F1 Pickings

George Russell has played down suggestions that his Williams Formula 1 team will be able to rejoin the midfield runners in 2020, despite an encouraging performance in Barcelona pre-season testing

So during the final minutes of F1 testing, when the FIA dropped a statement out of the blue that it had concluded an investigation in to Ferrari’s 2019 power unit, suspicions quickly ramped up that there was more to this than met the eye. For waiting until the moment when F1’s TV cameras were about to be switched off, team principals had already left the Barcelona paddock, and the world’s ... Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton has faith that his Mercedes Formula 1 team is doing all it can to get on top of its engine reliability problems before the Australian Grand Prix

Williams scored just one point in 2019 and its drivers rarely escaped elimination in the first segment of qualifying. Although troubled by several engine-related issues during the two Barcelona tests this year, both Russell and his rookie teammate Nicolas Latifi set lap times in the new FW43 which were faster than either of the team’s drivers managed in qualifying for last season’s Spanish ... Keep reading

Max Verstappen says he is not worried about the stability of his 2020 Red Bull Formula 1 car, despite a number of spins through pre-season testing

Rival F1 teams have expressed "shock" and "anger" at the FIA's conclusion to an investigation into Ferrari's 2019 engine.

Mercedes will head to the Formula 1 season-opener in Australia as the favourite after leading pre-season testing - although question marks remain over its engine reliability

Racing Point Formula 1 team technical director Andy Green has not dismissed the idea of his team being a threat to Ferrari at the start of the season

Verstappen ended the final day of testing in Barcelona with the third-fastest time of the winter after a late qualifying simulation run, only trailing Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas’ pair of leading efforts. Despite showing the pace of the Red Bull RB16, Verstappen and teammate Alexander Albon both experienced multiple spins through testing, suggesting the car was difficult to ... Keep reading

While the new Mercedes W11 has emerged from winter testing as the car that many believe to be the fastest, it has not been an entirely smooth two weeks for the German car manufacturer. It had to use two engines in the first test, after a power unit on Valtteri Bottas’s car failed following two days of running in week one. That unit was then checked and given the all clear and put back in ... Keep reading

Combined fastest laps from the two tests Pos Driver Time 1 Valtteri Bottas 1'15.732 2 Max Verstappen 1'16.269 3 Daniel Ricciardo 1'16.276 4 Charles Leclerc 1'16.360 5 Lewis Hamilton 1'16.410 6 Esteban Ocon 1'16.433 7 Sergio ... Keep reading

Though Lewis Hamilton has expressed concern at the reliability of the W11, Mercedes once again leaves Barcelona with the highest mileage.

Though he completed the most laps in pre-season testing, Lewis Hamilton has admitted concern at the W11's reliability.

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The teams reflect as the sixth and final day of pre-season testing comes to an end.

While Mercedes leaves Barcelona with good reason to feel confident, Max Verstappen gets within 0.073s of causing an upset.

Pirelli has come under fire from drivers at times over recent seasons for their F1 tyre's high degradation and sensitive characteristics. A new construction intended to help open up the tyre operating window for 2020 was tested and evaluated last year, but was unanimously rejected by teams. The 2019 tyres are therefore being used again, but the step forward in performance of the current ... Keep reading

Formula 1's governing body says it has "reached a settlement" with Ferrari following an investigation into the engine it raced last year.

Today's times from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the final day of the second pre-season test.

Valtteri Bottas completed the final session of Formula 1 pre-season testing at the top of the timesheets, ending the day with a 1m16.196s to beat Daniel Ricciardo's morning benchmark

Having fitted the C5 tyres midway through the afternoon's incident-free running, Bottas leapfrogged Ricciardo with a time just 0.05s faster than the Renault driver's best effort of the day to vault to the top of the times. Moments later, Bottas then found another tenth in his back pocket, improving his first sector time over his previous best to cement his position. Bottas held the overall ... Keep reading

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas ends pre-season testing with fastest lap - both on Friday's final day and overall.

