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137-602: The 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio della Toscana Ferrari 1000 2020 ) was a one-off Formula One motor race held on 13 September 2020 at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Scarperia e San Piero , Tuscany , Italy. The race was the ninth round of the 2020 Formula One World Championship and the first race of the season with spectators. As of 2024, this
274-486: A rev limiter . The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) believed that allowing some teams to have such technical freedom would have created a 'two-tier' championship, and thus requested urgent talks with the FIA. But talks broke down and FOTA teams announced, with the exception of Williams and Force India , that 'they had no choice' but to form a breakaway championship series . On 24 June, Formula One's governing body and
411-555: A 12th-place finish at the British Grand Prix after a penalty in qualifying. At the Austrian Grand Prix , Russell qualified in 8th place, Williams' highest grid position since 2017. He was still in 10th near the end of the race, but after a ten-lap defensive battle, Fernando Alonso passed him with four laps to go. After the race, Alonso consoled Russell with a hug. The Spaniard ruefully explained that "I
548-561: A Mercedes junior, Russell was given test drives with Mercedes and its engine customers. He began testing Mercedes cars in the 2017 season. In 2018, he tested for Mercedes and Force India -Mercedes. Russell made his Grand Prix weekend debut at the end of the 2017 season, driving for Force India during free practice at the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix. Mercedes promoted him to first-team reserve driver in 2018. In October 2018, Williams -Mercedes announced that Russell had signed
685-629: A Mercedes. Russell came close to scoring points at a number of races, including at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , where a gearbox failure prevented him from capitalising on a restart while he was in 15th place; a 12th-place finish at the French Grand Prix , where he recovered from 19th with no retirements in the race; a mechanical retirement at the Styrian Grand Prix after starting the race in 10th place; and
822-627: A ban on ground-effect aerodynamics during 1983 . But by then, turbocharged engines, which Renault had pioneered in 1977 , were producing over 520 kW (700 bhp) and were essential to be competitive. By 1986 , a BMW turbocharged engine achieved a flash reading of 5.5 bar (80 psi) pressure, estimated to be over 970 kW (1,300 bhp) in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix . The next year, power in race trim reached around 820 kW (1,100 bhp), with boost pressure limited to only 4.0 bar. These cars were
959-512: A brake failure; George Russell had earlier reported Ocon's brakes being on fire. The second red flag came on lap 45, after Stroll suffered a tyre failure at lap 43 turn 9, and went into the barrier. His Racing Point RP20 caught on fire, making it harder for the marshalls to clear the track. Lewis Hamilton won the race, his 90th career win. Valtteri Bottas came in second and Alex Albon finished third; his first career podium. By finishing in ninth place, Kimi Räikkönen scored his first points of
1096-478: A business selling seeds and pulses , which is now part of Archer Daniels Midland . Russell is the youngest of three siblings, including sister Cara and brother Benjy. He grew up in Tydd St Giles / Wisbech and Castle Rising . Russell attended Wisbech Grammar School , but shifted to homeschooling so that he could devote more time to his racing career. Russell took up karting at the age of 7, catching
1233-580: A car from another team until round six, the Monaco Grand Prix . Russell also outqualified Kubica at all twenty-one races. His highest placement of the season was 11th at the rain-affected German Grand Prix , but Kubica overtook him in the closing laps, leaving him point-less for the season. He also finished 12th at the Brazilian Grand Prix , aided by a well-timed safety car. Following Kubica's departure from Formula One, Russell
1370-469: A driver's fastest lap in that period (barring infractions) counts. Any timed lap started before the end of that period may be completed and will count toward that driver's placement. The number of cars eliminated in each period is dependent on the total number of cars entered into the championship. Currently, with 20 cars, Q1 runs for 18 minutes, and eliminates the slowest five drivers. During this period, any driver whose best lap takes longer than 107% of
1507-461: A five-second time penalty, to finish sixth, despite both Mercedes drivers struggling with the W15 and Hamilton crashing out on lap two. At the rain-affected São Paulo Grand Prix , Russell led the opening 28 laps of the race after overtaking polesitter Lando Norris into the first corner, but lost his position after Mercedes commanded him to pit for new intermediate tyres despite his objections. The race
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#17327798941791644-532: A great spectacle in the traditional sense." Formula One Formula One , commonly known as Formula 1 or F1 , is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the world's premier forms of racing since its inaugural running in 1950 . The word formula in
1781-482: A guerrilla war with a very long-term aim in view". FOCA threatened to establish a rival series and boycotted a Grand Prix, and FISA withdrew its sanction from races. The result was the 1981 Concorde Agreement , which guaranteed technical stability, as teams were to be given reasonable notice of new regulations. Although FISA asserted its right to the TV revenues, it gave FOCA the administration of those rights. FISA imposed
1918-404: A management buyout to become Brawn GP , with Ross Brawn and Nick Fry running and owning the majority of the organisation. Brawn GP laid off hundreds of employees, but won the year's world championships. BMW F1 was bought out by the original founder of the team, Peter Sauber . The Lotus F1 Team was another, formerly manufacturer-owned team that reverted to "privateer" ownership, together with
2055-661: A miscommunication. However, the Mercedes cars were very quick on race day and scored a double podium finish, with Hamilton second and Russell third. Russell qualified fourth at the Canadian Grand Prix , but hit the wall on lap 12 and suffered a puncture and a broken front wing, re-joining the race in 19th place. He had recovered to eighth when he retired due to brake wear. At the Singapore Grand Prix , he missed out on pole position by 0.072 seconds and
2192-535: A multi-year deal to drive for them, partnering Robert Kubica for the 2019 season . Russell's first appearance for Williams was at the 2018 post-season test at Yas Marina Circuit , driving the FW41 . He made his first appearance at the Australian Grand Prix , qualifying 19th and finishing 16th. He remained a Mercedes academy driver and tested the Mercedes car twice. Russell ended the season 20th in
2329-468: A new Concorde Agreement committing them to the sport until 2025, including a $ 145 million budget cap for car development to support equal competition and sustainable development. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the sport to adapt to budgetary and logistical limitations. A significant overhaul of the technical regulations intended to be introduced in the 2021 season was pushed back to 2022, with constructors instead using their 2020 chassis for two seasons and
2466-477: A new team for 2021, but his three-year contract with Williams was airtight. ) At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in round two, Russell found himself alongside Bottas on lap 30. He attempted to overtake Bottas, but drove onto a wet patch and lost control of his car, crashing into Bottas and causing a double retirement. Russell initially blamed the incident on Bottas, walking over to Bottas after
