Rosberg Fastest On Penultimate Pre-Season Test Day
Nico Rosberg set the fastest lap time on the penultimate pre season test day in Barcelona despite poor weather conditions.
The German driver eased fears over the Mercedes Benz performance, following Michael Schumacher’s announcement that he does not expect to be fighting for wins early on in the season.
Sebastien Buemi was 2nd for Toro Rosso as they mirrored the Mercedes Benz test day with short runs, then long runs and both drivers suffered mechnical problems.
Jenson Button was 3rd despite a slow morning, with Rubens Barrichello 4th as Williams continued their good form.
Felipe Massa couldn’t continue Fernando Alonso’s dominance in the Ferrari but did do some long runs, with a late fresh tyre run allowing him the faster time.
Vitaly Petrov moved Renault closer to the pace of the front runners, just ahead of the Force India’s and Jarno Trulli who managed to get Lotus from the bottom 2 positions and ahead of another team that wasn’t Virgin with Kamui Kobayashi ending the day just ahead of the Richard Branson backed outfit.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m20.686s 128 2. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1m21.413s + 0.727s 106 3. Jenson Button McLaren 1m21.450s + 0.764s 105 4. Rubens Barrichello Williams 1m21.975s + 1.289s 101 5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m22.344s + 1.658s 115 6. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m22.523s + 1.837s 68 7. Adrian Sutil Force India 1m22.606s + 1.920s 61 8. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1m23.123s + 2.437s 51 9. Jarno Trulli Lotus 1m25.059s + 4.373s 102 10. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1m26.216s + 5.530s 105 11. Timo Glock Virgin 1m26.305s + 5.619s 31
Chandhok Set To Be Confirmed With Campos
Karun Chandhok looks set to be confirmed as the second race driver for the recently revived Campos Grand Prix team.
The Indian driver has tested for Red Bull Racing and spent the past 3 seasons racing in the GP2 championship, Formula One’s feeder series.
He was spotted at a seat fitting with Dallara, the Campos chassis manufacturer, and Colin Kolles the new team principal of Campos says that a deal could be confirmed for him to race alongside Bruno Senna very soon.
“We have been very impressed with Karun’s performance in GP2 and are close to finalising a deal with him,” said Kolles. “India is a great country and it would be great for the sport to have an Indian driver on the grid.
“However we will be in a better position to comment on this over the next few days. My aim now is to make sure that we are there on the grid in Bahrain which will be a huge achievement in itself.
“We are moving in the right direction and will do everything in our power to make sure we are running in Bahrain, with Karun in the car.”
Branson Attacks “Sad” Ferrari And Claims His Team Will Beat The Scuderia
Richard Branson, the Virgin magnate who thrust himself upon Formula One with Brawn GP sponsorship last season and now runs his own team through the Manor GP project, claims that criticisms of the new teams by Ferrari is very sad.
Ferrari released an anonymous column on their website last week stating that the new teams were degrading F1, and that the FIA had launched a holy war within Formula One.
Branson claims that the new teams will bring more than Ferrari could imagaine to the sport, make it more competitive and Branson also claims that his Virgin Racing team will beat Ferrari.
“I think that it is a bit sad to see Ferrari carrying on with those kinds of words,” said Branson during a visit to testing at Barcelona on Saturday.
“F1 needs new teams, and Ferrari won the battle of making sure the new teams were shackled. For testing, we built a new car and we are going to have to have exactly the same amount of practice time as Brawn or Ferrari or the others, who have had years and years and years to get their cars to a certain stage.
“We are not complaining about it, and we are happy to go on with it, but Ferrari should be welcoming new teams because they [the new teams] make the sport much more exciting. And we will make them look better for a year or two until we catch them up. Ultimately, I think the new teams will give Ferrari a run for their money and I think will make the sport more exciting – particularly as the budgets come down to more realistic levels.”
Hulkenberg Fastest On Day 2 of Barcelona Final Test
Nico Hulkenberg narrowly beat Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso on the second day of the final test in Barcelona.
