More F1 2019 car launches take place.

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Racing Point team principal wants to take new team to 'very top' of F1

Lance Stroll (left) has joined Sergio Perez at Racing Point for the 2019 season
The new Racing Point team have set themselves the ambitious target of getting to the "very top" of Formula 1.

Racing Point are owned by the Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, who took over Force India when it collapsed with financial problems last summer.

Launching their new livery in Toronto on Wednesday, team principal Otmar Szafnauer said: "It is important we take a good step forward in 2019.


"We want to be fighting for podiums and aim for a strong top-four finish."

Force India finished fourth in the constructors' championship in both 2016 and 2017 and would have beaten Renault to fourth last year as well had they not been forced to start from zero points again at the Belgian Grand Prix because they were a new legal entity following Stroll's takeover.

Mexican Sergio Perez has been retained as one of the drivers in 2019 and he is joined by Lance Stroll, the son of Lawrence Stroll, after two seasons at Williams.

The 2019 colour scheme continues with the pink used last year, at the behest of one of their sponsors, and adds a dark blue, to reflect the colours of a new one.

Perez said: "We have stability and strong leadership at the top, which is important because it means I can simply focus on the driving and performance. I want us to be the best of the rest once again. I believe in this team and I think we can achieve great things together."

Lance Stroll, who became the youngest ever podium finisher at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix but has had an otherwise unconvincing start to his F1 career, added: "I can see how much potential we have in this team and there's an incredible buzz in the factory and so much enthusiasm. I always aim high so I want us to be competitive right from the start.

"It's way too early to know how we compare to the other teams, but right here today I believe we should be fighting for points in every race. My goal is to get back on the podium in 2019 as well.

"I've seen what this team achieved in the past and it's a real credit to the people involved. I'm looking forward to making our own history."

Achieving the long-term aim of winning the championship will not be easy. The top teams, Mercedes and Ferrari, had a lap-time advantage of nearly two seconds on Force India last year, based on vastly greater resources and funding.

Like many other private teams, Racing Point are hoping that a reboot of the sport planned for 2021, with new technical regulations and a more equitable system for distributing prize money, will enable them to close the gap to the front.

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Williams cancel new car 'shakedown' run

By Andrew Benson

Claire Williams with Robert Kubica (second left), George Russell (second right) and Jonathan Kendrick from sponsors Rok at the launch of the new Williams F1 car
Williams have cancelled a planned 'shakedown' run of their new F1 car before the first official pre-season test because of delays building it.

The team, who were bottom of the constructors' championship last year, had aimed for a "filming day" in Barcelona on Sunday.

Williams say they are trying to maximise development time on the car.


"We have had an aggressive engineering programme over the winter," said deputy team principal Claire Williams.

"As such, we have taken the decision not to run our car during our filming day this weekend in order to allow the team to maximise the time at the factory before we head to Barcelona for the first day of the test on 18 February."

Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul has said his team may not make it to a planned shakedown on Saturday in Spain.

F1 teams are allowed a limited number of filming days each year, when mileage is limited to 100km and the car must run on non-race tyres.

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Red Bull unveil new Honda-powered F1 car ahead of 2019 campaign

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Verstappen is going into his fourth season with the Red Bull team
Red Bull have unveiled their first Honda-powered Formula 1 car, with Max Verstappen driving the initial laps at Silverstone.

The former champions were third overall in last season's constructors' championship, winning four races.

Verstappen, who shared the victories with Australian Daniel Ricciardo last season, has a new team-mate for 2019 in Frenchman Pierre Gasly.


The RB15 car was launched with temporary red-and-black livery.

However, they are expected to revert to their normal colours for the season-opening race in Melbourne on 17 March.

Red Bull parted company with engine partners Renault at the end of 2018, switching to Honda, who also provide power units for sister team Toro Rosso.

Toro Rosso finished ninth of 10 teams last year with the Honda engine but Red Bull have sounded optimistic about the progress made by the Japanese manufacturer.

"I am very excited to get started as the off-season has been quite long," said Verstappen, 21.

"The first two or three weeks feel like they are good to have and then after a break you want to get going.

