2018 F1 news

**aroutis** · 22nd November 2018, 14:00

Originally Posted by Greig

+1

And Merc made mistakes as well with Lewis, he never started throwing it off the track and crashing every race....

At no case did Merc produced such issues as Ferrari in 2018.

**IulianFerrari** · 22nd November 2018, 14:03

Originally Posted by Kingdom Hearts

In 2017 Ferrari had a car good enough to fight for the title until the last race (probably not to win it on merit), Vettel didn't deliver the goods. 2018 a car good enough to win the title or at least fight until the last race again, Vettel failed. Yes the team made mistakes, is not everything Vettel's fault but he has made too many mistakes, some of them pretty stupid for a 4X champion. Plus crashing into Hamilton in Baku and other questionable behaviors. More like 70-30 in my opinion.

2017 Vettel outperformed the car and drove superbly in the 1st part. He should have not been in contention with a car that is better in 5 races and weaker in 16 than Mercedes. 2018 Seb's mistakes + some stupid strategy calls from Ferrari + Hamilton's greatest seasons mean he was short. 2018 is mostly Vettel's fault, in my opinion Kimi did a better job than him to bring home the points, the other years Ferrari where nowhere near in 2015, 2016.

**IulianFerrari** · 22nd November 2018, 14:05

Originally Posted by aroutis

See, this is where all your issues begin. There is not Seb and team. There is a team, part of which is Seb. Get that thru your head then you'll start understanding things, such as the ones I strive to explain to you.
Seb, Kimi, (every driver) are not foreign objects to "the team".
Team include the drivers.

And yes, team actually under performed in certain aspects, whether you agree or not is irrelevant.

I agree.

**IulianFerrari** · 22nd November 2018, 14:06

Williams confirm Kubica for 2019 season
Date published: November 22 2018

Robert Kubica: Back in F1

Robert Kubica has sealed a remarkable return to racing action in Formula 1 after Williams officially announced him for the 2019 season.

Kubica’s very promising Formula 1 career came to an abrupt halt eight years ago after suffering severe arm injuries in a rally crash in Italy.

The Pole initially stepped up his comeback plans by testing for Renault but, after being released, it was Williams that represented Kubica’s best chance of return to the Formula 1 grid.

He lost out on a 2018 seat to Sergey Sirotkin following a post-season test in Abu Dhabi, but stayed in the mix by accepting an offer to become their reserve and development driver this year.

His patience has now been ultimately rewarded as he will now replace the Russian and partner George Russell in 2019.

It is believed an offer to become a development driver for Ferrari was also on the table for Kubica, but the lure of returing to full racing action in Formula 1 has proven too good to turn down.

Kubica rose back to the top of Williams’ shortlist after he secured further sponsorship from his native Poland.
“I am delighted to announce that Robert will be stepping up to the role of Race Driver to partner George in 2019,” said deputy team principal Claire Williams.
“All of us at Williams have been immensely impressed at what he has achieved, and it is a great credit to his strength of character and tenacity to return to Formula One.

“During this season his commitment to the team and the work he has put in behind the scenes has been unwavering, and he has become an established and much respected member of the Williams team.

“He has a level of determination that is remarkable to see; and he truly embodies the Williams fighting spirit.

“Having the consistency of Robert stepping up into this new role will be an important step for us as we look to fight our way back towards the front of the field.

“I am also excited to have a mixture of youth and experience to lead us into 2019 and we look forward to seeing what they can achieve on track.

“I would also like to thank Lance and Sergey for their hard work in what has been a challenging season. We wish them all the best for their future careers.”

**JHAMMER** · 22nd November 2018, 14:37

Concerned F1 drivers discuss crash Flörsch with FIA
Date published: November 22 2018

The Grand Prix Drivers' Association, the organization to which all Formula 1 drivers are affiliated, will discuss the Sophia Flörsch horror crash in the Macau Grand Prix with the FIA. The F1 drivers are especially concerned about the use of the 'sandwiches' kerbstones.

Flörsch experienced a terrible crash in Macau after she lost control of her car at high speed and was launched on the kerbstones in corner 1. The young lady from Frits van Amersfoort's stable sustained back injuries and had to undergo hours of surgery.

