Monaco GP: Alonso edges Hamilton

Fernando Alonso set the pace in Thursday's second practice session in Monaco as Ferrari and McLaren came to the fore

Alonso, who is bidding to win the Monaco GP with his third different team this weekend, crossed the line with a 1:15.123 to edge McLaren's Lewis Hamilton by 0.105s.

Third place went to Mercedes GP's Nico Rosberg, who finished ahead of Jenson Button, while Sebastian Vettel could only manage the fifth best time. The reigning World Champion was half a second behind the leading Ferrari.

Felipe Massa took sixth place ahead of Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber.

Report: The sun was out and the track temperature was a hot 45'C as Timo Glock hit the track to start Thursday's second practice in Monte Carlo. Pastor Maldonado narrowly escaped damaging his car as he locked up, run wide and had to take to the escape road.

The drivers were quick to get down to work with Vitaly Petrov leading the way ahead of Jaime Alguersuari while Mark Webber, who missed FP1 with a gearbox problem, took third place ahead of Sebastien Buemi. Felipe Massa was the next to lead the way with a 1:17.483. Yellow flags came out as Alguersuari made a mistake, hitting the barriers at Turn 1.

A near collision between the two Ferrari drivers as Fernando Alonso, on course for the P1 slot, came up behind his team-mate, who was slowing down to make room for himself. Alonso came within a millimetres of hitting the back of Massa's car. The Spaniard will not be happy.

Nico Rosberg took over at the top with Jenson Button improving to second place and Lewis Hamilton to fifth behind Massa and Petrov. Without his team-mate in front of him to bulk him, Alonso was able to take the P1 slot with a 1:16.408. Hamilton climbed to fourth place as Sebastian Vettel just, and only just, missed hitting the barriers with the rear left of his RB7.

Heikki Kovalainen had to take to the escape road after missing his braking point. Massa, pushing too hard, almost lost it around the Casino hairpin. Problems for Paul di Resta as the Scot is pushed down the escape road by the marshals after coming to a halt at the chicane.

At the halfway point of the session it was Alonso ahead of Rosberg, Button, Hamilton, Massa, Petrov, Rubens Barrichello and Buemi.

Massa is doing everything he can to put his car in the wall and mounts the kerb, almost hits the armco barrier and a few metres later, almost hits the barrier again. But hey he's up to third, 0.718s slower than his team-mate. Massa was dropped one place at Vettel took the P1 slot with a 1:15.667, almost a second quicker than his P1time from this morning. Massa moved up to second place, 0.114s off Vettel's time.

Alonso returned to the front, half a second up on Vettel's best. Rosberg improved to second place with Vettel taking third before he was dropped by Button. Hamilton climbed to second place, missing out on the P1 time by a tenth. Minor problems for Glock, Hamilton and Schumacher, all of whom ran off the track but without any damage. Massa stalled as he attempted to leave the pits and Petrov lost his front wing as he exited the tunnel.

Thursday's second practice ended with Alonso in the P1 slot, ahead of Hamilton and Rosberg.

Times
01. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m15.123s 42 laps
02. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.228s + 0.105 33 laps
03. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m15.321s + 0.198 44 laps
04. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.448s + 0.325 38 laps
05. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m15.667s + 0.544 46 laps
06. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m15.781s + 0.658 45 laps
07. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m16.356s + 1.233 33 laps
08. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m16.642s + 1.519 42 laps
09. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m17.101s + 1.978 46 laps
10. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m17.126s + 2.003 38 laps
11. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m17.337s + 2.214 35 laps
12. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m17.541s + 2.418 47 laps
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m17.570s + 2.447 39 laps
14. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m17.581s + 2.458 32 laps
15. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m17.633s + 2.510 49 laps
16. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m17.706s + 2.583 37 laps
17. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m17.789s + 2.666 43 laps
18. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m18.266s + 3.143 50 laps
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m18.490s + 3.367 39 laps
20. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m19.053s + 3.930 15 laps
21. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m19.185s + 4.062 40 laps
22. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m19.338s + 4.215 35 laps
23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m22.066s + 6.943 33 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Video: Press Conference with Top three drivers after Turkish Grand Prix 2011

Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso give their thoughts on an enthralling Turkish Grand Prix



Source: FiftyBuckss

Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton at the Bercy Kart Masters 2011

Karting: The Paris indoor race to use electric karts

The karts will be back at the Bercy sports centre in Paris next December, and this time the drivers will compete aboard the newest generation of electric karts.

The return of the event was expected for years. The official press conference announcing it was held this morning in Paris, unveiling the date of the ERDF Bercy Kart Masters 2011.

The first international races in the world for electric karts will take place on Saturday December 10th (evening) and Sunday 11 (afternoon) with the participation of several of the best drivers in the world.

Philippe Streiff, a former Grand Prix driver and organizer of the Masters in Bercy in the ‘90s, is heading this new project with ERDF, the provider of electric power in France.

While Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna contested the Bercy event behind the wheel of gasoline-powered karts, the next races will take place with fully electric machines.

The French manufacturer Sodikart has been selected to supply the chassis. The electric motor is developing about 30 horsepower at 11,000 rpm, and the full weight of the machine is 114 kg (with 2 batteries located in the sidepods).

Jean-Eric Vergne, the Formula Renault 3.5 driver, tested the kart Electric SODI STX and declared he was fully enthusiastic. "The Sodikart electric kart is fantastic; its power is impressive, proving a vigorous and continuous kick. Since the weight is relatively low, the machine is also quite nimble. I am delighted to contest the Bercy event with this kart,” said Vergne.

Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastien Ogier have already confirmed their participation in December. Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are also very interested to compete, but Philippe Streiff has yet to convince their teams and managers.

Source: Auto123.com
Courtesy: Sleenster

Harsh critic in Italy over Ferrari's anemic car

Italian Auto Sprint put thoroughly down all Maranello's accomplishments in their issue on Tuesday.

According to the paper 150 Italia -car's anemic aerodynamics is of such class that Ferrari only has two choices out of which one is hidious and the other one is horrible.

The hidious option is to try and catch up with the car's three months belated car project and develop it into more competitive. They say that Ferrari still only analyses their mistakes while their competitors are working fulltime making new updates to their cars.

The horrible option again would be to do what they did two years ago: stop the current car's development work and invest everything into next year. According to the paper this would be horrible for both the drivers as for the sponsors who have invested so much especially in Fernando Alonso.

– Although Red Bull would retire in the next races McLaren is also too far away to be reached by Ferrari. Ferrari has to battle with Mercedes and pray that Renault won't come cruising past them from behind, the verdict says about the current car.

Their attempt to improve their competitiveness in China didn't bring any results. Auto Sprint describes Ferrari as the red crab going backwards while the lead is improving.

As basis they compared the China-qualification from last year: Red Bull was now 0,85 and McLaren 0,55 seconds faster while the 'red crab' was 0,2 seconds slower than last year.

The magazine accuses Ferrari of making two basic mistakes. One is failing in estimation and the other one is arrogance.

The estimation went wrong when Ferrari abandoned the elastic front wing they had developed. Technical Manager Aldo Costa had admitted that they had worked with a front wing that bended more closer to the track but they gave it up because they didn't think it would have passed FIA's strictest test.

Now they are working long days in Maranello so that they could get as soon as possible a front wing that works the same way Red Bull's wing works. Yet it requires a lot of time to get it to function in a similar way because the wing changes all air flows in the car, which again requires in practice re-development of the whole chassis.

The accusation of arrogance again comes from Ferrari's decision to continue with the traditional suspension while seven other teams followed Red Bull's suspension-idea. Auto Sprint lists that the only teams who are in the same camp with Ferrari when it comes to their thinking are Hispania, Virgin and Sauber, who has to use the rear end inherited from Ferrari.

