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
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Season. Tampilkan semua postingan
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Kamis, 24 Maret 2011
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
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
Minggu, 06 Maret 2011
Vettel prepared for a 'long, hard and tough season'
Sebastian Vettel: We seem to have a good car, but it's still too early to tell so we have to wait and see. There have been a lot of changes which has involved a lot of work over the winter trying to get the whole package ready to start the new season
Sebastian Vettel is hopeful he will be stronger this season now he has won the world championship.
Vettel will be out to try and defend his crown in F1 2011 and while he has been pleased with the new RB7 in pre-season testing, he remains cautious about his prospects in the countdown to Melbourne's Australian Grand Prix.
“It's very difficult in the beginning to tell,” he replied when asked about the pecking order. “I don't have an advantage with having the number '1' on the car.
“Obviously it's a nice feeling, and it was a great success and a big relief for me last year. Hopefully that has made me a bit stronger, but nevertheless, it will be a long, hard and tough season.”
Pressed on if he feels different now he is world champion, Vettel added that for him little has changed.
“It was good to have a little bit of time for myself over the winter and to spend it with friends and family,” he continued. “But now we've started again with the new car preparing for the new season, I wouldn't say life has changed too much.
“We seem to have a good car, but it's still too early to tell so we have to wait and see. There have been a lot of changes which has involved a lot of work over the winter trying to get the whole package ready to start the new season.
“Obviously it's very busy now with preparation work, and we're all doing our best to try to get the best possible package together. You can never have enough preparation to make the car ready.
“The tyres are very different to last year, but then again, it's the same for everybody.
"I think the racing will change and that one-stopping – maybe even two-stops – is impossible at this stage, so it will be at least three or four-stop races, which will make it interesting.”
Source: Crash.net
Sebastian Vettel is hopeful he will be stronger this season now he has won the world championship.Vettel will be out to try and defend his crown in F1 2011 and while he has been pleased with the new RB7 in pre-season testing, he remains cautious about his prospects in the countdown to Melbourne's Australian Grand Prix.
“It's very difficult in the beginning to tell,” he replied when asked about the pecking order. “I don't have an advantage with having the number '1' on the car.
“Obviously it's a nice feeling, and it was a great success and a big relief for me last year. Hopefully that has made me a bit stronger, but nevertheless, it will be a long, hard and tough season.”
Pressed on if he feels different now he is world champion, Vettel added that for him little has changed.
“It was good to have a little bit of time for myself over the winter and to spend it with friends and family,” he continued. “But now we've started again with the new car preparing for the new season, I wouldn't say life has changed too much.
“We seem to have a good car, but it's still too early to tell so we have to wait and see. There have been a lot of changes which has involved a lot of work over the winter trying to get the whole package ready to start the new season.
“Obviously it's very busy now with preparation work, and we're all doing our best to try to get the best possible package together. You can never have enough preparation to make the car ready.
“The tyres are very different to last year, but then again, it's the same for everybody.
"I think the racing will change and that one-stopping – maybe even two-stops – is impossible at this stage, so it will be at least three or four-stop races, which will make it interesting.”
Source: Crash.net
Minggu, 27 Februari 2011
Jumat, 25 Februari 2011
Vettel: Schumi can finish second to my first
Sebastian Vettel says compatriot Michael Schumacher is still his role model and has backed the Formula One legend to return to form this season
"I always see him as a role model and I think he is capable of achieving something big this season," the reigning World Champion told German motoring magazine ADAC Motorwelt.
"I hope that it will not be too big, if he is second in the 2011 Championship, that would be okay for me," he joked.
Schumacher returned to Formula One racing in 2010 after a three-year hiatus which followed his seven World title victories.
He finished a disappointing ninth in last season's Drivers' Championship racing for Mercedes GP.
Schumacher turned 42 in January and told the magazine he is feeling "rather good" with the new season, which is set to start with the Australian GP on March 27.
"This season, I think we can claim for the podium and why not some grand prix wins," said Schumacher.
"But talk of the World title is still unrealistic."
Source: Planet-F1
"I always see him as a role model and I think he is capable of achieving something big this season," the reigning World Champion told German motoring magazine ADAC Motorwelt."I hope that it will not be too big, if he is second in the 2011 Championship, that would be okay for me," he joked.
Schumacher returned to Formula One racing in 2010 after a three-year hiatus which followed his seven World title victories.
He finished a disappointing ninth in last season's Drivers' Championship racing for Mercedes GP.
Schumacher turned 42 in January and told the magazine he is feeling "rather good" with the new season, which is set to start with the Australian GP on March 27.
"This season, I think we can claim for the podium and why not some grand prix wins," said Schumacher.
"But talk of the World title is still unrealistic."
Source: Planet-F1
Senin, 14 Februari 2011
Hamilton denies team-mate fall-out is looming
Lewis Hamilton has downplayed concerns that McLaren could be in for a rough season should their MP4-26 move to the front of the pack
Despite having two World Champions on the payroll in Hamilton and Jenson Button, last season proved to be a harmonious one for McLaren.
