Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #3 - LINE-UP

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #3 - LINE-UP

Test Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Montmelo, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

MERCEDES-MERCEDES: Lewis Hamilton (AM) / Valtteri Bottas (AM)

FERRARI-FERRARI: Kimi Raikkonen

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Daniel Ricciardo

RENAULT-RENAULT: Nico Hulkenberg (AM) / Carlos Sainz (PM)

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Sergio Perez 

WILLIAMS-MERCEDES: Robert Kubica (PM) / Lance Stroll (PM)

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Brendon Hartley 

HAAS-FERRARI: Romain Grosjean

McLAREN-RENAULT: Fernando Alonso

SAUBER-FERRARI: Marcus Ericsson

*Subject to change

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Written By: Amy Hawk

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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Sebastian Vettel finished fastest in the second day of preseason testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

    Low temperatures limited running across the field – especially in the morning session – but the Ferrari driver managed a total of 98 laps over the course of the day.

    Vettel enjoyed a quiet morning, but put in a series of strong laps at the start of the afternoon and jumped to the top of the timings, knocking off Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in the process.

    A small spin at turn two brought out the red flag when he brought debris onto the track, but Vettel managed to get the Ferrari back to the pits without any help.

    He finished the day 0.3s faster than Bottas and Stoffel Vandoorne.

    The track was quiet for most of the morning, with only a handful of laps completed after the first hour.

    Things started to pick up just before midday when the track was at its warmest – with the lunch-break cancelled to allow for extra track time.

    That action was cut short when Charles Leclerc span at turn four and his Sauber was left stranded in the gravel. He spent the next two hours I the pits but eventually managed to get back out, ending the day 10th fastest, quicker only than the Haas of Kevin Magnussen.

    Max Verstappen’s running was hampered by a fuel leak early in the day. He made up for lost time when he did manage to get on track, ending the day fourth fastest with 67 laps.

    Carlos Sainz Jnr and Pierre Gasly took fifth and sixth.

    After limited running on the first day of testing, Sergey Sirotkin was back in the Williams in the morning session. The rookie put in a good number of laps considering the poor conditions before handing over to reserve driver Robert Kubica for the final three hours. The pair finished seventh and eighth quickest, with Kubica 0.327s faster than Sirotkin.

    Esteban Ocon finished ninth quickest in his first day of testing.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:19:673/ Ferrari-Ferrari / 98 Laps
2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:19.976 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 94 Laps
8. Stoffel Vandoorne – 1:20.325 / McLaren-Renault / 37 Laps
4. Max Verstappen – 1:20.326 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 67 Laps
5. Carlos Sainz - 1:21.212 / Renault-Renault / 65 Laps
6. Pierre Gasly – 1:21.318 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 82 Laps
7. Robert Kubica (PM) – 1:21.495 / Williams-Mercedes / 48 Laps
8. Sergey Sirotkin (AM) – 1:21.822 / Williams-Mercedes / 52 Laps
9. Esteban Ocon - 1:21.841 / Force India-Mercedes / 79 Laps
10. Charles Leclerc - 1:22.721 / Sauber-Ferrari / 81 Laps
11. Kevin Magnussen - 1:22.727 / Haas-Ferrari / 36 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Force India Unveil 2018 Livery

(Image credit to: Sahara Force India F1 Team)

    Force India may have left it late to unveil its 2018 Formula 1 car, but fans will have to wait even longer to see the VJM11 that will line up on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix.

    The team has opted to run a ‘launch specification’ at preseason testing, an updated version of the 2017 machine. This will give the aerodynamics team more time to develop the car.

    “Looking at the VJM11, the DNA of the car is still very much that of last year’s car,” said technical director Andrew Green.

    “We took the decision, quite a while ago, that the launch specification of thee 2018 car would be based around our understanding of the 2017 car, but with all the new structures required by the regulations in place.

    It is a starting point, a good reference from which to introduce changes quite quickly; it gives our aerodynamics department more time to develop a car for the first race in Australia, rather than having to release parts early for testing.”

