Calendar Changes For 2016 F1 Season

Australian Grand Prix organisers have announced that the Australian race will be on April 3rd in 2016. This starting date will actually make it the latest starting date for a Formula 1 season since 1988.

Seems as the Australian race is the only one from the next season that has been announced, some  people have been asking whether Australia will be where the season kicks off. As more people have been wondering this the race organisers have put all queries to rest as they confirmed that Australia will still be holding the first race of the season. With this in mind, we have to consider what this will mean for the rest of the season and the schedule.

The chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix has stated that he believes the season will be more condensed. This means there will be more events over a shorter period of time. There are currently known to be 20 events on the calendar next year. We should definitely expect to have more back-to-back race weekends. The races that take part on consecutive weekends will be geographical grouped.

The result of this alteration seems mostly positive as the cost will decrease. In addition to this, it is hoped that the change in calendar structure will make it easier for fans and viewers at home to keep track of race weekends. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. For now, let's just enjoy the rest of this season!

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Article Written By: Frances Fry
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Frank Williams Will Not Leave F1

Recently, Claire Williams has said that her father, the legendary Sir Frank Williams will not retire from the sport. The Williams principal is now 73 years old and is currently the oldest team principal in the sport. Despite his age, Frank remains as in love with the sport as he was when he first started. Despite his love he doesn't attend every race but his passion and leadership lives on as his daughter says that he always knows exactly what's happening both within his team and the sport.

Looking back at the past of this amazing man and his team shows a true success story. Maybe his dedication is to thank for the 114 race wins that he has lead the team through since 1977, when Patrick Head and Sir Frank Williams founded the Williams team. These wins have lead the team to win an incredible 9 constructors championships and 7 drivers titles.

The sport simply wouldn't be the same without him.

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Article Written By: Frances Fry
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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

Preview Quotes: Force India

Nico Hulkenberg - "The Barcelona race is one of the best weekends on the calendar. The locals are passionate and there’s always a big crowd on race day, so the atmosphere is great. I always stay in the city centre and I really like the place - plus the food is really good: I love paella. We all know the Barcelona track really well. You have to think about how to approach a lap because it’s important to look after your tyres. If you take too much out of them in the first sector, you end up paying the price in the final one, so finding the right balance is the key. The first two sectors are fairly straightforward and they are the quickest sections of the track, while the final part of the lap is more technical and low speed.

As a whole, there is a nice mix of different corners which makes this a very interesting circuit. Overtaking has always been difficult there, even with the introduction of the slow chicane at the end of the lap. The final corner is still fairly quick and it's difficult to follow another car closely. You have to lift to avoid running wide, and that usually takes away the opportunity for overtaking into turn one."

Sergio Perez - "It's nice to get to Barcelona following a good result in Bahrain. The last race was definitely a bit of a confidence boost for everyone and we will try to keep up this momentum in Spain. At the same time we expect a more challenging weekend because the characteristics of the circuit are very different to Bahrain with a lot more high-speed corners.
The weekend in Barcelona is always enjoyable. The city and the people remind me a lot of Mexico, and I really like the Spanish food. The fans also make this race special and I always feel a lot of support from the grandstands.

As a track, Barcelona is a demanding place to drive a Formula One car, with both fast and slow sections. It’s a big test of the aero package - similar to somewhere like Sepang. Overtaking is never easy because it’s difficult to get really close to another car, so good track position really pays off. The DRS zones have made it a bit easier to overtake, but you still need to be quite a bit faster than the cars you are racing."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Sauber

Preview Quotes: Sauber

Marcus Ericsson - "It is nice coming back to Barcelona, a track we know quite well from testing. The track is quite demanding for the tyres, especially for the left front tyre and mainly because of turn three, which is a long, right-hand bend. Normally with the warmer temperatures in Barcelona, I assume the tyre degradation will be quite high. Thus, it will be crucial to find a set-up on which we are able to set good lap times, as well as having good tyre management. These are two facts we need to focus on during the weekend building up to the race."

Felipe Nasr - "I am looking forward to our first race in Europe. I know the track in Barcelona quite well from many of the series I have raced in. It is a technical track, which requires a good down force due to its high-speed corners, as well as strong traction because of its slow-speed corners in the last sector. These are the two main factors for a good lap time. We have to maximize everything we have and take every opportunity to fight again for points."

