MIKA27 Posted June 22, 2010 Author Posted June 22, 2010 F1 urged to learn from Canada show Formula 1 chiefs have been urged to learn the lessons of why the Canadian Grand Prix was turned into such a spectacle. After tyre dramas in Montreal helped deliver one of the most exciting races of recent seasons - with 60 overtaking moves during the event – leading figures within the sport believe F1 should take into consideration exactly what the factors were that made it so good when it comes to framing new regulations. Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner believes that Canada showed perhaps too much focus had been spent worrying about aerodynamics having the biggest effect on the racing. "There was this myth of aerodynamics being the root of all evil – but in Canada you could quite clear see tyres have a much bigger influence on car being able to race each other," he told AUTOSPORT. "In fact, you could say now it has a bigger influence than perhaps aero does." Lotus technical chief Mike Gascoyne thinks one of the key lessons to come out of Canada was that it important tyre regulations are framed in such a way to make one of the available compounds very difficult to work with. "If you were going to write the tyre rules for how you wanted races to be, they would be like Canada," Gascoyne told AUTOSPORT. "You had changing strategies, overtaking and lots of excitement. "It was exactly what F1 needs, and it's proved that the argument for one tyre being very marginable is very strong." He added: "Just look at the different way people used the tyres. Some used the super soft at the start and we ran it for 18 laps at the end – which was fine. [Vitaly] Petrov stopped five laps later than us, he came tearing up to us and we thought we were in trouble – but by the time he was up to us his tyres had dropped off and we were able to defend. That was good racing." McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh thinks Canada – allied to a number of similarly exciting races this season – has proved that there is not that much wrong with the current F1 regulations despite the poor season-opener in Bahrain. "Lots of people want to write negative things, but we've now had seven fantastic races," said Whitmarsh, referring to Bahrain being the only boring event so far this year. "In Turkey, after 40 laps, you had four cars split by three seconds – and there was a lot of pressure there. Then we had Canada. "In F1 you are not supposed to follow closely and you cannot overtake – but Canada was a great race. We've been very fortunate and have had some classic motor racing this year."
MIKA27 Posted June 22, 2010 Author Posted June 22, 2010 Williams brings back F-duct for Europe The Williams team will run an updated version of its F-duct in this weekend's European Grand Prix. Williams first ran the blown rear wing in the Chinese Grand Prix in April, but the team from Grove has not used it since the Spanish Grand Prix last month. Now the British squad will bring it back for the Valencia race this weekend, but it is yet unclear if the F-duct will be raced or not. Williams will also introduce further upgrades on the FW32 in the hope of taking a step forward following a difficult season so far.
MIKA27 Posted June 22, 2010 Author Posted June 22, 2010 Glock pins hopes on Silverstone upgrade Timo Glock hopes that the upgrade that Virgin Racing has scheduled for the British Grand Prix is big enough to help renew belief in the team's ambitions to finish as the best of the new outfits this year. After a difficult opening part to the campaign, dogged by reliability problems and dramas surrounding the team's fuel tank, Virgin has delivered some more encouraging performances in recent races - but is still some way off the opposition. Glock himself believes that the development rate needs to be ramped up - with hopes high about the package of upgrades scheduled for the British GP. "We've made a step in the right direction but we still need more," Glock said. "I hope we make a big step in Silverstone, where a new upgrade comes - and we will see what is possible then. "But we have to develop more the car. The car is far too heavy, and mechanically and aerodynamically we are just not where we should be. "For sure the first three months of the year cost us a lot of development time with all the updates we had. The updates are now coming, but they are little steps and we need more. That is where we have to improve. "Mechanically the car is really, really bad over bumps and we have to improve. We don't have the spec like the others, or what I had at Toyota, and that would bring us a good step in the right direction." When asked what timeframe he believed it would take for Virgin to score a point on pure merit, Glock said: "In a real race, we are far away. At the moment, if we get a magic upgrade for Silverstone which we need then maybe, but realistically not." Glock said one of the positives of Virgin Racing is the Cosworth engine - which he says he has been impressed with. "I have to say I was quite surprised by the Cosworth engine," he said. "In terms of power it is pretty good, and I am quite happy with it."
MIKA27 Posted June 22, 2010 Author Posted June 22, 2010 Di Resta to drive again in Valencia Paul di Resta will return to Formula 1 action for Force India at this weekend's European Grand Prix at Valencia, after sitting out the last three events. The Scotsman had been expected to take part in most Friday morning sessions this year as the team evaluates his potential for a race seat with it in 2011. He was always due to sit out Monaco, because of the need for race drivers to get as much track time as possible, but the introduction of Force India's F-duct in Turkey forced a change to plans. With Vitantonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil needing to optimise the system to their liking, Force India decided it best that di Resta remain on the sidelines for the Istanbul and Montreal races. However, with the F-duct now working well, di Resta will return for FP1 in Valencia - standing in for Sutil because Liuzzi has never driven the track before. Di Resta will continue driving at the British Grand Prix too, where he stand in for Liuzzi during FP1.
OZCUBAN Posted June 23, 2010 Posted June 23, 2010 Europe preview quotes - Lotus, Force India, Williams, HRT & more After the streets of Montreal’s Ile Notre Dame, Formula One racing heads to the streets of Valencia. But in place of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve’s high-speed, low-downforce layout, come the Spanish track’s demanding twists and turns. There are a total of 25 corners (11 left and 14 right), which test the drivers to the maximum. They and senior team personnel look ahead to the forthcoming European Grand Prix… Jarno Trulli, Lotus 2009 Qualifying - 18th, 2009 Race - 13th "I’m really looking forward to Valencia. It’s a circuit I like, and I enjoy the race there - It’s always warm, and it’s a beautiful city. I’m in the new chassis (T127-04) from this race, and hopefully that will bring me some better luck over the race weekend - in Canada I was really flying until the retirement, so I hope I can carry that through to this weekend and see the chequered flag. That’s obviously important, but this weekend is also all about the 500th race for Lotus. It’ll be very special to help take that famous name to such a milestone, and I’m very honoured to be part of it. I met Hazel Chapman on Sunday at the Classic Team Lotus Festival, and that was very special for me, particularly as I had the chance to drive Elio De Angelis’ T91 in front of the crowds, and that felt great.” Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus 2009 Qualifying - 2nd, 2009 Race - 4th “The last few races have been very positive for our team, we’ve been making progress every weekend and the plan is to carry on pushing. For Valencia, and for the rest of the season, we’re not looking back at the other new teams - we lapped them in Canada so we’re looking to keep taking the fight to the guys ahead, and I think we can do that. This is obviously an historic weekend for Lotus, and for Lotus Racing, and I think we’re starting to do justice to what’s gone before us - it’s fantastic that we can celebrate such a great milestone in Valencia, and it’ll be an honour to be part of that. On the race itself - the track is a street circuit, but there is quite a lot more room on track than in Monaco or Singapore, so it’s more of a semi-street circuit. You can hit the kerbs harder, and find a better balance between the straight-line speed and the grip in the corners, but this makes finding the right downforce level crucial. It’s always hot there, and getting the best out of the tyres will be important - we have the super-soft tyres there so we’ll work on getting the best out of them on Friday and Saturday. I think we’ll put on a good show, and give Clive Chapman and his family, and all the Lotus fans something to cheer for!” Mike Gascoyne, Lotus chief technical officer “I’m really looking forward to this weekend, and am excited about both celebrating the 500th race Lotus has competed in, and helping add another chapter to one of motorsport’s greatest stories. We’ve already come a long way this season, and have much further to go until we can add more glory to the Lotus legend, but I and the whole team are very proud to be in a position to help the Lotus name reach this landmark moment, and it’ll be great to celebrate that with Clive, Tony and the whole team. For the race, we have a few more updates to the car to help us keep pushing forward, so we’re not letting up on the challenge to take the race to the cars in front. I’m confident we’ll put on a good performance in Valencia - we’ve got the right drivers to cope with the demands of the circuit itself, and the car keeps improving with every new step we take, so I think this will be another chance to pressure the midfield, and make good on the promise we showed in Canada.” Tony Fernandes, Lotus team principal “Celebrating the 500th race will be an absolute honour, and will obviously be very special, but we’re only nine races of the whole Lotus story. Really, this weekend is all about celebrating Colin Chapman’s history, and thanking Clive, his Mother Hazel, and all the people that have helped shape the Lotus legend. I’m thrilled that some of the people that were part of the original story are with us today, and I’m proud we’ve been able to take the total number of races Lotus has taken part in to 500 and beyond - hopefully we’ll be celebrating 1,000 races one day, and can look back on a legacy that pays true homage to that we’re celebrating this weekend – the legacy of Colin Chapman, his family, his cars and his team.” Clive Chapman, son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman “Of course the 500th Grand Prix for the Lotus marque is a significant landmark, and it was nice that Lotus Racing thought to invite my mother to attend - after all, Hazel Chapman is the person with the closest association to the Team Lotus history. Much as she wanted to accept, regretfully she decided against it, so I’ll be there with my family representing Classic Team Lotus and my father’s legacy. The fact my mother won’t be in Valencia this weekend made it all the more special that she was with all the Team Lotus cars and the Lotus Racing T127 at the Classic Team Lotus Festival last weekend at Snetterton. It was a great moment for my family and me to see my mum and their grandma standing at the front of the 35 Lotus cars, and then to be joined by the Lotus Racing drivers. The ‘Valencia installation lap’ conducted at Snetterton by the T127 was another highlight of the day for everyone there. “Much as it is nice that Lotus Racing is celebrating 500th Grand Prix, I am sure the most important thing about the weekend for the team is that it is another race and the next opportunity to continue to make progress towards the established teams. It was exciting to watch Montreal qualifying, when Heikki almost pipped the Sauber, and I for one would swap the 500th landmark for the landmark of outqualifying an established team in normal circumstances. Fingers crossed!” Adrian Sutil, Force India 2009 Qualifying - 12th, 2009 Race - 10th “Valencia is not my favourite circuit as there's not so much of a challenge for the driver. Even though it's classed as a street circuit, it doesn't really feel like it as there's no challenging corners: it's just braking into hairpins, then flat out. You just don't get the thrill you have on a standard street circuit like Monaco or Singapore. The last complex is a little bit more challenging as there's a left-right chicane taken at high speed followed by another right hander. Then it's just flat out with a few corners into the last turn, which is actually one of the trickiest as we're braking while turning in so it's easy to overshoot the corner and lose it in the exit. Grip levels can be quite low, particularly off line, so you have to judge any overtaking manoeuvre pretty carefully. That said, the track is also very wide with a lot of run off areas so you're not worried about touching a barrier. Over one lap it's not a classic but the racing there can be quite tight and with the cars being so close this year it could produce a good race. Valencia needs a medium to low downforce aero configuration and we've shown that we can perform well on this type of track. We were strong in Canada and I believe we can be quite good in Valencia as well. We've also got some new parts coming for this race that should further improve our performance, including a new front wing and some smaller bodywork changes, plus a few minor suspension component developments. I think it looks promising. We've not had the best luck in Valencia in the past but I hope that the good basic foundations of the car, plus the solid developments we've had over the past races and leading into this one will put us in good shape to get some more points on the board and close the gap to Renault.” Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India 2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a “I have never driven in Valencia as it came onto the calendar in 2008 when I was the test and reserve driver at Force India, but I've been working hard in the simulator this week and I think we can have a good pace there. I like street circuits and I can go well on them as I showed in Monaco and Canada. I've also got a bit of a head start there as well as I've been at the last two events and have had access to all of the last years' data, which helps with the preparation. The team also did very well there with Adrian and Giancarlo (Fisichella) finishing in the top 12 and it was really where we started being closer to the points. I know it will be tough but we were mixing it with Mercedes and Renault in Canada and, with our new upgrades to the front and the rear of the car, I'm pretty hopeful we can repeat our performance of Montreal - hopefully without the first lap accident this time!” Paul di Resta, Force India third driver “I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car again in Valencia, particularly as it's been a few months since I was last out in practice in Spain. Valencia is quite a good circuit to get back on track as it's fast and smooth and looks pretty easy to learn as a layout. I'm preparing myself for it with the usual simulator work and then we'll walk the track on the Thursday to pick up the smaller details like the kerbing, bumps and any changes from last year that might affect the baseline set-up we run on Friday. Tonio and I will be in pretty similar positions in that we've never raced on the circuit before so we'll work together to get as much information as possible for the rest of the weekend. I've also had a weekend off since Canada - which is pretty unusual this year! - so I feel rested and relaxed ahead of the event.” Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal “Valencia was really where our performance started to show through last year so we are all looking forward to going back there. Our technical team and the drivers are confident we'll go well there as it's medium to low downforce and the performance we showed in Canada demonstrated that we have a strong package on this type of configuration. Additionally we have some new upgrades scheduled for introduction that should keep us abreast of the other teams. It's a development race now and rather than introduce major new upgrades we're doing it as and when ready to keep the momentum high.” Cosworth, engine suppliers to Williams, Lotus, Virgin & HRT “Valencia was the scene of Cosworth’s first laps of 2010 in a preseason test session with the AT&T Williams team at the Ricardo Tormo circuit back in February, marking its return to Formula One as an engine supplier after three years. Although the European Grand Prix will be its second trip to Valencia this year, it will be Cosworth’s first visit to the city’s temporary street circuit, which has hosted the European Grand Prix since 2008. "Valencia’s positioning as a street circuit incorrectly conjures up comparisons with Monaco or Singapore, but in reality its characteristics couldn’t be more different. A combination of 25 corners with average speeds around 200km/h and regular top speeds in the region of 300km/h makes Valencia a faster track than the more typical street circuits. The stop-start nature of the track requires good corner exit speed and engine torque particularly when exiting the lower speed turns like Two, 10 and 17, as well as the final left-hander heading back onto the main straight. "For two of Cosworth’s teams, the Valencia race will hold particular importance. It is the home race for Hispania Racing, while it will be the 500th Formula One race participation for Lotus. Cosworth has had a long and distinguished Formula One relationship with Lotus since the mid-1960s which has been reignited in 2010 with the partnership with Lotus Racing. Cosworth is proud to be supplying engines to Lotus for its 500th race, which will be the 614th Formula One race to feature Cosworth engines." Rubens Barrichello 2008 Qualifying - 3rd, 2008 Race - 1st “I have great memories of Valencia. I won the race there last year, it was my tenth win so it was great fun. It was also significant because it really pulled me back into contention for the championship. Cosworth is doing well to improve its consistency and the team are bringing some more upgrades to Spain so I'm looking forward to seeing where their combined efforts put us. The challenge in Valencia is to get into Q3 and score some points.” Nico Hulkenberg 2008 Qualifying - n/a, 2008 Race - n/a “Valencia is a great track, I really like it. I know it well from racing there in GP2 last year and I'm very much looking forward to driving it in the FW32 because it’s a circuit I feel quite comfortable on. Like Monaco and Montreal, there are walls everywhere but the track’s a bit wider and I like the challenge. We'll have more new parts for this race but we’ll have to wait and see what improvements they bring to the car. We are inching a bit closer to the top ten, as we showed in qualifying in Montreal, but we have to continue pushing and gain more tenths to get into the top ten consistently.” Sam Michael, Williams technical director “From Montreal we're moving back to Europe and to the fourth street circuit of the year. Valencia has been a welcome addition to the calendar since it joined the schedule in 2008. The 5.4km lap is made up of 25 corners, which should conspire to make a tight and twisty track, but instead the drivers actually get into quite a good rhythm around Valencia. Speeds tend to average out around the lap at around 200km/h. “As a street circuit the teams do face certain challenges over the weekend. The track provides little grip at the outset, the multitude of corners place some considerable stress on the tyres and the coastal location can whip up some sea breezes which can affect the balance of the car. As overtaking opportunities are also limited around Valencia, a good grid position is important. We've secured points at each of the two races in Valencia, and that is our aim again this time round. We will have further upgrades on the FW32, including the development blown rear wing.” Bruno Senna, HRT 2008 Qualifying - n/a, 2008 Race - n/a “I am really looking forward to the Grand Prix in Valencia because it is a circuit where I had a good performance in GP2 Series in 2008. The circuit is difficult with some very technical corners but the biggest challenges are the bridge, which is very narrow and bumpy, and the last corner, into which you arrive at very high speed. Then, you have to slow the car down turning into the hairpin. On this circuit, it is very important to find the right setup for tight slow corners and good traction. As it is not a very high downforce circuit, we may be able to have a competitive weekend again and I hope we will continue having good races.” Karun Chandhok, HRT 2008 Qualifying - n/a, 2008 Race - n/a “It is the second home race this year for our team in Valencia and the atmosphere there is normally quite good and very special. I am looking forward to the event on this circuit and I already raced there in GP2 Series. The track is not a traditional street circuit as it is very wide and has a lot of run-off areas unlike Monaco or Montreal. There are long straights and low speed corners where you have to jump the kerbs to be quick. You will need good stability on the brakes, compliance on the kerbs and good traction. For Valencia, we hope to show a good performance like we did the races before.” Colin Kolles, HRT team principal “There is a special atmosphere at the Valencia Street Circuit because it is situated around the harbour. It is not easy to find the right setup for the car because of the track layout with high speed straights and low speed corners. You need low downforce on the straights but high downforce and traction for accelerating after slow and slippery corners. Due to the coastal location of the circuit, a strong sea breeze can also cause balance problems. The drivers have to be concentrated during the 57 laps of the race and due to normally high air temperatures it is going to be a physically tough race. After our good performance in Canada, we are aiming to fight for positions with other teams again.” Robert Kubica, Renault 2008 Qualifying - 10th, 2008 Race - 8th “I know a lot of other drivers don’t think the same way, but I enjoy driving there. It’s quite an interesting circuit because it’s half-street circuit, half-modern circuit. The characteristics are quite similar to Canada, because most of the corners are slow speed, so you concentrate on braking stability and good traction - which should suit our car because we are strong in these areas. We run a higher level of downforce than in Canada, but you still need good aerodynamic efficiency because the speeds are high at four points of the lap. “The main difference will be with the asphalt: in Montreal, the track surface was new and very slippery, whereas I think the grip levels will be better in Valencia - but that will be the same for everybody. It’s still a street circuit, so grip levels will be low on Friday morning, but they should improve quickly throughout the weekend, especially because we will have more categories racing and putting rubber down than we did in Canada. “I enjoy the first sector, because it has two chicanes where you have to jump over the kerbs, and the walls are very close. The other fun section for the drivers is the final part of the lap: they are taken flat out, or with one small lift, but you really get into the flow from one corner to another and then, for the last corner, you have to brake while there is still a lot of lateral load on the car. It’s very tricky to find your braking point for that corner, which makes it even more challenging.” Vitaly Petrov, Renault 2008 Qualifying - n/a, 2008 Race - n/a “I won the GP2 race there last year. I know all of the tricks in terms of the braking points, the line, where you can use the kerbs and even how the tyres will perform and degrade during the race. Of course, it will be different again in an F1 car, so it will still be a big challenge to put together a good performance all the way through the weekend, but I will be starting from a better baseline than in Canada. I’ve been living in the city for three years because it’s where my GP2 team was based, so I know everything here. It’s not like having a home race in your own country, in front of your people, but it’s a good feeling because you know the place already, you feel comfortable there and feel good.” Alan Permane, Renault chief race engineer “We’ve got quite a nice upgrade coming (this weekend), with a new front wing and a new floor, which we believe will take us another step further forward. We have certainly seen an incredible rate of development this year. If we take the gap to pole position as a measure of how much we’ve improved, we’ve seen the gap steadily reduce race by race as we’ve developed quicker than some of our competitors. And with the updates we have planned for this weekend, that trend will hopefully continue. “The circuit has all the typical street circuit characteristics because it’s not used throughout the year and will be very dirty at the start of the weekend. The car went very well at Monaco, the last proper street circuit, so we’re optimistic of another strong showing this weekend. We will have the same tyre compounds that we had in Canada, but I don’t expect anything like the same problems we encountered with degradation and tyre management.” Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone director of motorsport tyre development "From a riverside street course in Canada we now head to a seaside street course in Europe. In common with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Valencia Street Course has several high speed sections, however it has more corners. The layout and track surface is more aggressive to the tyres than in Montreal so we do not expect the same challenge for teams to get maximum performance from the medium and super soft compounds as in Canada. This year's European Grand Prix takes place in June, as opposed to the late August date of the first two Grands Prix in Valencia but we don't believe the date change will present us with radically different weather." Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber 2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a "I'm certainly looking forward to my second home race this year, although it will be quite a busy weekend. It is a great achievement for Spain to have two Grands Prix and we do have a fantastic crowd. A little bit of a downer for the spectators is the fact that on both Spanish circuits overtaking is very difficult. Usually you don't see much overtaking in Barcelona or Valencia. Turn Two should be the best option for overtaking, but I have not driven the Valencia street circuit yet so there might also be others. In the two races I have finished this year I have been fighting for the points until the last few laps of each race. We will be bringing several new parts for the car so I expect a step forward here." Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber 2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a "From what I have seen so far the Valencia street circuit doesn't seem to be the most exciting track, but I only know it from two GP2 races and racing there in Formula One will be different. I like driving over the bridge, which makes the track quite distinctive. It might not be as hot as last year when the race was two months later, but I still expect rather high temperatures, which is fine for me. It is another race in Spain, and in Barcelona we had one of our better weekends in terms of performance, so I hope we can achieve a positive result." James Key, BMW Sauber technical director "For Valencia we return to a higher downforce level, similar to what we had in Istanbul and a step up from what we had in Canada. The fact that Valencia is a street circuit with small run-off areas can make for an eventful race, so you have to stay away from the walls. The circuit is very stop-and-start, which means acceleration and braking performances are important with relatively slow speed corners in between each straight. We have a new aero upgrade for the European Grand Prix, which should make the car more efficient and a little bit easier to set up. This is the first of our mid season updates. We have to see how we go in Valencia. We are looking to bounce back after a difficult weekend in Canada." Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP 2009 Qualifying - 7th, 2009 Race - 5th "This will be Formula One's third visit to Valencia and I'm really looking forward to the weekend. The city is pretty cool and the Spanish fans are always enthusiastic so there should be a good atmosphere around the marina. Valencia is a really good track and not what you would usually expect from a typical street circuit. There are a lot of corners but it's quite fast and flowing which combined with the barriers that line the circuit means that you have to keep your concentration levels high. The last race weekend in Canada was quite a tough one for us but I was pleased to finish in sixth and score decent points after being in thirteenth place on the first lap. Our pace was quick in the race and I hope that the upgrades we have for Valencia will bring further improvements." Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP 2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a "Valencia is a track which I have never raced on before so it will be another new experience for me but one which I am very much looking forward to. I always have been quite good in adapting quickly to new situations and I strongly expect that to be the case in Valencia. I like going into new experiences like this and having detailed discussions with my engineers about the challenge. We will bring further updates for our car which should help to improve the performance. We have already seen that the car has improved steadily over the last few races and in Canada, the pace was better even if unfortunately that did not show in the results. That's why I look forward to travelling to Spain a great deal." Ross Brawn, Mercedes GP team principal "Our car was well suited to the circuit in Montreal and our pace during the race was encouraging. Unfortunately qualifying was a disappointment and we placed well below our potential which compromised our weekend. Nico was clearly one of the quickest cars during the race and his climb from the midfield to sixth place was a very impressive performance. Michael showed good promise but damage to his front wing on the first lap and then the puncture put him out of the running and we were too ambitious with the use of the option tyres which left him struggling for pace. Looking ahead to Valencia, the circuit is similar to Montreal in many ways with long straights connected by slow corners which should suit our car. We have an upgrade package which will be another good step in our development towards competing at the front of the field. With the new points system this year, we are still within striking distance of the championship leaders and we will continue with our efforts to become more competitive. We have a number of the basics right and the difference between winning and losing is small. We need to close that difference." Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport "The track at Valencia's harbour side, where the America's Cup took place in 2007, is not a typical one on the Grand Prix calendar. It consists mainly of slower corners with the last sector then being quite fast and presenting some quicker turns. The lap is close to 5.5 km which is above the average length of most circuits. We are planning to introduce some important upgrades to our cars in Valencia and are looking forward to making a step towards the top of the field." Jenson Button, McLaren 2009 Qualifying - 5th, 2009 Race - 7th “As a team, we’ve taken maximum points in the last two races and it feels like we’ve really gathered considerable momentum. The team really is functioning as a single unit, so I think we head into Valencia next weekend hopeful of being able to once again capitalise on that determination and ambition. Even though it’s a street circuit, it’s got quite a different feel to other street tracks like Monte-Carlo or Singapore. For a start, it’s quite a bit faster - there are some low-speed corners with some fairly unforgiving walls at the apex, but there are also some high-speed changes of direction and some long straights, so it’s quite an interesting place set-up-wise. It’s not as if you completely rely on downforce, there’s a trade-off, and that should suit our package. ” Lewis Hamilton, McLaren 2009 Qualifying - 1st, 2009 Race - 2nd “I’m really looking forward to racing in Valencia. I had a great, attacking race there last year - but I’ve finished second for the past two seasons, so I feel like I have some unfinished business! I also think it’s good for the championship to have a variety of circuits - we’ve just come from a fast, flowing road course in Canada, to a tight street track in Valencia. And, next month, we’ll be at Silverstone - one of the fastest tracks of the year, and a circuit with incredible history. As a driver, that sort of variety makes the racing exciting and unpredictable, which is all you can really ask for. The last few Grands Prix have had some fantastic racing - it would be great for all the Spanish fans if we can have a great race here too. It’s not a circuit where we’ve seen too much passing in the past, but I think this year could be different - the grid is so tight, there were battles all through the field in Montreal last week, so I think we could have a close and exciting race this year.” Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal “After two consecutive one-twos, it certainly felt like Bruce McLaren himself was looking down on us and smiling, particularly after we recently commemorated the 40th anniversary of his death. I’m sure Bruce would also have appreciated the relentless and dedicated approach we have taken to the engineering and development of MP4-25 - I think we’ve shown in the past two races that we lack nothing in terms of hunger and motivation. And with our car being constantly developed, I believe we can continue to be a threat at the majority of remaining races on the calendar. Of course, we’re no strangers to relentless development - it’s one of the team’s greatest strengths - and we’re absolutely committed to maximising every last component in the search for performance. Nothing is too small to be overlooked, and it’s that holistic approach that really brings rewards, allowing us to eke out performance in every single area of the car. It’s also an approach we’re increasingly focusing on with the team, too: we’re looking at pit stops, engineering, strategy - and we’re seeing practical and material benefits in those areas, too.” OZ I am looking forward to the Valencia race . will tyres be an issue? will the safety car be an issue? My money is on something will be an issue it always is in F-1 Cheers oz
OZCUBAN Posted June 23, 2010 Posted June 23, 2010 Some info on the F-Duct systems Hi all for those that are interested here is some info on the F-Duct systems run by some teams McLaren stole a march on their opposition with the elegant system, which comprises a duct on the scuttle of the MP4-25 which runs through the cockpit and can be blocked or opened up by movement of the driver’s body to provide a flow of carefully channelled air to the rear wing which can then be used to stall the wing at high speed in a straight line, thus reducing drag and boosting terminal velocity. The main straight in Shanghai is one of the longest in Formula One racing, with top speeds of more than 300 km/h. Here is some more info Cheers and thanks for reading OZ
OZCUBAN Posted June 23, 2010 Posted June 23, 2010 Ferrari 'may have Valencia edge' McLaren believe the aerodynamic upgrades Ferrari are planning to take to Valencia this weekend could give the Italian team a clear advantage. Ferrari have confirmed they will be introducing Red Bull-style exhaust outlets at the Spanish circuit. Some believe the resulting aerodynamic gain is worth half a second a lap. McLaren engineering director Paddy Lowe said: "There is a concern. It's a shame others [teams] have been slightly quicker to get it ready to race." The design of the exhaust outlets used by Red Bull make the air and gasses flow through the car's diffuser and around the rear tyres more quickly and efficiently, reducing drag and markedly improving lap times. As the extent of the advantage has become clear, other teams have been designing and testing their own 'blown rear end' systems, and Ferrari appear to have won the technological catch-up race. Lowe confirmed McLaren will not be introducing the system on the cars of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button until the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in two weeks time. "We're not promising a massive step in terms of a car upgrade [for Valencia], most of our effort has gone into making the best of this circuit," he acknowledged. "I know a number of teams are introducing big changes, but we're not one of those. We'll have a bigger package for Silverstone." He continued: "I agree with the maths [regarding the lap times], but we are where we are, and we'll just have to see what we can do at the weekend. "But while the maths makes sense, each circuit has different characteristics, which suit some cars and not others. "We saw Ferrari really struggle in Turkey, so I can't predict as an overall package where they're going to end up, any more than I can predict where we'll end up." Although Hamilton and Button finished first and second in Montreal two weeks ago, Fernando Alonso's close third was an indication of Ferrari's increasing competitiveness. If the aerodynamic upgrade is as successful as wind tunnel tests appear to suggest it will be, Ferrari could dominate around the Valencia circuit, which makes similar demands on the cars to those made in Canada. McLaren appear to be less concerned about the fact their former chief engineer Pat Fry, who worked for the British team for 18 years, is to start work for Ferrari just six weeks after leaving. "Pat was a great engineer and he'll do a great job for our long-time rivals, but we're not filled with great fear he's taken all our knowledge over there," said Lowe. "Individuals can contribute, but they don't carry 'across the board' knowledge." Story from BBC SPORT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi...one/8755765.stm Published: 2010/06/23 12:29:20 GMT © BBC MMX
OZCUBAN Posted June 23, 2010 Posted June 23, 2010 McLaren exhaust revisions set for Britain McLaren plans to introduce a Red Bull-style exhaust system onto its MP4-25 at its home British Grand Prix next month, its engineering director Paddy Lowe has confirmed. The lowly-mounted engine exhaust layout that features on the RB6 – which helps channel air flow through the diffuser for improved aero efficiency – has caught the eye of rival teams since the start of the season and the leading squads in particular have been working on developing similar versions for their cars. Ferrari’s F10 will feature a new exhaust layout in Valencia this weekend and Lowe revealed on Wednesday that McLaren will follow suit at the following round at Silverstone. “It won’t have escaped your notice that Red Bull have an interesting use they have made of exhaust exit flow,” Lowe told reporters during the latest Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in. “I think all the rest of the teams, it is reasonably common knowledge, are playing catch up in that area. “It is quite a significant performance step. So that’s something we are aiming to bring to the British Grand Prix. [We will] try and make it work from the outset.” Lowe acknowledges that incorporating a new exhaust system into a car that has already been conceived is challenging – but is optimistic the team will be able to get it working sufficiently well from the off. “There are some technical changes with it, not least with the blasting your bodywork directly with exhaust flow can generate some reasonably high temperatures,” he explained. “So it’s not without challenges to hit the ground running with a system like that when we don’t have any proper track testing to do to prove it out. “But we’ll be doing trials at an aerodynamic [straight-line] test before Silverstone and hope to have it working on the practice sessions and race it on the Sunday.” Despite the fact the team will only be able to track test the revised exhaust layout out prior to Silverstone during a straight-line test, Lowe reckons that ensuring the system’s reliability will be a greater challenge than maximising its undoubted performance advantages in its early stages on the car. “In terms of how we see the risk profile going into the first race, I think we are reasonably confident that we will get the performance that we predict,” he said. “We test in the wind tunnel, we are able to evaluate in the simulator how these things work, so I think we are very well prepared to exploit it. “So the concern will be making sure it’s reliable and fit for racing.” Lowe added that McLaren, which has claimed 1-2 finishes in each of the last two grands prix, would not be bringing major development parts to Valencia this weekend ahead of the bigger upgrade for Silverstone. “We are not promising a massive step in terms car upgrade. I think most of our effort has gone into making the best of this circuit,” he said. “I know that a number of other teams are broadcasting reasonably large updates. We are not one of those for this particular event.”
MIKA27 Posted June 24, 2010 Author Posted June 24, 2010 Great posting OZ!! Thanks for holding the fort whilst I was away bud.