At a time Racing Point is raising eyebrows in the F1 paddock over the legality of its car, a curious statement from the FIA in relation to Ferrari is sure to spark further controversy.

The FIA has reached a private "settlement" with Ferrari over its 2019 Formula 1 engine, after concluding an investigation into the team's power unit

Ferrari was at the centre of intrigue last year amid suspicions that it had found a clever way of getting around the fuel flow sensor restrictions to provide a power boost. However, the team was never found to be in breach of the regulations and no team ever formally protested the outfit. But in a statement issued by the FIA on Friday, the governing body said that an agreement had been ... Keep reading

Ferrari says Formula 1 teams must be given assurances about the risks they may face at the Australian Grand Prix regarding the coronavirus before staff start travelling to Melbourne

Amid growing fears about staff not being allowed to travel, or risking quarantine on arrival, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says F1 and the FIA must ensure there are no surprises for teams. With Italian team personnel and drivers having trouble getting to this weekend's Bahrain F2 test because of fears over the virus, there is a danger that a similar scenario could await staff ... Keep reading

Designers are reimagining what Formula 1 cars could look like - and they're pretty impressive...

Designers are reimagining what Formula 1 cars could look like - and they're pretty impressive...

Ferrari boss, Mattia Binotto has admitted that he considers Racing Point to be a threat to his team.

Designers are reimagining what Formula 1 cars could look like - and they're pretty impressive...

Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes is battling "plenty of problems", admitting the engine reliability dramas that have affected the Formula 1 team during pre-season testing are a concern

Mercedes has had to swap engines three times during pre-season testing, following a failure for Valtteri Bottas in the first test and an oil pressure anomaly for Hamilton this week. The issues, on the back of problems for Williams, have left Mercedes with the task of getting on top of the reliability issues before the season opener in Melbourne next week. Reflecting on how the team's ... Keep reading

In the first motorsport-related incident, it has been revealed that Danish racer Christian Lundgaard will miss next week's F2 test after being quarantined due to the coronavirus.

Claire Williams says "I can be a mother and run a Formula 1 team" after criticism following their performance last season.

At a time fans, pundits and inhabitants of Planet Paddock alike are trying to make sense of pre-season testing and what it all means for Melbourne and beyond, this morning's events in Barcelona have only added to the mystery.

This morning's times from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the final day of the second pre-season test.

Daniel Ricciardo topped the first session of the final day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Barcelona, marking the first time Renault power has been fastest this winter

The Renault driver went out late on with a set of fresh of the C5 tyres during a flurry of time-attack laps, and shot to the top of the times with the second-best time of testing of a 1m16.276s. The track proved fairly busy when pitlane opened at 9am local time, with most heading out to begin some long runs. McLaren's Carlos Sainz led the way after the opening hour with a 1m27.255s on ... Keep reading

The Silverstone-based outfit has made a strong start to pre-season testing with its all-new RP20, which has taken inspiration from last year's Mercedes design. Its form has been such that Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto, whose own team has admitted it is behind where it wants to be, believes Racing Point could be a thorn in its side. "They are certainly very close," Binotto told Sky ... Keep reading

Believing that the 'big three' will still dominate the start of the season, Valtteri Bottas admits that the games teams are playing in Barcelona are making it increasingly difficult to discern the pecking order.

Ferrari is hoping to conclude contract talks with Sebastian Vettel swiftly to keep the four-time Formula 1 world champion beyond the end of this year

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Mercedes has swapped engines for the final day of pre-season Formula 1 testing, following the shutdown on Lewis Hamilton's power unit on Thursday

Hamilton stopped out on track on Thursday afternoon when his engine shut down as the result of an anomaly with the oil pressure. That incident meant Hamilton could not return to the track later that day, and Mercedes took the decision to remove the power unit and send it back to its Brixworth engine headquarters for analysis to find out what went wrong. Read Also: Hamilton problem ... Keep reading

