The F1 Blog

HRT Launch Postponed by FIA

2012-02-10T11:20:00.002Z

HRT have had to postpone the launch of their 2012 car after it narrowly failed two of the FIA’s mandatory crash tests. Although it passed 14 other tests successfully and its chassis was approved, the Spanish team are now set to wait until March’s final pre-season test to debut the F112.

HRT had originally planned to start track work with their new challenger at the second multi-team test, which will take place at the Circuit de Catalunya from February 21-24. But the delays mean they will now wait until the third test, also at the Barcelona track, on March 1-4.

The team took part in the opening two days of this week’s Jerez test with their 2011-spec F111, with new signing Pedro de la Rosa behind the wheel.

Schumacher Tops Day 2 in Jerez

2012-02-08T19:08:00.001Z

Michael Schumacher led the way at Jerez as testing continued in Spain on Wednesday. At the wheel of Mercedes’ 2011 machine, Schumacher clocked a best time of 1m 18.561s from 132 laps, putting him half a second clear of Mark Webber in the new Red Bull RB8.

Daniel Ricciardo was a further half second back in Toro Rosso's STR7, while Frenchman Jules Bianchi made an impressive test debut as Force India reserve, finishing fourth fastest after his afternoon in the new VJM05.

"We made the most of a reliable car today to do lots of laps and learn a lot about the new Pirelli tyres, and how they perform on longer and shorter runs, and with different set-up configurations,” said Schumacher. “It was a good and productive test, full of lots of useful information for the season ahead, and I am now looking forward to driving our 2012 car for the first time at the next test."

Unofficial Wednesday test times from Jerez:

1. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes*, 1:18.561, 132 Laps

2. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:19.184, 97 Laps

3. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:19.587, 100 Laps

4. Jules Bianchi, Force India, 1:20.221, 46 Laps

5. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:20.239, 117 Laps

6. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:20.272, 69 Laps

7. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.454, 95 Laps

8. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:20.688, 85 Laps

9. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:20.711, 106 Laps

10. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:21.197, 97 Laps

11. Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, 1:21.518, 139 Laps

12. Pedro de la Rosa, HRT*, 1:22.128, 64 Laps

Williams Unveil 2012 Fightback Car

2012-02-07T23:37:00.004Z

Following a disastrous 2011 season, Williams opened a new chapter in their history on Tuesday as they unveiled their 2012 car, the Renault-powered FW34, at the Jerez circuit in Spain. This year marks the team’s 35th year competing in the sport which they will do with a revitalised line-up.

Bruno Senna partners Pastor Maldonado after a considered winter evaluation process, while Finn Valtteri Bottas completes the driver line-up as official reserve, taking part in most of the season’s Friday practice sessions.

“One could say that looking at the Williams F1 Team today we are off to a truly fresh start,” said team boss Frank Williams. “We have a new car, new driver line up, new engine and new senior personnel. We also have a number of new partners who have joined the team in the past few months.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome them formally and sincerely wish that they have an enjoyable and, most importantly, a valuable experience with us. The team has had a good winter at the factory and we feel ready and strong for the fight.”

The mechanical and aerodynamic design and development direction of the FW34 has been driven by a new technical leadership. Guided by new technical director Mike Coughlan following the departure of Sam Michael, this year’s car takes on a fresh design philosophy. Revised FIA technical regulations - of which the most significant are bans on exhaust blowing and exotic engine mapping and a drop in nose height, the FW34 carries fewer than five percent of the parts from last year’s FW33.

Raikkonen on Top in Jerez

2012-02-07T23:36:00.000Z

He may have been away from the sport for the last two seasons but that didn’t stop 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen from topping the timesheets, as this year’s opening test got underway in Jerez on Tuesday. Raikkonen clocked a best time of 1m 19.670s at the Spanish circuit in the new Lotus E20.

