Verstappen’s meteoric rise in F1 took another trajectory when he won his first race with Red Bull in the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix as an 18-year-old, but further success was harder to come by in an era dominated by Mercedes.The 2017 rules reset kept Mercedes at the front, with Ferrari becoming the Brackley team’s most regular challenger while Red Bull’s Renault engine deal turned sour and a 2019 …Keep reading
In 2023, Norris is the more experienced driver in McLaren’s line-up as Piastri conducts his rookie campaign – having previously been partnered with Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo – which is a new experience for the Briton since he joined F1 in 2019.Although McLaren has started the current season off the pace compared to its desired performance targets thanks to its MCL60 car being too …Keep reading
Following flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region last week, F1 called off its Imola race weekend to create an impromptu break in the calendar.But F1 moves on to what would have been the middle leg of a triple-header, the iconic Monaco GP, which remains unchanged on the 26-28 May.The knock-on effect will mean almost all F1 teams will debut major upgrades in Monaco, and next weekend at the …Keep reading
Despite F1’s dramatic boost in popularity under owner Liberty Media, there has been some kickback from drivers about certain aspects of grand prix weekends.As well as some disapproval of the recent Miami pre-race entertainment show, F1’s switch to a sprint race format at several weekends has not been universally popular.Most recently, double world champion Max Verstappen suggested that if …Keep reading
But while we may have to wait a few more days to see some of those new parts in the flesh, the break does at least give us an opportunity to reflect on some of the interesting developments spotted so far this season.Here is a selection of the best technical images from the first five races of the year, courtesy of Giorgio Piola and Sutton Images. Alfa Romeo C43 technical …Keep reading
Formula 1’s inaugural visit to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in 1980 began an unbroken 27-year run on the calendar for Italy’s ‘other’ circuit, before it dropped off the schedule in 2006. But the onset of the COVID pandemic and an increased demand for European venues to meet F1’s required quota of events for 2020 prompted a return, with Imola proving a popular addition to the calendar for …Keep reading
McLaren parted ways with eight-time grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo a year before his contract was due to expire to secure the services of Piastri, who won the Formula Renault Eurocup (2019), FIA F3 (2020) and F2 (2021) titles on his climb up the junior single-seater ladder.While this season’s McLaren MCL60 has been hamstrung by excessive drag and is sensitive to changing balance when …Keep reading
His stint in charge has been beaten among current bosses only by Christian Horner, who started at Red Bull a year earlier, and while the Italian outfit hasn’t matched the sister team in terms of results, that was never the intention.Its focus has always been to train young drivers, and as such it helped to create two world champions for Red Bull in the form of Sebastian Vettel and Max …Keep reading
Autosport revealed ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix that Mercedes had hired former Red Bull COO and HR director Poole as a new special advisor.Her role was to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the current infrastructure at Mercedes and offer advice on where improvements could be made.As the German manufacturer continues its efforts to return to the front in F1, Wolff …Keep reading
The Miami GP has raised the bar in terms of off-track action, and November’s inaugural Las Vegas GP is expected to take things to another level.Steiner says that in the modern era, fans need to see more than just the Grand Prix itself, especially in the USA, where expectations are higher for those attending major events.“I think entertainment here got a lot better from the old days,” …Keep reading