Ricciardo no fan of no-glitz approach to launches

Daniel Ricciardo says he is no fan of F1's new no-glitz approach to 'launching' cars. In the past, teams threw lavish events amid live Spice Girls performances, while the norm these days is to launch new cars via the internet or simply roll out into the testing pitlane for a photo opportunity.

And Force India, for instance, did not even join the trend this year of publishing audio clips of the first engine fire-up. "What?! No video? No photo, no gif, no chapchat, no sound thingy?" Renault's cheeky Twitter administrator asked the Silverstone based team.

Indeed, the next excitement for F1 fans will be to log into the Ferrari and McLaren websites to catch a first glimpse of the respective teams' new cars. "The online stuff is a bit artificial," said Daniel Ricciardo, whose employer Red Bull at least hosted a live 'launch' for its new 2016 livery this week.

"The pre-season is so long and there is so little that happens, it's cool to have an event to launch it. It gives us something to do and it's good for the fans, it's something to look forward to," he added. "Sure it's a bit more expensive than posting a picture online but I don't think you get anything out of that."

Also giving his opinion on the topic is Jean Alesi, who said he understands that F1 has moved into the "age of the internet" since his time in the 90s. "However I miss the atmosphere of the presentations of the past as you could see how everyone looked at the new creation," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "The worst thing about formula one is the lack of events between the final race of the season and the first test session, but I think that teams are now aware of that."

Money, however, is obviously tight at the midfield teams like Force India, as it will be development driver Alfonso Celis who actually debuts the 2016 car on Monday. "Blimey," said NBC broadcaster Will Buxton on Twitter. "He's got to be bringing some serious cash with him to take up a seat for a quarter of pre-season testing." (GMM)

Replies (0)

Login to reply

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

Test calendar

See full test schedule

World Championship standings 2026

Show full world champion standings

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
6 - Mar 8
Australia
13 - Mar 15
China
27 - Mar 29
Japan
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
1 - May 3
United States of America
22 - May 24
Canada
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
12 - Jun 14
Spain
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
10 - Apr 12
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
5 - Jun 7
Monaco Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Country Australia
  • Date of b. Jul 1 1989 (36)
  • Place of b. Perth, Australia
  • Weight 64 kg
  • Length 1.75 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar