i wish him luck...
Posted on 08/05/2009 7:57:45 PM PDT by Chode
i wish him luck...
F1 teams allay Spain GP concerns
 Some teams have cars back at base - others are in the process of doing so
Fears that air travel chaos caused by the volcanic ash cloud could affect Formula 1 teams' preparations for the Spanish Grand Prix have been allayed. Lifting of air restrictions on Tuesday allowed teams to begin flying equipment and personnel to Europe from Shanghai, following Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix. "We're confident it won't cause us any major issues," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner on the team's website. The next race at Barcelona's Circuit de Cataluyna takes place on 9 May. "Thankfully, the way the calendar is with the extra week between the Chinese and Spanish Grand Prix, it has a very limited impact," added Horner. "There's still over a week to turn the cars around and a lot of the components for the next race are produced here in the factory.
"The majority of the team stuck together. We managed to get them on a direct flight today [Thursday], which arrives in the UK later this afternoon. "The cars and freight will also arrive back today, probably beating the team home by an hour or two." It is a similar situation for the Renault team, who have their cars back in the UK and are hopeful that team personnel will all arrive home by Saturday. "The cars are now back and there are people here who can strip them and have them in a condition that when the race team are back in they are able to start building them back up," a Renault spokesman told BBC Sport. Sauber were also confident that preparations for Barcelona would be unaffected by the travel problems, with a spokesman telling GPUpdate.net: "There will be no negative effects on the preparation for the next race. "We have had people coming back from Shanghai every day since Tuesday. "One group will follow today, another group tomorrow and the last five people are planned for the weekend. The freight will arrive in Munich tomorrow morning."
The start of the European season in Spain marks a significant point in the championship, with several teams working on improvements to their cars ahead of the race. Lotus F1, whose team principal Tony Fernandes flew 55 personnel to Kuala Lumpur on Monday on one of his own Air Asia planes before they returned to the UK on Wednesday, are confident their planned alterations will be unaffected. "We've faced minimal disruption to our travel plans, and have minimised the impact it could have had on our ability to work to our pre-Barcelona timetable," said chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne. "We will go through our normal proceedures to unpack all the freight that's arrived from China, and will then turn our attention to applying the Barcelona update package to both cars." Some members of the Force India team are still in Shanghai, waiting for a flight out but expect to leave on Friday. "Our drivers got out on Tuesday, so they are sorted. (British test driver) Paul (Di Resta) is racing in the DTM (in Germany this weekend) so it was a bit more critical for him to get back," a team spokeswoman told Reuters. "The majority of the team are flying back on a charter expected to be leaving at some point tomorrow." |
Michael Schumacher set for Mercedes car upgrades
 Schumacher is struggling to recapture his form of old
Mercedes will give Michael Schumacher an upgraded car for the next grand prix in a bid to save his season. Schumacher, 41, has been out-qualified and beaten by team-mate Nico Rosberg in all four races of his comeback season to date, collecting only 10 points. But Mercedes have changed the wheelbase to improve weight distribution, while also introducing aerodynamic upgrades. "It's foolish to say Michael is where he wants to be but he's very determined to succeed," said team boss Ross Brawn. "I think these frustrations are just going to make him try even harder. "We've not had a fantastic start but we are still in there because no-one else is really dominating either - there is still plenty of opportunity.
"Nico's very close to winning a race, just needs things to fall into place, but that will come. I'm sure he will definitely do it and I think Michael will when we get the car sorted. "He is so determined and you can see that in his driving. The bits where it's not quite working are not because of (lack of) skill or bravery, it's because the technique needs tuning and the car needs tuning. "It's odd places where he's losing time and that's why we think he'll sort it out and we'll sort it out and get to where we need to." Schumacher will also have a different chassis in Barcelona. "The one (chassis) he had got damaged during the first few races and we repaired it as best we could at the races," said Brawn ahead of the 2010 calendar's first European race. "Now we are back at base we are going to re-introduce the test chassis and he will be using that in Barcelona. "We want to eliminate any doubt because obviously Michael has come back, he's trying to find his references and is trying to work out how to approach things."