Paul di Resta was second in Force India’s 2012 car, the VJM05, ahead of Nico Rosberg, who was third in the 2011-spec Mercedes. Rosberg’s team mate Michael Schumacher was also in action in the MGP W02 during the day and took the sixth slot. The team focused on testing Pirelli’s 2012 tyres.

Fourth fastest was Red Bull’s Mark Webber in the brand-new RB8, whilst Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo finished in fifth after giving the team’s 2012 car, the STR7, its official track debut. Although Ricciardo’s outing was curtailed by an oil pressure problem, he covered 57 laps.

Unofficial Tuesday test times from Jerez:

1. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:19.670, 73 Laps

2. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:19.772, 101 Laps

3. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:20.219, 56 Laps

4. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:20.496, 53 Laps

5. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:20.694, 57 Laps

6. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, 1:20.794, 41 Laps

7. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, 1:21.353, 106 Laps

8. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:21.530, 60 Laps

9. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:22.815, 69 Laps

10. Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, 1:23.178, 28 Laps

11. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:23.371, 25 Laps

12. Pedro de la Rosa, HRT, 1:23.676, 44 Laps

Red Bull Unveil 2012 Championship Defender

2012-02-06T17:56:00.001Z

The car with which reigning world champions Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull will defend their titles was revealed to the world on Monday. The Adrian Newey-designed RB8 is the eighth Formula One car produced by the team.

Its predecessor, the RB7, dominated the 2011 season, winning 12 Grands Prix in the hands of Vettel and team mate Mark Webber, and powering the Milton Keynes-based squad to their second championship double in as many years.

“I think Formula One is set for an exciting year and at Red Bull Racing our goals and objectives are to try and stay ahead of our rivals and build on the success that we have (had) and build on the lessons that we’ve learned in 2011,” said team principal Christian Horner.

Red Bull’s recent success owed a lot to their perfection of the exhaust-blown diffuser. With that technology effectively banned for 2012 thanks to new, tighter restrictions on exhaust positioning, Newey admits it could mean the team losing out relative to rivals this season.

“That led to a big rethink over the winter,” he said. “Whether that will affect us more than other people is difficult to know of course. We designed the RB7, last year’s car, around that exhaust position and were probably the only people to do so, so it may be that we’ve lost more than other people through that. Only time will tell.

“Probably one of the key things there is the rear ride height. The exhaust allowed us to run a high rear ride height, it’s much more difficult without that to sustain a high rear height so we have to go back down and have to redevelop the car around that lower ride height.”

The other obvious visual change on the RB8 is the stepped nose already seen on other 2012 cars, designed to meet new requirements on chassis height. Unlike those other cars, the Red Bull features some kind of vent in the step, though Newey was giving nothing away about its function.

Toro Rosso Unveil STR-7

2012-02-06T17:52:00.004Z

Toro Rosso followed in the footsteps of Sauber and unveiled the car with which they will contest the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship at Jerez on Monday afternoon. The Ferrari-engined STR7 will make its on-track debut on Tuesday morning, when this week’s opening pre-season test gets underway at the Spanish track.

The Italian team’s 2012-spec line-up, Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne, were in attendance at the pit-lane launch. Toro Rosso hope the new car - and new signings - will help them establish a firmer foothold in the midfield, after they finished eighth in the 2011 standings.

“The STR7 is the third car designed, produced and assembled entirely by Toro Rosso,” explained team principal Franz Tost. “Over those three years, we have increased our workforce from 160 to 300 and Toro Rosso is now in the most stable and strongest position since it was founded. Everything is therefore in place for us to move forward and reap the benefits of this stability on the track.

“Last year, we finished eighth in the constructors’ championship and clearly we want to do better than that this time. It is far too early to make predictions, but looking at the work we have done over the winter, we must set ourselves the target of finishing sixth or at least seventh by the time we pack up in Brazil in November."

The new Toro Rosso boasts several distinctive features which the paddock look set to become accustomed to in 2012 thanks to rule changes, including the stepped nose, relocated exhaust exits and undercut sidepods. For technical director Giorgio Ascanelli it’s meant a jam-packed winter as he adjusted the car’s design to the new regulations.

