Category: Ferrari

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Ferrari Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Mark Webber cautious on Ferrari rumour

Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, Mugello

Inevitably, Mark Webber was questioned in Mugello about the latest rumour suggesting he is tipped to sign with Ferrari next year. This is what he said: “Sergio [Perez] was flavour of the month last week for the Ferrari drive; now it’s me!”

He then added: “I’m focusing 100 per cent on this season and doing the best job for myself and Red Bull Racing. I’m not putting any energy into anything else.”

On the surface then, that would seem pretty straightforward. No deal. Being cheeky, though, Webber did not deny the claims outright, stating only that he is concentrating his efforts on this season.

We expect this story will simmer away for a while yet.

Speaking about the testing in Mugello, Webber said he is a fan of the circuit, despite the tricky conditions.

“I have to say this is a fantastic track. It’s very challenging for the driver and very quick. I don’t know if we’ll ever race here in the future, you never know, but to see the crowd here today was very special. A lot of people came to watch and that’s great.

“We have a lot of information to gather and, while today didn’t quite work out as expected, I’m optimistic that over the course of the next few days we’ll get the information we need.”

[Source: The Australian | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Ferrari Formula 1

Alonso fastest in Mugello mist

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F2012, Mugello Circuit

In conditions that were desperately wet at times a crowd of 15,000 watched Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso post the fastest time in the first day of testing at Mugello overnight. The two-time world champion set his time of 1:22.444 in the morning session which was mildy moist, to steal a Top Gear phrase.

In the afternoon session there was nothing mild about the weather. In fact the rain was so heavy a portion of the session was red flagged and some teams packed up early as a result.

Mark Webber was the next quickest for Red Bull, some 1.2 seconds behind Alonso’s time. Jean-Eric Vergne set the third fastest time in the Toro Rosso.

“It’s a shame about the rain, which complicated the running of this first day of testing and a shame for the spectators who deserved to see more of a show,” said Alonso. “We had a pretty busy work programme, but we only managed to get through a part of it. Therefore, it’s impossible to give a serious evaluation, especially as we did so little dry running.

“I can only say that, for me, it was a pleasure to be driving at this track again: the first and only other time was back in 2001, when I was testing for Minardi. It’s a spectacular track and it would be nice to be able to race on it!”

A full list of times and more pics from Ferrari can be seen after the break.

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Ferrari Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Mark Webber to Ferrari in 2013?

2012 Chinese Grand Prix

According to reports in the Spanish media Mark Webber will continue in F1 next season, albeit no longer with Red Bull but in a red Ferrari suit instead. While no claims of concrete contracts are being made, El Confidencial reports they have been told, “It’s done.” While El Mundo Deportivo claims Webber has signed a pre-contractual agreement with Ferrari.

Webber has been on one-year deals with Red Bull in recent years, claiming it helps keep his motivation high. However, with the fast charging juniors of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne in the Toro Rosso team believed to be in the hunt for Webber’s seat, it may be that Webber has no choice but to seek a contract elsewhere if he wants to extend his F1 career.

The rumour mill also suggests Webber may only be at Maranello for one year, with Sergio Perez to replace him in 2014. It’s understood Ferrari is happy to leave Perez at Sauber for another year to gain more experience. Either driver is expected to make a better fist of things than Felipe Massa, uncontracted at the end of 2012, who has struggled at Ferrari so far this year. The Brazilian also endured a terrible season in 2011.

Webber has a good relationship with Fernando Alonso which could assist the Australian’s recruitment into the team. Alonso is highly regarded by Ferrari and his opinions would surely carry some weight. Both drivers also have links with Flavio Briatore, which could aid discussions.

While the rumours of Webber and/or Perez remain unverified it does appear certain that Massa’s days are numbered.

No doubt the topic will be discussed while the teams are in Mugello for in-season testing this week. If we hear any more we’ll let you know.

[Source: El Confidencial & motorsport.com]

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Caterham F1 in pictures Ferrari Lotus McLaren Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Toro Rosso

2012 Bahrain Grand Prix in pictures

2012 Bahrain Grand Prix

Finally, the Bahrain Grand Prix has been run and won. In our picture gallery we’re pleased that there’s mostly images of F1 cars doing their thing and not of local protesters causing disruptions.

After making a real effort to try and understand the root of the issues, we’re actually still not sure what to make of all the fuss in Bahrain. Was it opportunistic violence from a bunch of kids, or merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of genuine human rights concerns. While leaning towards the latter, perhaps it was a bit of both, maybe?

The biggest shame of it all is the world’s eye will probably stop keeping watch until the F1 circus is back in town next year. We hope and wish the people of Bahrain good fortune in finding more common ground with their ruling family and that it is a more peaceful environment when the sport returns.

There’s 80+ images for you after the break to help you remember the race. Of course, the first time Vettel finishes ahead of Webber this year he would have to bloody win, wouldn’t he!

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2012 Chinese Grand Prix in pictures

2012 Chinese Grand Prix

With only a few days until the F1 circus fires up in the troubled state of Bahrain we sympathise with Nico Rosberg that he’s not really had the chance to celebrate in his maiden grand prix win in the manner it deserves. Maybe, in a moment of down time, he can check in to AUSmotive and share a smile as he relives that win in our picture gallery. There’s 84 pictures in all for you Nico, enjoy!

