The first example of this was seen in 1989 when Alain Prost hit Ayrton Senna on the first lap of the final race at Suzuka. While Senna carried on and won the race, he was disqualified for cutting the chicane and thus handing the championship to Prost. Twelve months later, at the same venue, Senna took redemption by deliberately crashing into Prost to win his first F1 championship.

While F1 took note of the incident, little was done to avoid further incidents, and thus, in 1994, things repeated with Michael Schumacher turning in on Damon Hill to clinch the championship by one point. Schumacher repeated this attempt on Jacques Villeneuve three years later, only to be disqualified from the championship for deliberately hitting another driver. These incidents forced then FIA president Max Mosley to intervene and set up rules to stop drivers from taking out each other. But two decades since the Schumacher incident, no driver has tried to put the rules to the test, barring the 2016 season when tensions were running high between teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, leading to multiple collisions through the season. But looking at the 2021 season, it seems like the rule will be finally implemented. The heated battle between Hamilton and Max Verstappen is through the roof, with the duo colliding on two occasions in the 2021 season. 

Coming into the 2021 season, things looked heated as Red Bull finally fielded a competitive car that is considered the best on the grid. On the other hand, affected by the recent rules change, Mercedes started on the backfoot during pre-season testing. With protagonists from both teams gunning to clinch the title, things began to heat up from the first race in Bahrain, where the Mercedes and Hamilton won the race after a close wheel to wheel battle with Verstappen. Determined to win the title, Verstappen and Red Bull adopted every tactic in the book to win the next round in Italy and swing the championship in their favour.

With Verstappen aiming for his maiden title and Lewis for his eighth, both drivers gave their 100 percent on the track, resulting in fantastic wheel-to-wheel racing in Bahrain, Imola, Portimao, Barcelona and France that was missing from F1 for over a decade. This close wheel to wheel racing has resulted in the championship swinging both ways, race after race. During the initial phase of the championship, both drivers raced with mutual respect. But just before the summer break, during round 10 of the championship at Silverstone, the rivalry took an ugly turn. Verstappen and Hamilton collided at the Corpse corner on the first lap of the race, resulting in a 51G crash that saw Verstappen spinning into the tyre barrier. This was the spark that ignited it all.

Following the crash, Lewis was handed a 10-sec time penalty which in no way affected the result of the race. In the end, Lewis won his eighth British GP and celebrated in style. This trigged Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who accused Hamilton of ‘dirty racing’. While the drivers refused to engage in a war of words, the team principals were going at each other. F1 went for its summer break, with Lewis leading the championship by just six points.

Coming back from the summer break, Verstappen won back to back at the Spa-Franco champs and at his home track in the Netherlands.

Just when the war of words had started to settle down and the championship had swung in Red Bull and Verstappen’s favour, the two championship rivals collided on lap 26 of the Italian GP at Monza. Frustrated by an 11.1-second pit stop which put him directly into Hamilton’s path, Verstappen was pushing hard on a fresh set of hard tyres. On lap 26, Hamilton pitted for a new set of tyres and caught McLaren’s Lando Norris and Verstappen at the pit exit. After letting Norris pass, Hamilton stuck to the racing line into the Variante chicane. Seizing the opportunity, Verstappen attacked to the outside of Hamilton. Not yielding, both drivers stuck to their racing lines and collided. The collision saw Verstappen’s car bounce off the sausage kerbs and pitched onto Hamilton’s car, clipping the rear wing and roll hoop of the Mercedes before landing heavily onto the Halo. Both the cars got beached in the gravel with one on top of the other.

A disgruntled Verstappen got off the car and walked away, blaming Hamilton for the crash. Talking post-race, Verstappen complained, “He kept on squeezing me to the left. I expected him to give me space going into turn 2, but he left me without enough road.” Reacting to it, Hamilton, said, “I left him a car’s width going into the first corner and I was ahead going into the corner. The next thing I know, Max was over me. He obviously knew at that point he wasn’t going to make the corner and drove into me.”

After the race, the stewards reviewed the incident and handed Verstappen a three-place grid drop for the Russian GP. The stewards found that Verstappen was never in front of Hamilton and hence was predominantly to blame for the collision. Reacting to the penalty, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff accused Verstappen of a tactical foul.

Verstappen will be ready for redemption at the Russian GP. Eager to bounce back from his three-place grid penalty and win at the Sochi Autodromo and break Mercedes dominance at a circuit that suits the Mercedes car the best. While the blame game continues, F1 pundits predict that the two title rivals will clash again before the end of the championship. With eight rounds left in the championship, Verstappen leads Hamilton by just five points. It’s all to play for in the championship, with either driver giving it their 100 percent.

