Fellow Formula 1 fans, the time is almost here. The much anticipated 2018 car unveilings are coming up, which means the next two weeks will be very exciting. Once we get a look at what the new cars will look like, we’ll be treated to two rounds of pre-season testing. After that, it’s “off to the races”, with the Australian Grand Prix opening the season. We’ve broken down the release schedule for the 2018 cars below. as well as some things to look out for in the coming weeks.
2018 Car Release Schedule and Preseason Testing:
Williams will be the first to release their car, with Red Bull following not too long after. It’s only fitting that Ferrari and Mercedes, the two biggest rivals in Formula 1 today, release their cars on the same day. The most interesting thing about this year’s car roll-outs is the fact that Torro Rosso is going to be releasing their car the morning Pre-season testing begins. This begs the question of why they’re doing this. They could be waiting to see what other people do with their cars and aero and use the time between reveals and testing to make changes to their own car, or they might still be developing their car up until the very last moment.
Round 1 of pre-season testing will begin February 26th and will last through March 1st. The second round of testing will begin February 6th and last through February 9th. After that, the 2018 Formula One season will begin with the Australian Grand Prix on March 25th.
Things to look for:
There are some exciting things to look out for this season. Possibly the most interesting new design to look for is the Halo driver protection device. Many Formula 1 fans (myself included) think it’s a bit of an eyesore. However, I must admit, Formula E’s incorporation of it is quite pretty. The halo flows quite nicely with the body lines. The big concern with the Halo in F1 is the aerodynamic effect its going to have on the car. F1 cars are a bit more picky when it comes to downforce, and a big carbon bar above the cockpit will affect how air is directed to the rear wing.
Once pre-season testing comes around, make sure you pay close attention to some of the top teams. Scuderia Ferrari’s team boss has stated that they could either be the quickest car on the grid or the slowest, depending on how their car development has gone. Gene Haas, chairman of Haas F1, said in an interview last week they they need to be “within a half-second of the Ferraris”. This is an ambitious goal, but not entirely unattainable considering they use plenty of Ferrari parts.
We’ll also be paying close attention to Mclaren’s lap time compared to other mid-field teams after their switch to Renault power units. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more team challenge for the championship. If Mclaren improve their speed and reliability and Haas achieves their goal of being within a half-second of Ferrari, we very well could be seeing four or five teams up fighting up front.
