- Sainz: Wind tunnel model highlights scale of F1 rules change
28/01/2022 - 13:27
F1 teams are currently putting the finishing touches to their 2022 designs ahead of launches and the first pre-season test at Barcelona in Spain next month.
And while no team has yet finished its new car at the factory, Sainz has suggested he has seen enough of Ferrari's design intentions to know how much of a shift the 2022 challengers will look.
Speaking at the end of a day testing a 2018 ...Keep reading
- Honda set to extend direct Red Bull supply to 2025
28/01/2022 - 11:13
Honda ceased its official works involvement in the sport at the end of last season, and henceforth Red Bull is paying for its services, including the development of this year’s power unit for the move from E5 to E10 fuel.
The original strategy as announced late last year was that the new Red Bull Powertrains division would take complete power units from Honda, with full engineering support at ...Keep reading
- F1 cars could be all similar by 2023, says Ferrari
28/01/2022 - 11:07
With teams putting the finishing touches to their 2022 challengers, there is some hope that the more restrictive regulations won’t make all the designs identical.
For although there are far more limits in terms of bodywork shape, it is hoped that there is enough scope for each team to have their own interpretations – which will make the cars look different.
But with teams expected to ...Keep reading
- Alfa Romeo will run close to F1 budget cap in 2022
27/01/2022 - 17:39
F1 has embraced a cost cap to level things up between teams, with the spending cap for 2022 being trimmed back from the $145 million that teams had to play with last year.
While the Sauber squad that runs the Alfa Romeo team has never had the kind of funds available compared to major manufacturer teams like Mercedes and Ferrari, its commercial situation does appear healthier now than it has ...Keep reading
- What Pirelli’s 18-inch wheels change for F1’s designers
27/01/2022 - 16:17
As part of this overhaul, F1 has adopted a larger wheel rim design, having flirted with the idea many times before. The shift to 18-inch wheels means Pirelli has also had to adapt its offering and will produce a tyre with a much shorter sidewall. This is where teams and drivers might have to adapt the most when considering how the new tyres behave when compared with the outgoing ...Keep reading
- Verstappen adds F1 champion tweaks to helmet design
27/01/2022 - 13:24
The Red Bull driver clinched his first world title last year, after a season-long duel with Lewis Hamilton that went down to the final lap of the campaign in Abu Dhabi.
And although there remains some controversy over the FIA's handling of events in that finale, Verstappen and Red Bull have not let that tarnish their success in beating Mercedes.
With the countdown now on to the start of the ...Keep reading
- Saudi Arabia addresses track layout concerns for 2022 F1 race
27/01/2022 - 12:37
The Jeddah circuit delivered a spectacular event last year, but a number of drivers expressed safety concerns about the high-speed last section of the street track.
The biggest worry was that the nature of the barriers limited visibility in some of the fast sections, which posed a safety risk in terms of drivers not being able to see far enough ahead of them if there was an ...Keep reading
- Honda’s former F1 boss agrees Red Bull powertrains role
27/01/2022 - 12:12
With Honda having pulled out of F1 last year, Red Bull is stepping up with its own powertrain division to take over running of the Japanese engines.
And while during a transition phase Honda will continue to manufacture power units from its Japanese facilities, many of the staff that helped Max Verstappen secure last year's drivers' championship have been moved on to other projects.
However ...Keep reading
- McLaren wants better high/low speed balance with 2022 F1 car
27/01/2022 - 10:40
McLaren enjoyed a solid 2021 season, capped off by a stunning 1-2 victory for Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris in the Italian Grand Prix.
Nevertheless, the Woking team couldn't hang on to its third spot in the constructors' championship, which it took in 2020, and had to settle for fourth after a season-long fight with Ferrari.
McLaren's MCL35 car particularly excelled on high-speed tracks ...Keep reading
- Singapore GP to stay on F1 calendar until 2028 after new deal
27/01/2022 - 10:01
The sport’s first night race was absent from the calendar in both 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returns this year on October 2 as the middle event of a triple header that includes Russia and Japan.
The last Singapore GP contract extension was a four-year deal announced in September 2017, and it was supposed to run until 2021.
However, the last two races did not happen ...Keep reading
- Schumacher: Lack of contract pressure made rookie F1 season easier
26/01/2022 - 17:55
The German, who is the son of seven-time champion Michael, made his debut for Haas last year as team-mate to Nikita Mazepin.
