“The Shy Champion: Phil Hill”

As the 1961 season drew to a close, Ferrari's Wolfgang von Trips was leading team mate Phil Hill and only needed a podium to claim the crown. In the end, death betrayed the German – with von Trips dead in the circuit’s medical unit and Sir Stirling Moss eleven points adrift; Hill became the first American World Champion with one race to spare.

“Giancarlo Baghetti: The Grand Débutante”

------ This post was originally published on Too Much Racing in August of last year, as part of the VivaF1 blogger swap shop. The Grand Débutante reappears here today, as it marks the 50th anniversary of Giancarlo Baghetti's great achievement. ------ In terms of startling Grand Prix débuts, few will ever rank as highly as … Continue reading “Giancarlo Baghetti: The Grand Débutante”

GP2 Asia Pre-Season Testing (Yas Marina, February 7th)

As the final day of GP2 Asia pre-season testing wrapped up at the Yas Marina, Jules Bianchi and Davide Valsecchi once again outlined their potential. Bianchi topped the morning session at a slightly shortened version of the Abu Dhabi circuit with a best of 1:35.940 from his 34 lap run - a mere 0.085 quicker … Continue reading GP2 Asia Pre-Season Testing (Yas Marina, February 7th)

Reflections: “Clark dominates at Clermont-Ferrand – 1965 French Grand Prix (Rd 4)”

Before the 1965 French Grand Prix, Lotus driver Jim Clark was quietly confident. After three rounds, the legendary Scot had a three-point advantage over BRM's Graham Hill when they arrived at Clermont-Ferrand. With skill and smoothness a premium at the French circuit, Clark possessed an advantage that often superseded the superb engineering of his nimble Lotus 33. In the race, he would made it look so easy.

GP2 Asia Pre-Season Testing (Yas Marina, February 6th)

Josef Kral and Michael Herck were the pace setters today on the slightly shortened layout of the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. Kral was quickest in the morning in his Arden International machine with a lap of 1:36.609, eventually finishing the session three-tenths quicker than next man Marcus Ericsson (iSport International). Spain's Dani Clos … Continue reading GP2 Asia Pre-Season Testing (Yas Marina, February 6th)

Flying the Flag: Masahiro Hasemi

When the Formula 1 teams showed up for the final race of the 1976 season and the conclusion of a titanic battle between Ferrari’s Niki Lauda and McLaren’s James Hunt, few noticed several Japanese drivers on the entry list for the main event; one of which happened to be Tokyo native Masahiro Hasemi.