Vettel positive after first RB5 test

Sebastian Vettel described his impression of the new Red Bull-Renault RB5 as 'positive' after his first full day of testing in the car at Jerez yesterday. Vettel, who managed only 14 laps in Monday's shakedown before stopping with a gearbox problem, completed 61 laps on Tuesday.
He was fastest of the four 2009-specification cars running, ending up second on the timesheets behind Sebastien Buemi's 2008 Scuderia Toro Rosso, despite missing the last half-hour after a problem with a gearbox sensor forced him to stop on track.

"The first impression is positive," he said when asked by autosport.com what he thought of the car. "We made big progress, we did a lot of laps taking into consideration that the car just finished its build on Monday morning. "Unfortunately we had to stop before the end of the session, but so far the feeling is good in the car."

Despite being impressed by the RB5, Vettel believes it is too early to make any performance comparisons with his rivals.

"It's the first day, so let's keep our feet on the ground," he said. "It's difficult to say where we will be. The other teams are starting to find their way, but for us it's a long way. "It was important to have some laps and collect some data, but after one day it's way too early to judge."

Source: autosport.com

Red Bull RB5 Pictures

Alonso expecting Renault to run KERS

Alonso confident in Renault's KERS programmeRenault will probably begin the 2009 world championship with a functioning Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) aboard the R29, according to the team's Spanish race driver Fernando Alonso. The French team has been a vocal opponent of the energy re-use technology's introduction this year, and has developed its system in collaboration with Magneti-Marelli, who are believed to have struggled with its battery-based units. Renault is even yet to fully turn on its KERS at a winter test track, but Alonso told Eurosport: "Our system is truly competitive, it is working well with no problems. I think we will start the championship with it and without many concerns, but we have to test it first. I hope ours is better than the others.

” Red Bull Racing will also use Renault's KERS as part of its customer engine package in 2009, but the drinks company's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko would not confirm if the debut of the system will be made in Melbourne. He told Austria's laola1.at: "As soon as it is reliable and offers a competitive advantage, we will use it."

Source: GMM

New Red Bull to look different? Stay tuned!

Expectations about the appearance of Red Bull's 2009 car are rising, as the team prepares to launch the RB5 next Monday. Despite the questionable aesthetics of this year's bodywork regulations, Australian driver Mark Webber recently said the Milton Keynes-based squad is to buck the trend by revealing a 'beautiful' car."(The RB5 is) perhaps the most beautiful of the 2009 class, which under the new regulations was pretty difficult," he said. Helmut Marko, the motor racing advisor to Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz, confirmed Webber's claim about the shape of the Adrian Newey-penned single seater.

He is quoted as saying by the Austrian news agency APA: "Our car will look different to the majority of the others that have been presented so far."Ahead of the last major technical changes in 1998, Newey designed the championship-winning McLaren.Marko admits that fundamental rule changes can be an opportunity for unusual shifts of performance in F1. "We are relatively confident," he added.

Source: GMM

FOTA contemplate a refuelling ban from 2010

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) has put forward a plan whereby refuelling will be scrapped in 2010 and all teams will have an enforced two-week break. FOTA, like the FIA, is looking for ways to cut the costs of competing in Formula One with some teams believed to have spent over €200 million on last year's Championship.

During a meeting earlier this week FOTA proposed a few ideas that would help teams and manufacturer keep their heads above water in the middle of the world's economic crisis.

According to Autosport, not only did FOTA reaffirm its commitment to supply independent outfits with cheap engines and gearboxes from 2010, but also proposed scrapping refuelling.
Discussions were also had about the introduction of standard telementry as well as a two-week break whereby teams would not be allowed to do any work, even at their factories. FOTA is also keen to implement ideas put forward by fans of Formula One with the teams expressing their desire to improve grand prix racing for the spectators.

Source: planetf1.com

Controversial Williams and Toyota diffusers cleared?

Following the debate over the legality or otherwise of the – subsequently modified – exhaust outlets on Ferrari's F60, the similarly contentious diffuser designs on Williams and Toyota's new challengers have reportedly been ratified by the FIA.The rear diffusers on Toyota's TF109 and Williams' FW31 are markedly different to those on the other 2009 Formula 1 cars to have thus far seen the light of day, which prompted some rivals to request clarification from the sport's governing body regarding their legitimacy.

