All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Frederic Vasseur helped lead Renault Sport F1 back onto the grid in last season, but unfortunately, the two have decided to part ways prior to 2017. The Frenchman worked alongside Renault F1 chief Cyril Abiteboul with restructuring and recruitment for long term vision. Vasseur was promoted to team principal midway through the season as Abiteboul moved to the factory with a focus on overseeing the operation. The team released a statement on the departure, citing it as a “mutual agreement” and that there is no changeRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Team Pelfrey announced that it has re-signed TJ Fischer for the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. The 23-year-old found himself on the second ladder of the Mazda Road to Indy after running the first part of the season in USF2000 – moving up to replace the departing Weiron Tan in the third car. Of the final nine races, Fischer scored top six finishes in seven of them. “It is with great excitement that we welcome TJ back to Team Pelfrey. Not only isRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams that fly under the Toyota umbrella will have a new look once the season kicks off at Daytona International Speedway next month. The manufacturer revealed its 2018 Camry at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and announced the race version will begin use for the 2017 season. “The 2018 Toyota Camry NASCAR race car has been years in the making, and to unveil it simultaneously with our new production Camry is a milestone moment for our organization,” saidRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief It has been confirmed by McLaren that engine supplier Honda will bring in a redesigned power unit for the 2017 Formula 1 season. The Japanese manufacturer returned to the sport in 2015, scoring a woeful 27 points as McLaren-Honda only managed to finish ninth in the constructors’ standings. However, 2016 saw a dramatic improvement as the Woking-based team scored 76 points and finished sixth in the constructors’ standings with Fernando Alonso finishing fifth on two occasions (Canadian Grand Prix, U.S. Grand Prix). The team’s technical director,Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief It has been announced that Garth Rickards will join Carlin for the 2017 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season. The 24-year-old American competed in USF2000 the past two seasons, competing in 2015 with Team Pelfrey before switching to Pabst Racing for 2016 and going on to capture a podium at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The jump up to Indy Lights means that Rickards will skip the Pro Mazda Championship – the second step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder. “To say I am excitedRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The dominoes continue to fall as now Renault have confirmed the launch date for their 2017 Formula 1 machine for February 21. In what feels like a contest of ‘who can show it off first,’ the French manufacturer’s date is three days ahead of Ferrari, two ahead of Mercedes and one ahead of Force India. The team, which returned to F1 last season after taking over the Lotus F1 Team, finished 2016 with nine points en route to ninth in the constructors’ standings. The 2017 lineupRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Bernie Ecclestone doesn’t appear to have a ton of faith in the current regime at Ferrari and says that the team should look outside of its Italian roots in order to find success once again. Despite having four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen, the Maranello-based squad failed to score a win in 2016, scoring just 11 podiums en route to third in the constructors’ standings. Under the leadership of Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene since November 2014, Ferrari have only managed toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Force India officially confirmed that it will reveal their car for the 2017 Formula 1 season at Silverstone on February 22. The team enjoyed its best season to date with a fourth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship, led by a pair of podiums from Sergio Perez and a best finish of fourth by Nico Hulkenberg  – both of whom finished among the top 10 in the driver’ standings. Hulkenberg has since moved on to Renault and Esteban Ocon will now drive the upcoming VJM10 alongside PerezRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Mercedes will officially launch the W08 Hybrid, their 2017 Formula 1 car, on February 23 at Silverstone. The reigning Constructors’ Champions unveiling comes a day prior to rival Ferrari running their new car for the first time at Fiorano. The overhaul of technical regulations will put a greater emphasis on the shakedown process for the teams when they go to Barcelona on February 27. The German squad will use the revealing for a filming day while at the British-based circuit. The team has yet to nameRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Roughly three months away from the start of the 2017 Formula 1 season and there is still just as much unrest as there was when Nico Rosberg announced his retirement just days after winning the championship in Abu Dhabi in late November. But uncertainty is a good thing. Now, it appears that longtime Williams driver Valtteri Bottas will finally get his shot with a top team as Rosberg’s replacement (although nothing has officially been confirmed). A variety of rule changes still have the teams looking atRead More