dinsdag 15 januari 2013

Warrior Alonso bides his time

Almost Fernando Alonso's first act after what must have been the huge blow of seeing Sebastian Vettel slash his world championship lead to just four points at the Japanese Grand Prix, was to quote that country's great swordfighter and philosopher Miyamoto Musashi.

"If the enemy thinks of the mountains," Alonso wrote on his Twitter account, "attack by sea; and if he thinks of the sea, attack by the mountains."

That the Ferrari driver can reach for the words of a 17th century kensei warrior and strategist in a moment of such strain reveals a lot about the manner in which he combines an indomitable fighting spirit with a status as possibly the most cerebral Formula 1 driver of his generation.

But it will take more than relentlessness and clever strategy for Alonso to hold on to a lead for which he has struggled so hard this season, but which has now dwindled to almost nothing.

The 31-year-old, who spun out at Suzuka with a puncture after being tagged by Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus on the run to the first corner, has carried his Ferrari team on his back this year.

Alonso has won three races and taken a series of strong points finishes to establish what was until recently an imposing championship lead in a car that has never once been quick enough to set pole position in the dry.

He did so by driving, in terms of consistency and lack of mistakes, one of the most perfect seasons there has ever been - a feat made all the more impressive because it was done in not the best car.

Fernando Alonso leads Sebastian Vettel in the Championship by four points. Photo: Getty

Yet now, through no fault of his own, Alonso has failed to finish two of the last four races and in that time Vettel has made hay, taking 37 points out of his rival's lead.

Heading into Japan, it was already beginning to look as if Vettel was going to be hard to resist.

While the Red Bull has been a forbiddingly quick race car all season, the team did not in the first half of the season find it very easy to get the best out of it in qualifying.

But since mid-summer they have found consistency, and started to qualify regularly at the front of the grid as well. At the same time, luck has deserted Ferrari and Alonso.

More than that, Red Bull also appear in recent races to have made a significant step forward in the performance of their car.

Vettel looked very strong in Singapore two weeks ago, trading fastest times with Lewis Hamilton throughout the weekend and taking victory after the Englishman's McLaren retired from the lead with a gearbox failure. And in Japan the Red Bull looked unbeatable from as early as Saturday final practice session.

How much of this is to do with the new 'double DRS' system which came to light in Suzuka is unclear.

Team boss Christian Horner said he thought it was more to do with the characteristics of the track suiting those of the Red Bull car. Perhaps, but the 'double DRS' certainly won't be doing any harm.

Unlike the system that Mercedes have been using since the start of the season, which uses the DRS overtaking aid to 'stall' the front wing, Red Bull's works entirely on the rear wing.

What it means is that they can run the car with more downforce in qualifying without the consequent straight-line speed penalty caused by the extra drag, because the 'double DRS' bleeds off the drag.

This does bring a straight-line speed penalty in the race, when DRS use is no longer free. But as long as the car qualifies at the front, this does not matter, as it is quick enough over a lap to stay out of reach of its rivals.

It is not clear how long Red Bull have been working on this system at grand prix weekends, but to the best of BBC Sport's knowledge, Japan was the first time they had raced it. Coupled with a new front wing design introduced in Singapore, it has turned an already strong package into an intimidating one.

Vettel used it to dominate the race in the fashion he did so many in 2011 on his way to his second-consecutive title. As he so often does in the fastest car when he starts at the front of the grid, he looked invincible.

Alonso, though, is not one to be intimidated easily and will take solace from the fact that Ferrari's pace compared to Red Bull was not as bad as it might appear at first glance.

Alonso may have qualified only seventh, but he reckoned he was on course for fourth place on the grid before having to slow for caution flags marking Raikkonen's spun Lotus at Spoon Curve.

And judging by the pace shown by his team-mate Felipe Massa in the race, Alonso would have finished in a sure-fire second place had he got beyond the first corner. He might even have been able to challenge Vettel, given how much faster the Ferrari has been in races than in qualifying this year.

Alonso's problem for the remainder of the season is that salvaging podiums is no longer enough - he needs to start winning races again. Which means Ferrari need to start improving their car relative to the opposition.

Meanwhile, spice has been added to an already intriguing final five races by a seemingly innocuous incident in qualifying in Japan.

After slowing as he passed Raikkonen's car, Alonso continued on his flying lap, but when he got to the chicane, he came across Vettel, who blocked him.

Ferrari reckoned this cost Alonso somewhere in the region of 0.1-0.2secs, which would have moved him up a place on the grid. The stewards, though, decided to give Vettel only a reprimand.

They justified this on the basis that they believed Vettel had not known Alonso was there - and they let him off not looking in his mirrors because they felt he had reason to believe no-one would be continuing on a flying lap following the Raikkonen incident.

But some would see that as flawed thinking. Alonso was one of several drivers who had at that point not set a time in the top 10 shoot-out, and all of them were likely to be continuing their laps because whatever time they did set was going to define their grid slot.

Although there is no suggestion Vettel held up Alonso deliberately, the Red Bull driver is a sharp cookie, and almost certainly would have known this.

Even if he did not, his team should have warned him. And on that basis, it can be argued that Vettel's offence was no less bad than that of Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne, who was given a three-place grid penalty for delaying Williams's Bruno Senna in similar fashion earlier in qualifying.

Ferrari were distinctly unimpressed by the stewards' verdict, but Alonso being Alonso, he has not mentioned any of this publicly. Alonso being Alonso, though, he will have lodged it away for the future.

In the meantime, before heading to Korea for another potentially pivotal race next weekend, might he be studying Musashi a little more?

You must "know the times", Musashi wrote. "Knowing the times means if your ability is high, seeing right into things. If you are thoroughly conversant with strategy, you will recognise the enemy's intentions and thus have many opportunities to win.

"If you attain and adhere to the wisdom of my strategy, you need never doubt that you will win."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/post_4.html

Alexander Wurz Sakon Yamamoto Alex Yoong Alex Zanardi Emilio Zapico Ricardo Zonta Renzo Zorzi

2012 Abu Dhabi GP: Hamilton takes pole ahead of the Bulls

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/bF4OmDPs9Ss/2012-abu-dhabi-gp-hamilton-takes-pole.html

Toni Ulmen Bobby Unser Jerry Unser Alberto Uria Nino Vaccarella Bob Veith Jos Verstappen

maandag 14 januari 2013

Ferrari Launch Their 2011 Car The F150

Ferrari have become the first team to launch their 2011 Formula One car – named the F150. Thw F150 name comes from the fact it is 150 years since Italian unification, the flag bearer for the nation decided it was important to increase exposure of the major event in the country’s long history. �The cars [...]