Whilst both cars are Toyota-powered, it is unclear as to whether there was any collaboration between the two teams on the matter.According to the new aerodynamic regulations, the rear diffuser must not exceed 175mm in height, but it has been contended that the sculpting of the rear crash structure on both cars has been shaped in such a way as to make the diffusers more than 175mm tall, UpdateF1.com reports.'Toyota's diffuser makes a very interesting interpretation of the revised 2009 rules (and one that has already prompted speculation regarding its legality),' reads a technical analysis on the official F1 website.

'By exploiting regulations that allow extra bodywork within a 150mm zone in the centre of the car, the team appear to have cleverly shaped the TF109's rear crash structure so that it effectively lengthens and heightens the diffuser's central section, which also features a very low splitter at its base.'Like engine supplier Toyota's, Williams' interpretation of the revised diffuser regulations is highly innovative. Much of the diffuser's central section is actually lower than the outer sections.

However, clever shaping of the rear crash structure immediately below the rear light effectively creates a second central section. In combination, the result is a central section that exceeds the 175mm height allowance that applies to the diffuser alone.'Whilst the FIA has not commented publicly on the issue, Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell claims that both designs have been approved as meeting with the letter of the law, with Williams and Toyota having separately been told by the governing body that there is no problem.

The two teams are understood to have taken advantage of a loophole in the regulations regarding extra bodywork not intended for diffusers.Any official protest cannot be lodged until the cars are presented for scrutineering for the curtain-raising Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne at the end of March.

Source: crash.net

American team planning F1 entry?

An American group is looking at putting together a team to enter Formula One in 2010, sources have confirmed to autosport.com.

The team, which is set to be called USF1, will be fronted by American design engineer Ken Anderson and former Williams team manager Peter Windsor. Although there has been no official announcement about the plans yet, nor an official entry lodged, sources suggest that their bid has been approved by rival Formula One bosses and that they are currently attempting to raise sponsorship funding for the project in America.

An official USF1 website has already been produced. Investigations by autosport.com have revealed that the website is owned by Anderson, although at this stage it only has a logo.
Anderson was technical director of Ligier in 1988 and also worked for the Onyx F1 team before moving back to America. He was technical director of both Chip Ganassi Racing and AJ Foyt Racing before designing the G-Force IRL car in 1996 - which went on to win the 1997 Indy 500 with Arie Luyendyk - and the next generation chassis in 2000. Anderson then became technical director of NASCAR team Haas CNC Racing in 2003.

He is also the part owner of the Wind Shear Inc. full scale, 180mph rolling road wind tunnel in North Carolina which has been used by F1 and NASCAR teams.

Sources indicate that USF1 plan to construct their own chassis at their North Carolina base, with the ban on in-season testing making it more feasible for an F1 team to be based outside of Europe for all but the stretch of European races between May and September.

The Formula One Teams' Association's (FOTA) recent confirmation that each manufacturer is willing to supply customer engines for 5 million Euros per season and gearboxes for 1.5 million Euros now make it more feasible than it has been for years for an independent team to enter F1 in 2010.

Source: autosport.com

Autosport's technical analysis: Diffuser debacle

This week a row has erupted over the design of two teams' diffusers, after the new Williams and Toyota emerged sporting radically different diffuser designs to the other cars launched so far.
Williams came up with a 'double decker' diffuser design, while Toyota initially tested an extension to the middle of their diffuser, and then later added a double decker section of their own. Both these designs raised eyebrows up and down the pitlane, as they appear to stretch the wording of the new rules.

Having spoken to both teams' technical directors at the Portimao test, neither feels their designs are that different to their rivals' and clearly both are confident that they are not contravening the regulations.

