tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42874272757332826212024-03-05T07:27:03.661+01:00F1 PicturesThese is the blog that has one of the best, newest and oldest pictures around! A lot of Formula 1 (F1)pictures can be found here - high resolution. Pictures (wallpapers) are of cars and drivers.
CARS: Williams, Ferrari, McLaren, Toyota, RedBull, Torro Rosso, Spyker, Team India, Renault, Jaguar, Minardi,..)
DRIVERS: Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonnen, Mika Hakkinen, Ayerton Senna,...F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-25901803979184817012020-07-19T17:10:00.000+02:002020-07-19T17:11:00.113+02:00Michael Schumacher condition updated by Jean Todt<br />
Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt has opened up about Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher’s condition — and said he “hopes the world will be able to see him again”.<br />
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Todt spoke of his “love” for the German sports star as he continues to recover from a horrific skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013, which left him with severe brain injuries, The Sun reports.<br />
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Schumacher’s condition has been shrouded in secrecy since the horror accident, with his wife Corinna preferring to treat her husband privately at their home in Geneva, Switzerland.<br />
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Jean Todt was the seven-time champ’s team principal at Ferrari, and now works as President of Formula One’s governing body, the FIA.<br />
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They made for a formidable pair, with Schumacher winning five consecutive World Drivers’ Championships, from 2000 to 2004, under his leadership.<br />
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The Frenchman, 74, told the Mail on Sunday that he had visited Michael recently and considers him to be a second son.<br />
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“I saw Michael last week,” he said.<br />
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“He is fighting. I hope the world will be able to see him again. That is what he and his family are working towards.”<br />
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But he said that it was “impossible” to say whether the German was indeed the best racing driver ever.<br />
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Todt added: “I love Michael. But it is impossible to say who is the best ever. There is Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna and Michael.<br />
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“You can only think in terms of who is the best in a certain generation.”<br />
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The Frenchman also said that he didn’t mind whether Lewis Hamilton beat Schumacher’s record of the most successful driver in history, and urged people to see the bigger picture.<br />
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He added: “After an accident like the one Michael has had, does it matter whether Lewis has won more?”<br />
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It comes after F1 legend Felipe Massa said last month that he remains “very close” to Schumacher and said “his situation is not easy.”<br />
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A leading neurosurgeon claimed earlier this year that the star was “very altered” six years on from the horror injury.<br />
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Last month, the German was reportedly undergoing pioneering stem cell treatment in Paris aimed at improving his condition.<br />
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However, sources told the Mail this was unlikely for the time being due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.<br />
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Schumacher, who won a record seven F1 world championships with Benetton and Ferrari, underwent his first stem-cell therapy in Paris in September last year.<br />
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French journalist Jean-Michel Decugis told The Times that the stem cell therapy will have an “anti-inflammatory effect” which will mostly likely impact the brain.<br />
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Schumacher turned 51 on January 3, but has not been seen in public since the accident in the French Alps which left him with severe head injuries and in a medically-induced coma.<br />
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An official documentary film about the legend, Schumacher, completed with the blessing of his family, was released last year.<br />
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It featured rare interviews with his dad Rolf, Corinna, his kids Gina and Mick, and others who have worked with or raced against him during his impressive career.<br />
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In December last year, Schumacher’s wife delivered a rare message of hope ahead of the sixth anniversary of the F1 icon’s accident.<br />
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She reportedly told fans: “Big things start with small steps. Many small particles can form a huge mosaic.<br />
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“Together you are stronger, and that is exactly how combined forces of the Keep Fighting movement make it easier to encourage others.”F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-49015819699681772912019-09-10T09:19:00.000+02:002019-09-10T09:19:18.574+02:00Michael Schumacher in Paris hospital for stem cell therapy<br />
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The condition of Michael Schumacher after his ill-fated skiing accident five years ago has been one of the most fiercely guarded secrets, with the family ensuring utmost privacy when it comes to providing updates.<br />
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<a href="https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwallsdesk.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F10%2FMichael-Schumacher-Wallpapers-HQ.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwallsdesk.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F10%2FMichael-Schumacher-Wallpapers-HQ.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" width="320" /></a></div>
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The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has been receiving treatment at his home in Switzerland, with wife Corinna Schumacher admitting recently that they are doing everything humanly possible to help him.<br />
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According to French newspaper Le Parisien, via Motorsport.com, the F1 legend has now been shifted to a Paris hospital to receive treatment from a renowned heart surgeon who specializes in stem cell treatments. The report said Schumacher arrived in southern Paris at the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital and Professor Philippe Menasche is said to lead the medical team.<br />
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Menasche is a cardiothoracic surgeon who, with his colleagues, has long been working on using stem cells to repair damaged hearts. The treatment for Schumacher is expected to begin early Tuesday morning, with the former Ferrari driver expected to return home to Switzerland later in the week.<br />
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According to the Daily Mail, the former F1 driver is said to have made more visits to the facility earlier in the year for checkups prior to the treatment. Schumacher has not been seen in public since his life-altering accident. After spending six months in a medically induced coma, he was shifted to his home in Switzerland for round-the-clock care, but updates about his condition have been few and far between.<br />
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The family put out a statement earlier this year on the occasion of Schumacher’s 50th birthday and revealed that they are doing everything possible to help him get better but it’s the family’s wish to keep information regarding his health private.<br />
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“You can be sure that he is in the very best of hands and that we are doing everything humanly possible to help him. Please understand if we are following Michael’s wishes and keeping such a sensitive subject as health, as it has always been, in privacy,” the statement read.<br />
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Jean Todt, the current FIA president and former Ferrari team principal, who is a close confidant of the German motor racing legend, recently revealed that he had visited the seven-time champion and watched an F1 race with him. It is a clear sign that Schumacher is making progress after suffering severe head injuries in the 2013 accident.<br />
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“I’m always careful with such statements, but it’s true,” Todt said. “I saw the race together with Michael Schumacher at his home in Switzerland."F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-20690169444925847092019-03-10T21:58:00.000+01:002019-03-10T21:58:29.547+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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MICHAEL Schumacher’s health is still very much under wraps, as the Formula 1 star is recovering from a catastrophic ski crash sustained six years ago in 2013.<br /><br />Seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher is still recovering from a devastating skiing accident he sustained six years ago. His wife Corinna has been careful to keep details of the racing legend’s life close to the family, so little is known about Schumacher's current status. However, it has now been confirmed Schumacher has moved to his holiday retreat on the island of Mallorca.<br /><br />Michael Schumacher owns a stunning £26 million mansion on the island of Mallorca named Villa Yasmin.<br /><br />He was seen touching down at Port d'Andratx on the island, spotted by neighbours.<br /><br />Residents at neighbouring properties told German magazine, Bunte, they had seen him accompanied by medical staff.<br /><br />According to the magazine, he arrived on the island via helicopter.<br /><br />The magazine said Schumacher’s family has spent the last three months at the mansion.<br />
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Bunte hailed the holiday trip as “another step forward on his recovery path”.<br /><br />Little is known about Schumacher’s current health, however, the family issued an update ahead of his 50th birthday in January this year.<br /><br />Mayoress of Andraxt, Katia Rouarch, confirmed the move to a Swiss magazine.<br /><br />Schumacher's wife, Corinna, reportedly purchased the Mallorca mansion in July 2018.<br /><br />The property was formerly owned by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who also owns several other properties around the World. <br /><br />In total, Schumacher's mansion has some 15,000 square metres of space, with decadent gardens and two swimming pools.<br /><br />The update read: "You can be sure that he is in the very best of hands and that we are doing everything humanly possible to help him.<br /><br />“Please understand if we are following Michael's wishes and keeping such a sensitive subject as health, as it has always been, in privacy.<br /><br />“At the same time, we say thank you very much for your friendship and wish you a healthy and happy year 2019."<br />
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<br />Fellow F1 driver Sebastian Vettel spoke out about Schumacher earlier this month, as the Ferrari racer said he missed being by his side.<br /><br />He said: "It’s a real shame that I can’t just pick up the phone and talk to him.<br /><br />"Initially he was my hero and someone I looked up to and then later I got to know the person.<br /><br />"Now when I look back it’s Michael the person I remember – not so much the racing driver.<br /><br />"I talk to the guys here at Ferrari who were also here in Michael’s time and they speak very highly of him.”<br /><br />Mick Schumacher - Michael Schumacher’s 19-year-old son - has been signed to Ferrari’s driver academy this year, and will continue to develop his skill with Italian motorsport team Prema Racing in F2.<br /><br />Sebastian Vettel talked about the junior racer’s training in an interview with German magazine Bild.<br /><br />He said: “I won’t give him tips on how to drive. It’s best for him to gain his own experience.<br /><br />“Besides, I don’t need to tell him how high the expectations are for him. He doesn’t need anyone to tell him that.<br /><br />“I just hope he gets the time to take the last step to Formula 1 at his own pace and that he doesn’t rush things. I think he’ll manage.”F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-75026658197126266712014-06-23T21:01:00.002+02:002014-06-23T21:03:29.861+02:00Former Formula One star was able to communicate with staff by nodding Ambulance<br />
