The Fight For Glory Begins In Formula 1

The 2018 Formula 1 season has officially begun with the first test of the year currently underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Here’s a brief look at almost everything you need to know to get up to speed with the pinnacle of open-wheel racing.

A new team, sort of

The Sauber F1 Team has been using Ferrari engines since 2010, but as a customer team, they have had to make do with engines a year older than the ones powering Scuderia Ferrari machines. They have struck a new deal with Ferrari this year, helped by a regulation change which makes it mandatory for engine manufacturers to offer same-spec units to customer teams, which sees them become a sort of second works team for Ferrari.

The change is best reflected in the new identity for the team, it is now called the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team. The Alfa Romeo brand returns to Formula 1 after a gap of almost 30 years; the last time they participated in a Formula 1 race was in 1988 when they supplied the 890T to the Osella outfit.

Two teams have also changed their names to reflect new partnerships, though these are not as radical as Saubers’. The main Red Bull team has a bigger tie-up with Aston Martin this season and calls itself the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team, while Toro Rosso’s tie-up with Honda makes it the Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda team. This season, McLaren cars are powered by Renault engines instead of Honda ones, and the team is now simply called the McLaren F1 Team.

New drivers

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Charles Leclerc - It’s been a dream run for the 20-year old driver from Monaco who started his Formula racing series (in Formula Renault 2.0 Alps) in 2014 and graduated to a Formula 1 drive in just four years! He will join Marcus Ericsson in the rebranded Alfa Romeo Sauber team and make his F1 racing debut at the Australian Grand Prix on March 25, 2018.

Sergey Sirotkin - The other debutant driver in 2018, Sergey will replace the beloved Felipe Massa for the Williams F1 team. The 22-year old Russian has had a decent racing history but his recent form has not been great, prompting many to label him a ‘pay driver’.

Pierre Gasly - The former GP2 winner is now one of the main drivers for Toro Rosso after making his debut in the top-tier racing series in 2017 at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The 22-year old Frenchman will have a lot of pressure to perform in a car that is powered by new engines from the now notorious Honda.

Brendon Hartley - Toro Rosso has taken a big call by employing two new drivers to drive their cars this season. New Zealander Brendon joins Pierre Gasly as the other main driver for the team. He made his F1 debut at the US Grand Prix last year by taking the place of Carlos Sainz Jr., who switched to Renault for the race and the rest of the 2017 season.

The Rules

Grid penalties - New grid penalty rules should make the headline-grabbing grid penalties (Stoffel Vandoorne had a 65-place grade penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix) a thing of the past. But the way grid positions are determined after penalties are implemented is still not the easiest thing to follow.

The Teams, The Drivers and The Cars

The most dramatic changes made to the cars in 2018 is the addition of the ‘Halo’ driver protection structure, which should protect drivers from being hit by large objects. Its design is not the most aesthetically pleasing and has, therefore, had a mixed reception from fans and the media. The shark fins and T-wings on the engine covers have been banned, which should make the cars look better, while also forcing teams to come up with new solutions to exploit the air flow over the car.

Teams will have a tense season with everyone only allowed three engines for the entire championship or risk losing grid positions.

Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team
Car - C37
Drivers - Marcus Ericsson (finished 20th in 2017), Charles Leclerc (rookie)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 10th

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing
Car - RB14
Drivers - Daniel Ricciardo (finished 5th in 2017), Max Verstappen (finished 6th in 2017)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 3rd

Haas F1 Team
Car - VF-18
Drivers - Romain Grosjean (finished 13th in 2017), Kevin Magnussen (finished 14th in 2017)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 8th

McLaren F1 Team
Car - MCL33
Drivers - Stoffel Vandoorne (finished 16th in 2017), Fernando Alonso (finished 15th in 2017)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 9th

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport
Car - F1 W09 EQ Power+
Drivers - Lewis Hamilton (finished 1st in 2017), Valtteri Bottas (finished 3rd in 2017)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 1st

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda
Car - STR13
Drivers - Pierre Gasly (finished 21st in 2017), Brendon Hartley (finished 23rd in 2017)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 7th

Renault Sport Formula One Team
Car - R.S.18
Drivers - Nico Hulkenberg (finished 10th in 2017), Carlos Sainz Jr. (finished 9th in 2017)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 6th

Sahara Force India F1 Team
Car - VJM11
Drivers - Sergio Perez (finished 7th in 2017), Esteban Ocon (finished 8th in 2017)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 4th

Scuderia Ferrari
Car - SF71H
Drivers - Sebastian Vettel (finished 2nd in 2017), Kimi Raikkonen (finished 4th in 2017)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 2nd

Williams Martini Racing
Car - FW41
Drivers - Lance Stroll (finished 12th in 2017), Sergey Sirotkin (rookie)
2017 Constructors’ championship standing - 5th