by Carmen Visser
Formula One is known as an adrenaline-filled and dangerous sport. With ten teams, each with two drivers, the motorsport is extremely competitive. While this years’ season has been postponed, here are 2019’s top moments.
[Image from Formula 1 website]
Possibly one of the most emotional wins of the season, Charles Leclerc won the Grand Prix in Italy. His team, Ferrari, had not won a home race since 2010, making the celebrations even more extravagant.
With hundreds of thousands of red-shirt fans, Leclerc took his place on top of the podium. The crowd then proceeded to belt out the Italian national anthem. Leclerc said that it was the first time he was under such a great deal of pressure, but the day goes down as one of his best.
Throughout the race, Bottas was on the Ferrari’s tail, threatening to take the win. Towards the end, Hamilton joined his teammate in chasing Leclerc, but the young driver fought both Mercedes drivers before crossing the chequered flag.
Making the race even more electrifying was Charles Leclerc’s fiery spirit. At one point he was even shown the black and white flag (equivalent to a yellow card). His determined driving resulted in Hamilton commenting, “The new generation get away with a lot more.”
Fans might agree with this but cannot deny their love for an intense battle between drivers.
[Image from Formula 1 website]
Fans of the Grand Prix are well-aware of the constant battle between Mercedes and Ferrari.
Sebastian Vettel swapping position boards in Canada goes down as one of the best F1 television moments. A few laps before the end, the Ferrari was just ahead of the Mercedes.
Vettel took a wide turn and found his tires on the grass. Immediately, he rejoined and remained in front of Hamilton. After crossing the chequered flag before Hamilton, the Ferrari driver took a five-second time penalty for rejoining the track in an unsafe manner.
His German fire showed when he moved the first position board in front of where his car should be parked and instead, placed the second position board in front of the Mercedes. Even though the action was pointless it was adored by fans.
[Video from @f1 on Instagram]
A race, which will be remembered for years to come is the United States Grand Prix. It was the moment that Hamilton won his sixth world title. Even though the British driver did not win the race (his Mercedes teammate did), he got the needed points. The race was thrilling from start to finish. After Bottas pitted, Hamilton pushed his tires to their limit. The two Mercedes fought hard against each other, Bottas having permission from the team to “attack”. On top of all of that, the Dutch Redbull driver, Verstappen, was chasing the Mercedes cars as well.
The uncontrollable happiness written on Hamilton’s face and emotional hug between him and his father was heart-warming for anyone to see. Lewis Hamilton has a strong passion for the sport and it can be seen from kilometres away.
[Image from Formula 1 website]
A surprising yet heart-warming race from the 2019 season was Brazilian Grand Prix.
Pierre Gasly, racing for Toro Rosso after being demoted from Red Bull Racing, took his very first podium. With two safety cars making the race interesting, Gasly found himself in third place.
After a restart, the French driver was overtaken by Hamilton. A collision between Hamilton and Albon (who replaced Gasly as Verstappen’s teammate), gave Gasly the opportunity to sneak into second place. It was not an easy podium though.
Having to fight the British Mercedes driver until the very last second, Pierre Gasly ended the race in second place. Fans love it when an underdog races among the champions.
Gasly said, “This is the best day of my life.” Can we expect more sneaky podiums from the Torro Rosso driver in the next season?
[Image from @pierregasly on Instagram]
Lando Norris might not have featured on the podium yet during his F1 career, but his contributions to radio conversations are legendary.
From singing in radio tests to swearing on the side of the road to expressing his dislike of seafood, Norris never disappoints.
After the Abu Dhabi race, Norris thanks his team for the season. His performance engineer, Jarv shows his pride and love for the 20-year-old and sounds slightly emotional.
Lando Norris’ response is one that every formula 1 fan relates to – sadness that the season is over.
[Video from @f1 on Instagram]
2019 was an exhilarating season with unforgettable moments and brilliant competition. Fans cannot wait for the next season of Formula 1 racing.
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