As part of the 2009 package of aerodynamic rule changes designed to reduce downforce and increase overtaking, the FIA mandated a smaller diffuser in a more rearward position.
With the shock of losing 50 per cent of their downforce because of these changes, teams have been working hard to get the bodywork shaped to the new rules to regain the lost downforce.
One of the critical elements in making a diffuser work is internal volume, so the new regulations now limit the main part of the diffuser to a width of 1000mm, a length of 350mm and a height of 175mm - as seen on the McLaren in the picture. However the diffuser rules are simply a section of the wider bodywork regulations, which also include sections which allow bodywork in areas not intended for the diffuser. Williams and Toyota have exploited these areas with their new cars. No doubt other teams know of these loopholes, but have yet to run their interpretations.

There are two interpretations of the regulations being exploited with these diffusers. 1) Both cars appear to use the same loophole that allowed the teams to run an extra channel above their diffuser under the outgoing rules.
Although the rules now demand a diffuser height of 175mm above the reference plane, this is measured from below - using the 'bodywork facing the ground' articles in the rules. Therefore the actual diffuser can be taller, if they can get around the second paragraph of the article 3.12.7 that demands a continuous line where it meets the flat floor at the axle line.

This is an ambiguous rule which appears to allow more than one surface to exist in this area. Thus both teams have been able to create a double decker diffuser, their main diffuser (highlighted in yellow) is as long, wide and tall as the rules allow (the red line), but they have made the middle section stop short of meeting the flat floor - instead the floor extends into the upper diffuser (shown in green).

This is a creative way of interpreting the F1's Technical Regulations as outlined below:
Article 3.5.2: The width of bodywork behind the rear wheel centre line and more than 200mm above the reference plane must not exceed 750mm.

Article 3.12.7: No bodywork which is visible from beneath the car and which lies between the rear wheel centre line and a point 350mm rearward of it may be more than 175mm above the reference plane. Any intersection of the surfaces in this area with a lateral or longitudinal vertical plane should form one continuous line which is visible from beneath the car.

Williams and Toyota's interpretation has a precedent, as it was exploited by most teams last year. The area above the lower diffuser is covered in article 3.5.2, which allows bodywork to be up to 200mm above the reference plane (25mm higher than the lower diffuser) and as wide as 750mm.

This can create about 10 per cent more diffuser exit area, and the higher expansion of the flow through the diffuser creates more downforce. A couple of teams have questioned whether this interpretation is allowed under the current rules, although it is not thought any has lodged a formal question with the FIA.

2) Toyota have an additional diffuser aft of the main diffuser (shown in blue). This sits in a 150mm wide area that is intended for the rear crash structure and rear wing mounts. The same area has been exploited in recent years with small winglets mounted atop the rear crash structure. Although the rules demand no bodywork above 175mm, this only applies to the area between the rear axle line and point 350mm behind it: article 3.10.4 creates a void between 350mm and 500mm behind the axle.

This extra 150mm x 150mm area can be up to 400mm high, some 225mm taller than intended for the diffuser, and it is this area that Toyota have taken advantage of. Again the taller exit creates more potential for downforce.

In addition, the rule also allows this part to extend beyond 500mm (behind the axle line) as long as it sits alongside the rear impact structure (200mm and 400mm above the reference plane). This is an area yet to be exploited by any team's diffuser:

Article 3.10.5 states: Any parts of the car less than 75mm from the car centre line and more than 500mm behind the rear wheel centre line must be situated between 200mm and 400mm above the reference plane.

Teams often approach the FIA during the design process to clarify whether their interpretations of grey areas are within the regulations, although in this instance sources have informed autosport.com that neither Williams nor Toyota submitted their design to the governing body - although Toyota are believed to have exchanged correspondence with the governing body regarding diffusers. Interestingly, FIA sources have revealed that a diffuser design related to the current intrigue has been approved - although it has not been confirmed whether this is one used by Williams or Toyota.

Testing is not bound by the technical regulations, so the issue could continue to be debated until the opening race. Melbourne is the first time that the cars are formally scrutineered, and the first opportunity for any protest to be lodged - although it is possible that the FIA could clarify its view of the rules in question before Melbourne.

