Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 14 RACES :

1. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 226,5 points
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 221,5 points
3. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 141 points
4. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 132 points
5. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 118 points
6. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 104 points
7. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 97,5 points
8. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 83 points
9. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 66 points
10. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 46 points
11. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 44 points
12. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 35 points
13. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin & Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 18 points
15. George Russell GBR Williams 13 points
16. Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams 7 points
17. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo 2 points
18. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 14 RACES :

1. Mercedes 363,5 points
2. Red Bull 344,5 points
3. McLaren 215 points
4. Ferrari 201,5 points
5. Alpine 95 points
6. Alpha Tauri 84 points
7. Aston Martin 53 points
8. Williams 20 points
9. Alfa Romeo 3 points

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 13 RACES :

1. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 224,5 points
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 221,5 points
3. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 123 points
4. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 114 points
5. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 108 points
6. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 92 points
7. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 89,5 points
8. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 66 points
9. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 56 points
10. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 46 points
11. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 44 points
12. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 35 points
13. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin & Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 18 points
15. George Russell GBR Williams 13 points
16. Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams 7 points
17. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo 2 points
18. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 13 RACES :

1. Mercedes 344,5 points
2. Red Bull 332,5 points
3. Ferrari 181,5 points
4. McLaren 170 points
5. Alpine 90 points
6. Alpha Tauri 84 points
7. Aston Martin 53 points
8. Williams 20 points
9. Alfa Romeo 3 points

Max Verstappen was proclaimed the winner of a farcical Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday after only two laps were completed behind a safety-car. The 12th round of the Formula One campaign at a rain-soaked Spa-Francorchamps circuit finished three hours and 44 minutes after it was due to begin when the clock finally stopped on an embarrassing afternoon for the sport. Seventy-five thousand fans stood in the persistent drizzle for a race due to start at 3pm, pushed back to 3.10pm, 3.15pm and 3.25pm. The safety car took the field away on a formation lap but after eight minutes the race was stopped. Following two hours and 47 minutes without any action, the FIA’s race director Michael Masi then gave the green light for the race to resume. The sodden spectators, those who remained in the hope of a race, pumped their fists in delight, with Verstappen’s fans lighting orange flares on the Kemmel Straight. But after just two laps completed of the rain-drenched 4.35-mile circuit, the race was red-flagged. The sport’s bosses were facing accusations of a cynical manoeuvre with two laps ensuring a classification could be granted.

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 12 RACES :

1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 202,5 points
2. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 199,5 points
3. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 113 points
4. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 108 points
5. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 104 points
6. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 83,5 points
7. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 82 points
8. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 56 points
9. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 54 points
10. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 42 points
11. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 38 points
12. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 35 points
13. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin & Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 18 points
15. George Russell GBR Williams 13 points
16. Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams 7 points
17. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo 2 points
18. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 12 RACES :

1. Mercedes 310,5 points
2. Red Bull 303,5 points
3. McLaren 169 points
4. Ferrari 165,5 points
5. Alpine 80 points
6. Alpha Tauri 72 points
7. Aston Martin 48 points
8. Williams 20 points
9. Alfa Romeo 3 points

Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel has been disqualified after finishing second in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Officials were unable to take the mandatory one-litre sample of fuel from Vettel's car after the race. The decision promotes Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton to second place and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz to third and extends Hamilton's championship lead over Max Verstappen of Red Bull to eight points. Aston Martin have said they intend to appeal against the decision. The FIA said it was possible to take only 0,3 litres from the car and it was no defence to claim no performance advantage was obtained. F1 rules dictate teams must ensure a one-litre sample of fuel can be taken from the car at any time during the event. Running less fuel can give a performance advantage, as each 1 kg of fuel equates to an average of about 0.035 secs a lap. Hungarian Grand Prix stewards said : "The team was given several opportunities to attempt to remove the required amount of fuel from the tank, however it was only possible to pump 0,3 litres out". Team principal Otmar Szafnauer and technical director Andrew Green said there was 1,44 litres left in the car, but they were unable to extract that much.

