Tag: F1

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Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing Video

Jenson Button reveals desire to drive for Red Bull

Jenson Button cocks up

Jenson Button took centre stage yesterday in one of the more bizarre incidents in Formula One history. Well, actually, what he took was Sebastian Vettel’s parking spot when the two drivers came in to pit during the Chinese Grand Prix.

As world champion constructor Red Bull Racing has the first garage in pit lane. McLaren, Button’s team, has the next garage down. So, when Button and Vettel raced into pitlane mechanics, from both teams were out waiting for their drivers. Button charged straight into the Red Bull spot, paused a little, was frantically waved on by Red Bull’s lollipop man, and then moved ahead to his McLaren bay a few metres ahead. Vettel seemed unfazed and the Red Bull team reacted with precision by sending out their man ahead of Button.

So, did Button simply make a rookie error? Was it a devious ploy to distract his rival team? Or has Button (not so) secretly revealed his wish to drive for Red Bull Racing?

While you can, check out the clip after the break.

[Pic: twitpic via @keithdaltons]

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F1 in pictures Ferrari Formula 1 Lotus McLaren Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Renault

2011 Malaysian Grand Prix in pictures

2011 Malaysian GP

Already the 2011 Formula One season is looking like it could be a Sebastian Vettel procession. Thankfully, there’s still another 17 races to go; with any luck someone else will get a look in very soon. This weekend in China, perhaps?

Until then, here’s 78 images from the Malaysian Grand Prix to keep you busy.

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Formula 1 Holden Motorsports

TeamVodafone confirms Bathurst driver swap

The TeamVodafone V8 Supercar website has confirmed the planned promo event at Mount Panorama, Bathurst is all set to go ahead next Tuesday, 22 March. The event will start at 11am and features five time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes and 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button.

Both men will drive their own car around the legendary 6.2km circuit during the event. After a lunch break Lowndes will take to the track in a McLaren MP4-23 F1 car, while Button will do laps in the Holden Commodore V8 Supercar.

Entry is open to the public and a gold coin donation will be collected to go towards the Queensland and Victorian flood appeals. It’s sure to be a once in a lifetime, which is exactly why AUSmotive will be there to see all the action.

[Source: TeamVodafone]

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Formula 1 Renault

Lotus Renault GP unveils 2011 F1 car

Lotus Renault GP R31

The newly branded Lotus Renault GP team was the third outfit to show off its 2011 car at Valencia on the eve of official testing. The R31 was presented to the media throng by drivers Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov.

Full quotes and press texts are available after the break. However, with the new adjustable rear wings being such an integral feature of the 2011 cars, we thought it pertinent to highlight some quotes from Lotus Renault GP Technical Director, James Allison:

“It’s true to say that the car has been designed in an ambitious manner and a quick glance at the layout will confirm that its entire concept differs considerably, not just from last year’s car, but from any car this team has ever produced. Those changes represent our attempt to extract the absolute maximum aerodynamic performance from the regulations, which have changed quite significantly for this year, and to further develop the concept of using the exhausts to blow the floor.

“Every team will be looking for a wing that delivers the optimum compromise of downforce in the corners, while shedding the maximum drag down the straights – the better your wing can do that, the better your lap time will be in qualifying and the more competitive you will be in racing conditions. In terms of how powerful it is, the gains from adjusting the rear wing will be more significant than the gains we saw last year using f-ducts. But, like the f-duct, it’s far from straightforward aerodynamically and we’ve spent a great deal of time in CFD and the wind tunnel to make sure our concept delivers the best compromise.”

More after the break.

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Formula 1 Lotus

Team Lotus reveals 2011 F1 car

Team Lotus T128

Team Lotus (formerly Lotus Racing) has taken a rather unconventional approach to unveiling their new F1 car. It was first revealed in the launch issue of Team Lotus Notes, the team’s new magazine (hmm, do we sense another copyright drama ahead).

You can see a few pics of the car right here (there’s more after the break) but we would encourage you to check out the Team Lotus website and download the newsletter for yourself.

The T128 (or the TL11, it seems we can take our pick) will source its engine from Renault and its transmission from Red Bull Technologies. Chief Technical Officer, Mike Gascoyne, reckons this will help them move up the grid in 2011, “I think that basically this car looks like a front-running car in every area. We said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams and I think that’s very achievable.”

Remembering the whole Team Lotus v Lotus Group kerfuffle, things have been made even more confusing by Team Lotus listing the tech specs of this car (available after the break) under the heading Lotus Renault T128.

In case you were wondering, the other Lotus Renault will be revealed later today as well.

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Ferrari Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing Video

One last look at the 2010 Formula One season

2010 F1 highlights

The recent launch of Ferrari’s F150 challenger marks the unofficial beginning of the 2011 Formula One season. So, for a quick reminder of the immediate season past, take the jump to watch an excellent highlights clip which celebrates the sport’s 60th anniversary year.

It’s a very entertaining piece of footage and is the perfect complement to our 2010 pictorial season review.

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Ferrari Formula 1

Video highlights from Ferrari’s F150 launch

Ferrari has published plenty of video highlights from the launch of its 2011 Formula One car, the F150, to its media portal and we’ve been adding them to the AUSmotive YouTube channel. To begin with you can see Team Principal, Stefano Domenicali, explain the thinking behind the F150 name, before expanding further on the team’s plans for the upcoming season.