The Dane is at the centre of big drama in the Haas episode when team boss Gunther Steiner gives him and teammate Romain Grosjean a dressing down after they clashed at the British Grand Prix. Although the Netflix cameras were not present in Steiner's office during the heated exchange, the microphones do pick up what was said. Steiner is heard saying: "I have fu**ing had enough of both of you ... Keep reading

Valtteri Bottas says he is refusing to read too much into Ferrari's comments downplaying its pre-season Formula 1 testing performance, saying rivals often play "a weird game"

Ferrari Formula 1 chief Mattia Binotto has said repeatedly the team is trailing rivals Mercedes and Red Bull after making a quiet start to testing with its new SF1000 car.  Sebastian Vettel lifted Ferrari to the top of the timesheets for the first time on the penultimate day of pre-season testing - but still trailed Bottas’ winter benchmark from the opening week by over a second. Asked ... Keep reading

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Vettel completed his final extended run in the 2020 Ferrari car on Thursday before the start of the season, racking up 144 laps en route to setting the fastest time of the day. But Vettel’s time was still over a second slower than the best overall lap, set by Mercedes rival Valtteri Bottas last week. Ferrari has downplay its chances in the early part of the season throughout testing, saying ... Keep reading

Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari's new Formula 1 car is "a bit draggy", causing it to trail its rivals for straightline speed through pre-season testing

The teams reflect as the fifth day of pre-season testing comes to an end.

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Sebastian Vettel signs-off from pre-season testing by posting the day's fastest time, as an engine issue sidelines Lewis Hamilton after just 14 laps.

The front wing has undergone numerous alterations, all of which are focused on changing the overall behaviour of the wing, as the team looks to skew how much of it is devoted to downforce generation and stability and how much is focused on containing the turbulence created by the front wheels. Red Bull Racing RB16 front wing Photo by: Giorgio Piola There are changes to the way in ... Keep reading

Vettel's 1m16.841s on C5s from the morning went unbeaten during the four-hour second session, although AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly put in a lap on the same rubber just 0.225s adrift of the top spot with under 15 minutes of the day remaining. Lance Stroll's C3-shod 1m17.118s from morning ended up as the third quickest time of the day overall for Racing Point. Hamilton had taken over at the ... Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton suffers an engine failure on the penultimate day of Formula 1 pre-season testing.

Today's times from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the second day of the second pre-season test.

Sebastian Vettel remained fastest for Ferrari at the end of the penultimate day of 2020 pre-season Formula 1 testing, while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton suffered a reliability setback on Thursday afternoon

Mercedes has revealed Lewis Hamilton's stoppage on the penultimate day of Formula 1 pre-season testing at Barcelona on Thursday was the result of an engine problem

The world champion's W11 ground to a halt at the exit of Turn 5 in the afternoon session, bringing out a lengthy red-flag period while his car was retrieved. Mercedes has confirmed that the stoppage was caused by an issue with the power unit, and investigations are now under way to find out the exact problem. Hamilton's issue will, however, be of concern to his Mercedes bosses with the ... Keep reading

New Zealand Formula E driver Mitch Evans says Formula E gave him a lifeline after failing on the "brutal" path to Formula 1.

Heineken sponsorship director Ben Pincus will join Formula 1 as its director of commercial partnerships

He will report directly to CEO Chase Carey as the organisation continues to evolve following the recent departure of erstwhile commercial chief Sean Bratches. Pincus replaces Murray Barnett, who held the slightly different title of director of sponsorship and commercial partnerships, and who leaves the company this week. Pincus has demonstrated his potential value to F1 over the past four ... Keep reading

There are more questions than answers, as Sebastian Vettel tops the Thursday morning timesheets as Ferrari sort of shows its hand.

Claire Williams believes the upcoming second series of Netflix's Drive to Survive documentary-series will "show the truth" about Williams's Formula 1 pre-season struggles in 2019

Sebastian Vettel headed a disrupted second morning of the second Formula 1 2020 pre-season test, setting a 1m16.841s benchmark following a Turn 5 excursion which prompted a red flag

This morning's times from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the second day of the second pre-season test.

