Guest howyousawtheworld Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 So the Renault team have completely left Formula One as a works side after selling it's shares to Danny Bahar who is the head of Group Lotus who are a completely separate entity from Tony Fernandes's run f1 team Team Lotus (they have no connection with Group Lotus - the company that produces the road cars etc). And now there will be a second team in F1 under the banner of Lotus. So what the hell is going on? Tony Fernandes/Mike Gascoigne run team based in Norfolk state that they bought the rights to the name Lotus fair and square as when Group Lotus's (now the Renault team) parent company bought the whole Lotus company in 1994, but HAD NOT bought the naming rights within for racing in F1 at the time. So now we have two teams racing under the Lotus banner! So which is the real Lotus? Well the short answer is neither as the now renamed Renault team, Lotus Renault GP is majority owned by Luxembourg investment firm Genii Capital with Group Lotus now holding a slim stake in the team, taking over the remaining 25% stake held by Renault last year (they sold the majority of their share to Genii this time last year). As for Team Lotus who raced in F1 this year as one of the new three teams, as said, they are Malaysian backed. BUT crucially for them this f1 team are based in Lotus's natural home in Norfolk, Norwich with the "NEW" Lotus team based in Renault's old factory in Enstone, Oxfordshire. Fernandes's Lotus also has the backing of the Chapman family who made the Lotus name so iconic with their immense success in f1 in the 60s and boasted such drivers as the great Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Ayrton Senna driving for them throughout their tenure until their demise in 1994. For those with tradition in mind, they'd want Fernandes's outfit to keep the naming rights and not the former Renault outfit. However I do fear that Fernandes's outfit may have to drop the name. It's all so complicated - but that's F1 for you! Oh and just to make things more difficult - both intend to race in black and silver and both will be powered by Renault engines! http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9267715.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Mark Webber defends hiding injury from Red Bull Webber's championship diagnosis Mark Webber has defended his decision not to tell his team about his shoulder injury and insisted it did not affect him in the final four races of 2010. Red Bull boss Christian Horner said Webber's decision not to tell him about the injury was "disappointing". But Webber said: "The shoulder wasn't causing me a problem, so there was no need to talk about it to anyone. "I was very confident it wouldn't affect my performance in the car. [it] didn't affect my main line of work." Webber, who eventually finished third in the drivers' standings as team-mate Sebastian Vettel won the title, revealed he had fractured his right shoulder in a mountain bike accident in his new book, which has just been published in Australia. The Australian is refusing to blame the injury for his failure to win the title, but the period coincides with a dip in form in which Webber lost his championship lead and then the title. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. </p> Click to play Click to play Webber pledges immediate future to Red Bull Webber only told his physio, Roger Cleary, and F1's chief medical officer Gary Hartstein about the injury, keeping his team in the dark. Red Bull boss Horner responded in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, saying: "It is obviously disappointing that Mark said nothing. Our drivers have an obligation to make sure they are fit." Webber has now explained on his personal website that if the injury had been more serious he would not have hidden it. "If I'd had any issues with it in the car, then of course I would have told the team," Webber added. "But that wasn't the case. "I've never missed a grand prix but of course if I couldn't drive the car a) safely and b) on the limit, I would have notified the team." Webber had cortisone injections before the races in Japan and South Korea to dull the pain but also downplayed their significance as "absolute precautions". Webber described the accident in his book, 'Up Front - 2010, A Season To Remember'. "On the Sunday morning before (the Japanese Grand Prix at) Suzuka, I got on a mountain bike for the first time since my accident in Tasmania at the end of 2008," he wrote. "I was riding with a great friend of mine. Suddenly, he crashed right in front of me and I had nowhere to go but straight through the ears of the horse! ANDREW BENSON'S BLOG Webber's challenge faded in the end, crashing in Korea and failing to make any real impact in the final two races of the campaign "I suffered what they call a skier's fracture to my right shoulder. "Suzuka is a brutal track so it was a blessing that the Japanese weather gave me an enforced rest day on the Saturday (when qualifying was rained off), and a pre-race injection helped, too. "In the end, we got through the weekend all right." At the time of his latest accident, Webber was leading the world championship by 11 points from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and was 21 ahead of