Showing posts with label Formula 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Formula 1. Show all posts

Williams launches Williams FW35 race car in Spain

The Williams F1 Team launched its 2013 challenger the Williams FW35, at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain today.

The new Williams FW35 is a culmination of more than 12 months’ research and development by the team’s technical departments in Grove and features improvements in several key areas over last year’s race-winning FW34.

“Given the rule stability over the winter. I’m pleased with the gains that we’ve been able to make with this car. It’s a better, more refined Formula One car than the FW34 and I think everyone involved in the project can feel proud of the work they’ve done.,” said Williams Technical Director Mike Coughlan.

Despite being an evolution of 2012’s car, more than 80 per cent of the FW35 is new. It has a new gearbox, new rear suspension, new radiators, a new floor, new exhausts, new bodywork, a new nose and a significant amount of weight has been saved as well.

With many new parts on the car, the team has carried out a lot of reliability work over the winter. The gearbox alone has already completed 3200kms on the dyno, a lot of which was conducted in the form of five straight Grand Prix weekends.

The FW35 will continue to be developed throughout the year, beginning with an aerodynamic upgrade in time for the first race. By season’s end it is expected that the FW35 will have made strong performance improvements and Coughlan is in no doubt over the main area of gain.

Williams FW35

“The Coanda effect is going to be a big thing for us,” added Coughlan. “There’s been no rule clarification concerning this area of the car, so we’ll work closely with Renault to maximise the available gains. Use of the DRS is more restricted this year, so we’ll take some resource away from that and focus on other areas.”

“A group of talented people with good imagination and plenty of courage have been working together to build the Williams Renault FW35. We will have to wait until Australia to truly see what we have, but we believe it is step forward from last year’s car which was also a very competitive vehicle. Pastor is a delightful character who is a massively determined racer, whilst Valtteri is quieter but still waters run deep and he is a highly gifted driver,” stated Team Principal Frank Williams.

“Williams has been at the top many times over the last 30 years. It’s the nature of the sport to have ups and downs, but when we are down we always fight our way back. I’m hoping that with the current team we have in place, our new FW35, the combined talent of Pastor, Valtteri and Susie, and the continued support from our partners; we will be in a position to challenge the very best,” he added.

“Starting my third season with Williams is important for both myself and the team,” said Williams F1 driver Pastor Maldonado. “We’ve been working hard to develop the car and improve our performance. Last year we won a race and were competitive, but this season we must be even more competitive which I believe is possible. Consistency will be our aim to close the gap to the teams in front. There are a number of changes this season; I have a new Race Engineer and a new teammate in Valtteri, but there is a nice atmosphere right now as we are all competitive and know each other well. Being part of the Williams family is very special as a driver and I want to thank Frank for not only giving me the opportunity to drive for him, but also to deliver a win. My goal is to help take the team back to the top.”

“It feels great to now be promoted to race driver with Williams this season,” said Valtteri Bottas. “It’s a big step and I’m really looking forward to it. I have been doing a lot of training, meeting with my engineers and working in the simulator in preparation; so I feel ready. We know we have improved our car from last season but I am looking forward to seeing how it compares on track. We have a busy test programme ahead but I’m really excited. The moment the start lights go out in Melbourne is a moment I have been building towards my whole career.”

The team has eight days of on-track testing in Barcelona scheduled with the new car, prior to leaving for the Australian Grand Prix at the beginning of March.

Williams FW35 Technical Specifications:

Chassis construction: Monocoque construction laminated from carbon epoxy and honeycomb surpassing FIA impact and strength requirements
Front suspension: Double wishbone, push-rod activated springs and anti-roll bar
Rear suspension: Double wishbone, pull-rod activated springs and anti-roll bar
Transmission: Williams F1 seven speed seamless sequential semi-automatic shift plus reverse gear, gear selection electro-hydraulically actuated
Clutch: Carbon multi-plate
Dampers: Williams F1
Wheels: RAYS forged magnesium
Tyres: Pirelli, Fronts: 245/660-13, Rears: 325/660-13
Brake system: AP 6 piston calipers all round, carbon discs and pads
Steering: Williams F1 power assisted rack and pinion
Fuel system: ATL Kevlar-reinforced rubber bladder
Electronic systems: FIA SECU standard electronic control unit
Cooling system: Aluminium Oil, Water, KERS, and gearbox radiators
Cockpit: Six point driver safety harness with 75mm shoulder straps & HANS system, removable anatomically formed carbon fibre seat
Engine: Renault RS27-2013 2.4L V8, 90 V angle, 32 valves, aluminium block and pistons, nitrided alloy steel crankshaft with tungsten alloy counterweights, titanium connecting rods, 8 butterfly throttle system, 18000 rpm maximum speed
KERS: Williams F1 battery, MGU and electronics
Dimensions: Overall length: 5000mm, Overall height: 950mm, Overall width: 1800mm, Weight: FIA Minimum
source & images: Williams F1

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Doctors give no prognosis for Michael Schumacher

Doctors offered a grim assessment of Michael Schumacher's head injuries Monday, providing no prognosis for the Formula One driving great after his skiing accident in the French Alps.

Schumacher has been placed in a medically induced coma to relieve pressure on his brain, which suffered bruising and bleeding when the retired seven-time world champion fell and struck a rock Sunday while skiing during a family vacation.

"We cannot predict the future for Michael Schumacher," Dr. Jean-Francois Payen, the doctor in charge of Grenoble University Hospital's intensive care unit, said at a news conference.

"He is in a critical state in terms of cerebral resuscitation," said Payen, the chief anesthesiologist treating the 44-year-old German driver. "We are working hour by hour."