"I think Sophia was very lucky," said GPDA president Romain Grosjean when Motorsport.com asked him about the incident. "The news about her successful operation is promising, that's fine, but the" sandwiches "did not really help her, jobs should have grass or gravel bins, which is impossible in a city, but we're talking about track limits again and again. You do not have that discussion with grass or gravel, we also had these kerbstones at Spa, Monza and a few other circuits, they just are not good. "

The issue will be presented to Formula 1 race leader Charlie Whiting: "We have already discussed it in our WhatsApp group," Grosjean confirmed. "It is very similar to the GP3 crash in Belgium a few years ago [Konstantin Tereshchenko, red.]: The kerbs on the inside just launched the car, I raced three times in Macau and I remember that bend well. To be honest, I do not know why there is such a sandwich, there is no need, there is a wall, so when you cut off the bend, you hit the wall, a flat kerb would have been a better idea. the Formula 1 something goes wrong with such a kerb, you end up in the center of Milan. "

And yet F1 wants to add more street course races, when there are a lot of purpose built race courses, with run off area and better barriers.

They will not see the light until someone gets killed, whether it be a driver or spectator or marshall.

And most street courses suck.

**jgonzalesm6** · 22nd November 2018, 15:52

Originally Posted by JHAMMER

Concerned F1 drivers discuss crash Flörsch with FIA
Date published: November 22 2018

The Grand Prix Drivers' Association, the organization to which all Formula 1 drivers are affiliated, will discuss the Sophia Flörsch horror crash in the Macau Grand Prix with the FIA. The F1 drivers are especially concerned about the use of the 'sandwiches' kerbstones.

Flörsch experienced a terrible crash in Macau after she lost control of her car at high speed and was launched on the kerbstones in corner 1. The young lady from Frits van Amersfoort's stable sustained back injuries and had to undergo hours of surgery.

"I think Sophia was very lucky," said GPDA president Romain Grosjean when Motorsport.com asked him about the incident. "The news about her successful operation is promising, that's fine, but the" sandwiches "did not really help her, jobs should have grass or gravel bins, which is impossible in a city, but we're talking about track limits again and again. You do not have that discussion with grass or gravel, we also had these kerbstones at Spa, Monza and a few other circuits, they just are not good. "

The issue will be presented to Formula 1 race leader Charlie Whiting: "We have already discussed it in our WhatsApp group," Grosjean confirmed. "It is very similar to the GP3 crash in Belgium a few years ago [Konstantin Tereshchenko, red.]: The kerbs on the inside just launched the car, I raced three times in Macau and I remember that bend well. To be honest, I do not know why there is such a sandwich, there is no need, there is a wall, so when you cut off the bend, you hit the wall, a flat kerb would have been a better idea. the Formula 1 something goes wrong with such a kerb, you end up in the center of Milan. "

And yet F1 wants to add more street course races, when there are a lot of purpose built race courses, with run off area and better barriers.

They will not see the light until someone gets killed, whether it be a driver or spectator or marshall.

And most street courses suck.

They are looking at the sausage kerbs that kicked her up then when she hit the 2nd car it launched her higher into the photo journo's booth where she impacted.

That being said, that turn is notorious for ALL motorsports. Macau street circuit is very tight.

Baku is my favorite street circuit followed be Melbourne then Gilles. Baku has yet to dissapoint. Monaco is getting old and it's a procession race. It should be a charity event. Vietnam looks interesting as it has wide streets and has a long curved straight. Miami is still trying to get passed with the locals.

**jgonzalesm6** · 22nd November 2018, 15:59

Originally Posted by IulianFerrari

Williams confirm Kubica for 2019 season
Date published: November 22 2018

Robert Kubica: Back in F1

Robert Kubica has sealed a remarkable return to racing action in Formula 1 after Williams officially announced him for the 2019 season.

Kubica’s very promising Formula 1 career came to an abrupt halt eight years ago after suffering severe arm injuries in a rally crash in Italy.

The Pole initially stepped up his comeback plans by testing for Renault but, after being released, it was Williams that represented Kubica’s best chance of return to the Formula 1 grid.

He lost out on a 2018 seat to Sergey Sirotkin following a post-season test in Abu Dhabi, but stayed in the mix by accepting an offer to become their reserve and development driver this year.

His patience has now been ultimately rewarded as he will now replace the Russian and partner George Russell in 2019.

It is believed an offer to become a development driver for Ferrari was also on the table for Kubica, but the lure of returing to full racing action in Formula 1 has proven too good to turn down.

