» A Brilliant Comeback - Blackbird Automotive Journal
WEBLewis Hamilton won the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix for a record-equalling fifth year in a row after his Mercedes team’s brilliant tyre strategy set the Brit up for a late charge that saw him catch and pass race leader and title rival Max Verstappen with six laps remaining.
» Brilliant Breakthrough
WEBRussell’s brilliant victory was also Mercedes’ first of the season, this breakthrough infusing the team with renewed energy to challenge Red Bull for the 2023 title.
» Against All Odds - Blackbird Automotive Journal
WEBAgainst all odds, Max Verstappen’s 8th win of the 2022 season was a personal triumph of superb performance, but Red Bull’s shrewd race craft powered it.
» Four in a Row - Blackbird Automotive Journal
WEBZandvoort is one of the shorter circuits of the F1 season. With challenging banked curves and undulating shorter straights, cars carry huge downforce loads giving less straight-line speed.
Survival in the Sun | Blackbird Automotive Journal
WEBLeclerc tailed the Dutchman for a single lap before Verstappen, carrying superior straight-line speed, broke the tow and motored away. Leclerc chose to be satisfied with second place this time, complaining that his car felt “so difficult to drive” due to the rapid deterioration of Miami’s virgin track surface.
Unstoppable - Blackbird Automotive Journal
WEBCharles Leclerc nailed his final qualifying lap around Monza to finish Q3 to finish about a tenth-and-a-half quicker than Max Verstappen. However, due to the Dutchman’s five-place grid penalty for taking a new internal combustion engine (ICE), Verstappen’s qualifying setup optimized his RB18 with a higher downforce setup for race day.
» Scintillating Spirit - Blackbird Automotive Journal
WEBA frightening incident occurred four laps later when future Aston Martin teammates Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso collided, sending Alonso’s Alpine airborne at 180mph. It landed hard enough to knock the wind out of the Spaniard temporarily. While Stroll’s car was totalled, Alonso managed to return his car to the pits.
Left in the Dust | Blackbird Automotive Journal
WEBWhen Max Verstappen needed it most, he produced a launch for the ages from his third starting spot on the grid. The Dutchman streaked past both Hamilton and pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas around the outside at 220mph a half-mile later before stamping on the brakes at the last imaginable second for dusty Turn 1.
The Master of Going Faster | Blackbird Automotive Journal
WEBLewis Hamilton saved perhaps his most crushing career victory for when it counted. The Brit finished 25.5 seconds ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas to win the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao to become the most victorious driver in Formula One history.
Señor Untouchable | Blackbird Automotive Journal
WEBThe run to Barcelona’s first corner is one of the longest on the calendar, which always makes things interesting. Hamilton made a perfect launch and quickly took command as Verstappen leapt into second at the first corner, with Lance Stroll streaking up the inside to gain two places, and pushing Bottas to fourth with Perez’ second Racing Point on …