The German driver did just under 100 laps as many drivers concentrated their morning runs on qualifying performance, and the afternoon on higher fuelrace based simulations with Bahrain being just 2 weeks away.
De la Rosa was 3rd with another impressive performance from Sauber, with Liuzzi showing the Force India pace with an impressive 4th.
Vettel and Alguersuari were close in 5th and 6th, despite the Toro Rosso now running its own chassis and aerodynamic package separate from the Red Bull teams, both ahead of Michael Schumacher in 7th however.
The new teams of Lotus and Virgin were still at the bottom of the timesheets however.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:20.614 99 2. Alonso Ferrari (B) 1:20.637 134 3. de la Rosa BMW-Sauber (B) 1:20.973 114 4. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:21.056 90 5. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:21.258 125 6. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:21.571 104 7. M.Schumacher Mercedes GP (B) 1:21.689 85 8. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:22.152 93 9. Kubica Renault (B) 1:24.912 53 10. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth (B) 1:25.524 70 11. Glock Virgin-Cosworth (B) 1:25.942 52
Key Joins Sauber As Technical Chief
James Key, who stepped down from his role as technical director with Force India just a few days ago has been annoucned today as the new technical director of the Sauber F1 Team.
Key, who is just 38 and has years of experience with Jordan, Midland, Spyker and Force India under his belt will take over the role from April, when Willy Rampf steps down from the position after many years in charge. Key will start work before hand to get used to the team.
He admitted on visiting the new Hinwil factory in Switzerland, he had his mind made up with the team having endless opportunities.
“The first time I saw the facilities in Hinwil, I knew straightaway the kind of opportunities open to me there. The wind tunnel, the supercomputer, the machine park and the expertise of the team were extremely persuasive.
“There is significant potential at Sauber, and with the ever-changing world of F1 I think the team is very well placed at present.
“I am grateful to my old team for the past 12 years I spent with them, but now I very much look forward to starting my new job. I would like to thank Peter Sauber and the team for this great opportunity.”
Peter Sauber was very happy with his new signing.
“Despite his young age, James looks back on more than a decade of experience in Formula 1 – and the 2009 car in particular proved quite a revelation,” said Sauber.
“James comes from a private team and knows how to work around a limited budget. With us he will enjoy high-level technical opportunities.”
Michelin In Contact With FIA Over Tyre Supply Return As Bridgestone Confirm Exit
Michelin, the French tyre manufacturer have told Bloomberg News that they are in contact and negotiations with the FIA over becoming the next sole tyre supplier to Formula One.
The company withdrew at the end of 2006 following title victories in the 2005 and 2006 seasons with Renault, as F1 went to a one make series with Bridgestone following intense rivalries throughout the 2000′s.
“We might consider returning but there are some very clear conditions,” said Jean-Dominique Senard, a Michelin Managing Partner
“The major point is to make sure the tyres show what they can bring to the automotive industry.”
Meanwhile Bridgestone confirmed today that they are unlikely to be fighting for a supply contract beyond the end of this season.
“Bridgestone’s position remains the same,” a spokesperson explained to GPUpdate
“It will not enter into a new tyre supply contract with the FIA Formula One World Championship series; the current contract is set to expire at the end of the 2010 season.”
Michelin In, Bridgestone Out?
Qantas To Sponsor Australian Grand Prix
Qantas, the national airline of Australia have been announced as the sponsor for their countries F1 race this morning.
The airline previously sponsored the event in the late 1990′s and early 2000′s, with a large global campaign involving some of their Boeing 747 jets being painted with formula one cars and chequered flags on the liveries.
ING, the previous sponsor, pulled out of Formula One altogether at the end of last season following the world economic crisis and the bad image the Crash-Gate scandal with Renault had given them, and many events have been looking for new backers.
“We greatly value the involvement of all our commercial sponsors – their support reduces the cost of this event to the Victorian government,” said major events minister Tim Holding.
“We are pleased to reaffirm our support for this global sporting event, reaching Formula One fans worldwide,” said Alan Joyce, chief executive of the airline.