Schumacher's wife, Corinna, daughter Gina Maria and son Mick were at his bedside.

"The family is not doing very well, obviously. They are shocked," his manager, Sabine Kehm, told reporters.

Schumacher earned universal admiration for his uncommon driving talent, which led to a record 91 race wins. His single-minded dedication to victory sometimes meant he was denied the same affection during his career that he received Monday.

Schumacher "gave the image of someone indestructible, powerful," France's four-time F1 champion Alain Prost said on iTele TV channel. "It's a banal accident compared to what he's done in the past . It's just a dumb thing that ended badly."

Schumacher and his 14-year-old son were skiing Sunday morning in the French Alpine resort of Meribel, where the family has a chalet. He fell and hit the right side of his head on a rock.

By wearing a helmet, Schumacher had given himself a chance of survival, Payen said, though the protection was not enough to prevent serious injury.

Gerard Saillant, a trauma surgeon who operated on Schumacher when he broke his leg in a 1999 race crash, was at the hospital as a visitor. He told reporters that Schumacher's age and fitness should work in his favor.

Schumacher, who turns 45 on Friday, retired from the track for the second time only last year, after a three-season comeback.

Still, the hospital's neurology team, which is recognized as among the best in France, was cautious about Schumacher's prospects.

Doctors lowered his body temperature to between 34 and 35 degrees Celsius (93.2 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) as part of the coma, which essentially rests the brain, slowing its metabolism to help reduce inflammation after an injury.

The hospital, in a city that is the gateway to the French Alps, sees a large number of skiing accidents every year.

Schumacher has been seriously hurt before. In addition to the broken leg in a crash at the 1999 British Grand Prix, he also suffered neck and spine injuries after a motorcycle accident in 2009 in Spain.

An expert skier, Schumacher fell in a section of trails that slice down through a vast and, in parts, very steep snowfield. Although challenging, the snowfield is not extreme skiing. The runs are broad and neatly tended, and the ungroomed area in between — where the resort said Schumacher was found — is free of trees.

"He was in the deep snow. But it was not an off-piste track," Kehm said, suggesting Schumacher had not taken undue risks. "They were skiing on pistes, but in the moment that it (the accident) happened, it was not on the piste."

Meribel resort officials said Schumacher was conscious when first responders arrived, although agitated and in shock.

After the fall, Payen said Monday, Schumacher was not in a "normal state of consciousness." He did not respond to questions, and his limbs appeared to move involuntarily, the doctor said.

He was airlifted to a local hospital and then later brought to Grenoble. Doctors said that stopover was typical and did not affect his condition.

The French prosecutor in Albertville has opened an investigation into the accident, according to the Mountain Gendarmerie in Bourg-Saint-Maurice. The goal is to determine the circumstances and cause of the accident.

Formula One drivers and fans rushed to wish Schumacher a quick recovery.

"Like millions of Germans, the chancellor and members of the government were extremely dismayed when they heard about Michael Schumacher's serious skiing accident," German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said in Berlin.

Sebastian Vettel, the Formula One racer for whom Schumacher was a boyhood idol, told German news agency dpa: "I am shocked and hope that he will get better as soon as possible."

Ferrari, which Schumacher raced for, also expressed its concern. Company President Luca di Montezemolo and race team leader Stefano Domenicali were in contact with the family, the company said in a statement.

Former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, who himself recovered from life-threatening head injuries at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009, wrote on Instagram: "I am praying for you my brother!! I hope you have a quick recovery!! God bless you, Michael."

British former F1 champion Jenson Button posted that "Michael more than anyone has the strength to pull through this."

Some fans gathered outside the hospital Monday.

Nuravil Raimbekov, a student from Kyrgyzstan who is studying in Grenoble, said Schumacher has been an inspiration to him.

"I'm worried, of course ... But I still hope, and I will pray for him," he said.

During his career, Schumacher set an array of Formula One records. After initial success with the Benetton team, winning his first two championships in 1994 and 1995, Schumacher moved to Ferrari.

There, he helped turn the storied Italian team into the sport's dominant force. After initially retiring in 2006, he made a comeback in 2010 and raced for three years with Mercedes.

___

DiLorenzo reported from Paris.

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Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari return gives F1 a lift

Rome: Kimi Raikkonen’s return to Ferrari, which was confirmed on Wednesday, may not be exactly what Fernando Alonso wanted, and it was certainly not on Felipe Massa’s wish list, but it will give Formula One a lift in 2014, when conversation elsewhere is likely to be dominated by talk of motor generator units and ERS (forget DRS) as teams downsize to new 1.6-litre V6s.

In a flawed sport constantly wringing its hands about whether to be pure and boring or contrived and exciting (cue Pirelli), and always fussing over team orders, Raikkonen represents F1 One at its very best.

The Finn is skilful and fast and if he is at his best during his two-year contract with Ferrari he will give Alonso a headache and the rest of us a rare treat. The disappointment among the leading teams is that Sebastian Vettel has been much too good for Mark Webber at Red Bull, Alonso has been a class ahead of Massa at Ferrari and Raikkonen has been too experienced and knowing for Romain Grosjean at Lotus. Raikkonen has the experience and speed to keep Alonso honest and may force the Spaniard to up his game in qualifying.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have looked the strongest pairing on the grid, but now that all changes. Raikkonen might give Ferrari indeed all of Italy a headache. The truth is that the prancing horse does not know exactly what it is getting, even though they employed the Ice Man from 2007-2009. He was paid off in 2009 because he was being outdriven by Massa, whom he replaces at Maranello.