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Michael Schumacher 'had his eyes open and nodded' during 120 mile transfer from French intensive care ward to Swiss rehab facility<br />
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Former Formula One star was able to communicate with staff by nodding<br />
Ambulance workers were not told in advance who they were transporting<br />
They also had to give up their mobile phones on arrival at Grenoble<br />
It's 25 weeks since Schumacher suffered his life threatening skiing accident<br />
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Formula One legend Michael Schumacher had his eyes open and was conscious during his transfer from a French hospital to a facility in Switzerland, according to a Swiss report.<br />
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It also stated that Schumacher, 45, was able to communicate to ambulance staff by nodding his head.<br />
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Schumacher was transported 120 miles from Grenoble Hospital to University Hospital Lausanne on Monday morning.<br />
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The report in the Swiss tabloid Blick stated that the ambulance was operated by Sanitätoberwallis, a company based in Visp in the canton of Valais rather than from Grenoble or Lausanne.<br />
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Ambulance staff were not told the identity of the world-famous patient in advance. They also had to relinquish their mobile phones on arrival at Grenoble.<br />
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Matthias Volken, medical superintendent of the ambulance firm, said: 'I can confirm that we carried out the drive to transfer (Schumacher) on Monday.'<br />
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The paper said Schumacher had lost a lot of weight during his 170 days in hospital since the accident.<br />
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Schumacher did not speak, but he communicated by nodding his head and had his eyes open for most of the journey, the paper said.<br />
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The hospital where he is now being treated is one of Switzerland’s best and has renowned neurology experts.<br />
It is in the city of Lausanne, just 20 miles from Schumacher's home, where he lives with his wife Corinna and two children.<br />
The University Hospital of the Canton of Vaud (CHUV) in Lausanne, where Schumacher was transferred from a French hospital to begin a lengthy rehabilitation regime after his terrible skiing accident left him in a coma<br />
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The University Hospital of the Canton of Vaud (CHUV) in Lausanne, where Schumacher was transferred from a French hospital to begin a lengthy rehabilitation regime after his terrible skiing accident left him in a coma<br />
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Doctors warn Michael Schumacher still has long recovery<br />
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It is almost 25 weeks ago that Schumacher, a very competent skier, suffered his life-threatening accident.<br />
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He was holidaying with family and friends in the French resort of Meribel, where he owns a chalet.<br />
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On Monday his manager Sabine Kehm announced that he was no longer in a coma and had been transferred to Lausanne where he will undergo a lengthy rehabilitation regime.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-19469437025250746932010-01-29T00:27:00.001+01:002010-01-29T00:27:00.090+01:00Silver Arrows F1 car, MGP W01, livery launch 2009 Brawn GPWe’ve been waiting for this! The Mercedes GP Petronas team has revealed its 2010 livery at a launch ceremony at the Shining Silver Star’s museum in Stuttgart, also showing off the team drivers in their new outfit. We’re of course talking about seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and compatriot Nico Rosberg. Another German, ex-Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld is reported to be the reserve and test driver.<br /><br />Compared to the official renderings shown when the Petronas deal was signed, the real design features less of the green accents which I thought looked good as a contrast to the silver/black theme. There’s sort of an “unfinished metal” look going on, which I think is quite unusual but cool.<br /><br />Beneath the livery is a 2009 Brawn BGP001 racer. The proper MGP W01 2010 car with the new livery will break cover once official pre-season testing starts next month.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila8wgJFWpWw2NugZSfjuX0w1uX-q-mmyNxAaoqGzjP5jKlpkwDnZOVnBWtbJDFwI22LkCBV_bXnGHTlWMGLiPxmunXTA3Z9mjuTSjFnECT0BVvB_XHb0bn5ggB9dccJw3fwVb5RaNfDk/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+Helmet+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila8wgJFWpWw2NugZSfjuX0w1uX-q-mmyNxAaoqGzjP5jKlpkwDnZOVnBWtbJDFwI22LkCBV_bXnGHTlWMGLiPxmunXTA3Z9mjuTSjFnECT0BVvB_XHb0bn5ggB9dccJw3fwVb5RaNfDk/s200/Michael+Schumacher+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+Helmet+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566418358250306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YJt15tO27xwmJ2oYgS8KOXs7aX6dxLwoI_3oLqrrGTvkjZcXAsI58wX0c9XH8W3lj0M-Uc0jQjjfxHnEdjavmgMXB3EWpSEtY9CxiPHz8kcuy4guuWNYirH96_pfvZvVvkn7-htvoZA/s1600-h/Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+Helmet+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YJt15tO27xwmJ2oYgS8KOXs7aX6dxLwoI_3oLqrrGTvkjZcXAsI58wX0c9XH8W3lj0M-Uc0jQjjfxHnEdjavmgMXB3EWpSEtY9CxiPHz8kcuy4guuWNYirH96_pfvZvVvkn7-htvoZA/s200/Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+Helmet+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566422655888354" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP Petronas Helmet<br />pic 2: Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP Petronas Helmet<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4n36-sZwRaTF_EDiSpUqO8IHxp2XYvjeqxdiQis4K1A-u3SUKVAJjOT4UmqKHsfzqWdx1X57e0Gi1YS5fzgXZZ6HJtKn-6SNgueRPspf7YnXLq_d2EnDpJpVGidBxbHK7UFeXnKOIls/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4n36-sZwRaTF_EDiSpUqO8IHxp2XYvjeqxdiQis4K1A-u3SUKVAJjOT4UmqKHsfzqWdx1X57e0Gi1YS5fzgXZZ6HJtKn-6SNgueRPspf7YnXLq_d2EnDpJpVGidBxbHK7UFeXnKOIls/s200/Michael+Schumacher+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566728664403506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxr-Iow1vli9umllc4Lt47cj-yr3OIdNgwP0SW4rN1q8gqjqKyzYE1wslfTKz6gfS9NDyhxEtK3MtRNyTA6sOfE7vMyFhNiwnu91a1CWnGsmYAACJ7GyIzkpxPWnoEFngawp1bEk_qLU/s1600-h/Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxr-Iow1vli9umllc4Lt47cj-yr3OIdNgwP0SW4rN1q8gqjqKyzYE1wslfTKz6gfS9NDyhxEtK3MtRNyTA6sOfE7vMyFhNiwnu91a1CWnGsmYAACJ7GyIzkpxPWnoEFngawp1bEk_qLU/s200/Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566726544565314" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP Petronas team reveal 2010 livery at the Shining Silver Star’s museum Stuttgart<br />pic 2: Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP Petronas team reveal 2010 livery at the Shining Silver Star’s museum Stuttgart<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2N8T6hMtBK4d8xzSVnWPKM5b3qcpiOfuKqBUHoLJ_HwMyV8e09Fp-ho-Z3VthQYMzsrP-4e6kdpmBzGCX_RywvjCIDtZ5aUxvAqvUd7Y8cd7012tw2p5mi2TwEQQmFqwoMuaBkMuBZM/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+and+his+wife+Corinna+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2N8T6hMtBK4d8xzSVnWPKM5b3qcpiOfuKqBUHoLJ_HwMyV8e09Fp-ho-Z3VthQYMzsrP-4e6kdpmBzGCX_RywvjCIDtZ5aUxvAqvUd7Y8cd7012tw2p5mi2TwEQQmFqwoMuaBkMuBZM/s200/Michael+Schumacher+and+his+wife+Corinna+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566837497498130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39kA51IQZ3FaHFrem_w5qHN7uJWzX9DhmFExcCTG8YJrvObSGNWDAiKQVPnAd_4AQUfmb3GVG4fbz7OSeeKt_5mxN9Mc2xgEcTK6laOOr8hQVkljh2j2ak0bwz-lfbToroc6DwOyv-l4/s1600-h/mercedes-gp-petronas-4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39kA51IQZ3FaHFrem_w5qHN7uJWzX9DhmFExcCTG8YJrvObSGNWDAiKQVPnAd_4AQUfmb3GVG4fbz7OSeeKt_5mxN9Mc2xgEcTK6laOOr8hQVkljh2j2ak0bwz-lfbToroc6DwOyv-l4/s200/mercedes-gp-petronas-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431567566893988578" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Michael Schumacher and his wife Corinna Mercedes GP Petronas team reveal 2010 livery at the Shining Silver Star’s museum Stuttgart<br />pic 2: Mercedes Gp Petronas<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tA6CRZbeqW6xO9rR_i0wk3AJykUBffbJBKEHMVb3jpcv7N-MiSr53fMERDTUdEB00yVXY6uYgDAHHhx3jWw0lVtIbag1_HS6vAwdBVvUAQCUtvyZSXKFJ8aLx3HW7uyjVEMxu9oVCkE/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tA6CRZbeqW6xO9rR_i0wk3AJykUBffbJBKEHMVb3jpcv7N-MiSr53fMERDTUdEB00yVXY6uYgDAHHhx3jWw0lVtIbag1_HS6vAwdBVvUAQCUtvyZSXKFJ8aLx3HW7uyjVEMxu9oVCkE/s200/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566742673204498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JCAg-RYdc5nXqtT6bCN1uQvc1Y3kTb-dcrzveQh0UxCUKRc0Gv7eX4WBkDxWRziafkNwy5gKMP0a8l1ZoYEMiPjfZ4mITcBl_7LemqqEwgmVIa4w0bZTCS64DXiu6z2tm0qSIVdOJNs/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JCAg-RYdc5nXqtT6bCN1uQvc1Y3kTb-dcrzveQh0UxCUKRc0Gv7eX4WBkDxWRziafkNwy5gKMP0a8l1ZoYEMiPjfZ4mITcBl_7LemqqEwgmVIa4w0bZTCS64DXiu6z2tm0qSIVdOJNs/s200/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566738391863954" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP Petronas team reveal 2010 livery at the Shining Silver Star’s museum Stuttgart<br />pic 2: Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP Petronas team reveal 2010 livery at the Shining Silver Star’s museum Stuttgart<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcyLD1M5FQ6JCr_zym11lb-5XKZqlymetMLetAirC8qxWoGjDC-W1Q0xGh1cGOihUDKEPH3MVuUTesnvt6pustYEieTX_6DVtjEnU4nRcutLnrLTFa7AmrdQwE9JrK-v0obs4tbjCnwQ/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcyLD1M5FQ6JCr_zym11lb-5XKZqlymetMLetAirC8qxWoGjDC-W1Q0xGh1cGOihUDKEPH3MVuUTesnvt6pustYEieTX_6DVtjEnU4nRcutLnrLTFa7AmrdQwE9JrK-v0obs4tbjCnwQ/s200/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566731346885298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwbUvs0mdb6EgGS3FdokokIcP5cmpsYHg2inX_9tjFOgUa046kvlcEZEwQyqrbx1BO6gJhY1DOIvU7ZBpO_aQrav_drrZvVOc8_8ija5EUe3kLMNc0Yg27gIA4YjcKWPAzv6kBHicDMA/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwbUvs0mdb6EgGS3FdokokIcP5cmpsYHg2inX_9tjFOgUa046kvlcEZEwQyqrbx1BO6gJhY1DOIvU7ZBpO_aQrav_drrZvVOc8_8ija5EUe3kLMNc0Yg27gIA4YjcKWPAzv6kBHicDMA/s200/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566417035546754" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP Petronas team reveal 2010 livery at the Shining Silver Star’s museum Stuttgart<br />pic 2: Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP Petronas team reveal 2010 livery at the Shining Silver Star’s museum Stuttgart<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAavNad3g7HkoG9R6i6HT9y166Xuabel647akwOJ_1SvxQK8fOg4yB3xFTw6KHvPstnrfeZN4KMwxo8T4eX6Z8AjxIsSTCEXbQtS3uR0bjgqFPHqKvGP7_OQYHeaHyACbzSvGIdCAp94/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAavNad3g7HkoG9R6i6HT9y166Xuabel647akwOJ_1SvxQK8fOg4yB3xFTw6KHvPstnrfeZN4KMwxo8T4eX6Z8AjxIsSTCEXbQtS3uR0bjgqFPHqKvGP7_OQYHeaHyACbzSvGIdCAp94/s200/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566412641461522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHg1Ezvk99Kx0wQajaTcOVYADd7LBDvv-vQy_dLeAA0bLi4D_HBqg4uqXyw7zgLF893ecZfiJ-L8siJBMLYWHsol3ZXxc-VCq_KwjGA-uDdpqqEppsG6RSmUxlSLKgcVNDMP2kT5K3o0/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHg1Ezvk99Kx0wQajaTcOVYADd7LBDvv-vQy_dLeAA0bLi4D_HBqg4uqXyw7zgLF893ecZfiJ-L8siJBMLYWHsol3ZXxc-VCq_KwjGA-uDdpqqEppsG6RSmUxlSLKgcVNDMP2kT5K3o0/s200/Michael+Schumacher+and+Nico+Rosberg+Mercedes+GP+Petronas+team+reveal+2010+livery+at+the+Shining+Silver+Star%E2%80%99s+museum+Stuttgart+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431566400366138114" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP Petronas team reveal 2010 livery at the Shining Silver Star’s museum Stuttgart<br />pic 2: Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP Petronas team reveal 2010 livery at the Shining Silver Star’s museum StuttgartF1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-28941640497805364112010-01-28T00:09:00.008+01:002010-01-28T00:46:03.925+01:00Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP, Testing on GP2 Series car<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPOfCsuEcjaXS-ouqL7O6uIItqOh8acbmv4zzp2QjTrbP3ahMtFFxPCMVp4pCcM4DrnXi_yPWQyCeF40jE5GiqpTwzP3S95JxUALzcSJzFkSl0EWBxFXHtoAuHi2NMg8KfVKc1M3jxo4/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPOfCsuEcjaXS-ouqL7O6uIItqOh8acbmv4zzp2QjTrbP3ahMtFFxPCMVp4pCcM4DrnXi_yPWQyCeF40jE5GiqpTwzP3S95JxUALzcSJzFkSl0EWBxFXHtoAuHi2NMg8KfVKc1M3jxo4/s200/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431562336237435458" border="0" /></a><br />Michael Schumacher<br /><br />Formula One returnee Michael Schumacher finished his three-day session in the GP2 Series development car by logging some decent mileage as conditions improved over the course of the day.