The revenue from the online auction goes to the Japanese aid through the internationally renowned charity organisation “Music for Relief“, initiated by Linkin Park.

The idea was sparked by an encounter Kobayashi had with the band in September in Singapore. Joe Hahn, producer and band member of Linkin Park, personally designed the unique helmet.

Since 2005, “Music for Relief” has raised more than five million US dollars for disaster victims and environmental projects. Of this, 700,000 dollars alone have been donated to Japan to help it deal with the consequences of the disasters that struck on 11^th March 2011.

Joining Luca di Montezemolo, Piero Ferrari and Stefano Domenicali at the dinner table were around forty Italian journalists, following on from a lunch for around fifteen international media and they were all able to exchange season’s
greetings, as they chatted over the meal, all under the red sign of Ferrari.

It was also a special occasion as it was actually this week, twenty years ago, the 15 December to be precise, that Luca di Montezemolo took on the role of Ferrari President, a position he had been appointed to a month earlier by the FIAT Group.

Therefore, to celebrate this anniversary, the dinner also featured a rather special game of bingo, with the ninety numbers this time linked to events or people that were part of the Scuderia’s history over the past twenty years: from the 1, the number Ferrari would love to see on one of its cars for the 2013 season, to 90, a number that in Italian bingo signifies fear and in this case was attached to the serious accidents suffered by Michael Schumacher at Silverstone in 1999 and Felipe Massa in Budapest in 2009.

When it came to opinions on the Scuderia’s 2011 season:….
“ A very disappointing year, with the only great moment coming with the win at Silverstone,” reckoned Montezemolo, while as for the two drivers….“Alonso had a great season: he is the best driver in Formula 1 and that’s nothing new. Massa is the first to admit disappointment at the way his year went, a feeling we share, but I hope and believe that with a faster car and one that warms up its tyres better, Felipe will be competitive once again. We should not forget he was often quicker than Michael or Kimi, when he was team-mates with them.”

Luca di Montezemolo also did a rapid historical roundup…
“In 1991, we sold 2300 cars, today it’s over 7000. We exported to 20 countries which has become 58, with a ten fold increase in turnover. We have a theme park in Abu Dhabi and we are negotiating the construction of a further two, one of them in Korea, even if nothing has actually been fixed yet. We have to be very pleased with what we have achieved and the next twenty years will see a Ferrari that is still very innovative on the road car front and that will continue racing as long as the races, Formula 1 first and foremost, provide the opportunity for
advanced research for our cars.”

Clearly, the political climate and the future of Formula 1 also came up for comment.
“We have left FOTA of our own accord and without consulting anyone else, because we were tired of the compromises dragging it down,” explained Montezemolo. “And let’s be clear, if one is part of a club then everyone has to respect its rules, otherwise what’s the point? However, I still believe that we can have a common vision between the biggest teams when it comes to the future and I will push to the maximum to seek out common objectives. All we want are clear rules and
interpretations. Situations like the one in Silverstone must not happen again, when the rules changed three times over the course of a Grand Prix weekend: on that occasion, Ferrari decided to sacrifice its own interests to avoid a fall out that would have damaged Formula 1, with all the accompanying comments that we did not want the agreement because we were not competitive…However, there were some who preferred to only think of their own interests.”

The day at Maranello also saw the journalists being tested for their ability to drive a Formula 1 car, even if only in a virtual way. In the pits at the Fiorano track, the AllInSports simulator, licensed by Ferrari, was set up and the fastest three journalists were able to move up to try it’s big brother, in other words the simulator actually used by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, as recently as last week, as part of the development of the car.

Naturally enough, the virtual circuit chosen was Fiorano and victorious in this challenge against the clock was Radio Rai’s Giulio Delfino, who was clearly quickest on both the small and large simulators: everyone had an enjoyable time, with some training from a special tutor in the form of Andrea Bertolini, letting them get close to the actual reality of driving, letting them see how it takes just the slightest little thing to see pole position escape one’s grasp, or a victory missed or a championship move out of reach in a sport that is as competitive as Formula 1. As always, it’s down to thousandths of a second…

Alongside Fernando were his two colleagues, Marc Gene and Pedro De La Rosa, much to the delight of the many children present, who all received a Pista Carrera kit as a gift.