Schumacher, a winner at Benetton and Ferrari with Brawn as technical director, has endured a disappointing start to the season and looks some way off the form that helped him win a record 91 races before retiring in 2006. While the chassis may help his cause, it is the improved weight distribution which Mercedes hope will make the real difference. According to BBC pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz, Schumacher's problem in China - where he finished 10th to Rosberg's third - was an inability to accelerate effectively out of slow-speed corners. Poor traction accounted for most of the lost time, but it was the car's balance in those slow-speed corners that also slowed Schumacher down. Brawn hopes that by bringing weight forward and working the front tyres harder, the car will be more to Schumacher's liking. But as a result the rear is light so traction is poor, which means the rear slides and wears out the tyres. "Undoubtedly these tyres are a bit different to what he's used to," said Brawn. "Maybe, with the car and the tyres, it's not towards the way he likes to have a car which is very responsive and very sharp. "We haven't been able to provide him with that yet." The modified car for Barcelona will feature a significantly longer wheelbase, allowing the front wheels to be sited further forward in relation to the cockpit. This is intended to speed airflow along the car and increased the downwards thrust upon the front tyres. |
Motorsport governing body the FIA has established a new group in order to push for woman to be more involved in the sport. Named the Women & Motor Sport Commission (WMC), the committee is headed by World Rally winner Michele Mouton and staged its first meeting on Monday.
Since the Formula 1 World Championship was inaugurated in 1950, just one woman has achieved a points finish so far, as Italy's Lella Lombardi scored half a point for March at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix on the streets of Montjuic, Barcelona.
However, Paris-based FIA now hopes to encourage more female participation in the sport. "The FIA's membership around the world comprises men and women," said FIA President Jean Todt. "Each has an identical part to play in sport.
"Like many international federations, we will support, promote and help advance the participation of women in motorsport to ensure equal opportunities at all levels."
"Women already have their place in motorsport, they have proved it," added Mouton, who won four WRC events in the 1980s.
"But for many years people have asked me why there have been no women following in my footsteps. I really hope the commission can help answer that question and that we can attract and support women in all areas of our sport."
Lella Lombardi
Country: Italy
Birth/Death: 1943-1992
Series: Formula One
Facts:
Watch a video tribute to Lombardi.
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Shocking News ~ Literally
Ferrari and Renault offer cheaper KERS
Following a meeting of the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) on Wednesday, Ferrari and Renault have submitted low-cost proposals for a return to the sport of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), which is out of use this season due to a universal agreement between teams.
Introduced for the start of 2009, KERS allowed drivers to enjoy a brief horsepower increase in order to aid passing although a selection of teams - including Williams, which developed a revolutionary flywheel-powered device - elected not to run the system, which costed anything in the region of 8 to 20 million pounds.
However, the Grove team's Technical Director has now revealed that the system could return. "Basically, Ferrari and Renault put forward proposals that they could do KERS for less than a million euros (£870,000 approx)," Sam Michael told Reuters.
"Those have been accepted but what Ferrari and Renault are both saying is that, unless we increase the energy level from the current 400 kilojoules up to 600 or 800 - to make KERS more beneficial - they are not prepared at this stage to commit that they will actually do KERS."
The Australian added that a final FOTA decision regarding KERS for 2011 hopes to be in place by next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, noting that Renault would supply any team wishing to purchase the system whereas Ferrari would provide its unit to those using its engines (ie. Sauber and Toro Rosso as well as its works outfit).
Wednesday also involved discussions regarding tyre supply for next year; with Bridgestone departing the sport, Michael confirmed that the most likely replacement would be either Michelin or Cooper Avon.
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Räikkönen not rejecting F1 comeback
Kimi Räikkönen has said that he will not rule out a return to Formula 1, placing neither it nor the World Rally Championship at the top of his current agenda. The 2007 F1 title winner switched from circuit racing to rallying for this season, having been replaced at Ferrari by fellow Champion Fernando Alonso.
Driving a Citroën C4 for the Red Bull Junior Team this year, it naturally took little time for speculation to arise linking Räikkönen with Mark Webber's F1 seat for 2011, although the Finn remains matter-of-fact.
"It's not turned in any direction and I am in no hurry to make decisions," Kimi, who scored his first WRC points at this month's Rally of Jordan, told Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.
"We have to see what is possible, what is the most interesting option and what I enjoy most, when it comes down to it. I will decide at some point later this year."
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the hell with kers...
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Silverstone unveils new grand prix layout
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Silverstone unveils new grand prix layout Silverstone has unveiled the new track layout that will host the British Formula 1 and MotoGP races this year. The new configuration, which lengthens the track by 0.472 miles to 3.666 miles, is the first stage of a two-year development plan. Damon Hill, head of circuit owner the British Racing Drivers' Club, said it would "provide better viewing, greater capacity and more of a challenge". Next year will see the start-finish line moved and a new pits and paddock. The start-finish line will be moved in 2011 to the other side of the track, making the first corner of the new complex unveiled on Wednesday the first corner of the lap.