<br /><br />He ran 130 laps on the Jerez circuit in Spain on Thursday, the first 23 of which were on wet tires on a damp track in the morning. He then focused on 20-lap runs that presumably gave his neck a good workout. Schumacher recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 24.621 seconds; however, it is hard to draw any meaningful conclusions regarding his ultimate pace because the series does not race at Jerez and the main point of the test was to try new parts.<br /><br />Intriguingly, Schumacher's Mercedes GP race engineer Andrew Shovlin--who won the title last year while working with Jenson Button--attended the test with a team colleague to get to know his new driver a little better.<br /><br />"I could really drive a lot on this last day of testing and it worked out perfectly," Schumacher said. "I am very happy with the way testing went here. We worked well, times and consistency were well, we could do everything we had scheduled to do. I feel fit, I felt comfortable immediately back in the car--hey, let's go for it!"<br /><br />GP2 Series organizer Bruno Michel said that the series gained a lot from Schumacher's input.<br /><br />"This has been a fantastic opportunity for the GP2 Series and everyone involved in the competition," he commented. "Michael Schumacher's analysis and feedback was fantastic and the GP2 technical staff who has been working with him this week is positive that what has been learned from this development test will provide us with an even better car in 2011.<br /><br />"We are very happy that Michael chose our car to get his sensations back at the wheel of a high-performance machine and that he stated that it was the closest thing to a current Formula One car."<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTNOHJl2tae_wgoidmqh5VVo1amiTuhaRF6lh7FpPA1yn3mpwD0XblSIRw0VuvCzN_wGGeCpJhNXN2dSom0v6s3z8l1e28USFiwI2ZdQaJH09OZyU0kLAjfyhVD3gOXHHpEgYOXplGV0/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTNOHJl2tae_wgoidmqh5VVo1amiTuhaRF6lh7FpPA1yn3mpwD0XblSIRw0VuvCzN_wGGeCpJhNXN2dSom0v6s3z8l1e28USFiwI2ZdQaJH09OZyU0kLAjfyhVD3gOXHHpEgYOXplGV0/s200/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431562332057015826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnCrtuNDsPX9MGHwpcJVnDwa9Ne3xlSxvl6V7giWaJxDMxOxqAmEd9eSv6pWIV4jr3V3ICLLPjD4kCmxt5YFThnNh5c7N9b7CVGWPP016zgfbMYBi4A4Ei_N3Uc-O99-Sb70shyphenhyphen3D7_g/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnCrtuNDsPX9MGHwpcJVnDwa9Ne3xlSxvl6V7giWaJxDMxOxqAmEd9eSv6pWIV4jr3V3ICLLPjD4kCmxt5YFThnNh5c7N9b7CVGWPP016zgfbMYBi4A4Ei_N3Uc-O99-Sb70shyphenhyphen3D7_g/s200/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431562041742680178" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Michael Schumacher GP2 Test at Jerez Spain 12 1 2010<br />pic 2: Michael Schumacher GP2 Test at Jerez Spain 12 1 2010<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4qY25NOnp2KXnyQX3B-_1DFlaycpwwOEn-1aHp3SHkTaaEOf5xxMQIoZzRdeDcW3yR1uaWHe5PqOqpv5mAgftK2IsgOgvwYNPDnbnZKhBT4K74MZB-emvz-I_A5xI-ydKMHL3bGUZ-Y/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+0.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4qY25NOnp2KXnyQX3B-_1DFlaycpwwOEn-1aHp3SHkTaaEOf5xxMQIoZzRdeDcW3yR1uaWHe5PqOqpv5mAgftK2IsgOgvwYNPDnbnZKhBT4K74MZB-emvz-I_A5xI-ydKMHL3bGUZ-Y/s200/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431562061055626530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSFfVeYmw0KmnrDZ6JayP_COXYGKpUv8v1FYgaWpSASZUo0l2Poolv9wUKTgyjg_Cj7b_lxQ_isUQ8GvU7VHPLAdDbn33_CZ7QQxuo4_0oK0I37ZX18KddSLNh48Rz7JW20B5n3sIf-8/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSFfVeYmw0KmnrDZ6JayP_COXYGKpUv8v1FYgaWpSASZUo0l2Poolv9wUKTgyjg_Cj7b_lxQ_isUQ8GvU7VHPLAdDbn33_CZ7QQxuo4_0oK0I37ZX18KddSLNh48Rz7JW20B5n3sIf-8/s200/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431562056051923810" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Michael Schumacher GP2 Test at Jerez Spain 12 1 2010<br />pic 2: Michael Schumacher GP2 Test at Jerez Spain 12 1 2010<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1UV4SG54qvevGPvI5i298DbWjsrBARLAYuD1NCJvHAjO2PEgcldqyPxcO9Q3QAN395bG2nI0w7mhCDbwU91kyrJourVG7OBjSgvZdSEmd2Q52D5shAtIDdymxl0X4jaBRl8wtSeQ7JQ/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1UV4SG54qvevGPvI5i298DbWjsrBARLAYuD1NCJvHAjO2PEgcldqyPxcO9Q3QAN395bG2nI0w7mhCDbwU91kyrJourVG7OBjSgvZdSEmd2Q52D5shAtIDdymxl0X4jaBRl8wtSeQ7JQ/s200/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431562051605421330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoE5ZMtZJgyaplkMIO6TqAm-BugSpKB7Ji7X3Rjjb3nZ1yXsIH9Ye2tCB5wg-NQUZdv6wwe0iZMlsfTmEQOvzRTNDQywr5AsfC_rmCTKbySNdSd0QaE0KlvjuNHvAffLIlKIL2mm6MZg/s1600-h/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010+4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoE5ZMtZJgyaplkMIO6TqAm-BugSpKB7Ji7X3Rjjb3nZ1yXsIH9Ye2tCB5wg-NQUZdv6wwe0iZMlsfTmEQOvzRTNDQywr5AsfC_rmCTKbySNdSd0QaE0KlvjuNHvAffLIlKIL2mm6MZg/s200/Michael+Schumacher+GP2+Test+at+Jerez+Spain+12+1+2010+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431562047904097490" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Michael Schumacher GP2 Test at Jerez Spain 12 1 2010<br />pic 2: Michael Schumacher GP2 Test at Jerez Spain 12 1 2010F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-86048722845260605562009-12-23T21:35:00.004+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.149+01:00Michael Schumacher comeback, BBC interview, on 2009.12.23<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c_3Y-FhspPI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c_3Y-FhspPI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></div>F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-13582246749814166732009-12-23T21:34:00.002+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.155+01:00Michael Schumacher, Seven World Titles, Back In Formula 1Michael Schumacher, the most successful driver in motor racing history, announced Wednesday that he will return to race in Formula One next year after three seasons in retirement.<br /><br />The German, who turns 41 next month, who won seven world drivers’ titles in a career spanning 16 years and 249 races, has signed to drive for the new Mercedes Grand Prix team in a three-year deal.<br /><br />“I was tired of F1 by the end of 2006,” Schumacher said Wednesday. “But in three years of absence I got back all the energy that I am feeling right now. I played around with motorbikes and I feel ready for some serious stuff now.”<br /><br />Schumacher had been consulting for the Ferrari team, where he raced from 1996 to 2006. Last summer, when the team needed a replacement for its injured driver, Felipe Massa, Schumacher considered returning, but a neck injury from a motorcycle racing accident had not yet healed.<br /><br />“The failed comeback attempt last summer gave me reason to reconsider my situation,” Schumacher said.<br /><br />He said that he believed he and the Mercedes team would have a chance to win the title in 2010. He said he is returning because he was given an offer he never expected and that it came from two important sources, Ross Brawn, the director of the team, and Mercedes.<br /><br />Brawn was the technical director and strategist at the Benetton team and guided Schumacher on to win his first two titles, in 1994 and 1995. Both Brawn and Schumacher then moved to Ferrari, winning a further five titles together from 2000 to 2004.<br /><br />Schumacher drove for Mercedes in sports cars before entering Formula One. The manufacturer had paid for his move to Formula One at the Jordan team in 1991.<br /><br />Mercedes went on to become a minority-owner of the McLaren team. But last month the company announced that it was leaving McLaren and buying a controlling interest in the Brawn team, which won both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles this year.<br /><br />Schumacher will race alongside another German, Nico Rosberg, who is 15 years younger.<br /><br />Schumacher will be the oldest driver since Nigel Mansell raced in Formula One in 1995, also at age 41.<br /><br />“It wouldn’t surprise me if Michael challenged for another world championship,” Mansell said last weekend. Mansell won his last race, the Australian Grand Prix, at 41 in 1994.<br /><br />Schumacher period of domination, before he retired in 2006 was like none before. No other driver comes close to his 91 victories, Alain Prost is second with 51 and Ayrton Senna the third, with 41.<br /><br />Schumacher equaled Juan Fangio’s 45-year-old record of five titles in 2002 and went on to win two more titles in the following two years. Prost is third with four titles.<br /><br />In a recent poll of 217 drivers by Autosport Magazine Senna, who earned three world titles before he died in a crash at Imola in 1994, was voted greatest driver. Schumacher came in second. Fangio was third.<br /><br />Fangio, who was 46 when he won his last title, won titles with four different manufacturers.<br /><br />Schumacher is now joining the team that won the title last year, but his move to Ferrari in 1996 was far bolder. Ferrari, had become synonymous with failure, and then helped turn it into a dominant winning machine.<br /><br />“Schumacher reshaped the mold for the 21st-century racing driver,” the Autosport editors wrote, “combining incredible fitness with technical brilliance and good old-fashioned speed.”<br /><br />But Schumacher also has a dark side. In 1997, with a single point advantage over his rival for the title, Jacques Villeneuve at Williams, the German tried to knock the Canadian off the track at Jerez, Spain, to take a short cut to the crown.<br /><br />The move backfired. Schumacher’s car fell out of the race, while Villeneuve limped on to the finish and scored the points he needed to take the title. Schumacher was stripped of all his points for that season. He had won his first title, in 1994, after a collision that knocked out his nearest rival, Damon Hill, also in the last race.<br /><br />In his last year in the series, under pressure from the rising star, Fernando Alonso at Renault, Schumacher tried another trick in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. Desperate to score pole position, he parked his car in the last corner to prevent anyone from completing their last lap. He was punished, sent to the back of the grid.<br /><br />Yet his natural driving talent was matched by his strength as a team player and his understanding of how to improve the cars he drove. When things were not going well within his team or with his car, he never blamed others. He always worked to find solutions to the problems.<br /><br />Schumacher is a trained mechanic and his engineers said that his input helped to improve the cars.<br /><br />“To have a car in your hands, a team working with you with which you maximize your performance, and driving finally this car at the track, and just knowing and feeling that this is the maximum that you can achieve, that has been such a thrill for all those years,” he said in an interview last year. “I always was hungry for this.”<br /><br />Bernard Dudot, the head of the Renault engine program in the 1980s and 1990s, and who had also worked with Prost and Senna, said Schumacher was superior to both in this area.<br /><br />“We did things on the engine at that time that we would never have done — or never have developed — had it not been him,” said Dudot in an interview in 2006.<br /><br />This is certainly going to help next year in a Formula One where car testing between races has been banned to cut costs. Schumacher’s input during race weekends will therefore be extremely valuable to the team to develop the car.<br /><br />His public personality was not one to attract fans the way the charismatic Senna did. On television, the German can look arrogant, angry and cold.<br /><br />Yet in person he is a warm, almost modest individual, aware of his failings.<br /><br />“He’s the best judge of what he can do and I trust him implicitly, and he told me he can do it so I’m very confident,” Brawn said of his return. “He’s always been his own best critic.”<br /><br /><div class="byline">By BRAD SPURGEON</div> <div class="timestamp">Published: December 23, 2009<br />In <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/sports/autoracing/24iht-PRIX.html?_r=2&hpw">NYTimes</a><br /></div>F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-71450592763318514262009-09-27T17:21:00.001+02:002010-01-28T00:42:04.152+01:00Flavio Briatore says he was betrayed, over scandalFormer Renault Formula One team manager Flavio Briatore could lose out on at least $9.1 million a year after resigning because of a cheating scandal, company accounts show.