Sauber Unveil 2012 Challenger

2012-02-06T17:51:00.002Z

Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez unveiled the new Sauber in Jerez on Monday. The Ferrari-engined C31 will take to the Spanish track later in the day for some promotional filming, ahead of the start of the first multi-team test of the winter on Tuesday.

“We’re aiming to start the new season as strongly as we did in 2011, but then also to maintain this level of performance throughout the year,” explained team principal Peter Sauber, whose team were seventh in the 2011 standings.

“Our goal is to finish regularly in the points so as to put ourselves in a significantly better position in the world championship. The Sauber C31-Ferrari boasts a large number of promising new developments, but in other areas it is a systematic further development of last year’s car.”

The new Sauber boasts a much tidier design than its 2011 predecessor with an optimised front suspension, revised sidepod packaging and an all-new carbon transmission from engine supplier Ferrari. It also features a stepped nose in line with this year’s new chassis regulations.

Looks Aren't Everything!

2012-02-06T16:57:00.001Z

Some of the new 2012 cars have raised a few eyebrows with wide noses, skinny wings and lumps left right and centre, but do looks correlate with performance? I am going to make an opinion on the looks of the 2011 cars and compare it to their performance.

Team	Looks out of 10	Constructors Standings 2011
Red Bull	9	1
McLaren	8	2
Ferrari	8	3
Mercedes	8	4
Renault	7	5
Force India	6	6
Sauber	5	7
Toro Rosso	6	8
Williams	5	9
Lotus	6	10
Hispania	4	11
Virgin	5	12

So from this we can see that better looking cars did score higher on the rankings, however I dont think that will neccasarily be the case for 2012, we will have to wait and see!!!

Lotus Unveil 2012 E20 Challanger

2012-02-05T18:16:00.002Z

Lotus have unveiled the car Kimi Raikkonen will drive on his return to Formula 1 this season.

The car features one of the most elegant-looking solutions yet to new rules that require lower noses and have led to a number of ugly-looking cars.

And Raikkonen, who returns after two years in rallying, is confident the car will be competitive.

"They are very capable people. They have a good feeling so hopefully we will get good results," he said.

The car was launched online with a video on YouTube after the team's website failed to work.

The team, who have raced as Renault since 2002 and won back-to-back world titles with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006, have changed their name to Lotus this season.

But the car retains its black-and-gold colour scheme from last year.

The new E20 - so named because it is the 20th car to be produced at the team's factory in Enstone, Oxfordshire - features the same 'eye-lets' on the top of the nose in the region of the front suspension.

But they are integrated into the chassis with attractive curves as opposed to the step that was seen on the new Ferrari on Friday.

The car also features a Red Bull-style oval-shaped air exit at the back of the engine cover.

Team chairman Gerard Lopez said the aim was to finish fourth in the constructors' championship, one place higher than last season.

Force India Unveil 2012 Challenger

2012-02-05T05:30:00.000Z

Scot Paul di Resta and German team-mate Nico Hulkenberg have unveiled the new Force India car which carries their hopes in the 2012 Formula 1 season.

It features the dramatic-looking stepped nose that is expected to feature on many of this year's cars.

Di Resta, who impressed greatly during his debut season, said: "There's a bit more pressure on me this year as I'm not a rookie any more.

"With what the guys have achieved with the car, I can't wait to get in it."

Di Resta became the first driver to take a 2012 F1 car on to the track, when he completed a few laps of Silverstone after the launch.

Like the Caterham and Ferrari, the new VJM05 has a pronounced step along the top of the chassis in the area of the front wheels - a way of satisfying new rules demanding lower noses while also getting as much airflow as possible in the critical area under the front of the car.

The siting of two camera mounts on either side of the top of the nose also gives the launch car a distinct 'hammerhead' appearance.

The car was unveiled at Silverstone - across the road from the team's headquarters - and deputy team principal Bob Fernley described Di Resta and Hulkenberg as "one of the most exciting driver line-ups in F1".

