Drain cover chaos halts practice in Sepang
Grosjean hits the wrong kerb in Malaysia
There was drama in both free practice sessions in Malaysia, but for two different reasons. In FP1, the start of the session was delayed by thirty minutes because of the rain, and things got going only to find drivers slipping and sliding their way around the track. Pierre Gasly made his debut, whilst Sergey Sirotkin, Sean Gelael, Charles LeClerc and Antonio Giovinazzi were all also in action.
Chinese Grand Prix gets three year extension until 2020
Shanghai to see more racing in the future
Amongst the raft of renewals and contracts that are being signed and extended in Formula One at the moment, we've had news that the Chinese Grand Prix will continue until the 2020 season with a three year extension.
Pierre Gasly to replace Daniil Kvyat in Malaysia
Driver swap at Toro Rosso with six races to go
With the news that Carlos Sainz is moving to Renault for the 2018 season, Toro Rosso have been searching for a replacement. They've decided to test a new face out already, with Pierre Gasly set to step into the seat of Daniil Kvyat for the Malaysian Grand Prix and perhaps a few more.
Aston Martin become Red Bull's title sponsor for 2018
A change of name for the team next season
There's been speculation about Aston Martin entering Formula One in one way or another for a while now, but they've confirmed at last how they are dipping their toes into the water for the 2018 season. Aston Martin will be the title sponsor of the Red Bull team, which will thus be called Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.
Hamilton wins in Singapore as first lap chaos takes out three cars
Marina Bay track provides chaotic afternoon's action
Mercedes looked to be on the back foot going into the race in Singapore, but after the first lap it became clear they were going to get a good result and by the end of the race, they'd secured a win for Lewis Hamilton and a third place for Valtteri Bottas.
Sergio Pérez remains at Force India for 2018 season
Ocon and Pérez join forces for another season
Amongst the flurry of announcements that came out of the Singapore weekend was one that may not have been a surprise to many. Sergio Pérez is staying at Force India for a fifth consecutive season, with a one year contract to take him to the end of 2018.
Sebastian Vettel secures Singapore pole, with Red Bull behind
Qualifying for the night race is completed
With Red Bull leading all three of the practice sessions in Singapore, they had looked in a great position to fight for pole position. The battle went down to the very last flying laps, but both Verstappen and Ricciardo were pipped to pole position by Sebastian Vettel. Kimi Räikkönen ended up fourth, with the Mercedes drivers having to settle for fifth and sixth on the grid.
Honda target top three championship finish with new partners Toro Rosso
Lofty aims for engine supplier after team switch
You would think Honda might learn from talking up expectations too soon into a new partnership, but they have quickly revealed their goals with the Toro Rosso team just one day after the deal was announced. The power unit supplier want to push Toro Rosso to at least third in the championship next season, despite finishing no higher than sixth with McLaren, and Toro Rosso finishing no higher than sixth... ever.
Red Bull lead the way in Singapore as slippery track catches out drivers
Free Practice kicks off the weekend in Marina Bay
Morning rain made the first practice session of the Singapore weekend a tricky prospect, and plenty of drivers were spotted running wide or brushing up against the wall - including Hülkenberg, Palmer and more. Friday drivers were in action, with Giovinazzi in at Haas, and new boy Sean Gelael taking a turn in the Toro Rosso.
Carlos Sainz to join Renault for one year in 2018
Toro Rosso loan out driver to partner Hülkenberg
Following directly from the news of Renault ditching Toro Rosso and moving to McLaren as engine supplier, driver news surely followed. Carlos Sainz, who has been at Toro Rosso since his F1 debut in 2015, will join the Renault squad for one year only, on loan to the team to partner Nico Hülkenberg. This will leave Jolyon Palmer without a race seat, unless someone else snaps him up.
McLaren and Honda split, with Toro Rosso Renault engine switch
Expected power unit shuffles are completed
It's been in the works for a while but McLaren and Honda have finally confirmed they will not be continuing with their partnership after the end of this year. It was promised to be a big technical partnership between the two but has been nothing but disappointment for everyone involved. So, clean break, McLaren are now going to be using Renault engines from 2018 onwards.
Nico Rosberg joins forces with Robert Kubica
Champion moves to mentor former driver
Nico Rosberg retired at the end of the 2016 season but he's never quite made the step back from the sport we might have anticipated. Now he's found a new way to stay involved, by joining the management team for Robert Kubica, looking to get the Polish driver back on the F1 grid.
Singapore to feature on F1 calendar until 2021
Extended deal for F1's original night race
It's the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than to announce a contract extension for the race? Singapore joined Formula One in 2008, and celebrate their tenth race this year, but they are set to stay on the calendar until 2021 after a new deal was agreed between organisers and Formula One Group.
Bottas earns another year at Mercedes
Valtteri and Lewis set to be 2018 teammates
Valtteri Bottas joined Mercedes on a one-year contract, after the surprise retirement of Nico Rosberg, and by all accounts he's done a superb job for the team. They've recognised this and signed him up for another season with the squad, meaning it will be Bottas and Hamilton as teammates for one more year.
Four races free-to-air in new French F1 deal
French Grand Prix brings about TV changes
It may seem as though Formula One is rapidly disappearing behind paywall after paywall around the globe, but in France, there have been small steps in the opposite direction. The Formula One Group have agreed a deal with French television channel TF1 to show four full races exclusively free-to-air, with the rest of the 2018 season continuing as highlights.
New championship leader as Hamilton wins from pole in Monza
Quiet race in Italy see Lewis jump Sebastian
There were so many grid penalties handed out ahead of the Italian Grand Prix that barely anyone started where they qualified. The potential for chaos was there, with out of position drivers throughout the field, but unfortunately it didn’t quite come to pass. Lewis Hamilton led from pole position and was comfortable throughout the race to take the victory, with Bottas second and Vettel third. That promotes Lewis into the lead of the title battle for the first time this year.
Hamilton on pole, as Stroll impresses in washed out Monza qualifying
Rain delays qualifying action by more than two hours
The rain really hit hard in Italy on Saturday, with only 16 minutes of running for final practice in the morning, and a heavily delayed qualifying after an initial run ended with Grosjean in the wall. After just a handful of tentative laps, the Haas crashed which brought out the red flags, followed by a two and a half hour delay.
Toro Rosso suffer engine trouble during Italy practice
Mercedes lead the way in Monza
First practice in Italy was relatively quiet. The Mercedes pair were comfortably fastest, with a full second over Ferrari who were next in line. The track was quite slippery and drivers were pushing to find the limits, and that only got worse as the expected rain came down with just 15 minutes of the session left to go.
Hamilton converts pole to win in unspectacular Spa race
Force India crash dominates Belgian race
Hamilton was worried about the condition of his tyres and had to lead through a safety car restart, but he dealt with the pressure from Sebastian Vettel and converted his pole position into another race victory. Vettel got alongside the Mercedes a couple of times but didn’t have the power in his Ferrari engine to muscle through, settling for second place. Daniel Ricciardo finished on the podium, after Bottas dropped back in the final stages and Räikkönen was penalised for failing to slow down during yellow flags.
Hamilton equals pole positions record at Spa
Busy session sees Lewis lead Sebastian
Lewis Hamilton never really looked troubled as he soared to pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix, equalling the record held by Michael Schumacher for pole positions - 68. The qualifying session remained dry, but the conditions didn’t help Felipe Massa who has been having a difficult weekend. Both Williams drivers dropped out in Q1, and Massa also has a grid penalty for ignoring yellow flags in FP3.
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