For this year, though, the start-finish line stays in its traditional place between Woodcote and Copse corners at the northern end of the circuit and the new layout slots in towards the end of the lap. Abbey corner, which had been a chicane since the 1994 grand prix, has been transformed into a quick right-hander, from which cars will blend into a fast left-hand kink and down to a new complex of corners. It rejoins the previous track at the old Brooklands corner. The new layout, which was officially opened by the Duke of York on Wednesday, cost £5m and took five months to build. It follows the award of a 17-year contract to Silverstone to host the British F1 Grand Prix after years of uncertainty about the race's future.
The race was awarded to Donington Park from 2010, but the Leicestershire track failed to deliver on its obligations and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was forced back into talks with Silverstone. Hill, the 1996 F1 world champion, said: "For motor racing fans it's very important to have a grand prix in your own country so there has been a big battle to fulfil the criteria for hosting a grand prix. "This has been the result of a very long, hard battle to upgrade the facilities and provide a venue that is the best venue for drivers and fans. "The important thing was to make it sustainable and realistic, and unfortunately the Donington project was unrealistic and wasn't able to fulfil what was needed to be done. "So we're back here. We want to provide the very best, but it has to be sustainable.
"We've reconfigured the shape of the circuit - this is the first year of a two-year development place. For next year, there will be a completely different position for the start-finish line, so the pits and paddock will be in a completely different place. "The centre of attention, the start and finish, will all be down the other end of the circuit. We hope it will provide much better viewing facilities, greater capacity and also more of a thrill and challenge for the drivers." The new layout was met with a generally positive response from those at the circuit including Red Bull driver Mark Webber and his former team-mate, now a BBC pundit, David Coulthard. The pair sprayed champagne while Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and Mercedes chief executive Nick Fry were also on hand to mark the unveiling. "The good thing is that they have kept all the good stuff," said Webber, who was second at Silverstone in 2009. "The real tight section is probably going to be the point where there might be a bit of niggle and overtaking potential. In the past, Silverstone has been notoriously bad at overtaking but the changes will make it better."
Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, says Lewis Hamilton will be back 'in the frame' for victories despite being out-performed by his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button so far this season. (Press Association) Peter Sauber says that despite the struggles his team have suffered this year after he bought it back from BMW, he would have no hesitation in doing the same thing again in the same circumstances. F1's teams are deciding between using Michelin or Cooper Avon as their tyre supplier in 2011 in place of Bridgestone with cost the main point of discussion. Championship leader Jenson Button says he would be disappointed if he didn't win back-to-back world crowns but insists his main aim is to eventually win a title with McLaren. Sir Stirling Moss is the latest former racer to offer his view on Michael Schumacher's return to F1 saying the 41-year-old is 'past it'. Williams do not expect to make a significant step forward at next week's Spanish Grand Prix but are planning bigger upgrades for Monaco and Istanbul. Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve insists he is pressing on with his plans to make his F1 comeback in 2011. Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg reveals a love of cake and a dislike for air travel as he spills some of his secrets. |
more gossip... The promoters of the Chinese Grand Prix are confident they will strike a new deal with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to keep Shanghai's place on the calendar. (Reuters)
Motorsport's governing body, the FIA, hopes to push through greener engine rules, with a focus on fuel efficiency, before a new engine is introduced in 2013.
Full story: fia.com
 Schumacher (right) receives his Legion d'honneur in Paris
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Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher made a trip to Paris on Thursday to be awarded with the Legion d'Honneur, the highest honour given to non-nationals, by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon.
Full story: espnf1.com
Three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart said he is impressed with Jenson Button's ability to coolly walk into the "lion's den" at McLaren but still believes his team-mate Lewis Hamilton is the better racer. (Press Association)
The first flying lap of the new Silverstone circuit was drizzling and quite greasy but you still get a feel for the flow of the track and the exciting new sequence of corners, starting with the astonishing new Abbey curve.
Full story and video on: James Allen on F1
F1 gossip... 
Virgin have run out of time ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix to build two new cars with big enough fuel tanks to finish all races.
Flight delays caused by the Icelandic volcano have delayed preparations and they will have only one modified car, which German Timo Glock will drive.
Technical director Nick Wirth said the delay was "a bitter pill to swallow".
He added that Virgin hoped to improve reliability after "an extensive investigation" into their problems.
The team's poor reliability has meant that they have rarely been affected by their error on the fuel-tank size.
But the single time a Virgin car has finished a race this season, Brazilian Lucas di Grassi had to slow down to several seconds off his ultimate pace in the closing laps to ensure he could finish.