Vettel. He finished second to Vettel in Japan, where the German was only 0.07 seconds faster in qualifying. But Webber's title hopes took a major hit at the subsequent race in Korea, when he crashed on the second racing lap. Alonso won the race, which leapfrogged him over Webber in the championship and into an 11-point lead. Webber then finished second to Vettel in Brazil before losing any hope of regaining the lead with an uncompetitive performance at the final race in Abu Dhabi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest howyousawtheworld Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Tonight I just learnt of the news that former Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw died today after losing his battle with cancer. I have to say I was stunned and saddened at this news. For long time followers of the sport Walkinshaw was involved within many a memorable moments throughout the 90s as a leading figure of the "Piranha Club" in which he was engineering director at Benetton in the same team in which Michael Schumacher won his first title in 1994. He was a major figure in hiring the two figures of Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher to the Benetton squad - the partnership that would go on to define almost a generation of the sport. But he'll probably be best remembered in f1 for his tenure as Arrows boss from 1997, the great underdog and much respected team in f1 up until their sad demise in 2002. He perhaps pulled of one of the greatest coups in the history of f1 by signing up the then world champion Damon Hill to the Arrows team. Though the car was far from competitive for much of 1997, the spirit was immense which culminated in an incredible but heartbreaking 2nd place in Hungary, with Hill having to concede the lead with just moments of the race to go after suffering a mechanical hitch. As well as his rich heritage in f1 and motorsport he was also chairman of rugby union's Gloucester sitting as chairman from 1997 up until his death and was very much a prominent member of the Rugby Union scene. What a man. Rest in peace Tom http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88672 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest howyousawtheworld Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Scotland's Paul di Resta will drive for Force India in 2011. The move makes the 24-year-old the third British driver on the Formula 1 grid alongside world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. He will partner German Adrian Sutil, who is entering his fifth season with the team, with the former Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg as reserve. "Now I'm going to live my dream, and that's to be a Formula 1 driver," said Di Resta, who was unveiled in Glasgow. "I've worked really hard for this opportunity throughout my career and to get it with Force India, a young team that's got ambitions as big as mine, is genuinely exciting. "I just hope this can continue on for a long time. "Britain has produced some great drivers over the years and Lewis and Jenson have really stood out in recent seasons as back-to-back world champions. To be on the grid with them is pretty special. "I can't wait to be on the grid in Bahrain, it can't come soon enough." Di Resta, Force India's reserve in 2010, is a highly rated protégé of Mercedes. The Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi had a contract for 2010 but the team are negotiating a settlement with him. BBC Sport understands that deal is not yet finalised, but the two parties are expected to come to an agreement. Di Resta added: "Last year was a huge learning curve, but it got me into the team, the environment, and enabled me to learn all the systems you need to go through. "I know the team now and I know what it takes to get through a weekend. I've learned many of the tracks, but it's still going to be a different challenge." Di Resta, who won the DTM German Touring Car Championship for Mercedes in 2010, impressed Force India while driving in Friday morning practice sessions, and the team have decided they have to give him a race seat. He will join English McLaren team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, the 2008 and 2009 world champions, as a British F1 driver in 2011. Di Resta, who is the cousin of triple IndyCar champion, and two-time Indy 500 winner, Dario Franchitti, raced against Hamilton and Red Bull's world champion Sebastian Vettel in his junior career. Five years ago, Di Resta beat his then team-mate Vettel to the Formula Three Euroseries before moving to DTM in 2007. The Scot followed Vettel into F1 last season when he was signed as Force India's reserve driver taking part in eight first practice sessions. "I got involved with Mercedes and I had six great years with them, four in DTM," Di Resta explained. "That was great experience and it's made me eager to push on and prove myself in F1. "I've not set myself any ambitions for this season. I just want to build from the ground up, but, who knows? I might even get some podiums." Sutil had flirted with a move away from Force India last season but the German is now looking forward to his fifth successive season with the team. "To stay for another year here feels very right," the 27-year-old said. "We know each other's strengths and