Kubica rose back to the top of Williams’ shortlist after he secured further sponsorship from his native Poland.
“I am delighted to announce that Robert will be stepping up to the role of Race Driver to partner George in 2019,” said deputy team principal Claire Williams.
“All of us at Williams have been immensely impressed at what he has achieved, and it is a great credit to his strength of character and tenacity to return to Formula One.

“During this season his commitment to the team and the work he has put in behind the scenes has been unwavering, and he has become an established and much respected member of the Williams team.

“He has a level of determination that is remarkable to see; and he truly embodies the Williams fighting spirit.

“Having the consistency of Robert stepping up into this new role will be an important step for us as we look to fight our way back towards the front of the field.

“I am also excited to have a mixture of youth and experience to lead us into 2019 and we look forward to seeing what they can achieve on track.

“I would also like to thank Lance and Sergey for their hard work in what has been a challenging season. We wish them all the best for their future careers.”

Claire making Kubica's seat "official" at the Abu Dhabi 2018 GP

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsmSN8sWkAAZYt-.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsmIkqXXoAICD9I.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsmIiJRW0AAEkC1.jpg

SMP Racing (Sirotkin)

“We decided not to participate in F1 with Williams. We were unpleasantly surprised by level at which team was at the beginning of the season. The progress of the car was also not high enough."

For the first time, Kubica showes his injured right arm to the camera. Pic taken from the video below.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsnYW20XQAABaLR.jpg

Robert Kubica talks about his return to the Formula 1 grid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE_IWO3RnN8

**jgonzalesm6** · 22nd November 2018, 16:02

Abu Dhabi 2018

Special shirts for Kimi last night. Mechanics got one too along with his personal asst.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsmY-gxWsAMzYAH.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsmY96fWwAA8VBP.jpg

**jgonzalesm6** · 22nd November 2018, 16:03

New livery for Etihad's 787. Possible flyover with the acrobatic team???

https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/10655...g&name=600x314

**jgonzalesm6** · 22nd November 2018, 16:03

Components prior to Abu Dhabi. Nothing on Lewis taking a new PU.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dsm9TG-WoAUY3xu.jpg

**jgonzalesm6** · 22nd November 2018, 16:04

A fight for big prize money.

HAAS issue's a protest against RP Force India which reportedly didn't build cars by itself.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsnV9OxW0AE6Bik.jpg

**jgonzalesm6** · 22nd November 2018, 16:05

Team photos at Yas Marina 2018

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsnIkVvW0AAvge7.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsnIkVtWsAApMHq.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsnIkVuXgAAdS3i.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsnGuyEXcAASy_n.jpg

**jgonzalesm6** · 22nd November 2018, 16:16

**Ferrarichamp** · 22nd November 2018, 16:52

Originally Posted by jgonzalesm6

Components prior to Abu Dhabi. Nothing on Lewis taking a new PU.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dsm9TG-WoAUY3xu.jpg

bad news for Bottas then.

**Rishu** · 22nd November 2018, 22:37

Originally Posted by aroutis

See, this is where all your issues begin. There is not Seb and team. There is a team, part of which is Seb. Get that thru your head then you'll start understanding things, such as the ones I strive to explain to you.
Seb, Kimi, (every driver) are not foreign objects to "the team".
Team include the drivers.

And yes, team actually under performed in certain aspects, whether you agree or not is irrelevant.

I’m all for win together and lose together but when you lose, scrutiny does happen on individuals. You’re implying Vettel was forced into mistakes due to team, how ridiculous is that? Team has 100 tasks in hand, they hire people to do specialist tasks, lots of money is paid and obviously expectations are there. Why was Kimi asked to leave in 2009? Chris Dyer after 2010? Aldo Costa after 2011? Vettel is paid to drive & drive well, he takes the blame for his mistakes, not team. Maybe Arrivabene should start driving cars if Vettel is immune to criticism and team takes blame for his errors. Btw, do you maintain same stance when Max crashes his RedBull? Team hasn’t built a winning car and all pressure is on poor Max to deliver

**aroutis** · 23rd November 2018, 06:34

Originally Posted by Rishu

I’m all for win together and lose together but when you lose, scrutiny does happen on individuals. You’re implying Vettel was forced into mistakes due to team, how ridiculous is that? Team has 100 tasks in hand, they hire people to do specialist tasks, lots of money is paid and obviously expectations are there. Why was Kimi asked to leave in 2009? Chris Dyer after 2010? Aldo Costa after 2011? Vettel is paid to drive & drive well, he takes the blame for his mistakes, not team. Maybe Arrivabene should start driving cars if Vettel is immune to criticism and team takes blame for his errors. Btw, do you maintain same stance when Max crashes his RedBull? Team hasn’t built a winning car and all pressure is on poor Max to deliver