Many believe this was because the McLaren drivers were not regularly squabbling over race wins while Button's quest was further undone by his poor qualifying performances.
But should McLaren's new MP4-26 prove to be a regular race winner, F1 commentator Martin Brundle reckons the duo will soon find themselves fighting on the track - and off it.
Hamilton, though, is adamant himself and Button can avoid the pitfalls that befell Red Bull rivals Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber when they were fighting each other for race wins in 2010.
"We're both racers, but we're both sensible," the 2008 World Champ told the official F1 website.
"We both know that to win in Formula One you need the best equipment. Is there any sense in Jenson and me fighting against each other if it damages our chances of having the fastest car?
"As we've said all along, we need to work together to develop our car, move it into the best possible position, and only then can we start thinking about the World Championship. What's the use in battling tooth and nail over 10th place?
"Having said that, Jenson and I also get on very well together - we've both grown up within British motorsport, we've shared a lot of the same experiences and it's brought us to the same point in our lives, driving for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and doing our very best to win the World Championship for ourselves and our team."
As for whether McLaren's MP4-26 will rise to the front, Hamilton insists it's too early to tell.
"Performance is relative. You can pull out all the stops over the winter and still not know what shape you'll be in at the first race.
"All I can say is that every single person within our organisation has been flat out to ensure the car is the best it can be.
"Will that be good enough? We won't know until we get to Bahrain next month."
Source: Planet-F1
Despite having two World Champions on the payroll in Hamilton and Jenson Button, last season proved to be a harmonious one for McLaren.Many believe this was because the McLaren drivers were not regularly squabbling over race wins while Button's quest was further undone by his poor qualifying performances.
But should McLaren's new MP4-26 prove to be a regular race winner, F1 commentator Martin Brundle reckons the duo will soon find themselves fighting on the track - and off it.
Hamilton, though, is adamant himself and Button can avoid the pitfalls that befell Red Bull rivals Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber when they were fighting each other for race wins in 2010.
"We're both racers, but we're both sensible," the 2008 World Champ told the official F1 website.
"We both know that to win in Formula One you need the best equipment. Is there any sense in Jenson and me fighting against each other if it damages our chances of having the fastest car?
"As we've said all along, we need to work together to develop our car, move it into the best possible position, and only then can we start thinking about the World Championship. What's the use in battling tooth and nail over 10th place?
"Having said that, Jenson and I also get on very well together - we've both grown up within British motorsport, we've shared a lot of the same experiences and it's brought us to the same point in our lives, driving for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and doing our very best to win the World Championship for ourselves and our team."
As for whether McLaren's MP4-26 will rise to the front, Hamilton insists it's too early to tell.
"Performance is relative. You can pull out all the stops over the winter and still not know what shape you'll be in at the first race.
"All I can say is that every single person within our organisation has been flat out to ensure the car is the best it can be.
"Will that be good enough? We won't know until we get to Bahrain next month."
Source: Planet-F1
Kamis, 03 Februari 2011
Alonso not worried about bad season with Ferrari
Fernando Alonso has reacted cautiously to those predicting a stellar season for him in 2011.
Bernie Ecclestone and Mark Webber are reported to have tipped the Spaniard for title contention with the new F150 Ferrari, which was three tenths faster than reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel’s new Red Bull at the Valencia test on Wednesday.
"I have nothing to say about it," Alonso told Spanish reporters when asked about the championship predictions.
"Expectations are naturally high but it’s the same for all the drivers with the big teams," he said.
"What gives you some peace of mind is that you know that a bad year at Ferrari or McLaren will have you fifth, while at some other teams you might not be in Q3," added Alonso.
"So that’s not something we have to worry about.
"I like the car but it’s too early to know if it’s good enough to win," he said.
Alonso also tempered his earlier criticism of the Pirelli tyres, whilst many drivers are speaking about high degradation, inconsistency and handling problems.
"It is true that they degrade but it was worse on the first day," said Alonso.
"We have made some setup changes that have helped us, while others have improved maybe less.
"The truth is that adapting the car to the tyres is one of the main challenges."
He also dismissed reports that Renault’s new exhausts which exit near the sidepods is set to be the must-have innovation of 2011.
"There are new things with each team; Renault have that and the others have something else," Alonso answered coyly.
Source: Nextgen
Senin, 24 Januari 2011
Solberg set to contest full season, Räikkönen to enter ten rounds
Citroën Racing enters the third dimension!
The entry of the DS3 WRC in the 2011 World Rally Championship will open a new chapter in the history of the French make. The Citroën Total World Rally Team’s aim is win its seventh Manufacturer’s World Title, and to achieve this it has entered two crews: Sébastien Loeb-Daniel Elena, gunning for their eighth drivers’ world title on the trot, and Sébastien Ogier-Julien Ingrassia who have been promoted to the works outfit full time after scoring two victories in 2010. Three more Citroën DS3 WRCs will be driven by privateers: Petter Solberg, Kimi Räikkönen and Peter van Merksteijn.