"What I'm most looking forward to is starting the season and seeing how the whole team is operating together with Honda and how the engine is performing together with the chassis.

"Up until Australia you can't really set goals - it's a bit blind."

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Mercedes: Toto Wolff says team 'taking nothing for granted'

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The car completed its first laps at Silverstone on Wednesday with Valtteri Bottas behind the wheel
Mercedes are "taking nothing for granted" this season, says team principal Toto Wolff.

The team, led by five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, have won the past five constructors' championships.

Speaking at the launch of Mercedes' 2019 car, the AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+, Wolff said: "Every team can have a shot at the title and we're seeing all of them as a potential threat.


"There's absolutely no feeling of entitlement to be at the front."

He added: "The regulations have changed quite substantially.

"We have to start from scratch. We need to prove ourselves again - against our own expectations and against our competitors."

The season begins in Melbourne on 17 March. Briton Hamilton, who won his fifth world title last year, will lead Mercedes again alongside Valtteri Bottas for the third season.

"2018 was a great year, but I feel like 2019 can be even better," Hamilton said. "I want to achieve more. I want to continue to keep pushing."

What has changed with the new car?
Work on the revamped Mercedes started 16 months ago, before the end of the 2017 season.

There is an improved power unit and the car has been designed around new regulations aimed at making the racing closer by reducing the disruption caused to the aerodynamics of a car following another.

The car has a similar silver livery and branding to last year but has changed substantially under the skin
"Regulation changes are both opportunity and threat," said technical director James Allison.

"They are an opportunity because all the old assumptions about what you need to have to be quick are swept away and, if you are fleet of foot and smart in dealing with that, you can do better than all the other teams that are tackling the same change.

"They are a threat because if you are not as smart and you didn't see how to make the most of these new regulations, then you'll certainly suffer in the coming season.

"We have worked hard on the suspension and aerodynamic characteristics to deliver a car that will be much kinder to its tyres."

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McLaren: MCL34 car for 2019 Formula 1 season unveiled

By Andrew Benson

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McLaren's new car is the MCL34
McLaren projected a message of humility and determination to improve as they unveiled their new Formula 1 car.

The team had the second slowest car for much of last season but finished sixth in the championship, largely thanks to the efforts of Fernando Alonso.

The Spanish two-time champion has left F1 and McLaren have a new driver line-up of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris.


"We're in a rebuild process and it's going to be a journey," said boss Zak Brown.

"Last year we were a bit over-excited about how quickly we would return to the front. We looked at what went wrong and made a lot of changes, so this is a very important year to show forward progress."

• Profiles of the 20 drivers lining up in 2019
• F1 teams for 2019 - all you need to know

Sainz, who joins from Renault, said the team were resisting the temptation to set performance goals before getting a handle on their new car at pre-season testing in Spain next week.

"It would be a big mistake to set ourselves goals at this point, we have set our goals to be better prepared," the 24-year-old said. "Hopefully that paid off. You can see everyone is excited and has put a lot of hard work into it. Now we have to go testing and see where the car is.

"I feel very prepared for the season, The car is ready. We could go testing today if we wanted, which is a good step in preparation and now it is time to try and keep improving all the season."

Briton Norris, 18, is embarking on his first season of F1 with a reputation as being one of the most promising young talents in motorsport.

"I have a lot to live up to," he said. "There is a lot on my shoulders, a lot of people relying on me. But I will try make it a positive effect.

"For me, it was a very different winter to the past. A lot of different preparation, not just physically, which is a huge part and very different, but mentally it is a whole new level.

"I have been doing an awful lot to make sure I'm ready for Barcelona and [the first race in] Australia.

"It's every driver's aim to beat their team-mate but if we want to get back to winning races and championships, the key is to work together."

McLaren have two new drivers for the 2019 season, including teenager Lando Norris
The car, called the MCL34, features innovative aerodynamic features in the area in front of the sidepods beside the driver, and narrow rear bodywork that appears to owe a lot to Red Bull's design.

Sporting director Gil De Ferran, the former Indycar champion who joined the team last summer, said: "The feeling within the team is incredible. There is a lot of excitement and anticipation.