Lopez Manager Admits Campos Talks As USF1 Slide Into Bankruptcy
Jose Maria Lopez’s manager has told of how his driver has been having crisis talks with Campos Meta, as he looks to gain hismelf an F1 drive this season with his race seat at USF1 looking decidedly uncertain as the Charlotte based outfit slide into bankruptcy.
The claims from the manager come hours after an insider article was leaked to the press stating that the team were in severe financial difficulty, and staff were beginning to leave. The unnamed source said that Chad Hurley, a major backer was the only one who could save the team.
Sadly for the insider, Lopez’s manager says that Hurley, the boss of Youtube, has been talking to Campos and their new managers about a support deal.
“The two groups that talked today will do everything possible so that ‘Pechito’ can be in Formula 1,” McGough told Argentina’s Diario Hoy.
“Both Chad Hurley and Jose Carabante talked for several hours to find a solution for the budget issues both teams have. For us this merger is very important as it works in favour of Lopez racing this year.
“We have been doing everything possible and we haven’t taken any false steps. The financial difficulties, and the trust we had put after the recognition from the FIA have made things complicated and we must accept that [US F1's] cars will not be ready for Bahrain.
“Right now things are in the hands of the two investing groups. They have the final word. We have hopeful we will reach a resolution to come back to Argentina with good news about Lopez.”
Lopez - Evaluating His Options
Ferrari Launch A Scathing Attack On New Teams And The FIA
Scuderia Ferrari’s website published a scathing attack today, written by an unknown called the Horse Whisprer it is a scathing attack on the state of the FIA and the new teams it has let into Formula One.
Ferrari’s column destroys Stefan Gp, who is claims are like Vultures picking over the remains of Toyota. They also say that Max Mosley should have done more to keep Honda, Toyota and BMW in Formula One.
Its a definite flexing of the muscles of the largest F1 team in the paddock, and is likely to win them few friends.
“Of the thirteen teams who signed up, or were induced to sign up, for this year’s Championship, to date only eleven of them have heeded the call, turning up on track, some later than others, and while some have managed just a few hundred kilometres, others have done more, but at a much reduced pace,” the Ferrari column titled ‘the Horse Whisperer’ claimed.
“As for the twelfth team, Campos Meta, its shareholder and management structure has been transformed, according to rumours which have reached the Horse Whisperer through the paddock telegraph, with a sudden cash injection from a munificent white knight, well used to this sort of last minute rescue deal.
“However, the beneficiaries of this generosity might find the knight in question expects them to fulfil the role of loyal vassal. All this means, it is hard to imagine the Dallara-designed car showing its face at the Catalunya Circuit, with Sakhir a more likely venue to witness the return of the Senna name to a Formula 1 session.
“The thirteenth team, US F1, appears to have gone into hiding in Charlotte, North Carolina, to the dismay of those like the Argentinian, Lopez, who thought he had found his way into the Formula 1 paddock, (albeit with help from chairwoman Kirchner, according to the rumours) and now has to start all over again.
“Amazingly, they still have the impudence to claim that everything is hunky-dory under the starry stripy sky.”
“Next, we have the Serbian vultures,” continued the column. “Firstly, they launched themselves into a quixotic legal battle with the FIA, then they picked the bones of Toyota on its death bed.
“Having got some people on board, around whom there was still a whiff of past scandals, they are now hovering around waiting to replace whoever is first to drop out of the game, possibly with backing from that very same knight in shining armour whom we mentioned earlier.”
“This [situation] is the legacy of the holy war waged by the former FIA president,” he explained. “The cause in question was to allow smaller teams to get into Formula 1.
“This is the outcome: two teams will limp into the start of the championship, a third is being pushed into the ring by an invisible hand – you can be sure it is not the hand of Adam Smith – and, as for the fourth, well, you would do better to call on Missing Persons to locate it.
“In the meantime, we have lost two constructors along the way, in the shape of BMW and Toyota, while at Renault, there’s not much left other than the name. Was it all worth it?”
