Formula 1 Tag

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 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 Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The car launches for the 2018 Formula One season are in full swing, with Scuderia Ferrari the latest to join in the action with Thursday’s showing of the SF71H. The Italian manufacturer took the covers off of their latest creation, which also happens to be their 64th challenger designed and produced for the F1 championship. At first glance, the most noticeable thing to stick out is the traditional red livery, which is a change from the white/red and black/red combo from its predecessors. Improvements are featuredRead 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 Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Aston Martin Red Bull Racing has unveiled their challenger for the 2018 Formula One season – the RB14. Along with the mandatory halo, the car is seen with a unique livery of blue and silver on a dark blue camouflage-type concept, which is distinctly different from the traditional red and dark blue colors. However, the team reaffirmed it is a “special edition” and the primary livery will be presented at preseason testing in Barcelona next week. Other differences can be seen with the sidepods, which areRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Williams became the second Formula One team to showcase images of its 2018 car, with the launching of the FW41. The newest challenger has substantial changes to the 2017 version – FW40 – with updated sidepods, barge board and sleeker engine cover. Overall, the new aerodynamic focus is one that brings hope to challenge the likes of Force India and Red Bull Racing in the constructor’s standings, having finished fifth last season. The full team release can be seen below. — WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING has revealedRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Haas became the first team to unveil its challenger for the 2018 Formula One season, with rendering showcasing the VF-18 on Wednesday. In addition to the halo, the evolution of the new car is also without the shark fin, which was on its predecessor but banned for the upcoming season. Guenther Steiner, team principal of Haas F1 Team, stressed the focus of implementing the halo, while also creating a more stable platform. “The biggest part of the car’s evolution was the addition of the halo,” saidRead More