Formula 1

It goes without saying that Formula 1 (and indeed, pretty much all of motorsport in general) is completely dominated by men. From the drivers, to the teams, to the people running the show, it’s pretty much a sausage fest through and through out there. Sure, there are a few exceptions, but on balance, I’d say we’re a long way from gender equality in racing. Now, Formula 1 is taking steps to get a little more in step with the times, and will ditch the grid girls starting with the 2018 season.

“Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport,” said Managing Director of Commercial Operations at Formula 1, Sean Bratches. “While our practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 Grand Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern societal norms. We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”

Last year, the U.S. behemoth Liberty Media purchased Formula 1’s commercial rights and started shifting things around. Bernie Ecclestone got the boot, and F1’s administration got a thorough reworking.

Granted, getting rid of the grid girls won’t do anything for gender equality, but it does address part of Formula 1’s cultural stagnation. On the other hand, you could see the move as no more than an empty gesture to appear more “modern.”

What do you think?

The 2018 Formula 1 season kicks off March 25th in Melbourne.

Michael Schumacher is still regarded as the greatest Formula One driver in history. The maestro holds a long list of records, including most championships won (7), most race wins (91), and most podium finishes (155). Now we can add “driver of the most expensive modern Formula One racing car ever sold at an auction” to that list. $7.5 million. That’s how much a Ferrari F2001, the same race car that Schumacher drove to romp his way to the 2001 World Championship, sold for that amount at the RM Sotheby’s auction in New York late last week. The legend of Schumi continues.

All the same, the Ferrari F2001 is arguably the most sought-after Formula One race car of this century. Not only did it help Schumacher win the 2001 driver’s title by a whopping 58 points (123 - 65) over runner-up David Coulthard, it also spearheaded the Prancing Horse’s dominance throughout the season, which saw the Italian team finish on the podium in all 17 races. The specific car that was up for auction contributed heavily to the team’s championship cause since it’s the same one that Schumacher drove at the Monaco and Hungary Grand Prix, winning both on his way to his fourth world championship. Given its provenance, it’s not surprising that the car sold for exactly $7,504,000, far exceeding the $5 million estimate the auction house placed on it. It also blew the existing record for most expensive modern F1 car to sell at an auction, displacing the $3.2 million Ferrari F2004 that RM Sotheby’s sold back in 2005. It’s hard to imagine another modern Formula One Car fetching that kind of price at an auction in the foreseeable future, at least unless either Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel start closing in on all of Schumacher’s records. For now, the Ferrari F2001 can lay claim to the title of most expensive modern Formula One car in history. 16 years after its dominant run in 2001, it’s still setting records like a boss.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Liberty Media’s plan to reshape Formula One in the competitive image it wants is already getting some blowback from some of the sport’s top teams and, to no one’s surprise, Ferrari is right in the middle of it. Worse, Ferrari isn’t just up-in-arms over Liberty’s plans. To be more specific Ferrari is up-in-arms over the engine proposals set for 2021 - so much so that it’s actually threatening to quit the sport entirely if the proposals are enacted. Yep. Imagine Formula One without Ferrari in it. You can’t? Well, neither can I because that’d be like Major League Baseball not having the New York Yankees or the NBA suddenly finding itself without the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s unfathomable to think about and yet, Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has made no bones about his plans to take the Prancing Horse out of the sport if the new proposals did not “deliver a platform that was beneficial to Ferrari’s brand and its marketplace.”

The big issue that has Ferrari questioning its motivations to continue racing in Formula One involves the aforementioned engine proposal. And, in a weird twist, it’s not the only high-profile team to voice its objections. Mercedes-Benz and Renault are also concerned about the engine proposal and while neither has threatened to quit the sport entirely like Ferrari just did, it speaks to the significance of the issue that these three teams are in unison in voicing their displeasure over the proposal. For his part, Marchionne isn’t mincing his words regarding the automaker’s position. "I understand that Liberty may have taken these into account in coming up with their views, but I think it needs to be absolutely clear that unless we find a set of circumstances, the results of which are beneficial to the maintenance of the brand, and the marketplace, and to the strengthening of the unique position for Ferrari, Ferrari will not play."

