Category: Formula 1

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Formula 1 Motorsports News

Albert Park F1 history under the hammer this weekend

380 Montague Street, Albert Park

A slice of motorsport history is up for sale this weekend when 380 Montague Street, Albert Park is offered for auction.

The 120-year-old property is owned by the colourful Paul Vellacot who has been on the Melbourne car club scene for years. The property consists of two parcels, a three bedroom cottage and the old stables (pictured above), once part of the Morris Dairy.

After Vellacot bought both properties in 1974 he used the stables to house classic cars, mostly old Lancias. Five-time Formula 1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio was one of the first to sign the stable walls after visiting the property in 1978.

Since then a number of big names in motorsport, including Sir Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, Sir Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss also left their mark on the historic walls.

The list of documented names includes: Brabham, Fangio, Jones, Moss, Stewart as well as Paul Frere, Tony Gaze (Australia’s first F1 driver), Sandro Munari, Piero Taruffi and Luigi Villoresi.

The stables are protected by heritage order, so they can’t be knocked down. However, the inside walls are not protected and the signatures could be lost as part of any future renovations.

In some small way the history of this F1 curiosity will be preserved online, let’s hope those famous autographs remain on those walls for a few more years yet.

Up for auction this Saturday, 380 Montague Street is expected to fetch around $3 million.

[Source: Port Phillip Leader | Pics: Janine Eastgate & Greg Hocking]

UPDATE 6 Dec: Sold for $3,475,000 to an Australian buyer who lives in the US.

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Ferrari Formula 1 Video

The baby in red

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari

When Formula 1 has a 17-year-old driver in its midst it’s hard to refer to Sebastian Vettel as a baby, but due to being the youngest ever world champion and, at times, carrying on like a spoilt toddler Vettel has been considered the baby of F1. And now the four-time world champ is enduring those difficult mid-career years by leaving home and seeing if the grass really is greener on the other side.

In truth, Vettel’s departure from the bosom of Red Bull is the type of movement F1 needs. It will create massive interest and we’ll get to see what Vettel can do in a crap car. Were his achievements with his former employer nature (his own talent) or nurture (Adrian Newey’s talent). It’s going to be fascinating to watch.

Ferrari, conscious of the marketing opportunities at hand, has sent out a special release and video to mark Sebastian’s first day on the job in Maranello.

It’s where he wants to be…

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Formula 1 Toro Rosso

Toro Rosso rallies to sign Sainz Jr for 2015

Carlos Sainz Jr

Fresh from his 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 championship and a day of testing with Red Bull in Abu Dhabi this week Carlos Sainz Jr has landed himself a drive with Toro Rosso in 2015.

Amazingly the 20-year-old will be the elder statesman at Toro Rosso next year, joining 17-year-old Max Verstappen. In a pleasing quirk, both men boys are sons of famous motorsport fathers. Carlos, the son of dual World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz and Max, the son of Formula 1 journeyman Jos Verstappen.

“I am really happy to have landed the drive with Scuderia Toro Rosso,” Sainz Jr said. “Ever since I have been part of Red Bull’s Young Driver Programme, this has been my aim and I want to thank Red Bull for putting their faith in me.

“I have had a very successful season in World Series by Renault this year and now I am looking forward to taking the step up to Formula 1. I tested for a day with Toro Rosso last year and I liked the atmosphere in the team.

“In the next few months I will be working hard on my preparation, ready to get in the cockpit in Jerez for the first test of next year. It will be nice to make my ‘official’ debut as a Formula 1 driver in my home country!”

Earlier this week Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso driver in 2013 and 2014, confirmed via twitter that he would not be continuing with the team next year.

[Pics: Toro Rosso/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 Honda McLaren

McLaren-Honda – A shaky new era

McLaren-Honda MP4-29H/X1

Between 1988 and 1992, McLaren-Honda dominated Formula 1, winning 44 grands prix and eight world championships. In 2015, that partnership will be reforged. As we get ready for our new era in F1, we invite you inside the garage to witness first-hand the reunion of McLaren and Honda, and watch the MP4-29H/1X1 take to the track for its first ever run.