Scrutiny does happen for individuals but even so, it takes into accounts all variables and this is what I am trying to explain to you (and apparently I am failing).
F1 is a team sport, the driver has a very specific job, which is to drive the car, when one starts to put other things to the driver then bad things tend to happen.
There were things that were not done right within the team, Seb did crack under pressure and yes, that is something that should not have happened that easily but it did, however the rest of the team underperformed as well in certain aspects as well.
So the real question is, do we honestly want to put the blame to Seb for losing the WDC?

Answer is no. Unless of course we just wanna target someone, slap them around and feel better.
But that's just so easy, isn't it?

**Rishu** · 23rd November 2018, 09:27

Originally Posted by aroutis

Scrutiny does happen for individuals but even so, it takes into accounts all variables and this is what I am trying to explain to you (and apparently I am failing).
F1 is a team sport, the driver has a very specific job, which is to drive the car, when one starts to put other things to the driver then bad things tend to happen.
There were things that were not done right within the team, Seb did crack under pressure and yes, that is something that should not have happened that easily but it did, however the rest of the team underperformed as well in certain aspects as well.
So the real question is, do we honestly want to put the blame to Seb for losing the WDC?

Answer is no. Unless of course we just wanna target someone, slap them around and feel better.
But that's just so easy, isn't it?

So now you agree he cracked under pressure. I never said team performed 100%, never said Vettel is the only person responsible. All I said was it's stupid to say Vettel was failing because of Ferrari. Trying to win races in first lap with bonehead moves or binning it from lead is not team's fault.

**Brembo** · 24th November 2018, 01:32

Seb has no luck ever; winning a race; when starting outside the top 3. He got spoiled @ R Bull big time. Looking at 3 possible top teams, top cars, for 2019; I can only hope together; Charles and Seb can mount up WCC points! Kimi did the best he could keeping Ferrari on the podium in spite of all the heavy competition up front. Unless Seb makes sure the team respects his driving 100% for the new season, it will be up to a rookie to bring home the points.

**Giallo 550** · 25th November 2018, 02:03

"What you said is not correct! We started the season in a very good shape. As Seb said yes he made mistake, then from Monza going on, we were not there with the car. That‘s a fact. I don‘t want to point the finger on the team or driver. We lose and win together." - Maurizio Arrivabene

**Brembo** · 25th November 2018, 02:59

OK, I didn't realize it was the car causing Seb to make all those errors in judgement trying to come up from behind. Thank God we fans had the likes of Kimi keeping Ferrari on the podium after the start of the season! Was it the "Car" or Kimi? Was it the car that caused Seb to run wide at turn 19 hitting the "sausage barrier" this quali? Lewis winds up with 83 poles.

**jgonzalesm6** · 25th November 2018, 09:18

Pirelli confirmed as F1 tyre supplier until end of 2023

https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/10666...g&name=600x314

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ds1ofqvV4AIbyA3.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ds1ogMJV4AEk2NT.jpg

**jgonzalesm6** · 25th November 2018, 11:32

Jenson Button will become a full-time TV pundit for Sky Sports for the 2019 #F1 season

**Giallo 550** · 25th November 2018, 22:06

Originally Posted by jgonzalesm6

Jenson Button will become a full-time TV pundit for Sky Sports for the 2019 #F1 season

Good. I always like Button. The more former drivers they have, the better.

**aroutis** · 25th November 2018, 23:16

Originally Posted by Rishu

So now you agree he cracked under pressure. I never said team performed 100%, never said Vettel is the only person responsible. All I said was it's stupid to say Vettel was failing because of Ferrari. Trying to win races in first lap with bonehead moves or binning it from lead is not team's fault.

Cracking under pressure equals with failing. And he failed when the rest of the team stopped doing their job.
Why do you need to disagree with that?

**aroutis** · 25th November 2018, 23:17

Originally Posted by Giallo 550

"What you said is not correct! We started the season in a very good shape. As Seb said yes he made mistake, then from Monza going on, we were not there with the car. That‘s a fact. I don‘t want to point the finger on the team or driver. We lose and win together." - Maurizio Arrivabene

And I just see this... enough said already !

