[Formula 1] 2011 Silly Season

[ahmz]

Poor Heidfeld.

I was thinking the same thing, one race back and already news of his replacement, lol.

[enigma-penguin Veteran]

This one looks like it was about the money. It's no coincidence that a big mexican sponsor signs on right after they sign him, sometimes it has to be about the money and the driver together. It's a very similar situation to Petrov vs Kimi, skill and money.. you gotta get the right mix when you're a mid to low tier team.

[Antaris Veteran]

Nico Hulkenberg will not be driving for Williams next season, it was confirmed on Monday. Hulkenberg said he had been unable to reach a satisfactory agreement regarding a contract extension with the team. Team mate Rubens Barrichello, however, has been retained for 2011.

Source: Formula1.com

[Teebor]

HEHE no speculation on HRT team?

I would just as likely put my money on Burt and Ernie from Sesame Street as any other driver since they keep changing their mind.

I would like to see Chandhok racing though as I think he makes a great spokesperson and could develop in to a good driver given then chance

[.KICK]

Can they please get rid of the Toro Rosso team, they are a waste of space and effectively a slower version of the Red Bull team. Would be nice to see a different team replace them but it won't happen. :(

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Let's have a look at what the 2011 grid could look like again.

Red Bull Racing Renault

1. Sebastian Vettel (GER)

2. Mark Webber (AUS)

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

3. Lewis Hamilton (GBR)

4. Jenson Button (GBR)

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

5. Fernando Alonso (ESP)

6. Felipe Massa (BRA)

Mercedes GP Petronas

7. Michael Schumacher (GER)

8. Nico Rosberg (GER)

Lotus Renault F1 Team

9. Robert Kubica (POL)

10. Vitali Petrov (RUS)

Nick Heidfeld (GER)

Adrian Sutil (GER)

WilliamsF1 Cosworth

14. Rubens Barichello (BRA)

12. Pastor Madonaldo (COL)//rumoured, brings a lot of sponsor money with him

Force India Mercedes

14. Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA)

15. Adrian Sutil (GER)

Telmex Sauber Ferrari

16. Kamui Kobayashi (JAP)

17. Sergio Perez (MEX)

Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari

18. Sebastian Buemi (SUI)

19. Jaime Algersuari (ESP)

Team Lotus Renault (name of the team still disputed)

20. Jarno Trulli (ITA)

21. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)

Hispania Racing Team Cosworth

22.

23.

Marussia Virgin Racing Cosworth

24. Timo Glock (GER)

25. Lucas di Grassi (BRA)

[Dan~]

I was led to believe that Massa wasn't too happy at Ferrari and Kubica would replace Massa's place.

But then what would happen to Massa, but that was what I heard ages ago.

I would like to see Anthony Davidson race again, but I suppose he's happy with being a test driver

[ahmz]

HRT are useless, they are looking to be as bad next year as they were this year, if not worse...

Toyota aborts HRT collaboration

By Jonathan Noble, Monday, November 15th 2010, 17:40 GMT

HRT's plans to link up in a technical partnership with Toyota have been aborted after the Japanese manufacturer announced it had terminated its deal with the new team.

It is understood that HRT was looking at a deal that would see it use the Toyota's team's planned 2010 car as the basis for next year's challenger - as well as having use of certain facilities at the Cologne factory.

However, in a statement issued on Monday, Toyota Motorsport announced that the plans had been killed off because payments had not been made.

"Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) confirms that all cooperation with Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT) has been terminated and will not resume," said the statement.

"TMG retains all intellectual property rights to its current F1 car and is completely free to pursue other projects and support new customers for its high-performance engineering services.

"TMG regrets that HRT has not met its contractual payment obligations and will pursue all available options to reach a satisfactory conclusion to this matter."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88313

[san.W10]

Massa quickest on Pirelli test day one

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88412

Rosberg: Pirellis won't help Mercedes

Nico Rosberg doubts the new Pirelli tyres will do anything to ease the difficulties Mercedes suffered with front-tyre grip on the 2010 Bridgestones, after the Formula 1 teams tried the 2011 rubber for the first time in Abu Dhabi today.

Mercedes had struggled to adapt to the performance of the front Bridgestones this season, and this issue cited as a major factor in Michael Schumacher's disappointing comeback.

Asked by AUTOSPORT how the feeling from the Pirellis compared, Rosberg replied: "It's worse."

He explained that the front tyre felt 'weaker' than the Bridgestone had been.

"So that's not a good thing for me. I'll cope with it - I've adapted in the past years so I'll manage," said Rosberg. "They are at least similar [to the Bridgestones] or worse."

The German said the lap times looked set to be slower on Pirellis.

"The general impressions are that they are slower, for one. Quite significantly slower," Rosberg said.

"After that, they were not easy to come to terms with on the set-up. In the big picture, they are pretty similar in the end to the Bridgestones, but if you are then looking for the fine tuning to extract the performance there is some way to go on adapting the set-up.

"At the moment, we have done the small things that you can do at the track but there are the bigger things that you need to take care of with the car development. That's going to be one of the areas that are very important for success for next year."