Citroën Racing, which has been involved in top-level world rallying for ten years, is about to give its third World Rally car its debut. After the Xsara and the C4, which racked up three world titles each, the DS3 WRC will make its bow on the world stage in the Swedish Rally (10-13 February). The team directed by Olivier Quesnel has fixed itself an aim as simple as it is ambitious for this key season that represents a turning point in the make’s history - retain its Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles!
The Citroën DS3 WRC is a stunning synthesis of Creative Technology that complies with the new regulations drawn up by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The most visible change is its size. The DS3 WRC is more compact than the C4, which gives it much more spectacular behaviour. The revolution continues under the bonnet as the car is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged direct injection 4-cylinder engine designed in-house by Citroën Racing. It is coupled to 4-wheel drive transmission with a manually controlled sequential gearbox and with a constant power sharing system between the front and rear axles.
The Citroën DS3 WRC was unveiled at last year’s Paris Motor Show, and it has since undergone multiple test sessions to be ready for a season consisting of thirteen rallies, each one with its own specific characteristics, stretched over a 9-month period. From the polar chill of Sweden to the heat of the Jordanian desert, the World Rally Championship is a huge challenge for men and machines. The technical team managed by Xavier Mestelan-Pinon has reproduced the most extreme conditions during the sessions aimed at testing the reliability of the car and developing its performance.
The Citroën Total World Rally Team that represents the official colours of the make has entered two DS3 WRCs for crews that come from its own nursery, which today consists of the ‘Citroën Racing Trophies’ organized all over Europe. The reigning 7-time world champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena can’t wait to take on this new challenge. ‘Seb’ and ‘Danos’ hold just about all the records in the WRC, and they will start each round with the aim of winning and adding more laurels to their already-mind-boggling results. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who took part in three rallies for the works team in 2010, have been given the no. 2 DS3 WRC. The French pairing have already won two world championship rallies, and they must now confirm their ability to associate speed and consistency.
Total continues its long-standing partnership with Citroën as title sponsor of the works team. The DS3 WRCs will also carry the famous Red Bull colours as the company pursues an involvement that began in 2008. Three brands will be back among Citroën’s partners, Michelin which will supply tyres for the DS3 WRCs, as well as Facom and Alcon.
Three more DS3 WRCs run by Citroën Racing Technologies will be entered for private crews in 2011. Petter Solberg-Chris Patterson will start all thirteen rounds, Kimi Räikkönen-Kaj Lindström will take part in ten rallies while Peter van Merksteijn-Eddy Chevaillier will begin their season at the Portuguese Rally.
Source: Nextgen-auto
The entry of the DS3 WRC in the 2011 World Rally Championship will open a new chapter in the history of the French make. The Citroën Total World Rally Team’s aim is win its seventh Manufacturer’s World Title, and to achieve this it has entered two crews: Sébastien Loeb-Daniel Elena, gunning for their eighth drivers’ world title on the trot, and Sébastien Ogier-Julien Ingrassia who have been promoted to the works outfit full time after scoring two victories in 2010. Three more Citroën DS3 WRCs will be driven by privateers: Petter Solberg, Kimi Räikkönen and Peter van Merksteijn.Citroën Racing, which has been involved in top-level world rallying for ten years, is about to give its third World Rally car its debut. After the Xsara and the C4, which racked up three world titles each, the DS3 WRC will make its bow on the world stage in the Swedish Rally (10-13 February). The team directed by Olivier Quesnel has fixed itself an aim as simple as it is ambitious for this key season that represents a turning point in the make’s history - retain its Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles!
The Citroën DS3 WRC is a stunning synthesis of Creative Technology that complies with the new regulations drawn up by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The most visible change is its size. The DS3 WRC is more compact than the C4, which gives it much more spectacular behaviour. The revolution continues under the bonnet as the car is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged direct injection 4-cylinder engine designed in-house by Citroën Racing. It is coupled to 4-wheel drive transmission with a manually controlled sequential gearbox and with a constant power sharing system between the front and rear axles.
The Citroën DS3 WRC was unveiled at last year’s Paris Motor Show, and it has since undergone multiple test sessions to be ready for a season consisting of thirteen rallies, each one with its own specific characteristics, stretched over a 9-month period. From the polar chill of Sweden to the heat of the Jordanian desert, the World Rally Championship is a huge challenge for men and machines. The technical team managed by Xavier Mestelan-Pinon has reproduced the most extreme conditions during the sessions aimed at testing the reliability of the car and developing its performance.
The Citroën Total World Rally Team that represents the official colours of the make has entered two DS3 WRCs for crews that come from its own nursery, which today consists of the ‘Citroën Racing Trophies’ organized all over Europe. The reigning 7-time world champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena can’t wait to take on this new challenge. ‘Seb’ and ‘Danos’ hold just about all the records in the WRC, and they will start each round with the aim of winning and adding more laurels to their already-mind-boggling results. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who took part in three rallies for the works team in 2010, have been given the no. 2 DS3 WRC. The French pairing have already won two world championship rallies, and they must now confirm their ability to associate speed and consistency.
Total continues its long-standing partnership with Citroën as title sponsor of the works team. The DS3 WRCs will also carry the famous Red Bull colours as the company pursues an involvement that began in 2008. Three brands will be back among Citroën’s partners, Michelin which will supply tyres for the DS3 WRCs, as well as Facom and Alcon.
Three more DS3 WRCs run by Citroën Racing Technologies will be entered for private crews in 2011. Petter Solberg-Chris Patterson will start all thirteen rounds, Kimi Räikkönen-Kaj Lindström will take part in ten rallies while Peter van Merksteijn-Eddy Chevaillier will begin their season at the Portuguese Rally.
Source: Nextgen-auto
Sabtu, 18 Desember 2010
formula1.ferrari.com publishes Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 2010 Season Review Part III
formula1.ferrari.com publishes the 2010 season review, a "virtual book", which can be downloaded to relive the entire 2010 season, with the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as a main protagonist in an exciting Championship, with an exceptional recovery and an unfortunately missed victory.
Six chapters around the 2010 World Championship with wins, difficult moments, the epilogue in Abu Dhabi and further sections dedicated to technical in-depth articles. 28 drawings by Giorgio Piola with virtual animations of the F10's various components, four specials about the most important issues of the season such as pit stop and new rules, also explained in a video by Marc Gené, the complicated logistical aspects and the celebration of the 800th Grand Prix for Ferrari. A detailed section with a list from 1950 until today concludes the review, with Formula 1 models Ferrari used in the pinnacle of motorsports since the beginning of the F1 Championship.
Over 120 extraordinary images and more than 25 parts with multimedia content on the different pages, enriching the texts in the sections turning reading into real pleasure. The protagonists statements are combined with comments from the fans, who followed and supported the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro during the whole season in the Communitys forum as well as on Facebook and via Twitter.
After the first and the second part, today is online the third, wich will complete the 2010 Championship review.
Source: Ferrari.com
Sabtu, 04 Desember 2010
formula1.ferrari.com publishes Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 2010 Season Review Part 2
formula1.ferrari.com publishes the 2010 season review, a "virtual book", which can be downloaded to relive the entire 2010 season, with the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as a main protagonist in an exciting Championship, with an exceptional recovery and an unfortunately missed victory.
Six chapters around the 2010 World Championship with wins, difficult moments, the epilogue in Abu Dhabi and further sections dedicated to technical in-depth articles. 28 drawings by Giorgio Piola with virtual animations of the F10's various components, four specials about the most important issues of the season such as pit stop and new rules, also explained in a video by Marc Gené, the complicated logistical aspects and the celebration of the 800th Grand Prix for Ferrari. A detailed section with a list from 1950 until today concludes the review, with Formula 1 models Ferrari used in the pinnacle of motorsports since the beginning of the F1 Championship.
Over 120 extraordinary images and more than 25 parts with multimedia content on the different pages, enriching the texts in the sections turning reading into real pleasure. The protagonists statements are combined with comments from the fans, who followed and supported the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro during the whole season in the Communitys forum as well as on Facebook and via Twitter.
After last week's first chapter, as of today the second part is online, which will be followed by the third and last part, completing the 2010 Championship review.
Source: Ferrari.com
Rabu, 24 November 2010
formula1.ferrari.com publishes Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 2010 Season Review
Maranello, 24 November - formula1.ferrari.com publishes the 2010 season review, a "virtual book", which can be downloaded to relive the entire 2010 season, with the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as a main protagonist in an exciting Championship, with an exceptional recovery and an unfortunately missed victory.
Six chapters around the 2010 World Championship with wins, difficult moments, the epilogue in Abu Dhabi and further sections dedicated to technical in-depth articles. 28 drawings by Giorgio Piola with virtual animations of the F10's various components, four specials about the most important issues of the season such as pit stop and new rules, also explained in a video by Marc Gené, the complicated logistical aspects and the celebration of the 800th Grand Prix for Ferrari. A detailed section with a list from 1950 until today concludes the review, with Formula 1 models Ferrari used in the pinnacle of motorsports since the beginning of the F1 Championship.
Over 120 extraordinary images and more than 25 parts with multimedia content on the different pages, enriching the texts in the sections turning reading into real pleasure. The protagonists statements are combined with comments from the fans, who followed and supported the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro during the whole season in the Communitys forum as well as on Facebook and via Twitter. As of today the review's first part is online, followed by the other issues covered in upcoming sections, completing the 2010 Championship review.
Source: Ferrari.com
Selasa, 16 November 2010
Minggu, 14 November 2010
Senin, 08 November 2010
Senin, 14 Juni 2010
Ferrari to use KERS throughout 2011 season
Ferrari will run a KERS-equipped car in every race of next year's world championship, team boss Stefano Domenicali has revealed.
The confirmation was made after the F1 teams met in Canada to discuss technical matters relating to the 2011 season.
Adjustable rear wings are also set to debut in order to boost overtaking, and FOTA's ban on using energy-recovering KERS systems is to lapse.
Some teams including Ferrari had pushed hard to make the KERS systems much more powerful in 2011, but agreement has instead been made to lift the minimum weight of the car-plus-driver.
As the weight handicap was considered among the problems of the KERS debut in 2009, the minimum limit will rise from 620 to 640kg next year.
"The teams have agreed on that," Domenicali confirmed.
"We would have preferred to see a solution with much more energy being available (to KERS), but unfortunately an agreement could not be found."
It is understood that the reason for staying with a lower power output is that some manufacturers would have had trouble adapting their existing technology.
However, while it has been suggested that another major problem for KERS in 2009 is that the systems were voluntary to run, it has emerged that the units will not be compulsory in 2011.
Mercedes, for instance, is considering whether to use KERS next year, even though a programme has already been initiated by the Brackley based squad with a view to a 2011 implementation.
"We will make a decision (about KERS for 2011) within four to six weeks," said Ross Brawn.
Source: Motorsport.com
The confirmation was made after the F1 teams met in Canada to discuss technical matters relating to the 2011 season.
Adjustable rear wings are also set to debut in order to boost overtaking, and FOTA's ban on using energy-recovering KERS systems is to lapse.
Some teams including Ferrari had pushed hard to make the KERS systems much more powerful in 2011, but agreement has instead been made to lift the minimum weight of the car-plus-driver.
As the weight handicap was considered among the problems of the KERS debut in 2009, the minimum limit will rise from 620 to 640kg next year.
"The teams have agreed on that," Domenicali confirmed.
"We would have preferred to see a solution with much more energy being available (to KERS), but unfortunately an agreement could not be found."
It is understood that the reason for staying with a lower power output is that some manufacturers would have had trouble adapting their existing technology.
However, while it has been suggested that another major problem for KERS in 2009 is that the systems were voluntary to run, it has emerged that the units will not be compulsory in 2011.
Mercedes, for instance, is considering whether to use KERS next year, even though a programme has already been initiated by the Brackley based squad with a view to a 2011 implementation.
"We will make a decision (about KERS for 2011) within four to six weeks," said Ross Brawn.
Source: Motorsport.com
Rabu, 19 Mei 2010
Lewis Hamilton Q&A: McLaren can break frontrunners’ stranglehold
No victories, two podiums and seventh place in the drivers’ championship - the 2010 season may not be going quite to plan for McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, but it hasn’t been for want of trying. Indeed Hamilton has been dealt more than his fair share of bad luck over the six opening races, and the British driver is optimistic things are finally looking up. With new developments for the MP4-25 and circuits that should favour the car’s strengths on the way, Hamilton is certain he can wrestle the title from the grasp of Red Bull team mates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, as he explained to his official website...
Q: How do you look back on your fifth position in the Monaco Grand Prix?
Lewis Hamilton: Obviously, I would’ve liked better, but I think the result showed that it’s just so difficult to overtake around Monaco. It’s no narrow, particularly when you’re running with cars of a similar pace, so it’s not really a place where you can ‘race’; because you can’t really attack. So the second half of my race was mainly about keeping the car away from the barriers, and just looking after it until the finish line. Anyway, we knew our car wasn’t going to be perfectly suited to Monaco, so to finish fifth and get some more points was pretty useful.
Q: Was there any reason why the MP4-25 wasn’t that well suited to Monaco?
LH: Our car is better suited to faster, sweeping turns than to the tighter corners you get at Monaco, where you need quite a nimble car. So while we didn’t have a pace-setting car around Monaco, we always knew that would be the case, and we were still quite pleased with the pace we showed. I think we’ve already demonstrated that it’ll be a different matter at some of the high-speed circuits - places like Silverstone, Spa and Suzuka - where the car should be perfectly balanced.
Q: You’re seventh in the world championship - were you expecting more?
LH: I think you can look at it two ways, you could say that we had some good opportunities in some of the early races and that we maybe didn’t make the best of those chances. You could also say we’ve done a good job overall, got a great deal of performance out of the car and possibly exceeded the expectation of what the car was ultimately capable of. I think the reality lies somewhere between those two areas: maybe I should have scored more points, but I know that I’ve raced to the best of my ability on every single lap of every single race, and that I got the maximum out of the car, so I’m satisfied with my performance, even if I’ve been a bit unlucky. It would be nice to have more points, yes, but I don’t think it’s something we should be too concerned about right now - there are plenty more races, and we have lots of opportunities to close the gap. It’s more important that we plan to break the stranglehold at the front than look back at what might have been. And that’s exactly what this team has always done, and what we’re doing now. We’re confident that we know what needs to be done to get back to the front.
Q: … and that is?
LH: Wouldn’t you like to know! No, seriously, we’ve got some developments in the pipeline - they won’t be immediate, but we think we know what we need to do to close the gap to the leaders. In any case, we’re a lot more confident about what our pace will be like at tracks like Istanbul, Canada and Silverstone - we think our package will be a lot more competitive at those places, particularly in race pace, which has always been our strength. The important thing is to stay focused - one of the greatest strengths of the team is our ability to keep developing and refining our car during the season, and I’m confident that we’re heading in the right direction.
Source: Formula1.com
Q: How do you look back on your fifth position in the Monaco Grand Prix?Lewis Hamilton: Obviously, I would’ve liked better, but I think the result showed that it’s just so difficult to overtake around Monaco. It’s no narrow, particularly when you’re running with cars of a similar pace, so it’s not really a place where you can ‘race’; because you can’t really attack. So the second half of my race was mainly about keeping the car away from the barriers, and just looking after it until the finish line. Anyway, we knew our car wasn’t going to be perfectly suited to Monaco, so to finish fifth and get some more points was pretty useful.
Q: Was there any reason why the MP4-25 wasn’t that well suited to Monaco?
LH: Our car is better suited to faster, sweeping turns than to the tighter corners you get at Monaco, where you need quite a nimble car. So while we didn’t have a pace-setting car around Monaco, we always knew that would be the case, and we were still quite pleased with the pace we showed. I think we’ve already demonstrated that it’ll be a different matter at some of the high-speed circuits - places like Silverstone, Spa and Suzuka - where the car should be perfectly balanced.
Q: You’re seventh in the world championship - were you expecting more?
LH: I think you can look at it two ways, you could say that we had some good opportunities in some of the early races and that we maybe didn’t make the best of those chances. You could also say we’ve done a good job overall, got a great deal of performance out of the car and possibly exceeded the expectation of what the car was ultimately capable of. I think the reality lies somewhere between those two areas: maybe I should have scored more points, but I know that I’ve raced to the best of my ability on every single lap of every single race, and that I got the maximum out of the car, so I’m satisfied with my performance, even if I’ve been a bit unlucky. It would be nice to have more points, yes, but I don’t think it’s something we should be too concerned about right now - there are plenty more races, and we have lots of opportunities to close the gap. It’s more important that we plan to break the stranglehold at the front than look back at what might have been. And that’s exactly what this team has always done, and what we’re doing now. We’re confident that we know what needs to be done to get back to the front.
Q: … and that is?
LH: Wouldn’t you like to know! No, seriously, we’ve got some developments in the pipeline - they won’t be immediate, but we think we know what we need to do to close the gap to the leaders. In any case, we’re a lot more confident about what our pace will be like at tracks like Istanbul, Canada and Silverstone - we think our package will be a lot more competitive at those places, particularly in race pace, which has always been our strength. The important thing is to stay focused - one of the greatest strengths of the team is our ability to keep developing and refining our car during the season, and I’m confident that we’re heading in the right direction.
Source: Formula1.com
Jumat, 09 April 2010
TURKEY! NEW HORIZON FOR KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN - PLUS 3 QUESTIONS...
Just 10 days after the finish of the Jordan Rally, the Citroën Junior Team goes to Turkey for the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, and Red Bull backed Kimi Räikkönen/Kaj Lindström will drive his Citroën C4 WRC on this new event based close to Istanbul.A few days after the Jordan Rally, the Citroën Junior Team embarks on one of the three brand new events scheduled for the 2010 season. Prior to Bulgaria and Alsace, the team will contest the all-new Rally Turkey, based in Pendik on the outskirts of Istanbul. The event will take place on two continents with a start ceremony outside the Hagia Sophia mosque and stages on the Asian side of the Bosphorus River.
In total, 12% of the 358.84 kilometres scheduled will be on asphalt. During the second day, the 18.17- kilometre Göçbeyli stage (SS10 and SS14) will feature 13.49 kilometres of asphalt. The final section of Bozhane (SS12 and SS16) is on asphalt as well, and parts of the Riva and Ballica stages are also run partly on sealed surfaces.
Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström scored their first WRC points in Jordan by finishing eighth overall. “It was important to get to the finish of this particularly difficult event,” said the former Grand Prix champion. “It was only my eighth-ever rally, but also the most difficult one I have seen so far.”
In Turkey, the Finnish crew will face another totally new route and surface. “I’ve no real idea of what to expect from the stages in Turkey. We’re going to need to do a lot of work during the recce in order to start off the rally well. Our goal is to be at the finish again, and to gradually reduce the gap to the other WRC drivers.”
Three questions to… Kimi Räikkönen
You scored your first points in the World Championship in Jordan. Is this a first objective achieved this season?
“My only aim on my third WRC event with the C4 was just to reach the finish in Jordan. We saw particularly difficult road conditions with very specialised stages, which were extremely slippery and had very few reference points. The first day was definitely the hardest one I have ever contested throughout my short career in rallying. So I was really pleased to get through all these hazards and not to make any big mistakes. We weren’t particularly quick but this is just a phase we have to go through in order to make progress.”
How do you see your progress at the wheel of the Citroen C4 WRC?
The terrain in Jordan was very difficult to Mexico. Over in Mexico, I felt quite confident. So I decided to push a little bit harder and then I went off. In Jordan, we decided to stay at a safe pace in order to be sure of getting to the finish. But I learn more about the Citroën C4 WRC and how to drive it with every kilometre. At the end of each stage, I have the feeling that I’ve learned a bit more. I’m beginning to feel more comfortable, and perhaps most importantly of all, I’m really enjoying myself in the WRC!”
These kilometers in Jordan they allow you to address the Rally of Turkey with more confidence?
