Winter Testing Day 1 - Line-Up / Barcelona

Winter Break is officially over and it's time for everyone to get back to work. The first test of the pre-season is upon us and as always, we'll be reporting everything! So, let's kick off day one with who will be driving! 

BARCELONA TEST - DAY 1 - LINE-UP:

Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams: Valtteri Bottas

Force India: Alfonso Celis

Toro Rosso: Carlos Sainz

Renault: Jolyon Palmer

Sauber: Marcus Ericsson

McLaren: Jenson Button

Manor: Pascal Wehrlein

Haas: Romain Grosjean

(Subject to change)

Article Written By: Amy Hawk

Refueling To Return in 2017

Recently, it has come to light that refueling is set to return to the sport in 2017. The FIA have said the return of the process is all to happen in order to liven up the sport. Discussions on social media sites have brought one thing to light, fans are split.  After scrolling through tweets and posts in social media, it seems to me that you hear fans are opposed to the action, saying that it is reintroducing an unnecessary risk. We've all seen the types of accidents that occurred during refueling. However, long term fans of the sport seem to be set on it being a better idea as they feel the sport has drifted from what it once was.

Long term fans see that the sport has become a health and safety obsessed society, rigged with 'don't do that' and 'you must not...' And feel that any return of any process would be a step in the right direction.

Newer fans, however, see that Formula 1 is the leading pioneer in motoring. It sets the standards in skill, speed and now, safety. After so many fatalities, we live in a world where safety is a number one priority in everyday life. However, it is expected that regulations will be in place of the refueling, in order to make it as safe as possible.

As for the race, this would make it a lot easier for teams to complete a race, fuel worry free. In addition to this, cars would have the option of being lighter and hence, faster. Having said this, pit stops for refueling would be significantly longer. What side are you on? Do you want refuelling back, or do you like the sport the way it is?

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Article Written By: Frances Fry
No copyright infringement intended
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Pre-Season Test #1 - Jerez Day 1 - Times & Re-Cap

F1 is officially back.. Well, sort of. The first race of the year might not be until March, but Winter Testing has begun and it's time to re-cap day 1 of Jerez.

Both Mercedes and Williams launched their 2015 livery in the pit-lane, while later on the new Red Bull was driven out of the garage by Daniel Ricciardo, showing off the special "Test-Livery" which included the car sporting a black and white "camo" paint job.

Lotus was absent for the day as they were still in the midst of shipping their things to Jerez. They're currently unsure if they will run on Monday either.

What we know so far from testing is that the cars seem to he having less issues than seen in 2014's pre-season test, which saw quite the amount of cars stopping on track.

Force India, as many know have opted out of running at Jerez. Also absent are Marussia and Caterham and it's uncertain if they will be able to make 2015's grid after multiple financial issues.

Here are the times from Day 1:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:22.620 / Ferrari-Ferrari

2. Marcus Ericsson - 1:22.777 / Sauber-Ferrari

3. Nico Rosberg - 1:23.106 / Mercedes-Mercedes

4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:23.338 / Red Bull-Renault

5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:23.906 / Williams-Mercedes

6. Carlos Sainz - 1:25.327 / Toro Rosso-Renault

7. Fernando Alonso - 1:40.738 / McLaren-Honda

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We'll be live on Twitter @F1Insider78 for commentary coverage of Day 2 of Testing at Jerez, Spain.

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Pre-Season Test #1 - Jerez Day 1 - Line Up

As the 2015 approaches, it is that time again.. Yep, you guessed it - Pre-Season testing! And the first stop is in Jerez, Spain.

Only 8 teams will be there as Marussia and Caterham remain absent from the grid. Force India has pulled out of the 4-day-test at Jerez, in order to focus their efforts on continuing to prepare for the upcoming season. However, Force India assure they will be at Barcelona.

Here is the line-up for Day 1.

Mercedes-Mercedes: Nico Rosberg
Red Bull-Renault: Daniel Ricciardo
Ferrari-Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel
Williams-Mercedes: Valtteri Bottas
McLaren-Honda: Fernando Alonso
Toro Rosso-Renault: Carlos Sainz Jr.
Sauber-Ferrari: Marcus Ericsson
Lotus-Mercedes: Pastor Maldonado 

We will be providing LIVE Commentary Coverage of all the pre-season testing. You can find it by following us on our Twitter @F1Insider78

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
No copyright infringement intended.

Malaysian GP: Circuit Preview

Welcome to my 2nd Circuit Preview of the year. The Second round is taking place in the beautiful Country of Malaysia and we're looking to see dry, hot weather this year.

Last year's race was rainy and cloudy. Sebastian Vettel took pole while Sergio Perez had the fastest timed lap. The podium? Vettel in First, while Webber finished Second and Hamilton in Third. It was a very controversial race when Vettel disobeyed team orders to not pass Webber. Webber was said to have won if it weren't for the events that took place between Vettel and the Redbull Team.

On to this year! The Sepang International Circuit is located in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia and was opened in 1999. It draws in a crowd, as it's Maximum Capacity is 80,000! 

The circuit is 3.444 Miles in length and has a total of 15 turns. The drivers have a total of 56 laps to cover before a winner is announced. This year, with the Turbos, we could see a lot of people dropping out if it's a hot one. Last year, with the rain, it was slippery, but they didn't have to worry about overheating Turbo Engines. The circuit also runs Clockwise.

I have already posted the Schedule if you want to take a look at when the events take place.

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.  
(Photo Credit Belongs To Owner: www.wemotor.com)

Bahrain Testing Day 2 - Re-Cap

Last night day 2 of testing at Bahrain International Circuit got underway and let's get straight to the results & re-cap.

