Formula 1 NEWS

[zocipro]

All news related to Formula One, that last season just finished, but at same moment starting new ...

[zocipro]

Ferrari may have missed out on both world championships this year, but the Italian team still have much to celebrate. And this weekend they will wrap up their 2010 season at the annual Ferrari World Finals festival, which is to take place for a second successive year at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit in Spain.

The celebration, which traditionally brings Ferrari’s racing season to a close, features numerous rounds of Ferrari's various one-make sportscar series, demonstrations of Formula One machinery past and present and appearances by the Italian company's current F1 team. The on-track action will get underway on Friday.

Championship runner-up Fernando Alonso and his team mate Felipe Massa are both expected to be in attendance, alongside senior Ferrari team members. A parade of Ferraris - including an F60 driven by Ferrari tester Luca Badoer - through the city centre of Valencia has already opened the event, which will last until Sunday.

[master]

Sauber have become the first team to confirm a launch date for their 2011 car. The Ferrari-powered C30 will be unveiled at Valencia on January 31, the day before the first pre-season test of the New Year gets underway at the Spanish circuit.

The C30 will be piloted by Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi, who scored 32 of the team’s 42 points in 2010, along with Mexican newcomer Sergio Perez, this year’s GP2 Series runner-up.

The car will be the first Sauber designed under the guidance of technical director James Key, who joined the Swiss squad from Force India earlier this season.

“We’re setting our sights high, and things are looking good so far,” team principal Peter Sauber said of the C30 earlier this week. “James Key has proved in the past that he knows how to build fast cars.

"All the changes to the technical regulations - including the ban on double diffusers, the introduction of Pirelli tyres, adjustable rear wings and the option of using KERS - make this a particularly exacting challenge this year.”

All 12 teams are due to participate in the three-day Valencia test commencing February 1. That will be followed by Jerez and Barcelona sessions later that month, with a final pre-season test expected in Bahrain in early March.

[master]

Toro Rosso, "little brother" of the Formula 1 champions Red Bull, you might get more attention in the new season. The season of winter tests, which most perceive as a "phony war" in which teams adjusted their cars for better or worse results showed that it STR6 Toro Rosso car can make a big step forward.

"Toro Rosso seem ridiculously fast," he recently said the 2008 world champion, Lewis Hamilton, while Nick Heidfeld believes they are "team with the greatest progress."

The small Italian team before taking the Red Bull was known as a "traveling circus" Minardi, first owned by Gian Franco Minardi, and then the Australian Paul Stoddart. At the end of 2005 the owner of Red Bull, Dietrich Mateschitz bought the team with Gerhard Berger in 2008 have already reached the first victory by Sebastian Vettel. Last year they first had to build an independent car after using the modified chassis of Red Bull, and in 2010 received the first wind tunnel.

"I think the car is good, the team did a good job and I think we are better than expectations. I'm trying to'm real and I think we are at Sauber Force India," said their driver, Spaniard Alguersuari Haim.

The design of their car like a "double bottom" Ferrari designs from the late nineties, but the key will be resources for rapid development during the season.

"Due to changes in the rules made some changes that were more ambitious than last year," says team technical director, Giorgio Askaneli, who worked for Ferrari in the 1980s and 1990s.

[master]

Team Lotus entered again in verbal war with rival Group Lotus saying that there is only one Malaysian national team before the race in Sepang next weekend. Three teams in F1 have on the Malaysian this year, first Team Lotus, a rookie last year, led by Tony Fernandes, owner of Air Ejzha airline company, former champions Renault, which are sponsored by Lotus Group (owned by Malaysian car Proton-corporation) while Mercedes Grand Prix team as the main sponsor have the Malaysian national oil company, Petronas. All three teams have a seat in Britain.

"There will be three teams with the Malaysian Communications, but only one team in Malaysian blood in the veins - from technicians to the owners. We are proud of what we did last 18 months through hard work and dedication. Maleziec it is not only patches of the car" says Fernandez.

Renault finished third in Australia with Vitaly Petrov, while Team Lotus won no points so far in its history. Team Lotus and Lotus Group fighting the High Court in London for the right to use the Lotus brand.

[master]

Michael Schumacher said there was nothing defective in his Mercedes V02 car in Sepang, but that simply were prebavni. Seven-times champion had an interesting week race, which was involved in several battles for position, to finished ninth, and won the first points of the Mercedes in this season.

"I had a pretty easy race, which was interesting only in the finish. The start was good enough, then the most important thing was to worry about the tires. I could not expect more than 2 points just because we are not quick enough. We must work hard in coming weeks "said Woods.

[master]

Sebastian Vettel expects "tight" qualifications for the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday after his dominant form continued on Friday with the best training time, which, however, was only 0166 before Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at McLaren. World Champion Red Bull started the season with two wins from pole position in Australia and Malaysia, and few would bet against him before the race in Shanghai, which can repeat the start of his compatriot Michael Schumacher in 2004.

"We have much work for Saturday and I think we can be better. We had a good day, but only the weekend begins.'ll Be hard," said Vettel.