– When has some other team used Ferrari's development work the last time? It was in 2008 when Ferrari had the hole in the nose. After that nobody has even tried to copy Ferrari's ideas, Auto Sprint shoots.

According to the paper Ferrari sank down in the problems starting from year 2009 when testing was limited with a harsh hand and banned altogether during the season.

Also the problems in the windtunnel from 1988 are only highlighted. According to the paper Maranello's windtunnel is too short and everytime they test a car there they have to make artificial corrections to their calculations.

However KERS worked well in Ferrari. The paper reminds that it was KERS, which put Ferrari back in the winning strike when Räikkönen made the victoriuos pass with additional powers in Spa in 2009.

Turun Sanomat, Rooma

PERTTI LEPISTÖ

Courtesy: Nicole

Happy Birthday Felipe! Best wishes from Montezemolo, Domenicali and Alonso

Maranello, 25 April – Today is a special one for Felipe Massa as he reaches his thirtieth birthday. There have been plenty of messages sent to our site and today we have three extra special ones from President Luca di Montezemolo, Stefano Domenicali and Fernando Alonso.

Luca di Montezemolo
“Dear Felipe, I wish you all the very best for your thirtieth birthday. It’s a special day for you and also for all of us: you have been part of our family for ten years now and I know that you now live and breathe Ferrari. Your talent and your good nature mean that each and everyone of us appreciates you as a driver, but even more so as a person. Enjoy this day with your lovely family knowing that we can expect the new few weeks to be crucial for our championship chances.”

Stefano Domenicali
“Dear friend, I send you a hug of affection for your thirtieth birthday, not just from me but from all the men and women at Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. We have known one another for such a long time and we have shared great moments together as well as some dramatic times and through them all, we have always been united, which is what makes our relationship special. When you arrived in Maranello you were a kid and while here, you have become a man: we still have a long road to travel together and we hope it will be full of well deserved success. A present? All of us are working flat out on it at Maranello, without pausing for breath: you know what I’m talking about…”

Fernando Alonso
“Hi Felipe and all my very best birthday wishes! You have got there a few months before me as, in July it will be my turn to turn thirty, so you’ll be able to tell me if it’s something special to reach this age. Joking apart, I want to tell you that I’m happy to be alongside you at Ferrari: I think we make up a good duo, respecting one another and working well together, in the knowledge that the interests of the team come before those of the individual. Now I hope we will soon a have a car good enough to see us fight for the top places, after which it will be down to the two of us to try and win.”

Source: Ferrari.com

Videos: Interviews with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton after Malaysian GP

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso says his collision with Lewis Hamilton may have cost him a podium spot but was "surprised" his car contended with the top two teams as he finished sixth at the Malaysian Grand Prix



A disappointed Lewis Hamilton says he had fight his tyres for the entire Malaysian Grand Prix as he finishes seventh for McLaren



Source: FiftyBuckss

Australian GP - Delayed verdict. The 2011 season gets underway in Melbourne

On the opening day of the Formula 1 World Championship, Ferrari chose to show solidarity with the Japanese people, who have been so seriously affected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit a fortnight ago. Therefore the two 150° Italia cars carried a phrase in Japanese and the country’s national flag. During today’s three hours of free practice, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers completed a total of 102 laps, split between 48 for Fernando Alonso and 54 for Felipe Massa.