“Once more, we’re going to be discovering a very different environment in Turkey. The experience is coming to us step by step, but each rally is new. Once more, the goal is to be there at the finish. We’ll see where we are at after the start of the rally and if we get the chance, we will try to reduce the gap to the leaders a bit.”
Source: Red Bull Rallye
Kamis, 08 April 2010
Lewis Hamilton Q&A: I’ve never enjoyed an F1 car this much
Lewis Hamilton has experienced mixed fortunes in the opening rounds of 2010 - a podium in Bahrain followed by frustration in Australia, where he watched new team mate Jenson Button secure McLaren’s first win of the season. Then came an epic drive in Malaysia, but one that yielded ‘only’ sixth place, thanks to his P20 grid slot. He may not be leading the standings, but one thing’s for sure - the 2008 champion is really enjoying himself, as he explained to his official website…
Q: We've completed three of the four opening flyaway races. You're back in Europe preparing for China, how do you evaluate your opening attack on the 2010 world championship?
Lewis Hamilton: I'm very pleased. I think I'm driving as well as I ever have - I love driving this year's car: I said to my engineers in Malaysia that I'd never had a car that felt as solid and as planted as the MP4-25, it feels like a car that you can not only find a perfect balance with, but you can also really push it, and it reacts well to the changes on full-tanks or when it's empty. And that's meant I've really been able to push to the limit, which is how I love to drive. I don't think I've ever enjoyed driving a Formula One car more than I have with this year's car. Of course, it hasn't been perfect - but then nothing is - but I feel extremely confident for the races ahead.
Q: Despite some uneven results, the drivers' championship is very finely poised though, isn't it?
LH: Yes, it is - which is perhaps surprising given the new points system. But I think the championship order is something that is quite encouraging for us, particularly given the situation we were in last year. I think all the team have perhaps missed some good opportunities - but that's one of those things that can happen when the front of the grid is very close and you're all pushing to gain the maximum advantage.
I came away from the first three races this year knowing that very little was lost and that everything is still to play for. Given where we were last year, that's a major positive for us. Could we have scored more points? Almost certainly, but we were reliable when it mattered, and we've shown we have the pace to fight at the front. And that's what I take home from the opening flyaways.
Q: The team made a big step forward in Malaysia, bringing a reported three-tenths to the car. How important is it to keep improving the car at every opportunity?
LH: We saw in Sepang that the car was extremely quick, even if we couldn't do enough in qualifying to get ourselves up the front. In fact, I think our car's always been quick this season, we just didn't get the job done properly in qualifying in Bahrain, but we've actually been quick in all the races.
But yeah, we made a step forward in Malaysia - we actually brought forward the new parts we'd planned for China. We've got a few more new parts for China, nothing major, but it should hopefully help us close the gap.This is something that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is fantastic at doing. Last year, we did an absolutely incredible job to claw back three seconds to the frontrunners, and turn a car that was at the back of the grid at the start of the season into a race-winning car by the middle of the year. I honestly don't think there's a better team for developing a car during the season.
Q: How do you test new parts when you can't get to the track between races?
LH: Obviously, we can't test as much now, but we run a very disciplined programme on the Friday of each race to make sure the new parts are delivering the level of performance we anticipated.
I think we learned a lot of lessons about how to work in the field when we were battling back in 2009, and I'm very confident that we'll be able to do the same thing this year. As I've always said, the outcome of the world championship could be decided by the speed of development among the top teams - and I know that our team do an absolutely fantastic job in this department. And that's down to all the men and women at the factory - they're people you never see on the TV, but they are so motivated, and so committed, and they do a fantastic job, and I hope they can see that Jenson and I push for every last hundredth when we're out on track to show everyone that their work does make a difference.
Source: Formula1.com
Q: We've completed three of the four opening flyaway races. You're back in Europe preparing for China, how do you evaluate your opening attack on the 2010 world championship?Lewis Hamilton: I'm very pleased. I think I'm driving as well as I ever have - I love driving this year's car: I said to my engineers in Malaysia that I'd never had a car that felt as solid and as planted as the MP4-25, it feels like a car that you can not only find a perfect balance with, but you can also really push it, and it reacts well to the changes on full-tanks or when it's empty. And that's meant I've really been able to push to the limit, which is how I love to drive. I don't think I've ever enjoyed driving a Formula One car more than I have with this year's car. Of course, it hasn't been perfect - but then nothing is - but I feel extremely confident for the races ahead.
Q: Despite some uneven results, the drivers' championship is very finely poised though, isn't it?
LH: Yes, it is - which is perhaps surprising given the new points system. But I think the championship order is something that is quite encouraging for us, particularly given the situation we were in last year. I think all the team have perhaps missed some good opportunities - but that's one of those things that can happen when the front of the grid is very close and you're all pushing to gain the maximum advantage.
I came away from the first three races this year knowing that very little was lost and that everything is still to play for. Given where we were last year, that's a major positive for us. Could we have scored more points? Almost certainly, but we were reliable when it mattered, and we've shown we have the pace to fight at the front. And that's what I take home from the opening flyaways.
