F1 News Updates
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Tsutomu Tomita to step down at Toyota
Toyota team principal Tsutomu Tomita is to stand down from his position at the end of June.
He will be replaced by Tadashi Yamashina, who is currently Toyota Motorsport's vice chairman.
The team said that Tomita's departure was part of a standard policy of staff rotation.
"As is normal for Toyota senior executives following a long overseas assignment, he will return to Japan in the middle of the year where new assignments await him with the Toyota group," said a team statement.
Yamashina paid tribute to the man he will succeed.
"Tomita san has been involved in a number of Toyota's motorsport activities throughout his career, including Formula 1 from its very beginning," he said.
"He has been one of its central pillars over the last two decades, and I am both proud and pleased to succeed him.
"Tsutomu is part of Toyota's F1 heritage and we will remain in close contact with him."
Tomita described his F1 stint as "one of the most challenging and exciting periods of my career."
He believes that he leaves the team in good shape.
"I am looking forward to celebrating Toyota's first victory in Formula 1, which I believe will happen sooner rather than later - based on the technological capability and competent team of people which has and is being established in Cologne," said Tomita. -
Lauda tips Hamilton for 2007 title
Triple world champion Niki Lauda is the latest Formula 1 legend to predict that Lewis Hamilton can snatch the title in his rookie season.
In an interview with the official F1 website, Lauda put his money on Hamilton to emerge on top of a thrilling four-way championship battle.
"As unbelievable as it sounds, at the moment I can see Lewis Hamilton heading the ranking," said Lauda, when asked who he thought had the edge in the title fight.
"Because of his young and clean experience - he is as fast as (Fernando) Alonso.
"This season will be the most exciting for years - we will not only see a shoot-out between the teams, but also amongst the team-mates.
"There will be a do-or-die fight between Alonso and Hamilton, and between (Felipe) Massa and (Kimi) Raikkonen.
"I hope they will not give any team orders until the last two races.
"At the moment I cannot see a faster driver within either one of these teams, so I donÂ’t think this will happen in the near future."
The Austrian said he could not choose between Ferrari and McLaren at this stage, but suspects that one of the rivals will eventually slip up and let the other escape.
"Both teams have done their homework and both have very strong drivers," he said.
"Right now, we have to wait a couple of more races to see who can get into the lead, either through a possible performance advantage, or through driver mistakes."
Lauda won the 1975, 1977 and 1984 world championships despite nearly losing his life in a fiery accident at the Nurburgring in 1976. -
New chicane leaves Kubica cold
BMW's Robert Kubica is unimpressed by the modifications made to the Barcelona circuit over the winter.
The fast final corners have been slowed by the addition of the tight chicane approaching the former turn 14.
The revision was made for safety reasons, amid fears that the run-off at the last corner was inadequate given the speed with which cars were now taking the bend.
Kubica conceded that the section is now less dangerous, but said the new complex spoilt the circuit.
"I like the track, but IÂ’m afraid that the new corners have taken away some of its charm," he said.
"Fast corners with high downforce are a real treat in a Formula 1 car.
"But now the two high-speed corners have been replaced by a tight chicane, where you are only doing 60 or 70 km/h (40 mph).
"We used to hit 260 km/h (160 mph) through that part of the track.
"This change to the track means less fun, but greater safety.”
His team-mate Nick Heidfeld agreed with the Pole's summary
"The new section is less exciting, but safer," he said. -
BMW drops Friday testers
Sebastian Vettel
BMW Sauber has abandoned its policy of running young drivers on grand prix Fridays 'until further notice'.
The team had used test driver Sebastian Vettel in opening practice in Melbourne and Sepang, but race drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld felt that this had cost them critical preparation mileage.
Under the 2007 regulations, team can only use two cars in the Friday sessions, so any test driver appearances must be at the expense of a race driver.
Team boss Mario Theissen admitted after Bahrain - when Vettel's other commitments meant Kubica and Heidfeld had a full day of running - that BMW might rethink its driver plans, and today he confirmed that the testers would have to stand aside for now.
"As announced, following the overseas races we have been looking closely at the driver line-up for the Friday of the GP weekends," said Theissen.
"Until further notice, the two race drivers will be on track for the whole of Friday."