Fernando Alonso: “Nothing new yet and what else would you expect? These two free practice sessions have not actually revealed the real relative strengths of the teams: this morning Red Bull went well and in the afternoon it was McLaren’s turn, with us and Mercedes always in the mix, while Williams and Renault also seem competitive. There are so many teams who could be in with a chance of going for the win and therefore it’s obvious that it will be necessary to have a good Saturday, without any mistakes if you want to start from the front row. Today, we concentrated mainly on analysing the behaviour of the Pirelli tyres, which seems a bit different here to what we saw in testing, partly because the track surface has very different characteristics. As far as strategy is concerned, we will need to be very flexible during the race, because at the moment, we know too little about the tyres to be able to say with certainty on which lap it will be best to stop. From what we have seen today, maybe we can do ten laps on one set of tyres, or maybe thirty! I am happy with the way the car is going: at the start there was a bit of understeer and we still are a way off from having perfect grip at the front, but it went better than I was expecting. We wanted to show that Japan was in the thoughts of all of us at Ferrari, which is why we ran with a sticker dedicated to the people of a country that has brought a lot to Formula 1 and where our sport has a great following.”

Felipe Massa: “We tested a lot of things in these two free practice sessions, splitting the work with my team-mate so as to explore different ways to go in terms of preparing for the rest of the weekend. I expected to set a quicker time, especially as the softs were not at their best until the fourth lap. On the hards, on the longest runs, it did not achieve much, as there were also a few drops of rain to complicate the situation. From what we have seen, the soft tyre shows less degradation than we might have expected, but we have to work out if that will still be the case in the race. This track is definitely less hard on tyres than Barcelona for example, where we did so much testing. This year it will be vital to study their behaviour carefully, circuit by circuit. The difference in outright performance between the two types of tyre is very marked. McLaren and Red Bull seem very strong, but there are other cars that can also be on the pace.”

Source: Ferrari.com

BBC F1 2011 - 1 Melbourne - Fernando Alonso - Team orders useful for all

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso welcomes the rule change to allow team orders during the 2011 F1 season, and pays tribute to the injured Robert Kubica



Source: BBC - FiftyBuckss

Alonso: Fighting for the title is my goal

Fernando Alonso is convinced he faces another nail-biting fight for the Formula One World title this season

Alonso was pipped at the death last year by Sebastian Vettel, with the Spaniard denied a third world crown by a bungled call from his Ferrari team in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

That mistake, viewed from the pitwall by Ferraro president Luca di Montezemolo who believed the title was his team's for the taking, sparked a pointed message from the 63-year-old earlier this year.

On the day Ferrari's new car was unveiled, di Montezemolo said: "This car was created with a very simple aim, and it is so simple I don't want to say it - we just have to achieve it."

As far as di Montezemolo is concerned, nothing less than the world title will do this year, ensuring the pressure is on Alonso, Felipe Massa and the rest of the team.

Alonso, speaking ahead of this Sunday's season-opening grand prix in Australia, said: "If you race for Ferrari there is no other goal than fighting for the World Championship.

"That is the history of Ferrari, the power of Ferrari. This team and its history is about passion, motor racing and about winning.

"That is our aim, that is our goal for the 2011 campaign, trying to fight for the World Championship.

"At the end you can win, you can lose. It depends how competitive you are. It depends on many other factors as well.

"But we need to be there, and I am sure we will be until the last moment."

For now, Alonso simply intends to be firmly in the hunt throughout the opening few races in order to build a solid platform on which to build the remainder of his season.

"Right now it's impossible to determine the order or say who is competitive and who isn't before race one," said Alonso.

"On paper there are five, six teams capable of winning races and to fight for the championship.

"After three or four races you see maybe only two or three can really fight for the Championship.

"The important thing for each team, and for us especially, is to do well and be competitive in these first three races, to be in that smaller group of two or three teams.

"But at the moment everything is very open."

Source: Planet-F1

Interview with Sebastian Vettel for La Stampa

"Rules for the show, you need the courage to say enough. Ferrari? With Alonso'd agree, but now i'm good at Red Bull "

Vettel, repeat as world champion how it feels?
"No one in particular. The number 1 on the machine does not make you go faster. "

Red Bull team to beat: confirmation?
"The test results are difficult to read: end of the day you see only the best of times, not knowing if your opponents are simulating a race or qualifying. For now we are very pleased with the reliability and performance. "

What is the best compliment he received?
"At the awards ceremony in Monte Carlo I collected the award from the Federation. I have called''world champion''. It was exciting. "

Alonso congratulated?
'No'.