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Formula 1 has always been a bastion of the high-tech, a series where futuristic ground-bound spaceships boom by at terrifyingly high speeds, challenging what we think is possible when a human pilot takes the helm on four wheels. For the past 40 years, Renault has taken part in this orgy of speed and technology, and now, we’re getting a peek at the French automaker’s vision of things to come. Long story short, expect even more of the heart-stopping pace we know today, plus more excitement, higher levels of spectator engagement, reduced costs, increased safety, and even a dash of environmental responsibility as well.

You gotta love it when a press release kicks off with the line “the year is 2027,” so I was keen to dive into the specifics as soon as I saw this thing roll across my desk. And while these sorts of design studies don’t always nail it in terms of predicting the real future, they almost always come with a nice set of interesting ideas that could gain some traction (in one form or another, at least) in the years to come. Not only that, but the aesthetic-driven renderings are a surefire way to light the imagination and set you off on a little sci-fi day dreaming…

Updated 09/18/2017: Renault R.S. 2027 Vision made quite an appearance at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. Hit the "Pictures" tab to see it on the auto show floor.

Continue reading to learn more about the Renault R.S. 2027 Vision.

I’m running out of superlatives to describe Lego. Really, I thought I had reached my limit when the company unveiled the life-size Lego version of the Mclaren 720S at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Turns out, I was dead wrong because Lego, in all its genius, has found a way to raise its own bar yet again. Feast your eyes on this beauty, a life-sized version of Ferrari’s 2017 Formula One Race car, or as it’s otherwise known in F1 circles, the SF70H.

If the mere sight of the completed work isn’t enough to make your eyes pop out, the facts about this creation are certainly going to do it. According to Lego, every crevice of the model is made out of the studded plastic bricks, right down to the wheels, tires, and even the control knobs and gear switches on the car’s steering wheel. All in all, the model features a staggering 349,911 specific pieces. To put that in perspective, the aforementioned life-sized McLaren 720S that was presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed “only” had 267,300 specific pieces. Adding to the ridiculousness of Lego version of the Ferrari SF70H is the fact that the whole model weighs 1,250 pounds, which is close to the actual weight of the SF70H.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

After a spectacular comeback to the market with vehicles such as the 4C sports car, Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan, and the Stelvio SUV, Alfa Romeo could return to high-profile racing after a very long hiatus. According to Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne, an Alfa Romeo Formula One project could be used to help up-and-coming Italian drivers join the sport. No Italian has started an F1 race since 2011 and Ferrari hasn’t fielded an Italian pilot since 2009 (but it has hired GP2 rookie Antonio Giovinazzi as its reserve driver for 2017).

"Alfa Romeo in F1 could become a fine breeding ground for young Italian drivers. The best one, Giovinazzi, is already with us, but there are others besides him, and they are struggling to find room. Alfa Romeo, more than our customer teams, could offer them that space," Marchionne told Italian media, according to Motorsport.com.

There’s no specific deadline as to when Alfa Romeo might join F1, but Marchionne said that the project would have to wait due to the several road cars launched that are underway.

"The problem is that, at the moment, because of the launch of road cars that will come out soon, there already numerous commitments from a financial point of view. With the launch of the Giulia and the Stelvio we have to wait for a bit, but I hope to be able to bring it back," he added.

I wouldn’t get my hopes up to see the Alfa Romeo badge in Formula One before 2019.

The Italian brand has been an important figure in motorsport since the early days, fielding several cars in pre-WWII Grand Prix events. After joining sports car racing and winning three back-to-back 24 Hours of Le Mans races in the 1930s, Alfa Romeo joined Formula One in its maiden season in 1950. The Italians dominated the series in 1950 and 1951, but withdrew after that and didn’t return as a construction to this day. However, Alfa Romeo supplied several F1 teams with engines, including McLaren, March, and Brabham. Alfa’s last appearance in F1 as an engine supplier was in 1988 alongside the small Italian team Osella. In 1987, Alfa Romeo made a deal to supply engines to Ligier, but all was cancelled when Fiat took control of the brand.