    The car may be an ‘evolution’ of its predecessor, but Force India was forced to redesign the chassis in order to incorporate the halo head protection device, a huge expense to the independent team.

    Though the new chassis passed the crash test  on the first time of asking, the squad is still developing the car to try to neutralize the impact the halo has on the aerodynamics.

    “We have the opportunity to apply some cladding around parts of the structure to try and mitigate the losses, but it’s still a very difficult structure to make aerodynamically neutral,” said Green.

    “At the moment, it has a negative effect, but we are in the process of minimizing its impact and hopefully we will get it down to zero in the near future. It’s one of the challenges we are dealing with at the moment – it is not a massive one but it is something we would rather not have from an aero perspective. It’s the same for everyone, however, and you will not see a final solution until we get to Melbourne.”

    Despite the challenges, Force India is aiming high this season. After two consecutive fourth place finishes in the constructors’ championship, team boss Vijay Mallya is confident the team can continue the strong performances.

    “Everybody keeps telling me that it will be difficult to repeat the double fourth place, but there is no reason why we cannot consolidate our position and improve.

    Yes Formula 1 is a very tough and competitive environment, but we are an established team with continuity in all areas of the company. We don’t take anything for granted but we will be disappointed if we are not fighting for points at every race this year.”

    The team will once again run a pink livery, with sponsor BWT remaining on-board for a second season.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #2 - LINE-UP

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #2 - LINE-UP

Test Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Montmelo, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

MERCEDES-MERCEDES: Valtteri Bottas 

FERRARI-FERRARI: Sebastian Vettel

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Max Verstappen

RENAULT-RENAULT: Carlos Sainz

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Esteban Ocon

WILLIAMS-MERCEDES: Sergey Sirotkin (AM) / Robert Kubica (PM)

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Pierre Gasly 

HAAS-FERRARI: Kevin Magnussen

McLAREN-RENAULT: Stoffel Vandoorne 

SAUBER-FERRARI: Charles Leclerc 

*Subject to change

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Written By: Amy Hawk

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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo topped the times in the first day of preseason testing ahead of the 2018 Formula 1 championship.

    Ricciardo set his fastest time of the day – a 1m20.179s – in the morning session, with cooler conditions limiting running after the lunch break.

    He managed a total of 105 laps over the two sessions, 12 laps more than the Honda powered Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley who was second in the lap chart order.

    Valtteri Bottas was second quickest, followed by Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Hulkenberg.

    Honda claimed a small victory over previous partner McLaren. While Hartley spent the morning adding to his lap count, Fernando Alonso brought out the first red flag of the season.

    The right rear wheel of his McLaren had come off on just his sixth lap of the day, sending him into the gravel. A wheel nut problem was blamed for the incident and Alonso spent most of the morning in the pits.

    He eventually managed to put in a competitive lap time, ending the day seventh fastest and 0.02s faster than Hartley, but only managed 51 laps compared to the Honda’s 93.

    As a point of reference, the McLaren-Honda managed just over 200 laps over the course of the first preseason test of 2017.

    The second and final red flag of the day was brought out by Nikita Mazepin in the Force India. Mazepin span halfway through the morning session, beaching the VJM11 in the gravel at turn 4.

    It signaled the end of Mazepin’s day. The Force India was brought back to the pits but a brake cooling problem kept it there for longer than expected.

    With track temperature dropping by nearly 10 degrees over the lunch break, Force India opted not to send the car back out once the issue was resolved.

    Mazepin finished the day 12th fastest, five seconds off the pace.

   Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jnr was the fastest of those only running in the afternoon. He managed just 26 laps, a third of his team-mate’s total, and was 1.3s slower than Hulkenberg, but still managed fifth fastest.

    Lewis Hamilton, taking over from Bottas, was sixth quickest ahead of Alonso and Hartley.

