Formula One Tag

Max Verstappen went quickest in the second practice session ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, as Red Bull Racing turned a low key morning session into a headline-making afternoon outing with Daniel Ricciardo taking second spot. In the first session Verstappen finished in seventh position, behind Ricciardo. Part of the reason for that was Mercedes’ decision to run the supersoft tyre in FP1, while their rivals chose to stick with tradition and leave their performance runs until the afternoon. With Mercedes leaving the red-banded tyre alone in session two, theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Kimi Raikkonen remained unflappable in Thursday’s FIA press conference leading up to the Austrian Grand Prix, despite a mass of questions regarding rumors centering over his future at Ferrari. The 2007 Formula 1 champion’s contract with the Italian manufacturer expires at the end of the season. In the midst of a dogfight with Mercedes for F1 supremacy, neither Raikkonen or teammate Sebastian Vettel have won yet this season, with both amassing five runner-up finishes thus far. However, Ferrari president and CEO Sergio Marchionne warned that RaikkonenRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The organizers of June 19th’s upcoming European Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan have unveiled some of the newest photos and footage of the nearly completed circuit, including the first onboard film of the new track which winds its way through the historic streets of the capital city. The circuit features several very long straights, book-ended by 90 degree turns, but also features a very, narrow section that twists around a castle and some of the ancient city walls. This section will be the narrowest on theRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Over half a year since confirmation came that Pirelli would continue its role as the sole tire supplier for Formula One, contracts have been completed and plans are coming to fruition. Former Williams and Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado has served as tire tester for the Italian manufacturer as it researched potential compounds and constructions for the bigger, wider tires set to debut in 2017. Pirelli also confirmed that the first three teams to test the 2017 compounds will be the big three of Mercedes, Ferrari andRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The FIA is on the cusp of greenlighting the halo for F1 in 2017. The news comes on the heels of a meeting of the technical regulations working group which is in favor of Ferrari’s halo solution over Red Bull’s competing aeroscreen due to time constraints on the teams and the ease with which the halo can be added to the already well in progress 2017 designs. It is highly likely that the halo will be a stop-gap while an aeroscreen or canopy solution is workedRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor According to multiple sources, Formula One is on the verge of a major sponsorship deal with Dutch brewing giant Heineken. The details of which are set to be announced in a special Thursday press conference as part of the build up to next month’s Canadian Grand Prix. A leak to the Dutch media has all but confirmed the impending deal which is part of a massive push by the brand, which already has major sponsorship deals with titans such as the UEFA Football League and theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Following a successful test at Barcelona in Spain earlier this week, Renault is ready to push their upgraded power unit for the Monaco Grand Prix. Renault believed it was reliable enough during testing to warrant an early debut, having originally set the debut for the Canadian Grand Prix, the race following Monaco. By moving up the date, the French manufacturer will only be able to give one version to each of their two teams. Overall, the new power unit is expected to be 0.5s faster perRead More

Lewis Hamilton claimed his third pole position of the season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, finishing three tenths of a second ahead of championship leader Nico Rosberg as Red Bull Racing claimed row two on the grid ahead of Ferrari. Hamilton’s first flying lap of the final Q3 segment was marred by a big lock up into Turn 10 and the mistake left Hamilton with a time of 1:23. 277. Rosberg easily eclipsed that with his first lap, setting a clean-lap benchmark of 1:22.475. Hamilton’s early Q3 error also ledRead More

Nico Rosberg edged Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by just 0.126 to take top spot in final practice at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Ferrari’s Sebastian finishing third, just 0.147 adrift of title leader Rosberg. Rosberg’s best time, a lap of 1:23.078, came in the first half of the one-hour session. Both Mercedes drivers were early adopters of the soft tyre during the session and Rosberg quickly strode to the top of the times with his first laps on the yello-banded rubber. Hamilton’s early laps on the tyre were less successfulRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Welcome to our newest segment at Tribute Racing; Grand Prix Profile. The Grand Prix Profile, or GPP for short will be a look at each F1 venue, with a breakdown on its history and place in the sport. With the aim to give you a real glimpse at the heart and character of the many amazing places, the world’s most amazing sport visits. We begin in Spain, F1’s triumphant return to its European heartland comes early each May with the sports traditional visit to Circuit deRead More