Source: autosport.com

Teddy Mayer 1935-2009

Edward Everett "Teddy" Mayer died at his home in England on Friday, at the age of 73. He is survived by a son, Tim, and a daughter, Anne Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mayer attended Yale University and then studied law at Cornell, graduating in 1962. During his time at Cornell he became involved with running Rev-Em Racing, a Formula Junior team for his brother Timmy and a college friend Peter Revson. In 1963 the Mayers and Revson went to Europe to take part in Formula Junior races and the following year Mayer helped Bruce McLaren to establish Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd. Although Timmy was killed racing at Longford in Tasmania in 1965, Teddy continued in the sport and after McLaren's death became the force behind the Team McLaren. The organization enjoyed great success in CanAm, CART and Formula 1, winning World Championships with Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974 and James Hunt in 1976.

In the late 1970s, however, the team began to struggle and in 1980 sponsor Marlboro insisted that McLaren go into partnership with Ron Dennis's Project 4 Racing. Mayer stayed on as joint managing-director until 1982 when he sold his shares in the team and departed, establishing Mayer Motor Racing with Tyler Alexander for the 1984 CART Championship. Running Tom Sneva and Howdy Holmes the team was an immediate success. In the autumn of that year, however, Carl Haas convinced Beatrice Companies Inc. - a massive American consumer conglomerate - to finance a Formula 1 team, Haas/FORCE. Haas negotiated an exclusive three-year deal to use Ford V6 turbo engines and hired Mayer and Alexander to run operations. A change of management at Beatrice resulted in the program being canceled and at the end of 1986 the team was closed. Mayer then joined Roger Penske as vice-president of Penske Racing and deputy chairman of Penske Cars Ltd. in Poole, Dorset. He continued as a consultant to Penske until 2007.

Source: grandprix.com

Best F1 racing game for PC?

There are plenty of racing games available for any platform. For PC, Absolute F1 recommends only one; rFactor.

"After successfully creating over a dozen products in the past ten years, Image Space takes the next logical step, creating a completely new technology base and development process. This new isiMotor 2.0 environment will be the foundation on which to build exciting products for many years to come.The first installment in the rFactor series features mixed class road racing with ultra realistic dynamics, an immersive sound environment and stunning graphics. This is the game you will want to play. rFactor provides unprecedented flexibility, allowing the series to grow and evolve with mod community involvement, race club formation, and feedback from users worldwide. We hope you enjoy the ride!"

Then why it is so good? It's not (in many cases) graphically as stunning as some other games but it kicks back with the realism and hundreds of different carset Mod's which you can play against other human players in the designated rFactor servers. For example F1 racing game fanatics can find series for years 1955, 1979, 1988, 1991, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and so on... rFactor modders have also done hundreds of different racing tracks from around the world so I bet you can find just the right ones for you.

Some video links to rFactor videos:

F1 2008 at Singapore track

F1 1979 at Spa-Francorchamps

F1 1955 at Nordschleife

F1 1988 at Mexico GP

Team AbsoluteF1

Gascoyne takes Force India to court

The Force India team's former chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne has filed a law suit against his old team seeking damages for over £2million following his sacking last year. Gascoyne has filed his case in London's High Court for damages and other incidental costs, Autosport reports. After parting company with the team a year before the end of his contract, he is seeking $2.5million in salary due for the year plus a percentage of the potential $5million he could have earned by taking up a two-year contract extension.Gascoyne left the team after boss Vijay Mallya reshuffled the management in light of its deal to take Mercedes engines.

Source: totalf1.com

Ferrari modify exhaust design

Exhausts originally breached the 2009 rulesFerrari has now modified the rear exhaust outlets of its new F60, after rivals expressed concern about the launch design's legality. Numerous teams, including McLaren Mercedes, BMW Sauber and Toyota, had questioned the design of the exposed exhaust pipes.It was reported that the 2009 Ferrari contravened the new bodywork regulations cracking down on aerodynamic appendages like winglets and other accessories. It now emerges that Ferrari has modified the design so that the pipes do not protrude beyond the allowed tolerance above the surface of the bodywork. It should be noted that Ferrari's controversial design complied with the original 2009 regulations, but a clarification about exhaust pipes was subsequently made in September by FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting.