    Sergey Sirotkin, the only rookie running in the first day of testing, took over from Lance Stroll for the afternoon session. He completed nearly 30 laps but didn’t set a competitive lap time in his first session as an F1 driver.

    Team-mate Stroll managed ninth fastest, ahead of Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson.

TIMES:

1. Daniel Ricciardo – 1:20.179 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 105 Laps
2. Valtteri Bottas (AM) - 1:20.349 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 58 Laps
3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:20.506 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 80 Laps
4. Nico Hulkenberg (AM) - 1:20.547 / Renault-Renault / 73 Laps
5. Carlos Sainz (PM) - 1:22.168 / Renault-Renault / 26 Laps
6. Lewis Hamilton (PM) – 1:22.327 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 25 Laps
7. Fernando Alonso – 1:22.354 / McLaren-Renault / 51 Laps
8. Brendon Hartley – 1:22.371/ Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 93 Laps
9. Lance Stroll (AM) – 1:22.452 / Williams-Mercedes / 46 Laps
10. Romain Grosjean - 1:22.578 / Haas-Ferrari / 55 Laps
11. Marcus Ericsson - 1:23.408 / Sauber-Ferrari / 63 Laps
12. Nikita Mazepin - 1:25.628 / Force India-Mercedes / 22 Laps
13. Sergey Sirotkin (PM) – 1:44.148 / Williams-Mercedes / 28 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Toro Rosso Reveal 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda)

    Toro Rosso has revealed its first Honda powered car ahead of preseason testing for the 2018 Formula 1 championship.

    The team stuck with a similar livery to that of last season, but a lot has changed at Toro Rosso from the start of 2017.

    Not only does the team have two rookie drivers and a new engine partner, but areas of the chassis have been completely redesigned after a year learning the new technical regulations.

    “There were several challenges but none that were by nature unfamiliar to us at Toro Rosso,” explained technical director James Key.

    “The most obvious is that we have had a change of engine partner and there were also a few minor regulation changes on the aero side, a few clarifications on suspension and so on, which all had an effect on how we approached these areas.

    Fundamentally, it’s been a case of adapting what you know to the regulations as they came out, which is pretty much the normal process from one year to the next.”

    He added that incorporating the halo, which is mandatory for all teams in 2018, was a big challenge, a statement echoed by other teams.

    As the new Honda works team, Toro Rosso will undoubtedly be under more scrutiny than ever before this season. The team has admitted this year will be a building period, but team principal Franz Tost is optimistic about the partnership.

    “The cooperation with Honda is important to us, as it is the first time in the history of Toro Rosso that we are working in a partnership together with a car manufacturer,” he said.

    “It changes a lot, and it was very satisfying to see our engineers and our concept group sitting together with the Honda people, suggesting ways to improve the packaging in the chassis and so on.

    Honda has a great reputation around the world, and specifically in motorsport with a long and very successful racing history. We have established a close relationship and they have made big steps forward.”

    Honda has struggled since returning to Formula 1 in 2015, but the team hopes to be competitive by the end of the season.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #1 - LINE-UP

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #1 - LINE-UP

Test Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Montmelo, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

MERCEDES-MERCEDES: Valtteri Bottas (AM) / Lewis Hamilton (PM)

FERRARI-FERRARI: Kimi Raikkonen

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Daniel Ricciardo

RENAULT-RENAULT: Nico Hulkenberg (AM) / Carlos Sainz (PM)

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Nikita Mazepin

WILLIAMS-MERCEDES: Lance Stroll (AM) / Sergey Sirotkin (PM)

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Brendon Hartley 

HAAS-FERRARI: Romain Grosjean

McLAREN-RENAULT: Fernando Alonso

SAUBER-FERRARI: Marcus Ericsson

*Subject to change

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Written By: Amy Hawk

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McLaren Reveal 2018 Car & Papaya Livery

(Image credit to: McLaren F1 Team)

    McLaren has revealed its first Renault powered Formula 1 car, the MCL33, complete with iconic papaya orange livery.

