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Three races into the season and Scuderia Toro Rosso have finally received their new machine, the STR3. Designed by parent team Red Bull Racing and bearing a strong resemblance to the RB4 currently driven by Mark Webber and David Coulthard, it is hoped the new motor will help the team in getting further into the midfield. Sebastien Bourdais was the second driver to run it around a circuit, turning up this morning at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to take part in the test session with other teams. The car has already been shaken down by New Zealand’s Brendon Hartley at Vairano a couple of weeks ago. Continue Reading…

Although this post is a little late due to me being away when it happened, Force India became the penultimate team (discounting Scuderia Toro Rosso) to unveil their new car to the media, the new owner and sponsors influencing the choice of Mumbai in India for the launch. The car has received an updated livery, as well as new sponsors and a hopefully improved chassis. The team continue to use customer Ferrari engines, the deal not due to expire until 2010, and with Giancarlo Fisichella partnering Adrian Sutil, 2008 could be a good year if everything goes according to plan. Continue Reading…

Today was Renault-day with regards to new car launches, and the Anglo-French squad chose Paris to unveil their 2008 machine to the media. As mentioned earlier, the team hope to find their winning ways again, although rookie Nelson Piquet Jr is cautious to not hype his own chances too much. While Fernando spoke of being pleased to be back at Enstone, Piquet Jr is just thankful for the opportunity to prove himself and hopes for a consistent season in 2008. Here are some more quotes and photographs from Renault’s R28 launch. Continue Reading…

Renault today unveiled their 2008 challenger in Paris, marking the return of Fernando Alonso to the team and partnering Nelson Piquet Jr in a bid to reclaim the Formula One world championship. Called the R28, the Anglo-French team hope the troubles they experienced in 2007 will be rectified and they can return to their dominant form last seen in 2006. The team continue with the title sponsor ING and thus the livery hasn’t changed much. However, along with the other new cars the aero features on the new chassis have been tweaked and developed to provide the drivers with a more stable and better performing machine. Continue Reading…

With the much anticipated launch of the Honda RA108, their 2008 car, this morning, the drivers and team managers have been speaking to the media about what this season will hopefully bring to the Brackley-based squad and how they can turn around their fortunes following the six-point haul of 2007. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello are excited about the new car, although it is hard to see how the team could get much worse. Continue Reading…

Honda today unveiled their 2008 challenger, entitled the RA108 to continue the naming structure of their chassis. The car has been eagerly anticipated following their recent move to publicise Honda’s environmentally progressive attitude, which to a degree extends to their Formula One operation. The car is also important because it follows the disastrous RA107 that caused problems for Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello last year. Continue Reading…

Honda debuted their 2008 car at Valencia this morning, dressed in white and and powering Rubens Barrichello around the Spanish circuit. The new car, which Honda hope will lift them back into the competitive zone, is quite a radical move away from the failed RA107 which only garnered six points in last years championship. Visually, the nose is much higher and the sidepods are significantly different. The rear end has also been completely altered according to the team and the front suspension has been remodelled. Continue Reading…

Following this mornings subdued roll out of the Williams FW30, the team have released a few more photos detailing various parts of the car and Sam Michael has spoken to the media. Williams hope this new car will be a step forward in performance and help push them closer to the Renaults and BMWs, currently occupying the best of the rest zone behind Ferrari and McLaren. The car’s interim livery is also particularly special, thanking the 519 strong workforce at the team for their support and contribution to the ongoing success of the squad, as well as detailing some of the key sponsors over the 29 years of competition. Continue Reading…

Following the roll out of the new Williams FW30 this morning at the foggy Valencia circuit, Renault have also sent their 2008 car onto the circuit for a few preliminary shakedown laps, the R28 in the trusted hand of Fernando Alonso. Despite the cold weather at the Spanish track and a fog-interrupted morning, the new Renault rolled out of the garage allowing local fans to catch the first sighting of the car that Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr will be driving this year. Continue Reading…

As far as launches go, this has to be the lowest-key roll out ever. Williams had stated previously that they weren’t too concerned about not holding an official launch party for their new 2008 challenger, citing reasons of there’s nothing to announce. Nico Rosberg is on a long-term contract, Kazuki Nakajima was confirmed last year, Toyota are still the squad’s engine partner and little else has changed, aside from the car. So instead, Williams opted to simply roll the new FW30 car out of the garage and get on with testing. Which, due to dense fog at Valencia this morning, lasted one lap. Continue Reading…