Category: Motorsport

Register your interest for the 2025 F1 British Grand Prix Today

While there will never be a unanimous answer to the argument surrounding the greatest ever British sportsperson, there’s no denying that Lewis Hamilton would be near the top of most people’s lists.

Since emerging as a Formula One star back in 2008, he’s established himself as one of the sport’s greats. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven world titles and he also holds the record for the most Grand Prix wins with an astonishing 105.

He was the first ever black F1 driver and his first win in 2008 made him the youngest ever champion at the time. While his racing career is still very much alive, it seems only right to make him the latest addition to our ICON hall of fame.

Bursting onto the scene

Plenty of drivers take their time to get to grips with the world of Formula One, but Hamilton couldn’t have been any different. After signing with McLaren, the rookie started his professional career with a bang, finishing on the podium in each of his opening nine races.

He won an astonishing four Grands Prix in his maiden year as he came close to winning the title, but he ultimately missed out to eventual champion Kimi Räikkönen. Not one to let the disappointment of missing out extinguish his motivation, Hamilton picked up where he left off as he started the 2008 season meaning business.

He raced to victory in the opener in Australia, which was the first of five remarkable wins that included his first triumph at Silverstone in the British Grand Prix. The title came down to the final day and with Hamilton’s nearest rival Felipe Massa winning his hometown race in Brazil, he looked destined for another runner-up trophy.

But a fifth-placed finish was enough for the Brit to top the leaderboard by a solitary point and become the youngest-ever F1 champion at the age of 23. Sadly, that record was eclipsed by Sebastian Vettel just two years later.

Dominance with Mercedes

Despite a whirlwind two years, Hamilton failed to continue his momentum in the wake of his first title. However, things all changed when he made the switch to Mercedes in 2013. Just a year later, and six years after his first, he claimed his second title in a dominant year that saw him win 11 races, including six of the final seven.

That phenomenal triumph was the beginning of a period of dominance for Hamilton and Mercedes. The superstar claimed an incredible six Drivers’ Championship titles in seven years between 2014 and 2020, with Nico Rosberg’s victory in 2016 Hamilton’s only failure.

Hamilton’s complete obliteration of all who challenged him took him to seven titles, level with the iconic Michael Schumacher in the all-time rankings. He’s always insisted he won’t call it a day until he’s the undisputed greatest of all time. Yet with no victory in four years and Max Verstappen eclipsing him in recent years, it’s fair to say that time is not on Hamilton’s side.

Hometown glory

Home advantage can give competitors an edge in all sports and when it comes to the British Grand Prix, Hamilton clearly steps it up a gear when on home soil. He’s won the iconic race at Silverstone a record nine times, including his most recent outing just two months ago.

That recent win came an astonishing 16 years after his first, which was in his maiden tile-winning season back in 2008 in difficult conditions. Despite the wet weather, Hamilton raced his way up the pack and eventually came out on top ahead of Nick Heidfeld.

Competitive rivalries

While the ambition to win as many titles as possible was undoubtedly the primary goal fuelling Hamilton’s success, it’s fair to say that he may not have been pushed to perform at his very best without the various rivalries he’s shared on the track.

Throughout different periods of his career, Hamilton has been involved in intense conflicts with the likes of Vettel, Rosberg and Verstappen. In fact, the 2016 season that saw Rosberg take the crown ahead of Hamilton culminated in a monumental final battle in Abu Dhabi, before the German surprisingly announced his retirement.

In recent years, Hamilton has enjoyed a rivalry with Verstappen, who has established himself as the world’s best by winning the last three F1 titles. The pair have engaged in countless clashes and their competitiveness resulted in a contentious crash at the 2021 British Grand Prix.

Ageing like a fine win

Hamilton will be 40 by the time the 2025 season gets underway and while most drivers would be thinking about calling it a day, he’s already got his sights set on next season.

He’s now in the home stretch of his Mercedes career, having agreed to switch allegiances to Ferrari next year. Hamilton continues to prove that age is just a number and while Verstappen looks set to win his fourth consecutive title, Hamilton will still harbour ambitions of topping the pile this year.

Not content with wowing his home crowd, he followed up his win at Silverstone with a pole in Hungary and a second victory in three races the following week in Belgium. Hamilton has made it very clear that he wants to win number eight and he’ll be hoping the move to Ferrari will help him achieve that dream. But even if he remains on seven by the time he walks away, there’s no doubt that he’ll always be one of the best drivers to ever do it.

