November 28, 2007
As I have anticipated, Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden received much-needed new parts for the 2008
Honda RC212V. Quite in time for the Jerez test.
For a moment I want to think about Honda and Acura’s reign in the racing arena. The Japanese automaker and its affiliate the maker of
Acura CL ball joint is doing well in the events. And with efficient race parts and skilled drivers, the companies could go a long way still.
The all-new machine’s potential is currently being limited by its engine performance, prompting Pedrosa to miss the recent Sepang test while awaiting developments from HRC. Those developments duly appeared on Tuesday and the 22-year-old, whose only previous appearance on the ‘08 was immediately after the Valencian season finale, was quickly up to speed at his home circuit, according to
crash.net.
Pedrosa concluded the opening day of the 3-day test with the second fastest time - just 0.134secs behind World Champ Casey Stoner - and having lapped almost 0.7secs inside his fastest lap during the Spanish Grand Prixin March, the release stated.
"We’ve been testing with the new bike exclusively today and we were looking to see if the issues we had at the first test in Valencia have been solved. The electronic engine settings which control the power delivery and the engine braking have been improved which makes the machine more rideable and quicker too," said he 2007 MotoGPWorld Champ runner-up. "The feeling from the chassis is quite good but I have to continue working on the settings to suit me.”
"In Valencia the bike wasn’t ready to complete a lot of laps but today we have been able to do many more," added the Spaniard. "There has been progress in some areas and in other areas we still have some work to do. We’ve tried some changes with the chassis today and we’ll look for further improvements tomorrow. So far we haven’t tested any new tyres and this is an important area to improve lap times, so I’m confident we can make further progress throughout this test."
Teammate Hayden was back on board the RC212V just 10 days after the Sepang test. Hayden completed 63 laps and finished the day with the fifth fastest time, half a second behind Pedrosa.
"Overall it was a pretty positive day," declared Hayden. "We tried some modifications to the engine to get it running better than it did at the previous two tests and now it seems to be more responsive and to be running a little better - though it’s still not quite there. We also changed a few things on the chassis, for instance the offset, which took a while and reduced our track time somewhat, but this was important to try to understand more about the machine. This is the first time I’ve been able to come into the garage, focus on the 2008 machine and spend the whole day on it so that was beneficial.”
"It wasn’t a perfect start to the test - that’s pretty rare - but we definitely learned some useful things and I’m encouraged by the start we’ve made here today. Let’s see what happens over the next few days and aim to make some more improvements," he concluded.
November 27, 2007
One of the most experienced active drivers in Formula One is David Coulthard who is driving for
Red Bull. Now we all know that double world champion Fernando Alonso is looking for a seat for next year and McLaren which Alonso left after only one year is also looking for a new driver. There are reports that Alonso is headed for Red Bull. If that happens then, Coulthard’s seat will be in jeopardy. Reports have said that Coulthard is on his way to Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso.
But David Coulthard denied these rumors. "I cannot see Fernando Alonso joining Red Bull in 2008, and I am 100 percent certain that I will be racing for them next year," said the Scottish Formula One driver. Coulthard pointed out that Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz "is a man of his word" and will honor the contract that Coulthard has signed.
"The contract I signed with Red Bull is binding," said Coulthard. "We didn’t just sign a piece of paper giving Red Bull the right to put me in any car that they happen to sponsor, it’s very specific and says that I have to drive the car in any F1 event it is entered for; I know that this is not always the case with younger drivers."
Coulthard is also critical about Franz Tost who said that Red Bull is in talks with Alonso. "One thing that has surprised me from a Red Bull point of view since all the speculation began is that Scuderia Toro Rosso’s team principal Franz Tost told the press that there were talks going on between Red Bull and Alonso," added Coulthard. "I cannot understand why he would feel it’s appropriate to make a comment about another team, owned by the same parent company, without any authority to do so and no understanding of the contractual situation."
With Alonso being a hot commodity, it is understandable that Red Bull will take interest on him. So we still don’t know if Coulthard will be driving for Red Bull next season. Maybe he can go back to McLaren which fields fast cars which are as reliable as Acura compressors.