Earlier, Fernando had exchanged seasonal good wishes with a group of Spanish journalists, as well as throwing in some pragmatic views on the Formula 1 season just ended and the one that will be getting underway shortly.

“This is the time when one is always optimistic, but then we must wait for the start of the season to see where we really are. It’s true that in the past few days, there was a good feeling at Maranello and there’s an air of confidence about it,” said Fernando. “We want to reacquaint ourselves with the taste of winning that has eluded us for a while. Last spring, we made important changes to the structure of the technical part of the team and now we have adopted a new approach, a less conservative one, in the design of the new car. The philosophy behind the 2012 car is very different to that of 2011, especially in some key areas like suspension and aerodynamics. We know that Ferrari is burdened with the expectations of victory and if it does not happen, in the winter the papers devote page after page to the whys and wherefores as to how things can change,
while the others have to make do with the crumbs in terms of media coverage. It’s one of the things that make Ferrari different to all the other teams.”

“However, now’s the time to take it easy for a few weeks,” concluded the man from Oviedo. “Time to recharge the batteries and be one hundred percent ready for next season, which I expect will be much more of an equal fight than the one just gone. Red Bull will still be very strong, but I think they will have less room for improvement than us, as we were so far behind this year.”

In the morning, Alonso received a special recognition from the Autonomous Community of Madrid, who awarded him the International Prize for Sport. Fernando was presented with the award by the President, Esperanza Aguirre, during a ceremony at the Community headquarters.

There were over a thousand people in total and they all wanted to give a special round of applause to Luca di Montezemolo, to mark his twenty years as Ferrari president. The occasion was also celebrated with a film that told the story of these past two decades, its good times and the more difficult moments, all of them expressing a great passion for the marque.

“It’s the best present I could get,” said a clearly emotional Montezemolo when the film ended. “My life is here and, after my family, this company is the most important thing to me. There are people I want to thank for the help they have given me over all these years. Some are here with us today, such as Piero Ferrari, Amadeo Felisa and Mario Mairano. Others are no longer with us, such as the “Avvocato” Agnelli: I owe him so much, both on a personal level and professionally and, seeing some of these images again, I can’t help but think of how close he was to Ferrari through the many difficult years. Others still
have chosen to move on, such as Jean Todt: I cannot forget the great job he did with us and with Michael Schumacher, who won like no one else has ever done in the history of Ferrari and with whom we went through many dramatic and amazing
moments.”

Montezemolo’s words were punctuated by applause and there was also thunderous and emotional applause when Stefano Domenicali recalled the memory of Pasquale Danza, recently departed, described by the Scuderia’s Team Principal as a symbol of the passion and dedication that drives the people who work at Ferrari. The Christmas festivities provided an opportunity for the usual look back at the year just ended, but more importantly, a look ahead to the future.

“I want to be optimistic, because I can see the concentration and the attention to detail which characterises the efforts being
made by Domenicali and his people, by Fry, Marmorini, anzone and Tombazis,” said Montezemolo. “Work is going on in all areas to improve: from the design of the new car, to the simulation work, from preparing for the pit stops, to the starts and so on. We cannot be happy with the way this year went and there is a great desire to redeem ourselves, because results don’t come on their own, they are not delivered by a stork: it will take hard work from every one of you, it will come from the ability to be perfect, to start from pole position and that ability is the strength of this company. Behind amazing products there are amazing men and women.

