2017 f1 cars

Four Formula 1 teams have chosen to replace one of their standard drivers with a ‘young driver’ for the first practice session at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free A new-for-2022 regulation requires all teams to give up two practice sessions across the season to drivers with less than three F1 starts to their name. Both cars must be used for this purpose, rather than the same driver being replaced in both sessions. Every team bar Alpine has now run a ‘young driver’ in at least one session. They have a driver lined up who will participate in two of the three remaining events after the US GP. The Circuit of the Americas is an ideal venue to run an unfamiliar driver. It has a lot of run-off, reducing the risk of an inexperienced driver damaging a car. It is also one of the most important venues for F1 due to the scale of the event it holds and the access to the American market for media coverage and sponsorship that … [Read more...] about Who are this weekend’s four F1 newcomers – and could any be on the 2023 grid?

Hirakawa will become part of McLaren's driver development programme, supporting the Woking team in its simulator as well as conducting a testing programme with its 2021 MCL35M car. The 29-year-old will dovetail his F1 testing role with his current drive for Toyota, with which he is currently leading the Hypercar class in the World Endurance Championship. Hirakawa and his team-mates Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley are the reigning champions too, having won both the overall title and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2022. “I’m happy to have joined the McLaren F1 team as a reserve driver," Hirakawa said on the margins of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. "It’s an exciting prospect to work with such a respected team and I’m grateful to Zak [Brown] and Andrea [Stella] for the opportunity. "I’ve already met the team and experienced the simulator at MTC which has allowed me to hit the ground running. I’m now fully prepared and focused for the remainder of 2023. "I am grateful … [Read more...] about McLaren signs Le Mans winner Hirakawa as F1 reserve driver

The 2023 Japanese Grand Prix was a great race for McLaren , and a landmark one too, but not one they were in contention to win. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Encapsulating the frustrating distinction of those two facts last weekend, Lando Norris took the record for the most points scored without a win. Norris is now on 543, overtaking Nico Hulkenberg on 530. However Norris has started less than half as many races as the Haas driver: 98 to 197. Norris has driven for McLaren since making his debut in 2019, and his second place last weekend was his 10th podium finish. The record for most podium finishes without a win belongs to Nick Heidfeld , with 13. It was also the second time he has shared the podium with a team mate, and only McLaren’s third double podium in the last 11 years. McLaren cars have now finished on the Japanese Grand Prix podium 27 times. Oscar Piastri picked up his maiden grand prix trophy in his rookie season. He is the sixth … [Read more...] about Norris breaks Hulkenberg’s record for most points without a win in F1

It was announced late last month that Keating will join United for a full season in the IMSA SportsCar Championship , sharing the squad’s ORECA 07 with a yet-to-be-named second driver and enduro racer Alex Quinn, as the team switches its focus following the WEC’s decision to scrap the LMP2 class for 2024. The American driver currently races in the WEC for Corvette Racing in the GTE Am class, but had previously suggested it was unlikely he would remain in the series in 2024 as the current generation of GTE machinery makes way for GT3 cars. Read Also: De Vries poised for 2024 Toyota WEC seat after AlphaTauri F1 exit Teenager Pierson gets Toyota Hypercar chance in Bahrain WEC test Menezes announces Peugeot WEC exit after Bahrain finale Now Keating has clarified that a desire to spend less time at the race track was behind his decision to only contest IMSA, describing his title win for Corvette - sealed at the Monza round in July - as an ideal way to leave … [Read more...] about Keating explains decision to bow out of WEC, join United in IMSA

It's the golden rule of endurance racing: spend as little time in the pits as possible. A driver can pound around chasing tenths of a second to set a perfect lap, but if they get it wrong and damage the car, sitting stationary in the garage undoes any potential gains. It seems odd, then, that within motorsport driver conditioning is arguably the most neglected area of research. Manufacturers painstakingly develop their cars, but that is to embark on a path of diminishing returns if the driver climbs aboard for their third stint and is too tired to perform at their best. The much less expensive route is to focus on the person behind the wheel and ensure they can operate at their peak for much longer - make them consistently faster and less error prone. It's a low-hanging fruit within racing that is yet to be picked. That's why the former senior performance coach at world-renowned Hintsa Performance, Dean Fouache, had his interests piqued by the temperature regulating … [Read more...] about Motorsport’s last low-hanging fruit

