 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Mar 30
“Volkswagen, Honda and Hyundai”
Three car makers have been named as potential candidates to enter formula one after the engine rules change in 2013. Jean-Francois Caubet, managing director of F1 engine supplier Renault Sport F1, said “Volkswagen, Honda and Hyundai” could launch forays when the turbocharged four-cylinder power plants replace the current 2.4 litre V8s.
Mar 30
Bribery affair surrounding former F1 banker Gerhard Gribkowsky could complicate the sale
CVC is not ruling out selling its 100 per cent ownership of formula one’s commercial rights, according to financial news specialists Reuters. The report said “several sources” believe the private equity firm is conducting a strategic review of its stake for a potential “sale, IPO or debt refinancing”.
Mar 30
Raikkonen’s former McLaren teammate Juan Pablo Montoya switched to NASCAR in 2006.
As the second F1 season without him kicks off, Kimi Raikkonen has revealed plans to branch into NASCAR racing this year. Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper said the 2007 world champion will combine his world rally championship foray in 2011 with America’s premier motor racing category.
Mar 30
Gerhard Berger has admitted he is no fan of the ongoing debate about overtaking in formula one.
After watching the Australian grand prix on television, the ten-time race winner said the new moveable rear wings made “barely” any difference. But “This is the wrong approach,” he said on Austrian Servus TV. “I want to see racing, where if you want to get past you have to brake later.
Mar 30
McLaren has good reason to expect another step forwards in Malaysia next weekend.
After a dire winter period, the British team scrapped its complex ‘octopus’ exhaust system before Melbourne and moved onto the pace with a Red Bull-inspired layout. And the same layout is set to be lighter at Sepang next weekend, according to Auto Motor und Sport.
Mar 30
Meanwhile, former ten-time GP winner Gerhard Berger agrees with Briatore
Flavio Briatore has advised Ferrari to write off 2011 after this year’s 150 Italia car struggled in Melbourne last weekend. The Italian team, featuring Fernando Alonso as its lead driver, is currently investigating why the new car was not as good in Australia after a promising winter test campaign.
Mar 30
“It will certainly be days before we can even mentally deal with this” – Sauber
After Sauber’s Melbourne disqualification, angry fans have demanded to know why the C20 was cleared to drive all weekend with an illegal wing. Team owner Peter Sauber has said the Swiss team had two wing specifications on hand in Australia, with one of them fitted to Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi’s cars on Sunday breaching a technical rule by mere millimetres.
Mar 30
The prime suspect for the crash was Alguersuari
Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari has revealed that his teammate was responsible for Nick Heidfeld’s damage in the Melbourne season opener. The crash was not captured on television or by photographers, but Heidfeld had a notably poor debut with Renault in Australia and it emerged only afterwards that his right sidepod had sustained significant damage.
Mar 30
“We respect the 107 per cent rule. We are a serious team.”
Narain Karthikeyan insists he supports F1′s 107 per cent rule and is confident he will be quick enough to qualify for the second event of his return to the sport. Struggling Spanish team HRT had a horror opening weekend of its second season, hardly running at all in practice and then not lapping quick enough to qualify for the Australian race.
Mar 29
Sauber withdraws Aus GP disqualification appeal
After examining all the facts, the Sauber F1 Team has decided not to appeal against the verdict of the stewards following the Australian Grand Prix last Sunday. The two drivers Sergio Pérez and Kamui Kobayashi had crossed the finish line in Melbourne in seventh and eighth places respectively, but were subsequently excluded from the results.
Mar 29
In the official pre-season tests at Valencia and Barcelona
This year, the teams and drivers competing in the Formula 3 Euro Series will have to cope with a new tyre spec – for the first time since the series’ creation in 2003. Especially for the planet’s most competitive young gun-series, Euro Series tyre partner Kumho developed a new tyre compound. In the official pre-season tests at Valencia and Barcelona, the new tyres were tested for the first time.
Mar 29
Round 2: Spain, Jerez
The Spanish Grand Prix at the Jerez circuit is next on the MotoGP calendar, representing the first European event of the 2011 season. Located near the southern Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera, the Grand Prix is a classic event on the MotoGP calendar with huge crowds making the most of the Spanish sun to support their national heroes.
Mar 29
“We need to go through things with a fine tooth comb.” – Christian Horner
Red Bull has vowed to get to the bottom of Mark Webber’s lack of pace in Australia last weekend. While his teammate Sebastian Vettel dominated the field, Webber struggled in the sister car, moving team consultant Helmut Marko to surmise that the Australian’s RB7 may have had a chassis fault.
Mar 29
Flavio Briatore has issued a sober warning to Red Bull’s rivals after the 2011 season opener.
“You don’t recover all those tenths in two months,” the former Renault team boss told La Politica. “Half a second in formula one is huge. “Red Bull are very well financed so I see it hard for them (the others) to play catch-up,” said Briatore.
Mar 29
Vettel not as good as Mansell – Hamilton
2011 could be set to stage a repeat of last year’s flexible front wing saga. As Red Bull dominated the pace with its ultimately title-winning RB6 in 2010, rivals pushed for better scrutineering checks after noticing the extremities of the front wing bending towards the track. “I see him (Alonso) as my Prost … if you were to say ‘choose a driver’ I would clearly choose Ayrton (Senna). And maybe I would put him as Prost,” Hamilton told British newspapers.