Source: GMM

Fans to discover more F1 'secrets' in 2009

Formula 1 fans will be privy to more information in 2009 than they have been used to in the past, with the broadcasting of more pit-to-car radio transmissions during grands prix and the possible publication of cars' weights after qualifying.Whilst television viewers have already been able to listen in on – occasionally colourful – selected in-car radio conversations, thy have hitherto been just that, selected. Henceforth, former ITV-F1 commentator James Allen has revealed in his online blog, teams will no longer have the option of filling the public in only when they press a button on the pit wall – but rather will have no control over what is broadcast, and when.Moreover, the FIA has stated that it is musing over the idea of publishing the weights of all the cars after Q3, thereby making it clear how much fuel each one has on-board for the opening stint of the race – and making it possible to calculate the 'real', fuel-corrected grid positions ahead of the action.

Allen, however, who has commentated for ITV since the sport's switch to the independent broadcaster back in 1997, but will not now be moving to the BBC – admitted he is not altogether in favour of the latter proposition.“I think it is mad,” he contended, “as it takes away from the suspense of the opening part of the race and might make teams inclined to do more-or-less the same thing on fuel strategy as each other, which will create more of a procession.“One of the reasons qualifying with fuel has worked was because there was the chance to go short or long and we couldn't be absolutely sure, because there was always that margin for driver error.“Also, it will devalue the pole before the race has even started if, say, [Robert] Kubica has achieved it by running six laps less fuel than [Lewis] Hamilton and [Felipe] Massa. We'll all stand on the grid saying, 'so what?'”

Source: crash.net

Bernie's dream battle: Vettel vs Lewis

If Bernie Ecclestone could pick any battle he would want to see, the F1 supremo reckons it would have to be Lewis Hamilton versus Seb Vettel - and in the same car. While Hamilton won last year's Drivers' Championship title with McLaren, Vettel, at the other end of the grid, was making a name for himself with Toro Rosso. The German driver clinched both pole position and the victory at the 2008 Italian GP, pulling off what many believed no Toro Rosso driver would ever do.

This year, though, Vettel is off to Red Bull with Hamilton remaining at McLaren. However, if Ecclestone had his own way F1's two young stars would be up against each other in the same machinery in a battle royale. "Young Vettel is fantastic. I think he is super talented and ballsy," he told the Daily Telegraph. "It would be interesting if we could see him in the same car as Lewis Hamilton. Just as it would have been to see (Ayrton) Senna and (Michael) Schumacher in the same car."

Source: planetf1.com

Manipe F1 Gossip trail: Week 4

Formula One's first pre-season test of 2009 was completed last week, with rain and hail battering the teams' chances of development just weeks before the season-opening Grand Prix. As usual, rumours were everywhere to be read with stories about Ferrari, KERS, Bourdais and more all revisited below.

We begin this week's On the Gossip Trail with rumours about the legality of Ferrari's new F60. Launched on 12th January, the F60 is the only car to date to feature exhaust pipes that extend from the bodywork, with all other 2009 contenders featuring embedded exhaust outlets, something which has raised more than a few eyebrows in the paddock. A total of three team chiefs believe the exhausts are illegal, and at the Scuderia's first official pre-season test in Mugello last week, the F60 was seen running with noticably shortened exhausts, suggesting that the team has indeed noticed its mistake. It's likely the controversial exhausts will disappear altogether at the team's next test in Bahrain in February.

Next to the hot topic of KERS, and the possible use of the device in 2009. The Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems have received widespread criticism from all quarters of the sport, and it has been revealed that many teams could spend large parts of 2009 without it. BMW, who has been a staunch advocate of the innovative technology, may not even race the device from the start of the year, while at the other end of the scale, Toyota may not race with KERS at all in 2009. Most other teams are hoping to have their devices ready for Australia, but failing that, will look to introduce it mid-season, a risky option given the ban on in-season testing.

Meanwhile, although KERS may be causing some confusion within F1 circles, there have been quiet whispers suggesting that both Toyota and Renault's involvement in F1 after 2009 may be in doubt. A weakening global automobile market has already forced Honda to withdraw, while Toyota could be forced to quit if their 2009 performance is not up to scratch. Renault, meanwhile, are reportedly shedding 100 staff at their base in Enstone, while the expected withdrawal of title sponsor ING from 2010 will not help the team's cause.
Finally this week to rumours suggesting that 2008 Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Bourdais will be given a second chance in the cockpit of an F1 car when he is confirmed as the team's second 2009 race driver. It is being reported in France that it is only a matter of time before Bourdais is confirmed as Buemi's 2009 team-mate, ending Takuma Sato's hopes of returning to the sport. It's said that Bourdais's close links with Red Bull gave him the nod over the Japanese driver.