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/ferrari-launch-their-2011-car-the-f150/

Jackie Stewart Jimmy Stewart Siegfried Stohr Rolf Stommelen Philippe Streiff

Guido Forti 1940 ? 2013

Guido Forti was a racer in the 1960s and early 1970s but then decided to join forces with engineer Paolo Guerci joined forces to run a young Teo Fabi to the Italian Formula Ford 2000. The team was successful and moved up to Formula 3 the following year with Fabi in the Italian and European [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/guido-forti-1940-2013/

Renzo Zorzi Ricardo Zunino Pedro de la Rosa Keke Rosberg† Nico Rosberg Mauri Rose Louis Rosier

Indy Cars Winter beginning to Thaw?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/hrOJLLfz7z4/indy-cars-winter-beginning-to-thaw.html

John Surtees Andy Sutcliffe Adrian Sutil Len Sutton Aguri Suzuki Toshio Suzuki Jacques Swaters

Team orders in spotlight again


Will Christian Horner regret not utilising team orders in Brazil? © Getty Images
Michael Spearman of The Sun, says that the �65,000 fine Ferrari received for breaching the team orders ban in Germany will seem like loose change if Fernando Alonso wins the drivers? title in Abu Dhabi.
?The extra seven points Alonso collected when Ferrari ordered Felipe Massa to move over for him in Germany earlier in the season are now looking even more crucial. ?And the �65,000 fine they picked up for ruthlessly breaking the rules will seem loose change if Alonso clinches the title in his first year with the Maranello team. ?Red Bull could have switched the result yesterday given their crushing dominance and still celebrated their first constructors' championship just five years after coming into the sport. ?That would also have given Webber an extra seven points, leaving him just one behind Alonso.?
The Guardian?s Paul Weaver says that if Fernando Alonso does take the drivers? title in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari owes a debt of gratitude to Red Bull for their decision not to employ team orders in Brazil.
?If Alonso does take the title next week it would not be inappropriate were he and Ferrari to send a few gallons of champagne to Red Bull's headquarters in Milton Keynes. ?While Red Bull should be heartily applauded for the championship they did win today their apparent acceptance that Ferrari might carry off the more glamorous prize continues to baffle Formula One and its globetrotting supporters. ?Their refusal to make life easy for Webber, who has led for much of the season and is still seven points ahead of Vettel, means that whatever happens in the desert next week Alonso, the only driver who was capable of taking the championship in the race today, only has to secure second place to guarantee his third world title.?
The Independent?s David Tremayne is also of the opinion that Red Bull may regret not using team orders in Brazil.
?Had Red Bull elected to adopt team orders and let Webber win ? something that the governing body allows when championships are at stake ? Webber would have left Brazil with 245 points ? just one point off the lead. For some that was confirmation of his suggestion that Vettel is the team's favoured driver ? which generated an angry call from team owner Dietrich Mateschitz in Austria and was much denied by team principal, Christian Horner. ?And it sets up a situation where, if the result is repeated next weekend, as is likely, Vettel and Webber will tie on 256, five behind Alonso.?
The Mirror?s Byron Young has put Lewis Hamilton?s fading title chances down to an inferior McLaren machine and he admits the 2008 World Champion now needs a miracle.
?Sebastian Vettel's victory sends the world title fight to a four-way showdown for the first time in the sport's history. ?Hamilton goes there as part of that story with a 24-point deficit to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, but with just 25 on offer in the final round in six days' time it would take more than a miracle. ?Driving an outclassed McLaren he slugged it out against superior machinery and stiff odds to finish fourth.?

Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/team_orders_in_spotlight_again_1.php

Esteban Tuero Guy Tunmer Jack Turner Toni Ulmen Bobby Unser

F1 2012 Championship Standings after Abu Dhabi GP

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/jDF3Xm7qVVs/f1-2012-championship-standings-after.html

Mike Wilds Jonathan Williams Roger Williamson Dempsey Wilson Desire Wilson Justin Wilson Vic Wilson

zondag 13 januari 2013

Merry Kringle - 2012 edition

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/jtqK0p5sgjc/merry-kringle-2012-edition.html

Alejandro de Tomaso Charles de Tornaco Tony Trimmer Maurice Trintignant Wolfgang von Trips Jarno Trulli Esteban Tuero

Surtees says young drivers? path to F1 needs overhaul | F1 Fanatic round-up

Surtees says young drivers’ path to F1 needs overhaul is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

In the round-up: Surtees says talent should count for more on road to F1 ? Sauber tester Frijns 'can't afford GP2' ? Mallya's Kingfisher woes continues

Surtees says young drivers’ path to F1 needs overhaul is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/pUaSM6UQcSA/

Bill Vukovich Syd van der Vyver Fred Wacker David Walker Peter Walker Lee Wallard Heini Walter

Cool, canny Alonso seems to have all the answers

The remarkable story of Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's incredible season continued at the German Grand Prix as the Spaniard became the first man to win three races in 2012 and moved into an imposing lead in the world championship.

Those three victories have all been very different, but equally impressive. And each has demonstrated specific aspects of the formidable army of Alonso's talents.

In Malaysia in the second race of the season, at a time when the Ferrari was not competitive in the dry, he grabbed the opportunity provided by rain to take a most unexpected first win.

In Valencia last month, it was Alonso's opportunism and clinical overtaking abilities that were to the fore.

Fernando Alonso tops the podium in Hockenheim

Other drivers may wonder how to stop Alonso's relentless drive to a third title. Photo: Getty

And in Germany on Sunday his victory was founded on his relentlessness, canniness and virtual imperviousness to pressure.

Ferrari, lest we forget, started the season with a car that was the best part of a second and a half off the pace. Their progress since then has been hugely impressive.

But vastly improved though the car is, it was not, as Alonso himself, his team boss Stefano Domenicali and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel all pointed out after the race on Sunday, the fastest car in Germany.

Vettel's Red Bull - which finished second but was demoted to fifth for passing Jenson Button by going off the track - and the McLaren appeared to have a slight pace advantage over the Ferrari, given their ability to stay within a second of it for lap after lap.

But Alonso cleverly managed his race so he was always just out of reach of them when it mattered.

He pushed hard in the first sector every lap so he was always far enough ahead at the start of the DRS overtaking zone to ensure his pursuers were not quite close enough to try to pass him into the Turn 6 hairpin.

After that, he could afford to back off through the middle sector of the lap, taking the stress out of his tyres, before doing it all over again the next time around.

Managing the delicate Pirelli tyres in this way also meant he could push that bit harder in the laps immediately preceding his two pit stops and ensure he kept his lead through them.

Equally, he showed the presence of mind to realise when Lewis Hamilton unlapped himself on Vettel shortly before the second stops that if he could, unlike the Red Bull driver, keep Hamilton behind, it would give him a crucial advantage at the stop.

It was not quite "67 qualifying laps", as Domenicali described it after the race, but it was certainly a masterful demonstration of control and intelligence.

And there was no arguing with another of the Italian's post-race verdicts. "(Alonso) is at the peak of his personal performance, no doubt about it," Domenicali said.

It was the 30th victory of Alonso's career, and he is now only one behind Nigel Mansell in the all-time winners' list. The way he is driving, he will surely move ahead of the Englishman into fourth place behind Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna before the end of the year.

At the halfway point of the season, Alonso now looks down on his pursuers in the championship from the lofty vantage point of a 34-point advantage.

That is not, as Red Bull team principal Christian Horner correctly pointed out in Germany, "insurmountable" with 10 races still to go and 250 points up for grabs. But catching him when he is driving as well as this will take some doing.

Alonso is clearly enjoying the situation, and is taking opportunities to rub his rivals' noses in it a little.

He is not the only driver to have been wound up by the index-finger salute Vettel employed every time he took one of his 11 wins and 15 pole positions on the way to the title last year.

So it was amusing to see Alonso do the same thing after he had beaten the German to pole position at Vettel's home race on Saturday.

