Codemasters edge Crammond for ?best F1 game? honours | Debates and polls
Codemasters edge Crammond for ‘best F1 game’ honours is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
F1 Fanatic readers voted Codemasters’ F1 titles the best Formula 1 racing games ahead of Geoff Crammond’s Grand Prix series.
Codemasters edge Crammond for ‘best F1 game’ honours is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/GbJbG3e32dQ/
Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier
Red Bull under the spotlight
 Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel celebrate with Red Bull boss Christian Horner on the podium |
Sections of the international media have questioned Red Bull’s strategic approach to the world championship. After Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian Grand Prix from the team’s points leader Mark Webber at Interlagos, Der Spiegel noted: “Red Bull gives (Fernando) Alonso wings”. Not switching the places means that Spaniard Alonso can take his Ferrari to just second place this weekend in Abu Dhabi and be champion, whereas the alternative strategy would have set up Webber for a straight fight. “It is not easy for Webber to drive in a team that considers him a burden to be up against Vettel,” said La Gazzetta dello Sport. Tuttosport noted that it seems “the Austrian team would be happier to lose than to see Webber beat Vettel”. “No team orders at Red Bull. Another own goal,” headlined La Repubblica. Joan Villadelprat wrote in his El Pais column: “Had Red Bull opted for Webber a few races ago, the Australian would probably now be champion.” Red Bull, however, is unrepentant. Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper that “second under proper conditions can often be more valuable than a first”. But there is a feeling that the team is not simply giving up the fight for the drivers’ title. One columnist in Brazil’s Globo wondered if Vettel’s radio message in Abu Dhabi might sound something like ‘So … Mark is faster than you’. “I’m always in favour of leaving the fight on the track with equal chances for both sides,” said Rubens Barrichello. “But I wonder if they would do that if the situation was in reverse. ?Mark has done a great job this year and he has been told by his team what position he is in,” said Lewis Hamilton. “Against adversity he has kept at it. I want to see Mark win.” Webber believes that, if a strategy is deployed, it will only be on the “last lap” of the season this weekend. “Sebastian is part of a team,” said Niki Lauda, who believes Webber should be backed fully by Red Bull. “If he does anything it should be helping Webber and not just on the last lap.” Webber is quoted by Bild newspaper: “It makes sense. Otherwise it would mean that Ferrari’s team orders would have paid off for Fernando.” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner hints that sense will ultimately prevail. “We have already given too many presents to Fernando this year,” he is quoted by Autosprint.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/red_bull_under_the_spotlight.php
Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman
Red Bull under the spotlight
| Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel celebrate with Red Bull boss Christian Horner on the podium |
Sections of the international media have questioned Red Bull’s strategic approach to the world championship. After Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian Grand Prix from the team’s points leader Mark Webber at Interlagos, Der Spiegel noted: “Red Bull gives (Fernando) Alonso wings”. Not switching the places means that Spaniard Alonso can take his Ferrari to just second place this weekend in Abu Dhabi and be champion, whereas the alternative strategy would have set up Webber for a straight fight. “It is not easy for Webber to drive in a team that considers him a burden to be up against Vettel,” said La Gazzetta dello Sport. Tuttosport noted that it seems “the Austrian team would be happier to lose than to see Webber beat Vettel”. “No team orders at Red Bull. Another own goal,” headlined La Repubblica. Joan Villadelprat wrote in his El Pais column: “Had Red Bull opted for Webber a few races ago, the Australian would probably now be champion.” Red Bull, however, is unrepentant. Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper that “second under proper conditions can often be more valuable than a first”. But there is a feeling that the team is not simply giving up the fight for the drivers’ title. One columnist in Brazil’s Globo wondered if Vettel’s radio message in Abu Dhabi might sound something like ‘So … Mark is faster than you’. “I’m always in favour of leaving the fight on the track with equal chances for both sides,” said Rubens Barrichello. “But I wonder if they would do that if the situation was in reverse. ?Mark has done a great job this year and he has been told by his team what position he is in,” said Lewis Hamilton. “Against adversity he has kept at it. I want to see Mark win.” Webber believes that, if a strategy is deployed, it will only be on the “last lap” of the season this weekend. “Sebastian is part of a team,” said Niki Lauda, who believes Webber should be backed fully by Red Bull. “If he does anything it should be helping Webber and not just on the last lap.” Webber is quoted by Bild newspaper: “It makes sense. Otherwise it would mean that Ferrari’s team orders would have paid off for Fernando.” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner hints that sense will ultimately prevail. “We have already given too many presents to Fernando this year,” he is quoted by Autosprint.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/red_bull_under_the_spotlight.php
Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari
Out now, an 89-page e-magazine, just six hours after the race
GrandPrix+, the original and fastest F1 e-magazine, is now out. It would have been published an hour ago if the Circuit de Catalunya had a sensible Internet system. Sadly, despite ripping off visiting journalists for Web access for the weekend, the service was so poor that it was impossible to upload the magazine and we [...]
Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks
Team orders in spotlight again
| Will Christian Horner regret not utilising team orders in Brazil? |
Michael Spearman of The Sun, says that the £65,000 fine Ferrari received for breaching the team orders ban in Germany will seem like loose change if Fernando Alonso wins the drivers? title in Abu Dhabi.
?The extra seven points Alonso collected when Ferrari ordered Felipe Massa to move over for him in Germany earlier in the season are now looking even more crucial. ?And the £65,000 fine they picked up for ruthlessly breaking the rules will seem loose change if Alonso clinches the title in his first year with the Maranello team. ?Red Bull could have switched the result yesterday given their crushing dominance and still celebrated their first constructors’ championship just five years after coming into the sport. ?That would also have given Webber an extra seven points, leaving him just one behind Alonso.?The Guardian?s Paul Weaver says that if Fernando Alonso does take the drivers? title in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari owes a debt of gratitude to Red Bull for their decision not to employ team orders in Brazil.
?If Alonso does take the title next week it would not be inappropriate were he and Ferrari to send a few gallons of champagne to Red Bull’s headquarters in Milton Keynes. ?While Red Bull should be heartily applauded for the championship they did win today their apparent acceptance that Ferrari might carry off the more glamorous prize continues to baffle Formula One and its globetrotting supporters. ?Their refusal to make life easy for Webber, who has led for much of the season and is still seven points ahead of Vettel, means that whatever happens in the desert next week Alonso, the only driver who was capable of taking the championship in the race today, only has to secure second place to guarantee his third world title.?The Independent?s David Tremayne is also of the opinion that Red Bull may regret not using team orders in Brazil.
?Had Red Bull elected to adopt team orders and let Webber win ? something that the governing body allows when championships are at stake ? Webber would have left Brazil with 245 points ? just one point off the lead. For some that was confirmation of his suggestion that Vettel is the team’s favoured driver ? which generated an angry call from team owner Dietrich Mateschitz in Austria and was much denied by team principal, Christian Horner. ?And it sets up a situation where, if the result is repeated next weekend, as is likely, Vettel and Webber will tie on 256, five behind Alonso.?The Mirror?s Byron Young has put Lewis Hamilton?s fading title chances down to an inferior McLaren machine and he admits the 2008 World Champion now needs a miracle.
?Sebastian Vettel’s victory sends the world title fight to a four-way showdown for the first time in the sport’s history. ?Hamilton goes there as part of that story with a 24-point deficit to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, but with just 25 on offer in the final round in six days’ time it would take more than a miracle. ?Driving an outclassed McLaren he slugged it out against superior machinery and stiff odds to finish fourth.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/team_orders_in_spotlight_again_1.php
Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan Carlo Abate George Abecassis
Button gets 2012 season off to a flier
Albert Park, Melbourne
Statements of intent do not come much more emphatic than the one Jenson Button made with a dominant victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Crushingly superior in a straight fight with McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton, Button got off to the perfect start in a season that promises to be very different from Sebastian Vettel’s one-sided championship win last year.
There were fears after McLaren’s one-two in qualifying that they would run away in the race – and they proved to be half right.
Button left Hamilton behind and never looked like losing the race. It was a win as comfortable as any of the six in seven races he took at the start of 2009 to lay the foundations for his championship year with the Brawn team.
Jenson Button has won three of the last four Australian grands prix. Photo: Getty
Button admitted to BBC Sport after the race not only that he always gets “nervous-excited” before grands prix, but that he was more nervous before this one than perhaps any other.
One assumes it was founded in the knowledge that after starting his first two seasons at McLaren with cars that were off the pace of the Red Bull, he now had a real chance of getting his year off to the best possible start.
Contrary to appearances, that nervousness led to a slight error at the start. After a superb initial getaway, Button went for second gear too early, which delayed his charge to the first corner.
Luckily for Button, Hamilton had also had a bad start, and with the inside line, the corner – and, as it turned out, the victory – were his.
Ironically, the win bore more than a slight resemblance to many of Vettel’s in 2011.
Button went off like a frightened rabbit in the first two laps, the aim being to be far enough ahead at the start of lap three – when the drivers are first allowed to use the DRS overtaking aid – to ensure he was out of reach of his pursuers.
Rather than ease off, though, Button just kept going, a succession of fastest laps moving him more than three seconds clear within six laps, after which it stabilised.
So dominant was Button that even had Hamilton converted his lead at the start into one at the end of the first lap, it is difficult to imagine that the result would have been any different.
Hamilton cut a subdued figure after the race, giving short, quietly-spoken answers to questions. He admitted he “didn’t generally have great pace” and, after producing a stunning lap in qualifying to take pole, was clearly not expecting Button’s demoralising
performance.
Hamilton’s mood will not have been helped by losing out on second place to Vettel, largely through bad luck.
After leaving the two cars out slightly too long before their first pit stops, McLaren did exactly the right thing in stopping them one after the other for their second.
It was Hamilton’s bad luck that he was delayed by the introduction of the safety car on the very next lap, allowing Vettel to sneak ahead.
Vettel said after the race that he would have “had a crack” at Hamilton even without that stroke of good fortune.
But the two cars were evenly matched and if Hamilton, whose car was faster on the straight, was not able to pass Vettel it seems unlikely that Vettel would have been able to overtake the McLaren.
The manner of Button’s victory – Vettel described him as “unbeatable” – led to inevitable questions about whether McLaren will now dominate this season in the way Red Bull did last.
But as Hamilton said, it is “too early to tell” if McLaren are comfortably ahead of Red Bull.
“In qualifying we’re quite quick and competitive,” he said, “but they were massively quick in the race. I think they’re still a force to be reckoned with.”
Vettel, meanwhile, proved once again how ridiculous it ever was to suggest he could not race – his move around the outside of Nico Rosberg at Turn Nine on lap two was hugely impressive.
Behind the top two teams, an intriguing race has set the season up nicely.
Romain Grosjean made some errors befitting his semi-novice status as he squandered his excellent third place on the grid, but his Lotus team look like they could have the pace to challenge close to the front if they have a clean weekend.
Mercedes’ race pace was a disappointment after their impressive form in qualifying – which extreme was the true representation of their competitive position remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso dragged his Ferrari up to fifth place with a typically resilient and impressive performance, although the car’s lap times once the race settled down suggested the team still have a lot of work to do.
The mixed-up grid, caused by typical early seasons problems for Red Bull, Alonso and Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen in qualifying, led to some superb battles throughout a race that seemed to confirm the impression of pre-season testing that the grid has closed up this year.
“We all think this is a special year in F1 with six world champions and so many competitive teams,” Button said. “F1 is in a special place and it’s a great sport to be a part of.”
Malaysia next weekend will provide further evidence of what lies ahead. Button and Hamilton, for very different reasons, will be anxious to get on with it.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/albert_park_melbourne_statemen.html
Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham
Jeff Gordon wins at Phoenix to snap 66-race drought
Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless streak by taking the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at PhoenixJeff Gordon Ends Drought AVONDALE, Ariz. — Just before peeling off what he called a lame burnout near the finish line, Jeff Gordon screamed into his radio, the emotion pouring out with his voice. [+] Enlarge Jared C. Related posts:
- Jeff Gordon wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless…
- NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon gets new spotter starting at Pocono CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeff Gordon will have a new spotter…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/jeff-gordon-wins-at-phoenix-to-snap-66-race-drought/
Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon
Out now, an 89-page e-magazine, just six hours after the race
GrandPrix+, the original and fastest F1 e-magazine, is now out. It would have been published an hour ago if the Circuit de Catalunya had a sensible Internet system. Sadly, despite ripping off visiting journalists for Web access for the weekend, the service was so poor that it was impossible to upload the magazine and we [...]
Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler
Vettel – and others – get lucky in Monaco
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/05/vettel—and-others—get-lucky-in-monaco.html
Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol
NASCAR?s Tony Stewart, F1?s Lewis Hamilton to swap cars
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Barring an unforeseen scheduling hiccup, two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will swap race cars in an exhibition later this year, Stewart-Haas Racing spokesman Mike Arning confirmed Saturday. Hamilton Stewart The seat swap comes at the hands of Mobil 1, a mutual sponsor for the two drivers, and is expected to take place at Watkins Glen International sometime during the summer.The cars involved will not be show cars. Related posts:
- Tony Stewart: NASCAR’s clampdown on criticism OK SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Count two-time NASCAR Cup champion Tony Stewart…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/nascars-tony-stewart-f1s-lewis-hamilton-to-swap-cars/
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra
Robert Kubica Could Be Ruled Out For At Least A Year Following Accident
Polish racing driver Robert Kubica will spend at least one whole year recovering from a rally crash he suffered this morning, according to his surgeon. Kubica, who races for Renault Lotus crashed the Skoda Fabia rally car this morning and was airlifted to hospital suffering serious injuries. He has spent many hours in surgery, with [...]
Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner
Life in the pit lane
 The Mercedes pit crew prepare for Michael Schumacher in Singapore |
Away from the world of multi-million-pound car development laboratories and drivers whose small change takes care of the Monte Carlo harbour fees, another drama will play out in Singapore this week. The Independent’s David Tremayne joins F1′s unsung heroes.
These are not select millionaires but up to 16 ordinary, yet gifted, guys; team mechanics who have worked their way up the system and often migrate from team to team, are paid real-world wages of between £30,000 and £50,000 a year, are drilled to perfection ? and whose split-second synchronisation brings their teams huge rewards.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/life_in_the_pit_lane.php
Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd
Jeff Gordon wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway
Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless streak by taking the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at PhoenixJeff Gordon Ends Drought AVONDALE, Ariz. Related posts:
- Jeff Gordon wins at Phoenix to snap 66-race drought Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless…
- NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon gets new spotter starting at Pocono CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeff Gordon will have a new spotter…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/jeff-gordon-wins-the-nascar-sprint-cup-race-at-phoenix-international-raceway/
Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg
Stefano Domenicali: ?We have to do a massive step?
Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali admits that it?s hard to understand the unpredictable form of the 2012 field. Despite the team?s early frustrations with the F2012 Fernando Alonso currently has the same number of points as championship leader Sebastian Vettel. ?It?s … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/05/14/stefano-domenicali-we-have-to-do-a-massive-step/
George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson Conny Andersson
Money talks. Live with it.
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/07/money-talks-live-with-it.html
George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader
Jeff Gordon wins at Phoenix to snap 66-race drought
Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless streak by taking the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at PhoenixJeff Gordon Ends Drought AVONDALE, Ariz. — Just before peeling off what he called a lame burnout near the finish line, Jeff Gordon screamed into his radio, the emotion pouring out with his voice. [+] Enlarge Jared C. Related posts:
- Jeff Gordon wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless…
- NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon gets new spotter starting at Pocono CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeff Gordon will have a new spotter…
- Jeff Gordon wins pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway; Jimmie Johnson to start 10th CONCORD, N.C. — Jeff Gordon’s long winless streak is well…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/jeff-gordon-wins-at-phoenix-to-snap-66-race-drought/
Hamilton put to back of grid in Spain
Lewis Hamilton has been excluded from qualifying in Spain and put to the back of the grid. Pastor Maldonado and Fernando Alonso thus start on the front row. Drivers are obliged to get back to the pits after the end … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/05/12/hamilton-put-to-back-of-grid-in-spain/
Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion
Q3: F1 goes to the chemist: Lewis? Pastor?
Lewis Hamilton and Pastor Maldonado will share the first row of the grid in Spain on Sunday, while the local fans got wild as Fernando Alonso put his Ferrari third on the grid. The Lotuses were fourth and fifth on the grid with Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen showing that black is nearly back, while [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/q3-f1-goes-to-the-chemist-lewis-pastor/
Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks
F1 2011 Launch Catch Up ? McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Renault?
Catching up on the launches in one mega post. Here in you’ll find quick interviews with senior members of the team and photos from the Red Bull, Sauber, Renault Lotus, Toro Rosso, Mercedes and McLaren launches. Apologies for being somewhat late, the whole blog isn’t running at full power until the season starts again. Red [...]
Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari
No Fenders on Formula 1 TV Strike…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/ewMLtI0sOlg/no-fenders-on-formula-1-tv-strike.html
Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati
Campaign launched to save Team Lotus
 |
One side of the Lotus naming dispute has been put forward on a new and in-depth webpage called www.saveteamlotus.com. The basic background is that the Lotus Racing F1 team had its naming rights revoked for next season by Group Lotus and, in order to keep racing under the Lotus name, bought the Team Lotus brand off David Hunt, who had owned it since the original team?s last race in 1994. Group Lotus has now taken Lotus Racing to court to try and stop it using the historic name in Formula One next year. The issue has been a source of constant confusion for many fans and the new webpage offers a breakdown of David Hunt?s and Team Lotus? side of the argument.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/campaign_launched_to_save_team_1.php
Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber
Q1: Lew1s
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap of the Q1 session in Barcelona, beating Romain Grosjean’s Lotus by seven-tenths of a second. Fernando Alonso was third for Ferrari, ahead of Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes, Pastor Maldonado’s Williams, Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber, Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus, Jenson Button’s McLaren, Mark Webber’s Red Bull and Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India. Michael Schumacher [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/q1-lew1s/
Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut
NASCAR: Kyle Busch closes on Phoenix sweep
Kyle Busch closes on Phoenix sweep By Diego Mejia Sunday, February 27th 2011, 07:28 GMT Kyle Busch could make further NASCAR history this weekend by completing a full sweep of victories in its top-level championships at Phoenix in a single weekend, having already dominated in the Trucks and Natiowide Series races at the one-mile oval. Related posts:
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Source: http://doxcar.com/nascar-kyle-busch-closes-on-phoenix-sweep/
Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi
Out now, an 89-page e-magazine, just six hours after the race
GrandPrix+, the original and fastest F1 e-magazine, is now out. It would have been published an hour ago if the Circuit de Catalunya had a sensible Internet system. Sadly, despite ripping off visiting journalists for Web access for the weekend, the service was so poor that it was impossible to upload the magazine and we [...]
Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise
Vote for your Spanish GP Driver of the Weekend | 2012 Spanish Grand Prix
Vote for your Spanish GP Driver of the Weekend is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Compare all the drivers’ performances and vote for who you think was the best driver of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
Vote for your Spanish GP Driver of the Weekend is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/DN0hNxUwD1k/
Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston
Who remembers the 1988 Australian Grand Prix?
We are not too far away from the 2012 Australian Grand Prix and everyone is rightly excited. You can check out the drivers that need to deliver in 2012 right here. However, we are going to be building up to Melbourne with a series of videos from races gone by. To begin with, do you [...]
Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger
Christian Horner: ?We must have been the most consistent?
We may have enjoyed the most unpredictable start to the season in F1 history, but after five races there’s no escaping the fact that Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull sit atop both championship tables. After various dramas in Spain Vettel … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/05/14/christian-horner-we-must-have-been-the-most-consistent/
Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella
F1: Alonso: 2011 tyres will hurt top teams
Alonso: 2011 tyres will hurt top teams By Matt Beer Monday, February 28th 2011, 19:07 GMT Fernando Alonso says he is not in favour of the move towards less durable tyres for 2011, as he fears this will end up penalising faster cars. Related posts:
- F1: Teams expect 2011 tyres test in summer Teams expect 2011 tyres test in summer By Jonathan Noble…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-alonso-2011-tyres-will-hurt-top-teams/
Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood
Hamilton excluded from Spanish GP after claiming Pole position…
Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral Frank Armi
Formula One Goes High Definition
This week FOM, the Formula One Management company run by Bernie Ecclestone, has announced it will be providing native High Definition Formula One coverage for the very first time. This heralds the entrance of the sport into the super clear broadcast territory. High Definition television has been available for some time now in the United [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/formula-one-goes-high-definition/
Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr
McLaren drivers out of title race
 Is it now a three-way battle for the title? |
Fernando Alonso is still the driver in the best position to win the drivers? title according to the Daily Telegraph?s Tom Cary.
?Focus and concentration will be of paramount importance and there is none stronger in this regard than Ferrari?s Fernando Alonso.?
The Guardian?s Oliver Owen thinks that it is Mark Webber?s title to lose now, and that this may be the Australian?s last realistic chance of winning the title.
?He has driven beautifully. Monaco and Silverstone spring to mind. He has been an uncompromising racer, not giving Vettel or Lewis Hamilton an inch in Turkey and Singapore respectively. Most importantly, he has largely avoided the bouts of brain fade that can wreck a season ? his on-track hooning in Melbourne when racing Hamilton being the only exception. But there is a feeling that for Webber it is now or never, that a chance of a tilt at the title may never come again. He is certainly driving as if that is the case and that has been his strength.?
According to The Mirror?s Byron Young, both McLaren drivers are now out of the title hunt after their fourth and fifth place finishes in Suzuka.
?McLaren’s title hopes died yesterday in a weekend from Hell at Suzuka. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth in a Japanese Grand Prix they had to win to have the remotest chance of keeping their title bid alive.”
The Sun?s Michael Spearman was of the same opinion, saying ?Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button’s title hopes were in tatters after a shocker in Japan.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/mclaren_drivers_out_of_title_r_1.php
Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown
‘The point of no confidence is quite near’
 The wreckage of Jochen Rindt’s car at Barcelona |
An excellent insight into the world of F1 as it used to be can be found on the regularly-interesting Letters of Note website. It publishes a hitherto unseen letter from Jochen Rindt to Lotus boss Colin Chapman written shortly after Rindt?s crash at Barcelona which was a result of the wing system on Lotus 49 collapsing at speed.
?Colin. I have been racing F1 for 5 years and I have made one mistake (I rammed Chris Amon in Clermont Ferrand) and I had one accident in Zandvoort due to gear selection failure otherwise I managed to stay out of trouble. This situation changed rapidly since I joined your team. ?Honestly your cars are so quick that we would still be competitive with a few extra pounds used to make the weakest parts stronger, on top of that I think you ought to spend some time checking what your different employes are doing, I sure the wishbones on the F2 car would have looked different. Please give my suggestions some thought, I can only drive a car in which I have some confidence, and I feel the point of no confidence is quite near.?
A little more than a year later Rindt’s Lotus suffered mechanical breakdown just before braking into one of the corners. He swerved violently to the left and crashed into a poorly-installed barrier, killing him instantly.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/the_point_of_no_confidence_is.php
Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais
Perez revels in success
Fernando Alonso raced home to clinch first place in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, but you might argue that for all his joy at winning, there might have been someone just slightly happier at Sepang that day. Step forward Sergio Perez. The Mexican might not be a household name just yet but, aged 22, [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/-_7itVK0ToQ/perez-revels-in-success
Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo
Jay Penske still needs engines for 2 cars at Indy
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/12/2060640/jay-penske-still-needs-engines.html
Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell Raul Boesel
Sebastian Vettel: ?I´m quiet confident for the race??
Sebastian Vettel will have a choice of starting from eighth place in Barcelona on either hard or soft tyres after failing to record a flying lap time in Q3. The German soon realised that he didn?t have the pace to … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/05/12/sebastian-vettel-i%c2%b4m-quiet-confident-for-the-race/
Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
Vettel wins, but has to work for it
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/05/vettel-wins-but-has-to-work-for-it.html
Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi
Tempers flare, fracas ensues
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/13/2061758/tempers-flare-fracas-ensues.html
Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral
Doctors use Formula One pit crews as safety model
American Medical News reports hospitals in at least a dozen countries are learning how to translate the split-second timing and near-perfect synchronisation of Formula One pit crews to the high-risk handoffs of patients from surgery to recovery and intensive care.
“In Formula One, they have checklists, databases, and they have well-defined processes for doing things, and we don’t really have any of those things in health care.”
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/doctors_use_formula_one_pit_cr.php
The two Kimi Raikkonens
There are, it turns out, two Kimi Raikkonens.
The public face of the 2007 world champion, who has returned to Formula 1 this season after two years in rallying, is of a monosyllabic, monotone, unsmiling figure, energised only the moment he steps into a racing car.
The one who emerges in private is very different – a talkative, jocular man, who can happily sit and shoot the breeze like anyone else.
As Lotus trackside operations director, Alan Permane has worked closely with Raikkonen since he joined the team last November.
Kimi Raikkonen has been perceived as cold and uncommunicative. Photo: Getty
The 32-year-old Finn, Permane says, “is happy to sit and talk, not only about technical stuff, but laughing and joking and talking rubbish with his engineers about all sorts of stuff”.
He is just not interested in any of his dealings with the media and, unlike his rivals, doesn’t bother to hide it.
Permane worked with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso through the title-winning years with the team formerly known as both Benetton and Renault. He has been impressed with Raikkonen from the start.
Raikkonen first drove one of the team’s cars at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia in late January. Straightaway the team knew they had something special.
He had not driven an F1 car since the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and had no experience of the Pirelli tyres he was using. Yet, after a single installation lap to check the car’s systems were working, his first flying lap was within a few 10ths of a second of the fastest lap he would do over the next two days.
The good impressions did not go away.
Permane said, “He has never driven a car with a full load of fuel in it.
“We went from 30-160kg [of fuel load in Valencia] to show him that’s the sort of difference you can expect – certainly from qualifying to race it’s even bigger than that.
“We calculate the lap time difference the fuel load will make and his first lap was absolutely spot on that difference. That is impressive.”
After that, Raikkonen did another 20 laps, each one exactly 0.1secs slower than the last – the lap time lost by tyre degradation.
There is a widespread belief that Raikkonen is as unforthcoming in his technical debriefs as he is in public, but that, too, appears to be a fallacy.
Lotus have found his comments in debriefs to be not only lengthy but very perceptive, too.
He was slightly quicker than new team-mate Romain Grosjean throughout pre-season testing, so it was a surprise that he was about 0.2secs slower than the Franco-Swiss semi-novice in the practice sessions in Melbourne.
Equally, the errors Raikkonen made on his qualifying laps that left him down in 18th on the grid betrayed a certain ring-rustiness, as well as perhaps the pressure he was feeling from Grosjean’s pace.
In the race, though, something of the old Raikkonen returned as he fought back up from his low starting position to take seventh place by the end.
Clearly, though, there is more to come.
Raikkonen is not entirely happy with the feel he is getting from the Lotus’s steering, but Permane plays down the significance of the problem.
“He’s very particular,” Permane says. “He knows what he wants and it’s not quite to his liking. It’s not a million miles away, but we’ll get it there.”
Raikkonen can drive perfectly well with the steering as it is, but the problem probably does mean that he is driving a little below his maximum.
The question now is, at what level is his maximum?
The reason Raikkonen left F1 in the first place was because he performed for Ferrari for much of 2008 and 2009 way below the level expected of him.
Ferrari, in fact, terminated Raikkonen’s contract a year early and paid him not to drive in 2010 so they could bring in Alonso.
The Spaniard has since out-performed Felipe Massa, the man who generally had the better of Raikkonen from the start of 2008 until fracturing his skull in an accident in Hungary in July 2009.
Does this mean Alonso is that much better than Raikkonen? Or that Raikkonen in 2008-9 was a long way below his best? Or that Massa is not the driver he was?
No one knows for sure, but for Raikkonen’s comeback to be considered an unqualified success he will have to be able to match his new team-mate’s pace.
The fact Lotus have regrouped over the winter and produced one of the year’s fastest cars only increases the pressure – it’s not so bad to be beaten by a team-mate when you’re battling to get into the top 10; but a very different matter when you’re fighting for the podium.
That, it appears, is what Lotus are in a position to do.
“We screwed up with the car last year,” Permane says, “and we know we’ve done a lovely car this year, not only aerodynamically, but we’ve done a nice package mechanically.”
So pleased are Lotus with the new E20 that Permane says he “dared to compare it with 2005″, when Alonso won the first of his two titles.
That is not so much a measure of Lotus’s realistic hopes as a reflection of how much the drivers like the car, and how well it responds to changes.
Nevertheless, the team are confident they can keep up with the break-neck development pace of the likes of McLaren and Red Bull and hold on to their position.
For Raikkonen, the requirement now is prove that he can go with them. So far, the signs are positive.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/the_two_kimi_raikkonens.html
Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner
Mark Webber: ?Everyone went too quick??
Mark Webber was caught out in qualifying in Spain when his Red Bull team decided that his first lap in Q2 was going to be good enough to keep him in the top 10. However when others did second runs … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/05/12/mark-webber-everyone-went-too-quick/
Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant
Charlotte Motor Speedway race weeks schedule
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/13/2061395/charlotte-motor-speedway-race.html
Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber
Formula One Goes High Definition
This week FOM, the Formula One Management company run by Bernie Ecclestone, has announced it will be providing native High Definition Formula One coverage for the very first time. This heralds the entrance of the sport into the super clear broadcast territory. High Definition television has been available for some time now in the United [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/formula-one-goes-high-definition/
Mark Blundell Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto
Jay Penske still needs engines for 2 cars at Indy
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/12/2060640/jay-penske-still-needs-engines.html
Live: 2012 Spanish Grand Prix third practice | F1 Fanatic Live
Live: 2012 Spanish Grand Prix third practice is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Follow the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix third practice session on F1 Fanatic Live.
Live: 2012 Spanish Grand Prix third practice is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/wUmqWoQt9y0/
Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers
Carroll Shelby 1923 ? 2012
Carroll Shelby has died at the age of 89. The Texan was a Grand Prix driver who went on to found Shelby American Inc, the producer of high-performance road cars based on AC Motors and later Ford machinery. His father Warren was a postman, who delivered mail in one of John Willys’s Whippets, and Shelby [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/carroll-shelby-1923-2012/
Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier
McClure eager to get back to racing after wreck
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/11/2058099/mcclure-eager-to-get-back-to-racing.html
Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow Peter Broeker
Vettel set for titles aplenty
 |
Tom Cary says in his column in the Daily Telegraph that the man dubbed ?Baby Schumi? has plenty of time to match or even surpass his compatriot?s record haul of seven world titles after he cinched his first in the Abu Dhabi night.
?Here, after all, is a young man, already dubbed ?Baby Schumi? by Germany?s tabloid press, winning the first of what will presumably be multiple world championships, and all at the tender age of 23. Plenty of time yet to match Schumacher’s incredible haul of seven world titles. And yet, their phenomenal ability to drive racing cars apart, there is little similarity between the two men. ?There are still lingering doubts over his racing ability but with such blistering qualifying pace he is nearly always leading from the front anyway. Vettel is set for multiple world championships. Just don?t call him Baby Schumi.?The Guardian?s Paul Weaver says it was difficult to begrudge Vettel his moment of glory after he won the first of what will be many world titles. He also looks back at some of the season?s highlights.
?An amazing Formula One season produced its final twist here on Sunday when Sebastian Vettel, who had never led the title race, won his first world championship. It is difficult to begrudge him his glory, for he had more poles (10) than any other driver and shared the most wins (five) with Fernando Alonso. There will be red faces as well as red cars and overalls at Ferrari, though, for deciding to bring their man in when they did, only to see him re-emerge into heavy traffic. ?Among the highlights, and every race felt like a highlight after the bore-start in Bahrain, there was that wonderful beginning to his McLaren career by Jenson Button, who won two of his first four races, even though he couldn’t keep up the pace, especially in qualifying. ?Hamilton once again drove his heart out, and outperformed a car that looked a little too ordinary at times. He was superb in Montreal. Then there was Webber, the Anglophile Aussie who was the favourite among most neutrals to win the title. There was that spectacular crash when he ran into the back of Heikki Kovalainen and the most famous of his four wins, at Silverstone, when he said to his team at the end of the race: ‘Not bad for a No2 driver.’ ?But in the end there was only one German who mattered. It was the remarkable Vettel. This will be the first of a clutch of championships for him.?The Independent?s David Tremayne focuses on the plight of the other title contenders, writing it is easier to feel more sorry for one than the other.
?It was impossible not to feel for both Webber and Alonso. Yet while a frustrated Alonso gestured at Petrov after the race, the Australian, predictably, refused to complain about his pitstop timing. ?A world championship seemed an inevitable part of Sebastian Vettel’s future, but it came a little sooner than most expected, after his recent tribulations. You wouldn’t bet against several more, and if that record-breaking streak continues, perhaps even Schumacher’s achievements will be overshadowed.?And the Mirror?s Byron Young elaborates further on the petulant behaviour of Fernando Alonso on his slowing down lap after his title dreams ended behind the Renault of Vitaly Petrov.
?Fernando Alonso was hurled into more controversy last night for a wild gesture at the former Lada racer who cost him the title. But the Spaniard brushed off accusations he gave Russian Vitaly Petrov the finger for ruining his title hopes by blocking him for 40 laps as they duelled over sixth place. “The Ferrari ace was caught on television cruising alongside the Renault driver on the slowing down lap and gesticulating from the cockpit. Petrov was unrepentant: “What was I supposed to do? Just get out of his way, pull to the side? I don’t think that is how we race. It was important for the team for me to get points.”
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/vettel_set_for_titles_aplenty_1.php
Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon
2012 Spanish Grand Prix practice in pictures | F1 pictures
2012 Spanish Grand Prix practice in pictures is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Pictures from today’s practice sessions for the Spanish Grand Prix.
2012 Spanish Grand Prix practice in pictures is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/SQCYKfTAyCA/
Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol
Drivers’ meeting ‘promises to be very interesting’
Oh to be a fly on the wall at the drivers’ briefing ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix next month.
The controversial decision not to penalise either Nico Rosberg for his aggressive defence against Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at the Bahrain Grand Prix or Hamilton for overtaking by going off the track has led to considerable debate within Formula 1.
So much so, that Alonso, a man who weighs his words carefully, has decided to speak out about it. After learning of the ruling, the Ferrari driver said to his 400,000-plus Twitter followers: “I think you are going to have fun in future races! You can defend position as you want and you can overtake outside the track! Enjoy!”
Nico Rosberg (left) and Lewis Hamilton may have differing views at the drivers’ meeting. Photo: Getty
Alonso had earlier said of Rosberg’s driving: “If instead of such a wide run-off area there had been a wall, I’m not sure I’d be here to talk about it.”
