Verstappen masterclass puts F1 title fight to bed 

Daniel Bloomfield on 14 November 2024

The battle for the 2024 Formula One Drivers’ Championship is all but over after Max Verstappen delivered one of the greatest performances in the sport’s history in a rain-soaked Sao Paulo Grand Prix, leaving his closest challenger, Lando Norris, 62 points behind with only three races to go. 

The Dutchman climbed from 17th on the grid to claim victory, whilst Norris, starting from pole position, could only manage sixth place, meaning that Verstappen will be world champion after the next race in Las Vegas if he finishes ahead of Norris. 

This was Verstappen’s first win since the Spanish Grand Prix in May, and he was understandably elated as he crossed the finish line, a world away from the anger he had been feeling just hours earlier, after an unfortunately timed red flag in the second part of qualifying condemned him to starting towards the back of the grid. However, with two drivers ahead of him unable to start the race, and five overtakes in his first tour of the circuit, by the end of lap one the Dutchman was already in a points scoring position.  

More overtakes followed, reaching fifth place by lap 27, when luck began to turn his way. An off from Nico Hulkenberg caused a virtual safety car, motivating Norris and race leader George Russell to pit, placing them behind Verstappen in second, and the two Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, in first and third respectively, all of whom had chosen to remain on track in the hope that a red flag would provide them with a “free” pit stop. This ended up being the right decision, as a heavy shunt from Franco Colapinto led to the race being suspended, vaulting Ocon into the net race lead, with Verstappen in second, whilst Norris fell to fourth place.  

Ocon remained in the lead at the restart, and Verstappen held on to second, whilst Norris went off track at turn four, causing him to drop to fifth place, however the race was neutralised again only a few laps later, after Carlos Sainz found the barriers at turn eight. 

Verstappen made the most of this, overtaking Ocon at the restart and subsequently driving into the distance, whereas Norris slid off-track again, and fell to seventh. By the time the chequered flag flew 26 laps later, Verstappen had built an almost 20 second lead over the pack and secured the fastest lap of the race, whereas Norris had only gained a single position, one that was given to him when McLaren ordered his teammate, Oscar Piastri, to let him past. 

Verstappen was joined on the podium by both Ocon and Gasly, catapulting Alpine from ninth to sixth in the Constructors’ championship. The French team’s double podium is arguably the most shocking result of the season; however, it is testament to Verstappen’s brilliance that it is not the biggest talking point of the weekend.  

This was a performance that will surely be remembered for decades to come. With championship momentum swinging away from him, and in the midst of his longest victory drought since 2020, the Dutchman silenced his doubters and put all talk of a title battle to bed.  This is only the fifth time in F1 history that a race’s victor started from lower than 16th on the grid, with pundits, team principals and drivers comparing it to some of the most awe-inspiring drives of history, including Lewis Hamilton’s dominant victory at the 2008 British Grand Prix, and Ayrton Senna’s famous performance at Donington in 1993. 

To be compared to two of the greatest drivers in history is no mean feat, but it is truly deserved praise for Max Verstappen. The Dutchman is only 27 years old and is already on the verge of becoming a four-time-world champion, five years younger than Hamilton was when he claimed his fourth title, and he already has the second most Formula One race victories of all time.  

But he still had his haters, who would claim that his success was solely due to his car, or that he was incapable of racing wheel-to-wheel. But now there will be no doubters. Surely this was the performance that let everyone know that Max Verstappen is one of the greatest drivers Formula One has ever seen. 

Words by Daniel Bloomfield

How Lewis Hamilton is racing against racism in F1

Rishi Shah on 22 January 2021

Sir Lewis Hamilton – by far the standout name on the recently published New Year’s Honours list. Following his recent Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) award, the accolades are stacking up for the British F1 driver.

The SPOTY award has long eluded a curiously unpopular Hamilton, despite the fact that before his record-equalling Formula One World Championship title in 2020, he already had six to his name. His recent dominance within the sport has become somewhat of a routine, so one might ask: what was the difference this year that propelled him towards these two glorious honours? The answer lies in an all too familiar issue – the work he has done in the fight against racism, striving for equality and diversity, in the sport and beyond.

So often leading races from the front (quite literally), Hamilton knew that it would be the most impactful if it was him who picked up the mantle that needed to be filled in the summer. George Floyd’s death on 25th May 2020 had invoked a Black Lives Matter movement with momentum unheard of for decades, and Hamilton used his influence as the only black F1 driver as directly as possible. Wearing masks and t-shirts drawing attention to police brutality and the unjust murder of Breonna Taylor highlights his refusal to simply be an F1 driver, alongside his active decision to take a knee and show solidarity with the oppressed before each race.

Hamilton’s motives are deep-rooted, with Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff describing his proactivity in previous years, starting conversations about internal diversity and explicitly flagging up issues surrounding the shortage of minority mechanics employed by the team. Hamilton’s world domination in the context of being the sport’s only black driver has no doubt motivated him to inspire other young fans into believing that anything is possible, no matter your background, as he emotionally re-iterated on the team’s radio following his World Championship victory in Turkey. However, the individuality of his actions has only exacerbated the sport’s clear lack of unity behind such an important cause.

Whilst Premier League football has normalised the gesture of taking a knee, seven F1 drives – which equates to 35% – have refused to join Hamilton in his pre-race demonstrations. Such a global sport, which involves personnel from over six continents, displaying this awkwardly detached sense of social awareness is not only damaging to its reputation, but also a sign of where the genuine problems lie. With an entirely male driver line-up, including many who have family connections in the F1 hierarchy, there are already enough reasons why the sport is inherently restrictive – and its failure to stand with its champion in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter cause only worsens its image. Within the context of social issues, perhaps unsurprisingly, F1’s infamous partnership with Bahrain has long come under fire for the sport’s hierarchy turning the blind eye to its dismal human rights violations. As F1 welcomes a new CEO in 2021, Stefano Domenicali, the man must surely look into these issues to reshape the sport into an inclusive, diverse environment in which anyone can succeed. 

Whilst there are many rumours that Hamilton’s retirement is on the horizon, it is perhaps more important than ever that he remains in the sport and continues to fight for equality. Hamilton admitted this year’s victory felt different, given the added motivation of his unerring desire to utilise his platform for good. These feelings no doubt leave him hungrier than ever to pursue his goal and ensure anyone can enter the sport – regardless of race or background – in any capacity, be it a mechanic, driver or CEO. His efforts in 2020 have sealed Lewis Hamilton’s legacy, not only in his records and titles but as a role model who leads by example by tackling systemic issues in a sport that needs it more than ever.