Short News Stories
Lewis Hamilton’s Shocking 2022 Decline: A Natural Changing of the Guard or a Harsh Truth Exposed?
(790 Words)
After losing the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship on the final lap of the final race under slightly dubious circumstances, seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton was expected to return to Formula 1 in 2022 with an unquenchable thirst for vengeance. The shocking reality of the situation has turned out to be the complete opposite.
The 37 year old Briton is currently languishing in an underwhelming sixth place in the championship standings, whilst being comfortably and consistently outperformed by his new fresh faced teammate, George Russell. The latter currently sits in fourth and is building an ever widening, near 40 point gap to his compatriot.
There are a variety of potential reasons for this unforeseen drop in performance for the former champion, all of which could be true simultaneously. Let’s start from the top shall we.
Quite simply, he’s old now. Although his shirtless Instagram mirror selfies suggest otherwise, Hamilton is now 37 years old meaning he is officially borderline geriatric (by F1 standards). After a certain point in a professional athlete’s career, age no longer means experience and wisdom. It starts to represent something a little more depressing, especially in a sport as ridiculously fast paced as Formula 1, where reflexes and awareness are key. In the past couple of years, Lewis seems to getting increasingly fatigued after races, often seen leaning or kneeling against a nearby wall to catch his breath.
This potential drop in performance due to age isn’t unheard of amongst racing drivers with key examples of previous drivers like fellow seven time world champion, Michael Schumacher. Schumi, who was famous for revolutionizing driver fitness in the 90s and early 2000s, revealed that he struggled immensely with neck muscle fatigue towards the end of his career. This hindered his ability to be as unfathomably quick as he once was. Former F1 driver, David Coulthard has also stated that after a certain age his natural reflexes started to slow down and gaps he would usually go for during his younger years, were no longer there.
Is it possible that age has finally caught up with that once hungry, young lion from 2007?
Mercedes struggles. It’s been no secret that since the start of the 2022 season that the eight time consecutive constructors champions, Mercedes, have had a poor run at the new ground effect era of F1 cars. Whilst they’ve looked quick a few occasions, they still aren’t consistently on the pace of the front running Red Bulls and Ferraris. And of their two drivers, Lewis definitely seems to be struggling more.
This unexpected lack of performance has been made even worse by (and yes, I’m really tired of this word) porpoising, i.e the phenomenon that makes the current crop of cars look more like a raging jackhammer rather than a sculpted, bleeding edge, racing prototype. Hamilton has been very vocal about his struggles with the bouncing, evident by him holding his back for support every time he gets out of the W13 as well as team principal Toto Wolf incessantly apologizing over team radio for the “sh*tbox” (his words, not mine) the German, Brackley based outfit has developed. Some claim that Hamilton’s pace deficit is due to “experimental” set ups and upgrades, but it’s also possible that he simply hasn’t adapted well to this new generation of car.
Teammates. If you’ve watched F1 long enough, you’d know the only true measure of a racing driver’s ability is how they compare to their teammates, since they’re the only ones in the same machinery. While this isn’t the first time Hamilton has been outshone by a teammate; namely Jenson Button in 2011 at McLaren and Nico Rosberg in 2016 at Mercedes (both of whom are world champions), it would be foolish to question Hamilton’s ability and legacy in a race car. However, this season’s performance begs the question, is he underperforming or is George Russell, who is touted to be a future world champion himself, outperforming the car, or could it be both?
Nothing else left to prove? Hamilton is currently the most successful driver in the entire history of the sport with almost every single record worth having under his banner, which solicits the question of what else does he have left to do in the sport? And has his motivation to keep giving his entire energy to racing finally dwindled after 16 seasons at the sharp end of F1?
With Mercedes rumoured to be bringing some substantial wing upgrades to Silverstone, and Lewis returning to the podium in Canada, we could definitely see a turn in form for the legendary Brit. So don’t count him out, as we could yet again hear Bono scream those famous four words.