On the face of it, and at first glance, the stewards’ decision does appear difficult to understand.
With both Hamilton on lap 10 and Alonso on lap 24, Rosberg veered dramatically to the inside – and, unusually, right across to the white line that demarcates the edge of the circuit.
Both Hamilton and Alonso went off the track in avoidance, to varying degrees. Whereas Hamilton kept going and succeeded in passing the Mercedes, Alonso backed off and tried for the outside line, but had lost too much momentum to pull a move off.
Article 20.4 of the sporting regulations says: “Manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers, such as deliberate crowding of a car beyond the edge of the track or any other abnormal change of direction, are not permitted.”
So why was Rosberg not penalised?
The stewards said his defence was legitimate because although it was Rosberg who started to deviate from his line first, he did so in a “constant and continuous straight-line manner” and neither Hamilton nor Alonso had “a significant portion of their car… alongside” Rosberg’s.
In other words, because Rosberg moved first, he was always clearly in front and it was therefore effectively the other driver’s decision to keep moving to the inside to the point that he was off the track.
In Hamilton’s case, if you watch the TV footage back, you can clearly see this is the case.
It is less obviously so with Alonso – and the stewards had to use the footage from the Ferrari’s onboard camera before they came to a conclusion.
I have not seen the footage, but I’m told it showed again that a) Rosberg moved first; and b) at no point was “a significant portion” of Alonso’s car alongside the Mercedes.
During the race, viewers heard Alonso say over his team radio: “He pushed me off the track. You have to leave a space. All the time you have to leave a space.”
This, though, is not actually what the regulations say.
A new rule, article 20.3, was introduced this year to formally enshrine that “any driver moving back towards the racing line, having earlier defended his position off line, should leave at least one car width between his own car and the edge of the track on the approach to a corner”.
But this only applies when he is making a second move – there is nothing in the rules to stop drivers going right to the edge of the track in their first defensive move.
In other words, you might think – as Alonso did – that Rosberg’s driving was unfair, overly aggressive, even dangerous, but the rules contain nothing the stewards could use to penalise him.
There is no obligation, I’m told by a senior figure, to leave room for a rival, unless he is partially alongside. The question then becomes, how far alongside does a driver have to be before the man he is overtaking has to leave him room with his first move?
That’s where it starts to get awkward.
“It’s no different,” a senior insider says, “to a conventional overtaking manoeuvre when one driver dives down the inside, gets halfway alongside and they collide. One guy says: ‘You should have given me room.’ The other says: ‘You weren’t far enough alongside.’ Often drivers’ perception of a situation differs from the reality.”
The stewards have to use their judgement, including factors such as speed differential between the cars, when a driver moved, how many moves he made, and so on.
Back, though, to what the rules do say. Article 20.2 says drivers “must use the track at all times”. This is why Rosberg said over his team radio: “Hamilton passed me off the track.”
Which Hamilton clearly did. So why was he not penalised?
The stewards, I’m told, asked: “What advantage did Hamilton gain by going off the track?” And they concluded that if he had gone to the outside, he was carrying so much momentum he would have passed anyway.
The most obvious of several counter-points to that is: “Yes, but Hamilton did go off the track when you have established he didn’t need to, and he did pass him by doing so, so he should be penalised.”
At least two leading drivers share this view, I’m told. But you have to bear in mind that Hamilton is not the most popular driver on the grid and his rivals are “always looking for ways to nail him”, as one source put it on Monday.
The problem arose in the first place because concrete run-offs surround the circuit in Bahrain. Drivers can use these with impunity, safe in the knowledge that if they are forced off the track they are not going to spin on wet grass or hit a wall.
Had there been grass there, Hamilton would not have been able to pull off the same move (another argument for a penalty being applied) and Alonso might have backed off sooner.
Equally, had there been grass there – or even a wall – Rosberg might well have given them both a bit more room.
The stewards weighed it all up and felt that, in this instance, penalising Hamilton would have been overly harsh.
The result is some drivers believe Hamilton should have been penalised, some believe Rosberg should have been, and Alonso is saying the stewards’ ruling gives drivers carte blanche to overtake off the track or crowd their rivals as much as they like.
Which is why that drivers’ meeting in Barcelona promises to be so interesting.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/04/unanswered_questions_for_rosbe.html
Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold
Smith looking for spark at Darlington Raceway
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/11/2058802/smith-looking-for-spark-at-darlington.html
Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti
Campaign launched to save Team Lotus
| |
One side of the Lotus naming dispute has been put forward on a new and in-depth webpage called www.saveteamlotus.com. The basic background is that the Lotus Racing F1 team had its naming rights revoked for next season by Group Lotus and, in order to keep racing under the Lotus name, bought the Team Lotus brand off David Hunt, who had owned it since the original team?s last race in 1994. Group Lotus has now taken Lotus Racing to court to try and stop it using the historic name in Formula One next year. The issue has been a source of constant confusion for many fans and the new webpage offers a breakdown of David Hunt?s and Team Lotus? side of the argument.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/campaign_launched_to_save_team_1.php
Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan Carlo Abate
Predict the top five in Spain to win F1 prizes | Predictions Championship
Predict the top five in Spain to win F1 prizes is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Who’s going to win in Spain? Make your predictions for the top five to win prizes.
Predict the top five in Spain to win F1 prizes is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/RWCxjwn_lBM/
George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader
3 veteran drivers test skills with Indy rookies
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/10/2056536/3-veteran-drivers-test-skills.html
Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi
Damon does re-think upon Bahrain…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/mG3RAOusEBY/damon-does-re-think-upon-bahrain.html
Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk
Tensions in Bahrain continue ratcheting UP whilst Bernie backtracks…
Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham
Penske Racing Museum – Inaugural visit
Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham
An American in Barcelona
American Alexander Rossi will become his nation’s first representative in Formula 1 for some years when he takes to the track in Barcelona on Friday morning, at the wheel of a Caterham. The 20-year-old Californian will be the first US driver to take part in a Grand Prix weekend since Scott Speed departed from Scuderia [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/an-american-in-barcelona/
Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti
F1: Alonso: 2011 tyres will hurt top teams
Alonso: 2011 tyres will hurt top teams By Matt Beer Monday, February 28th 2011, 19:07 GMT Fernando Alonso says he is not in favour of the move towards less durable tyres for 2011, as he fears this will end up penalising faster cars. Related posts:
- F1: Teams expect 2011 tyres test in summer Teams expect 2011 tyres test in summer By Jonathan Noble…
- F1: Cooper Avon enters race for 2011 tyres Cooper Avon enters race for 2011 tyres By Jonathan Noble…
- F1: Alonso: Passing just as hard in 2011 Alonso: Passing just as hard in 2011 By Jonathan Noble…
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-alonso-2011-tyres-will-hurt-top-teams/
Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd
Five ways to improve F1
 Emerson Fittipaldi in his heyday |
In an interview in the Times, former world champion Emerson Fittipaldi?s outlined his five-point plan to enhance Formula One. Cut costs ?They spend a fortune in wind-tunnel testing alone. Reduce costs and the slowest teams would catch up and make it more even.? Limit downforce ?They need to reduce enormously the downforce in the cars, the only way to bring back overtaking. We need more mechanical grip so that you have longer braking areas, can set up the car coming out of a corner, get in the slipstream and then overtake.? Close the pitlane ?When the safety car goes out they should close the pitlane. Now it?s just a lottery.? Lift ban on team orders ?It is a very stupid rule. It?s why they are called teams, it?s why they have two cars. If a driver is leading in the championship, everything has to go in his favour. What is wrong with that? It?s so easy for teams to camouflage their orders anyway. All they need to do is tell one guy on the radio he has a problem with his brakes. They can bend the rules very easily. In the old days they would even swap cars, so why do we have this ban now?? Retain traditional grands prix ?These places are the soul of racing. The Americas are under-represented. We have Canada back, but there is no USA, no Argentina, no Mexico. We need to stay in the heartlands.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/five_ways_to_improve_f1.php
Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd
An American in Barcelona
American Alexander Rossi will become his nation’s first representative in Formula 1 for some years when he takes to the track in Barcelona on Friday morning, at the wheel of a Caterham. The 20-year-old Californian will be the first US driver to take part in a Grand Prix weekend since Scott Speed departed from Scuderia [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/an-american-in-barcelona/
Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson Conny Andersson Mario Andretti
‘The point of no confidence is quite near’
| The wreckage of Jochen Rindt’s car at Barcelona |
An excellent insight into the world of F1 as it used to be can be found on the regularly-interesting Letters of Note website. It publishes a hitherto unseen letter from Jochen Rindt to Lotus boss Colin Chapman written shortly after Rindt?s crash at Barcelona which was a result of the wing system on Lotus 49 collapsing at speed.
?Colin. I have been racing F1 for 5 years and I have made one mistake (I rammed Chris Amon in Clermont Ferrand) and I had one accident in Zandvoort due to gear selection failure otherwise I managed to stay out of trouble. This situation changed rapidly since I joined your team. ?Honestly your cars are so quick that we would still be competitive with a few extra pounds used to make the weakest parts stronger, on top of that I think you ought to spend some time checking what your different employes are doing, I sure the wishbones on the F2 car would have looked different. Please give my suggestions some thought, I can only drive a car in which I have some confidence, and I feel the point of no confidence is quite near.?
A little more than a year later Rindt’s Lotus suffered mechanical breakdown just before braking into one of the corners. He swerved violently to the left and crashed into a poorly-installed barrier, killing him instantly.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/the_point_of_no_confidence_is.php
Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball
Life in the pit lane
| The Mercedes pit crew prepare for Michael Schumacher in Singapore |
Away from the world of multi-million-pound car development laboratories and drivers whose small change takes care of the Monte Carlo harbour fees, another drama will play out in Singapore this week. The Independent’s David Tremayne joins F1′s unsung heroes.
These are not select millionaires but up to 16 ordinary, yet gifted, guys; team mechanics who have worked their way up the system and often migrate from team to team, are paid real-world wages of between £30,000 and £50,000 a year, are drilled to perfection ? and whose split-second synchronisation brings their teams huge rewards.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/life_in_the_pit_lane.php
Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick
F1: Renault: Heidfeld already leading team
Renault: Heidfeld already leading team By Dieter Rencken and Matt Beer Sunday, February 27th 2011, 10:59 GMT Renault team boss Eric Boullier says it was obvious from Nick Heidfeld’s first few laps in the car that he was the man the squad needed to lead its 2011 charge in the absence of the injured Robert Kubica. Heidfeld will fill in alongside Vitaly Petrov at Renault until Kubica recovers from the multiple injuries he suffered in a rally crash three weeks ago. The German had a test audition for Renault before being snapped up, and Boullier said he was very impressed by the way Heidfeld immediately took charge. Related posts:
- F1: Renault ‘very positive’ about Heidfeld Renault ‘very positive’ about Heidfeld By Matt Beer Saturday, February…
- F1: Heidfeld, Liuzzi also in Renault frame Heidfeld, Liuzzi also in Renault frame By Jonathan Noble Tuesday,…
- F1: Heidfeld’s Renault run set for Saturday Heidfeld’s Renault run set for Saturday By Matt Beer Friday,…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-renault-heidfeld-already-leading-team/
Bob Anderson Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews
F1: South American squabble?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/y3DVn8W9Hk8/f1-south-american-squabble.html
Remembering Gilles
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/LchGZmfK_sY/remembering-gilles.html
‘The point of no confidence is quite near’
| The wreckage of Jochen Rindt’s car at Barcelona |
An excellent insight into the world of F1 as it used to be can be found on the regularly-interesting Letters of Note website. It publishes a hitherto unseen letter from Jochen Rindt to Lotus boss Colin Chapman written shortly after Rindt?s crash at Barcelona which was a result of the wing system on Lotus 49 collapsing at speed.
?Colin. I have been racing F1 for 5 years and I have made one mistake (I rammed Chris Amon in Clermont Ferrand) and I had one accident in Zandvoort due to gear selection failure otherwise I managed to stay out of trouble. This situation changed rapidly since I joined your team. ?Honestly your cars are so quick that we would still be competitive with a few extra pounds used to make the weakest parts stronger, on top of that I think you ought to spend some time checking what your different employes are doing, I sure the wishbones on the F2 car would have looked different. Please give my suggestions some thought, I can only drive a car in which I have some confidence, and I feel the point of no confidence is quite near.?
A little more than a year later Rindt’s Lotus suffered mechanical breakdown just before braking into one of the corners. He swerved violently to the left and crashed into a poorly-installed barrier, killing him instantly.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/the_point_of_no_confidence_is.php
Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber
Penske Racing clicking in NASCAR and IndyCar
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/08/2052227/penske-racing-clicking-in-nascar.html
George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson Conny Andersson
How they used to do it?
Back in the 1970s some crazed marketing man thought that money could be made with the idea of having professional sports teams sing. It was a trend that began in Britain with the 1970 England World Cup squad singing “Back Home”, which hurtled to number one in the British charts, proving that the crazed marketing [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/how-they-used-to-do-it/
Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto
Mark Martin would rather make his own luck, thanks
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/08/2052310/mark-martin-would-rather-make.html
Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa
Webber ?will threaten? Vettel in 2012
Bernie Ecclestone has stated his belief that Mark Webber could be Sebastian Vettel’s biggest rival for the title this year. Check out our review of Red Bull in 2011! Webber failed to win a race last year of course, but Ecclestone is convinced that the Australian will improve, threatening his Red Bull team-mate along the [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/WvCtgq-iUMQ/webber-will-threaten-vettel-in-2012
Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi
Sauber finally confirms Chelsea deal
Sauber has now formally confirmed its new marketing partnership with Chelsea FC, which had been rumoured for some time after the car carried ?blue? teaser messages at the last two Grands Prix. The relationship is the first in F1 to … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/30/sauber-finally-confirms-chelsea-deal/
Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi
Eric McClure released from Alabama hospital
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/07/2050149/eric-mcclure-released-from-alabama.html
Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral
Woody?s returning to Le Mans
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/8aUQmZJ0n7w/woodys-returning-to-le-mans.html
Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff
Remembering one of the greats
This morning at Fiorano, Scuderia Ferrari remembered Gilles Villenueuve, who was killed in an accident at Zolder in Belgium, 30 years ago today. As part of the anniversary, Gilles’s son Jacques, who won the World Championship in 1997 drove his father’s Ferrari 312 T4, in which Gilles won three races in 1979. Also taking part [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/remembering-one-of-the-greats/
Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion
Team order rule needs a re-think
 Jean Todt arives for Wednesday’s hearing |
Formula One should look at abolishing the controversial ban on team orders after Ferrari escaped further punishment for their manipulation of the German Grand Prix result. That is the view of the Daily Telegraph?s Tom Cary, who is of the opinion that the team orders rule now needs to be seriously looked at because of its obvious shortcomings.
?Whether you are for or against team orders, if the FIA could not back up its own rules and nail a competitor in a blatant case such as this the rule really does need reviewing. Perhaps Ferrari?s thinly-veiled threat to take the matter to the civil courts if they were punished too harshly scared the governing body, who as much as admitted the flimsiness of its rule.”
Paul Weaver, reporting for the Guardian in Monza, was in favour of the ruling which keeps alive Ferrari?s slim chances in an enthralling championship.
?The World Motor Sport Council was right not to ruin a compelling Formula One season by taking away the 25 points Alonso collected in Germany. That would have put him out of the five-man title race. But the council was widely expected to increase the fine and possibly deduct points from the team, as opposed to the individual. In the end, it could be argued that common sense prevailed. But the decision will dismay those who were upset by the way Ferrari handled the situation as much as anything else.?
The Daily Mail’s Jonathan McEvoy expressed outrage at the FIA tearing up its own rule book by allowing Ferrari to escape unpunished.
“Although the race stewards fined them £65,000 for giving team orders in July, the FIA World Motor Sport Council, to whom the matter was referred, decided not to impose any further punishment. It leaves the sport’s rulers open to derision. It was, after all, their rule they undermined. In a statement, the WMSC said the regulation banning team orders ‘should be reviewed’.”
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/team_order_rule_needs_a_rethin_1.php
Bahraini Kingdom sweeps Nations divide underneath rug as F1 Sells Out – Again…
Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner
Caterham principal aims for ?fresh impetus?
Caterham team principal Tony Fernandes has spoken about the decision to axe Jarno Trulli in favour of Vitaly Petrov for the 2012 season. Go here for Red Bull v Cowboys! You heard right! Trulli was under contract for the team, but his future in Formula 1 now looks uncertain after being replaced by the Russian. Speaking about the [...]
JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger
Hamilton decision-making under the microscope
 Lewis Hamilton has come in for criticism |
Lewis Hamilton?s decision-making ability has come into question after he crashed into the side of Felipe Massa on lap one, causing his early retirement from the Italian Grand Prix. This incident has raised questions about his temperament and ability to bounce back. Kevin Garside of the Daily Telegraph questions how much we should really be expecting from Hamilton. ?Perhaps this is how it must be with Hamilton, an instinctive racer compelled to chase the impossible through gaps that don?t exist. He took the best part of an hour to compose himself before walking out into the sun to face the cameras. This was Hamilton?s third DNF of the season but the first of his own making. Occasions like this are perhaps reminders to us not to expect too much. ?On the days when Hamilton?s insane alliance of guts, skill and derring-do appear capable of delivering the world it is easy to forget he is only 25, an age when it is all too common for boys to believe themselves men.? Byron Young of the Mirror also pulls no punches about Hamilton?s performance and was heavily critical of the manoeuvre which meant he left the weekend pointless. ?To say that his dive down the outside at Della Roggia chicane was optimistic would be generous. Mystifying, definitely, with so much at stake. So often Hamilton has made them stick but yesterday the outcome was all too predictable.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/hamilton_decisionmaking_under_1.php
Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha
F1 vet Barrichello runs first IndyCar oval laps
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/07/2049584/f1-vet-barrichello-runs-first.html
Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais
Webber and Ferrari
There has been speculation about Mark Webber moving to Ferrari since at least June last year, when Ferrari was considering what to do about the problem of Felipe Massa. At the time the Brazilian still had a valid contract and Ferrari was keen to honour that commitment and give Felipe another chance. However, at the [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/webber-and-ferrari/
Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut
Tensions in Bahrain continue ratcheting UP whilst Bernie backtracks…
Jimmy Bryan Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich
Bernie Ecclestone – No plans to put the brakes on
 |
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian as his 80th birthday approaches, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone speak out about a variety of subjects, from the future of the sport to Margaret Thatcher, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, democracy, football and what continues to drive him.
The way I feel at the moment, why stop? I do it because I enjoy it. And yesterday is gone. I don’t care what happened yesterday. What else would I do? People retire to die. I don’t get any individual pleasure because we don’t win races or titles in this job. I’m like most business people. You look back at the end of the year and you see what you’ve achieved by working out how much money the company has made. That’s it.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/bernie_ecclestone_no_plans_to.php
Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral Frank Armi
NASCAR?s Tony Stewart, F1?s Lewis Hamilton to swap cars
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Barring an unforeseen scheduling hiccup, two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will swap race cars in an exhibition later this year, Stewart-Haas Racing spokesman Mike Arning confirmed Saturday. Hamilton Stewart The seat swap comes at the hands of Mobil 1, a mutual sponsor for the two drivers, and is expected to take place at Watkins Glen International sometime during the summer.The cars involved will not be show cars. Related posts:
- Tony Stewart: NASCAR’s clampdown on criticism OK SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Count two-time NASCAR Cup champion Tony Stewart…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/nascars-tony-stewart-f1s-lewis-hamilton-to-swap-cars/
Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle
The two Kimi Raikkonens
There are, it turns out, two Kimi Raikkonens.
The public face of the 2007 world champion, who has returned to Formula 1 this season after two years in rallying, is of a monosyllabic, monotone, unsmiling figure, energised only the moment he steps into a racing car.
The one who emerges in private is very different – a talkative, jocular man, who can happily sit and shoot the breeze like anyone else.
As Lotus trackside operations director, Alan Permane has worked closely with Raikkonen since he joined the team last November.
Kimi Raikkonen has been perceived as cold and uncommunicative. Photo: Getty
The 32-year-old Finn, Permane says, “is happy to sit and talk, not only about technical stuff, but laughing and joking and talking rubbish with his engineers about all sorts of stuff”.
He is just not interested in any of his dealings with the media and, unlike his rivals, doesn’t bother to hide it.
Permane worked with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso through the title-winning years with the team formerly known as both Benetton and Renault. He has been impressed with Raikkonen from the start.
Raikkonen first drove one of the team’s cars at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia in late January. Straightaway the team knew they had something special.
He had not driven an F1 car since the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and had no experience of the Pirelli tyres he was using. Yet, after a single installation lap to check the car’s systems were working, his first flying lap was within a few 10ths of a second of the fastest lap he would do over the next two days.
The good impressions did not go away.
Permane said, “He has never driven a car with a full load of fuel in it.
“We went from 30-160kg [of fuel load in Valencia] to show him that’s the sort of difference you can expect – certainly from qualifying to race it’s even bigger than that.
“We calculate the lap time difference the fuel load will make and his first lap was absolutely spot on that difference. That is impressive.”
After that, Raikkonen did another 20 laps, each one exactly 0.1secs slower than the last – the lap time lost by tyre degradation.
There is a widespread belief that Raikkonen is as unforthcoming in his technical debriefs as he is in public, but that, too, appears to be a fallacy.
Lotus have found his comments in debriefs to be not only lengthy but very perceptive, too.
He was slightly quicker than new team-mate Romain Grosjean throughout pre-season testing, so it was a surprise that he was about 0.2secs slower than the Franco-Swiss semi-novice in the practice sessions in Melbourne.
Equally, the errors Raikkonen made on his qualifying laps that left him down in 18th on the grid betrayed a certain ring-rustiness, as well as perhaps the pressure he was feeling from Grosjean’s pace.
In the race, though, something of the old Raikkonen returned as he fought back up from his low starting position to take seventh place by the end.
Clearly, though, there is more to come.
Raikkonen is not entirely happy with the feel he is getting from the Lotus’s steering, but Permane plays down the significance of the problem.
“He’s very particular,” Permane says. “He knows what he wants and it’s not quite to his liking. It’s not a million miles away, but we’ll get it there.”
Raikkonen can drive perfectly well with the steering as it is, but the problem probably does mean that he is driving a little below his maximum.
The question now is, at what level is his maximum?
The reason Raikkonen left F1 in the first place was because he performed for Ferrari for much of 2008 and 2009 way below the level expected of him.
Ferrari, in fact, terminated Raikkonen’s contract a year early and paid him not to drive in 2010 so they could bring in Alonso.
The Spaniard has since out-performed Felipe Massa, the man who generally had the better of Raikkonen from the start of 2008 until fracturing his skull in an accident in Hungary in July 2009.
Does this mean Alonso is that much better than Raikkonen? Or that Raikkonen in 2008-9 was a long way below his best? Or that Massa is not the driver he was?
No one knows for sure, but for Raikkonen’s comeback to be considered an unqualified success he will have to be able to match his new team-mate’s pace.
The fact Lotus have regrouped over the winter and produced one of the year’s fastest cars only increases the pressure – it’s not so bad to be beaten by a team-mate when you’re battling to get into the top 10; but a very different matter when you’re fighting for the podium.
That, it appears, is what Lotus are in a position to do.
“We screwed up with the car last year,” Permane says, “and we know we’ve done a lovely car this year, not only aerodynamically, but we’ve done a nice package mechanically.”
So pleased are Lotus with the new E20 that Permane says he “dared to compare it with 2005″, when Alonso won the first of his two titles.
That is not so much a measure of Lotus’s realistic hopes as a reflection of how much the drivers like the car, and how well it responds to changes.
Nevertheless, the team are confident they can keep up with the break-neck development pace of the likes of McLaren and Red Bull and hold on to their position.
For Raikkonen, the requirement now is prove that he can go with them. So far, the signs are positive.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/the_two_kimi_raikkonens.html
Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier
Woody?s returning to Le Mans
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/8aUQmZJ0n7w/woodys-returning-to-le-mans.html
Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari
F1: South American squabble?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/y3DVn8W9Hk8/f1-south-american-squabble.html
Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo
Massa threatened with jail over team orders
 |
Brazil?s F1 fever may have overstepped the mark after a local prosecutor threatened Felipe Massa with a six-year jail term if he ?defrauds? the sporting public by letting Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso past at Sunday?s grand prix. The story, reported by a local paper and picked up by the Daily Telegraph, is the latest of several anti-Massa reports to emerge from his home country since the team orders controversy at the German Grand Prix earlier this year. The Daily Telegraph’s Tom Cary reckons that Massa simply isn’t living up to his home crowd’s high expectations.
?A public raised on a diet of Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna were simply appalled and saddened in equal measure by Massa?s apparent lack of ambition.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/massa_threatened_with_jail_ove.php
Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber
Drivers’ meeting ‘promises to be very interesting’
Oh to be a fly on the wall at the drivers’ briefing ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix next month.
The controversial decision not to penalise either Nico Rosberg for his aggressive defence against Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at the Bahrain Grand Prix or Hamilton for overtaking by going off the track has led to considerable debate within Formula 1.
So much so, that Alonso, a man who weighs his words carefully, has decided to speak out about it. After learning of the ruling, the Ferrari driver said to his 400,000-plus Twitter followers: “I think you are going to have fun in future races! You can defend position as you want and you can overtake outside the track! Enjoy!”
Nico Rosberg (left) and Lewis Hamilton may have differing views at the drivers’ meeting. Photo: Getty
Alonso had earlier said of Rosberg’s driving: “If instead of such a wide run-off area there had been a wall, I’m not sure I’d be here to talk about it.”
On the face of it, and at first glance, the stewards’ decision does appear difficult to understand.
With both Hamilton on lap 10 and Alonso on lap 24, Rosberg veered dramatically to the inside – and, unusually, right across to the white line that demarcates the edge of the circuit.
Both Hamilton and Alonso went off the track in avoidance, to varying degrees. Whereas Hamilton kept going and succeeded in passing the Mercedes, Alonso backed off and tried for the outside line, but had lost too much momentum to pull a move off.
Article 20.4 of the sporting regulations says: “Manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers, such as deliberate crowding of a car beyond the edge of the track or any other abnormal change of direction, are not permitted.”
So why was Rosberg not penalised?
The stewards said his defence was legitimate because although it was Rosberg who started to deviate from his line first, he did so in a “constant and continuous straight-line manner” and neither Hamilton nor Alonso had “a significant portion of their car… alongside” Rosberg’s.
In other words, because Rosberg moved first, he was always clearly in front and it was therefore effectively the other driver’s decision to keep moving to the inside to the point that he was off the track.
In Hamilton’s case, if you watch the TV footage back, you can clearly see this is the case.
It is less obviously so with Alonso – and the stewards had to use the footage from the Ferrari’s onboard camera before they came to a conclusion.
I have not seen the footage, but I’m told it showed again that a) Rosberg moved first; and b) at no point was “a significant portion” of Alonso’s car alongside the Mercedes.
During the race, viewers heard Alonso say over his team radio: “He pushed me off the track. You have to leave a space. All the time you have to leave a space.”
This, though, is not actually what the regulations say.
A new rule, article 20.3, was introduced this year to formally enshrine that “any driver moving back towards the racing line, having earlier defended his position off line, should leave at least one car width between his own car and the edge of the track on the approach to a corner”.
But this only applies when he is making a second move – there is nothing in the rules to stop drivers going right to the edge of the track in their first defensive move.
In other words, you might think – as Alonso did – that Rosberg’s driving was unfair, overly aggressive, even dangerous, but the rules contain nothing the stewards could use to penalise him.
There is no obligation, I’m told by a senior figure, to leave room for a rival, unless he is partially alongside. The question then becomes, how far alongside does a driver have to be before the man he is overtaking has to leave him room with his first move?
That’s where it starts to get awkward.
“It’s no different,” a senior insider says, “to a conventional overtaking manoeuvre when one driver dives down the inside, gets halfway alongside and they collide. One guy says: ‘You should have given me room.’ The other says: ‘You weren’t far enough alongside.’ Often drivers’ perception of a situation differs from the reality.”
The stewards have to use their judgement, including factors such as speed differential between the cars, when a driver moved, how many moves he made, and so on.
Back, though, to what the rules do say. Article 20.2 says drivers “must use the track at all times”. This is why Rosberg said over his team radio: “Hamilton passed me off the track.”
Which Hamilton clearly did. So why was he not penalised?
The stewards, I’m told, asked: “What advantage did Hamilton gain by going off the track?” And they concluded that if he had gone to the outside, he was carrying so much momentum he would have passed anyway.
The most obvious of several counter-points to that is: “Yes, but Hamilton did go off the track when you have established he didn’t need to, and he did pass him by doing so, so he should be penalised.”
At least two leading drivers share this view, I’m told. But you have to bear in mind that Hamilton is not the most popular driver on the grid and his rivals are “always looking for ways to nail him”, as one source put it on Monday.
The problem arose in the first place because concrete run-offs surround the circuit in Bahrain. Drivers can use these with impunity, safe in the knowledge that if they are forced off the track they are not going to spin on wet grass or hit a wall.
Had there been grass there, Hamilton would not have been able to pull off the same move (another argument for a penalty being applied) and Alonso might have backed off sooner.
Equally, had there been grass there – or even a wall – Rosberg might well have given them both a bit more room.
The stewards weighed it all up and felt that, in this instance, penalising Hamilton would have been overly harsh.
The result is some drivers believe Hamilton should have been penalised, some believe Rosberg should have been, and Alonso is saying the stewards’ ruling gives drivers carte blanche to overtake off the track or crowd their rivals as much as they like.
Which is why that drivers’ meeting in Barcelona promises to be so interesting.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/04/unanswered_questions_for_rosbe.html
Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle
Team orders in spotlight again
| Will Christian Horner regret not utilising team orders in Brazil? |
Michael Spearman of The Sun, says that the £65,000 fine Ferrari received for breaching the team orders ban in Germany will seem like loose change if Fernando Alonso wins the drivers? title in Abu Dhabi.
?The extra seven points Alonso collected when Ferrari ordered Felipe Massa to move over for him in Germany earlier in the season are now looking even more crucial. ?And the £65,000 fine they picked up for ruthlessly breaking the rules will seem loose change if Alonso clinches the title in his first year with the Maranello team. ?Red Bull could have switched the result yesterday given their crushing dominance and still celebrated their first constructors’ championship just five years after coming into the sport. ?That would also have given Webber an extra seven points, leaving him just one behind Alonso.?The Guardian?s Paul Weaver says that if Fernando Alonso does take the drivers? title in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari owes a debt of gratitude to Red Bull for their decision not to employ team orders in Brazil.
?If Alonso does take the title next week it would not be inappropriate were he and Ferrari to send a few gallons of champagne to Red Bull’s headquarters in Milton Keynes. ?While Red Bull should be heartily applauded for the championship they did win today their apparent acceptance that Ferrari might carry off the more glamorous prize continues to baffle Formula One and its globetrotting supporters. ?Their refusal to make life easy for Webber, who has led for much of the season and is still seven points ahead of Vettel, means that whatever happens in the desert next week Alonso, the only driver who was capable of taking the championship in the race today, only has to secure second place to guarantee his third world title.?The Independent?s David Tremayne is also of the opinion that Red Bull may regret not using team orders in Brazil.
?Had Red Bull elected to adopt team orders and let Webber win ? something that the governing body allows when championships are at stake ? Webber would have left Brazil with 245 points ? just one point off the lead. For some that was confirmation of his suggestion that Vettel is the team’s favoured driver ? which generated an angry call from team owner Dietrich Mateschitz in Austria and was much denied by team principal, Christian Horner. ?And it sets up a situation where, if the result is repeated next weekend, as is likely, Vettel and Webber will tie on 256, five behind Alonso.?The Mirror?s Byron Young has put Lewis Hamilton?s fading title chances down to an inferior McLaren machine and he admits the 2008 World Champion now needs a miracle.
?Sebastian Vettel’s victory sends the world title fight to a four-way showdown for the first time in the sport’s history. ?Hamilton goes there as part of that story with a 24-point deficit to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, but with just 25 on offer in the final round in six days’ time it would take more than a miracle. ?Driving an outclassed McLaren he slugged it out against superior machinery and stiff odds to finish fourth.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/team_orders_in_spotlight_again_1.php
Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson
Woody?s returning to Le Mans
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/8aUQmZJ0n7w/woodys-returning-to-le-mans.html
Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi
Stateside swap-a-rama
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/06/stateside-swap-a-rama.html
Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown
Webber ?will threaten? Vettel in 2012
Bernie Ecclestone has stated his belief that Mark Webber could be Sebastian Vettel’s biggest rival for the title this year. Check out our review of Red Bull in 2011! Webber failed to win a race last year of course, but Ecclestone is convinced that the Australian will improve, threatening his Red Bull team-mate along the [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/WvCtgq-iUMQ/webber-will-threaten-vettel-in-2012
Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla
Marussia Virgin Racing Launch Their 2011 Car
Marussia Virgin Racing have launched their car to take on the 2011 world championship in a lavish London ceremony. The Marussia name now preceeds Virgin following a major tie up with the Russian sportscar manufacturer and the team at the end of 2010. It has led to the new car being designated as the MVR-02. [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/marussia-virgin-racing-launch-their-2011-car/
Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick
Penske Racing Museum – Inaugural visit
Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth
Keselowski, Dodge win at Talladega
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/05/2046627/logano-nips-busch-for-talladega.html
John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
F1 2011 Launch Catch Up ? McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Renault?
Catching up on the launches in one mega post. Here in you’ll find quick interviews with senior members of the team and photos from the Red Bull, Sauber, Renault Lotus, Toro Rosso, Mercedes and McLaren launches. Apologies for being somewhat late, the whole blog isn’t running at full power until the season starts again. Red [...]
Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder
My Dan Wheldon Tribute story…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/NF9MeTElBbE/my-dan-wheldon-tribute-story.html
Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux
Martin Whitmarsh: ?There?s a lot of pressure nowadays?
After Sunday’s Bahrain GP Martin Whitmarsh defended the McLaren mechanic who was most closely involved in the two botched pit stops on Lewis Hamilton?s car, and another with Jenson Button in the previous race in China. Whitmarsh stressed that it … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/23/martin-whitmarsh-theres-a-lot-of-pressure-nowadays/
Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley
A wrap-up of Mugello testing
The three days of testing at Mugello ended yesterday evening with the fastest time of the test going to Romain Grosjean, who lapped his Lotus in 1m21.035s. This was two-tenths of a second faster than the best time achieved by Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull, which clocked a 1m21.363s. All the teams were trying updated versions [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/a-wrap-up-of-mugello-testing/
Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen
Group Lotus gets Personal…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/ssqfZDojCms/group-lotus-gets-personal.html
Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti
Ferrari’s fate the foremost of many unknowns
Kimi Raikkonen was to the point, as ever.