Rosberg also described the degradation rate as "quite heavy", but added that despite his comments about tyre wear and pace, he felt the Pirellis could still be very good for the racing.

"If that's what they want and it's the same for everybody, then okay," he said. "Tyres like that always give more exciting racing as well. So it's not necessarily a bad thing."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88413

[san.W10]

Alonso fastest as Pirelli test ends

Ferrari completed its domination of the final Formula 1 running of the season, with Fernando Alonso matching team-mate Felipe Massa by topping the times in the Abu Dhabi tyre test.

Over the course of the two-day test, the 12 F1 teams have had their first opportunity to try Pirelli's development rubber for the 2011 season. As well as being fastest, Alonso completed over 100 laps today, almost two full race distances.

Michael Schumacher, who has struggled with front-end grip throughout the 2010 season, was second-fastest, putting in a lap just 0.156s off Alonso with 15 minutes of the day remaining.

This put him ahead of Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, who had a repeat of yesterday's tyre failure and had to stop on track shortly before midday. Friday's incident was traced to a cut tyre, and Pirelli has yet to confirm to cause of this puncture despite suspicions that it was the same.

Williams's Rubens Barrichello and Renault driver Robert Kubica were fourth and fifth fastest for Renault ahead of McLaren pairing Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey. DTM title hopeful Paffett was the faster of the two drivers after running in the morning, with his young team-mate only one tenth of a second slower.

Force India's Paul di Resta was eighth fastest after causing a brief red flag earlier in the day when a sensor fault shut the car down, outpacing Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi.

Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi was 10th fastest ahead of two drivers who only ran in the afternoon - Force India's Tonio Liuzzi and Sauber newcomer Sergio Perez. It was only Perez's second day in an F1 car and he lapped just under seven tenths off his team-mate.

Lotus was best of the new teams, with Jarno Trulli a quarter of a second ahead of HRT's Pastor Maldonado. The Venezuelan driver, on his fourth day of F1 running in five days, caused a red flag in the afternoon when he spun and stopped on track.

German Timo Glock completed two days of running for Virgin, ending up slowest, just 15 thousandths of a second behind Maldonado.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88436

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Schumacher cautiously happy on tyres

Michael Schumacher declared himself happy with the initial feeling of the Pirelli tyres after his first test of the new rubber - but warned he could not judge whether the change of tyres would improve his fortunes until he knew if the 2011 Mercedes was well-suited to the Pirellis.

Discomfort with the 2010 Bridgestones - and particularly the relative lack of front grip they offered - was cited as the biggest factor in Schumacher's underwhelming form during his comeback season.

That led to suggestions that his first experience of the new-for-2011 Pirellis would be a crucial indicator of whether his return to Formula 1 with Mercedes could eventually blossom into a success, but Schumacher said it was too soon to make a definite judgement.

"They have a very different combination," he said when asked by AUTOSPORT if the Pirellis seemed more suited to his style.

"Whether [or not] you can say the front tyre is now stronger and that's going to suit my style, what is very important is how next year's car is going to suit these tyres. That's very important.

"But for the first step, from what we have seen here, I feel positive about the tyres."

He underlined that the adaptation to the new tyres was still at a very early stage and that fine-tuning was required on both sides.

"I was quite happy with the first test. A lot of positive feedback so we can now start to do the detailed work on the car," said Schumacher.

"The tyres performed reasonably consistently and were good. I'm sure they're making some small adjustments for the future, but all in all I'm quite happy."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88437

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

FIA reveals official 2011 entry list

Formula 1's ruling body, the FIA, has published the 2011 entry list, with six teams yet to complete their line-ups for next season.

Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Sauber and Lotus had their line-ups confirmed, with Sauber's new signing Sergio Perez the only new driver on the list.

Robert Kubica's team-mate at Renault and Rubens Barrichello's team-mate at Williams are yet to be revealed, the list confirmed.

Force India has not confirmed any of its drivers, while the list did not include any drivers at Toro Rosso either, despite the team having Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari under contract for next year.

Newcomers Virgin and Hispania did not have any drivers entered either.

The list also had the Lotus team entered as "Team Lotus" despite the row over the use of the name.

Red Bull Racing 

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Mark Webber

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

3. Jenson Button
4. Lewis Hamilton

Scuderia Ferrari Marboloro

5. Fernando Alonso
6. Felipe Massa

Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team

7. Michael Schumacher
8. Nico Rosberg

Renault F1 Team

9. Robert Kubica
10. TBA

AT&T Williams

11. Rubens Barrichello
12. TBA

Force India F1 Team

14. TBA
15. TBA

Sauber F1 Team

16. Kamui Kobayashi
17. Sergio Perez

Scuderia Toro Rosso

18. TBA
19. TBA

Team Lotus

20. Jarno Trulli
21. Heikki Kovalainen

HRT F1 Team

22. TBA
23. TBA

Marussia Virgin Racing

24. TBA
25. TBA

Source: Autosport

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Williams announces Maldonado for '11

Williams has confirmed that GP2 champion Pastor Maldonado will be its second driver in 2011, taking the seat occupied by Nico Hulkenberg this season.