Race Of Champions: Legendary Loeb Emerges Victorious After Snowed Out Showdown of The Sebs (504 words)
In the nail biting final round of the 31st Race of Champions, Sebastien Loeb beat his namesake, Sebastian Vettel by less than a second. The pair raced around the icy Swedish arena in electric racing buggies as the nine time WRC Champion snatched the final round from the four time Formula 1 Champion by 0.786s on February 6 2022.
Every year, world class drivers from Formula 1, World Rally Championship (WRC), NASCAR, IndyCar, Le Mans, Touring Car Racing, and X Games join together for a rare opportunity to race in identical cars for the title of “Champion of Champions” and “Fastest Nation” in the ROC Nations Cup.
The two iconic drivers went head to head over four rounds after beating out every other competitor in a simultaneous one on one time trial gauntlet. The competitors were comprised of motorsport royalty such as seven time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, two time Formula 1 Champion Mika Hakkinen, two time W Series Champion Jaimie Chadwick, as well as former Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion and current F1 driver Mick Schumacher amongst many others.
Vettel beat W Series Driver Emma Kimilainen, rising IndyCar star Colton Herta and legendary nine time Le Mans winning driver Tom Kristensen to make it to the final while Loeb got the better of two time world rally champion Petter Solberg, his son and WRC driver Oliver Solberg as well as WRX and two time DTM Champion, Mattias Ekstrom. The father son duo had won the Nations Cup for Norway the previous day.
“Sebastien was just too fast today” Sebastian jested sportingly, "The conditions were tricky out there and it was getting more and more slippery, which I guess is normal for snow and ice! I don’t have that much experience so it was a struggle to adapt; in my day job getting sideways is what we try to avoid. But I felt I was improving every time I drove. That’s a good sign, but also a sign that I still have a lot to learn. “
“Yesterday was a short day because I let Team Germany down and we went out very quickly, but today I could get more into the groove. I knew the final was a big stretch and I, maybe, pushed too hard, but I knew I had to go for it to be close to Seb [Loeb]. I made mistakes here and there, so in these conditions I have a bit of catching up to do…" Vettel admitted.
Vettel, while in undoubtedly unfamiliar territory, impressed as he was able to win a round against the rallying titan but was unsuccessful in denying Loeb his fourth ROC Champion of Champions title as the Frenchman won the other three rounds.
In the post race celebrations, Loeb sprayed the victor’s champagne while Vettel struggled to crack open his own bottle but seemed to be in good spirits as he settled for throwing the snow surrounding his knees instead.
Loeb who, at the age of 53, had just won a record breaking eighth Monte Carlo rally earlier in the month really started to beg the question of, will he ever stop winning?
The Final Battle Awaits After Controversial Clumsy F1 Fight under the Arabian Night
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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and seven time world champion Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton after yet another crash, are now sit level on points going into the final race of the 2021 Formula One season in Abu Dhabi. They both landed on 369.5 points each after an intense, fiery and slightly confusing Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The pair came to blows after a race long duel on lap 37, when Max was ordered to give up first position to Hamilton. This order came as a result of Max cutting the corner during one of his overtakes on the seven time champion.
An order however, that Lewis was not aware of, and on lap 37 the pair made contact after a miscommunication causing Hamilton to spear into the back of the Dutchman.
After the race, both contenders claimed to be confused as to what the other was doing during this exchange.
“It wasn’t clear and I didn’t get the information that he was letting me past”, said the defending champion. On the other hand, the young challenger had this to say “I think we’re talking more about white lines and penalties than actual racing!” after being penalized a further ten seconds for “causing a collision” while slowing to let the Brit past.
Thankfully, the two of them were able to continue with Lewis getting past the Red Bull to eventually win the race with only the finale left to decide the fate of the championship.
Schumacher Documentary Described As “Bittersweet Goodbye Memorial” By Tearful Fans
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Seven time Formula One world champion, Michael Schumacher’s biographic documentary was finally released worldwide on Netflix on 15th September 2021.
The film focuses on a far more intimate portrayal of the stoic German, showing clips of Michael as the intensely family oriented man enjoying holidays with his wife, children and friends.
Majority of the documentary’s runtime, however is dedicated to Schumacher’s struggles to reach the top of his sport with Ferrari in the late nineties before his unprecedented tear of five consecutive world titles from 2000 onwards, all before the directors addressed the elephant in the room. Michael’s current health.
