As with the technical rule changes we highlighted last week, the updates to F1’s sporting regulations for 2018 are minor in number but major in significance. Here’s our handy summary of the key points…

Three engines per season

In a bid to make F1 power units even more reliable – and further reduce costs – this season each driver must make do with just three engines for the 21-race campaign. That compares with four engines last year (when, incidentally, the calendar featured one less Grand Prix).

The exact impact this has remains to be seen, though treading the fine line between performance and durability will certainly be tougher than ever: go too conservative and you’ll fall off the pace; go too aggressive and you risk costly failures and grid penalties – though those too have been changed for 2018 (see below).

One less engine per season will also mean one less chance per season for teams to introduce significant power unit upgrades – meaning those who best manage their development programme over the course of the year could stand to reap even bigger rewards...

Simpler grid penalties

One less engine per driver could mean more grid penalties in 2018. However, there will be far less confusion for fans over how those penalties impact the starting order.

Under the previous system, drivers changing multiple power unit elements could rack up multiple grid drops, often in excess of the number of cars at the event.

Now, any driver who earns a grid penalty of 15 places or more will have to start from the back of the grid. If more than one driver receives such a penalty they will be arranged at the back of the grid in the order in which they changed elements. That should mean less headaches for fans - and those at the FIA tasked with deciding the grid!

Wider range of tyre compounds

As in 2017, official F1 tyre suppliers Pirelli will make three dry-weather compounds available to teams at each Grand Prix. However, for 2018 those three will be selected from a broader range of compounds, which now includes the new, pink-marked hypersoft at one end of the spectrum and the orange-marked superhard at the other.

It means in total there will be seven, rather than the previous five, slick tyre compounds, all of which are a step softer than in 2017, making them the fastest tyres in Formula 1 history. Reports based on initial data suggest they could immediately mean cars going a second per lap quicker.

Also new for 2018 is the ice blue colour of the hard compound. This frees up orange to be used on the aforementioned superhard, denoting it as the very hardest choice available in Pirelli’s range. The 2018 range in full is: hypersoft (pink), ultrasoft (purple), supersoft (red), soft (yellow), medium (white), hard (blue), superhard (orange).

Depending on how Pirelli choose to select compounds, the general move towards softer rubber should make 2018’s racing even more exciting, with more pit stops and fewer one-stop Grands Prix.

Formula One chairman Chase Carey has backed potential plans to hold the first Danish Grand Prix in 2020.

Carey travelled to Copenhagen on Wednesday to meet with the city's mayor, Frank Jensen, and Denmark's business minister to discuss the proposal.

'We're excited about the opportunity to explore a potential race here in Denmark,' Carey said.

'I think Copenhagen represents the type of location that we think can really provide a great platform.'

The 4.6 kilometre route through the old city centre would see an estimated 107,000 spectators seated.

Liberty Media, Formula One’s new American owners, announced big plans to reshape the sport's calendar during an interview in 2016.

Plans include adding new locations and the Americans are targeting new venues in key markets, including Asia and the United States.

But Scandinavia is also an attractive option for the owners with Haas' Danish driver Kevin Magnussen a perfect marketing device.

'Scandinavia has been a great part of our sport and having local drivers is always a plus,' Carey added.

The potential budget discussed was 300-500m Danish krone (£35.7m-£59.5m) a year, while the expected income from spectators including tickets is 1-2bn Danish krone (£119m-£238m).

A big factor in Liberty Media's desire to assess new locations includes the focus on improving the broadcasting experience for fans.

Along with Copenhagen, races in Miami, Florida, and Vietnam have been discussed.

Carey believes that the bridges and water in Copenhagen would provide great television pictures.



If plans were confirmed it would be the first race to be held in Scandinavia since the Swedish Grand Prix was taken off the calendar following the 1978 season.

Swedish pair Ronnie Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson both died during that season - Peterson suffered a fatal crash on the first lap at Monza while Nilsson died aged 29 from cancer.

Formula 1 fans have been told to expect an all-new experience in how the championship is televised this year, as Liberty Media starts putting in place its action plan.

F1's commercial chief Sean Bratches met with teams prior to the Christmas break to run through ideas for the 2018 season.

In a guest blog on the James Allen on F1 site, McLaren executive director Zak Brown said he was excited by what Liberty had proposed for F1 TV.


"Before Christmas Sean Bratches presented the new F1 commercial strategy to us, the teams," explained Brown.

"There is a huge emphasis on digital, as we know, but last year was about testing things out.

"For this year there are products in place, like a new F1 App, OTT platforms (Over The Top/streaming) and they have brought in David Hill, one of the great TV sports innovators, to oversee the graphics package and the way the race is televised.

"You'll see significant changes there on the broadcast, on the graphics and the storytelling.

"Then on-event we'll see more fan engagement, building on last year and there will be new media properties to help fans get closer to the teams.

"I think the big impacts of 2018 will be on the media side, showing F1 in a way that it's never been shown before. It will give us a younger and bigger audience and they will be more engaged."

"Fireworks" predicted in future talks

While welcoming Liberty's push to improve things for fans, Brown also predicted "fireworks" in its negotiations with teams about F1's future.

There has already been unease from Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault about next-generation engine rules, plus concerns about a drop in commercial rights income.

Brown added: "The honeymoon period is over. Some senior team executives have been openly critical of Liberty. I prefer we're constructive.

"They've only really had their feet under the desk for the last six to 12 months having inherited a sport previously operated pretty uniquely.

"They've had to put infrastructure in place, learn the environment and prioritise where to invest - all at the same time.

"There will be some big negotiations going on through 2018 with the teams on contract renewal and I predict that there will be public fireworks; we are already starting to see that.