Clocking in a 1m17.093s lap with 45 minutes to spare, Vettel put himself on top of the timesheets before almost immediately running wide on the exit of Turn 5, spinning and pouring gravel all over the circuit. After the short hiatus in running, Vettel returned to the circuit – and with 15 minutes remaining bolted on the C5 tyres to further cement his advantage over Lance Stroll. Vettel's ... Keep reading

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As talks for a Moroccan Grand Prix at Marrakesh are confirmed, a look at the stunningly dramatic 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix - one of the tightest ever title fights.

Williams endured a disastrous start to last year when delays in the build of its FW42 car caused the team to miss the first two-and-a-half days of testing. It set the tone for a difficult season that saw Williams finish last in the constructors' championship, scoring one point as it failed to compete with the midfield teams. The second season of Drive to Survive is released on Netflix this ... Keep reading

The first images of Zandvoort's completed banked turns have been revealed ahead of Formula 1's Dutch Grand Prix on 3 May

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has dismissed suggestions from Mercedes that it was running its Formula 1 engine at a different level to its customer teams in testing last week

The final corner will be at an 18 degree angle, making it twice as steep as the banking used at Indianapolis for the United States Grand Prix between 2000 and 2007. Turn 3, Hugenholtz, will also feature a banking of 19 degrees. The first images of the completed banking construction project were released on Thursday, over two months before the cars hit the track for the first time. The ... Keep reading

While the Italian outfit has been clear that Vettel is its number one choice to line up alongside Charles Leclerc from 2021, it has not yet agreed a deal with him. Speaking during pre-season testing at Barcelona, team principal Mattia Binotto hoped that the matter could be sorted soon. "I already mentioned it: Seb is our first option," he said. "I think as I always mentioned, that's a great ... Keep reading

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As investigations continue, Claire Williams admits frustration following third engine change of Barcelona test.

While rival teams continue to question the legality of the RP20, Sergio Perez is filled with confidence as he heads into the new season with what he believes to be his best car ever.

In this video using Giorgio Piola's illustrations, we delve into the intricacies of its suspension, which includes moving its multi-link design from the upper wishbone to the bottom one. All changes have allowed the nose to be designed much narrower than previously, giving aerodynamic benefits. It's a solution that the team hopes will bring it success in 2020, but one that harks back to a ... Keep reading

With his Silverstone-based outfit having hit the ground running with its RP20, which has been inspired by the Mercedes design of last year, all the indications point to it being at the front of the midfield battle this season. But although it is unclear just where the team slots in, Perez has no doubts about how positive things look. Asked by Motorsport.com if this was the best car he has had ... Keep reading

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The teams reflect as the fourth day of pre-season testing comes to an end.

Formula 1 says the Vietnam and Bahrain Grand Prix races are to go ahead as planned despite continuing concerns about coronavirus.

Sergio Perez says Racing Point's 2020 Formula 1 car is the best he has had in his career

Williams has already been forced to move onto its third Formula 1 engine of pre-season testing after a string of issues with the Mercedes power unit

The Pole drove in the morning session – the only driver to log a best lap with Pirelli's softest C5 tyres – before handing the C39 to race driver Kimi Raikkonen for the afternoon session. His time remained unbeaten. Kubica said he was impressed by the way the Hinwil team has reacted since last week's test. "I think we have something in the pocket, and we have definitely some new parts ... Keep reading

Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey has insisted that the Vietnam GP is going ahead as planned - although he acknowledged that the coronavirus situation is "fluid" as more countries are impacted

Robert Kubica tops the timesheets on opening day of final test, ahead of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

Twelve months on from its disastrous start to testing after car build delays, Williams enjoyed a strong first week of running in Barcelona as the FW43 hit the track without any major car issues. But the team suffered a setback on Wednesday morning when an oil system issue forced Nicholas Latifi to stop on track, causing a red flag. Speaking on Wednesday afternoon following Latifi's issue ... Keep reading

