BLOGMAS DAY 8 & 9 - F1 2018 SEASON REVIEW PART 1

1 week of Blogmas down. 2 more to go. The next few posts are going to be looking back on the 2018 Formula One season.

Welcome to the 2018 Formula One Season Review Part 1.

The 2018 Formula One season began on 25th March 2018 with 11 teams and 22 drivers lining up on the grid in Melbourne, Australia. Lewis Hamilton was to start on pole for Mercedes, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen right next to him on the front row.

The beginning of the race was uneventful. The first retirement being Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) on lap 4. Red Bull's Max Verstappen spun on lap 9, relegating the Dutchman down to 8th. The first round of pitstops began around lap 18 with Raikkonen pitting for softs. Race leader; Hamilton, pitted one lap later, emerging back on track ahead of the Finn. Down at Haas, disaster was about to strike. Both drivers; Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean, had to pull over and retire thanks to a cross-threaded wheel-nut being fitted loosley, resulting in this seasons first Virtual Safety Car. (VSC.) Sebastian Vettel pitted at this point, taking advantage of the VSC, emerging in front of Hamilton and thus, taking the lead. The rest of the race was relatively quiet with Vettel taking the chequered flag on lap 58. Hamilton was to finish 2nd with Raikkonen on the final step of the podium. There were five retirements overall.

Two weeks later, and the Formula One circus reached Bahrain for Round Two of the championship. Ferrari's Vettel started on pole ahead of Raikkonen, giving Ferrari a lock out on the front row.

The race began and positions shifted. Mercedes; Valtteri Bottas took 2nd whereas his teammate Hamilton fell down the order to 10th, clashing with Max Verstappen on lap two with the Dutchman taking a punchture to his left rear tyre. Meanwhile, Verstappen's teammate; Daniel Ricciardo, lost all power to his car, therefore retiring him from the race. Just laps later, Verstappen had the same problem, ending his race. An incident in the pitlane saw Ferrari tyre changer; Cigarini get struck by Raikkonen's car, breaking his leg in the process thus meaning race leader; Vettel, would have to extend his stint on his current tyres. As with the previous race, Vettel took the chequered flag after a late race attack from Bottas. Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly took his first points in F1 after finishing 4th.

Now onto China. The third round started in Ferrari's favour with another front row lock out. Both Mercedes of Bottas and Hamilton would start on the row behind them.

A relatively quiet start to the race. Vettel got away well. The first round of pitstops came and Bottas managed to undercut Vettel, taking the lead from the German. Vettel subsequently took 2nd place from teammate Raikkonen. On lap 30, the Toro Rosso's of Brendan Hartley and Pierre Gasly came together at the first corner, with the Frenchman taking a 10-second penalty. A safety car was sent out due to the debris on the track. Both Red Bull's took advantage of this period, pitting for fresher tyres whereas the likes of Mercedes stayed out. Both Red Bulls, on fresher tires battled their way through the field with Verstappen coming together with Sebastian Vettel on lap 43, sending both drivers into a spin. Meanwhile, Ricciardo was up front battling Bottas for the lead, eventually finding a way past. Ricciardo was the eventual winner of this race.

Next up came the race we were all waiting for. Azerbaijan. Vettel again took pole, with Hamilton starting right next to him.

As with many races these days, the field got away cleanly. However, after the first few corners, some drivers had come together. Most notably Kimi Raikkonen and Force India's Esteban Ocon, leading the latter to retire from the race. A safety car was deployed and our round of pitstops had begun. The race begun again on lap 6 but only a few laps later on lap 11, Nico Hulkenberg hit the wall, meaning he was to retire. After this, the race setteled down. Well, until lap 40 that was. For a number of laps before this, both Red Bulls and been racing each other. The team decided to not deploy team orders and let the two race. On lap 40, the two came together, with both cars damaged, the team were in for a double retirement and thus, safety car number two was deployed. During the SC period on lap 43, Romain Grosjean hit the wall, sending him into retirement. Blaming Sauber's Marcus Ericsson during the process. At the restart, Bottas was leading but it wasn't long until he suffered a puncture, causing him to retire also. Lewis Hamilton was the winner. Raikkonen came second and a surprise for Force India when their driver Sergio Perez took 3rd.

After the hectics of Azerbaijan, Formula One came back to Europe with the Spanish Grand Prix. Vettel's string of poles were broken when Hamilton took pole. Bottas lined up beside him, giving Mercedes that all important one-two.