Williams is the only other team to have used a Friday tester so far this year, but with Kazuki Nakajima committed to the supporting GP2 event, the squad is also expected to use its race drivers all day in Spain next week.
Although Spyker had also intended to give its four test drivers some Friday practice opportunities during the season, it has stuck with racers Christijan Albers and Adrian Sutil to date. -
Raikkonen: I'll show my true pace in Spain
Kimi Raikkonen has warned his rivals that he will be 'considerably' faster in the Spanish Grand Prix than in the first three races of 2007.
Although Raikkonen shares the championship lead with the McLaren drivers, having won in Australia and taken third places in Malaysia and Bahrain, he was never entirely happy with his Ferrari's set-up in the opening rounds.
But after dominating much of last week's Barcelona test, Raikkonen says the car is now much more to his liking - and significantly faster.
"We were able to improve the F2007 considerably, because the new components work really well and the car is now much closer to my style of driving," he said.
"I'm much more optimistic now: we can attack the best way possible, as my friend (ex-rally star) Markku Alen usually says.
"It's true that you never know how competitive you really are compared to the other teams during the test sessions - obviously for that we have to wait for the qualifying and the race - but the lap times give us some hints."
Raikkonen is particularly keen to show better pace in qualifying, where he has been out of sorts so far this season.
"As I already said over the last weeks, we have to improve the performance in qualifying," he said.
"It was not really easy for me to get all the potential out of the car on a single lap, because we never managed to prepare it at the best.
"Now I'm really happy about the steps forward.
"Although it's really difficult to overtake another car, even when it's slower, it makes things a lot easier when you want to win, when you can start from the front.
"Last February we had a good test session and we managed to make the set-up even better now, also thanks to the new components, which give me a very positive feeling.
"All in all the car is much better to drive now." -
F is missingOriginally posted by SBS9828X:IA president Max Mosley says that allowing customer cars is vital for Formula 1's future competitiveness. -
Whole new F1 in 2011
If adopted, radical new engine regulations could be set to change the face of Formula 1 from 2011 according to a document outlining the FIAÂ’s proposals for the future of the sport which have been sent to all current F1 manufacturers, the latest issue of F1 Racing magazine (on sale from Tuesday) reveals.
As previously suggested by the FIA, the new rules, if adopted, would dramatically change the way the sport approaches engine technology and will rely heavily on renewable sources of energy to power F1.
The proposals outline potential regulations for 2011-2014 that have been designed with the FIA’s president Max Mosley’s stated long-term aims in mind – namely to reduce costs and make F1 more environmentally friendly and road relevant.
It was sent to the manufacturers by Mosley and former BMW CEO Burkhard Goschel, the chairman of the Formula One ManufacturersÂ’ Advisory Commission, and was drawn up by the governing bodyÂ’s technical consultants Tony Purnell and Peter Wright.
The proposals were sent to the manufacturers, and not the teamsÂ’ management, directly as they mainly concern powertrain (engine) regulations.
And these proposals include a turbo-compounded 2.2-litre V6 engine formula, with the power units to run on bio-fuel rather than the current unleaded fuel.
The engines would produce around 770bhp (including a kinetic energy recovery system) with the maximum revs limited to 10,000rpm.
Engines would be required to last five grands prix, as opposed to the two currently, with the fuel savings thanks to the lower revs expected to be about 30 per cent.
Further mooted proposals include cars to be fitted with traction control, four-wheel drive and a 13-second-per-lap, driver controlled, power-boost function in a bid to aid overtaking.
The document also states that all development that cannot be classified as powertrain development – for example aerodynamics – should be “severely constrained”.
In addition to all current F1 manufacturers, the document was sent to both Ford and Volkswagen-Audi, who may join the sport in the future.
V6? Four-wheel drive? lol -
4 wheel drive and TC? No way!
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haha, wow the current engines are v12s?
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No. V8s.Originally posted by sand king:haha, wow the current engines are v12s? -
Suzuka may return in 2008
F1-Live.com
Suzuka could return to the Formula One calendar in 2008, after the Fuji was awarded the Japanese Grand Prix this year.
Auto Motor und Sport claims that there could be two races in Japan next season, following Bernie Ecclestone's realisation of the true popularity of the figure-of-eight Suzuka layout and also pressure from its owner, Honda.
