2019 Formula One World Championship
2019 FIA Formula One World Championship |
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The 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship is a planned motor racing championship for Formula One cars which would be the 70th running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the governing body of international motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship is due to be contested over a number of Grands Prix held in different countries throughout the world. Drivers and teams are scheduled to compete for the titles of World Drivers' Champion and World Constructors' Champion respectively. The 2019 championship is also scheduled to see the running of the one thousandth World Championship race, which would be hosted in China.[1][2]
Entries
The following teams and drivers are under contract to take part in the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship:
Constructor | Power unit | Race drivers | |
---|---|---|---|
No. | Driver name | ||
Ferrari | Ferrari | 5 16 |
|
Haas-Ferrari | Ferrari[5] | 8 20 |
|
McLaren-Renault | Renault[7] | 55 TBA |
|
Mercedes | Mercedes | 44 77 |
|
Red Bull Racing-TBA | TBA[12] | 10 33 |
|
Renault | Renault | 3 27 |
|
Sauber-Ferrari | Ferrari[15] | 7 TBA |
|
Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda | Honda[18] | 26 TBA |
|
Williams-Mercedes | Mercedes[20] | TBA TBA |
Team changes
Red Bull Racing signed a memorandum of understanding that would see the team end its twelve-year partnership with Renault and switch to Honda power units.[12] In doing so, Red Bull Racing would join sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso in using Honda power after Scuderia Toro Rosso joined the Japanese manufacturer in 2018. Neither team would be recognised as Honda's official factory team under the terms of the agreement.[22]
Driver changes
The lead up to the 2019 season has seen a high volume of driver changes. Only Mercedes and Haas will feature the same line-up as the previous season. Daniel Ricciardo is scheduled to leave Red Bull Racing after five years with the team, joining Renault.[14][23] Ricciardo's agreement with the team is that he is to replace Carlos Sainz Jr., who has been on loan to the French manufacturer from Red Bull's driver development programme. Sainz did not have his deal with Red Bull renewed and will to move to McLaren to replace two-time World Drivers' Champion Fernando Alonso,[8] who had earlier announced that he would not compete in Formula One in 2019.[24][25] Alonso's 2018 teammate Stoffel Vandoorne did not have his contract renewed.[26] McLaren's test driver and McLaren Young Driver Programme member Lando Norris was promoted to replace Vandoorne.[9] Ricciardo's drive at Red Bull Racing is scheduled to be taken by Pierre Gasly, who has been competing for Scuderia Toro Rosso since making his first Formula One start at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix.[13] After much speculation, Ferrari announced the signing of current Sauber driver, Ferrari Driver Academy member and Ferrari test-driver Charles Leclerc in September.[4] Kimi Räikkönen, who has driven for Ferrari for 8 years over two stints, will return to Sauber, with whom he had started his career in the 2001 season.[16] Räikkönen will be joined at Sauber by Ferrari test-driverAntonio Giovinazzi, who is set to replace Marcus Ericsson.[17] Giovinazzi previously started two Grands Prix at the beginning of the 2017 season, when he replaced an injured Pascal Wehrlein at Sauber.[27] Daniil Kvyat will rejoin Toro Rosso, after last racing for the team in 2017. Current Formula Two championship leader and Mercedes Young Drivers Programme member George Russell will drive for Williams, with negotiations having begun as early as June.[28]
List of planned races
The following twenty-one Grands Prix are scheduled to be held as part of the 2019 World Championship:
Calendar expansion
After purchasing the commercial rights to the sport from CVC Capital Partners, Liberty Media announced plans to expand the Formula One calendar using a concept they termed "destination races" and modelled on the Singapore Grand Prix.[32] Under the "destination races" model, Grands Prix would be established in or near key tourist destinations and integrate racing, entertainment and social functions with the aim of making the sport more accessible and appealing to a wider audience. Several countries and venues, including Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez in Argentina and the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands and street circuits in Vietnam, Copenhagen, and several cities in the United States announced plans to bid for a Grand Prix, with 2019 slated as the earliest date for expansion to begin.[33][34] On 31 August 2018, a provisional calendar was released with the opening round being brought forward by one week and the final round being pushed back a week later, compared to 2018.
