Formula One Category

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Bernie Ecclestone is no longer the chief executive officer of Formula One. His four decade reign atop the sport has come to an end, confirmed by Liberty Media naming Chase Carey as his replacement. Ecclestone who saw the writing on the wall, stepped down graciously and released the following statement. “I’m proud of the business that I built over the last 40 years and all that I have achieved with Formula One, and would like to thank all of the promoters, teams, sponsors and television companiesRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor A day after Liberty Media’s shareholders approved the plan to purchase the remaining shares of Formula One from CVC Capital Partners, the World Motor Sport Council and the FIA have approved the sale in full during their meeting today in Geneva. Liberty Media representatives held a special presentation on their plans for F1 with the WMSC representatives and participated in a Q&A session before the deal was unanimously approved. The FIA released the following statement on the historic deal. “The World Motor Sport Council has unanimouslyRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The F1 powers at be have granted an extra pre-season test day for Pirelli to develop their wet weather compounds for 2017. This comes after the company put in a request to the teams and the FIA to further develop the full wet tires before the season begins in March. It is understood that one of the 2015 mule cars developed by Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari will be used at a two day test at a so far unspecified location, likely Paul Ricard. The testRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor McLaren dropped a big hint with the teaser poster for their car unveiling this season. It’s orange and black theme is believed to indicate a return to the firm’s classic papaya orange livery, famously introduced by company founder Bruce McLaren. The iconic orange hue has often been used as a testing livery for the team, such as the case of Pedro de la Rosa’s car above. It has also been used for special edition road cars like the F1 LM that celebrated the team’s victory atRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor There is a reason Toto Wolff is so happy Valtteri Bottas has finally signed for Mercedes. Consequently, there is a reason Claire Williams is so happy Felipe Massa is back with her team as Bottas’ replacement. Teams with experienced veterans are rejoicing ahead of the 2017 regulations because they know that experience will count more than ever before. It is not unusual for cars and teams to be pushed to their breaking point during the debut season of major rule changes, but 2017 is going toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Mercedes announced Monday that Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg has accepted an ambassador role with the team. Rosberg, 31, retired just days after capturing his first F1 title in a thriller at Yas Marina Circuit in November. The news comes on the same day that the team confirmed Valtteri Bottas as his replacement alongside Lewis Hamilton, moving over from Williams. The German has made no plans to compete in any form of racing in 2017, but the team confirmed the role and stated that his firstRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief McLaren has set the launch date for its 2017 Formula 1 machine for February 24, three days prior to pre-season testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. The Woking-based team made the announcement via Twitter and becomes the fifth team to confirm its launch plans. Honda, the teams engine supplier, has already announced plans to introduce an almost entirely designed power unit, which is rumored to be similar to Mercedes in that it could feature a split turbo with a connecting shaft going through the engineRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Sauber has announced that Pascal Wehrlein is set to drive alongside Marcus Ericcson for the 2017 Formula 1 season. Wehrlein is part of Mercedes junior program and had been one of the names in the mix for the seat at the Mercedes factory team that was recently vacated by recently-retired reigning world champion Nico Rosberg. However, the team opted to negotiate a deal with Williams to bring on Valtteri Bottas on a one-year flyer. The 22-year-old German marks the completion of every team on the gridRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Williams officially announced Felipe Massa is re-joining the team for the 2017 Formula 1 season. The 35-year-Brazilian’s return means that he will team alongside incoming rookie driver Lance Stroll, with Valtteri Bottas released to join Mercedes – also on a one year deal. Massa announced his retirement from F1 at the end of the 2016, but the shocking retirement of reigning world champion Nico Rosberg just days after winning the title opened up negotiations between Mercedes and Williams in an attempt to bring on Bottas. WilliamsRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Mercedes has finally announced that Valtteri Bottas as its driver for the 2017 Formula 1 season alongside Lewis Hamilton. Bottas replaces reigning world champion Nico Rosberg, who announced his shocking retirement just days after winning the title in a thriller in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 27-year-old Finn emerged as the favorite to replace Rosberg, but with a contract in place at Williams for 2017 it meant Mercedes had to negotiate a deal with the Grove-based outfit to release him for the upcoming season. ItRead More