2603-530: A number of Grand Prix racing organisations made suggestions for a new championship to replace the European Championship, but due to the suspension of racing during the conflict, the new International Formula for cars did not become formalised until 1946, to become effective in 1947. The new World Championship was instituted to commence in 1950 . The first world championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix , took place at Silverstone Circuit in
2740-404: A partnership with Lego , with the first new sets releasing in 2025. The regulations governing Formula One are set to be revised for the 2026 season, with big changes planned to help encourage closer and more competitive racing. Changes include: In November 2024, General Motors reached an agreement to enter Formula 1 in 2026 with its Cadillac brand. A Formula One Grand Prix event spans
2877-536: A predominantly black design out of respect for Michael Schumacher . His timing was unfortunate, as his move coincided with a regulation change, and Mercedes was no longer the dominant force in Formula One. In his first race as a full-time Mercedes driver, the Bahrain Grand Prix , Russell qualified ninth and finished fourth. Russell made the most out of a bad situation, scoring Mercedes' only win of
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#17327798941793014-470: A press release stating it had been informed it was not entered for the 2010 season, and an FIA press release said the FOTA representatives had walked out of the meeting. On 1 August, it was announced FIA and FOTA had signed a new Concorde Agreement, bringing an end to the crisis and securing the sport's future until 2012. To compensate for the loss of manufacturer teams, four new teams were accepted entry into
3151-408: A radio failure. He overtook Bottas a second time, recovered to second place, and was closing in on race leader Sergio Pérez , when a puncture forced him to pit again with ten laps to go. Russell finished ninth. Although he earned his first World Championship points —two points for ninth and one for the fastest lap —he remarked that the result "really bloody hurt". Russell returned to Williams for
3288-516: A reason to impose rule changes that otherwise, under the Concorde Agreement, would have had to be agreed upon by all the teams—most notably the changes introduced for 1998 . This so-called 'narrow track' era resulted in cars with smaller rear tyres, a narrower track overall, and the introduction of grooved tyres to reduce mechanical grip. The objective was to reduce cornering speeds and produce racing similar to rainy conditions by enforcing
3425-434: A season (13, since beaten by Max Verstappen ), and most Drivers' Championships (seven, tied with Lewis Hamilton as of 2021). Schumacher's championship streak ended on 25 September 2005, when Renault driver Fernando Alonso became Formula One's youngest champion at that time (until Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and followed by Sebastian Vettel in 2010 ). During 2006, Renault and Alonso won both titles again. Schumacher retired at
3562-442: A smaller contact patch between tyre and track. According to the FIA, this was to reduce cornering speeds in the interest of safety. Results were mixed, as the lack of mechanical grip resulted in the more ingenious designers clawing back the deficit with aerodynamic grip. This resulted in pushing more force onto the tyres through wings and aerodynamic devices, which in turn resulted in less overtaking, as these devices tended to make
3699-597: A successful karting career—culminating in back-to-back victories at the junior direct-drive Karting European Championship in 2011 and 2012—Russell graduated to junior formulae . He won his first title at the 2014 BRDC F4 Championship . He then won the 2017 GP3 Series and the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship back-to-back with ART , becoming the fifth driver to win the GP2 / Formula 2 championship in their rookie season, as well as one of only three drivers to win both championships in their respective rookie seasons. A member of
3836-427: A token system limiting which parts could be modified introduced. The start of the 2020 season was delayed by several months, and both it and 2021 seasons were subject to several postponements, cancellations, and rescheduling of races due to shifting restrictions on international travel. Many races took place behind closed doors and with only essential personnel present to maintain social distancing . In 2022,
3973-743: A valid Super Licence , the highest class of racing licence the FIA issues, and the races must be held on grade one tracks , the highest grade rating the FIA issues for tracks. Formula One cars are the world's fastest regulated road-course racing cars , owing to very high cornering speeds achieved by generating large amounts of aerodynamic downforce , much of which is generated by front and rear wings. The cars depend on electronics, aerodynamics , suspension , and tyres . Traction control , launch control , and automatic shifting , and other electronic driving aids were first banned in 1994 . They were briefly reintroduced in 2001 , and have more recently been banned since 2004 and 2008 , respectively. With
4110-403: A weekend. It typically begins with two free practice sessions on Friday, and one free practice session on Saturday. Additional drivers (commonly known as third drivers ) are allowed to run on Fridays, but only two cars may be used per team, requiring a race driver to give up their seat. A qualifying session is held after the last free practice session. This session determines the starting order for
4247-399: A world championship race. It entered the 1961 British Grand Prix , the only front-engined car to compete that year. During 1962 , Lotus introduced a car with an aluminium-sheet monocoque chassis instead of the traditional space-frame design. This proved to be the greatest technological breakthrough since the introduction of mid-engined cars. In 1968 , sponsorship was introduced to
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4384-558: Is a season-ticket holder. He was a special guest at Molineux in 2021. Russell began karting in 2006 and progressed to the cadet class by 2009, becoming MSA British champion and British Open champion. In 2010 he moved to the Rotax Mini Max category where he became Super One British champion, Formula Kart Stars British champion, and also won the Kartmasters British Grand Prix. Russell graduated to
4521-559: Is allocated one set of the softest tyres for use in Q3. The cars that qualify for Q3 must return them after Q3; the cars that do not qualify for Q3 can use them during the race. As of 2022, all drivers are given a free choice of tyre to use at the start of the Grand Prix, whereas in previous years only the drivers that did not participate in Q3 had free tyre choice for the start of the race. Any penalties that affect grid position are applied at
4658-556: Is the only Tuscan Grand Prix to be held and also the only Formula One race to be held at the Mugello circuit. The race was won by Lewis Hamilton of the Mercedes team, with teammate Valtteri Bottas in second; Mercedes scored their third 1–2 finish of the season. Alexander Albon of Red Bull Racing - Honda scored his first podium in Formula One with a third-place finish, becoming the first Thai driver to do so. Albon also become
4795-434: The 1955 Le Mans disaster . The first major technological development in the sport was Bugatti 's introduction of mid-engined cars. Jack Brabham , the world champion in 1959 , 1960 , and 1966 , soon proved the mid-engine's superiority over all other engine positions. By 1961 all teams had switched to mid-engined cars. The Ferguson P99 , a four-wheel drive design, was the last front-engined Formula One car to enter