**aroutis** · 25th November 2018, 23:18

Originally Posted by Brembo

OK, I didn't realize it was the car causing Seb to make all those errors in judgement trying to come up from behind. Thank God we fans had the likes of Kimi keeping Ferrari on the podium after the start of the season! Was it the "Car" or Kimi? Was it the car that caused Seb to run wide at turn 19 hitting the "sausage barrier" this quali? Lewis winds up with 83 poles.

It's ok, you'll get it, eventually.

**Giallo 550** · 26th November 2018, 00:05

Originally Posted by Brembo

OK, I didn't realize it was the car causing Seb to make all those errors in judgement trying to come up from behind. Thank God we fans had the likes of Kimi keeping Ferrari on the podium after the start of the season! Was it the "Car" or Kimi? Was it the car that caused Seb to run wide at turn 19 hitting the "sausage barrier" this quali? Lewis winds up with 83 poles.

Raikkonen was on the podium 11 times to Vettel's 12, and after Italy, Vettel was on the podium four times to Raikkonen's three times. Just stop with the nonsense. The car lost its pace since Italy and the proof is in the fact that the best each of our drivers could manage was the second step once.

Ferrari fans knocking its drivers while praising others doesn't help anything and is only salt in the wound.

For the record, I don't believe Hamilton would have won in Vettel's seat. He's notorious for losing his **** when things don't go his way.

**jgonzalesm6** · 26th November 2018, 11:40

[Autosport]

Path clear for Toro Rosso to announce Albon as its second 2019 F1 driver, as he manages to extract himself from his Nissan FE deal

https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/10670...g&name=600x314

**JHAMMER** · 26th November 2018, 13:52

Originally Posted by jgonzalesm6

Jenson Button will become a full-time TV pundit for Sky Sports for the 2019 #F1 season

Ok with this if he was hired to replace Martin Brundle.

**Michal2_F1** · 26th November 2018, 17:20

Ferrari failed to win drivers' championship for the 11th time in a row. It was a season similar to 2017, as it started positively with title potential and then abruptly ended. Pre-season testing wasn't very optimistic as Hamilton went into Melbourne as big favourite and Ferrari were set to battle with Red Bull and Bottas for second. It turned out this wasn't how things stayed. True, LH and Mercedes were quickest in Melbourne and we nicked out a win thanks to VSC, but they have themselves to blame for miscalculation. Bahrain and it got so much better with SF-71H suddenly quicker than Mercedes in qualifying and having arguably better engine. There were evenly matched in the race with RB also strong contenders, and there was some bad lap in China and Baku as well. Vettel put fantastic performances in Bahrain, Canada and Silverstone while Hamilton botched the start and ridiculously accused Ferrari of foul play. There were also illegal battery claims by Mercedes and nothing was found. Certainly, they were losing their ground.

And it came Germany, a weekend that changed it all. Things were looking better than ever with Ferrari edging away with Mercedes, Vettel on pole and Hamilton bouncing over kerbs in Q1 and starting from the back. One day later, Vettel crashed out of the lead, Hamilton won from low grid position and the worst - during this weekend it was revealed Sergio Marchionne was in very bad condition and he died a few days after this race. Still, we have got a good car so we should have got revenge in Hungary and Spa. So much for the fastest car because the rain intervened and the advantage swung to the Mercedes. Spa win was small consolation for Hamilton's triumph in Hungaroring and qualifying on pole. And then Vettel started making mistake after mistake, our development stalled and Hamilton could pick up win after win (he was best driver this season but very annoyed by constant celebrity and media attention, even Whiting personally apologsied to him!). So it was a prolonged nightmare, even longer than Singapore-Sepang-Suzuka sequence of 2017. At least Kimi won, a great moment!

Hopefully in 2019, things will change. On the positive side, Ferrari junior Leclerc is proving to be a great deal. Fast and consistent on track but also incredibly humble and dedicated off-track, a perfect combination. What a beautiful story his championship will be after those near misses of 2008, 2010 and 2012, further years of underperforming car and abrupt collapses in 2017 and 2018, all the time watching Red Bull and Mercedes winning title after title. Also, Robert Kubica is back. He was signed to race for Ferrari in 2012, make sure you follow his progress and who knows, maybe one day he will make those nightmares disappear with stellar perforamnces in red.

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