Blimey.
Stefan GP Has To Cancel Test Due To Lack Of Tyres
Stefan GP have been forced to cancel their forthcoming test this week at the Portimao circuit following Bridgestone’s decision not to supply the team with rubber.
The Japanese based manufacturer said it was contractually obliged to supply F1 tyres to F1 teams only, and could not secure a GP2 supply in time.
With a finished car, and nearly 2 drivers the owner of Stefan GP, Zoran Stefanovic, says he is undeterred and is hoping that with the USF1 failings his team could make the grid.
“We cannot do the test at the moment and we are still trying to find a solution,” Stefanovic told Autosport.
“We have no tyres and will not test on tyres that are not suitable for the car to go testing at full speed.
“We now need to see what our options are, but we definitely need to do something to sort this situation out.”
“We are expecting that the situation will be clarified soon,” he said about USF1 and Campos’ current situations. “Everybody knows that some teams are facing certain problems, and we are looking to clarify this situation.”
Anderson Confirms USF1 “Are Still Alive” As They Seek To Miss Races
Ken Anderson, the boss of theUSF1 team has confirmed to an American newspaper that the team is still alive, if struggling slightly as they strive to miss some of the early races of the season.
Anderson was hitting back at writers and bloggers who said the team had gone out of business, an article on this website, The F1Fanatics Blog, caused a storm with rumours of their factory being for sale.
“We’re working with the FIA to clarify how many races we can miss,” Anderson told the newspaper.
The new concorde agreement allows a team to miss 3 races in a season, however the FIA released evidence to the contrary making it an infringement to miss races so USF1 are looking for clarification – that clarification from Jean Todt will either make them good to go or put them out of business.
“I guess anything’s possible,” he said. “But what would be the point of that? Why would they give us a franchise and just, the first time there’s a bump in the road, yank it and put it out of business? That’s definitely not the message that I’m getting from them. They want to help us, not shut us down.”
He said a quick answer from the FIA president would “trigger funding and we’re good to go. If it takes another week or two to make a decision, it keeps backing up.”
He denied that Chad Hurley, a major backer had left the team.
Jerez Test Day 4: Button Quickest
Jenson Button set the fastest time of the day, and the fastest time of the week on the final day of testing in Jerez yesterday.
The McLaren driver was narrowly quicker than an improved Robert Kubica, and Kamui Kobayashi brought Sauber back to the front of the times.
Vitantonio Liuzzi was fast in the Force India, slightly faster than Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari.
Jarno Trulli propped the tables after some mammoth long runs on his first day with the Lotus.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Jenson Button McLaren 1m18.871s 108 2. Robert Kubica Renault 1m19.114s + 0.243s 117 3. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1m19.188s + 0.317s 117 4. Tonio Liuzzi Force India 1m19.650s + 0.779s 80 5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m20.061s + 1.190s 130 6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m20.436s + 1.565s 137 7. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1m21.053s + 2.182s 139 8. Mark Webber Red Bull 1m21.194s + 2.323s 87 9. Nico Hulkenberg Williams 1m21.919s + 3.048s 137 10. Timo Glock Virgin 1m22.433s + 3.562s 28 11. Jarno Trulli Lotus 1m23.470s + 4.599s 141
Carabante & Kolles Takeover At Campos – Bahrain Targets To Be Met
Jose Ramon Carabante, a major shareholder in the Campos Meta F1 team (one of the new teams) has confirmed he has now taken complete control of the operation from team founder Adrian Campos as they move towards competing in their first grand prix in a months time.
The new owner Carabante confirmed that former Midland and Spyker team principal Colin Kolles, who worked a lot with Mike Gascoyne now of Lotus, will be the team principal.
“I would like to thank Bernie Ecclestone, who worked tremendously to support our efforts to keep the team viable,” said Carabante.
“The whole rescue operation has been a race against time with the goal of always having the team run two competitive cars at the first Grand Prix of the F1 season in Bahrain.