While both drivers endured a challenging campaign with the Haas car having not been developed since 2020, Schumacher did enjoy some highlights – which included making it through to Q2 on merit at the Turkish Grand Prix.
Reflecting on the season and whether or not ...Keep reading
- AlphaTauri, Alpine reveal launch date for 2022 F1 challengers
26/01/2022 - 13:12
The Faenza-based squad said on social media that the AT03 will be revealed on Monday, 14 February but stopped short of providing any additional info about the launch.
AlphaTauri is the fifth team to announce its launch date, with McLaren, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Ferrari already having revealed when they plan to reveal their new cars.
Having finished sixth in the constructors’ ...Keep reading
- F1 confirms no fans, TV coverage at first pre-season test
26/01/2022 - 12:47
Read Also:
Hamilton will race on in F1 in 2022, reckons Button
McLaren F1 driver Ricciardo receives Order of Australia honour
"Consistently odd" Raikkonen doesn’t know why F1 fans liked him
While the dates for the first two-pre season tests had been agreed several months ago, the details of the runs in Barcelona and Bahrain had still to be finalised.
On Wednesday ...Keep reading
- Everything we know about the 2022 Formula 1 season: drivers, cars, tracks & more
26/01/2022 - 12:45
Once the 2021 Formula 1 season draws to a close, attention will immediately turn to preparations for 2022’s all-new rules.
F1 will receive one of its biggest technical overhauls for next season, with a seismic shift in the aerodynamic regulations, which should act as a soft reset for all of the teams in the championship.
The new regulations have been paired with a number of changes to the ...Keep reading
- McLaren F1 driver Ricciardo receives Order of Australia honour
26/01/2022 - 11:04
The 32-year-old, who hails from Western Australia, has been an ever-present in F1 since 2011, racking up 210 grand prix starts for the HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault and McLaren outfits.
He will become the 15th most-experienced driver in F1 history when he starts the 2022 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and is set to become Australia's most experienced F1 racer at May's Spanish Grand ...Keep reading
- Hamilton will race on in F1 in 2022, reckons Button
26/01/2022 - 10:37
Hamilton has not said anything in public since the controversial F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, where the FIA’s handling of a safety car restart opened the door for his rival Max Verstappen to grab the drivers’ crown.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has spoken of Hamilton being disillusioned with F1 in the wake of those events, while FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem has acknowledged that the ...Keep reading
- "Consistently odd" Raikkonen doesn’t know why F1 fans liked him
26/01/2022 - 10:19
The 2007 world champion, who called time on his F1 career at the end of last season, has no racing plans for the future as he instead wants to spend more time with his family.
But reflecting on his two spells in F1, where he became one of the most popular characters due to his on-track success and off-track attitude, the Finn admitted he was unsure why he was liked so much.
“I don’t know ...Keep reading
- Return of one-stoppers won't matter if F1 racing is better - Pirelli
25/01/2022 - 17:03
As part of F1's rules overhaul for 2022, which has included a switch to ground effect cars, official tyre supplier Pirelli is also moving to 18-inch wheels.
The change, allied to a desire to have rubber that is not so sensitive to overheating, has led to the compounds shifting towards being slightly harder.
That will likely mean less degradation, which in turn opens the door for teams to get ...Keep reading
- Ferrari forced to change Fiorano test plan amid F1 rule confusion
25/01/2022 - 16:08
The Maranello-based team had originally intended to run last year’s SF21 car for the four days of the test, which is scheduled as a warm-up exercise for race drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr, plus tester Robert Shwartzman.
However, shortly before the testing programme began, Ferrari had to revise its plans because of confusion over whether or not it was actually allowed to run one ...Keep reading
- Tsunoda's F1 fate in his own hands, says Tost
25/01/2022 - 14:00
Tsunoda showed flashes of speed and promise in 2021 but his rookie season was also marred by various crashes and errors as the Japanese youngster was overshadowed by teammate Pierre Gasly.
