Today is the day Toro Rosso launches its new STR13 car for the 2018 Formula 1 season. The official launch comes after a number of images were leaked last week.
The new car was unveiled at the Circuit de Catalunya ahead of F1’s pre-season testing. Toro Rosso drivers Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley got behind the wheel. In the morning test session in Barcelona, Hartley finished 70 laps in the STR13.
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Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost told F1.com: “We had very busy months... in November, December, January and now February, and there were absolutely no problems.
“It was a completely new start for Toro Rosso.” As the only team working with Honda, this “opened a lot of possibilities, especially on the technical side with the engine installation”. Tost added: “For Toro Rosso it’s a big advantage to work together with such a big company as Honda.”
Sahara Force India VJM11
Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon pulled the covers off the new VJM11 ahead of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya this morning.
Reserve driver Nikita Mazepin joined the team to test the VJM11 on the track. With its new gloss livery incorporating pink, magenta and silver, Force India are confident that the VJM11 can help the team compete for points at every F1 Grand Prix this season.
In a statement the team said that the shape of the VJM11 would “evolve considerably” over the next month. The first F1 Grand Prix of the season will be held in Melbourne on 25 March.
McLaren MCL33
McLaren have reverted back to their iconic papaya orange and blue livery for their new MCL33 car. The colour scheme is a nod to McLaren’s first F1 racing colours from 50 years ago.
The MCL33 is also McLaren’s first car in their 52-year history that will be powered by Renault engines.
At the launch of the MCL33, the team said: “The engineering philosophy of the MCL33 follows the roots established by its predecessor, with data accumulated from the 2017 season feeding a range of improvements. Much of the work on the MCL33 has been around optimising the packaging of the new Renault engine and the incorporation of the new halo device.”
Spanish two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso and Belgium’s Stoffel Vandoorne will drive the car for McLaren this year.
Zak Brown, executive director of the McLaren Technology Group, added: “We definitely view 2018 as the year when McLaren will move closer to the front, fighting teams and drivers as we improve our fortunes. We have an excellent team, a new engine partner in Renault and a host of fantastic new partnerships. Our return to a papaya orange livery for this year wasn’t simply an emotional decision; it demonstrates that we are listening to our fans.”
While it is likely most of us will never get behind the wheel of a McLaren MCL33, British fashion brand Gandys can get you part of the way there with their glorious new limited edition flip flops, which replicate not only the car’s deep blue Halo feature but also its bright orange chassis. In fact, the flip flops have already proven so popular that they have sold out twice. Get them the next time they are released at gandyslondon.com/us-en/mclaren-x-gandys
Scuderia Ferrari SF71H
Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were in attendance at the Italian team’s headquarters in Maranello, northern Italy, to launch the new SF71H.
According to the Ferrari website, the SF71H (the code name for the 669 project) is the 64th single-seater car designed and produced to compete in the Formula 1 world championship.
Ferrari said: “Rule changes introduced last season led to the introduction of significant aerodynamic modifications and wider tyres, all aimed at increasing performance. Therefore the new 2018 Ferrari F1 car has been created to make the most of the experience gained last year.
“The most obvious element to catch the eye is the halo. After two years of on-track testing, it has now entered the rule book. It weighs around 7kg, plus fittings and this has only been partly compensated for with an increase of 5kg – from 728 to 733 – to the minimum car weight set in the 2018 regulations.”
Sky Sports reports that Ferrari have high hopes that the SF71H might help the team win their first F1 title in ten years.
Mercedes W09 EQ Power+
The reigning Formula 1 constructors’ champions were at Silverstone to launch their new car: the W09 EQ Power+. Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were joined at the unveiling by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Renault Sport RS18
Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz will drive Renault Sport’s new RS18 car in the 2018 F1 season. Renault’s managing director Cyril Abiteboul believes the RS18 will help the team to continue its growth.
