F1 2016 Tag

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Despite their incredibly successful start to the season, Haas F1 Team plans to end development of the VF-16 sooner rather than later and switch their focus to the 2017 car. After becoming the first team to score points on debut since Toyota, Gene Haas is eager to allocate most of the new outfits resources into preparing for next season’s massive regulation changes which aim to bring faster cars, wider tires and the halo device. Other than some updates we have been working on, we are pretty much done withRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Formula One drivers have finally had enough. On the heels of some of the sports biggest stars criticizing recent moves by Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA, the GPDA: Grand Prix Drivers Association, has released a statement bashing recent decisions which jeopardize the future of the sport, like the recent qualifying fiasco in last weekend’s season opening Australian Grand Prix. According to GPDA chairman, Alex Wurz, the drivers have considered speaking up for some time, and it seems now is finally the moment. It couldn’t have comeRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Lewis Hamilton has claimed pole position for the Australian Grand Prix with a stunning 1 minute, 23.837 lap around the Albert Park circuit to reach career pole number 50. It was about the only true excitement of the session as F1’s controversial new qualifying format completely imploded. Q1 had barely begun and the field was immediately thrown into chaos as teams struggled to cope with the elimination countdown clock. Many drivers complained as they were on good laps, but the 90 second countdown clock nullified theirRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor The 2016 Formula One season is finally underway, down under in Albert Park. Despite the soggy start, the excitement of fans world wide cannot be dampened. Before the drivers lay down their cards for qualifying a few hours from now, I will make five bold predictions on some of the more exciting stories of the season. Without further ado…. 5. All teams will score points Gone are the days when a lovable back marker like Minardi could only pray for points. Gone are the days whenRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Sauber’s Technical Director Mark Smith has stepped down according to a press release from the team today. Smith previously worked in F1 for Caterham, Force India, Red Bull, Jordan and Renault. He joined Sauber to lead the technical department in July of 2015. His vacancy in Hinwil leaves Sauber’s Chief Designer Eric Gandelin as interim TD until further notice. Sauber’s statement is below. The Technical Director of the Sauber F1 Team, Mark Smith, has decided to go back to the UK for family reasons. He hasRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Formula One’s second pre-season test ended the way the first test began; with Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari firmly atop the timesheets. The German slapped a set of Pirelli’s super-softs in the morning session to post the fastest time of the pre-season with a strong 1:22.852 tour of Circuit de Catalunya. With Ferrari the quickest car on five of the eight days of testing, things near the sharp end of the field seem to have tightened between them, Mercedes and Williams. Vettel also ran the haloRead 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 With the benefit of Ferrari power for 2016, Red Bull’s ambitious junior squad thinks that it can take aim at the podium with its talented young drivers this season. Last season rookie sensations Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz moved the team up a notch in the pecking order and despite some rookie mistakes and bad luck, had some excellent drives, including two 4th place finishes for Verstappen, at Hungary and Austin. Last year’s STR10 marked 10 years since Red Bull bought out lovable F1 backmarkers MinardiRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor After playing it safe for the first Barcelona test, Mercedes opened up the second test by showing just what its new W07 chassis is capable of. Nico Rosberg had the morning’s testing duties and with a set of softs on the car he clocked a blistering 1:23.022 lap. His time just two tenths of a second behind Sebastian Vettel’s best lap of testing so far. The worrying difference there, is that the Ferrari did its time on the new ultra-soft compounds, the Mercedes set its timeRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Day three at Barcelona has been the most note worthy yet, with a large shakeup in the order that saw Nico Hulkenberg in his Force India top the time sheets ahead of Romain Grosjean in the new Haas VF-16. Hulkenberg ran quickest most of the day, progressing from medium on to soft and super soft tires, setting a time just 3/10th’s off Sebastian Vettel’s time on the ultra-softs from yesterday. Grosjean set his time of 1:25.874 on the soft tires, pushing the Haas VF-16 hard forRead More