That bold and forward-looking statement accompanies McLaren’s first on-track video from its reunification with Honda (clip can be seen below). It was released just before the two day post-season test session held in Abu Dhabi. Since then a lot of that optimism will have been lost.

The McLaren-Honda partnership is used to topping the timesheets. Yet, in two days of testing, not one official lap time was registered.

On Day 1 of testing: An electronics issue meant the car spent the morning in the garage, but it broke cover soon after lunch, with test and development driver Stoffel Vandoorne conducting a number of exploratory installation runs throughout the afternoon.

He was halted on a couple of occasions by a fuel/data exchange issue – the second of which left him stranded on the circuit, causing a red flag.

On Day 2 of testing: Despite successfully firing up before the track opened at 9am, our morning programme was scuppered by a hard-to-find electrical issue, which stopped our progress while we traced the cause.

In the afternoon, the team got the car on the track – Stoffel successfully completed an installation lap, and had begun a four-lap run when the car shut down.

Not the best start, yet despite these setbacks, Yasuhisa Arai, Honda’s chief officer of motorsport remained positive.

“This week’s test is really all about performing some fundamental systems checks on the engine before we begin testing in earnest next February,” explained Arai. “When I was at Jerez earlier this year, I noticed just how many issues the teams faced in readying these turbo engines, so we really wanted to get those initial checks under our belts before winter testing starts in 2015.

“The engine we used today is still under development—it’s not for the actual race—and we’re on schedule to develop it further ahead of the forthcoming season. There are a few more steps coming before Australia.

“We’re making good progress for the new season as one team.”

A competitive McLaren-Honda outfit will be great for F1, so let’s hope they’re able to have more success in pre-season testing next year.

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Formula 1 WEC

Porsche signs Nico Hulkenberg for Le Mans

Nico Hulkenberg

Force India Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg is the first person named to drive the factory Porsche team’s third 919 Hybrid at the 6 Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015.

It’s both rare and welcomed to see an active F1 driver taking part in categories such as the World Endurance Championship. We hope the 27-year-old German does well.

“Porsche and Le Mans—this combination probably attracts every race driver,” Hulkenberg said. “I’ve been a Porsche fan for a long time and have been watching their return to the LMP1 class closely.

“The desire grew to drive that car at Le Mans. I am very pleased the 2015 Formula 1 calendar allows for it and I’m grateful to my Sahara Force India Formula 1 Team’s generosity to let me go for it. Now it’s up to me to work hard to satisfy both commitments.”

Team Principal Andreas Seidl explains Hulkenberg will have a steep learning curve in the short-term switch from F1 to WEC and shared sentiments of gratitude towards Force India.

“Having caught the interest of another world class driver like Nico is validation for the job the entire Porsche LMP1 crew had done in our first WEC season,” Seidl said. “Now we will prepare Nico for his new challenges such as dealing with the traffic of the slower GT cars and racing into the Le Mans night.

“We’re looking forward to working with Nico and we want to thank the Sahara Force India F1 Team and team principal Vijay Mallya for loaning him to us.”

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Formula 1

Spike’s big day out

Spike Goddard, Force India VJM07

Spike Goddard completed 89 laps in his first day out in a Formula 1 car. Driving the Force India VJM07, Goddard said he took some time to adjust to extra demands compared with the F3 cars he’s used to driving.

“I felt today went really well,” the 22-year-old Australian said. ” The VJM07 is a massive step up from my Formula 3 car so the first part of the day was devoted to adjusting to the new machinery. The power and downforce of these cars is something on a completely different level; it was a massive shock to the system, but I got used to it fairly soon.

“We chipped away at the lap time in every run and in the end we got to a pretty good time and 89 laps, which is a fair bit of running. I am pretty happy about the work I did with the team and the way everyone worked with me.