also weaknesses so everything you do happens very smoothly. "I was in the points a lot in the first half of 2010 and I want to keep that going until the end of the season this year." German Hulkenberg, 23, slips into Di Resta's former role after losing his drive at Williams following an impressive rookie season. Hulkenberg matched his experienced team-mate, the veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, in the second half of 2010 and took an outstanding pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season. But Williams decided to replace him with Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, who succeeded the German as GP2 champion and whose presence in the team is tied to a multi-year multi-million pound sponsorship from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. Hulkenberg commented on his new role with Force India: "I feel excited about my new home in F1. "Of course I'd rather be a race driver, but the most important thing is that I stay within the F1 circus. My motivation is to convince the team of my skills in order to be back in a race cockpit in 2012." Force India chairman and team principal Vijay Mallya commented: "Adrian has matured into one of F1's most consistent and highly-rated young drivers, while Paul is, I believe, a real star of the future. "With Nico, signing him was too good an opportunity to let by. Together I think they are a formidable partnership and will help take us to the next level of performance." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9371985.stm Great news! Let's hope he's in the sport for a good few seasons! I think we can change the thread title to the Official F1 2011 Thread seeing as testing gets underway next week! Cannot wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Rose Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I've updated the thread title replacing the 2010 with 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zempt Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 What's the latest news on the Lotus brand name situation? Last i read the hearing is supposed to be in March after the first race so for the Bahrain race there's going to be two teams with the Lotus brand name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest howyousawtheworld Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 What's the latest news on the Lotus brand name situation? Last i read the hearing is supposed to be in March after the first race so for the Bahrain race there's going to be two teams with the Lotus brand name. I've watched F1 for years now and even I'm frazzled by the situation. At this rate it appears there will be two Lotus teams on the grid but over time the name will solely be given to the now ex Renault team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zempt Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Kubica got into a serious accident sounds really bad hope he's able to make a full recovery. An update has been released on Robert Kubica’s condition following his rallying crash in Italy this morning, with the Lotus Renault GP star having been diagnosed with multiple fractures to his right arm, leg and hand, his team has revealed in an official statement. Following a high-speed accident less than five kilometres into the second edition of the Ronde di Andora Rally close to Genoa today (Sunday), Kubica was airlifted to the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure, where he has since undergone extensive medical checks and is currently undergoing surgery. The greatest fear is for the Pole’s hand, which has reportedly been crushed and risks requiring amputation. The other concern is that following an F3 accident back in 2003 that left him with a broken arm, should the latest injury complicate that fracture, it could seriously endanger or even destroy his F1 career. Kubica’s accident is sure to call into question the wisdom of F1 teams allowing their drivers to indulge in dangerous extra-curricular activities, following the examples of Juan-Pablo Montoya – whose relationship with McLaren-Mercedes never truly recovered following an early-season motocross-related shoulder injury in 2005 – and Mark Webber, whose own brace of mountain-biking falls in recent years have been well-documented. Should Kubica be forced to miss the start of the F1 2011 World Championship campaign – as would seem all-but certain – it remains unclear as to whether he will be replaced by Bruno Senna or Romain Grosjean, although former ITV-F1 commentator James Allen muses on his internet blog that ‘the sight of the Senna yellow helmet in a black-and-gold Lotus-sponsored car will be too much to resist for the marketing people...’ http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/06022011/23/updae-robert-kubica-condition.