All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Williams has announced that it has signed former Ferrari chief aerodynamicist Dirk de Beer to be its head of aerodynamics ahead of the 2017 Formula 1 season. His time at Ferrari began in 2013, but de Beer revealed plans to leave Maranello last year and will now begin work with Williams on March 1. With time spent at Renault – then known as Lotus F1 – under the position of head of aerodynamics, he enjoyed his debut into the sport with Sauber following a stint workingRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief An enjoyable ride has come to an end in the Verizon IndyCar Series for KV Racing Technology. The team confirmed on Thursday via a release that it has officially closed its doors and will support Juncos Racing, as team owner Ricardo Juncos seeks to move up to IndyCar after several seasons spent in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires. “I want to thank all those who have written to express their appreciation of the efforts of KV Racing Technology during the last 14Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief AVONDALE, Ariz. – Finally, Indy cars are back on track! The Verizon IndyCar Series started the 2017 season on Friday with testing at Phoenix International Raceway with some welcomed surprises that put optimism in effect for the year to come. Some new faces in fresh places, but maybe none more exciting than Josef Newgarden taking to the 1-mile oval in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet. He finished P1 on the scoring pylon in the year’s first test session during the afternoon at 190.129 mph, butRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief In only five months, the McLaren F1 team and CEO Jost Capito have officially split up. Formerly the head of Volkswagen’s motorsport efforts, Capito left to join the Woking-based team and worked alongside bosses Eric Boullier and Jonathan Neale – coming onboard at last year’s Italian Grand Prix. However, with former chairman Ron Dennis out and McLaren bringing in a new executive director in Zak Brown, the team elected to part ways with Capito. “Regrettably, we have not been able to find common ground with JostRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief It was just two weeks ago that Lewis Hamilton offered fans a chance to design his 2017 helmet livery and that number has closed at 8,000 entries. The three-time F1 world champion took to Instagram to showcase his excitement and announced that the winner will be picked in the days to come. F1 regulations call for a driver to run the same helmet design for the duration of the season, with a one-off special design at a race of their choosing. Wow, over 8,000…Thanks for allRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Toro Rosso will reveal its 2017 Formula 1 car, the STR12, on February 26 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Italian-based team will present the car on pit lane the day before pre-season testing begins, with Carlos Sainz being given the honor of as its inaugural pilot once testing commences. Both Sainz and Daniil Kvyat return for another season after helping score the team to seventh overall in the constructors’ standings in 2016. Toro Rosso will also be switching to current-year Renault power units, although it isRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Lance Stroll believes he is ready to learn what it takes to compete in his debut Formula 1 season and embraces having veteran Felipe Massa to lean on as a teammate at Williams F1. The 18-year-old Canadian blitzed European Formula 3 with 14 wins in 30 starts en route to the championship with Prema Powerteam. The incoming rookie looks to Massa as a ‘mentor’ as prepares for the start of the season on March 24-26 in the Australian Grand Prix. The team took to Twitter withRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Newly-signed Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen displayed his eagerness to begin work with the American outfit in a video created by the team. The 24-year-old Dane spent last season with Renault, turning down a one-year extension with the French factory team and instead opting to sign a multi-year agreement with Gene Haas’ Formula 1 team. Magnessen apparently showed up prior to the doors opening at the Kannapolis, North Carolina shop, but once in he was ready to sharpen pencils, make copies and … watch Netflix. Clearly,Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Manor F1 team will not return to the Formula 1 grid in 2017 after failing to find a buyer upon falling into administration. Just Racing Services Limited, the operating company of the Manor F1 program, ceased trading just five days following Formula 1 going under new ownership. The deadline for a new buyer – despite attracting some interest – has come and gone, which left FRP Advisory no choice but to shut the program down due to “no sustainable operational or financial structure in placeRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Renault announced that it will be switching fuel suppliers to BP/Castrol for the 2017 Formula 1 season. The French outfit had been involved with Total, but upon weighing options with its involvement decided a move was necessary. Jerome Stoll, president of Renault Sport Racing, is “proud” to help return the tradition of the fuel and lubricants company to the sport of F1. “The return of BP and Castrol, brands with such strong heritage in motorsport, is very good news and opens new opportunities for our FormulaRead More