Archive for February, 2010

• Barcelona day four – Hamilton in charge on final day

  F1 Headlines 28/02/2010 17:02 no comments

  McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was the quickest runner as pre-season testing drew to a close at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday. Hamilton clocked a best time of 1m 20.472s around the Spanish circuit and finished over two-hundredths of a second ahead of the Red Bull of Mark Webber.

  The British driver spent the morning fine-tuning the MP4-25′s set-up and carrying out simulated qualifying runs. After lunch, he ran through a race simulation. He covered 134 laps…

   

• Q&A with Lotus’s Jarno Trulli

  F1 Interviews 28/02/2010 09:20 no comments

  After minor hydraulic issues interrupted his running on Friday, Lotus’s Jarno Trulli enjoyed a much more successful day at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday, covering a total of 102 laps.

  Although it was a productive end to Trulli’s pre-season testing, his best time in the T127 was over four seconds adrift of the pace set by quickest runner Nico Rosberg for Mercedes GP. The Italian reviews his progress and looks ahead to the Bahrain Grand Prix…

   

• Barcelona day three – Rosberg on top for Mercedes GP

  F1 Headlines 27/02/2010 16:32 no comments

  The weather made life difficult for the 11 teams testing at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday, as sporadic rain hampered their programmes at the Spanish circuit. Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg ended the day at the top of the timesheets with a best time of 1m 21.686s, which he set before the rain began to fall.

  Rosberg spent the morning working on qualifying simulations and developing the MGP W01′s set-up, before carrying out a race simulation exercise in the afternoon…

   

• Sebastian Vettel Q&A: Title is the only target for ’10

  F1 Interviews 27/02/2010 08:52 no comments

  After coming so close to clinching the title in 2009, it is clear nothing less than the world championship will do for Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel this season. After climbing out of the RB6′s cockpit following testing at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Friday, Vettel evaluates his progress and the pace of his rivals…

   

• Michael Schumacher Q&A: Still plenty of work to do

  F1 Interviews 27/02/2010 08:48 no comments

  With just over two weeks to go until the Bahrain Grand Prix, 11 teams are testing at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya this week. Mercedes GP are amongst those in action, keen to make the most of the dwindling track time left before March’s Sakhir race.

  Although Michael Schumacher only managed to clock the seventh-fastest time in the MGP W01 on Friday, he remains confident his car won’t let him down as he targets a fruitful 2010 season…

   

• Barcelona day two – Hulkenberg quickest for Williams

  F1 Headlines 26/02/2010 16:34 no comments

  Nico Hulkenberg charged to the top of the timesheets on Friday in the Williams, as this week’s four-day test continued at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. Clocking a best lap of 1m 20.614s around the Spanish circuit, Hulkenberg’s quickest time was just over two-hundredths of a second faster than that of Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari.

  With the weather still dry and sunny, Hulkenberg was able to cover 99 laps during the course of the day. Alonso, meanwhile, completed a mammoth 133 laps…

   

• Q&A with Red Bull’s Mark Webber

  F1 Interviews 26/02/2010 12:47 no comments

  If Thursday’s Barcelona timesheets were anything to go by, Red Bull are looking very strong indeed, with Mark Webber’s best time in the RB6 almost a second quicker than the rest of the field. But while Webber admits he’s feeling positive, he’s keen to point out the team will not be resting on their laurels just yet…

   

• Nico Rosberg Q&A: Mercedes will be even faster in Bahrain

  F1 Interviews 26/02/2010 11:38 no comments

  On the opening day of this week’s test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg was one of the busiest drivers in action. Although he stopped out on track at one point after running out of fuel, Rosberg covered 107 laps in the MGP W01 and clocked Thursday’s third-fastest time. With a major update expected ahead of the Bahrain race, the young German’s confident he’ll be a front runner this year…

   

• BMW Sauber to support young driver Esteban Gutierrez

  F1 Headlines 26/02/2010 10:45 no comments

  BMW Sauber announced on Friday that they will support young driver Esteban Gutierrez this season. Eighteen year-old Gutierrez will attend a number of Grands Prix with the team and will be incorporated into the team’s driver development programme, which means he’ll follow the same training regime as race drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi.

  The Mexican enjoyed his first taste of Formula One power last year with BMW Sauber at December’s young driver test. He won the 2008 Formula BMW Europe championship, after winning seven races and taking a further five podiums, and in 2009 competed in the British and European Formula Three. This year he will line up for ART in the new GP3 race series.

   

• Exclusive Q&A with Lotus’s Mike Gascoyne

  F1 Interviews 26/02/2010 09:48 no comments

  After their T127 endured a wet and windy test debut at Jerez last week, Lotus were back in action on Thursday at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. With the sun shining at the Spanish track, reserve driver Fairuz Fauzy managed to complete 76 laps.

  Although Fauzy ended the day as the field’s slowest runner, chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne is still feeling optimistic about the season ahead…

   

• Barcelona day one – Webber sets the standard

  F1 Headlines 25/02/2010 16:27 no comments

  Red Bull’s Mark Webber topped the timesheets as the final pre-season test began at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday. Webber’s best time, a 1m 21.487s, was over nine-tenths of a second faster than the quickest lap from second-placed runner Nico Hulkenberg in the Williams.

