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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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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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Ferrari

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SCUDERIA FERRARI F1 TEAM

Kimi Raikkonen - “Because of the altitude, this track is quite slippery, with very little grip, so it’s easy to lose lap time. In the first part you have a long straight where it’s possible to overtake, while the rest of the track is more similar to a street circuit and there it gets more difficult to pass. But for sure, if you have the speed it should be possible to gain positions. This year we have been pretty strong in most places, so I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be the same here. Let’s see how it is tomorrow: with the new cars, given the increased down force they generate, it should be a bit better. In these last three races we are aiming to do the best we can, hopefully fighting for wins.”

Sebastian Vettel - “We are still here to fight and we want to do it till the end. We are trying to do our best and win and then we’ll go from there. Everything that we can learn today will help us for the future, this is the thinking inside the whole team. We need to keep going and push on our development. Last year, the start for us was important as it gave us the best opportunity to attack, but this year, we should have better chances during the race. We have had a mixed year with ups and downs, which I think is normal for a team. There were races we couldn’t finish and that hurts. But we have a good car and on paper we should be more competitive here, so let’s see what happens.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Ferrari Retains Raikkonen

FERRARI RETAINS RAIKKONEN FOR 2018

    Kimi Raikkonen will race at Ferrari in the 2018 Formula One championship, the Italian team has confirmed.

    Raikkonen’s contract was due to run out at the end of the season, and there was speculation the 2007 champion would retire, 17 years after making his F1 debut with Sauber.

    But Ferrari confirmed in the build up to the Belgian Grand Prix the 37-year-old has extended his contract for another season.

    Raikkonen rejoined Ferrari in 2014, having left the team in 2009. Since then, he has taken 10 podium finishes, including four this season, but hasn’t taken a race win with the Italian team. His last F1 win was with Lotus in 2013.

    Team-mate Sebastian Vettel’s contract is also due to finish this season. It’s expected Ferrari will retain the championship leader, but no announcement has been made.

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Ferrari Unveil SF70H

FERRARI UNVEIL SF70H

    Ferrari’s 2017 challenger, the SF70H, has hit the track for the first time at the team’s test track at Fiorano.

    The Italian team launched live online only just over an hour before Kimi Raikkonen got behind the wheel of the 2017 specification car for the first time. The Finn was only shaking it down, but he reported no problems with the car he’ll be racing this season.

    Nobody at the team has set any expectations for the season ahead, though they’ll inevitably be trying to catch up with Mercedes, who are the favourites to lead the championship again this season.

    Due to regulation changes, the SF70H has a fin above the engine cover, like most cars launched so far this year, and a lengthened nose, as well as a completely redesigned roll hoop.

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Raikkonen Confirmed at Ferrari in 2017

KIMI RAIKKONEN SIGNS 2017 FERRARI CONTRACT

The most talked about seat of the season has been filled. Ferrari has confirmed they have re-signed Kimi Raikkonen to partner Sebastian Vettel in the 2017 Formula 1 season.

A number of drivers have been rumored to be in discussions with Ferrari to take the Finn’s seat as it seemed Raikkonen might be set to retire from Formula One. Though he has been keeping up with team mate Vettel this season (both drivers are on 96 points at present), his performance in previous seasons hasn’t been brilliant compared to his team mate, but Ferrari feel a fourth year in his second stint at the team is deserved.

“Scuderia Ferrari announces that it has renewed its technical and racing agreement with Kimi Raikkonen,” Ferrari said in a statement ahead of the British Grand Prix. “The driver line-up for the 2017 racing season will still consist of the Finish driver and Sebastien Vettel.”

Raikkonen said ahead of the GP weekend that Ferrari is the best team in F1.

“I’m really happy to be part of Ferrari,” he said. “The atmosphere is fantastic, we are always pushing each other forward and hopefully we’ll get the team back where it belongs.”

Whilst we know the Finn will be at Ferrari in 2017, it’s not known how long this contract will last, meaning we’ll probably be having the same rumors surrounding the most desirable seat on the grid next season.

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European GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Ferrari

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SCUDERIA FERRARI F1 TEAM

Sebastian Vettel - "I don't know much about Azerbaijan. I'm really looking forward to getting there, as I've heard a lot of good things about it. I've heard that the track is very exciting, with parts leading through the whole town and narrow in places. So, I think it should be exciting. I am a big fan of street circuits. Usually, they are very tricky, bumpy, rough, very narrow places. So, hopefully Baku fulfills these expectations and goes in line with other street circuit classics."