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Bahrain GP off after civil unrest The Bahrain Grand Prix has been called off because of anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom. The race, due to be staged on 13 March, would have opened the new season but had been in doubt for more than a week because of the civil unrest. Instead, the 2011 campaign will begin in Australia on 27 March. "We must focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting to a later date," said crown prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifah. "After the events of the past week, our nation's priority is on overcoming tragedy, healing divisions and rediscovering the fabric that draws this country together; reminding the world of the very best that Bahrain is capable of as a nation once again united." The race could still be rescheduled as the FIA, F1's world governing body, confirmed the postponement in a statement. "The FIA is responsible for the international calendar as well as all matters of safety relating to the stakeholders involved in Grand Prix racing. We support the decision." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9402871.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest howyousawtheworld Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Bernie looking to reschedule the Bahrain GP perhaps in the middle of the 3 week summer shutdown/break in August. Sorry I don't see the point in rescheduling it. Bernie wouldn't do it with no other more deserving Grand Prix (apart from the other money spinners like Abu Dhabi, Singapore). Say if it was Australia that got cancelled he'd be like 'No if it can't hold it now then it can't hold it any other time'. He's really desperate to get his money back. The fact he doesn't even come out and condemn the violence, by the people he brokered deals with, on the Bahrain people is disgusting. Deluded by money that man is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest howyousawtheworld Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Just two days until we are FINALLY underway but just minutes until the first practice session! I'll take a quick peep of the new cars and then pop off for some sleep! My predictions for this year - Sebastian Vettel to successfully defend his world title. And come on Schumacher! You looked great in pre season testing so carry that form through! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaths_friend Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Vettel is dominating qualifying so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest howyousawtheworld Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Sublime stuff from Vettel. Reminded me of Schumacher in his heyday. Hamilton did immense to split the Red Bulls (what happened Mark?!). An amazing effort from McLaren who looked in all sorts of troubles in pre season testing. Button should be very happy with 4th as well. The fact they are ahead of Ferrari raises big eyebrows seeing as everyone felt Ferrari were close to Red Bull in pace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaths_friend Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 poor race from webber has him reeling outside the top 5. dominant performance from vettel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 has it finished? :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaths_friend Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 yeah about 45mins before you posted haha. lucky for you the timings for the rest of the season wont be so bad. sadly for me they will be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 double whammy with it being in Aus and overnight the clocks went forward too. Ho hum! :dozey: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.Chatterbox Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 It was quite an interesting races today :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reilly Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Repeats on BBC3 right now Burns but it's almost over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest howyousawtheworld Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Malaysia this weekend. Can we expect some monsoon like conditions which we saw in last years qualifying and of course the 2009 race abandoned just after half distance with our Jenson winning! I'm hoping for rain because A - Red Bull will probably dominate making it very boring at the front and B - Malaysia in the dry isn't really a spectacle worth watching. Weather forecasts may suggest a weekend affected in some way by the weather. Fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bee_panda Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I think Webber will win the race Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaths_friend Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 vettel making it look easy webber had a shocking start, losing half a dozen spots before the first corner but did well to recover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest howyousawtheworld Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Would have been a much closer race if the McLaren's hadn't found themselves behind Heidfeld after the start. Red Bull not as dominant as I thought they'd be for this race and on another weekend either of the McLaren's could have won that race. They seem to have found two seconds in that car within a couple of weeks. It was so bad in pre season testing so Red Bull should be looking over their shoulder. But Vettel was faultless and the table two races in already is not lying. Button's had a very good start to the season as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Malaysia masterclass: Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel makes it two wins from two races