Formula 1 Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief A return to Manor was in the mix for Rio Haryanto, but recent events have put a major hit on a chance for a race seat for the 2017 Formula 1 season. The 23-year-old Indonesian’s main backer Pertamina, a state-owned oil and natural gas corporation, has decided to pull its sponsorship, leaving the country’s first F1 competitor without substantial funding for next season. “This year there will not be a continuation of participation by Pertamina in F1,” spokeswoman Wianda Pusponegoro said in a statement. “Of courseRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The 2016 Formula One season will go down in history as one of the most surprising, and unique in recent years. It will be known for Nico Rosberg’s epic battle with Lewis Hamilton, for Max Verstappen’s rise at Red Bull, for the retirement of beloved veterans, and Rosberg’s willingness to walk away from the sport having won his only world title. Here are our top five moments of the year. 5. Retirement Announcements Beloved veterans Jenson Button and Felipe Massa shocked the sport by announcing theyRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Toro Rosso is looking to rebrand its Renault power unit for the upcoming 2017 Formula 1 season. The Italian-based squad is moving from Ferrari as its main supplier to the French manufacturer next season in an effort to be as similar to its senior team – Red Bull Racing, whom reached an agreement with Renault for 2016 to re-badge the power units under the TAG Heuer name. Franz Tost, team principal for Toro Rosso, recently told Gazzetto dello Sport that his team aims to follow theRead More

*Editor’s Note: The Motorsports Tribune Formula 1 and IndyCar team got together for a round table discussion following the retirement of World Champion Nico Rosberg less than a week after the F1 season officially ended. They give their thoughts over six topics as we enter a most interesting off-season.  QUESTION 1: With Nico Rosberg’s surprise retirement from Formula 1 just days after capturing his first title, what will be his legacy? JOEY BARNES, (Editor-in-Chief): The retirement was absolutely staggering, so much so that he could be remembered more for thatRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Romain Grosjean admitted that advancing to Q3 was unexpected for himself and the Haas F1 Team en route to qualifying seventh for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. The 30-year-old Frenchman expressed his satisfaction in returning to the final round of qualifying for the first time since the Japanese Grand Prix. “It’s good to be back in Q3, especially after the last two races where we were out in Q1 and really struggling,” Grosjean said. “Here we’ve been trying some new brakes, focusing on making them work asRead More

Lewis Hamilton took his 60th career pole position at Interlagos, edging Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by a tenth of a second. Kimi Raikkonen was third for Ferrari, ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and the second Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. Vettel was in trouble ahead of qualifying, with Ferrari hard at work in the garage in the minutes leading up to Q1 as they worked on his car’s brake system. There was no sign of the German as the session got underway and a stream of cars headed onRead More

Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheet in opening practice for the United States Grand Prix, running three tenths quicker than team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg. Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull. Hamilton’s best time was set on the soft tyre after both he and Rosberg spent the early part of the session on the supersoft Pirelli compound, which is making its first appearance at the US Grand Prix this weekend. Verstappen, meanwhile, set his best time on the medium tyre, which in part accounted for his being almost twoRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Kimi Raikkonen discussed the layout of the Circuit of the Americas, home of the United States Grand Prix, and admitted the design allows for great racing. The 3.427-mile, 20-turn permanent road course has been hosting Formula 1 since 2012 and has become a favorite among teams and drivers with its steep uphill opening corner, a mix of fast-flowing corners, continuous elevation changes, long straightaways and a triple-apex right hander to go along with a few heavy braking zones. In four attempts at the Austin-based track, theRead More

Nico Rosberg made it three sessions from three as he added top spot in final practice for the Japanese Grand Prix to the fastest times he set in both Friday sessions. The championship leader finished FP3 three tenths of a second clear of Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo as Lewis Hamilton ended the session in seventh place after failing to get in a clean lap in the final stages on a crowded track. Rain overnight and in the morning left the Suzuka circuit greasy and low on grip and theRead More

Lewis Hamilton beat Nico Rosberg to the top of the final practice timesheets in Monza, with the championship leader finishing almost four tenths of a second clear of his Mercedes team-mate. Rosberg was the first of the Mercedes pairing to show his hand in qualifying trim during the session, posting a time of 1:22.401 with 20 minutes left on the clock. His spell at the top of the order didn’t last long, however, as Hamilton was across the line moments later with a time of 1:22.008. It would remain theRead More