November 22, 2007
At the F1 arena, a close battle is pretty evident between the Scuderia and the Woking team. The championship score could very well attest to that fact. But underneath that powerful championship score is a close rivalry among F1 teams. There’s the Renault team on one corner and the BMW Sauber on the other.
Speaking of BMW Sauber, the team is eyeing to win a grand prix for the very first time next season. This goal was enunciated after finishing as runners-up in this season’s Formula One championship, team boss Mario Theissen said on Tuesday.
"The end of this season has seen us wrapping up the development phase of the BMW Sauber F1 team," he said in an interview. "This phase has run according to plan and has seen us make it into the top three in a short space of time. Next year we will be looking to record our first win. The great progress we have made this year, in particular, has shown that we have got the direction of our development work and our working processes spot on.”
Theissen said BMW now had 420 employees at the team’s Hinwil factory from 275 when they took a majority stake in the Swiss-based team in 2005, Reuters reported. The workforce in Munich remained unchanged at just under 300.
BMW Sauber, with 50 points ahead of Renault and 103 adrift of Ferrari, would have been third overall had McLaren Mercedes not been stripped of all the constructors’ points for the espionage controversy.
"We set ourselves the goal of fourth place and a much bigger points total this year, so third was a great bonus," said Theissen. "The powers that be then promoted us further, but it is a pretty empty second place in our eyes. We are well aware that four cars have been faster than us and we want to beat them on the track, not in the corridors of power."
Theissen added the high point of the team’s season was the Canadian Grand Prix, with Germany’s Nick Heidfeld finishing second and Polish driver Robert Kubica emerging unscathed from an horrendous crash.
Additionally, the team said it will launch the the F1.08, its race car for the 2008 season, in sMunich on January 14. The event is set to happen at the new BMW vehicle delivery center in the immediate vicinity of the BMW Tower and Olympiapark in the German city.
November 21, 2007
Mario Theissen, the BMW motorsport director, had an interview when he was looking back and reviewing the season. Motorsport.com had this interview on their official website. Thanks for lending us this information. Here guys, read on:
Motorsport.com: How would you rate the BMW Sauber F1 Team’s second season?
Mario Theissen: It was a strong season at the end of which we even managed to crack the 100 points barrier. We went into the season having finished fifth in the World Championship on 36 points in our debut year. We set ourselves the goal of fourth place and a much bigger points total this year, so third was a great bonus. The powers that be then promoted us even further, but it is a pretty empty second place in our eyes. After all, we’re well aware that four cars have been faster than us, and we want to beat them on the track, not in the corridors of power.
It was surprising that we were the third-best team from the outset and were able to reinforce this position in practically every race. On occasions we were even able to break into the territory of the two leading teams, meaning that we recorded the podium positions we were aiming for on merit. To sum up, we can be proud of what we have achieved — both as far as our development work over the winter is concerned and in terms of our pace of development during the course of the season. We have managed to meet our targets in both of our development years so far, so the engineers can see that our ideas are working. That breeds confidence in our strategy, and as a result they can see that we are heading in the right direction.
Motorsport.com: What were the highlights of 2007 for you?
MT: For me the highlight of the season was Montreal. Nick’s second place gave the team its best result so far. And the fact that Robert was able to emerge from his crash practically unhurt was a great advert for the strength and outstanding construction of the car. When you look at it this way, the weekend felt like a victory on two fronts for the team.
Motorsport.com: Were there also some low points?
Theissen: Yes, there were a few of those as well — most significantly the shock that went through us all when Robert had that accident in Montreal. We had an agonizing few minutes before we received the welcome news that he was practically uninjured. Other, less dramatic, low points were the retirements due to technical problems. You can never rule out these kinds of issues entirely, but it hurts the whole team when one of the drivers takes nothing away from a race on Sunday, because they have received no reward for all their hard work. Having said that, we finished in the points in every race this season, which meant we didn’t go away from any of the 17 race weekends empty-handed.