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 11 RACES :

1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 192 points
2. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 186 points
3. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 113 points
4. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 108 points
5. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 104 points
6. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari & Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 80 points
8. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 50 points
9. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 48 points
10. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 47 points
11. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 39 points
12. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 36 points
13. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 18 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 16 points
15. Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams 4 points
16. George Russell GBR Williams 2 points
17. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo & Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 11 RACES :

1. Mercedes 300 points
2. Red Bull 290 points
3. McLaren 163 points
4. Ferrari 160 points
5. Alpine 75 points
6. Aston Martin 66 points
7. Alpha Tauri 63 points
8. Williams 6 points
9. Alfa Romeo 2 points

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 10 RACES :

1. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 185 points
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 177 points
3. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 113 points
4. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 108 points
5. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 104 points
6. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 80 points
7. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 68 points
8. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 50 points
9. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 39 points
10. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 30 points
11. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 26 points
12. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 18 points
13. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 14 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 10 points
15. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo & Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 10 RACES :

1. Red Bull 289 points
2. Mercedes 285 points
3. McLaren 163 points
4. Ferrari 148 points
5. Alpha Tauri 49 points
6. Aston Martin 48 points
7. Alpine 40 points
8. Alfa Romeo 2 points

As expected, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation confirmed that the F1 and the MotoGP races won't go ahead in the final quarter of this year as planned. The F1 race had already been moved from March to mid-November. The move follows failed talks with health officials at state and federal government level over how to bring personnel, including riders and drivers, through Australia's strict closed border. The idea of a biosphere was floated, at least for the Albert Park F1 race, but failed. Even bringing personnel through hotel quarantine would have been difficult due to a recent cap on new arrivals in response to the highly-transmissible Delta strain of COVID-19. Both short-cutting quarantine and utilising the supervised hotel-based system would have been difficult sells on a PR front too, given so many Australians are still unable to return home. "We understand this is not the news MotoGP and Formula 1 fans wanted to hear", said AGPC CEO Andrew Westacott. "I would like to extend my thanks to the Victorian Government, Formula 1 and Dorna Sports for their unwavering resilience and support during this challenging period, and for their ongoing commitment to these two great events. "There are bound to be ongoing challenges with COVID-19, but I want to reassure fans that while there is sadness and disappointment amongst our wonderful AGPC staff there is a tenacity and determination to make sure the next episodes of MotoGP at the Island and Formula 1 at the new Albert Park layout are sensational showcases of how we do things in Victoria".

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 9 RACES :

1. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 180 points
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 150 points
3. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 104 points
4. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 101 points
5. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 92 points
6. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 62 points
7. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 60 points
8. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 40 points
9. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 39 points
10. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 30 points
11. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 20 points
12. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 14 points
13. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 12 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 9 points
15. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo & Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 9 RACES :

1. Red Bull 286 points
2. Mercedes 242 points
3. McLaren 141 points
4. Ferrari 122 points
5. Alpha Tauri 48 points
6. Aston Martin 44 points
7. Alpine 32 points
8. Alfa Romeo 2 points

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 8 RACES :

1. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 156 points
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 138 points
3. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 96 points
4. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 86 points
5. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 74 points
6. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 58 points
7. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 50 points
8. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 37 points
9. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 34 points
10. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 30 points
11. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 19 points
12. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 14 points
13. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 12 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 9 points
15. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo & Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 8 RACES :

1. Red Bull 252 points
2. Mercedes 212 points
3. McLaren 120 points
4. Ferrari 108 points
5. Alpha Tauri 46 points
6. Aston Martin 44 points
7. Alpine 31 points
8. Alfa Romeo 2 points

Formula 1 have announced that the Turkish Grand Prix will return to the calendar this season, with the race at Istanbul Park set to take place in early October, on the weekend originally scheduled to host the Singapore Grand Prix. Following the news that the Marina Bay race cannot go ahead as planned on October 3rd, F1 will instead be racing around Intercity Istanbul Park, the circuit where Lewis Hamilton clinched his seventh World Championship title last year. Earlier this season the Turkish Grand Prix was removed from the calendar due to international travel restrictions but at the time the promoter had requested the potential to re-join the calendar later in the season if possible. A statement from F1 said: "After discussions with other promoters we are confident that we will be able to travel to the following race under our strict safety protocols. "The Formula 1 community will continue to travel this season with stringent safety measures that has allowed us to travel safely this season. So far this season we have conducted over 44,000 tests with 27, positive cases a rate of 0.06%, with most coming during the earlier part of the season. "Alongside this a significant proportion of the F1 community has been vaccinated already and we are confident that all will have had the opportunity to do so by the end of the summer. We will continue to operate in a way that protects the safety of our personnel and the communities we visit".