Register your interest for the 2025 F1 British Grand Prix Today

With 10 races to go in the 2024 Formula One season, we’ve reached the summer break, with drivers given a month off to recharge their batteries.

The season will resume at the end of August with the Dutch Grand Prix so to fill the void until then, we’ve taken a look at how the season has gone so far and explained how the summer break works.

The story so far

There have been two F1 races since our last update, which had seen Max Verstappen hit a sticky patch having looked to have been running away with the title. Sadly for the reigning champion, that sticky patch has continued.

He failed to win either of those two races, which took place in Hungary and Belgium. First up, Australian youngster Oscar Piastri raced home to win in a race that saw the Brits do well, with Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton third.

Then in Belgium, Hamilton followed up on his record-breaking win at the British Grand Prix with his second win in three races. The Mercedes star was promoted to first after teammate George Russell was disqualified for having an underweight car. Verstappen was once again nowhere to be seen on the podium, with Piastri second and Charles Leclerc in third.

F1 standings after 14 races

Why is there a summer break?

The Formula One season has been paused for a hiatus that’s set to last for almost a month. The break in the racing calendar gives everyone involved, from racers to staff, a much-needed opportunity to rest and recharge.

The first half of the campaign has been a gruelling affair, with 14 races packed into just 21 weeks. As well as the intense competitiveness of each grand prix, there’s also been a huge amount of travelling. Teams have been flying across the globe to compete ever since the season kicked off in Bahrain in March, with races in the likes of Australia, Japan, Miami, Canada and throughout Europe.

The relentless racing and travel often takes a toll on all involved, so the break ensures everyone can take a step back, relax on the beach and spend some time with their friends and family.

While some of the break will be used to make plans for the rest of the season, it also includes a mandatory 14-day ‘summer shutdown’ for all teams. During this period, all teams must completely down tools, with no meetings allowed and no work on improving car performance permitted.

Only essential maintenance and servicing can take place, which ensures that everybody gets an equal amount of time off and nobody gains an unfair advantage. Failure to comply with the shutdown regulations can result in severe punishments.

Who will benefit from the summer break?

While all teams will welcome the summer break as an opportunity to relax, some drivers may find it more beneficial than others. Verstappen will be grateful for the hiatus – he’s failed to win any of the last four races despite coming out on top in seven of the first 10.

He remains in pole position to win his fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship but his loss of form is worrying and he risks losing his way if he doesn’t turn things around soon.

In contrast, the summer break has arguably come at a bad time for Hamilton after winning two of the last three races. In fact, in the last six races the 39-year-old has won two, finished third twice and finished fourth twice. His best finish in the eight races before that was sixth.

Hamilton likely would have been keen to continue building momentum ahead of the season’s home straight. He’s finally back in form and while he remains a long way behind Verstappen, if their performances continue in the same vein then he may have his sights on securing a record-breaking eighth title before he moves on to Ferrari at the end of the year.

The break will be welcome for Sainz Jr, the man who Hamilton is replacing next season. The Spaniard has slipped down the standings in recent weeks and he needs to find a way to get back onto the podium. He remains fifth but with just one podium finish in the last six races, he’s allowed Piastri to leapfrog him, with Hamilton not too far behind.

Similarly, Leclerc hasn’t had the best time of late and Ferrari will be hoping, like Sainz Jr, that he can return from the break with a new lease of life. The 26-year-old finished third in Belgium last time out but he failed to finish in the top 10 in both Austria and at Silverstone.

F1 schedule

Dutch Grand Prix– Sunday 25th August
Italian Grand Prix– Sunday 1st September
Azerbaijan Grand Prix– Sunday 15th September
Singapore Grand Prix– Sunday 22nd September
United States Grand Prix– Sunday 20th October
Mexican Grand Prix– Sunday 27th October
Brazilian Grand Prix– Sunday 3rd November
Las Vegas Grand Prix– Sunday 24th November
Qatar Grand Prix– Sunday 1st December
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix– Sunday 8th December

We’ve reached the halfway stage of the Formula One season and it’s business as usual with Max Verstappen seemingly running away with it once again.

But there’s plenty of action to look forward to and Lando Norris has ambitions of launching a phenomenal bid to stop three-time champion Verstappen in his tracks.

F1 standings after 12 races

Can Verstappen be caught?

If you’ve been following our regular F1 updates throughout the season, it’ll come as no shock to discover that Verstappen is still sitting pretty at the top of the standings.

The Red Bull superstar has won three consecutive titles and looks on course to add a fourth to his collection in 2024. He dominated the track last year, winning 19 of the 22 races. And while the wins have been shared out a tad more this time around, he’s still managed to come out on top in all but five races so far.