The sporting legend suffered a freak skiing accident at the end of 2013 which left him with severe brain damage. In the film, the family does not elaborate on his current state, however it was evident from their language that it is unlikely that we will be seeing Michael in public anytime soon.
Upon speaking to die hard Schumacher fan, Keerthan Singh, he tearfully expressed his reaction to the film “It felt like a bittersweet goodbye memorial to a sporting hero whose greatness has inspired and will continue to inspire many generations of people.”
9x World Champion Valentino Rossi Retires from MotoGP
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The most iconic motorcycle rider of all time and nine time world champion, Valentino Rossi has retired from MotoGP at end of the final race of the 2021 season in Valencia after announcing it earlier in the year.
Lovingly known as ‘The Doctor’, Rossi spent 22 grueling yet positively glorious seasons at the pinnacle of two wheeled motorsport of which he won the premier class title a record 7 times and was in contention for the title for half of them. In the process, he recorded a mammoth 89 wins, 55 poles and 199 podiums.
However, the last few seasons have shown a decline in the, now 42 year old, Italian’s form as he finished the 2020 and 2021 seasons in 15th and 18th respectively.
Rossi’s final race saw him battle through the field to finish 10th and in the points and fittingly, one of his protégés Francesco Bagnaia winning the race.
When asked about how he felt about his final race, he said “I was worried thinking about my last race, mostly I didn't know what to expect, I had no idea how I would feel as soon as I got off the bike. Instead, it was fun, we made a big mess. It was an unforgettable day. Thanks to everyone.”
The legend was congratulated on his stellar career by fans all over the world and many big celebrities such as Roger Federer, Tom Cruise and Rafael Nadal.
The Doctor’s presence will surely be missed in the MotoGP world but this definitely will not be the last time we’ll see him around a track.
Legendary F1 Team Founder, Sir Frank Williams Passes Away At 79
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Founder and former team principal of Williams Racing, Sir Frank Williams passed away on the morning of the 28th of November after being admitted into hospital two days prior.
Sir Frank had been battling health issues for decades, ever since his near fatal crash in 1986 while on the way to the airport which left him a tetraplegic. It seems age finally caught up with the visionary Brit.
He was most famously loved for his founding and running of Williams Racing, one of the most iconic racing teams in Formula One. Under his leadership, the team won a total of nine constructors titles, seven drivers titles and 114 race wins making them the second most successful team of all time, behind only Ferrari.
Sir Frank’s story is one of pure determination, grit and raw unfiltered passion for the sport. It should be celebrated as he inspired so many. He not only immortalized his name but also his family’s name in the history books of the sport for eternity.
The entire paddock paid tribute to the great man with all teams running stickers of his name on their cars for the following Saudi Arabian Grand Prix along with a minute of silence prior to the race.
“Every other studio should just quit” Professionals and Fans React to Netflix #1 Show ‘Arcane’
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Arcane, the brand new Netflix exclusive show, released in November 2021, left fans and professionals in the industry in awe of how good the videogame adapted series really was.
“As a fan of the League of Legends franchise for over 8 years, I can easily say that this show is best piece of work Riot Games has ever released, including the game itself” said long time fan, Narayanan AK.
In an interview with BVRNTALIVE, a talented, young professional visual artist said “Every other studio should just quit, Riot Games & Fortiche have set the benchmark too high”.
He went on to compare Arcane with the 2018 animated blockbuster film, Spiderman: Into the Multiverse and said “the creativity and attention to detail in every frame in Arcane is on par if not better than Spiderman”.
As of December 2021, Arcane was the number one show on Netflix in 52 countries across the world.
Opinion Piece: The Leclerc Verstappen Rivalry Is Already What We Wished Vettel vs Hamilton Was (999 words)
Unparalleled, prodigious talent. The two best of their generation. Going head to head. Wheel to wheel. Race after race after race. This is what fans were promised when Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton were the title protagonists for the F1 world championship throughout the 2010s and while they did duel on certain occasions, more often than not the heights of their individual successes did not involve the two meeting on track. Combined, the German and Brit currently share 11 world titles between them and now that the two are reaching the twilight years of their respective careers, it seems like the time is approaching for the spectators to move onto F1’s next big rivalry.