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Formula One bosses have shelved plans to install the halo safety device on Formula One cars, reversing the introduction of the device for the 2017 season because it would be too late to introduce it in the designs for next year’s cars and it needed more time to be tested and developed. The Strategy Group, which is made up of bosses from the top six teams, plus FIA president Jean Todt and F1 honcho Bernie Ecclestone, made the 11th hour reversal after the device was believed to be fully ready to be introduced for next season.

Not surprisingly, the Strategy Group’s decision caused a lot of uproar in the paddocks, none louder than from the F1 drivers themselves. Four-time world champion and current Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel called the about-face “stupid” before adding that “95 percent” of the drivers voted for the device to be included for the 2017 season. McLaren driver Jenson Button echoed Vettel’s statement, saying that the device is a “great solution.”

But apparently, their bosses thought otherwise, including Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who called the device “an inelegant solution.” While not necessarily speaking for the rest of his colleagues, Horner added that he preferred to have more tests done on the device to determine if it really offers the best solution in protecting the drivers heads from flying debris in an event of the crash. Another year of testing development could provide the best possible solution, or at least that’s what the Strategy Group had in mind when it shot down the device’s implementation.

That said, the halo device could still be introduced next season if the FIA deems it necessary on the grounds of safety. Such a move would not need the approval of F1 teams or Ecclestone himself. But given that Todt, being the FIA president, was one of those who decided on delaying the introduction of the device, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to exercise this power to take action and introduce the device anyway.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Bernie Ecclestone’s mother-in-law, 67-year-old Aparecida Schunck, was reportedly kidnapped in Sao Paulo, Brazil last Friday and is currently being held for ransom. According to the Brazilian magazine Veja, Ms. Schunck was abducted from outside her home in the Sao Paulo neighborhood of Interlagos. The report goes on to say that the kidnappers are demanding 120 million Brazilian Reals (approximately $36.5 million) for her return, to be paid in pound sterling divided into four separate bags. If confirmed, it’ll be the highest kidnapping ransom in Brazilian history.

Ecclestone, the 85-year-old chief executive of the Formula One Group, is believed to be one of the wealthiest men in sports, with a net worth of billions of dollars. Ms. Schunck is the mother of Ecclestone’s third wife, 38-year-old Fabiana Flosi.

This isn’t the first time Ecclestone has faced a kidnapping. Four years ago, British citizen Martin Peckham was sentenced to five years in jail for blackmail after demanding 200,000 pounds from Ecclestone, claiming that he could foil a plot to kidnap Ecclestone’s daughter, Tamara.

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Formula One cars are about to look different beginning in the 2017 season when the halo protective structure will be incorporated on all F1 cars as an increased safety measure meant to protect drivers from impact and flying objects. The increasing demand for protection on open-cockpit race cars has been getting louder and more urgent in the wake of high-profile tragedies of racers Jules Bianchi, Justin Wilson, and Dan Wheldon, all of whom lost their lives because of on-track accidents in recent years.

With these tragedies still looming over the motorsports world, Formula One has taken the steps to ensure that the kind of accidents that cost the life of Bianchi can be prevented with the introduction of a safety structure that would enhance the safety of the cars’ open cockpits. Red Bull had previously tested an aeroscreen with Mercedes doing the same with a similar halo structure design to the one that Formula One appears to plan on using next season. That design was tested by Ferrari and is comprised of a carbon fiber frame that can be installed over the cockpit of the F1 race cars when the drivers are ready to race and removed just as easily when they get out of the car.