<br /><br />The 59-year-old Italian was banned for life from the auto racing series on Sept. 21 for conspiring to fix a race. He collected $7.6 million in consultancy fees from selling series television rights in Spain in 2007 on top of his $1.5 million salary. He also benefited from management contracts with drivers including Red Bull’s Mark Webber and McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen. The team escaped with a suspended ban.<br /><br />“They’ve isolated him,” Mark Borkowski, a public relations consultant in London, said in an interview. “His brand is damaged: He’s got an uncertain future.”<br /><br />Briatore’s troubles extend to his other holdings. He may face a ban from co-owning English soccer’s Queens Park Rangers under league rules. He denies wrongdoing, according to Formula One’s ruling body, Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, which says he has 14 days to appeal.<br /><br />This weekend is this year’s Singapore Grand Prix, the race where Briatore and Renault team engineering chief Pat Symonds conspired with driver Nelson Piquet Jr. for him to crash last year to help teammate Fernando Alonso win, according to the FIA. Piquet Jr., dropped by the team in August, and a whistleblower dubbed “Witness X” gave evidence about the plot, the FIA said.<br /><br />Briatore left his post last week. The FIA then ruled drivers managed by Briatore must end their contracts with him and he will be denied access to races for life. He also manages Renault’s Romain Grosjean.<br /><br />Left Without Means<br /><br />“He has been left without his means to earn a living,” Carlos Gracia, president of the Spanish motor racing federation, told the newspaper As. Briatore may sue the FIA because there was no clear evidence to incriminate him and he didn’t have a chance to defend himself, Gracia added.<br /><br />Briatore couldn’t be reached for comment for this story.<br /><br />Renault’s removal of Briatore and Symonds helped mitigate its sanction, the FIA said. The FIA also took into account an apology by Renault and a “significant” contribution it agreed to make to FIA road safety projects.<br /><br />Briatore, who entered Formula One in 1989 as commercial director of Benetton SpA’s team, has multiple interests in Formula One, some of them stemming from his friendship with series Chief Executive Officer Bernie Ecclestone, former Minardi team manager Paul Stoddart said.<br /><br />Tied at Hip<br /><br />“Flavio and Bernie are inextricably tied at the hip,” Stoddart said.<br /><br />Ecclestone ceded Briatore the television rights to Formula races in Spain, the Italian said in an interview in 2006. The rights are exploited via Stacourt Ltd., a unit of Briatore’s Formula FB Business, which is based in the British Virgin Islands. In 2007, Briatore received 4.7 million pounds ($7.6 million) in consultancy fees, company filings of Stacourt in London show.<br /><br />Ecclestone, 78, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail sent to his London office seeking comment and an FIA official didn’t return an e-mail seeking comment about whether the deals were affected.<br /><br />Ecclestone and Briatore in 2003 set up the GP2 series, which runs on Formula One race weekends, with the Italian’s associate Bruno Michel. The series was sold to CVC Capital Partners Ltd. in 2007 for an undisclosed amount. The private equity firm bought Formula One a year earlier after taking out $2.5 billion in loans.<br /><br />Soccer Issues<br /><br />In soccer, Briatore and Ecclestone bought second-tier Queens Park Rangers for 14 million pounds in 2007. Steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal bought a 20 percent stake four months later. Earlier this month, league officials asked the FIA for documentation about Briatore’s case. League rules say team owners or directors should be barred if subject to a ban from a sports governing body.<br /><br />Neither Ecclestone nor Mittal has condemned Briatore and the possibility of repairing his public image isn’t out of the question, Borkowski said.<br /><br />“He has a lot of powerful friends and Formula One is one of the most unpredictable sports,” Borkowski said.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-27835392141733992622009-07-29T21:58:00.000+02:002010-01-28T00:42:04.151+01:00Schumacher back in Formula One as Massa's replacement!!!<p>After several days of speculation, Ferrari announced on Wednesday that seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher will indeed replace the injured Felipe Massa in next month's European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain.</p><p>An announcement on Ferrari's Web site said that Schumacher, 40, will begin training immediately to make sure he is in shape for his comeback and that he is ready to go. Schumacher suffered some injuries during the winter after crashing a racing motorcycle, and the team needs to be sure he is fit. Regardless, the news comes as a strange contradiction to what the 40-year-old German's manager, Willi Weber, told the <i>Daily Mail</i> in comments published Tuesday. Webber said that he was "200 percent" sure that Schumacher would not fill the vacant seat. However, <i>AutoWeek</i> reported on Sunday that Schumacher topped the list of candidates for the job. </p><p>Sorry, Willi.</p><p>"The most important thing first: Thanks God, all news concerning Felipe are positive. I wish him all the best again," the most successful F1 driver of all time said.</p><p>"I was meeting this afternoon with [team boss] Stefano Domenicali and [Ferrari president] Luca di Montezemolo and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take the place of Felipe.</p><p>"Though it is true that the chapter Formula One has been closed for me since long and completely, it is also true that for loyalty reasons to the team, I cannot ignore that unfortunate situation. But as the competitor I am, I also very much look forward to facing this challenge."</p><p>The European Grand Prix on Aug. 23 will mark the first time that Schumacher races alongside Ferrari's Kimi Raïkkönen, and it will be the first time that he experiences F1's new slick tires and kinetic-energy-recovery system. In his favor, upcoming races take place at tracks known to be among Schumacher's favorites: Spa-Francorchamps, Monza and Suzuka. Schumacher has not raced at Valencia, Singapore or Abu Dhabi, which also are among the upcoming events.</p>F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-91432054466479191522009-07-09T15:53:00.001+02:002010-01-28T00:42:04.147+01:00Talks Breakdown Puts F1 Future ‘In Jeopardy’ Again,The threat of a Formula One breakaway was revived after eight teams walked out of talks with the sport’s governing body and said the future of the racing series was again at risk.<br /><br />The Formula One Teams Association said its members left yesterday’s discussion on next year’s rules after being told by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile that they hadn’t entered the 2010 championship and therefore had no voting rights on technical and sporting regulations.<br /><br />Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP -- who had threatened a rival series before reaching an agreement on a unified championship June 24 -- said their lack of say left them with “no option other than to terminate their participation” in the discussion at Germany’s Nurburgring circuit.<br /><br />All eight FOTA members “were included on the ‘accepted’ entry list as endorsed by the World Motor Sport Council and communicated by FIA press statement on June 24,” the association said in a statement. “To subsequently go against the will of the WMSC and the detail of the Paris agreement puts the future of Formula One in jeopardy.”<br /><br />The standoff over planned budgetary and technical changes looked to have been resolved last month when the FIA agreed to scrap its proposed budget cap of 40 million pounds ($64.3 million), which would have given smaller teams more engine and design freedom. FOTA members said the plan would have resulted in a two-tier championship.<br /><br />Mosley U-Turn<br /><br />The teams won concessions on rule changes and governance, while FIA President Max Mosley agreed not to stand for re- election in October. Mosley has since reconsidered because of what he said were misleading statements made by FOTA to the media, the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph reported.<br /><br />Yesterday’s meeting before the July 12 German Grand Prix was attended by the Williams and Force India teams, who are suspended from FOTA after submitting unconditional entries to race next year before an agreement was reached. The new Campos Grand Prix, Manor and US F1 teams were also present.<br /><br />The FIA said the aim of the meeting had been to agree changes to 2010 regulations in line with last month’s decision to revert to the sporting and technical rules in place before April 29 this year.<br /><br />“Unfortunately, no discussion was possible because FOTA walked out of the meeting,” the FIA said in a statement.<br /><br /><br />Press Release<br />2010 FIA Formula One World Championship<br />08/07/2009<br /><br />Following the decision of the World Council on 24 June to revert to the pre-29 April version of the 2010 F1 Sporting and Technical Regulations, the FIA today met the teams which have entered the 2010 Championship to seek their agreement to these changes.<br /><br />All changes have now been agreed subject only to the maintenance of the minimum weight at 620 kg and the signing of a legally binding agreement between all the teams competing in 2010 to reduce costs to the level of the early 1990s within two years, as promised by the FOTA representative in Paris on 24 June.<br /><br />The eight FOTA teams were invited to attend the meeting to discuss their further proposals for 2010. Unfortunately no discussion was possible because FOTA walked out of the meeting.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-586677885337842652009-06-22T03:57:00.000+02:002010-01-28T00:42:04.144+01:00FOTA's "New Formula" eyes 17-race calendarRumours that plans for FOTA's breakaway championship are moving forwards abounded on Sunday.<br /><br />In the paddock of the Silverstone circuit, even a possible name for the series emerged - 'New Formula' - as well as a potential 17-race 2010 calendar.<br /><br />Former F1 venues including Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Jerez, Imola, Montreal, Indianapolis, Silverstone, Magny Cours and Adelaide were listed on the theoretical calendar, published by the German news agency SID.<br /><br />Current tracks were also mentioned: Monaco, Silverstone, Monza, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Suzuka, while potential new venues are Jerez, Portimao, the Lausitzring, Surfer's Paradise (Australia) and even the Finnish capital Helsinki.<br /><br />But while some suggest that F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone is moving towards the rebel team's plans, he told Britain's Daily Star newspaper on Sunday that he fears for the breakaway.<br /><br />Despite earlier sympathising with the teams' dislike of the proposed budget cap, he now believes unfettered spending "could be the curse of our sport".<br /><br />"It could ruin it. It would be a disaster and they'd destroy the sport," he said.<br /><br />"I would hate to see any kind of takeover happen because it would be badly managed. They can't even run their own teams. They can't agree on anything. If the teams owned it they would destroy it," Ecclestone, 78, added.<br /><br />He also scoffed at the leaked FOTA calendar, wondering how the body can compete with the structure operated by his businesses.<br /><br />"We organise the venues which don't cost the teams a penny," said Ecclestone. "I reckon Ferrari and McLaren need us more than we need them.<br /><br />"All they have to do is pitch up at a track with their sponsors' names all over their cars in exchange for millions of quid and race in front of a worldwide television audience -- which I have set up and keep going.<br /><br />"The bottom line is they can't afford to set up a rival championship," he added.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-84634802135082889342009-06-21T17:28:00.000+02:002010-01-28T00:42:04.154+01:00Fota Vs Fia – the Dispute ExplainedWhat prompted this crisis?