We’re only halfway through the season, meaning there’s plenty more action to come and anything could happen in the second half of the campaign. Despite that, it seems incredibly unlikely that Verstappen will surrender his lead.

The 26-year-old is already more than 80 points clear of Norris in second and it would take a catastrophic collapse for him to throw it away from here. Yet stranger things have happened and the chasing pack will still fancy their chances.

One thing that could offer them a glimmer of hope is what could be considered as a rare weakness for Verstappen. While he’s no stranger to winning races, he’s starting to make finishing further down the field a habit when things don’t quite go his way.

He’s finished sixth and fifth in two of the last five Grands Prix, when he would’ve expected to be on the podium. And with the likes of Norris starting to show consistency in his top three finishes, he may sense an opportunity to capitalise on Verstappen’s rare mistakes.

We’re only halfway through the season so there’s still a lot of action to look forward to, with 12 races to go. Next up we head to Hungary next weekend, followed by the remaining European races. From there we’ll have races in Asia and both North America and South America to enjoy, before heading to Qatar and Abu Dhabi for the final Grand Prix of the season.

Hamilton rolls back the years on home soil

It’s fair to say that Lewis Hamilton isn’t quite the force he once was in Formula One. The 39-year-old started the season with faint hopes of eclipsing Michael Schumacher to claim a record eighth title.

Yet after a slow start to the campaign, his championship hopes are all but over for another year. Before the British Grand Prix at the weekend, Hamilton had only broken the top three once this year, finishing third in Spain.

But muscle memory, nostalgia and a roaring home crowd spurred him on at Silverstone to help him win his first race of the season. Hamilton finished ahead of Verstappen to win the British Grand Prix for a record ninth time.

In fact, it was his first Grand Prix win since coming out on top in Saudi Arabia back in 2021. Verstappen struggled with the rain throughout but made a late charge and had leader Hamilton in his sights after edging ahead of Norris.

But Hamilton held him off to win by 1.4 seconds, giving him a day he’ll never forget. The Mercedes driver finds himself way down in eighth in the standings and a title win this year is as unlikely as ever. Yet his performance at Silverstone was a reminder of what he’s capable of and it may just light the fire that could see him finally become the undisputed greatest of all time before he decides to call it a day.

Norris emerges as a contender

While British F1 fans have spent years backing Hamilton, it seems there’s a new kid on the block. McLaren driver Norris is enjoying a remarkable year and finds himself second in the standings.

He achieved a best-ever finish of sixth last year but he’s well on track to better that and looks in good shape to push Verstappen all the way. Aged just 24, he’s a bright hope for the future and could establish himself as a regular contender.

Norris is currently 21 points clear of third-placed Leclerc having achieved seven podium finishes already this season. He claimed his first ever Grand Prix win in Miami back in May, which was sandwiched in between two second-place finishes.

The Formula One season is well underway now and while Max Verstappen is still sitting pretty at the top of the standings, he’s under more pressure than he’s been used to in recent years.

The reigning champion has won five of the opening eight races but he’s in unfamiliar territory of late, having failed to win two of the last three. Since our last update, we’ve had three races, with action taking place in Miami, Emilia Romagna and Monaco.

The top five remains the same but the order has shifted a bit, with wins for Charles Leclcerc and Lando Norris edging them up the standings.

F1 standings after eight races

Norris finally claims first Grand Prix victory

As the grid revved their engines on the Miami Grand Prix start line just over three weeks ago, it was unlikely that McLaren driver Norris could foresee the elation that would come his way a few hours later.

Having come close so many times before and bearing the unfortunate record for the most podium finishes without a win, he finally broke his hoodoo. Norris’ 16th podium finish saw him come top of the pile, winning in Miami and finishing 7.6 seconds clear of the imperious Verstappen.

It was his first Formula 1 victory in 110 attempts and a combination of skill and good timing helped him on his way. As McLaren chose to delay pitting Norris, the safety car was called in for a crash on lap 29. This allowed Norris to make a stop while the rest of the field were travelling at a reduced speed.

Taking advantage of the timely safety car, Norris returned to the track to extend his lead, fighting off the challenge of Verstappen to claim victory. It was only McLaren’s second win in the last 12 years, the last being Daniel Ricciardo at Monza in 2021.

Leclerc continued his strong start to the campaign to claim third, while the rest of the top five was familiar, with Perez and Sainz Jr recording respectable finishes.