The teams’ technical directors agreed to proceed with the halo structure during a meeting in Monaco over the weekend. That said, the design is still subject to modifications and more tests as the current season moves along, possibly to make it less intrusive for the drivers who are going to need some time to get acclimated to the safety device. Further testing for the halo device is scheduled to begin on June 24 before Formula One’s decision-makers make one last sign-off on July 6.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Those who are hoping for a more exciting Formula One season in 2016 are in for some good news and bad news. The good news is that the sport’s new elimination qualifying format will likely take effect this season. The bad news is that with the season-opening race in Melbourne scheduled for March 2016, there won’t be enough time to have the system in place for the season’s start. Take that for what it’s worth.

In a conversation with The Independent, F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone indicated that changes to the qualifying format will “probably” take effect during the Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth race in the calendar season. Timing is the root cause of the issue, specifically the time the FOM needs to ready the new timing software. Turns out, changing from one system to another is a far more complicated process than most people think. The biggest impediment at this point is the actual changing of the software that handles the timing systems. Software coding takes time, and even when they’re are done, there’s also that issue of testing and debugging the software.

The 2016 season season effectively starts in less than three weeks, so even if the FOM has all hands on deck to rewrite the entire system and work out all of its kinks, there’s simply not enough time before the Australian Grand Prix takes place.

It’s a bit of a complication, especially for all the parties involved. But if it makes for a better season altogether, the inconvenience should be worth the momentary hassle it’s causing.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Formula One is looking at making some radical changes to the qualifying format in an effort to generate more excitement in the whole process. In a meeting between team bosses and F1 chiefs in Geneva, a proposal to adopt an elimination-style qualifying session appears to have gained enough traction that it could be implemented as early as the 2016 season.

There are still some details that need to be worked out with this proposal, but if everybody gets on board with it, we could see an altered qualifying round that involves eliminating the slowest car in certain segments of the session. From my understanding, the new proposal would still carry vestiges of the incumbent knock-out qualifying format. There will still be three qualifying stages and the knock-out system is still put in place. But instead of the five slowest cars being eliminated in one qualifying round, the new proposal will eliminate the slowest driver after all drivers are given a pre-determined amount of time to set their qualifying laps.

For instance, the first qualifying round will last 16 minutes. After seven minutes, the slowest driver is eliminated and every 90 seconds after that, another driver is eliminated until the chequered flag is shown to end the qualifying round. All in all, seven drivers will be eliminated in the first round with the remaining 15 drivers moving on to the second round of qualifying.

Q2 will have the same format except that it will last for 15 minutes and the slowest driver will be eliminated after six minutes of qualifying runs. Another seven drivers will be eliminated from this round, leaving the final eight to move on to Q3. Once again, the only difference with the last round of qualifying will be time. Drivers will now have 14 minutes to work with and after five minutes, the slowest driver is eliminated. With this format, the final two drivers that will decide who gets pole position will have 90 seconds to set the fastest lap.

The other notable change the proposed makes is the adoption of a penalty system that adds extra time to each driver’s qualifying time on the basis of their position in the championship standings. For example, the championship leader will have four seconds added to his qualifying time while the rest of the field will also take extra time on a sliding scale.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Renault’s F1 history begins in 1977, back when turbochargers were first introduced to the series. In the four decades that followed, the marque saw varying levels of involvement, both as a constructor and as an engine provider. In 2005, Spanish driver Fernando Alonso helped Renault score its first Constructor’s Championship, an achievement that was repeated the very next year. After 2006, Renault saw less success, and in 2011, the marque withdrew as a constructor. Now, after five years as an engine provider, Renault is back, announcing it will purchase the Lotus F1 Team for a full-blown constructor’s bid in 2016.

The new F1 effort is part of a comprehensive plan to revamp Renault’s motorsports programs. According to Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, Renault Sport will be replaced by two separate entities – Renault Sport Cars and Renault Sport Racing.

Renault Sport Cars will be an evolution of Renault Sport Technologies, taking responsibility for road car development, commercialization, brand appeal, and the Renault performance vehicle portfolio, including models like the Megane RS, Megane GT, and Clio RS.

