Mercedes-Benz SLS to Become 2010 F1 Safety Car
06/11/2009 at 10:29 | In Auto Racing News MWN, Formula 1 News MWN | Leave a CommentTags: f1, f1 2010, f1 safety car, formula 1, formula 1 2010, formula 1 safety car, formula one, formula one 2010, formula one safety car, mercedes, mercedes f1, mercedes formula 1, mercedes formula one, mercedes-benz sls f1, mercedes-benz sls formula 1, mercedes-benz sls formula one, mercedes-benz sls to become 2010 f1 safety car, mercedes-benz sls to become 2010 formula 1 safety car, mercedes-benz sls to become 2010 formula one safety car
The upcoming Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will serve as the official 2010 Formula 1 safety car, Mercedes board member Thomas Webber announced at a press event today in Monterey, California. The 563-hp Gullwing is the ninth Mercedes to wear the famed light bar, replacing the SL63, which has been used since 2008.
Meanwhile, could a lighter weight, higher horsepower SLS Black Series be on the way? While the SLS is already comparatively light by AMG standards, Christoph Jung, senior project manager SLS Mercedes-AMG, says that 80 to 100 kg (176 to 220 lbs) would need to be shed to fit the Black Series dynamic. According to Jung, such weight loss could possibly be seen by replacing the SLS’ aluminum panels with carbon fiber — likely including the engine hood and FRP trunk lid — lightening the braking system, and simplifing the interior with racing-style composite-shelled buckets and reduced sound deadening material.
Of course, an SLS Black Series would be expected to produced more ponies as well — 20 to 40 kW (26 to 54 hp) more according to Jung — and that could be a tougher aspect given new internal efficiency mandates that shun the horsepower wars of yesteryear. Jung wouldn’t mention turbocharging as an option for boosting output, instead using more efficient oiling as an example of several incremental gains that, when combined, could provide a suitable power level.
text at: http://wot.motortrend.com/6602370/auto-news/mercedes-benz-sls-amg-to-become-2010-f1-safety-car-sls-black-series-possible/index.html
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Toyota quits Formula 1
04/11/2009 at 23:01 | In Auto Racing News MWN, Formula 1 News MWN | Leave a CommentTags: f1, formula 1, formula one, toyota formula 1, toyota f1, toyota formula one, toyota, toyota quits f1, toyota quits formula 1, toyota quits formula one
Toyota has announced that it is to pull out of Formula 1 with immediate effect.
The Japanese car company revealed its surprise decision in a news conference in Tokyo today following an earlier board meeting. It said the current economic situation had prompted its departure.
“Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces it plans to withdraw from the FIA Formula 1 world championship at the end of the 2009 season,” said a Toyota statement.
“TMC, which had viewed its participation in F1 as contributing to the prosperity of automotive culture, remained dedicated to competing at the pinnacle of motor sports even in the face of the abrupt economic changes that started last year.
“However, when considering TMC’s motorsports actitives next year and beyond from a comprehensive mid-term viewpoint reflecting the current severe economic realities, TMC decided to withdraw from F1″
There had been doubts about Toyota’s F1 future after the company reported its first ever operating loss in March, and given the departures of fellow manufacturers Honda and BMW. Toyota had also pulled its Fuji track, which hosted the 2007 and 2008 Japanese Grands Prix, from the calendar, and its customer team Williams decided to end its engine deal a year early.
But Toyota signed the new Concorde Agreement, committing it to the world championship through 2012, and team boss John Howett was adamant that the squad would be on the grid in 2010, although there were hints of a reduced budget.
The team had been pressing ahead with 2010 preparations – approaching big name drivers including Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica, and talking of signing impressive stand-in Kamui Kobayashi for next year as recently as last weekend. Current drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock had already been expected to move on.
“TMC also wants to express its heartfelt gratitude to all Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers to date and to all Toyota Motorsport GmbH employees who have helped make the team’s achievements possible,” said the statement.
“TMC intends to do its best to find a solution for those parties who will be affected by any inconvenience this decision may cause.”
Toyota entered F1 in 2002, and was tipped to swiftly become a championship challenger given its huge budget and resources. But it failed to win a race and has just three pole positions, 13 podium finishes, and a best result of fourth in the 2005 constructors’ standings to show for its 139 grands prix.
The departure of Toyota is set to throw the former BMW Sauber team a lifeline, as the Hinwil squad and its new owners had been relying on another team dropping out in order to claim the final spot in next season’s expanded 26-car entry.
Renault is also holding an extraordinary board meeting to discuss its future plans today. Although the indications are that the French company is committed to F1, Toyota’s decision to pull out could give Renault an opportunity to follow suit if it wished.
Toyota added that it would continue to use its F1 experience in “developing exciting production vehicles” and that it would remain involved in motor racing, albeit at a lower level.
