Formula 1 Tag

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 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 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

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Formula One has announced the start times for the 2019 season, which stay relatively consistent to last year. The sport opted for later start times in 2018 in an effort to assist broadcast partners, starting events 10 minutes after the hour instead of on the hour like previous seasons. The biggest change on the upcoming schedule will be for the French Grand Prix, which will start at 3:10 p.m. local time versus the 4:10 p.m. time from last year that was made in an effort toRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The biggest open secret in the racing world has finally been confirmed. After Lance Stroll’s billionaire father Lawrence Stroll, the Canadian fashion magnate purchased Sahara Force India F1 Team and saved it from the brink of bankruptcy in August, everyone in the paddock has been waiting for the announcement that Lance would leave the beleaguered Williams outfit for his father’s new team. That confirmation came today as the team announced that Stroll has agreed to a long term deal with the team and joins Sergio PerezRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Alexander Albon has been officially announced by Scuderia Toro Rosso as its second driver for the 2019 Formula One season. The 22-year-old British-born Thai driver partners alongside Daniil Kvyat, who spent this year as a development driver with Ferrari after spending the previous five seasons under the Red Bull umbrella. Albon captured four wins en route to third in the Formula 2 championship, finishing behind titlist George Russell and runner-up Lando Norris, both of whom were also recently announced for 2019 seats at Williams and McLaren,Read More

By FIA Lewis Hamilton signed off on his title-winning 2018 FIA Formula 1 campaign in style by taking a controlled and composed 11th win of the season ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen. The final race of the season ended with Hamilton and Vettel joining McLaren’s Fernando Alonso for a series of tyre-smoking donuts on the start-finish straight to celebrate the Spanish two-time champion’s final race as a Formula 1 driver. Earlier, at the start, Hamilton got away well from pole position to claim the leadRead More