“We have a lot of hard work still ahead of us but we are excited about making our F1 debut and looking forward to a competitive season.”
Kolles was very happy with his new role, and was confident the team would make the first Grand Prix in Bahrain but needed to review finances first. it is rumoured that along with bruno Senna, the teams only confirmed driver, will be joined by Jose Maria Lopez of USF1, despite his contract, as the chances of the American based outfit competing in F1 diminish.
Jerez Test Day 3: Webber Quickest On First Dry Day
Mark Webber was fastest in the new Red Bull on the thir dday of the second test in Jerez. Finally a dry day of testing.
Fernando Alonso was second in the Ferrari, as all drivers put many laps on the board. Jenson Button was 3rd, as he claimed after the test day that he saw Ferrari as the strongest team at the moment with consistent times and reliability.
Michael Schumacher was 5th, while Robert Kubica was just behind on another consistent but good day for the Renault team and their new drivers. Kamui Kobayashi slipped down into 8th as Sauber lost some of their early headlining pace.
The two new teams held the bottom of the tables, with Virgin narrowly beating their Lotus counterparts but both teams seem satisfied with their cars so far.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:19.299 115 2. Alonso Ferrari (B) 1:20.115 132 3. Button McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:20.394 101 4. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:21.432 138 5. M.Schumacher Mercedes GP (B) 1:21.437 79 6. Kubica Renault (B) 1:21.916 100 7. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:21.939 69 8. Kobayashi BMW-Sauber (B) 1:22.228 28 9. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:22.564 120 10. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth (B) 1:23.504 34 11. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth (B) 1:23.521 68
USF1 Team On Verge Of Collapse
The American based USF1 team is allegedly on the verge of collapse, according to an article in the New York Times this morning.
An annoynymous insider from the team has told of how sponsorship money has not been paid, and how the company is going further and further into debt, and seemingly they are now as good as bankrupt.
The team cancelled its official crash test of the new chassis, due to happen this week and have not yet attended any tests. Its Charlotte based factory is up for sale too, and their only signed driver – Jose Maria Lopez – is said to be looking for another drive, possibly with the Campos Meta team.
The insider told the newspaper: “The bottom line is really simple: sponsor money didn’t come through the way it was supposed to and it has grinded down the company to a halt. They’re having trouble making payroll, they’re having trouble paying suppliers and that’s the situation they find themselves in.”
The team were unavailable for comment, and YouTube founder and high stake backer Chad Hurley is said to be flying to Spain to close a major backing deal with Campos, in-conjunction with their new deal meaning they are likely to make the grid following Dallara’s announcement that the chassis is ready.
David Richards, who did not make the 2008 grid with his Prodrive team, and did not gain one of the spots on the grid when it was open to entries at the end of 2009 when Campos, Lotus, USF1 and Virgin were selected said that he was not surprised one of the teams folded, and that he would not be considering making a move for their spot. Their spot is now likely to be filled by Stefan GP, the Serbian based team who have a car ready and are shipping parts to Bahrain.
We will keep you posted.
Campos Financial Woes To Ease, Villeneuve In Frame For Stefan
Campos Meta 1 look likely to get to the grd without the aid of the A1GP master Tony Teizera, after this weeks Autosport magazine revealed that majority Campos owner Jose Ramon Carabante is going to take total control.
The team had been subjected to massive financial woes recently, but it looks likely that they will now make the first round of the new season, with Bruno Senna the highly talented nephew of the late Ayrton already signed up as a driver.
Colin Kolles formerly of Midland, Spyker and Force India and Geoff Willis of Red Bull have been signed on short term contracts.
While the rumour mill circulates on their second driver, there is a good chance it could be Betrand Baguette or Karun Chandhok, the latter being linked with a test role at Stefan Gp if they make it onto the grid.
Speaking of Stefan GP, Jacques Villeneuve is now more in the frame to get a race seat than Ralf Schumacher, with the Canadian and 1997 World Champion said to be back in training to get fit for the season if Stefan are accepted onto the grid. Schumacher could still race if they break their handshake agreement contract with Kazuki Nakajima, and for my money Ralf would be a better bet.