Also interviewed are Chief Designer, Nikolas Tombazis; Technical Director, Aldo Costa and Engine and Electronics Director, Luca Marmorini. You can see those clips after the break.

There will be further video added to this post later in the day, so make sure you check back.

In the meantime, why not read this excellent analysis the F150 from well known F1 writer Craig Scarborough.

UPDATE: Three further clips have been added. The first is a general highlights clip from the launch. This is followed by a couple of clips featuring Luca de Montezemolo, then drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.

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Ferrari Formula 1

Ferrari unveils 2011 F1 car

Ferrari F150

Ferrari has taken the lead in the 2011 Formula One season already by being the first team to launch its new car. Ferrari have labelled this one the F150; no, it’s not an old Ford pickup, but a 21st century racing machine.

Out go the blown diffuser and “F-duct” rear wings and back comes KERS along with the addition of adjustable rear wings. A ban on engine development means the 2.4 litre V8 fitted to this car is the same unit used in last year’s F10.

More photos and press material from Ferrari, including a video walk around of the F150, can be seen after the break. Remember, too, 2000px wallpaper-friendly images can be accesed by clicking on any of the pics.

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Formula 1 News

Lord Mayor expects no Grand Prix for Melbourne after 2015

Australian Grand Prix

The current contract with Melbourne to host the Formula One Grand Prix expires in 2015. A statement from Melbourne’s Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle, published on the weekend speculates it is highly unlikely the Victorian Government will bid for the rights to host the race beyond the current deal.

Writing for the Sunday Herald Sun Doyle said, “Fast forward to 2015, the year the franchise ends. Though the documented benefits for the city may include hundreds of millions of dollars of advertising value, tens of millions of dollars of local revenue, an event that will draw between 250,000 and 300,000 people over three days will come at a cost that will approach 70 million taxpayer dollars.

“It is the old argument: pay up front but get many times the value of the upfront payment in downstream economic benefits.

“For most events that formula is persuasive. But $70 million?”

Doyle concludes with an even more frank assessment, “My judgment would be: Get ready. Time’s up.”

Ultimately the decision to seek an extension to the current deal rests with the new Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu and his government. Controversy and Albert Park have gone hand in hand for most of race’s history in the Victorian capital. Would it be a prudent political move for Baillieu to announce his political leadership with a strong statement by snubbing F1?

So, if Melbourne lost the Grand Prix and it went elsewhere in Australia, would that be okay? What if the race was shipped off overseas for good? Let us know what you think.

[Source: Sunday Herald Sun]

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Formula 1

CAMS and AGPC kiss and make up

2010 Australian Grand Prix

The 2011 Australian Grand Prix will go ahead as planned after CAMS announced they have called a truce on their bickering with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC). A letter from CAMS CEO, David Morgan, has been distributed to affiliates which reads in part, “I am very pleased to advise CAMS members that our President Andrew Papadopoulos announced today that we have signed an agreement with AGPC for CAMS to be the sporting Organiser as defined in the Formula One Sporting Regulations.”

Tensions were raised when the AGPC threatened to de-register the role of CAMS as GP organisers if they did not lower the fee charged for running the event.

Now, though, both parties should be singing from the same hymn sheet with Morgan’s letter continuing, “CAMS is delighted to have reached this agreement and looks forward to continuing its role in one of the world’s best Formula 1 events and helping to make it an even greater success.” The full letter from David Morgan can be read after the jump.

In other Australian Grand Prix news, Qantas has renewed its sponsorship for the 2011 race. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said, “Qantas has been associated with the Australian Grand Prix for 25 years and we are especially looking forward to next year’s event with Qantas as the Premier Partner.”

Next year’s Australian Grand Prix will run across the weekend of 24–27 March and will follow Bahrain as the second race on the 2011 F1 calendar.

[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images | Thanks to Mick for the tip]

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Formula 1

FIA confirms F1 team lists for 2011

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix

The FIA has released a confirmed list of teams and drivers for the 2011 season. Following the news from overnight, we can now add Pastor Maldonado to the vacant Williams seat, which leaves nine drives still up for grabs.

Interestingly, Toro Rosso is shown as having no drivers confirmed, despite team boss Franz Tost already on record as saying Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi will return next year.

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Formula 1

Faster Pastor

Pastor Maldonado

Williams F1 has just confirmed 25-year-old Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado will drive for them in 2011. Maldonado will take the seat vacated by Nico Hulkenberg and joins veteran Rubens Barichello.

Maldonado first caught the attention of Sir Frank Williams in 2007 when the driver won at Monaco in his debut GP2 season. Earlier this year a run of six vitories on end helped Maldonado pocket the GP2 championship.

He drove for Williams on all four test days at the recent young driver testing held immediately after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Sir Frank is happy to have him on board, “We are very much looking forward to developing his talent over the winter and a fruitful season with him next year.”

It’s closing in on three decades since a Venezuelan has driven in F1, the last man to do so was Johnny Cecotto, who would be familiar to touring car fans thanks to his time driving for BMW. Maldonado is looking forward to seeing his country represented in Formula One again, “I will be doing my best over the winter to prepare myself, and I know the team will be working hard to ensure a successful season. 2011 will be the first time in nearly thirty years that a Venezuelan has driven a Formula One car so I will be looking to get some good results in return for the support my country has given me to help get me to this position today.”

You can learn more about Pastor Maldonado in the Q&A interview included with the official Williams press release after the break.

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