“I’d love to keep a link with Sahara Force India: it’s a fantastic group of people and I’d like to contribute and help as much as I can.”

Goddard’s fastest lap was 1:44.944, the sixth best of the day. In contrast, Daniel Ricciardo posted the seventh best time (1:45.151). On the previous day of testing Jolyon Palmer completed 37 laps for Force India. His best time was 1:44.516, the fourth quickest on the opening day.

“Spike did a good job and really made the most of his first opportunity in a Formula 1 car,” said Tom McCullough, Chief Engineer. “It’s always a big jump from Formula 3 to Formula 1, but he adapted quickly and gradually built up his confidence and speed throughout the test.”

Goddard also spent part of his day testing a new style “info wing”, which has been developed by Anthony Hamilton, father of Lewis. The wing features LED lighting able to display the driver’s number, tyre compound and position in the race.

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Ferrari Formula 1

Ferrari smokes Mattiacci for Arrivabene

Maurizio Arrivabene

After only seven months in the job Ferrari has moved Marco Mattiacci on from the position Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal. He will be replaced by Maurizio Arrivabene (above), who has made his name flogging smokes with Philip Morris.

It’s okay, Arrivabene does have Formula 1 exposure through his F1 Commission role representing all sponsors. But, running an F1 team? This is a bold move by the Scuderia and has been driven by Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne. The intent seems to be to improve Ferrari’s political strength in the sport, rather than its flagging fortunes in the garage.

“We decided to appoint Maurizio Arrivabene because, at this historic moment in time for the Scuderia and for Formula 1, we need a person with a thorough understanding not just of Ferrari but also of the governance mechanisms and requirements of the sport,” Marchionne explained.

“Maurizio has a unique wealth of knowledge: he has been extremely close to the Scuderia for years and, as a member of the F1 Commission, is also keenly aware of the challenges we are facing.

“He has been a constant source of innovative ideas focused on revitalisation of Formula 1

“His managerial experience on a highly complex and closely regulated market is also of great importance, and will help him manage and motivate the team. I am delighted to have been able to secure his leadership for our racing activities.”

Autosport has an article further analysing why Mattiacci got shafted.

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Formula 1 Lotus Video

Get the truck out of here!

Lotus F1 Team truck jump

When teams such as Lotus are crying poor about the costs associated with running a Formula 1 team the last thing you’d think they’d be doing is a stunt like this. Still, it’s fodder for the masses and a great promo for the team’s IT sponsor EMC2.

Really, who doesn’t want to see a massive truck jumping over an F1 car?!

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

2014 Abu Dhabi GP: Post-race press conference

2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

As you might expect the post-race press conference after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was all about the newly crowned world champion Lewis Hamilton. It’s good for the fans that he was on the podium so that we can get a first-hand account of his thoughts after a big season.

Similarly, it would have been nice to see Daniel Ricciardo on the podium so we might have been able to get some more insight into his breakout year in Formula 1. Instead we have to make do with the words supplied to us by Red Bull:

“I think it was pretty much a faultless race from all sides, from the strategy, to myself and the pit stops, everything was good so we did everything we needed to,” Daniel said. “I had fun passing, it wasn’t boring out there, so it was pretty much what I asked for. One spot better would have been nice, but fourth is really cool from the pit lane.

“It’s been pretty much a perfect season, as perfect as it can be without holding a world title, so no real regrets, no complaints. It’s nice to not only start the season well, but to finish it well also and I think all the way through it was good—we had a strong summer as well, so the start, middle and end were pretty good!”

If last summer was a strong one, let’s pray this summer is a bit stronger for Daniel and Red Bull. It will need to be of they’re to catch the all conquering Silver Arrows.

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

Lewis Hamilton wins 2014 Abu Dhabi GP

2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton secured his eleventh race win for the season and his second world championship with victory in the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix overnight.