Verstappen bounces back in Italy

The next stop on the F1 tour was Emilia Romagna, with the Grand Prix returning after being cancelled last year due to flooding from heavy rain. Having missed out in Miami two weeks before, Verstappen got back to winning ways – but only just.

The Red Bull superstar finished less than a second clear of second-placed Norris, who is enjoying a strong run of form. Verstappen is targeting a fourth consecutive F1 championship and he claimed his fifth win from the opening seven races of the season.

A late charge from Norris almost saw the Brit claim a remarkable second successive win but Verstappen held on. Meanwhile, Leclerc claimed third place again to climb to second in the standings with his third podium finish of 2024.

Leclerc takes advantage of rare Verstappen shocker

Formula One returned to Monaco over the weekend and there was barely a dry eye among the watching spectators as Leclerc raced home to win in his hometown. The Ferrari driver grew up in Monaco and dreamt of competing along the roads he walked on.

And in his first ever win on the iconic course, he continued his strong season by claiming his maiden victory of the campaign. Leclerc came second in the championship back in 2022 and he’s looking to win the title for the first time this time around.

The 26-year-old secured Ferrari’s second win of the season, finishing seven seconds clear of Australian driver Oscar Piastri. Sainz Jr made up the podium once again, while Norris and Russell completed the top five.

In a rare off day for Verstappen, he only managed to finish sixth, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton. His lead at the top of the standings is now 31 points and while there’s still a long way to go, this year is looking like it may well finish a lot closer than his dominance last time out.

What’s next?

As we edge towards the midway point of the season, the British Grand Prix is just around the corner. The famous race returns to Silverstone on Sunday 7th July and you can enjoy the action from the best seats in the house with Engage’s exclusive hospitality packages.

Before that, there are a few more races to look forward to first. Next up is Canada on Sunday 9th June, before we head back to Europe for races in Spain and Austria. Verstappen will be desperate to get back into form in the coming races but if recent results are anything to go by, it won’t be a surprise if Leclerc and Norris can pick up a few more wins in the near future.

The Formula One season is well and truly underway and not much has changed since last year, with superstar Max Verstappen trouncing the opposition once again. He’s won every race he’s finished so far and has left his rivals with a lot of work to do to stop him.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s final season for Mercedes hasn’t started as he would have liked. Can he turn things around? Here’s everything you need to know so far from the opening five races of the 2024 F1 season.

F1 standings after five races

After sweeping all before him last year, Verstappen has a fourth consecutive championship in his sights. The Red Bull driver has picked up where he left off, starting every race in pole position and winning four of the opening five contests.

The Belgian-born superstar started in style in Bahrain, winning by 22 seconds and claiming the fastest lap. Stablemate Perez followed up in second while Sainz Jr completed the podium.

Verstappen then won the second race in Saudi Arabia but couldn’t make it three in a row as he was forced to retire in Australia, allowing Sainz Jr to claim his first win of the season. Having reported brake issues after just two laps, Verstappen managed one more lap before a brake failure saw him drop out of the race.

Lewis Hamilton also finished early, dropping out after 15 laps due to a power issue. Leclerc came second in the grand prix down under, while British driver Norris raced home in third.

Not one to let a disappointment affect his next outing, Verstappen bounced back as the championship headed to Asia. He came out on top in both Japan and China to claim four of the opening five races.

Can anyone stop Verstappen?

So, after five races, Verstappen is sitting pretty at the top of the pile, 25 points clear of Perez in second. There’s still a long way to go, with another 19 races scheduled, but at the moment it looks like nobody is going to stop him.

He won the title in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and is on the hunt for his fourth on the trot. Last year, Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races and his strong start to the 2024 season means he’s now won 32 of the last 38. He’ll be looking to continue his fine form as the championship goes to Miami this weekend.

Trio of drivers in Verstappen’s rearview mirror

While Verstappen has got a good head start, there are three drivers in particular that will still very much fancy their chances of toppling him. Sainz Jr won in Australia and has also claimed two other podium spots so far.

The Spaniard sits in fourth at the moment but his performance down under shows he’s got the quality to capitalise when needed. He’s targeting his first F1 title and looking to beat his best ever finish of fifth.

Perez currently sits in second with four podiums so far, including a hat-trick of second-place finishes. He knows Red Bull teammate Verstappen well and will be aware of any of his weaknesses (if he even has any!).

He finished second in the standings last year, winning two of the opening four races, and he’ll be desperate to go one better this time around.