Virgin boss explains fuel tank problem
The fuel tank problem emerged after the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, and the team had hoped to use the three-week break between the last race in China and the Spanish event to produce two revised cars.
But Virgin said in a statement that they had run out of time because many staff were stranded in China for up to five days because of the the international flight delays caused by the ash cloud spewing from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland.
Team boss John Booth said: "What should have been a useful three-week break in the calendar, and an opportunity to ensure we are fully prepared for the European season, turned into something of a race against time thanks to the fallout from the volcano.
"It took up to five days after the Chinese Grand Prix before the entire team were back in England, so we had to rush headlong into preparations for Spain.
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606: DEBATE
PaulsF1fix
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"The planned modifications to the chassis were always going to be our most significant development, but they were also the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we will bring to Barcelona.
"As a new team we will be using new trucks and a new motorhome for the first time and on top of that we moved into our new race preparation facility while the team were stranded in China."
As well as the larger fuel tank, Glock's car will feature an aerodynamic upgrade aimed at improving performance.
Team-mate Di Grassi will have some new parts, but not the full package.
Wirth added: "Running two fundamentally different specification cars at Barcelona will certainly challenge the team, but as the reliability fixes apply to both specifications, we'll keep our heads down and focus solely on getting both cars to the chequered flag."
Fernando Alonso says his Ferrari team are favourites to win the world championship, despite Red Bull's qualifying pace, and that he would have no qualms about repeating his controversial pit-lane pass of team-mate Felipe Massa.
Full story: Corriere della Sera (in Italian)
Ferrari test driver Giancarlo Fisichella was present at Italian track Vairano on Saturday in order to test a brand-new rear wing configuration, which could be used in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.
Full story: gpupdate.net
New Sauber technical director James Key says the team have "enormous potential" but that "there is also much work to be done as the team are still recovering from their uncertain situation in the second half of 2009".
Full story: Sauber
Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari is "expecting a lot" from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix because he feels he is getting better all the time and this is the first F1 track of which he has previous experience. (Toro Rosso)
Lotus technical director Mike Gascoyne believes the package of upgrades the team have planned for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix should give them a significant step forward.
Full story: Lotus Racing
New team Hispania say their aim for their home grand prix is "to understand the car better and need to improve the performance". (Hispania Racing)
After last Thursday's formal re-opening, the revamped Silverstone circuit hosted its first event at the weekend, but not everyone was happy with the changes made.
Full story: ESPNF1.com
Find out how the 2010 British grand prix compares to those of previous years and take a ride round the new circuit with Damon Hill.
Full story: The Guardian
Former Renault Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean is still optimistic about his chances of getting back into grand prix racing even though he has switched to the new FIA GT1 World Championship this year.
Full story: Autosport.com
funny...F1 Racing did a great season preview in last month’s issue...in previewing Virgin all they talked about was nick wirth bucking the trend and not using a windtunnel to design the car but completely basing his chasis on CFD (computer fluid dynamics) which all admit can end up as a huge blunder....and in the end he designs a race care with a fuel tank not large enough...
Richard Branson should’ve stayed w/Ross Brawn and ponied up the money because Virgin racing is turning into an embarrassment...
yup, fuel tank capacity is not rocket science... and computational fluid dynamics numbers are only as good as the algorithm used, no substitute for testing as far as i'm concerned
i know Leon and he's a real good sport. funny thing is, the very first year, somebody showed up with a McLaren F1, and not just any F1, it was XP-5, the fifth and final experimental car built.
it sat in the middle of the Concours d'Elegance and, stole the show...
By Chris Gill
Ever since Leon Bourdage brought to Art of Ferrari to downtown Corning, he heard the same question over and over.
“Can we get into the track?”
The answer is finally, yes, in September.
In the 10th year, the Art of Ferrari, an annual gathering of Italy’s most exotic export, will hold a Ferrari Challenge race on Labor Day weekend at Watkins Glen International to highlight the event. The Corning businessman said more than 100 products of Maranello, Italy should convene in the same town where Enzo Ferrari first sent a race car to this side of the planet in 1949.
“That’s the question that’s most often asked, ‘Can we get into the track? We want to see them at the track.’ To see them run up the front straight and to hear them, that’s the real thrill,” Bourdage said Thursday at The Glen.
some Supercar Porn...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBzcwmKMmgM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=391V6NBnd0U&feature=related
US track aims to host Formula 1 grand prix in 2012
 Classic F1 - United States Grand Prix 1980
 The boss of a track in New York state has told the BBC it is in talks to host a Formula 1 grand prix in 2012. Representatives of Monticello Motor Club and F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone have been in talks regarding bringing the sport back to the United States. "There was some agreement that Monticello could host a race," MMC chairman Bill McMichael told BBC Sport. The US last held a grand prix in 2007 at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. Its eight-year run was ended after Ecclestone failed to come to an agreement with the circuit's chiefs over new terms.