    The new car has been described as an evolution of its predecessor, but important changes needed to be made for the significantly different engine that would be powering the car.

    After three frustrating seasons with Honda, McLaren switched to Renault for the 2018 F1 season. Though regulations state the front and rear engine mounts must be the same for each manufacturer, the architecture of the Renault engine is different from that of the Honda.

    “Making the switch has a big impact on the installation of the engine,” said Tim Goss, McLaren’s chief technical officer (chassis). “The advantage of the Renault layout means that we can push the engine forwards, but then you have the compressor at the back of the engine, so you’ve got to get the outlet pipes forward without impacting the packaging.

    We had to redesign the back of the chassis, the gearbox bell-housing, the rear suspension and the cooling layout. That was two weeks of intense effort to get right. But it was something we were somewhat prepared for, because we knew it might happen, and it’s amazing what people can do in such a short space of time when the chips are down and you’ve got a really clear mission.”

    Having taken just 133 points from the past three seasons, McLaren hopes the change of engine manufacturer will lead to a change of fortune and enable drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne to fight closer to the front of the field.

    But racing director Eric Boullier warns the team will still face a tough challenge.

    “We are under no illusions that it will be difficult to splinter the hegemony at the front, and that the midfield will be full of well-funded, experienced outfirts with plenty to prove.

    We are humble about the challenge ahead, but feel we’ve prepared well, have a solid package that we can build upon and exploit as the season progresses, and have two excellent drivers who will make the difference in races.”

    Whether the MCL33 will be a turning point for McLaren remains to be seen, but the car undoubtedly marks a new chapter in the team’s history. 

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Ferrari Launch 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Scuderia Ferrari)

    Ferrari has revealed its latest Formula 1 car, the SF71H, ahead of preseason testing.

    Its unchanged driver line-up of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, as well as development driver Daniil Kvyat and Antonio Giovinazzi, were at the launch at the team’s base in Maranello.

    One year into the current set of technical regulations, Ferrari’s 2018 challenger is built on what the team learned last season. It is similar to its predecessor, the most successful Ferrari in recent years, but has a longer wheel base and a revised cooling system.

    Unsurprisingly, Ferrari has stuck with the traditional red livery, including on the mandatory halo head protection device, with the absence of white features differentiating it from its immediate predecessors.

    Also absent is the Santander branding – which has featured on Ferrari machines since 2009 – as the Spanish bank has opted to end its F1 sponsorship deals.

    Like all engine manufacturers, Ferrari has focused on durability this winter as drivers are limited to just three power units this season.

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Mercedes Launch 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport)

    Mercedes has launched its 2018 Formula 1 challenger, the W09 EQ Power+, at a filming day at Silverstone.

    Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton both got a small taste of the new machinery, completing 100km of the British track between them.

    After a successful 2017, the new car is an evolution of its predecessor, with no major change in design philosophy.

    “We like some of the character traits from our diva,” said team principal Toto Wolf. “The W08 was the fastest car on the grid, scoring the highest number of pole positions and winning the most races last year. So we were careful not to lose the car’s main strength just to overcome the difficulties.”

    Like with all 2018 cars, the most notable differences are the lack of shark fin and T-wing and the addition of the halo head protection device, but the technical regulations have remained largely the same, which technical director James Allison believes allowed the team to make a more elegant car this year.

    “Last year’s regulations were brand new and we weren’t quite sure which direction they would take us in,” he said. “So last year’s car had a certain amount of wiggle room to adapt if we found that we needed to move around certain aspects of the car.

    This year, being a little more confident of what we’re aiming for, we’ve been able to commit more fully to certain concepts. So we have the packaging much tighter and have taken things to more of an extreme.”

    Since the change in engine regulations ahead of the 2014 season, the Mercedes power unit has been dominant. Though the manufacturer has never been able to stand still when it comes to engine development, “substantial” changes in the regulations have led to significant updates this winter.