The exchange between Alonso, Button and Vettel as they climbed out of their cars immediately after the race was also illuminating.

After standing on his Ferrari's nose to milk the applause, Alonso turned to Button and said: "You couldn't beat me?" He then pointed to Vettel and said: "He couldn't either."

All part of the game, but a little reminder to both men of what a formidable job Alonso is doing this season.

The race underlined how close the performance is between the top three teams this year.

Red Bull had a shaky start to the season by their standards - although to nowhere near the extent of Ferrari - but have had on balance the fastest car in the dry since the Bahrain Grand Prix back in April.

And while McLaren have had a shaky couple of races in Valencia and Silverstone, they showed potential race-winning pace in Germany following the introduction of a major upgrade.

Despite a car damaged when he suffered an early puncture on debris left from a first-corner shunt ironically involving Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa, Hamilton was able to run with the leaders before his retirement with gearbox damage.

And Button impressively fought his way up to second place from sixth on the grid, closing a five-second gap on Alonso and Vettel once he was into third place.

This has not been Button's greatest season, as he would be the first to admit.

Germany was the first race at which he has outqualified Hamilton in 2012 and even that may well have been down to the different tyre strategies they ran in qualifying.

Nevertheless, he remains a world-class grand prix driver and Germany proved the folly of those who had written him off after his recent struggles.

And despite Alonso's lead in the championship, the season is finely poised.

Germany was a low-key race for Mark Webber, who was unhappy with his car on the harder of the two tyres but remains second in the championship. And Red Bull's two drivers clearly have the equipment to make life difficult for Alonso.

The McLaren drivers are determined to make something of their season still and Lotus are quick enough to cause the three big teams some serious concern.

Mercedes, meanwhile, have a bit of work to do to turn around their tendency to qualify reasonably well and then go backwards in the race.

"It's going to be a great, great season," said McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh on Sunday. "It already has been a great season."

And the next instalment is already less than seven days away in Hungary next weekend.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/07/cool_canny_alonso_looks_diffic.html

Tim Schenken Albert Scherrer Domenico Schiattarella Heinz Schiller Bill Schindler

Smooth Button masters F1's greatest test

At the circuit widely regarded as the greatest test of a racing driver in the world, Jenson Button took a victory in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday that was probably the most dominant this season.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who finished second to Button after an impressive performance of his own, had an even bigger margin of superiority in Valencia but he was unable to make it count because his car failed.

Button had no such trouble. He stamped his authority on the weekend from the start of qualifying and never looked back, as all hell broke loose behind his McLaren.

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The frightening first-corner pile-up helped him in that it took out a potential threat in world championship leader Fernando Alonso's Ferrari. The Spaniard was up to third place from fifth on the grid before being assaulted by the flying Lotus of Romain Grosjean, who had collided with the other McLaren of Lewis Hamilton.

But before the race Alonso had entertained no prospect of battling for victory, and while he would almost certainly have finished on the podium, there is no reason to believe he would have troubled Button.

The Englishman also comfortably saw off in the opening laps the challenge of Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen, hotly tipped before the weekend.

Raikkonen was left to battle entertainingly with rivals including Vettel and Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher, on whom the Finn pulled an astoundingly brave pass into the 180mph swerves of Eau Rouge which was almost a carbon copy of Red Bull driver Mark Webber's move on Alonso last year.

Button, meanwhile, was serene out front, never looking under the remotest threat.

For Button, this was a far cry from the struggles he has encountered in what has not overall been one of his better seasons.

A strong start included a dominant victory in the opening race in Australia and second place in China.

But after that he tailed off badly, struggling with this year's big Formula 1 quandary - getting the temperamental Pirelli tyres into the right operating window.

The 32-year-old had a sequence of weak races and even at other times has generally been firmly in Hamilton's shade.

Those struggles were ultimately solved by some head-scratching on set-up at McLaren, but they were undoubtedly influenced by Button's smooth, unflustered driving style.

Button's weakness - one of which he is well aware - is that he struggles when the car is not to his liking. Unlike Alonso and Hamilton, he finds it difficult to adapt his style to different circumstances.

The flip side of that is that when he gets the car's balance right, he is close to unbeatable. It is a similar situation to that of two former McLaren drivers - Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

Senna, like Hamilton, was usually faster, but when Prost, whose style was similar to Button's, got his car in the sweet spot he was matchless.

"I obviously have a style where it's quite difficult to find a car that works for me in qualifying," Button said on Saturday, "but when it does we can get pole position."

Perhaps an elegant style that does not upset the car or over-work the tyres was exactly what was needed through the demanding corners of Spa's challenging middle sector.

That was McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe's view, certainly.

"It could well be," Lowe said, "because it's made up of these longer flowing corners rather than the short, stop-start ones. So that may well be something he can work with well, just tucking it all up and smooth lines."

Was this the secret to Button's performance in qualifying, when he was a remarkable 0.8 seconds quicker than team-mate Lewis Hamilton?

In a well-publicised series of tweets after qualifying, Hamilton blamed this on the team's collective decision - with which he agreed when it was made - to run his car on a set-up with higher downforce.

This is a perfectly valid decision at Spa -it was a route that Raikkonen also took - and in pure lap time the two differing approaches should balance themselves out. But for them to do so, the driver with the higher downforce set-up has to make up in the middle sector the time he has lost on the straights.

As the McLaren telemetry of which Hamilton so unwisely tweeted a picture on race morning proved, however, that was not the case. Hamilton was not fast enough through sector two - indeed his time through there on his final qualifying lap was 0.3secs slower than his best in the session.

The McLaren telemetry

Hamilton tweeted a photo of the McLaren telemetry, prompting a rebuke from his team.

That was the real reason why he was slower than Button in Spa qualifying - not the fact he was down on straight-line speed, which was always going to be the case once he went with the set-up he did.

It's worth pointing out in this context that Hamilton was also significantly slower than Button in final practice - a fact that led him to take the gamble on the different set-up.

How Hamilton would have fared in the race will never be known, because of the accident with Grosjean.

It was a scary moment - Grosjean's flying Lotus narrowly missed Alonso's head - and the incident underlined once again why F1 bosses are so keen to introduce some kind of more effective driver head protection in the future.

From the point of view of a disinterested observer, the only plus point of the accident, which also took out the two impressive Saubers, was that it has narrowed Alonso's lead in the championship. Vettel is now within a race victory of the Spaniard.

Despite this, to his immense credit, Alonso was a picture of measured calm after the race.

Invited to criticise Grosjean, he refused. Although, being the wise owl he is, he not only had at his fingertips the statistics of Grosjean's first-lap crashes this season, but slipped them into his answer.

"I am not angry [at Grosjean]," he said. "No-one did this on purpose, they were fighting, two aggressive drivers on the start, Lewis and Romain and this time it was us in the wrong place at the wrong time and we were hit.

"It's true also that in 12 races, Romain had seven crashes at the start, so..."

It was, Alonso pointed out, a good opportunity for governing body the FIA to make a point about driving standards this season, which Williams's Pastor Maldonado has also seemed to be waging a campaign to lower.

It was an opportunity the stewards did not decline.

Grosjean will now watch next weekend's Italian Grand Prix from the sidelines after being given a one-race suspension, the first time a driver has been banned since Michael Schumacher in 1994. Maldonado has a 10-place grid penalty for jumping the start and causing his own, independent, accident.