This shouldn’t be too hard considering the fantastic battles Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen have already given us over the past few seasons. Their numerous battles in 2019 and now in 2022 are already the stuff of legend. While they had raced each other throughout their karting career, the two first truly met on track in F1 at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix. The, then, 21 year olds scrapped for the win in the dying laps, the Dutchman eventually getting past the Monegasque with a daring lunge into turn three to send Holland into raptures.
Another iconic tussle took place in Silverstone later that year as they danced on the bleeding edge of the racing limit for almost the entire grand prix distance, neither willing to give up the position. The following two years of their rivalry was fairly muted as Verstappen was on course to dethrone Hamilton, culminating in him winning his first world championship after a titanic 2006 Alonso Schumacher esque war, during the 2021 season. Ferrari on the other hand hit rock bottom in 2020 and were in the process of rebuilding, with Charles leading the team during this rough period.
In 2022, the pair are currently leading the rest of the field in the hunt for the title and in the first two races of the season have traded victories as well as the lead ten times in close wheel to wheel combat. Their sporting primes have come at the perfect time as close racing is now more achievable than it has been for at least the past decade with the re introduction of ground effect technology into the technical regulations.
There are many parallels between the current stars of the show and the aforementioned legendary champions, with respect to their individual journeys as well as the relationship the rivals share with each other.
Vettel and Verstappen were both Red Bull academy prodigies who were scouted from Formula 3 as generational talents before getting the call up to the big leagues to join the Toro Rosso team and later the main Red Bull team. They both went on to break the record for youngest point scorer and youngest race winner in F1 history as well winning a title with Red Bull. Verstappen ironically was the one to break Vettel’s youngest race winner record in 2016 at the age of 18; a record unlikely to ever be beaten due to new rules pertaining to driver age limits.
Hamilton and Leclerc came up through the traditional junior career route of F3 then F2 (formerly GP2), obliterating the competition in their paths, usually in their rookie year. Both joined big F1 teams early and edged out their more experienced world champion teammates at the first time of asking, Hamilton with Alonso in 2007 and Leclerc with Vettel in 2019.
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Many found the course of the Vettel Hamilton competition quite anti climactic considering the fierce rivalries the two champions were embroiled in outside of each other. Vettel’s most notable were with two time world champion Fernando Alonso during the Spaniards time at Ferrari and his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber whereas Hamilton’s were also Alonso during their time as teammates at McLaren in 2007 and his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg from 2013 16.
Lewis and Sebastian first came across each other in Formula 3, where they battled on numerous occasions, most famously in the wet at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in 2005 In Formula 1, the two truly competed for the title against each other on three occasions. 2010 was likely the most indirect competition between the two as for most of the season there was four way fight between Vettel, Alonso, Webber and Hamilton. Vettel came out on top to become the youngest champion in F1 history after a nail biting finale in Abu Dhabi, which could have seen any of the four men clinch the title. The subsequent three years saw Vettel dominate and take a hattrick of titles to become a four time champion. 2014 marked the beginning of Hamilton’s dominance with Mercedes, while Vettel left Red Bull to join Ferrari in hopes of rebuilding the prancing horse into a championship winning team, to emulate his hero, Michael Schumacher.
In 2017 and 2018, the fight started out strong from Sebastian and Ferrari but in both seasons the title challenge eventually fizzled out in the second half due to strategic errors, driver errors, reliability as well as being out developed and out raced by Mercedes & Lewis. Since then, while we’ve seen glimpses of the rivalry still present, such as in Turkey 2020 where the pair showcased their borderline superhuman ability to drive in wet conditions, it seems like the curtain is falling on their time in the spotlight. Vettel is now driving an uncompetitive Aston Martin and signs of Hamilton beginning to be outdriven, by another generational talent in the form of new Mercedes teammate, George Russell, are creeping in.
