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

Bourdais to secure Toro Rosso seat for 2009

Reports in the Swiss and French press on Thursday suggest Sebastien Bourdais will shortly be confirmed as Toro Rosso's second race driver for the 2009 season. The 29-year-old Frenchman raced with the Faenza-based team last year, but so far only the Swiss rookie Sebastien Buemi has been confirmed for the forthcoming season. 2009 would therefore be Bourdais' second season in Formula One, following his mixed debut when he finished the 2008 championship with just four points compared with his Red Bull-bound teammate Sebastian Vettel's 35. It is reported by the Swiss magazine Speedweek, with close links to the team's owner Red Bull, that Toro Rosso selected Bourdais over the other candidate for the seat, Takuma Sato.

The French website sport24.com speculated that Sato's expected personal sponsorship may have dwindled as the Japanese recession worsens. Bourdais' manager Nicolas Todt would not confirm the news but insisted that "we are always in negotiations. "Moreover, the official website of the Ferrari-powered team is now showing Bourdais and Buemi as the drivers in the 'team' section.

Source: GMM

New venues say F1 projects on track

Three future Grand Prix venues insist their plans are still on track, amid suggestions the global financial crisis is grinding many big projects to a halt. Abu Dhabi is scheduled to host the 2009 championship finale on 1st November, but a number of large construction projects in the Arab country have already been postponed. But track developer Aldar Properies has confirmed that the Yas Island venue will be complete by the forthcoming summer.

"All of the Yas Island phase one will be finished this summer, including obviously the F1 Grand Prix circuit," said chief executive John Bullough at a conference organised by the Canadian Business Council. India and South Korea, meanwhile, were slated for debut races in 2011 and 2010 respectively. Construction of a circuit in Delhi was scheduled to begin last October, but did not. It is now suggested that the work will now begin in the summer.

"Of course we will deliver (...) otherwise we wouldn't have entered into an agreement," F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, also referring to local race promoter Jaiprakash Associates, told the BBC Asian Network. It also emerges that Korea's new circuit, in the south west province of Jellanamm, is under construction and expected to be allocated a late race date on the 2010 calendar.

Source: GMM

Going to F1 GP?

Every F1 fanatic should see a GP live atleast once in a lifetime. Absolute F1 recommends MYGPTICKET.COM to get F1 GP tickets. Mygpticket.com provides you with nice interactive maps of the track and also they have competitions to win a F1 ticket!

You should book the accommodation way infront of the GP. Most hotels will be full during the weekend and prices will be very high for late bookings. One good website to check out the local hotels is VENERE.COM.

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