Force India hope to build on an impressive 2011 that saw them finish strongly to end sixth in the constructors' championship.

Karthikeyan Completes HRT Team

2012-02-04T17:34:00.000Z

Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan has joined Pedro de la Rosa at HRT, completing their line-up for the 2012 Formula 1 season.

The Spanish team announced the appointment on Friday, giving the 35-year-old a second year with the team.

HRT replaced him with Red Bull-backed Australian rookie Daniel Ricciardo midway through the 2011 calendar.

"Narain's a quick, intuitive and secure driver - he'll contribute continuity,"HRT boss Luis Perez-Sala said .

"Of the eight grands prix he contested in 2011, he only failed to finish on one occasion and had a great performance in the last race he took part in."

HRT, a team based in Murcia in south-east Spain , are under new ownership for the forthcoming season and have a new technical director in Jacky Eeckelaert.

Ferrari Unveil F2012

2012-02-04T15:34:00.000Z

Ferrari have unveiled the new Formula 1 car they hope will enable them to win their first drivers' title since 2007.

Team boss Stefano Domenicali said they feel a "responsibility to win from the very beginning" of the season.

Lead driver Fernando Alonso said: "We have to be optimistic. We have to fight for the title."

The F2012 features an innovative step on the top of the chassis in response to regulations aimed at improving safety by lowering F1 cars' noses.

Domenicali admitted that the design was "not really so pretty" but Alonso said he was unfazed by the car's appearance.

"With the new car the first feeling has been very good from the beginning," the Spaniard said.

"I like the creative shape that we see in this new car and I think when a car surprises you from the first look it is usually a positive thing. I quite like the car, I hope it is fast."

Ferrari have made no secret of their desire to make amends for a poor 2011 in which they won only one race - the British Grand Prix with Alonso.

They have restructured the technical team, with Englishman Pat Fry replacing Italian Aldo Costa as technical director, and much is expected of the new car, dubbed the F2012.

Domenicali paid tribute to Alonso for his "incredible extraordinary season" in 2011, and pointed to the fact that the double world champion had extended his contract with Ferrari until the end of 2016.

Adrian Sutil Guilty Over Attacks

2012-02-01T20:02:00.001Z

German Formula 1 driver Adrian Sutil has been convicted of causing grievous bodily harm to a F1 team owner and given an 18-month suspended sentence.

A court in Munich reached the verdict after a two-day trial. The German driver was also ordered to pay a 200,000 euro (£167,224; $264,092) fine.

Renault F1 executive Eric Lux suffered cuts during the incident in a Shanghai nightclub last April.

Sutil, aged 29, has already apologised over the incident.

Both he and Mr Lux were among guests at a party to celebrate Lewis Hamilton's victory at the China Grand Prix in the Chinese city.

The Renault team has since been renamed Lotus.

Sutil was a driver for the Force India team, but they have announced Nico Hulkenberg will replace him.

McLaren Launch 2012 Car

2012-02-01T20:00:00.000Z

McLaren have unveiled the car Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button hope will win one of them the drivers' title.

Hamilton described the MP4-27, unveiled at the team's Surrey base, as "the finest-looking car we've had for some time".

The car features a notably tightly packaged rear end, after the fashion of the Red Bull that has dominated Formula 1 for the last two seasons.

"We're excited. I'm sure every team is a little apprehensive," Button said.

Among other notable features, the car does not have the platypus-style nose that is expected to feature on many designs this year as a result of a change in the rules requiring a lower nose height.

Lewis Hamilton won the drivers' world title in a McLaren in 2008, with Jenson Button winning the championship in a Brawn a year later.

But Red Bull have won the last two constructors' championship, with Sebastian Vettel securing the drivers' title in both seasons .

McLaren have not won the constructors' title since 1998.

Button added: "This is a beautiful car - many you will see will not be.

"There are some good rule changes giving the engineers and aerodynamicists something to really think about.

"Everyone seems positive, we will see how it is when we get out on to the track."