Source: Manipe F1

British Government to bail out Honda Racing?

As the Honda racing saga continues, reports emerging from Britain indicate that there is a chance the Government may come to the rescue with part of a 2.3 billion pound bail out of the car industry possibly being used to aid the situation.

"We have had meetings with BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) over the future of the team on several occasions over the past month," the Guardian quote the Brackley based squad as saying.

"There is no reason why Honda Racing couldn't apply,” a spokesperson for BERR told the Guardian. “We expect any company in the automotive industry or in its supply chain with a turnover of £25m or more to qualify [for the loans] if it has a viable project to deliver the objectives of the support package. All applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis."

With 700 jobs on the line and an annual turnover of 200 million, it appears as if the team actually qualifies for assistance.

Source: f1.automoto365.com

Ferrari tested unique KERS solution

Ferrari, albeit a fierce critic of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS), worked on an innovative solution for its 2009 system. The Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell reports that, parallel to a more conventional in-house project, engineers at Maranello devised a system whereby the KERS batteries were located in the front nose of the F60. The solution would have negated one of the teams' main concerns about deploying KERS in 2009: that the location of unwanted ballast in the centre of the car disrupts the ideal weight distribution towards the front. During initial testing of the new Ferrari, reports indicated that one of the problems encountered was in the area of the front wing. The front nose solution for KERS would also have resulted in the need for high-voltage cables to run through the cockpit. The saga goes some way to explaining Ferrari's negative attitude about the entire KERS deployment, given the vast sums of money spent already by the team.

Ferrari's initial KERS project, developed by Magneti-Marelli, also struck technical trouble, and the more conventional third solution tested recently at Mugello reportedly delivered a questionable performance benefit. Toyota has already announced that KERS will not be fitted to its TF109 in Melbourne, and with two months to go until the season opener, most other teams are undecided. Toyota's chassis boss Pascal Vasselon told ITV: "At the moment our estimation is that KERS will be detrimental on almost all circuits, because of the weight and the difficulty to manage braking.

Source: GMM

Malaysia and Australia GP's postpone race start

Like Australia, fellow faraway F1 race host Malaysia will also stage a 'twilight' Grand Prix beginning in 2009, it has emerged.Instead of agreeing to install expensive floodlighting and run a Singapore-style night race, organisers of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne last year negotiated to postpone the race start-time to 5pm beginning in 2009."Obviously, the later it is the better. I suppose it is easier getting up in Europe at 6am than 3am," a half-satisfied F1 Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone said last year.

Also to benefit European television viewers, it appears Malaysia has also agreed to the 'twilight' scheme, as the FIA on Tuesday confirmed the 5pm race start-time for both opening rounds of the 2009 championship.Qualifying in Melbourne and Sepang will also take place at 5pm local time.E.A.

Source: GMM

Spa Francorchamps in trouble after ING's decision?

As the Dutch bank ING, title sponsor of the Renault Formula One team and several Grands Prix, decided to cut back on its F1 sponsorship, the ING Belgian Grand Prix starts to fear for a huge financial deficit. In 2007, the GP at Spa-Francorchamps suffered a loss of €3,1 million and in 2008 a loss of €3,8 million. Due to the financial crisis and the decision made by ING, the organisers of the race fear an even bigger loss in 2009.

André Maes, one of the organisers of the Belgian Grand Prix, said: "Involving sponsorship, we have nothing to fear. We have no contract with ING, but with All Sports Management that organises the publicity of all Grands Prix. The thing I do fear is that ING will not buy as many tickets as they did in the past. In 2008 they bought 3000 tickets for their employees and clients." In order to break even, the GP at Francorchamps should attract 80.000 visitors. Last year, 63.000 visitors showed up at the famous race track in the Ardennes. Due to the global financial crisis and the decision of ING, the number of spectators is expected to decrease which would led to an enormous deficit. The 2009 Belgian Grand Prix takes place on 30 August.

