see it live – Leger Blog

The 2017 Formula 1 Championship gave us everything we could have wanted – controversy, quick cars and an array of winners – so it’s no surprise that we’re on the edge of our seats in anticipation of the 2018 season getting underway next month!

Although, in the end, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes emerged as Formula 1 World Champions once again, up until the Singapore Grand Prix it looked pretty close in the standings between the Brit and his rival, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
So, with new rules, tracks and drivers to be introduced this year, is there a chance for an even closer championship battle in 2018? We can only hope!
So, as we gear up for new season, here are a few things to look out for this year…

Formula 1 Rules & Regs

Once again, we’ll see some new rules and regulations introduced throughout the season. Although they’re nowhere near as drastic as the ones introduced last year, we’re sure that they’re still bound to get people talking… dare we mention the dreaded halo?
The first regulation change for 2018 is that each driver now has a limit of just three engines (rather than four) to use throughout a season. This is in a bid for new owners, Liberty Media, to reduce costs and make power units more reliable. Although this may benefit the smaller teams, this will more than likely just cause problems, as it poses the risk of drivers facing hefty grid penalties.
Speaking of grid penalties, the rules concerning these have also been given a well-needed tweak for the 2018 season, making it easier for stewards – and us fans – to get our heads around! In 2018, if a driver should have to change a power unit component, they will still receive a five to ten-place grid penalty. However, if they’re then to replace a second component, they will automatically be moved straight to the back of the grid, so, there’ll be no more drivers starting in 60th place when there are only 22 cars on the track.
Still with me? Ok, good!
Finally, we must say ‘hello’ to the already, much-hated halo. Designed to improve driver safety, the protection device will be located over the cockpit, with the intention of deflecting debris and ultimately, preventing drivers from being hit in the head!
Although a well-needed feature (which, in the long run, will do more good than harm), as the 2018 cars are revealed, we can see why they have received a lot of backlash from drivers, teams and fans alike, due to their ugly appearance.

Formula 1 Races

What we really can’t wait for this year, is the return of some legendary circuits to the Formula 1 calendar.
As we’re sure you’ll agree, it takes away some of the pain of saying goodbye to Malaysia, after the great races we’ve witnessed there over the years… I mean, who can forget Multi 21 Gate?
But, let’s not get hung up on that! Let’s rejoice in the fact that the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim will be back on our screens this year after a two-year hiatus, along with the French Grand Prix, after ten years away from the sport!
Not only that but the Paul Ricard Circuit, which will host the French Grand Prix, has not hosted a championship race since 1990! The re-admission of this epic track also means that Formula 1 will see its first-ever tripleheader this year, as the French, Austrian and British Grand Prix fall on consecutive weekends. So, make sure you have full control of the TV remote for those three Sundays.

Team Line-Ups

Finally, we’re on to the team and driver line-ups, and thankfully, the Silly Season was nowhere near as extended as the one we had last year, with all teams having now confirmed their drivers for the season ahead.
This year, we will see more new-comers entering the sport, with a total revamp of Torro Rosso, seeing the introduction of two-time Le Mans Champion, Brendan Hartley, and former Japanese Super Formula driver, Pierre Gasly.
Another new face which will be seen around the paddock is Sergey Sirotkin, former GP2 series driver, who has been confirmed as the now truly-retired Felipe Massa’s replacement for the season ahead.
Charles Leclerc will also join Sauber this year, making him the last of the rookies to join the grid in 2018.
Aside from that, there hasn’t been much of a shakeup within the teams, with the only other change being Carlos Sainz Jr moving to Renault to partner Nico Hulkenberg.
So, with car launches firmly underway and pre-season testing starting on Monday, we can only hope for a positively action-packed season!
For a truly unique experience and to witness the season unfolding first hand, why not join us on one of our European Formula 1 tours?

Thinking about heading out on a Formula 1 Race weekend with Leger Holidays? Formula 1 fan, competition winner and Leger Customer, Joseph Rogers can tell you all about it.