Changes
Sporting regulations
Following widespread criticism of a qualifying format used in the opening rounds of the 2016 championship,[35][36][37] the FIA and commercial rights holder Liberty Media announced plans to trial regulation changes through the Formula One eSports Series,[38] which débuted in 2017 with the release of the F1 2017 video game.[39]
Technical regulations
In a bid to improve overtaking, teams agreed to a series of aerodynamic changes that affect the profile of the front and rear wings. The front wing endplates will be reshaped to alter the airflow across the car and reduce the effects of aerodynamic turbulence. The slot in the rear wing will be widened, making the Drag Reduction System more powerful.[40] The agreed-upon changes were drawn from the findings of a working group set up to investigate potential changes to the technical regulations in preparation for the 2021 championship.
Parts of the technical regulations governing bodywork are planned to be rewritten in a bid to promote sponsorship opportunities for teams.[41] The agreed changes are to mandate smaller bargeboards and limit aerodynamic development of the rear wing end planes to create more space for sponsor logos. The changes were introduced as a response to falling revenues amid teams and the struggles of smaller teams to secure new sponsors.
The mandated maximum fuel levels are due to be raised from 105 kg (231.5 lb) to 110 kg (242.5 lb) so as to minimise the need for drivers to conserve fuel during a race.[42][note 1] Driver weights are due to no longer be considered when measuring the minimum weight of the car. This change was agreed following concerns that drivers were being forced to lose dangerous amounts weight in order to offset the additional weight of the post-2014 generation of turbo-hybrid engines.[42] Drivers must weigh at least 80 kg (176.4 lb); any driver that does not make this minimum will be given ballast to make up the difference. This ballast will be located around the seat. The changes were introduced to prevent drivers with a naturally-smaller body shape from having an advantage over taller and heavier drivers.[43]
Pirelli will be simplifying their tyre naming model from seven compounds to three (soft, medium and hard) to aid fans understanding the tyre compounds used at each round.[44] Although the actual number of compounds will remain unchanged and the coloring of the sidewalls has yet to be decided.
Driver safety
The FIA introduced a new standard for driver helmets designed to improve safety. Under the new standard, helmets will be subjected to a more thorough range of crash tests aimed at improving energy absorption and deflection whilst reducing the likelihood of objects penetrating the helmet's structure. All certified helmet manufacturers must pass the tests in advance of the 2019 championship to have their certification renewed. Once introduced to Formula One, the new standard will gradually be applied to all helmets used by competitors in every FIA-sanctioned event.[45]
Notes
- ↑ Formula One measures fuel, oil and engine fluids in mass rather than volume as these fluids expand and contract when subject to heat and as a result the volume may change; however, the mass remains the same regardless of fluid temperature.
References
- ↑ "Provisional 2019 Calendar". formula1.com.
- ↑ "China is set to be 1,000th GP". www.skysports.com.
- ↑ "Extension of agreement between Scuderia Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel". Scuderia Ferrari. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- 1 2 "Charles Leclerc to drive for Scuderia Ferrari in 2019". Scuderia Ferrari. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ↑ Cooper, Adam. "Haas: Ferrari doesn't dictate our 2019 driver choice". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- 1 2 "Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen Return to American Formula One Team". Haas F1 Team. 28 September 2018.
- ↑ "McLaren Racing and Renault Sport Racing confirm partnership". McLaren Honda. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017.
- 1 2 "Carlos Sainz to race for McLaren from 2019". mclaren.com. McLaren Formula One Team. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- 1 2 "Lando Norris to drive for McLaren in 2019". McLaren. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ "Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver agrees £40m-a-year deal until 2020". BBC Sport. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ↑ "Valtteri Bottas: Mercedes driver signs one-year contract extension". BBC Sport. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- 1 2 Mitchell, Scott (27 June 2018). "Red Bull/Honda 2019 F1 engine deal at same stage as Sauber's was". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- 1 2 3 "Going full Gas in 2019". Red Bull Racing. Red Bull GmbH. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
The Team is delighted to announce that Pierre Gasly will join us from the beginning of the 2019 season, to race alongside Max.