“In motorsports, [Toyota] will not only race in various categories, but will also actively contribute to further development of motorsports by supporting grassroots races and planning events in which it is easy for people to participate.”
text at: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80003
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Bridgestone to quit F1 after 2010
02/11/2009 at 22:21 | In Auto Racing News MWN, Formula 1 News MWN | Leave a CommentTags: bridgestone, bridgestone f1, bridgestone formula 1, bridgestone formula one, f1, f1 2010, f1 2011, formula 1, formula 1 2010, formula 1 2011, formula one, formula one 2010, formula one 2011, ridgestone to quit f1 after 2010, ridgestone to quit formula 1 after 2010, ridgestone to quit formula one after 2010
Bridgestone will withdraw from Formula 1 at the end of the 2010 season.
The Japanese tyre manufacturer announced its decision not to renew its F1 contract early on Monday morning.
Bridgestone Motorsport director Hiroshi Yasukawa said in a statement: “The decision made by the board of directors comes after considerable and lengthy evaluations and has been based on the company’s need to redirect its resources towards further intensive development of innovative technologies.”
Bridgestone had been a tyre supplier in Formula 1 since 1997 and had been the sole supplier since the beginning of the 2007 season, following Michelin’s departure, winning 156 of the 223 grands prix it entered.
“Our sincere appreciation is extended to Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One Management, the Formula 1 teams with whom it has been an honour to work alongside and the many F1 fans who have followed our activities over the past 13 years,” added Yasukawa.
Bridgestone will continue in its role as partner and tyre supplier to the GP2 Series and GP2 Asia Series, and will also continue as the sole supplier in MotoGP until at least 2011.
GP2 Asia Series at Abu Dhabi: Sprint Race
01/11/2009 at 21:16 | In Auto Racing News MWN, GP2 Series News MWN | Leave a CommentTags: christian vietoris, christian vietoris gp2 asia, christian vietoris gp2 asia series, christian vietoris wins abu dhabi sprint race, dams, dams gp2 asia, dams gp2 asia series, gp2 asia, gp2 asia 2009-10, gp2 asia abu dhabi, gp2 asia abu dhabi 2nd race, gp2 asia abu dhabi race 2, gp2 asia series, gp2 asia series 2009-10, gp2 asia series abu dhabi, gp2 asia series abu dhabi 2nd race, gp2 asia series abu dhabi race 2, gp2 asia series yas marina, gp2 asia yas marina, vietoris, vietoris gp2 asia, vietoris gp2 asia series, vietoris wins abu dhabi sprint race
Christian Vietoris led from start to finish in the GP2 Asia sprint race in Abu Dhabi, but round one winner Davide Valsecchi starred with a charge from eighth to second ahead of Josef Kral.
DAMS driver Vietoris burst through from third to the lead at the start, with polesitter Oliver Turvey (iSport) elbowed back to fourth by Kral (Super Nova) and Alexander Rossi (Ocean) into the first corner, and Turvey’s front row partner Johnny Cecotto falling to seventh behind yesterday’s lead combatants Luca Filippi (Meritus) and Valsecchi.
The latter was the man on the move throughout the race. He got alongside Filippi several times early on, before drafting ahead on the long straight on lap 14.
Filippi braked ultra-late into the hairpin to try and retaliate, but just speared wide – and then spun down to eighth a few corners later while trying to fend off Cecotto. Valsecchi did not even lose momentum avoiding the wayward Meritus car, and drove around the outside of team-mate Turvey to take fourth before the lap was complete.
The safety car then gave Valsecchi a chance to catch up with the top three, the yellow being required after Will Bratt’s Coloni machine had snapped into a high-speed spin at the end of the back straight and collected Fabio Leimer (Ocean) on its way to the barrier.
Vietoris and Kral had pulled comfortably clear of the field before the caution, with the DAMS driver edging away early on before Kral closed back onto his tail at half-distance. But the safety car cost them their cushion, for Valsecchi swiftly muscled past Rossi for third after the restart and then rapidly closed on Vietoris and Kral.
That gave Vietoris some breathing space, as Valsecchi climbed all over the back of Kral before diving ahead into Turn 11 on the last lap. There was no time left to catch Vietoris though, and the German duly ended his first GP2 weekend with victory.
Turvey put a late move on Rossi to take fourth, with Cecotto hanging on to sixth ahead of Vietoris’ team-mate Edoardo Piscopo and the delayed Filippi.
Yesterday’s third place man James Jakes was forced wide at the first corner and could only finish 10th, the Super Nova driver having spent most of the race trying in vain to pass DPR’s Michael Herck.
Sam Bird set the fastest lap as he attempted to come through from the back following his race one retirement. Although he produced some spectacular overtaking moves, the ART driver also spun twice while trying to make up ground, and ended up at the tail of the field.