4932-457: The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix . Other changes included the qualifying format, the point-scoring system, the technical regulations, and rules specifying how long engines and tyres must last. A 'tyre war' between suppliers Michelin and Bridgestone saw lap times fall, although, at the 2005 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis, seven out of ten teams did not race when their Michelin tyres were deemed unsafe for use, leading to Bridgestone becoming
5069-403: The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix , where Jules Bianchi collided with a recovery vehicle after aquaplaning off the circuit, dying nine months later from his injuries. Since 1994, three track marshals have died, one at the 2000 Italian Grand Prix , one at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix and one at the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix . Since Senna's and Ratzenberger's deaths, the FIA has used safety as
5206-425: The 2017 and 2018 seasons featured a title battle between Mercedes and Ferrari. Mercedes ultimately won the titles with multiple races to spare and continued to dominate in the next two years, eventually winning seven consecutive Drivers' Championships from 2014 to 2020 and eight consecutive Constructors' titles from 2014 to 2021. During this eight-year period between 2014 and 2021, a Mercedes driver won 111 of
5343-497: The 2018 season . In addition, Mercedes promoted Russell to first-team reserve driver, sharing duties with Pascal Wehrlein . The 2018 F2 grid was "possibly the strongest field of the [] decade", and featured several future F1 racers, including Lando Norris , Alexander Albon , Nyck de Vries , and Nicholas Latifi . Russell won the title, finishing 68 points ahead of the second-placed Norris. Russell picked up his first win in race four at Baku , where he fought his way from 12th on
5480-603: The Alfa Romeo name, Sauber introduced a title partnership with the online casino Stake.com , resulting in the team's new identity as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber . Sauber will hold Stake's sponsorship name until the end of 2025, after which it will become the Audi works team for the 2026 season onwards. Scuderia AlphaTauri , Red Bull's junior team, dropped its name and took on sponsors from Hugo Boss and Cash App, becoming Visa Cash App RB, or VCARB for 2024. Formula One announced
5617-532: The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix , he also crashed out from 10th place under safety car conditions, an incident he described as the "biggest mistake of [his] career". When Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 before the Sakhir Grand Prix , with Williams' approval, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff invited Russell to fill in for Hamilton. Before the race, Russell declared that he felt "no pressure", although Wolff expected him to finish in
2020 Tuscan Grand Prix - Misplaced Pages Continue
5754-500: The Grand Prix Manufacturers Association (GPMA), the manufacturers negotiated a larger share of Formula One's commercial profit and a greater say in the running of the sport. In 2008 and 2009, Honda , BMW , and Toyota all withdrew from Formula One racing within a year, blaming the economic recession . This resulted in the end of manufacturer dominance of the sport. The Honda F1 team went through
5891-547: The Hungarian Grand Prix , Russell took his maiden pole position in Formula One, 0.044 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. He led much of the race but was later overtaken by Max Verstappen and teammate Hamilton, finishing third. At the São Paulo Grand Prix , Russell won the sprint and feature races to claim his maiden Grand Prix victory and Mercedes' first win of the season. Russell
6028-710: The Imperial Tobacco 's Gold Leaf livery at the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix . Aerodynamic downforce slowly gained importance in car design with the appearance of aerofoils during the 1968 season. The wings were introduced by Lotus's owner Colin Chapman who installed modest front wings and a rear spoiler on his Lotus 49 B at the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix . In the late 1970s, Lotus introduced ground-effect aerodynamics, previously used on Jim Hall 's Chaparral 2J in 1970, that provided enormous downforce and greatly increased cornering speeds. The aerodynamic forces pressing
6165-531: The Jaguar Racing team, new manufacturer-owned teams entered Formula One for the first time since Alfa Romeo's and Renault's departures in 1985. By 2006, the manufacturer teams—Renault, BMW , Toyota , Honda, and Ferrari—dominated the championship, taking five of the first six places in the Constructors' Championship. The exception was McLaren, which at the time was part-owned by Mercedes-Benz. Through
6302-685: The KF3 class in 2011, winning the SKUSA Supernationals title and becoming CIK-FIA European Champion , a title he successfully defended in 2012. In his final year of karting in 2013, Russell finished 19th in the KF1 CIK-FIA World Championship . In 2014, Russell made his single-seater debut, simultaneously competing in BRDC Formula 4 (Lanan Racing) and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps ( Koiranen GP ). He won
6439-470: The Mercedes Junior Team from 2017 to 2021, Russell signed for Williams in 2019 to partner Robert Kubica , making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix . He substituted for Lewis Hamilton at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix for Mercedes , but was denied his maiden win due to a team error and a puncture after leading the majority of the race. Russell scored his maiden podium at
6576-483: The Mercedes Junior Team in early 2017, due to the high cost of racing in the junior categories. He had previously spent 2016 as a Mercedes simulator driver. In addition, he impressed Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff with a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation explaining why Wolff should sign him. Wolff "set hard targets" for Russell, asking him to win the GP3 and Formula 2 titles before progressing to Formula One. As
6713-490: The Styrian Grand Prix , Russell qualified in 11th place, a personal best, after a wet qualifying session. However, he ran wide into the gravel in the early laps and ultimately finished 16th, both Williams drivers struggling for race pace. He made recovery drives at the British Grand Prix (from 20th to 12th) and the Tuscan Grand Prix (from 18th to 9th, although he fell back at the restart and finished 11th). At
6850-684: The United States Grand Prix , receiving a time penalty and causing Sainz's retirement. He later apologised to Sainz. Although he finished fifth, he described the race as his "worst Sunday" of the year. Russell remained at Mercedes alongside Hamilton for 2023 . After finishing seventh at the season-opener Bahrain Grand Prix , he stated the team were "a long way behind". At the Spanish Grand Prix , he collided with teammate Hamilton in Q2 and qualified 12th, both drivers blaming
6987-505: The World Manufacturers' Championship ( 1925 – 1930 ) and European Drivers' Championship ( 1931 – 1939 ). The formula is a set of rules that all participants' cars must follow. Formula One was a formula agreed upon in 1946 to officially become effective in 1947 . The first Grand Prix in accordance with the new regulations was the 1946 Turin Grand Prix , anticipating the formula's official start. Before World War II ,
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#17327798941797124-409: The 'sprint shootout'; such a system made its debut at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and is set to be used throughout all sprint sessions in place of the traditional second free practice session. Sprint qualifying sessions are run much shorter than traditional qualifying, and each session required teams to fit new tyres - mediums for SQ1 and SQ2, and softs for SQ3 - otherwise they cannot participate in
