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Posts Tagged formula 1

Pirelli Quit WRC

Sep 2

Posted by Insider in Rally, Tire

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Having secured a spot as a tire supplier in Formula 1, tire manufacturer Pirelli announced today through unofficial channels it will retire from the World Rally Championship (WRC), leaving the series open to rival Michelin, which has already stated its interest.

The news, although not yet officially announced, has been confirmed by Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery in an interview with Autosport. According to the executive, the main reason behind the retirement is the fact that the tire maker wants to focus on its new engagement with Formula 1, but also as a result of the disagreements between the sanctioning body and the supplier.

“In December we tendered for another three-year deal to supply tires for WRC. Once again, our tender was set out to provide finance for continued investment in the FIA, in the sport’s promoter and, of course in the Pirelli Star Driver scheme which we financed from its inception in 2008,” Hembery was quoted as saying by Autosport.

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Raikkonen To Stay With Citroen for 2011

Aug 26

Posted by Insider in Citroen, Rally

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With everybody wondering and predicting Kimi Raikkonen’s future in motor racing for the 2011 campaign, Citroen decided to make one step towards securing his services for yet another season. Backed by sponsor Red Bull, Kimi has been rallying for Citroen’s Junior Team through the 2010 WRC, and the French manufacturer’s motorsport boss Olivier Quesnel admitted it would be great to retain the Finn in a Citroen machine for yet another season.

“We like Kimi and we want him with us next year. We will be very pleased if he wants to stay with us,” admitted Quesnel, who will not only have to fight against the prospect of Raikkonen going back to Formula One, but also the other rally teams that seem to be interested in his services.

Earlier this week, the Iceman admitted he’s having much more fun competing in rallying than what he had experienced in Formula One, but avoided giving any verdicts for 2011. Additionally, he also hinted his managers are talking to other WRC teams, so his collaboration with Citroen might terminate at the end of this year.

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McLaren to Scrap F-duct?

Aug 25

Posted by Insider in F1, Mclaren

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McLaren Mercedes have announced quite a bold move for the Italian Grand Prix, scheduled to take place on the high-speed circuit of Monza on September 10. According to some reports, the Woking based team will not run their innovative F-duct system in Italy, despite the fact that this particular device was actually designed for long straights, such as the one at Monza.

The F-duct was initially developed only by McLaren, after which the concept was copied and implemented by other teams as well. The aerodynamic solution is believed to add some 6 to 10 mph to the car in straight line, where airflow around the car and through to the rear wing is improved via a hand- or knee-activated device.

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Pirelli F1 Tire Tested at Mugello

Aug 19

Posted by Insider in F1, Tire

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Following their maiden two-day test of the F1-spec tires to be used in the 2011 championship, Italian company Pirelli agreed that the first steps in developing a competitive compound for the Great Circus next year are encouraging.

As you all know by now, Pirelli have “stolen” German grand prix racer Nick Heidfeld from Mercedes GP, offering him a job as official tester of the Italian marque. Heidfeld was released of his contract by the German manufacturer and was therefore able to complete the first miles on a car fitted with Pirelli tires, using Toyota’s 2009 challenger, the TF109.

The test took place at Mugello and included runs on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the initial data on tire behavior seem to suggest Pirelli are on target with the development of their tires. This is exactly what Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport director, said after the first running concluded by Heidfeld.

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F1 Fans Mocked by Ferrari

Aug 19

Posted by Insider in F1, News

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Niki Lauda may have won a couple of F1 titles while wearing an all-red racing suit, but he seems to recall things were slightly different in that age. Back then, Ferrari would not have turned to team tactics to help one of its drivers won the world title, and the Austrian champion demands nothing less from the Prancing Horse nowadays also.

After publicly slamming the Maranello team for their tactics in the German Grand Prix - when Felipe Massa was suggested from the pit box to let Alonso pass him for glory - Lauda reiterated his critic this week. He compared Ferrari’s strategy with Red Bull’s and argued that the latter clearly respects the fans more than the Scuderia does.