Earlier this year, triple world champion Jackie Stewart, who is an advisor to Lotus, offered to sit down with Grosjean and give him some advice about the way he approached his races.

Stewart is famous not only for his campaign for safety in F1 but also for his impeccable driving standards during his career. He has helped many drivers in his time, but Grosjean turned him down.

On Sunday evening, I was contacted by an old friend, the two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and former IndyCar champion Gil de Ferran, who was involved in F1 a few years ago as a senior figure in the Honda team.

That coaching, De Ferran said, "seems like a great idea".

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/smooth_button_masters_f1_great.html

Danny Sullivan Marc Surer John Surtees Andy Sutcliffe Adrian Sutil Len Sutton Aguri Suzuki

Earnhardt causes damaging crash

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/11/2600349/earnhardt-causes-damaging-crash.html

Scott Speed Mike Spence Alan Stacey Gaetano Starrabba Chuck Stevenson Ian Stewart Jackie Stewart

Ferrari Launch Their 2011 Car The F150

Ferrari have become the first team to launch their 2011 Formula One car – named the F150. Thw F150 name comes from the fact it is 150 years since Italian unification, the flag bearer for the nation decided it was important to increase exposure of the major event in the country’s long history. �The cars [...]

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/ferrari-launch-their-2011-car-the-f150/

Eppie Wietzes Mike Wilds Jonathan Williams Roger Williamson Dempsey Wilson Desire Wilson Justin Wilson

zaterdag 12 januari 2013

Guido Forti 1940 ? 2013

Guido Forti was a racer in the 1960s and early 1970s but then decided to join forces with engineer Paolo Guerci joined forces to run a young Teo Fabi to the Italian Formula Ford 2000. The team was successful and moved up to Formula 3 the following year with Fabi in the Italian and European [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/guido-forti-1940-2013/

Ernie de Vos Bill Vukovich Syd van der Vyver Fred Wacker David Walker

Speeds from Friday morning's NASCAR test at Daytona

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/11/2599560/speeds-from-friday-mornings-nascar.html

Gaetano Starrabba Chuck Stevenson Ian Stewart Jackie Stewart Jimmy Stewart Siegfried Stohr Rolf Stommelen

F1 2012 Championship Standings after Indian GP

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/6SmTTocWyjc/f1-2012-championship-standings-after_28.html

Heini Walter Rodger Ward Derek Warwick John Watson Spider Webb Mark Webber Volker Weidler

Business models in F1

Formula 1 racing is an expensive business, but it has very considerable rewards as well, not least because of the huge sums of money that are given to the teams by the Formula One group in respect of their involvement in the sport. In addition teams can bring in money from sponsors and merchandising and [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/business-models-in-f1/

Toranosuke Takagi Noritake Takahara Kunimitsu Takahashi Patrick Tambay Luigi Taramazzo Gabriele Tarquini Piero Taruffi

Formula 1 Numbers Game continues...

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Lee Wallard Heini Walter Rodger Ward Derek Warwick John Watson

Raikkonen: I?ve Learnt Nothing

Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen has revealed that he has learnt very little from his time in the team?s simulator. The Finn returned to the sport at the start of 2012 after a period racing in the WRC. Although many of the circuits were new to the 2007 World Champion, he believes that the simulators did [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/yKLxFH6PrTA/raikkonen-ive-learnt-nothing

Sebastian Vettel Gilles Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Sr Luigi Villoresi Emilio de Villota Ottorino Volonterio

Multi-car wreck interrupts day two of testing at Daytona

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/11/2599975/multi-car-wreck-interrupts-day.html

Wayne Weiler Karl Wendlinger Peter Westbury Chuck Weyant Ken Wharton Ted Whiteaway Graham Whitehead

vrijdag 11 januari 2013

Toyotas push it to 195 mph in afternoon session

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/10/2597820/toyotas-push-it-to-195-mph-in.html

Jonathan Williams Roger Williamson Dempsey Wilson Desire Wilson Justin Wilson Vic Wilson Joachim Winkelhock

Carl Edwards hopes new crew chief spells fast start in Daytona 500

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/10/2598542/carl-edwards-hopes-new-crew-chief.html

Noritake Takahara Kunimitsu Takahashi Patrick Tambay Luigi Taramazzo Gabriele Tarquini

2012 F1 season Blu-Ray ?Victorious Vettel? reviewed | F1 review

2012 F1 season Blu-Ray “Victorious Vettel” reviewed is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

The Blu-Ray version of the official 2012 F1 season review adds almost two hours more footage. Is it an improvement on the disappointing DVD edition?

2012 F1 season Blu-Ray “Victorious Vettel” reviewed is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/yPQnYD54iF0/

Roelof Wunderink Alexander Wurz Sakon Yamamoto Alex Yoong Alex Zanardi Emilio Zapico Ricardo Zonta

F1 2012 Championship Standings after Indian GP

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/6SmTTocWyjc/f1-2012-championship-standings-after_28.html

Jack Turner Toni Ulmen Bobby Unser Jerry Unser Alberto Uria Nino Vaccarella Bob Veith

F1 2012 Championship Standings after United States GP

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/ihD5XwEJ6UA/f1-2012-championship-standings-after_19.html

Tony Settember Hap Sharp Brian ShaweTaylor Carroll Shelby Tony Shelly Jo Siffert Andre Simon

Surtees says young drivers? route to F1 needs overhaul | F1 Fanatic round-up

Surtees says young drivers’ route to F1 needs overhaul is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

In the round-up: Surtees says talent should count for more on road to F1 ? Sauber tester Frijns 'can't afford GP2' ? Mallya's Kingfisher woes continues

Surtees says young drivers’ route to F1 needs overhaul is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/pUaSM6UQcSA/

Nico Rosberg Mauri Rose Louis Rosier Ricardo Rosset Huub Rothengatter

donderdag 10 januari 2013

Massa threatened with jail over team orders


© Getty Images
Brazil?s F1 fever may have overstepped the mark after a local prosecutor threatened Felipe Massa with a six-year jail term if he ?defrauds? the sporting public by letting Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso past at Sunday?s grand prix. The story, reported by a local paper and picked up by the Daily Telegraph, is the latest of several anti-Massa reports to emerge from his home country since the team orders controversy at the German Grand Prix earlier this year. The Daily Telegraph's Tom Cary reckons that Massa simply isn't living up to his home crowd's high expectations.
?A public raised on a diet of Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna were simply appalled and saddened in equal measure by Massa?s apparent lack of ambition.?

Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/massa_threatened_with_jail_ove.php

Dempsey Wilson Desire Wilson Justin Wilson Vic Wilson Joachim Winkelhock Manfred Winkelhock Markus Winkelhock

SFHR commences its Annual 12 Days Christmas Food Drive

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/Z2tuxY43igY/sfhr-commences-its-annual-12-days.html

Sakon Yamamoto Alex Yoong Alex Zanardi Emilio Zapico Ricardo Zonta Renzo Zorzi Ricardo Zunino

Waltrip secures ride for Daytona 500

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/10/2597382/waltrip-secures-ride-for-daytona.html

Alan Stacey Gaetano Starrabba Chuck Stevenson Ian Stewart Jackie Stewart Jimmy Stewart Siegfried Stohr

Another Smooth Move by Belskus...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/1Cy68a5P0bA/another-smooth-move-by-belskus.html

Danny Sullivan Marc Surer John Surtees Andy Sutcliffe Adrian Sutil

F1 cars at Autosport International 2013 | F1 pictures

F1 cars at Autosport International 2013 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Pictures of 23 different F1 cars at the Autosport International 2013 which begins today at the Birmingham NEC.