As you can probably guess, Renault Sport Racing will be the automaker’s presence on the track, with series like Formula Renault 2.0 and Renault Sport RS01 Trophy falling under its jurisdiction, as well as customer racing and rally programs.

At the center of Renault Sport Racing will be the new Formula 1 effort. This year’s Renault RS 16 F1 car is heavily based on last year’s Lotus car, which means a lot of development is needed before the marque can expect to be competitive against F1 heavyweights like Ferrari and Mercedes.

Nonetheless, the team says it’s up to the challenge, so let’s take a look at the new Renault F1 car and see how it fits into the current regulations.

Continue reading to learn more about the Renault RS 16 Formula 1.

With the 2016 F1 pre-season approaching, the Ferrari team is working diligently in preparation at the Ferrari factory in Maranello. In what seems like a small celebration, the team released a video showcasing engineers and their equipment, culminating in raucous engine sounds from the F1 racer.

The noises come from a turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6. New F1 regulations specify that a separate exhaust wastegate must be used, all in an effort to make the cars sound better. Ferrari is clearly proud of their results. The gasoline engine isn’t the only thing propelling Ferrari’s F1 car as two motor generators supplement the power. This helps deliver instant torque while conserving fuel lap after lap.

Sadly, the video doesn’t show the engine itself, or of specific dynamometer numbers. It’s a sure bed Ferrari likes to keep that information under wraps. On the other hand, it is widely known that Ferrari has an impressive driver team for 2016. Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel – the 2007 world champion and four-time title winner, respectively – will be taking on F1’s greatest teams, including Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team.

Stay tuned to TopSpeed for more coverage of the 2016 Formula One season.

Henry Ford used to say that people started racing from the very moment that they finished building the second car ever. Likewise, they’ve tried to figure out who’s the quickest, most daring, or most talented behind the wheel for just as long. Thus, the question of who is the best in a certain discipline is not new and there are so many tops for the existing formulas within motorsport itself that it sometimes get dizzying when you try to figure out who’s sits where in history in terms of talent, speed and other criteria.

Obviously, many will argue that it is impossible, let alone pointless, to try and rank drivers from different eras. How could you, for example, compare drivers that raced at Indy in front-engined roadsters to those that blitzed the oval with mid-engined ground-effect racers? Or how could you compare a gladiator like Nuvolari with a modern F1 driver who is, seemingly, having to cope with a lot less while driving? It is, indeed, a hard task, as cars and tracks do change as time goes by. But, the core values that describe a great driver do not change, and the same values apply to both Fangio and Senna, or to Bernd Rosemeyer and Schumacher. And, the most important of them all is quite simple to define, because it talks about what each of them did with what they had at their disposal at a given moment in time compared to their opposition.

If we lay our founding stone there, we can easily move on and single out a certain amount of "peak’’ moments for each driver – moments when they have really shone as bright as stars – and based on those peaks we can start to organize a ranking. Indeed, many more elements come into play, but we’re fortunate enough to have had a number of drivers throughout history that were so good that they could probably be quick in any car with a little bit of time to adjust.

The story is the same for Formula 1. With the World Championship being around since 1950 — although the formula itself dates back to 1947 — many drivers and cars have passed but some stand taller than others. Of course, many never did get their big break to show what they are capable of – drivers like Chris Amon, Ricardo Rodriguez or Stefan Bellof were either in the wrong place at the wrong time or they got killed before they could truly make the best of their abilities. But, there are others that have got their break and did what their talent allowed them to – become the best of their time.

These are the men we’ll be talking about in this top 10. The men that stood above the good and even the very good. The first few date back to the ‘50s while the most recent exponent is still racing in Formula 1 today. In spite of how we ranked them here, they are all, without a shadow of a doubt, all-time greats and true artists in the craft of precision high-speed driving.

Keep reading for the full story.