    “The amount of change on the power unit for this year is quite considerable and driven by a number of requirements,” said Andy Cowell, managing director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains.. “The biggest challenge we’ve got is lifting our durability limit with the challenge of racing just three engines per driver per championship and two ERS systems.

    That’s a 40 per cent increase in the distance that the hardware needs to do for this year compared with last year. We focused on trying to increase the life of the hardware without losing performance.”

    He added that the team also worked to increase combustion efficiency and reduce hardware friction.

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Sauber Unveil 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team)

    Sauber Formula 1 team has opted for a new aerodynamic concept as it aims to be competitive in the 2018 Formula 1 championship.

    The team has lagged behind the rest of the field in recent years but, with the new C37, Sauber believes it will able to fight for position this season.

    Drivers Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc will also have the 2018 Ferrari power unit behind them, which technical director Jorg Zander believes will help drive improvements this season.

    “The 2018 challenger is the result of the hard work that everyone in the factory has put in over the last few months,” he said.

    "Speaking about the C37, the car philosophy is much different to that of the C36. The aerodynamic concept has changed significantly, and the C37 has seveneral new features in comparison to its predecessor.

    We are positive that the new concept offers us more opportunities and will help us to make improvements during the course of the season.

    The 2018 Ferrari engine will also give us a boost in terms of performances. We hope that we will make progress with the C37 and that we are more competitive compared to 2017.”

    The launch of the C37 also signals the return of the Alfa Romeo brand to F1. The Italian car manufacturer, a sister brand of Ferrari, will partner Sauber for the 2018 season. It’s logo features on the engine cover, with the red and white livery symbolic of what Sauber hopes will be a new era for the team.

    "Our target ahead of 2018 is clear: we have to catch up with the field and continue improving our performance during the course of the season,” said team principal Frederic Vasseur.

    "We have put lots of energy and commitment into the development of the C37. I want to thank our partners and fans for their continuous support. The return of Alfa Romeo to Formula 1 sets another milestone in the team’s history, and I am proud that such a historic brand has chosen us for their return to the sport. We are eager to start the 2018 season as the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team.”

    Vasseur also defended the teams’ choice in driver line-up. While the squad is bringing young talent into the championship in the form of Leclerc, many fans have criticized Sauber for retaining Ericsson, who hasn’t scored in F1 since 2015. Vasseur highlighted Ericsson’s importance to the team.

    “I am convinced that Marcus and Charles form the perfect driver line-up, with one being an experienced driver and one a promising rookie.

    Marcus is going into his fourth season with us. He is a valuable part of the team, and we benefit from his experience and precise technical feedback.

    As for Charles, he has proven his talent in prior categories and deserves to be on the Formula 1 grid this season.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Renault Reveal 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Renault Sport Formula One Team)

    Renault Formula 1 team has launched its 2018 car, the R.S.18, ahead of the 2018 F1 championship.

    Now in its third season in F1 as a manufacturer, Renault is aiming to continue to improve after finishing sixth in the constructors’ championship last season.

    The R.S.18 is a development of the team’s 2017 car, with a focus on improved suspension and aerodynamic down force.

    “We have everything to be positive about this year,” said team boss Cyril Abiteboul. “We have two very talented and ambitious drivers. Last year Nico [Hulkenberg] gave us exactly what we needed with his experience, knowledge, and ability to lead both on and off track. Carlos [Sainz Jnr] joined us at the end of last season and he brought something fresh, and he scored points to help us in the constructors’ battle. Without that we wouldn’t have finished where we finished.

    Our headline target is to show continued progression through results. We want to be able to showcase our progression in every regard: power unit, chassis, operations, drivers. Everything must improve and we must continue to grow.

    We want to demonstrate this in many different ways, from the teams we will be directly racing against, to the gap to the leaders, including also our fan base and the respect that our team will inspire in our way we behave on and off track.”

    Renault has also put considerable effort into improving its engine, which it will supply to Red Bull and McLaren in 2018.

