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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”

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

Aston Martin plan to knock down their former headquarters, which has been used by Formula 1 teams since 1991, next year. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The old base is being destroyed to make way for the new facility Aston Martin is building at a cost of up to £200 million . Eddie Jordan Racing’s eponymous boss commissioned the creation of the factory, which sits on a road opposite British Grand Prix venue Silverstone , in 1990 when he wanted to take his successful junior single-seater team into F1. It was used by Jordan from his team’s debut in 1991 through to the end of 2005, when it was sold to the Midland Group. The team raced as Midland in 2006, as Spyker in 2007 and then as Force India from 2008 to 2018. When a Lawrence Stroll-led consortium then bought the team after it faced financial struggles, it rebranded to Racing Point and then last year became Aston Martin. Cars designed and constructed in the factory have won five grands prix. The … [Read more...] about Jordan’s original Formula 1 factory to be demolished next summer

The 73rd season in the Formula 1 world championship was a record-setting one in a variety of ways with new all-time benchmarks set and some long-running sequences coming to an end. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free A 15-year continuous run ended for Lewis Hamilton , as did a peculiar record held by Daniel Ricciardo. And something happened in 2022 that has not occurred in Formula 1 since the 1979 season. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are some of the most outstanding records that were either set, broken or ended in the 2022 season… Record breakers Max Verstappen soared to unparalleled heights in 2022. As well as successfully defending his world championship title from 2021, he set a new all-time record for most wins in a single season with 15, breaking clear of Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher’s previous record of 13. Despite the incredible achievement, Verstappen’s season win percentage (68.18%) was actually lower than both … [Read more...] about Records smashed and winning runs wrecked: The 2022 F1 season in stats

The curse of sport is that unless you are number one, you are condemned to live under a cloud of failure. For no matter how many races you win, poles you take or points you score, there can only be one champion. The rest all fall short. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Red Bull know this only too well. After being deposed from F1’s Mount Olympus with the onset of the V6 turbo hybrids, their journey back to the top was as frustrating as it was humbling. But that decade of discontent reached its end over the past two seasons, and Red Bull head into a new year as undisputedly and unequivocally the best team in their sport. Emerging bruised, bloodied but victorious from their brutal year-long battle against Mercedes in 2021, Red Bull knew they were vulnerable going into Max Verstappen’s first year sporting the coveted number one on his car. But when Mercedes faltered, Ferrari faced up to Red Bull in their place. However, Ferrari’s implosion as the season … [Read more...] about Will Red Bull dominate again as their development handicap bites in 2023?

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

Few records in Formula 1 are truly unbeatable. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Ayrton Senna’s haul of 65 pole positions was once thought likely to stand the test of time, but Michael Schumacher beat it. And though Schumacher’s tally of 91 wins may seem insurmountable , the same was once said of Alain Prost’s 51 victories. As the saying goes, records are there to be broken. But there are some records which won’t be under threat any time soon. From geriatrics on the podium to sharing a single point between seven, here are ten F1 records that are in it for the long haul. Narrowest pole position winning margin 1997 European Grand Prix: 0.000s between first, second and third The 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez is chiefly remembered for Michael Schumacher’s unsuccessful attempt to eliminate his title rival , Jacques Villeneuve , from the race. But F1 anoraks also recall the astonishing events of the previous day’s qualifying session. It saw … [Read more...] about Top ten: Unbeatable Formula One records

Ross Brawn has been confirmed as Formula One’s managing director for motor sports following the departure of Bernie Ecclestone . The 62-year-old’s appointment is immediate and comes as the sport’s new owners also confirmed long-time ESPN executive Sean Bratches as managing director for commercial operations. “It’s fantastic to be returning to the world of Formula One,” said Brawn. “I’ve enjoyed consulting with Liberty Media these last few months and I’m looking forward to working with Chase, Sean and the rest of the Formula One team to help the evolution of the sport. “We have an almost unprecedented opportunity to work together with the teams and promoters for a better F1 for them and, most importantly, for the fans.” New F1 CEO Chase Carey said Brawn “brought his magic touch to every team with which he has worked, has almost unparalleled technical knowledge, experience and relationships, and I have already benefitted greatly from his advice and expertise”. Brawn last … [Read more...] about Brawn among key F1 hires announced by Liberty

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?