Rome: Kimi Raikkonen’s return to Ferrari, which was confirmed on Wednesday, may not be exactly what Fernando Alonso wanted, and it was certainly not on Felipe Massa’s wish list, but it will give Formula One a lift in 2014, when conversation elsewhere is likely to be dominated by talk of motor generator units and ERS (forget DRS) as teams downsize to new 1.6-litre V6s.

In a flawed sport constantly wringing its hands about whether to be pure and boring or contrived and exciting (cue Pirelli), and always fussing over team orders, Raikkonen represents F1 One at its very best.

The Finn is skilful and fast and if he is at his best during his two-year contract with Ferrari he will give Alonso a headache and the rest of us a rare treat. The disappointment among the leading teams is that Sebastian Vettel has been much too good for Mark Webber at Red Bull, Alonso has been a class ahead of Massa at Ferrari and Raikkonen has been too experienced and knowing for Romain Grosjean at Lotus. Raikkonen has the experience and speed to keep Alonso honest and may force the Spaniard to up his game in qualifying.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have looked the strongest pairing on the grid, but now that all changes. Raikkonen might give Ferrari indeed all of Italy a headache. The truth is that the prancing horse does not know exactly what it is getting, even though they employed the Ice Man from 2007-2009. He was paid off in 2009 because he was being outdriven by Massa, whom he replaces at Maranello.

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Rising costs hurt smaller F1 teams

Singapore: Formula One team bosses say the rapidly escalating costs of the sport — set to climb even higher next season — mean there is something “fundamentally wrong” with the sport which must be corrected.

The switch to V6 turbo engines next season, along with the re-introduction of in-season testing, means already financially-stretched teams will face a significant increase in costs.

Talks between teams to agree on cost-reduction methods have collapsed without any agreement, failing to bridge the gap between the smaller teams and the big four of Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, who were resistant to any restrictions.

“When I came into Formula One, people talked to me about cost coming down, but I don’t think there’s been a single year it’s come down,” Caterham team founder and Air Asia chief Tony Fernandes said. “Next year will be the highest year, so there’s something fundamentally wrong.

“The teams lost out an opportunity to get costs under control. Self-interest overrode the sport and we are as much to blame for this problem as a [new] engine. We screwed it up. It’s as simple as that.”

Cost-saving measure
Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost voted against the reintroduction of in-season testing, which was originally axed as a cost-saving measure but brought back in 2014 at the behest of the big teams.

“The teams are stupid enough to do tests during the season,” Tost said. “On the one had they’re complaining they don’t have money, on the other hand they throw it through the window.

“And who wants the tests? The rich teams. As usual.”

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier said costs had come down significantly since the manufacturer era of last decade when the likes of Renault, BMW, Toyota and Honda had their own teams. However he still urged more talks between teams, governing body FIA and the commercial rights holder headed by Bernie Ecclestone, to stabilise regulations to reduce compliance costs.

Bob Fearnley, deputy principal of Force India, agreed regulation needs to be imposed from the top as there is too much competition between the teams for them to ever reach an agreement.

“The teams have demonstrated that they are not capable of being able to agree a cost control, so the answer is to take it outside of the teams’ control. It’s up to the FIA to decide a formula, bring that in and implement it.”

Re-negotiate
Aside from cost reduction, another means of sustaining the teams is for more of the money earned by the commercial rights holder to be passed on to the teams.

“We may have missed an opportunity to just sit down with the commercial rights holder and re-negotiate something which could have been more in favour of the teams, but we failed,” Boullier said.

Tost said getting more money flowing from TV rights and sponsorships to funnel down to the teams was not the answer.

“It’s easy to say we should get more money, but give the engineers one million and they ask for two. Give them four million and they ask for eight.”

Boullier agreed, saying increased revenue must work in concert with tighter regulations to control spending.

“The more money you get, the more money we will spend if you don’t have any safeguards around you,” Boullier said. “The more open the regulations are, the more we will spend money and waste money.”


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Felipe Massa leaves Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen returns

Rome: Felipe Massa announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he will no longer be driving for Ferrari next year.

The BBC later claimed Kimi Raikkonen would be replacing him and returning to team he left in 2009.

Raikkonen won the world title with Ferrari in 2007, the first of three years he spent partnering Massa at the Italian team.

“From 2014 I will no longer be driving for Ferrari,” said Brazilian Massa on his official @Felipe1Massa account.

“I would like to thank the team for all the victories and incredible moments experienced together.

“Thank you also to my wife and all of my family, to my fans and all my sponsors. From each one of you I have always received a great support!

“Right now I want to push as hard as possible with Ferrari for the remaining 7 races.”

Talk in the paddock has been raging for several weeks about who will be Ferrari’s second driver next year alongside two-time former world champion with Renault, Fernando Alonso.

The BBC claimed a deal was agreed on Monday that will see Raikkonen return to the team where he won his only world title.

His success in 2007 was the last time Ferrari won a world title, after which British duo Jenson Button, in a Brawn, and Lewis Hamilton, in a McLaren, claimed the championship before Red Bull’s Sebatian Vettel began his three-year domination.

Raikkonen left F1 in 2009, moving to the World Rally Championship, and was replaced at the Italian team by Alonso.

The flying Finn won nine Grand Prix with Ferrari, having also won nine during a five-year spell at McLaren, where he twice finished runner-up, in 2003 behind Michael Schumacher and then in 2005 to Alonso.

After a stint in Nascar he returned to F1 in 2012 with Lotus, where he has won two Grand Prix.