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 FIA statement on 2011 rule changes The World Motor Sport Council met in Geneva on 23 June 2010. The following decisions were taken: Tyres Pirelli has been selected as the single tyre supplier for the FIA Formula One World Championship for a period of three years, commencing in 2011. The sole supplier will undertake to strictly respect the sporting and technical regulations implemented by the FIA. "Competitor's staff" FIA Licence A proposal relating to specific licences for members of staff of competitors entered in the FIA World Championships has been submitted to the Formula One Commission. This is under consideration for implementation in the FIA Formula One World Championship from the start of 2011, with a view to inclusion in other FIA World Championships in the future. Safety Car With immediate effect, no car may overtake until it has passed the first safety car line for the first time when the safety car is returning to the pits. However, if the safety car is still deployed at the beginning of the last lap, or is deployed during the last lap, it will enter the pit lane at the end of the lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking. General safety With immediate effect, any car being driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically, or which is deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers, will be reported to the stewards. This will apply whether any such car is being driven on the track, the pit entry or the pit lane. In order to ensure cars are not driven unnecessarily slowly on in-laps during qualifying or reconnaissance laps when the pit exit is opened for the race, drivers must stay below the maximum time set by the FIA between the safety car line after the pit exit and safety car line before the pit entry. The maximum time will be determined by the race director at each event prior to the first day of practice, but may be amended during the event if necessary. The grid From 2011, any driver whose best qualifying lap exceeds 107% of the fastest Q1 qualifying time will not be allowed to take part in the race. Under exceptional circumstances, however, which may include setting a suitable lap time in a free practice session, the stewards may permit the car to start the race. Should there be more than one driver accepted in this manner, the grid order will be determined by the stewards. Driver adjustable bodywork From 2011, adjustable bodywork may be activated by the driver at any time prior to the start of the race and, for the sole purpose of improving overtaking opportunities during the race, after the driver has completed two laps. The driver may only activate the adjustable bodywork in the race when he has been notified via the control electronics that it is enabled. It will only be enabled if the driver is less than one second behind another at any of the pre-determined positions around each circuit. The system will be disabled the first time the driver uses the brakes after the system has been activated. The FIA may, after consulting all the competitors, adjust the time proximity in order to ensure the purpose of the adjustable bodywork is met. Aerodynamic influence With the exception of the parts necessary for the driver adjustable bodywork, any car system, device or procedure which uses driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is prohibited from 2011. Weight From 2011, the minimum weight of the car must not be less than 640 kg at all times during the event. Fuel draining With immediate effect, if a sample of fuel is required after a practice session the car concerned must have first been driven back to the pits under its own power. Licences Based on his career résumé and comparative F1 testing times, the World Council has approved the granting of a four-race probationary super license to Chinese driver Ho-Pin Tung.
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Pirelli confirmed as new tyre supplier The FIA has confirmed that Pirelli will take over as the official tyre supplier for Formula One from next season. Japanese giant Bridgestone is the current supplier, and has been involved in Formula One since 1998 with them taking over as the sole provider in 2007. Italian company Pirelli will now supply the tyre to all F1 teams from, next season having signed a three-year deal starting from 2011. "Pirelli has been selected as the single tyre supplier for the FIA Formula One World Championship for a period of three years, commencing in 2011," FIA said in a statement. Bridgestone have come in for some criticism in recent races for the speed their tyres had deteriorated, although they said they were pulling out of the sport due to financial reasons. Pirelli won the rights to supply tyre to F1 in the face of competition from British firm Avon and French manufacturer Michelin. MIKA: I personally wished Michellin were awarded the contract over Pirelli. In the least, both Pirelli and Michellin would have been great to go head to head in another tyre competion and supply various teams.
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 'Williams can catch Force India' Rubens Barrichello is confident Williams can catch Force India despite having scored just an average of one point per race this season. After eight races in what is proving to be a disappointing season for Williams the team has just eight points in the bag, a marked difference to Force India's 35. However, Barrichello firmly believes Williams have the potential to catch and pass Force India in the standings - they just need to resolve one or two issues with their car. "I think so. Force India is not too far," he said.. "I think Renault is a bit further away. Obviously, Kubica is driving quite well and delivering quite a good package. "But I think so, because if we have a blown rear wing that works that's a bi step already. And if you have a back end that gives you what you need you might be talking about half a second, and half a second in F1 now is quite big. "We are lacking rear end grip when turning at low speed. Obviously we lack traction as well, as it comes along with the same type of speed. "It's a mechanical and an aerodynamical thing. The team is working really hard to give us that thing. "On top of that, we have some driveability issues with the engine and some lack of power in some different areas, so it's a combination of small stuff that gives us that nine-tenth deficit." Looking ahead to this weekend's European GP at the Valencia circuit, Barrichello revealed that the team will be racing various upgrades with the aim of making it into Q3. "I hope that our target is high enough for me to be happy. To be fairly honest, we have to aim for Q3 seeing where we are. "There are eight cars doing very well this year and you have to include one Renault and at least one Force India, and then you have ten cars. "The devices that we took to Canada should work better here. We have a little step on the front wing that we had in the race there, so I'm quite hopeful."
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Massa: I'm still in the hunt Despite failing to claim a single grand prix win this season, Felipe Massa insists his title hopes are "definitely" still alive. The 2010 Championship started well for Massa with back-to-back podiums in Bahrain and Australia, however, since then he has failed to finish in the top three. As a result, the Brazilian has dropped from leading the Championship down to eighth place, trailing Lewis Hamilton by 42 points. But despite his lack of success in recent races, the Ferrari driver is confident he can fight back and challenge for the World title. "Until you see from a mathematical point of view that you don't have a chance anymore, the Championship is definitely open," he told Autosport. "We saw that in two races many things changed. Many things can change quickly in another two races." Looking ahead to this weekend's European GP, the Brazilian heads to Valencia on the back of his worst finish of the season in Canada where he came home in 15th place after a few too many incidents negated his strong pace. "Valencia is a circuit close to Canada in terms of the layout. We had a good car in Montreal in the race. I had very good lap times and a good, consistent car - so this is something to look forward to for Valencia," Massa said.
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Alonso targeting a top-three finish Fernando Alonso is determined to prove Ferrari's pace in Canada was not a one-off as he tries to return to winning ways on home soil. Although just eight races into this year's Championship - and his Ferrari career - Alonso's season has already gone through a spate of highs and lows. While the Spaniard claimed the victory in his Ferrari debut back in March, his results slumped there after, culminating in his damning verdict of the team's Turkish GP performance, which he called the "without doubt the worst event of the season." There were, though, clear signs of a revival last time in Canada with Alonso fighting the McLarens for the race win before eventually finishing the grand prix in third place on the podium. And with Ferrari set to introduce several upgrades this weekend in Valencia, including a blown rear diffuser, Alonso is keen to confirm that Ferrari are back in top form. "I think it will be interesting to see this race how it goes," he said. "We've been at some circuits better, some circuits with more problems - a bit up and down from the team performance in the last couple of races. "Hopefully we can continue the performance we saw in Montreal - the line that put us in a competitive level fighting with McLarens and Red Bulls. "In Turkey we were not quick enough so we try to confirm the feeling of Canada and being competitive again and hopefully finish on the podium again." Speaking about the team's upgrades, the double World Champ believes Ferrari have a "good" package but refused to make any predictions about whether a home win could be on the cards. "I think we've been improving the car every race more or less, so I think it is a matter of how much the others improve as well. It appears to be a step forward, so I think we are optimistic," he said. "We are happy with the job done, we arrive here in Valencia with a good package in our car but we remain very calm about our expectations. "We know the other teams were not watching TV in the last few weeks, everyone will bring updates here and hopefully ours is a little bit better than the others." He added: "The most important thing is to confirm that we are competitive here as we were in Canada and we need to keep improving the car. This is a job we need to keep doing until Abu Dhabi, there is a long way to go."
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Hamilton chasing maiden F1 hat-trick Lewis Hamilton is eager to make it third time lucky in Valencia as he chases a hat-trick of wins for the first time in his F1 career. After back-to-back victories in Turkey and Canada over the past few weeks, Hamilton heads into this weekend's European Grand Prix as the fifth different leader of this year's Championship. Remarkably, it is the first time Hamilton has topped the standings since the end of 2008 when he was crowned Champion, the Briton leading the way by just three points from team-mate Jenson Button. Now the 25-year-old has the opportunity to stretch his advantage on a circuit where McLaren are again expected to hold a slight edge over main rivals Red Bull Racing and Ferrari. And after finishing second in each of the two races that have been held around the port track, Hamilton is determined to go one better on Sunday. "I feel like I have some unfinished business," said Hamilton, who finished 5.6 seconds behind Felipe Massa in 2008 and 2.3secs behind Rubens Barrichello last year. "It's not a circuit where we've seen too much passing in the past, but I think this year could be different. "The grid is so tight, with battles all through the field as we saw in Montreal last week, so we could have a close and exciting race this weekend." Hamilton knows that while another victory would be welcome, it is not the be all and end all as far as the Championship is concerned as reliability and consistency will be paramount from now on. "Formula One is so tough and so competitive at the moment that you can't take anything for granted," added Hamilton. "While I might be on top right now, I know I'll need to fight for every lap of the next 11 races to remain up there. "I'm the fifth leader of the Championship so far this year, so it's pretty clear it's not so easy staying on top. "This Championship is going to be as much about playing the long game - minimising mistakes, scoring points at every race - as it is about success at individual races. "I think that's the first time you can probably say that about a Formula One Championship. "Whether it's the changes to the points system, or just the fact there are maybe as many as 10 drivers out there with the machinery capable of winning races, you can't afford to just take the points. "You've got to be on the limit all the time and I love that, because that's how I love to race."