Zero?
"In Abu Dhabi anything. A Monte Carlo shook my hand. It is normal: a win, others are disappointed and we need a little 'time to have it pass. To some it takes 5 minutes, others need two weeks. I have respect for other times. "

Of his future at Ferrari has talked a lot. And she certainly has not helped to soften the rumors.
"I have a contract with Red Bull this season and an option for 2012. Then you never know what can happen. Now I'm happy where I am. "

As if to imagine living with Alonso?
"In 2010 we had some problems. The event was judged by an outside perspective wrong: I Fernando and we spoke and since then the relations are good. Two people can respect each other despite having different ideas. "

A look at your fly we would say that F1 is more complicated.
"It's true. I once had a series of commands and it was your choice to use them or not. You are now required: no mobile wing or the KERS would be slower than my opponents. We come to care more machine than what happens on the track. It's a little 'how to drive by sending messages with the phone. "

A 300 per hour? What can happen if, say, can not find the button "send"?
"The main danger is the drivers that race because they pay, and not for merit. Obstacles are moving, unpredictable. The new rules do not help, because they distract us. It looks for the show, contact, overtaking. Perhaps at some point, you should have the courage to say enough, because the races are likely to be too dangerous. We must act we who are behind the wheel and risk our skin. "

A pilot can afford to be afraid?
"No, I can not. The F1 is my life: I can not ruin it for fear. The attitude is: I know that there is a risk, I do everything to reduce it, but simply do not consider him on the track. However, we pilots are not stupid and do not think we are immortal. "

The incident Kubica, however, is sobering.
'In this case you break a spell and return normal. Even in the concerns. The first thought is if you transmit as a man. Then, of course, I hope to come back on track. "

It makes sense to attend a rally and risk his career, as well as life ?
"We're riders, we love to run. We need the adrenaline. Some people find it in motion, who in the rally. "

You?
"Nothing that can be told in public! I get mad for any powered vehicle. I like the rally, especially in the snow. They're fun. And dangerous. "

Schumacher sets his heir. She considers him his mentor?
"Let's clarify: It's never been there to advise me''do this'',''you do this one.'' He was a champion who admired and is still a phenomenon from which to learn. "

We put it among the favorites of 2011?
"His speed is not discussed. Then depend on the car that will give the Mercedes. "

He is the strongest of all time?
"Statistically yes, then go to tastes in sport."

Last week's test. So far that idea has been done? Who could take away the title?
"Massa and Alonso are going strong. Then McLaren and Mercedes. Difficult to make a single name. "

I believe in God?
"Do not go to church, but believe it. There is a relationship between faith and what I do. It is as if I believe would bring luck and help me. "

Because his girlfriend Hannah in the following circuits?
"Do not you take a girl at work."

Ecclestone has offered the hand of one of the daughters, the son defines the ideal ...
"Bernie has a keen and a good sense of humor. Great character. "

Source: La Stampa.it

Alonso reveals admiration for Schumi

Fernando Alonso has spoken of his respect and admiration for seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher

Many pundits have raised doubts over Schumacher and Mercedes' ability to challenge for the title this year following a disappointing 2010 campaign and some mixed performances in pre-season testing.

However, Alonso - the man who ended Schumacher and Ferrari's dominance with back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 - is refusing to write off the German before the start of the season.

"If there is one person I respect and admire, it is Michael for everything he has done," Alonso is quoted by German news agency dpa.

"We have to wait 'til Australia and the first three or four races and see how Mercedes is doing. If Mercedes is fighting for pole position, he will be one of our great rivals."

The decision to cancel the Bahrain Grand Prix has come as a relief to some while others feel it will affect them negatively.

