Montag, 31. Oktober 2011
Grid penalties for Hamilton and Perez
Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez have both been given three-place grid penalties in India for ignoring double waved yellow flags. The incidents occurred right at the end of FP1 after Pastor Maldonado had stopped with an engine failure at Turn … Continue reading
Vitantonio Liuzzi - classic F1
Vitantonio Liuzzi is the latest driver to choose his five all-time favourite grands prix for BBC Sport's classic Formula 1 series.
The HRT driver, who elected to stay in F1 for a seventh season this year with a back-of-the-grid team rather than look for a more competitive drive elsewhere, certainly knows his F1 history. The Italian's selection comprises five all-time classic events.
Liuzzi decided to join HRT this year to ensure he kept his name alive in F1
A race famous for what Liuzzi describes as the "amazing fight" between Ferrari's Gilles Villeneuve and Renault's Rene Arnoux over second place in the final three laps, as the two men passed and re-passed each other, occasionally banging wheels in perhaps the most frenetic three laps of racing in F1 history.
The race also marked Renault's first win in F1, courtesy of Jean-Pierre Jabouille, and the first for a car with a turbocharged engine - the type of power-plant that is returning to the sport in the new 'green' F1 from 2014.
This race featured perhaps the most chaotic closing stages in F1 history, with five different leaders vying for the win, and was described by Murray Walker at the time as "certainly the most exciting, eventful grand prix I have ever seen".
Long-time leader Alain Prost crashed his Renault at the chicane in a late shower of rain, leaving Brabham's Riccardo Patrese in front and on course for his first F1 win. But he, too, was caught out on the slippery track, spinning just three-quarters of a lap later than Prost, this time on the hill down from Mirabeau to Loews.
Patrese managed to bump-start his car but only after being passed for the lead by Ferrari's Didier Pironi, who then stuttered to a halt, out of fuel, in the tunnel. That should have given the lead to Alfa Romeo's Andrea de Cesaris but he, too, had stopped with an empty tank, even before he got to the site of Patrese's spin. And Williams driver Derek Daly, who could also have moved up, had stopped with a broken driveshaft. All that meant Patrese crossed the line in the lead, even though, as Liuzzi points out "he didn't know he'd won".
A familiar choice, this is a race that is central to the legend of Ayrton Senna and a key event in his bitter feud with arch-rival Prost, then his team-mate at McLaren. Prost led for much of the race but was caught by Senna in the closing stages. When the Brazilian went for a pass at the chicane, the two men collided.
Prost knew he was world champion if both men retired. But as he climbed out of the car, Senna decided to continue. He pitted to replace a damaged nose cone and recovered to pass Benetton's Alessandro Nannini for a brilliant win.
Senna was later controversially disqualified, leading to the extraordinary development of McLaren appealing against the result of a race that had given the world title to one of their drivers. The appeal was unsuccessful.
Like Monaco 1982, another chaotic finish in the rain, with perhaps an even more extraordinary result. Heavy downpours led to the retirements of many leading drivers, including world champion Michael Schumacher. And the race was brought to a premature end when first Mark Webber crashed his Jaguar at high speed coming on to the pit straight and then Fernando Alonso's Renault ploughed into the debris.
The result hinged on who had crossed the line at the point the race was stopped. Timekeepers initially handed the win to McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen but Jordan were convinced their man Giancarlo Fisichella had won. Jordan appealed, successfully, and Fisichella was named as the winner, Raikkonen handing him the trophy at a little ceremony before the following race, the San Marino GP at Imola.
Arguably the best grand prix there has ever been - and one we dealt with when Mark Webber made his selections last week.
As always, we pick one 'feature' race, so this time we have gone for Monaco 1982. The full Grand Prix programme of the time is embedded below. Underneath it, to whet your appetites for the action in Yeongam this weekend, are links to short and extended highlights of Alonso's momentous victory in last year's inaugural Korean Grand Prix.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
CLICK HERE FOR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 KOREAN GRAND PRIX
CLICK HERE FOR EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 KOREAN GRAND PRIX
Viewers in the UK can watch the classic races on digital television, where we will be showing short highlights of France 1979, Monaco 1982, Japan 1989 and Japan 2005 and extended highlights of Korea 2010.
On satellite, cable and Freeview, they will be broadcast between first and second practice on Friday 14 October from 0335-0555 BST.
F1? 2011 Timing App is out
Soft Pauer, the maker of the official F1? 2011 Timing and Track Positioning App, is delighted to confirm that it has shipped the latest app to the App Store and Android Market.
The award winning and phenomenally successful App is universally agreed to be the perfect companion to your Grand Prix viewing, and the only way to keep track no matter where you are in the world.