In what may very well be the worst-kept secret in Formula One today, Renault’s return to Formula One as a constructor has now been signed, sealed, and delivered. The French manufacturer and Gravity Motorsport S.a.rl, an affiliate of investment group Genii Capital SA, finally put the ink on paper, completing the former’s re-acquisition of the Lotus F1 Team Limited after only three months of negotiations between the two parties.

Details about the team, including its new name, full management structure, sponsorship partners, and driver lineup have yet to be announced. The company said that a full announcement has been scheduled to take place in Paris in February 2016. The only announcements that have been made at this point are for the positions of chairman and managing director. Those roles will be filled up by Jerome Stoll and Cyril Abiteboul, respectively.

Renault’s return to Formula One means that the manufacturer will make its F1 comeback for the first time in five years. It’s last appearance as a full-blown team came in 2010. In the same year, the team was sold to Genii Capital, which renamed it Team Lotus. Renault remained in the sport, but only serving as an engine supplier to a handful of teams, one of which was Team Lotus. The team was competitive in those years, but another Renault-powered team, Red Bull Racing, ended up dominating the sport for four straight years — highlighted by Sebastian Vettel’s four world championship wins.

But, now that it’s back as a full-fledged team, Renault will be returning to a vastly different Formula One climate, one that has been dominated by Mercedes in the past two seasons. The team will have a new set of challenges on its hands, but with the right people in place, it could return with a bang and replicate its form of the 2005 and 2006 seasons when it won its two constructors titles.

Continue reading for the full story.

Even in its off season, Formula One still manages to find a way to make the headlines. No Formula One drivers are involved here, but reports are running wild that Formula One could be bracing for another spy gate controversy. According to these reports, Mercedez-Benz AG has sued one of its Formula One engineers for allegedly taking confidential data and documents in preparation for a move to Ferrari.

The engineer, identified as Benjamin Hoyle, has incurred the wrath of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, the motorsports division in charge of building the engines used by the Mercedes Petronas team in Formula One, after the team discovered that Hoyle lifted some highly confidential technical documents from the team — including files containing codes that can decrypt raw race data files. The lawsuit was filed in October 19, 2015, five days before the 2015 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Details of the lawsuit only went public on Monday, December 8, 2015. According to the Mercedes lawsuit, Hoyle also took with him mileage and damage data related to Mercedes’ F1 engines and a race report from the 2015 Hungary Grand Prix that was won by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Hoyle’s contract with Mercedes was set to expire at the end of 2015 after the engineer told the team that he would be resigning his post once his contract expired. The team found out later on that the engineer would be joining Ferrari, so it took the necessary measures to ensure that Hoyle couldn’t get access to confidential racing and technical documents. It was only after these steps were done that the team reported seeing Hoyle looking at race reports and confidential data after that access was taken away from him.

Mercedes is looking to retrieve all of the documents and information Hoyle allegedly stole, in addition to the payment of its legal fees. The team is also seeking to have Hoyle banned from joining Ferrari or any other Formula One team until after the 2016 season.

For its part, Ferrari admitted that it had talks with Hoyle about joining the team, but a company spokesman told Bloomberg that the engineer has never signed a contract with the team and isn’t going on board “in the foreseeable future”.

Continue reading for the full story.

Back in September 2015, Renault announced the signing of a letter of intent with Lotus regarding the potential acquisition of a controlling stake in the British team. Three months have passed and the French company confirmed it will indeed return to Formula One as a constructor.

Renault said its takeover of Lotus had not yet been completed, but will be done "in the shortest time frame possible". More details about the brand’s new F1 program will be provided in January 2016, ahead of the 2016 season that begins next March.

"Renault had two options: to come back at 100 percent or leave. After a detailed study, I have decided that Renault will be in Formula 1, starting 2016. The final details supplied by F1’s main stakeholders gave us the confidence to accept this new challenge. Our ambition is to win — even if it will take some time,” said Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault.