Monticello chairman McMichael, along with circuit president Ari Strauss, met Ecclestone and F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke in 2009. "We had contacted F1, specifically Ecclestone, last year with regards to potentially hosting an F1 race," added McMichael. "After the meeting they said Monticello would be a nice place to host an F1 event. Since then we've been engaged in talks with the local government and F1 management in an attempt to finalise terms, but they haven't been finalised yet." In order to be race ready for 2012, Tilke recommended that improvements would have to made to the grounds and the 4.1-mile circuit which is located in the Catskill mountains, about 75 minutes' drive from downtown Manhattan. "It's a little bit early to say exactly how much it will cost but we will need to find approximately $150m," added McMichael. The MMC is a private members club and McMichael said some of the funding for improvements would be provided by themselves. "We'll try to get the money through a combination of public and private sources," he continued. "We can fund some on our own as a private entity. But we've pointed out the positive economic impact on the host city and community to local government officials. They are sorting a financial package that would support such an expenditure."
McMichael did not divulge what modifications would be needed to be made to the circuit, which is hopeful of a 10-year deal with F1. The United States's relationship with the sport has been intermittent. In 1961, Watkins Glen, in upstate New York, became the venue for the US GP and it hosted the event for 20 years. Between 1976 to 1980 the race became known as the United States Grand Prix East in order to differentiate itself from the United States Grand Prix West which was held in Long Beach, California. Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix all hosted F1 races in the intervening years, before Indianapolis Motor Speedway, renowned for the Indy 500, became regular US hosts from 2000. But in 2005, controversy blighted the race as a result of the Michelin tyre safety row which meant that the only cars on the starting grid were those of Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi. Seven teams withdrew from the race after the formation lap. Two years later, Indianapolis lost its right to host F1 and Ecclestone was quoted as saying: "It's all the wrong crowd and the wrong people." "We would not run into a similar situation as Indianapolis," said McMichael. "There would be enormous interest from the European, Asian and South American fan bases here. And hosting near New York makes sense in terms or travel, availability of hotel rooms and entertainment options." McMichael added: "We will now continue to negotiate with F1 management until both sides have agreement. Then we pursue an event as quickly as possible." The F1 calendar will expand from 19 to 20 races in 2011, while three races, the Chinese, Japanese and Turkish, are not contracted for 2012. |
Lewis Hamilton is afraid of spiders and snakes, hates onions, and cooks a mean chicken fajita and chicken rice.
Full story: formula1.com
Adrian Newey's design genius could be the key factor that prevents Red Bull Racing's rivals close the gap on the team this season, claims his former boss Frank Williams.
Full story: Autosport.com
Williams technical director Sam Michael has called for F1 teams to be granted a post-grand prix test session in order to get an understanding of next year's tyres. Pirelli and Michelin are in the running to be the sole suppliers in 2011.
Full story: autosport.com
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh believes the resurfaced Istanbul Park track, which hosts next week's Turkish Grand Prix, will benefit the Woking-based outfit. "On paper, the track configuration should suit the MP4-25 package, which seems to excel around faster circuits," Whitmarsh said.
Full story: mclaren.com
Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa "desperately wants" to finish the Turkish Grand Prix after a string of retirements.
Full story: Sauber
Force India owner Vijay Mallya has suggested that Hispania's Karun Chandhok will never become one of the best drivers in Formula 1. "At the moment there is not one Indian pilot who has the potential to battle the best on the track," said Mallya.
Full story: formula1.com
Hispania team principal Colin Kolles may not have had much to smile about in terms of pure results so far this season, but he insists he is relishing the challenge of trying to move the team forwards.
Full story: Autosport.com
source? wanted to forward to a friend, but there is no link.
i’d love to see it as it’s but 40 minutes from me but I also think Monticello is being played like a fiddle by eccelstone for what he really wants and will never get; an F1 race in NYC or across the river...
i'm guessing you mean the US track, my bad...http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8697770.stm
yup... i think the biggest stumbling block will be the pits/PRESS Accommodations that and having it scheduled the week before or week after Canada
Monticello Motor Club is a very pretty track, suggest viewing their web site. Brian Redman had a hand in the design of the track.
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