Formula 1

  1. The Frenchman has become the third partner in the semi-professional club that is based in the commune of Versailles, near Paris. It currently plays in the Championnat National, the third tier of the French football league system.Gasly will join the club as a joint shareholder alongside President Alexandre Mulliez, who is the grandson of the founder of the Auchan retail group, and his partner...Keep reading
  2. Having hoped that its new W15 car would help it make the leap to get within striking distance of Red Bull, its recent struggles in Saudi Arabia have served as a wake-up call about how much more work still needs to be done.But while the competitive picture did not look too good in Jeddah – as it found itself finishing behind McLaren and Aston Martin – the team feels that its true form is being...Keep reading

  3. Race strategy can make or break a race if the team does not make the right decisions for their cars. Most of these decisions are made on the pitwall by a small set of the team who then relay this information back to the drivers. 

    The pitwall is made up of several key figures in the team, including the team principal and the race engineers, who will all be looking to achieve the best...Keep reading
  4. Alpine was already braced for a low-key start to the season after a late concept change, which meant it had initially made a sideways step over the winter while its rival teams were full steam ahead with bringing improvements to their cars.But team principal Famin admitted the nature of its struggles in Bahrain were still a "shock", with Alpine effectively the slowest team on the 2024 grid, which...Keep reading

  5. The 2024 Formula 1 season is underway and soon fans will soon be able to experience this season’s action for themselves. EA Sports has revealed that they will release the 24th edition of the F1 game, giving fans the chance to compete in this year's grands prix.  

    The video game publisher is most known for some of the most popular sport games, including FC 24 (previously known as...Keep reading
  6. Hulkenberg carried his strong qualifying form from 2023 into the season opener in Bahrain, lining up 10th before falling to 16th in the race owing to a poor launch and damaging his front wing in a Turn 1 collision with Aston Martin racer Lance Stroll.Then in Saudi Arabia, the German climbed from 15th to score a point in 10th by going against the grain and not pitting during a safety car period -...Keep reading
  7. The current aero package, introduced in 2022, was intended to make it easier to follow and hence overtake than under the previous regulations.That initially proved to be the case but in the third year of car development drivers are reporting dirty air is increasingly becoming an issue and following is becoming harder once more.Mercedes technical director James Allison has questioned the focus on...Keep reading
  8. With a long-term contract that in theory committed him to Red Bull until 2028, and another dominant car underneath him, there seemed no reason for the Dutchman to be tempted elsewhere.But amid the power battle that has erupted within Red Bull for control of the F1 team amid the fallout from the Christian Horner investigation, the situation has changed a lot.The fears of Verstappen’s father Jos...Keep reading
  9. The reigning world champion team surprised rivals this year when, rather than going for a simple evolution of its dominant RB19 2023 challenger, it undertook an aggressive overhaul.That work appears to have paid off, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finishing 1-2 in the first two races of the season.Speaking about the motivation for the change, Red Bull’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan said...Keep reading
  10. Red Bull’s current advantage with its RB20 has opened up the prospect of it already looking certain to win the world championships this year, and potentially lock out every race victory.Off the back of a similarly dominant 2023 campaign, this has prompted fears that the popularity of F1 could suffer if a closer battle at the front of the field doesn't soon develop.While the inability of Red...Keep reading
  11. The return of ground-effect machinery in 2022, and the way that rear ride height is so critical to performance right now, means that teams are having to run cars very low and stiff.This means that conditions can get uncomfortable for drivers, and there have been regular complaints from a number of leading stars about the situation not being one that should be accepted for the long term.As the FIA...Keep reading
  12. While an eight-week long investigation into the matter regarding Horner’s behaviour with a female employee having concluded that there were no grounds to take action, the matter looks far from over.Multiple media reports have indicated that the female employee, who was suspended as a result of the findings of the investigation, has decided to go ahead and appeal the findings of the probe that...Keep reading
  13. Under stable regulations, the new season is bearing an awful lot of similarities to how 2023 finished. Behind the sovereign Red Bull, Ferrari appears second-quickest, retaining its qualifying pace but adding a huge step in race performance to leap clear of the chasing pack.After two rounds on vastly different circuits, the race between Mercedes and McLaren remains too close to call, with the...Keep reading