7261-585: The 160 races, with Hamilton winning 81 of these and taking six Drivers' Championships during this period to equal Schumacher's record of seven titles. In 2021 , the Honda-powered Red Bull team began to seriously challenge Mercedes, with Verstappen beating Hamilton to the Drivers' Championship after a season-long battle that saw the pair exchange the championship lead multiple times. This era has seen an increase in car manufacturer presence in
7398-538: The 2010 season ahead of a much anticipated 'cost-cap'. Entrants included a reborn Team Lotus —led by a Malaysian consortium including Tony Fernandes , the boss of Air Asia ; Hispania Racing —the first Spanish Formula One team; and Virgin Racing — Richard Branson 's entry into the series following a successful partnership with Brawn the year before. They were also joined by the US F1 Team , which planned to run out of
7535-561: The 2010 season, Mercedes-Benz reentered the sport as a manufacturer after it purchased Brawn GP and split with McLaren after 15 seasons with the team. During the 2009 season, Formula One was gripped by the FIA–FOTA dispute . FIA President Max Mosley proposed numerous cost-cutting measures for the next season, including an optional budget cap for the teams; teams electing to take the budget cap would be granted greater technical freedom, adjustable front and rear wings, and an engine not subject to
7672-493: The Briton drove an unimpressive car to unexpectedly high grid placements on several occasions, most notably Spa 2021 (second) and Sochi 2021 (third). He outqualified teammates Robert Kubica and Nicholas Latifi 57 out of 59 times. Russell acquired the nickname " Mr. Saturday " for his Williams qualifying feats, although he has downplayed the nickname, explaining that the goal is to win on Sunday. At Mercedes, Russell became
7809-454: The Drivers' Championship, scoring no points. Although Mercedes had hoped that Williams would field a competitive car – Russell later noted that Williams had finished no worse than fifth in the constructors' standings from 2015 to 2017 – Williams' 2019 car, the FW42 , was the slowest car of the field. In most races Kubica was Russell's only on-track competition: Russell did not finish ahead of
7946-494: The F1 governing body announced a major rule and car design change intended to promote closer racing through the use of ground effects , new aerodynamics, larger wheels with low-profile tyres, and redesigned nose and wing regulations. Red Bull emerged as the dominant force after the rule shakeup. The 2022 and 2023 Constructors' and Drivers' Championships were won by Red Bull and Verstappen, with multiple races to spare. In 2023
8083-421: The FIA opened applications for new teams to enter Formula 1 in the then near future. Of the teams that applied, only Andretti were approved by the FIA, with them then being rejected by Formula One Management , though they have launched an appeal. In early 2024, the Formula One landscape underwent a significant change in the sphere of team sponsorships and collaborations. Having competed for five seasons under
8220-550: The GP3/F3 and GP2/F2 titles in consecutive seasons (after Hamilton, Hülkenberg and Leclerc), and the second driver to win both of these titles as a rookie (after Leclerc). Oscar Piastri subsequently matched each of these feats. In October 2015, Russell drove a Formula One car for the first time, when he tested the McLaren MP4-26 at Silverstone as a prize for winning the 2014 Autosport BRDC Award . Russell signed with
8357-650: The UK in the 1960s and 1970s. Promoters held non-championship Formula One events for many years. Due to the increasing cost of competition, the last of these was held in 1983. This era featured teams managed by road-car manufacturers, such as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati . The first seasons featured prewar cars like Alfa Romeo's 158 , which were front-engined , with narrow tyres and 1.5-litre supercharged or 4.5-litre naturally aspirated engines. The 1952 and 1953 seasons were run to Formula Two regulations, for smaller, less powerful cars, due to concerns over
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#17327798941798494-524: The United Kingdom on 13 May 1950. Giuseppe Farina , competing for Alfa Romeo , won the first Drivers' World Championship, narrowly defeating his teammate Juan Manuel Fangio . Fangio won the championship in 1951 , 1954 , 1955 , 1956 , and 1957 . This set the record for the most World Championships won by a single driver, a record that stood for 46 years until Michael Schumacher won his sixth championship in 2003. A Constructors' Championship
8631-557: The United States as the only non-European-based team in the sport. Financial issues befell the squad before they even made the grid. Despite the entry of these new teams, the proposed cost-cap was repealed and these teams—which did not have the budgets of the midfield and top-order teams—ran around at the back of the field until they collapsed; HRT in 2012, Caterham (formerly Lotus) in 2014 and Manor (formerly Virgin, then Marussia), having survived falling into administration in 2014, at
8768-406: The average annual cost of running a team—designing, building, and maintaining cars, pay, transport—at approximately £220,000,000 (or $ 265,000,000), Formula One's financial and political battles are widely reported. The Formula One Group is owned by Liberty Media , which acquired it in 2017 from private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners for £6.4 billion ($ 8 billion). Formula One originated from
8905-867: The ban on driver aids was in name only, as they "proved difficult to police effectively". The teams signed a second Concorde Agreement in 1992 and a third in 1997. On the track, the McLaren and Williams teams dominated the 1980s and 1990s. Brabham was also competitive during the early 1980s, winning two Drivers' Championships with Nelson Piquet . Powered by Porsche , Honda , and Mercedes-Benz , McLaren won 16 championships (seven constructors' and nine drivers') in that period, while Williams used engines from Ford , Honda, and Renault to also win 16 titles (nine constructors' and seven drivers'). The rivalry between racers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost became F1's central focus during 1988 and continued until Prost retired at
9042-636: The buy-out of the Renault team by Genii Capital investors. But a link with its previous owners still survived, with its car continuing to be powered by a Renault engine until 2014. McLaren also announced that it was to reacquire the shares in its team from Mercedes-Benz (McLaren's partnership with Mercedes was reported to have started to sour with the McLaren Mercedes SLR road car project and tough F1 championships, which included McLaren being found guilty of spying on Ferrari ). Hence, during
9179-403: The cars to the track were up to five times the car's weight. As a result, extremely stiff springs were needed to maintain a constant ride height , leaving the suspension virtually solid. This meant that the drivers depended entirely on the tyres for any small amount of cushioning of the car and driver from irregularities of the road surface. Beginning in the 1970s, Bernie Ecclestone rearranged
9316-481: The chequered flag, Russell was disqualified from the race after his car failed to reach the minimum weight requirement, handing Hamilton the victory. Team principal Toto Wolff apologised to Russell, admitting "we have clearly made a mistake". Russell was the first driver to lose a race win to a post-race disqualification since Michael Schumacher lost the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix . Mercedes' performance fell off after Belgium, with neither Russell or Hamilton finishing in