<br /><br />Max Mosley, president of the FIA, had been asking the formula one teams for suggestions on how to cut budgets, some of which exceeded £250m per annum. When the teams failed to respond to Mosley's satisfaction, the FIA announced a voluntary £40m budget cap for 2010 with greater technical freedom for those teams accepting the restriction, effectively creating a two-tier championship. The Formula One Teams Association (Fota), which was formed last September, said it could not accept the proposal. As part of a compromise, the FIA said it would drop the two-tier idea, though the teams still resisted. When entries opened for the 2010 championship, Williams and Force India were thrown out of Fota when they accepted the FIA's conditions and entered. The remaining eight teams made a block entry on the understanding that certain conditions were met. Mosley refused but further discussions appeared to be heading for another compromise. Negotiations failed and the teams were given until tonight to accept his terms. In the meantime, the FIA had received entries for several new teams. After a four-hour meeting yesterday, the eight Fota teams said they would form a separate championship.<br /><br />How serious are the Fota teams?<br /><br />Very serious. They object to Mosley's methods of governance just as much as the immediate £40m budget cap which the large teams say would be impossible to apply in a short space of time.<br /><br />How difficult would it be to set up a rival championship?<br /><br />Extremely difficult, but not impossible. A massive infrastructure is needed. The equivalent of Bernie Ecclestone, the FIA's commercial rights holder, would be needed to establish television contracts and revenue streams as well as negotiating with prospective venues.<br /><br />Would there be sufficient circuits?<br /><br />Yes. Tracks such as Silverstone, Montreal, Indianapolis and Magny-Cours, currently unable to meet Ecclestone's demands, would be only too pleased to stage races, particularly if big names such as Ferrari and leading drivers were on the entry list.<br /><br />Would the tracks be granted the necessary license by the FIA?<br /><br />Yes, provided they met the necessary safety standards. Similarly, the FIA, as the governing body of all motor sport, would be obliged to license the Fota championship if all the regular conditions were met.<br /><br />How would the existing championship fare?<br /><br />Badly. Williams, Force India and a number of small, unknown teams would not attract sufficient interest.<br /><br />Would the existing television companies be contractually obliged to cover the championship?<br /><br />Good question. It depends on the terms of their contract with Ecclestone and, more important, what he is supposed to deliver to them in terms of entries.<br /><br />The FIA say that Ferrari, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, whether they like it or not, are contractually bound to be part of their championship until 2012.<br /><br />Ferrari dispute this, claiming that the FIA broke the terms of the agreement by unilaterally establishing the 2010 rules. The FIA does not agree. A lengthy legal battle would ensue.<br /><br />Is a split a good thing?<br /><br />Definitely not. Splits rarely work in any sport and motor racing is no exception. A split in Indycar completely destroyed top-level single-seater racing in North America. Both sides in formula one realize this and it will be the one thing driving the need to find a solution.<br /><br />So, will this be solved?<br /><br />Ecclestone could be the peacemaker. The betting is we will be watching world championship racing in 2010, much as we're seeing it now. In the meantime, this unnecessary stand-off is doing nothing for the image of formula one.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-21312742711180345552009-06-20T14:24:00.001+02:002010-01-28T00:42:04.139+01:00Future Of F1 In Doubt, Apocalypse Inevitable?The simmering feud between the major Formula 1 teams and the sport’s sanctioning body has erupted into a full-blown civil war, with eight of the 10 teams announcing they are leaving at the end of the season to launch their own race series.<br /><br />The Formula One Teams Association has been at odds with the Federation Internationale d’Automobile over a proposal by FIA President Max Mosley to adopt a budget cap. Mosley has long been obsessed with reining in the stratospheric cost of racing, but the big teams - led by Ferrari - strenuously opposed his plan to limit spending to 100 million Euros next year and 45 million Euros a year thereafter.<br /><br />Proving he’s one of the dumbest guys to come down the pike, Mosley thought he could stare down the teams. On the eve of the British Grand Prix, the teams poked him in the eye.<br /><br />The teams had provisionally agreed to compete next season and were willing to work with Mosely to meet his cost-cutting goal, but said, in effect, “Ditch any talk of the cap and and we’ll be on the grid for sure. Until then, we’re signing up conditionally.”<br /><br />Mosley and F1 capo di tutti capi Bernie Eccelstone essentially told the teams, “Sign up unconditionally and then we’ll talk.” The FIA gave the teams until today to sign on the dotted line.<br /><br />Instead, they voted to bolt.<br /><br />“The wishes of the majority of the teams are ignored,” FOTA said in a statement. “These teams therefore have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners.”<br /><br />The FIA isn’t backing down. It says today’s the deadline for signing up to compete next season, and it fully intends to enforce it. What’s more, it plans to sue FOTA.<br /><br />“The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including willful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari’s legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law,” the FIA said in a statement. “The FIA will be issuing legal proceedings without delay. Preparations for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship continue but publication of the final 2010 entry list will be put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights.”<br /><br />That final entry list could be mighty short. The teams heading for the exit are Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes, BMW Sauber, Toyota, Renault, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP. The teams aren’t likely to back down - especially since Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo leads FOTA. Mosely’s hardball approach is doomed to failure.<br /><br />“That’s not negotiating at all,” David Hobbs, a SpeedTV commentator and multiple racing champion, said recently. “That’s what’s been passing for diplomacy on the world stage these past few years. It’s like saying to those guys, ‘OK Iran, get rid of your nuclear program, and then we’ll talk about whether you should have it.’ That’s not diplomacy at all. Who’s going to agree to that?”<br /><br />Hey Max and Bernie — when an elder sportsman of your sport compares your diplomatic skills to those of the Bush Administration, you’re doing it wrong.<br /><br />It might just cost Mosley his job. The FIA World Council meets Wednesday, and his future as president could be up for discussion.<br /><br />“I think the trouble is that Max has gone too far with this and the teams have suddenly said ‘I’m sorry, we can’t take it any more’,” Jackie Stewart, the three-time world champ and a longtime critic of Mosley, told Reuters today. “It may well be that Max Mosley has to go.<br /><br />“I think a lot of people are kind of fed up with the dictatorial attitude,” Stewart added. “He has a great position of power but big trees do blow over.”<br /><br />It isn’t just the teams and pundits coming down hard on the FIA. Some other heavy-hitters are siding with FOTA. The organizers of the Monaco Grand Prix — the premier event of the season — reportedly won’t stage a race next year if Ferrari isn’t on the grid. Eccelstone, who seems to exist only to squeeze every last cent out of F1’s global popularity, didn’t have much to say about the sport’s future.<br /><br />“No idea. Speak to Max,” he told reporters at Silverstone, site of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, according to Reuters. Looks like Eccelstone is backing away slowly and leaving Mosley to fend for himself.<br /><br />As of now, the teams officially signed up for next year are Williams and Force India alongside newcomers Team US F1, Campos Grand Prix and Manor Grand Prix. The upstarts have never competed at this level before and God only knows how far along they are in development of their cars. What’s more, everyone will be running Cosworth engines - even Williams and Force India, because they currently get their engines from Toyota and Mercedes, respectively.<br /><br />So unless Mosley comes to his senses, what we’re left with is essentially a spec series featuring a bunch of teams that generate zero excitement and almost certainly won’t be racing in Monaco.<br /><br />Heck of a job, Maxie!F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-37882441633202368542009-04-02T16:27:00.000+02:002010-01-28T00:45:50.071+01:00Jenson Button Snatched Pole With Brawn F1 CarBriton Jenson Button snatched pole position and his Brawn teammate Rubens Barrichello took second as the F1 newcomers seized starting grid control in Australian GP in Melbourne on Saturday. Button, backed by just three days' testing with a Brawn team hastily put together in the wake of a management buy-out of the Honda team, claimed his fourth career pole.<br /><br />The 29-year-old, with just one victory in 153 GPs over nine seasons, has a marvelous chance for only his second GP triumph in Sunday's Melbourne race. It is the first time since 1970 that a new team has captured the pole in its first F1 race.<br /><br />Button swept around the Albert Street circuit in one minute 26.202 seconds, ahead of Barrichello's best of 1:26.505.<br /><br />Rising German star Sebastian Vettel was third quickest in his Red Bull in 1:26.830 in an eventful hour-long qualifying with world champion Lewis Hamilton forced to start off the back row of Sunday's grid after gearbox problems.<br /><br />The British star failed to come out of the McLaren team garage for the second section of qualifying and was credited with 15th position, but he incurred a mandatory five-place grid penalty and was relegated to 20th.<br /><br />On a day of drama, Toyota's Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli were also stripped of their grid positions after qualifying sixth and eighth respectively. It followed technical inspections by the sport's governing body, the FIA, which found a flexible wing infringement.<br /><br />World constructors champions Ferrari were also left behind in the slipstream of the two Brawns with Felipe Massa to come off the third row and Kimi Raikkonen one row behind.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2un5bJyyax7qhbabVkfcXl22QEks_Dpstc3lPvTTQxsDJg6WfILzZFU8R9FeyeTBgu7ab2rXjyYfI5Y8WYIrh3L4dxKomKoMfjOzQPmTzmaQgUjYrSvIbDt63IreEtJxyom21eVKks6M/s1600-h/Sebastien+Buemi+Toro+Rosso+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+67.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2un5bJyyax7qhbabVkfcXl22QEks_Dpstc3lPvTTQxsDJg6WfILzZFU8R9FeyeTBgu7ab2rXjyYfI5Y8WYIrh3L4dxKomKoMfjOzQPmTzmaQgUjYrSvIbDt63IreEtJxyom21eVKks6M/s200/Sebastien+Buemi+Toro+Rosso+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+67.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320098810421999858" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6x-VdK824Nqx6bhQq3yF4l1ZLkWI69fwlje0R2En3YjLWiC3eUq1U5nB3Xz1Jv6ZoC4YOSkqhEi0aDm6oyxdBHp_XQlJwtu6jv-jYqpJtHFKasfIluQlswlhLYAyERxJbs4TZdggEM8/s1600-h/Sebastien+Bourdais+Toro+Rosso+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+64.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6x-VdK824Nqx6bhQq3yF4l1ZLkWI69fwlje0R2En3YjLWiC3eUq1U5nB3Xz1Jv6ZoC4YOSkqhEi0aDm6oyxdBHp_XQlJwtu6jv-jYqpJtHFKasfIluQlswlhLYAyERxJbs4TZdggEM8/s200/Sebastien+Bourdais+Toro+Rosso+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+64.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320098560673673858" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso Australian GP, Melbourne<br />pic 2: Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso Australian GP, Melbourne<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzt-uD7mB66sfWo4zCI3aTqw7_rfm5DWdANiTpjFNSNjwcIJ0RRZJtOqcDKk03CBFcQ-aUEU9Rv1CTY84BnijkO_k04gTwR6RQTojHY3AbxsM_WV0Oqr6b8mbN8Kk1XeRnDrenu3QHvE/s1600-h/Robert+Kubica+BMW+Sauber+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+79.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzt-uD7mB66sfWo4zCI3aTqw7_rfm5DWdANiTpjFNSNjwcIJ0RRZJtOqcDKk03CBFcQ-aUEU9Rv1CTY84BnijkO_k04gTwR6RQTojHY3AbxsM_WV0Oqr6b8mbN8Kk1XeRnDrenu3QHvE/s200/Robert+Kubica+BMW+Sauber+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+79.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320098557176921058" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDa2sdh02_1-gqqZCAcIAEr8rStzt5fqyfx3O60L-vsJ5HlBBccnL4cljsfMfX7-nTRzeyf427QfIE-KxtrOXEzZeYYPR8CRGqB2B2TdOOvoBHIu13VveiVAcufmvCIRsaMM1mHE1u8I/s1600-h/Nick+Heidfeld+BMW+Sauber+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+80.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDa2sdh02_1-gqqZCAcIAEr8rStzt5fqyfx3O60L-vsJ5HlBBccnL4cljsfMfX7-nTRzeyf427QfIE-KxtrOXEzZeYYPR8CRGqB2B2TdOOvoBHIu13VveiVAcufmvCIRsaMM1mHE1u8I/s200/Nick+Heidfeld+BMW+Sauber+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+80.