Robert Kubica ended the opening day of Formula 1's second week of pre-season testing at Barcelona on top, as second-placed Max Verstappen's late spin brought out a red flag

Kubica’s 1m16.942s time, set during the morning session on a set of the C5 tyres, was out of reach for the drivers participating in the afternoon – in which only Haas’s Romain Grosjean carried over from the morning.  Having suffered from a spin early on in the session at the last chicane, Kubica bolted on the softest tyre compound to post his quickest time of the day – which ... Keep reading

Since the postponement of the Shanghai race there has been a focus on the impact of the virus on the inaugural Hanoi event, given that Vietnam shares a border with China. However the emergence of the virus in northern Italy has created the added complication of potentially compromised travel arrangements to other events for the staffs of Ferrari, AlphaTauri and Pirelli. Yesterday Bahrain ... Keep reading

Ferrari will start the season behind rivals Mercedes, team boss Mattia Binotto said as Formula 1's final pre-season test started in Spain.

Today's times from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the first day of the second pre-season test.

After a low-key first week of running at Barcelona, Mercedes hinted in a press release that its Italian rival had not been showing its full potential last week. "Why have Ferrari spent this test running their PU consistently at much lower levels than their partner teams?" asked Mercedes. But put to Binotto by Motorsport.com about whether or not Ferrari was running its engine in a different ... Keep reading

Ferrari has revealed it previously considered introducing a Mercedes-style dual-axis steering system on its Formula 1 car, but decided against it because it was uncertain about its legality

Signalling that he is hoping to remain with Ferrari next season, Sebastian Vettel insists the winning the title with the Italian team is unfinished business.

Mercedes caught its rivals by surprise in pre-season testing last week when it revealed its DAS, which can adjust the toe angle of the front tyres for each corner through the steering wheel moving forward and backwards. Rival teams are now looking into whether or not DAS is worth pursuing for themselves, especially with such a long lead time in terms of development and the fact it is banned for ... Keep reading

Daniel Ricciardo says he is committed to Renault's Formula 1 project in the long-term and is not looking for the "next best thing" when his contract ends this year

Seven-time grand prix winner Ricciardo quit Red Bull at the end of 2018 to join Renault on a two-year contract, but is currently a free agent for 2021. Ricciardo has been linked to Ferrari for 2021 after a difficult first year with Renault that saw him fail to score a podium finish, as he recorded a best result of fourth at the Italian Grand Prix. The Australian has been tipped as a ... Keep reading

The Formula One Group made a profit in 2019 for the first time in three years, financial results issued by Liberty Media have confirmed

F1's overall income rose from $1827m in 2018 to $2022m last year, and after posting losses of $37m in 2017 and $68m in 2018 the group logged a profit of $17m. The increased revenue meant that the recent fall in the income paid to the 10 teams has been reversed at a time when discussions over a new Concorde Agreement for 2021 and beyond are still ongoing. The teams earned $966m between them ... Keep reading

Renault says Racing Point's so-called 'pink Mercedes' tactic with its 2020 car is a "slightly concerning" step for Formula 1

Racing Point has taken inspiration from Mercedes' 2019 design to come up with its RP20, and the new car has shown some impressive speed so far in pre-season testing. But while Racing Point is adamant that it has done nothing against the regulations, rival Renault thinks that there could be big implications for F1. Asked by Motorsport.com if his team was comfortable with what Racing Point had ... Keep reading

Williams trialled a new front wing design at the start of the second week of Formula 1 pre-season testing, with further new aerodynamic additions seen elsewhere in the pitlane

Vietnam GP organisers say that work on the Hanoi track has been completed ahead of the first Formula 1 race at the venue on April 5

The only reserve driver on duty, Robert Kubica sets early testing pace, as Vettel and Latifi bring out the red flags and Albon and Gasly lose track time.