Motorsport.com: Where have you seen the greatest progress since 2006?
Theissen: In 2006 we still had a weakness on low-speed circuits, but that was no longer the case in 2007.
If you wish to know more about the interview or if you want to know more about Toyota Camry floor mats, visit the net or browse the pages of Motor Sport on their official website.
After a disappointing season with Ralf Schumacher leaving Panasonic Toyota team and Franck Montagny retiring from the third driver position, F1 Toyota has moved on with a lot of great things to look forward to. It’s like getting the dirt out of Dodge mud flaps.
A few days ago, Panasonic Toyota made their greatest move so far! They officially acquired and signed up reigning GP2 Series champion Timo Glock! Timo has aready signed a multi-year contract with the team and Toyota F1 hopes to have a brighter tomorrow with their newest driver.
Here are some quotes from Timo Glock courtesy of my source MotorSport.com:
Timo Glock:
"It’s a great feeling to be a Formula 1 race driver again and I am really looking forward to this new challenge. I have worked hard over the past few years to get this opportunity and I must say I am grateful to Panasonic Toyota Racing for having faith in me.”
"From what I have seen of the team at the track I am confident we will be able to work well together to move forward. Even though I have not raced in Formula 1 since 2004, I have tested quite regularly so I expect it will take very little time for me to get back in the groove.
"I have been lucky enough to race and succeed in several different championships in my career but my goal has always been to become a full-time Formula 1 race driver. I believe this experience has made me stronger as a driver and as a person.
"Of course, to return to Formula 1 racing as GP2 Series champion is a real honour and we’ve all seen how well Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have performed as champions so that is very encouraging. I hope I can also make a strong impression next season.
"Now I have achieved my goal of returning to Formula 1, my next target is to work towards making 2008 a successful season for myself and Panasonic Toyota Racing."
November 20, 2007
Panasonic Toyota has given their farewells to their third driver Franck Montagny after last Saturday’s final day of testing. Last weekend was Montagny’s last day behind the wheel according to Motorsport.com. I guess he’ll miss the team and the bright Toyota headlights down the race tracks. Toyota team leaders and staff gave their remarks about Montagny.
Let’s check out some of these bits courtesy of www.motorsports.com:
President John Howett:
"Working with Franck this year has been a very positive experience and he has given a lot to the team. His work at tests has been outstanding and he has helped us to continuously improve the performance of our car. He is an enthusiastic character who is also very dedicated to his work. We have enjoyed having him as part of the team and we will miss him."
Senior General Manager Chassis Pascal Vasselon:
"Franck has put in a lot of hard work this year as third driver and we have benefited from his experience and enthusiasm. His feedback has always been excellent and that is very important from a third driver. Franck had a very good relationship with the team and I would like to thank him for his efforts and wish him all the best in the future."
Test team manager Gerd Pfeiffer:
"We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Franck this year and he has made an important contribution to our testing programme in 2007. He is a fast and intelligent driver who has been a real pleasure to work with. I know everyone in the test team wishes him good luck in whatever he chooses to do next."
November 15, 2007
Yes, the legendary Schumi is back on F1 track. At the first and second day of Barcelona practice, Schumi was the fastest. Well, who wouldn’t expect such an outcome? He won’t be a 7-time F1 Champ for nothing.
Schumi’s glorious F1 comeback in testing for the Scuderia started on Tuesday and continued on Wednesday. The German race icon set the fastest time at the Circuit de Catalunya. The most successful F1 driver clocked a best time of 1.21.486 - some half a second better than his time on Tuesday and four-tenths faster than McLaren’s Pedro de la Rosa.
Heikki Kovalainen was the third best time of the day and was just a bit slower than de la Rosa. Kovalainen spent most of the morning doing set-up work. He then worked on brake testing and the new procedures that the team has had to put in place when using the new ECU, reports said.
"The day went pretty well. We lost a little bit of track time early afternoon, but it was nothing serious and I reckon we’ve made good progress. The car ran well and we’re going in the right direction. That’s what really counts," said Kovalainen.
