Formula 1

Listen to this article The Australian Grand Prix Corporation confirmed today that next year's event will run from March 30-April 2, with Formula 1 on track from March 31. That will make the race the third round of the Formula 1 world championship for the second year running. While having traditionally been the opening round throughout the Melbourne era, the event is now set to float in the first three rounds of each season as part of a recently-signed contract extension . As part of the new agreement Albert Park is only guaranteed five season-openers between now and 2035 . The AGP will open the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the other three opening slots to be spread across the decade that follows. The 2023 race, meanwhile, is shaping up as a significant one given the likelihood of there being a Melbourne-born driver on the grid for the first time. Oscar Piastri is widely expected to end up in a race seat next season with McLaren which, would make him the third … [Read more...] about Date set for 2023 Australian Grand Prix

Listen to this article Brabham made its last world championship Formula 1 start in the 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix. Future world champion Damon Hill scraped his BT60B onto the back row of the grid and finished last, four laps down, before financial issues forced the team into obscurity. The Brabham family, of course, raced on, but that seemed the end of the road for the constructor that Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac had founded three decades earlier. David Brabham, son of Jack, was busy carving out his own racing career in the 1990s, one that would yield two Le Mans 24 Hours class wins and outright success with Peugeot, plus titles in the All-Japan GT Championship and American Le Mans Series. But he never forgot about the team he had briefly raced for in F1 in 1990, a time he says brings "painful memories". "That's when it started to go wrong I think," says Brabham. "Middlebridge had bought Brabham and wanted me to drive in the F1 team. The year before, they had a great … [Read more...] about How one of F1’s greatest names was revived

Listen to this article Reflecting on his 2022 progress in an interview given ahead of the French Grand Prix before F1's summer break, Tsunoda rated himself higher than the five or a six at the same point in his rookie season, putting the uptick down to the confidence that comes with experience. "I think I've been able to use the experience from last year," he said. "I think knowing what I have to do, how I should approach every race weekend, is definitely an advantage compared to last year. "At the same time, I experienced pretty much everything last year, the worst things, but was able to come back from there. So yeah. Most situations, I've been able to keep calm, not like last year. That's the main difference. "Every race week, I know what I have to do. That's the main target, the main thing. Last year I didn't really know what to do, I just thought I had to perform well. But how? To perform well in FP1, every single session, it's like a different kind of testing. Those … [Read more...] about Tsunoda gives himself 7/10 for start to F1 2022 season

Listen to this article Ferrari bounced back from two difficult years to return to race-winning form in 2022, scoring a 1-2 at the opening race in Bahrain and three further victories in the first half of the season. A key factor in Ferrari's return to form has been its engine gains, which helped the team make up a big performance gap to the Mercedes , Honda and Renault-powered cars from the past couple of years. While it was difficult to know just how good the F1-75 car was until the opening race of the season, the engine numbers coming out of Maranello indicated Ferrari had made a big step forward - beyond anything Binotto had seen before. "We had some more clarity on the power unit, yes, because we knew where we were on the power unit, the regulations were consistent," Binotto told Motorsport.com in an interview. "On the power unit, we set big numbers in terms of objectives. And what I've seen that we have been capable of developing during last season for 2022 on … [Read more...] about Ferrari’s F1 2022 engine gains greatest for more than 25 years

Listen to this article Mercedes failed to regularly challenge Red Bull and Ferrari at the front of the pack through the first half of this season as it struggled with porpoising and bouncing on its W13 car. The team opted for a different design route compared to the rest of the field, chasing a slimline sidepod solution that was dubbed the 'zeropod' when it debuted in Bahrain testing. As the season progressed, Mercedes gained a better understanding of its car and the issues it faced, paving the way for George Russell to score pole in Hungary at the end of July. Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin explained Mercedes was "not wanting to go down the route of just copying the fastest car that we could see", instead taking a long-term view with its car concept. "When you look at the long-term future as a team through a set of regulations, if you don't understand it, copying will only get you so far," Shovlin told Motorsport.com. "The most sensitive … [Read more...] about Why Mercedes steered clear of an F1 car concept revamp despite early struggles

Toto Wolff “loves” how Formula 1’s social conscience has riled older fans over the last decade, from going green to taking a knee. Formula 1 courted controversy amongst its fans when, in 2013, the sport bade farewell to the old-school 2.4 litre V8 engines to welcome hybrid technology. Introducing 1.6-litre V6 hybrid engines that incorporated energy recovery systems the following season, the sport took its first of many steps towards becoming greener. Since then, F1 has announced sustainability plans to have a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030. Naysayers said at the time the quieter power units would be the end of Formula 1, but instead the sport’s following has grown in the last 10 years. In 2020, the drivers began to take a knee in a worldwide fight against racism and discrimination, while this year they have adopted a new campaign called ‘Drive It Out’ in response to increasing incidents of abuse online and at events. That, coupled with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and … [Read more...] about Toto Wolff ‘loves’ that F1 legacy fans ‘hate’ new direction of the sport

The DTM finale at Hockenheim on 8-9 October will mark the German's last race with the team, having been active with it since 2011. Having made appearances in the DTM for the manufacturer in 2016, he was given a permanent seat for the 2017 season, taking the title in his rookie season. Within four years, Rast won the championship title three times with Audi Sport Team Rosberg, winning 24 races and taking 20 pole positions. After moving to Formula E for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Rast made his DTM comeback this season with Team ABT Sportsline and is currently third in the standings as the best Audi driver. He said the decision came with "a heavy heart" but added he "still has a few goals in motorsport that I want to achieve." Rast said: "This decision was anything but easy for me. Audi has been my life over the past few years. We've worked fantastically together and celebrated many great successes. "I'll never forget these moments, nor the many great people who … [Read more...] about Rast announces shock departure from Audi Sport

The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council has today approved the first draft of the new Formula 1 power unit regulations due to come into effect in 2026. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The 2026 F1 season will see the introduction of a new power unit formula – the first since the FIA introduced the current V6 turbo hybrid engines that are still in place today back in 2014. The revised power units will increase the electrical power generated by up to 50% over current levels, with the FIA claiming the power units will maintain “similar performance” to existing engines. The power unit introduced for the 2026 season will continue to use the current 1.6 litre V6 internal combustion engine, but with a decreased fuel flow limit that will produce around 400kW of power. The current MGU-H component of the hybrid system will be entirely removed, as expected, while the total power generated by the power unit’s energy recovery system (ERS) will increase to around 350kW. … [Read more...] about F1’s 2026 power unit regulations approved by FIA’s World Motor Sport Council · RaceFans

There’s always talk of which Formula 1 junior driver will be next in line for a promotion at their respective team, whether that be to a test, reverse or race driver role. And there is also plenty of attention drawn whenever juniors are dropped or part ways from their backers too. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Junior drivers don’t have to be realistic contenders for future F1 seats, they’re another tool in the marketing arsenal more than anything else (see Ferrari’s F1 struggles while their juniors swept everything before them). It’s only once you get to the highest level of junior single-seater racing when the expectation emerges to reward strong performances on track with F1 opportunities. Alpine have struggled in that regard with reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri. His private F1 test programme initially happened only because a fellow junior driver’s finances enabled it, then his free practice debut was held back for so long that he’s now on his … [Read more...] about Academy outsiders – the best young drivers who lack F1 team backing · RaceFans