The 2018 Formula 1 season is upon us, with the Australian Grand Prix set for Sunday.
Among the old warhorses and new faces, the most striking changes for the new season are the technical modifications to the cars.
It’s goodbye to the T-wings and shark-fins on engine and hello to halo, the mandatory cockpit protection device which has widely divided the F1 community. These changes are not just visible additions to the car but also mean a lot of new aerodynamic work from the constructors.
The Halo cockpit protection device is a contraption right in front of the driver designed to improve safety, particularly to deflect debris away from the head. But the overall minimum weight of cars has gone up by 6 kg causing technical directors a fair bit of grief. This extra weight is designed to be able to resist the weight of a double-decker bus, and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton believes it could lead to less exciting racing.
Additionally, F1 has stuck with the three-engine limit for the entire 21-race season, a big curveball to all teams who will need to rework the power unit strategy. The other changes include simplified grid penalties for power unit changes and wider range of dry tyre compounds as well as the non-technical but just as important change: No more grid girls.
Here’s a pictorial guide to all the changes and a look at the old and new names on the circuit.
Ferrari’s SF71H
Probably the most recognizable car on the circuit, Ferrari’s new car is in their usual red livery, but with a difference – very little white, like the models of before. Even the halo is red in colour.
But apart from the livery, the tech team has worked on a whole new set of design modifications. The car has longer wheelbase than its predecessor and even more aggressive sidepod design, a revised cooling system and updated aerodynamics.
Here’s what the innovative sidepod does, according to the F1.com’s tech insight:
A completely new inlet which works in harmony with a new wing mirror design. The idea is that a slot in the wing mirror allows air to flow through, thereby improving cooling into the inlet. In a world where cooling equals drag, the more efficient teams can be with cooling, the more aggressive they can be with packaging.
“We have kept the aggressive concepts. The SF71H has a tighter car body and has been built to perform in high-speed circuits,” said Ferrari’s technical director, Mattia Binotto.
Ferrari have not won the constructors title in more than a decade with Kimi Raikkonen last winning the drivers title for Ferrari in 2007. Sebastian Vettel came close last year, but could not sustain his initial push. He and Kimi Raikkonen will headline the Prancing Horses’ bid once again. Can they change that this year with this new car?
Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+
The four-time consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ championships winners didn’t need too much of a change in their car, given their dominance and the W09 is an evolution of the car that won 12 races and took 15 pole positions in 2017.
The packaging is much tighter and Mercedes say they have made some big upgrades to their power unit in response to the new three-engine rule.
But the most impressive bit is the sidepod modification, which technical director James Allison says has given them a quarter of a second per lap. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas continue the winning partnership for Mercedes.
McLaren’s MCL33
The MCL33 is one revamped machine, after all the failures last year.
The team which has a total of 20 drivers’ and constructors’ championships, has not won a race since 2012 and have not had a podium finish for four years now. But with some big internal and external changes – a return to the iconic papaya livery that the team’s founder Bruce McLaren first introduced to F1 50 years ago and a Renault engine instead of a Honda, for the first time in 52 years – there is hope.
“We had to redesign the back of the chassis, the gearbox bell-housing area, the rear suspension, and the cooling layout. That was two weeks of intense effort to get right,” Tim Goss, McLaren’s Chief Technical Officer – Chassis, said.
“But it was something we were somewhat prepared for, because we knew it might happen, and it’s amazing what people can do in such a short space of time when the chips are down and you’ve got a really clear mission.
“So now we’ve got a really tidy packaging solution; the gearbox and rear suspension designers did an unbelievable job to redesign everything.”
Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will race this revamped machine.
Red Bull’s RB14
With a car that looks a lot like their world beater back in the day, Red Bull looks to challenge for a first championship in five years.
The main changes to the RB14 are the introduction of the halo and new exclusion zones that effectively remove wings at the rear. The 2018 car gas a restructured side with narrow, undercut side pods and a raised front suspension. The nose is a lot slender and the changed bargeboards have been modified as well.
The Renault-powered cars will again be driven by Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, who will look to get a lot more podium finishes.
Force India VJM11
Consistently finishing finished fourth in the last constructors championship, Force India’s 2018 car is an evolved version of last year. The Mercedes-powered VJM11 has tighter sidepods and the halo device like most cars. Their pink livery has been made brighter as well.
However, technical Director Andrew Green says everything apart from the front wing has changed since testing. We will have to wait and watch just how drastic this change is.
Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez will continue for Force India.
Renault R.S.18
The 2018 Renault car retains its black and yellow livery but with a much sleeker look dominated by black. With a re-profiled engine cover, this is Renault’s third chassis since its return to Formula 1 in 2016 and they will hope it has better results. Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr will be driving the machine this season.
Toro Rosso’s STR13
After McLaren dropped the power unit, Honda will now supply the engines for Toro Rosso in 2018. The Red Bull developmental car is experimenting with the engines and in a way with the driver lineup with two drivers who made their F1 debuts with the team in 2017 leading the charge – Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley.
Sauber’s C37
After finishing last in the constructor’s championship last year, Sauber is heading into the 2018 season with a completely revamped set up. Armed with the latest Ferrari engine, they have lengthened the wheel base of their machine and raised the front in a bid to get ahead in the field.
This year also marks the return of Alfa Romeo to Formula 1 as Sauber’s partner. The team also boasts of a new driver line-up of veteran Marcus Ericsson and rookie Charles Leclerc.
Haas VF-18
Haas was the first team to unveil their 2018 car, giving a glimpse of how the Halo will look. The team relies heavily on technology from Ferrari. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will continue racing for the American team.
Williams’ FW41
This first Williams car fully designed under technical chief Paddy Lowe since his return last year.
Apart from the mandatory technical changes, it has a distinct fin running along the centre of its engine cover and sidepods similar to that of Ferarri. The body has been revamped as well. The drivers will be Lance Stroll and new team mate Sergey Sirotkin, with the returning Robert Kubica as a reserve.