Campos have seen success in GP2
Jerez Testing Round 2 Day 1: Vettel Quickest
Sebastian Vettel made the most of the poor conditions, slotting the new Red Bull Rb6 onto the top of the timesheets on the second part of the Jerez test, day 1.
The Red Bull Racing favourite slipped ahead of Lewis Hamilton in 2nd, and Felipe Massa in 3rd both drivers making good times given the conditions.
Pedro de La Rosa was 5th, lamenting the conditions but still ended ahead of Michael Schumacher. Paul di Resta got his first taste of testing, gaining 8th place in the Force India as he shared the cockpit with Adrian Sutil.
Lotus made their debut with the T127 and Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy getting behind the wheel with a solid day of testing, and Lotus declaring themselves pleased. Virgin looked to be struggling a little still, not finding their feet as quickly as Lotus.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:22.593 99 2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:23.017 72 3. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:23.204 72 4. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:23.322 79 5. de la Rosa BMW-Sauber (B) 1:23.367 76 6. M.Schumacher Mercedes GP (B) 1:23.803 111 7. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:24.272 28 8. di Resta Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:25.088 74 9. Petrov Renault (B) 1:26.237 55 10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:27.320 109 11. Fauzy Lotus-Cosworth (B) 1:31.848 76 12. Glock Virgin-Cosworth (B) 1:32.417 10
Lotus Launch Their First New Car Since 1994 – The T127
Lotus Grand Prix Racing are back in Formula One after a 16 year absence.
The team, reformed by Malaysian business magnate Tony Fernandes, the owner of Air Asia, launched their car – the T127 – in a lavish ceremony in Central London just a couple of hours ago.
The new car is decked out in swathes of green and yellow which will be familiar to any followers of classic Grand Prix, back in the hey-day of drivers like Jim Clark.
Looking a little sponsorless, despite its beautiful livery money will not be an issue to the multi-millionaire Fernandes, who has a bet on that his team will be better than rival airline owner Richard Branson’s new Virgin team.
Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen will be racing the car, a great pairing with plenty of experience for the team – with Fairuz Fauzy, the rated rookie as test driver.
“Words cannot express how I feel today,” said Fernandes. “It is an amazing job to get an F1 licence, have five people in Hingham and turn up today with this car.
“I was thrilled when Clive [Chapman] said that this was just like te beginning of Lotus back in the early days.”
He added: “We know we have a huge burden on our shoulers, standing on the shoulders of giants – Clark, Moss, Hill, and Mansell. We know we have a tremendous journey in front of us, we are honoured and cherished to be a part of history – we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts and we will do our best to return Lotus to its glory days.”
Mike Gascoyne, the former Toyota technical director was bouyant on the new car.
“The launch of the car is a very proud moment for the design team and the whole team,” said Gascoyne. “This one is very special for me personally for two reasons – firstly the Lotus name coming back into F1 is something very special.
“I grew up in Norfolk and went to school five miles down the road from the original factory. I grew up in era when Lotus was winning races and championships, so the opportunity to work with this team is very special. But also it is the challenge of bringing a new team and a new car into F1 in such a short space of time.
“What this is about for me, and it is the first launch I have been to where the whole team is here, there is a fantastic buzz about this place, the whole team has given their heart and soul to this project. I want to thank Tony on behalf of the whole team to have the courage to back us and trust us.
“We have a fantastic driver line-up who have put faith in the whole design team. I am proud to be up here on stage as a representative of that team, they have done a fantastic job.”
Meanwhile Italian driver Jarno Trulli said the whole event was very emotional.
“It is a very emotional moment for me – it will be great to take Lotus back on track where Lotus belongs and I think we have a big challenge, but it is what we are aiming for. I am really fired up for it,” he said.
Jerez Test Day 3: Washout Continues But Alguersuari Fastest
The third day of the second test at Jerez was another washout, with Jaime Alguersuari coming out fastest after a scorching lap early on in the day in the cooler damp conditions.
