New season of the fosters

Formula 1 drivers are today having their first taste of Pirelli’s 2019 tyres which it is hoped will improve the standard of racing next year. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Pirelli faced criticism from drivers towards the end of the year over how high levels of tyre degradation shaped some races. However the sport’s official tyre supplier pointed out the degradation levels were set down in the ‘target letter’ given to it by F1. For 2019 Pirelli has set out to improve the performance of the higher compounds, which were often considered too conservative, and to widen the performance gaps at the softer end of the range. The naming convention for the tyres will also change. The three compounds chosen for each race will always be referred to as hard, medium and soft. But the full range of compounds, which will reduce from seven to either five or six, will be referred to by number. ‘One’ will refer to the hardest compound’. “The compounds we are developing … [Read more...] about What’s changed in Pirelli’s new F1 tyre range for 2019 · RaceFans

Formula 1’s governing body does not agreement from teams to impose changes to the rules for the 2021 season. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Approval from the Strategy Group and F1 Commission is needed to ratify rule changes for seasons prior to 2021. But as F1’s commercial agreements will expire at the end of 2020, that governance structure does not apply to subsequent seasons. Therefore the FIA can impose changes for 2021 without the approval of teams. This includes the switch to 18-inch wheels, as FIA race director Charlie Whiting confirmed when asked by RaceFans. “That’s part of the regulation package for 2021,” Whiting confirmed. “It doesn’t have to go through the Formula One commission because it’s for 2021.” Asked whether that means the FIA has a “free hand” when it comes to determining F1’s future rules, Whiting said: “We have – there’s no need for regulations to go through the Strategy Group because that governance expires. We don’t have a new … [Read more...] about FIA can bypass teams to impose new 2021 F1 rules · RaceFans

Formula 1 could soon have a new tyre supplier after the FIA opened the process to bidders for the 2025 season onwards. While tyre wars in Formula 1 used to be commonplace, they became a thing of the past when Bridgestone first became the exclusive provider and the sport has since only leaned on one company for its tyre needs. In 2011, that company became Pirelli who continue to supply tyres until this day but their monopoly on the sport’s rubber could soon change with the FIA opening the door for another manufacturer to come in. Following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the FIA announced it was seeking potential suppliers for the 2025 season onwards in a deal that could last for four seasons. The successful applicant will also gain the contract for the Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships. The brief is not too dissimilar from the current contract with the F1 tyres set to remain at 18 inches but, in line with the sport’s push for more sustainability, the successful candidates … [Read more...] about Could Pirelli have a new rival? FIA launch tyre supplier tender from F1 2025 season

W Series, the new championship targeted exclusively at female racing drivers, has confirmed an initial list of 55 drivers it says are eligible for its first season of racing. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The series received over 100 applications for the 18 places in the championship. The 55 chosen drivers will under three days of testing including assessments of their driver and fitness. Former F1 drivers David Coulthard and Alexander Wurz and former McLaren racing director Dave Ryan are among those who will be involved in the judging process. W Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir said they are “thrilled but perhaps not surprised by the response. “Even today there is a massive gender imbalance in motorsport and W Series is making the first step to correct that. Drivers from all over the world have stepped forward, so it’s clear that with the right framework we can make the changes this sport desperately needs.” The list features drivers from 26 … [Read more...] about W Series names 55 eligible drivers for inaugural 2019 season – RaceFans

The James Harden era in Houston may feel like a distant memory for Rockets ' fans, but the team's main rival in Harden's tenure is still rolling along as the 2022-23 season comes to a close. The more things change at the Toyota Center, the more they stay the same for Stephen Curry and the Warriors. It hasn't exactly been business as usual for Curry and the Warriors this season. Golden State's title defense is on relatively rocky ground even after Monday's 121-108 win over the hapless Rockets, with the defending champions now sporting an ugly road record of 7–29. But Monday's return to Houston helped the Warriors look largely like their dynastic selves. Curry led all scorers with 30 points, Klay Thompson added 29, and a late surge Golden State made all look right in the Bay Area. For Warriors coach Steve Kerr, returning to the Toyota Center brings a bit of a spark for his veteran group. "This is a great reminder every time we come to the Toyota Center of some amazing battles with … [Read more...] about New year, same story for Rockets as Splash Brothers fuel blowout loss

Netflix has announced Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone will play the role of Ayrton Senna in its upcoming dramatisation of his life. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Leone, 29, was born the year before Senna died in a crash during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. He rose to fame for his role in Dom, a Brazilian television series produced by Amazon. The announcement of his casting was made on what would have been Senna’s 63rd birthday. He is also due to appear in another upcoming motorsport film. Leone has been cast in Michael Mann’s film Ferrari as Alfonso de Portago, the first Spanish driver to finish on the podium in Formula 1. De Portago died along with his co-driver and 10 spectators when he crashed during the Mille Miglia sports car race in 1957. Netflix, which also screens the popular F1 series Drive to Survive, announced its plans for a fictionalised drama about the life of Senna in 2020. Originally announced as an eight-part series which would appear … [Read more...] about Netflix reveal actor who will play Senna in new series · RaceFans

Haas has lodged a protest against both Force India cars, the FIA has confirmed. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Representatives of Force India and Haas have been summed to a meeting of the stewards tomorrow at 11am concerning a “protest by Haas F1 Team against cars 11 and 31,” according to an FIA statement. The reason for the protest has not yet been confirmed. However RaceFans understands Haas is querying whether Racing Point Force India, which purchased the assets of Sahara Force India when the latter went into administration in July, qualifies as a constructor as defined by Formula 1’s rules. Teams must hold the intellectual property to their designs in order to qualify as constructors, and therefore score points and receive a share of F1’s prize money pot. This suggests Haas’s protest is targeted at Force India’s share of F1’s prize money. The two teams have been at odds over Force India is eligible to receive from F1 since its re-entry into the … [Read more...] about Haas lodge protest against rival F1 team Force India – RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton has received his second reprimand of the season and is one away from receiving an automatic 10-place grid penalty. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The Mercedes driver has been reprimanded for cutting the white line at pit entry during first practice. the stewards noted that “on entering the pit lane after the end of [first practice], car 44 [Hamilton] locked up and crossed the white line at the entrance to the pits. “The penalty of a reprimand is consistent with penalties imposed for other similar incidents.” As this is Hamilton’s second driving reprimand of the season any further reprimand will lead to a grid penalty even if it is not for a driving infringement. He received a reprimand for committing the same offence on his way to victory in the German Grand Prix in July. Hamilton is the third driver to receive a second reprimand this year, joining Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen. Between them they account for almost half of the 13 … [Read more...] about Hamilton one reprimand away from grid drop after pit error · RaceFans

After Liberty Media took over Formula 1 at the end of 2016 it installed former team principal Ross Brawn in charge of the series. Reinvigorating what had become an increasingly uncompetitive championship ranked highly among his priorities. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The new owners ousted Bernie Ecclestone, whose favourable commercial deals with F1’s top teams ensured the richest outfits received the greatest financial rewards, which in turn guaranteed their continued success and gradually eliminated competition for the top places. Changing that deeply entrenched advantage would prove an enormous challenge. After Liberty Media’s first two seasons in charge, Brawn reflected that the domination of F1’s podium positions by Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari had only been broken on two occasions in that time. “ Two podiums from a total of 123 is unacceptable ,” he said. “Especially when it comes with an ever-increasing technical and financial divide. … [Read more...] about Red Bull’s dominance risks triggering the reaction they are anxious to avoid · RaceFans