9453-480: The cleanest racers" in F1. However, Russell's racecraft has received some criticism, as Russell has not always converted high grid placements into high finishes. As a rookie, Russell was plagued by poor starts; that year, "he started lap two behind Kubica 11 times despite his qualifying superiority." More broadly, it took Russell two and a half seasons to score his first points at Williams. The Race responded that Russell's race day struggles at Williams were primarily
9590-422: The crash and slapping his helmet (Bottas responded with a middle finger), and accusing him of "trying to kill [them] both". However, Russell later retracted his claims and apologised to Bottas and Williams. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff acknowledged that Bottas should not have been side by side with a Williams in the first place, but reserved the bulk of his criticism for Russell, a Mercedes junior who had just taken out
9727-652: The curtailed 2021 Belgian Grand Prix with Williams. In 2022 , Russell replaced Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes to partner Hamilton; in his first season, Russell achieved his maiden pole position in Hungary and his maiden win in São Paulo , finishing fourth in the World Drivers' Championship . After a winless season for Mercedes in 2023 , Russell won the Austrian and Las Vegas Grands Prix in 2024 , and became
9864-456: The dearth of Formula One cars. When a new Formula One formula for engines limited to 2.5 litres was reinstated for the 1954 world championship, Mercedes-Benz introduced its W196 , which featured things never seen on Formula One cars before, such as desmodromic valves , fuel injection , and enclosed streamlined bodywork. Mercedes drivers won the championship for the next two years, before the team withdrew from all motorsport competitions due to
10001-409: The end of 1993 . Senna died at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix after crashing into a wall on the exit of the notorious curve Tamburello . The FIA worked to improve the sport's safety standards since that weekend, during which Roland Ratzenberger also died in an accident during Saturday qualifying. No driver died of injuries sustained on the track at the wheel of a Formula One car for 20 years until
10138-506: The end of 2025 . The 2024 season was the final year of the Russell-Hamilton pairing at Mercedes, as Hamilton announced before the season that he would race for Ferrari in 2025. Mercedes got off to a poor start and was already 180 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship after Monaco. Mercedes went half the season without a single podium finish for either Russell or Hamilton. However, Russell commented early on that
10275-541: The end of 2006 after 16 years in Formula One, but came out of retirement for the 2010 season, racing for the newly formed Mercedes works team, following the rebrand of Brawn GP . During this period, FIA frequently changed the championship rules with the intention of improving the on-track action and cutting costs. Team orders , legal since the championship started during 1950, were banned during 2002, after several incidents in which teams openly manipulated race results, generating negative publicity, most famously by Ferrari at
10412-439: The end of 2016. A major rule shakeup in 2014 saw the 2.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 engines replaced by 1.6-litre turbocharged hybrid power units. This prompted Honda to return to the sport in 2015 as the championship's fourth power unit manufacturer. Mercedes emerged as the dominant force after the rule shakeup, with Lewis Hamilton winning the championship closely followed by his main rival and teammate, Nico Rosberg , with
10549-490: The end of qualifying. Grid penalties can be applied for driving infractions in the previous or current Grand Prix, or for changing a gearbox or engine component. If a car fails scrutineering, the driver will be excluded from qualifying but will be allowed to start the race from the back of the grid at the race stewards' discretion. 2021 saw the trialling of a 'sprint qualifying' race on the Saturday of three race weekends, with
10686-466: The fastest getting first place on the grid, referred to as pole position . From 1996 to 2002, the format was a one-hour shootout. This approach lasted until the end of 2002 before the rules were changed again because the teams were not running in the early part of the session to take advantage of better track conditions later on. Grids were generally limited to 26 cars – if the race had more entries, qualification would also decide which drivers would start
10823-463: The fastest time in Q1 will not be allowed to start the race without permission from the stewards. Otherwise, all drivers proceed to the race albeit in the worst starting positions. This rule does not affect drivers in Q2 or Q3. In Q2, the 15 remaining drivers have 15 minutes to set one of the ten fastest times and proceed to the next period. Finally, Q3 lasts 12 minutes and sees the remaining ten drivers decide
10960-453: The fault of the car, reasoning that Russell's strong grid placements at Williams were "in a constant battle against regression to the mean," and it was "inevitable that his Sunday results [were] less impressive." In addition, while Russell was praised for his tyre management at Williams, he overextended his tyres on several occasions at Mercedes, contributing to some disappointing results. Russell's tyre management received renewed praise during
11097-486: The first Asian driver outside Japan to achieve a podium finish. The race was the first since the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix to have two red flags . Due to the two stoppages, the race had three standing starts. The race was held as an event celebrating Ferrari's 1000th race in the Formula One World Championship and the safety car used a red livery, instead of its usual silver colour, to mark
11234-557: The first driver in 30 years to have been disqualified from a race win at the Belgian Grand Prix . As of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix , Russell has achieved three race wins, four pole positions, eight fastest laps and 15 podiums in Formula One. Russell is set to remain at Mercedes until at least the end of the 2025 season. George Russell was born in King's Lynn , Norfolk , to father Steve and mother Alison. His father ran
11371-642: The first front-row start for Williams since the 2017 Italian Grand Prix . As the weather continued to deteriorate, the stewards opted to run the entire race under safety car conditions, handing Russell his first Formula One podium finish. Russell also scored points at the Italian Grand Prix (9th) and the Russian Grand Prix (10th, after qualifying in 3rd). Russell finally obtained his long-awaited move to Mercedes in 2022 , replacing Valtteri Bottas and joining seven-time World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton . He chose to change his red helmet design to
11508-489: The first ten grid positions. At the beginning of the 2016 Formula 1 season, the FIA introduced a new qualifying format, whereby drivers were knocked out every 90 seconds after a certain amount of time had passed in each session. The aim was to mix up grid positions for the race, but due to unpopularity, the FIA reverted to the above qualifying format for the Chinese GP, after running the format for only two races. Each car
11645-519: The former title, overtaking teammate Arjun Maini in the standings at the final race at Snetterton . As a reward, he was granted a GP3 test at Yas Marina . Russell finished fourth in Formula Renault 2.0. Although he was initially supposed to race for Prema , he switched to Koiranen before the start of the season. The Race and Autosport later alleged that Lance Stroll 's father (Prema's part-owner and main funder) vetoed Russell from
