5:40 AM ET ESPN staff The Sauber Formula One team has been renamed Alfa Romeo Racing ahead of the 2019 season after the Italian car brand decided to extend the term of its title sponsorship deal with the team. Sauber’s ownership and management remains unchanged, with Swiss-based investment firm Longbow Finance still the sole owner

12:18 PM ET LONDON — The promoters of Formula E have revealed their plans to launch an all-electric racing series in some of the most toughest environments on earth. Extreme E, which will host its inaugural race in January 2021, hopes to spread a message of environmental sustainability by racing in parts of the world

3:52 AM ET Haas driver Kevin Magnussen longs for a day when he can head to a Formula One grand prix weekend knowing he has the chance to finish near the front, rather than just targeting seventh every time. The Dane enjoyed the most impressive season of his career in 2018, finishing ninth overall. Magnussen

8:48 AM ET ESPN staff Former Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley has revealed that there were plans to replace him as early as the Monaco Grand Prix last year. Hartley was first drafted in as a Toro Rosso driver at the 2017 U.S. Grand Prix, seven years after being cut from Red Bull’s young driver

5:40 AM ET ESPN staff The car that Lewis Hamilton will use to defend his F1 world championship will hit the track for the first time on February 13 ahead of an online launch at Silverstone in the U.K.. Mercedes announced the launch of its new car, the W10, via a video on social media

5:15 PM ET LONDON, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Formula One will for the first time hold a season launch event with all the teams and drivers in Melbourne ahead of the opening Australian Grand Prix in March, the sport has announced. The free public event on Wednesday, March 13, will involve all 20 race drivers

2:40 PM ET Reuters and ESPN Staff Promoters for the Mexican and Russian Grands Prix have expressed their support for Formula One owners Liberty Media after some other race organisers publicly criticised the way the sport is being run. The Formula One Promoters’ Association (FOPA) issued a statement ahead of an annual meeting hosted in

7:54 AM ET ESPN staff Lewis Hamilton’s former teammate Nico Rosberg says both Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas have the potential to challenge the world champion this year. Rosberg beat Hamilton to the title in 2016 before retiring from the sport as champion at the end of the year. Bottas replaced Rosberg at Mercedes but

7:21 AM ET The teams, FIA and Formula One Management are often seen as the three main power brokers in the sport but, as a united force, the race promoters hold considerable sway. Without them there are no circuits to race on and collectively they contribute over $600 million to F1’s $1.8 billion annual revenue.