F1 2010

[Pete McCluskey.]

The FIA has issued the 2010 Formula 1 entry list:
The entries are as follows: 1, Jenson Button - Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - McLaren-Mercedes; 2, Lewis Hamilton - Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - McLaren-Mercedes; 3, Nico Rosberg - Brawn GP Formula One Team; 4, TBA - Brawn GP Formula One Team; 5, Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - Red Bull Racing Renault;6, Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing - Red Bull Racing Renault;7, Felipe Massa - Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro - Ferrari;8, Fernando Alonso - Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro - Ferrari;9, Rubens Barrichello - AT&T Williams - Williams-Cosworth; 10, Nico Hulkenberg - AT&T Williams - Williams-Cosworth; 11, Robert Kubica - Renault F1 Team - Renault; 12, TBA - Renault F1 Team - Renault; 14, Adrian Sutil - Force India F1 Team - Force India Mercedes; 15, Tonio Liuzzi - Force India F1 Team - Force India Mercedes; 16, Sebastien Buemi - Scuderia Toro Rosso - STR-Ferrari; 17, TBA - Scuderia Toro Rosso - STR-Ferrari; 18, TBA - Lotus F1 Racing - Lotus Cosworth; 19, TBA - Lotus F1 Racing - Lotus Cosworth; 20, TBA - Campos Meta 1 - Campos Dallara; 21, Bruno Senna - Campos Meta 1 - Campos Dallara; 22, TBA - USF1 Team - USF1 Cosworth; 23, TBA - USF1 Team - USF1 Cosworth; 24, Timo Glock - Virgin Racing - Virgin Cosworth; 25, TBA - Virgin Racing - Virgin Cosworth.
The entry list reveals that Red Bull racing will use Renault engines. It also reveals as expected that the Manor team will use the Virgin name. The Brawn entry will be changed to Mercedes Grand Prix if there is no problem with the F1 Commission.
Toyota Motorsport GmbH remains formally bound by the Concorde Agreement to put forward a team for participation, though it has indicated that it will not be in a position to do so. An announcement will be made regarding this entry in due course.
There is no mention of Sauber at the moment.

 

[Keith]

Strange - he's just signed a 5 year engine deal with Ferrari. He will be there..

 

[David Morton]

In the Telegraph:



Formula One legend Murray Walker voted best commentator of all time

'This car is absolutely unique - except for the one following it, which is identical'


Walker, 86, began broadcasting in 1948 and spent much of his career at the BBC
He beat the BBC's voice of football John Motson into second place, with former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe coming in third.
<!-- BEFORE ACI -->Famous for his boyish enthusiasm and authoritative voice, Walker began his Formula One commentating in the 1970s and continued until his retirement in 2001.
He has stepped out of retirement to provide his excitable commentary to the children's programme, Roary the Racing Car.
Murray said: ''It is a huge honour to be recognised as the world's best commentator, particularly against so many sporting greats.
''I love what I do. I'm a car fanatic and each morning I wake up with a smile on my face, whether I'm commentating on the Formula One or at Silver Hatch racetrack in Roary the Racing Car.''
Roary, which begins at 7:30am on 10th December on Five's Milkshake!, also stars Sir Stirling Moss as the narrator, and Peter Kay as Big Chris.
Walker is known for his on-air gaffes - or "Murrayisms" - such as "With half the race gone, there's half the race still to go" and "here comes Damon Hill in the Williams. This car is absolutely unique - except for the one following it, which is identical".

 

[Paul Brameld]

Mudley Talker!

Always commentated as if his pants were on fire!

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

He certainly did a better job than the current two are. And his Walkerism's
were priceless "he would likely be in the lead now, if he hadn't crashed."

 

[David Morton]

I had the pleasure of going out to dinner with him in St Paolo in the local churasco in Morumbi and I was treated to 3 hours of how the Manx Norton was developed and who rode them at the TT. Another time he was passenger on the upper deck to YMX and had only met my eldest daughter briefly at Silverstone a year previously but he knew her by her first name instantly without any reminding and carried on in conversation with her for about 10 minutes about places to go and see in Montreal. A really charming guy.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

McLaren’s Gary Paffett proved on Wednesday that experience is still a valuable commodity in Formula One racing, after dominating the second day of this week’s young driver test at Jerez in Spain.

The 28-year-old Englishman, who first tested for the team in 2001, was the only man to dip below the 1m 19s mark, clocking a best time of 1m 18.718s from his 80 laps to finish almost half a second ahead of 2010 Williams’ driver Nico Hulkenberg, who covered 94 laps.

