Tag: Formula One

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Formula 1

Ricciardo has Friday on his mind

Daniel Ricciardo & Sebastien Bueml

Young Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo (left) will take another step towards an F1 career with Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2011. The 21-year-old will drive in the Friday practice sessions at all 20 races next year.

Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi (right) have already been confirmed as Toro Rosso’s drivers for next season and they will miss alternating Friday sessions in 2011 to make way for Ricciardo’s role.

Ricciardo will also continue to race in the Formula Renault 3.5 series, but says F1 is his long-term goal, “I am really excited at the prospect of driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso in the practice sessions next year, so I have to say thanks to Red Bull for this great opportunity.

“My main priority for 2011 is to win the Formula Renault 3.5 championship, but my ultimate aim is to be a full-time Formula One driver and this new role has to be the best step towards achieving that ambition.”

The news follows this week’s earlier rumour suggesting Buemi could make way for Ricciardo in a full-time capacity. While that doesn’t look like happening just yet, Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost has left the door open for the young West Australian, “When our team was created, its stated aim was to bring on young drivers from the Red Bull Junior Team, so Daniel’s appointment as our third driver is an obvious one.

“Although Daniel has done some F1 testing already, running on Fridays at the grands prix will give him a valuable insight into the additional pressures of doing it for real during a race weekend. I am also sure that having a hungry youngster on the books will keep our current driver pairing nice and sharp!”

[Source: Scuderia Toro Rosso | Pic: STR/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Ricciardo sets blistering pace to stay on top

Daniel Ricciardo

On the second and final day of young driver testing Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo, driving for Red Bull Racing, stayed on top of the time sheets by setting a fastest lap time of 1:38.340 – a blistering effort that bettered Sebastian Vettel’s pole position time from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by 1.3 seconds.

Ricciardo was driving Mark Webber’s chassis which won the Hungarian Grand Prix and the 21-year-old used it to his best advantage by setting the quickest times in both the morning and afternoon session. A full list of times can be seen after the break.

The F1 teams will have a rest day before commencing testing with new Pirelli tyres on Friday.

[via Autosport]

UPDATE: A new statement from the Ricciardo stable has been added below.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Sebastian Vettel talks about winning the World Championship

Sebastian Vettel

Here’s a brief video of Sebastian Vettel talking about his Formula One World Championship success. He starts by talking about his relationship with Mark Webber, before discussing his emotional response to discovering he had just won F1’s biggest prize.

[Thanks to Wes for the tip]

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Ferrari Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Renault

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in pictures

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Here is our last image gallery from the 2010 Formula One season. Bringing you these pics has been a fun, albeit labour intensive, addition to the AUSmotive routine and we look forward to bringing you more great pics in 2011.

For now, though, here are 101 photos from the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It is Sebastian Vettel’s time to shine; Mark Webber fans – you may want to look away now.

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Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing

2010 Abu Dhabi GP – Post-race press conference

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Unfortunately for Mark Webber fans, and Ferrari fans too, the decision to pit early for fresh tyres at last night’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has not become any wiser. Seventh for Alonso, and eighth for Webber, left those two in places that are darker than they could have imagined before the race began. However, it’s nothing but sunshine for Sebastian Vettel.

At 23 years, 4 months, 12 days, Vettel’s victory on the Yas Marina circuit saw him become the sport’s youngest ever World Champion. On balance the young German has been the quickest driver across the season, his 10 pole positions and five race wins attest to that.

It seems a long time ago now, but poor fortune through mechanical failure robbed him of victory in the first two races at Bahrain and Australia. Then, the recent engine failure in Korea stole another race win from his grasp. Add 75 points to his tally of 256 points and take 50 points away from Alonso, who was the man to benefit with a win in two of those three races, and all of a sudden you can see how the 2010 season may well have been a procession, much like last night’s race.

Sadly, this means it wasn’t to be for Mark Webber, who must be congratulated for running Vettel right down to the wire. Webber wasn’t given much chance at the start of the year and his five pole positions and four race wins certainly made quite a few people stand up and take notice. Especially those in his own garage. Here’s hoping Webber proves to be solid nuisance value again in 2011.

For now, you can read the post-race press conference including Vettel’s comments and those of the McLaren pair of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Perhaps, a nice sight to see the two most recent World Champions on the podium to crown the sport’s newest king.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Sebastian Vettel wins 2010 World Drivers Championship

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel is the 2010 Formula One World Champion. He is the youngest man to reach the summit of motorsport’s highest peak. Vettel claimed his crown by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It was Vettel’s fifth race win of the year and he had never led the Championship until this race.

