Formula One 2018: A New Season, a New Era?
F1 is back!
With a new vision for the sport, could the takeover of Liberty Media bring a new era of Formula 1? Or, will they stall on the starting grid and watch the up and coming Formula E take the lead amongst motorsports fans? The sport is definitely shifting gear this year and Exquisite are here to bring you up to speed on all things fast and furious.
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A Timeline of Grand Prix Racing
1901: The first competitive motor race took place under the name of grand prix racing 1904: The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) was formally established to oversee the interests of motor racing organisations throughout Europe 1933: The concept of qualifying for grid positions at the start of races was introduced at the Monaco grand prix 1946: Formula 1 became recognised as a fixed set of rules for grand prix racing 1947: The World Drivers’ Championship was formally established, and F1-regulation races began to be held regularly, although they did not initially count towards the championship. 1950: The inaugural World Championship F1 race was held right here in Britain at the famous Silverstone circuit 1953: Argentina hosted the very first championship race to be held outside of Europe, marking the beginning of the sport’s transition to the global stage 1967: Fans experienced grand prix racing broadcast in colour for the very first time from the German grand prix 1994: In a tragic weekend at the San Marino Grand Prix the sport loses one of its greatest legends; Ayrton Senna, just one day after Roland Ratzenberger is killed during qualifying. The deaths spur a new focus on driver safety in years to come 2004: Michael Schumacher claims his 7th Driver’s Championship (and his fifth consecutive title), cementing his status as the sport’s most successful competitor 2014: The sport sees its first fatality in 20 years when Jules Bianchi’s Marussia collides with a tractor in wet conditions at the Japanese Grand Prix. Bianchi sustained severe head injuries which he succumbed to in 2015, the virtual safety car measure was introduced as a result of the crash 2016: Liberty Media Agree a takeover of F1 from former owners CVC Capital Partners; a Luxembourg-based investment fund 2017: Bernie Ecclestone is replaced as the sport’s chairman by Chase Carey at the behest of Liberty Media ________________________________________________________________________________
What’s new?
Liberty’s vision is for a sport more in line with the modern world, reaching out to new audiences and encouraging closer racing – we’ve summarised some of the key changes below.
More Overtaking
The incredible aerodynamics play havoc with any car following too closely; thus making it incredibly difficult to overtake in F1. This year the breakthroughs in design philosophy will hopefully help more wheel-to-wheel action as the 2018 season develops.
Fewer Engines
In a bid to control the costs of competing in the world’s premier racing formula, teams will be restricted to just 3 engines over the course of a season, prompting a greater focus on reliability and further curtailing the ability of bigger teams to simply spend their way to victory.
The Halo
The Halo device will be safety feature fitted to the cockpit of all F1 careers for the 2018 season. In spite of its name it looks far from angelic, with drivers complaining about the restricted vision and additional weight it imposes. Nevertheless, it will protect drivers inside the cockpit.
No More Grid Girls
That’s right; the grid girls are gone - but in their place you’ll now find grid kids – mascots chosen by local motorsports clubs to meet their heroes and stand on the grid marking the positions for the cars to line up.
Levelling the Playing Field
The ever-widening gap between the richest and the poorest F1 teams has been bad for competition and for business in the last few years. To address the issue, the prize money pay-out schemes have been restructured. It’s a thorny issue however, with the bigger teams like Ferrari reluctant to let go of their handsome pay packages.
More Access
With more social media coverage it’s hoped this will draw in younger fans with limited exposure to the sport. As well as more investment going into “Fan Villages” featuring a range of attractions such as driving simulator games and rides, fans can look forward to a better trackside experience.
More Overtaking
The incredible aerodynamics play havoc with any car following too closely; thus making it incredibly difficult to overtake in F1. This year the breakthroughs in design philosophy will hopefully help more wheel-to-wheel action as the 2018 season develops.
Fewer Engines
In a bid to control the costs of competing in the world’s premier racing formula, teams will be restricted to just 3 engines over the course of a season, prompting a greater focus on reliability and further curtailing the ability of bigger teams to simply spend their way to victory.
The Halo
The Halo device will be safety feature fitted to the cockpit of all F1 careers for the 2018 season. In spite of its name it looks far from angelic, with drivers complaining about the restricted vision and additional weight it imposes. Nevertheless, it will protect drivers inside the cockpit.
No More Grid Girls
That’s right; the grid girls are gone - but in their place you’ll now find grid kids – mascots chosen by local motorsports clubs to meet their heroes and stand on the grid marking the positions for the cars to line up.
Levelling the Playing Field
The ever-widening gap between the richest and the poorest F1 teams has been bad for competition and for business in the last few years. To address the issue, the prize money pay-out schemes have been restructured. It’s a thorny issue however, with the bigger teams like Ferrari reluctant to let go of their handsome pay packages.
More Access
With more social media coverage it’s hoped this will draw in younger fans with limited exposure to the sport. As well as more investment going into “Fan Villages” featuring a range of attractions such as driving simulator games and rides, fans can look forward to a better trackside experience.
Who Will Take The Title?
It’s hard to imagine Mercedes loosening the grip they’ve had on the sport since the 2014 season, with Lewis Hamilton looking good to claim his fifth world title, drawing level with Argentina’s Juan Manuel Fangio in joint second place on the all-time list. Some are even tipping him to topple Michael Schumacher’s record 7 world titles before he retires from the sport.
That being said, Ferrari were significantly closer to them during 2017 than in previous seasons, and at times even seemed to have the faster car – taking a similar step forward this year could see them steal Mercedes’ crown. Red Bull should never be forgotten – whilst their Renault engines proved underpowered and unreliable last year their underlying aero package remained amongst the strongest, and they’re always a threat when Mercedes or Ferrari drop the ball. McLaren will be hoping form a return to form after ditching their dismal Honda engine package of recent years, and there’s more than enough racing pedigree on the grid for one of the smaller teams to spring a surprise.
That being said, Ferrari were significantly closer to them during 2017 than in previous seasons, and at times even seemed to have the faster car – taking a similar step forward this year could see them steal Mercedes’ crown. Red Bull should never be forgotten – whilst their Renault engines proved underpowered and unreliable last year their underlying aero package remained amongst the strongest, and they’re always a threat when Mercedes or Ferrari drop the ball. McLaren will be hoping form a return to form after ditching their dismal Honda engine package of recent years, and there’s more than enough racing pedigree on the grid for one of the smaller teams to spring a surprise.
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