Finally, Leclerc finished fifth last year and currently finds himself third, sandwiched between Perez and Sainz Jr. He came second back in 2022 and is also targeting a maiden title – the Ferrari man is yet to finish lower down than fourth in a Grand Prix this season.

Hamilton outshone by British rivals

Hamilton is targeting a record eighth Formula One title and has previously said he won’t call it a day until he edges past Michael Schumacher in the all-time standings. Yet based on his start to the 2024 season, he may have to wait another year.

He’s in his final year with Mercedes, having agreed to join Ferrari for the 2025 season, but his hopes of a sixth title while representing them are quickly fading. Hamilton was forced to retire in Australia and in the other four races, his best finish was seventh in the opener in Bahrain.

The 39-year-old has finished ninth in each of the other three and has been outshone by his rival drivers from the UK. He currently sits below both Norris and Russell in the standings, who have beaten him in every grand prix so far. Once the shining light of British racing, Hamilton has a lot to do if he wants to turn things around this season.

It’s that time of year again, the Formula 1 season is back under way and the new season is already promising to be an exciting one. Two races down and twenty-two to go, expect thrills and spills throughout. The racing action will be coming thick and fast with a record schedule length of 24 races in 2024. Will the magnificent Max Verstappen be able to sustain his dominance from last season or will there be a new champion crowned in the Abu Dhabi finale?

The 2024 Bahrain season opener provided some brilliant entertainment as it always does, with all the drivers coming together again after their off season with fans curious to see how the teams had improved their cars for the new campaign.

It was business as usual for Max Verstappen and Red Bull as the Dutchman banked another victory under the lights with his teammate Sergio Perez coming in second to complete the perfect weekend for the Red Bull team. Ferrari teammates Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished 3rd and 4th respectively rounding off a good weekend for their team.

Lewis Hamilton finished 7th with his Mercedes team as teammate George Russell was two places ahead in 5th. A slightly disappointing result for Hamilton in what has been a tough last couple of years for the Briton. However, his announcement of joining Ferrari in 2025 provides some hope of him getting himself back on the podium but he will be keen to put in a good final season for the team that saw him win 7 Drivers’ Championships including four on the trot.

Another poor drive from Logan Sargeant saw him finish in 20th place and after only one point last season, questions were raced about Williams’ decision to re-sign the young American alongside Alexander Albon who took the chequered flag in 13th position.

The oldest driver on the grid, Fernando Alonso still managed an impressive top 6 finish. In his 40s now the Spaniard shows no signs of letting up as he continues to challenge the best drivers in the world. How many more seasons does he have left in him?

And after the excitement of the season opener in Bahrain, it was onto Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the second round. A race that has caused much controversy in recent years off the track due to drivers’ unease to race due to Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record with Hamilton being one of the more prominent critics of the event and its decision to be held in Jeddah as well as many others threatening a boycott. With that said, the race still is a headline fixture in the F1 calendar and once again drivers arrived in Jeddah for the second round of the 2024 season.

It was déjà vu for Red Bull after Bahrain as Max Verstappen was once again the victor finishing an incredible 13 seconds ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez in second place. Oscar Piastri impressed for Mclaren as he took the chequered flag in fourth place with teammate Lando Norris in eighth.

Perhaps the biggest talking point of the weekend was 18-year old Oliver Bearman’s stand-in debut performance for Ferrari. With the Briton called up hours before the final practice to replace Carlos Sainz, the youngster qualified 11th on the grid and improved to take seventh place in the race.

A brilliant performance saw him hold off both Norris and Hamilton raising a few eyebrows in the process. It will be interesting to see how the youngster fares for the rest of the F2 season and whether he will be offered a contract to race in F1 in 2025.

Further down the grid, Pierre Gasly was forced to retire on the first lap due to gear issues as Lance Stroll crashed out on the 5th lap to end his hopes of placing in the points. It was a better performance for Logan Sargeant as he finished in 14th place, but there is work to be done if he wants to keep his seat for the 2025 season.

Next up is the Australian Grand Prix. Will it be another win for Verstappen and Red Bull? Will Hamilton be able to improve on his disappointing results? Can Ferrari have any response to Red Bull’s dominance? There is no doubt it will be another scintillating race on the Melbourne circuit, can Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo impress in front of the home crowd?

A perfect start for Red Bull and Max Verstappen sees them target their 3rd title in a row and Verstappen’s 4th Drivers’ Championship on the bounce. Can anyone actually stop them? Verstappen couldn’t do the impossible and go the season with a 100% record, could he? It would be astonishing if he did. Want to find out? Watch the F1 live from the best seats in the house with Engage Hospitality.