As pre-season testing wound to a close at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, the man who returns to Formula 1 this season after two years in rallying was asked how he felt the teams compared.
“In two weeks we know,” the Lotus driver said. “There is no point to guess here. I don’t know who’s going to be fastest. Nobody knows.”
Up and down the pit lane, drivers from other teams were expressing more or less the same view.
“McLaren look very strong,” said Red Bull’s Mark Webber. “And some of the other times done by other teams were pretty handy, too.”
Jenson Button, meanwhile, managed to cover all bases in three sentences.
“There’s a lot of work needs to be done before we’re properly competitive,” the McLaren driver said. “I’m reasonably happy with what we have. I don’t know where we are but the feeling is good.”
That summed up the situation pretty well at the end of three pre-season tests.
The lap times have been particularly difficult to read this year but it seems some patterns have emerged.
Up and down the pit lane, the general view is that the field is a lot closer than in recent years. Red Bull are again very strong, McLaren look like running them close and Mercedes appear to have made a step forward. Lotus, Sauber and Force India have also looked pretty handy.
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn says he is “expecting the tightest start to a season we’ve seen for a number of years“.
People don’t just invent these views – they are formed by looking through the mountains of data that each day of testing throws up.
Kimi Raikonnen returns to Formula 1 after a three year absence.
Analysing the lap times also produces some interesting numbers.
While it is not possible to know the programmes each team is running at any time, it is a reasonable assumption that over the course of winter testing all the teams will get through pretty much the same sort of work.
So, logically, an average of every lap time a driver has done over the three tests should give some indication of where each team is.
On average, over the whole of winter testing, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was the fastest of the drivers from last year’s top two teams, by 0.3secs from Button, with Hamilton a similar margin further back and just in front of Webber.
The specific average times look like this:
Vettel one minute, 25.340 seconds
Button 1:25.664
Hamilton 1:25.937
Webber 1:25.951
It’s also worth pointing out that the pattern of the last two or three years has been for Red Bull’s true pace to be disguised in both winter testing and in free practice at the grands prix.
Whether they are running more fuel than their rivals, or a weaker engine map, Red Bull always seem to find more time when it matters than the others do.
Mercedes have clearly been doing a different programme from the other teams – with a far greater concentration of longer runs – so comparing their times is potentially less instructive.
But when you see that Nico Rosberg did a 1:22.932 at the start of a 13-lap run on the penultimate day of testing, you know they have a pretty decent car.
“It’s still going to be the teams from last year that we need to beat,” Rosberg said, sounding confident. “But I think we have a good chance to annoy them a few times early in the season.”
And then there is Ferrari. Unless there is some Oscar-worthy acting going on, they are in trouble.
Ferrari have been open about the fact that they are struggling to understand the behaviour of their radical new car. Insiders tell BBC Sport that sometimes it behaves well and predictably, and sometimes it does not, and the team have no idea why.
The sense of crisis was heightened by Ferrari’s decision to cancel their driver media briefings over the final weekend of testing, saying they wanted them to concentrate solely on their job.
But Fernando Alonso did speak on television at the Barcelona-Sporting football match on Saturday night, saying: “In the first races we will suffer because we are not 100%.”
Ferrari put up technical director Pat Fry instead of Alonso on Sunday, and he admitted that he thought it unlikely the team would be able to finish on the podium in Melbourne.
One can only imagine the pressure Fry must be feeling right now.
A diffident man who is uncomfortable with the media, Fry is in his first year in the job following the dismissal of predecessor Aldo Costa. And he has overseen a design office that was told to take risks this season in an attempt to close the gap to Red Bull after a poor 2011.
They’ve taken those risks – but it does not look for now as if they have made wise choices.
And yet, and yet. If you average out Alonso’s lap times over the whole of winter testing, guess what? He is the fastest of all – by 0.3secs. No wonder Webber says: “The mystery is the Ferrari.”
So what’s going on? The new F2012 looks like it can do a decent lap time, so it is conceivable that it will qualify pretty well in Melbourne the weekend after next.
But according to BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson, who spent some time watching trackside in Barcelona, it seems to quickly drop in performance, initially losing grip on turn-in, and later on corner exits too.
It seems to use its tyres particularly aggressively. Ferrari have been afflicted these last few years by a car that raced better than it qualified because it used its tyres too gently. In seeking to fix this trait, have they now gone too far the other way?
It’s not as if they can blame the drivers either. In Alonso, they have an all-time great, a gold standard who will push the car to its absolute limit on every single lap of every single race. Many consider his season in 2011 to have been better than his title-winning years with Renault in 2005-06, considering the equipment at his disposal.
This, team boss Stefano Domenicali has admitted to BBC Sport, was the point of signing the Spaniard on a lucrative contract that commits him to the team until the end of 2016. It puts pressure on the team to deliver.
Of course, all this may turn out to be an illusion. Perhaps Alonso will be a contender for victory in Melbourne, and throughout the year. But let’s assume for a moment he isn’t.
Back in 2007, when his relationship with McLaren was in tatters, Alonso had talks with Red Bull to discuss moving there.
Red Bull were keen but in the end Alonso opted for a move back to Renault, knowing a Ferrari seat was waiting for him a couple of years down the line.
At the time, with Ferrari contending for the title for the 10th time in 11 years and Red Bull still in the midfield, you could hardly fault the logic.
But now, in his quiet moments, or when he’s watching Vettel celebrate yet another win, or looking at the beautifully intricate detail at the back of the Red Bull, or when he’s wrestling his uncooperative mount into a corner, does Alonso wish he could turn back the clock?
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/kimi_raikkonen_was_to_the_poin.html
Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball
Campaign launched to save Team Lotus
| |
One side of the Lotus naming dispute has been put forward on a new and in-depth webpage called www.saveteamlotus.com. The basic background is that the Lotus Racing F1 team had its naming rights revoked for next season by Group Lotus and, in order to keep racing under the Lotus name, bought the Team Lotus brand off David Hunt, who had owned it since the original team?s last race in 1994. Group Lotus has now taken Lotus Racing to court to try and stop it using the historic name in Formula One next year. The issue has been a source of constant confusion for many fans and the new webpage offers a breakdown of David Hunt?s and Team Lotus? side of the argument.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/campaign_launched_to_save_team_1.php
Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati
Under Pressure: The driver?s who need to deliver in 2012
Whilst Sebastian Vettel had the year of his life, for some of the other frontrunners, 2011 proved to be an unhappy hunting ground. Matthew Roulstone assesses the drivers who need to find form fast in 2012. Three wins and three podiums would be considered by some drivers as an incredible feat but for Lewis Hamilton [...]
Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari
The Mole in Iceland?
The Mole and Penelope (Roedean) are in Iceland… Why? Check out the story here.
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/the-mole-in-iceland/
Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
How they used to do it?
Back in the 1970s some crazed marketing man thought that money could be made with the idea of having professional sports teams sing. It was a trend that began in Britain with the 1970 England World Cup squad singing “Back Home”, which hurtled to number one in the British charts, proving that the crazed marketing [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/how-they-used-to-do-it/
Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick
Sutil scandal: I suppose I’m witness X
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/05/sutil-scandal-i-suppose-im-witness-x.html
Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson
Power dominates while Sato drives the wheels off en route to his first IndyCar podium…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/OQDOWPndIz0/power-dominates-while-sato-drives.html
Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari
Group Lotus gets Personal…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/ssqfZDojCms/group-lotus-gets-personal.html
Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen
NASCAR penalizes 6 Nationwide Series teams
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/01/2036869/nascar-penalizes-6-nationwide.html
Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise
F1 fans? videos from the Chinese and Bahrain races | F1 video
F1 fans’ videos from the Chinese and Bahrain races is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
There was plenty of fan footage to be found from the Australian and Malaysian races, but not as much from China and even less from Bahrain.
F1 fans’ videos from the Chinese and Bahrain races is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/ei90gLseMkc/
Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise
A wrap-up of Mugello testing
The three days of testing at Mugello ended yesterday evening with the fastest time of the test going to Romain Grosjean, who lapped his Lotus in 1m21.035s. This was two-tenths of a second faster than the best time achieved by Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull, which clocked a 1m21.363s. All the teams were trying updated versions [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/a-wrap-up-of-mugello-testing/
Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell Raul Boesel Menato Boffa
The Great Nico!
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/3sQKqkiATmU/great-nico.html
Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu
New F1 season could prove unpredictable
The Formula 1 teams arrived in Melbourne’s Albert Park to be greeted by grey skies, intermittent rain and blustery wind. But not even the weather could dampen the palpable excitement and nervous tension.
The start of the new season is just a few hours away and everyone from world champions Red Bull to lowly HRT is desperate to find the answer to the question they have been asking all winter. Where will they be come Saturday and Sunday afternoons?
The F1 teams like to keep outsiders guessing before the first race by saying they don’t know where they are in terms of competitiveness, but usually this is little more than kidology.
Such is their capacity to analyse data with massive super-computers that usually they have a very good idea of their position in relation to their rivals, despite the well-known difficulty of predicting form from pre-season testing.
But this year seems different; they genuinely don’t seem to know – so the usual anticipation ahead of the first race of the season is magnified.
Lewis Hamilton said that judging by the data that mattered from winter testing he felt McLaren were “in the top three or four”.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has also bigged up his team’s chances for the 2012 season. Photo: Getty
Meanwhile, a senior engineer from one of the teams who will be contesting what is expected to be a congested midfield battle told me he was pretty sure Red Bull and McLaren were out front but he didn’t know “whether we will be third or seventh”.
Some people’s anticipation is more nervous than others’, though.
For teams such as Mercedes and Lotus, there is a genuine sense that they have done a good job and moved forward over the winter.
In fact there is a growing sense in the paddock that Mercedes may even be able to give McLaren and Red Bull a run for their money, something team principal Ross Brawn was quick to dismiss as “unlikely”.
For others, the desire to discover the true pace of their car is tinged as much with trepidation as anticipation.
Ferrari have had what Fernando Alonso described here on Thursday as a “tough” winter, struggling with “quite a complex car in terms of set-up and understanding it”.
Alonso was doing his best to talk up the team’s chances, saying: “Maybe we didn’t reach our targets but it doesn’t mean that we are slower than the other cars. That we will not know until Saturday.”
Others are keen to play down the importance of this first race of the season.
Vettel said that Australia this weekend and Malaysia next would do no more than demonstrate a “trend” for performance over the season.
And Brawn said he “preferred to look at the first four races and the range of circuits we have and see how that looks”.
But the statistics belie that point of view.
Albert Park might be a unique street circuit, with a dusty, low-grip surface, and the teams may only just be beginning to work with their new cars. But actually it has proven to be a rather good arbiter of the season to come – five of the last six winners of the Australian Grand Prix have gone on to become world champion that year.
Other themes are also emerging this weekend that will have importance to one degree or another as the season develops.
F1 wouldn’t be F1 without a good technical conspiracy and this year looks like being no different.
Already during pre-season testing there have been eyebrows raised at the way some teams are trying to exploit exhaust gases for aerodynamic effect.
This practice was supposed to have been ended by rule changes that have restricted the positioning and angle of the exhaust pipes and put much stricter limits on engine mapping – both an attempt to rid the sport of so-called exhaust-blown diffusers that became such important tools over the previous two seasons.
But this weekend another potential controversy has emerged over the rear wings on several cars, particularly the Mercedes, Red Bull and the Ferrari.
These new devices – that some believe to be on the fringes of legality – seem designed to exploit the DRS overtaking aid in ways not originally intended.
The DRS was designed as a tool to make overtaking less difficult – if a driver is within a one-second margin of a car he is trying to overtake, he can use the DRS in a specified zone on the track to give him a straight-line speed boost.
Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, meanwhile, have what appear to be extra slots on the rear wing that can work in conjunction with the DRS to either increase straight-line speed even further, or allow the teams to run extra downforce with no drag penalty.
The most noticeable feature of the 2012 cars, though, remains the noses – and specifically the ugly ‘platypus’ step on all but the McLaren and Marussia.
This is a result of a rule that has lowered the nose tips of the cars to increase driver safety, but not lowered the top of the chassis.
The result is a grid full of ridiculous and ugly-looking cars, and very few are troubling to hide their frustration at the situation.
“It is unfortunate,” Brawn said, “and the teams should look at themselves and blame themselves.
“[Governing body] the FIA tried to do what they could and a number of teams wouldn’t agree to the changes because they said they wanted to carry over their chassis, which we all know is a load of nonsense because nobody has carried over their chassis.
“We’ve ended up with a very odd feature on the cars which is not very endearing and I’m sure will get fixed for 2013.”
The noses, of course, will soon be forgotten if the season is close and competitive. And that will only begin to become clear as this weekend unfolds.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/new_f1_season_could_prove_unpr.html
Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier
NASCAR penalizes 6 Nationwide Series teams
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/01/2036869/nascar-penalizes-6-nationwide.html
Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger
Martin Whitmarsh: ?There?s a lot of pressure nowadays?
After Sunday’s Bahrain GP Martin Whitmarsh defended the McLaren mechanic who was most closely involved in the two botched pit stops on Lewis Hamilton?s car, and another with Jenson Button in the previous race in China. Whitmarsh stressed that it … Continue reading
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/23/martin-whitmarsh-theres-a-lot-of-pressure-nowadays/
Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood
Journalists shocked at Korea award
 Scarecrows adorn the entrance to a barren Korean International Circuit |
Two leading Formula One journalists have expressed their surprise at Korea being named the best grand prix promoter of the season at the FIA?s annual prize gala in Monaco last Friday. The Korean Grand Prix received the Race Promoters’ Trophy despite the event taking place at an incomplete facility with few race fans in attendance and team members and media staying at disparagingly dubbed ‘love hotels’. “Korea. Korea? KOREA??!! I must have been somewhere else,” said Times correspondent Kevin Eason on Twitter. Daily Mirror journalist Byron Young added, “The Korean GP, complete with event and flight chaos, shoddy hotels and things I won’t mention, won the race promotors? trophy. Why?”
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/12/journalists_shocked_at_korea_a.php
Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis
NASCAR?s Tony Stewart, F1?s Lewis Hamilton to swap cars
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Barring an unforeseen scheduling hiccup, two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will swap race cars in an exhibition later this year, Stewart-Haas Racing spokesman Mike Arning confirmed Saturday. Hamilton Stewart The seat swap comes at the hands of Mobil 1, a mutual sponsor for the two drivers, and is expected to take place at Watkins Glen International sometime during the summer.The cars involved will not be show cars. Related posts:
- Tony Stewart: NASCAR’s clampdown on criticism OK SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Count two-time NASCAR Cup champion Tony Stewart…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/nascars-tony-stewart-f1s-lewis-hamilton-to-swap-cars/
Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey
Tucker Brothers in trouble with The Law
Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd
F1: Alonso: 2011 tyres will hurt top teams
Alonso: 2011 tyres will hurt top teams By Matt Beer Monday, February 28th 2011, 19:07 GMT Fernando Alonso says he is not in favour of the move towards less durable tyres for 2011, as he fears this will end up penalising faster cars. Related posts:
- F1: Teams expect 2011 tyres test in summer Teams expect 2011 tyres test in summer By Jonathan Noble…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-alonso-2011-tyres-will-hurt-top-teams/
Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi
My Dan Wheldon Tribute story…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/NF9MeTElBbE/my-dan-wheldon-tribute-story.html
Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot
Meanwhile in Montreal
Formula 1′s visit to Bahrain was not greatly disrupted by protesters, but there are beginning to be fears that the sport could run into trouble later this summer in Montreal. For the last 11 weeks students in the city have been protesting about the raising of tuition fees and in recent days the action has [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/meanwhile-in-montreal/
Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd
Penske Racing Museum – Inaugural visit
Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch
Shearin? duh Barber: The Sights ?N Sounds of Alabaman Home Cookin? – from Afar…
Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore
Jeff Gordon wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway
Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless streak by taking the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at PhoenixJeff Gordon Ends Drought AVONDALE, Ariz. Related posts:
- Jeff Gordon wins at Phoenix to snap 66-race drought Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless…
- NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon gets new spotter starting at Pocono CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeff Gordon will have a new spotter…
- Jeff Gordon confronts and shoves Jeff Burton after crash in Texas Gordon-Burton Post Sound Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton talk…
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Source: http://doxcar.com/jeff-gordon-wins-the-nascar-sprint-cup-race-at-phoenix-international-raceway/
Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon
'Back Home in Indiana' crooner to miss Indy 500
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/02/2039133/back-home-in-indiana-crooner-to.html
Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore
Group Lotus gets Personal…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/ssqfZDojCms/group-lotus-gets-personal.html
Mário de Araújo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell
Hamilton decision-making under the microscope
| Lewis Hamilton has come in for criticism |
Lewis Hamilton?s decision-making ability has come into question after he crashed into the side of Felipe Massa on lap one, causing his early retirement from the Italian Grand Prix. This incident has raised questions about his temperament and ability to bounce back. Kevin Garside of the Daily Telegraph questions how much we should really be expecting from Hamilton. ?Perhaps this is how it must be with Hamilton, an instinctive racer compelled to chase the impossible through gaps that don?t exist. He took the best part of an hour to compose himself before walking out into the sun to face the cameras. This was Hamilton?s third DNF of the season but the first of his own making. Occasions like this are perhaps reminders to us not to expect too much. ?On the days when Hamilton?s insane alliance of guts, skill and derring-do appear capable of delivering the world it is easy to forget he is only 25, an age when it is all too common for boys to believe themselves men.? Byron Young of the Mirror also pulls no punches about Hamilton?s performance and was heavily critical of the manoeuvre which meant he left the weekend pointless. ?To say that his dive down the outside at Della Roggia chicane was optimistic would be generous. Mystifying, definitely, with so much at stake. So often Hamilton has made them stick but yesterday the outcome was all too predictable.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/hamilton_decisionmaking_under_1.php
Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion
Why Michael Schumacher Could Win The 2011 World Championship
Michael Schumacher?s 2010 comeback was somewhat abortive. The results, the driving standard and the overtakes were well below par for the former champion. He even let his team mate beat him for the first time in his career. So why can Schumacher, the fallen Ferrari hero, win the world championship for an 8th time? It?s [...]
Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger
Michael Schumacher: ?I?m not happy about the situation?
Over the course of his long career Michael Schumacher has rarely strayed into controversy with off-track comments, always preferring to keep his thoughts to himself. However after the Bahrain GP his frustrations came to the surface after what he called … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/23/michael-schumacher-im-not-happy-about-the-situation/
Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard
Tom Cruise drives the Red Bull F1 car
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/08/tom-cruise-drives-the-red-bull-f1-car.html
Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni
Sebastien Loeb wins Rally of Argentina
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/29/2032848/sebastien-loeb-wins-rally-of-argentina.html
Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni
Robert Kubica Hospitalised Following Rally Accident
UPDATE ON KUBICA’s CONDITION: http://wp.me/p3uiu-11K Renault Lotus F1 driver Robert Kubica has been airlifted to hospital following a car accident while competing on a rally. The incident, described as a high speed accident, left the Pole injured and he had to be airlifted to hospital. His co-driver Jakub Gerber was uninjured in the incident. While [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/robert-kubica-hospitalised-following-rally-accident/
Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello
My Dan Wheldon Tribute story…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/NF9MeTElBbE/my-dan-wheldon-tribute-story.html
Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson
Under the Open Wheel Bigtop
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/Oy30VHY21VU/under-open-wheel-bigtop.html
Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard
Life in the pit lane
| The Mercedes pit crew prepare for Michael Schumacher in Singapore |
Away from the world of multi-million-pound car development laboratories and drivers whose small change takes care of the Monte Carlo harbour fees, another drama will play out in Singapore this week. The Independent’s David Tremayne joins F1′s unsung heroes.
These are not select millionaires but up to 16 ordinary, yet gifted, guys; team mechanics who have worked their way up the system and often migrate from team to team, are paid real-world wages of between £30,000 and £50,000 a year, are drilled to perfection ? and whose split-second synchronisation brings their teams huge rewards.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/life_in_the_pit_lane.php
Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini
Rosberg shines after my Shanghai shenanigans
I’ve just achieved a minor miracle here at Shanghai airport – managing to get changed in the tiniest toilet cubicle imaginable before checking in for my flight to Abu Dhabi, and ultimately Bahrain.
The reason it was so tough is that I had my two-weeks-away-from-home suitcase and my laptop bag and I was also trying not to drop my new maroon velvet jacket onto the toilet floor. I wouldn’t want to get such a beautiful piece of clothing soiled now, would I?
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a look at the video below and you can see our ‘Sex and the City’ opener from Sunday’s first live race show of 2012.
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It was a fun morning’s filming actually, the low point being Eddie Jordan’s well-intentioned but rather unconventional offer of breakfast. You see, we filmed most of that opening skit on Friday morning and it required an early start.
I stay with the production team at most races while Eddie and David Coulthard often stay somewhere else (usually with softer beds and more powerful showers).
So at half six on Friday morning, the crew and I set off in the minibus from our hotel near the track and headed for the Shanghai rush-hour: four-lane highways criss-crossing the city, all of them busy, most of them full of stationary traffic.
Eventually we arrived at EJ and DC’s place and they came down to join us. Eddie turned up, dumped his bag and immediately disappeared back into the hotel.
As we were wondering where he was and what he was doing, he returned with a small brown bag and proceeded to dish out a pilfered breakfast.
I am afraid to say I rejected the small piece of brown bread with a single limp rasher of bacon, squished in Eddie’s grip and thrust in my face. But fair play to the crew and DC for accepting his offer.
I also blame our exhaustion for the fact we ended up going down the ‘Sex and the City’ route as it was suggested by Ian the cameraman on the bus as a joke, and suddenly Dave the incredibly creative VT producer had seized on it.
The shoot itself was fun. One of the things I’ve missed in the first two races is the time spent with EJ and DC. There just isn’t the time on a highlights show to transmit long, involved opening pieces and so I relished being back with the guys doing what we enjoy.
It was fantastic to be back in the old routine, prowling the pit-lane hoovering up the stories. I particularly enjoyed showing Ross Brawn the footage of the 1957 Mercedes win in Monza, and sharing with you at home the story of the first pole position for Nico Rosberg’s father Keke.
I think it’s these kinds of things that add depth to our coverage, put the events in perspective, and also inject a human element into such a technical sport.
And what a race it was by Nico in the Mercedes. It was a real shame for team-mate Michael Schumacher, but while he and Jenson Button shared pit-lane problems, and the rest of the field indulged in some classic racing, Nico simply drove the perfect race.
Maybe a late overtake such as Jenson’s in Canada in 2011, or defensive brilliance such as Sebastian Vettel’s in Spain last year is a more exciting way to win a race. But the manner in which Nico did it demonstrated complete dominance by car and driver. That is what the F1 community strive to achieve every week.
I’m not sure what was in DC’s mid-race cuppa, but remarkably on the F1 Forum, he was the one diving in to grab Nico, in true EJ style. Before we know it he’ll be wearing mad shirts and getting members of the Beatles muddled up!
I’m now in the airport and our flight leaves in about 45 minutes so I’d better sign off. Incidentally every time a plane takes off the roof of this place rattles rather violently. I’m hoping it’s just a design issue.
I don’t know what has happened to the rest of our team, but on the bus, nine out of 11 people were fast asleep – so don’t be in any doubt that they’ve been doing their bit for you today.
Before I sign off, a word on Bahrain.
There has been much said about the next grand prix on the 2012 schedule, including significant coverage of the issue across the BBC’s news outlets.
We felt it was important in our show that we put the relevant questions to F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone not just on the decision to race but also the motivation behind it.
Whether it is the right decision to stage the race is not for me to answer. I’ve had many
people ask whether I am happy to go. Of course I have safety concerns personally – but we are journalists. The BBC’s role, as part of a free media, is to chronicle the big stories and events and we take great pride in transmitting the most significant moments in F1 to your living rooms.
Next weekend is arguably one of the most important in the history of F1. All eyes will be on Bahrain so it’s essential we are there too, to accurately and honestly reflect the events both on track and off.
Thanks for tuning in this weekend and for making us the number one trending topic on Twitter in the UK on Sunday morning.
But the real story was Nico Rosberg. After 111 races, the wait is finally over.
See you in the desert.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2012/04/rosberg_shines_after_shanghai.html
Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard
Jeff Gordon wins at Phoenix to snap 66-race drought
Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless streak by taking the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at PhoenixJeff Gordon Ends Drought AVONDALE, Ariz. — Just before peeling off what he called a lame burnout near the finish line, Jeff Gordon screamed into his radio, the emotion pouring out with his voice. [+] Enlarge Jared C. Related posts:
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Source: http://doxcar.com/jeff-gordon-wins-at-phoenix-to-snap-66-race-drought/
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra
Williams begin ?beginning of a rebuilding process?
If Ferrari fans thought that their team had perhaps not lived up its name last season then they should talk to fans of Williams. The team that dominated in the early 90?s winning multiple World Championships managed to score only five points last season. Five. It?s a sad fall from grace and one, that at [...]
Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold
Michael Schumacher: ?I?m not happy about the situation?
Over the course of his long career Michael Schumacher has rarely strayed into controversy with off-track comments, always preferring to keep his thoughts to himself. However after the Bahrain GP his frustrations came to the surface after what he called … Continue reading
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/23/michael-schumacher-im-not-happy-about-the-situation/
Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo
Shearin? duh Barber: The Sights ?N Sounds of Alabaman Home Cookin? – from Afar…
Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen
Live: 2012 IndyCar Sao Paulo Indy 300 | F1 Fanatic Live
Live: 2012 IndyCar Sao Paulo Indy 300 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Join us and follow the Sao Paulo Indy 300 on F1 Fanatic Live..
Live: 2012 IndyCar Sao Paulo Indy 300 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
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Tony Brise Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks Alan Brown
Caution helps Kyle Busch get win
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/28/2031714/kyle-busch-wins-richmond-after.html
Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot
The right race in the wrong place?
Sebastian Vettel gave this already fascinating Formula 1 world championship another huge twist at the Bahrain Grand Prix with his first victory of the season.
What looked for a while like it might turn into a carbon-copy of so many of the Red Bull driver’s wins on his way to the title last year – pole, blitz the start, consolidate lead – turned into a fascinating battle with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn showed all his old skill and consistency as he climbed from 11th place on the grid to take second place. In so doing, Raikkonen finally delivered on the potential of a car that has looked capable of this sort of result since the start of the season and proved he has lost nothing in his two years away in rallying.
The result, and a nightmare race for McLaren, leaves the championship finely poised going into a three-week break before the Spanish Grand Prix, with Vettel leapfrogging from fifth overall to first and only a handful of points covering all the top five.
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All of this, though, has been completely overshadowed by the situation outside the track, and the controversy over F1′s decision to return to Bahrain despite ongoing civil unrest in the Gulf state.
The race has dominated the news agenda over the weekend and, for those involved in the sport, it has not been pretty.
Most people could see the situation F1 has found itself in this weekend coming from miles away, but if the sport’s bosses did, they are doing a good job of hiding it.
Last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled following the violent suppression of protests which were part of the Arab Spring that swept across much of the Middle East.
Troubles have continued, despite promises by the ruling royal family to instigate reform following a critical independent report last November, which detailed human rights abuses, including wrongful arrests and torture. Amnesty International says the situation in Bahrain is “not much different” from a year ago.
Yet F1 chose to return, FIA president Jean Todt and commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone believing the claims of the authorities that the situation was much improved and that they could guarantee security.
It did not take long for that last claim to be exposed. Returning from the track on Wednesday evening, down the main highway into the capital Manama, four Force India mechanics were caught between protestors on one side of the road and riot police on the other.
The protestors were throwing petrol bombs at the police, who were responding with tear gas. Petrol bombs flew over the car, and one landed worryingly close.
The whole incident lasted no more than two or three minutes, but it clearly spooked those involved – and the rest of their team, who subsequently chose to skip second practice on Friday so they could return to their hotels before dark. A decision made despite an intervention by Ecclestone.
Most F1 personnel encountered no trouble. But the unrest continued throughout the weekend, and on Friday night a protestor was killed.
Vettel, who had described the controversy over the race as “hype” when he arrived on Thursday, was forced to think again. “It’s always dreadful when someone dies,” he said after qualifying on pole position.
For all the protestations from Todt and Ecclestone about sport staying apart from politics, the grand prix has become part of the argument in Bahrain.
The protests are not specifically directed at the race, but it is seen as a legitimate target because it is so closely identified with the ruling Sunni royal family, who set it up as a global promotional tool for the country and by extension their regime.
The race organisers – effectively the royal family themselves – have overtly politicised the event by promoting it with posters using the F1 logo in the middle of the slogan “UniF1ed”, in a country that is clearly anything but.
Protests have targeted Formula 1 both inside Bahrain and across the world. Photo: Getty
Ecclestone’s and Todt’s responses to this – that they cannot control how people promote their races (Ecclestone) or that the slogan can be interpreted in lots of ways (Todt) – are debatable at best. Some have called it sophistry.
If F1′s bosses thought they could go to Bahrain, pick up the huge pay cheque for the race, and get out without any damage to their or the sport’s reputation, they have been disabused of that notion in the starkest terms.
On Saturday, Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn – who, behind the scenes, has been one of the senior figures most opposed to holding the Bahrain race – said F1 “with proper judgement of what happened and what we saw needed to come to a conclusion”.
I am told by senior insiders that the many of the sport’s bosses have been staggered by the extent to which the sport’s name has been dragged through the mud this weekend, as well as the focus on it by major global news organisations.
Quite apart from the obvious moral and personal safety issues involved, this is clearly a commercial concern. F1 is selling a dream and an aspiration. But the dream has this weekend become a nightmare – and there has been nothing aspirational about the image the sport has presented to the world.
F1 being what it is, if anything will make them wake up to the potential consequences of racing in Bahrain, that will be it.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/04/the_right_race_in_the_wrong_pl.html
Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa
Should Lotus have used team orders in Bahrain? | Debates and polls
Should Lotus have used team orders in Bahrain? is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Should Lotus have used team orders to help Kimi Raikkonen pass Romain Grosjean in Bahrain?
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/FWVGiquFFCQ/
Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow
Sutil scandal: I suppose I’m witness X
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/05/sutil-scandal-i-suppose-im-witness-x.html
Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral
Fernando Alonso: ?I don?t expect rain for tomorrow??
Fernando Alonso starts the Bahrain GP from ninth place on the grid, but with a free choice of soft or medium tyres for the grid after he didn?t do a flying lap in Q3. The Spaniard had used up all … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/21/fernando-alonso-i-dont-expect-rain-for-tomorrow/
Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan
Massa threatened with jail over team orders
| |
Brazil?s F1 fever may have overstepped the mark after a local prosecutor threatened Felipe Massa with a six-year jail term if he ?defrauds? the sporting public by letting Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso past at Sunday?s grand prix. The story, reported by a local paper and picked up by the Daily Telegraph, is the latest of several anti-Massa reports to emerge from his home country since the team orders controversy at the German Grand Prix earlier this year. The Daily Telegraph’s Tom Cary reckons that Massa simply isn’t living up to his home crowd’s high expectations.
?A public raised on a diet of Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna were simply appalled and saddened in equal measure by Massa?s apparent lack of ambition.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/massa_threatened_with_jail_ove.php
Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo
Massa threatened with jail over team orders
| |
Brazil?s F1 fever may have overstepped the mark after a local prosecutor threatened Felipe Massa with a six-year jail term if he ?defrauds? the sporting public by letting Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso past at Sunday?s grand prix. The story, reported by a local paper and picked up by the Daily Telegraph, is the latest of several anti-Massa reports to emerge from his home country since the team orders controversy at the German Grand Prix earlier this year. The Daily Telegraph’s Tom Cary reckons that Massa simply isn’t living up to his home crowd’s high expectations.
?A public raised on a diet of Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna were simply appalled and saddened in equal measure by Massa?s apparent lack of ambition.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/massa_threatened_with_jail_ove.php
Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi
Should Lotus have used team orders in Bahrain? | Debates and polls
Should Lotus have used team orders in Bahrain? is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Should Lotus have used team orders to help Kimi Raikkonen pass Romain Grosjean in Bahrain?
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Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow
Spring Training 2011: Michael Waltrip, NASCAR team visit Chicago White Sox
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Two days before the green flag drops on the Cactus League schedule, NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip brought his racing team into the Chicago White Sox clubhouse.The former Daytona 500 winner, in town this weekend for Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup races, found there was plenty of NASCAR love emanating from the room. ESPNChicago.com White Sox blog The latest news and notes on the White Sox. Related posts:
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Source: http://doxcar.com/spring-training-2011-michael-waltrip-nascar-team-visit-chicago-white-sox/
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Button doubts benefit of Mugello test | F1 Fanatic round-up
Button doubts benefit of Mugello test is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
In the round-up: Jenson Button says McLaren won’t have “massive updates” for the Mugello test.
Button doubts benefit of Mugello test is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
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Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison
Doctors use Formula One pit crews as safety model
American Medical News reports hospitals in at least a dozen countries are learning how to translate the split-second timing and near-perfect synchronisation of Formula One pit crews to the high-risk handoffs of patients from surgery to recovery and intensive care.
“In Formula One, they have checklists, databases, and they have well-defined processes for doing things, and we don’t really have any of those things in health care.”
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/doctors_use_formula_one_pit_cr.php
Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise
Jeff Gordon wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway
Jeff Gordon Ends Drought Jeff Gordon snaps 66-race winless streak by taking the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at PhoenixJeff Gordon Ends Drought AVONDALE, Ariz. Related posts:
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Source: http://doxcar.com/jeff-gordon-wins-the-nascar-sprint-cup-race-at-phoenix-international-raceway/
Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes
Eleven Days in thy Wilderness…
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Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol
2012 Formula 1 season ? Time to get in the mood!
The 2012 Formula 1 season gets underway this month and here are some videos to get you in the mood. While you are here, why not check out which drivers are under pressure in 2012? Enjoy these videos! More to come! [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog [...]
Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella
Martin Whitmarsh: ?There?s a lot of pressure nowadays?
After Sunday’s Bahrain GP Martin Whitmarsh defended the McLaren mechanic who was most closely involved in the two botched pit stops on Lewis Hamilton?s car, and another with Jenson Button in the previous race in China. Whitmarsh stressed that it … Continue reading
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/23/martin-whitmarsh-theres-a-lot-of-pressure-nowadays/
Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
Under the Open Wheel Bigtop
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/Oy30VHY21VU/under-open-wheel-bigtop.html
Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick
Sebastian Vettel: ?We?ve got a very good result today?