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320098547570688674" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Robert Kubica BMW Sauber Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br />pic 2: Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmC9W9xkDlQnA1p7JKF-S6eaas-3wsbartbr4pBPoBMepPKuvZ5-kRGYwP9IEpMx548vNHHzW0hKZyA19cjflUOMTNL3twVGvricx3cxcNxVXYlpXDSriLduunS9ZdLbIlcOgvDaYYs6U/s1600-h/Nico+Rosberg+Williams+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmC9W9xkDlQnA1p7JKF-S6eaas-3wsbartbr4pBPoBMepPKuvZ5-kRGYwP9IEpMx548vNHHzW0hKZyA19cjflUOMTNL3twVGvricx3cxcNxVXYlpXDSriLduunS9ZdLbIlcOgvDaYYs6U/s200/Nico+Rosberg+Williams+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320098553447672050" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1JkBhrLh2KHudskybxwkBAsdU2gzcCJCSrRnN6cAXtvxioFCB-pQxGXlerYwdZGZXLuYBFPMFhnNav_xQMWZ1uSjsR2BCWy099oPVeTBdShTyp1kucKSR5cQUAUen5-vcYlP_0phaL8/s1600-h/Nick+Heidfeld+BMW+Sauber+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+18.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1JkBhrLh2KHudskybxwkBAsdU2gzcCJCSrRnN6cAXtvxioFCB-pQxGXlerYwdZGZXLuYBFPMFhnNav_xQMWZ1uSjsR2BCWy099oPVeTBdShTyp1kucKSR5cQUAUen5-vcYlP_0phaL8/s200/Nick+Heidfeld+BMW+Sauber+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320098547850368322" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Nico Rosberg Williams Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br />pic 2: Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IkrR-1y-Br0JR5m1aP4bNvOTZ38GT_q9tZhaIkVICtwZDj-SnuZDTnRnuexXS5Xm76TSBzn-E6G9fdyY8tz7G0nef0bWfzlT0m5FNgFwCrqo6sagV8RONhBP-sRYqFjo9yOsOUgslF0/s1600-h/Kimi+Raikkonen+Ferrari+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+11.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IkrR-1y-Br0JR5m1aP4bNvOTZ38GT_q9tZhaIkVICtwZDj-SnuZDTnRnuexXS5Xm76TSBzn-E6G9fdyY8tz7G0nef0bWfzlT0m5FNgFwCrqo6sagV8RONhBP-sRYqFjo9yOsOUgslF0/s200/Kimi+Raikkonen+Ferrari+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097703559942866" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhNXuGuAg9S8kveb3bTbR0hOzWfzAKuGqTBMXXWay3QbjACbl9lz7SmYoS8mILas7E1znY6Vq2t_VuDi5a8PVpcry5ldVksQIyv80jjw1jL5pI-qmx1WERP9WQMHcF0XGqBBtUnuR5P0/s1600-h/Kimi+Raikkonen+Ferrari+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+10.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhNXuGuAg9S8kveb3bTbR0hOzWfzAKuGqTBMXXWay3QbjACbl9lz7SmYoS8mILas7E1znY6Vq2t_VuDi5a8PVpcry5ldVksQIyv80jjw1jL5pI-qmx1WERP9WQMHcF0XGqBBtUnuR5P0/s200/Kimi+Raikkonen+Ferrari+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097699921391666" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br />pic 2: Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3ZULprYXJHOeOSNtwXIp5w4IPvWG0lMmY5_0-408mNwqSoYmSscLYPqPW2-9DX2tCoD7FkrOaGOFHzsMA-71VSMW53uUegtq-J3w4dxjVQUCH1Vp0yzl9iibirZ0IpkggoWBtyDrRwk/s1600-h/Jenson+Button+Brawn+Racing+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+32.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3ZULprYXJHOeOSNtwXIp5w4IPvWG0lMmY5_0-408mNwqSoYmSscLYPqPW2-9DX2tCoD7FkrOaGOFHzsMA-71VSMW53uUegtq-J3w4dxjVQUCH1Vp0yzl9iibirZ0IpkggoWBtyDrRwk/s200/Jenson+Button+Brawn+Racing+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+32.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097692261603602" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMQOarKdiM9xcmHsmnit1d5N_t877lqSZV1NjYnPNSKTU2yXS_PLtxcw80CbxRsd8XrrmY2AN242uC2X2iLoqRuMUIvJTLMlyE8vB3hqcOBWFS69XSmEcpw8pCBDrkwb1RNMboEnXIgk/s1600-h/Jenson+Button+Brawn+Racing+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMQOarKdiM9xcmHsmnit1d5N_t877lqSZV1NjYnPNSKTU2yXS_PLtxcw80CbxRsd8XrrmY2AN242uC2X2iLoqRuMUIvJTLMlyE8vB3hqcOBWFS69XSmEcpw8pCBDrkwb1RNMboEnXIgk/s200/Jenson+Button+Brawn+Racing+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097690343177954" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Jenson Button Brawn Racing Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br />pic 2: Jenson Button Brawn Racing Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWriUPAPnz1pi5MWUUoPZDMMack4zVLl7ExTw4lVWT7JFZ_-1u4uTKQEOSvfYx8ghtw18fwP057_0kAYl4OmjSaMNl32gfqxW6cJ8NOrGmD51TLesKFjzf7prhxzhoDsdU8rIS98LTy1U/s1600-h/Jarno+Trulli+Toyota+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+41.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWriUPAPnz1pi5MWUUoPZDMMack4zVLl7ExTw4lVWT7JFZ_-1u4uTKQEOSvfYx8ghtw18fwP057_0kAYl4OmjSaMNl32gfqxW6cJ8NOrGmD51TLesKFjzf7prhxzhoDsdU8rIS98LTy1U/s200/Jarno+Trulli+Toyota+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+41.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097687351997090" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHxKtm9Zrv8lyUPBeyFWel7n33L1KWvZLfPLqlxPlv-D9qVGh_ns0zm6eYSSxbjqI4vw-4y8gbZHgRAPpRS-w0DOpp4eq5FPGpCWKRVOQW-Eyljuz8UroKk_nTOp6DhKIqyEt_5Uqe6U/s1600-h/Jarno+Trulli+Toyota+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+36.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHxKtm9Zrv8lyUPBeyFWel7n33L1KWvZLfPLqlxPlv-D9qVGh_ns0zm6eYSSxbjqI4vw-4y8gbZHgRAPpRS-w0DOpp4eq5FPGpCWKRVOQW-Eyljuz8UroKk_nTOp6DhKIqyEt_5Uqe6U/s200/Jarno+Trulli+Toyota+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+36.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097048547132386" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Jarno Trulli Toyota Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br />pic 2: Jarno Trulli Toyota Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1X-EjrYUGtaZmpHnnd0xjAQG-LeYAm7kgFMDcFjbaVWCYkcfSdOxZCvA4RK6r8ySPlZMgvKmVzCHPiWsglsQVBAIdO8Dj-o6exu9KyXwDMM4amY4vcJfrvYA7_o-WErIu0-7jrrcgu0/s1600-h/Jarno+Trulli+Toyota+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+35.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1X-EjrYUGtaZmpHnnd0xjAQG-LeYAm7kgFMDcFjbaVWCYkcfSdOxZCvA4RK6r8ySPlZMgvKmVzCHPiWsglsQVBAIdO8Dj-o6exu9KyXwDMM4amY4vcJfrvYA7_o-WErIu0-7jrrcgu0/s200/Jarno+Trulli+Toyota+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+35.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097051975161218" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXgZ_jbZuprPVW-i23OsYSlAUZEMl7xQbb8t9BIjJlkO-ni-UzGAad2NUX5_W-Zv6x_nIuyyUvgFYmOeBx9RuPocVjEJK7krHVgzFrMjgR_5Inm5Rh7uLLBumoP_rELcQieyyxqK_4uo/s1600-h/Heikki+Kovalainen+McLaren+Mercedes+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+12.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXgZ_jbZuprPVW-i23OsYSlAUZEMl7xQbb8t9BIjJlkO-ni-UzGAad2NUX5_W-Zv6x_nIuyyUvgFYmOeBx9RuPocVjEJK7krHVgzFrMjgR_5Inm5Rh7uLLBumoP_rELcQieyyxqK_4uo/s200/Heikki+Kovalainen+McLaren+Mercedes+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097047383897634" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Jarno Trulli Toyota Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br />pic 2: Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes Australian GP<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPO58jRqZU92L6wDDxsZkJ9PZlOPNc1Qb8xfPks0iZ6oqO7Y0bUzEXArC6vehMqAOmmX8FQhqMawsHrcyy7BbfQphJeCQdUPk1ApDpJtHHmN5aAV2UmcomsYXWLz3o1C6qmCwyEvEDos/s1600-h/Giancarlo+Fisichella+Force+India+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+70.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPO58jRqZU92L6wDDxsZkJ9PZlOPNc1Qb8xfPks0iZ6oqO7Y0bUzEXArC6vehMqAOmmX8FQhqMawsHrcyy7BbfQphJeCQdUPk1ApDpJtHHmN5aAV2UmcomsYXWLz3o1C6qmCwyEvEDos/s200/Giancarlo+Fisichella+Force+India+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+70.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097042097861202" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">_____</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2bDHymbLVIoMOwHj_v2X-el3B-KrNLdunTmdzCKHdCdxGyh8pxwqpUDKNPKB1mm4C0_dRb1y7hHsbS34opiu_4rJBx4J2LS_SpM90id-x-Vr-p-fTnUabgNTVYYQ83BelSsVT_wrKwA/s1600-h/Adrian+Sutil+Force+India+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+17.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2bDHymbLVIoMOwHj_v2X-el3B-KrNLdunTmdzCKHdCdxGyh8pxwqpUDKNPKB1mm4C0_dRb1y7hHsbS34opiu_4rJBx4J2LS_SpM90id-x-Vr-p-fTnUabgNTVYYQ83BelSsVT_wrKwA/s200/Adrian+Sutil+Force+India+Australian+GP,+Melbourne+2009+17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320097040288819826" border="0" /></a><br />pic 1: Giancarlo Fisichella Force India Australian GP, Melbourne 2009<br />pic 2: Adrian Sutil Force India Australian GP, Melbourne 2009F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-34679149614555565412009-03-19T14:40:00.000+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.146+01:00Brawn GP Part of the Leading GroupHave Brawn GP Staked a Claim to Be Part of this Leading Group?<br /><br />Brawn GP have been one of the stories of testing this week. The car has been extremely fast straight out of the box. Even better, the car has proved to be very reliable. Ross Brawn and his two drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, must be feeling pretty ecstatic right now.<br /><br />On Wednesday, Button set a low 1:19 and Barrichello on Thursdays managed to sneak into the 1:18s. Even if these laps are glory/sponsor seeking laps, these times are fast by anyone’s standards. They are quicker than the time set in Q2 of the Spanish GP last season. It’s obvious that Brawn GP have a very quick car on their hands. Not only do they look good in low fuel trim, but their long runs have been mighty as well.<br /><br />Remember that this is the car Honda started building all the way back in 2007. They gave up completely on 2008 before the season even started. Ross Brawn focused entirely—and put a lot of Honda’s cash—into building this car. They have still been developing the car during the winter, even with all the uncertainty of the team’s future. Therefore, there was always a good chance this was going to be a very fast car, and it most certainly is.<br /><br />A question mark will hang over whether they can keep up the development pace over the whole season. I think they have a good chance. Honda has given Ross Brawn 100 million pounds to keep the team alive, as opposed to having to pay that amount to make all the staff redundant. The team has also been around 40 to 50 million pounds in commercial, and TV revenue money from Bernie Ecclestone.<br /><br />So for this season at least, Brawn GP have a very healthy budget on which to operate. I am sure Ross Brawn will make use of every penny. He is very talented and will run a very efficient operation. It will be very much like the Renault operation, who, despite having less funds than Mclaren and Ferrari, beat them both to consecutive championships back in 2005 and 2006.<br /><br />Paul Murtagh and I said in our preview of Brawn GP that podiums and points were possible. I think that will definitely happen now. Not only that, but they have now got a genuine chance of winning in Melbourne. Some experts believe the Brawn GP car is the class of the field; even Felipe Massa admitted his Ferrari couldn’t do lap times as fast as Brawn has been producing. For Felipe Massa to actually come out and say that is quite a statement. Fernando Alonso has also come out, and said that Brawn GP’s pace is for real.<br /><br />Brawn GP has most certainly been the biggest story in Barcelona this week. Whether they perform in Melbourne is an entirely different matter, but the signs look as if they could be on for a great start to the season. And as already touched on, it’s not as if they don’t have the funds this season, with the team still getting Honda money.<br /><br />Just think: Not so long ago Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello’s careers were in grave danger. Now they both have a car, which has the potential to be at the front of the grid. It’s strange how quickly things can change in the world of Formula One.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-90790477155872178322009-03-18T14:40:00.000+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.153+01:00Who Are Looking Like the Current Front RunnersThis is promising to be a fantastic season. Going to Melbourne, there are three or four teams who will be starting the weekend thinking they have a decent chance of winning the race.<br /><br />Throughout testing, Ferrari, BMW, and Toyota have been extremely closely matched at the top of the timesheets. When they have been doing similar runs in testing this week, their times have evenly matched. They all look like fast, consistent cars.<br /><br />In the Bahrain test, these three teams were always covered by just a couple of tenths. When they joined the other teams in Jerez and Barcelona, that theme continued. Except they have also been ahead of the other teams, too (with the possible exception of Brawn GP, which is explained in the next section).<br /><br />Toyota has impressed me most in testing. They have clocked up a huge amount of mileage, and the car is extremely reliable. Jarno Trulli is very bullish about his chances in Melbourne. I think this could be Toyota’s big year...at long last. They look as if they are finally realising what it takes to be successful in Formula One.