search
date/time
Yorkshire Times
A Voice of the Free Press
frontpagebusinessartscarslifestylefamilytravelsportsscitechnaturefictionCartoons
Graham Read
Formula 1 Correspondent
3:09 PM 13th February 2019
sports

The F1 Toro Rosso, Williams And Renault Launches

 
Toro Rosso’s 2019 challenger
Toro Rosso’s 2019 challenger
After the Rich Energy Haas F1 team set the ball rolling late last week, the Toro Rosso, Williams and Renault outfits have now revealed their own 2019 challengers, so let’s take a quick look at each and their respective drivers for the new campaign.

The Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda team, as it is officially known, is the junior sister outfit to the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing equipe and is based in Italy.

It’s all change on the driver front for this year as Frenchman Pierre Gasly has been promoted to the main Red Bull team and New Zealander Brendon Hartley has been dropped. At least the latter has gained further F1 employment though as a simulator driver for Ferrari.

In their place come Toro Rosso and Red Bull Russian returnee Daniil Kvyat and British/Thai newcomer Alexander Albon, who finished third in last year’s Formula 2 championship.

Toro Rosso’s new driver pairing Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon
Toro Rosso’s new driver pairing Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon
The iconic Williams team very much had a year to forget in 2018, finishing last in the Constructors Championship for the first time in their history, and the Grove based outfit will have its work cut out to improve this year, but let’s keep our fingers crossed that they can start to return towards the glory days of years gone by.

Their commercial agreement with their former title sponsor, the Martini drinks company, has ended and the emerging British-based telecommunications company ROKiT has arrived in their place with a new black, white and light blue colour scheme. As such, the team will now be known as ROKiT Williams Racing.

Williams drivers Robert Kubica and George Russell with the new car which has a changed title sponsor and livery
Williams drivers Robert Kubica and George Russell with the new car which has a changed title sponsor and livery
At the launch deputy team principal Claire Williams enthused about this new partnership, commenting “We share many similar values and aspirations with ROKiT, primarily putting engineering and innovation at the core of everything we do in our pursuit to be the best”.

At Williams too both of last year’s drivers are no longer with the team. Russian Sergey Sirotkin proved surplus to requirements and Canadian Lance Stroll has followed his father’s money to the Racing Point outfit, formerly known as Force India. In their place arrive last year’s Formula 2 champion George Russell and the team’s reserve driver from last season Robert Kubica.

The car Renault hopes will bring them nearer to F1’s top three teams
The car Renault hopes will bring them nearer to F1’s top three teams
The 34 year old Pole had been a leading light in Formula 1 before a serious accident in a local rally in Italy back in 2011 left him with career threatening multiple injuries.

Nico Hülkenberg is joined at Renault this year by Daniel Ricciardo
Nico Hülkenberg is joined at Renault this year by Daniel Ricciardo
Russell is an intelligent 20 year old Brit from King’s Lynn who is a pleasure to interview, with a quiet demeanour but amazing talent in a racing car. However, he will have his work cut out to shine unless this year’s Williams car is much better than last year’s, whilst it will be interesting to see if Kubica has made a sufficient recovery from his injuries to be truly competitive.

The Renault works team, based in Enstone and Paris, has serious intentions about returning to the top of the F1 ladder and achieved a major coup last summer by attracting the services of the highly likeable and seven time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull on a two year contract for this year and next.

It has to be seen as a bit of a backward step from Red Bull for the Australian driver and it may or may not prove to be a great career move, but he was suitably upbeat at the launch, saying “Renault has a massive history in motorsport, so to be part of the next step of their Formula 1 journey is an exciting challenge”.

Alongside him will be Nico Hülkenberg from Germany, who has proved to be a valuable asset for the French outfit and who was the best of the rest behind the six Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull drivers last year.

Next up in this year’s launch season come Mercedes, Red Bull and Racing Point and I’ll report further shortly.