F1 cars at Autosport International 2013 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/b5A8EdujePo/

Chuck Weyant Ken Wharton Ted Whiteaway Graham Whitehead Peter Whitehead Bill Whitehouse Robin Widdows

Never forget how great Michael Schumacher was

Michael Schumacher was given a round of applause by the assembled media after he finished the prepared statement with which he announced his second retirement from Formula 1 at the Japanese Grand Prix on Thursday.

It was a mark of the respect still held for Schumacher and a reflection of the appreciation for what was clearly an emotional moment for the man whose seven world titles re-wrote the sport's history books.

Schumacher stumbled a couple of times as he read off the paper in front of him and once, as he mentioned the support of his wife Corinna, his voice almost cracked.

Once through the statement and on to a question-and-answer session with the journalists, he was more comfortable, relaxed in a way he has so often been since his comeback, and so rarely was in the first stint of his career.

Michael Schumacher after the crash with Jean-Eric Vergne in Singapore

Schumacher's retirement from the Singapore Grand Prix had a familiar look to it. Photo: Getty

The Schumacher who returned to Formula 1 in 2010 with Mercedes was quite different from the one who finished his first career with Ferrari in 2006.

The new Schumacher was more human, more open and more likeable.

As he put it himself on Thursday: "In the past six years I have learned a lot about myself, for example that you can open yourself without losing focus, that losing can be both more difficult and more instructive than winning. Sometimes I lost this out of sight in the earlier years."

Most importantly, though, the new Schumacher was nowhere near as good.

In every way possible, there is no other way to view his return to F1 than as a failure.

When he announced his comeback back in December 2009, he talked about winning the world title. Instead, he has scored one podium in three years, and in that period as a whole he has been trounced by team-mate Nico Rosberg in terms of raw pace. In their 52 races together, Schumacher has out-qualified his younger compatriot only 15 times.

It is ironic, then, that there have been marked signs of improvement from Schumacher this season. In 14 races so far, he has actually out-qualified Rosberg eight-six.

And although Rosberg has taken the team's only win - in China earlier this year, when he was demonstrably superior all weekend - arguably Schumacher has been the better Mercedes driver this year.

Schumacher has suffered by far the worst of the team's frankly unacceptable reliability record and would almost certainly have been ahead of Rosberg in the championship had that not been the case. And he might even have won in Monaco had not a five-place grid penalty demoted him from pole position.

That penalty, though, was given to Schumacher for an accident he caused at the previous race in Spain, when he rammed into the back of Williams driver Bruno Senna having misjudged his rival's actions.

That was only one of four similar incidents in the last 18 months that have crystallised the impression that the time was approaching where Schumacher should call it a day.

It is unfortunate timing, to say the least, that the last of those incidents happened less than two weeks ago in Singapore, almost as if it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

That was not the case, of course. Schumacher has been vacillating on his future for months and in the end his hand was forced. Mercedes signed Lewis Hamilton and Schumacher was left with the decision of trying to get a drive with a lesser team or quitting. He made the right call.

His struggles since his return have had an unfortunate effect on Schumacher's legacy. People within F1 - people with the highest regard for his achievements - have begun to question what went before.

There have always been question marks over his first title with Benetton in 1994, given the highly controversial nature of that year. Illegal driver aids were found in the car, but Benetton were not punished because governing body the FIA said they could find no proof they had been used.

But since 2010 people have begun to look back at the dominant Ferrari era of the early 2000s, when Schumacher won five titles in a row, and begun to wonder aloud just how much of an advantage he had.

It was the richest team, they had unlimited testing and bespoke tyres. Did this, people have said, mean Schumacher was not as good as he had looked?

If you watched him during his first career, though, you know how ridiculous an assertion this is. Schumacher in his pomp was undoubtedly one of the very greatest racing drivers there has ever been, a man who was routinely, on every lap, able to dance on a limit accessible to almost no-one else.

Sure, the competition in his heyday was not as deep as it is now, but Schumacher performed miracles with a racing car that stands comparison with the greatest drives of any era.

Victories such as his wet-weather domination of Spain in 1996, his incredible fightback in Hungary in 1998, his on-the-limit battle with Mika Hakkinen at Suzuka that clinched his first title in 2000 were tours de force. And there were many more among that astonishing total of 91 victories.

So too, as has been well documented, was there a dark side to Schumacher, and it was never far away through his first career.

Most notoriously, he won his first world title after driving Damon Hill off the road. He failed to pull off a similar stunt in 1997 with Jacques Villeneuve. And perhaps most pernicious of all, he deliberately parked his car in Monaco qualifying in 2006 to stop Fernando Alonso taking pole position from him.

Those were just the most extreme examples of a modus operandi in which Schumacher seemed often to act without morals, a man who was prepared to do literally anything to win, the sporting personification of Machiavelli's prince, for whom the ends justified the means.

Those acts continue to haunt Schumacher today, and even now he still refuses to discuss them, won't entertain the prospect of saying sorry.

"We are all humans and we all make mistakes," he said at Suzuka on Thursday. "And with hindsight you would probably do it differently if you had a second opportunity, but that's life."

He was given a second opportunity at F1, and he took it because in three years he had found nothing to replace it in his life.

His self-belief persuaded him that he could come back as good as he had been when he went away, but he learnt that time stands still for no man.

He has finally been washed aside by the tide of youth that with the arrival of Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen towards the end of his first career already seemed to be replacing one generation with the next.

It seems appropriate in many ways that the agent for that was Hamilton, the man who many regard as the fastest driver of his generation.

That, after all, is what Schumacher was, as well as one of the very greatest there has ever been. And nothing that has happened in the last three years can take that away.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/never_forget_how_great_schumac.html

Jacques Swaters Bob Sweikert Toranosuke Takagi Noritake Takahara Kunimitsu Takahashi Patrick Tambay Luigi Taramazzo

F1 2012 Championship Standings after Brazilian GP

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/1E78vDlACfU/f1-2012-championship-standings-after_26.html

Alexander Wurz Sakon Yamamoto Alex Yoong Alex Zanardi Emilio Zapico Ricardo Zonta Renzo Zorzi

woensdag 9 januari 2013

Perez: ?McLaren are the greatest team? and race victories are expected | 2013 F1 season

Perez: ‘McLaren are the greatest team’ and race victories are expected is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Sergio Perez says victories are expected of him now he is driving for the "greatest team in Formula One".