Tsunoda raised eyebrows with a ninth place on his Bahrain debut but then struggled to build on that result. While Gasly consistently raked in the points to keep AlphaTauri in the fight for fifth in the ...Keep reading
- Herta “most likely would do” F1 if opportunity arose
25/01/2022 - 12:02
Had Andretti’s plan worked out, Herta would have moved to F1 once granted an FIA super license, replaced in Andretti Autosport’s IndyCar squad by its Indy Lights champion Kyle Kirkwood. Instead, Herta has remained in the #26 car which he drove to three wins last season, and Kirkwood will spend his rookie season at AJ Foyt Racing.
Asked about such a move, 21-year-old Herta declared: “I'd ...Keep reading
- The "strange transition" underpinning Mercedes' next F1 chapter
25/01/2022 - 10:46
While that run of eight successive crowns is remarkable in itself, what is especially impressive is that it has been done under different eras of technical director.
With James Allison having taken up the reins from Paddy Lowe in 2017, last year he stepped into a new senior group role with his place as F1 technical director being taken by Mike Elliott.
Having been head of aerodynamics at ...Keep reading
- Teams may get new F1 car designs ‘really badly wrong’, says Allison
24/01/2022 - 19:32
F1 teams are currently putting the finishing touches to their 2022 car designs ahead of the first pre-season test that will take place at Barcelona in Spain from 23-25 February.
The new designs are a complete overhaul of the regulations, with the ground effect challengers aimed at making the racing better and closing up the grid.
But while it is too early to make any predictions about the ...Keep reading
- Ferrari to run four-day F1 test at Fiorano
24/01/2022 - 18:19
While work is continuing on its 2022 challenger, which has a codename of 674 and is being launched on 17 February, the Maranello outfit wants to ensure its drivers and team personnel are back up to speed after the winter break.
It has therefore slated in a four-day run with last year's SF21 at its Maranello test venue for regular drivers Carlos Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc, as well as Robert ...Keep reading
- Alpine F1 team was "lost" at start of 2021, admits boss Rossi
24/01/2022 - 16:41
The Enstone-based team's fortunes ebbed and flowed dramatically in the former Renault squad's first season following its Alpine rebrand, with the returning Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon qualifying between fifth and 17th place in the first half of the year.
Their points finishes proved equally irregular, but the team enjoyed a breakthrough Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break as ...Keep reading
- F1 pre-season testing 2022: What is it, when is it and can I watch it
24/01/2022 - 14:30
Formula 1’s new era begins in 2022 with new technical regulations set to see the return of ground effect cars aimed at making racing closer.
After a year delay to F1’s all-new aerodynamics package due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-awaited technical overhaul is set to arrive this season.
The changes have a lot to live up to. After a thrilling 2021, arguably the best F1 season in ...Keep reading
- Autosport Podcast: F1 2022 - Discussing the new technical regulations
24/01/2022 - 12:02
After a short winter break, attention has turned from a controversial title-decider to how teams will have interpreted a new rule book.
This year we’ll be talking about the Venturi effect, listed parts and wheel covers. The rule-makers have even mandated some open source parts which will force teams to upload their designs for anyone to see.
Autosport technical editor Jake Boxall-Legge ...Keep reading
- Zhou: "Open" Bottas best team-mate for rookie F1 year
24/01/2022 - 11:40
Zhou will become China's first F1 race driver in 2022 after signing a contract to step up from F2 with the Alfa Romeo team.
He will line up alongside race winner Bottas, who switched to the Hinwil squad after a five-year spell at Mercedes.
The pair had their first experience working together at last year's post-season Abu Dhabi F1 tyre test.
Despite knowing how good Bottas is after ...Keep reading
- Why FIA hopes F1's new rules won't repeat mistakes of 2009
24/01/2022 - 10:31
However, there remains a firm conviction that, when the new F1 cars are unleashed in battle for the first time in Bahrain, the new regulations will hit the target of allowing the racing to be better.
And, while it is inevitable that some details will have to be cleaned up over the long haul, there is a degree of confidence that F1 is not set for a repeat of the 2009 scenario – when new rules ...Keep reading
- Top 10 Mercedes grand prix drivers: Hamilton, Fangio, Moss and more
23/01/2022 - 16:35
That’s why, in the latest list of our ‘Top 10 drivers’ series, we’ve extended the remit beyond F1 to include all grand prix racing, which kicked off with the 1906 French GP near Le Mans. The importance of events, many of which were standalone or part of the European Championship, varied but the top ones were akin to today’s F1 championship races.