  14. In 2021, Simon-Chautemps called time on a 14-year stint in F1. But through his JSC7 consultancy he's still heavily involved in racing. He's lending his services to French team Sainteloc on its switch to single-seaters, as well as German race data provider Paceteq. In addition, he is involved in motorsport engineering recruitment and in public-speaking gigs on leadership.He has also been...Keep reading
  15. The 42-year-old is in his second season with Aston, having replaced fellow world champion Sebastian Vettel at the start of 2023.Krack says that Alonso continues to push the team in all areas, on and off the track. “We've seen that last year already when he joined,” he noted.“It's not only what he brings in terms of proven talent and racecraft - that, I think, we don't have to discuss. He...Keep reading
  16. While downforce remains an important factor, you will not get far these days if it comes with too much drag. The rewards are huge if you can deliver a car that is super strong in a straight line.Many of Max Verstappen’s successes have been built on the way in which either he is unpassable at the front or he can easily scythe his way through the pack, because of an inherent top speed...Keep reading
  17. The German manufacturer will arrive on the grid in 2026 with a works engine and chassis programme after initially buying a 25% stake in Sauber Motorsport early last year.There was speculation that Audi would stop at a 75% investment, which would be signed off much closer to 2026, but it has instead accelerated plans and voted for a full takeover.While this shores up the Swiss squad’s...Keep reading
  18. Oliver Bearman became one of the youngest drivers to start an F1 race when he made his debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The 18-year-old stepped in for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz as he withdrew from the race weekend due to appendicitis.  It meant Bearman became the 13th teenager to start an F1 grand prix, so who are the other 12 and how did they fare? Max Verstappen (17 years and 165...Keep reading
  19. McLaren came out of the gates much stronger in 2024 than it did 12 months ago, fighting Mercedes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia for the status of third-fastest team behind Red Bull and Ferrari.However, a Ferrari resurgence has prevented it from scaling its podium-winning heights of the latter half of 2023.It has, meanwhile, become clear that some of McLaren's legacy weaknesses have carried over, like...Keep reading
  20. Following a catastrophic 2023 season, which saw Haas finish bottom of the constructors' table, the team's American owner Gene Haas ran out of patience with the lack of progress and decided not to renew Steiner's contract.In his stead, Haas promoted former trackside engineering director Ayao Komatsu to the role as team principal, with Steiner returning to the paddock in the season opener in Bahrain...Keep reading
  21. The smaller rim size was under consideration largely as part of ongoing efforts by the FIA to reduce the overall weight of the 2026 cars.However, the change was opposed by Pirelli both for reasons of practicality and because of the potential marketing impact.F1 switched from 13 to 18 inches in 2022, mirroring the trend of the wider car industry, and a reduction is seen as a backwards step in terms...Keep reading
  22. The car has been plagued by bouncing, especially with low fuel in qualifying, while its weakness in high-speed corners relative to rivals was very apparent in Saudi Arabia.Shovlin suggests that the team will try different approaches at the upcoming Australian GP as it continues to hone the car."There's definitely data that we're picking through from Jeddah," he said."We're also looking at data...Keep reading
  23. The team’s headquarters will remain in Faenza, Italy, where it has been based since Minardi was founded in the late 1970s, but it will vacate the diminutive aerodynamics site in Bicester.This follows a switch for 2022 when RB, then competing under the AlphaTauri moniker, moved to using sister team Red Bull’s larger-scale wind tunnel.It is hoped that the improved UK infrastructure will attract...Keep reading
  24. Silverstone has featured many different guises down the years. But, in the eyes of Bertrand Gachot, who drove several of them while ascending the UK racing ladder, the British Grand Prix venue's core appeal has been successfully retained.A winner at the circuit in British Formula 3 in 1987, a Formula 3000 polesitter in 1988 and a points finisher in Formula 1, a key part of Gachot’s racing...Keep reading
  25. Leclerc opened his 2024 account with a first podium in last weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, one week on from team-mate Carlos Sainz also grabbing third in Bahrain.For Leclerc, who started from second behind polesitter and eventual winner Max Verstappen in both races, 2024 has begun on a more promising note compared to last year. He retired from the 2023 season opener and Ferrari's race pace...Keep reading
