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New York Times
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Lewis Hamilton and lost time. Plus: Meet your new F1 points leader
Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic's twice-weekly F1 newsletter. Sign up here to receive Prime Tire directly in your inbox on Tuesday and Friday. Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we're afraid to put on those shiny Mercedes jackets lest we get attacked by a flock of magpies. We're through five races of the 2025 Formula One season. I'm Patrick, and Madeline Coleman will be along shortly. Let's dive in. There's a new name atop the drivers' standings after a win at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last weekend: Oscar Piastri. You may be thinking: 'Yeah? So?' Yeah, so: I'm not saying we're seeing the initial ascension of an all-time F1 driver, but I'm also not not saying that. My first draft of this section was a whole trying-to-be-fun thing about the implausible situations necessary for Lewis Hamilton to rally from 68 points behind Piastri to win the championship this year. Scrapped it. Hamilton won't win the title (and it doesn't feel fun!). Even the most die-hard Lewis fans must have accepted it by now — too many points to make up over too many races. Advertisement And it turns out I'm less interested in that fact than I am with the mindset of a 40-year-old athlete who must know his final years in the sport are upon him. After coming up just short of his eighth world championship in 2021, he's centered the end of his career on finally reaching that goal. He's jumped to what he thought was a team on the upswing for the final three or four years of his career and now knows after just five races that one of those remaining race years has already been squandered. I'm curious about the frame of mind of someone at the top of their game — an icon — looking across the garage of their new team and seeing a younger, more established driver adapting to the car faster. Early in the season, it was easy to dismiss it as, 'Hey, look, they're both struggling; something's wrong with the car.' But what if this trend continues? What if Leclerc's first podium of the year, after finishing 2024 with seven podiums in the last 10 races, is just the beginning of a strong run for him while Hamilton continues to struggle adapting to the Ferrari? It's a fascinating psychological scenario for Hamilton, who has been the benchmark in F1 for so long. At what point does an athlete at this stage of their career, having put so much pressure on this chapter, start questioning if they still have it? I'm not ready to say Hamilton is there yet, it's too early. It's impossible for those who aren't peak athletes to fully understand an athlete's headspace, especially someone as private as Lewis. I've never covered an athlete who more fiercely guards their inner life. And I'm certain Hamilton would scoff at this and tell me I'm overthinking it. He's probably right — after all, he dominated the sprint in China and showed flashes of brilliance defending Norris on Sunday. This newsletter could look silly a month from now. Advertisement But I do wonder. Reading the comments from Lewis over the last few weeks … he warned last weekend of a 'painful' season ahead and said in Bahrain he's 'not doing a good enough job.' So, where's the tipping point? When does an athlete's confidence waver to the point of no return? How long does it take for frustration to become doubt? And as they get older, as time presses in, does it get harder to push that aside? So I'm wondering, and I'm watching, and I'm curious. There's a lot of time left in the season. Not for Hamilton to win the championship, but to see whether he finds himself again. And how that sets him up for 2026. Now let's throw it to Madeline Coleman for a surefire conversation starter. (She wrote about Ferrari's untapped potential today, by the way.) We received the following reader question for our post-Saudi Arabian GP mailbag: Who is the best British driver today: Norris, Russell or Hamilton? And it's a great question, Matt S, though it depends on how you define 'today.' When looking at the previous race, Russell arguably was the best British driver. Teammate comparison is a powerful tool here. He was ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli by seven seconds, while Hamilton was half a second off Leclerc and Norris was recovering from his qualifying crash and unable to crack the podium. The tire delta came into play for Russell's race, where he tried to cover off the undercut from Leclerc and couldn't hold back the Ferrari driver or Norris. When you look at the season thus far and take the car out of the equation, an argument can also be made for Russell considering how many mistakes Norris has made. His drive in Bahrain was stellar after the car endured a series of failures and he's secured three podium finishes in five races — and brought home fifth in the other two grands prix. Advertisement Both Norris and Russell are performing at a better level, while Hamilton has struggled with this new Ferrari chapter. The seven-time world champion is still among the greats in the sport, but he's not the best British driver today. Here's more from senior editor Alex Kalinauckas on Hamilton's struggles. Pat note: Look for our full mailbag tomorrow. Also, for nostalgia, check out our 2023 story on the sport's emerging battle of the Brits. Thanks, Madeline. Now it's time for … Verstappen got a five-second penalty during the race because he went off track at the first corner while racing with Piastri, kept the lead, and didn't give it back. The race officials decided Piastri had earned the right to that corner since he was alongside Verstappen. Were they right or was Verstappen unfairly punished? Here's the video. I paused it when Piastri could reasonably claim rights to the corner. The apex is the inner point of a corner where drivers aim to hit the perfect racing line. According to the rules, because Piastri had his front wheels at least alongside Verstappen's mirror at this crucial point in the corner, he had earned the right to the racing space. Red Bull and Verstappen disagreed. I do think team principal Christian Horner had a point when he said, 'I don't know where Max was supposed to go at that first corner.' Fighting for the lead into a first turn tighter than most on the calendar, collision or a penalty felt inevitable. The whole thing led to Verstappen not just being cross after the race, but claiming he was afraid to speak his mind for fear of further penalties. We wrote on Saturday that Norris' crash in qualifying would test his championship resolve. Well, he charged from P10 to P4 by the end. Test passed. And, finally, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed to The Athletic that there have been no conversations with Verstappen about a potential move from Red Bull for 2026. 📫 Love Prime Tire? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