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Bernie dreams of his perfect line-up If Bernie Ecclestone has his way Sebastian Vettel would partner Fernando Alonso in what he believes would be an "ideal line-up". Although rumours recently claimed that Red Bull are set to extend Vettel's contract through to 2015, no confirmation has been forthcoming from the team, which means whispers that Vettel could be on his way to Ferrari in 2012 may yet come true. Should that happen the German would team up with Alonso, who is the first year of his three-year Ferrari contract. And that would make Ecclestone a very happy man. "I personally think that Sebastian has the class to win a World Championship, which Fernando has already proven," he said in an interview with Alonso published on the official F1 website. "It is a matter of quality. In my opinion both of them would be an ideal line-up as they would complement each other. "Am I right Fernando? Sebastian would not have any issues with you. What about yourself? Alonso responded: "Right, I would not have any problems with Sebastian." To which Ecclestone said: "This is what I am saying. Both of them would treat each other with respect, regardless of being the biggest opponents." MIKA: IMO both Alonso and Vettel as team mates would be an absolute disaster on so many levels. Both drivers are "cry babies", both want to be number one driver and both would eventually leave Ferrari if they dont get their way. Vettel has so much potential to be a complete driver but his immaturity at the moment is questionable. When Vettel loses, he holds a grundge and drives erratically. Alonso could'nt handle being teamed with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, why, because Hamilton is on the same level if not higher that Alonso to be consistant in results. Alonso is a double WC, yes, but perhaps thats it for Alonso whereas Hamilton still has time up his sleeve to equal Alonsos achievements and possibly surpass.
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Thursday's Valencia press conf Tonio Liuzzi, Vitaly Petrov, Jaime Alguersuari, Fernando Alonso and Pedro de la Rosa shared their thoughts in the opening press conference for the European GP. Q: Tonio, a very good performance in Canada. Has the change of chassis made a huge amount of difference to you? Vitantonio LIUZZI: Quite a bit. I think we realised what happened in races like Barcelona and Turkey where we had a lot of problems and they were two different ones. In Barcelona it was clearer that it could have been the chassis but in Turkey we realised it was an aero problem. We just realised after the race, so we changed anyway to start again from zero to the point where we were at the beginning of the season. It was definitely a good choice as we started strongly from Friday morning in Canada. We still have to wait for a proper circuit, maybe like Silverstone, to be 100 per cent that everything is back in business but we are definitely more confident that we are more in the ball park where we should be. Q: Was there damage to the chassis? What do you think was the problem with the previous one? TL: No, basically we changed the first chassis not because of a damage problem, but with a problem on the straight. We were scrubbing speed on the straight for some reason. We couldn't understand why and that's why we changed to the new chassis. With the new one we had a handling problem. We tried many different things and in Barcelona we were just where we were all week and we couldn't understand why. And Turkey was an aero related problem that was adding to the other chassis issue we had, so we still couldn't find exactly the right problem, so we just went back to the beginning where we started in a strong position at the beginning of the season. That's all. Q: Can Force India maintain the pace of development? TL: I think the team showed last year that our development curve was really high, maybe one of the best teams in development during 2009. I think they did a really great job and we are still improving. We are working... (becomes inaudible) and we have got a big programme of development, so we are pushing hard. We still believe we can fight to catch Renault in the championship. We will try hard until the end. We have to look at all the others and how they are doing as the other teams are not sleeping, but we are not giving up. Q: Vitaly, you are almost a local driver here and at least you have experience of the circuit as well. Do you feel that this is a home race for you given that you don't have a proper home race? Vitaly PETROV: No, of course my home is in Russia, but this is almost my second home as I was living here for three years as my team was here for three years, so I moved here but now my team is Renault, so I will move to England. I know the circuit quite well as all morning I was running around this circuit. Q: You are just about to come up to complete your first half of the season. How do you think it has gone for you, a personal self-assessment as it were. VP: Really I don't like to speak about this. I don't like to say something about myself, what was good. It was quite good results, quite bad races also. Canada was not so good. I think I am still learning. I have still a lot of races until the end of the year. I hope I will improve. I am pretty happy. Q: Do you measure yourself against Robert Kubica? How do you get on with him and are you getting closer to his performances? VP: Of course I am getting closer. Each weekend I try to be closer to him. But anyway I do my job. I try not to focus on him. I just try to focus on myself, my driving, to improve the car with the engineers and try to do good results, for example, like Turkey. Except one touch, but it was okay. Q: To the front row, it is to some extent a second home race to you guys. What does it mean to you individually? Jaime ALGUERSUARI: It is always good to drive in Spain. In Barcelona it was a good environment. It is always nice to drive in your home race. For me that was Barcelona and this race is the second race I did last year after my debut and it is the first race this year that I drove last year, so it is going to be nice. Let's see how we get on during the weekend. I am really excited. Fernando ALONSO: It is always good racing in your home country. Hopefully we will put on a good show for all the people here. As Jaime said with Barcelona and Valencia we are lucky to have these two opportunities in front of our people, so as I said hopefully we will put on a good show for them. Pedro de la ROSA: For me it is a second opportunity in my home country in front of the Spanish fans. In Barcelona I didn't manage to finish and here I hope we will and hopefully fight for the points as well. A second opportunity and hopefully it won't slip through my fingers. Q: An interesting point is that you haven't raced here before and your team-mate also hasn't raced, whereas with Toro Rosso both of their drivers have been here before. What does that mean to you? How easy is it to learn the circuit? PdlR: Well, I think it will not be a problem. We have on Friday two hour-and-a-half sessions and it is more than enough to learn a track. It won't compromise the weekend, especially knowing the first session normally is very dirty here, so you cannot really learn much on set-up, so we don't compromise the track time in changing the car. We will drive the first session, learn the track and get ready for the second one which is always more representative of the track for the Saturday and Sunday. So no issues. Just learn a new track which is always a great pleasure. Q: You have had a difficult comeback in many ways and it has been difficult for the team as well. Can you see light at the end of the tunnel? PdlR: Sure, there is. We are getting closer to the end of the tunnel. It has been a difficult start to the year with the amount of DNFs and the one DNS that I achieved. But we should not forget that the two races I finished I was fighting in the points until the last lap. We just have to finish. We believe if we do that we will get points and that is our aim from the beginning of the year. We have been unlucky really, simple as that. Q: To come back to Jaime, you have experience of this circuit. How important is it that both of you have experience of this circuit? JA: I think every time you head to a new track it is always tough, so for me it is another less handicap let's say when you have a track that you know. Obviously we also drove the simulator before and I raced here last year, I also did some races in Formula Three, so it is always good. Even more it is in Spain, so we are going to have fun. Q: I understand that quite recently you have been karting. What was the thinking behind you going karting? JA: Because I love karting. I love karting like Formula One as I like to drive cars. Last year I did the World Cup and this year hopefully I can do another race. Between Formula One races I go to Italy to train and also in Spain here at some tracks. I train quite a lot. Karting I think is the best method to train for a driver for Formula One, for rally, whatever, as you train a lot of things and you also do cardiovascular training and at the end what you need is to drive. Also the fact I am training quite a lot on karting as we don't have much testing in Formula One, I mean we have no testing in Formula One, so for me it is always nice and at the end it is another tool to drive. Q: Fernando, I am sure you and the team felt that you could have won in Montreal. What are the feelings about this race as it has not been a lucky one for you so far? FA: I think it will be interesting to see this race how it goes. There have been some circuits better, some circuits with problems, some up and down for the team performance in the last couple of races, so hopefully we can continue the performance we saw in Montreal. The line that put us in a competitive level fighting with McLaren and Red Bull. In Turkey we were not quick enough, so just try to confirm the feeling of Canada and be competitive here again and hopefully finish on the podium again. Q: You have got some developments here I believe with the blown diffuser. What do you think that is going to bring you? FA: I think we have been improving the car every race more or less, so I think it is a matter of