Kimi Raikkonen - N/A

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Ferrari's 2016 Car Launch

Around 130,000 people turned to the Ferrari website to watch the unveiling of their 2016 challenger. The 62^nd Ferrari built single seater has a shorter nose and a tapered rear end.

Of course, the thing that immediately caught most fans’ eyes is the new livery. The traditional Ferrari red is, as always, the dominate colour, but striking white features have been getting fans excited. It’s a throwback to the seventies.

The move away from pull-rod front suspension might be what gets the fans excited once the car gets onto the track. The team has moved to a more conventional push-rod suspension, which should lead to a sharper front end, complementing the driving styles of both Vettel and Räikkönen. Changes to the power unit, making it more compact, may also make a difference on track.

But will it be enough to pass Mercedes?

“Our competitors are strong,” said technical director James Allison. “We have to go forward and improve. We are very confident that we can achieve good results this season.”

“We would like to fight until the end of the championship,” said Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene. “I know it’s not going to be easy because our competitors are not sleeping, but we are all committed to do our best.”

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Feature: Star Drivers Of The Bahrain GP

Frances Fry (Assistant writer) - "My driver of the weekend is none other than Ferrari's Kimi Raikonnen. Kimi performed fantastically and kept to his tradition of podium finishes in Bahrain. Finishing second gave Ferrari another boost in addition to Sebastian Vettel's win. It's good to see the red horses feeling good and back near the top!

Kimi drove with continuous skill and stayed focused throughout the entire race, his concentration didn't waver once. The Finn didn't miss any opportunities and as soon as the chance arose, he overtook who was ahead of him, which for a majority of the race was Rosberg. As we know, overtaking a Mercedes is like winning a battle (much like achieving any overtake). Ferrari have managed to do it now not only with Vettel but also will Raikonnen! If that doesn't prove their progress, I don't know what will.
Kimi deserves the points that he won in the race and it was great to see him back on the podium. Now he's gotten second I can't wait for him to get first. There's nothing like an array of winners in a Formula 1 season."

Amy Hawk (Lead writer & Editor) - "My driver of the weekend is also Kimi Raikkonen as I can't get over how thrilling it was to watch him battle with Nico Rosberg during the race. It's been awhile since we've seen Kimi on the podium and I was very happy for both him and Ferrari, who are just doing an incredible job so far this year, with multiple podiums and a win from Sebastian.

Kimi's had quite the career so far, with many wins and many podiums. There will definitely be more to come from him this year in the next GP's."

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Belgian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Ferrari

Preview Quotes - Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen - “Spa is probably my favourite circuit because it’s an old-style track which climbs and drops through the forest and I like the fact it’s fast and flowing. Also, it usually provides good racing to watch for the spectators. I think you can make a difference as a driver at every part of the circuit, but as with every track, it’s a combination of factors. At Turn 1, the hairpin, you can actually lose or gain a lot of time and you need good speed out of it because after it comes the very long straight including Eau Rouge. That corner has been easily flat out for quite a long time now, although actually, with this year’s cars, that might not be the case. Last time I drove here in a Ferrari (in 2009) I won, and that was in a year when we had been struggling since the start. But in Spa we managed to get things going a bit more in the right direction and it would be good if the same thing could happen this year. That would hopefully mean the racing would be a bit more fun. It’s always more fun when we get the results!”

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British GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Ferrari

Preview Quotes - Ferrari

Fernando Alonso - “I think Silverstone is a very challenging circuit, very demanding with its high-speed corners and the whole track is tough on the car and for the driver too. There’s a great sense of tradition here, so all the drivers want to do well at this event in front of the English fans. Not only are they very passionate about the sport, they also know their Formula One.”

Kimi Raikkonen - “Silverstone is a track with a great tradition and on top of that, the fans are very knowledgeable and they are happy to support you whatever team you drive for. The track has changed a bit in recent years, but I like it a lot, as all the very fast corners make it very challenging. It often rains, which means it can all become a lottery, but it’s the same for everyone. All I can say is that, as usual, we will be trying our best.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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