Welcome to the weekly roundup of everything Formula 1! Here you will find a summary of the biggest news and announcements every week in the F1 world. As we start to enter the seemingly long and arduous timeline between F1 seasons, teams and F1 personalities have already started preparations on and off-track:
β’ Scuderia Toro Rosso to become Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda for 2018
Toro Rossoβs rebranding comes as a natural consequence to the new relationship between Red Bull and Honda in which Honda will supply Toro Rosso with engines for 2018. Helmut Marko, advisor to Red Bull and head of Red Bullβs driver development program, has said Red Bull are working closely with Honda in order to make them a competitive package. These comments carry significance in the context of Hondaβs dismal partnership with McLaren in the hybrid era.
β’ Massa Considering Second Return to F1:
According to Italian publication, SportMediaset, rumours suggest that Massa may be considering second return to F1 in as many years. Massa started his F1 career with Sauber in 2002 before moving to Ferrari in 2006, where he raced until 2013 whereupon he made his final move to Williams from 2014 to present. Massa was given a guard of honour in Brazil 2016 after announcing retirement from F1 motorsport, however he signed a one-year extension after Valtteri Bottas signed with Mercedes. Many different candidates have been tipped to partner alongside Lace Stroll in 2018, including Robert Kubica and Sergey Sirotkin, meaning if Massa were to return to F1, it appears unlikely it would be within a Williams setup.
β’ Webber Inducted Into Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame:
Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber is set to be inducted into the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame during the 2018 Australian Grand Prix weekend. Webber will be the first of two βadvanceβ inductees for 2018 and will be the 52nd person to be honoured in total, joining other Formula 1 legends such as Sir Jack Brabham, Alan Jones and Peter Brock. Webber says, βFor me to join the list of other inductees is very, very specialβ.
β’ Fernando Alonso To Race in Rolex 24:
United Autosports have announced a host drivers, including F1 superstar Fernando Alonso, who will take part in the Rolex 24 Hours. Other drivers participating include Bruno Senna, Paul Di Resta, and Lando Norris.
And that wraps up everything in F1 for this week. Stay tuned next week for more from the F1 Weekly Roundup!