Ecclestone criticised Suzuka's ageing facilities before axing it for 2007, much to Toyota's delight after the carmaker refurbished the Fuji Speedway at considerable cost.
Suzuka's return next year would reinstate the Pacific Grand Prix; a term last used in 1995 when the circuit was twinned with a race in the Japanese city of Aida.
Auto Motor und Sport said Honda has agreed to ‘pay the bill’ for Suzuka's return to the calendar - a reputed $30m.
E.A.
Source GMM -
bio fuel... i wud like to see bioethanol... maybe E85 since they want to promote road going technologies
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Bye-Bye Magny-Cours
Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed that this year's French Grand Prix will be the last held at Circuit de Nevers. It could move to another track or even be held in the streets of Paris next season.
"It's a little bit disappointing because we organised this grand prix and it has never developed in the way that we would have liked it to," Bernie told L'Equipe.
The track has been in use every season since 1991, when it replaced Paul Ricard. -
Fisichella launches motor sport academy
Giancarlo Fisichella has announced he is to open his own motorsport academy in his home country of Italy.
The Renault driver, alongside his management team, is launching the Fisichella Motor Sport Academy in a newly built building at the Vallelunga test circuit near Rome.
The Academy will, through a series of lectures by staff and big names from the world of motorsport, teach students about the different career paths available in the field.
These will include how to become a mechanic, telemetrist, race engineer, aerodynamicist, technical director or team manager, as well as a driver manager, personal trainer or public relations officer.
FisichellaÂ’s academy will be housed in the brand new Fisichella Motor Sport Technopole building, which will also feature a personal training centre, museum and shopping precinct. -
Alonso not 100% comfortable at McLaren
Fernando Alonso has revealed that he has not felt truly comfortable at McLaren since joining the Woking squad last winter.
Although he has won two races this season, the double world champion unexpectedly trails his rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the points standings and has made an uncharacteristic number of driving errors.
In an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, Alonso admitted that he is finding it hard having a British team-mate in a British team – but said he had never expected it to be an easy situation.
“From the first moment, I wasn’t comfortable with everything,” he said.
“I'm in an English team, with an English team-mate who is doing a brilliant job.
"We knew that all the support and help would be going to him.
“I understood that from the start and I’m not complaining about it.”
The British media has hailed Hamilton as F1's new superstar and tended to overlook Alonso, but the Spaniard is philosophical about the hype.
"I am indifferent to it," he said.
"We know how they are and luckily the Spanish press have a little more respect than the English do."
Despite his misgivings, Alonso remains confident that his title chances are still good.
“I’m relaxed,” he said.
“I’m fine, though I know there is some impatience [due to] the way I arrived and how I am expected to dominate.
“I’m where I want to be and I have a clear chance of winning the title, which is what we want.” -
Lewis rejects 'strange' Alonso claim
Lewis Hamilton has rejected Fernando AlonsoÂ’s suggestions that he is receiving the lionÂ’s share of McLarenÂ’s support.
After HamiltonÂ’s first grand prix win in Montreal last weekend, Alonso told a Spanish radio station that he did not yet feel fully comfortable at McLaren and was finding it difficult being paired with a British driver in a British team.
While he stopped short of accusing his team of giving Hamilton preferential treatment or equipment, AlonsoÂ’s comments forced McLaren boss Ron Dennis to reiterate on Wednesday that the team is scrupulous in treating its two drivers equally.
At Indianapolis on Thursday, Hamilton told a news conference that he was surprised by AlonsoÂ’s comments.
“I find it strange he said that because I feel that ever since he joined [McLaren], the team have been extremely motivated to push us both toward winning,” he said.
“Ron and the other guys on the team have been working very hard to make sure we have equal opportunity.
“It’s probably always going to be difficult in a business, but obviously I’ve got a great relationship with all the guys in the team because I’ve been with them since I was 13.
“At the end of the day when Fernando came into the team, they were extremely excited and I feel built a very good relationship with him.
“So I don't see why he would say that.
“But I guess because he is Spanish and I am English, he might feel that way, but I don’t agree with it personally.”
Hamilton has made a sensational impact in his rookie F1 season, finishing on the podium in every race and taking a clear world championship lead following the Canadian GP.
The Briton acknowledged that Alonso may have been taken aback by the intensity of the intra-team competition.