He told Autosport.com: “Our headline target [for 2018] is to show continued progression through results. We want to be able to showcase our progression in every regard; power unit, chassis, operations, drivers.
“Everything must improve and we must continue to grow,” he said. Abiteboul added that he wanted to demonstrate this in many different ways, from the teams they’d be racing against and the gap to the leaders, to the fan base and the respect the team inspired on and off the track.
Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team C37
The C37 is the first model from the partnership between Alfa Romeo and Sauber. Motorsport.com says the new red-and-white colour scheme is a nod to the tie-up.
Sauber’s driver line-up for this year consists of Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc. In an interview with Autosport.com, team principal Frederic Vasseur said he was excited to see the driving duo take the C37 to the track.
��We have put lots of effort and hard work into the C37 over the last few months, and it is fantastic to be launching the new car today,” he said.
“I am convinced that Marcus and Charles form the perfect driver line-up, with one being an experienced driver and one a promising rookie. The return of Alfa Romeo to Formula 1 sets another milestone in the team’s history and I am proud that such a historical brand has chosen us for their return to the sport.”
Red Bull Racing RB14
Red Bull have unveiled their all-new Aston Martin-Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer RB14, but the striking livery is only a special edition for the team’s pre-season filming day at Silverstone.
In their announcement, Red Bull said they were keeping their “race-ready paint job under wraps for the time being.” The official racing livery will be unveiled next week during testing at the Circuit de Catalunya. Red Bull does say that the “unfamiliar shapes under the paint are here to stay”.
Red Bull added: “New bodywork regulations always dominate the news cycle in the launch season – but 2018 has a bigger acreage of change than most years with the introduction of the halo and the new exclusion zones on the rear of the car that effectively remove shark fins, monkey seats and T-wings.
“Some years it’s difficult for the casual viewer to differentiate the new car from the old: that isn’t going to be a problem this time around. That said, the technical regulations haven’t changed hugely for 2018.
“Installing the halo has been a challenge – mostly in terms of building a chassis strong enough to accommodate it and pass a brutal homologation test – but the rest of the regs have been comparatively stable. That’s the primary reason we’re able to launch earlier than usual.”
Williams Martini Racing FW41
Williams have just launched the new FW41, their first car under the guidance of chief technical officer Paddy Lowe and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer.
The FW41’s appearance is “significantly different” from that of its predecessor, the FW40. Williams’s deputy team principal Claire Williams is looking forward to seeing drivers Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin get behind the wheel in testing.
She said: “I am thrilled to be back and launching our new car, for a new season, with a new, exciting driver line-up. For many months, the team have put a tremendous amount of effort into the FW41 and I’m eager to see both Lance and Sergey take to the track later this month.”
Haas F1 Team VF-18
Launched on 14 February, the Haas VF-18 is “less about reinvention and more about refinement,” the team said in a statement. Team principal Guenther Steiner said: “Our 2017 car was actually pretty good, but we didn’t always get the best out of it, and that’s what we aimed to change in 2018. We got the car as light as possible to carry more ballast. We were able to do a better job of putting the weight where we wanted it.”
F1 2018: key dates
2018 testing
Pre-season testing
26 February-1 March: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
6-9 March: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
In-season testing
15-16 May: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
31 July-1 August: Hungaroring, Budapest
2018 F1 Grand Prix schedule
The 2018 season has 21 races on the calendar:
25 March: Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne
8 April: Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir
15 April: Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai
29 April: Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku
13 May: Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona
27 May: Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco
10 June: Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal
24 June: French Grand Prix, Le Castellet
1 July: Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg
8 July: British Grand Prix, Silverstone
22 July: German Grand Prix, Hockenheim
29 July: Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest
26 August: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps
2 September: Italian Grand Prix, Monza
16 September: Singapore Grand Prix, Marina Bay
30 September: Russian Grand Prix, Sochi
7 October: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
21 October: United States Grand Prix, Austin
28 October: Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City
11 November: Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo
25 November: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina
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