Confirmed 2019 f1 drivers

From the moment George Russell stepped into Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and almost drove it to victory, his Mercedes future became inevitable. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Finally, in 2022, Russell received his highly-anticipated promotion into the factory Mercedes seat alongside one of the greatest drivers of all time. Now he could finally fight at the front and be in contention for poles, wins and possibly even a championship title. At least, that was how it was supposed to be. Even Russell had to admit that he expected to have more success than he and Mercedes were able to achieve over the start of the 2022 season. The team’s W13 was radical, rigid but not rapid. And as Russell prepared for his first weekend as a full-time Mercedes driver, he and the team knew they would likely not be fighting for the win, for the first time in almost a decade. Valtteri Bottas qualifying ninth in a Mercedes at Imola in 2021 after … [Read more...] about 2022 F1 driver rankings #5: George Russell

The FIA has announced changed to its post-race procedure after Lewis Hamilton wore a T-shirt drawing attention to the Breonna Taylor case at the last race. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Revised guidance issued to drivers by the sport’s governing body states the top three finishers in the race “must remain attired only in their driving suits, ‘done up’ to the neck, not opened to the waist” throughout the podium ceremony and post-race interview procedure. At the previous round in Mugello, Hamilton wore a T-shirt bearing the message “Arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor” while he was interviewed after the race and during his appearance on the podium. Taylor was shot multiple times and killed by police officers who entered her home in Kentucky in March. The case has been highlighted by worldwide anti-racism protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, which Hamilton is a vocal supporter of. Hamilton said on Thursday he was expecting “a new … [Read more...] about F1 drivers banned from wearing T-shirts on podium after Hamilton’s Breonna Taylor protest

The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association has issued a statement explaining how they arrived at the decision to continue the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following yesterday’s missile strike. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The FIA and Formula 1 reacted to the explosion 10 kilometres from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit during yesterday’s first practice session by insisting the event would go ahead . Team principals indicated they supported the decision unanimously. However the drivers remained in a meeting at the circuit discussing the event until the small hours of the morning. Several of their team principals returned to join the discussion. As the meeting broke up the consensus appeared to be that the event would continue, despite the concerns that had been aired. GPDA chairman Alexander Wurz issued a statement on behalf of the group saying the drivers had “natural human concerns” over the attack. They aired “a large variety of opinions” in their meeting but … [Read more...] about F1 drivers explain why they agreed to race in Saudi Arabia despite “concerns” over attack

Former British American Racing Formula 1 team principal Craig Pollock has confirmed he plans to return to the sport with a new team in 2026. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Earlier this year the FIA opened applications for new teams to enter F1 in 2025, 2026 or 2027. Pollock plans to submit an application for his new project, named Formula Equal . He intends the team to include an even split between genders at all levels. “The concept and the idea was to try and build a F1 team, 50% male, 50% female, which is extremely hard to do if you have an existing F1 team,” he told CNN . “It’s a lot easier with a clean sheet of paper.” The FIA previously indicated it will confirm at the end of next month which if any prospective new F1 teams have been selected. Among the criteria they will be judged on is “considerations of sustainability, EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), and societal benefit”. The backing for Pollock’s project is rumoured to come … [Read more...] about Pollock confirms he is planning a return to F1 with new ‘equal-gender’ team

Former F1 racer Marc Surer believes Sebastian Vettel will not return to Formula 1 as it “doesn’t fit” with his outlook on the environment. In the latter stages of his career, Vettel became known for speaking out on causes he believes in, most notably when it comes to climate change and the environment. A self-confessed hypocrite, Vettel seemed increasingly at odds with his choice of career and since retiring in 2022 has done a couple of show runs in cars designed to run off sustainable fuels. Sebastian Vettel suggested for WEC outing not F1 comeback From almost the moment Vettel left the sport, fans and pundits alike were wondering whether we had seen the last of the four-time World Champion. Retiring at the age of 35, Vettel is younger than two of the drivers still racing in the sport and his appearance at the Suzuka circuit once again had people questioning whether he would be open to a comeback. It is a topic he has discussed himself, refusing to rule out the prospect … [Read more...] about Sebastian Vettel’s F1 motivation questioned with other racing offers on table

The FIA has formally confirmed it has approved a bid from Andretti Formula Racing to enter a team in the Formula 1 world championship. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free In order to secure its place in the series, Andretti must now convinced Formula 1 Management to agree to expand the grid from 10 teams to 11. FOM swiftly issued a brief statement in response to the FIA’s announcement of Andretti’s approval. “We note the FIA’s conclusions in relation to the first and second phases of their process and will now conduct our own assessment of the merits of the remaining application,” it said. The FIA’s announcement concludes the application process it began in February . It said “numerous enquiries” were made in response to its initial call for expressions of interest, following which four progressed to the second phase of examination. Andretti’s rivals included Formula Equal , backed by former F1 team principal Craig Pollock, Formula 2 team Hitech GP, … [Read more...] about FIA approves Andretti’s bid to enter team, F1 will “conduct our own assessment”

Driver penalties became a major talking point in 2016 as teams urged stewards to ease up on the number of sanctions being handed down . 2011-16 penalties data 2011 penalties index 2012 penalties index 2013 penalties index 2014 penalties index 2015 penalties index 2016 penalties index Just last week Derek Warwick , one of several ex-F1 drivers now involved in F1 officiating, urged the FIA to “take away all these penalties” and “get back to harder, harsher racing” . However following a record-breaking 2015 during which over 100 penalties were issued the total number of sanctions fell slightly in 2016. As the calendar had grown from 19 races to 21, that meant the average number of penalties per race fell by 15%, from 5.3 to 4.5. The number of investigations dropped by almost 20%, from 8.6 to 6.9. This graph shows the total penalties handed down over the last six seasons, whether they were incurred by a driver or team, and how many … [Read more...] about Has F1 hit ‘peak penalties’? Fewer sanctions in 2016

Another potential new entrant to the Formula 1 grid has announced its intention to join the series. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free LKY SUNZ says it has secured backing from US sports fund Legends Advocates Sports Group and other Asian investors. It plans to submit an entry ahead of the FIA’s deadline for new applications, which were invited earlier this year. The project was co-founded by Benjamin Durand, who was previously involved in another attempt to enter a team in Formula 1. His Panthera Team Asia project was announced in 2019. Its other co-founders are Andrew Pyrah, who has been named chief commercial officer, and Paul Fleming, its chairman. LKY SUNZ – which takes its name from a combination of ‘Lucky’, which it calls a “nod to the Asian heritage of the team”, and ‘SUNZ’ representing the sun – intends to operate from a location in Europe. However it intends to construct a “state-of-the-art net zero green energy-powered factory complex” in the … [Read more...] about New Asian-based team LKY SUNZ reveals bid to join F1 grid in 2025

Just this past weekend, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas held one of its biggest events on its annual calendar: the NASCAR Cup Series. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Featuring a handful of special guest drivers including F1 champions Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen and multiple IMSA champion and Daytona 24 Hours winner Jordan Taylor, it was one of several major international motorsport events being held at the now ten-year-old circuit in 2023 – including the United States Grand Prix, which will take place in October. After a decade of the US Grand Prix at COTA – interrupted only by Covid – Formula 1 appears to have finally found a solid footing in America. Rather than fizzle out like so many other attempts to establish a US race over the decades, attendance at COTA has grown over recent years to the point where it now boasts the largest crowd of the season in terms of total attendance over the race weekend. F1’s arrival at COTA in 2012 … [Read more...] about ‘We were built for racing, unlike Vegas’: COTA boss not concerned by new F1 rivals