By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 11:45 AM on 10th April 2011 Comments (4) Add to My Stories Sebastian Vettel maintained his perfect start to the new Formula One season with another crushing victory in Malaysia. The reigning world champion has so far been impeccable over the past two weeks, with none of his rivals able to hold a candle to the German and his Red Bull team. The margin on this occasion around Sepang may only have been just over three seconds to McLaren's Jenson Button, but it was by no means any less emphatic. Number one: Sebastian Vettel is once again the man to beat after another crushing display Taking the end of last season into consideration, Vettel has now won four races in a row, and five of the last six grands prix overall. Today's triumph was also the 12th of his career, and second in succession at this Far East circuit. Behind Button, who has now moved up to second in the standings, albeit already 24 points down on Vettel, Renault's Nick Heidfeld grabbed third ahead of the second Red Bull of Mark Webber. The leader of the pack: Vettel opened up a dominant advantage Even without the torrential rain that had been forecast in the run-up to this race, it was still a chaotic grand prix. The decisive factor was tyre degradation, and that was despite the fact it was a much cooler day at Sepang, with track temperatures 17 degrees Celsius less than Saturday. There were spots of rain and dark clouds in the air as the field took to the grid ahead of the formation lap. Sterling effort: Jenson Button fended off the attentions of the Ferraris to claim second spot But the threat of a downpour was apparently four kilometres away, leading to a dry race in air temperatures of 28 degrees Celsius that was dominated by the expected proliferation of pit stops. New tyre manufacturer Pirelli's tyres are designed to degrade far more quickly than those of predecessor Bridgestone, whose rubber was virtually bulletproof. The one constant, however, was Vettel, who again made an unruffled getaway from his fifth pole position in the last six races, leaving those behind him to squabble over the minor placings. With the exception of two of the 56 laps when he gave up the lead in the first two rounds of pit stops, Vettel led every one of the other 54, totally dominating again. Quick Nick: Heidfeld got off to a flying first leap, jumping from sixth to second. The German eventually steered his Renault to third place That was despite the fact he was categorically told on lap 30 not to use his KERS power-booster, the system again proving faulty as was the case in Australia when he did not utilise it all weekend. Vettel still enjoyed another brilliant victory, and this just as easy as not once was he ever put under any significant pressure. Instead, behind him, his rivals jostled, harried and hustled for the other places, with team-mate Webber up and down the standings like a yo-yo. Frustrating afternoon: A late collision with Fernando Alonse saw Lewis Hamilton limp to seventh That was primarily due to a miserable start that saw the Australian drop from his third place on the grid to ninth by the end of the first corner. It was a disaster from which he never truly recovered, ultimately finishing fourth after a four-stop strategy, narrowly behind Heidfeld as Renault were again on the podium for the second successive race. That podium place could have been Lewis Hamilton's at any point, but he suffered a failure with his DRS at one stage that left him without speed on the start-finish straight. Instead, the Briton was left prone to attack late on, and at one stage was run into by old rival Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari. Champagne moment: Button and Heidfeld soak Vettel It was a stupid mistake from the Spaniard, who lost the left end of his front wing as he hit Hamilton's right-rear tyre as he too could have grabbed a place in the top three. Instead, Hamilton was left to run home in seventh, with Alonso just ahead of him and Felipe Massa fifth in the other Ferrari. Kamui Kobayashi, who only made two stops in his Sauber was eighth, thanks to a spectacular crash involving Renault's Vitaly Petrov. The Russian ran wide at a corner on lap 54, hitting a kerb that propelled him into the air, and as he crash-landed back on track it jolted loose the steering wheel. Enlarge Leading the way: Sebastian Vettel maintained his lead while Nick Heidfeld jumped four places - from sixth to second - on the opening lap Even without the most important of driving aids, Petrov managed to come to a stop, albeit crashing into a polystyrene advertising board. Michael Schumacher netted two points for Mercedes in ninth, with Force India's Paul di Resta again collecting another point for a second successive 10th-placed finish. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-1375397/Red-Bulls-Sebastian-Vettel-romps-second-pole-chequered-flag-victory-Malaysia.html#ixzz1J7UNAJ3f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petit Prince Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/13029061.stm So annoying. There was a time when you could watch a race and you knew the result. Not anymore. What happened to normal racing incidents? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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