We recently ran a competition courtesy of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya offering an amazing experience to attend the Formula 1 pre-season testing in Barcelona with a VIP pass. Our lucky winner was Joseph Rogers, an avid Formula 1 fan. Joseph has been on two Leger See it Live tours previously and has kindly written a blog of his three Leger experiences for you to enjoy.

Formula 1 – Open to All

Since its inception in 1950, Formula 1 has been portrayed across the globe as the epitome of financial exuberance in sport. Even before the days of oily rags and hay bale barriers, it was very much the affluent proportion of society that guided motorsport from the comfort of English stately homes and large multinational companies.
Now with worldwide sponsorship, superstar drivers, and events spanning almost every continent, the story of Formula 1 is still very much bound to that of money… and lots of it.

Today, this can sometimes give the impression that to enjoy the sport outside of the television requires as much money as it does to run a team. Ticket prices, whilst always the subject of change, are often advertised to draw eccentric business-owners, corporate heavy-weights and those in the higher tax bracket.
On top of that, flights and hotels with links to the sport do little to encourage a cheap motorsport themed getaway and the logistics of getting to circuits outside of major city boundaries get ever more complicated.
Thankfully, this creates a niche in the market for companies offering Formula 1 holidays. With financial predicaments at the forefront for many in the UK, getting value for money on something as important as a once-in-a-lifetime trip is of crucial importance.
For a Formula 1 fan, who has to account for the price of a ticket on top of the travel costs, value for money can make-or-break the experience.
Enter: Leger Holidays. A company that not only provides seamless travel arrangements to places all over Europe, but does so with utmost enthusiasm and professionalism.

Belgian Grand Prix, 2013

I first travelled with Leger to the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix and was blown away not only by the screaming pitch of the soon-to-be-axed V8 engines but also the ease with which the whole experience was conducted.

I was picked up from a location close to my home, by taxi and taken to the coach waiting for me at the nearest motorway junction. There, I was greeted by 2 drivers as keen to get the track as I was and who clearly has a passion for what they did.
After a cup of tea, we were on our way to Dover and onwards to Belgium, where Formula 1 became a reality for the first time and sheer pleasure resulted from knowing that Leger were allowing me to see my cherished sport first-hand.

Monaco Grand Prix, 2014

I didn’t hesitate in booking again for 2014, this time; Monaco. In my mind, seeing the world-famous Monaco Grand Prix, was the stuff of dreams. By far the most exotic race on the calendar, I was astonished to find it in Leger’s list of See It Live events and at only a slight increase in price on Belgium.

What resulted was some of the most euphoric days of my life. Even the monumental coach journey from Taunton down to the south French coast, was full of sights, laughter, a pub-quiz and the perfect amount of service stops before our hotel over the border in Italy.
At the race, joy erupted at the thought of being amongst the rich and famous. Even from the general admission area, celebrities and drivers could be seen a few feet away amongst the super yachts and champagne-covered balconies.
A reflection of the thought, that I was there, and (at the time) unemployed, amateur author in the middle of the world’s most exuberant show of wealth, was simply life-changing. The experience promptly inspired 2 chapters of A Spectrum Of Settlements, my second publication and the first on the subject of travelling.
2 years later, I’ve just come back from Barcelona and the 2016 Formula 1 pre-season test, again courtesy of Leger.

What Leger Holidays offer, with each and every package whether it be the Monaco Grand Prix or a French Battlefield tour, is the opportunity to experience your life’s passion within financial comfort and peace in knowing that from door-to-door you’ll be taken care of by happy, hard-working people that are as excited to travel as you are.
Formula 1 is not out of reach and not for the privileged few. It’s an enthusiast’s sport, supported by the fans and enjoyed by those truly passionate about motorsport. Thanks to Leger Holidays, we can all enjoy the sport we love.

Tag: see it live

Formula 1 Season 2018: What to look out for!