Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2016

Bahrain Grand PrixView 2016

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix brought a controversial qualifying format, a massive crash for Fernando Alonso, some unexpected points for Haas in their debut race and a Mercedes 1-2 finish. The next destination for the Formula 1 Paddock is the island kingdom of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf, where drivers will complete the first night race of the season. The 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix brings the challenges of high temperatures and dusty conditions, on a track where good traction is crucial and a versatile compromise […]

Posted on Monday, March 21, 2016

Feature: Ferrari hands it to Rosberg

A Mercedes 1-2, with Sebastian Vettel in third position, appeared on the surface to be an underwhelmingly predictable result, as if 2015 hadn't quite finished. However, the path to the podium positions was one of intrigue, as Ferrari initially exploited Mercedes’ weakness before snatching defeat from the jaws of victory when an unexpected variable was thrown in its way. Lewis Hamilton had romped to his 50th career pole position, joining only Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna in achieving the feat, having topped all three practice […]

Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Australian Grand PrixView 2016

Following a tightly-packed winter testing schedule, the sport has rolled into Australia for the opening round of the 2016 campaign, as Lewis Hamilton begins his charge for a fourth World Championship. This season will be the longest in Formula 1 history, with 21 rounds, two more than 2015, with the addition of the European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, and the return of the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. The grid has remained relatively stable, but there have been some changes, including the return […]

Posted on Saturday, March 12, 2016

Feature: Gutierrez's second chance

Towards the end of 2014 Esteban Gutiérrez weighed up the options placed in front of him and plumped for the direction which few drivers would gladly take. He decided not to race. However, it’s now paid off, as through resilience he is back on the Formula 1 grid with Haas, as he prepares for a second chance in the sport. Gutiérrez made his Formula 1 test bow with BMW-Sauber in 2009 and remained linked to the team throughout his time in GP3 and GP2, stepping […]

Posted on Monday, March 7, 2016

Feature: Ericsson looks to build with Sauber

Marcus Ericsson is sat in his full race suit, his distinctive yellow and blue helmet perched on the table inside Sauber’s hospitality unit, which is little more than an awning attached to the side of a bus. Next door is Mercedes, which has brought along its full-scale three-storey behemoth of a hospitality unit to pre-season testing, emphasising the gulf in finance and status between the outfits. As little as four years ago, Sauber came within a handful of points of beating Mercedes. “The finance side […]

Posted on Sunday, March 6, 2016

Conclusions from the second pre-season test

Formula 1 concluded its pre-season running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but what could we learn from the last batch of group action before the Australian Grand Prix? Mercedes is still ahead, but Ferrari could pose a threat Mercedes added to its astonishing mileage and finished running having effectively completed the Spanish Grand Prix 19 times across the eight days of testing. The W07 Hybrid was rapid during its race simulations while it was impressive across one lap, despite neither Lewis Hamilton nor Nico Rosberg […]

Posted on Saturday, February 27, 2016

Sainz Jr: Formula 1 can’t play with lives

Carlos Sainz Jr. is in a reflective mood as the first Formula 1 test reaches its end point at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Sainz has enjoyed two constructive days in Toro Rosso’s new Ferrari-powered STR11 and racked up 161 laps of the Spanish Grand Prix venue the day before we meet, though any signs of potential fatigue are not visible. Sainz’s team-mate, Max Verstappen, is lapping in Faenza’s new machine; both drivers made their Formula 1 debuts in 2015 but it was the Dutchman who […]

Posted on Friday, February 26, 2016

Conclusions from the first pre-season test

At the halfway point of 2016 pre-season testing, F1Zone.net reflects on the primary talking points from the first week of running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Mercedes is still in front Don’t be fooled by the absence of headline-grabbing times set by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Mercedes focused on mileage and racked up so many laps that they changed their driver policy and split running each day, to avoid fatigue. The W07 Hybrid ran reliably and looked smooth out on circuit, with the car […]

Posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Background: Manor rookie Pascal Wehrlein

Pascal Wehrlein will graduate to Formula 1 this year with Manor Racing as the second youngest driver on the grid and with a lengthy association with World Champions Mercedes. Wehrlein spent the late 2000s racing in karting in his native Germany and progressed to single-seaters in 2010, competing in ADAC Formel Masters. Wehrlein placed sixth in his maiden campaign before emerging as the front-runner in 2011, claiming the crown with eight victories from 24 races. That earned him a step up to Formula 3 in […]

Posted on Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Feature: Magnussen gets second chance

To go from being made redundant on his birthday to securing a seat with a manufacturer committed to achieving long-term Formula 1 success in the space of less than four months is quite the turnaround for Kevin Magnussen. The Dane faced a career outside of Formula 1 as a dab of misfortune and bad timing led to him being on the brink of the sport’s scrapheap at the tender age of 23, frustratingly mirroring the path of father Jan. More: Magnussen joins Renault Sport F1 […]

Posted on Monday, February 1, 2016

Feature: Reflecting on Maldonado's Formula 1 career

Amid the frequent accusations of his hapless approach and borderline dangerous driving there was always an unpolished gem inside of Pastor Maldonado, whose genial attitude contradicted his erratic style, and whose substantial nationalistic sponsorship package acted as an albatross around his neck. Throughout his junior career Maldonado was fast, but at a price, and it remained the case when he graduated to Formula 1 in 2011, off the back of winning the GP2 title with the often unheralded Rapax outfit. Maldonado spent years in Formula […]

Posted on Thursday, January 7, 2016

What's changed in Formula 1 for 2016?

Pre-season testing will commence next month in Barcelona and from there the opening round of the year in Australia will be rapidly looming on the horizon. F1Zone.net looks ahead to what has changed ahead of the 2016 season. The return of Renault Renault’s future in Formula 1 was discussed at length throughout 2015 as the French manufacturer deliberated over its options. Having ruled out remaining solely as a power unit supplier, Renault toyed with the idea of a complete withdrawal before committing to a takeover […]