The App is available in the App Store and Android Market at the unbeatable rate of �17.99 for the whole of the 2011 championship. This price is for a limited time only, so buy now to get the best value from 2011.
Purchasers of the App will receive over 120 hrs of racing action. Live information from every lap of every session downloaded directly and in perpetuity to your smartphone and/or tablet computer.
This application gives access to live timing and track positioning for all sessions - PRACTICE 1, PRACTICE 2, PRACTICE 3, QUALIFYING and RACE for the 2011 Championship.
This is the only official F1 application with unique data and features.
LIVE TRACK POSITIONS
Displayed on our dynamic 3D map. Zoom in on the action or pull back to see the whole field, see gaps as never before!
LIVE TIMING DATA
Watch the session like the F1 engineers with the full timing screen including sectors and gaps.
FOLLOW YOUR FAVOURITE DRIVER
Pick your favourite driver and follow their progress. Watch as they battle for position!
UNIQUE REPLAY FEATURE
Replay any session at any time you choose. Perfect for tape delayed broadcast!
LIVE COMMENTARY
Lap by lap live commentary.
STANDINGS
Results and news for the 2011 Season.
DETAILED INFORMATION
Information and history on all drivers, teams, and race tracks.
COMPLETE SEASON ACCESS
Experience all sessions via the live timing feed from the track to the palm of your hand using iPhone or iPod touch.
You can download your application now by visiting the Android Market and search for F1, visit the App Store or visit www.softpauer.com
Screenshots:
Images(C) iappphone
Up, up and away
It is two thirty in the morning and we just had lunch. GP+ is out. The newsletter is finished. I am in the lounge (no airline mentioned) in Delhi. I have had a couple of glasses of wine and that has done wonders for the blood sugar level. I have dealt with all the normal [...]
Vettel charges to pole for Indian Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel offered no respite at the Indian Grand Prix despite already claiming the tile, securing his 13th pole of this season for the inaugural Indian race. Vettel looked spectacularly quick throughout practice and qualifying and swept to yet another pole position ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber, although Hamilton will drop back three [...]
Sonntag, 30. Oktober 2011
Ferrari F150th Italia is now Ferrari 150� Italia..!
Ferrari have apparently proceeded to a second name tweak for their 2011 F1 challenger, following the controversy surrounding the initial designation of the car back in January. According to the ?Horse Whisperer? column ? an online interface commonly used by Ferrari to share its likes and dislikes with the world ? the new name of the racer will be Ferrari 150� Italia.
?It might seem like a Kafkaesque scenario, but the affair relating to the name of the car with which Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will tackle this year's Formula 1 World Championship saw its final and decisive episode played out these past few days with the concomitant withdrawal by Ford of the summons. Therefore common sense has prevailed,? wrote the columnist.
The car?s initial name was Ferrari F150, but in mid-February was changed to F150th Italia as a result of the legal proceedings issued by American carmaker Ford to the US District Court in Detroit.
Ford-F150-Pickup
This situation occurred because Ferrari?s car name and logo resembled Ford?s trademark for their line of pick-up trucks, the famous F-150. A couple of days back, Ford announced it has filed a notice with the US court for dismissal of the case, after it had reached an amicable agreement with their Italian counterparts.
In order to avoid the slightest risk of anyone confusing a Formula 1 car with a pick-up truck, for their part, the men from Maranello have decided that the car will lose the F that precedes the number 150 and which stands for Ferrari, as it has done on numerous occasions when it's come to giving a car a code name, be it for the race track or the road- The Horse Whisperer
It appears that this could have caused so much confusion in the minds of the consumer across the Pond that, at the same time as losing the F, the name will be completely Italianised, replacing the English 'th' with the equivalent Italian symbol.
Therefore the name will now read as the Ferrari 150� Italia, which should make it clear even to the thickest of people that the name of the car is a tribute to the anniversary of the unification of our country.
Let's hope the matter is now definitely closed and that we can concentrate on more serious matters, namely ensuring that our car that already seems to be pretty good out of the box, becomes a real winner.
Original article by Ovidiu Panzariu of autoevolution
Tony Trimmer Maurice Trintignant Wolfgang von Trips Jarno Trulli
2013 Nissan GT-R to be 8 secs faster around Nürburgring
2013 GT-R should beat its previous best time of 7 minutes and 24 seconds on the ring by means of more output and improved aerodynamics.Jimmy Stewart Siegfried Stohr Rolf Stommelen Philippe Streiff
Renault R31 launch pictures (31st of January)
Lotus Renault GP unveiled their much-discussed 2011 challenger, the R31, in the pit lane of Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit on 31st Jan'11.
Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov revealed the R31, with reserves Romain Grosjean, Bruno Senna, Jan Charouz and Fairuz Fauzy.
Technical specifications
| Chassis | Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, with engine incorporated as a fully-stressed member |
| Suspension (front) | Carbon fibre double wishbone, operating inboard torsion bar and damper units via a pushrod system |
| Suspension (rear) | As front except via a pullrod system |
| Engine | Renault RS27-2011 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90� V8, limited to 18,000 RPM with KERS naturally aspirated mid-mounted |
| Transmission | Seven-speed semi-automatic titanium gearbox with reverse gear "Quickshift" system |
| Weight | 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver) |
| Fuel | Total |
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero |
| OZ Wheels (front and rear): 13" |
Links
Renault R31 ? Launch Details and Analysis (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"What was formerly the Renault F1 Team and now Lotus Renault GP (I?ll use the term LRGP for this article) have unveiled their new car the R31. It seems some critical details are not fitted to the car for its unveiling, indeed the car was shown only briefly to the press before it was covered back up and returned to the garage. Despite the mystery surrounding the cars exhaust exit location, its clear this is a very new design for the team. In creating this the team were given a mandate to take risks, which probably explains the very different front and rear end treatments."Renault R31 Front Exit Exhausts (FEE) ? Explained (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"Renault have found a new solution to the blown diffuser concept. In fact they?ve turned it on its head. With an exhaust that exits at the front of the sidepods.Last years teams reintroduced the blown diffuser concept, either by blowing exhaust gasses over the top of the diffuser, or by creating an opening into the diffuser to blow inside the diffuser. Both solutions created more downforce. With the latter solution now banned, it seemed the less effective over-blown solutions are all that?s left to race."
Renault R31 launch pictures
Photos � Renault/LAT
Samstag, 29. Oktober 2011
Ferrari F150th Italia is now Ferrari 150� Italia..!
Ferrari have apparently proceeded to a second name tweak for their 2011 F1 challenger, following the controversy surrounding the initial designation of the car back in January. According to the ?Horse Whisperer? column ? an online interface commonly used by Ferrari to share its likes and dislikes with the world ? the new name of the racer will be Ferrari 150� Italia.
?It might seem like a Kafkaesque scenario, but the affair relating to the name of the car with which Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will tackle this year's Formula 1 World Championship saw its final and decisive episode played out these past few days with the concomitant withdrawal by Ford of the summons. Therefore common sense has prevailed,? wrote the columnist.
The car?s initial name was Ferrari F150, but in mid-February was changed to F150th Italia as a result of the legal proceedings issued by American carmaker Ford to the US District Court in Detroit.
Ford-F150-Pickup
This situation occurred because Ferrari?s car name and logo resembled Ford?s trademark for their line of pick-up trucks, the famous F-150. A couple of days back, Ford announced it has filed a notice with the US court for dismissal of the case, after it had reached an amicable agreement with their Italian counterparts.
In order to avoid the slightest risk of anyone confusing a Formula 1 car with a pick-up truck, for their part, the men from Maranello have decided that the car will lose the F that precedes the number 150 and which stands for Ferrari, as it has done on numerous occasions when it's come to giving a car a code name, be it for the race track or the road- The Horse Whisperer
It appears that this could have caused so much confusion in the minds of the consumer across the Pond that, at the same time as losing the F, the name will be completely Italianised, replacing the English 'th' with the equivalent Italian symbol.
Therefore the name will now read as the Ferrari 150� Italia, which should make it clear even to the thickest of people that the name of the car is a tribute to the anniversary of the unification of our country.
Let's hope the matter is now definitely closed and that we can concentrate on more serious matters, namely ensuring that our car that already seems to be pretty good out of the box, becomes a real winner.
Original article by Ovidiu Panzariu of autoevolution
Romain Grosjean: ?It will be a big responsibility for me?
Romain Grosjean will get his chance to stake a claim for a 2012 Lotus Renault seat when he drives in FP1 in the last two races of the season. He will replace Bruno Senna in Abu Dhabi and Vitaly Petrov … Continue reading 
Massa?s fluttering front wing ? is the story not over yet?
One way or another Felipe Massa has been in the news this weekend, for after topping the times in Delhi on Friday he had a spectacular off in qualifying after breaking his front supension on a kerb. But the most … Continue reading 
Luigi Villoresi Emilio de Villota Ottorino Volonterio Jo Vonlanthen
model car parts
i want to let everyone know, if you are looking for that certain model car or truck part, then look no farther, i have a model junk yard, new and used parts available. no big rigs sorry
2013 Dodge Viper to feature an 8.7-liter V10 - report
Likely based off the previous 8.4-liter unit, the engine is slated to become the largest mill ever used in a Chrysler product.Freitag, 28. Oktober 2011
Sebastian Vettel: ?We?ll see a good race on Sunday??
