Image: supplied
Another season; renewed hope for non-Mercedes teams
Is it that time of year again? Indeed, as we approach less than a month out from the much-anticipated 2019 Australian Grand Prix in mid-March, the traditional season-opener since 2011, the paint has barely just dried on the newest iteration of each respective team's racing machines. There has been a few rebrands this season, with the likes of Alfa Romeo (formerly Sauber) and Racing Point (formerly Force India), a few radical livery changes, and of course the retention of a certain Rosso Corsa machine (guess who). In terms of mechanical changes, 'evolution' rather than 'revolution' is the theme for most cars, with only relatively minor rule changes coming into effect. Check out the new looks and driver lineups below so that, come the Aus GP, you can tell your Red Bull from your Toro Rosso...
(Images courtesy of each respective manufacturer)
(Images courtesy of each respective manufacturer)
A (very brief) overview of rule changes
Rule changes are to be expected year-on-year in F1, albeit none too significant this year. Main changes are centred around reducing turbulence produced by high-downforce rear and front wings, meaning that (hopefully) overtaking will be easier and therefore produce better racing for spectators. Front wings now have to be wider but less intricate (with a mandated standard endplate and maximum of five horizontal winglets), as well as rear wings needing to be higher but narrower than in 2018, again resulting in cleaner air for a following car. In a similar vein, the DRS opening in the rear wing is now 20mm wider (up to 85mm - resulting in 30% more efficiency) meaning that, when open, cars should be faster and therefore encouraged to attempt overtaking. Expect this to have a huge effect at Albert Park; for the first time in 2018, there were three DRS zones throughout the circuit.
Importantly, driver weight has been set at a 'minimum' of 80kgs, meaning that neither heavier drivers (like the 184cm Nico Hulkenberg) are disadvantaged, nor are they encouraged to restrict caloric intake - an unhealthy and unwise strategy for drivers of 300km/h+ machines. If drivers are less than 80kgs, then ballast must be added to the car, but only in the cockpit area.
Maximum fuel loads have been upped from 105kgs to 110kgs, with the intention of allowing drivers to be pushing harder for longer; again, with hopes of making for better racing.
Continue reading below for more information on the car, their drivers, and a brief preview on each...
Importantly, driver weight has been set at a 'minimum' of 80kgs, meaning that neither heavier drivers (like the 184cm Nico Hulkenberg) are disadvantaged, nor are they encouraged to restrict caloric intake - an unhealthy and unwise strategy for drivers of 300km/h+ machines. If drivers are less than 80kgs, then ballast must be added to the car, but only in the cockpit area.
Maximum fuel loads have been upped from 105kgs to 110kgs, with the intention of allowing drivers to be pushing harder for longer; again, with hopes of making for better racing.
Continue reading below for more information on the car, their drivers, and a brief preview on each...
The Teams
Mercedes
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Car Name: W10 EQ Power+
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton & Valtteri Bottas 2018 Season Position: 1st Returning to 2019 in recognisable format, the Silver Arrows will be wearing predominantly Silver with subtle 3-point stars dotted over the rear of the machine. According to Mercedes, the 2019 car has been in the works for 16 months - commencing during the 2017 season. Over half a million kilometres were simulated on the majority of components including transmisison, suspension, and cooling systems, ensuring a car that is reliable as possible. We'd expect the Merc to be fighting it out with Ferrari for the championship this year - prepare to get used to seeing this Silver Arrow on the podium a lot. With Lewis Hamilton's 11 victories last season, the Mercedes-AMG team has been one of the most dominant in recent memory, and there's little reason it won't be the same this season. |
Read more from the official Mercedes-AMG site here.
Ferrari
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Car Name: SF90
Drivers: Sebastian Vettel & Charles Leclerc 2018 Season Position: 2nd Our best hope for more competitive racing, Ferrari are looking at bringing the fight to Mercedes, and possibly ending their five consecutive year Championship run. Ferrari have this year gone with a bold, long-term strategy by pairing youngster Charles Leclerc with veteran Sebastian Vettel. Livery-wise, the Ferrari hasn't had many significant changes (as expected) for their 65th F1 contender built. Technically, the SF90 features a narrower engine cover, a few mild iterations of the 064 V6 engine to improve thermal efficiency, and other minor changes. Expect the Ferrari to be right up there challenging Mercedes-AMG all season - and hopefully knocking the Germans off the top step of the podium in a few more races throughout the season than last year. |
Read more from the official Ferrari site here.
Red Bull Racing
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Car Name: RB15
Drivers: Max Verstappen & Pierre Gasly 2018 Season Position: 3rd As is Red Bull tradition, the car was launched in a one-off launch spec - it has since been reverted to the usual Red Bull blue & yellow (featuring a bold Aston Martin logo on the rear wing) for the regular season. Somewhat less usual is the lack of Danny Ricciardo in the cockpit, having been replaced by Pierre Gasly, formerly driver for Toro Rosso. Providing some intrigue to Red Bull's season, the team has replaced their 2018 Renault engine with that of Honda for 2019. Considering the amount of reliability issues that plagued the 2018 car (particularly, Ricciardo's), there's a lot of hope riding on the Japanese manufacturer's power unit. After finishing third last season, will the Honda engine help the Red Bull mix it up with the big dogs for the overall title fight? Only time will tell... |
Read more from the official Red Bull site here.