Massa says he wants to remain in F1 but has yet to find a drive for 2014.

“For next year, I want to find a team that can give me a competitive car to win many more races and challenge for the Championship which remains my greatest objective!” he said.

Massa has spent eight years with Ferrari since joining from Sauber in 2006.

In 2008 he came within a couple of bends of winning the world title, only for Lewis Hamilton to snatch it by overtaking Timo Glock two corners from the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

It was Massa’s best season in a Ferrari and the only time he challenged for the title, although he finished third in 2006 and fourth in 2007.

His 2009 season ended in July’s Hungarian Grand Prix when he suffered a horror injury in a crash in qualifying after being hit on the head by a suspension spring that had fallen from compatriot Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn.

Massa suffered a head injury that was initially thought to be life-threatening but he recovered and was driving for Ferrari again in 2010.

He has won 11 races in his Ferrari career, the last coming in 2008.

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Lewis Hamilton scorches to pole hat-trick

Budapest: Lewis Hamilton scorched to his third pole position in a row for Mercedes in searing track temperatures at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.

The 2008 Formula One world champion, a triple winner in Hungary with McLaren, lapped the circuit with a best time of one minute 19.388 seconds to deny Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel the top slot.

“Are we on pole?,” the Briton shouted over the radio on his slowing down lap at the Hungaroring. “Yeah, we’re as surprised as you,” came the reply.

Triple world champion Vettel, who leads Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in the standings by 34 points after nine of 19 races, could manage only 1:19.426 with the track temperature hitting 50 degrees earlier in the session. He starts second.

Hamilton had never before in his career taken three successive poles and his fourth of the season took his overall tally to 30 — one more than the late Argentine five-times champion Juan Manuel Fangio.

“With the temperatures, it was pretty tough,” said Hamilton, who won from pole last year in Hungary but has yet to win a race since leaving McLaren at the end of the 2012 season. “I was really surprised when they said I got pole. I didn’t feel like that was a great lap.

“I was expecting Sebastian to get it.”

Frenchman Romain Grosjean qualified third for Lotus with Hamilton’s German teammate Nico Rosberg fourth. Alonso, who has not started on pole for more than a year and turns 32 on Monday, will start fifth.

“It is stupid to sit and say, we should have done this and we should have done that,” said Vettel, who dominated Friday practice but has never won in Hungary. “Mercedes have good pace in qualifying so you have to be fair and respect that. I would have loved to have been a little bit faster and on pole but we have a good car and are in a good position.

“We should have a good race tomorrow and I am quite confident.”

The race will be the first using the new Pirelli tyres, which have been changed to marry the current compounds with last year’s structure after a spate of blowouts in the British Grand Prix last month.

Mercedes were the only team who did not try out the new tyres at Silverstone last week, as a punishment for a ‘secret’ test with Pirelli in Spain in May, but their absence did not appear to hurt them.

“We brought some upgrades this weekend, the guys are working hard and it’s a result of all the hard work they’ve put in,” said Hamilton.

Grosjean’s teammate Kimi Raikkonen, third in the overall standings and 41 points behind Vettel, qualified sixth while Australian Daniel Ricciardo continued to impress in eighth place for Toro Rosso.

Compatriot Mark Webber, the man Ricciardo hopes to replace at Red Bull next year, starts 10th after suffering Kers problems from the second phase of qualifying.

McLaren’s hopes of an improved showing at a circuit that has been good to them in the past, with six wins in eight years, faded with Mexican Sergio Perez qualifying ninth and Britain’s Jenson Button 13th.

The big loser in the first phase was Force India’s Paul Di Resta, who qualified 18th and was baffled at the car’s lack of performance.

“Where did the grip and tyres go?”, the Scot asked his team over the radio. “Looks like we’ve got some work to do,” they replied.

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Mercedes sense their chance

London: “We’ve gone on holiday by mistake,” says Richard E Grant’s Withnail in that wonderful black comedy Withnail and I, and one senses that Ross Brawn, the Mercedes team principal, feels rather the same way.

While the summer sabbatical feels like a lifesaver for many in the hectically scheduled, vroom-and-bust world of Formula One, its timing was less than ideal for a Mercedes team that appeared to be gathering a menacing momentum in the weeks leading up to the break.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are the strongest drivers’ pairing in the paddock. And now that they have the quickest car too, at least over one lap, they look the most likely to threaten Red Bull’s hegemony in the second half of the season.

With three wins and four pole positions in the past five races, the Mercedes WO4 is second to Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. And if Hamilton can reproduce the intensity of his weekend at the Hungaroring at the end of July at the very different Spa circuit next Sunday, when F1 racing returns, he will emerge as the most credible challenger for Sebastian Vettel’s individual crown.

In fourth place, 48 points behind Vettel with nine races to go, he may look like an outsider but, at his best and when given the right equipment, Hamilton is too much of a handful for anyone, including the current world champion.

His difficulty will be in matching Vettel’s staggering level of consistency, but the next three tracks glitter with promise for him. The fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit, with some of the best corner sections in the sport, is a drivers’ track, and no one drives quite like Hamilton, who won here in 2010.

Two weeks later comes Monza, the quickest of them all, and Hamilton won here, heroically, last year. That is followed by Singapore, where again Hamilton was in dominant form last season before his McLaren betrayed him.

“I’m really looking forward to the second half; that is usually my favourite part,” he says. “I can honestly say I feel just so invigorated, it’s so refreshing to be somewhere new. I hope there’s a world championship somewhere ahead. That’s what I’m working for every year, that’s why I keep that discipline, that’s why I train so much over the winter, that’s why I wake up every day and train.