Mercedes has been in and out of ...Keep reading
- Why Steiner let Haas F1 rookies "learn the hard way" in 2021
23/01/2022 - 15:30
Schumacher and Mazepin both graduated to F1 last year from Formula 2, joining Haas as part of an all-new line-up for the American team.
Haas treated 2021 as a transition year, opting against any development of its car ahead of the campaign so it could divert all of its resources to the new regulations in 2022.
It meant the team finished last in the constructors' championship, failing to ...Keep reading
- Flexi-wings harder to exploit in F1 2022, but could become issue – Key
23/01/2022 - 12:30
Flexing wings are a perennial topic in F1, which came up again in 2021 when two separate aero rows between Mercedes and Red Bull took centre stage.
After May's Spanish Grand Prix Mercedes was unhappy about Red Bull's "bendy" rear wing, which led to more stringent test at the French Grand Prix, much to the dismay of rival teams who were also forced to change their rear wing designs to stay ...Keep reading
- The flashing light tech helping F1 drivers get in the zone
22/01/2022 - 12:30
Some opt to shut themselves away completely for a bit, so their mind is clear of all stresses and distractions.
Others will kick a football about behind the garages to raise the heart rate and sharpen their responses.
Pierre Gasly is often spotted playing a reaction test with his trainer; who drops tennis balls from his hand for the AlphaTauri driver to catch.
But tucked away in the ...Keep reading
- Changes in F1 “fantastic” and create more opportunities - Ocon
22/01/2022 - 10:19
In 2021 F1 trialled sprint races at three grands prix to a mixed reception, the latest push by F1's owners Liberty Media to find new ways of engaging fans and growing the sport.
Efforts to improve the spectacle also include drastic new technical regulations for 2022 as well an ever-decreasing budget gap, awarding a point for the fastest lap and other novelties.
While not all fans are ...Keep reading
- Red Bull reaches agreement with Mercedes over F1 engine chief
21/01/2022 - 18:23
The Milton Keynes-based squad, which has set up its own engine facility in the wake of Honda's withdrawal from F1, announced a number of high-profile signings from Mercedes last year.
In April, Hodgkinson was announced as the new technical director, but it was unclear when he would be able to join because he was firmly contracted to Mercedes' own power unit division.
With tensions between ...Keep reading
- Alfa Romeo underestimated impact of no F1 2021 upgrades
21/01/2022 - 18:07
The Swiss-based squad was one of the first to call time on any upgrades for last year's challenger, as it instead decided to focus all its resources on preparing its 2022 design for the new regulations.
But while it hopes that the work for this season will pay off, Vasseur has confessed that there were some negatives from not progressing with its 2021 car that he had not expected.
"We took ...Keep reading
- How "lazy bastard" Tsunoda banished his F1 rookie problems
21/01/2022 - 13:25
But despite a rollercoaster of a rookie F1 campaign in 2021, from the highs of a headline-grabbing first race in Bahrain to the lows of a run of crashes that risked his future, the Japanese star never shied away from owning up to the errors of his ways.
Instead, Tsunoda admitted that a combination of over-confidence and a lack of application helped trigger a sequence of incidents that left his ...Keep reading
- Oscar Piastri wins second consecutive Sir Jack Brabham award
21/01/2022 - 11:43
Former Formula 1 driver Tim Schenken presented the Formula 2 champion with the prestigious award at Albert Park, home of the Australia Grand Prix, this morning.
Piastri is just the second driver to win the award twice, the other being Will Power, and the first to go back-to-back.
The award is one of Motorsport Australia's highest honours, recognising outstanding achievements and success by ...Keep reading
- Williams parts company with F1 engineering boss Carter
21/01/2022 - 11:30
Carter had been with the Grove team since May 2016. He was twice the most senior team member present at a track on a race weekend, first when acting team principal Simon Roberts was sidelined by COVID at the 2020 Turkish GP, and again when Capito tested positive prior to last year's Saudi Arabian GP.
In a short statement about his departure, Capito said: "As we look ahead at our engineering ...Keep reading
- COTA undertaking track resurfacing to fix bumps after F1 and MotoGP complaints
21/01/2022 - 10:39
Bumps have been an ongoing issue at the Austin venue, leading to complaints from both Formula 1 drivers and MotoGP riders.
