Category: McLaren

2011 Brazlian GP: Qualifying press conference

Post author By Liam
Post date 27 November, 2011

Well he’s done it. Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position over night at the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix and now holds the outright record for the most number of pole positions in a single season. He has started from P1 15 times this year, one better than Nigel Mansell’s 1992 record.

Vettel (1:11.918) was made to earn his record with Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber (1:12.099) alongside in P2. Completing a top three we’ve seen a few times already this year was Jenson Button (1:12.283) for McLaren.

The post-quali press conference below includes some good material about tomorrow’s race, and the possibility of rain, as well as the three guys reflecting on the career of Rubens Barrichello. Rumours are around suggesting Rubens may not get a drive with Williams in 2012, so will this be his last ever race?

Daniel Ricciardo has pressure of his own to secure a drive for the 2012 season and he’ll be happy that he has qualified ahead of the two Virgins, but dissatisfied to behind his HRT teammate Tonio Liuzzi. Here’s hoping Daniel can put in a strong race tomorrow and that we may see him in a Toro Rosso next year.

[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images & Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]

Formula 1 McLaren

2011 Brazilian GP: Take a lap around Interlagos

Post author By Liam
Post date 25 November, 2011
1 Comment on 2011 Brazilian GP: Take a lap around Interlagos

The 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix is the final race in what are now very long Formula One seasons. Making things difficult for us here in Australia is the Monday 3am (AEDT) start time.

With the championship already safely wrapped up for Vettel and Red Bull Racing, viewer numbers will probably be quite low. Which is a bit of a shame as the Interlagos circuit, with its rise and fall, is quite a nice track. Here’s a couple of videos to show you around the 4.3km circuit. First up is Dave Robson, McLaren race engineer, talking us through a lap on their simulator. Decent YouTube clips can be hard to find, so we’ve had to back to around 2007 for the second clip with onboard footage from a Ferrari.

Of course, Mark Webber claimed his second Grand Prix victory in Brazil back in 2009. Can he repeat that success and claim something in what has been a disappointing year for him results wise.

McLaren

McLaren opens new Production Centre

Post author By Liam
Post date 24 November, 2011
4 Comments on McLaren opens new Production Centre

McLaren Automotive officially opened its new Production Centre in Surrey last week. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, was on hand to do the ribbon cutting. The Production Centre sits alongside the McLaren Technology Centre, which opened in 2004 and is the home of their Formula One team.

As to be expected the new production facility is slick, shiny and it probably would be clean enough to eat your meals off the floor as a part-built MP4-12C whirs by.

After the break there’s a couple of videos from McLaren, the first gives a brief looks inside the Production Centre while the second has highlights from the official opening and interviews with Ron Dennis, Executive Chairman and Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director.

Tags MP4-12C

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2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in pictures

Post author By Liam
Post date 16 November, 2011

Just in case you haven’t forgotten all about the snore fest that was Lewis Hamilton’s redemption here’s 90-odd pics to help you relive the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. There’s a nice mix of day and night shots, with a few colourful sunset shots in between. Actually a few of the shots illstrate well the undulations of the Yas Marina circuit; something television tends to mask too well.

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2011 Abu Dhabi GP: Post-race press conference

Post author By Liam
Post date 14 November, 2011
2 Comments on 2011 Abu Dhabi GP: Post-race press conference

Well there’s something you don’t see every day; a Formula One podium with no Red Bull drivers present. It’s been 19 races since that last happened (2010 Korean GP). Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, tortured soul, apparently, has given his life new meaning by winning the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

As can sometimes be the case in F1 there was action aplenty on lap one before boredom set in. So it proved at Yas Marina when Sebastien Vettel made a clean get away only to spin out of the race thanks to a tyre failure. Hamilton then made sure his McLaren led the remaining laps that counted, only surrendering his lead during his two pit stops.

Likewise, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso made a ripping start and was quickly up three places into P2 half way through the first lap and that’s where he stayed. Jenson Button was the only one on the podium to earn his money really. The McLaren driver had a reasonable scrap with Mark Webber. They swapped places a couple of times, but ultimately the DRS overtaking zones favoured the McLaren as Red Bull’s achilles heel of poor top speed left Webber powerless to defend.

Due to a woeful first pit stop Webber then found himself behind Felipe Massa. Can you imagine the embarrassment! For Mark’s second stop RBR gambled by sending him back out on soft tyres, but with clear track ahead of him it was hoped he could build enough of gap over Massa to stay clear when he made his compulsory final stop to fit the harder compound tyres. In the end it was a formality after Rob Smedley radioed Massa to say, ” Felipe, your rear tyres are faster than your fronts, do you understand?” The subsequent spin by Massa indicates he understood.

At the back of the field Daniel Ricciardo lost position to his HRT teammate, but managed to work hard to establish a comfortable gap over Liuzzi. However, an electrical failure ended Ricciardo’s race with just three laps to go.

After the break you can read what the first three drivers had to say in the post-race press conference.

[Pics:Â Ferrari & Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]

Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing

2011 Abu Dhabi GP: Qualifying press conference

Post author By Liam
Post date 13 November, 2011

Once again Sebastian Vettel proved his qualifying prowess by putting his Red Bull on pole position for the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It is his fourteenth pole for the year and equals the record for most poles a single season with Nigel Mansell’s efforts in 1992.

