Formula 1’s Exciting New Season Is About To Begin
Graham Read, Formula 1 Correspondent
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas with this year's Mercedes F1 car
Despite the added weight of the compulsory new halo safety structures this year’s cars will be 1000 brake horse power flying machines and the relentless technical development plus softer tyres will contribute to make them even faster than last year’s offerings.
Max Verstappen in the Red Bull car he hopes will bring him more victories in 2018
So, what else is new for 2018? Well, for starters each car is being limited to three rather than four power units for the whole season and with 21 races that means they need to last for seven race weekends each or grid penalties will follow. The aim is to reduce costs by forcing the engines to be more reliable.
There are now two additional types of dry weather tyres too, Hypersoft and Superhard, making seven in total as well as the Intermediate and Full Wet versions. The intention is for there to be more tyre degradation and therefore more pit stops during races, with tyre strategy playing a greater role. It remains to be seen whether this adds to the spectacle or simply makes the racing harder to follow.
Quadruple F1 champion Lewis Hamilton gets acquainted with his new car
It’s also great to see the return of the French and German Grand Prix to this year’s calendar and at circuits with real motorsport heritages, Paul Ricard and Hockenheim respectively.
There will also be some improvements to how Formula 1 is shared with its vast worldwide television audience. Strategically placed microphones near the cars’ exhaust systems should make the turbocharged power units sound better on TV at least, even if the live sound of them at the circuits will still be a little too quiet for many. Viewers will also witness the use of 360 degree onboard cameras and new graphics to support and help explain the ontrack action.
Pit stop practice for the McLaren team during pre-season testing
Let’s just hope for the greater good of the sport that we can enjoy an at least three way fight for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, with some great racing amongst the midfield teams too. It might just be a classic year for F1.
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| No Wonder They Call It F1 Winter Testing! | |
Formula 1’s Exciting New Season Is About To Begin, 19th March 2018, 20:15 PM