Race Review: US Sprint and Grand Prix 2024

Howdy ya’ll! It’s Round 19 of the 2024 Formula One Season, with the sport returning to the USA for the second time this year. And, with the championship battle getting ever so hotter, Austin was sure to be an exciting race weekend. Indeed, exciting it was!

Kicking off the weekend’s motorsport festivities was the return off the Sprint race. Something we haven’t seen since the Austrian Grand Prix, all the way back in June. And, I know we’re not all fans of the concept of a Sprint race, but the Austin Sprint gave us some entertaining on track action that would surely reassure us of anything but a boring Grand Prix come Sunday.

One of the bigger talking points come the start of the Sprint was Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s return to pole position and, like more traditional times, were the favourite to take home the Sprint race win. However, it quickly became evident, with Lando Norris - Verstappen’s closest Championship rival, was not going to let him get away with it that easy, jumping from 4th to 2nd come Turn 2 on the opening lap. And of course, the excitement and dramatics did not end there.

The Sprint race proved that on track battles can still be quite intense in Formula One, with stunning wheel to wheel racing from George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The battle between the Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Sainz, in particular, was worth the watch considering Sainz’ departure from the team is looming ever so closer. He was out to beat his teammate, and beat him he did, finishing in 2nd compared to Leclerc’s 4th.

Elsewhere, while Norris was battling for a podium position, his teammate, Oscar Piastri, was having quite the mare, finding himself starting the Sprint from the back end of the field, before incurring a five second time penalty in the race for forcing the Alpine of Pierre Gasly off track. Piastri would eventually finish in 10th position and out of the points. Liam Lawson, on his return to Formula One with RB, would also finish out of the points, all the way down in 16th. Although for Lawson, his race would get very spicy while battling Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin, with the latter later spotted “having some words” with the New Zealand youngster. Have we just witnessed the start of a new rivalry?

But, of course, despite plenty of on track battles, this Sprint would ultimately be Verstappen’s, with Sainz and Norris joining him in the top three. A great set up going into Sunday’s Grand Prix!

After a qualifying session that was maimed by a stricken George Russell in the barrier at Turn 19, it would be Championship rivals, Norris and Verstappen, who would line up side by side on the front row. However, it would be Ferrari and Leclerc that would take an early lead into Turn 2 on the opening lap, dropping pole man Norris down to 4th and Verstappen into 2nd. Elsewhere, in what was a dramatic start to the race, Esteban Ocon would spin at Turn 1 while Verstappen and Sainz; both with issues that were later resolved, would battle it out for 2nd. Lewis Hamilton, who started towards the back of the grid, hit the gravel trap on Lap 3, bringing out a long awaited Safety Car that was last seen during the Canadian Grand Prix earlier on in the season.

With the Safety Car's only appearance during the US GP over with, normal on-track business resumed with plenty of action up and down the field. At the back of the pack it would be Russell versus Ocon, Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll, with the latter skimming the gravel before getting noted for gaining an advantage, an occurring theme for many a driver throughout the race. Whereas Stroll would get away this, others weren't so lucky with 5 second time penalties being slapped on Russell, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda and Norris. More on the latter later.

This race, in particular, gave us some fantastic wheel to wheel action, including the continuation of the Lawson/Alonso battle from the Sprint race. Lawson would be the eventual winner between this pairing. Red Bull's Sergio Perez would continue to struggle on track, finding himself stuck behind Tsunoda before finally getting past on Lap 18. He would later be stuck behind Franco Colapinto also, before making it past to finish 7th in a race that would do nothing to help the rumours surrounding the future of this career.

Most drivers would find themselves stopping for fresh rubber twice in this race, with many taking advantage of a strong undercut. Two examples of this would be Kevin Magnussen undercutting Gasly, and Sainz undercutting Verstappen for 2nd in what helped set up a fantastic, nail biting battle between Verstappen and Norris, while leaders; Leclerc and Sainz, would drive off into the distance.

If previous races are to go by, your typical F1 aficionado would be well aware that things were about to get spicy as Norris, on fresher tyres, hunted down Verstappen for the final podium position. And, after several close calls, both drivers would take to the run off at Turn 12, with Norris reemerging ahead in 3rd position. Verstappen, frustrated by this, was adament that Norris should give the place back. However, Norris and the McLaren team did not agree with this, continuing as they meant to go on. Norris would eventually succumb to a "controversial" 5 second time penalty, dropping him to 4th behind Verstappen.

But, this race belonged to Leclerc and Ferrari, as he crossed the finish line in 1st to take his 3rd win of the season, while closing in on Norris in the championship battle. Sainz would come home 2nd, with Verstappen in 3rd, closing out another fantastic weekend of Formula One racing.

Next up, F1 hits Mexico!

News: Formula E To Make History in Women’s Motorsport

Gender equality has just taken another big step forward in the world of motorsport with Formula E’s announcement of a first ever “all women” test session that will take place within an FIA accredited championship. That’s right, on Thursday 7th November, Formula E will be giving up to twenty two women, (all teams need to nominate at least one female but two is preferable), the chance to test the Season 11 GEN3 Evo car that will be used for the upcoming year. The test will be taking place at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain as part of the series’ pre-season testing schedule.