“All the ingredients are in place to start winning again,” continued Montezemolo. “Great things are also expected from our drivers for next season. Felipe knows next year is very important for him, but it is up to us to give him a competitive car. If we manage it, then I am sure we will rediscover the Felipe who delivered so much and who could be quicker than Michael and Kimi. Fernando has had an amazing season, even though he did not have a competitive car and he made us all happy at Silverstone, with an emblematic victory, given it came at the same circuit and in the same month in which, sixty years ago, Ferrari took its first ever Formula 1 win. What I like about our drivers is their ability to work with the team: I knew that about Felipe and it was a pleasant surprise to find out the same applied to Fernando. I don’t like drivers who turn up at the track with their briefcase and do not share in the daily life of the team: they are not Ferrari people.

“My job is to provide the best possible conditions for you to do yours: I expect a big effort from you and a great desire to do well,” concluded Montezemolo. “Winning depends on us, not on others. We have all we need, starting with the suppliers and exceptional partners such as Philip Morris, Santander and Shell, to name just the main ones. I cannot wait to once again
share good times with all of you.”

In his place, Spanish former Formula 1 driver Luis Pérez-Sala will take on the role of Team Principal of HRT F1 Team.

With the naming of Luis Pérez-Sala at the fore of the team, HRT F1 Team closes one chapter and begins a new one, which will hopefully come with new success.

Having Pedro de la Rosa at the helm, their headquarters in Spain and the design of next season’s car being carried out internally, this is an exciting new project despite the fact that there is still a lot of work to do before the 2012 season begins in Australia on the 18th of March.

“From the moment we took control of the team last July, the first thing we did was to study and value where we were, whilst also set ourselves a target and establish a strategy. We have been working discretely but relentlessly towards this for the last few months,” said Saúl Ruiz de Marcos, HRT F1 Team CEO. “We’ve always made it clear that our priorities were the car, the headquarters and our drivers. The car is evolving, Pedro has been a great asset to the team and we have always wanted to settle the team in Spain and have everybody working under one roof. Since we began working with Luis (Pérez-Sala) ourconnection has been great.”

“Now he takes on a much more key role in the team but the decision was an easy one given his knowledge and his way of doing things. It is the best decision we could make. I would like to also thank Colin (Kolles) and Manfredi (Ravetto) for their work and dedication in these two years that the team has existed and I wish them the very best for the future”.

“We’ve been there, years ago, and it’s a little bit like the rest of America, they want to see a profit before they start something and it’s not easy to do that,” Ecclestone told Al Jazeera.

“We’ve got maximum two races in America, and when you consider the country is as big as Europe and we’ve got (eight) races in Europe, it’s difficult. If we had a lot more races there and a lot more television, it would be ok.”

The last US Grand Prix was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007.

The wreath has a closed circuit design and weighs 640 kilograms (not including candles).

Made from high-density beeswax, the candles are kept aspirated off-throttle to ensure optimum flame development.

“The circular form of the wreath conforms strictly with Christmas regulations to ensure there aren’t any of those seasonal arguments,” explains CEO Monisha Kaltenborn.

Team Principal Peter Sauber adds…

“The wreath’s impressive performance really comes into its own on Sundays, when we need it most. Further development stages will follow in the run-up to Christmas Eve.”

The team’s new high-speed sled (aka the Sauber C31-Ferrari) is due to be unwrapped in Jerez on 6^th February 2012.

More than 1,000 Scuderia Ferrari Community members followed the chat with Domenicali, while some of them received a reply to their published question live during the session. The fans were extremely curious and many topics were mentioned during the chat session…

“The ban of the exhausts generating downforce is very important, because we didn’t know how to benefit from them and couldn’t create the right performance in 2011,” he said
when asked about the ban of the blown exhausts and the contribution of Pat Fry helping to beat the competition in 2012. “It’s important, because it brings the aerodynamic development back to a level where we’ve been working for months. As far as Pat Fry is concerned, I don’t believe in personalising things, the decisions go in a direction to improve the team: everybody is extremely motivated and the objective is very clear.”

Another fan, still with the upcoming season and expectations in sight, was a little bit worried, asking which measures Domenicali thought to take to avoid another poor season…

“On one side we’re reacting with some changes regarding the organisation. Then I asked the engineers to not underestimate any aspect of the car. We have to be realistic. I think that the decisions we’ve taken are very efficient. We want to get back where we were.”