“You have two models of how to race in Formula 1 as a team. If you approach it politically then you are in the Ferrari mould. Or you try to give both your drivers equal opportunities and the fans an exciting sport, as Red Bull are doing in letting their drivers compete with each other,” said Lauda in a recent interview with Formula One’s official website.

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Rosberg = Vettel - Said Berger

Aug 17

Posted by Insider in F1, News

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Benefiting from the current summer break in Formula One, former Grand Prix driver and F1 team co-owner Gerhard Berger took the time to evaluate some of the young talents racing in the Great Circus at the moment. Since his interview was given to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Berger obviously focused on the group of young drivers coming from Michael Schumacher’s native country.

Needless to say, Berger started out with “baby Schu” Sebastian Vettel whom many are referring to as the next big champion of Formula One. Having worked with the 23-year old during his time at Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Austrian believes only one thing separates Vettel from the best in the biz: experience.

“He is incredibly mature. It is true he is still making mistakes, but I put that in the category of lacking experience,” said Berger, who admitted though that Vettel missed out one thing when aiming for the 2010 world title: “His biggest problem is that he probably underestimated Mark Webber.”

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Rossi Is Getting Closer to Formula One

Aug 17

Posted by Insider in F1, Motorcycle

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Valentino Rossi’s move to Ducati for the 2011 and 2012 seasons of the MotoGP does not only mean a new challenge for the Doctor in the premier motorcycle racing series, but also a chance for him to make a leap to Formula One in the future.

We know the Rossi-moving-to-F1 discussion is on the brink of becoming quite old, given the multitude of reports on this story this past year, but according to his own father, Rossi’s signing with Ducati moves the 9-time world champion closer to Ferrari F1 Team. While revealing his son has no plans to leave the MotoGP in the upcoming few years, he reckoned the situation might change in 3-4 years time.

“Valentino is not yet able to stop with the motorcycles. But if in three or four years he will get into Formula One, then what better road than with Ducati? This seems like a big step forward,” said Graziano Rossi in an interview with Italy’s Sky Sport.

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Lotus Gets Renault Engine Soon?

Aug 7

Posted by Insider in F1, Lotus

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Lotus F1 Team seems committed to make all the necessary steps to become a well established team of Formula One, and not just another squad struggling to cross the finish line of each grand prix two or three laps down. And the first move might be switching the engine supplier for the 2011 season.

According to a report appeared in Italia Racing, the representatives of the Malaysian backed organization are currently in talks with Renault for the supply of F1 powerplants next year. Lotus F1 Team is currently using Cosworth units, but their deal with the British engine manufacturer has not yet been extended.

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Schumacher Apologizes to Barrichello

Aug 3

Posted by Insider in F1, Mercedes-Benz

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Michael Schumacher did the big gesture after his move on Rubens Barrichello in the Hungarian Grand Prix, apologizing to the Brazilian driver for not providing him with enough room to overtake on the start/finish line.

Shortly after the race, the FIA stewards handed Schumacher a 10-place grid penalty for the upcoming race at Spa-Francorchamps, as the German almost pushed Barrichello into the wall when the Williams driver tried to overtake him. If everybody, including Barrichello, criticized the move as being a dangerous one, Schumacher initially begged to differ.

When asked about the incident, he told the media that “we know certain drivers have certain views, and there’s Rubens. I was making it obvious to him to go on the other side. There was more room there, but he chose not to. It got a bit tight. We didn’t touch; I guess I left enough room.”

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Nico’s Tire Incident Explained

Aug 3

Posted by Insider in F1, Mercedes-Benz

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Mercedes GP walked away from the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend with no points in its pocket and, more importantly, $50,000 missing in their back account. And that’s because the International Automobile Federation (FIA) handed them that penalty for their pit lane incident involving Nico Rosberg.

Well, to be more accurate, the incident was centered on the rear right-hand wheel of Rosberg’s car, which took a journey of its own shortly after the German left his team’s pits and ended up into one of the mechanics belonging to Williams-Cosworth.

The Brackley based team’s boss Ross Brawn explained what happened during Rosberg’s pit stop, saying that it was all an unfortunate miscommunication between the mechanic that was supposed to fix the aforementioned wheel and the jack man. However, the Brit promissed that in the future he would make sure such incidents will not happen again.

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