"I don't think it changes much. Nobody really knows how anyone else is doing. This year there were no leaks in the paddock. Let's see who can draw an advantage from the late start," Alonso said.

When asked if Bahrain should still the race, Alonso replied: "They deserve to have that show. Let's hope we can go there in total calm."

Alonso and Ferrari have done a lot of mileage during the three pre-season tests, but the Spaniard is refusing to predict how fast the car will be.

"There is no clear reference point for where we stand. Are we happy with the car? Yes. Is it reliable? Yes. Fast? We'll know in Australia," he said.

"We're not anxious, but we would like to know more. We do not need to change the way we work, there is a lot of work to do. Australia is the definitive moment."

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso ignores Hamilton sabotage reports

Fernando Alonso has fended off the latest press revelations about his stormy relationship with McLaren and Lewis Hamilton in 2007.

In his newly-launched biography about Bernie Ecclestone, author Tom Bower said Spaniard Alonso had asked his then boss Ron Dennis in Hungary to sabotage the sister car driven by Hamilton so that it ran out of fuel.

Bower’s ‘No Angel’ book also claimed that Alonso, who now drives for Ferrari, tried to blackmail Dennis into making him the team’s number one driver in exchange for keeping quiet about spygate emails.

“I ignore what is said from other countries,” Alonso was quoted by the Spanish press at a sponsor event in Madrid.

Asked about the Bower accusations specifically, he added: “I don’t know — everybody is getting on with their own jobs.”

Source: YallaF1

The Spanish press chase Fernando…in karts! Santander sponsors the Ferrari Driver Academy

When Fernando Alonso makes a public appearance in Spain, it always draws plenty of attention in the media: just look at the tens of thousands of spectators who packed the grandstands in Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona during the winter test sessions and the big crowd of journalists who headed for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro hospitality unit for the press meetings which took place on every day of track preparation for the World Championship. Today, the Iberian press, radio and television finally got the chance to see how they really measured up against Fernando in the arena that the man from Oviedo likes best, namely the track. The opportunity arose thanks to the Santander Bank, one of the Scuderia’s main sponsors, who took over Carlos Sainz’s karting facility in Madrid, organising an event in collaboration with the Spanish Automobile Federation. Fernando was the guest of honour, along with Santander’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Juan Manuel Cendoya and the President of the Federation, Carlos Gracia.

For the record, the “La Sexta” television channel took a clean sweep of the podium places, with Alvaro Garcia in first place, Antonio Lobato second and Jacobo Vega third, with Fernando not classified…

The event was also the scene of an announcement that the Bank is now a partner of the Ferrari Driver Academy, as well as supporting the Spanish karting championship for a three year period from 2011 to 2013. In recognition of the agreement, a very young Spanish karter, Victor Colome, winner of the 2010 Beca Santander Jovenes Promesas, is currently taking part, along with other drivers from the Ferrari Academy, in a course, being held at Maranello.

Source: Ferrari.com

Alonso in Madrid: “We won’t know where Ferrari stands until Melbourne”

During the event organised by the Santander Bank in Madrid, Fernando Alonso obviously spoke at length about the weeks of preparation prior to the start of the World Championship, although he repeated much of what he had already said at the tests. “We will only really know where we stand compared to the others when we are in Melbourne,” said the Spanish driver. “At the moment, I am happy because we proved to have a reliable car. If all goes to plan, we will be in the group of teams capable of fighting for the title, along with Red Bull the reigning champions, McLaren, Mercedes and also Renault, who had already made a step forward towards the end of last season. Even Toro Rosso has made significant progress.”

As usual, tyres were centre stage. “From what we have seen so far, degradation is very significant, which means we will have races with lots of pit stops,” continued Fernando. “I’m not keen on that because I think this increased uncertainty does not favour the strongest teams: it’s as if in football, it was decided to have a penalty per team each half hour in which case Barcelona and Real Madrid would not be jumping for joy. However, the situation is the same for everyone: it will be important to be fastest because I don’t think we can make one stop less than our main rivals.”