<br /><br />Their team members have become more passionate about racing, rather than acting all corporate. I am sure this has made a substantial difference. If Toyota doesn’t win races this season, then they will be very disappointed. It could be a big year for Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock.<br /><br />Ferrari, again, have built another fast car. However, their testing hasn’t been without reliability problems. They have had a couple of scares with their KERs (Kinetic Energy Recovery system) device. Ferrari has seemed pretty intent on using their device from the start, but they may have second thoughts about that before Melbourne. Leading 1-2 in Melbourne and then having a double car failure (like Mclaren suffered in the 1999 season opener) would be seriously gut wrenching.<br /><br />Their other issue is that it still takes a long time to warm up the tyres. This is at its worst in cooler conditions. This means that like the last couple of seasons, they will be at a disadvantage to their main rivals in qualifying. As things stand, that could be very critical. With the front runners so closely packed, not having a great qualifying car could cost them far more than it did last season. They need to work on this. Historically, Ferrari’s race pace has always been their strong point compared with qualifying pace. This isn’t just a recent trend.<br /><br />BMW also looked to have made the step forward to regular race win contenders. BMW gave up full development on their 2008 car pretty early on, and started to focus much more on the 2009 contender. They recognised that 2009 was a unique opportunity to gain on the front runners.<br /><br />It looks like BMW Sauber may well have made the right decision here, despite Robert Kubica being unhappy that BMW didn’t focus more on his 2008 title challenge. Since BMW took over Sauber back in 2006, they have made a big step every year since then. They look set to take another big step forward for the fourth year running, which is deeply impressive. They are set to be championship contenders this season. The team have often sandbagged in the past in testing, so there is a chance they are even quicker than they're letting on.<br /><br />Overall, out of these three leading teams, I would estimate that Ferrari has a tiny edge in terms of race pace. When it comes to qualifying trim, BMW and Toyota are probably ahead. Toyota won’t be using the KERs system until later in the season. We will see whether this proves to be an advantage or a disadvantage to them. It could swing either way.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-14742279997293657892009-03-17T14:38:00.000+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.158+01:00Surprisingly Close At The First Tests<span style="font-size:130%;">The Grid Is Surprisingly Close!!</span><br /><br />This has been one of the main stories of testing this season. All the rule changes have effectively meant that each team has started from a new sheet of paper. Many figures expected this would spread the grid out. Last season, the field spread came down to about two seconds. This is the closest it had been for many season, attributed to the fact that the rules had been stable for a few seasons up to that point.<br /><br />Amazingly, despite the changes, the grid looks set to close up even more. During the tests, the field has been separated on average by 2.0 to 2.5 seconds. When you take into account that some teams would have been running high fuel programmes, and others low fuel programmes, then the field is likely to be even closer than that.<br /><br />We won’t see how much time covers the entire field until we start qualifying in Melbourne. I would guess the field spread could well be as low as 1.5 seconds. This would be pretty astonishing.<br /><br />So why is it so close?<br /><br />Simply put, many teams have adapted to the rules well and created great cars. We also have to remember that there are a huge number of large manufacturer teams compared to years' past. These teams are extremely well-funded, and have top-range facilities in place. There are more teams with the power and capabilities to build a great F1 car.<br /><br />Out of the current teams, Toro Rosso and Force India are the ones most likely to be classed as minnows. Toro Rosso is, technically speaking, a customer team of Red Bull, (who look as if they have a great car), and Force India has formed a technical collaboration with Mclaren. Thanks to this, both these teams are going to improve significantly as well, despite not being as well off as the teams above them.<br /><br />Compare this to the last set of major rule changes in 1998. The field spread out then—which perhaps is why many expected the same to happen this time around—but the difference was there were far more lower funded teams with nowhere near the level of facilities that many teams have now. These teams included the likes of Minardi, Arrows, Stewart Ford, Tyrell, Prost, and Sauber.<br /><br />Adapting to huge new rules stretched these small teams to the absolute limit. This is a big reason why the field of 1998 spread out. The situation in 2009 is very different with many more big teams on the grid, and the minnows well supported with partnerships with other teams. I bet Minardi and Arrows would have loved a technical collaboration with Mclaren or Ferrari back in their day.<br /><br />This season, a bunch of very talented and well developed teams have had the chance to start fresh. Every team started the 2009 development at the same place: on the starting line.<br /><br />In the last couple of seasons, most of the teams have matched each other in terms of development rate. The main problem for the likes of Red Bull and Toyota was that they started the season over a second behind Ferrari and Mclaren. With stable rule changes, it was always an impossible task to make big inroads into that lead. Starting from scratch, and at the same level as Ferrari and Mclaren, they have a chance to edge ahead if they adapt better to the 2009 rules.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-26291114015616231112009-03-16T14:36:00.001+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.135+01:00Analysing Testing in Barcelona 2009 packageThis week, all the F1 teams have been in Barcelona for the last major F1 test of the year. For many, it was their final chance to put miles on the car and learn about their 2009 package.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The Difficulty of Analysing Testing</span><br /><br />When studying testing times, you have to take them with a pinch of salt; we won’t know until Melbourne what the real pecking order is. There are many different variables in testing, which can give a misleading picture of who is where.<br /><br />For example, we don’t know what programmes the teams are working on. They might be working on a particular area of setup. They could just be testing the reliability of the car. They could be getting used to the tyres’ behaviour over a single lap or a race distance. They are learning as much as they can about their cars, as opposed to chasing that outright quick lap.<br /><br />Importantly, we don’t know how much fuel the teams are carrying. This alone can make a huge difference to the lap times. Some teams opt to run light, whereas others always tend to run heavy in testing.<br /><br />Track conditions also contribute to lap times. The track conditions change throughout the day. The race track is a living creature; it will normally get more rubber on it as the test day goes on. However, any precipitation will wash all that rubber away. The track will become “green,” and therefore much slower than it was previously.<br /><br />Despite all of these variables, it’s still possible to see patterns that are forming. You can spot which teams look like they are in good shape and who may indeed struggle.<br /><br />By the end of testing, you can get a rough idea of how the pecking order is looking. In the last test session, in particular, a clearer picture begins to emerge. At this point teams need to assess how fast their cars really are.<br /><br />Also in this final week many teams will do simulations of the race weekend. This offers the best chance of comparing their performances.<br /><br />Each season, though, there is always at least one team that doesn’t end up where testing suggests they should have.<br /><br />Teams may run ultra light to attract sponsors or may run extremely heavy to hide their true speed. This is a term often referred to as “sandbagging.”<br /><br />In 2001, Prost were setting very fast lap times, and even broke a lap record! Once the season started, they were nowhere near the front of the grid. At the time, Alain Prost’s team were struggling for funds, so they ran their car under the minimum required weight to set fast times and attract sponsors.<br /><br />Quite a devious little plan!<br /><br />Last season, BMW Sauber didn’t look too good for much of preseason testing. However, they caused a big shock when Robert Kubica came from nowhere to almost snatch pole position from Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne.<br /><br />So the big question on every F1 fan’s lips is how is the current order looking as things currently stand?F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-90687595628774022632009-03-07T19:34:00.000+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.156+01:00FOTA strategy amid financial crisis; stability, sustainability, substance and spectacle!Formula One team leaders met Wednesday to finalize their strategy, in Geneva, for the sport, amid the global financial crisis.<br /><br />The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA), led by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, will hold a news conference Thursday to unveil their plans as the sport faces heavy cost-cutting and difficulties in attracting new sponsors and teams.<br /><br />FOTA said in a statement that its proposals "are aimed at increasing the stability, sustainability, substance and spectacle of the sport."<br /><br />The blueprint — to be unveiled less than four weeks before the new season starts March 29 in Australia — will draw on market research which asked F1 fans and television audiences in 17 countries what changes they wanted to see.<br /><br />Teams and fans have been told by the FIA, auto racing's governing body, that F1 must cut its spending drastically in order to survive.<br /><br />FIA president Max Mosley has said he wants teams to limit their budgets to €50 million ($64 million), instead of the spiraling annual spending of €224 million ($283 million) that saw Japanese car giant Honda drop out in December.<br /><br />Former Honda team principal Ross Brawn was at Wednesday's meeting as he seeks to put together a management buyout that would keep the team on the grid under a new name.<br /><br />Also joining FOTA president Montezemolo at the meeting were team leaders Mario Theissen (BMW Sauber), Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren), Flavio Briatore (Renault), Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), John Howett (Toyota), Franz Tost (Toro Rosso), Christian Horner (Red Bull Racing) and Alex Burns (Williams).<br /><br />Force India team owner Vijay Mallya is expected to join his colleagues for Thursday's launch.<br /><br />They joined together to create FOTA last September to unite in negotiations with the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone, whose Formula One Management controls the lucrative commercial and media rights.<br /><br />At a meeting in Monaco last December, FIA and the teams agreed to a series of changes which include longer-lasting engines, limits on expensive testing and cheaper, off-the-shelf engines for smaller teams.<br /><br />Mosley and FIA are preparing further proposals later this month which could take effect in the 2010 season, when a United States-based team is expected to join the circuit.<br /><br />The USF1 operation hopes to be based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with American drivers and meet Mosley's €50 million budget target.<br /><br />Their arrival would inject new capital into F1, which has seen major sponsors back away since the financial downturn hit.<br /><br />BMW Sauber lost Swiss bank Credit Suisse while Renault's title sponsor, ING, will not renew at the end of this season. Troubled British bank RBS will end its deal with Williams after 2010.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-11850732391881082732009-03-05T14:15:00.000+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.140+01:00Toro Rosso will launch their new STR4 next weekToro Rosso will launch their new STR4 Formula One car at a test in Barcelona on Monday, the race-winning team said on Wednesday.<br /><br />Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais and Swiss newcomer Sebastien Buemi will be the drivers this year, with the latter likely to be the only rookie on the starting grid when the season starts in Australia on March 29.