McLaren have also abandoned the distinctive L-shaped sidepods that distinguished the 2011 car, reverting to a more conventional shape.

Hamilton said: "The back of the car is much neater, it's much tighter. The focus was on getting it as tight as possible for aerodynamics.

F1 Soundbyte- Caterham Launch

2012-01-25T16:42:00.002Z

F1 Soundbyte 2- Caterham Launch (mp3)

F1 Soundbyte Episode 1

2012-01-23T19:46:00.001Z

F1 Soundbyte (mp3)

F1 Update

2012-01-20T21:49:00.000Z

I gave a news update a couple of days ago but there have been some little snippets of information since then:

Lewis Hamilton will testify for Adrian Sutil as he faces charges for assaulting the Renault boss at a Chinese Grand Prix after party last year. The two are close friends so Hamilton hopes he can help prevent the German driver from picking up and punishment. Hamilton's only problems are that trial is set on the days before the McLaren 2012 launch!

HRT have said that they are really struggling to get their car ready for the new season but say that they will make it to Australia in two months time. When the team joined F1 in 2010 they didn't get driving until qualifying at the first race in Bahrain.

Caterham will unveil their car on the cover of next weeks F1 racing magazine, meanwhile McLaren launch on the 1st February, Ferrari will unveil on the 3rd and Toro Rosso will unveil at the first test in two and a half weeks.

Lotus will unveil their car on the 5th online before Raikkonen take the reigns for the first two days of the test in Jerez before Grosjean.

Finally Marussia hope to be at the 2nd test at the end of February.

Senna beats Barrichello to Williams Drive

2012-01-17T16:10:00.001Z

Brazilian Bruno Senna has signed to drive for Williams in 2012.

The move means the 28-year-old is joining the team for which his uncle Ayrton Senna was driving when he was killed in 1994.

He was preferred to veteran countryman Rubens Barrichello for the position and will partner Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.

Senna impressed sporadically after being drafted in by the Renault team in the final races of last season.

His only other experience of F1 is spending the 2010 season with the struggling HRT team.

"I feel very privileged Williams has selected me as one of their race drivers," said Senna, who will make his debut for Williams in Jerez, Spain on 9 February in the first of the team's winter tests.

"The team has a great heritage and I hope I can help write a good chapter in their history.

Barrichello, who will be 40 this year, had been hoping to extend his F1 career into a 20th season but Williams preferred to go for the promise and potential of Senna rather than Barrichello's proven pace and experience.

There was support among some sections of the Williams team for Barrichello keeping the drive, on the basis that he is a proven talent and because of his renowned technical expertise.

Williams had the worst season in their history in 2011 and are in the middle of a rebuilding process, with a new technical director, chief aerodynamicist and chief engineer, and some in the team felt they could benefit from the continuity and experience Barrichello would have brought.

However, sources close to Williams say the relationship between driver and management soured as a result of the slide in the team's results.

F1 News- January 2012

2012-01-16T22:25:00.000Z

It's about time that I brought you a news update before the first cars are unveiled in two weeks time!

Firstly at the very beginning of the new year it was announced that Red Bull Chief Designer Adrian Newey was to receive an OBE from the Queen, this for his amazing contribution to motorsport including his success at Red Bull, McLaren at the end of the 1990's and Williams at the start of the 1990's. Meanwhile a driver that won the championship with Newey's car in 1992 who already has an OBE has been awarded the next highest accolade, a CBE. Nigel Mansell will receive this once again for his contribution to motorsport but also to his commitment to various charities including his presidency of the UK Youth charity.

In late January Kimi Raikkonen will test the 2010 Renault car as part of his preparations for his F1 return with Lotus (formerly Renault). The car was driven by Kubica and Petrov in the 2010 season. Polish driver Kubica was hoping for a return too to Renault after his near disastrous crash in a rally last February. However his health has taken another tumble, when the driver slipped on some ice outside his home and broke his leg, hampering his recovery efforts by a further 3 weeks.