Perez: ‘McLaren are the greatest team’ and race victories are expected is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/AiuZLfje3EQ/

David Walker Peter Walker Lee Wallard Heini Walter Rodger Ward

Red Bull under the spotlight


Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel celebrate with Red Bull boss Christian Horner on the podium © Getty Images
Sections of the international media have questioned Red Bull's strategic approach to the world championship. After Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian Grand Prix from the team's points leader Mark Webber at Interlagos, Der Spiegel noted: "Red Bull gives (Fernando) Alonso wings". Not switching the places means that Spaniard Alonso can take his Ferrari to just second place this weekend in Abu Dhabi and be champion, whereas the alternative strategy would have set up Webber for a straight fight. "It is not easy for Webber to drive in a team that considers him a burden to be up against Vettel," said La Gazzetta dello Sport. Tuttosport noted that it seems "the Austrian team would be happier to lose than to see Webber beat Vettel". "No team orders at Red Bull. Another own goal," headlined La Repubblica. Joan Villadelprat wrote in his El Pais column: "Had Red Bull opted for Webber a few races ago, the Australian would probably now be champion." Red Bull, however, is unrepentant. Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper that "second under proper conditions can often be more valuable than a first". But there is a feeling that the team is not simply giving up the fight for the drivers' title. One columnist in Brazil's Globo wondered if Vettel's radio message in Abu Dhabi might sound something like 'So ... Mark is faster than you'. "I'm always in favour of leaving the fight on the track with equal chances for both sides," said Rubens Barrichello. "But I wonder if they would do that if the situation was in reverse. ?Mark has done a great job this year and he has been told by his team what position he is in," said Lewis Hamilton. "Against adversity he has kept at it. I want to see Mark win." Webber believes that, if a strategy is deployed, it will only be on the "last lap" of the season this weekend. "Sebastian is part of a team," said Niki Lauda, who believes Webber should be backed fully by Red Bull. "If he does anything it should be helping Webber and not just on the last lap." Webber is quoted by Bild newspaper: "It makes sense. Otherwise it would mean that Ferrari's team orders would have paid off for Fernando." Red Bull team boss Christian Horner hints that sense will ultimately prevail. "We have already given too many presents to Fernando this year," he is quoted by Autosprint.

Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/red_bull_under_the_spotlight.php

Ricardo Rosset Huub Rothengatter Basil van Rooyen Lloyd Ruby JeanClaude Rudaz Eddie Russo Paul Russo

Robert Kubica Hospitalised Following Rally Accident

UPDATE ON KUBICA’s CONDITION: �http://wp.me/p3uiu-11K Renault Lotus F1 driver Robert Kubica has been airlifted to hospital following a car accident while competing on a rally. The incident, described as a high speed accident, left the Pole injured and he had to be airlifted to hospital. �His co-driver Jakub Gerber was uninjured in the incident. While [...]

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/robert-kubica-hospitalised-following-rally-accident/

Bob Said Eliseo Salazar Mika Salo Roy Salvadori Consalvo Sanesi Stephane Sarrazin Takuma Sato

Winter Siesta...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/MivM9A-ivj4/winter-siesta.html

Jackie Stewart Jimmy Stewart Siegfried Stohr Rolf Stommelen Philippe Streiff Hans Stuck Hans Joachim Stuck

Grosjean hangs on to Lotus seat for 2013

One of the last remaining pieces of the 2013 F1 puzzle fell into place when Lotus confirmed that Romain Grosjean will stay on alongside Kimi Raikkonen next season. The Frenchman, who won the Race of Champions in Bangkok on Sunday, … Continue reading

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/12/17/grosjean-hangs-on-to-lotus-seat-for-2013/

Nico Rosberg Mauri Rose Louis Rosier Ricardo Rosset Huub Rothengatter

2013 calendar down to 19 as New York Race postponed to 2014

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/jAH1KhpprZM/2013-calendar-down-to-19-as-new-york.html

Rodger Ward Derek Warwick John Watson Spider Webb Mark Webber Volker Weidler Wayne Weiler

dinsdag 8 januari 2013

SIX Potential Replacements For Mark Webber At Red Bull

What a few seasons the Red Bull team and Sebastian Vettel have experienced, winning three consecutive Drivers? and Constructors? Championships. But will it soon be time for Vettel?s team-mate Mark Webber to move on? The Aussie is about to enter his seventh season with the Milton Keynes based team, in which time he has achieved [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/GpIscC1k6Uo/six-potential-replacements-for-mark-webber-at-red-bull

Consalvo Sanesi Stephane Sarrazin Takuma Sato Carl Scarborough Ludovico Scarfiotti Giorgio Scarlatti Ian Scheckter

Circuit of the Americas, ?First Lap Ceremony": Video and Pictures

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/mywzfxyqzJ8/circuit-of-americas-first-lap-ceremony.html

Spider Webb Mark Webber Volker Weidler Wayne Weiler Karl Wendlinger Peter Westbury Chuck Weyant

Don?t forget to take Food items to McGilvery?s Wednesday night...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/oSUQ40gKDXw/dont-forget-to-take-food-items-to.html

Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Sr Luigi Villoresi Emilio de Villota Ottorino Volonterio

Ferrari Launch Their 2011 Car The F150

Ferrari have become the first team to launch their 2011 Formula One car – named the F150. Thw F150 name comes from the fact it is 150 years since Italian unification, the flag bearer for the nation decided it was important to increase exposure of the major event in the country’s long history. �The cars [...]

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/ferrari-launch-their-2011-car-the-f150/

Peter Ryan Eddie Sachs Bob Said Eliseo Salazar Mika Salo Roy Salvadori Consalvo Sanesi

A thought for the New Year?

The other day someone wrote a comment asking if it was true that Brabham was making a comeback in Formula 1. It sounded decidedly unlikely, although just as Damon Hill is currently pushing to help his son Josh raise money for a serious racing career, there is always a young Brabham out there somewhere. I [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/a-thought-for-the-new-year/

Consalvo Sanesi Stephane Sarrazin Takuma Sato Carl Scarborough Ludovico Scarfiotti Giorgio Scarlatti Ian Scheckter

Lopez targets top three in championship for Lotus | F1 Fanatic round-up

Lopez targets top three in championship for Lotus is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

In the round-up: Lopez aims high with Lotus in 2013 ? Maldonado prays for ill Venezuelan president Chavez

Lopez targets top three in championship for Lotus is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/1EDFYR7a2qg/

Lloyd Ruby JeanClaude Rudaz Eddie Russo Paul Russo Troy Ruttman Peter Ryan Eddie Sachs

maandag 7 januari 2013

Merry Kringle - 2012 edition

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/jtqK0p5sgjc/merry-kringle-2012-edition.html

Mike Sparken Scott Speed Mike Spence Alan Stacey Gaetano Starrabba

Alonso and Massa at Ferrari Challenge Finals in Cheste (Pictures)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/KLdQX5WXw1g/alonso-and-massa-at-ferrari-challenge.html

Bill Schindler JeanLouis Schlesser Jo Schlesser Bernd Schneider Rudolf Schoeller Rob Schroeder Michael Schumacher

DAKAR 2013 - Almost time once again...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/qjE-NByi0V0/dakar-2013-almost-time-once-again.html

Desire Wilson Justin Wilson Vic Wilson Joachim Winkelhock Manfred Winkelhock Markus Winkelhock Reine Wisell

Peterhansel wins stage 2, leads Dakar Rally

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/06/2587240/peterhansel-wins-stage-2-leads.html

Graham Whitehead Peter Whitehead Bill Whitehouse Robin Widdows Eppie Wietzes Mike Wilds Jonathan Williams

Marussia Virgin Racing Launch Their 2011 Car

Marussia Virgin Racing have launched their car to take on the 2011 world championship in a lavish London ceremony. The Marussia name now preceeds Virgin following a major tie up with the Russian sportscar manufacturer and the team at the end of 2010. �It has led to the new car being designated as the MVR-02. [...]