Raffaele Marciello (Reserve Driver - Driving in FP1) - "Overall, it will be a busy weekend for me. Besides my duties in the GP2 Series, I will be back in the Sauber C34-Ferrari on Friday for FP1. I am really looking forward to it. I enjoy driving on this track, as it consists of fast as well as slow-speed corners. It is important being consistent over a lap, because if you push too much in the first sector, which has some fast corners, the last sector with slow-speed corners could be challenging as the tyres could overheat. My favorite part of the track is the left-right-right combination, turns seven, eight and nine in sector two, which is quite fast. In general I like high-speed corners, and also turn three is nice to drive. After the race weekend, I will have the opportunity to drive the Sauber C34-Ferrari on the second day of in-season testing in Barcelona. I am looking forward to testing the car for one whole day during which I am able to collect some mileage."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

Preview Quotes: McLaren


Fernando Alonso  - "I’m incredibly happy to be heading back to Europe, to my home country and racing in front of the loyal Spanish fans. We’ve taken some useful steps forward during the flyaway races and I’m looking forward to getting back in the car after the three-week break and continuing our push. We are seeing improvements race by race, and I want to ensure that we maintain this consistency throughout this weekend. It will be very difficult, as other teams will also have been working hard to develop their cars too, but I’m hopeful that the start of the European season will be positive for us and allow us to carry momentum into the next few races.

I really enjoy driving on this circuit - it’s high-speed and really tests the balance of the car, so we’ll be working to get that right as soon as we get out on track. There’s a huge amount of positivity in the team and all of us are working hard for better results in each race. Although we won’t be fighting for victory in Barcelona, I know I can count on the support of the fans to bring even more motivation during the whole weekend, which will be very special."

Jenson Button - "Coming into Europe after four flyaways and a three-week break is always an exciting feeling. It’s like the second phase of the season is beginning and, especially after my difficult weekend in Bahrain, I’m raring to get back out there and see how our car fares around this track. The Circuit de Catalunya is a great place to kick off the European season and a fun circuit to race on, with long straights, high-speed corners and tricky chicanes that require you to get the most out of the car throughout the whole lap. It really challenges the car and you need good balance and aerodynamic down force to get the best consistency, and, ultimately, performance.

It’s difficult to overtake there, so we’ll be working on our qualifying performance from the outset to try and push us up the pecking order. We’ve made good strides over the past few races, and that effort has continued right through the break between Bahrain and Spain, so I’m excited to see where we are and work with my engineers to keep pushing the boundaries of our previous performances at every opportunity. The key to all of this, though, is reliability, and that’s the most important element if we are to really push our package to its limits from Spain onwards."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

Preview Quotes: Williams


Felipe Massa - "We’ve completed two weeks of testing in Barcelona over the winter so we know how our car can perform around the circuit and are probably more prepared for this race than any other race on the calendar. It’s a nice track with a lot of fans in the grandstands and a great city on the doorstep. We have shown in the first few races that we have a good car and a few upgrades will be appearing in Spain that we need to make the most of if we are going to close the gap to the cars in front. It’s good to be back in Europe and I hope we can start this part of the season with a strong result."

Valtteri Bottas - "Barcelona is a track everyone knows really well as we’ve done plenty of laps there this season in testing. It’s one of those tracks where if you are good in qualifying you can have a good race as overtaking isn’t that easy. I’m confident that we will have a good chance to fight for a strong position. We will be bringing some upgrades for the car as well, so it will be interesting to see if they work as expected. I imagine most teams will be bringing something new to the race and would have made good use of the three week gap and the circuit's relative closeness to each team's factory. Being in Europe also eliminates the jet lag we experience so we can get a bit more training in before the race. I’m really looking forward to starting the European season."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Red Bull

Preview Quotes: Red Bull


Daniel Ricciardo - "I think most F1 drivers would say we’ve all done too many laps around here, but don’t get me wrong, it’s a great circuit. It’s fun to drive. The first two sectors have a really good flow to them, which is pretty cool. The last sector is a bit more about tyre management on the modern layout but the rest is exhilarating. We have a great atmosphere for the race. The circuit cuts into the hillside so there’s lots of good viewing areas and, so long as Alonso’s on track, it’s pretty crazy. That’s great for all of us, not just Fernando. It’s going to be good with three Spanish drivers in this year’s race. There’ll be a real buzz. The race itself? I think it’s one where DRS is a big plus point. In the past, because everyone knew the track and their setup so well, races tended to be a bit stale. I think the DRS means that you don’t get dull races any more. You can still defend though - it’s a good track for that - but in a way that’s going to make the race exciting for spectators.

