Motorsport News 19/11/20

There are lots of meaningless platitudes that have entered the common psyche. One that all under-performing kids at a school sports day might remember is that it is not the winning that counts, it is the taking part. What utter balderdash. The one I prefer is that if it’s not about the winning, then why keep score? The ultimate point in any driver’s career is lifting the championship trophy and this week, we reflect on three men who have reached the very top of their game. Lewis Hamilton’s record-equalling seventh Formula 1 world title was telegraphed from almost the starting point of this disjointed season back in Austria, but his records and achievements are breathtaking nonetheless. To perform at his level every other weekend, and to continue the motivation to strive for…

Lewis Hamilton sealed a record-equalling seventh Formula 1 world drivers’ championship in fine style with a stunning win in a corkscrew-plotted rain-affected Turkish Grand Prix. A newly-laid low-grip Istanbul track surface was combined with rain in qualifying and the race, creating madcap fare. Hamilton and Mercedes initially struggled in the conditions, qualifying only sixth and not appearing a factor for victory in the race’s first half. He however jumped forward when several rivals pitted for a second set of intermediate tyres, then Hamilton found breath-taking pace on the drying surface on his older rubber. He hunted down Racing Point’s Sergio Perez for the lead at twothirds’distance and streaked clear. His win by half a minute sealed his title that brought him level with Michael Schumacher’s all-time record. Valtteri Bottas had to outscore Hamilton…

Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez clinched the 2019/20 World Endurance Championship title after a dominant win in the Bahrain 8 Hours season finale. The #7 Toyota trio’s victory in the final race of the LMP1 era meant they leapfrogged their team-mates Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley in the table. The #8 car, carrying a success penalty, was not able to run with its sister machine in Bahrain and finished over a minute behind in second, even though a mid-race safety car wiped out a minute-plus deficit. Conway said: “It’s a great feeling to be world champion at the end of a tough but fantastic season. I am a bit sad that this was the last race for the TS050 HYBRID but it finished perfectly for us.” Aston Martin…

Formula 1’s race director Michael Masi admitted he in hindsight should not have started Turkey’s second qualifying session while Nicholas Latifi’s Williams still was being recovered after a first-session off. Drivers were critical of the Q2 move, with its echoes of Jules Bianchi’s fatalilty after colliding with a crane recovering Adrian Sutil’s Sauber in similar wet conditions in 2014’s Japanese Grand Prix. Masi said: “We released the cars from pitlane as the recovery vehicle was moving to the escape road following information given to race control by the clerk of the course that the vehicle would be clear of the track before the cars on their out-laps reached Turn 8, where the recovery was taking place. “As soon as it became apparent that the recovery vehicle had been delayed in moving completely into…

W Series will have support races at eight Formula 1 rounds in 2021, and their locations and dates will be announced in due course. The all-female single-seater championship commenced in 2019 but took this year off due to Covid. Earlier this year it was also confirmed that W Series is eligible for FIA Super Licence points. W Series chief executive officer Catherine Bond Muir said: “When we promised that W Series would be bigger and better in the future, partnering with Formula 1 was always our ultimate objective. “Everything that made W Series so popular and successful in 2019 will remain. The cars will be identical, the racing will be close and competitive, and our mission will always be to further the interests and prospects of female racing drivers.”…

Dethroned British Touring Car champion Colin Turkington has paid tribute to the 2020 winner Ash Sutton after the Infiniti man claimed the trophy in a dramatic finals-day meeting at Brands Hatch on Sunday. BMW man Turkington was gunning for a record-breaking fifth crown but struggled for set-up on the damp track in Kent. While Turkington could only manage a best of fourth place in race two, Sutton was on the podium in two events and won the second to help him snatch the spoils by 14 points in his Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50. “Ash is a very deserving champion, and he has raced fantastically well all year,” said Turkington. “That car was brand new at the start of the season and so you have to take your hat off to him…