When MotoGP returned to COTA last year after missing the previous season riders were quick to express their concerns, led by 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo who branded the circuit a “joke”.
“It’s more or less a track I use to train with a motocross ...Keep reading
- Albert Park modification works complete ahead of F1 return
21/01/2022 - 10:17
Australia is due to return to the F1 calendar with the third round of the 2022 season on 10 April, the first time it will have hosted an F1 race since 2019 due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 event was cut short by a positive COVID-19 case at McLaren before a wheel was turned in practice, and it was called off last year altogether due to the country's closed ...Keep reading
- Australian GP won't have Djokovic-style vaccine drama
21/01/2022 - 10:06
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO is confident that all parties, including the federal and state governments and Formula 1, are clear on the entry requirements for both Australia and the Albert Park venue.
That should help the event steer clear of any border controversies similar to Djokovic's recent deportation from Australia.
The tennis star spent the past few weeks locked in ...Keep reading
- Mercedes "bullish" on F1 engine reliability progress, says McLaren
20/01/2022 - 18:02
The German manufacturer was locked in a tight title battle with Red Bull throughout 2021, but had to endure a run of grid penalties in the closing stages of the campaign amid concerns about the durability of its power units.
The rules limited teams to a total of three major power unit components for the entire season, but both Mercedes drivers had to take a number of new parts.
Valtteri ...Keep reading
- Mazepin aims to improve bonding with wider Haas F1 team in 2022
20/01/2022 - 14:53
The Russian had a challenging rookie campaign last year, as he battled with an uncompetitive car and endured his fair share of frustrating moments as team-mate to Mick Schumacher.
But determined to work out how he can improve, Mazepin believes that working harder on his relationship with more team members could help pay dividends.
Speaking exclusively to Autosport, Mazepin said: “There's ...Keep reading
- Albon owns up to car key incident on first day at Willliams
20/01/2022 - 12:47
The Thai driver, who is making his return to F1 in 2022 after a year as Red Bull reserve and competing in the DTM, kicked off his build-up to the new season with a visit to the Grove factory on Wednesday.
However, things did not go completely smoothly as he made a bit of a error as he worked his way around the factory.
"I already lost my car keys on the first day, but we did find them which ...Keep reading
- F1's new rules will cut gap between front and back in half – FIA
20/01/2022 - 11:55
F1 is embarking on an all-new rules era this season with ground-effect cars aimed at making the racing closer and levelling the playing field much more between teams.
While it is too early to know if the spectacle will be better, F1's chiefs are more optimistic that the overall package of regulations – which include a budget cap and an aero development handicap system – will result in much ...Keep reading
- Raikkonen glad to leave "fake things" in Formula 1 behind
20/01/2022 - 10:00
2007 world champion Raikkonen retired at the end of last season more than 20 years after making his debut, racking up a record of 349 grand prix starts across stints with Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and Alfa Romeo.
He announced in September that he would be retiring from F1 after 2021, having taken the decision in the winter before his final season, and may not race professionally ...Keep reading
- Top 10 Lotus F1 drivers ranked: Clark, Andretti, Senna and more
19/01/2022 - 19:27
The tally of seven constructors’ and six drivers’ titles doesn’t reveal the innovation that Colin Chapman’s team brought to the sport.
Many great drivers raced Lotus machinery between its F1 arrival in 1958 and Team Lotus folding in 1994. That made producing this list tricky, but here’s our pick of the top 10 Lotus F1 drivers.
We’ve considered the amount of success the drivers ...Keep reading
- Perez: Challenge of changing F1 teams is "underestimated"
19/01/2022 - 17:30
Perez was one of several high-profile drivers to change teams last year, with Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz Jr and Sebastian Vettel also on the move ahead of 2021.
They generally needed a long adaptation period to fully get on top of their new equipment, former Renault driver Ricciardo particularly struggling to adapt his driving style to the needs of the McLaren MCL35M.
Perez, who was ...Keep reading
- FIA Abu Dhabi F1 investigation must deliver clear answers, says McLaren
19/01/2022 - 16:17
In the wake of the controversial implementation of F1’s safety car restart rules at last year’s F1 season finale, motor racing’s governing body has begun a detailed investigation.
But amid concerns that the FIA could try to brush under the carpet any mistakes that were made, Brown believes that it is important for the sport’s credibility that fans are given a proper answer about what ...Keep reading