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/marussia-virgin-racing-launch-their-2011-car/

Bob Scott Archie Scott Brown Piero Scotti Wolfgang Seidel Gunther Seiffert

Montezemolo: No doubts over keeping Massa

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo insists that the Italian team made the right decision in retaining Felipe Massa for another season, despite his poor first half of the 2012 season. Montezemolo insisted that there was no one available for 2013 … Continue reading

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/12/20/montezomolo-no-doubts-over-keeping-massa/

Scott Speed Mike Spence Alan Stacey Gaetano Starrabba Chuck Stevenson Ian Stewart Jackie Stewart

The Top TEN Driver Nicknames Of All Time

As the case with any sport’s, performers in F1 earn nicknames. These can be related to temperament, ability or even looks and aren?t always flattering, but they do break the barriers between fans and their idols. Here are ten of the best nicknames in F1 history CLICK HERE TO REVEAL THE TOP 10

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/4iOqdY2CArw/the-top-ten-driver-nicknames-of-all-time-2

Derek Warwick John Watson Spider Webb Mark Webber Volker Weidler Wayne Weiler Karl Wendlinger

zondag 6 januari 2013

Bulling Over the Competition...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/TPINKDlHnw0/bulling-over-competition.html

Reine Wisell Roelof Wunderink Alexander Wurz Sakon Yamamoto Alex Yoong Alex Zanardi Emilio Zapico

No Fenders 1st Annual Golden Tailpipe Awards...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/Hfk4015FlPg/no-fenders-1st-annual-golden-tailpipe.html

Tim Schenken Albert Scherrer Domenico Schiattarella Heinz Schiller Bill Schindler

Sainz wins warmup first stage of Dakar Rally

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/05/2585406/sainz-wins-warmup-first-stage.html

Sebastian Vettel Gilles Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Sr Luigi Villoresi Emilio de Villota Ottorino Volonterio

RETRO: Celebrating ?Il Lione?s triumph - Twenty years later

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/FY2vR8cM_qI/retro-celebrating-il-liones-triumph.html

Ricardo Zonta Renzo Zorzi Ricardo Zunino Pedro de la Rosa Keke Rosberg† Nico Rosberg Mauri Rose

Doctors use Formula One pit crews as safety model

American Medical News reports hospitals in at least a dozen countries are learning how to translate the split-second timing and near-perfect synchronisation of Formula One pit crews to the high-risk handoffs of patients from surgery to recovery and intensive care.
"In Formula One, they have checklists, databases, and they have well-defined processes for doing things, and we don't really have any of those things in health care."

Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/doctors_use_formula_one_pit_cr.php

Gilles Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Sr Luigi Villoresi Emilio de Villota Ottorino Volonterio Jo Vonlanthen

Warrior Alonso bides his time

Almost Fernando Alonso's first act after what must have been the huge blow of seeing Sebastian Vettel slash his world championship lead to just four points at the Japanese Grand Prix, was to quote that country's great swordfighter and philosopher Miyamoto Musashi.

"If the enemy thinks of the mountains," Alonso wrote on his Twitter account, "attack by sea; and if he thinks of the sea, attack by the mountains."

That the Ferrari driver can reach for the words of a 17th century kensei warrior and strategist in a moment of such strain reveals a lot about the manner in which he combines an indomitable fighting spirit with a status as possibly the most cerebral Formula 1 driver of his generation.

But it will take more than relentlessness and clever strategy for Alonso to hold on to a lead for which he has struggled so hard this season, but which has now dwindled to almost nothing.

The 31-year-old, who spun out at Suzuka with a puncture after being tagged by Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus on the run to the first corner, has carried his Ferrari team on his back this year.

Alonso has won three races and taken a series of strong points finishes to establish what was until recently an imposing championship lead in a car that has never once been quick enough to set pole position in the dry.

He did so by driving, in terms of consistency and lack of mistakes, one of the most perfect seasons there has ever been - a feat made all the more impressive because it was done in not the best car.

Fernando Alonso leads Sebastian Vettel in the Championship by four points. Photo: Getty

Yet now, through no fault of his own, Alonso has failed to finish two of the last four races and in that time Vettel has made hay, taking 37 points out of his rival's lead.

Heading into Japan, it was already beginning to look as if Vettel was going to be hard to resist.

While the Red Bull has been a forbiddingly quick race car all season, the team did not in the first half of the season find it very easy to get the best out of it in qualifying.

But since mid-summer they have found consistency, and started to qualify regularly at the front of the grid as well. At the same time, luck has deserted Ferrari and Alonso.

More than that, Red Bull also appear in recent races to have made a significant step forward in the performance of their car.

Vettel looked very strong in Singapore two weeks ago, trading fastest times with Lewis Hamilton throughout the weekend and taking victory after the Englishman's McLaren retired from the lead with a gearbox failure. And in Japan the Red Bull looked unbeatable from as early as Saturday final practice session.

How much of this is to do with the new 'double DRS' system which came to light in Suzuka is unclear.

Team boss Christian Horner said he thought it was more to do with the characteristics of the track suiting those of the Red Bull car. Perhaps, but the 'double DRS' certainly won't be doing any harm.

Unlike the system that Mercedes have been using since the start of the season, which uses the DRS overtaking aid to 'stall' the front wing, Red Bull's works entirely on the rear wing.

What it means is that they can run the car with more downforce in qualifying without the consequent straight-line speed penalty caused by the extra drag, because the 'double DRS' bleeds off the drag.

This does bring a straight-line speed penalty in the race, when DRS use is no longer free. But as long as the car qualifies at the front, this does not matter, as it is quick enough over a lap to stay out of reach of its rivals.

It is not clear how long Red Bull have been working on this system at grand prix weekends, but to the best of BBC Sport's knowledge, Japan was the first time they had raced it. Coupled with a new front wing design introduced in Singapore, it has turned an already strong package into an intimidating one.

Vettel used it to dominate the race in the fashion he did so many in 2011 on his way to his second-consecutive title. As he so often does in the fastest car when he starts at the front of the grid, he looked invincible.

Alonso, though, is not one to be intimidated easily and will take solace from the fact that Ferrari's pace compared to Red Bull was not as bad as it might appear at first glance.

Alonso may have qualified only seventh, but he reckoned he was on course for fourth place on the grid before having to slow for caution flags marking Raikkonen's spun Lotus at Spoon Curve.

And judging by the pace shown by his team-mate Felipe Massa in the race, Alonso would have finished in a sure-fire second place had he got beyond the first corner. He might even have been able to challenge Vettel, given how much faster the Ferrari has been in races than in qualifying this year.

Alonso's problem for the remainder of the season is that salvaging podiums is no longer enough - he needs to start winning races again. Which means Ferrari need to start improving their car relative to the opposition.

Meanwhile, spice has been added to an already intriguing final five races by a seemingly innocuous incident in qualifying in Japan.

After slowing as he passed Raikkonen's car, Alonso continued on his flying lap, but when he got to the chicane, he came across Vettel, who blocked him.

Ferrari reckoned this cost Alonso somewhere in the region of 0.1-0.2secs, which would have moved him up a place on the grid. The stewards, though, decided to give Vettel only a reprimand.