“That’s why I put so much effort into travelling and that’s why you sacrifice so many small things, certain things in your life, and so I hope at some stage I get that second world championship.”

Brawn, too, is optimistic about the races ahead. “We’ll have a much more respectable second half,” he says. “We’ve scored more points already than we did last year, and we’re just over halfway through. We’ve got a strong enough organisation to ensure we won’t let it slip. We’re on a journey here with Lewis and we don’t know where the limits are.”

Everyone, including Mercedes, will be taking a long hard look at the tyres at Spa. The new Pirelli tyre, a combination of the 2012 construction and the 2013 compound, uses Kevlar composite instead of steel in its construction. It added up to some cool running in Hungary. But the Hungaroring circuit is not dissimilar to Monaco in some respects. It is certainly not a representative track.

The next few weeks will shape not only the two world championships but also the driver line-ups for next year, with Mark Webber’s approaching retirement opening up a number of possibilities. The Red Bull seat is still likely to go to Daniel Ricciardo or Raikkonen, despite links with Fernando Alonso. But Alonso’s teammate, Felipe Massa, is under familiar pressure.

There will be no changes at Mercedes or McLaren, though Sergio Prez’s recent description of his McLaren car as “complicated, difficult and inconsistent” is not exactly what the team wanted to hear on their 50th anniversary.

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Hulkenberg to race for Sauber F1 in 2013

Nico Hulkenberg will race for the Swiss based outfit in 2013 after signing today a deal.

The 25-year-old German won the GP2 Series in 2009, made his Formula 1 debut in 2010 with the Williams F1 Team and managed to capture a pole position in his maiden year. He is currently driving for Sahara Force India and ranks 12th in the Drivers’ World Championship with 49 points after 17 out of 20 races.

Hulkenberg’s best Formula One race result this season was at the Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished fourth on the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

“We’ve been observing Nico for some time now and his performances have been very persuasive,” said Sauber F1 Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn. “That was the case in GP2 and has continued into Formula One. An obvious highlight was how he scored pole at Interlagos in 2010 despite the most challenging external conditions. He clearly showed that he can seize the chance if it arises. But high spots like that are one thing; systematic teamwork is another – and on that score I have confidence in Nico too. I’m sure he will fit in very well with the Sauber F1 Team. We look forward to working together with him.”

“I’m really looking forward to working with the Sauber F1 Team. It’s a well-placed team and very competitive,” said Nico Hulkenberg. “Plus it’s a team in which young drivers have repeatedly delivered exceptional performances. I would like to take up that baton. The Sauber F1 Team is currently going through a very positive development and I’m certain that together we can achieve a lot. Until that time I will remain fully focused on my job with the Sahara Force India Team. I’d like to thank the management at Sahara Force India for giving me the chance to return to Formula One as a team driver.”

The Swiss based team will announce its second driver for the 2013 season at a later date.

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Ferrari launch the Ferrari F138 F1 single seater

Scuderia Ferrari launched today at Maranello its 2013 F1 car, the Ferrari F138. The choice of the F138 name, derives from a combination of the current year and the number of cylinders, partly to mark the fact that this will be the last year that the V8 engine configuration will be used in Formula 1, bringing to an end what will be an eight year career.

Ferrari F138 front
The Ferrari F138 is the fifty ninth car built by the Italian team specifically to take part in the Formula 1 World Championship. The project, which goes by the internal code name 664, is the first design to come from the reorganisation concerning working methods that has been in operation for several months, with the creation of two distinct groups of designers: one working on this car and the other on the completely different car which will race next season. This car constitutes Ferrari’s interpretation of this year’s Technical and Sporting Regulations, which in fact are substantially the same as those from last season. Therefore the F138 can be seen as an evolution of the F2012, in terms of its basic design principals, although every single part has been revised in order to maximise performance, while maintaining all the characteristics which were the basis of last season’s extraordinary reliability.

Ferrari F138 front
The design philosophy of the suspension layout has not changed and it continues to use pull-rods both front and rear, but it has been refined to the limit, in order to gain as much aerodynamic advantage as possible, especially at the rear. The bodywork elements have been redesigned to allow for changes to the positioning and layout of the exhausts. The dynamic air intake, mounted above the cockpit has been redesigned, as have been the intakes to the side pods, which in turn have also been optimised in aerodynamic terms, while maintaining unchanged the overall cooling system. The rear of the car is much narrower and more tapered on the lower part. The configuration of the front and rear wings derives directly from the last versions used on the F2012, partly because development of that car ran all the way to the final race of last season. However, the aerodynamic elements shown on the car are only those from the initial phase of development: significant modifications will be introduced in the weeks leading up to the first race and a busy development programme is already planned. The drag reduction system on the rear wing has been revised and optimised to make the most of the modifications to the Sporting Regulations that come into play this year. There are detailed changes to the design of the brake ducts, both front and rear and work has been carried out with Brembo on optimising the braking system overall. During both the design and production stages, great attention has been paid to weight reduction and on increasing rigidity. This theme was carried out through all departments working together – Chassis, Engine and Electronics and Production – which bears witness to the importance of being able to design and build a car with everyone working side by side in the same place, which has always been the case at Ferrari.

Ferrari F138 side
The engine on the F138 is an evolution of the one fitted to the car last year, inevitably given that the technical regulations forbid modifications to internal components aimed at improving performance. Given the consequent difficulty of finding performance increases through internal modifications, work was intensified on ensuring that the engine’s performance level remained as high as possible throughout the lifecycle of each power unit, which has now reached an average life of three races.