Kubica’s best lap – a 1m16.942s – was set on the C5 tyres, the softest in Pirelli’s pre-season selection, with Gasly ending up 0.598s adrift on the slightly harder C4 rubber. On another sunny day at the Barcelona track, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz led the field out of the pits when the session got underway at 9am local time. Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel shared the top ... Keep reading

Red Bull and Honda have targeted getting through the 2020 Formula 1 season without any unprescribed engine changes this season, amid growing optimism about the reliability of its power unit

Alfa Romeo Formula 1 reserve driver Robert Kubica set the fastest time on the opening morning of the second 2020 pre-season test at Barcelona, with Pierre Gasly second for AlphaTauri

This morning's times from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the first day of the second pre-season test.

They also issued new images of the finished circuit, but made no reference to the possible impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on the race. The last 150m section of the track, along the pit straight, was laid last week. With all the permanent buildings complete the focus is now on finishing temporary facilities such as grandstands, team hospitality units and the medical and media ... Keep reading

The promoter of the Vietnam Grand Prix has confirmed the completion of the Hanoi Circuit track.

Mercedes debuted its new DAS system on the second day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, allowing drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to adjust the toe angle of their car while in the cockpit. The novel device was widely hailed through the F1 paddock for its innovation, although some question marks remain regarding its sporting legality under the parc ferme regulations. DAS has ... Keep reading

Ferrari has restricted all non-critical business travel and is limiting access to its factory in response to the developing coronavirus situation in Italy

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As the coronavirus continues to threaten F1, with 17 countries on the 2020 calendar having reported cases of the virus, the sport already faces a potential hit of $85m (£65m).

The team’s Maranello factory is in the region that is affected by Europe’s largest outbreak of the virus, and the team has had to take action to ensure the situation is kept under control. While the team’s efforts at Barcelona testing this week are unaffected, with its personnel travelling to the test on its usual charter plane, it has reviewed it operations and especially the ... Keep reading

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Arrow McLaren SP and Fernando Alonso will join forces with title partner Ruoff Mortgage to contest the 2020 Indianapolis 500.

The French Grand Prix is one of the most historic and important motor races in the world. Indeed, the first running in 1906 started GP racing

The team's future Aston Martin works status was announced last month after Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll bought a shareholding in the troubled car marker. Szafnauer says plans are already in hand for the racing team to share its technical expertise with its sister company, as part of the overall deal. “It should be great,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com. “It's a win-win. It ... Keep reading

Mercedes became the talk of the opening pre-season Formula 1 test at Barcelona when onboard footage revealed the team's innovative new dual-axis steering system

With the performance of the new RB16 having looked strong in the opening week of pre-season testing, Red Bull’s hopes of battling for the championship will be boosted if it does not face grid penalties for using more than three power units. Following a winter where Honda has completed more dyno mileage than ever before, hopes are high that everything is on target to get through the season ... Keep reading

Following the opening test at Barcelona, McLaren team boss, Andreas Seidl claims it is the Woking outfit's "best start for many, many years".

All but Mercedes have confirmed their line-ups for the all-important final three days of pre-season testing.

Alain Prost says "stupid" regulation changes by governments risk killing the European car industry and will leave Formula 1 facing some tough decisions in the near future

The Woking-based team, which will face a tough fight for fourth in the constructors’ championship this year, concentrated more on reliability running this week so did not set any headline-grabbing times. However, Seidl says he is overjoyed with the way the first test went, especially because it did not suffer any major mechanical problems. “To be honest, we're really, really, really ... Keep reading

This toe-angle adjusting system has intrigued rival teams and fans alike, as they marvel at Mercedes's ingenuity whilst also hunting out answers about its operation and legality. While some of the details of how DAS work remain hidden for now, Giorgio Piola's latest illustration of the Mercedes W11 offers us a glimpse of a few changes that the team has made at the front end of its car this ... Keep reading

Williams would not be too proud to rethink its business model amid changes in Formula 1's environment, according to deputy team principal Claire Williams