The 29-year-old Briton made a lightning start from P2 on the grid, powering into the lead leaving his championship rival and teammate Nico Rosberg in his wake. Rosberg wasn’t able to mount a serious challenge and his title hopes were dashed mid-race when his ERS system failed, meaning he lost the ability to boost engine performance by 120kW for 33 seconds per lap.

Despite his engineer asking him to retire with two laps to go, Rosberg held on to finish the race having dropped to a lowly P14 and was also lapped by Hamilton.

Felipe Massa made a late charge and although Hamilton’s winning margin was a reasonably slender 2.5 seconds the Williams driver wasn’t able to get close enough to challenge for the lead of the race. In the end Massa will be happy with P2, his highest finishing position this season.

Valtteri Bottas finished third and proved he’s got some serious potential. The 30 points he collected were enough to elevate him to fourth in the world championship.

After starting from the pitlane due an illegal wing used in qualifying Daniel Ricciardo impressed everyone, but surprised noone to charge his way through the field to finish the race in P4. He also set the fastest lap and a podium finish may have been possible had he been able to start from the P5 he qualified in. Still, it’s a been a great year for Daniel and we hope Red Bull is able to provide him with a decent car in 2015.

Jenson Button finished fifth in what could be his final race in Formula 1. It would be a quiet and understated ending for the likeable Brit if that were the case. As a world champion he probably deserved the right to say goodbye, assuming McLaren has already made up its mind on who will drive for the team next year.

The Force India pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez finished in sixth and seventh, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton’s win is the 33rd of his career, which now moves him ahead of Fernando Alonso on the all time winners list. In addition to his 2008 title, he now joins Jim Clark (1963, 1965) and Graham Hill (1962, 1968) as Britons who have won two world championships.

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz Video

Do you think Lewis will do this tonight?

Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna collide at the start of the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to winning an F1 world championship in dramatic circumstances; remember those closing laps in 2008? Yet three years—1989, 1990 and 1994—stick in the memory as moments when the world champion was decided in highly controversial circumstances.

With two races to go in 1989 Ayrton Senna trailed his fierce rival Alain Prost by 16 points in the title race and needed to win the Japanese Grand Prix in order to take the championship to the final race in Adelaide. On lap 47 we saw one of the most iconic incidents in Formula 1 when the two collided. If both cars retired that was enough for Prost to claim the title. But more controversy was to follow after Senna was able to restart and go on to win the race, only to be later disqualified.

The following year the tables were turned in the Senna v Prost battle. This time Senna held the upper hand and Prost needed to win at Suzuka to keep his championship hopes alive. The image above shows what happened when the two cars fought for position into the first corner. Senna clipped the back of Prost’s car and forced both cars out of the race. Senna became world champion for the second time.

Four years later the championship fight made it to the last race of the season in Adelaide. It was desperately close, with Michael Schumacher a single point ahead of Damon Hill. On lap 36 Schumacher was leading the race but ran wide at Turn 5 allowing Hill to catch up and as the pair fought for position going into Turn 6 the result was seemingly inevitable. Contact was made, both men retired and Schumacher won his first world championship.

We’re not categorically saying Prost (1989), Senna (1990) and Schumacher (1994) deliberately caused those infamous accidents. But watch the videos after the break and then put yourself in Lewis Hamilton’s shoes. Would you deliberately cause a race-ending incident in order to secure yourself a Formula 1 world championship?

[Pic: F1 Fanatic]

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

2014 Abu Dhabi GP: Lewis v Nico title fight

Lews Hamilton v Nico Rosberg, 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton enjoys a 17 point lead over Nico Rosberg heading into tonight’s final grand prix of the year. He is the favourite to win the 2014 F1 world championship. But with double points on offer in Abu Dhabi Nico Rosberg needs to only finish fifth (20 points) to close the gap. Of course, if that is the case then Lewis would only need a P9 (4 points) result to deny Rosberg.

We thank Sky Sports F1 for the graphic above which shows in a simple format what each driver needs to do to win the title, based on Rosberg’s results.

[Pic: @SkySportsF1]