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Bye bye Ian Phillips

Mar 7

Posted by Insider in F1, News

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Force India Mercedes’ business affairs will no longer be coordinated by Ian Phillips, as the Brit parted ways with the Silverstone based outfit late on Friday, according to an official press release from Force India.

The release did not state the reason why Phillips left - or was let go of - the team only one week before the season opening round of Bahrain Grand Prix. However, if one remembers correctly what happened within the Vijay Mallya-controlled team about 6 months ago, it all becomes a lot clearer.

Back then, Ferrari was desperately looking for a replacement for injured Felipe Massa, and no one was available on the drivers’ market. Once they’ve contacted Force India for Giancarlo Fisichella - following his great podium appearance at Spa-Francorchamps - Phillips admitted to the media that the Italian was already one step in the Ferrari garage.

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Hispania Racing F1 Team From Campos GP

Mar 2

Posted by Insider in F1, News

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With Campos Grand Prix having suffered an ownership & management change a couple of weekends ago, it seems the very name of the team will be different. According to Spanish newspaper Diario AS, it seems the Spanish outfit will be renamed into Hispania Racing F1 Team before the start of the new season.

Jose Ramon Carabente, until a few weeks ago shareholder within Adrian Campos’ controlled team, decided to buy the majority stake in the organization and proceeded to a management change, appointing Colin Kolles as new team principal of the team.

Another important decision now seems to be the rebranding of the team into Hispania Racing, the name being linked with Carabante’s company Grupo Hispania. Although only a rumor for the time being, the new name of the team will be disclosed on Thursday, together with the all-new 2010 Dallara-built challenger and the team’s lineup for the upcoming season.

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US F1 Deny Shut-Down?

Feb 19

Posted by Insider in News, Racing

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After several reports in the US suggested that the Charlotte-based US Grand Prix Engineering is on its way to shutting down their Formula One operations in the next few days, the team issued a quick statement on Thursday in which it clearly states the latest rumors about the team’s financial situation are not true.

According to a report from the New York Times, YouTube founder Chad Hurley has allegedly decided to switch his sponsorship from US GPE towards Campos Grand Prix, while the already-signed race driver Jose Maria Lopez told his management to search for another commitment for the 2010 season in Europe.

The statement from Peter Windsor’s and Ken Anderson’s team also insisted that their website being off the air is only a technical issue.

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Lotus F1 Team officially run under Malaysian license

Feb 18

Posted by Insider in F1, News

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Lotus F1 Team may be returning to Formula One racing after more than one and a half decade of sitting on the sidelines, but that isn’t to mean the organization will run under the UK flag, as it did until 1994.

As you all know, Lotus Cars is currently being owned by Malaysian car company Proton. However, when asked about the national colors under which the new team will run in Formula One, the team’s technical chief Mike Gascoyne revealed that a potential win of the Cosworth-powered T127 car would actually count for Lotus’ 80th win in the series, rather than Lotus F1’s 1st.

“Clive Chapman (Colin Chapman’s son) asked (team boss) Tony Fernandes ‘When you win will it be the first win for Lotus Racing or Lotus’ 80th win?’, and Tony was very clear — it would be Lotus’s 80th win,” said technical boss Mike Gascoyne, as reported by the GMM news agency.

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Michael’s positive attitude towards his first comeback

Feb 18

Posted by Insider in F1, News

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Everything seems bright and shiny in the Mercedes GP garage now that Michael Schumacher has begun work on the development of the W01 car - through his feedback from testing - while also keeping his positive attitude towards his first comeback season.

We’re not sure if most of you noticed this, but the 41-year old German has been quite outspoken and friendly with everyone around him lately. And, while this may be linked with his passion for racing and the opportunity he has been handed to resume it, Schumacher admitted he may have to switch to the old him during the season.

Meaning we’ll most likely see a more private Schumacher in 2010 as compared to the exuberant German that makes the headlines with his open attitude nowadays, depending on how things will go down this year.