Incredibly, Vettel, now on 29 career pole positions, needs just five more to move into third in the all-time list, behind Michael Schumacher (68) and Ayrton Senna (65).

Second fastest at Yas Marina was Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver had been the form driver of the practice sessions and was quickest in Q1 and Q2, but his best lap of 1:38.622 could not match Vettel’s time of 1:38.481.

Jenson Button completed the familiar trend of McLaren and Red Bull qualifying in the top three with a 1:38.631 lap time.

Australian drivers Mark Webber (Red Bull; 1:38.858) and Daniel Ricciardo (HRT; 1:44.641) qualified fourth and twenty-first respectively.

Comments from the first three can be read below.

[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images & Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]

Formula 1 McLaren

2011 Abu Dhabi GP: Take a lap around Yas Marina

Post author By Liam
Post date 11 November, 2011

McLaren’s Principal Race Engineer Phil Prew talks us through a lap of the 5.5km Yas Marina circuit ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After the break you can see a preview of the race from Pirelli’s point of view.

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evo Car of the Year videos

Post author By Liam
Post date 7 November, 2011
3 Comments on evo Car of the Year videos

Evo magazine has assembled 10 of the world’s best performance cars to try and establish which one they think was the best to hit the market in 2011. Following a few phone calls, 10 turned into 11 when they added the just released BMW M5 to the list. As you would. The results of eCOTY 2011 are out there, but we won’t give that away just yet in case you’re waiting for the mag.

In the meantime here’s the list of cars gathered at the mercy of some heavy right feet. Highlight videos from Chris Harris on each can also be seen after the break. He was banned from driving the Ferrari, thanks to his rant against the Prancing Horse earlier this year, but managed to find way to get by.

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2011 Indian Grand Prix in pictures

Post author By Liam
Post date 1 November, 2011
2 Comments on 2011 Indian Grand Prix in pictures

Some are saying the Sebastian Vettel domination at the Indian Grand Prix made it the most boring race of 2011. Whatever your stance on that, we’re sure you’ll agree these aren’t the most boring pictures of the year. The world’s best photographers have found some great angles at the newest F1 circuit on the calendar. There’s 100 pics here for you, we hope you like them.

Ferrari Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing

2011 Indian GP: Post-race press conference

Post author By Liam
Post date 31 October, 2011
1 Comment on 2011 Indian GP: Post-race press conference

Sebastian Vettel put his Red Bull on pole. Sebastian Vettel got a clean start. Sebastien Vettel led every lap. Sebastian Vettel achieved the fastest lap of the race, on the last lap of the race. Sebastian Vettel won the first ever Indian Grand Prix. During the race Sebastian Vettel became the first driver to lead 700 laps or more in a single F1 season.

Yes, like the other drivers, we imagine, we’re getting a bit sick of that name as well.

Talk of team orders in the Red Bull garage to aid Mark Webber to second place in the drivers’ championship is hindered by Webber’s continuing ability in 2011 to start high and finish low. How keen he must be hoping for a fresh start in 2012.

At the Buddh International Circuit Webber started second and finished fourth, allowing his two closest rivals for secondâ€”Jenson Button (McLaren) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)â€”to fill the void between himself and his ever increasingly untouchable teammate.

There’s just two races left in 2011 and if Vettel can win those he will have claimed victory in 13 races for the year. That would equal Michael Schumacher’s epic 2004 season. Vettel to help Webber in 2011? Fat chance.

[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing

2011 Indian GP: Qualifying press conference

Post author By Liam
Post date 30 October, 2011

It might be a new Grand Prix in a new country on a very green and dusty track, but it was the same old story in qualifying at the Indian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel claimed his thirteenth pole for the year, making is a total of 16 for Red Bull Racing; a new record for a single season.

In second place was Lewis Hamilton for McLaren, while Mark Webber rounded out the top three. However, Hamilton will lose three places due to a penalty for driving too fast through yellow flags in one of the practice sessions on Friday.

That means Webber will now start the race alongside his teammate in P2 and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) moves up to P3. Hamilton moves back to P5, one place behind his McLaren buddy Jenson Button.

Daniel Ricciardo was happy qualifying in P21 for HRT, even though he was only a few hundredths quicker than Narain Karthikeyan.

Unfortunately for Daniel he incurrred a five place grid penalty for changing a gearbox after Saturday practice. Luckily for him, though, he will only lose one place after Karthikeyan also received a penalty for impeding Michael Schumacher during qualifying. Timo Glock will start from last place after he suffered mechanical issues and was unable to post a qualifying lap.

[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]

Formula 1 McLaren

Another look at Buddh International Circuit

Post author By Liam
Post date 27 October, 2011

Last week we offered you a couple of preview clips showcasing the new Buddh International Circuit which will host this weekend’s Indian Grand Prix. It’s somewhat exciting to be heading to a new track, even if the paint is still likely to be wet.

In the video above McLaren’s Matt Daley, Simulator Development Engineer, talks us through a lap with Jenson Button at the team’s simulator.

Further to that there will be two DRS zones this weekend; the start-finish straight and the long back straight. Detection zones are in the preceding corners for each.

The Formula1 website has a good preview article up at the moment, which is well worth a read.

For our Australian readers, the Indian race will be on in prime time as well. Quali starts at 7:30pm (AEDT) on Saturday and the lights go green at 8:30pm on Sunday.