Many of the drivers elected to do long runs on extreme wet tyres, with Rubens Barrichello clocking a massive 120 laps today.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa did some long runs, as did Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton who was low down the times.
Lucas di Grassi got his first taste of the Virgin, which kept its wing on today, and also kept itself stuck to the bottom of the timesheets.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:19.919 76 2. de la Rosa BMW-Sauber (B) 1:20.736 58 3. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:21.428 48 4. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:21.603 72 5. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:21.783 59 6. Petrov Renault (B) 1:22.000 68 7. Rosberg Mercedes GP (B) 1:22.820 53 8. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:23.217 120 9. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:23.985 68 10. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth (B) 1:37.107 8
Jerez Test Day 2: Kobayashi Fastest As Virgin Takes Off Its Clothes…
Kamui Kobayashi continued to prove the great pace of the new sauber car topping the time sheets on another cold and damp day in Jerez.
Buemi was also fast, as was Hulkenberg and Liuzzi.
Michael Schumacher was back int he car in his gleaming scarlet helmet, narrowly beating Fernando Alonso’s time as it seemed the front runners in Valencia were now doing long fuel runs.
Meanwhile Red Bull still launguished down at the bottom of the timesheets, following their ufnortunate break down yesterday.
But the catastrophic failure goes to Virgin, who in another day of running managed to have their car undress itself on the circuit. The front wing unit totally collapsed and Timo Glock had to crawl back to the pits, before Virgin announced they would abandon running due to a lack of parts. Not a good start.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Kobayashi BMW-Sauber (B) 1:19.950 103 2. Buemi Toro Rosso Ferrari (B) 1:20.026 121 3. Button McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:20.618 83 4. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:20.629 67 5. Liuzzi Force India- Mercedes (B) 1:20.754 80 6. M.Schumacher Mercedes GP (B) 1:21.083 124 7. Alonso Ferrari (B) 1:21.424 129 8. Kubica Renault (B) 1:22.003 103 9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:22.043 99 10. Glock Virgin-Cosworth (B) 1:29.964 11
Jerez Test Day 1: Rosberg Quickest As Virgin Well Off Pace
Nico Rosberg was fastest on a very wet and cold first day of this weeks test in Jerez.
The German romped home in his Mercedes Benz. Sebastien Buemi looked impressive in the Toro Rosso, while Fernando Alonso the home favourite was down in 4th.
Vitantonio Liuzzi did over 70 laps in the new Force India, narrowly beating Vitaly Petrov’s time as he adjusts to driving Formula One cars.
Timo Glock brought out the Virgin into competitive running for the first time, after a series of installation laps his fastest effort was some 17 second a-drift of the best times.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m20.927s 57 2. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1m21.031s +0.104 84 3. Nico Hulkenberg Williams 1m22.243s +1.316 118 4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m22.895s +1.968 88 5. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1m23.287s +2.860 55 6. Jenson Button McLaren 1m24.947s +4.020 68 7. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India 1m24.968s +4.041 71 8. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m25.440s +4.513 27 9. Mark Webber Red Bull 1m26.502s +5.575 50 10. Timo Glock Virgin 1m38.734s +17.807 5
Red Bull Launch The RB6
Red Bull Racing have launched their 2010 title contender, the RB6 on a morning of testing in Jerez hampered by rain and cold weather.
The team who came oh-so-close to winning the 2009 title, hope that Adrian Newey’s clear develipment on the RB5 will be enough to gift one of their drivers the top spot in the drivers rankings this season. Sebastian Vettel, the hotly tipped German youngster and Mark Webber are driving the new car funded by the Austrian Energy Drink giant.
F1 media and workers alike were expecting something quite revolutionary from Newey’s design team, but instead we have been handed a fairly ordinary looking car, with a McLaren style shark fin and a very intricate front wing.
Sponsorship and livery mostly come in the form of Red Bull, with Total fuels and oils sponsoring the team – further cementing the teams relationship with the Renault engine supply.