“I doubt very much that he was expecting me to do as well as I have,” he said.
“But I don’t know whether that’s why he would be saying what he’s saying.
“But definitely, coming into the team, he’s the two-time world champion and he’s not really been challenged – well, I think he has some challenges in the past but not really had probably someone as close as me and as good a friend off the track probably.
“So it’s a very difficult situation.” -
And I thought Hamilton was the one who had to defer reluctantly to Alonso in Monaco.
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Montezemolo eager for 'real Kimi' to return
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has admitted the Italian squad is anxious for its star recruit Kimi Raikkonen to rediscover the form that struck ‘fear’ into his rivals while at McLaren.
Finnish ace Raikkonen was identified by Ferrari as the ideal candidate to be the teamÂ’s long-term replacement for its most successful driver Michael Schumacher, and showed its faith in him with what is rumoured to be the largest salary in Formula 1.
However, since convincingly winning on his debut for the Scuderia in Australia, Raikkonen has seen his championship challenge slip away after a series of curiously muted and lacklustre performances.
Di Montezemolo admits Ferrari has yet to see the type of form on which the 27-year-old built his reputation at McLaren – although he is certain Raikkonen will turn things around.
“We are waiting for the real Raikkonen, the one that everyone fears,” he told Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
“Michael has said that Kimi and Fernando [Alonso] were his toughest rivals and Alonso has said the same about Raikkonen and Schumacher.
“Kimi has always been in the fight and now we are waiting for him to go back to being the one that everyone fears – and we are convinced that he will do it.”
RaikkonenÂ’s quest to return to race-winning form hasnÂ’t been helped by FerrariÂ’s pace in the last three grands prix, where it has been unable to challenge McLaren in either qualifying or the race.
After winning three of the seasonÂ’s opening four races, the Italian squad left North America 35 points behind its British rival and with both Raikkonen and team-mate Felipe MassaÂ’s title hopes looking increasingly bleak.
It is a sequence of results that di Montezemolo has not enjoyed and he says Ferrari must redouble its efforts to close the gap.
“Clearly the two McLaren drivers are formidable,” he said.
“We got distracted for a moment and I don’t like this situation.
“We have to regain our competitiveness.
“We have all the means to fight back and we must work out how to recover the two or three tenths [of a second] that separate us from McLaren.” -
Massa: Schu will not make a comeback
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has dismissed speculation that Michael Schumacher is set to come out of retirement and return to racing.
Schumacher’s presence at many of this year’s pre-season tests and races – nominally as an advisor to the team – has fuelled rumours that the seven-time world champion is missing the sport and wants to make a full-time return.
Initially it was thought he was being groomed to take over from Jean Todt as team boss, but while Todt has said Schumacher would be his favoured choice to succeed him, he has admitted that he has been unable to interest Michael in the role.
More recently, the disappointing form of FerrariÂ’s star signing Kimi Raikkonen has prompted suggestions that Schumacher might even be drafted back into the race squad.
Massa believes this scenario is highly unlikely, however.
“No, I’m certain that he won’t come back to drive,” the Brazilian was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I know Michael well. He’s not someone who makes U-turns.”
Massa has a close relationship with Schumacher, who he regards as a mentor, and has continued to benefit from his former team-mateÂ’s advice this year.
“The fact that I am always still in contact with him means that I can’t say I’m missing him,” he said.
“I speak with him all the time; we are working together.” -
Ferrari takes Nigel Stepney to court
Ferrari has taken legal action against one of its long-serving senior staff, Nigel Stepney.
The Italian squad filed a formal complaint earlier this week and Stepney is now under investigation by the public prosecution office in Modena, the nearest major town to FerrariÂ’s factory in Maranello.
The team has confirmed that it has launched court proceedings but has refused to divulge its grounds for doing so.
“Nigel Stepney is still an employee but we have brought an action against him,” a Ferrari spokesman told Reuters.
“It is not related to any event; it is related to his behaviour.”
In the absence of any hard facts as to what Stepney is alleged to have done, a variety of theories – conspiracy or otherwise – have surfaced in the Italian media.
Sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport claims that at the centre of the probe is an attempted sabotage.