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 7 RACES :

1. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 131 points
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 119 points
3. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 84 points
4. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 76 points
5. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 59 points
6. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 52 points
7. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 42 points
8. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 37 points
9. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 34 points
10. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 30 points
11. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 17 points
12. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 12 points
13. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 10 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 8 points
15. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo & Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 7 RACES :

1. Red Bull 215 points
2. Mercedes 178 points
3. McLaren 110 points
4. Ferrari 94 points
5. Alpha Tauri 45 points
6. Aston Martin 40 points
7. Alpine 29 points
8. Alfa Romeo 2 points

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 6 RACES :

1. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 106 points
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 101 points
3. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 69 points
4. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 66 points
5. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 52 points
6. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 47 points
7. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 42 points
8. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 31 points
9. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 28 points
10. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 26 points
11. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 13 points
12. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 12 points
13. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 9 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 8 points
15. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo & Kimi Raikkone FIN Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 6 RACES :

1. Red Bull 175 points
2. Mercedes 148 points
3. Ferrari 94 points
4. McLaren 92 points
5. Alpha Tauri 39 points
6. Aston Martin 37 points
7. Alpine 25 points
8. Alfa Romeo 2 points

This year's Singapore Grand Prix has been cancelled because of Coronavirus restrictions, with Formula 1 now looking at alternative options as a replacement. Authorities in Singapore have decided that it is not possible to go ahead with the race while travel limitations remain in place. With the city state having kept tight control in restricting the spread of coronavirus thanks to strict entry rules, it was felt that opening up for thousands of people to attend the night race was not possible. A statement issued by Singapore organisers said the decision to cancel the event for the second year running had not been easy, but ultimately it would not have been right to push on. Colin Syn, deputy chairman of the Singapore GP, said: “We understand that our fans were looking forward to another edition of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. To cancel the event for a second year is an incredibly difficult decision, but a necessary one in light of the prevailing restrictions for live events in Singapore. “We would not be able to deliver a full event experience fans have come to expect over the years, while safeguarding the health and safety of our fans, contractors, volunteers and staff. Ultimately, we have to be responsible, cautious and prudent as safety is our number one concern.”

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 5 RACES :

1. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 105 points
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 101 points
3. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 56 points
4. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes 47 points
5. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 44 points
6. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 40 points
7. Carlos Sainz jr. ESP Ferrari 38 points
8. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 24 points
9. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 16 points
10. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 12 points
11. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 10 points
12. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 9 points
13. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 5 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 2 points
15. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo 1 point

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 5 RACES :

1. Red Bull 149 points
2. Mercedes 148 points
3. McLaren 80 points
4. Ferrari 78 points
5. Aston Martin 19 points
6. Alpha Tauri 18 points
7. Alpine 17 points
8. Alfa Romeo 1 point

Formula 1's early-summer schedule has been reshuffled with the Turkish GP withdrawn from its planned June slot and a second race in Austria added later in the month as part of the latest change to the 2021 calendar. A Turkish round at Istanbul planned for June 13 was only added to the schedule two weeks ago as a replacement for the Canadian GP, which was itself called off due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. But with Turkey added to the Government's travel "red list" last Friday, plans had to be redrawn again by the UK-based sport and, as a result, the Istanbul event is now unable to take place on that date either. While there will no longer be a race on the weekend of June 11-13, the French GP will move forward from its original slot by one week to June 18-20 for the first leg of a newly-created triple-header. F1 will then head straight to Austria for a consecutive races at the "Red Bull Ring". The Styrian GP on June 25-27 will be followed by the Austrian GP on its original date of July 2-4.