We opened with a Red Flag when Nico Rosberg's Mercedes stopped out on the circuit and had to be aken back to the pits to be worked on. The Mercedes crew put up screens around the garage to shield people from seeing what they were doing. Once it was Green Flag, things started out slow, other than Jean-Eric Vergne getting out there and completing a double-figure amount of laps for the Toro Rosso team.

Eventually, Day 1's fastest driver, Nico Hulkenberg was sent out to do some laps in the Force India, but after the 8 hour session was over, he was beat by McLaren's Kevin Magnussen, who stole fastest time with a 1:34s, pushing Nico to the second fastest spot.

We had a few more red flags during the session, when Vergne's car stopped and a bit later, it was Esteban's Sauber that also stopped and the Cherry Picker came out to return the car to the pits.

Other than that, another good day of running for all 11 teams, as they all set times this time, and here they are!

Fastest Times:

1. Kevin Magnussen - 1:34.910 / McLaren
2. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:36.445 / Force India
3. Fernando Alonso - 1:36.516 / Ferrari
4. Nico Rosberg - 1:36.965 / Mercedes
5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:37.328 / Williams
6. Kamui Kobayashi - 1:39.855 / Caterham
7. Sebastian Vettel - 1:40.340 / Redbull
8. Jean-Eric Vergne - 1:40.609 / Toro Rosso
9. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:40.717 / Sauber
10. Romain Grosjean - 1:41.670 / Lotus
11. Max Chilton - 1:42.511 / Marussia

Thanks for reading and make sure to view my live commentary on Twitter for Day 3 of testing tonight - Follow me on twitter @F1Insider78

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.

Bahrain Testing Day 1 - Re-Cap.

Thanks to all who joined me last night on Twitter for my live commentary of Day 1 at Bahrain International Circuit! Here's a quick re-cap of what happened. Also, I'm live right now on Twitter for Day 2 and also chatting on Autosport.com in the live Forum Chat under Day 2 of Bahrain testing.

Re-Cap: Day 1 at Bahrain International Circuit started out with a few woes as the session was delayed while waiting for enough Marshalls to be around the circuit and then Fernando Alonso's Ferrari stopped out on track, before he was able to bring it back to the garage. Redbull had to delay their run as well as Toro Rosso, with theirs being due to some sort of oil leaks. Sutil in the Sauber also stopped on the circuit, and had be to removed and taken back to the pits. Other than that, things ran pretty smoothly and here are your times!

Fastest Times:

1. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:36.880 / Force India.
2. Fernando Alonso - 1:37.879/ Ferari.
3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:37.908 / Mercedes.
4. Kevin Magnussen - 1:38.295 / McLaren.
5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:40.224 / Redbull.
6. Adrian Sutil - 1:40.443 / Sauber.
7. Robin Frijns - 1:42.534 / Caterham.
8. Danill Kvyat - 1:44.346 / Toro Rosso.
9. Romain Grosjean - 1:44.832 / Lotus.
10. Felipe Massa - No Time Set / Williams.
11. Jules Bianchi - No Time Set / Marussia.

Article Written By: AMy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.

Q & A with Marcey Fehser - Hungary GP!

Today we did a Q & A with Marcey Fehser. She is a artist/painter and loves Formula1. Her artwork is abstract/provocative. The photo above is one she did and is called "Pole Position" - Available for purchase in her etsy store: www.etsy.com/shop/justmarcey

Here is the final result of our session!


Me: Alright, so first question. What do you think of the temperatures for this weekend at the Hungaroring?

Marcey: Hottttttt. But, besides "Hotttt" - It'll be uncomfortable for the spectators and it'll be boiling for the drivers down on the track. Boilinggg.

Me: Do you think it could affect the tyres?

Marcey: Ooo. I think if they're using the softs, there will be quicker tyre degradation. Hopefully none will explode.

Me: Which teams do you think have the upper-hand in the hot conditions?

Marcey: Hmm. -Giggles- I think Lotus and I think Ferarri have a better chance in heat.

Me: What about teams that might have some issues?

Marcey: For some reason I think Redbull's gonna' have a problem with the heat... And probably McLaren.

Me: What about some of the middle field teams? How do you feel the heat would affect them?

Marcey: I think Force India will do okay, and I think Sauber has a good chance. I think they may benefit from it, but I think the rest of the teams will do standard. Not much of a difference.

Me: Sebastian Vettel does hold fastest lap here. You sure the heat will trouble Redbull?

Marcey: Yeah, I think it will affect the Gearbox. It seems to have issues in the heat.. Both him and Webber.

Me: Do you know who won the first Hungarian Grand Prix? Haha.

Marcey: I don't.

Me: Nelson Piquet.

Marcey: If I would've grabbed my Formula 1 book, I would've known that. Ooo! I forgot about Mercedes.. Maybe they have a fairly good chance.

Me: What are your guesses on the starting grid? Top 3?

Marcey: Hmm... In no particular order. Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel.

Me: What about someone no one's expecting?

Marcey: Front of the grid? Maybe... Sutil, Di Resta or Perez. I think any one of them could get it.

Me: Okay, last question. What do you think of the circuit? Any particular part of if that is your favourite?

Marcey: That last turn between 12, 13 and 14 looks pretty hairy. And turn 1 looks like there could be some problems there. People are going to be flying down that straightaway. Yikes.

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If you'd like to check out Marcey's artwork you can go to: www.etsy.com/shop/justmarcey 


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Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
NCRI.