Source: Ferrari.com

'Alonso wanted to sabotage Hamilton's car'

Any biography about Bernie Ecclestone is bound to come with a few surprises, the latest being that Fernando Alonso allegedly tried to sabotage Lewis Hamilton

The acrimonious relationship between the two during their year together at McLaren in 2007 is well documented. The duo not only fought on the track but also off it.

Following qualifying for the Hungarian GP, Alonso was stripped of his pole position for blocking Hamilton in the pits during qualifying, preventing the then-rookie from challenging for pole position.

Added that, there was the Stepneygate spy scandal where McLaren received secret technical information about Ferrari's 2007 challenger.

The scandal reportedly came to light when Alonso threatened to report team boss Ron Dennis to the FIA if he was not handed number one driver status.

But it now appears that those were not the only controversies during the Spaniard's time at McLaren.

According to The Star, Tom Bowers' recently published biography "No Angel: The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone", claims that Alonso asked Dennis to sabotage Hamilton.



The book alleges that, hours before the start of that tension-fraught 2007 Hungarian GP, Alonso approached Dennis, telling him to short-fuel Hamilton's McLaren so that the Brit would run out of fuel and fail to finish the grand prix.

And although Hamilton and Alonso have insisted in recent months that they have buried the hatchet, these claims may spark yet another war between the two World Champions.

Source: Planet-F1

Video: Test in Jerez de La Frontera

Sunday 13 and Monday 14 February some lucky guests from the Scuderia Ferrari Community attended the test session and the filming day with the Ferrari F150th Italia, meeting Felipe and Fernando!



Source: ferrariworld

Alonso: Red Bull are strongest at the moment

During the first two days of Formula 1 testing in Barcelona Fernando Alonso endured arguably his toughest couple of days in the cockpit of the Ferrari F150th Italia but at the end of the second day managed to see the positive side of his mishaps and declared that Red Bull have the strongest car at this stage of proceedings.

Alonso said, “I still believe that, at the moment the Red Bull is the strongest car, but there are at least four other teams – us, McLaren, Mercedes and Renault – that are capable of fighting for the wins.”

Like most the two times world champion was not reading too deeply into testing times, “It is always very difficult to assess the results from testing: it only takes ten kilos more or less fuel or for worn tyres to be used at any one point in the day, to make a difference that can amount to seconds.”

On Saturday Alonso’s Ferrari stopped out on circuit early on in the day, but the Spaniard was philosophical about the incident, “One of the mechanics said to me that when things go well in Barcelona, we don’t win the championship, while if we have problems here, then it’s a different story: let’s hope that’s really the case!”

World champion Sebastian Vettel is adamant that the new Pirelli tyres will be a major factor in 2011. Alonso agrees, “Here again we saw degradation similar to what we had noticed both in Valencia and Jerez at the first two tests. If we had to race at the Catalunya Circuit tomorrow, we would need three or even four stops to finish the race, however it will not be just a case of changing the way we tackle the race, but also the entire weekend track time, from free practice through to qualifying.”

He predicted, “Tyre wear will definitely create the best overtaking opportunities: if you find yourself fighting against a driver on tyres that are at the start or the end of their stint, the performance difference could be very big, which would make for overtaking, even more definitely than using KERS and the moveable rear wing.”

With regard to the Bahrain Grand Prix situation, the Ferrari driver said, “It is hard for us to state a clear cut position, because in the end we only know as much as you journalists, given we are following the situation through the media. We have to wait a few more days and then the powers that be will make a decision.”

Source: YallaF1

Valentine day acting for Ferrari F1 drivers

Valentine’s day was a working one for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers, albeit a rather different one to usual.