  26. The Australian was classified 16th in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, one spot behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda – who was tagged with a five-second penalty for an unsafe release.Ricciardo was stymied in Jeddah by a 41-second pitstop due to an issue fitting the rear tyres as the team attempted a double stack during a safety car period. He also spun late on at the opening corner and struggled to...Keep reading
  27. Hulkenberg was one of several cars to stay out under an early safety car in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, a strategy which backfired for McLaren's Lando Norris and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton as a necessary second safety car never materialised.Hulkenberg also needed to make a green flag pitstop, which would have normally dropped him out of points contention.But behind him, Haas colleague...Keep reading
  28. Issues over the partnership with Red Bull and RB, the former AlphaTauri team, have rumbled on in recent months, with McLaren's Zak Brown particularly vocal over the potential issues arising from one entity owning two F1 teams.Brown's concerns stem from much more than staff transferring between the two teams and thereby sharing IP, and also relate to areas including political influence and race...Keep reading
  29. With F1 looking like it is heading to its third year of single team dominance, there have been questions asked about whether the rules revamp that took place from 2022 has ultimately failed.The bold changes aimed at making the racing more exciting and closing the field up have not delivered all that had been hoped, with Red Bull remaining out front and overtaking getting more...Keep reading
  30. At the season-opener in Bahrain, Alonso qualified sixth but slipped to ninth behind the Mercedes and McLaren drivers in the race, finishing 74 seconds adrift of winner Max Verstappen.Alonso qualified fourth for the Saudi Arabian GP, but he soon lost a place to Oscar Piastri's McLaren.He then remained in fifth place for the duration of the race, successfully staying in front of the Mercedes of...Keep reading
  31. When full-time Scuderia driver Carlos Sainz required surgery for appendicitis, team reserve driver and FIA F2 racer Bearman was called upon to partner Charles Leclerc from FP3 onwards.The two-time Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award finalist narrowly missed out on a Q3 appearance in qualifying before lining up in 11th. He finished the Jeddah contest in seventh – with Leclerc scoring...Keep reading
  32. Oliver Bearman became the first British driver to start an F1 race for Ferrari in the 21st century at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.The 18-year-old stepped in for Carlos Sainz after he withdrew from the weekend due to appendicitis so, as Ferrari’s reserve driver, Bearman received the opportunity.Bearman impressed as well, as he finished seventh on his F1 debut at Jeddah Corniche Circuit...Keep reading
  33. The opening two rounds of the season in Bahrain and Jeddah confirmed what pre-season testing had suggested, as Alpine struggled at the back of the field with the slowest car.In the latter race, from 17th on the grid, Ocon passed Sauber's Valtteri Bottas at the start and, after the safety car period, he ran in the group delayed by Kevin Magnussen which also included Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon.Ocon...Keep reading
  34. The Frenchman says that the 18-year-old should concentrate on his F2 programme and make the most of the Haas FP1 running that he has lined up.Ferrari has no vacancies for the immediate future as Charles Leclerc’s contract was recently extended, while Lewis Hamilton will join from Mercedes for 2025 on a multi-year deal.Ferrari can potentially place Bearman elsewhere until it has a vacant seat...Keep reading
  35. The legendary F1 designer has been an integral part of Red Bull’s recent success, working in close collaboration with technical director Pierre Wache and his team on the progress with its new RB20 car.Although Newey does not work full-time on the F1 operation, with his chief technical officer role expanding to include other projects, he still devotes a lot of time to ensuring Red Bull hits its...Keep reading
  36. Just a few weeks ago it seemed inconceivable that he would leave the dominant team of the ground effects era and potentially hand a championship-winning car to someone else.However the Christian Horner saga has turned the F1 world on its head and exposed tensions within the camp.The full details have yet to emerge, but the picture that is being painted is a simple one. Verstappen doesn’t want to...Keep reading
  37. The Swiss outfit has twice been hit by expensive pitstop issues, with Bottas delayed in Bahrain and his team-mate Zhou Guanyu affected in Saudi Arabia.In addition, the C44 is not putting enough energy into its tyres which has compromised one-lap performance in qualifying and also left Bottas struggling on the hard compound during the Jeddah race."I think it needs to be a wake-up call,” said...Keep reading
  38. Hulkenberg made a late pitstop work thanks to a defensive masterclass by Kevin Magnussen, who held up rivals to create a pit window for his team-mate.There was controversy over Magnussen, who already faced a 10-second penalty for clashing with Alex Albon, who then overtook RB's Yuki Tsunoda off the track and picked up another 10s penalty.PLUS: Was Magnussen's role as Hulkenberg's helper in Saudi...Keep reading
  39. “As someone who loves the sport, it's definitely disappointing to see what's going on right now. It doesn't look good from the outside world. I think it's a really important time for the sport to really show and stick to its values, holding ourselves accountable for our actions.“And it's a really pivotal moment for the sport – in terms of what we project to the world. How it's handled. And...Keep reading
  40. The German manufacturer has had a challenging start to the 2024 season, with last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix exposing a particular weakness that its new W15 has in high-speed corners.While the squad does not have answers right now as to what is causing the unexplained problem, Wolff has declared that he has total faith in the team getting on top of matters.And, although there is...Keep reading
  41. Norris was one of only four drivers who opted to gain track position by not stopping when Lance Stroll’s crash triggered a safety car period early in the Jeddah race and having started sixth he was left in the lead at the restart, until Max Verstappen got by two laps later.As with fellow non-stoppers Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg and Zhou Guanyu, the hope was that a later safety car or...Keep reading
  42. Valtteri Bottas lost almost 50 seconds at his second stop in the Bahrain GP with a cross-threading issue at the front axle. In last weekend’s Saudi Arabian race, Zhou Guanyu was delayed by a similar problem for around 25 seconds when he pitted.The Chinese driver was one of only four drivers not to have stopped when the safety car came out, and despite having to deal with some cooling issues he...Keep reading
  43. Almost one year on from revealing that he was considering legal action over F1 and the FIA’s handling of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix ‘crashgate’ controversy, Massa has put his money where his mouth is in seeking redress.The Brazilian has sprung into action after revelations last year from then F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone that grand prix racing’s chiefs were aware early on of Nelson...Keep reading
  44. While it lagged behind the super slippery Haas that topped the official speed trap in qualifying, the RB20 was best able to balance its straightline potential with brilliant downforce for cornering too.While wing levels are often a key factor in determining a team's downforce/drag levels, what was especially interesting in Saudi Arabia was how Red Bull managed to help its cause through bodywork...Keep reading
  45. Scrutineering plays a crucial role for any F1 grand prix, as it's the technical checking of cars to ensure all entrants are legal throughout a race weekend.It is something all cars and drivers must go through where one failed test could result in disqualification. So, the FIA - who carry out the checks - uses a rigorous process to ensure everything is as precise as possible.But, how does the...Keep reading
  46. The Italian outfit has emerged as Red Bull’s main challenger so far this season, but it has found itself unable to stop Max Verstappen grabbing pole position and race wins at the first two races.While it is clear that it needs to unlock a chunk of performance before it can think about racing wheel-to-wheel with the world champion squad, Ferrari reckons that delivering on that target is not...Keep reading
  47. Magnussen received a first 10-second penalty after contact with Albon following the safety car resumptions.With the Dane’s own race effectively ruined, he then passed Yuki Tsunoda by going off track.He subsequently slowed down the following group – including Albon – in order to create a pitstop window for Haas team-mate Nico Hulkenberg up ahead. The strategy worked, as Hulkenberg was...Keep reading
  48. The South African driver won 10 world championship races from 111 starts during a topflight career that spanned from 1972 to 1980.Scheckter, 74, has entered 12 cars from his personal collection into RM Sotheby’s Monaco sale on 11 May.The headline lot is his ground-effect 1979 Ferrari 312 T4 - the final car to help claim a drivers’ title during Enzo Ferrari’s lifetime.This particular example...Keep reading
  49. Magnussen's own Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was ruined by incurring an initial 10-second penalty for contact with Alex Albon in the Williams.His focus then shifted to holding up others so team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, who hadn't stopped under an early safety car, could pull out a gap and claim 10th. Crucial to that strategy was overtaking the RB of Yuki Tsunoda on lap 17, which Magnussen did by leaving...Keep reading
  50. On Monday, representatives of Massa confirmed that action has been lodged in the High Court of Justice against the three parties as the Brazilian, who missed out on the 2008 F1 drivers' title to then-McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton by one point, believes that the result of the Marina Bay race should be voided.Infamously, Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed to trigger a safety car...Keep reading