Renualt
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Car Name: R.S.19
Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg & Daniel Ricciardo 2018 Season Position: 4th Not quite a top-three team, RenaultSport will be competing to solidify their fourth-placed spot over the likes of Haas and McLaren. With the addition of Daniel Ricciardo, however, things could be looking up for the French team - possible podiums are not unlikely during the season, and there is significant potential for improvement over last season. However, with big name potential also comes high expectations so consistency, particularly with the car's performance and reliability of the e-Tech 19 engine, is paramount. With the chassis and body built in Enstone UK, and engine built in Viry-Chatillon France, the 2019 R.S.19 looks aesthetically very similar to the 2018 version - albeit with a Ricciardo number '3' where there used to be Carlos Sainz' number '55'. |
Read more from the official RenaultSport site here.
Rich Energy Haas
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Car Name: VF19
Drivers: Romain Grosjean & Kevin Magnussen 2018 Season Position: 5th Here's a livery you won't recognise from Haas - a distinct black & gold outfit (reminiscent of Lotus liveries of old) represents a significant change for the American team; moving from 2018's white, grey and red look, it is arguably one of the better dressed machines in the field. Driver lineup remains the same, with the likes of Grosjean and Magnussen looking to close the gap with their main targets of Renault and Red Bull. If you recall back to the 2018 Melbourne season-opener, you'll remember an absolute calamity - having gone from their best ever qualifying result (P5 & P6), to both cars DNF - one with a mechanical issue, and the other with a loose wheel nut. For Haas' sake, let's hope for a better AusGP in 2019 - and a better 2019 season than 2018, which saw two disqualifications (USA and Italy) for rules infringements. |
Read more from the official Haas site here.
McLaren
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Car Name: MCL34
Drivers: Carlos Sainz & Lando Norris 2018 Season Position: 6th It's a new era of sorts for the British racing team; the end of one that they'll probably want to forget, and the start of one shrouded in optimism. Ditching the Honda engine in 2018 in favour of Renault's e-Tech (this year, the e-Tech 19), as well as fielding a pair of drivers completely new to McLaren in Carlos Sainz (formerly of Renault) alongside rookie (and potential future World Champion?) Lando Norris. Papaya Orange dominates the car's look, with 'complimentary blue that nods to McLaren's broader racing heritage'. Finishing 6th in the 2018 season, perhaps a complete driver shakeup will prove the recipe needed for McLaren to truly compete with Renault and Haas. |
Read more from the official McLaren site here.
Racing Point (formerly Force India)
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Car Name: RP19
Drivers: Sergio Perez & Lance Stroll 2018 Season Position: 7th The familiar pink livery remains in 2019 for the team formerly known as Force India, yet the name has changed to Racing Point F1. With the acquisition of Lance Stroll across the Williams team will see him joining forces with retained Sergio Perez. In a strange twist last year, as a result of significant financial uncertainty, the Force India team were forced to re-enter the 2018 Championship mid-season, starting from zero championship points and forfeiting their existing 59 up to the Belgian GP. However, the team was able to rally to 7th from Spa onwards - giving the team hope for the 2019 season to land somewhere in the top of the mid-tier of teams. |
Read more from the official Racing Point site here.
Alfa Romeo Racing
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Car Name: C38
Drivers: Kimi Raikkonen & Antonio Giovinazzi 2018 Season Position: 8th Another team subject to a complete rebranding is this year's Alfa Romeo - formerly Sauber F1. The Alfa brings with it the addition of a Ferrari engine, as well as former Ferrari driver Kimi 'Iceman' Raikkonen and last year's Sauber reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi. Key rival for Alfa Romeo this season is McLaren, who will prove to be a tough opponent after having undergone a complete refresh of brand, drivers, and engine too. Rookie Charles Leclerc (now at Ferrari) proved last year that there is some potential in the Swiss team's car, which sees this season a clean white and red livery. |
Read more from the official Alfa Romeo Racing website here.
Scuderia Toro Rosso
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Car Name: STR14
Drivers: Daniil Kyvat & Alexander Albon 2018 Season Position: 9th Staying in the driver's seat for 2019 is Daniil Kyvat, now being joined by 22 year old rookie Alexander Albon - a rookie who showed potential in Formula 2 and Formula E last season. As is tradition, Toro Rosso was the guinea pig for its fully-fledged older brother Red Bull in 2018, running the Honda engine in 2019 for the second straight year (which Red Bull have since picked up). The engine is looking like it will be more reliable and more powerful this year, putting Toro Rosso in great standing to climb up the overall rankings. The Toro Rosso has our vote for the best looking livery of 2019 - royal blue, with silver 'Toro Rosso' branding, with a red Honda accents works wonders and will be one of the more attractive cars on track throughout the season. |
Read more on the official Scuderia Toro Rosso site here.
Williams
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Car Name: FW42
Drivers: Robert Kubica & George Russell 2018 Season Position: 10th Gone is the iconic Martini lively (boo!), in favour of a plainer (albeit still pretty) blue, black, and white outfit. Stroll and Sirotkin had a poor season last year, finishing well down in the overall standings - meaning that there's only one direction the team can go now: up. The team's hopes lie with rookie driver George Russell, who has shown significant potential after being recently crowned Formula 2 World Champion. Joining him is Robert Kubica, who has returned to Formula 1 for the first time since 2011, where a significant rallying crash nearly led to the loss of his left arm. Powered by a proven Mercedes power unit, the Williams is surely looking to be more potent than their underwhelming performance last year. |
Read more from the official Williams site here.
All in all, the 2019 season looks to be a promising one with rebranded teams, new cars, and new faces along with the familiar ones we have grown to love (and not love so much). The next big hurdle for all teams will be the Australian Grand Prix, where teams who are serious contenders and teams who didn't do their homework throughout the offseason will become very clear indeed... See you trackside at Albert Park!