles in the Red Bull car. The Australian has one victory to his name as well as seven podium finishes in this years’ championship.

    Last weekend in Austin, he managed to finished third behind Hamilton and Rosberg. Ricciardo ended the practice session in third and started the race in fifth during the corresponding race in 2015 he said:

    “Last year in Mexico it was quite challenging, the surface was so new it meant grip levels were really low.

    “This year should be a bit more fun with a bit more feeling. The track has some really cool sections, driving slow through the stadium bits means you can feel the atmosphere from the fans.”

    Supersoft tyres will be used for the first time at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City after the track’s return to the Formula One circuit last year.

    Max Verstappen will be hoping his gearbox problems are behind him as did not finish the race in Austin:

    “The circuit in Mexico is interesting, it’s still really new, they had only just finished it when we went there in 2015. Hopefully when we go there this year the grip will have improved and the lap times will be faster,” said the Dutch teenager.

    Dominic Rust