Month: December 2020

Thirty days have passed since a horrific accident was sustain at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Supporters of Formula One witnessed the worst crash seen for years, with Romain Grosjean nearly dying. Innovations made for safety purposes enabled Grosjean to walk away from the accident with severe burns, with the latter outcome being decapitation. Romain avoided decapitation because of the “Halo Safety Feature”. Halos create a crescent-shaped bar inches above a driver’s helmet, with these bars able to withstand 4000lbs of pressure.

Severe burns were sustained by Romain Grosjean after grabbing his Haas VF40s halo, which was experiencing temperatures exceeding thousands of degrees. Flames reaching temperatures consistent with jet fuel encapsulated Romain Grosjean, with his fire-retardant suit & helmet protecting Romain from certain death. The gloves provided to Grosjean burned seconds after touching the halo, causing significant burns that are healing one month later. Romain’s right hand appears to have healed to near perfect condition. However, the left hand remains bandaged & will likely need an additional thirty days for healing.

F1 Supporters have cheered Romain Grosjean through his healing process, with the miraculous survival of his accident creating joy & sadness for fanatics worldwide. Romain Grosjean’s was fired from Haas, with no other teams contacting Grosjean for contract employment. It meant his retirement from Formula One ended in horrific flames, with the worst accident witnessed in decades.

eSports for Romain Grosjean till 2022

Grosjean has uplifted his supporters by ensuring a return to racing for 2022, with that unlikely to be inside the cockpit of a Formula One car. Until the opportunity for Romain to return arrives, Grosjean continued to compete in eSport Motorsport venues to entertain his long-time supporters. During these live streams, questions are taken & answered by Romain regarding his career in Formula One. Those interested in witnessing Romain’s rebirth as a racing car driver should watch his eSport streams, with evident progress being seen over the last month.

Medical conditions have sustained unexpected losses for the Washington Capitals. An announcement was issued by this prominent NHL team, with Henrik Lundqvist being confirmed unavailable for the 2020-21 season. It follows after Lundqvist will sustain open heart surgery in the coming weeks. Medical personnel providing care for this goaltender notified Henrik that athletic training & competition wouldn’t be permitted for twelve months. His heart wouldn’t have the strength needed to pump blood throughout his body safely. For supporters of the Washington Capitals, this announcement is upsetting. It’s unexpected that Washington’s second lineup goaltender will replace Henrik Lundqvist for the 2021-21 season. Its possible the Washington Capitals could elect another goaltender during the extended signing period. Details regarding which strategy will be enforced hasn’t bee issued.

An official statement regarding his unexpected sidelining was released by Henrik Lundqvist. He mentioned that since December 1st, his focus shifted from training & the upcoming season towards the upcoming surgery. Lundqvist noted he’s aware of what’s physically possible & what isn’t. His sentiments ended by mentioning everyone has climbed personal mountains in 2020, that we’ve all had to find positivity & begin the road towards recovery. Lundqvist knows it’s his turn now.

Possible Retirement

Details regarding the open-heart surgery procedure have been issued by the Washington Capitals. Henrik Lundqvist will receive an “Aortic Valve Replacement, Aortic Root, and an Ascending Aortic Replacement”. This indicates that blockage in Lundqvist was reaching severe volumes, and that his heart doesn’t have the natural strength needed any longer to pump blood at normal percentages.

Some speculate that Henrik Lundqvist will retire before the 2021-22 NHL Season begins. He’s sustained sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League, with fifteen of them being for the New York Rangers. He’d sign with the Washington Capitals in 2019 before the pandemic unfolded. His career included 1000+ regular season entries, with his legacy likely not being forgotten in the NHL for years to come.

Reporter Ted Kravitz had indicated Sergio Perez would receive a contract with Red Bull Racing for 2021 last week & since supporters have rallied behind the possibility. The morning of December 18th saw the official announcement made, with Red Bull Racing confirming Sergio Perez as their second driver for 2021. The report prompted questions regarding the future of Alex Albon, with RBR Team Boss Christian Horner ensuring that Albon will sustain his placement in Formula One as “Test & Reserve Driver” for Red Bull Racing. It’s a significant downgrade for Albon, who maintained his strongest performances towards this year’s seasons end.

Supporters of Formula One have reacted positively towards this announcement, believing Mexico’s Sergio Perez is more deserving of placement in Formula One than Alex Albon. Performances between the two drivers throughout 2020 were drastically different, with Sergio sustaining multiple podiums & one race victory. Albon would acquire one podium & regularly finding it challenging to maintain 10th position or lower. Numerous instances in 2020 saw Albon overtaken by Pierre Gasly, the man he’d replaced at Red Bull Racing. The poor performances shown continued to highlight that RBRs reserve drivers weren’t prepared to compete alongside Max Verstappen.

