Albon Confirmed At Toro Rosso

TORO ROSSO CONFIRMS ALEXANDER ALBON FOR 2019

    Alexander Albon has been confirmed to race alongside Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso in 2019.

    The 22-year-old competed in the 2018 Formula 2 season with the team DAMS. He partnered Canadian driver, Nicholas Latifi.

    Albon won 4 races and finished 3rd in the Drivers' Championship with a total of 212 points. He also had an additional 4 podiums during the season.

    Albon, who was born in London, England, will race under the Thailand flag, as he did in Formula 2. He has chosen 23 as his permanent Formula 1 racing number.

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Stroll Joins Perez At Racing Point In 2019

STROLL TO PARTNER PEREZ IN 2019

    Racing Point Force India has confirmed Lance Stroll will join Sergio Perez for the 2019 Formula 1 season.

    Stroll’s father, Lawrence Stroll, led a consortium of businessmen to buy the team earlier this year, after Force India fell into administration.

    It had been widely expected Stroll would join the team for his third year in F1, and replaces Mercedes junior Esteban Ocon, who will spent 2019 as Mercedes’ test and reserve driver.

    “I’m pleased that we can finally confirm Lance’s arrival to race alongside Sergio next year,” said team principal Otmar Szafnauer.

    “It gives us an exciting line-up with the perfect blend of youth, talent, and experience.

    Lance is only 20 and already has two years of Formula 1 experience under his belt, as well as a podium finish and front row start. We see huge potential in Lance and believe we can create an environment in which he can flourish.

    Our team has enjoyed great success nurturing and developing young and talented drivers, and we are very excited to begin our journey with Lance.

    I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Esteban Ocon for his contribution to the team over the last two seasons and wish him well for the future.”

    Stroll made his F1 debut with Williams after securing the 2016 European Formula 3 championship. He finished 12th overall in his debut season, taking his maiden F1 podium at Azerbaijan.

    His second season in F1 was marred by the struggling Williams car, and he was only able to take two points finishes, ending the year 18th in the drivers’ championship.

    The 20-year-old aims to turn his fortunes around at the team.

    “This is the beginning of an incredibly exciting journey in my Formula 1 career. I look forward to working alongside a successful team with a great culture. It’s a new challenge and I am excited to embrace this new opportunity.”

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George Russell Confirmed At Williams For 2019

WILLIAMS CONFIRMS GEORGE RUSSELL FOR 2019 SEASON

     Mercedes junior George Russell will make the step up to Formula 1 after signing a multi-year deal with Williams.

    Russell will make his debut for the squad at the 2019 Australian grand Prix, and is the first driver to be confirmed for Williams’ 2019 line-up.

    The 20-year-old looks set to join F1 as Formula 2 champion. Having taken the GP3 crown last year, He leads the F2 championship by 37 points with only two races remaining.

     “It is a huge honour to join a team of Williams’ prestige and heritage,” Russell said.

     “Formula 1 has been a life-long dream. From watching the races when I was a child, it feels surreal that I will not be lining up on the grid, alongside drivers whom I have admired for years.

     I would like to thank Claire and everyone at Williams for their faith in making this decision, as well as Toto [Wolff] and the team at Mercedes for their fantastic support throughout GP3 and Formula 2. I am incredibly excited to start working with everyone at Grove and to take my first steps as a Formula 1 race driver.

     I cannot wait for Melbourne next year and to join Williams at the start of an exciting new journey.”

     Russell, who spent the year as Mercedes reserve driver, has already tested in modern F1 machinery, running with Force India and Mercedes over the past two season.

     Unlike fellow F2 graduate Lando Norris, Russell is yet to make any Free Practice 1 appearances this year, preferring to focus on the F2 title.

    Williams has endured a difficult 2018 and currently lies bottom of the championship standings. The team hopes to change its fortunes with Russell on board next season.

    “We have already tried to promote and develop young talent and Williams, and George fits that ethos perfectly,” said deputy team principal Claire Williams.

    “He is already highly regarded in the paddock and a driver whose career we have been watching for a while.

     In the time we have spent with him so far, we believe that he will be a great fit for our team; his commitment, passion and dedication is exactly what we need to drive the positive momentum building at Grove as we focus on our future.