<br /><br />Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso, who started last season with the previous year's car, won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix with 21-year-old German Sebastian Vettel who has since left for sister team Red Bull.<br /><br />Apart from the former Honda team, whose future has yet to be confirmed after the Japanese manufacturer's decision to pull out of the sport, Toro Rosso will be the last to unveil their new-look car.<br /><br />The car is based on the RB5 one used by Red Bull and has already had a brief shakedown test at the Adria circuit in Italy.<br /><br />Honda could also be testing at the Circuit de Catalunya on Monday, although a management buyout led by team principal Ross Brawn has still to be confirmed.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-40670775897741017712009-03-05T02:11:00.001+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.137+01:00Bruno Senna upset on Honda, BarrichelloRubens Barrichello has indicated he is set to prolong his record holding Formula 1 career for at least one more year, while countryman Bruno Senna admits his hopes for the vacant Honda seat have faded.<br /><br />It has been reported this week that, despite rookie Senna's strong links with the Brackley based team throughout the winter, the soon to be renamed outfit has plumped instead for an unchanged driver lineup.<br /><br />"My faith says that next week I'll be driving a competitive car in the tests in Barcelona, although I have no document in my hands that assures me of that," 36-year-old Barrichello, already in Britain awaiting developments, told Sao Paulo's O Estado newspaper.<br /><br />25-year-old Senna, meanwhile, the nephew of Barrichello's late mentor Ayrton Senna, admits he met with team boss Ross Brawn on Wednesday "and he cancelled" their prospective collaboration for 2009.<br /><br />"I'm kind of resigned to trying something else," he told the same newspaper, amid speculation the 2008 GP2 Series runner up might switch to the German touring car series DTM.<br /><br />Senna said: "I'm just a little upset because this situation has dragged on for so long, making me lose better professional possibilities."<br /><br />"Now I'm going to get together with my family, with my advisors, and decide what way to take."<br /><br />An announcement about Honda's plans for 2009 is possible on Friday, when it is expected the newly Mercedes powered car may be debuted at Silverstone.<br /><br />The team, likely to be known as Brawn Racing in 2009, did not comment.F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-24599534132440692922009-02-23T23:20:00.008+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.156+01:00Formula 1 2009 unveilings, so far..Here are the unveiling's of F1 teams, the missing are Toro Rosso and Honda**<br />To see the post containing the pictures simply click the image!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Toyota</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://all-f1-pictures.blogspot.com/2009/01/toyota-unveils-tf109-online-internet.html"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tS2d5EN11kMe2JLZ7ZbUY5KuHNcnmzshLzet7BvRG95YS2Ds8cS0vKpDOMgH6MicfNAylgEtGHEDS3-Eg9LuM3LikUJlum74Mj6pN1vq1z4NQFXaBKuFTwozqD0k7j6US0nkh9xe3yQ/s200/toyota+TF109+White+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293062489042523426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Ferrari</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://all-f1-pictures.blogspot.com/2009/01/ferrari-f60-unveiling.html"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CI7Wir8k0VRlTEoeVIDVcFDEEkZe0HTjOdThpuxSPKCazXDO_0DDPzwgNTtgie0GCVRvUACTUJzCV13EedsBhl5-510MpPWyXsR2SGa3zfeIZ0Y02W2tuFmif4n9HViSl57ogHHK9-k/s200/Ferrari+F60+Front+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290904421033075266" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Red Bull</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://all-f1-pictures.blogspot.com/2009/02/red-bull-rb5-beauty-unveiled.html"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEkqmREPGRJ9GhjfZHEToKY9RINkj1CdK_6gpY895aS_v9082KCRFxwDeYrOJ5E1-UQypOkmfeWITbUOY2XhdSisCxwrH9IW1bsdhwORQO-buCly-KdH2lwrOjIO1CZaQauxJBZWTIx0/s200/Red+Bull+RB5+Front+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301244600577643586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >McLaren Mercedes</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://all-f1-pictures.blogspot.com/2009/01/mp4-24-mclaren-revealed-kers.html"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sgVuEtAC04JkoGkQbHm-PRfeMgCYsKqoQ6k4uJRFTa0K7RC7mqXS8KzXfHwuFZn0Nd1PfA1zXTpMp08X1HNt2xuJzqNyeQz8a_VOhRijslOTOlCc8UDKUwNbw9fUF3-P7zsRcWpZACU/s200/MP4-24,+McLaren+Front+up+2009+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295396301157327858" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Williams</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://all-f1-pictures.blogspot.com/2009/01/williams-toyota-fw31-livary-dark-blue.html"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyrWxHhtz36ujKb748TL7yCCw-zE8jCQ9klY7Bu0ucUOV1W6UmcMM150gP8Bkqtu9rM3D7G2MBeGYl3Li62wsDnxBz4VVT2N8Fq_0VghBLti_cQWlHb8jX3FSmCafu4yZ_fmrwggaNZE/s200/Williams+FW31+Front+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295760811223721362" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >BMW Sauber</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://all-f1-pictures.blogspot.com/2009/01/bmw-sauber-f109-kubica-heidfeld_30.html"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbtIGHKwlc9JWmJ2IGavHX75fPlCL2B5UnIqD4KhuGAQd_8HR83jwe6_ws8At8lpo0i__vq-yMhDFuT8dKbkrSzVtZ6ntjLke8PvMFQteiJ8ihsf6XCvlVBIalGF8vOn6dEw5NCUeZMk/s200/Robert+Kubica+BMW+Sauber+F1+Team+BMW+P86.9+Unveiling+2009+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295768942923439586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Renault</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://all-f1-pictures.blogspot.com/2009/01/renault-unveils-r29-in-portugal-alonso.html"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZXWD7pTx3j5Cex9ZA8ZEH-T6JrEf1Acuw4B6V2cUZdLYrSzBpOQiFMUVHGh9RF4lyfu37m0yyO-3ZUfA7Xog9q0FFsa23q0lZeUsM2AzIQ7sJWBoj3IF-JKlYoQ-LY6LjxZhCVmO3bg/s200/Nelson+Piquet+Jr.+Renault+F1+Team+RS27+Testing+Unveiling+2008+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295764745493471458" border="0" /></a>F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-80791332384155754422009-02-21T19:35:00.004+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.159+01:002009 Testing - This FarTeam-by-team listing!! (Well, important teams)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Top 3:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">McLaren:</span> The 2008 winners seems to be the only top team with testing running according to plan. They seem to have the lead at this moment. Nothing's really gone wrong, they just need to keep finding the perfect set-up for the car!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ferrari:</span> Heading for the Sakhir circuit was a mistake. They got a total of 400 testing kilometers less than McLaren (who were testing at Jerez) and are now calling in Michael Schumacher as a consultant regarding slicks. He might be test driving in Mugello once he's recovered from his recent bike crash. Additionally, their KERS is heavier than most others.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BMW:</span> Front wing difficulties have caused BMW to get working on a revamped front wing. They're not as fast as Ferrari right now. They will still be a force to count on. World champions? No. Podiums? Surely.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Surprising 2:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Toyota: </span>Toyota has been keeping up with Ferrari in Bahrain, sometimes being the fastest team over a day. They might not have the same edge as Ferrari, but they may well be a common sight on the podium in 2009.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Red Bull:</span> Red Bull is perhaps the strongest and most surprising this far. At this moment in time, I keep them as the second best team, behind McLaren. They need to fine tune the setup, and they will surely be fighting for some wins.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Crap 1:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Renault:</span> After having some serious issues with the car, they are now stopping ALL testing for the rest of February. Why? Their car is not good enough. They're putting all resources into pretty much remaking it. It's not good enough. Fernando Alonso will take care of all the testing in March. Perhaps the cock-up team of 2009<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Non-Moving 2:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Toro Rosso:</span> They are waiting for their Red bull chassis. With the Ferrari engine, they may do well. They have mediocre drivers, though, and should be nothing more than a midfield contestant.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Force India: </span>Watch out!! With McLaren engine and KERS, as well as help in other areas, Force India may be the surpise of 2009. I warn you - Sutil might hit a podium or two in 2009. All it takes is some luck. Surely not in the run for wins, no way, but they will probably make a giant leap forwards under 2009.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Rest:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Williams:</span> Williams are not making a huge impression. They are where they were last year. Far back, but not at the complete bottom. They won't be much better than 2008. Nico Rosberg might want to look into changing cockpit for 2010...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Honda:</span> Testing..? No, they are not. But they are developing their car. Sir Richard Branson of Virgin wants to buy Honda, rumours say. He says he is interested. They might just line up for 2009. If so, they are likely to have Jenson Button and Bruno Senna driving for them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">USF1:</span> No, they will not be racing in 2009. They're up for 2010. Danica Patrick is rumoured to already be scheduled for a late 2009 test with USF1. This would make her the first female F1 driver, ever. Why not??Christopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18099584726891632542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287427275733282621.post-67019869029808041762009-02-14T23:04:00.000+01:002010-01-28T00:42:04.143+01:00The Red Bull strip RB5 Webber and VettelLike the Red Bull strip?? :D<br /><br />Get it here: <a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/Car/Articles/Win-Exclusive-Signed-Launch-Memorabilia/">Red Bull Racing</a><br /><br /><br />Or just click the lower links..<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch1.pdf" target="_blank">One:</a></strong> The cover<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch2-3.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Two:</strong></a> The car – but drawn<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch4-5.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Three:</strong></a> The team’s history!<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch6-7.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Four:</strong></a> Mark Webber in… ‘Road To Recovery!’<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch8-9.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Five:</strong></a> Mark Webber in… ‘Road To Recovery!’ (continued)<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch10-11.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Six:</strong></a> Christian Horner On Why 2009 Is A New Formula!<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch12-13.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Seven:</strong></a> The RB5 Unleashed!<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch14-15.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Eight:</strong></a> Adrian Newey Reveals His Blue-sky Thinking!<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch16-17.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Nine:</strong></a> Sebastian Vettel in… ‘The Space Race!’<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch18-19.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Ten:</strong></a> Sebastian Vettel in… ‘The Space Race!’ (continued)<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch20-21.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Eleven:</strong></a> Geoff Willis on Why We Have To Be Slick!<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch22-23.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Twelve:</strong></a> The Secrets of Milton Keynes Revealed<br /><a href="http://www.redbullracing.com/PageFiles/16693/RB5launch24.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Thirteen:</strong></a> The Back Cover!F1fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291514910347059097noreply@blogger.com0