Ross Brawn, Formula 1’s Motorsport Managing Director, admits he cannot wait for the season to resume at Spa-Francorchamps at the end of the month after an exciting period of racing just prior to the summer break.
The recent races in Austria, Great Britain, Germany and Hungary have all showed Formula 1 off in a positive light, and although only two drivers – Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton – have won in that time, Brawn points at the fact that the races have been closely contested, with three teams – Mercedes AMG Motorsport, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari – often being in contention.
Of the twelve races competed so far in 2019, Hamilton has won eight of them, while Verstappen and Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas have each won two. However, this does not tell the whole story of the year so far, with both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc also having been in contention for wins.
Whilst admitting that Formula 1 needs a tighter battle for honours and a closed-up field, Brawn hopes the recent upswing in excitement can continue, starting with two of the most historic venues on the Formula 1 calendar, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy.
“Without wishing to upset my friends at Mercedes, who are heading for the championship title win again, everyone would like to see a closer fight for the major honours,” said Brawn in his Hungarian Grand Prix post-race debrief. “Having said that, of the 12 races to date, at least half have been closely contested, with the outcome in doubt.
“As with every fan of F1, I can’t wait for the hostilities to resume at the end of August when Spa is followed immediately by Monza, two fantastic, historic tracks that are bound to provide the sort of excitement only Formula 1 can offer.”