25-03-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
A trip inside F1's coolest fan zone. Plus: The climb ahead for Lewis Hamilton
Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic's twice-weekly F1 newsletter. Sign up here to receive Prime Tire directly in your inbox on Tuesday and Friday. Welcome back to Prime Tire, where I'm wondering if this newsletter will also be disqualified if it's underweight. Guess I'll just have to write the Longest Newsletter In History™️. My editors have asked me to stick to the usual word count. Shanghai gave us plenty to digest. I'm Patrick, your host for today. Let's dive in. Just when Lewis Hamilton thought his Ferrari journey might be turning a corner after winning the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, the Formula One gods chortled. (They don't laugh, they chortle.) The seven-time world champion, along with teammate Charles Leclerc and Alpine's Pierre Gasly, were all disqualified from the Chinese GP after failing post-race technical checks. Hamilton's car had a skid plank that was below the requirement (yep, the same issue that got him DQ'd from the 2023 United States Grand Prix). Leclerc's car was underweight. Ferrari took full responsibility for what the stewards called a 'genuine error.' Losing the 18-point haul dropped the team to fifth in the championship, tied on points with … Williams. Ouch. Hamilton's disqualification caps off what has been the metaphorical definition of roller coaster in his first two races with Ferrari: As Hamilton said after his sprint race win, 'Rome wasn't built in a day.' Sure. But it looks like Ferrari is working on more of a fixer-upper than a championship palace. Hamilton trails leader Lando Norris by 35 points after two races. I did some number crunching yesterday, and found only two similarly sized gaps overcome by an eventual champion (under the current points system): If I'm a Hamilton fan hoping for his record-breaking eighth world championship this season, I'm worried that there are really only two analogs. But I'd also be encouraged that A) it's only two races, B) the gap to Norris is lower than either Vettel or Verstappen faced and C) we're at the end of the current regulations, and the margins between teams are razor-thin. Two races into the 2025 season, McLaren has swept both victories. Oscar Piastri delivered a commanding performance in China, leading teammate Norris to a 1-2 finish on Sunday. McLaren now has an enviable problem: two drivers capable of winning races and possibly fighting for the championship. After Australia and China, the MCL39 appears to be in a class of its own, though both drivers insist it's far from easy to handle. Advertisement 'It's still extremely difficult to drive,' Norris admitted. 'It doesn't suit me in wanting to push the entries and push the braking. It's very weak from that point of view.' That's the fascinating thing about this McLaren success story. They've built a blindingly fast car that's apparently a handful to drive. But when your drivers can tame the beast, the results speak for themselves, as Madeline Coleman wrote today. Wondering when a Red Bull or Racing Bulls driver will get replaced is just an annual tradition at this point. It comes earlier and earlier every year: Lawson has been nowhere near Verstappen, qualifying last for both the sprint and the race in China. The gap in qualifying sessions has averaged a brutal 0.880 seconds. While he managed to fight back to 12th in the race (later promoted after the disqualifications), the RB21 is proving as difficult for Lawson as it was for Gasly, Albon, and eventually Pérez. He's the latest in a long line of Verstappen teammates fighting for their F1 career. 'I'm also not stupid,' Lawson told reporters. 'I know I'm here to perform and if I'm not doing that, I'm not going to be around.' The obvious replacement? Yuki Tsunoda, who was overlooked for the seat despite his greater experience. When asked if he'd like to drive the Red Bull at his home race in Japan next week, Tsunoda's answer was emphatic: '100 percent. I mean, the car is faster.' Horner stayed coy on potential changes, but with McLaren pulling away in the constructors' championship, Red Bull needs both cars scoring big points. The ticking clock on Lawson's Red Bull career might already be running dangerously low. The Chinese GP memorabilia swap While the on-track action was thrilling, I most enjoyed hearing from our writer, Luke Smith, about the fan zone at Shanghai International Circuit. He said it reminded him more of a Taylor Swift concert than a traditional motorsport gathering. In the middle of the fan zone, around 100 fans participated in a memorabilia swap. The creativity was off the charts: Verstappen as an emperor, Piastri as a koala, Peppa Pig in a Mercedes and even a cardboard cutout F1 car made entirely from Fernando Alonso's face. Luke wrote: 'At a time when the internet can fuel the bad parts of fan culture, making it easy for people hide behind faceless accounts or insist on gatekeeping, this was the good of fandom.' The next race is in Japan, where Tsunoda will face extra attention, given the Lawson situation. Check out the schedule. Zhou Guanyu, now a Ferrari reserve driver, remains immensely popular in China, with his fans (and even his cat, Sweetcorn) making appearances in cardboard form throughout the weekend. (We wrote about him in December.) And, finally, Carlos Sainz is just as perplexed by his slow start to the season as you are. See you Friday. Until then, keep your skid planks legal and your cars above the minimum weight, please. 📫 Love Prime Tire? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