Ferrari F138
The KERS retains its location in the lower-central part of the car, a strategic choice which has always been adopted by the team, partly with the aim of ensuring maximum safety. Once again this year, a great deal of effort has gone into reducing its weight and size, at the same time improving the efficiency of some of its components and, as in the case of the engine, maintaining the highest performance level throughout the KERS usage cycle. The technical collaboration with Shell, which has run for several decades now, has led to further progress on the fuel and lubricants front, aimed at increasing performance in overall terms and also on maintaining it throughout the engine’s life, as well as reducing consumption.

Ferrari F138
As for the electronics, it is worth noting the introduction, ahead of schedule, of the single control unit that will be used in 2014. This has involved a lot of work to integrate and control all its features in terms of both software and hardware.

Scuderia Ferrari F138 Technical Specifications:

Chassis:
Carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Ferrari longitudinal gearbox
Limited-slip differential
Semiautomatic sequential electronically controlled gearbox – quick shift
Number of gears 7 + Reverse
Brembo ventilated carbon-fibre disc brakes
Independent suspension, pull-rod activated torsion springs front and rear
Weight (with water, lubricant and driver) 642 kg
OZ Wheels (front and rear) 13″

Engine:
Type 056
Number of cylinders: 8
Cylinder block in cast aluminium V 90
Number of valves: 32
Pneumatic distribution
Total displacement: 2398 cm3
Piston bore: 98mm
Weight > 95kg
Electronic injection and ignition
Fuel: Shell V-Power
Lubricant: Shell Helix Ultra

Source: 
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Mercedes unveil new W04 F1 single seater at Jerez

The Mercedes F1 Team unveiled today in Jerez, Spain its 2013 Formula One car, the Mercedes AMG F1 W04.

The new F1 W04 completed its first laps of today’s 100 km shakedown at 10:21 CET in the hands of Nico Rosberg, who drove the car throughout the morning. Lewis Hamilton will take the wheel of a Formula One Silver Arrow for the first time this afternoon, the first British driver since Sir Stirling Moss in 1955. The car will then complete four days of testing this week in Jerez, in the hands of Nico and Lewis.

Mercedes GP MGP W04
With the technical regulations remaining stable in 2013, ahead of major changes for 2014, the basic vehicle concept of the F1 W04 is a sophisticated evolution of last year’s car. Led by Engineering Director Aldo Costa, under the coordination of Technical Director Bob Bell, the project commenced with initial aerodynamic testing in early summer 2012.

Mercedes GP MGP W04
The aerodynamic design philosophy has been optimised around a new five-element front wing design and a second-generation Coanda exhaust at the rear. The car retains pushrod front suspension and a pullrod rear suspension, aimed at optimising tyre life and performance, while the rear end has been aggressively packaged to optimise aerodynamic development potential. The F1 W04 also does away with the stepped nose design of its predecessor thanks to a small ‘vanity panel’, which was found to offer a small gain during aerodynamic testing. The car completed its final mandatory FIA crash test on 15 January.

“2013 marks the start of a second era for our Silver Arrows works team,” said Mercedes F1 Team Principal Ross Brawn. “The restructuring we undertook at the team over the past 18 months are now growing in maturity and this is reflected in the F1 W04, which is a clear step forward in design and detail sophistication over its predecessor. Many thousands of hours of work have been invested by our technical teams in Brackley and Brixworth to ensure that the new car delivers a step change in performance compared to last season. We are also hugely proud to welcome Lewis to the team as a works Mercedes-Benz driver. With Lewis and Nico, we have what I believe to be the strongest driver line-up in Formula One and I know that a healthy level of competition between them both will help drive the team forward.”

Mercedes GP MGP W04
“I’ve been working really hard over the winter on my physical preparation, both in the mountains – climbing to over 2,000 metres with ski boots – and also in the Mediterranean, training on my bike, swimming and running. I fitted that around regular visits to see the guys at the factory in December and January and we have done some really good work, especially in the simulator,” said Nico Rosberg. “The car seems to be performing well in the virtual world but we have a very busy and intense programme ahead of us during testing to make sure we can deliver that performance on track. The atmosphere in the team is very positive and the people are highly motivated to succeed. And, of course, I have a new team-mate with Lewis. It’s his first time in the Silver Arrow and I look forward to working together and pushing each other hard, to make this the best team in Formula One.”

“It’s a very special day for me to officially present our Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow to the world. There is no company with a longer history in Grand Prix racing than Mercedes-Benz and it is an honour for me to tread in the footsteps of legends like Juan Manuel Fangio, Sir Stirling Moss and Michael Schumacher,” said Lewis Hamilton. “It’s the start of a new chapter for me, a new adventure, and when I walked through the doors in Brackley, I was so excited to get down to work. I’ve been at the factory for a few days now, getting to know the guys, meeting my mechanics and engineers, learning myself into the team and I have never seen a group of people that is hungrier for success than this one. They have been flat out this winter trying to pack more performance into the new car and I can’t wait to drive it and see where I can make a difference to help push the team forward with Nico. This is a new start for me with the team in Brackley but I have worked with Mercedes-Benz for a very long time now, and I learned one thing most of all: Mercedes-Benz doesn’t know how to lose. We are playing a long game here but I know we will have success together and I’m excited to be a big part of making it happen.”

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Sauber pit fire was not engine problem

Sauber’s pit lane fire in Mugello on Thursday was not an engine issue, the Swiss team has confirmed to GPUpdate.net. Initially, when Sergio Pérez pulled into the pit lane, it was unknown whether the blaze was related to a major technical component.

