Formula 1 is right there at the top among some of the most-watched motor racing events on the planet. In 2018, 1.3 billion people tuned in to watch the 15 races on the F1 calendar starting with the Austrian Grand Prix. This year, the numbers still soaring and things are expected to heat up with the younger lot of drivers starting to charge up the field.
The Championship Race
At the start of the F1 2019 season, it looked like Lewis Hamilton was going to walk away with fifth Driver’s Championship this season. However, with two back-to-back victories at Spa and Monza, Ferrari and Charles Leclerc closed the gap on third-placed Max Verstappen. They may not be a direct threat to Hamilton, yet it shows that the team has promise.
Pundits have argued that Ferrari has had straight-line speed since the beginning of the season but have lagged at tracks which have more corners. Since Monza and Spa and fast pace tracks, Ferrari was able to come out on top. The upcoming tracks have a lot of twists and turns which challenge both the drivers and teams which means that Mercedes will have the advantage once again.
Drivers to Watch
F1 has become an amazing sport with new engines, the hybrid systems and some amazing engineering. The real party piece in each car though is the driver. Lately, a number of young drivers have begun to make advances up the field. Charles Leclerc with Ferrari has been one to watch, even outpacing the team’s lead driver Sebastian Vettel at times.
Another driver making strides is Alex Albon. He was always hunting down the pack when he was with Toro Rosso and his skills were recognized. Making a mid-season switch to Red Bull, he now has the opportunity to shine at the front. He proved his mettle with a strong 5th place at Spa and 6th at Monza. Something tells us there is more coming from this guy in the future.
Max Verstappen currently sits third in the Driver’s Championship. He is one who has shown that he is capable of scoring some upsets so it is definitely worth keeping tabs on him and where he might end up at the culmination of the season.
Who is Staying and Who is Leaving at the End of the Year?
F1 witnesses a lot of changes every year. The ones that fans most look forward to are tracks and drivers. Vietnam has been added to the calendar for the year 2020 and that is going to be an exciting race. For drivers, the biggest news is that Robert Kubica will be leaving Williams at the end of the season.
There have been no other seats in F1 offered to him yet so we have to wait and see what the future holds for him. Haas will be sticking to their lineup of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. So are Ferrari and Mercedes.
The Year Remains Exciting as Ever With Promise for More!
There is so much to look forward to not only in the remaining 2019 F1 season but also with the coming calendars. We really hope F1 continues to enthrall its fans like this forever.
Also Read: Michael Phelps on Losing his World Records and Moving on