Q: The team made a big step forward in Malaysia, bringing a reported three-tenths to the car. How important is it to keep improving the car at every opportunity?
LH: We saw in Sepang that the car was extremely quick, even if we couldn't do enough in qualifying to get ourselves up the front. In fact, I think our car's always been quick this season, we just didn't get the job done properly in qualifying in Bahrain, but we've actually been quick in all the races.
But yeah, we made a step forward in Malaysia - we actually brought forward the new parts we'd planned for China. We've got a few more new parts for China, nothing major, but it should hopefully help us close the gap.This is something that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is fantastic at doing. Last year, we did an absolutely incredible job to claw back three seconds to the frontrunners, and turn a car that was at the back of the grid at the start of the season into a race-winning car by the middle of the year. I honestly don't think there's a better team for developing a car during the season.
Q: How do you test new parts when you can't get to the track between races?
LH: Obviously, we can't test as much now, but we run a very disciplined programme on the Friday of each race to make sure the new parts are delivering the level of performance we anticipated.
I think we learned a lot of lessons about how to work in the field when we were battling back in 2009, and I'm very confident that we'll be able to do the same thing this year. As I've always said, the outcome of the world championship could be decided by the speed of development among the top teams - and I know that our team do an absolutely fantastic job in this department. And that's down to all the men and women at the factory - they're people you never see on the TV, but they are so motivated, and so committed, and they do a fantastic job, and I hope they can see that Jenson and I push for every last hundredth when we're out on track to show everyone that their work does make a difference.
Source: Formula1.com
Senin, 29 Maret 2010
Kimi Jordan preview: THE DESERT IS CALLING
in Finnish
Let's see what we have ahead of us now. We are going to a new place again and to a new country where I have never been before. It's the first place where Kaitsu hasn't raced either.
We know already that we are in for a really big new challenge again but we just have to get used to it. It's the name of the game in rally. No matter where we go the place is always different from the place where we rallied before.
It's been like this all season. All these three rallies have differed from each other massively. Compared to them Jordan is like from a different world. There you have to learn everything from scratch once again. We can't do more than try our best - and collect as much experience as fast as we can.
In the final games we cannot at least complain that this would be boring. We knew beforehand that this is what rally driving is. New driving surfaces, roads changing just like that and we have to work at full speed all the time.
I haven't regretted for one moment that I took this challenge. Each kilometer with the car is important to me and the more I drive a real rally with the car the better it feels.
Mexico is in the past. It went like it went. We have been learning rally the hard way. Every time we got some other program. But when we have been able to go forward it has felt good.
The car is strong. That much we know. If we can only stay on the track then the equipment will last.
After last rally we took a break and it did good for my body. After that we had the first tests on gravel and now we are going with positive feelings to drive in Jordan's rally.
There's no trees, no mountains. Only sand and dust - and the breaks are somewhere on the Dead Sea's beach. It's 100% sure that making the notes to this rally will be completely different from what I have done elsewhere. They have to be more in place than anywhere else since there are no real landmarks.
That's what this still is, us trying to get into the right rhythm with this equipment on gravel surface so that we wouldn't have to drive with stiff wrists all the time.
My goal is to finish the rally. If it doesn't fall in place then there is no other goal to achieve.
Let's see how fast the lead is taking it and what our ride in that bunch is.
Source: kimiraikkonen.com
Courtesy: Nicole OF
Let's see what we have ahead of us now. We are going to a new place again and to a new country where I have never been before. It's the first place where Kaitsu hasn't raced either. We know already that we are in for a really big new challenge again but we just have to get used to it. It's the name of the game in rally. No matter where we go the place is always different from the place where we rallied before.
It's been like this all season. All these three rallies have differed from each other massively. Compared to them Jordan is like from a different world. There you have to learn everything from scratch once again. We can't do more than try our best - and collect as much experience as fast as we can.
In the final games we cannot at least complain that this would be boring. We knew beforehand that this is what rally driving is. New driving surfaces, roads changing just like that and we have to work at full speed all the time.
I haven't regretted for one moment that I took this challenge. Each kilometer with the car is important to me and the more I drive a real rally with the car the better it feels.
Mexico is in the past. It went like it went. We have been learning rally the hard way. Every time we got some other program. But when we have been able to go forward it has felt good.
The car is strong. That much we know. If we can only stay on the track then the equipment will last.
After last rally we took a break and it did good for my body. After that we had the first tests on gravel and now we are going with positive feelings to drive in Jordan's rally.
There's no trees, no mountains. Only sand and dust - and the breaks are somewhere on the Dead Sea's beach. It's 100% sure that making the notes to this rally will be completely different from what I have done elsewhere. They have to be more in place than anywhere else since there are no real landmarks.
That's what this still is, us trying to get into the right rhythm with this equipment on gravel surface so that we wouldn't have to drive with stiff wrists all the time.
My goal is to finish the rally. If it doesn't fall in place then there is no other goal to achieve.
Let's see how fast the lead is taking it and what our ride in that bunch is.
Source: kimiraikkonen.com
Courtesy: Nicole OF
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