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Ferrari Formula 1

Honouring Gilles Villeneuve

Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari 312 T4

Gilles Villeneuve would be 62 if he were still alive today. He was just 32 when he died, succumbing to injuries sustained during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder.

Given the reverence with which he is remembered, Villeneuve Sr had a modest F1 record. Just 67 race starts and six wins. Incredibly promising, no doubt. However, the measure of Gilles Villeneuve is not in the tale of his statistics, but in the tales of admiration and respect from peers and fans alike.

Mario Andretti, 1978 World Champion, had this to say about Villeneuve: “At the wheel, Gilles would always give it his all. Nobody else ever drove quite like him: sideways in a fast way… there was only one like Gilles. I always wonder what career he would have had if it hadn’t been for that untimely death. A world championship was imminent, I’m sure.”

To honour the spirit of Gilles Villenueve, his son and 1997 World Champion, Jacques, will drive a Ferrari 312 T4 around Fiorano on 8 May, the 30th anniversary of his father’s death.

It should be a fitting tribute for one of the sport’s great icons.

To play our part we bring you a small clip from the 1979 French Grand Prix featuring a fierce battle for track position between Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux. Villeneuve himself described it as, “My best memory of Grand Prix racing.”

They don’t race like this any more!

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2012 Malaysian Grand Prix in pictures

Fernando Alonso, 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix

Here’s your fix of F1 pics from the watery depths experienced at the Malaysian Grand Prix. It was a shock result to see Fernando Alonso on the podium, never mind Sergio Perez joining him there. We’re still upset that Perez fluffed his best chance at a maiden GP win and think a Sauber victory would have been the story of the year… so far!

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Ferrari Formula 1 McLaren

2012 Malaysian GP: Post-race press conference

Fernando Alonso, 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix

The transcript from the official post-race press conference at the Malaysian Grand Prix can be read after the break, with thanks to the FIA.

Fernando Alonso now leads the drivers’ championship from Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. McLaren heads the constructors’ race from Red Bull and Ferrari.

[Pic: Ferrari]

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Ferrari

Eric Clapton gets a new Ferrari

Ferrari SP12 EPC

This new Ferrari, called the SP12 EPC, is reportedly a one-off project built at the request of rock legend Eric Clapton. Indeed, the EPC intials at the end are Clapton’s own and it appears Slowhand has a liking for all things Ferrari 512 BB.

So, as you do, you then make a call to Ferrari and say, get me a 458 Italia and make it look like a modern 512 BB. Oh, and stick a V12 in while you’re at it.

Yes and no came the reply from Ferrari. That is, they were only too happy to send their Special Projects arm into action to create a new body, but were none too keen to drastically alter the mechanicals of the donor 458.

The SP12 EPC was photographed in the showroom of London prestige car deal HR Owen. It’s understood Mr Clapton’s new wheels will be officially launched later this year.

[Source: Top Gear | Pics: Luke Gilbertson Photography]

UPDATE: Shaky video of the SP12 EPC in the showroom and being loaded into a transporter has been added below.

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2012 Australian Grand Prix in pictures

2012 Australian Grand Prix

If you didn’t make it to Melbourne on the weekend, or even if you did, here’s your chance to relive the 2012 Australian Grand Prix. With thanks to the F1 teams we bring you almost 100 photos from Albert Park as our F1 in pictures series returns. Remember to click on the pics to open a 2000px super image.

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Quick reference guide to the 2012 F1 season

F1 Jerez pre-season testing, February 2012

We might have seen 12 days of F1 pre-season testing already this year, but today is the eve of the 2012 Formula One season proper. When tomorrow’s free practice sessions go green that will be the first chance we get to see who is fast and who was mucking around during those pre-season tests.

To help prepare you for another mammoth year in F1 we bring you this quick reference guide. We have the full entry list and numbers for all drivers, plus links to our launch articles for all 11 teams. Very useful will be the coloured boxes which indicate which drivers will have a red camera atop their car and who will have yellow.

We’ve also included an introductory video from Pirelli explaining some of the changes they have made to the tyres for the season ahead. And, finally, there’s a handy calendar with the start times for all 20 races converted to Australian Eastern time.

If you still want more information you can learn more about the rule changes introduced this year in the Charlie Whiting Q&A article and The Guardian also has a good team-by-team preview, that is well worth a read.

All that’s left now are questions on what the season will bring: will this be Mark’s year; can Ricciardo edge himself ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne; and, more importantly, can anyone stop Sebastian Vettel?

For easy reference save this link: ausm.tv/f1guide2012

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Ferrari

Ferrari ‘F70’ launch plans revealed

Ferrari F70 sketch

Ferrari Chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, has revealed that the company’s Enzo replacement, currently being referred to as the F70, will debut at an invitation only event towards the end of this year. Following that the limited-run hypercar will make a full public debut at either the Detroit or Geneva motor shows.

Speaking to Automotive News Europe at the Geneva Motor Show, di Montezemolo hinted the F70 will be very special indeed, “We want to surprise people not just in terms of price but also with the car itself.”

Of course, Ferrari rocked up to Geneva last week with the new F12berlinetta. With 740hp on tap from its 6.3 litre V12 that is the most powerful production Ferrari ever. Hang on to your hats, though, because the F70 is expected to have as much as 920hp from a 7.3 litre V12.

[Source: Europe Automotive News | Pic: WCF/Larson]