     We are extremely excited to welcome George and work with him moving forward.”

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Leclerc Confirmed For Ferrari

LECLERC CONFIRMED FOR FERRARI IN 2019 WHILE RAIKKONEN HEADS TO SAUBER

    Charles Leclerc will replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari as the 2007 champion switches to Sauber for the 2019 Formula 1 championship.

    With just a year’s F1 experience under his belt, Leclerc will become the first Ferrari Driver Academy member to make it to the senior team and the second youngest driver to ever race for Ferrari in F1.

    “[I’m] eternally grateful to Scuderia Ferrari for the opportunity give,” Leclerc said on Twitter.

    “To Nicolas Todt for supporting me since 2011. To my family.

    “To a person that is not part of this world anymore but to whom I owe everything of what is happening to me, Papa.

    “To Jules [Bianchi], thank you for all the things you learnt me, we will never forget you.

    “And to all the persons that supported me and believed in me. I will work harder than ever to not disappoint you. But first, there is a season to finish with an amazing team that gave me the opportunity to fight and to show my potential.”

    Leclerc made his F1 debut at the start of the year after winning back to back GP3 and Formula 2 championships.

    The Monogasque racer claimed his first F1 points with a sixth place finish at the Azerbaijan GP, where he scored more points than the entire Sauber team managed in 2017. He’s since taken top 10 finishes in four further places and lies 15th in the drivers’ championship.

    Leclerc will spend 2019 racing alongside Sebastian Vettel, while Raikkonen switches to the 20-year-old’s current team, Sauber.

    Almost 18 years after he made his F1 debut with the team, Raikkonen will return to Sauber with a two year contract.

    In his first year at the team, the Finn took 10 top 10 finishes and finished 10th in the championship standings. Since then, he’s taken 20 victories and 100 podium finishes, and team boss Frederic Vasseur hopes that experience will help his team grow next season.

    “Signing Kimi Raikkonen as our driver represents an important pillar of our project and brings us closer to our target of making significant progress as a team in the near future,” he said.

    “Kimi’s undoubted talent and immense experience in Formula 1 will not only contribute to the development of our car, but will also accelerate the growth and development of our team as a whole.

    "Together, we will start the 2019 season with a strong foundation, driven by the determination to fight for results that count.”

    Sauber has since confirmed that Kimi will be partnered with Antonio Giovinazzi from Italy.

    The news leaves six 2019 seats undecided. Haas, Toro Rosso, and Williams are yet to confirm their line ups for next season.

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Lando Norris Joins McLaren In 2019, Vandoorne Out

NORRIS JOINS McLAREN IN 2019, STOFFEL VANDOORNE TO LEAVE

    Lando Norris will replace Stoffel Vandoorne at McLaren for the 2019 Formula 1 season.

    The European Formula 3 champion and Formula 2 front-runner joins Carlos Sainz Jnr at the team, becoming the first rookie to be confirmed for the upcoming season.

    Norris became McLaren’s test and reserve driver after winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award for young drivers in 2016. He’s completed a number of tests with the team, including two FP1 outings.

    “To be announced as a race driver for McLaren is a dream come true,” he said. “Although I’ve been part of the team for a while now, this is a special moment, one I could only hope would become reality.

    I’d like to thank the whole team for this amazing opportunity and for believing in me. I’m also extremely grateful for the commitment McLaren has already shown my development, allowing me to build my experience in a Formula 1 car in both testing and on Fridays during the past two race weekends.

    For the remainder of 2018, my focus remains firmly on the Formula 2 championship. My objective is to win the title before joining McLaren full-time, which will be tough but I will fight as hard as I can for the remaining four races.

    I’ll also be working closely with McLaren at every opportunity to learn as much as possible from the drivers, engineers, and mechanics to give myself the best preparation ahead of next year.”

    Norris started his car racing career in the Ginetta Junior championship in 2014, before switching to single seaters with the MSA Formula in 2015. Since 2015, Norris has claimed the MSA Formula title, Formula Renault Eurocup and NEC titles, Toyota Racing Series title, and the European Formula 3 championship victory.

    He finished second in last year’s Macau Grand Prix and is currently second in the Formula 2 championship, behind Mercedes junior George Russel.

