F1 Features

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 10

With a final round-up from the paddock at Suzuka, Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his paddock notebook.

“If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” It was perhaps fitting that a quote from Ayrton Senna, a driver with whom the Suzuka circuit is so synonymous, came ringing back during Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

The term “best fans” has become something of a cliché in Formula 1 circles.

With all of the additional news and notes from Suzuka following qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his paddock notebook.

Twelves months ago at Suzuka, Ferrari completed its capitulation in the race for the Formula 1 championship as a retirement for Sebastian Vettel early on all but handed the drivers’ title to Lewis Hamilton.

Recapping all of the additional news and notes on Friday at Suzuka, Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his paddock notebook.

You would have to possess a heart of stone not to have felt for Daniil Kvyat when he was bounced from Red Bull Racing back down to the Scuderia Toro Rosso junior leagues back in 2016.

- Formula 1 may have jetted across to Asia following last weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, but the big talking point on Thursday at Suzuka remained Mercedes’ use of team orders in Sochi.

Arriving in the Formula 1 paddock at Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, it was clear that the dust is yet to have truly settled from the team orders’ controversy that sparked last Sunday in Russia.

Running through the performances in the Formula 1 field following Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix, Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his post-race driver ratings. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 9

- It was a better race than most expected in Russia - especially given the fact that there were no true overtakes whatsoever last year and the two fastest cars of the weekend were starting in the front row - but it ended with a bitter taste after the use of team orders by Mercedes.

After Mercedes stormed to a front row lock-out in Formula 1 qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix on Sochi on Saturday, it was somewhat predictable that the topic of team orders would be a major talking point after the chequered flag had fallen on Sunday afternoon.

Just when we thought things were winding down on the technical front for 2018, the two Formula 1 title protagonists unveiled a series of bold upgrades to their cars for Sochi.

- Relieved is the best word to describe Valtteri Bottas after his pole position in Sochi. The Finn didn’t try to hide the fact he needed a good result to get his confidence back. “It’s an important day”, he said after beating Lewis Hamilton by less than two-tenths of a second.

Saturday’s qualifying session for the Russian Grand Prix is unlikely to be remembered as one of the high points of the 2018 Formula 1 season.

With a recap of the news and notes from the Sochi Autodrom paddock on Friday, Julianne Cerasoli brings you her paddock notebook.

Trawling through the wider Formula 1 news sources in the build-up to this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, the major story was about as left-field as you could get.

With a run-down of all the additional news and notes from media day ahead of the Russian Grand Prix, here's the Crash.net paddock notebook courtesy of Julianne Cerasoli.

Formula 1 ventures to the Olympic city of Sochi this weekend for the fifth world championship running of the Russian Grand Prix with the title race nearing its conclusion.

Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix may have been on the tamer side in terms of race action, but there were a number of stand-out performances through the Formula 1 field. Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his driver ratings from Marina Bay.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but looking back on the 2017 season and Ferrari’s defeat to Mercedes in both Formula 1 championships, it is widely accepted that Singapore was the turning point.

With a final round-up from the Marina Bay Street Circuit following Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his paddock notebook.

Formula 1 returned to Asia this weekend for the start of the final flyaways, and as the battle for the title intensifies, the challenge of maintaining good pace in the development race becomes ever-greater as the pressure increases.