Regarding Pat Fry, Domenicali was asked if he is the right person in the right place and if the situation before was somehow due to Aldo Costa…

“I think, like I said before, that we don’t have to talk on a personal level in the organisation. I think we have to thank Aldo Costa, because also thanks to him we won several titles and he’s extremely professional. Sometimes you have to shake a little bit to get the positive aspects the organisation can use. If the choice was right, we’ll see it in the results.”

The question everybody was waiting for finally came….”At what point are we regarding the new car?”

“We’re following our plans. We’ve been working for several months on the new project,” the Team Principal said. “On paper everything is positive, but we have to wait to get onto the track. The signs that it’s a competitive car are all there. But as I already said: let’s keep our feet on the ground and let’s always scrutinise ourselves.”

In 2008 he won the Formula Renault 2.0 Championship and the following year, he won the British Formula 3 series. In 2010, Dan finished runner up in the Renault 3.5 series, combining his racing with reserve driver duties for both Red Bull F1 teams.

After he was confirmed as a 2012 Scuderia Toro Rosso driver, the team caught up with Daniel at his home in Perth, Australia.

Dan, congratulations on getting a drive with Scuderia Toro Rosso. How does it feel?
It feels amazing! It’s nice coming into next season knowing what I’m doing and being able to focus solely on that. I am looking forward to working with a good group of people that I already spent a lot of time with this year. So there’s plenty to look forward to in 2012.

How did you find out you had the drive?
I was actually at home, it was after dinner and the phone call came. It was short, sharp and to the point, but it contained all the news I wanted to hear. It was an awesome Christmas present and a big relief. I was with Mum and Dad at the time and I came out of my room and told them the news and it felt pretty special.

Since the last race of 2011 in Brazil, were you ever concerned you might not have a drive for 2012?
Until something is done you are always going to be a little bit concerned, but I know everyone at Red Bull is looking after my interests and I felt I had done a good enough job this year for them to try and find me a seat for 2012. I had faith something would come through.

You’ve had a busy year, starting out driving Free Practice 1 for us and then actually racing in the last eleven Grands Prix from Silverstone onwards. What are the main lessons you learned this year?
Looking back at the whole year, I did more travelling than ever before in my life and I found out it can be really tiring and can take it out of you. So I learned how important it is to be on time and to manage my time as efficiently as possible and to rest when I can. There was so much to take in this year and from the driving point of view, as a reserve driver you can see everything the job involves, but until you are actually racing, you do not realise the demands it puts on you, so that was another important lesson. I learned to get my priorities right and not waste my energy elsewhere.

How well do you know your new team mate, Jean-Eric Vergne?
Pretty well. We were signed up as part of the Red Bull Junior team on the same day and we were team-mates back then, in the Renault 2.0 series. I spent some time with him at his house in France, going karting together. We had a pretty good relationship by the standard of racing driver team-mates. As we progressed, the rivalry got stronger between us, but the important thing is that we respect one another. We both want to beat each other more than anyone else and it’s been like that since we first raced together. It’s a good thing and means we will get the maximum out of the equipment we are given. Next year will be a proper test for both of us.

When will you be coming back to Europe?
I have spoken to Laurent (Mekies, Chief Engineer) and we are putting together a pre-season programme now. I imagine that very early in the new year I will have to abandon the beautiful Australian summer and head for freezing Italy and get down to business, making sure I am as well prepared as possible.

It means you’ve got the best incentive to push hard on your winter training.
Yes, my trainer told me I could take it easy until Christmas, but once I heard I got the drive I wanted to go out and bash myself up in the gym.

Having signed up now, does it mean you can actually have an input on the technical side of next year’s Toro Rosso car?
Yes, there are some areas where we can start early. For example, there are different options for my position in the cockpit and the layout of the steering wheel and the team has already asked me about my preferences for this. It means that coming into testing I should be comfortable and feel the car is mine.