11782-469: The grid to win the sprint race. At midseason, he began to pull away from the field. A win at Le Castellet kicked off a strong run of form where he finished either first or second in five out of six races. With his title, Russell became the fifth rookie champion of the GP2/F2 category (previously achieved by Nico Rosberg , Lewis Hamilton , Nico Hülkenberg , and Charles Leclerc ), the fourth driver to win
11919-466: The habit from his brother Benjy, a competitive karter who won the 2007 Super 1 National Kart Championship in the Rotax Max category. Russell picked up his number 63 from the kart his brother rented at the time. At 18, Russell moved to Milton Keynes to be closer to his junior racing team. He moved to Monaco in 2022. Russell is a fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, where his father
12056-475: The intention of testing the new approach to qualifying. The traditional qualifying would determine the starting order for the sprint, and the result of the sprint would then determine the start order for the Grand Prix. The system returned for the 2022 season, now titled the 'sprint'. From 2023, sprint races no longer impacted the start order for the main race, which would be determined by traditional qualifying. Sprints would have their own qualifying session, titled
12193-469: The leaders did and were forced to brake, triggering a collision involving Sainz, Kevin Magnussen , Antonio Giovinazzi , and Nicholas Latifi . Grosjean blamed the leader, Valtteri Bottas , for causing the accordion effect , and stated "this is the worst thing I've seen ever." All four drivers retired from the race and the red flag was brought out. During the red flag period, Esteban Ocon retired due to
12330-565: The management of Formula One's commercial rights; he is widely credited with transforming the sport into the multibillion-dollar business it now is. When Ecclestone bought the Brabham team during 1971, he gained a seat on the Formula One Constructors' Association , and in 1978, he became its president. Previously, the circuit owners controlled the income of the teams and negotiated with each individually; Ecclestone persuaded
12467-509: The most powerful open-wheel circuit racing cars ever. To reduce engine power output and thus speeds, the FIA limited fuel tank capacity in 1984 , and boost pressures in 1988 , before banning turbocharged engines completely in 1989 . The development of electronic driver aids began in the 1980s. Lotus began to develop a system of active suspension , which first appeared during 1983 on the Lotus 92 . By 1987, this system had been perfected and
12604-439: The name refers to the set of rules all participants' cars must follow. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix . Grands Prix take place in multiple countries and continents on either purpose-built circuits or closed roads. A point-system is used at Grands Prix to determine two annual World Championships: one for the drivers , and one for the constructors (the teams). Each driver must hold
12741-473: The occasion. The Mugello Circuit hosted a World Championship Formula One race for the first time. The Ferrari SF1000 sported a special livery: instead of the traditional rosso corsa , the car was painted dark burgundy. Both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc wore special racing overalls, and both had special helmet designs. The 2020 championship was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic . Most of
12878-543: The only teammate in Lewis Hamilton 's career (Hamilton being Formula One's all-time leader in pole positions ) to outqualify him head-to-head during their time as teammates, and one of only two teammates (the other being 2016 champion Nico Rosberg ) to outqualify him in a single season. In addition, Russell's clean driving has received plaudits. Sebastian Vettel said that Russell is "always fair" on track, and Karun Chandhok said that Russell "is generally one of
13015-485: The originally scheduled Grands Prix were cancelled or postponed, prompting the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to draft a new calendar. While the previous eight events were held behind closed doors , organizers announced that up to 2,880 spectators would be allowed for the Tuscan Grand Prix. Ten teams (each representing a different constructor ) each entered two drivers. The drivers and teams were
13152-522: The pit crews time to clear themselves and their equipment from the grid for the race start. George Russell (racing driver) George William Russell ( / r ʌ s əl / ; born 15 February 1998) is a British racing driver , currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes . Russell has won three Formula One Grands Prix across six seasons. Born and raised in King's Lynn, Norfolk , Russell began competitive kart racing aged seven. After
13289-475: The points. Russell, Lance Stroll , and Liam Lawson simultaneously tied Alain Prost 's dubious record of 7 pit stops, the most in Formula One history. Russell also took the unusual step of a one-stop strategy at the Japanese Grand Prix (he was the only driver to do so); as his tyres degraded, he dropped from third place to seventh on his final stint. He qualified outside the top ten for both
13426-435: The race and Räikkönen having to change his front wing. Verstappen's car was beached in the gravel trap. A separate incident at the same corner involved Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lance Stroll , as Sainz spun round and damaged Sebastian Vettel 's front wing. These incidents together brought out the safety car. On lap 6 the safety car pulled in, but an accordion effect led the midfield drivers to accelerate up to racing speed before
13563-426: The race on Sunday. Each driver may use no more than thirteen sets of dry-weather tyres, four sets of intermediate tyres, and three sets of wet-weather tyres during a race weekend. For much of the sport's history, qualifying sessions differed little from practice sessions; drivers would have one or more sessions in which to set their fastest time, with the grid order determined by each driver's best single lap, with
13700-522: The race while Russell was pitting, meaning that Russell had to restart the race in seventh place. He recovered to fourth place before retiring with an engine failure. He qualified third at the Dutch Grand Prix , but lost places due to a late switch to intermediate tyres as rain began to fall. He later recovered to the top ten and was in eighth place at the restart after a red flag, but damage from contact with Lando Norris demoted him back outside
13837-461: The race. During the early 1990s, the number of entries was so high that the worst-performing teams had to enter a pre-qualifying session, with the fastest cars allowed through to the main qualifying session. The qualifying format began to change in the early 2000s, with the FIA experimenting with limiting the number of laps, determining the aggregate time over two sessions, and allowing each driver only one qualifying lap. The current qualifying system
13974-629: The same as those on the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for either the race or practice. Sole Formula One tyre manufacturer Pirelli brought the C1, C2, and C3 compound tyres for teams to use in the race, the three hardest compounds available. The race was marked by several incidents. On the first lap at turn 2, Max Verstappen , Pierre Gasly , Kimi Räikkönen , and Romain Grosjean collided, resulting in Gasly and Verstappen retiring from
14111-427: The same time, Russell won the tiebreaker because he set his time first. He finished third to take Mercedes' first podium of the season. He qualified fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix and took advantage of a late-race collision between Verstappen and Lando Norris to claim his second career victory, Mercedes' first win since São Paulo in 2022. Russell praised the team, saying that the car had "made so many strides since