how much the others improve as well to see a clearer step ahead, a step forward. I think we are optimistic. We are happy with the job we have done in these last couple of weeks, so we arrive in Valencia with a good package in our car but we remain very calm about our expectation as other teams were not watching television in these last two weeks, so I think everybody will bring updates here. Hopefully ours is a little bit better than others. QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR Q: (Olav Mol - RTL Netherlands) Jaime and Fernando, do you agree with a lot of fans right now that the ban on refuelling has made racing more intense, whether you're racing for 14th/15th or first and second, because the cars are more equal during the race, you don't have three short sprints. You all start on similar weights. So do you agree that the ban on refuelling has been better or worse, or would you like to go back to the old system? JA: I think it's obviously different to last year. You find the car is completely different in terms of handling, and obviously the tyre degradation is completely different to last year. It's difficult to say if it's better or if it's worse but definitely for us, who need to take more risks to score points, to go in the front and to always be on the limit, it makes racing fairer, let's say, because it's the same for everyone. You find a five second gap from racing to qualifying and the fuel is making a big difference, so I think it's more driver-handling, how you set up the front wing and manage your tyres a lot, especially on a track like Canada where the degradation is very big and the tyres were quite soft, and this makes racing more fun for the drivers, because you need to fight more with the car, and it makes it more fun for Formula One in general, more overtaking, more competition; it's a good idea. FA: I think it depends which race you take this year. If you take Canada with the tyre problems, the lack of refuelling looks good. If you take Turkey, you can switch off the TV because we start and then we put on the prime tyre as soon as possible and the race is over because there are no more pit stops. We also lack a little bit of changing in position in qualifying. Sometimes you were not very competitive, but you were on a more aggressive strategy with five or six laps less fuel and you qualified in front. Now, these days, whatever your position is in qualifying, it's more or less your finishing position in the race. There are some advantages and some disadvantages. Hopefully people like the races a little bit more now but for us it's sometimes better, sometimes worse. Q: (Alan Baldwin - Reuters) Fernando, after Montreal you were very critical of the backmarkers and Luca di Montezemolo also made some comments recently. Is that something you're going to be talking to Charlie (Whiting) about; do you expect anything different here because it's not the easiest circuit to overtake on, and are you also happy that the 107 percent rule is coming back next year? FA: I think the problems lapping people in Canada... there's nothing we can do now. We still think that we lost the opportunity to do something better out of that race. I think that at the end of the year, over 19 races, everything balances out. So sometimes it happens to us, I'm sure it happens to the others at other races. It's already happened, and we didn't realise it and we took advantage maybe in China or Malaysia... we don't know. It happened to us, it was very obvious because we were fighting for the win but we also know that there were some problems in other races. I think there's nothing to say in tomorrow's briefing. We also know that it's not the easiest part of the race, to drive those cars, but it's the same for everybody, so we just need to do a better job next time. And for next year, the 107 percent... I don't think that next year we will see the difference that we've seen this year. I think the three new teams arrived very late this year and I think next year they will be better prepared and the gap will be closer. Q: (Carlos Miquel - Diario AS) Fernando, you tested the new car at Fiorano; what were your feelings and what do you think the improvement in lap time could be? FA: The feeling was very good. I was running behind a car with cameras, so it was very good at 60kph, very stable. We also did some laps without a car in front but we had like ten cameras on the car and on the helmet, so it was not very comfortable to drive. It was also my first time driving a Ferrari Formula One car at Fiorano, so I really have no idea but I think tomorrow we will have a better answer. We expect a step up with the car, a little bit quicker but as I said before, I think all the other teams will bring some new parts here, so I think the most important thing is to confirm that we are competitive here, as we did in Canada, and we need to keep improving the car. Silverstone, Hockenheim, Budapest... it's not one evolution in the car, in the year and you stop. This is a job that we need to keep doing until Abu Dhabi, so there is a long way to go but we are optimistic. Q: (Carlos Miquel - Diario AS) And Jaime and Pedro, what about your future next season? PdlR: It's a good question, really. I don't really know, it's very early. June is still too early, we should wait a little bit more, maybe a couple of months. So nothing 100 percent, but I believe I will still be in Formula One, at least that's what I want, and it's not looking too bad for next year. JA: I don't know. I don't know what I do next race, so... I hope I can be in Formula One with the same team, with Toro Rosso and we will see. Q: (Jaime Rodriguez - El Mundo) For all of you, are you following the World Cup and for the three Spanish drivers, what do you expect tomorrow in our match against Chile? FA: Yes. JA: Yeah, yeah, we follow. Spain. We will win. FA: Easy, easy, easy. We will win. That's for sure. /B> Against Chile or the final? FA: Chile, if we don't win, we don't deserve... PdlR: Ah, I think this year is a big one for us in the World Cup. I'm very happy that Fernando already has the red T-shirt on. We will do well. I really support Spain, very, very much. I like their attitude and how the players are approaching it. TL: I will let you know in a few hours if I follow it again. For sure we have a good chance but we will see. VP: Yeah, I follow it but it's bad luck the Russian team is not in the World Cup. Yes, I like watching Spain playing and I'm also living here, so I will also support Spain tomorrow. FA: Good.
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Schumi hits back at Brundle and co Michael Schumacher has accused BBC's Formula One punditry panel of attention seeking and pandering to "showbusiness" following their recent scathing criticism of the seven-times Champion. David Coulthard, Eddie Jordan and Martin Brundle all waded into the 41-year-old after his woeful performance in the Canadian Grand Prix 11 days ago. Brundle, a former team-mate of Schumacher's at Benetton in 1992, in particular claimed the German drove "appallingly badly" in what was his "worst weekend since he came back". Even Germany's biggest-selling national newspaper, Bild, described the race as Schumacher's "blackest lap" this season. For the record Schumacher was embroiled in an across-the-grass duel with Renault's Robert Kubica early on that forced him into a second pit stop due to a puncture just a lap after he had made his first. Then later in the race, as team-mate Nico Rosberg made his way up the field from 13th after lap one to finish sixth, Schumacher was embarrassingly overtaken by Sebastien Buemi in his Toro Rosso. On worn tyres, Schumacher then dropped out of the points from ninth to 11th on the final lap after being passed by both Force Indias of Vitantonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil. Hitting back after being asked about the comments, Schumacher said: "I don't take them seriously because there are different elements to Formula One, and one part is showbusiness. "So I cannot take it seriously as a realistic criticism, so I put it down to showbusiness, and to moan about me sometimes creates some attention, which maybe is to be purposely achieved. "I'd rather not have it, or have to hear about it or have to answer your question, but that's what it comes down to for me." Evaluating his performance so far on his return after three years in retirement, Schumacher added: "I'm quite happy with myself. "Yes, you make mistakes and you could have improved certain things, with hindsight. "But all in all, I don't think there are many guys around the world who, at 41, come back after a three-year break and compete at this high a level. "I've not lost my knowledge of driving. I know what I'm doing, and I think I do it to the best I can. "When I won 91 grands prix and seven championships, I was thinking then about how I can improve, as I'm doing now." For Schumacher, his primary concern relates to tyres, in particular he is struggling to get the most out of them at key times in races. It is part of the reason why Schumacher has mustered just 34 points from eight races, and is effectively already out of the title hunt as he trails leader Lewis Hamilton by 73 points, even Rosberg by 40. "The main issue is to get on top of this tyre situation and to understand them," added Schumacher, ahead of this weekend's European Grand Prix in Valencia. "For whatever reason we've not been able to do it in qualifying and it is something we're trying to understand to make sure we can be at our maximum in terms of performance. "It is certainly the case they are different from what I am used to in my experience. "But everybody else seems to be suffering. I hear all the way down the pit lane people are having problems, about what to do in certain moments. "So that's been the biggest surprise for us, and we particularly suffered in this area in Canada. It's been the biggest issue for us this year." Schumacher faces an additional challenge around Valencia as it is a circuit he has yet to experience as a driver as the port track was only first used two years ago when he was retired. "In a way it is special to come to new tracks," said Schumacher. "But saying that I was here last year to support Ferrari, so it doesn't feel that new to me somehow, so the thrill is different."