The manufacturer returns to Formula One as a constructor after a five-year hiatus. Renault sold the team to investment group Genii Capital in 2010, but continued as an engine supplier. The team was renamed Team Lotus and used Renault engines. Red Bull, another team that bought Renault power units, won the constructors’ championship four years in a row between 2010 and 2013. Renault’s domination as a supplier came to an end in 2014.

In 2016, Renault F1 cars will be driven by Pastor Maldonado and Jolyon Palmer, both having piloted for Lotus in 2015 as main and reserve drivers, respectively.

Continue reading for the full story.

So, Red Bull will be a part of the 2016 Formula One season after all. That appears to be the case now that the team has formally lodged its entry with the FIA for next season, putting all the rumors of its Formula One exit to bed — at least for the time being.

With one issue on the verge of being settled, the team can now turn its attention to its other big problem: finding an engine supplier. As it stands, Renault is still the likeliest candidate to continue supplying Red Bull with its engines. but even that is still under negotiations depending on the improvements the French supplier makes on the development of its turbocharged V-6 engines. Those V-6s have regularly under performed since Formula One began using them to replace the old V-8s in 2013, causing Red Bull to stumble back to mediocrity after winning four straight world titles with the old V-8s.

So, while it seems that the Red Bull-Renault marriage will last for another year, we all know that nothing in Formula One is what it seems until an announcement is made. It’s still possible for Red Bull to end what has become a contentious relationship with Renault in favor of partnering up with any of the three series’ other engine suppliers, namely Ferrari, Mercedes, and Honda. Multiple reports indicate that Red Bull has had discussions with all three suppliers, including one with Ferrari to use a separately-developed engine badged under Alfa Romeo, but none of those talks amounted to anything resembling progress.

If Red Bull does push forward and participate in the 2016 season — it has until the end of November 2015 to pay the entry fee — it’s going to be interesting to see which engine partner it’s going to have for the upcoming season. If it’s Renault, it’s going to be difficult picturing the team as a championship contender given how far behind those engines are compared to the dominant Mercedes V-6s. But, if Red Bull decides to go another direction and partners with either Mercedes or Ferrari, it could instantly turn into a team worth looking into ahead of the 2016 F1 season.

Nothing is set in stone yet, but at least there’s some kind of progress on whether we’ll see Red Bull back in the grid next year. At this point, it’s just nice to hear that the dominant team at the start of this decade isn’t giving up hope of returning to that perch just yet.

Continue reading for the full story.

The Nurburgring track could host its first Formula One race after a four-year hiatus in 2017. The circuit was due to hold the German Grand Prix in 2015, as part of its rotational policy with Hockenheim, but ongoing financial difficulties forced it to cancel the event. As a result, there was no race in Germany in 2015 for the first time since 1960.

According to Autosport, Nurburgring is back in discussion with Bernie Ecclestone to host the German Grand Prix in 2017. Next year’s event will take place on the Hockenheim track as scheduled.

"We were very committed to making sure we had a race, and I regret it did not occur at the end of the day, but we could not and would not bear alone the risks, said Schumacher. "Instead of Formula 1, we then had the WEC race. This was an outstanding success. Of course, I have regrets for the fans, the region and also for us, the Formula 1 race could not take place, but in addition there is the business side."

The last F1 race at the Nurburgring took place on July 7th, 2013. The complex nearly filed for bankruptcy in 2012 as a result of $500 million in debts and the inability to secure financing. It was put on sale for $165 million in 2013. In October 2014, but in October 2014, Russian billionaire Viktor Kharitonin bought a majority stake, saving the circuit.

The 2017 event will be held on the GP-Strecke track, which was completed in 1984.

Continue reading for the full story.

Former Formula One driver and current British commentator Martin Brundle knows the feeling of trying to tame an F1 car. He did, after all, have a successful career in Formula One even though he never actually won a race. Brundle is now 56 years old, and while his days as an active racer is over, he’s still capable enough to handle a Formula One race car. Recently, Brundle got the thrill of a lifetime when he was given a chance to take the championship-winning Mercedes-Benz W06 Hybrid out for a spin at Silverstone.