The beginning of a lap at Catalunya is very "windy," so it was no surprise when Romain Grosjean spun at turn 3 of the first lap, taking out the Renault of Nico Hulkeberg and Toro Rosso of Pierre Gasly in the process. More retirements were to come. Raikkonen lost power to his car on lap 25, Ocon had a similar issue on lap 40 and again, a similar issue for McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne on lap 47. Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll (Williams) came together after a VSC period, both cars completed the race. Hamilton won the race by over twenty seconds. His teammate, Bottas, crossed the finish line in 2nd with Red Bull's Max Verstappen claiming his first podium of the season.

27th May. We're in Monaco. Usually described as "the most boring race of the year." This one lived up to it's name. Daniel Ricciardo was to start on pole, his first of the season.

The race began and the majority of drivers stayed in their qualifying order. On lap 18, race leader, Ricciardo, started to complain of a loss of power. For the remainder of the race, Ricciardo had to nurse his car home. It was later revealed that he had problems with the MGU-K and only had six out of eight gears working. After this, the race was quiet. Fernando Alonso retired for McLaren with gearbox issues on lap 53. On lap 70, Sauber's Charles Leclerc had a brake failure, sending him into the back of Brendan Hartley. Both drivers joined Fernando Alonso in retirement. Daniel Ricciardo managed his problems well, taking the chequered flag on lap 78.

Two weeks later and we're off to Canada. The home of Lance Stroll. Sebastian Vettel was back on pole with his main championship rival, Lewis Hamilton down in 4th.

As what seemed to be the running theme in 2018, the race started without incident until turn 5 where Brendan Hartley and Lance Stroll clashed, knocking them both out of the race. The safety car was deployed. During the restart, Perez and Renault's Carlos Sainz banged wheels but no major damage was reported and both drivers carried on. Fernando Alonso was again the next car to retire with mechanical issues. The most entertaining part of the race came at the end when model; Winnie Harlow, waved the chequered flag a few laps early. The results were officially taken from lap 68 instead of 70, meaning, Ricciardo's fastest laps were voided and Perez's overtake on Magnussen did not stand.

Come back soon for Part 2!

BLOGMAS DAY 7: GIRL POWER

I hate it, HATE IT, when it comes to sexism in the motorsport industry. Women have just as right as men when it comes to not only racing, but working behind the scenes as well. And, with the introduction of the new "W Series," my passion for this issue becomes bigger. Women WANT to race with the big guys. We do not need a separate championship such as this so-called "W-Series." However, although I will never agree with it, I will sit back and let that one play out.

A very small number of women have officially taken part in a Formula One Grand Prix weekend. And, an even smaller number have ever scored points. In fact, only women has ever done that, and it was only half a point if that.

I'm not here to talk about why there are so little women in motorsport and why they've had very little impact. Tha'ts here: https://bronnypreece.wixsite.com/brontalksmotorsport/the-blog/where-are-all-the-ladies

For Blogmas Day 7, I have picked my top 5 woman drivers. The point of this is that these are the ladies that I think will make a positive impact on motorsport with their skills and attitudes in the near future.

1. Tatiana Calderon

There was no doubt that Tata would be on the list. The 25 year old Colombian is currently the only female associated with a Formula One team; Sauber. She is currently the Swiss team's test driver.

Unfortunately, Calderon has had a mediocre time in the past year, racing in GP3, where she finished 16th overall. However, numerous point finishes made her the first female to score more than once in a GP3 race. A stat she can be proud of.

With a recent test in both a Formula One and Formula Two car, Calderon's future looks promising. I, for one, hope to see her contesting Formula Two in 2019. Could she be our first Formula One driver for some time?

2. Sophia Floersch

Sophia has been relatively unknown until late. A traumatic crash at the 2018 Macau GP saw the teen walk away with, luckily, only very minor injuries.

My heart aches for Floersch though. Although her accident has brought her talent to light, it could not have come at a worse time. The German 18 year old was one of several women lined up to test a Formula E car at the upcoming tests in Ad Diriyah. Unfortunately, Sophia will not be taking part but the news of a good handful of ladies getting a shot at this is wonderful news for advocates like myself.

Hopefully, Sophia can spend the winter break relaxing and recovering from the recent bang and can come back in the near future to show everyone who is boss in this motorsport world.

