Mclaren f1 drivers

Alexander Rossi sees benefits in the McLaren’s unique combination of Formula 1 and IndyCar programmes, having joined the latter operation for 2023. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free He arrives at McLaren after seven years at Andretti Autosport, which is seeking to emulate its rival team by adding an F1 entry alongside its existing IndyCar squad . McLaren go into their fourth season in IndyCar since their full-time return to the series this year. In that time they have won four races, all with Rossi’s team mate Pato O’Ward, and have also expanded to race in Extreme E and now Formula E. They added a third full-time IndyCar entry in order to field Rossi this year. “It’s been very cool to kind of watch them evolve and expand over the past couple of months,” their new driver said. “Obviously I don’t have a benchmark of what they were before, but certainly the commitment to kind of performance and results goes without saying. It’s apparent throughout every … [Read more...] about Rossi sees advantage for McLaren over rivals in unique F1-IndyCar team set-up

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

McLaren have released behind-the-scenes images of their new wind tunnel as their aerodynamics team moves back in-house for the first time since 2010. With the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) having first opened its doors in 2003, the team soon found some of their equipment was quickly becoming out of date. The most prominent of those was the wind tunnel with McLaren deciding to close it down in 2010 and instead rent Toyota’s in Germany, but have always longed to bring everything back on site. McLaren hope to start new era with launch of wind tunnel That dream became a reality recently when McLaren unveiled their state-of-the-art wind tunnel on the site of where the previous one once was. The project began in 2019 but the COVID pandemic saw the completion date pushed back with the wind tunnel now up and running. The benefits of having an in-house wind tunnel are obvious. For starters, you save money by not having to ship parts over to Germany but also the turnaround of … [Read more...] about McLaren unveil ‘biggest investment’ in decades with launch of new wind tunnel

McLaren have started a Formula 1 season with victory on 13 occasions, and in a further seven seasons they managed to win by the second race. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free But after two grands prix in 2023, the team have finished no higher than 15th and sit last in the constructors’ standings. Have they ever started a season this badly before? 1966 Monaco GP: DNF, Belgian GP: DNS In McLaren’s first year as a manufacturer team in F1, founder Bruce McLaren raced a single M2B and did not even enter all of that season’s races. The team’s debut came in Monaco, where McLaren put his car tenth on the grid. He only went nine laps before an oil leak ended his day, but did briefly make it up to sixth place after some thrilling wheel-to-wheel action. His short time in the race was also recorded for the ‘Grand Prix’ film that was released in cinemas later that year. Later, points finishes at the British and United States grands prix meant McLaren finished … [Read more...] about Two races, no points: How 2023 compares to McLaren’s worst starts to a season

For the 30th time in 71 seasons of the Formula 1 world championship, the drivers’ title was decided in the very final race of the season. But what was F1’s best ever final showdown? Recap all thirty of the final race title deciders below and then let us know which one you feel was the best climax seen in a Formula 1 season. 1950: Fangio vs Fagioli vs Farina The first world championship produces the first title showdown at Monza. Fangio needs a win or second place to become the inaugural world champion, but Fangio retires twice in two separate cars, opening the door for Farina who takes the win and the first ever world title. 1951: Fangio vs Ascari vs Gonzalez The next year, another threeway showdown for the title at the season-ending Spanish Grand Prix around the streets of Barcelona. Going into the final round with the lead, Fangio holds off Ferrari’s Jose Froilan Gonzalez to take the chequered flag and secure his first of five titles. 1956: Fangio vs Collins Peter … [Read more...] about Which was F1’s best down-to-the-wire title fight?

The results Fernando Alonso has achieved in Formula 1 in 2023 came as something of a shock, even for the Spaniard… With six podiums from the first eight races this season, Fernando Alonso briefly looked capable of challenging for the runner-up spot in the Drivers’ Championship. However, in the last eight races, Alonso has only scored one podium and has slipped to fourth. Worse, he now has to look over his shoulder at the approaching Ferrari drivers, both of whom could still displace him further by the end of the championship. Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin wants to make the next step next year With Alonso slipping away in the championship as a result of Aston Martin’s slow but steady decline as the team have struggled to keep pace through the relentless development cycle of the established front-running teams, Alonso said he never even thought the results he’s achieved this season would have been possible when he first put pen to paper to join the Silverstone-based squad. “To … [Read more...] about Fernando Alonso proven wrong over ‘too optimistic’ ambition for F1 2023 season

The 100th running of the famous Indianapolis 500 saw a former Formula One driver becoming a surprise first rookie winner since 2001. Elsewhere both Super Formula and the Nurburgring 24 Hours were affected by abnormal weather conditions while the World Touring Car Championship encountered tyre dramas at the Nordschleife. Indycar Round 6 of 16: Indianapolis 500 Alexander Rossi took victory on his first attempt at the Indianapolis 500 with a brilliantly calculated fuel-saving drive. In just his first season of Indycar Rossi has had a tough start to the year but has showed signs of improvement, and eleventh in qualifying was another step forward. He never looked like a contender though until he was left out during a late caution to clear the wrecked cars of Mikhail Aleshin and Conor Daly, and despite falling out of sync with everyone else and pitting 36 laps from the end for fuel, he nursed his car to the finish. Carlos Munoz finished an equally surprising second to complete … [Read more...] about Shock as rookie wins 100th Indianapolis 500

Le Mans winner and driver coach Matt Howson told the On Track GP Podcast about the connection he has to multiple drivers on the current Formula 1 grid, having coached several of them through their days in Formula Renault. Howson, who counts himself as Lewis Hamilton’s first ever team-mate in car racing, going alongside him in the same series back in 2001, coached the likes of Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lando Norris when they made the step up from karting, and has been able to assess their natural talent first-hand. He went into detail about the “alien” talent these drivers in particular possessed, even at a young age, and was put on the spot about who he feels will eventually end up with the most titles come the end of their Formula 1 careers. Matt Howson joins On Track GP Podcast for intriguing conversation Howson, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class alongside On Track GP regular Richard Bradley, joined the podcast to discuss his career to date, as well … [Read more...] about George Russell, Lando Norris or Charles Leclerc to win the most titles? Their ex-coach tells all

The 2022 Formula 1 season was full of drama on track and in the paddock, some of it leftover from the previous year’s controversies. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free With all that going on, it was easy to overlook some of the strange and surprising stories of the last 12 months. Red Bull ‘launched’ a show car Formula 1 car launches always attract huge interest as they can give the first indication of how the teams will compare against each other for the season ahead with any innovative designs. That was especially the case this year as teams produced their first designs for radically new regulations. Preferring not to give the opposition an early peek at their real RB18, Red Bull instead presented a repainted show car at their launch on February 9th. The real thing, which appeared in testing two weeks later, looked very different. Red Bull presents first images of new car for 2022 F1 season Magnussen’s F1 return has big repercussions After … [Read more...] about Helmet rows, hot mics and more forgotten motorsport stories from 2022