His main rivals in the first two races were the drivers of McLaren, and despite hopes that the new parts will make a better race in China, Lewis Hamilton says the new floor, tailpipe and rear wing can make bigger problems.

"I do not feel comfortable, but not the end of the world because the car is still good. We're in a bad position, even though we had very negative things from the test. My feeling is that Red Bull is very, very fast this weekend. For Shanghai's require large downward force and they again showed that there are better than us, "said Hamilton.

In an attempt to reduce the difference of Red Bull, Ferrari, meanwhile, introduced a new aerodynamic package for the race in China, but the first training has not gone well for them after Fernando Alonso had a problem with hydraulics.

"We had more problems than three hours in all 15 days of winter testing. It is a pity because now we needed more miles," said deputy technical director, Pat Fry.

Alonso, who warned before the race that Ferrari just prebavni, went only 15 laps in the first training and 17 in the second.

"We have lost valuable time due to a problem with hydraulics and that in both sessions. Thankfully, Felipe spent the extra mile and have a good base. It is too early to say whether the new aerodynamic parts will function as they wish," admitted Alonso.

[master]

Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica, who before the start of the season, was injured in rally race in Italy, could be released from hospital over the next ten days.

- Still do not know the exact date, but hopefully that will come out in the next ten days, "said Kubica on the website of his team - Lotus Renault.

The Polish driver had a severe crash on Rally in Italy in early February, when his Skoda Fabio "hit the firewall and the vehicle broke through the iron security fence.

[master]

Bernie Ecclestone is prepared to sell its stake in English soccer vtoroligash Queens Park Rangers for 100 million pounds, after the team lacks a single point to provide input in the Premier League. Ecclestone bought the shares of Flavio Briatore last December and is now 62% owner of the team, but if it sells under the contract first option to buy will be exactly Italian Briatore.

Sebastian Buemi says he is concerned about the increased pressure in a team Scuderia Toro Rosso after the Italian team announced that he wanted Daniel Rikiardo and testers to gain a place in the second part of the season. Before the season, Toro Rosso publicly told Buemi and his colleague, Haim Alguersuari that they must raise their level of play this year if they want to retain the seats. "I am calm because I give my maximum and I'm not bad in comparison with counterpart. When working with Red Bull, from the beginning know that you are under pressure because there are many guys who are waiting for your place," said Federer.

Fernando Alonso has congratulated the 30th birthday of Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa, porachuvajkji him that are a great pair at Ferrari, despite controversy about team orders last season. "Congratulations to Felipe, who arrived a few months before me, because I fill in the July 30th years.'s Great addition to Felipe at Ferrari, where we have a good duo, which respects and works well together," said Alonso.

The head of the Red Bull Racing Christian Horner echoed his view that this year's qualifiers are not very important, and that the key to winning is no longer in dominance on Saturday. Mark Webber 18th place at the start of China reached the third place due to fresh pair of soft tires that had a choice. "After that we must consider the importance of qualifying. Overtaking is now far easier and with so great a difference between the old and new tires, the road to the top may be coming from another direction," said Horner.

Team Lotus will be chasing their first points in Formula 1 already the Spanish Grand Prix, says team technical director Mike Gaskojn, showing great confidence in the new parts for the European season. "I think we will conquer points, but from Barcelona on. The improvements are very important in Barcelona and will have the broadcaster and the new rear of the car," says Gaskojn.

[master]

Williams CEO Adam Parr is confident that the 2011 season is ready for his team's worst start to a season in Formula 1 history. The team from Grove failed to score in the first three races of the season, the best selling is bad 13th place in China.

After this disappointing start, Williams began to review the operations of the team in an attempt to solve problems. Pair in an interview with Autosport said to have a lot of work, but there's a way to save the season 2011th

"My goal is to make progress. We have the team to win, and all, but so far the last three years we were eighth, sixth and seventh, and my goal was to make another step forward. Fifth such exercise would be minimal good. now spent just three races and the season is long. The game is not yet complete. the parts that we set the car are not very developed, and morale is at its highest level since all expected much better things. Now my goal is to lugjet motivate and raise the level, "said Parr.

He also denied that the team's main problem is lack of finance for development during the season.

"I'm not happy because I know that we can be better. But on the other hand do not think we are weak. There are things that need to be completed. When we decided to enter the stock market, set a five-year strategy from the business side and will come place. These steps are needed again to become a great team, "added Parr.

Shpekualciite about the financial situation of the team came after the "adventure" Williams to play the stock exchange in Frankfurt, a move that the team wanted to ensure long-term future of the team. But after the release of the shares, they fell 27% fantastic.

Veteran team, Rubens Barrichello, also believes that the team has the necessary prerequisites to be among the best, but adds that there is something that the team can not understand.

"We have all the tools needed, and this is a very important year for the team. The car must be among the top six by the end of the season, and I think it's viable. If McLaren can improve two seconds before the first race this means that a good team can make a big jump. I appreciate the Williams team at a very high level. When I came into the team last year, the car evolved and was eventually good enough. But the goal for this year was to run from where we stopped last year and go forward. We'll see if it's feasible, but it is clear that there is something you do not understand, "said Barrichello.