After four days of testing from Thursday to Sunday, developing the Ferrari F150th Italia, today, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso were back at work at the Jerez circuit, in southern Spain, shooting a series of promotional films for the Scuderia and its partners.

The work behind the wheel could hardly be compared to the past few days, given that it only required fifty kilometres. However, it was a nice opportunity for the drivers to spend time with the team in a rather more relaxed atmosphere, far removed from the usual frenetic activity of a test.

It meant that Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro was therefore the last team to leave the Andalusian track to head north for the Catalunya Circuit, where the third test session prior to the start of the 2011 Championship gets underway on Friday.

Fernando will be the first to drive, with Felipe replacing him in the cockpit of the new car as from Sunday.

Source: YallaF1

Massa calls on Ferrari not to favour Alonso

Felipe Massa has repeated his desire for equal number one status alongside Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso in 2011.

While Alonso pushed for the title in his first season with the famous team, incumbent Massa struggled notably last year.

But he is reportedly much happier with the new Pirelli tyres, showing well at recent test sessions with Ferrari’s newly renamed F150th Italia.

However, it was Massa who was ordered aside for Alonso at Hockenheim last year, triggering the FIA’s controversial decision to legalised team orders in 2011 and beyond.

But Massa said being Ferrari’s permanent number two is not in his plans.

“Choosing a number one driver too soon reduces the (team’s) chances to win the championship from two to one,” he told La Stampa newspaper in Italy.

Massa has previously blamed Bridgestone for his 2010 struggles, but in the interview he said he takes “full responsibility” for his performance last year.

“As to my capacities, I know how to win — races and also the championship,” said the 29-year-old, who came tantalisingly close to beating Lewis Hamilton to the crown in 2008.

And as for the new Pirellis, Massa insists: “Compared to the Bridgestones, they are working better for me. They are as I like them.”

Source: YallaF1

The F150th Italia goes over the three thousand mark

Jerez de la Frontera, 13 February – Over three thousand kilometres – 3,195.594 to be precise – in one week is a sound start to the work of developing the Maranello newborn, the F150th Italia. Fernando Alonso is well aware of that and happy about it, after ending the second of the four test sessions in the run up to the start of the 2011 World Championship.

“The best thing about these first two test sessions is definitely the reliability,” said the Spaniard when he met the media at the end of the day. “Both myself and Felipe have been able to always do at least one hundred laps a day, which is very positive. Our aim in these tests is to make the car as tough as possible and then, when we get to Bahrain, introduce some developments aimed at performance. As I often said recently, there is no point in looking at the time sheets, but it would be very surprising if any teams other than Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes are fighting for the wins. Red Bull ended last year with an advantage of around half a second over the others and it would be strange if they were not the strongest in Bahrain.”

The main task at this test was increasing understanding of the Pirelli tyres. “It is the biggest change of the year and there is still a lot of work to do to adapt the car set-up and driving style to these tyres,” said Fernando. “From what we have seen so far, we will need to run different strategies with more pit stops. We managed to do around forty laps, not all at one go, on the same set of tyres, but we know that in the much higher temperatures of Bahrain, the situation will be very different.”

The topic of overtaking and the moveable rear wing aimed at making it easier is still an especially hot topic. “We were able to try the adjustable wing in race conditions, but it is still too early to understand clearly if overtaking will be easier,” explained Fernando. “We need to see if the 600 metre limit set by the FIA is not too restrictive, but we know this situation is still able to be revised. From the little we could see, I think it will still be very difficult to pass a car with similar performance to your own. The system works well on our car: we never had any problems, not even under braking.”

Fernando and Felipe will be on track again tomorrow: no, it’s not an extra day’s testing granted to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, but a day dedicated to promotional filming for the Scuderia’s partners. Development work on the new car will resume on Friday 18 at the Catalunya Circuit, on the outskirts of Barcelona: it will actually be the Spanish driver who will get the session underway, with Felipe taking over from him for Sunday and Monday.

Source: Ferrari.com