Renault Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Renault announced changes within their aerodynamic department with eyes already on the 2020 season. The team reached a “mutually agreement” to part ways with immediate effect with Peter Machin, who previously served as the head of aerodynamics. In turn, Dirk de Beer, returns to the team and takes over the role after stops at Williams and Ferrari. Additionally, Vince Todd will serve as the deputy head of aerodynamics on an interim basis for the remainder of 2019 with the permanent replacement for next season to beRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Esteban Ocon is set to return to Formula 1 after signing a two-year deal with Renault, replacing Nico Hulkenberg for the 2020 season. The 22-year-old Frenchman will team alongside Daniel Ricciardo and moves over to the French squad after spending this campaign in a reserve role with Mercedes. However, after Mercedes opted to retain veteran Valtteri Bottas it allowed Ocon to be released for an opportunity to join Renault. Ocon has 50 F1 starts under his belt, with his most recent drive coming with Racing PointRead More

By FIA Charles Leclerc set impressive pace to go quickest on the penultimate day of F1 pre-season testing in Barcelona, with the Ferrari driver beating Toro Rosso’s Alexander Albon by more than six tenths of a second, with McLarn’s Lando Norris fourth fastest. Pierre Gasly took fourth place on the timesheet but the Red Bull driver’s session ended midway through the afternoon session when he crashed heavily in Turn 9. Gasly emerged unhurt from the incident but his RB15 was severely damaged in the heavy impact. “I’m fine. A littleRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Fourteen rounds done, seven to go, and since my first installment, there’s been so many changes across all 10 Formula 1 constructors and its 20 drivers. A few would-be contenders have gone by the wayside like Fernando Alonso and Red Bull, and others have flourished after a quiet or abysmal opening leg such as Kimi Raikkonen and Haas F1. We even saw a hot mess behind closed doors, resulting a new constructor and have so far been tremendous. In my latest installment of “Heptagon Viewpoints,”Read More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor After the shocking news that Daniel Ricciardo was bound for Renault in 2019, Carlos Sainz has been in desperate need of a seat for next season. For months there has been talk linking him to McLaren to replace Stoffel Vandoorne, but with Fernando Alonso’s huge announcement that he is leaving Formula 1 at the end of the season, it gave the Woking-based team the chance to snag Sainz quickly and they wasted little time in doing so. Sainz replaces his childhood hero and fellow countryman inRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Renault confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo has signed on with a two-year deal beginning with the 2019 Formula 1 season. The 29-year-old Aussie has been a fixture with Red Bull Racing since 2014, collecting seven wins over that time, including two thus far in 2018. He made his F1 debut with HRT in 2011 before spending the next two years at Scuderia Toro Rosso. Ricciardo will partner with Nico Hulkenberg and take over the seat occupied by Carlos Sainz Jr., who is coincidentally on loan from RedRead More

By FIA Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas went quickest in a rain-disrupted final practice for the French Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The Finn was one of a handful of drivers who completed a lap in mostly dry conditions at the start of a session that began under threatening skies. He set a time of 1:33.666, to head Renault’s Carlos Sainz by 1.2 seconds, with Sauber’s Charles Leclerc just over six hundredths of a second further back. Behind them, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was reporting drops of rain, though the GermanRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Fernando Alonso helped lead a McLaren return back to relevancy after delivering with a fifth-place finish in the Australian Grand Prix. The Woking-based outfit spent the previous three seasons backed by Honda power, but an offseason switch to Renault as the engine supplier has already seen a strong return with the team. The performance in the Formula 1 season opener matched McLaren’s best result since Alonso scored a fifth-place effort in the 2016 United States Grand Prix. The 36-year-old Spaniard started from 10th on the gridRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Pirelli has revealed the tire selections for Formula 1 teams ahead of next week’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The Italian manufacturer and exclusive tire supplier for F1 has added both the Hypersoft and Superhard compounds for 2018. However, the event at Albert Park in Melbourne will see the Ultrasoft, Supersoft and Soft rubber combinations, with each team allowed to choose 10 of 13 sets. McLaren, Mercedes and Williams have chosen nine sets of the Ultrasofts, while Ferrari and Renault have elected for seven. Renault, along withRead More

By FIA Kimi Räikkönen kept Ferrari on top of the timesheets as pre-season testing came to a close in Barcelona today, with the Finn using the hypersoft tyre to eclipse surprise second-place man Fernando Alonso by half a second. Third quickest was Renault driver Carlos Sainz. Ferrari ratcheted up the pace on the final two days of the test, with Sebastian Vettel yesterday claiming an unofficial circuit record with a lap of 1:17.182. And Räikkönen got close to that mark on the final day of testing, posting a 1:17.221 duringRead More