Tuesday’s times:
1. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1:21.918
2. Luca Badoer, Ferrari, 1:22.133
3. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:22.687
4. Heikki Kovalainen, Renault, 1:22.802
5. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:22.883
6. Gary Paffett, McLaren, 1:23.008
7. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:23.159
8. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:23.187
9. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:23.624
10. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:23.671
11. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:23.847
12. Franck Montagny, Toyota, 1:23.861
13. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:24.048
14. Andreas Zuber, Honda, 1:24.065
15. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:24.193
16. Anthony Davidson, Super Aguri, 1:24.245
17. James Rossiter, Honda, 1:24.480
18. Karun Chandhok, Red Bull, 1:24.896
19. Giedo van der Garde, Force India, 1:25.317
20. Roldan Rodriguez, Force India, 1:26.297
Wednesday’s times:
1. M. Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1.21.486 90
2. de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:21.857 60
3. Kovalainen Renault (B) 1:21.894 65
4. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:22.044 56
5. Paffett McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:22.293 57
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:22.333 64
7. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:22.555 74
8. Heidfeld BMW (B) 1:22.946 102
9. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:23.031 77
10. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:23.187 74
11. Chandhok Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:23.255 57
12. Button Honda (B) 1:23.358 79
13. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:23.465 54
14. Kubica BMW (B) 1:23.488 37
15. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:23.547 80
16. Filippi Honda (B) 1:23.596 74
17. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:23.753 72
18. Montagny Toyota (B) 1:23.977 45
19. Klien Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:24.446 56
20. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:23.537 105
21. Liuzzi Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:24.555 55
If only I have the opportunity to witness the practice, I could’ve dropped my Acura spark plugs, reschedule my maintenance and go straight to Circuit de Catalunya. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luck. So better keep myself busy with car repairs.
[credits: Formula1, Planet F-1]
November 9, 2007
The Monterey Sports Car Championships was already concluded at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca last October 21, 2007 and it was a history-in-the-making event that set the closing stages of the 2007 American Le Mans Series season! Even if the race car’s tires were put to rest and the tracks are lying pretty during the cold nights, Corvette Racing’s winning spirit continues to dominate off the race tracks.
Corvette Racing earned special recognition honors during the post-season ceremonials. Corvette Racing’s driver Ron Fellows was selected to be the Most Popular Driver for the fourth straight season while Ray Gongla, the crew chief for the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R, was recognized as the GT1 Crew Chief of the Year! Now that’s what you call the icing on top or the perfect VW accessories for your classic Beetle! Things are going well with Corvette Racing and they are expected to give more thrills in the upcoming season.
"It’s very flattering to receive this award because it is determined by votes from fans around the world. I feel fortunate to be associated with Corvette, the most popular car in the paddock. There is a very strong and loyal contingent of Corvette enthusiasts, and that certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to the voting,” says Ron Fellows.
"I have always believed that as a professional race car driver, it’s important to give as much of your time as possible to the people who are paying to watch you play," he added. "Whether I’m driving in ALMS, SCCA, or NASCAR, I’m genuinely honored when a fan asks for my autograph."
"It really should be a team trophy, so it’s an honor for me to receive this award on behalf of the crew of the No. 4 Corvette," said Gongla. "It takes the entire team, drivers, and organization to be successful."
November 6, 2007
The Hungarian GP made Sakon Yamamoto decide to join the Spyker F1 team. And eventually, everybody thought it was a great decision for Yamamoto and Spyker because everybody was impressed with both Yamamoto’s approach and his agility and speed on the race tracks.
Now let’s hear Yamamoto’s review about the previous season courtesy of MotorSport.com:
Q: It’s been quite an unusual season for you, not least because you switched from GP2 to F1 in the middle of it. How would you sum up the year?
