Hello fellow Formula 1 fanatics, I’m back from a little break after a few intense weeks. I hope all of you around the world are enjoying your break from the sport before we tackle the final nine rounds of the championship and see what unfolds. There has been some big news recently, let’s get right into it.

Ricciardo quits Red Bull for Renault

We’ll start off with the biggest news of the summer, Daniel Ricciardo will be leaving Red Bull at season’s end to join Renault on a two-year deal. The Australian said it was one of the toughest decisions he ever made so far and he is ready for a fresh, new challenge. Ricciardo realises that there is a lot to go for the French manufacturer to once again fight at the front, but he is impressed by the team’s progression. He hopes to help the Enstone-based squad return to winning ways. He will be driving alongside Nico Hulkenberg in 2019. Red Bull have yet to announce who will partner Dutchman Max Verstappen with Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly the likely candidate.

Capelli returning to Adelaide for 2018 Motorsport Festival

Some news in my home of Adelaide, a favourite from our golden-era Ivan Capelli will be returning for the 2018 edition of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival to drive his Judd-powered CG891. Capelli was first reunited with his 1989 Adelaide Grand Prix racer for the 2016 event, which saw the Italian smash the lap record on the shorter version of the legendary Adelaide Street Circuit. The record was beaten last year by V8 Supercar driver Tim Slade in the 1994 Arrows Footwork-Ford FA15 with a 43.303. Can the Italian reclaim the lap record around the Victoria Park Sprint Circuit this year? Stay tuned. The Victoria Park Sprint part of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival is from Saturday December 1-Sunday December 2. Tickets for the event are available here: https://www.outix.net/tickets/event/adelaide-motorsport-festival2018

Alonso leaving F1 after 17 years in the sport

A big story from this weekend we learned that Fernando Alonso will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2018 season after 17 years in the sport. Despite being named as the most complete driver on the grid, the Spaniard has not won a Grand Prix in five years and a World Driver’s Championship in 12 years. The two-time World Champion is set to move to the US to compete full-time in the Verizon IndyCar Series as he pursues his third and final part to achieve motorsport’s Triple Crown in the Indianapolis 500. McLaren are yet to name who will replace the Spaniard.

Steiner: “Haas attracting interest from other drivers”

Haas F1 Team Principal Guenther Steiner remained tight lipped on who will be driving for the Kannapolis/Banbury squad next season but insisted that the team’s progression has attracted plenty of interest from a number of drivers on the grid. Kevin Magnussen has been the best performer for the team with seven-points scoring finishes and is likely to remain in 2019. Romain Grosjean’s mixed performances with three-top ten finishes has put the Frenchman’s future with the American outfits in doubt. Steiner stated that Haas will decide on their partnership following the summer break. Haas currently sit fifth in the Constructor’s Championship and 16 points behind fourth-placed Renault.

Hamilton: “Mercedes have to over-deliver to beat Ferrari”

Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton said his Mercedes team must continue to over-deliver to beat Ferrari, something that the Briton believes the Brackley-based outfit are already doing this season – if his quest for a fifth world title-crown is successful. The momentum has swung all season long between both Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton this year, but Hamilton accepts that the Prancing Horse is the team to beat. “We are racing a team that is faster than us this year,” explained Hamilton. “Last year we were quite balanced, as there were some weekends they were faster than us and some weekends we were faster than them.” Hamilton suggested that mistakes could be the deciding factor on who will become champion this year but the current title leader is focused on an error-free second half of the season. Can Hamilton increase his lead in the championship when Formula 1 returns to action at the famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix from August 24-26?

Vasseur: “Sauber have made a huge step forward”

After struggling the past two seasons, Sauber have made huge gains, delivering eight top-ten finishes in 2018 and Team Principal Frederic Vasseur praised the team’s improvements so far. From a slow start in Melbourne, it looked as if the Hinwil-based outfit would endure another difficult campaign, but since that Grand Prix, they only failed to have at least one C37 in the points on four occasions. Not only has their race-pace been an area that they’ve improved on, Their qualifying pace has been great with Charles Leclerc blasting the Ferrari-powered C37 to Q3 in three of the past five Grands Prix, showing Sauber’s ability to battle amongst the midfield. “Yes, I think we are on a good path,” Vasseur said. “If you compare with the beginning of the season and the first part of the season – not only Melbourne – but I think we improved a lot, more than 1.5 percent compared to the front of the field. It’s a huge step forward for us now. Sauber currently sit ninth in the Constructors Championship and ten points behind nearest rival Toro Rosso who are eighth.

Vettel: “Ferrari can make things happen after the break”

Sebastian Vettel has had the best car on the grid this season and the German could have entered the summer break with a comfortable lead in the World Driver’s Championship, instead he is 24 points behind title-rival Lewis Hamilton but Vettel is confident the Scuderia can turn the tables when F1 returns next weekend. The momentum swing between the two drivers has happened all season long, but on the rundown to the summer break, it was Vettel leading with eight points after winning the British Grand Prix on Hamilton’s turf. However, disaster struck for Vettel when he crashed from the lead in Germany with Hamilton picking up the win. Hamilton then scored back-to-back victories at the Hungaroring where Ferrari were the strong favourites. The 32 point swing left Vettel trailing Hamilton by almost a race win amount of points as F1 hit it’s summer break. Vettel refused to be downbeat but remained confident that they can put the Silver Arrows under pressure and make things happen in the second half of the season. Vettel also said Ferrari still have a lot of potential to unleash and is looking forward to what is to come with the team’s planned upgrades. Can Vettel claw back from his 24 point deficit in the battle for his fifth world title as F1 returns next weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix from August 24-26?

Sainz joins McLaren on multi-year deal

After the announcement that Fernando Alonso will be leaving McLaren at season’s end, the Woking-based squad confirmed Carlos Sainz as the double World Champion’s replacement. Alonso announced on Tuesday that he will step away from Formula 1, and although he may return in the future, McLaren quickly confirmed the signing of Sainz on a multi-year deal. Previously contracted to Red Bull, this year, the Spaniard has been loaned out to Renault where Daniel Ricciardo will be heading in 2019 to partner Nico Hulkenberg. “I’m delighted to finally be able to confirm that I’ll be a McLaren driver from the 2019 season,” Sainz explained. ”It’s something I’ve been looking at for a while and I’m very excited about this next chapter in my career. I’ve been a McLaren fan for as long as I can remember. It’s a great name in the sport with an incredible heritage, and the list of drivers that have raced for McLaren over the years are among the heroes of Formula 1. Fernando is of course one of them, so it’s particularly special that I’ll be taking his seat as part of the next generation of Spanish racing drivers behind the wheel of a McLaren. Finally, I’d like to thank everyone at McLaren for giving me this opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream. The team has a long-term plan for the future and I’m very much looking forward to playing a key role in its journey back to success.” Sainz concluded.