Here are the results of this race:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Christian Vietoris DAMS 43m18.814s
2. Davide Valsecchi iSport + 2.447s
3. Josef Kral Super Nova + 3.195s
4. Oliver Turvey iSport + 6.616s
5. Alexander Rossi Ocean + 7.420s
6. Johnny Cecotto Trident + 7.711s
7. Edoardo Piscopo DAMS + 8.237s
8. Luca Filippi Meritus + 10.136s
9. Michael Herck DPR + 10.730s
10. James Jakes Super Nova + 11.643s
11. Luiz Razia Addax + 11.881s
12. Marcus Ericsson ART + 12.315s
13. Diego Nunes Meritus + 12.893s
14. Roldan Rodriguez Coloni + 13.303s
15. Charles Pic Arden + 13.777s
16. Rodolfo Gonzalez Arden + 14.431s
17. Max Chilton Addax + 19.485s
18. Sam Bird ART + 21.421s
DNF. Vlado Arabadjiev Piquet 17 laps completed
DNF. Fabio Leimer Ocean 14 laps completed
DNF. Will Bratt Coloni 14 laps completed
DNF. Daniel Zampieri Piquet 5 laps completed
DNF. Giacomo Ricci DPR 1 lap completed
DNF. Plamen Kralev Trident 0 laps completed
WTCC at Okayama: Races
01/11/2009 at 20:45 | In Auto Racing News MWN, WTCC News MWN | Leave a CommentTags: andy priaulx, andy priaulx wins 1st race at okayama, andy priaulx wtcc, augusto farfus, augusto farfus wins 2nd race at okayama, augusto farfus wtcc, bmw, bmw wtcc, farfus, farfus wins 2nd race at okayama, farfus wtcc, priaulx, priaulx wins 1st race at okayama, priaulx wtcc, wtcc, wtcc 2009, wtcc at japan, wtcc at okayama, wtcc japan, wtcc japan races, wtcc okayama, wtcc okayama races
1st Race: Victory for Andy Priaulx
Andy Priaulx claimed his second World Touring Car victory of the season with a hard-fought win in a torrential first race of the day at Okayama.
A downpour half an hour before the start meant the race had to be started behind the safety car. When it peeled off at the end of the second lap, Priaulx inherited the lead almost immediately when pole-sitter and championship leader Gabriele Tarquini let his car drift too wide on the approach to Turn 2, Williams Corner, and slid wide across the grass.
Priaulx, who only missed out on pole by 0.050s in qualifying yesterday, needed no further invitation to stake his claim on the race. He and fellow BMW driver Jorg Muller moved away at the front, while third-placed Jordi Gene made a mistake and fell behind Rob Huff, and then slowed to sacrifice himself for his SEAT team-mates.
Huff was left to chase the BMWs from a distance, but Priaulx and Muller were left to contest the race between themselves in the closing stages.
Priaulx’s car dropped off towards the end as he struggle with fading brakes. Muller closed in with three laps to go and attack him doggedly to the finish. There was plenty of powersliding and a bit of door banging, as Muller attacked at the hairpin and again at Redman Corner, but the team-mates kept it clean and Priaulx survived the final turns to clinch his 12th career WTCC win.
Yvan Muller was gifted fourth place by title rival Tarquini’s first lap off, and Gene’s sacrifice, while Tarquini himself recovered to fifth past Tiago Monteiro and Gene to minimise the loss to Muller.
Augusto Farfus continued the habit of his season by recovering from an incident on the first lap to take eighth place and pole position for race two. This time the Brazilian followed Tarquini wide at Williams Corner and dropped to 14th.
As he approached the top 10 he came across a battle for eighth already in full flow, between independent championship leader Tom Coronel, the Lada of James Thompson and the Chevrolet of Alain Menu.
Menu and Farfus made their way ahead of Thompson and Coronel and engaged each other in a heated scrap to the end. They touched several times before Farfus threw his car down the inside of Menu at Mike Knight Corner. There was contact when Menu turned in an the Chevrolet was punted wide over the grass, giving the place to Farfus.
Coronel completed the top 10 , with Thompson 11th and Nicola Larini 12th. Coronel’s nearest class rival was Felix Porteiro in 14th, who survived a late duel for the place when Stefano D’Aste spun off on the last lap.
Here are the standings of this race:
Pos Driver Car Time/Gap
1. Andy Priaulx BMW 32m18.887s
2. Jorg Muller BMW 0.484s
3. Rob Huff Chevrolet 2.552s
4. Yvan Muller SEAT 12.066s
5. Gabriele Tarquini SEAT 15.757s
6. Jordi Gene SEAT 17.131s
7. Tiago Monteiro SEAT 18.693s
8. Augusto Farfus BMW 25.403s
9. Alain Menu Chevrolet 28.163s
10. Tom Coronel SEAT 30.133s
11. James Thompson Lada 30.693s
12. Nicola Larini Chevrolet 32.217s
13. Jaap van Lagen Lada 40.278s
14. Felix Porteiro BMW 50.587s
15. Alex Zanardi BMW 55.891s
16. Kirill Ladygin Lada 57.180s
17. Seiji Ara BMW 58.480s
18. Tom Boardman SEAT 1m05.796s
19. Kristian Poulsen BMW 1m09.905s
20. Norbertu Taniguchi BMW 1m15.829s
21. Masaki Kano BMW 1m28.415s
22. Joao Paulo de Oliveira SEAT 1m29.405s
23. Henry Ho BMW 1m53.615s
24. Stefano D'Aste BMW +1 lap
25. Rickard Rydell SEAT +2 laps
DNF.Franz Engstler BMW 3 laps completed
DNF. Sergio Hernandez BMW 2 laps completed
fonte: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79928
2nd Race: Augusto Farfus leads BMW 1-2
Augusto Farfus kept his slim World Touring Car title chances alive with his fifth win of the season in Sunday’s second wet race at Okayama.