Even though their rivalry never truly reached the glorious crescendo the fans would’ve hoped for, the two champions seem to be quite happy with the course of their relationship with Hamilton proclaiming their battles to be his “favourite rivalry of all time”.
With the fresh, hungry, young challengers in Verstappen and Leclerc already gunning for wins, race after race in this new season, fans can rest assured that the next generation of prodigies won’t disappoint.
Americas GP: Enea Bastianini’s Unbelievable Start to the Season Proves He’s Not Just a Flash in The Pan
(694 words)
If you had told the Gresini Racing team that after four rounds of the 2022 MotoGP world championship, they’d have two wins and be leading the championship standings, you’d probably get blasted with an eruption of raucous laughter quicker than a Ducati holeshot device. Who’s laughing now? Definitely not the rest of the grid, that’s for sure.
Enea Bastianini won two of the four races so far this season and sits atop the standings with 61 points and the other two races he finished in the top 10. An emotional maiden victory for the Italian at the season opener in Qatar, saw him pay tribute to the team's founder Fausto Gresini, a double 125cc world champion who died aged 60 last year from coronavirus. Another victory this past weekend at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin which saw him beat out vastly more experienced and equally talented riders to the chequered flag such as Alex Rins, Pol Espargaro, Fabio Quartararo, Marc Marquez, Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia.
To put the magnitude of the achievement into perspective, this victory made him the first ever Ducati rider and only the third ever rider to win the United States Grand Prix in almost a decade.
Speaking to the man himself, he said “It's only the first four races, the championship is long, but we have very good potential. The team works well and I think we can battle for the championship”
Before being pushed to attack by Alex Rins, Bastianini rode a smart race, conserving his true pace and tyres behind Ducati GP22 riders Jack Miller and Jorge Martin.
"It was a really hard battle, the first part of the race was critical not to spend too much energy," said the Gresini man. "Starting from the second row made things easier, but when Alex tried to overtake me many times I thought, 'okay, now it's time to push'. "I overtook Jorge and later Jack, and I won. Fantastic."
For a rider in customer team running a year old satellite bike, even a podium would be a godsend but to lead the championship from the much bigger factory teams is a feat that seems frankly unbelievable; if you didn’t know Enea’s history, that is. However, for those that are well versed in his journey to MotoGP, it would not be very surprising at all to hear that he was finding great success in the premier class.
Most people discover their life's purpose as adults, but this was not the case for Enea Bastianini. He initially rode a bike when he was three years and three months old hence his racing number 33 and his drive to win hasn't faltered since.
His raw ability was clear from a young age, as 'Bestia' dominated the minimoto scene. In 2013, he made an incredible debut in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, winning two races and establishing himself as a strong candidate for speedy progression to the World Championship.
His talent was recognised with a promotion to Moto3 in 2014, and three podiums and the Rookie of the Year title cemented his reputation. Enea didn't just step up a gear in 2015; he stepped up a few. With his maiden victory on home soil at Misano and a total of six podiums (including four pole positions), he finished third in the championship standings.
The following season, Enea raced in the Moto3 class for Gresini Racing, finishing second in the championship with six podiums and a win at Motegi. Enea debuted in Moto2 in 2019, with the Italtrans Racing Team. After finishing 10th in his rookie season, he went on to win the Moto2 World Championship the following year, with three victories and seven podiums.
2022
Enea was handed a ride in the premier tier of motorcycle Grand Prix racing, MotoGP, with Esponsorama Racing for the 2021 season after winning the title. He would finish on the podium twice, finishing third at San Marino and Imola.
Almost regardless of the fate of the 2022 championship, the mere fact that he is even in contention is an achievement to be proud of for the young Italian and definitely marks him out as a bonafide star of the present and future.
Opinion Piece: F1’s Performative Hypocrisy Exposed by Missile Strike Near 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (957 words)
When discussing the grey areas of morality with respect to ‘progressive’ campaigns in modern sports, the conversation is usually dismissed as unnecessary negative rhetoric. However, the response from Formula One management after a Yemeni Houthi rebel missile struck the Aramco facility less than 10 miles away from the 2022 Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix exposed the blatant hypocrisy and performative nature of aforementioned campaigns.