In 2010 Bridgestone split from Formula 1 as Pirelli took the reigns, but Ferrari struggled with the new tyres so they have hired one of the best tyre experts in the world to help them, Hirohide Hamashima who was the boss of Bridgestone Formula 1, the team hope that he can bring the necessary experience to help the overcome their tyre problems for 2012.

Key Dates:

February 1st- McLaren Launch
February 3rd- Ferrari Launch
February 7th- F1 Testing begins

Mercedes 2011 Season Review

2012-01-15T11:44:00.000Z

In 2010 the team had a so-so season with a couple of podiums and some promising speed in the final few races. However its seems that the German team have taken a step backwards for 2011. The team were generally slow in qualifying, but quicker in the race; this meant that they struggled to get anywhere all season.

Mercedes’s Season 2011
2011 Constructors Standing	4
Number of Wins/ Highest Position	0/4
Number of Poles/ Best Quali. position	0/4
Number of Fastest Laps	0
Number of Podiums	0

There were glimpses of speed and this was helped that the team pioneered the best DRS system of any other team, making their car a threat in a straight line, but at the circuits with fiddly corners and short straights they were left behind by the likes of McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari.

Nico Rosberg picked all of the teams’ podiums in 2010 leaving his famous team mate behind, but this year we saw the gap between the two dwindle by a fair bit. Generally Rosberg had a similar season to 2010 but Michael Schumacher managed to have some cracking races especially in Canada, where he just missed out on a podium, Belgium where he started form the back of the grid to come way up into he points, and finally in Italy where he drove a risky but fantastic race against Lewis Hamilton who was held up by the German for around 20 laps.

So with the gap between the two down they just need a decent car to get some more podiums and that ever elusive win. So with some improvements they could be a real challenge at the races where the frontrunners have fallen away.

Kubica Faces Further Setbacks

2012-01-11T19:12:00.000Z

Robert Kubica has suffered another setback in his return to Formula 1 after breaking his right leg in an accident near his house his Italy.

It is the same leg he broke in a high-speed rally crash almost a year ago.

The 27-year-old faces a month in plaster before undergoing an operation to have a metal screw inserted just above his ankle.

Reports claim that he lost his footing on an icy street in Pietrasanta, near the coastal town of Viareggio.

Kubica missed the whole of the 2011 season following the crash during the first stage of the Ronde di Andora rally.

He was driving a Super 2000-specification Skoda Fabia when his car left the road at high speed and hit a crash barrier.

Having been cut out of the vehicle before being airlifted to hospital, the Pole underwent several operations to repair the damage to his partially severed right forearm and numerous fractures to his right elbow, shoulder and leg.

He is now out of contract with his former team Renault after it was announced last year that he would not be ready to return by the start of the season.

Ferrari 2011 Season Review

2012-01-08T17:59:00.002Z

The Italian team were furious that they were caught out by Red Bull and Vettel at the last race in 2010 so 2011 was a chance for them to sort things out. However it seems that it was all a bit last minute once again.

Ferrari’s Season 2011
2011 Constructors Standing	3
Number of Wins	1
Number of Poles	0
Number of Fastest Laps	3

The start if their season wasn’t great with no podiums until round four in Turkey, by the same stage in 2010 they had already taken 3 podiums including a win in Bahrain. However by the time we arrived at Monaco it seemed that Ferrari were determined to fight back with an almighty battle just going wrong when the red flag came out, two races later came Ferrari’s only win of 2011 in a wet Britain. Alonso showed the world that although his car isn’t up for fighting he is still a stunning driver by winning over 16 seconds ahead of Vettel. Felipe Massa didn’t seem to be getting anywhere this season but Ferrari promise a stronger Massa for 2012.

Overall the season for Ferrari was lacklustre, but with the occasional spark. The threatening thing is that these sparks were fantastic ones, their starts were stunning with Alonso taking the lead by turn one from fourth place in both Spain and Italy, how poignant! Also though their consistency they managed to stick to drivers like Vettel and make them work for their wins. In 2012 Ferrari promises to be a lot more aggressive, for the teams fans are getting a little impatient as they haven’t won a championship, drivers or constructors, since 2008. I think that they will be a big threat for 2012 though.