Citing a leak from the investigation, the paper says Ferrari has presented prosecutor Giuseppe Tibis with evidence that its cars were tampered with three days before the team left for Monte Carlo, when technicians discovered a suspicious white powder around the fuel vent.
There is no suggestion that the teamÂ’s performance in Monaco was compromised by the alleged interference because the cars were thoroughly checked before leaving Italy and the affected parts replaced.
Elsewhere there are suggestions that the complaint concerns industrial espionage.
In April this year, two former Ferrari employees were convicted of taking team secrets to Toyota and were given suspended prison sentences.
It should be emphasised that no charges have been brought against Stepney at this stage and neither Ferrari nor the prosecutor has been prepared to disclose details of the investigation.
Stepney has been unavailable for comment and is reported to be on holiday. A defence counsel has been appointed to represent him in his absence.
The Englishman joined Ferrari from Benetton in 1992 and was part of the so-called ‘dream team’ that helped propel Michael Schumacher to his five successive world championships in 2000-04.
He described himself as a ‘glorified chief mechanic’ and played a key role in coordinating the team’s activities and ensuring its preparation and reliability were of a high standard.
But tensions between him and FerrariÂ’s senior management became public earlier this year when Stepney voiced his displeasure with the technical reshuffle that followed Ross BrawnÂ’s departure, which consigned him to a factory-based role.
He let it be known that he was open to offers from other teams and has recently been linked with a possible move to Honda. -
Ecclestone To Release Official Biography
The first authorised biography of Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is to go on sale this autumn.
The book charts Ecclestone's rise to power and tells how he transformed what was an amateur sport into the global billion-dollar industry that F1 is today...
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=39770 -
FIA unveils radical plans for 2011
The governing bodyÂ’s plans are designed to make F1 more road-relevant, environmentally friendly and cost-effective while at the same time improve the spectacle by encouraging overtaking.
Key proposals are:
Engine efficiency
Limit engine power by imposing a maximum energy flow rate. There will be few restrictions on the engine cycle, which can include turbo-charging and energy recovery. This could lead to a gain of at least 20% in thermal efficiency.
Drag
Allow moving aerodynamic devices, which will reduce drag by more than 50% and allow a 40% reduction in the power required to maintain current speeds.
Energy recovery
Energy will be recovered during braking and returned to both front and rear axles when accelerating. The amount of energy returned on each straight will be limited in order to prevent top speeds exceeding circuit safety criteria.
Fuel
The total amount of fuel energy to be consumed during a race will be regulated, encouraging further overall efficiency. The CO2 emitted will be further reduced by the introduction of gasoline which is partly derived from sustainable, non-food bio sources but complies fully with pump fuel legislation.
Overtaking
New aerodynamic rules will halve the downforce, and de-sensitise the car to the influence of the wake of the car ahead. It is also proposed to eliminate automatically the downforce deficit of the following car.
Regulations
The best estimates of what these measures will mean in terms of regulations are currently as follows:
• 1.3-1.5 litre, 4-cylinder engine;
• no RPM or boost limit;
• energy flow rate to generate 300kW, including energy recovery from the exhaust;
• 200kW brake energy recovery, front and rear axle;
• 400-600kJ energy return per straight;
• pump-legal bio-fuel;
• FIA specified and supplied undertray and possibly other aerodynamic components;
• 50% 2007 downforce;
• adjustable, regulated wings and cooling;
• automatic downforce adjustment when following another car;
• lap times and top speeds maintained at 2009 levels;
• over 50% reduction in fuel consumed.
Costs
A number of measures to constrain costs are proposed, including:
• standardisation of components (including wheels, brakes, brake ducts and uprights);
• homologation of components and assemblies;
• material restrictions;
• extended life of assemblies;
• restrictions on personnel and work at races;
• restrictions on the use of certain facilities (eg wind tunnels).
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=39769
http://www.fia.com/sport/Championships/F1/formula_one_2011.html -
First it was Magny-Cours, now Indianapolis will not be staging a Grand Prix next season as well. Talks between Bernie Ecclestone and IMS's Tony George broke down over sanctioning fees.
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=40034 -
Ex-Williams and Honda aerodynamist Geoffrey Willis will join Red Bull Technologies as its technical director next Monday, and will report directing to Adrian Newey. Prior to this Willis had been unemployed since his dismissal from Honda last season.