    Norris is the fourth McLaren junior driver to be promoted to F1, following in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen, and Vandoorne.

    The move means Vandoorne joins the list of current drivers out of a seat for the upcoming season.

    “I’m very grateful to McLaren for investing their faith in me over the past five years,” he said. “I joined McLaren as a young driver and have since seen my career progress within the team from test and development driver to reserve driver and then to full-time race driver.

    While we haven’t achieved the success we’d all hoped for, I’ve really enjoyed the past two seasons racing for McLaren and I have a great relationship with everyone in the team.”

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2019 Provisional Calendar

FIA RELEASE PROVISIONAL CALENDAR FOR 2019

    The FIA has revealed a 21 race calendar for the 2019 Formula 1 season.

    The championship will run from early March to early December, once again starting with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne and ending at the Yas Marina Circuit with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    After many complaints concerning this year’s European triple header, where the French, Austrian, and British grands prix took place on consecutive weekends, it has been removed for the 2019 season. The French and Austrian races will be back to back, but teams have been afforded a weekend off before the British race.

    The move has pushed back the summer break, with the Hungarian Grand Prix taking place in early August before the break, which ends with the Belgian Grand Prix at the start of September.

    The only other difference to this season’s calendar is the positions of the Mexican and United States grands prix in the running order. Mexico is scheduled to host its race before the US, but organizers may try to move the US race, which is set to take place on the same weekend as a NASCAR meeting at the Texas Motor Speedway.

1 – 17th March – Melbourne – Australia
2 – 31st March – Shanghai – China
3 – 14th April – Sakhir – Bahrain
4 – 28th April – Baku – Azerbaijan
5 – 12th May – Barcelona – Spain
6 – 26th May – Monte Carlo – Monaco
7 – 9th June – Montreal – Canada
8 – 23rd June – Le Castellet – France
9 – 30th June – Spielberg – Austria
10 – 14th July – Silverstone – Great Britain
11 – 29th July – Hockenheim – Germany
12 – 4th August – Budapest – Hungary
13 – 1st September – Spa-Francorchamps – Belgium
14 – 8th September – Monza – Italy
15 – 22nd September – Singapore – Singapore
16 – 29th September – Sochi – Russia
17 – 13th October – Suzuka – Japan
18 – 27th October – Mexico City – Mexico
19 – 3rd November – Austin – USA
20 – 17th November  - Sao Paulo – Brazil
21 – 1st December – Yas Marina – Abu Dhabi

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Gasly Confirmed At Red Bull

RED BULL CONFIRMS PIERRE GASLY

    Red Bull has confirmed Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly will make the step up to the senior team in 2019.

    The GP2 champion, who made his Formula 1 debut in Malaysia last year, replaces Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull as the Australian moves to Renault next season.

    Heading into just his second full season in F1, Gasly said he was excited about the opportunity but admitted his promotion would be a challenge.

    “To be awarded a drive at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing from 2019 is a dream come true for me, I’m so excited to be joining this top team,” he said.

    “It has been my goal to race for this team since I joined the Red Bull Junior Driver Programme in 2013, and this incredible opportunity is another step forward in my ambition to win grands prix and compete for world championships.

    Red Bull has always looked to fight for championships or victories and that’s what I want. I’m a really competitive guy and when I do something it’s always to fight for the best and top positions.

    As hugely exciting a moment as this is, I am fully aware of the challenge this special opportunity offers me and the expectations that faces any driver at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

    I’m looking forward to rewarding the faith that Dietrich Mateschitz, Christian Horner, and Dr Helmut Marko have placed in me.”

    He added that he will continue to push hard for top results during his remaining time with Toro Rosso.

    Since joining the F1 grid, Gasly has taken three points finishes, including Honda’s top result of a fourth place finish in Bahrain.

    Team boss Christian Horner added that these results helped convince the team Gasly was prepared for the promotion.

    “Since Pierre first stepped into a Formula 1 seat with Scuderia Toro Rosso less than a year ago, he has proved the undoubted talent that Red Bull has nurtured since his early career,” he said.

    “His stellar performances this year at the Honda-powered team, in only his first full season in Formula 1, have only enhanced his reputation as one of the most exciting young drivers in motorsport and we look forward to Pierre bringing his speed, skill and attitude to the team in 2019.”

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