F1 2018 Tag

By FIA It’s strong enough to support the weight of two African elephants and sturdy enough to deflect a large, full suitcase at a speed of 225kph. So how is motor sport’s new Halo device made to withstand such forces? It all starts with titanium. Lots of titanium. “We had to buy about 10 tonnes of high-strength titanium within one-and-a-half months, and receive it all in time and in perfect quality,” says Steffen Zacharias of Germany’s CP Autosport, one of the three manufacturers chosen by the FIA as official suppliersRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor When ESPN won the contract to broadcast Formula 1 in the United States after NBC decided not to renew their contract, it caused a media sensation. What would be their plan to handle the broadcasts, would they poach NBC’s commentary team, or create their own? What the ABC and ESPN Execs decided on however was an entirely different solution, and one that precipitated the F1 streaming app, ESPN will use Sky F1’s team on the world feed. Now we have ESPN’s television broadcast schedule for theRead More

By FIA Fernando Alonso posted the only timed lap of the day as snow and then heavy rain turned day three of Formula 1 testing in Barcelona into a wash-out. Overnight snow and freezing temperatures led to a long delay in the morning but the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was eventually declared fit for running at midday. However, persistent rain throughout the afternoon meant that few teams ventured out on track. Alonso completed the most laps, with 11, and the McLaren driver claimed the timesheet honours for the day with theRead More

By FIA Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time of day two of the first pre-season Formula 1 test in Barcelona, outpacing Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas by three tenths of a second. McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne finished third on the timesheet a further three tenths back. The day began in muted fashion as overnight snow and rain meant conditions were tricky early on and many teams avoided significant running before the halfway point of running. One of those was Red Bull Racing, with the Milton Keynes team being restricted to the garageRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Liberty Media’s most exciting change for Formula One, the new over-the-top streaming service set to debut soon has been dubbed F1 TV. The announcement made today broadly outlines the two tiered program, its features and key markets for 2018. The top program will be called F1 TV Pro, it will feature live, commercial free access to all races, qualifying and practice sessions. Including access to onboard cameras for all 20 drivers. It will also give viewers access to press conferences, support races, archival footage and otherRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Williams title sponsor Martini will end its association with the team and Formula One at the end of the 2018 season according to a Team Principal Claire Williams, who confirmed the news today from the pit lane in Barcelona. Martini made its much celebrated return to Formula One with the British team in 2014 and since then they have enjoyed massive returns on their investment, and helped create one of the best liveries in recent history. It was the first time Martini’s iconic stripes had been seenRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The 2018 Formula One season is finally upon us. After the long winter break, all 10 teams hit the track this morning at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. While the full picture of who is competitive, who has got it right, and who has got it wrong won’t fully form till the end of testing next week, there are meaningful things we can gleam just from breaking down the first day’s running. The biggest caveat in doing so are two variables that made today’s runningRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor McLaren debuted their new 2018 Formula One car today, the MCL33, which represents a fresh start for the brand with Renault power after three seasons of misery with Honda power unit failures. To symbolize this new beginning the car makes a bold return to McLaren’s classic papaya orange color, a nod to company founder Bruce McLaren, who proudly painted his cars in the standout color during the team’s early years of the 1960s. The car is a clear evolution of the MCL32 that came before it,Read More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Alfa Romeo Sauber have unveiled their 2018 challenger – the C37. Featuring a bold livery combining the classic white of Sauber and the deep red of Alfa Romeo, the car is a clear departure from last year’s woefully uncompetitive C36. In fact, of all the 2018 cars unveiled so far – Haas, Williams, Red Bull, the Sauber vies with the Williams for most radically overhauled. “The car philosophy is much different to that of the C36,” said Joerg Zander, technical director of Alfa Romeo Sauber. “TheRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Just a week after banning the use of grid girls from 2018, Formula 1 has unveiled their replacement and have come up with the perfect solution; grid kids. Instead of scantily clad ladies, kids will now get to experience the joy of the Grand Prix starting grid alongside their heroes. Most of the grid kids will be younger racers from karting or junior formulas. The youngsters will be selected by the local and regional motorsport associations to join not only the F1 drivers on the grid,Read More