Barcelona’s really, really cool: lots of atmosphere, really good vibe. I’m also not entirely unaware of the fact it has some pretty good beaches and, as everyone is probably tired of hearing, I’m always happiest when we’ve got sand and water nearby. It’s also a great city for food. Obviously I eat carefully but I’m not one of those drivers who completely ignores the local cuisine. The restaurants in Barcelona are definitely a highlight and I’m a big fan of eating out here."

Daniil Kvyat - "Obviously the teams and drivers know the track very well simply through testing. We’re there in pre-season and all the drivers do a lot of miles there. However, just because we do a lot of testing there it doesn’t mean the track is any less challenging for a driver. There’s a reason it’s used so much and that’s because it’s got a great variety of corners and a lot of different challenges. For a driver it’s a tough track, quite technical but if you get everything right then it’s really enjoyable. I know Barcelona well and really like being in Spain. I lived there for three months when I was racing in Formula Renault 2.0 as my team at the time was based there. Because I speak Italian it was easy for me to pick up some Spanish and that makes the experience of being there a bit better. I have a lot of friends there and try to hang out a bit when I’m there."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Lotus

Preview Quotes: Lotus


Romain Grosjean - "Barcelona means the start of the European season. That means we see quite a lot more updates on the cars, which can make everything interesting. We’ve had a couple of weeks since Bahrain and it’s only a short flight from Enstone to the circuit so there’s been a decent amount of time for some more developments to the car. The fans have a great spirit in Barcelona, which is a beautiful city full of culture that I really enjoy. It’s a circuit we’ve seen pretty often in your career so I know it well, and I have some good memories from the past. It was our best circuit last year, and I also finished fourth back in 2012 as well as setting the fastest lap. It is a circuit everyone knows backwards, so as a team we go to Barcelona intent on getting much more performance from the car.

In terms of performance we have achieved a one hundred percent record in reaching Q3 which is a very good result. We could have done more in the first two races had we not had a few issues but I think that we got everything right from China onwards. It’s very good to be in the top ten in qualifying and then play with the strategy in the race. I’m happy with the points we have scored these last couple of races, let’s now get more at every race and continue to improve."

Pastor Maldonado - "Overall Catalunya is tough for the cars, drivers and teams because everyone knows the track so well and you have to fight for every thousandth of a second. It’s very special – mostly because we see a lot of Venezuelan support there, also because it’s the first race back in Europe, and of course, because it’s nice to have won there. Hopefully we’ll see a good result there for the team and some points for me! A top ten in qualifying will be our first focus and then it’ll be a very tough race in terms of tyre management, with a lot of pit stops and strategy."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Spanish GP: Circuit Preview

                            (Image belongs to: sidepodcast.com - All rights belong to the owner)

As we near the Spanish GP weekend, it's time to look at the circuit.

The "Circuit De Barcelona-Catalunya" is located in Montmelo, Barcelona, Spain and is the current host of the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix and is no stranger to the motor sports calendars.

The circuit first opened in 1991 and the current version is a total of 2.892 miles and has 16 turns. The circuit runs Clockwise like most circuits and has a capacity of 140,700. The F1 race will consist of 66 laps.

This will be the home race for 3 drivers including: Fernando Alonso, Roberto Merhi & Carlos Sainz.

Last year, Lewis Hamilton took Pole Position and went on to win the race with his team-mate, Nico Rosberg finishing in Second and Daniel Ricciardo finishing in Third. Retirements included Kamui Kobayashi (Brake Failure) & Jean-Eric Vergne (Exhaust).

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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Image belongs to: sidepodcast.com

Spanish GP: Schedule

It's time for the European races on the 2015 Calendar and first up is Spain. Here is the schedule for the Spanish GP Week.

SCHEDULE:

May 7th / Thursday

15:00 - Driver Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

May 8th / Friday

08:45 - 09:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk
10:00 - 11:30 - Free Practice #1
12:50 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk
14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice #2
16:00 - 17:00 - Principals Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

May 9th / Saturday

08:30 - 09:15 - Team Pit-Stop Practice
08:30 - 09:35 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk
11:00 - 12:00 - Free Practice #3
13:00 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk
14:00 - 15:00 - Qualifying

May 10th / Sunday

12:25 - 13:15 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk
12:30 - Drivers Track Parade
12:45 - 13:15 - Starting Grid Presentation
13:46 - National Anthem
14:00 - Race

(Times subject to change)

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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