Farfus made a sound getaway from pole and had BMW team-mate Andy Priaulx riding shotgun for him – from eighth on the grid – by the exit of the first corner, thanks to carnage off the line.
Jorg Muller’s fast starting BMW shot up to the front off the line and he tried to move inside Tiago Monteiro’s SEAT for second place on the main straight. Monteiro squeezed Muller onto the wet grass, where the German lost control of his car and speared into the side of the SEAT. Muller was later given a drive-through penalty for his part in the incident.
Both cars spun off at the first corner, taking the SEATs of Jordi Gene and championship leader Gabriele Tarquini with them. Countless cars then flew off the road in all directions at the treacherous Turn 2, where aqua-planing was a problem all day.
That left a jumbled order at the end of the first lap, with Priaulx second, Tarquini’s main title rival Yvan Muller surviving in third and Alain Menu – who had only missed out on the race two pole in the final corners of race one – up to fourth from eighth. Felix Porteiro was fifth, ahead of Jaap van Lagen, Stefano D’Aste, James Thompson, Tom Boardman, Nicola Larini and Kristian Poulsen.
The best of the charges back to the front came from Rickard Rydell, who peaked at seventh (from 13th) and Rob Huff, who made it up to sixth from 17th.
Farfus and Priaulx ran a controlled race up front – the only drama coming when Poulsen spun his car in front of the lead pack on the main straight.
Muller was grateful just to take a handful of points back from Tarquini in third, with Menu unable to make any impression on him from behind.
Jordi Gene had escaped the first corner in fifth, but carried damage with his rear bumper falling off during the race. The Spaniard once again played a team role and gave away four places – two to Chevrolets – in the last two laps to allow Tarquini through.
Rydell also moved over to give Tarquini two points for seventh, behind the Cruzes of Larini and Huff.
D’Aste claimed the independent class win in 10th after Tom Coronel was delayed by the spate of off-road excursions at Turn 2 on the first lap, and Porteiro went backwards from his early fifth to 11th. Coronel finished 13th, behind the BMW of Sergio Hernandez.
Lada had looked to be in for a good points haul with van Lagen sixth and Thompson eighth, but both pulled into the pits to retire within a lap of each other.
The charity of his team-mates means Tarquini is two points ahead of Muller heading to the season finale in Macau, with Farfus a further 11 back.
Here are the results of this race:
Pos Driver Car Time/Gap
1. Augusto Farfus BMW 26m55.015s
2. Andy Priaulx BMW 0.761s
3. Yvan Muller SEAT 3.298s
4. Alain Menu Chevrolet 5.878s
5. Nicola Larini Chevrolet 13.725s
6. Rob Huff Chevrolet 17.538s
7. Gabriele Tarquini SEAT 24.104s
8. Rickard Rydell SEAT 26.212s
9. Jordi Gene SEAT 27.272s
10. Stefano D'Aste BMW 35.619s
11. Felix Porteiro BMW 36.900s
12. Sergio Hernandez BMW 37.866s
13. Tom Coronel SEAT 41.110s
14. Joao Paulo de Oliveira SEAT 49.317s
15. Tom Boardman SEAT 58.394s
16. Franz Engstler BMW 1m03.206s
17. Jorg Muller BMW 1m07.306s
18. Alex Zanardi BMW 1m10.579s
19. Seiji Ara BMW 1m18.816s
20. Masaki Kano BMW 1m40.690s
DNF.Jaap van Lagen Lada 9 laps completed
DNF.James Thompson Lada 8 laps completed
DNF.Henry Ho BMW 6 laps completed
DNF.Kristian Poulsen BMW 6 laps completed
DNF.Norbertu Taniguchi BMW 3 laps completed
DNF.Tiago Monteiro SEAT 0 laps completed
Formula 1, Abu Dhabi GP: Race
01/11/2009 at 17:46 | In Auto Racing News MWN, Formula 1 News MWN | Leave a CommentTags: "f1 2009", abu dhabi, abu dhabi f1, abu dhabi formula 1, abu dhabi formula one, abu dhabi gp, abu dhabi gp f1, abu dhabi gp formula 1, abu dhabi gp formula one, f1, f1 abu dhabi, f1 abu dhabi gp, f1 yas marina, formula 1, formula 1 2009, formula 1 abu dhabi, formula 1 abu dhabi gp, formula 1 yas marina, formula one, formula one 2009, formula one abu dhabi, formula one abu dhabi gp, formula one yas marina, red bull, red bull 1-2 at abu dhabi, red bull f1, red bull formula 1, red bull formula one, red bull one-two at abu dhabi, sebastian vettel, sebastian vettel f1, sebastian vettel formula 1, sebastian vettel formula one, sebastian vettel wins abu dhabi gp, vettel, vettel f1, vettel formula 1, vettel formula one, vettel wins abu dhabi gp, yas marina, yas marina f1, yas marina formula 1, yas marina formula one
Sebastian Vettel led Mark Webber in a Red Bull one-two as the team completed its domination of the final part of the 2009 season by winning the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The result also confirmed Vettel as championship runner-up behind Jenson Button (Brawn), who took only his second podium of the second half of the year in third, right behind Webber after a fraught late battle.
Pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton had to retire early with brake problems.
The outgoing champion had been tipped to dominate following his absolute command of qualifying and much of practice, but looked vulnerable from the outset. He was unable to get away from the two Red Bulls, and had difficulty slowing his McLaren from the early stages, even before his team radioed him to warn of a right rear brake issue.
The Brawns were also able to match Hamilton’s pace, with Rubens Barrichello falling behind Button on the opening lap after losing a chunk of front wing in a Turn 1 brush with Webber.
Hamilton stayed ahead of Webber at the first stops, but Vettel ran two laps further than the McLaren and was able to emerge with a comfortable lead – despite a pitlane scare when Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari accidentally pulled into RBR’s area just as Vettel was approaching. The Spaniard was hurriedly ushered back out and then retired on track with a gearbox failure.
Two laps later Hamilton became the race’s second retirement, McLaren deciding that it was unsafe to allow him to continue with the brake problem and ordering him back to the garage.
That left Vettel free to cruise to an untroubled victory, with the German stretching away from team-mate Webber and winning for the fourth time this year.
As Button rejoined from his first pit visit he was attacked by one-stopping Toyota rookie Kamui Kobayashi, who forced the world champion to defend heavily then slipped past as Button ran wide at Turn 8. Kobayashi looked like he might challenge for a shock podium, becoming the fastest man on track as he approached his stop. But his pace faded on full tanks and he fell behind both Brawns and Nick Heidfeld’s BMW to sixth by the time the final stops were complete.
Having made sure of third place, Button mounted a late charge after Webber’s second position. The gap had been up to 12s in the middle stint, but the flying world champion was on Webber’s tail with six laps to go – only to hit the usual turbulent air obstruction.
On the last lap Button managed to get in Webber’s tow on the long back straight, but was kept to the outside under braking for Turn 8. He attacked again on the run down to Turn 11, but still Webber was able to hug the racing line and brake late enough to squeeze home in front.
Heidfeld gave BMW Sauber a pleasing send-off by hassling Barrichello through the second half of the race and taking fifth. His team-mate Robert Kubica had starred early on, muscling past Jarno Trulli (Toyota) on lap one then tagging along with the leaders.
But he lost time battling with Heikki Kovalainen’s one-stopping McLaren after an early stop and was jumped by both Heidfeld and Trulli, then dropped to 10th with a late spin while battling with Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi, who went on to claim the final point ahead of Nico Rosberg’s Williams.
Kovalainen could only progress to 11th following his qualifying misfortune, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari, while even an enormous fuel load could not get Fernando Alonso higher than 14th in a muted farewell to Renault.
Giancarlo Fisichella’s Ferrari race stint – and potentially his Formula 1 career – also ended on a low. He made some progress from the rear of the grid with a fast start, but a pit speeding penalty dropping him back to 16th.
Here are the results of Abu Dhabi GP:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap 1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h34:03.314 2. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 17.857 3. Button Brawn-Mercedes + 18.467 4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes + 22.735 5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber + 26.253 6. Kobayashi Toyota + 28.343 7. Trulli Toyota + 34.366 8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 41.294 9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota + 45.941 10. Kubica BMW Sauber + 48.180 11. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes + 52.798 12. Raikkonen Ferrari + 54.317 13. Nakajima Williams-Toyota + 59.839 14. Alonso Renault + 1:09.687 15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes + 1:34.450 16. Grosjean Renault + 1 lap 17. Fisichella Ferrari + 1 lap 18. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap 19. Hamilton McLaren Mercedes 21 laps completed 20. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 19 laps completed Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:40.279
Here are the final standings of 2009 Formula 1 Season (Drivers and Constructors championships):
Pos Driver Pts Pos Constructor Pts
1. Button 95 1. Brawn-Mercedes 172
2. Vettel 84 2. Red Bull-Renault 153.5
3. Barrichello 77 3. McLaren-Mercedes 71
4. Webber 69.5 4. Ferrari 70
5. Hamilton 49 5. Toyota 59.5
6. Raikkonen 48 6. BMW Sauber 36
7. Rosberg 34.5 7. Williams-Toyota 34.5
8. Trulli 32.5 8. Renault 26
9. Alonso 26 9. Force India-Mercedes 13
10. Glock 24 10. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8
11. Kovalainen 22
12. Massa 22
13. Heidfeld 19
14. Kubica 17
15. Fisichella 8
16. Buemi 6
17. Sutil 5
18. Kobayashi 3
19. Bourdais 2
20. Nakajima 0
21. Piquet 0
22. Liuzzi 0
23. Alguersuari 0
24. Badoer 0
text and standings at: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79941
picture at: http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/78489
Formula 1, Abu Dhabi GP: Qualifying Session [Updated 2]
31/10/2009 at 15:27 | In Auto Racing News MWN, Formula 1 News MWN | Leave a CommentTags: "f1 2009", f1, formula 1, formula 1 2009, mclaren f1, mclaren formula 1, mclaren, formula one, formula one 2009, lewis hamilton, lewis hamilton f1, lewis hamilton formula 1, hamilton, hamilton formula 1, hamilton f1, lewis hamilton formula one, hamilton formula one, mclaren formula one, f1 abu dhabi gp, formula 1 abu dhabi gp, formula one abu dhabi gp, f1 abu dhabi, formula 1 abu dhabi, formula one abu dhabi, abu dhabi formula one, abu dhabi, abu dhabi f1, abu dhabi formula 1, abu dhabi gp formula one, abu dhabi gp f1, abu dhabi gp formula 1, abu dhabi gp, hamilton on pole to abu dhabi gp, lewis hamilton on pole to abu dhabi gp, abu dhabi gp qualifying, abu dhabi gp qualifying session, kovalainen gets penalty, heikki kovalainen gets penalty
Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by a crushing 0.7s margin over the Red Bulls.