Source: f1technical.net

No 'free' Friday engine use in 2009

Friday practice will no longer be exempt from F1's long-life engine rules, the FIA's Charlie Whiting has clarified. The engine rules for 2009 have been tweaked, with the mandatory consecutive use of power plants dropped.Instead, drivers will be limited to eight engines for the entire season and can use them "as they like".In 2008 and previously, the two-race per engine rule did not apply to Fridays. "Now, for 17 races, the eight engines will have to do the three days of each grand prix," Whiting said in a media briefing on Tuesday."What the teams will do is to have a Friday engine that'll probably do the first four races or something of that nature. They'll then take the engine out and use another one for Saturday and Sunday," he said.There has also been confusion as to whether, because of the existing 'parc ferme' rules, one engine could be used in qualifying and then exchanged with another for the race.Whiting confirmed that penalties for engine changes will only occur in 2009 if a driver uses a "ninth engine".

Source: GMM

FIA confirms safety car rule change

F1's controversial safety car rules have been scrapped ahead of the 2009 season, the FIA's Charlie Whiting confirmed in a media briefing on Tuesday.We reported last October that it was agreed to revert to the system of 2006, whereby the pitlane will stay open upon deployment of the safety car, rather than unfairly penalise drivers who are forced to pit."The rule introduced in 2007 was a bad one, and we've gone back to the 2006 regulations," the governing body's technical and safety delegate said.We had also reported in October that, to accompany the revised system, drivers will need to adhere to a minimum lap time as they drive slowly after deployment of the safety car, as was trialled several times in free practice last year.

The new rules are an improvement but not perfect, BMW Sauber team manager Beat Zehnder said last year."If at the time of (race) neutralisation you were just past the pits, it will be a problem because you will have do a full lap.

Source: GMM

Buemi unafraid of Vettel comparisons

Seb Buemi isn't afraid of being compared to his Toro Rosso predecessor Seb Vettel when he makes his debut for the team this season. In 2008 Vettel proved to be Toro Rosso's shining star, not only pushing the team further up the grid but also bagging their maiden pole position and race win at the Italian GP. The German finished the season in an impressive eighth place in the Drivers' Championship having scored 35 points while Toro Rosso were sixth in the Constructors' race, beating big-name teams such as Red Bull, Williams and Honda.

However, whether Buemi can emulate Vettel's success remains to be seen, although the Swiss rookie is confident he can handle the pressure of being compared to the other Seb. "For sure coming just after Vettel is a bit more pressure, but he has improved the team, so my first feeling is that I am grateful to him for this," he told the official F1 website. "And of course I will try to do my best to live up to the standards that he has set. "The rules have changed a lot so it will be very different anyway. We have to wait for the season start to see where we are and I will do my job in the best way I can. "I don't think too much about what he did or what I should do. For sure, there will be comparisons all year long, but I can live with that."

Source: planet-f1.com

French senate supports Paris F1 plan

The French senate has approved plans to allow the building of a new F1 circuit in the Yvelines area near Paris in a bid to bring the sport back to the country after the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours was abandoned.

The approval came as part of wider works to revive the economy in the Yvelines area, whih has been hit hard in recent years because it is dependent so much on the automotive industry.Construction is due to be complete in time to bring F1 back to the country in the 2011 season.

Source: gpupdate.net

ING cutting back on sponsorship

Renault's primary sponsor, ING, has announced it will be cutting back on its sponsorship of Formula One. The insurance conglomerate is set to report heavy losses for 2008, and are looking to decrease the costs of their operations. The measures announced to achieve this include the laying off of thousands of workers, as well as a reduction in F1 sponsorship.

"ING will cut operating expenses by EUR 1 billion in 2009," the company said in a statement. "The structural expense reduction will lead to annual savings of approximately EUR 1.1 billion from 2010 onwards. Of the cutback, 35% will come from a reduction of the workforce by approximately 7000 full-time positions in 2009.

"The remainder of the expense reduction comes from decreasing costs for our head office, marketing, the Formula One program, consultancy, third-party staff and the renegotiating of certain contracts with IT-vendors. Of the total expense reduction, EUR 650 million will be realized in Banking and EUR 350 million in Insurance."