Sebastian Vettel says he enjoyed his first acquaintance with the Buddh circuit today, although like everyone else he found the dusty conditions difficult. Vettel finished FP2 in India in second place, just 0.088s off pacesetter Felipe Massa. ?It?s interesting, a … Continue reading 
Justin Wilson Vic Wilson Joachim Winkelhock Manfred Winkelhock
1/16th front engine dragster
I have been after one of these kits for ages as they are not easily available here in the UK. thanks to sk8erdave i have one.
i will be using Scale Repros Plus wheels and engine parts along with a few turned ally parts. the plate in the pic is from an old RC truck, this is being used as a jig as i put the chassis together. i stripped the chrome off the bell housing and most of the axle, these will be painted in metal colours and weathered.
Donnerstag, 27. Oktober 2011
Vettel: It was a lot of fun
Sebastian Vettel has been speaking about his mentality going into the final few races of the Formula 1 season. Click here to see Martin Brundle’s Korean Grand Prix Gridwalk! The German secured the title in Japan a couple of weeks ago, but showed no sign of slowing down as he won the Korean Grand Prix [...]
Stats, speed and success spur on Vettel
It is an open secret in Formula 1 that Sebastian Vettel, who became the youngest double world champion in history this year, is motivated at least partly by statistics.
The Red Bull driver himself, though, has been a little shy about admitting it so far - but on Wednesday he went as far as he ever has towards acknowledging that, yes, he would not mind having a crack at the all-time records.
Until Vettel's remarkable run of success, particularly this year, Michael Schumacher's landmarks of seven titles, 91 wins and 68 pole positions looked unbeatable.
But Vettel, at the age of 24, already has 20 victories and 27 poles, as well as those two titles. Suddenly, Schumacher's records don't look quite so impregnable after all.
Vettel on his 2011: "Seasons like this don't happen too often... we want to enjoy it." Photo: Getty
"I like statistics," Vettel said, "as in I care about the sport, I know the sport, I know ex-F1 drivers, the big names, and know a little bit the numbers according to the drivers.
"The only thing I like from time to time is to see if my name is somewhere there. I don't really set myself a target of wins and poles, I am not racing for statistics, so I know some numbers, but not all. I love Formula 1, I always did as a small kid and that hasn't changed."
A little later, the mask seemed to slip a little further when someone asked him who was the youngest three-time world champion.
"I don't know," Vettel replied. "Michael is the youngest seven-time world champion."
So that's the ambition?
"That is a long, long way to go," Vettel said. "Obviously we have had two phenomenal seasons and sometimes then you get over-excited and start to talk about those things.
"But really we know how much it takes to win a race, and a whole championship. That really puts things in perspective. It's a long, long way. I don't think you can set the target to say I want to win seven world titles. What Michael achieved in many ways was outstanding."
Vettel was talking at Red Bull Racing's Milton Keynes headquarters, where a news conference on Wednesday morning preceded a private team party in the afternoon.
Vettel - and Red Bull - have every reason to celebrate, after putting together one of the most extraordinary seasons in F1 history.
With 16 races down and three still to go, Vettel has won 10 races, taken 13 pole positions, finished on the podium in every race but one (when he was fourth) and tied up the title in Japan 10 days ago with four races to spare.
But he admitted that it took the most mundane of things for the fact that he was a double world champion to finally sink in properly.
He arrived home in Switzerland on Monday from the Korean Grand Prix to find that his heating had broken. "It was quite cold, so I put the fire on," he said, laughing. "I won't go into details."
Regardless, he said, "I really enjoyed the moment of opening the door, going into the house, knowing what we have achieved. It's those small things that really make you realise what has happened.
"I really like it when nothing is happening, to enjoy the peace, to enjoy time. I didn't do anything special on Monday - just surfing the internet, sleeping, just enjoy the peace and no stress. That's when things really start to sink in.
"It's a nice feeling, because you know all the hours you have spent in the gym, on the race track, it paid off."
Vettel was in a sunny mood on Wednesday - as he so often is. But there was no mistaking the underlying steeliness that is part of what makes him such a formidable competitor.
Anyone who thought his ambition might have been dulled by such towering success so young will need to recalibrate their expectations.
Can you be as dominant next season, he was asked.
"We try," he said. "You never want to come back and do worse than you have done. We set the benchmark very high, and it has been a special season for both sides.
"I had a very good run and the team had a phenomenal run, reliability was great - we've had no technical failures so far. We'll see. We are working hard and we are extremely motivated."
Sebastian Vettel "drove perfectly" all season, according to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Photo: Getty
None of their rivals at McLaren and Ferrari are under any illusions that Vettel and Red Bull will be anything other than formidably tough to beat next year.
After a 2010 season in which, as Vettel has admitted himself, a series of mistakes made winning his first world title much more difficult than it should have been, he and the team have moved on to another level.
He did make mistakes this year. One thinks of the half-spin on the last lap in Canada that handed victory to a charging Jenson Button. Or another spin when trying to stay in touch with the leaders in Germany, his least competitive race of the season. Or his couple of crashes in Friday practice sessions.
But none of them badly affected him, and overall he "drove perfectly", as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the previous youngest double champion, described it.
Vettel looked at the new form F1 took on this season with deliberately high-wear Pirelli tyres and the DRS overtaking aid, realised what was needed to succeed in races, and ruthlessly used the best car on the grid to crush his rivals.
Race after race, he took pole, used the car's inherent pace advantage to build the lead he needed to protect himself at the first pit stops while taking only what he needed to out of the tyres, and held the cushion for the rest of the race.
This strategy formed the bedrock of his season, and generally worked even on the few occasions when the Red Bull was not the fastest car in the race.
His driving was matched by a team that, operationally as well as in terms of the performance of its car, was in a league of its own.
"After every race, I get a print out of the race results, the championship standings and everything and the first thing I do is rip the championship standings off, because the only thing that matters is what we did on that day," Vettel said.
"If you get beaten, you have to accept it. You shouldn't like it, because then you would be in the wrong sport, but there are other very smart people and other very good drivers, and you never get beaten for no reason.
"This year some of the racing has been close, but if there was a chance to open a gap and benefit from it for the rest of the race we were always in a very strong position and many times used that to go for that.
"But I don't think it's fair to say we had a massive advantage all year long. Seasons like this don't happen too often and that's why we want to enjoy it.
"I am extremely proud and to see my name alongside some of the great names is really special. As much as the first world title, the second one people can't take away from you. Many things in life come and go but this will stay forever."
Jacques Villeneuve Sr Luigi Villoresi Emilio de Villota Ottorino Volonterio
Mittwoch, 26. Oktober 2011
Chandhok will not race in Indian Grand Prix | 2011 Indian Grand Prix
Karun Chandhok will not race in the Indian Grand Prix, Lotus have confirmed.
Hakkinen returns in GT3 Mercedes
Mika Hakkinen is to make a racing comeback next month, four years after his last appearance. Hakkinen will compete in the finale of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup on November 13 in Zhuhai. He will share a� Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG … Continue reading 
Graham Whitehead Peter Whitehead Bill Whitehouse Robin Widdows
Fiat 500 Titanium by Mopar Underground
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The Fiat 500 is a relative newbie in the US market so Chrysler is trying to give the little Italian hatchback the proper introduction to American consumers. What better way to do that than to showcase a couple of modified 500s at the SEMA Auto Show?
The first of the two programs is called the Fiat 500 Titanium, one that comes with aggressive styling and premium sport-luxury details. The car was dressed up with a Matte Titanium finish that highlights the car’s sculpted front fascia. There’s also a satin black fascia insert that has integrated LED fog lamps while the circular projector headlamps are finished in gloss black to complement the titanium finish. Mopar also added lowering springs on the car, as well as new side skirts, a large liftgate spoiler that adds downforce for improved stability, a new diffuser, and a set of 16" Matte Titanium wheels with front-and rear-brake calipers. Other elements of the 500 Titanium that are worth noting are the Matte Titanium exterior door handles, mirror caps, a license plate brow, and to make sure the car packs improved performance, a Mopar cold-air intake and Mopar cat-back exhaust.
Meanwhile, the interior of the 500 Titanium speaks loudly of high-performance luxury that’s emphasized by Titanium Metallic accents. The lightweight and high-performance front seats come with massive side bolsters. Likewise, the seats have been wrapped in black leather and further accented with Titanium Metallic vinyl seat centers. The seats also feature a black leather center stripe with Metallic Gray accent stitching while the Titanium Metallic vinyl door bolsters go extremely well with the Matte Titanium instrument panel and gauge cluster brow.
Nothing speaks more to the American auto market than a well-dressed vehicle. On all corners, the Fiat 500 Titanium fits that bill.
Fiat 500 Titanium by Mopar Underground originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 26 October 2011 08:00 EST.
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