“It was just a heat shield in the exhaust area that had caught fire and was obviously replaced,” a team spokesperson explained after Pérez ended the day in fifth place.

The Mexican concentrated mostly on aerodynamics, testing new parts and the setup which will be used in Barcelona next weekend. Struggling for balance at times, he suffered a pair of off-track moments but did not damage the car.

Stressing that lap times were of no real significance, Sauber also verified that their car was circulating with heavy fuel loads on-board.

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Schumacher not expecting too much in Spain

Michael Schumacher is typically retaining a realistic approach as Formula 1 returns to Barcelona. Although the seven-time World Champion is confident that Mercedes has made progress, he is not expecting too much, too soon in Barcelona.

During the week, the F1 circus travelled to Mugello in Italy for the first in-season test for race drivers since 2008. More updates will be rolled out next weekend.

“After completing our testing programme in Mugello, we are now heading to the start of the European season in Barcelona next week,” Schumacher begins.

“The positive thing about the test was that we could really concentrate on the developments we were aiming to work on. This should give us a good basis for further developments, even if maybe not for the next race to come.

“Barcelona is a track we have driven extensively on and this is why we know that its characteristics do not exactly play fully into our hands. But then, we will definitely go there and try our best and at the same time keep on working for the things to come.”

Schumacher won at the Circuit de Catalunya for Benetton and Ferrari six times between 1995 and 2004. In his two races at the track so far with Mercedes, he has racked up finishing positions of fourth and sixth.

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Raikkonen signs two year deal with Lotus Renault

The Lotus Renault GP F1 team announced earlier today that Kimi Raikkonen will race for them in the 2012 season. The 2007 World Champion, who left Formula 1 at the end of 2009 to pursue a career in rallying, has decided to make a comeback at the pinnacle of single-seater racing. He has now signed a two-year agreement with the Enstone based team.

Raikkonen’s F1 roll of honour includes 18 wins, 62 podiums and 16 pole positions. This experience and success is sure to help Lotus Renault make a step forward next year. The 32-year-old Finn’s commitment indeed makes for a vote of confidence in Lotus Renault GP, demonstrating the team’s determination and new philosophy for the seasons ahead.

“I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity,” said Raikkonen. “My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming. It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team’s ambition. Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid.”

“All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle. Backstage we’ve been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level”, added Genii Capital Chairman Gerard Lopez. “Kimi’s decision to come back to Formula 1 with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future. Of course, we are all looking forward to working with a world champion. On behalf of our staff, I’d like to welcome Kimi to Enstone, a setting that has always been known for its human approach to Formula 1.”

Lotus Renault

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Lotus Renault GP and Heidfeld announce separation

The Lotus Renault GP team along with Nick Heidfeld have reached an amicable settlement today and have chosen to part company with immediate effect.

“Our disagreement with Nick has been the subject of much media coverage lately, and we are pleased to have reached a swift and reasonable solution,” said Lotus Renault GP Team Principal Eric Boullier.

“Our separation process was already a painful one, and neither of us wanted to go through another legal hearing. We’re very grateful to Nick for the highly valuable contribution he’s made to the team. We certainly had good times together, in particular remembering our podium finish in Malaysia,” he continued.

“He is a very strong and determined racer and we wish him every success in the future,” he added.

“Obviously I’m disappointed to be leaving Lotus Renault GP in the middle of the season,” said Heidfeld.

“I thought I could still make a big contribution to the team, but I have to see things as they are and I want to turn my attention to the future. We have taken the right decision by choosing to end our collaboration today.”

“I would like to wish all the friends I made at Enstone a successful end to the season. One thing is for sure – I’ll be back racing at the highest level soon,” added the German.

Lotus Renault GP

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Button Leads Close Race For 2nd Place Behind Vettel

Abu Dhabi - With Sebastian Vettel already crowned Formula One world champion, Jenson Button is looking to strengthen his grip on second place at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Button leads a group of four drivers fighting for the runner-up spot with two races remaining. The McLaren driver holds a 13-point lead over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Red Bull’s Mark Webber is 19 points back and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton 38 points adrift.

While Button would rather be challenging for the championship, he said finishing ahead of several other former champions would still be “good end to a positive” season.

“When you have won a world championship, nothing else will do except for winning,” said Button, who won the 2009 title. “But also to finish in front of Red Bull and Fernando in a Ferrari ... and also Lewis, it would be something you would fight for, definitely, rather than settling and not really giving it your all.”

The 31-year-old Briton has won three races this year, compared to two for Hamilton and one for Alonso — the only drivers other than Vettel to finish first this season.

He has also been more consistent than his teammate Hamilton. Button said much of his success came down to improving the reliability of his car.

Alonso, a two-time champion, is also gunning for second but said he mainly wanted to finish strong for the sake of his team, not himself. Last year, Alonso came into Abu Dhabi as the points leader and with a chance to clinch the title but lost the championship to Vettel after he finished seventh.

“It’s better second than fourth or fifth. But we are competitive people. We like to win, and when we cannot arrive first it’s not the same,” Alonso said.

Despite being in the hunt for second, Alonso couldn’t hide his disappointment on Thursday about a season in which aerodynamics problems have let the Red Bull cars of Vettel and Webber gain a crucial edge. The team has won one race and endured a series of uncharacteristic management changes.

“It is not a disaster, but for sure when you race for Ferrari there are a lot of expectations,” Alonso said.

Hamilton was even harder on himself, brushing aside trying to finish second as almost pointless. He described his year as “a couple of so-so races, but the rest have been fairly disappointing.”

