Formula 1 Tag

By FIA Lewis Hamilton went quickest in the first practice of the new season, as the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship campaign got underway in Melbourne. The defending champion beat Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas by over half a second as running got underway at the Albert Park circuit, with Max Verstappen a further two tenths of a second off the pace. With the temporary circuit lacking grip, teams played a waiting game in the early stages and more than 20 minutes before Williams rookie set the first timed lapRead More

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 After more than three years at the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, Laurent Mekies, FIA Safety Director and Deputy to the F1 Race Director, is to leave the Federation. Mr Mekies joined the FIA in October 2014 as Safety Director, being responsible for all Safety and Medical matters for the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile across all its Championships, as well as R&D and homologation activities for both track and road. At the start of 2017 he was appointed Deputy F1 Race Director in addition to his existing duties. InRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The 2018 Formula 1 season is upon us with the Australian Grand Prix just under two weeks away. One of the more compelling stories of the offseason is that of Robert Kubica. The Polish driver returns to F1 in a reserve role with Williams as he continues his remarkable comeback. Our friends from Mobil 1 The Grid have brought together a highlight of Kubica as he readies for a new role this season. Video Credit: Mobil 1 The GridRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor 2019 will see a revamped Formula 3 Series enter the scene by joining Formula 2 as part of the Formula 1 support race schedule. Currently much of the younger, global talent with their eyes set on F1 is divided between the numerous national or regional F3 series and the newer GP3 series. Many of the smaller F3 series will carry one, but GP3 will disappear as the FIA continues its mission to streamline the path to Formula One. In 2019 the new F3 series complete withRead More

By FIA Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest ever lap of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to top the timesheets on day two of the second pre-season Formula 1 test at the Spanish track. The Red Bull Racing driver used Pirelli’s new hypersoft compound to post a time of 1:18.047 that beat Felipe Massa’s 2008 record. It was also good enough, on the day, to eclipse world champion Lewis Hamilton by over three tenths of a second. Hamilton had led for most of the morning session and set his quickest time onRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team has announced that Tatiana Calderon has been placed as a test driver for the 2018 Formula 1 season. The 24-year-old Colombian was a development driver with the the Switzerland-based squad in 2017 prior to the newly promoted role. Her new responsibilities will include training sessions in the simulator and “coaching with engineers both on-site during several GP weekends, as well as at the team’s headquarters.” In addition to being a test driver, Calderon is also taking part in the GP3 SeriesRead More

By FIA Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time of the opening day of the second and final pre-season test ahead of the 2018 FIA Formula 1 season, edging Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas by just two hundredths of a second. Bottas made the early running on a busy morning for 2018’s expected front runners, putting in 86 laps on his way to a best time of 1:20.596, set on soft compound Pirelli tyres. However, he was deposed from top spot shortly before lunchtime when Vettel logged a lap of 1:20.396 using mediumRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Aston Martin Red Bull Racing pilot Max Verstappen is coming off an eventful 2017 Formula 1 season, which featured peaks of two wins and valleys of several retirements. With a new season comes new hope and the 20-year-old Dutchman is looking for more success entering his fourth year. Our friends from Mobil 1 The Grid have featured Verstappen previewing the upcoming season. Video Credit: Mobil 1 The GridRead More