"If I cast my mind back six months to when I joined the team and being in the trenches and now seeing the car in its full glory is an incredible feeling. It is a beautiful piece of art. It depicts very well all the capabilities McLaren has in terms of craftsmanship and engineering.

"The way we tackled it was to recognise all the challenges we had and to continue to do that, and the way to do that is to focus on the job at hand.

"We focused a lot on our preparations towards this year, so I think we're ready.

"We set a schedule of what we needed to accomplish by when and that goes forward a few years into the future.

"The key point is we have tried to come together as a team to collaborate better and to meet every challenge we had in the programme - and there are a lot. We are excited to see the car hit the track and there is the feeling of anticipation.

"The key thing is to be humble, focus on the job in front of you, and things will take care of themselves."

McLaren have two new senior management figures joining in the near future.

German Andreas Seidl, the former Porsche world endurance racing boss who will oversee the F1 operation under chief executive officer Brown, joins on 1 May.

A start date for new technical director James Key, who joins from Toro Rosso, has not yet been released, although he is expected to join around the end of March.

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Ferrari hope new SF90 F1 car will end 10-year title drought

By Andrew Benson

Ferrari have named their new car the SF90 to reflect the team's 90th anniversary this year
Ferrari have unveiled the car they hope will end a decade-long Formula 1 title drought in 2019.

Ferrari lost out to Mercedes in 2018 despite having a faster car at least as many times as their rivals, after a series of errors by Sebastian Vettel and the team.

New team boss Mattia Binotto said the car was "a development of last year's, not a revolution". The team had tried to "raise the bar, try to be as extreme as we could".


Vettel is joined in the team by Charles Leclerc, in his second F1 season.

"I am looking forward to this year. The team is on the right path and hopefully we can continue improving," said Vettel.

"I want to win the championship. That's my mission and the reason why I am here."

Leclerc, promoted after an impressive debut season for the Sauber team, said: "I am extremely excited to start this new adventure. It has been a dream since childhood so it is a very emotional day for me.

"It is a very proud day for me. I'm not nervous. I think it is more an opportunity for me to be alongside Sebastian, who is such a champion, I can learn a lot. I am pretty sure it will be an amazing season. The key will be to work together but I am sure we will make it."

Binotto called his line-up "the best dream a team principal can have - they are the best drivers in Formula 1".

• F1's 2019 car gallery and testing schedule
• Formula 1 2019: The 20 drivers lining up this year

The new car, called the SF90 to reflect Ferrari's 90th anniversary in 2019, features a radical front wing design to meet new regulations this year, the aim of which is to allow cars to race closer together by reducing the turbulence experienced by a car running behind another.

The rearward flaps of the wing slope downwards from the centre towards the outside of the wing, with the intention of channelling air in aerodynamically advantageous ways and reducing the losses caused by the new rules.

The wing has also been seen on the car of the sister Alfa Romeo team, formerly Sauber.

Matte paint work is a feature for 2019
He added: "We tried to push very hard to be innovative. The roll hoop is very narrow and slim, the bodywork is very slim. Engine installation, packaging, a lot of effort has been done, and the final shape is the result of all this effort. We like it."

Binotto was technical director for the last three seasons and steps up to the position of team principal following the ousting of Maurizio Arrivabene in January.

The car is scheduled to run for the first time in a short 'shakedown' test at Spain's Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday before the start of pre-season testing at the same track on Monday.

Ferrari chief executive officer Louis Camilleri said: "Vettel remains as hungry as ever and I know he is totally devoted to achieve his and our ambitions and he knows the entire team will give him all their full-hearted support.

"Charles Leclerc - we are all tremendously excited to have him. His talent, maturity, race skill and speed was evident to all last year and we are sure great things await him in the future.

"The atmosphere in the team will be one in which serenity will prevail."

The car features matte paint work for the first time in Ferrari's history, following a trend in F1 started by Red Bull two years ago.

It was unveiled at Ferrari's Maranello headquarters in a glitzy ceremony that drew heavily on Ferrari's history and standing as the most famous team in motorsport.

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