All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief A relationship rekindled in 2015 saw strong potential last season with Honda and McLaren. The Woking-based team finished the year sixth in points, with two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso scoring as high as fifth twice en route to 10th in the driver’s championship. Jenson Button finished as high as sixth in Austria, but a lack of consistent pace relegated him to 15th overall. A wild offseason sees Button take a leave away from the sport for 2017 and he is set to be replaced byRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Sahara Force India put in one of the better performances last year, coming in fourth in the overall constructor’s standings. The Silverstone-based squad witnessed two podiums by Sergio Perez, who outpaced his very consistent teammate, Nico Hulkenberg. With Mercedes power still a part of its program and gradual progression year-to-year, it isn’t far off the groupthink that Force India could soon be a consistent challenger for podiums every race weekend. Drivers                                                                                    No. 11 Sergio Perez (Mexico) No. 31 Esteban Ocon (France) Key Personel Team Principal /Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Scuderia Toro Rosso continues to inch its way up the grid and show flashes of becoming a real force within the sport. The Faenza-based team finished seventh in the constructor’s standings, all despite having to adapt to losing Max Verstappen to senior team, Red Bull Racing. However, the return of Daniil Kvyat began to pay dividends towards the end of the season, most notably at Singapore where he displayed a brilliant challenge to Verstappen. All things considered, returning Kvyat and the highly regarded Carlos Sainz Jr.Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Brand new to the grid in 2016, Haas F1 Team had an incredible year by several standards. The American group scored points in their debut race in the Australian Grand Prix with Romain Grosjean and paced to eighth in the constructor’s standings with 29 points overall on the season. As potential showed in several events, so did the lack of development as good outings became tougher as the year went on. However, one of the best debut campaigns in the history of F1 being the beginningRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Verizon IndyCar Series will take to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on Friday, instead of the previously scheduled Saturday. The 2.5-mile oval plays host for the first oval test of the season, with the session moved ahead by a day due to the likelihood of inclement weather on Saturday. A surprisingly quick turnaround for the series as it will come just three days following a full field test at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Chip Ganassi Racing will be represented by all four ofRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Sauber F1 Team will be hoping for a return to form in its 25th anniversary season competing in Formula 1, with the debut of the C36 as its challenger. With Manor now gone from the sport, many look to the Switzerland-based outfit as the cellar dwellers for 2017. Although the team is burdened with an older Ferrari power unit, the characteristics of the car matched with reliability from preseason testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya give reason to hope. Drivers                                                                                    No. 9 Marcus Ericcson (Sweden) No.Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief With a long off-season in the books and the official Formula 1 season starting in just days, Sergio Perez is ready to go. The 27-year-old Mexican enters his seventh season (fourth with Sahara Force India) and believes that Australia is the perfect location for everything to kick off. “The first race of the year is always good fun,” said Perez. “We’ve had a long winter to recharge the batteries, but now I just want to go racing again. Australia is the best place to start theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Max Verstappen has spoken out and believes Red Bull Racing’s newest creation, the RB13, isn’t quick enough to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari once they take to the grid for the Australian Grand Prix next Sunday. Preseason testing showcased the Milton Keynes-based squad underwhelming, still contending around fourth overall on speed, but considerably behind its rivals. “We still have to wait and see how good we really are,” Verstappen told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf. “Personally, I don’t think we can fight for the win at the moment. MuchRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Following a strong preseason, Daniel Ricciardo has tabbed Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel as likely contenders to dethrone Mercedes. The Red Bull Racing driver told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he is hoping the pace shown by his former teammate’s Italian squad is legitimate. “From the first test day, Ferrari made a very good impression,” Ricciardo said. “I hope they keep it up because it would be nice if someone could fight Mercedes. They’ve improved a little of everything and they also seem to be very goodRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief McLaren announced the return of Mika Hakkinen to the team in a multi-year deal as a ‘partner ambassador’ role. The two-time Formula 1 champion (1998-99) piloted 130 grand prix for the Woking-based outfit, scoring 20 wins. The 48-year-old Finn competed nine years under McLaren and expressed his pleased he was to return to his “home.” “I’ve always considered McLaren to be my home in Formula 1, and I still have an enormous place in my heart for everyone in the team,” said Hakkinen. “Of course, theRead More