McLaren driver Hamilton had dominated the early stages of qualifying – topping Q1 by half a second and Q2 by 0.3s. He then squandered his first Q3 lap by running wide at Turn 17, but regrouped and set a 1m41.773s next time around to take provisional pole from Rubens Barrichello (Brawn).
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber then made massive gains to jump from potential fourth row positions to first and second in the closing seconds. However Hamilton was already on a much faster final lap, and he duly put in a time of 1m40.948s to take his fourth pole of 2009.
An all-McLaren front row looked possible given the team’s practice pace, but Heikki Kovalainen’s car stopped with a transmission fault in Q2. Third at the time, he slipped to 13th on the grid.
Vettel, Webber and Barrichello remained in second to fourth positions, with new world champion Jenson Button fifth in the second Brawn.
Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was a contender for pole early in Q3 but found himself edged down to sixth by the end, ahead of the two BMWs, which share row four for the team’s final race. Williams’s Nico Rosberg and Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi completed the top ten.
Neither Ferrari made it into the top ten – making 2009 the first season since 1993 that the team has not managed a single pole. Kimi Raikkonen only narrowly missed Q3 in 11th place, but his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella was slowest of all – leaving Ferrari hard-pressed to overcome McLaren’s two-point advantage in their battle for third in the Constructors’ Championship.
It was an even worse session for Renault. Fernando Alonso could only manage 16th, so was eliminated in Q1 for the first time ever, while his team-mate Romain Grosjean had a spin on the way to 19th, behind the disappointing Force Indias.
Here are the results of Qualifying Session:
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:39.873 1:39.695 1:40.948
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:40.666 1:39.984 1:41.615
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:40.667 1:40.272 1:41.726
4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 1:40.574 1:40.421 1:41.786
5. Button Brawn-Mercedes 1:40.378 1:40.148 1:41.892
6. Trulli Toyota 1:40.517 1:40.373 1:41.897
7. Kubica BMW-Sauber 1:40.520 1:40.545 1:41.992
8. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 1:40.558 1:40.635 1:42.343
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:40.842 1:40.661 1:42.583
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:40.908 1:40.430 1:42.713
11. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:41.100 1:40.726
12. Kobayashi Toyota 1:41.035 1:40.777
13. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:40.808 1:40.983
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:41.096 1:41.148
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:41.503 1:41.689
16. Alonso Renault 1:41.667
17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:41.701
18. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:41.863
19. Grosjean Renault 1:41.950
20. Fisichella Ferrari 1:42.184
text and standings at: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79900
picture at: http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/78452
Heikki Kovalainen gets 5 grid places penalty
Heikki Kovalainen will lose five places on the grid of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after needing a gearbox change after qualifying.
The McLaren driver, quickest in yesterday’s practice, stopped on track with a mechanical problem during the second segment of qualifying and was unable to complete more than a flying run.
As a result, he qualified down in 13th.
However, the team needed to replace Kovalainen’s gearbox, meaning the Finn will get a five-place grid penalty.
“What a disappointing outcome to my qualifying,” he said. “I got stuck in second gear during Q2 and that was it. I already had minor problems with the gearbox yesterday when it jumped out of gear, so it’s frustrating when you have a car you can easily take into Q3.
“But I’m looking at the positives: the balance of my car has been good throughout the entire weekend, and it’s been great to drive on this fantastic circuit. You can absolutely guarantee I’ll be giving it my all in the race tomorrow and I’ll be fighting from the first lap to the very last.”
Force India team can to be considered “luckly”: with Heikki Kovalainen penalized, each one of Indian team drivers will start the race 1 position ahead.