- 1 2 3 "Daniel Ricciardo joins Renault Sport Formula One Team from 2019". renaultsport.com. Renault Sport Formula One Team. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ↑ "Sauber confirms new Ferrari engine deal". ESPN.com. ESPN Inc. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- 1 2 Mitchell, Scott. "Kimi Raikkonen to return to Sauber F1 team after Ferrari exit". Autosport. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- 1 2 Collantine, Keith (25 September 2018). "Giovinazzi will replace Ericsson at Sauber in 2019". racefans.net. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ↑ Straw, Edd. "Toro Rosso announces 'multi-year' deal for Honda F1 engine supply". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
- ↑ "Kvyat back in F1 with Toro Rosso". skysports.com. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ↑ Cooper, Adam. "Williams considering 2019 Mercedes F1 gearbox supply deal". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ↑ Collantine, Keith (12 October 2018). "George Russell handed F1 debut with Williams in 2019". www.racefans.net. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ↑ Mitchell, Scott (19 June 2018). "Honda: Red Bull won't have works Formula 1 team label in 2019". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ↑ "Daniel Ricciardo to leave Red Bull to join Renault at end of Formula One season". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ↑ "McLaren confirms Fernando Alonso decision". mclaren.com. McLaren Formula 1 Team. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- ↑ Mitchell, Scott l (14 August 2018). "Fernando Alonso will not race in Formula 1 in 2019". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- ↑ "Stoffel Vandoorne to leave McLaren at the end of the 2018 season". McLaren. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ Collantine, Keith (3 April 2017). "Giovinazzi will replace Wehrlein again in China". racefans.net. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ↑ "How Russell sealed a 2019 drive with Williams". Formula One. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ↑ Noble, Jonathan (31 August 2018). "2019 Formula 1 calendar revealed with 21 races scheduled". Autosport.com. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ↑ "F1 reveals draft 21-race calendar for 2019 including German GP". Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ↑ Noble, Jonathan (12 October 2018). "2019 Formula 1 calendar and rules tweaks approved by FIA's WMSC". Autosport.com. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ↑ Puigdemont, Oriol; Noble, Jonathan (3 May 2018). "F1 promises it won't turn its back on Europe with new races in US and Asia". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ↑ Coch, Mat (22 February 2018). "Argentina seeking place on 2019 F1 calendar". speedcafe.com. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- ↑ Noble, Jonathan; Jaeggi, Erwin (23 March 2018). "Assen moves closer to hosting F1 Dutch GP after appointing promoter". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ↑ Lines, Chris (19 March 2016). "F1 qualifying format slammed as Hamilton wins Australia pole". Associated Press. Melbourne: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ↑ Weaver, Paul (19 March 2016). "F1 qualifying universally condemned as Lewis Hamilton grabs Melbourne pole". The Guardian. Melbourne: Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ↑ Morlidge, Matthew (19 March 2016). "New qualifying format slammed as 'unacceptable' and 'embarrassing'". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ↑ "F1 to use esports to trial regulation changes". Speedcafe. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ↑ "F1 eSports Series 2017". f1esports.com. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ↑ Cooper, Adam (1 May 2018). "Formula 1 overtaking changes pushed through for 2019". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ↑ Coch, Mat (22 January 2018). "F1 to introduce sponsor-friendly bodywork". Speedcafe. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- 1 2 Coch, Mat (18 April 2018). "New F1 rules to be introduced in 2019". speedcafe.com. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ↑ Herrero, Daniel (15 August 2018). "Hamilton anticipating being heavier, stronger under 2019 regs". speedcafe.com. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ↑ Coch, Mat (29 August 2018). "Pirelli to simplify F1 tyre compounds from 2019". speedcafe.com. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ↑ "New helmet standard for Formula 1 in 2019". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.