A new era of Formula 1
JANUARY 2018 | MANE AUTOMOTIVE, F1 & MOTORSPORT | 7
he 2017 season came to an end in November and now F1 fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the
2018 season come the 25th of March in Australia. Lewis Hamilton came away with his fourth F1 Championship after beating out rival Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton will look for his second-straight title and inch closer to Schumacher's record of 7 overall Championship wins.
The 2018 season will come with a couple obvious visual changes with the introduction a new cockpit protection device, often referred to as the "halo" that we went over in our previous Issue and most noticable, the reveal of a new F1 logo. Talks of adding the cockpit halo have been swirling around for several years. Plans for protective measures intensified following the death of Indy Driver Jules Bianchi in 2015 - which could have been prevented with such a device.
The new logo was revealed at the end of the final 2017 race and it's a striking difference from the old logo that had been with us for 23 years. The logo is part of a full brand relaunch for F1 as new owners, Liberty Media, continue to expand the sports horizons. F1 commercial chief, Sean Bratches, said that the decision to change the logo had come about because the old design was not useful for modern digital platforms nor merchandise. F1's marketing head Ellie Norman said the design of the logo was based on two cars going around a circuit and battling for the finish line. Bratches added: "We are going to relaunch the brand, and we are going to introduce a new graphic package for our television production.
The new logo was met with some criticism, while others embraced the change. - it sparked a discussion bringing F1 to the forefront of the sports world. With the changes that have come and will come with new owners, we're now looking at a more modern organization that's committed to attracting a younger generation to the realm of F1. ■
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