Associated Press

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Massa wants Buddh kerbs altered

The Ferrari driver, who had several encounters with the kerbs during the proceedings sessions, finally came undone in Q3 when he hit the kerbs at Turn 8.

The impact broke his right front suspension and sent the Brazilian crashing into the barriers at Turn 9.

It also resulted in him losing a place to Jenson Button on the timesheets as the McLaren driver posted his best time seconds after Massa's crash.

"What happened on my last timed lap was a real shame," Massa said.

"Today, we had the potential to secure a good placing, as Fernando demonstrated and as can also be seen from the fact my sixth best time was set with a rather slow third sector.

"I came into Turn 8 and went over the kerb and the front right suspension gave way in the impact with the raised orange part, which in my opinion is too high at this point.

"It's a very fast corner, taken at around 215 km/h and it could be arranged differently. These are details that need improving for next year."

Massa will start Sunday's Indian GP from sixth place on the grid and a lingering concern that making up positions could be difficult due to the dust on the new track.

"I repeat, I am disappointed, because the car has been going well all weekend long. Now I find myself with one less set of Softs and with a broken front wing.

"It was the new one, which we had here for the first time and it delivered a bit extra in terms of performance

"Tomorrow, overtaking will be difficult because of the dirt on track, but I think we will still see a lot."

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Button dedicates result to Dan and Marco

The Brit, who finished second in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, joined his fellow drivers in honouring the duo, both of whom lost their lives earlier this month in racing accidents, with a minute's silence.

"We've had two fatalities and it's very difficult," Button said.

"I knew Dan from a young age - so I think we should dedicate this first Indian race to Dan and to Marco, who was the most amazing man to watch on a bike."

As for his race, Button lamented the fact that his McLaren just didn't have the pace needed to challenge Sebastian Vettel for the victory.

However, on the up side, he made up two positions at the start when overtook first Fernando Alonso and then Mark Webber. And despite the latter's attempts to retake the position, Button was able to hold him at bay.

"The start off the line didn't feel that good but I was able to get Fernando into Turn One.

"I think he went a bit deep and I was in Mark's tow. He covered the inside but I had enough room to go around the outside.

"I had Mark behind me for eight laps pushing me really, really hard - we both almost ran wide - but I was able to pull away as I think he had damaged his tyres a little bit.

"The pace isn't quite there but hopefully in the last races we can take that little step."

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Alonso: We are still lacking pace

Fernando Alonso says it will be a struggle to repeat his Monza victory of 12 months ago this weekend, explaining that Ferrari is lacking pace compared to ‘the best’ in Italy this weekend. The two-time Champion was the fifth fastest man on Friday, over half a second adrift of McLaren rival Lewis Hamilton’s fastest time in morning practice.

"Racing at Monza is always exciting, especially if you are a Ferrari driver," said Alonso. "The warmth of the fans is amazing and you can feel it. However, from a technical point of view, today was just a Friday like any other: we worked a lot on comparing different aerodynamic solutions as well as on evaluating different set-up choices on the car.

"Now we must put everything together and try and make the right choices. Honestly, I think we lack a bit of performance compared to the best, even if there are still the same unknowns relating to Fridays, especially those linked to fuel loads.

"However, we have to be realistic: the car is more or less the one we had in Spa, apart from specific updates to cope with the fact this track requires low aerodynamic downforce. Sure, it would be nice to repeat last year’s performance, but we know that will be very difficult. You can’t create a miracle in two weeks, but we will do our utmost to give the fans something to cheer about."

The Spaniard also took time to reflect on his position in the championship, admitting that stealing second place from Red Bull's Mark Webber is a very realistic prospect.

"What is my motivation like for this final part of the season? I am a very competitive person and I don’t like losing," he added. "It’s true, this year that’s happened quite often, but there are still targets that are within our grasp, for example, second place in the Drivers’ championship: Webber is not that far ahead."

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Renault confirms Senna

Bruno Senna will drive for Lotus Renault Grand Prix in the Belgian GP at Spa this weekend, the team has announced.

Senna drove in Friday free practice at Hungaroring, where rumours were rife that the team was looking to replace the 34-year-old German with Senna for the rest of the season.

Heidfeld was an 11th hour replacement for the injured Robert Kubica, taking the seat alongside Vitaly Petrov just before the start of the season. He currently lies eighth in the drivers' championship, one place and two points ahead of the Russian, who is understood to bring substantial backing to the team.

At the moment, Senna's race drive applies just to Spa and Heidfeld is said to be investigating legal channels to hang onto the driver for the remainder of the year.

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Horner warns of Red Bull attack

Given the considerable cushions Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel hold over their rivals in the Constructors' and Drivers' Championships, it would be easy for team and driver to play the percentage game.

Although McLaren and Ferrari have made strides in playing catch up, it seems inconceivable the Milton Keynes-based marque and the 24-year-old German will not retain their titles this year.

Mistakes will have to be made if Red Bull and Vettel are to be denied, yet from Horner's perspective, there will be no let up.

"If you look at Sebastian's 11 races this season he's had six wins, four seconds and a fourth," said Horner.

"That isn't a bad run of results, so the target for the team is to continue that kind of scoring.

"We've seen Ferrari and McLaren are competitive, and not just in recent races, but this year has been deceptive in many respects.

"It's just that we've been able to maximise our opportunities, and the intention is for us to continue like that in the remaining eight races.

"These next two events (Belgium and Italy) have historically been our weakest venues in terms of our package given the horsepower emphasis that is placed upon them.

"But we're looking forward to the final eight races, and we intend to attack them, just as we have the previous 11 so far."

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