With Heikki Kovalainen penalty, the starting grid for tomorrow races will be:
Pos Driver Team
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault
4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes
5. Button Brawn-Mercedes
6. Trulli Toyota
7. Kubica BMW-Sauber
8. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari
11. Raikkonen Ferrari
12. Kobayashi Toyota
13. Nakajima Williams-Toyota
14. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari
15. Alonso Renault
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes
17. Sutil Force India-Mercedes
18. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes
19. Grosjean Renault
20. Fisichella Ferrari
in: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79911
When Possible, I will post the post-Qualifying car weights
Lewis Hamilton had obtained the pole position with more 3.5kg than Sebastian Vettel. The British driver has 658.5kg in McLaren, and the German has 663kg in Red Bull.
Rubens Barrichello has one of lighter cars, with 655kg. Robert Kubica is the only driver who has the car ligther than Rubens Barrichello, with 654.5kg.
From 11th until 20th, all cars have more than 690kg. The Ferrari cars are the lighters, with 692kg in Kimi Räikkönen’s F60 and 692.5kg in Giancarlo Fisichella’s F60.
The heaviest car is of Romain Grosjean, with 710.8kg.
Here are the list of weights:
Pos Driver Team Weight (kg) 1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 658.5 2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 663.0 3. Webber Red Bull-Renault 660.0 4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 655.0 5. Button Brawn-Mercedes 657.0 6. Trulli Toyota 661.0 7. Kubica BMW-Sauber 654.5 8. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 664.0 9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 665.0 10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 661.5 11. Raikkonen Ferrari 692.0* 12. Kobayashi Toyota 694.3* 13. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 697.0* 14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 704.0* 15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 696.5* 16. Alonso Renault 708.3* 17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 695.0* 18. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 696.0* 19. Grosjean Renault 710.8* 20. Fisichella Ferrari 692.5* * Declared weight
source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79926
Formula 1, Abu Dhabi GP: 3rd Practise
31/10/2009 at 12:16 | In Auto Racing News MWN, Formula 1 News MWN | Leave a CommentTags: "f1 2009", abu dhabi f1, abu dhabi formula 1, abu dhabi formula one, abu dhabi gp 3rd practise, abu dhabi gp f1, abu dhabi gp formula 1, abu dhabi gp formula one, brawn, brawn f1, brawn formula 1, brawn formula one, brawn gp, brawn gp f1, brawn gp formula 1, brawn gp formula one, brawngp, brawngp f1, brawngp formula 1, brawngp formula one, button, button f1, button formula 1, button formula one, button tops abu dhabi 3rd practise, f1, f1 abu dhabi, f1 abu dhabi gp, f1 abu dhabi gp 3rd practise, formula 1, formula 1 2009, formula 1 abu dhabi, formula 1 abu dhabi gp, formula 1 abu dhabi gp 3rd practise, formula one, formula one 2009, formula one abu dhabi, formula one abu dhabi gp, formula one abu dhabi gp 3rd practise, jenson button, jenson button f1, jenson button formula 1, jenson button formula one, jenson button tops abu dhabi 3rd practise
Jenson Button beat Lewis Hamilton by a scant 0.002 seconds in the final Formula 1 practice session of 2009 in Abu Dhabi.
The pair of British world champions had been closely-matched during Friday’s sessions and resumed battle today, with Button sneaking ahead right at the end of the hour and earning his first fastest time in an official session since he took pole in Monaco five months ago.
McLaren driver Hamilton had been the man to beat for the majority of the session.
Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi had swapped first place with Hamilton’s team-mate Heikki Kovalainen early on, and then Button edged ahead of them with a very early soft tyre run. But then Hamilton completely blew them away with a 1m41.270s lap – 1.1s quicker than anyone else – on hard tyres just before the halfway point.
He later shaved a further 0.2s off that mark, and although Buemi briefly nosed back ahead, when Hamilton switched to soft tyres he rapidly moved back in front with a 1m40.810s two minutes from the end.
That looked set to stand as the best time of the session, until Button – back on harder tyres – stole the top spot with a 1m40.625s. Hamilton, still on his now-worn softs, improving to just 0.002s behind, but Button was going faster still on his next lap before backing off and returning to the pits.
Rubens Barrichello jumped to third in the dying seconds in the second Brawn, ahead of Buemi.
Nick Heidfeld completed the top five for BMW, despite earlier expressing his amazement at team-mate Robert Kubica’s pace. In the end, the Pole was three places further back, behind Kovalainen and Toyota’s Jarno Trulli. Adrian Sutil and Kimi Raikkonen filled the final top ten places for Force India and Ferrari.
The session passed without major incident, bar a brush of the barrier by Force India’s Tonio Liuzzi and two quick spins from Renault’s Romain Grosjean.
But while there were no accidents, Jaime Alguersuari was sidelined for the entire hour as his Toro Rosso team worked to fix a hydraulic problem.