"I do not think it's going to be quiet. Will Ferrari really leave if they don't like the new rules? I have my opinion but we'll see how this plays out."

Williams’s newest driver has some practice and test experience but is still a rookie. His record in the junior championships is decent (he’s no Sean Gelael) but not exceptional (he’s no Charles Leclerc).

But Sirotkin brings significant financial backing from Russian bank SMP. The logos of their driver development programme SMP Racing have been prominent on Sirotkin’s overalls and cars throughout his career.

Williams certainly need the income and F1 Fanatic understands that proved decisive. Chief technical officer Paddy Lowe, who became a shareholder when he returned to the team last March, strongly favoured appointing Sirotkin, a move he expects will bring long-term benefits for the team.

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If by investing this new line of income from Sirotkin into car development Lowe can find a lap time gain on the FW41 – and, crucially, its successors – the decision to go with him instead of Kubica becomes clear.

Williams has had F1’s best power unit for the past four seasons but has gradually declined in competitiveness. That indicates everything they can throw at the chassis would be money well spent.

Besides which, the door isn’t closed to Kubica. He will continue to drive for the team in tests and practice sessions and Williams say he will “be available to stand in as the race driver if required”.

Will such an opportunity arise? Those who’ve paid attention to the rising prominence of Russian drivers in motor sport will recall the problems which kept SMP-backed driver Mikhail Aleshin from his IndyCar seat for most of 2015.

Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea the year before several prominent supporters of Russian president Vladimir Putin were subject to sanctions. They included SMP bank co-founder Boris Rotenberg.

Williams is a listed company and its reporting obligations means Sirotkin’s link to Rotenberg will have been discussed and approved at board level. Note that while the US imposed sanctions on Boris Rotenberg the European Union did not (his brother did appear on the EU list), so in a similar case this would not necessarily affect Sirotkin’s position.

Nonetheless, the team has a driver waiting in the wings if they need one. And, unlike when Paul di Resta took over Felipe Massa’s car at the Hungaroring last year, he will already be familiar with their current chassis.

Passing up on the chance to bring Kubica back in favour of adding a second well-funded driver to their roster is not the fairytale story many hoped for. But Williams isn’t the first team to spend its money on the car rather than the driver.

Yet again, money seems to be the hangup for potential F1 newcomers.

Manor, a familiar name in dedicated motorsport circles, exited Formula 1 following the 2016 season. The team's reinvestment in endurance racing has kept its pedigree going, and with a recent decision to join LMP1 with Ginetta, it seems like the British-bred team will continue its interest in the WEC. However, as reports from Finland's Turun Sanumat newspaper tell, Manor could be interested in joining Formula 1 once again if some intended changes are made.

The major concern for any privateer team interested in Formula 1 is cost. This is something that reigns annually as the largest obstacle to becoming a successful competitor against the likes of big-spenders such as Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull. This is something that's been addressed repeatedly by F1 owners Liberty Media, and now, the question stands if the organization will be able to combat these excruciating expenses.

Manor CEO Graeme Lowdon said the following to Turun Sanumat in a recent statement:

"If nothing changes—if there is no cost cap and the costs stay the same—then we cannot go back because it's impossible to race against the big teams. But we have heard from the FIA and Liberty (Media) that work is being done to reduce the cost for private teams.

"In that case, we are interested in returning. Both myself and (former Manor team principal) John Booth have unfinished business in F1."

Manor previously bowed out of the sport after a seven-year stint in Formula 1. Indeed, it was cost that forced the team away in 2017, but that was in a time when Bernie Ecclestone ruled the series. Now, with Liberty at the helm, potential changes like cheaper engines and standardized parts could draw more small teams into contention.

Formula 1 teams are set to engage in a new design battleground over low T-wings in 2018, as part of their push to regain downforce lost at the rear of cars.

A loophole in last year's technical regulations opened the door for teams to run high T-wings on the shark fin engine covers in a bid to improve performance.

But their addition to the cars caused an outcry among fans and teams because they were ugly, and this led to an outright ban being introduced for this year.

However, with F1 teams well aware of the benefits that the small wings delivered in terms of managing airflow and increasing downforce, it is almost certain that this concept will not have been ignored completely when it comes to finalising the 2018 challengers.

As teams claw to recover the loss of downforce caused by the high T-wing ban, plus the outlawing of monkey seats, it is looking almost certain that T-wing development will open up in a new area of the car instead.

That is because the wording of the 2018 regulations that outlawed shark fins and high T-wings still leaves room for another area to be exploited.

Article 3.5.1 of F1's technical regulations outlawed high T-wings by making it clear that no bodywork could appear in a specified triangular area above the defined engine cover.

It stated: "When viewed from the side, no bodywork forward of the rear wheel centre line may lie above a line parallel to the diagonal boundary defined in a) [a rule that defines the dimension of the engine cover] and intersecting the rear wheel centre line 650mm above the reference plane."

However, there remains a small area below this triangle that is still available for teams to exploit – and importantly this was exactly where Williams ran elaborate T-wing concepts last year.

For as well as developing a high T-wing like other teams, the FW40 featured a second lower down T-wing element to help manage airflow in this area.

As well as channelling air to the lower element of the rear wing, this airflow can also prove important in helping maximise the efficiency of the diffuser.

F1 teams are expecting big gains in downforce this year thanks to a much better understanding of the performance aspects of the new aero rules that were introduced last year.

McLaren technical director Tim Goss told Motorsport.com: "You would expect there to be a step, and given the cars are relatively immature, you would expect it to be a bigger step than in previous seasons."