While Tuesday’s conditions had been dry and sunny, Wednesday’s running was hampered slightly by a light rain shower during the afternoon. The track dried quickly, however, and Hulkenberg, was able to post the second-fastest time of the day in the final hour for Williams.

British Formula Three champion Daniel Ricciardo impressed again for Red Bull and finished his second day in third place after covering 93 laps. Ricciardo, who has been a Red Bull junior driver for the last two seasons, tried out different tyre compounds and carried out various aero and brake tests.

“I found it a bit easier today,” said the Australian “I knew what to expect this morning and the procedures were easier to understand, so I was able to concentrate on improving my driving and hopefully give my best in terms of providing the engineers with good feedback.”

 

[Paul Brameld]

I had the pleasure of going out to dinner with him in St Paolo in the local churasco in Morumbi and I was treated to 3 hours of how the Manx Norton was developed and who rode them at the TT. Another time he was passenger on the upper deck to YMX and had only met my eldest daughter briefly at Silverstone a year previously but he knew her by her first name instantly without any reminding and carried on in conversation with her for about 10 minutes about places to go and see in Montreal. A really charming guy.

Had a similar experience with UK Race commentator Neville Hay! Boy could he talk. It would be interesting to get Murray and Neville together to chat over dinner. Wonder who would go to bed first? :idea:

 

[Jack]

Having the opportunity to listen to both, could you call them "motormouths"?

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Reigning British Formula Three champion Australian Daniel Ricciardo stole everyone’s thunder in the Red Bull as this week’s young driver test at Jerez drew to a close on Thursday. Riccardio’s best lap of 1m 17.418s around the Spanish circuit saw him finish over a second clear of the Force India of DTM racer Paul di Resta.

Wednesday’s quickest runner, McLaren’s Gary Paffett, was third, ahead of Mike Conway for Brawn GP, Nico Hulkenberg for Williams and Bertrand Baguette in the BMW Sauber.



Unofficial Thursday times from Jerez:
1. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:17.418
2. Paul Di Resta, Force India, 1:18.736
3. Gary Paffett, McLaren, 1:18.746
4. Mike Conway, Brawn GP, 1:19.096
5. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:19.226
6. Bertrand Baguette, BMW Sauber, 1:19.356
7. Oliver Turvey, McLaren, 1:19.358
8. Marcus Ericsson, Brawn GP, 1:19.382
9. Lucas di Grassi, Renault, 1:19.602
10. JR Hildebrand, Force India, 1:19.873
11. Pablo Sanchez Lopez, Ferrari, 1:21. 147
12. Daniel Zampieri, Ferrari, 1:21.279
13. Marco Zipoli, Ferrari, 1:21.725
14. Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso, 1:22.493
15. Mirko Bortolotti, Toro Rosso, 1:23.271
16. Ho-Pin Tung, Renault, 1:32.477

.............................................................................................

Also yesterday Sauber were confirmed as starters for 2010 Subject to them signing the Concorde agreement.

 

[David Morton]

Allegedly Prodrive (Dave Richards) may be buying Renault and relocating it's base from Banbury to the Enstone factory. Renault Viry where the engines are produced will still provide the engines for the Enstone team and any other engine customers. This was from a report in one of the French newspapers - L'Equipe.

Would this mean the team becomes Aston Martin Renault F1 ???

Knowing the site in Enstone, the helipad is currently grown over with weeds since Flavio went, but Richards has his own helo and his own helodriver, ( helodrivers are a bit like some airbus pilots - a bit strange and, some say, slightly retarded ) so if it happens I would expect a Hangar to spring up there very soon.

 

[Chris Simpson]

Latest news is that Kimi R has signed with Citroen to drive for them in the Rally championship next year - but only for 1 year, after which he hopes to come back to F1.

Sauber is definitely taking over the BMW team and will be back next year as long as he signs the Concorde agreement.

A decision on whether Silverstone has an F1 race next year will be made next week - by Bernie.

Chris

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Kimi Raikkonen has ruled himself out of a Formula One drive for next season following confirmation that he will compete for Citroen’s Red Bull-backed junior team in the 2010 World Rally Championship (WRC).

Raikkonen, whose Ferrari seat has been taken by Fernando Alonso for next year, has signed a one-year contract with Citroen and has not ruled out a Formula One return in the future - though only if it’s with a team with title-winning potential.

He made his WRC debut earlier this year on home soil in Rally Finland, and will now experience a full campaign co-driven by compatriot Kaj Lindstrom, who previously partnered multiple WRC champion Tommi Makinen.