Here are the results of this practise:
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Button Brawn GP-Mercedes 1:40.625 21
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:40.627 + 0.002 18
3. Barrichello Brawn GP-Mercedes 1:40.907 + 0.282 20
4. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:40.934 + 0.309 22
5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:41.241 + 0.616 18
6. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:41.263 + 0.638 20
7. Trulli Toyota 1:41.310 + 0.685 23
8. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:41.322 + 0.697 20
9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:41.372 + 0.747 22
10. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:41.373 + 0.748 23
11. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:41.403 + 0.778 19
12. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:41.478 + 0.853 22
13. Kobayashi Toyota 1:41.499 + 0.874 24
14. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:41.675 + 1.050 20
15. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:41.682 + 1.057 15
16. Alonso Renault 1:41.897 + 1.272 19
17. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:42.156 + 1.531 21
18. Grosjean Renault 1:42.213 + 1.588 19
19. Fisichella Ferrari 1:42.351 + 1.726 23
20. Alguersuari Toro Rosso - - 0
text and standings at: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79894
picture at: http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/78445
GP2 Asia at Abu Dhabi: Feature Race
31/10/2009 at 11:04 | In Auto Racing News MWN, GP2 Series News MWN | Leave a CommentTags: alexander rossi, alexander rossi 4º na estreia com ort, alexander rossi gp2 asia, alexander rossi gp2 asia series, davide valsecchi, davide valsecchi gp2 asia, davide valsecchi gp2 asia series, davide valsecchi wins abu dhabi 1st race, gp2 asia, gp2 asia 2009-10, gp2 asia abu dhabi, gp2 asia abu dhabi 1st race, gp2 asia abu dhabi feature race, gp2 asia abu dhabi race 1, gp2 asia series, gp2 asia series 2009-10, gp2 asia series abu dhabi, gp2 asia series abu dhabi 1st race, gp2 asia series abu dhabi feature race, gp2 asia series abu dhabi race 1, isport, isport gp2 asia, isport gp2 asia series, ocean racing technology, ocean racing technology gp2 asia, ocean racing technology gp2 asia series, ort, ort gp2 asia, ort gp2 asia series, rossi, rossi 4º na estreia com ort, rossi gp2 asia, rossi gp2 asia series, valsecchi, valsecchi gp2 asia, valsecchi gp2 asia series, valsecchi wins abu dhabi 1st race
Davide Valsecchi opened the GP2 Asia season with a hard-earned victory over fellow category veteran Luca Filippi in Abu Dhabi.
iSport driver Valsecchi had to come from behind to beat the Italian, finally taking the lead with a spectacular move in the closing stages and then pulling away again following a late safety car to win by five seconds.
Polesitter Valsecchi had initially lost his lead to ART’s impressive rookie Sam Bird off the line, but was able to pass the Formula 3 graduate before the first lap was complete.
Meritus driver Filippi and Super Nova’s James Jakes also overtook Bird soon afterwards as the latter struggled for race pace. Filippi then ran further than Valsecchi prior to his mandatory pitstop and emerged with the lead, getting his stop completed just in time as a collision between Luiz Razia (Addax) and Christian Vietoris (DAMS) brought out the first safety car.
Valsecchi put pressure on Filippi later in the race and finally won the lead battle by muscling through after a very close side by side dice through the Turn 11, 12, 13 and 14 complex. He briefly came under threat again when Trident driver Plamen Kralev’s spin prompted the safety car again, but had the pace to pull away and secure the win.
Filippi fended off Jakes to retain second place, with Alexander Rossi (Ocean) the top rookie in fourth place, followed by fellow newcomers Josef Kral (Super Nova) and Vietoris. Rossi and Kral’s former Formula Master rival Fabio Leimer was unable to capitalise on his excellent third on the grid as his Ocean car stalled before the formation lap. Fifth place qualifier Roldan Rodriguez (Coloni) left another gap when he falled to get off the line at the start.
Bird retired on the penultimate lap with brake problems, which meant his countryman Oliver Turvey moved up to eighth in the second iSport car and will therefore start from reverse grid pole for tomorrow’s sprint race, alongside Trident’s Johnny Cecotto.
Here are the results of this race:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Davide Valsecchi iSport 1h07m49.810s
2. Luca Filippi Meritus + 4.881s
3. James Jakes Super Nova + 6.174s
4. Alexander Rossi Ocean + 7.182s
5. Josef Kral Super Nova + 8.220s
6. Christian Vietoris DAMS + 13.300s
7. Johnny Cecotto Trident + 15.460s
8. Oliver Turvey iSport + 16.223s
9. Edoardo Piscopo DAMS + 16.715s
10. Roldan Rodriguez Coloni + 16.879s
11. Marcus Ericsson ART + 21.686s
12. Will Bratt Coloni + 22.539s
13. Michael Herck DPR + 22.881s
14. Rodolfo Gonzalez Arden + 23.403s
15. Daniel Zampieri Piquet + 23.786s
16. Max Chilton Addax + 25.131s
17. Fabio Leimer Ocean + 30.019s
18. Sam Bird ART + 2 laps
DNF. Charles Pic Arden 28 laps completed
DNF. Vlado Arabadjiev Piquet 25 laps completed
DNF. Plamen Kralev Trident 24 laps completed
DNF. Luiz Razia Addax 12 laps completed
DNF. Giacomo Ricci DPR 8 laps completed
DNF. Diego Nunes Meritus 0 laps completed
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