  With the weather largely settled and dry, the 11 teams in action at the Spanish circuit enjoyed a productive first day, with fastest runner Webber managing to complete 109 laps in the RB6…

   

• Q&A with Bridgestone’s Jun Matsuzaki

  F1 Interviews 25/02/2010 09:52 no comments

  They may be back on track for some much needed dry running at a sunny Barcelona circuit on Thursday morning, but Formula One racing’s official tyre supplier, Bridgestone, are still contemplating the wet weather they faced at Jerez last week. Here the team’s assistant technical manager Jun Matsuzaki reflects on what they learnt at the sodden test…

   

• Final test heralds countdown to Bahrain

  F1 Headlines 25/02/2010 09:09 no comments

  In just over two weeks’ time everyone will be assembled on the Sakhir grid readying themselves for the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix. But before the curtain is raised on the 2010 season, the teams have once more chance to make last-minute on-track developments and improve their cars at this week’s test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

  Although the weather is set to be a lot better at the Spanish circuit than that the teams endured last week at Jerez, scattered showers are forecast in the area from Thursday, when the four-day test begins. Those in attendance will be hoping the rain holds off long enough for them to wrap up their pre-season programmes.

   

• Key to replace Rampf at BMW Sauber

  F1 Headlines 24/02/2010 14:10 no comments

  Just hours after his departure from Force India was announced, BMW Sauber have confirmed that James Key is to replace long-term technical director Willy Rampf later this year. Rampf, who has been in the role for a decade, will depart the Swiss team in April.

  “The first time I saw the facilities in Hinwil, I knew straightaway the kind of opportunities open to me there,” said Key, who will start his new job on April 1. “The wind tunnel, the supercomputer, the machine park and the expertise of the team were extremely persuasive. There is significant potential at Sauber, and with the ever-changing world of F1 I think the team is very well placed at present.”

   

• Qantas become title sponsor for Australian Grand Prix

  F1 Headlines 24/02/2010 10:13 no comments

  Australian Grand Prix organisers have announced that airline Qantas is to become the naming rights sponsor and premier partner for this year’s race. The 2010 FORMULA 1 QANTAS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX will take place in Melbourne from March 26-28.

  “We are delighted to have Qantas as our premier partner as it teams the iconic Australian airline with one of Australia’s premier international sporting events,” said Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman, Ronald J Walker, AC CBE.

   

• Cosworth gear up for final test

  F1 Headlines 24/02/2010 10:00 no comments

  Although last week’s Jerez test was battered by rain and wind, engine suppliers Cosworth are well satisfied with their pre-season progress as their CA2010 V8 continued to run reliably at the Spanish test. Cosworth, who are returning to Formula One racing in 2010 after a three-season absence, powered three teams in action – Williams, Lotus and Virgin.

  “Last week’s test in Jerez was rather curtailed by the atypically wet Spanish weather,” said Mark Gallagher, general manager of the company’s F1 Business Unit. “From our point of view, it was a good four days in Jerez with a total of three teams on track. This gave us a great opportunity to pool even more data from the CA2010 across three different chassis-engine packages.

   

• Technical shake-up at Force India

  F1 Headlines 24/02/2010 09:06 no comments

  Technical director James Key has decided to leave Force India prompting the Silverstone-based team to restructure their technical department. Design director Mark Smith will take over Key’s role.

  “I have spent the majority of my motor racing career within the team and although a difficult decision I felt the time was right for me to move on to new opportunities,” explained Key. “After four owners and various changes and challenges, to field a car that got a pole position and a podium seemed like a culmination of all the efforts.

   

• Virgin name Soucek as reserve

  F1 Headlines 23/02/2010 09:07 no comments

  Virgin Racing confirmed on Tuesday that Andy Soucek is to join the team as their reserve and test driver for the 2010 Formula One season. Soucek, who won the 2009 Formula Two championship, will work alongside race drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi.

  “I am thrilled to be joining Virgin Racing,” said the 24 year-old Spaniard. “This role offers me a great opportunity to prepare myself for the Formula One environment, which is naturally where my longer-term ambitions lie…

   

• Official opening for Lotus Racing factory

  F1 Headlines 22/02/2010 16:49 no comments

  The former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir, conducted the official opening of Lotus Racing’s UK factory in Hingham on Monday. Mahathir was joined at the ceremony by Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes, deputy team principals Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin and chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne.

  Following the opening, Malaysia’s longest serving Prime Minister toured the team’s Norfolk headquarters and then took a seat in the cockpit of the T127 while its Cosworth engine was fired up.

   

• Virgin: Hydraulic issues have cost us dear

  F1 Headlines 22/02/2010 09:44 no comments

  Virgin technical director Nick Wirth has lamented the reliability problems which have severely limited his team’s pre-season testing. Drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi managed to cover just 144 laps between them at last week’s four-day Jerez test, after the VR-01 repeatedly succumbed to hydraulic issues.

  To put that figure into context, fellow 2010 newcomers, Lotus, racked up 315 laps during the test at the Spanish track, with driver Jarno Trulli covering 141 laps on Friday. Ferrari, meanwhile, have completed 1,235 laps over the three test sessions they have attended so far this year.