3. Natalie Decker

Natalie Decker. A name not too familiar in European motorsport, but in America, this lady is one to watch. At 21 years old, Decker currently races part time in NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series, part time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and part time in the ARCA Racing Series.

I did not know of Decker until I researched some female racers. I watched a few of her races and now I can see why she constantly appears in the points, finishing 7th overall in the most recent ARCA series.

As mentioned before, I am against the "W Series," but Decker has been shortlisted as one of many drivers who could potentially take part. I hope she gets chosen to compete. It will be a good way for her to get her foot in the door in European motorsport and make a name for herself over here. Until, I look forward to her throwing those stock cars around the tracks!

4. Jamie Chadwick

Another driver aiming for the "W Series," Jamie Chadwick. If you don't know this name, wake up. The first female and the youngest person to ever win the British GT Championship and the first woman to win a British Formula 3 race, Chadwick is really making dents in traditional motoracing.

That's not all of Chadwick's feats. She has competed in several 24hour races and a number of Ginetta Junior races and championship. This girl cannot be stopped.

You cannot help but admire the racing skill and technique Chadwick possesses. She makes it look easy. I, for one, want to see this lady in Formula One someday.

5. Pippa Mann

Another racer who is well known over in the states, British born; Pippa Mann. A popular Indy Car driver, Mann started her motorsport career like many racers before and after her; Formula Renault. Although Mann is yet to win any championships, I admire her greatly.

Like myself, she is a big advocate for females in motorsport and her skill and experience could really be a positive and a boost to a Formula One team.

I admire how she is not afraid to say how she feels when it comes to females in motorsport. Pippa should be a women in motorsport ambassador rather than Carmen Jorda who is there for money.

So, that's my top 5 female racers. This was difficult to discuss. There are so many ladies to choose from.

BLOGMAS DAY 6: CARLOS IS ON THE MOVE

If you follow me on Twitter, you're probably wondering "where are the Carlos Sainz posts?!" Well, fret no more! Day 6 is Chili Day!

When Daniel Ricciardo announced he was leaving Red Bull, I thought my dream was coming true. My favourite driver; Carlos Sainz, driving for my favourite team; Red Bull Racing. A partnership I always wanted. But, alas, it was not meant to be. Instead the Spaniard signed with McLaren for 2019 whereas Red Bull snapped up Frenchman; Pierre Gasly. It was at this point I knew that next year I'd have to take out a vodka subscription.

I first started supporting Carlos in 2012 during his Formula 3 years. He was from a rallying background and preferred single seaters, I was from a rallying background and preferred single seaters. It was from then on I found myself supporting him throughout the years, Formula 3, GP3 and Formula Renault 3.5. You can imagine my excitement when he was finally announced as a Formula One driver for the 2015 season, taking up a permanent residence in the Toro Rosso alongside Dutchman; Max Verstappen.

Sainz's time at Toro Rosso was a good one. The Spaniard was consistent and matched his teammate throughout the years they were partnered together. But when Verstappen was promoted to the main Red Bull team over Sainz, I was disappointed. Not surprised. Just disappointed.

Finally, mid-2017, Sainz got called up to a more established team. This time in the form of Renault. He was partnered with Nico Hulkenberg and just like with his previous teammate, Sainz matched him from the get-go. And this was despite many people stating that the Spaniard was underwhelming in 2018. Something I 100% fail to agree with.

This leads me to now. It's the end of 2018 and Carlos has kissed goodbye to Renault and started his duties with McLaren.

In recent years, McLaren have struggled. It's no lie nor secret. Their time with the Honda engine had been disastrous and things haven't been much better since switching to Renault power.

I worry for Carlos. With a car that under-performs, a less reliable engine and a more than half decent teammate; Lando Norris; Sainz needs to do something special in this upcoming season. When it comes to dropping drivers, McLaren can be just as savage as Red Bull. Just ask old McLaren "stars" Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne. Luckily for Magnussen it's all worked out well. As for Vandoorne? We'll soon see.

As biased as I seem, Sainz should be at Red Bull for 2019 but due to his history with Verstappen, this is impossible. So here we are. McLaren Renault. 2019.

Things may turn out ok. 2019 see's the introductions of new rules and regulations as well as technical regulations. The cars will be very different compared to the ones as of late. Who knows, McLaren could become champions in 2019. Carlos will outshine Norris and Red Bull will regret letting him go. Until then we wait. Testing is soon and we can get an idea then. Stay optimistic kids!