04-03-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
An exclusive look inside ‘Drive to Survive.' Plus, readers rate F1 team liveries
Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic's weekly F1 newsletter. Sign up here to receive Prime Tire directly in your inbox. Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we're wondering if you're interested in an exclusive look at how 'Drive to Survive' is made? Good! Behind the scenes of 'Drive to Survive'! The new season of Netflix's 'Drive to Survive' docu-series drops Friday. The Athletic's Madeline Coleman was invited to Ferrari's garage at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November to exclusively learn how the series is filmed and also spoke with the production company in the weeks leading up to the season release. The result is a behind-the-scenes look at how the show is made, including this upcoming season. Advertisement Some takeaways: 🏎️ The show is evolving. The producers are deliberately changing up the formula (get it?) in Season 7 to keep audiences engaged. In one episode, drivers filmed parts of the Singapore GP weekend themselves using phones provided by Netflix. 🎬 The film crew is smaller than you'd think. Despite the massive scale of F1, 'Drive to Survive' operates with surprisingly small film crews. 'People always think we have bigger crews than we do,' said one producer. 'There's always complaints at the end of the year (of) 'Oh, you didn't cover this' or 'You weren't there.' It's Piers and the sound guy. We can't be everywhere at once.' (Side note: Piers and The Sound Guys would be a great band name.) 🤝 Six years of trust drives access. There's a great anecdote about a meeting with very skeptical team principals before the first season was filmed. Now the show's crew sometimes embeds with Ferrari while wearing team kit! (Hint: The guy with the boom mic probably isn't a mechanic. Check out the story before you watch the show this weekend, yeah? Let's throw it to Madeline herself with a fun nugget from her reporting. When Ferrari and Mercedes didn't participate in the first season of 'Drive to Survive,' it opened the door for Daniel Ricciardo to become an instant star of the show. 'We'll really miss him,' executive producer Tom Hutchings said. The Singapore Grand Prix weekend was the Australian driver's last race. Hutchings said they were able to capture 'loads of last moments with him.' However, fans won't see much in this season. As I wrote, the editing portion of the process is quite tricky, with how much footage the crews capture throughout the year. Ricciardo briefly pops up during the Singapore GP episode. But even in the Red Bull-focused episode, 'Elbows Out,' Ricciardo's storyline is told as he's fighting for a chance to replace Sergio Pérez. In the last quarter of the episode, Ricciardo reflects on his career as a short montage of his clips over the years plays and Christian Horner speaks about the decision to drop him. The last clip of the episode is Ricciardo holding the clapperboard, saying, 'From Season 1 to Season 7, it's been a ride. Arrivederci.' Now that Ricciardo's off the grid, will Box To Box Films bring him back as a commentator? 'Maybe. Will (Buxton) does a really good job,' Hutchings said in Las Vegas last year, a few months before it was announced that Buxton would be a pundit on Fox Sports' IndyCar coverage. 'He's phenomenal at what he does. Claire Williams is really good. Yeah, maybe one day, yeah. Besides those, yeah, I don't know.' I know it's hard to believe, but F1 is back next weekend with the season-opening Australian GP. After a revealing pre-season testing period in Bahrain, McLaren appears to have emerged as the early title favorite. But several critical questions remain unanswered. Here are three on my mind. Is Red Bull's troubling testing a sign of things to come? Red Bull's testing program was disrupted, with technical director Pierre Wache admitting it was 'not as smooth a test as we expected' and the car 'did not respond how we wanted at times' during set-up experiments. Will Red Bull's traditional ability to solve problems come through, or are we witnessing the beginning of a difficult campaign? Advertisement Can Ferrari translate Lewis Hamilton's enthusiasm into performance? Hamilton's excitement about his new Ferrari environment has been palpable. But concrete performance indicators remain mixed. Charles Leclerc's race simulation pace positioned Ferrari roughly alongside Mercedes but noticeably behind McLaren. Both Ferrari drivers indicated that work remains to refine the handling of the SF-25. Is McLaren's dominance real or a testing mirage? McLaren's pace during testing — particularly Lando Norris's race simulations — sent shockwaves through the paddock. However, testing conditions and varying programs always leave room for uncertainty. Will the competitive picture shift once teams reveal their true performance in qualifying and race conditions in Melbourne? Only 12 days to find out. Last time out, I asked readers to weigh in on their favorite 2025 F1 liveries, and as you can see above, it was a solid mix of love for traditional looks and teams that tried something different. (You can see all the liveries here.) What I took from this exercise: When it comes to F1 liveries, fans still love tradition but are hungry for designs that take risks. (And Sauber is striking out on both accounts 😬.) F1 design legend Adrian Newey officially started at Aston Martin this week. And, finally, Ferrari won a legal case preventing Enrico Cardile from starting in his new role at Aston Martin until July. Mere hours before preseason testing. 📫 Love Prime Tire? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