They justified this on the basis that they believed Vettel had not known Alonso was there - and they let him off not looking in his mirrors because they felt he had reason to believe no-one would be continuing on a flying lap following the Raikkonen incident.

But some would see that as flawed thinking. Alonso was one of several drivers who had at that point not set a time in the top 10 shoot-out, and all of them were likely to be continuing their laps because whatever time they did set was going to define their grid slot.

Although there is no suggestion Vettel held up Alonso deliberately, the Red Bull driver is a sharp cookie, and almost certainly would have known this.

Even if he did not, his team should have warned him. And on that basis, it can be argued that Vettel's offence was no less bad than that of Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne, who was given a three-place grid penalty for delaying Williams's Bruno Senna in similar fashion earlier in qualifying.

Ferrari were distinctly unimpressed by the stewards' verdict, but Alonso being Alonso, he has not mentioned any of this publicly. Alonso being Alonso, though, he will have lodged it away for the future.

In the meantime, before heading to Korea for another potentially pivotal race next weekend, might he be studying Musashi a little more?

You must "know the times", Musashi wrote. "Knowing the times means if your ability is high, seeing right into things. If you are thoroughly conversant with strategy, you will recognise the enemy's intentions and thus have many opportunities to win.

"If you attain and adhere to the wisdom of my strategy, you need never doubt that you will win."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/post_4.html

Max de Terra Andre Testut Mike Thackwell Alfonso Thiele Eric Thompson

zaterdag 5 januari 2013

Warrior Alonso bides his time

Almost Fernando Alonso's first act after what must have been the huge blow of seeing Sebastian Vettel slash his world championship lead to just four points at the Japanese Grand Prix, was to quote that country's great swordfighter and philosopher Miyamoto Musashi.

"If the enemy thinks of the mountains," Alonso wrote on his Twitter account, "attack by sea; and if he thinks of the sea, attack by the mountains."

That the Ferrari driver can reach for the words of a 17th century kensei warrior and strategist in a moment of such strain reveals a lot about the manner in which he combines an indomitable fighting spirit with a status as possibly the most cerebral Formula 1 driver of his generation.

But it will take more than relentlessness and clever strategy for Alonso to hold on to a lead for which he has struggled so hard this season, but which has now dwindled to almost nothing.

The 31-year-old, who spun out at Suzuka with a puncture after being tagged by Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus on the run to the first corner, has carried his Ferrari team on his back this year.

Alonso has won three races and taken a series of strong points finishes to establish what was until recently an imposing championship lead in a car that has never once been quick enough to set pole position in the dry.

He did so by driving, in terms of consistency and lack of mistakes, one of the most perfect seasons there has ever been - a feat made all the more impressive because it was done in not the best car.

Fernando Alonso leads Sebastian Vettel in the Championship by four points. Photo: Getty

Yet now, through no fault of his own, Alonso has failed to finish two of the last four races and in that time Vettel has made hay, taking 37 points out of his rival's lead.

Heading into Japan, it was already beginning to look as if Vettel was going to be hard to resist.

While the Red Bull has been a forbiddingly quick race car all season, the team did not in the first half of the season find it very easy to get the best out of it in qualifying.

But since mid-summer they have found consistency, and started to qualify regularly at the front of the grid as well. At the same time, luck has deserted Ferrari and Alonso.

More than that, Red Bull also appear in recent races to have made a significant step forward in the performance of their car.

Vettel looked very strong in Singapore two weeks ago, trading fastest times with Lewis Hamilton throughout the weekend and taking victory after the Englishman's McLaren retired from the lead with a gearbox failure. And in Japan the Red Bull looked unbeatable from as early as Saturday final practice session.

How much of this is to do with the new 'double DRS' system which came to light in Suzuka is unclear.

Team boss Christian Horner said he thought it was more to do with the characteristics of the track suiting those of the Red Bull car. Perhaps, but the 'double DRS' certainly won't be doing any harm.

Unlike the system that Mercedes have been using since the start of the season, which uses the DRS overtaking aid to 'stall' the front wing, Red Bull's works entirely on the rear wing.

What it means is that they can run the car with more downforce in qualifying without the consequent straight-line speed penalty caused by the extra drag, because the 'double DRS' bleeds off the drag.

This does bring a straight-line speed penalty in the race, when DRS use is no longer free. But as long as the car qualifies at the front, this does not matter, as it is quick enough over a lap to stay out of reach of its rivals.

It is not clear how long Red Bull have been working on this system at grand prix weekends, but to the best of BBC Sport's knowledge, Japan was the first time they had raced it. Coupled with a new front wing design introduced in Singapore, it has turned an already strong package into an intimidating one.

Vettel used it to dominate the race in the fashion he did so many in 2011 on his way to his second-consecutive title. As he so often does in the fastest car when he starts at the front of the grid, he looked invincible.

Alonso, though, is not one to be intimidated easily and will take solace from the fact that Ferrari's pace compared to Red Bull was not as bad as it might appear at first glance.

Alonso may have qualified only seventh, but he reckoned he was on course for fourth place on the grid before having to slow for caution flags marking Raikkonen's spun Lotus at Spoon Curve.

And judging by the pace shown by his team-mate Felipe Massa in the race, Alonso would have finished in a sure-fire second place had he got beyond the first corner. He might even have been able to challenge Vettel, given how much faster the Ferrari has been in races than in qualifying this year.

Alonso's problem for the remainder of the season is that salvaging podiums is no longer enough - he needs to start winning races again. Which means Ferrari need to start improving their car relative to the opposition.

Meanwhile, spice has been added to an already intriguing final five races by a seemingly innocuous incident in qualifying in Japan.

After slowing as he passed Raikkonen's car, Alonso continued on his flying lap, but when he got to the chicane, he came across Vettel, who blocked him.

Ferrari reckoned this cost Alonso somewhere in the region of 0.1-0.2secs, which would have moved him up a place on the grid. The stewards, though, decided to give Vettel only a reprimand.

They justified this on the basis that they believed Vettel had not known Alonso was there - and they let him off not looking in his mirrors because they felt he had reason to believe no-one would be continuing on a flying lap following the Raikkonen incident.

But some would see that as flawed thinking. Alonso was one of several drivers who had at that point not set a time in the top 10 shoot-out, and all of them were likely to be continuing their laps because whatever time they did set was going to define their grid slot.

Although there is no suggestion Vettel held up Alonso deliberately, the Red Bull driver is a sharp cookie, and almost certainly would have known this.

Even if he did not, his team should have warned him. And on that basis, it can be argued that Vettel's offence was no less bad than that of Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne, who was given a three-place grid penalty for delaying Williams's Bruno Senna in similar fashion earlier in qualifying.

Ferrari were distinctly unimpressed by the stewards' verdict, but Alonso being Alonso, he has not mentioned any of this publicly. Alonso being Alonso, though, he will have lodged it away for the future.

In the meantime, before heading to Korea for another potentially pivotal race next weekend, might he be studying Musashi a little more?

You must "know the times", Musashi wrote. "Knowing the times means if your ability is high, seeing right into things. If you are thoroughly conversant with strategy, you will recognise the enemy's intentions and thus have many opportunities to win.

"If you attain and adhere to the wisdom of my strategy, you need never doubt that you will win."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/post_4.html

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