With the world of motorsport still of a predominantly male environment, this initiative coming from Formula E is “part of a broader long-term strategy to remove barriers and expand opportunities for women within the all-electric championship.” In fact, the drivers taking part in the test will have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves into the world of a top-tier motorsport championship by taking part in several media opportunities, team activities and half a day’s on track action. The end goal? Raising the profile of female racing drivers in, not just elite motorsport, but motorsport as a whole.

A statement released by Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E reads:

“We know there isn’t a simple solution for greater diversity in motorsport. If we’re going to truly give women equality, opportunity and visibility in our series, however, conditions for all need to be the same to aid their development and test themselves against those already on the starting grid.”

“Unlike other series where women drivers have to use old or restricted machinery, they’ll be using the state-of-the-art GEN3 Evo car that accelerates 30% faster than an F1 car, just as our Championship drivers do.”

“We also recognise that one test will not solve the longstanding issue, but we have to start somewhere, knowing there is a long way to go and making sure we’re making proactive, consistent steps that continue to make forward progress. As a motorsport with an almost-equal split of male and female fans, as well within Formula E including my Exec and Director teams, we believe it’s only right that our drivers and wider ecosystem is representative of those that follow and support the sport.”

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the line up of participating drivers has yet to be announced, but is expected to be gradually revealed by each Formula E team within the next few weeks. That being said, who can we expect to see taking to the cockpit of these electric race cars? Marta Garcia, Alice Powell and Tatiana Calderon are just a handful of female drivers who have already had the privilege of testing for FE teams in the past. Could they get another chance? Or, how about Jamie Chadwick and her Andretti connections, currently racing with them in Indy NXT? There are, in theory, plenty of well deserving female racing drivers out there who should revel in this opportunity.

As of October 2024, only three women - Katherine Legge, Simona de Silvestro and Michela Cerruti, have competed in Formula E since it's inaugural race back in 2014. Going into Season 11, not a single female will sit behind the wheel in the coming year, disregarding test sessions, of course. Could this test be about to influence the current gender algorithm in the world of Formula E, or motorsport as a whole?

Season 11 of Formula E gets underway in São Paulo, Brazil on Saturday 7th December.

Daniel Ricciardo: Is This Really The End?

At one point or another, a racing driver ends up leaving the series where they made their name, integrating themselves into apart of motorsport history. And, for 8x Formula One race winner; Daniel Ricciardo, his time is nigh, and not for the first time either. Sadly enough, this could very well be the last. Regardless, throughout his 13 years in the series, specifically in recent years after his fun-loving portrayal in Netflix’s Drive to Survive; Ricciardo has become one of, if not the most popular driver on the F1 grid, leaving hoards of fans heartbroken at his mid-season exit. And, it’s not just the fans feeling blue with his departure. Several of Ricciardo’s competitors and racing friends have taken to social media, sending well wishes his way, while branding him a legend within our favourite sport. There is no denying, the outpouring of love for Danny Ric speaks volumes, which could easily explain as to why many are also disgruntled at the fact that the Red Bull family failed to give him the F1 "send off" that he deserves.

In the grand scheme of things, Ricciardo's career hasn't necessarily proved to be anything of a speciality. But, as with many an F1 driver, has included notable highs, lows and what ifs that have shaped it into one career fans may remember in the years to come. Like it or not, regardless of how his career played out, Ricciardo has, for sure, left his mark on the sport and fans all over the world, with some even still in denial that it seems as if this is it. But is it truly the end for our happy Australian?

The most realistic answer in this circumstance is yes. With only one seat currently vacant for 2025, at Sauber - which could be heading the way of Valtteri Bottas, Ricciardo’s options are almost non-existent. Almost, so to speak. Because, rumours are Formula One’s favourite past time and, as this season continues to evolve, Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull continues to come across as “under threat” from his consistently poor performances in 2024. If you’re new here, you may be wondering as to why Perez’s seat could be of such an importance to Ricciardo. Simply put, it’s his life line that could prolong his F1 career and give Red Bull one of the strongest line ups on the grid. This is believed to have been Red Bull’s plan all along, after resigning Ricciardo to the team as third driver at the start of 2023.

Alas, with Perez’s sponsorship and PR, he seems to be a shoe in to stay at Red Bull for 2025 alongside Max Verstappen, leaving Ricciardo simply with no where to go. His only F1 option would most likely be in the form of a reserve driver or, as new rumours suggest, an ambassadorial role, but now in his mid-30’s, would he want that?

There is no denying that Ricciardo’s career took a big hit after leaving the Red Bull team the first time at the end of 2018. He was lucky that they were there to rescue him in 2023. But, F1 and motorsport is cut throat, we know that. Should Ricciardo’s demise be really that all to surprising? Probably not. Regardless, one thing we can all agree on, he deserved better than the brutality he endured right at the end