    Last year, the Renault power unit was less than reliable, with a number of drivers suffering engine failures over the course of the season.

    With the reduction in the number of components available to drivers in 2018, Renault has focused on improving reliability, boasting in a press release that “The power unit has realized a very strong programme on the dyno in Viry-Chatillon to maximize performance and improve reliability”.

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Red Bull Launch 2018 Car With Testing Livery

(Image credit to: Aston Martin Red Bull Racing)

    Red Bull Racing has launched its 2018 challenger at a filming day at Silverstone.

    The Milton Keynes based squad usually reveals its latest car as late in the winter break as possible, but opted for an earlier launch this year to better prepare for preseason testing.

    Like the latest Williams, the RB14 appears to feature something similar to the now out-lawed shark fin on the engine cover, Red Bull is keeping with tradition in revealing as little as possible.

    The new car sports a special camouflage livery but the familiar red, blue, and yellow colour scheme is expected to return after pre-season testing. 

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Williams Shows Off 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Williams Martini Racing)

    Williams has launched it’s “new approach” challenger for the 2018 Formula 1 championship, the FW41.

    The first Williams to be fully designed under new technical chief Paddy Lowe, the car boasts a new aerodynamic philosophy, with a number of significant differences to its predecessor.

    Apart from the compulsory halo head protection device, the Williams features a fin running along its engine cover – not too dissimilar to the now banned shark fins of last season.

    “It’s very exciting to be giving everyone the first look at the FW41,” said Lowe. “The car has many new features, most of which are not all that obvious, but externally the team has pursued a very different aerodynamic concept which has allowed us some significant progress in aerodynamic performance.

    All Formula 1 cars are an evolution of what has gone before to some extent, but the FW41 does involve a number of departures from the directions that have been pursued in the past.

    Overall, the philosophy we are starting to see emerge is a new approach to the collaboration between aerodynamics and design to achieve the optimum working result.”

    Lowe added that developments from the Mercedes power unit also shaped the car’s packaging.

    Mercedes is understood to have pursued a different engine concept to previous seasons.

    Williams will field the youngest driver line-up on the grid this season, with 19-year-old Lance Stroll joined by rookie Sergey Sirotkin in 2018.

    The pair are hoping to improve on Williams’ disappointing 2017 performance, when the team finished fifth in the constructors’ championship and was unable to challenge Force India in fourth.

    “With a season under my belt with the team, I can’t wait to get back on track and see what the new car is like,” said Stroll.

    “Until we are on track we will not know what the competition has been doing, but I am very optimistic about the car the team has built.

    Last year was a steep learning curve for me and now I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store.”

    Sirotkin added: “I’ve been in the simulator regularly, going through different set-ups with the car, different tracks, seat fittings and also a lot of engineering meetings and factory tours to meet everyone.

    I’ve been having fun with all the guys from different departments. It’s busy times, but I am really enjoying it. I’m getting ready for the season in the best possible way.”

    The FW41 will get its first on track outing at preseason testing, which will begin in Spain on February 26th.

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Haas Reveals 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Haas Ferrari F1 Team)

    Haas Formula 1 team has become the first to pull the covers off its 2018 challenger.

    The team revealed images of their third F1 car, the VF-18, which it describes as a refinement of its 2017 car.

    With no major changes in regulations, much of the car appears similar to that of last year’s entry, with the most notable exceptions being the inclusion of the halo head protection devise and the absence of the shark fin and T-wing aero devices.

    “The biggest part of the car’s evolution was the addition of the halo,” said team principal Guenther Steiner. “It took quite a bit of study by the aerodynamicists, but the designers had to work hard to modify the chassis so the halo could survive the mandated loads.

    The total minimum weight of the car increased because of the halo, and there’s a higher centre of gravity simply because of the halo’s position. But everyone is in the same boat.

    The regulations stayed pretty stable between 2017 and 2018, so the VF-18 is an evolution of our car from last year. It’s less about reinvention and more about refinement. You see elements we had from last year on the car this year.

