FORMULA ONE · 2019
The 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship was the motor racing championship for Formula One cars which marked the 70th running of the Formula One World Championship . It is recognised by the governing body of international motorsport , the Fédération Internationale de l'Automob
Ten teams, with two drivers each, competed in the championship in 2019. All teams competed with tyres supplied by Pirelli .
Across the season, two drivers drove as a test or third driver in free practice sessions. Nicholas Latifi drove for Williams at six Grands Prix, while Naoki Yamamoto drove for Toro Rosso at the Japanese Grand Prix .
Red Bull Racing ended its twelve-year partnership with Renault and switched to full-works Honda engines. In doing so, Red Bull Racing joined sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso in using Honda power after the latter joined the Japanese manufacturer in 2018 . Neither team was recognised as Honda's official factory team under the terms of the agreement. This was the first time Honda had supplied more than one team in the sport since the 2008 when Honda supplied both its own full works team and ... Racing Point F1 Team completed their transition from the Racing Point Force India identity that they used after a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll purchased the assets of Sahara Force India in August 2018. Sauber was renamed Alfa Romeo Racing in an extension of the sponsorship deal that began in 2018 , though continued to operate from the same base in Hinwil and under the Swiss racing licence . The Sauber name disappeared entirely from the Formula One grid, but was still used in the Formula 2 and Formula 3 support categories with Charouz Racing System for one year. The Sauber name would return to the Formula One grid in 2024 as Kick Sauber after the expiration of the Al... Haas F1 Team signed a title sponsorship agreement with energy drinks manufacturer Rich Energy for 2019 before the end of the 2018 season. However, this agreement was later terminated on 9 September 2019, due to a series of off-track disputes between Haas and Rich Energy, and legal issues for Rich Energy.
Sainz, who was on loan to Renault in 2018 , did not have his deal with Red Bull renewed and subsequently moved to McLaren to replace two-time World Drivers' Champion Fernando Alonso , who had earlier announced that he would retire from Formula One in 2019. Sainz was partnered with 2017 European Formula 3 champion and Formula 2 runner-up Lando Norris , who replaced Stoffel Vandoorne , who would move to Formula E to race with the Mercedes-affiliated HWA Racelab , as wel... Charles Leclerc left Alfa Romeo Racing after one year with the team, replacing 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen at Ferrari. Räikkönen returned to Alfa Romeo, previously named Sauber , with whom he had started his career in 2001 . He was partnered with Antonio Giovinazzi , who made two starts for Sauber when he replaced the injured Pascal Wehrlein in 2017. Marcus Ericsson moved to race in the IndyCar Series in 2019 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports but remained with ... Lance Stroll would join the Racing Point UK F1 team, replacing Esteban Ocon , who joined Mercedes as a reserve driver. Ocon shared the role of simulator driver with Stoffel Vandoorne . Reigning Formula 2 champion and Mercedes junior George Russell joined Williams replacing Stroll. Sergey Sirotkin would depart Williams due to his backer deciding to stop sponsoring Williams due to the lack of performance and development of the car. Sirotkin returned to Renault as...
In the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix , Red Bull Racing announced that Pierre Gasly would be demoted to Toro Rosso and Alexander Albon would be promoted in his place so that his performance would be evaluated in view of the team's 2020 line-up. The decision to demote Gasly was criticised as he had only completed twelve races with the team, while Albon and Toro Rosso team-mate Daniil Kvyat had both previously been released from contracts with the Red Bull Junior Team and Red Bul...
Race Director and Technical Delegate Charlie Whiting died days before the opening race of the season in Australia. Deputy Race Director Michael Masi was named as his successor for Race Director.
In a bid to improve overtaking, teams agreed to a series of aerodynamic changes that affect the profile of the front and rear wings. The front wing endplates were reshaped to alter the airflow across the car and reduce the effects of aerodynamic turbulence and winglets above the main plane of the front wing have been banned. The slot in the rear wing was widened, making the drag reduction system (DRS) more powerful. The agreed-upon changes were drawn from the findings of a working group s... The mandated maximum fuel levels were raised from 105 kg (231 lb) to 110 kg (240 lb) to minimise the need for drivers to conserve fuel during a race. Driver weights are no longer considered when measuring the minimum weight of the car. This change was agreed to following concerns that drivers were being forced to lose dangerous amounts of weight in order to offset the additional weight of the post- 2014 turbo-hybrid engines. Drivers who weigh less than 80 kg (176 lb) are required t...
The regulations introduced a bonus point to the driver (and the constructor) that sets the fastest lap in a race. The point is only awarded if the driver is classified in the top ten at the end of the race. This makes 2019 the first time since 1959 that a bonus point gets awarded for setting the fastest lap.