As well as being Renault's title sponsor, the Dutch-based company also use trackside advertising and are sponsoring races in Australia, Belgium, Hungary and Turkey this year.

Source: Planet-f1.com

Arctic Lapland Rally 2009

F1 Ace Kimi Räikkönen and former finnish F1 drivers Mika Häkkinen, Mika Salo and J.J. Lehto are competiting in the Arctic Lapland Rally. After 6 stages JJ Lehto, is 13th and 2min 28sec behind the leader, a Subaru driver Ketomaa. Räikkönen is 16th about 3.5 minutes behind the leader. Mika Salo is 20th, 4.35 behind the leader and Mika Häkkinen is 23th, 5.48 behind.

At the closing stage of the day Kimi, who is driving his first ever rally with Fiat Punto Abarth (sport 2000), was only 0.4 seconds slower than the fastest guy, kudos to Kimi!

Kovalainen forced to wait for first MP4-24 test

Heikki Kovalainen has yet to have his first taste of McLaren's MP4-24 after dismal weather in Portugal kept him sidelined during Thursday's test. Although McLaren tested on all three of the previous days it was Pedro de la Rosa and Lewis Hamilton who had the driving duties while Kovalainen was only scheduled to run on Thursday. However, the heavy rain and fog, which kept the medical helicopted grounded, meant the Finn wasn't able to get out onto the track and therefore has yet to test the new car. Kovalainen, though, will be in action when McLaren head to Jerez in the second week of February where both him and his team are hoping to get in a bit more running.

Source: Planetf1.com

KERS better than expected for Ferrari

Even though just a few weeks ago Ferrari were doubting the development of their KERS system, the Italian team is now feeling much more upbeat and admits to much progress over the winter break. The Scuderia have been testing at Mugello all week long, and have had the new system in place and functioning. Both Kimi Raikkonen and his former race engineer, Chris Dyer, were present at the Tuscan circuit while testing the new F60.

"Both days we had positive results with the KERS. The system works well like every other new part of the car," Raikkonen told Italian newspaper 'Gazzetta dello Sport'.While now chief engineer for the team, Dyer also had positive remarks about the system, "I'm not saying every lap, as the drivers maybe want, but we make use of it fairly often to study its safety. It's an interesting thing, a challenge from a technical point of view."

Source: F1 Technical

BMW Sauber F1.09 Pictures

Toyota TF109 Pictures

Renault R29 Pictures

Williams FW31 Pictures

McLaren MP4-24 Pictures

Ferrari F60 Pictures

Ecclestone confirms India for 2011

India will definitely host a Grand Prix in Delhi in 2011, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has told the BBC Asian Network. Ecclestone insists he and Indian company Jaiprakash Associates Ltd are "fully committed" to the project.

"Of course we will deliver... otherwise we wouldn't have entered into an agreement," said Ecclestone. Work on a new circuit on the outskirts of Delhi was meant to begin in October 2008 but was postponed. Ecclestone said that this was because he has issues with the global calendar of sporting events and "certain contracts elsewhere to fulfil". BBC Sport understands that work on India's track will now begin this summer, with completion expected at the end of 2010. Top Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan cast doubt over the project last month, saying he didn't believe "anyone would want to invest in motorsport" during the current global economic crisis.
But Karthikeyan, who raced for Jordan and tested for Williams in F1, knows how popular the sport could be in his country.

"It will be very big for the whole of Asia because everyone will benefit," he said. "It will also be much better for fans in India to get closer to the sport."

Ecclestone is keen to bring F1 to a country with a population of over one billion and one of the world's fastest-growing economies - even in the current global downturn. "It's a large, large country with a big population and it's good for the sponsors, car manufacturers and everyone involved in Formula One," he said. The Force India team's participation in F1 has also raised the sport's profile in India, although it has a long way to go before it challenges cricket's popularity. Ecclestone admitted he is not expecting Lewis Hamilton to rival the likes of India cricket superstars MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar any time soon.

"I doubt in India anything will be a rival to cricket, but let's see," he said.

Source: BBC Asian Network