All posts by Joey Barnes

Red Bull Racing will end its longtime relationship with engine supplier Renault, at the end of the season, according to AUTOSPORT. Since the introduction of the V6 turbo era in Formula 1, Renault has had an array of performance and reliability issues that has led to a tumultuous relationship with the Milton Keynes-based squad. Red Bull’s contract with the French manufacturer was set to expire at the end of the 2016 season, with long-standing rumors that the team could break the contract without penalty due to performance issues. Both DanielRead More

Nico Rosberg mourned the death of his engine which failed with just two laps remaining in the Italian Grand Prix while pursuing Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel for second. Mercedes spent all of its remaining engine tokens heading into Monza, but for Rosberg it mattered little as the German had to fall back on the old spec engine following issues with the new power unit prior to qualifying on Saturday. The engine Rosberg was forced to run with had been used in six full race weekends. “To have it explode two lapsRead More

Sebastian Vettel has called on F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to keep Monza on the series calendar amid rumors that the longtime home of the Italian Grand Prix could be dropped in 2016. The German finished second behind Lewis Hamilton at Monza, leading the charge for Scuderia Ferrari while teammate Kimi Raikkonen grabbed fifth. The uncertainty for over the future for one of F1’s most historic and prestigious venues as the host of the Italian Grand Prix has also put other tracks, such as Imola, back into consideration. Matteo Renzi, theRead More

Michael Shank Racing has revealed a tribute livery for the late Justin Wilson that is set to run at Circuit of the Americas at the next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The nose, along with the rear wing end plates of the No. 60 Ligier JS P2 Honda, has an image of Wilson’s helmet – the engine cover fin is decorated with the United Kingdom flag. Shank mentioned that the team will further the tribute to honor Wilson at COTA, which includes selling Wilson tribute shirts. Wilson droveRead More

Four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon is enjoying the race package at Darlington ahead of the Bojangles’ Southern 500. On a weekend when NASCAR is celebrating the days of old with retro-themed throwbacks to the 1970’s, Gordon is more focused on breaking into Victory Lane for his first win of the year and securing a spot in the Chase for the Championship. Gordon has seven wins at the historic ‘Lady in Black’ with the last one coming in 2007. Through much of the season (or the last several) GordonRead More

Team boss Eric Boullier has stated that McLaren “intends” to keep longtime F1 veteran Jenson Button for 2016. McLaren has an option on the 2009 world champion’s contract, but also has two youthful talents waiting in the wings in Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne. Both have made a case to be in a second car for McLaren, let alone another team on the grid, which is something Boullier and company might be entertaining. Similar to putting a player on loan in soccer, McLaren may put a transfer fee on theRead More

Reigning F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton does not believe Mercedes should not supply engines to Red Bull Racing. Red Bull Racing currently has a contract with Renault as its supplier till the end of 2016, but the team wants to expire that agreement a year early to the end of this season. Renault has struggled in Formula 1 since the inception of the V6 turbo era. With Lotus changing from Renault last season to Mercedes power this year – a move that saw the team grab its first podium inRead More

After facing a 105-place grid penalty at Spa-Francorchamps, McLaren braces for another rough weekend as they approach the ‘Temple of Speed’ for the Italian Grand Prix. In Belgium, Honda introduced an upgraded engine and brought into play two fresh power units. However, the decision to change power units once again in Monza is believed to be more of a strategic move to help increase the engine pool, instead of any technical issues. With the changes it means penalties once again for Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. Button will serve aRead More

Mercedes has decided to use all of its engine development tokens for the Italian Grand Prix. The German manufacturer had not improved its power unit at any event previously this season, but the move is believed to help them in the long run. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will start Monza with its third power unit of the season, and has added changes that take up the seven remaining tokens the team had left available. The decision to use all of the tokens at Monza was more about the developmentRead More

Williams has confirmed that it will retain Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas for the 2016 Formula 1 season. The team had an option on Massa’s contract to extend his deal for another year, with expectations being that the Brazilian would stay on for a third consecutive season. Bottas had been linked and considered the heavy favorite to Kimi Raikkonen’s seat over at Ferrari, but with the Italian team picking up Raikkonen’s option for 2016 much of the talk surrounding the Williams driver has been relaxed in recent weeks. The moveRead More