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Small Arm Surgery For Kentucky Kid

Feb 13

Posted by Insider in News

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Nicky Hayden will eventually make the Sepang MotoGP test meeting despite the fact that he recently suffered an arm surgery this past weekend. The second test of the 2010 calendar is scheduled in Malaysia in 2 weeks time - the first one happened last week, also at the Sepang International Circuit - and is seems the American rider will have no problem taking his Ducati bike to the track at that date.

Immediately after last week’s test in Malaysia, the “Kentucky Kid” made a short visit to Doctor Angel Vilamor’s clinic in Madrid in order to have his scar tissue removed from a previous operation. Therefore, the operation he underwent last weekend was not a serious one, but more of a clean-up surgery on his previous intervention.

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Piquet Jr. In Daytona

Feb 9

Posted by Insider in News, Racing

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Nelson Piquet Jr. will make his NASCAR debut this weekend, during the season opening round of the Camping World Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway. Following his preparation round last weekend in the ARCA race (also held at the Daytona oval), the Brazilian driver was confirmed by Red Horse Racing for the #1 Toyota Tundra.

Piquet tested for the aforementioned team a couple of times since November last year, while also doing some stock outings in his native Brazil over the winter. Last weekend, he drove for Eddie Sharp Racing in the season opening round of the ARCA Series, where he qualified in 7th place for the race (he eventually finished in 27th place).

The guys at Red Horse Racing therefore decided it was time for him to step into a NASCAR truck, but only confirmed the former F1 driver for the first race of the season. His part-time schedule for the rest of the 2010 Truck Series is likely to be announced after the Daytona outing.

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Webber’s advantage of taking the RB6

Feb 5

Posted by Insider in F1, News

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It has recently surfaced in the media that Red Bull Racing veteran driver Mark Webber will have the honor to drive first the newly-developed RB6 single-seater during the upcoming test meeting in Jerez. Although the team did not issue any statements on the matter, a report from the GMM news agency suggested that it will be the Aussie driver to drive the car during the first two days of testing.

That will leave German driver Sebastian Vettel the last 2 days of testing in order to feel the new RB6 on the Jerez track.

The Milton Keynes-based team did not make it to the Valencia test meeting earlier this week, as the Austrian/British outfit had revealed there were still working on the development of the RB6. Consequently, the team will reveal the new car on February 10 on the pit lane of the Jerez circuit, only hours before taking it to the track. Read the rest of this entry »

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Everything Good For Vijay Mallya

Feb 5

Posted by Insider in F1, News

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Following the recent reports that Force India Mercedes might face dissolution as a result of failing to register its accounts with Companies House for 2008, the team’s co-owner Vijay Mallys played down such a prospect and ensured the media that everything is under control at the Silverstone factory.

The Indian billionaire talked to Autosport earlier today and confirmed that the deadline for registering those accounts has already been extended for February 25, and that the team has every intention of setting the records straight prior to the beginning of the 2010 season opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

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Ralf Schumacher Return?

Feb 5

Posted by Insider in F1, News

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Bernie Ecclestone’s criticism of Formula One’s newly-entrants US F1 and Campos Grand Prix was taken to a whole new level on Wednesday, as the F1 supremo made it very clear that he does not believe in those two teams making the starting grid of the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Additionally, the 79-year old Brit publicly expressed his support for Serbian outfit Stefan Grand Prix, a team which he promised he would personally back to make the entry list of the 2010 F1 championship. And that’s not all. Since we’re in the team-support discussion, he also urged his preferred team to sign Ralf Schumacher for the 2010 campaign.

“I do not believe in the participation of USF1 and Campos. Instead, I have good contacts with Stefan GP and would like to give this team a good starting point. Ralf Schumacher would be the perfect driver for them; he knows the team and he has experience,” said Ecclestone, according to Germany’s Sport Bild.

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