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 FIA hands USF1 £253,000 fine and ban The FIA has fined the defunct USF1 team and banned it from participating in any FIA sanctioned championship as punishment for failing to make the start of the 2010 F1 season. The American team had hoped to join Lotus, Virgin and Hispania in Bahrain as one of the four new teams given the green light to compete, however financial difficulties led to the teams collapse. As a result, the FIA has taken the option to fine the team €309,000 (£253,000, $380,000) which will likely be collected through the recent auction of the teams equipment. "The Judging Body of the World Motor Sport Council has found the USF1 team guilty of having infringed the FIA International Sporting Code, the sporting regulations of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship and the obligations resulting from its entry in this Championship," an FIA statement read. "In these circumstances, the Judging Body of the World Motor Sport Council has decided to impose the following sanctions against USF1; a fine of 309,000 euros (a sum equivalent to the Entry Fees for the Championship); the disqualification of USF1 (which definitively deprives USF1 of the right to take part, in any way whatsoever, in any competition); and the payment of the costs incurred by the FIA within the context of this disciplinary procedure."
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 OzCuban said: Ouch! You can say that again. I was expecting some sort of penalty but its been so long, I thought they gave them a waiver!?
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Webber hopes not to regret car issues Mark Webber hopes Red Bull Racing does not live to regret not having spent more time ironing out reliability problems with its car pre-season, having seen points slip through its fingers in the early stages of the year. With Red Bull's rivals having made performance gains to close down the RB6's advantage over recent races, Webber is well aware of how many more points his team could have had if it had maximised opportunities in the first races this year. "That's grand prix racing," said Webber in Valencia. "We elected to run the car when we did in testing because that is the decision we made. "The car was very, very fast. We could have done a bit more reliability work and you may say the car would not have been so fast, but it is a long, long season. Will those extra three days of testing have made a difference by Abu Dhabi? Well, hopefully not. "Everyone has had some pretty decent hiccups along the way. McLaren have had a few pitstop problems and Ferrari have had their problems. We've had our problems too, so no one has had a faultless season at all, and that is going to happen when there is no testing going on. "There is a solid fight going on towards the front and, when you are trying to develop the car in-season without any testing, you might have some niggles along the way - whether it is with an F-duct, whether it is with an exhaust, or different types of mechanical bits you might try. "What has happened has happened. We know we could have done things better, but so do a lot of other people. We are still in an amazing position in both championships, fantastic, and you would certainly take that over a lot of other positions if you were offered where you might be. There is such a long way to go." Although Red Bull Racing is heading into the Valencia event off the back of seeing McLaren having taken 1-2 finishes in Turkey and Canada, Webber does not see any reason why his team needs to be too worried. He thinks the ultimate performance of his outfit remains strong - and that there will still be plenty of grands prix where the RB6 will stretch its legs. "Turkey and Canada were different events," he said. "Turkey we know we could have got a strong result there. McLaren we know were strong, particularly the first part of the GP, and we were the only two teams in that event, Ferrari weren't there. "Ferrari turned up in Montreal, and we've been pretty quick everywhere, so there has been ebbing and flowing of performance gaps. "We would be naive to panic off the back of Turkey and Canada to say there is a real trend going on. It is close and some venues will nip and tuck the other way – like Barcelona and Monaco, which was a bit of a surprise as we thought McLaren would be very strong in Monaco but they weren't. "It has been interesting how the tracks have been very sensitive to certain cars." When asked what he felt his chances were of winning the world title, Webber said: "Pretty good, I would say. We are in the hunt at the moment. I would say my chances aren't poor - they are a lot better than a lot of other people's."
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Drivers unimpressed by rear wing plan Formula 1 drivers have expressed major reservations about the introduction of moveable rear wings next season - suggesting it could make the racing false and, more seriously, lead to safety worries. The FIA gave the green light on Wednesday to plans for an adjustable rear wing to be introduced in 2011 - where drivers will be able to open up the slot gap in their rear wing for a straight-line speed boost to help overtake cars ahead of them. With the rules dictating that the leading car will not be able to respond if his pursuer has got within one second of him in the previous sector, current drivers worry that the move could detract from the purity of F1. Mark Webber said: "It is good for the PlayStation I think, but I don't know how well it is going to work in F1. "We need to put some good research into it, understand it and make sure it is beneficial for everyone – the drivers, the show, the spectators and safety, which is a big thing." He added: "Overtaking moves should be about pressurising, being skillful, and tactical. Yes we want to see more overtaking, of course we do, we know that, but we also need to keep the element of skill involved in overtaking and not just hitting buttons, like KERS, like adjustable rear wings. "We need to get the balance right in having skillful races between each other, and not an IRL [indyCar] race where you pass each other four times per lap and everyone gets bored of that." Robert Kubica backed up Webber's views that the moveable wing may not bring the added dimension to the spectacle that the teams hoped for in coming up with the plan. "If the wings move a lot we will see the cars overtake in a straight line and I don't think there is a lot of excitement to see that," said the Renault driver. "It still will be the same for everyone and we will see how it will be working. The [adjustable] front wing was introduced to help overtaking by following the other cars, and we have seen it didn't work out." Lotus driver Jarno Trulli believed that there could be major safety concerns about the wing – and thought that it could be an idea for the FIA to introduce a standard unit. "I've only read a little bit about the new regulations and the one I do not appreciate is the movable rear wing, just on the question of safety," said the Italian. "This may only be my stupid concern. I'm not reading into it too much and we will talk with the engineers but we have to make sure we can run it in a way that it is safe. "I have the lost the rear wing a couple of time and it is one of the most dangerous things you can have happen to you because you are no longer in control of your car. Normally it fails at very high speed and you're going to end up hitting the wall. I do not want to have the worry of my rear wing failing. The front wing is slightly different even though it is still a problem, the rear wing is worse. "I've had rear wing failures with Renault and Toyota, in testing, at Monza with Jordan and I have always been very lucky, but if you are not lucky it is bad." He added: "We are definitely all looking for a better show and more overtaking, that's clear, and if this can help then it's very welcome but it's looking a bit too complicated with the conditions under which you can use it. "My only concern is the rear wing. I will suggest to the FIA that they should design and give the same rear wing to everyone because if any there is no standardised wing, this might result in a failure and we do not want this." Force India's Adrian Sutil added: "It's again very good for the show. I think it's not so good from a driving point of view, because if you defend your position well it doesn't really matter. "If there's a car behind you and he has the advantage of the slipstream anyway, and then he turns down the wing and he will gain another five or 10 km/h. I don't know. There are just too many things going on, really."
MIKA27 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 Button expecting tough time at Valencia Jenson Button says he is expecting his McLaren team to endure a tough weekend in the European Grand Prix at Valencia. McLaren's main rivals are bringing several updates for the Spanish race, while the British squad has no new parts, with an upgrade scheduled for the next race in Britain. And while Button believes McLaren will still be competitive, he fears that the competition will be much stronger than in Canada, where the team scored a 1-2. "Coming here I thought the momentum could be carried, but looking at all the cars around the pitlane there's a lot of new bits," Button told reporters. "I think three new teams have this funny exhaust system [blown rear diffuser], so if it gives as much as we think it might they are going to be very competitive. "We don't have any updates here. We have an update for Silverstone in two weeks. So it's going to be a tough race for us, I think. "We are still going to be competitive but there are going to be a lot of cars that are very competitive. It's not going to be quite what we would hope for this grand prix, but we should wait and see." Button, however, is hopeful his rivals will lose time getting their blown exhausts ready and that McLaren will benefit from having a car that's well known to the team. "It's not going to work straight away," he added. "It's going to take them a bit of time, I hope. They are also playing with the F-duct system as well. "There's a lot going on and we just have to make sure we get our heads down and we focus on making sure we get the best out of what we have. We have a car that we know very well, so it's just about fine-tuning and getting the best out of it for the weekend." He is also optimistic that the update planned for the British Grand Prix will help McLaren take a good step forward. "I think when we get to Silverstone we'll see a good leap forward for us, which I think at that point we will need," he said. "Here we'll see what happens. Our car is still good, don't get me wrong, I don't think that all cars are going to be in front of us, but we are going to have a lot more competition than we had in Montreal. "I think it will help us in high-speed corners. I think it will help us in qualifying. I hope it's a good improvement and I hope it's what we expect it to be, because if it is we should have a good home race."
.png.15b5f6bc4159a73805a9f118f79a68ca.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now