“I always wanted to compete in rally, especially in the World Rally Championship at some point in my career," said Raikkonen. "Thanks to Red Bull, I have the opportunity to drive the best car of the series with the Citroen C4.

“This is a new but very exciting challenge. For the moment we have a one-year contract and we will see how it goes for the future. I am really looking forward to testing the car and taking the start of the first rally.”

Raikkonen will contest 12 of next year's 13 WRC rounds, missing only the New Zealand event, which the team are not taking part in

 

[David Morton]

Telegraph:



Silverstone steps in at eleventh hour to save British Grand Prix

The British summer is saved. Following prolonged negotiations Silverstone is to be unveiled on Monday as the home of the 2010 British Grand Prix.



By Kevin Garside
Published: 6:48PM GMT 06 Dec 2009

Prayers answered: British race fans make their feelings known at Silverstone this year Photo: AP


The grand announcement in central London suggests a long-term deal has been concluded. That ought not to be so complex. The race took place there last year and has done so consecutively since 1987. It also staged grands prix on and off since 1948.
But this is Formula One, a sport where the drama off the track is often more compelling than on it.
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Commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone, a persistent critic of the Silverstone ownership, struck a deal with Donington in the hope of upgrading the British race.
That enterprise fell victim to fantasy and the credit crunch. A series of deadline shifts failed to save the Donington project leaving Silverstone as the only circuit at which to host the race.
The relief was summed up by world champion Jenson Button, who said: "It's fantastic, not just for British fans but the sport as a whole. A season without a British Grand Prix was unthinkable."
Silverstone owners, the British Racing Drivers' Club, made it plain in the summer that they were ready to step in. The intention is to use the grand prix as a platform to redevelop the site to bring it into line with the newly fashioned racing temples in the east.
The stumbling block has always been money. The state-backed circuits in Asia are happy to pay a premium to host a grand prix. Promoters in Formula One's European heartland have gradually been priced out of the market.
The French Grand Prix is no more. The German Grand Prix hangs by a thread, San Marino is long gone.
Ecclestone understands the power of the British brand and did not want lo let the race go. Neither did the teams and engine suppliers, for whom the British platform is important.
Silverstone was packed to the rafters on all three days this year, which makes better television, not to mention atmosphere, than the empty spaces in China, Bahrain and Malaysia.
The news will delight a domestic audience that for the first time in 40 years will get to see back-to-back British world champions go at it. The novelty in 2010 is that Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will be competing in the same type of McLaren car.
The race is expected to coincide with the World Cup final in South Africa. McLaren to win on penalties?
The deal comes a day before the 2010 calendar is announced, and though later in the day than the BRDC would have liked, allows Silverstone to maximise ticket sales in the pre-Christmas frenzy.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Good News, it wouldn't be the same without a British GP.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Ferrari has signed a longterm deal with France's Jules Bianchi. It is not yet clear what form this will take but it s likely that he wil either a test driver or will be leant out to a team with a Ferrari engine to train him up for the future.
The agreement may be similar to the agreement reached with Felipe Massa back in 2002. The most likely destination for Binachi would be Sauber, but it is expected that he will race in GP2 next year.

 

[David Morton]

Renault strike deal to remain in Formula One next season

Renault will race in Formula One next year after a deal to secure its future was reached, it was reported on Thursday night.



By Telegraph staff
Published: 8:48PM GMT 10 Dec 2009

Deal struck: it was reported on Thursday night that a deal has been agreed to keep Renault in Formula One next season


The company had been considering its F1 future but its team will continue under new owners, with Renault keeping a minority shareholding.
It is thought a private announcement is to be made at the team’s headquarters this week with an official one next week. It is not clear what the team will be called but it seems the car will race as a Renault.
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The two front-runners in the race to take over the team were Luxembourg businessman Gerard Lopez and David Richards, the head of the British motor racing engineering firm Prodrive and former team principal of Benetton and BAR in F1.

 

[David Morton]

Merc offer vast sums of Gelt (Some say €10m ) for Schumacher to join
their team. Oh well. I hope it doesn't happen but mine is a lone voice in the wilderness. I think he is a pompous arsehole.

 

[Paolo-LoveGT40 Modelworks]

so Schumy wil be the pilot in the next season for Mercedes formula 1 (brown gp)?

ahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahah...those alliance italo-germans have ALWAYS big surprises...

 

[tom pritchett]

I thought that once you drive for Ferrari, you are family. Why would Mr Ferrari go to the competetion? I also think than, that Kimi must be the black sheep of the family.