Norris used the soft C4 tyre in Wednesday’s afternoon session to lead the way with a 1m19.568s lap, over half a second quicker than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. But the Briton, who completed 103 laps in his McLaren MCL36, said he was more interested in gathering valuable data for the team on F1’s first day of […]
Month: February 2022
Heavier F1 2022 cars feel ‘quite sluggish’
The heavier cars for this year, rather than the shift to ground effect, has emerged as the biggest difference that drivers felt in their first day of testing the new F1 cars at Barcelona in Spain on Wednesday. As a result of ramped up safety structures and the shift to 18-inch wheels, F1’s car weight […]
What are the new 2022 F1 cars really like?
Lando Norris put McLaren on top on the first day with the fastest time, set in the final hour of running, to displace Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who set the pace in the morning. The day ran uninterrupted despite the wholesale rule changes set to challenge the teams, but the majority notched up significant milage although […]
Everyone hiding their true form in Barcelona F1 testing
With teams getting their first proper running of their new 2022 challengers, Leclerc ended the first day of the three-day Barcelona test second fastest, one spot ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari’s rivals are mindful about the potential of the Maranello squad, thanks to the extra development work it has been allowed to do […]
Wolff, Horner agree to bury hatchet over “brutal” 2021 F1 rivalry
Red Bull team boss Horner and his Mercedes counterpart Wolff came to blows at times in 2021 as the intensity of last year’s F1 title battle increased in the closing stages. But things reached a peak in the wake of the controversial season finale in Abu Dhabi when Mercedes protested the way that the FIA’s implementation of the safety car rules had […]
Suzuki hires ex-Honda boss as MotoGP team manager
The 2020 teams’ and riders’ world champions have been on the hunt for a team manager since Davide Brivio – who helmed the Japanese marque from 2013 – departed to join Alpine as racing director in Formula 1. With Brivio’s exit coming on the eve of the 2021 season, Suzuki elected to form a management […]
Bottas “secretly dreaming” of Alfa Romeo F1 podium
Bottas joined the Swiss team this winter after five years at Mercedes, with whom he took 10 wins and 58 podiums in 101 grands prix. In sharp contrast Alfa Romeo finished ninth in the 2021 constructors’ championship with 13 points, finishing ahead of only the struggling and point-less Haas team. The Fred Vaseur-led team opted for […]
MotoGP legend Rainey to ride 500cc bike for first time since life-changing crash
The MotoGP legend suffered life-changing injuries in 1993 when he crashed during a race at Misano, which ended his career and left him paralysed from the waist down. Rainey won three 500cc titles between 1990 and 1992 for Yamaha, and went on to manage a team for the Japanese marque before retiring in 1998. Since […]
Who’s driving on day 1 of F1 testing in Barcelona?
Teams have been unveiling their new cars in the past couple of weeks and completing shakedowns, but testing will mark the first opportunity to get in some proper mileage over the next three days. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen will complete a full day of running for Red Bull, sporting the #1 in an official […]
McLaren predicts “successful decade” for F1 business amid sponsor influx
F1 enjoyed a small increase in its global TV audience last year, aided by increased interest through the Netflix Drive to Survive series and a compelling title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Ahead of the 2022 season, a number of teams have announced major new partnerships, including an influx of companies relating to […]