14248-735: The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , which he described as a "strange feeling". Williams retained the Russell-Latifi pairing in 2021, and enjoyed its best season in several years; the Williams car was capable of competing in the midfield. Russell placed 15th in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 16 points to Latifi's 7. Russell continued his testing duties for Mercedes during the season. Russell entered 2021 amidst speculation that he would replace Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes in 2022. (Following Russell's promotion to Mercedes in 2022, Russell implied that Mercedes had looked into finding him
14385-489: The season. A poor restart after the second red flag meant George Russell slipped from ninth to twelfth and last. He eventually finished eleventh leaving him out of the points. Twelve drivers were warned by the FIA for their part in the accident at the restart on lap 6. Writing for the BBC , former GP2 Series champion Jolyon Palmer praised the circuit, saying that it "defied all the [Hermann] Tilke design theories and yet provided
14522-466: The season. His result clinched second place in the Constructors' Championship for Mercedes. He commented that he had "let the side down a couple of times this year", but that it meant "a huge amount" to help the team finish second. Russell finished eighth in the Drivers' Championship, the lowest for a Mercedes driver since 2012 , with Hamilton in third, 59 points ahead. Russell called his own season "a complete disaster". Mercedes extended his contract until
14659-459: The session. The race begins with a warm-up lap, after which the cars assemble on the starting grid in the order they qualified. This lap is often referred to as the formation lap, as the cars lap in formation with no overtaking (although a driver who makes a mistake may regain lost ground). The warm-up lap allows drivers to check the condition of the track and their car, gives the tyres a chance to warm up to increase traction and grip, and also gives
14796-406: The sole tyre supplier to Formula One for the 2007 season by default. On 20 December 2007 Bridgestone signed a contract that officially made it the exclusive tyre supplier for the next three seasons. During 2006, Max Mosley outlined a 'green' future for Formula One, in which efficient use of energy would be an important factor. Starting in 2000, with Ford's purchase of Stewart Grand Prix to form
14933-487: The sport . Team Gunston became the first team to run cigarette sponsorship on its Brabham cars, which privately entered in orange, brown and gold colours of Gunston cigarettes in the 1968 South African Grand Prix on 1 January 1968. Five months later, the first works team , Lotus, initially using the British racing green , followed this example when it entered its cars painted in the red, gold, and white colours of
15070-663: The sport. After Honda's return as an engine manufacturer in 2015, Renault came back as a team in 2016 after buying back the Lotus F1 team. In 2018, Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo became Red Bull and Sauber's title sponsors, respectively. Sauber was rebranded as Alfa Romeo Racing for the 2019 season, while Racing Point part-owner Lawrence Stroll bought a stake in Aston Martin to rebrand the Racing Point team as Aston Martin for 2021. In August 2020, all ten F1 teams signed
15207-481: The sprint and main race at the Austrian Grand Prix , having reported a hydraulics failure in the sprint shootout. He qualified second at the Qatar Grand Prix but finished fourth after colliding with teammate Hamilton at the first corner, for which Hamilton claimed responsibility. Russell salvaged a measure of pride with a third-place finish at the season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , his second podium of
15344-469: The start of the season". He followed this with another pole position at the British Grand Prix , but fell behind teammate Hamilton and both McLarens as the rain began, before retiring from the race with a water system issue. Russell finished first on track at the Belgian Grand Prix after completing a one-stop strategy; he pitted on lap 10 of 44 for hard tyres and held off Hamilton and Oscar Piastri , both of whom had made two pit stops. However, following
15481-537: The team afloat. However, this never came to fruition, and the Williams family sold the team in October. As a tribute to the Williams family, Russell donned a special helmet for the final race of the season. Despite Williams' struggles, Russell's performances impressed the Formula One team principals, who ranked him the No. 6 driver of the season in their annual poll. Russell came close to 10th place on several occasions. At
15618-466: The team was "making progress" with the W15 , following a disappointing seventh-place finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix . Mercedes's form dramatically improved at midseason, picking up three wins in four races and kicking off a run of six consecutive podium finishes for at least one Mercedes driver. Russell achieved his second career pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix ; although Max Verstappen set
15755-536: The team winning 16 out of the 19 races that season. The team continued this form in the next two seasons, again winning 16 races in 2015 before taking a record 19 wins in 2016 , with Hamilton claiming the title in the former year and Rosberg winning it in the latter by five points. The 2016 season also saw a new team, Haas , join the grid, while Max Verstappen became the youngest-ever race winner at age 18 in Spain . After revised aerodynamic regulations were introduced,
15892-545: The team, even though Stroll was racing in Italian F4 and not Formula Renault. Regardless, Russell landed with a strong team; teammate Nyck de Vries (who was three years older than Russell) won nine out of twelve races. Looking back, Russell admitted that he was not a good fit for the Koiranen team, but strongly praised de Vries, remarking that he "was always one of the very best," and that especially "in go-karting, he
16029-452: The teams reached an agreement to prevent a breakaway series. It was agreed teams must cut spending to the level of the early 1990s within two years; exact figures were not specified, and Max Mosley agreed he would not stand for reelection to the FIA presidency in October. Following further disagreements, after Mosley suggested he would stand for reelection, FOTA made it clear that breakaway plans were still being pursued. On 8 July, FOTA issued
16166-600: The teams to "hunt as a pack" through FOCA. He offered Formula One to circuit owners as a package they could take or leave. In return for the package, almost all that was required was to surrender trackside advertising. The formation of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) in 1979 set off the FISA–FOCA war , during which FISA and its president Jean-Marie Balestre argued repeatedly with FOCA over television revenues and technical regulations. The Guardian said that Ecclestone and Max Mosley "used [FOCA] to wage
16303-672: The technological advances of the 1990s, the cost of competing in Formula One increased dramatically, thus increasing financial burdens. This, combined with the dominance of four teams (largely funded by big car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz), caused the poorer independent teams to struggle not only to remain competitive but to stay in business. This effectively forced several teams to withdraw. Michael Schumacher and Ferrari won five consecutive Drivers' Championships (2000–2004) and six consecutive Constructors' Championships (1999–2004). Schumacher set many new records, including those for Grand Prix wins (91, since beaten by Lewis Hamilton ), wins in
16440-419: The top five. Russell's performance at Sakhir was widely acclaimed, receiving praise from both Mercedes and the media. He qualified on the front row, 26 milliseconds behind teammate Valtteri Bottas . He overtook Bottas at the first corner and led the majority of the race. However, Russell was forced to pit twice in-a-row when the Mercedes pit crew accidentally fitted Bottas' front tyres on his car, following
