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By Steve Aibel, Senior F1 Writer With Formula 1 testing complete and the Australian Grand Prix just over a week away, there are some observations that can be inferred from the eight days the teams spent testing in Barcelona. This quick break before the first set of flyaway races gives time to evaluate testing and ask whether the results accurately reflect the running order for the 2016 Formula 1 season. Team by team, here are some thoughts going into Australia. Mercedes By far the class of the field, or are they?Read More

By Steve Aibel, Senior F1 Writer With 75% of pre-season testing complete, the paddock is voraciously checking items from their preparation lists to insure they are ready for the 2016 opener which is just over two weeks away in Australia. On Day 2 of testing, Valtteri Bottas led the time charts remarking that he is “feeling prepared and good in the car.” Bottas will hand over pilot duties over to Felipe Massa for the final two days of testing. Williams put the Fw-38 atop the leader board while in qualifying trim usingRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor American Formula One fans rejoice! Recent troubles that have put the US Grand Prix’s fate at stake may have been averted by a recent settlement. According to the Austin American-Statesman, Circuit of the Americas has reached a settlement with the Travis County Central Appraisal District that has lowered the 2015 appraised value of the circuit by over $180,000,000. The move, pushed for by COTA bosses since 2014 will see the track save millions of dollars in property taxes. Enough to recoup the losses from state funding andRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Every team running the new Lamborghini Huracan GT3’s in IMSA’s WeatherTech Sports Car Championship has been penalized for violating the Balance of Performance, or BoP rules in last months Rolex 24 at Daytona. The ruling comes as little surprise after the cars clearly outperformed their rivals in the GTD class, with lap times and top speeds so much better that competitors in other classes of the event even took notice. The advantage they held during the race turned out to be enormous; after pouring over theRead More

By Steve Aibel, Senior F1 Writer Here it is! The first 2016 Formula 1 livery debut comes from Red Bull. This new look highlights the transfer of title sponsorship from Infiniti to famed watch maker Tag-Heuer and has afforded an opportunity for Red Bull to create a new branding platform for 2016. The design more prominently features Red Bull and utilizes a matte finish in some areas. The new livery is not on a 2016 chassis which will be seen for the first time in the garage at Barcelona on theRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor McLaren-Honda protege Stoffel Vandoorne topped the time sheets today from Yas Marina in Pirelli’s 12 hour endurance test of its new ultra soft tire compounds. All ten teams tested several unmarked varieties of tire that may or may not become Pirelli’s go to pick for next years most agressive tire compound. The so called ultra softs will be used mainly on street circuits in a bid to decrease lap times, increase the number of pit stops and spice up the on track action. “Whether this willRead More

DANVILLE, Va. – It was a chance for the production-based GT classes to shine, and they didn’t disappoint in Sunday’s Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway. For Round 10 of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the Oak Tree Grand Prix – named for the massive oak that overlooked the south end of the 3.27-mile natural road course until it fell two years ago – the two Prototype classes had the weekend off, giving the spotlight to the GT Le Mans and GT Daytona cars. The overall and GTRead More

With the 2015 season nearing the half way point, how would you sum up the fourth year of the FIA World Endurance Championship so far? “We are very happy with the strong position of the FIA WEC after just four years but we are never complacent.  The championship is attractive to manufacturers, teams and drivers thanks to the stability of the sporting and technical regulations in place which allows strong competition and technical innovation.  We also have a strong calendar with events that are getting bigger and better each year,Read More

As one of only two female drivers racing full-time in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – the other is Prototype racer Katherine Legge – there’s something else to distinguish Christina Nielsen from the rest of the competitors in the GT Daytona class: With just three races to go, Nielsen sits atop the points for the season championship. And you’d think the fact that she’s all by herself in the points lead would be a good thing, as the next 14 drivers in the points are all tied with at leastRead More

Porsche has lost 35 manufacturer points in the GTD standings following a technical violation after Sunday’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. During post race inspection, IMSA officials discovered a front splitter that was not approved through the sanctioning body’s homologation process, a violation of IMSA rule 20.1.1, stating “Any aerodynamic modifications to the original vehicle (wings, diffusers, ducts, openings, vents, etc.) must be described on the Homologation Form and approved by IMSA.”. The part would have been legal had Porsche followed procedure. Porsche scored theirRead More