    Our 2017 car was actually pretty good but we didn’t always get the best out of it, and that’s what we aimed to change in 2018. We got the car as light as possible to carry more ballast. We were able to do a better job of putting the weight where we wanted it.”

    Haas finished eighth in last year’s constructors’ championship, just six points behind Toro Rosso and 10 points behind Renault. Drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, who continue at the team in 2018, finished 13th and 14th in the drivers’ championship.

    Once again, the team will be using parts provided by Ferrari, who also supply the team with engines. Team founder Gene Haas says the team will use Ferrari as a bench mark going into its third season in F1.

    “It’s no secret we use a lot of Ferrari equipment, so we’re using them as our baseline,” he said. “We need to be within a half-second of the Ferraris in order for us to be competitive.

    We weren’t last year. I would say we were a second to a second-and-a-half slower than the Ferraris. Overall, we were maybe two seconds off the pole qualifiers, so we need to knock a second off that if we really want to be competitive.

    We’ve eliminated a lot of variables where we knew we were weak, and we knew where we needed to focus. We need to be able to go to the majority of the races and put the car don on the track and be fast. We’ve focused on what it’s going to take to get the cars to be consistent and to close that gap between the top cars.”

    Last year, Haas had at least one car retire from seven of the 20 races, including a double retirement in Australia at the start of the year.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Photo rights belong to Haas Ferrari F1 Team
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Alonso Enters WEC For 2018

ALONSO TO COMPETE IN WEC AND F1 IN 2018

    McLaren’s Fernando Alonso continues his fight for the Triple Crown of motorsport as he joins Toyota Gazoo Racing for the 2018-19 World Endurance Championship.

    Alonso,  who has already driven the Toyota in the end of season test last year, will compete in every WEC race that doesn’t clash with his F1 commitments, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

    “I’ve never been shy about my aim of winning motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’ – the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” he said. “We tried for Indy last year, came close, but just missed out.

    This year, I have the chance thanks to McLaren to race for the win at Le Mans. It is a big challenge – much can go wrong – but I am ready, prepared and looking forward to the fight.”

    Alonso made it to the closing stages of the Indy 500 last season, but was forced to retire when his Honda engine failed 21 laps before the chequered flag.

    He’ll be racing with Honda’s Japanese competitor this season, but that won’t rule out a late problem in his Le Mans campaign. Last year, both Toyota cars were running at the sharp end of the field when they retired within 20 minutes of one another.

    Toyota is expected to be one of the front runners this season, and Alonso will have experienced team-mates in the form of Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima.

    Alonso added that adding to his F1 success is still his main priority.

    “In no way will this challenge take away from my main target of Formula 1 with McLaren,” he said. “In 2018, my aim is to be competitive at every grand prix, and I feel sure that we are closer to achieving that.”

    McLaren boss Zak Brown believes Alonso’s WEC fight will help his F1 performance.

    “It’s no secret that Fernando has wanted to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours,” he said. “And I think everybody within our organisation appreciates that a motivated, hungry and happy world-class driver such as Fernando is a formidable asset for any team in F1.

    Last year, we came to the joint decision to go racing with Fernando at Indy 500 rather than at the Monaco Grand Prix, but we’ve always said that we would consider each opportunity on a case-by-case basis, and we both know that in 2018, our core priority is success in Formula 1.

    Like Fernando, at McLaren we’re racers at heart, and our team is built on a brave heritage of competing and succeeding in different forms of the sport. Equally important is the confidence that nothing detracts from our number one goal of Formula 1.

After proper evaluation, we are satisfied that this campaign does not do that, and the McLaren’s best interests prevail.”

    Alonso made his endurance debut last month competing in the Daytona 24 Hours. The United Autosport car ran competitively early in the race, but tyre blow outs and mechanical problems dropped it back. The team finished 35th and 90 laps down.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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