Sebastian Vettel put his season back on track by taking his first pole after a strong performance in Bahrain saw him trounce Lewis Hamilton. Vettel has however used two sets of prime tyres when others have used one, and that … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/21/sebastian-vettel-weve-got-a-very-good-result-today/
Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger
Houston returns to IndyCar fold…
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Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner
F1 2011 Launch Catch Up ? McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Renault?
Catching up on the launches in one mega post. Here in you’ll find quick interviews with senior members of the team and photos from the Red Bull, Sauber, Renault Lotus, Toro Rosso, Mercedes and McLaren launches. Apologies for being somewhat late, the whole blog isn’t running at full power until the season starts again. Red [...]
George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader
Alonso sets the standard
Fernando Alonso’s face as he stood on the top step of the podium said it all – a mixture of extreme satisfaction, delight and disbelief.
“Incredible, incredible,” he said in Spanish in his television interviews immediately afterwards, and that seemed as good a summing up as any of one of the most remarkable and thrilling grands prix for some time.
Alonso’s victory was the 28th of his career and it moved him ahead of Sir Jackie Stewart in the all-time list of winners – he is now behind only Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, whose 31 wins are his next target.
The Ferrari team leader’s presence in such celebrated company is a reminder, as if one was needed, of what a great grand prix driver Alonso is and it was appropriate that his drive on Sunday was one that befitted such a landmark.
Alonso moved up to fifth on the all-time victories list with his win in Malaysia. Photo: Getty
Arguably not the greatest qualifier, Alonso has produced some stunning races in his career, and the one in Malaysia on Sunday ranks up there with the very best.
The Ferrari in its current form has no business whatsoever being able to win a race. In normal, dry conditions, it is way off the pace of the McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Lotus, and almost certainly slower also than the Williams and the Sauber.
And yet there was Alonso, up in fifth place from eighth on the grid by the end of lap one, challenging world champion Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull, which he moved ahead of thanks to stopping one lap earlier for wet tyres in the downpour that led to the race being stopped on lap six.
What won him the race, though, were the laps after the re-start.
He emerged in the lead on lap 16, helped by McLaren having to hold Lewis Hamilton in the pits as Felipe Massa came past.
After everyone had stopped for intermediate tyres, Alonso was 2.4 seconds ahead of Sauber’s Sergio Perez – of whose stunning performance more later – and 6.2secs ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren.
At that point, most would have expected Hamilton – one of the greatest wet-weather drivers in history – to close in on the two cars ahead of him. Instead, Alonso pulled away from Perez, who himself pulled away from Hamilton.
This was, as BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard said, “Alonso at his brilliant best”, as he built an eight-second lead over Perez in 12 laps.
Alonso is such a benchmark, so peerless, so utterly relentless and unforgiving when he senses a sniff of a win, that it seemed impossible at that stage that he would not win the race.
But then Perez began to come back at him – showing the differing characteristics of the two cars that have been apparent since the start of pre-season testing. The Ferrari is hard on its tyres and the Sauber is the opposite.
Closer and closer Perez got, first by fractions, then by full seconds until by lap 40 he appeared to have Alonso at his mercy.
Stopping a lap earlier than Perez for ‘slick’ dry-weather tyres put his lead back up to seven seconds, but on these the Sauber was even more superior.
Perez was within a second of Alonso by lap 48 – with eight to go – and what would have been a fully deserved victory by a man who from the beginning of his career last year has looked destined for great things seemed inevitable.
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F1 being what it is, a lot may well be made of the radio call that Perez received at about this point. “Checo, be careful, we need this position,” he was told by his team, who use Ferrari engines. Was this simply a team that is known to be struggling for finance sensibly warning an excited young driver to make sure he didn’t bin it when a valuable podium place was up for grabs? Or was it, as some will surmise, team orders in disguise, an order not to try to deprive the company on whose largesse they have depended in many more seasons than this one of a much-needed win? If it was a team order, Perez didn’t seem to pay any attention – he continued to push hard until he made that fateful error. And team principal Monisha Kaltenborn dismissed any thoughts of a conspiracy.
“What we meant was get the car home,” she said. “It was important to us to get the result – there was nothing else to it. There was no instruction.”
Either of them would have been a deserving winner after two superlative drives – and there were other noteworthy performances down the field, too.
Bruno Senna showed something of his famous uncle’s wet-weather skills with his climb up from last place at the restart to finish an impressive sixth.
And Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who narrowly missed out on a point on his debut last weekend in Australia, delivered in spades with a sure-footed drive in the treacherous conditions at Sepang.
The Frenchman was the only driver to stick with intermediate tyres in the early downpour, and he continued to perform impressively on his way to eighth place, just behind last year’s rookie of the year Paul di Resta, who also looked good.
Senna, Vergne and most of all Perez clearly have bright futures ahead of them.
But ahead of them all was the man whose consistent excellence over a 10-year career not only they but everyone else in F1 has to aspire to.
“Great race for Alonso, top job, and also Perez,” Jenson Button said on Sunday evening in Malaysia. You can say that again.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/alonso_sets_the_standard.html
Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg
Tony Stewart wins Denny Hamlin's charity race
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/26/2027779/tony-stewart-wins-denny-hamlins.html
Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen
The Lotus Saga: Chocolate bunnies, rainbows ?N sprinkles or Rotten eggs?
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra
Schumacher: Time to call it quits
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/08/schumacher-time-to-call-it-quits.html
Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen
Johnson tops on Forbes' "Most Influential Athletes" list
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/24/2022030/johnson-tops-on-forbes-most-influential.html
Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh
This Week in Auto Racing April 27 – 29
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/26/2026881/this-week-in-auto-racing-april.html
Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore
F1: South American squabble?
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Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo
Vergne denies Toro Rosso seat is audition for Red Bull | F1 Fanatic round-up
Vergne denies Toro Rosso seat is audition for Red Bull is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
In the round-up: Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne says he is not in a “fight” with team mate Daniel Ricciardo for a Red Bull seat in 2013.
Vergne denies Toro Rosso seat is audition for Red Bull is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
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Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier
Rosberg?s China win rated fifth-best race of last five years | Rate the race result
Rosberg’s China win rated fifth-best race of last five years is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
The Chinese Grand Prix was rated the fifth-best race since the beginning of 2008 by F1 Fanatic readers.
Rosberg’s China win rated fifth-best race of last five years is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
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George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson Conny Andersson
Street Party in Bahrain continues
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/qbyTsMcvDrw/street-party-in-bahrain-continues.html
Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion
Drivers’ meeting ‘promises to be very interesting’
Oh to be a fly on the wall at the drivers’ briefing ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix next month.
The controversial decision not to penalise either Nico Rosberg for his aggressive defence against Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at the Bahrain Grand Prix or Hamilton for overtaking by going off the track has led to considerable debate within Formula 1.
So much so, that Alonso, a man who weighs his words carefully, has decided to speak out about it. After learning of the ruling, the Ferrari driver said to his 400,000-plus Twitter followers: “I think you are going to have fun in future races! You can defend position as you want and you can overtake outside the track! Enjoy!”
Nico Rosberg (left) and Lewis Hamilton may have differing views at the drivers’ meeting. Photo: Getty
Alonso had earlier said of Rosberg’s driving: “If instead of such a wide run-off area there had been a wall, I’m not sure I’d be here to talk about it.”
On the face of it, and at first glance, the stewards’ decision does appear difficult to understand.
With both Hamilton on lap 10 and Alonso on lap 24, Rosberg veered dramatically to the inside – and, unusually, right across to the white line that demarcates the edge of the circuit.
Both Hamilton and Alonso went off the track in avoidance, to varying degrees. Whereas Hamilton kept going and succeeded in passing the Mercedes, Alonso backed off and tried for the outside line, but had lost too much momentum to pull a move off.
Article 20.4 of the sporting regulations says: “Manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers, such as deliberate crowding of a car beyond the edge of the track or any other abnormal change of direction, are not permitted.”
So why was Rosberg not penalised?
The stewards said his defence was legitimate because although it was Rosberg who started to deviate from his line first, he did so in a “constant and continuous straight-line manner” and neither Hamilton nor Alonso had “a significant portion of their car… alongside” Rosberg’s.
In other words, because Rosberg moved first, he was always clearly in front and it was therefore effectively the other driver’s decision to keep moving to the inside to the point that he was off the track.
In Hamilton’s case, if you watch the TV footage back, you can clearly see this is the case.
It is less obviously so with Alonso – and the stewards had to use the footage from the Ferrari’s onboard camera before they came to a conclusion.
I have not seen the footage, but I’m told it showed again that a) Rosberg moved first; and b) at no point was “a significant portion” of Alonso’s car alongside the Mercedes.
During the race, viewers heard Alonso say over his team radio: “He pushed me off the track. You have to leave a space. All the time you have to leave a space.”
This, though, is not actually what the regulations say.
A new rule, article 20.3, was introduced this year to formally enshrine that “any driver moving back towards the racing line, having earlier defended his position off line, should leave at least one car width between his own car and the edge of the track on the approach to a corner”.
But this only applies when he is making a second move – there is nothing in the rules to stop drivers going right to the edge of the track in their first defensive move.
In other words, you might think – as Alonso did – that Rosberg’s driving was unfair, overly aggressive, even dangerous, but the rules contain nothing the stewards could use to penalise him.
There is no obligation, I’m told by a senior figure, to leave room for a rival, unless he is partially alongside. The question then becomes, how far alongside does a driver have to be before the man he is overtaking has to leave him room with his first move?
That’s where it starts to get awkward.
“It’s no different,” a senior insider says, “to a conventional overtaking manoeuvre when one driver dives down the inside, gets halfway alongside and they collide. One guy says: ‘You should have given me room.’ The other says: ‘You weren’t far enough alongside.’ Often drivers’ perception of a situation differs from the reality.”
The stewards have to use their judgement, including factors such as speed differential between the cars, when a driver moved, how many moves he made, and so on.
Back, though, to what the rules do say. Article 20.2 says drivers “must use the track at all times”. This is why Rosberg said over his team radio: “Hamilton passed me off the track.”
Which Hamilton clearly did. So why was he not penalised?
The stewards, I’m told, asked: “What advantage did Hamilton gain by going off the track?” And they concluded that if he had gone to the outside, he was carrying so much momentum he would have passed anyway.
The most obvious of several counter-points to that is: “Yes, but Hamilton did go off the track when you have established he didn’t need to, and he did pass him by doing so, so he should be penalised.”
At least two leading drivers share this view, I’m told. But you have to bear in mind that Hamilton is not the most popular driver on the grid and his rivals are “always looking for ways to nail him”, as one source put it on Monday.
The problem arose in the first place because concrete run-offs surround the circuit in Bahrain. Drivers can use these with impunity, safe in the knowledge that if they are forced off the track they are not going to spin on wet grass or hit a wall.
Had there been grass there, Hamilton would not have been able to pull off the same move (another argument for a penalty being applied) and Alonso might have backed off sooner.
Equally, had there been grass there – or even a wall – Rosberg might well have given them both a bit more room.
The stewards weighed it all up and felt that, in this instance, penalising Hamilton would have been overly harsh.
The result is some drivers believe Hamilton should have been penalised, some believe Rosberg should have been, and Alonso is saying the stewards’ ruling gives drivers carte blanche to overtake off the track or crowd their rivals as much as they like.
Which is why that drivers’ meeting in Barcelona promises to be so interesting.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/04/unanswered_questions_for_rosbe.html
Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari
Vettel collision: A champion under pressure?
Sebastian Vettel’s behaviour during and after the Malaysian Grand Prix has been causing a bit of a fuss in Germany over the past few days.
The media have lapped up his response to his collision with backmarker Narain Karthikeyan, in much the same way as their British counterparts would have done with a similar incident involving Lewis Hamilton, and Vettel has come in for a fair bit of criticism.
On the BBC after the race, Vettel called Karthikeyan an “idiot” for his role in the collision that cost the world champion fourth place.
Speaking in German, the word he chose was “cucumber” – a common insult in that country for bad drivers on the road.
Vettel faces increased competition from outside and inside his Red Bull Team. Photo: Getty/AFP
It has also been pointed out that shots from Vettel’s onboard camera appear to show the 24-year-old Red Bull driver giving Karthikeyan a middle-finger salute as he drives past. This has led some to call for him to be punished by governing body the FIA, which so far is keeping a low profile on the matter.
Comparisons have been drawn with McLaren’s Jenson Button – who also failed to score any points in Malaysia, but who reacted with his usual calm.
Vettel, some in Germany have said, doesn’t know how to lose.
They point out that last year he won 11 races on his way to one of the most dominant championship victories in Formula 1 history. Failing to win four races in a row in that context, the critics say, should not elicit this kind of reaction.
Vettel has not spoken in public since leaving Malaysia, and Red Bull are shrugging it off.
After the race on Sunday, team principal Christian Horner defended Vettel’s driving in the collision with Karthikeyan, saying that it was the Indian’s “responsibility to get out of the way of the leaders as he is a lapped car”.
Although the stewards penalised Karthikeyan for the incident, others are not sure it’s quite so clear-cut.
One leading F1 figure told me: “It was completely Vettel’s fault – he needed to give Karthikeyan more space. He only had to clear the last inch and he cut across the front of him. He was showing a bit of frustration and it bit him.”
Certainly Vettel has found himself at the start of 2012 in a situation with which he is not familiar.
Vettel has had the fastest car in F1 since at least the middle of 2009, and he has used it to good effect.
But now things are different. Red Bull’s new car is not a match for the McLaren, and it has also been behind one Mercedes and one Lotus on the grid in each of the first two races.
For a man who is as driven to win – to dominate even – as Vettel is, that will not be a comfortable situation.
Nor will it have escaped his attention that team-mate Mark Webber has so far out-qualified him in both races this year – again, quite a turnaround from 2011, when the Australian managed it only three times in 19 grands prix.
It is early days, but so far the comparison between the two Red Bull drivers looks much more like it was in the first part of 2010 – before the team started fully exploiting the exhaust-blown diffusers that dominated the last 18 months and which have been banned for this season.
Webber was never that comfortable in last season’s Red Bull – and while he came to match Vettel on race pace in the second half of last season, he never really got on terms with him in qualifying.
Much of that was to do with the behaviour of the car on corner entry, where the exhaust-blown diffusers were so powerful in increasing performance.
Red Bull’s decline has also coincided with the stiffening of the front-wing load test, an attempt to stop teams allowing the ends of the wing to droop towards the track at speed to increase downforce. Red Bull were noticeably better at doing this than the other teams.
It may be an unrelated coincidence, but this year’s Red Bull suffers from understeer, a lack of front-end grip – a handling characteristic Webber is comfortable with, while Vettel prefers oversteer.
This is not the first time Vettel has been criticised for letting his emotion get the better of him when things are not going his way.
There was the infamous ‘nutter’ sign he directed at Webber following their collision in the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix.
There were also mistakes in Britain, Belgium and Singapore that year as he very nearly gifted the world title to Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, who lost it only after a strategic error in the final race.
Such was Vettel’s domination in 2011 that it never arose- leading some to say he had reached a new level of maturity both in and out of the car.
The truth of that claim looks set to be tested this year, as Red Bull and Vettel struggle to regain a position that the driver at least seems to consider is rightfully his.
Meanwhile, his rivals will have been watching with interest.
Webber, Alonso, Button and Hamilton remember Vettel’s behaviour in 2010 all too well.
Betraying his emotions in such an obvious way will be seen by them as a weakness – they will look at it and think he is rattled.
So it is true to say on the one hand that Vettel’s reaction proves he is a winner.
But it is also the case that learning how to lose gracefully – as Button and Alonso, particularly, have learnt in recent years – has its benefits as well.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/vettel_collision_a_champion_un.html
Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth
Williams take a step forward with improved compact gearbox | F1 technology
Williams take a step forward with improved compact gearbox is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
John Beamer explains how Williams have refined the radical gearbox they developed last year – and produced a more competitive car.
Williams take a step forward with improved compact gearbox is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
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Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu
Robert Kubica Hospitalised Following Rally Accident
UPDATE ON KUBICA’s CONDITION: http://wp.me/p3uiu-11K Renault Lotus F1 driver Robert Kubica has been airlifted to hospital following a car accident while competing on a rally. The incident, described as a high speed accident, left the Pole injured and he had to be airlifted to hospital. His co-driver Jakub Gerber was uninjured in the incident. While [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/robert-kubica-hospitalised-following-rally-accident/
Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral Frank Armi
HRT to miss Mugello test | 2012 F1 testing
HRT to miss Mugello test is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
HRT have announced they will not participate in the three-day test at Mugello next week.
HRT to miss Mugello test is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
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Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion
Alonso sets the standard
Fernando Alonso’s face as he stood on the top step of the podium said it all – a mixture of extreme satisfaction, delight and disbelief.
“Incredible, incredible,” he said in Spanish in his television interviews immediately afterwards, and that seemed as good a summing up as any of one of the most remarkable and thrilling grands prix for some time.
Alonso’s victory was the 28th of his career and it moved him ahead of Sir Jackie Stewart in the all-time list of winners – he is now behind only Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, whose 31 wins are his next target.
The Ferrari team leader’s presence in such celebrated company is a reminder, as if one was needed, of what a great grand prix driver Alonso is and it was appropriate that his drive on Sunday was one that befitted such a landmark.