With a three-place grid penalty to serve at a track that does not favour the Red Bull Car, will the Milton Keynes-based team opt to take engine penalty and push during the race with a new engine, or will they postpone the new engine for another race? Will Verstappen adopt a more polite approach towards his driving? Will the teams and drivers race fair with mutual respect? We have to wait and watch. But for the fans, this championship is an exciting one that will go down to the wire and enter the record books as the most entertaining season in the recent past. (TT)

Apollo Tyres Ltd has secured a one-season shirt-sleeve sponsorship agreement with AS Monaco, one of French football's most successful clubs, to increase awareness for its premium Vredestein brand.

This partnership will leverage Ligue 1's ranking as the fifth most watched football league in the world to raise awareness of Vredestein's award-winning products among a large audience in France and abroad. On November 22, AS Monaco's home league game against Brest will have the new sleeve branding for the first time. The Vredestein brand will be heavily promoted at Stade Louis-II for the 2024–2025 season, including on player sleeves and LED screens around the field. Exclusive social media initiatives will further help make the brand prominent, reaching a large and interested audience.

Yves Pouliquen, Vice President – Commercial, Europe, Apollo Tyres, said, “This partnership is an exciting opportunity to strengthen Vredestein’s presence in one of our key markets. AS Monaco’s rich history and commitment to excellence mirror our focus on performance and innovation. We look forward to building a successful relationship with the club and celebrating its achievements this season.”

Thibaut Chatelard, Marketing and Revenue Director, AS Monaco, said: “We are delighted to welcome Apollo Tyres and its Vredestein brand to the family of AS Monaco partners. This collaboration makes sense in view of the values we share, such as the constant pursuit of performance and excellence. There’s no doubt that this new support will be precious for the rest of our season, which promises to be thrilling.”

Nexen Tire, a leading global tyre manufacturer, has launched the Nexen N´Blue S tyre, adding to its range of summer tyres and providing drivers with advanced safety, energy efficiency and superior driving stability in wet and dry conditions.

Developed using highly dispersed silica and equipped with an optimised structural design, the Nexen N´Blue S tyre provides reduced road noise and improved driving stability. The tyre features an innovative tread compound, formulated with hydrophilic fillers and microstructure-controlled polymers, and provides lower rolling resistance and exceptional dry and wet grip. The tyre also excelled in test results by demonstrating an 11 percent improvement in wet braking distance compared to its predecessor.

Apart from providing excellent performance, the Nexen  N´Blue S also scores high on the sustainability index. The tyre provides an eco-friendly solution for environmentally conscious drivers by minimising fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The Nexen N´Blue S summer tyre is available in 58 sizes, which makes it compatible with different types of vehicles.

Kumho Tire Vietnam Co., Ltd. is all set to expand its investment project in Binh Duong province of Vietnam, with the phase 3 of expansion commencing in early 2025. This was discussed at a recent meeting between Vo Van Minh, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee (PPC), and Kim Hyun Ho, General Director of Kumho Tire Vietnam Co., Ltd.

The meeting was held on 13 November at the Administrative Centre of Binh Duong province, as per an official statement. Apart from the company’s investment till date and the planned investment for phase 3, the two also discussed about the challenges and obstacles regarding procedures and processes to have more land funds to expand the manufacturing plant, along with taking measures to tackle the obstacles. Kim Hyun Ho also conveyed to the PPC Chairman that Kumho Tire Vietnam Co., Ltd. belongs to South Korea's Kumho Tire Group and is currently ranked 10th in the car tyre manufacturing industry.

The company had invested in a tyre manufacturing plant in My Phuoc 3 Industrial Park in 2007 with a total initial investment of USD 308 million, which was supplemented by another USD 300 million in 2021. This extended the factory scale to six hectares and increased the production capacity to 12.5 million tyres annually. With the expansion in early 2025, the company will raise its total investment to USD 908 million and increase the factory's production capacity to 17 million tyres annually. The expanded capacity is expected to be operational by early 2026.

Yokohama-ATG, a leading manufacturer of all-terrain and off-the-road tyres, has expanded its Galaxy MFS 101 SDS range of forklift tyres with the launch of white, non-marking tyres.

The Galaxy MFS 101 SDS range consists of puncture-proof SDS tyres with extended wear limits designed for high-intensity working shifts and long durability. These are premium, solid rubber tyres developed for tough demands, a long service life and high driving comfort. The addition of white, non-marking tyres is specifically aimed at clean working environments.

Marked by a 3-stage construction process, the forklift tyres feature reduced heat build-up, effective shock absorption and minimised vibrations. The pattern design guarantees a smooth ride and good steerability thanks to its continuous centre lug and circumferential grooves. Furthermore, the flat walls and wide flat profile offer excellent stability when using a forklift for vertical stacking. The tyres are also equipped with anti-slip steel beads for improved rim fitment

In a case study on a CAT 2.5-tonne forklift that was used for handling heavy pallets on asphalt, the Galaxy MFS 101 SDS outshone the competitors with impressive performance. The tyre delivered an approximate 900 working hours before replacement against competitors’ 500 working hours.