Formula 1 Tag

Nico Rosberg set the pace in the first practice session ahead of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, taking top spot with 0.2s in hand over championship rival Lewis Hamilton. The winner of last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Rosberg continued his good form at high-speed Monza finishing over a second clear of his nearest non-works Mercedes rival, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. Ferrari are running an upgraded power unit for the team’s home race. Both Rosberg and Hamilton had been quickest on the supersoft tyre, but later in the session both men went quickerRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Formula 1 season returned from summer break last weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, and once again Ferrari was hit with a rough Sunday drive. Despite strong showings throughout the weekend, in which Kimi Raikkonen led FP3 and qualified a close third to polesitter and eventual race winner Nico Rosberg, the Italian squad had its race unravel at the opening corner of the Belgian Grand Prix. Expectations were high for both Raikkonen and teammate Sebastian Vettel, four-time and two-time winners of the event, but a controversial collision withRead More

Nico Rosberg closed the points gap to title rival Lewis Hamilton with a comfortable Belgian Grand Prix win but the championship-leading Briton limited the damage with a sparkling drive from P21 to third and a podium finish behind Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo. The race began in dramatic fashion. Rosberg made a good getaway from pole to take the lead but Max Verstappen making his first career front-row start began slowly from P2. He was passed by the fast-starting Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, but Red Bull driverRead More

Kimi Raikkonen topped the timeheets in final practice for the Belgian Grand Prix as he edged Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo by two tenths of a second at Spa-Francorchamps. Raikkonen’s Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel was third. Mercedes Nico Rosberg set the early pace with a lap of 1:48.880 set on soft tyres and that stood until almost the half way point in the session. Ferrari then sent both its drivers out on supersoft tyres and Raikkonen promptly jumped to the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:48.406. ThatRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Current McLaren-Honda driver and two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso is debating leaving the sport once his contract expires next season if the 2017 regulations fail to bring back enjoyment into grand prix racing. “I think in the last couple of years especially with this turbo engine era I think the car is a little different to drive,” said Alonso, in Thursday’s press conference at Spa-Francorchamps. “I don’t say that’s better or worse, everyone will have his opinion, I’ve been lucky enough to drive 2003Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Fernando Alonso will have to start from the back of the grid for this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix after requiring an engine change following first practice. The Spaniard suffered a water leak in the ERS in FP1 in the wake of Honda spent seven tokens for a major power unit upgrade that debuted at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The Mclaren-Honda F1 Team confirmed that the two-time Formula 1 world champion will need new ICE, MGU-H, MGU-K, turbo, energy store and control electronics. With it being Alonso’s sixthRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Much has been made of Haas F1’s inaugural season in Formula 1. From scoring points in their debut in the Australian Grand Prix with Romain Grosjean to remaining within striking distance of Toro Rosso and McLaren-Honda in the Constructors’ championship battle, the US-based squad led by team principal Guenther Steiner has enjoyed a strong amount of success early. However, with the summer break nearly over the team must decide what to do about its driver lineup for next season. Grosjean has scored an astounding four timesRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Esteban Ocon is set to make his Formula 1 debut in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Franchorchamps after being tabbed to replace Rio Haryanto at Manor for the remainder of the season. A winner of both the FIA European F3 championship (2014) and GP3 Series title (2015), Ocon has spent this year in a reserve role with Renault Sport F1 Team while also competing with Mercedes-AMG in DTM. “I’m thrilled that I’ll be making my Grand Prix debut with Manor Racing later this month, and atRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor After losing 7th gear in his Mercedes W07 late in the British Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg received specific instructions from the team in order to carry on to what became a second place finish. Before the end of the race it was announced that the stewards would investigate the situation as it appeared  Mercedes may have violated Article 27.1 of the Sporting Regulations, the sport’s new clampdown on pit to driver radio communications. The Stewards have determined that the team did break the rules and handedRead More

Lewis Hamilton narrowly beat Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to the top of the timesheets as practice for this weekend’s British Grand Prix to underway at Silvertsone. The session began with Sebastian Vettel taking to the circuit with a revised version of the Halo head protection device fitted to his Ferrari. The German ran with the new design on his installation lap before settling into his main work of the morning. That saw the four-time champion eventually take fourth place in the session with a time of 1:32.501, just nine thousandthsRead More