During Friday practice, viewers of the broadcast could clearly see thick black smoke bellowing up in the background of the circuit from the direction of the facility. This sparked immediate concern in the paddock and around the world regarding the safety of the teams and staff. This led to an almost four hour long meeting where the drivers, team principals and management personnel discussed apprehensions and came to the decision to continue racing. Leading the conversation for the disturbed drivers, were allegedly Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, a seven time champion, had previously brought up issues surrounding Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights track record and didn’t seem keen on racing unless some change could be made with the sports arrival in the country.
CEO of Formula One, Stefano Domenicali assured the media and drivers that the circuit was the safest place to be and that security surrounding the event had been beefed up.
Reigning world champion, Max Verstappen hinted in an interview “I think everyone has an opinion about it, but it's not wise for me to say what I think. That will come. That's also how we agreed with the drivers and team bosses.”, subtly implying that he was not happy with circumstances that led to the drivers agreeing to race and that it would be discussed once they had left the country safely.
To give a bit of context, Formula One and its participant teams have gone to great lengths in the past couple of years to ‘stand up’ for progressive movements around the world such as Black Lives Matter and others. They went about pushing these causes using slogans like ‘We Race as One’ (promoting inclusivity in the sport for all people regardless of gender, race, sexuality etc) and most recently and crucially ‘Say No To War’ following the banning of Russian drivers and removal of the Russian Grand Prix from the calendar due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Drivers and management alike, were honest in their opinion that Formula One should not race in countries at war.
While on the surface these seemed like great steps to ensure equality in the sport moving forward, the frankly shameless decision to race in Saudi Arabia last year was met with fans calling out the hypocrisy of these slogans and campaigns en masse. The prior response was dwarfed by reaction elicited after the attack this season, and the decision to continue racing felt like a further slap in the face of the sports, now farcical, messaging.
While there were undoubtedly greater factors at play in the handling of the situation, the clear message this sent to viewers and fans of the sport is that ‘Cash is King’, a phrase made popular by the Netflix series Drive to Survive regarding the shameless influx of obnoxiously rich pay drivers into the sport regardless of talent. F1 had recently signed a massive long term deal worth an estimated amount of $500 million with Saudi Arabia that would ensure the sport returning there for ‘at least the next decade, if not more’ confirmed Chloe Targett Adams, Formula One’s global director of race promotion.
Let’s play devil’s advocate for a second, would abandoning the race have actually achieved anything? Especially given the deeper context of situation. First and foremost, Formula One is a business and since there’s a multi year deal, they would have to return the following year which might’ve been a slightly awkward affair.
Furthermore, if you were to dive a little deeper into the history of western promotions that boycotted planned events in Saudi Arabia, you would find a slightly disturbing trend. From 2018 2020, multiple wrestlers from the WWE boycotted the ‘Crown Jewel’ events due to severe human rights violations by the Saudi Government which led to suspicious travel issues for the whole company.
After the Crown Jewel event in October 2019, more than 175 wrestlers, production personnel, and other employees boarded their planned charter flight but were held inside for more than six hours. As a result, 20 wrestlers organised their own separate charter to return to the United States. Following this, both WWE and Atlas Air published bogus statements claiming that the WWE crew and performers were stranded in Saudi Arabia owing to mechanical problems with the charter plane. These accusations were easily debunked by the fact that all the flight records were public, and the plane carrying the WWE superstars took off only after they had disembarked.
In January 2020, it was announced that more WWE wrestlers had declined to travel to Saudi Arabia for upcoming events. In April 2020, numerous stockholders filed a class action lawsuit against WWE for claimed ties to Saudi Arabia. According to a statement in the filing: "The Saudi Government was effectively holding a number of WWE wrestlers 'hostage’.”
Who is to say that the Saudi government wouldn’t do the same again if Formula One had boycotted the event? These circumstances beg the questions; how should a sport this big navigate the blurred lines between morality and business? Should such global sports operate independently of politics and if not then why pretend to be just and righteous if these supposed morals are negated by overwhelming money?
These are questions that the Formula One management need to answer and publicly address swiftly, if they are to retain any moral integrity in the eyes of the spectator.