Alonso moved up to fifth on the all-time victories list with his win in Malaysia. Photo: Getty
Arguably not the greatest qualifier, Alonso has produced some stunning races in his career, and the one in Malaysia on Sunday ranks up there with the very best.
The Ferrari in its current form has no business whatsoever being able to win a race. In normal, dry conditions, it is way off the pace of the McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Lotus, and almost certainly slower also than the Williams and the Sauber.
And yet there was Alonso, up in fifth place from eighth on the grid by the end of lap one, challenging world champion Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull, which he moved ahead of thanks to stopping one lap earlier for wet tyres in the downpour that led to the race being stopped on lap six.
What won him the race, though, were the laps after the re-start.
He emerged in the lead on lap 16, helped by McLaren having to hold Lewis Hamilton in the pits as Felipe Massa came past.
After everyone had stopped for intermediate tyres, Alonso was 2.4 seconds ahead of Sauber’s Sergio Perez – of whose stunning performance more later – and 6.2secs ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren.
At that point, most would have expected Hamilton – one of the greatest wet-weather drivers in history – to close in on the two cars ahead of him. Instead, Alonso pulled away from Perez, who himself pulled away from Hamilton.
This was, as BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard said, “Alonso at his brilliant best”, as he built an eight-second lead over Perez in 12 laps.
Alonso is such a benchmark, so peerless, so utterly relentless and unforgiving when he senses a sniff of a win, that it seemed impossible at that stage that he would not win the race.
But then Perez began to come back at him – showing the differing characteristics of the two cars that have been apparent since the start of pre-season testing. The Ferrari is hard on its tyres and the Sauber is the opposite.
Closer and closer Perez got, first by fractions, then by full seconds until by lap 40 he appeared to have Alonso at his mercy.
Stopping a lap earlier than Perez for ‘slick’ dry-weather tyres put his lead back up to seven seconds, but on these the Sauber was even more superior.
Perez was within a second of Alonso by lap 48 – with eight to go – and what would have been a fully deserved victory by a man who from the beginning of his career last year has looked destined for great things seemed inevitable.
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F1 being what it is, a lot may well be made of the radio call that Perez received at about this point. “Checo, be careful, we need this position,” he was told by his team, who use Ferrari engines. Was this simply a team that is known to be struggling for finance sensibly warning an excited young driver to make sure he didn’t bin it when a valuable podium place was up for grabs? Or was it, as some will surmise, team orders in disguise, an order not to try to deprive the company on whose largesse they have depended in many more seasons than this one of a much-needed win? If it was a team order, Perez didn’t seem to pay any attention – he continued to push hard until he made that fateful error. And team principal Monisha Kaltenborn dismissed any thoughts of a conspiracy.
“What we meant was get the car home,” she said. “It was important to us to get the result – there was nothing else to it. There was no instruction.”
Either of them would have been a deserving winner after two superlative drives – and there were other noteworthy performances down the field, too.
Bruno Senna showed something of his famous uncle’s wet-weather skills with his climb up from last place at the restart to finish an impressive sixth.
And Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who narrowly missed out on a point on his debut last weekend in Australia, delivered in spades with a sure-footed drive in the treacherous conditions at Sepang.
The Frenchman was the only driver to stick with intermediate tyres in the early downpour, and he continued to perform impressively on his way to eighth place, just behind last year’s rookie of the year Paul di Resta, who also looked good.
Senna, Vergne and most of all Perez clearly have bright futures ahead of them.
But ahead of them all was the man whose consistent excellence over a 10-year career not only they but everyone else in F1 has to aspire to.
“Great race for Alonso, top job, and also Perez,” Jenson Button said on Sunday evening in Malaysia. You can say that again.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/alonso_sets_the_standard.html
George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader
Tensions in Bahrain continue ratcheting UP whilst Bernie backtracks…
Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore
NASCAR?s Tony Stewart, F1?s Lewis Hamilton to swap cars
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Barring an unforeseen scheduling hiccup, two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will swap race cars in an exhibition later this year, Stewart-Haas Racing spokesman Mike Arning confirmed Saturday. Hamilton Stewart The seat swap comes at the hands of Mobil 1, a mutual sponsor for the two drivers, and is expected to take place at Watkins Glen International sometime during the summer.The cars involved will not be show cars. Related posts:
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Source: http://doxcar.com/nascars-tony-stewart-f1s-lewis-hamilton-to-swap-cars/
Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari
KV Racing to run Fourth chassis at Indy…
George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson Conny Andersson
Tom Cruise drives the Red Bull F1 car
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/08/tom-cruise-drives-the-red-bull-f1-car.html
Bob Anderson Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews
Team Lotus Launch Their 2011 Machine The T128
Team Lotus (the one who raced last year) have become the second team to officially pull the covers off their new 2011 car. The green and yellow liveried machine will start be raced by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen this season under the name of Team Lotus as the management’s row with Group Lotus, now [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/team-lotus-launch-their-2011-machine-the-t128/
Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian
Q2: Lewis moves ahead
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the Q2 session in Bahrain on Saturday, ahead of Nico Rosberg, Romain Grosjean, Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. All six were covered by just two-tenths of a second. The top 10 was completed by Paul Di Resta, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez. Knock out [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/q2-lewis-moves-ahead/
Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza
Vettel collision: A champion under pressure?
Sebastian Vettel’s behaviour during and after the Malaysian Grand Prix has been causing a bit of a fuss in Germany over the past few days.
The media have lapped up his response to his collision with backmarker Narain Karthikeyan, in much the same way as their British counterparts would have done with a similar incident involving Lewis Hamilton, and Vettel has come in for a fair bit of criticism.
On the BBC after the race, Vettel called Karthikeyan an “idiot” for his role in the collision that cost the world champion fourth place.
Speaking in German, the word he chose was “cucumber” – a common insult in that country for bad drivers on the road.
Vettel faces increased competition from outside and inside his Red Bull Team. Photo: Getty/AFP
It has also been pointed out that shots from Vettel’s onboard camera appear to show the 24-year-old Red Bull driver giving Karthikeyan a middle-finger salute as he drives past. This has led some to call for him to be punished by governing body the FIA, which so far is keeping a low profile on the matter.
Comparisons have been drawn with McLaren’s Jenson Button – who also failed to score any points in Malaysia, but who reacted with his usual calm.
Vettel, some in Germany have said, doesn’t know how to lose.
They point out that last year he won 11 races on his way to one of the most dominant championship victories in Formula 1 history. Failing to win four races in a row in that context, the critics say, should not elicit this kind of reaction.
Vettel has not spoken in public since leaving Malaysia, and Red Bull are shrugging it off.
After the race on Sunday, team principal Christian Horner defended Vettel’s driving in the collision with Karthikeyan, saying that it was the Indian’s “responsibility to get out of the way of the leaders as he is a lapped car”.
Although the stewards penalised Karthikeyan for the incident, others are not sure it’s quite so clear-cut.
One leading F1 figure told me: “It was completely Vettel’s fault – he needed to give Karthikeyan more space. He only had to clear the last inch and he cut across the front of him. He was showing a bit of frustration and it bit him.”
Certainly Vettel has found himself at the start of 2012 in a situation with which he is not familiar.
Vettel has had the fastest car in F1 since at least the middle of 2009, and he has used it to good effect.
But now things are different. Red Bull’s new car is not a match for the McLaren, and it has also been behind one Mercedes and one Lotus on the grid in each of the first two races.
For a man who is as driven to win – to dominate even – as Vettel is, that will not be a comfortable situation.
Nor will it have escaped his attention that team-mate Mark Webber has so far out-qualified him in both races this year – again, quite a turnaround from 2011, when the Australian managed it only three times in 19 grands prix.
It is early days, but so far the comparison between the two Red Bull drivers looks much more like it was in the first part of 2010 – before the team started fully exploiting the exhaust-blown diffusers that dominated the last 18 months and which have been banned for this season.
Webber was never that comfortable in last season’s Red Bull – and while he came to match Vettel on race pace in the second half of last season, he never really got on terms with him in qualifying.
Much of that was to do with the behaviour of the car on corner entry, where the exhaust-blown diffusers were so powerful in increasing performance.
Red Bull’s decline has also coincided with the stiffening of the front-wing load test, an attempt to stop teams allowing the ends of the wing to droop towards the track at speed to increase downforce. Red Bull were noticeably better at doing this than the other teams.
It may be an unrelated coincidence, but this year’s Red Bull suffers from understeer, a lack of front-end grip – a handling characteristic Webber is comfortable with, while Vettel prefers oversteer.
This is not the first time Vettel has been criticised for letting his emotion get the better of him when things are not going his way.
There was the infamous ‘nutter’ sign he directed at Webber following their collision in the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix.
There were also mistakes in Britain, Belgium and Singapore that year as he very nearly gifted the world title to Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, who lost it only after a strategic error in the final race.
Such was Vettel’s domination in 2011 that it never arose- leading some to say he had reached a new level of maturity both in and out of the car.
The truth of that claim looks set to be tested this year, as Red Bull and Vettel struggle to regain a position that the driver at least seems to consider is rightfully his.
Meanwhile, his rivals will have been watching with interest.
Webber, Alonso, Button and Hamilton remember Vettel’s behaviour in 2010 all too well.
Betraying his emotions in such an obvious way will be seen by them as a weakness – they will look at it and think he is rattled.
So it is true to say on the one hand that Vettel’s reaction proves he is a winner.
But it is also the case that learning how to lose gracefully – as Button and Alonso, particularly, have learnt in recent years – has its benefits as well.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/vettel_collision_a_champion_un.html
Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi
Vote for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix driver of the weekend | 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix
Vote for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix driver of the weekend is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Compare all the drivers’ performances and vote for who you think was the best driver of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
Vote for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix driver of the weekend is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
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Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff
Sebastian Vettel: ?We?ve got a very good result today?
Sebastian Vettel put his season back on track by taking his first pole after a strong performance in Bahrain saw him trounce Lewis Hamilton. Vettel has however used two sets of prime tyres when others have used one, and that … Continue reading
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/21/sebastian-vettel-weve-got-a-very-good-result-today/
Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi
Tensions in Bahrain continue ratcheting UP whilst Bernie backtracks…
Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner
Who remembers the 1988 Australian Grand Prix?
We are not too far away from the 2012 Australian Grand Prix and everyone is rightly excited. You can check out the drivers that need to deliver in 2012 right here. However, we are going to be building up to Melbourne with a series of videos from races gone by. To begin with, do you [...]
Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick
Sebastian Vettel: ?I owe this one to the team??
Sebastian Vettel’s Bahrain victory didn’t come as easy as some of his past successes as the German had to overcome a strong challenge from the Lotus Kimi Raikkonen. In the end the final tyre changes proved crucial, as RBR pulled … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/22/sebastian-vettel-i-owe-this-one-to-the-team/
Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen
Paar Scratches from Team Willy
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/-BREtItcqCA/paar-scratches-from-team-willy.html
Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff
Rosberg answers critics in emphatic style
Nico Rosberg looks every inch the archetypal image of a grand prix driver – blonde, good looking, perfect smile, the lot. And in Shanghai on Sunday, at the 111th attempt, he finally delivered the most important part of the package – the perfect win.
It has been a long time coming.
This is the 26-year-old German’s seventh season of F1 and while Lewis Hamilton, who was his team-mate when they were teenage karters 12 years ago, was a winner almost from the start of his Formula 1 career, Rosberg’s route to the top step of the podium has been somewhat more torturous.
So torturous, in fact, that there have been times when some wondered whether he would ever follow his father Keke in becoming a race winner.
Nico Rosberg’s dominant victory in China ensured he has become the first son of a living grand prix winner to follow in his father’s footsteps – and only the third ever. The fathers of Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve were killed when their son were children.
Keke Rosberg also had to wait a long time to stand on the top step of the podium – his first victory came in his fifth season.
Like Nico, that was Keke’s first year in a competitive car, and he ended it as world champion. It seems unlikely at this stage that Nico will follow his father in that sense, too, but after such a dominant win it certainly cannot be completely ruled out.
Nico Rosberg led from pole position to score Mercedes’ first victory since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. Photo: Getty
Watching Rosberg’s assured driving as he drove away from team-mate Michael Schumacher in the early laps, and then proceeded to control the race, it seems strange to think that there have long been questions about his ultimate standing as a true world-class grand prix driver. But there have, and to some extent they remain still.
There is no doubt about the calibre of Rosberg’s win on Sunday, but it remains difficult to be absolutely sure of his ultimate potential.
He is clearly very fast – but just how fast is not completely clear. Likewise, it remains to be seen whether he possesses all the other qualities that make up a great grand prix driver.
So far, for example, he has appeared to be the sort of driver who will deliver to the potential of his car – but not one who is able to transcend it occasionally, in the manner of Hamilton or Fernando Alonso.
In his debut year, he was generally marginally out-paced by Mark Webber, his team-mate at Williams at the time. And for the rest of Rosberg’s career there before joining Mercedes in 2010 he was partnered with journeymen drivers and in uncompetitive cars.
Rosberg has dominated his Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher in qualifying since then, but it is clear to most that the seven-time champion is not the same driver he was before he retired in 2006 and spent three years on the sidelines. And until Sunday, Schumacher had generally matched Rosberg for race pace since last season.
The improved performance of Mercedes this year will finally give Rosberg the chance to go wheel-to-wheel with the top drivers on a consistent basis for the first time, so a clearer picture may well emerge.
A first win, especially one so impressive, will do wonders for his confidence, although he has never lacked for that.
Rosberg is a highly intelligent man, who was planning on a degree in engineering had he not become a Formula 1 driver. He is an individual character, and can be a prickly interviewee.
It may be that will change now he will no longer be faced with endless questions about whether he believes he can be a winner.
He could not have answered them in more emphatic style.
If Schumacher had thought Rosberg’s 0.5 seconds a lap advantage in qualifying was a one-off based on a unique set of circumstances, he was soon disabused of that belief in the race as the younger German sprinted off into the distance, building a five-second lead in the first 10 laps.
That margin was the foundation for his win, but it was not as if Rosberg then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging on in front of faster cars.
After the first pit stops, Jenson Button was up into a de facto second place and in clear air, but Rosberg continued to pull away, although he was on the faster tyre. Button came back at him before the McLaren driver made his second stop, but only marginally.
Had the mechanic fitting Button’s left rear tyre not suffered a problem with a cross-threaded wheel nut at his final stop, the Englishman would have rejoined about 14 seconds behind Rosberg with 19 laps to go.
Button’s pace on the slower tyre suggests that he would have closed on Rosberg at that stage, but whether it would have been quickly enough is a moot point.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh admitted: “I think it would have been very difficult to beat him.”
Where have a team who have gone backwards in the first two races found that pace from? Both Rosberg and Mercedes sports boss Norbert Haug had a simple explanation – set-up changes allowing better use of the tyres.
They had used them too much in the first race in Australia and not worked them enough in the second in Malaysia. Here in Shanghai they found a middle way.
Behind Rosberg was a fantastic scrap for second place, what Haug described as “one of the best races I have ever seen”.
Recounting the story of Red Bull’s race from ninth and 14th places on the first lap to fourth and fifth at the flag, team boss Christian Horner said he sounded “like a horse racing commentator”.
The championship is clearly going to be very close and it is setting up what look set to be a superb season.
“We’ve had three very different races,” Whitmarsh said, “and I think this is going to be a season where potentially we have 20 very different races.
“It’s fascinating, really. I enjoy it and I’m sure people watching it enjoy it. Who’s going to predict who’s going to win in Bahrain?”
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/04/rosberg_answers_critics_in_emp.html
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Money talks. Live with it.
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/07/money-talks-live-with-it.html
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Formula 1 rewind?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/O_Z1ZqGZQ3c/formula-1-rewind.html
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Webber on the verge of walking?
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/07/webber-on-the-verge-of-walking.html
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Four teams win first four races for first time in 29 years | 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix stats and facts
Four teams win first four races for first time in 29 years is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Red Bull became the fourth different team to win in as many races at the start of the year, which hasn’t happened since 1983.
Four teams win first four races for first time in 29 years is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/mXSKsbzDVVk/
Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia
What went wrong for the back of the grid?
It was another frustrating season at the back of the grid for F1?s relative new boys. Lotus, HRT and Virgin all in their sophomore seasons in Formula One all failed, again, to score points in 2011. So what went wrong last season and what does 2012 have in store. Lotus They?ve arguably been the best [...]
Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti
Johnson gets wild during qualifying at Kansas
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/21/2016408/johnson-gets-wild-during-qualifying.html
Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch
Five hours 15 minutes after the race ? an 89 page e-magazine
GrandPrix+ is now ready for reading… Sign up for a subscription and you can read all about one of the most bizarre weekends in F1 history. We tell the whole story… and pull no punches. – We celebrate Sir Frank Williams’s 70th birthday and look at our favourite Williams F1 car – An interview with [...]
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Perez leads the way in Q1, Schumacher out
Sergio Perez led the way in the Q1 session in Bahrain, beating Daniel Ricciardo to the fastest time by a tenth of a second. Mark Webber was third ahead of Romain Grosjean with Kamui Kobayashi fifth with Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Bruno Senna, Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg completing the top 10. Nico had an [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/perez-leads-the-way-in-q1-schumacher-out/
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Williams begin ?beginning of a rebuilding process?
If Ferrari fans thought that their team had perhaps not lived up its name last season then they should talk to fans of Williams. The team that dominated in the early 90?s winning multiple World Championships managed to score only five points last season. Five. It?s a sad fall from grace and one, that at [...]
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