Formula 1 Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Sauber F1 Team celebrates their 25 years in Formula 1 with an all-new livery on the C36 chassis – their 2017 challenger. Although he only just joined the Hinwill-based squad in January, new technical director Jorg Zander  pushed its development after replacing Mark Smith, whom began the car’s design but left in March last season. Powered by a year-old Ferrari engine which is likely to hamper its full potential, Zander put a bigger focus on the aerodynamics. “We put greater emphasis on aerodynamic stability as opposedRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Williams has surprised the F1 community by becoming the first team to reveal, albeit in the form of a rendering, their 2017 car. Dubbed the FW40 to celebrate the team’s 40th anniversary in the sport, the new car gives us our first glimpse at the effects of the 2017 rule changes. Most notable are the swept back front wing, possible s duct in the nose, larger bargeboards, and reshaped sidepods. It features a larger air intake, complete with a mini shark fin, a vastly different rearRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Williams has announced that it has signed former Ferrari chief aerodynamicist Dirk de Beer to be its head of aerodynamics ahead of the 2017 Formula 1 season. His time at Ferrari began in 2013, but de Beer revealed plans to leave Maranello last year and will now begin work with Williams on March 1. With time spent at Renault – then known as Lotus F1 – under the position of head of aerodynamics, he enjoyed his debut into the sport with Sauber following a stint workingRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor After Paddy Lowe’s shocking departure for Williams, Mercedes AMG Petronas has confirmed highly rated ex-Ferrari and Renault man James Allison will take the helm of technical director for the Silver Arrows. Allison brings a breadth of experience and is known as one of F1’s foremost experts on aerodynamics, something the 2017 regulations have put back in the spotlight. He worked at Benetton, Larrouusse, Ferrari during the Schumacher years, Renault during the Alonso years, Lotus during their brief resurgence with Raikkonen, and then Ferrari for the lastRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Haas F1 Teams has become the latest to announce the launch date of their 2017 car. The VF-17 will break cover in Barcelona on February 26th, one day before pre-season testing begins. Like its first car, the VF-17 is has been constructed in collaboration with famed Italian race car manufacturer Dallara, and features a Ferrari power unit. The strong combination pushed the team to points in their very first race, and helped them achieve a remarkable 8th place in the Constructor’s Standings. Lead driver Romain GrosjeanRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Red Bull Racing will keep us guessing till the last second and unveil the RB13, their 2017 challenger on the last day before pre-season testing: February 26th. One of the most anticipated Red Bull designs in years, the RB13 is widely expected to launch the Milton Keynes squad into championship contention against the all conquering Mercedes silver arrows if Adrian Newey can pull another gem out of his bag of tricks. We will quickly find out its spot in the pecking order as Daniel Ricciardo andRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor After Red Bull Racing pinched ExxonMobil from McLaren Honda in the off-season, the refreshed team from Woking has joined Renault in selecting BP and Castrol as their fuel and lubricant supplier from 2017 on. The move not only means that BP and Castrol are supplying two teams this season, but also that Red Bull and Renault will be using different fuel suppliers for the same engines. It will be fascinating to see which oil company gives their team an edge as power units will be evenRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief In only five months, the McLaren F1 team and CEO Jost Capito have officially split up. Formerly the head of Volkswagen’s motorsport efforts, Capito left to join the Woking-based team and worked alongside bosses Eric Boullier and Jonathan Neale – coming onboard at last year’s Italian Grand Prix. However, with former chairman Ron Dennis out and McLaren bringing in a new executive director in Zak Brown, the team elected to part ways with Capito. “Regrettably, we have not been able to find common ground with JostRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief It was just two weeks ago that Lewis Hamilton offered fans a chance to design his 2017 helmet livery and that number has closed at 8,000 entries. The three-time F1 world champion took to Instagram to showcase his excitement and announced that the winner will be picked in the days to come. F1 regulations call for a driver to run the same helmet design for the duration of the season, with a one-off special design at a race of their choosing. Wow, over 8,000…Thanks for allRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Toro Rosso will reveal its 2017 Formula 1 car, the STR12, on February 26 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Italian-based team will present the car on pit lane the day before pre-season testing begins, with Carlos Sainz being given the honor of as its inaugural pilot once testing commences. Both Sainz and Daniil Kvyat return for another season after helping score the team to seventh overall in the constructors’ standings in 2016. Toro Rosso will also be switching to current-year Renault power units, although it isRead More