16577-410: The top four places in the standings. Russell scored four wins and seven podiums, finishing 79 points ahead of the second-placed Jack Aitken , and locked up the title with two races to go. Notable races included a dominant performance at Spa-Francorchamps (a win, a second place, two poles, and two fastest laps) and a close three-way battle at Monza . ART promoted Russell to its Formula Two team for
16714-457: The top-four at the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix. Russell achieved an unexpected podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , after Sergio Pérez collided with Carlos Sainz Jr. with two laps remaining, later stating that "we've got to be realistic" about the current state of the car. At the United States Grand Prix , Russell overcame a qualifying crash and subsequent pitlane start, as well as
16851-478: The track as well. Drivers from McLaren , Williams , Renault (formerly Benetton ), and Ferrari , dubbed the "Big Four", won every World Championship from 1984 to 2008 . The teams won every Constructors' Championship from 1979 to 2008 , as well as placing themselves as the top four teams in the Constructors' Championship in every season between 1989 and 1997 , and winning every race but one (the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix ) between 1988 and 1997 . Due to
16988-425: The wake behind the car turbulent or 'dirty'. This prevented other cars from following closely due to their dependence on 'clean' air to make the car stick to the track. The grooved tyres also had the unfortunate side effect of initially being of a harder compound to be able to hold the grooved tread blocks, which resulted in spectacular accidents in times of aerodynamic grip failure, as the harder compound could not grip
17125-452: The year and finishing fourth in the Drivers' Championship, outscoring teammate Hamilton by 35 points. Russell noted that both drivers were subjected equally to Mercedes' experiments throughout the season, but admitted that Hamilton was willing to take more risks while setting up the car. He took his first Mercedes podium at the Australian Grand Prix , benefitting from a pit stop during a safety car period to start sixth and finish third. At
17262-553: The youngest-ever winner of the award, after the BRDC lowered the entry age to accommodate him. He was also selected for the BRDC's SuperStars junior driver mentorship programme, where he was once again the youngest-ever selection. Russell spent two years in European Formula Three , racing for Carlin in 2015 and Hitech GP in 2016 . In 2015, he finished sixth, winning one race and collecting three podiums. He
17399-532: Was added in the 1958 season . Stirling Moss , despite being regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the 1950s and 1960s, never won the Formula One championship. Between 1955 and 1961, Moss finished second in the championship four times and third the other three times. Fangio won 24 of the 52 races he entered—still the record for the highest Formula One winning percentage by an individual driver. National championships existed in South Africa and
17536-525: Was adopted in the 2006 season. Known as "knock-out" qualifying, it is split into three periods, known as Q1, Q2, and Q3. In each period, drivers run qualifying laps to attempt to advance to the next period, with the slowest drivers being "knocked out" of qualification (but not necessarily the race) at the end of the period and their grid positions set within the rearmost five based on their best lap times. Drivers are allowed as many laps as they wish within each period. After each period, all times are reset, and only
17673-478: Was driven to victory by Ayrton Senna in the Monaco Grand Prix that year. In the early 1990s, other teams followed suit and semi-automatic gearboxes and traction control were a natural progression. The FIA, due to complaints that technology was determining races' outcomes more than driver skill, banned many such aids for the 1994 season. This resulted in cars that previously depended on electronic aids becoming very "twitchy" and difficult to drive. Observers felt
17810-425: Was hoping it was anyone but him. ... He will have more opportunities hopefully for podiums or wins in the future." Russell scored his first points for Williams two races later at the Hungarian Grand Prix , moving from 17th on the grid to 8th. In the very next race, Russell collected his maiden podium at the Belgian Grand Prix under unusual circumstances. He started second after a rain-affected qualifying session,
17947-406: Was involved in a first-lap crash at the British Grand Prix involving several drivers. He jumped out of his car to check on Zhou Guanyu , whose car had flipped over the tyre barrier and was resting upside-down against the catch fence. The marshals brought the car back to the pits, which under the rules ended Russell's race. In addition, Russell collided with pole-sitter Sainz at the first corner of
18084-470: Was on pace for a podium, but crashed out from third place on the final lap. He was demoted from fourth to eighth at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with a penalty for colliding with Max Verstappen. At the Australian Grand Prix , Russell qualified second and took the lead from Verstappen at the race start. Following a safety car, Russell opted to pit for new tyres, but the stewards red-flagged
18221-404: Was paired with his former Formula 2 competitor Nicholas Latifi . The Williams car was more competitive than in 2019, but it did not show up in the standings, as Williams did not score any points all year. Although Russell outperformed Latifi on track, the team was so strapped for cash that it considered replacing Russell with Kevin Magnussen if Magnussen could find enough sponsor money to keep
18358-592: Was second in the Rookies' Championship, behind Charles Leclerc . He also finished second at the 2015 Masters of Formula 3 exhibition race, behind Antonio Giovinazzi . In 2016, Russell finished third. After making it to Formula One, he questioned the fairness of the 2016 competition, stating that it was "almost laughable to see ... how wrong that championship was." That year, Prema Powerteam continued to receive funding from Lance Stroll 's family, and allegedly received special engines from Mercedes . Although Russell
18495-508: Was soon red-flagged, giving several competitors a free tyre change and condemning Russell to finish fourth. At the Las Vegas Grand Prix , Russell qualified on pole and secured his third career victory, finishing seven seconds ahead of Hamilton after leading 49 of 50 laps. Russell is set to be partnered by academy driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025 , following Hamilton's departure to Ferrari. Throughout his career, Russell has consistently been praised for his qualifying pace. At Williams,
18632-404: Was the highest-placed non-Prema racer, Stroll nearly doubled Russell's points tally. Nonetheless, Mercedes was sufficiently impressed by Russell's performances that it signed him to its driver academy at the end of the season. With financial help from Mercedes, Russell secured a drive with ART Grand Prix , GP3's dominant team, for the 2017 season. He won the title as a rookie, and ART swept
18769-565: Was the man to beat." Russell also raced as a guest in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 , winning one race at Jerez . At the end of the season, Russell competed for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award (which came with a £100,000 cash prize, a Formula One test with McLaren , and British Racing Drivers' Club membership), testing Formula Two , DTM , and GT3 cars. The seventeen-year-old Russell became
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