Future of Valencia in Doubt

2012-01-06T15:48:00.000Z

The future of the European Grand Prix in Valencia is in doubt after the city's government indicated that it wants to renegotiate its race fee.

Jose Ciscar, vice-president of the Generalitat Valenciana, said he was embarking on a "complete and thorough review" of the major events budget.

Valencia has a contract to host the race on a street circuit on the city's waterfront until 2014.

Ciscar does not rule out cancelling the race. "We do not discount anything."

He also said that he would be contacting F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to discuss the city's wishes.

The move makes Valencia, which is reputed to pay in the region of 25 million Euros (£20.6m) a year to host the grand prix, the second race to ask Ecclestone to reduce F1's fees.

Happy New Year for 2012!

2011-12-31T12:23:00.000Z

The 2011 season has come and gone in a flash, and before you know it the new cras for 2012 will be unveiled for the pre-season testing in Spain. As much as we like to think about the past there is a lot to look forward to for 2012:

Brand new circuit- USA

Yet another new race track but this time in the timely F1 classic location of the United States of America, the layout looks really good, with comparisons being drawn to Spa-Franchorchamps and India, so it looks great!

New Drivers and Team Names

Most of the top teams have stayed with their line up for another year, but there has been some change down below. Robert Kubica isn't ready to return yet so 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen has returned along with 2009 part time driver for Renault Romain Grosjean. Another change here is that the team have been renamed as Lotus.
Force India have gotten rid of Adrian Sutil and replaced him with yet another German driver, Nico Hulkenberg, 'The Hulk' managed to grab a pole position in his maiden year in F1 with Williams in 2010 at Brazil. Paul Di Resta has stayed at the Indian team.
Toro Rosso have had a total wipe out with their drivers Buemi and Alguersuari and have replaced the pair with HRT driver Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.
Lotus F1 Team have stuck with their line-up but have changed their name to Caterham
HRT have acquired the spare driver of Formula 1, Pedro De La Rosa.
Finally Virgin have gotten rid of D'ambrosio and replaced him with Frenchman Charles Pic. Timo Glock will stay for a thrid season at Virgin who have been renamed- Marussia.

So with this just being the driver and track changes it looks like we could have another cracking F1 season in 2012!

Thank as always for reading the F1 blog which has seen huge growths in its visitors, especially in the past few months where we have seen numbers regularly exceeding 1000 viewers per month. Keep reading in 2012!

Happy New Year!

Bhattman

McLaren 2011 Season Review

2011-12-23T16:12:00.000Z

McLaren

McLaren’s Season
2011 Constructors Standing	2
Number of Wins	6
Number of Poles	1
Number of Fastest Laps	5

The British team spent most of 2009 playing catch up. They played catch up again in 2010, and it seems they went for the hat trick in 2011. Although they had several wins in 2011 they took their time in getting up to pace, henceforth allowing Red Bull to pull away even quicker than they would have in the first place. However at times Red Bull was put to shame by McLaren when they just raced better overall. Take a poor strategy from the Austrian team in China allowing Hamilton to hunt down Vettel and win the race and Hamilton again stopping Vettel, Webber and Alonso from winning in Germany.

There were some conflicts that must be addressed though. Jenson Button seemed to have a great season in what he described as his best season ever, and that’s including his championship year of 2009. However Hamilton has probably his worst season ever in Formula 1 since starting in 2007, with various crashes, conflicts with the stewards as well as some interesting comments off the track too. It comes to question as to whether McLaren are actually providing the right support to Hamilton who seems very lonely. But overall a fairly good season for the team especially to take 6 wins in a season in which Vettel dominated practically every race. For 2012 they need to be on the ball form the word 'go‘ and if they are then they could have a proper fighting chance for the title.