Formula One Category

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer On the eve before the first on-track activity for the Rolex Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park commences, FIA Formula One Race Director Charlie Whiting, 66, passed away in Melbourne Thursday morning. In a statement released by the FIA, Whiting’s cause of death was a result of pulmonary embolism. FIA President Jean Todt sent his condolences to Whiting: “It is with immense sadness that I learned of Charlie’s sudden passing. I have known Charlie Whiting for many years and he has been a great Race Director,Read More

By FIA Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheet on the final day of pre-season Formula 1 testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Ferrari driver ended the day just 0.003s ahead of 2018 F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, as Mercedes at last showed some true pace. Vettel’s final day benchmark arrived in the morning session. The German bolted on a set of C5 compound Pirelli tyres shortly before the lunch break and posted a time of 1:16.221. Vettel’s day ended early, however. The German added 42 laps to his morning total ofRead More

By FIA Charles Leclerc set impressive pace to go quickest on the penultimate day of F1 pre-season testing in Barcelona, with the Ferrari driver beating Toro Rosso’s Alexander Albon by more than six tenths of a second, with McLarn’s Lando Norris fourth fastest. Pierre Gasly took fourth place on the timesheet but the Red Bull driver’s session ended midway through the afternoon session when he crashed heavily in Turn 9. Gasly emerged unhurt from the incident but his RB15 was severely damaged in the heavy impact. “I’m fine. A littleRead More

By FIA McLaren’s Carlos Sainz set the fastest lap of pre-season F1 testing so far on a day when Ferrari managed just one afternoon installation lap for Charles Leclerc following a morning crash involving Sebastian Vettel that sidelined the team for most of the day. Sainz recorded the best time of day two of this final pre-season test midway through the morning session. The Spanish driver used the C4 compound Pirelli tyres to a lap of 1:17.144s. As many teams focused on longer runs in the afternoon the time comfortablyRead More

By FIA McLaren rookie Lando Norris went quickest on the opening day of the second F1 pre-season test of 2019, despite twice stopping on track during the session. Norris first brought out the red flag with a little over 90 minutes left in the morning session when his McLaren was halted with what was later reported as a loss of hydraulic pressure. The British driver, who had completed 38 laps to that point, missed the remainder of the morning session but returned to the action after lunch. Late in theRead More

By FIA Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg set the fastest time of the first week of 2019 pre-season Formula 1 testing in Barcelona, beating Toro Rosso’s Alexander Albon by two tenths of a second. In the morning Albon maintained the hold on top spot established by Toro Rosso on day three, when Daniil Kvyat claimed that session’s fastest time, but this afternoon Hulkenberg moved well clear of the 1:17.637 to post a lap of 1:17.393. The time was the quickest of the opening four days of pre-season testing and like the Toro RossoRead More

By FIA Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat put in a superb late quick lap of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catlunya to run quickest on the penultimate day of the first Formula 1 pre-season test of 2019. With less than 15 minutes left in the session, the Russian driver bolted on a set of the softest Pirelli compound on offer this season, the C5, and delivered a lap of 1:17.704s to edge Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen by 0.058s. The Finn had held top spot since the morning session after setting a time ofRead More

By FIA After Sebastian Vettel topped the first day of pre-season F1 testing yesterday, new Ferrari recruit Charles Leclerc kept the Italian team at the top of the timesheets, finishing three tenths of a second clear of McLaren rookie Lando Norris. The session came to an early end for Pierre Gasly, however, when the new Red Bull Racing driver lost control of his RB15 and spun into the barriers. The French driver had spend most of the afternoon on short, data-gathering runs but as the final hour of the session nearedRead More

By FIA Ferrari began its 2019 Formula 1 campaign in style as Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheets at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya lapping almost four tenths second quicker than nearest rival Carlos Sainz of McLaren and posting an impressive total of 169 laps as testing got underway in Spain. Vettel’s table-topping time was set just before the lunch break, with the four-time champion registering a time of 1:18.161. At the time that was almost 1.8 seconds clear of nearest rival Sergio Perez of Racing Point. The time then served asRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Sauber Formula 1 team has officially been renamed Alfa Romeo Racing ahead of the 2019 season. The announcement comes after the Italian company elected to extend the terms of their title sponsorship deal with the team. Alfa Romeo initially signed a technical and commercial partnership with Sauber ahead of the 2018 campaign. Sauber, who have competed in the sport since 1993, will not undergo any change in ownership or management despite the rebranding. The team’s driver lineup for the upcoming season will feature Kimi RäikkönenRead More