Sakon Yamamoto: This year was quite a variable season for me! At the beginning of the season I was a test driver for Aguri, and I raced in GP2 as a way to come back to F1. And I got a chance. The team was different, but it was a good opportunity to join with Spyker, and I really appreciated that they give me a good chance to drive in F1. I joined from Hungary, so in total I did seven races. In the first one in Hungary and the last one in Brazil I retired, but the other five races I finished. I tried as hard as I could and I really appreciate everybody who supported me, the team members and sponsors. So I really want to say thank you for a great season.
Q: How difficult was it to come back to F1 with a different team and no testing?
SY: At the first race in Hungary everything was really new, but at least I had experience from last year, so therefore for me it wasn’t as tough as 2006. Last year I joined F1 during the season, and I didn’t know anything. But this year I at least had that experience of seven races, and I knew how I should work with an F1 team, and that experience helped me a lot.
Q: How much did the situation improve when you got the B-spec car?
SY: The B-spec car was better than the A-spec, it was a big improvement. For me driving was much easier than before, and I also I could try to really push to get good results for the team.
Q: You didn’t have much luck in qualifying. Was that frustrating?
SY: During the season I can say I had really bad luck to try to get good lap times, things like traffic, some accidents. But that’s motor racing, and I believe that if something bad happens, next day it can be good again, so I didn’t worry about it so much. I just tried to concentrate on my job.
Q: Which race were you most happy with?
SY: I was really happy with the Japanese GP, because it was my home race, and it was the toughest conditions. I had a good result. But my target was always to get nearer the front, and I had hoped to do that in the final race in Brazil!
November 4, 2007
I woke up late today and I haven’t seen much about F1 racing on television. So I decided to browse the pages of motorsport.com to educate myself with the latest happenings at the Formula One racing events. Aside from finishing research about the Volkswagen brake master cylinder, I also ended up reading an interview at Williams with Nico Rosberg.
Question: What’s your view of the season as a whole?
Nico Rosberg: The balance of the year has been positive. In many ways, it’s been a good year for me. As is normal during a long season, we had some ups and downs. Races seemed to start off well in the opening rounds of the season, but the results just weren’t there. As the season progressed, though, we were able to capitalise on strong starting positions, get some good results and consistently collect championship points. So yes, it was a good year.
Question: The FW29 seemed a stronger proposition from its predecessor, why was that?
Rosberg: We’ve definitely made progress since last year and achieved that in a number of different ways. A lot of improvement came following some careful restructuring of the existing team and then by bringing a few very skilled and experienced new people onboard. From the very first tests, the FW29 was working pretty well which allowed us to further develop it throughout the season, both at the factory and on the track.
Question: You seemed a lot more comfortable in the car this year, was that the case?
Rosberg: One of the key things I really noticed this year was that, while the car was improving both mechanically and aerodynamically, we were also managing to set it up in the most advantageous way for most of the circuits. I was able to get the speed more consistently and, together with my engineers, we were able to set up the car to a balance that really suited my driving style which meant I could really push for it. This led to many fantastic moments, particularly in qualifying where I managed to make it into Q3 11 times. Some of the race results even proved quite surprising this year!
Question: Do you feel you’ve made some personal progress since your rookie season?
Rosberg: For sure. I learnt a lot in my first year and that allowed me to prepare myself differently for my second year in Formula One. I knew exactly which areas to concentrate on. I am very critical of myself, so I am good at seeing where to develop, which helped me to improve things quicker. The routines involved in race preparation also slotted into place, so this season was relatively normal. It naturally takes some time to adapt to new things when you go into a different world, but this year there weren’t any surprises. My development, combined with that of the team’s, meant we were able to get some good results. I think with an even stronger car, I could show what I can really do.
Question: What were the highlights of your season?
Rosberg: I think the best memory comes from Spa. After the pre-race test, we weren’t convinced we were going to be particularly competitive so I was expecting a poor weekend. However, a great lap in qualifying put me in sixth position on the grid. Going into the first corner at the start of the race, there were just two Ferraris and two McLarens ahead of me and that was good to see!
Do you want to know more about the news? Motorsport.com has the complete story.