Red Bull Racing knows that Sergio Perez can rival Max Verstappen, meaning better opportunities at defeating Mercedes AMG-Petronas for the upcoming season. When Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner immediately searched for another individual that could rival Verstappen. It’d take almost four seasons in Formula One for Horner to locate that racer.

Horner & Perez Reflect on the Contract

When questioned about removing Alex Albon from the position of the second driver, Christian Horner reflected by stating negotiations sustained longer timeframes than average & evaluating all the information acquired over 2020 wasn’t easily accomplished. After weeks of discussions, it’d be determined that Sergio Perez is the best option possible for rivalling Mercedes in 2021 & beyond.

Sergio Perez remarked his excitement first to F1 Reporters & then through Instagram, where he’d express that racing for a championship-contending outfit is something, he’s dreamed of for ten years. Perez noted it’d be a proud & adventurous moment stepping onto the grid with Red Bull Racing.

The Formula One 2020 Season ended on December 13^th, finalizing one of F1s most dramatic seasons in recent memory. Closing out this season meant six drivers saying goodbye to their teams. Romain Grosjean & Kevin Magnussen from Haas said their goodbyes, with Grosjean in Bahrain on November 26^th because of his life-altering accident. Magnussen would say his goodbyes on December 13^th, alongside Sergio Perez emotionally parting ways with Racing Point & Sebastian Vettel ending his five-year stint with Scuderia Ferrari. Daniel Ricciardo left Renault Racing in an uneventful & unemotional goodbye. However, sadness was evoked team-wide for the departing of Carlos Sainz from McLaren to Scuderia Ferrari.

Carlos Sainz is replacing Sebastian Vettel at Scuderia Ferrari, with the German Four-Time Champion moving to Aston Martin for 2021. An emotional goodbye was inevitable for Vettel, who was seen handing beers to engineers & team members. Helmet swaps were also initiated between Charles Leclerc, teammate to Sebastian Vettel since 2019. This moment will likely mark the highlight of their final weekend racing together, with the entirety of their relationship seeing dramatic results through 2019 & 2020. Notable instances including the two crashing in 2020, marking two consecutive DNFs in one race. That hadn’t happened for Scuderia Ferrari in decades.

Honoured Sentiments

Charles Leclerc honoured Sebastian Vettel at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where his design was resemblant of regular helmets issued by Vettel for each race. Both men wrote goodbye sentiments to each other, with Charles noting the influential information learned by Sebastian Vettel since becoming his teammate & that all the odds have been forgiven, that he’ll genuinely miss his partnership.

Heartfelt goodbyes were issued to Charles Leclerc by Sebastian Vettel, a man who’s fathered one child. Sentiments from Sebastian mentioned that Charles is the most talented driver he has witnessed in 15 Years of Formula One. He told Leclerc not to waste that potential, and to enjoy whatever he does with a smile. Seb would close-out his helmet goodbye to Charles by saying Thanks for Everything.

Respiratory concerns are likely beginning for Lewis Hamilton after contracting Covid-19 in Bahrain before December 1st. Formula One’s most influential & statistically greatest driver was sustaining mild conditions on December 4th. However, updated information from Mercedes Team Boss Toto Wolff indicates that symptoms have worsened & Hamilton’s state have passed mild.

Lewis Hamilton nears age forty, meaning immune systems are weakening. Fighting against the most prominent virus in decades isn’t easily managed for middle-aged adults. Athletic personalities near this age group have expressed the pain & discomfort associated with Covid, which is being proven with Hamilton in December 2020.

This marks the third driver in Formula One that’s contracted Covid-19, with Sergio Perez being the first & Lance Stroll being second. Confirmations were made by Team Boss Toto Wolff on December 1st, noting that Hamilton began isolating from Bahrain & would be transferred to Abu Dhabi via private helicopter. When questioned on the possibility of Lewis Hamilton competing in the last Grand Prix for Formula One’s 2020 season, Toto Wolff appeared hesitant to make any promises.

December 4th saw Toto Wolff indicate that Lewis Hamilton would have to heal from Covid-19 & pass two consecutive tests with negative results before being permitted for competition. When accounting that Hamilton’s condition worsened over the nights of December 4th to 5th, Toto Wolff suggesting it’s feasible for Lewis to return is unlikely. This means that replacement driver George Russel would compete for Mercedes in the final two races.

No More Lewis

Sentiments from Wolff noted that multiple athletic personalities have struggled to overcome Covid-19, sustaining their infections for prolonged periods & being unable to compete in their respective sport. Lewis Hamilton could be a similar situation, which is horrible for the seven-time champion upon contract renewal. George Russell performing at Hamilton’s level could ruin all bargaining incentives that Lewis sustains. More & More, it appears Lewis Hamilton won’t drive in 2021.