While his nearest rivals, Red Bull Racing team-mate Mark Webber (8th) and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso (7th) faltered due to poor pit strategy, Vettel drove a masterful race. Simply, the least experienced driver in the hunt for the title was the most controlled diver all weekend.

Red Bull Racing won the Constructors’ Championship last weekend in Brazil, and Vettel’s success has capped off a phenomenal year for the team.

Post-race press conference and image gallery from Abu Dhabi to follow later today.

[Pics: via OneHD]

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Ferrari Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing

Mark Webber leaves mountain to climb

2010 Abu Dhabi GP

Mark Webber put in one of his more disappointing qualifying performances at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last night. Fifth was the best he could muster. Crucially, his Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel claimed his 10th pole of season 2010 and fellow title contenders Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) will start ahead of him on the grid, in second and third respectively.

Questions about Mark’s ability to handle the pressure must be asked and the size of the mountain he must now climb is starting to look impossible to conquer.

With Webber qualifying in fifth place he was not part of the official FIA press conference. However, Autosport has an interview with Mark that offers us some insight into his current frame of mind.

Perhaps a pick-me-up for Mark Webber fans can be had by reading this excellent summary of Webber’s career to date on Peter Windsor’s website.

Meanwhile, you can read the full transcript from the post-qualifying conference after the break, along with some television highlights courtesy of FoxSports.com.au.

[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Ferrari Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing

2010 Abu Dhabi GP – Pre-race press conference

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

There’s not long to go now. The first Free Practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix begins in under 12 hours. This is the first time in Formula One history that four drivers have still been in the hunt for the Drivers’ title going into the last race.

There are numerous permutations that could lead to any one of those guys in the picture above being crowned World Champion after the race; the pressure on Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Mark Webber, in particular, is huge. Check out the pre-race presser after the break to see how they’re coping so far.

[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing Renault

Red Bull Racing – 2010 Formula One Constructors’ Champions

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix

To honour Red Bull’s success in the 2010 Constructors’ Championship and the genius of Adrian Newey’s RB6 here is their post-Brazilian Grand Prix press release, accompanied by a short video montage from BBC TV. Of course, there’s more images from Red Bull’s celebrations in the Brazilian Grand Prix in pictures article.

Also joining in the fun is Renault who have just inked a new two-year deal with Red Bull.

[Thanks to Micky for the video tip]

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Ferrari Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing Renault

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix in pictures

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix

The Brazilian Grand Prix has been run and won. Red Bull Racing have taken the last of the lollies from the Constructors’ jar; well done them, it’s a ripping effort. Sebastien Vettel’s win at Interlagos made sure the Drivers’ race will go right down to the wire, with Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso his most likely barriers between world title success.

Truth be told, the biggest excitement in Sao Paulo last weekend involved poor old Jenson Button and some masked men. The race itself largely sorted itself out after the novelty of Nico Hülkenberg’s pole position had passed.

You can relive the event after the jump. Unfortunately the pics from McLaren are not available in 2000px super sizing. The good news is, all the others are, so get clicking.

Now, bring on Abu Dhabi!

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Mark Webber: “It’s crunch time”

Mark Webber

It’s no surprise that the pressure on Mark Webber will be huge this weekend. But, as a new post on his website testifies, he’s ready and willing for the challenge, “It’s crunch time: we have two races in the space of eight days, at the end of which we’ll know the identity of the 2010 world champion.

“It doesn’t get bigger than this and I feel 110 percent ready for the fight.”

Crucially, and partly on the back of last year’s victory in Brazil, Mark goes into the race full of confidence, “I’ve never been outqualified by a team-mate at Interlagos,” he said.

“I can think of no better time to take another victory than now; you can be sure that I’ll do everything in my power to achieve that.”

[Source: MarkWebber.com | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 Volkswagen

Volkswagen rejects move into Formula One

Daniel Ricciardo in Volkswagen powered F3 winning car

According to a report in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech has decided against entering VW into Formula One. Such a move was previously intimated by a number of sources, including brand ambassador Hans Stuck.

Volkswagen enjoyed open wheeler success last year by powering young Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo in his Red Bull sponsored Carlin Motorsport machine to the 2009 F3 title. It was understood new engine rules for F1, to be introduced in 2012, would provide an ideal opportunity for VW to move into motorsport’s premier category as an engine supplier. Reportedly there was interest from Red Bull Racing and even McLaren to partner with VW.

However, it now appears the Volkswagen Group may focus its motorsport endeavours on the WRC and Le Mans 24 hour race through its Audi and Porsche brands.

[Source: FAZ.net]