Here is our top 10 ‘greatest hits’ before today, starting with the F1 incidents of previous seasons… Romain Grosjean, Malaysia 2017 The crashed car of Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 Team VF-17 Photo by: Sutton Images The crashed car of Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 Team VF-17 Photo by: Sutton Images When Romain Grosjean struck a lifted drain cover in the kerb at Turn 12 in Friday practice in Malaysia, his Haas suffered an immediate right-rear blowout that sent him spinning heavily into the barrier. The team later received compensation from the circuit. Valtteri Bottas, Baku 2016 Valtteri Bottas, Williams FW38 Photo by: Sutton Images Baku first caught Williams out back in 2016. Valtteri Bottas was returning to the garage after an installation lap at the start of FP3 and hit a loose pitlane drain cover. He sat out the rest of the session while Williams repaired bodywork and radiator damage and examined the car's gearbox. Jenson Button, Monaco 2016 … [Read more...] about Top 10: Motorsport’s drain pain greatest hits

F1 commentator Peter Windsor believes the tension between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at the Japanese Grand Prix proves why the latter was so keen to keep Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes beyond 2021. Hamilton and Russell provided some of the best entertainment at Suzuka on Sunday, with the Mercedes team-mates going wheel to wheel on more than one occasion. After Russell had overtaken Hamilton at the final chicane in the early stages of the race, the latter immediately repassed on the main straight with a decisive move before later forcing his team-mate off the track at Spoon Curve. First cracks in the Lewis Hamilton and George Russell relationship? In the closing laps, Russell – on a one-stop strategy – was unhappy after being instructed to gift fifth place to the two-stopping Hamilton, with the younger Brit ultimately finishing seventh after also being passed by the charging Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. Russell arrived at Mercedes at the beginning of 2022 as the replacement … [Read more...] about ‘George Russell is proving why Lewis Hamilton wanted Mercedes to keep Bottas’

The release of a new rally computer game is always a cause for celebration among motorsport gamers but the latest offering, EA Sports WRC, could actually help tackle a hot topic currently in the World Rally Championship. Barring the age-defying talent that is Kalle Rovanpera, who appears set to become a two-time world champion at the age of 23, the Finn is the only driver under the age of 25 regularly competing in rallying's top tier. Granted, with only eight full-time seats spread across Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport-Ford, it is already difficult for young drivers to break through to the premier class. The introduction of the sophisticated Rally1 hybrid monsters in 2022 has witnessed the gap between the junior and top-level classes increase, such is the challenge of driving a Rally1 with its unique hybrid deployment system - that can produce an eye-watering 500 horsepower in short bursts. When the Rally1 cars first broke cover even experienced WRC rally-winning drivers had to … [Read more...] about Can the new WRC computer game help tackle a real-world hot topic?

The Electric GT World Series is hoping to become the first 100 per cent zero emissions GT championship, with 10 teams the target for the 2017 season. Plans a seven-race season, including events in Europe, America, and Asia. The announcement specifically mentions Barcelona, Donington, Mugello, and Estoril. In terms of a technical base, the series has earmarked the Tesla Model S P85+ as its standard package, the electric supercar capable of 0-60mph in just 3.2s in standard trim. The racing version will have better suspension and brakes, improved cooling, and reduced kerb weight. "We chose the Tesla model S simply because it is one of the best cars ever made, and certainly one of the best 100 per cent electric cars," said Agustin Paya, Technical Director for Electric GT Holdings, owner and promoter of the championship. "We are convinced that sharing its impressive circuit racing potential will help to inspire many people towards sustainable transport. "Although it is a … [Read more...] about World-first electric GT series launched