The track conditions weren’t optimal as you can see by the downpour that greeted Brundle and the Mercedes F1 team at Silverstone. But, not one to pass up an opportunity to drive a race car that was fresh off of winning the 2015 F1 Constructor’s title, Brundle gamely took the challenge of navigating the race car around the wet track.

The result is what you’d expect from a man as boisterous as Martin Brundle. In between his shrieks of excitement, Brundle was able to give a pretty detailed play-by-play on his splashing lap time. The biggest takeaway, of course, is how seemingly put together the W106 Hybrid is. Brundle is right when he said that it’s a testament to the car that he can just hop in and set a hot lap in the rain at 56 years old. That tells how much of a technical marvel the W106 really is.

It’s worth pointing out that after Brundle’s date with the W106, Lewis Hamilton went on to win his third Formula One driver’s title, beating out teammate Nico Rosberg. If that doesn’t properly illustrate just how dominant this car is, then maybe Martin Brundle’s giddiness while driving it will do the trick.

Formula One could be on the verge of another dramatic technical change that would introduce an independent and cost-effective engine that could be used beginning in 2017. F1 head honcho Bernie Ecclestone told reporters at the United States Grand Prix about the possibility of such a move, adding that the FIA is already scheduled to announce a press release this week, detailing the potential shift in engine options for Formula One teams.

The cost of the current V-6 engines has long been a touchy subject in the F1 paddock and Ecclestone counts himself in the camp of those who believe that the cost of the V-6s run too high at about £15 million to £20 million per season. That’s more than double the £7 million it cost teams to buy those old V-8 engines.

Ecclestone didn’t dive into the details pertaining to the repercussions of introducing new engines, although he did say that it’s not going to be received well by the four current engine suppliers, comprised of Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, and Honda. But the expected hurt feelings won’t be as important as the prospect of losing teams if the current engine costs continue to be where they are.

The F1 head honcho also said that “a couple of interested parties” are already sending out feelers on the possibility of building this new engine. Ecclestone mentioned Cosworth as being one of them, but he declined to add anything pertaining to what the British engine manufacturer would be able to build.

For what it’s worth, the plan isn’t set in stone yet. There’s going to be a lot of discussion between the FIA, the Formula One teams, and the current engine suppliers. Don’t expect smooth talks too because, well, this is Formula One we’re talking about. A lot of people will have something to say about it, and knowing how the sport works, these forthcoming discussions will be heated, to say the least.

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Lewis Hamilton has won his third Formula One driver title after taking first place in the United States Grand Prix. Hamilton becomes the second British driver after Sir Jackie Stewart to hoist the biggest prize in motor racing. The Mercedes driver is also just the sixth F1 driver to win three driver’s titles, joining a list that includes Stewart, Niki Lauda, Jack Brabham, Nelson Piquet, and Ayrton Senna.

The road to the 2015 title came with plenty of challenges, including his own teammate, Nico Rosberg and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. The latter could’ve actually kept the championship picture open had he finished second, but the Ferraris were clearly outpaced by the Mercedes cars throughout the weekend, forcing Vettel to settle for third place.

As has been the case throughout the season, the race for first boiled down to Hamilton and Rosberg, and the two Mercedes drivers didn’t disappoint, eschewing any idea of team orders to engage in a frantic last few laps to the race. Ultimately, Hamilton took advantage of a mistake by Rosberg to sweep past the German and put an exciting exclamation point to what has been a dramatic, if not a little one-sided, Formula One season.

There are three races left in the 2015 calendar, the soonest being the F1 Gran Premio De Mexico on November 1, 2015. With both the driver’s and constructor’s titles already decided, these races could be used as early preparations ahead of the winter testing season. Teams will try to get a head-start on the development of next year’s cars and field promising young riders that could one day become the next stars of Formula One. For now, however, Lewis Hamilton retains his spot as the world champion. How long he stays there remains to be seen, but if Mercedes can continue its form, dethroning him could be very difficult.

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