No-one from Red Bull was available to talk aboit the new car, but Sebastian Vettel did comment on the pressure he is facing being the favourite to win the world title.
“Most important now is that the car is running and that we improve the reliability and speed. First you need to make your car work, then you see where you are and according to that you set your expectations.
“For sure there is only one target, to be just one step better than last year. I want to win the world championship. If we are the favourites, that’s fine. If not, that’s fine too.”
“I hope to be competitive, I hope the car is good – but Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes all look good, especially with Michael (Schumacher) back, its going to be very interesting”
Force India Launch Their 2010 Car – The VJM03
Force India become the latest team to show off their 2010 creation after taking the covers off the VJM03.
The team were speculated to be in financial difficulties following a mis-timed tax return, however all now seems well and on the back of a successful 2009 season, they look to the future with the more advanced design of this car.
The Silverstone based squad will have Adrian Sutil, the perennial German and Vitantonio Liuzzi racing for them, with DTM ace Paul di Resta working Friday practice and test role for them.
“There’s a little bit of variety out there but predominantly we are happy,” Mark Smith, design manager told Autosport. “You will always see something on each car that makes you think ‘that’s interesting’ but understanding how they work on your car is the key thing.
“We haven’t looked at photos and thought ‘we’ve missed something significant’ and we’re excited to get down to Jerez.”
Vijay Mallya was bouyant over his team, and said he wants podiums and points regularly this season.
“Our goal is to continue on the same path of performance improvement that we had at the end of 2009,” said Mallya.
“I don’t think I am being over-proud when I say 2009 was an exceptional year for us. The bare statistics say it all: one podium, one pole position, one fastest lap, a further five top 10 starts and 13 points.
“We’ve learnt from our experiences and we’ve come out a better team: resilient, resourceful and now resurgent. I hope 2010 will see this great progress carrying forward.
“We’ve got one podium so far but I would hope that, this time next year, I’m talking about more points and more podiums. I’m confident we can get this, why not aim high?’
Vitantonio Liuzzi, a driver who promised so much but has had little chance to deliver says that 2010 is a fresh start for him.
“In Force India I feel really good, the atmosphere is great and the team works well together,” he said. “Even when I was in a difficult position last year as a test driver they were very supportive and I’ve built a good strong relationship with them.
“I feel like I’m in a family and for sure much better environment than I have been in the past. This year is a new start for me. I’m a different person from two years ago and I am approaching it from a different mentality.
“It’s a different Tonio and I’m looking forward to what can come. I’m still young and have a lot of time in front of me so I just want to prove what I can do.”
Ralf Schumacher Approached By Stefan GP As They Get Closer To Grid
Ralf Schumacher has confirmed to DPA that he has been approached by Stefan GP to drive for the team originating in Serbia.
Stefan GP’s story is an exciting one, despite having no official grid slot they have sent equipment to Bahrain for the first race and have confirmed they will launch their car at the end of the month and test it at Portimao. Rumours are hotting up that Campos and possibly USF1 will not make the grid for the new season, and Bernie Ecclestone has thrown support behind Stefan GP getting a grid slot. Campos have been reported to be in massive financial trouble, and a potential take-over from Tony Teixera is unwanted by many in the paddock.
Funded and masterminded by Zoran Stefanovic, a long term motorsport fan and having a car designed by Toyota, and their engines it could be a perfect partnership for form especially with former Toyota man Schumacher.
Having spent a couple of seasons in DTM, unsuccessful ones at that, one can imagine Schumacher’s wage demands will not be huge and that he will see this as an opportunity to get back on track with top level racing.
“For me, the complete package such as team structure, chances of success and competitive material have to be in place,” said Schumacher
“As I said in the last two years, I would consider a return to Formula One if there was an offer that involved a competitive car,”
Bernie Ecclestone has thrown his support behind Stefan, dismissing Campos and USF1.
“I do not believe in the participation of USF1 and Campos,” the 79-year-old Formula One Management (FOM) chief executive told German magazine Sport Bild.
“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.”