Maldonado had been extensively linked with Williams in recent months, and tested for the team during the recent rookie sessions in Abu Dhabi, where he also spent two days with Hispania. He is believed to bring significant levels of personal sponsorship to the team.

"I feel very privileged that Williams has selected me as one of their race drivers," Maldonado said. "It is a great way to end what has already been an amazing year for me.

"I tested with the team in Abu Dhabi, but can't wait to start working with everyone properly to be in the best possible shape going into next year. I will be doing my best over the winter to prepare myself, and I know the team will be working hard to ensure a successful season.

"2011 will be the first time in nearly 30 years that a Venezuelan has driven a Formula 1 car so I will be looking to get some good results in return for the support my country has given me to help get me to this position today."

The 25-year-old took the GP2 title with seven victories this year, but team boss Frank Williams said he had been watching Maldonado's progress since his maiden GP2 win in Monaco with the Trident team in 2007, when he had just moved across from the World Series by Renault.

"Pastor first caught my eye in 2007 when he drove a masterful race at Monaco," Williams said. "Since then, he has regularly reminded us of his unquestionable talent with some skilful wins, particularly during this year's GP2 championship, taking an unsurpassed record of six successive victories.

"Of course, we already know Pastor from the time he spent with the team at the Abu Dhabi test, but we are very much looking forward to developing his talent over

the winter and a fruitful season with him next year."

Williams has already announced that Rubens Barrichello will be retained as its other race driver next season, with Valtteri Bottas remaining in the test and reserve role.

Source: Autosport

Updated 2011 grid:

Red Bull Racing Renault

1. Sebastian Vettel (GER)

2. Mark Webber (AUS)

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

3. Lewis Hamilton (GBR)

4. Jenson Button (GBR)

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

5. Fernando Alonso (ESP)

6. Felipe Massa (BRA)

Mercedes GP Petronas

7. Michael Schumacher (GER)

8. Nico Rosberg (GER)

Lotus Renault F1 Team

9. Robert Kubica (POL)

10. Vitali Petrov (RUS)

Nick Heidfeld (GER)

Adrian Sutil (GER)

WilliamsF1 Cosworth

14. Rubens Barichello (BRA)

12. Pastor Madonaldo (COL)

Force India Mercedes

14. Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA)

15. Adrian Sutil (GER)

Telmex Sauber Ferrari

16. Kamui Kobayashi (JAP)

17. Sergio Perez (MEX)

Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari

18. Sebastian Buemi (SUI)

19. Jaime Algersuari (ESP)

Team Lotus Renault (name of the team has yet to be confirmed)

20. Jarno Trulli (ITA)

21. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)

HRT F1 Cosworth

22.

23.

Marussia Virgin Racing Cosworth

24. Timo Glock (GER)

25. Lucas di Grassi (BRA)

[Buio]

Looks like nothing dramatic will happen, especially in the big teams. Slightly stale silly season in other words.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

There might be a bit of drama regarding team names yet:

Lotus unveils F1 plans with Renault

Group Lotus has ramped up its involvement in Formula 1 by becoming title sponsor and a major shareholder in the rebranded Lotus Renault GP Team.

As AUTOSPORT exclusively revealed in October, Renault has revised its F1 strategy by selling the stake it had in its F1 team back to co-owners Genii Capital and will now focus on being just an engine supplier.

That move has allowed Genii to sell a stake to Group Lotus - which has led to a renaming of the outfit and a move for the team's colours to be in iconic black and gold next year.

The title sponsorship deal with Group Lotus is due to run until the end of the 2017 season, with Renault committing to supply engines to the team for a number of years.

Gerard Lopez, chairman of Renault F1 Team, said about the deal: "We are delighted that we can now go public with the news that we will be racing as Lotus Renault GP in 2011.

"It is extremely exciting to begin a new era for the team in partnership with Group Lotus, and we will continue to enjoy a strong relationship with Renault over the coming seasons. It is a tribute to the excellent work this year by the team in Enstone that we have been able to attract both major sponsorship and new investment for a very bright future."

The announcement of Group Lotus' plans for 2011 comes despite Tony Fernandes pushing on with his plans to race as Team Lotus next year - with his outfit now also having Renault engines and set to run in black and gold colours.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar, who has been pushing aggressively for his company's return to motorsport, added: "I can think of no better platform for automotive brand communications than motorsport and F1 is the very pinnacle of open-wheel racing.

"We're well aware that there has been a lot of controversy around the usage of our brand in F1 and I'm delighted to be able to formally clarify our position once and for all: we are Lotus and we are back."

Source: Autosport

Now we need to wait for the response of the current Lotus team. Are they going to sue, or are they going to change their name (after having received a hefty cheque and/or Bernie E. pulling the strings in the background)? Film at 11.

[ahmz]

So the Lotus in Lotus Renault has nothing to do with the current Lotus team?

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

So the Lotus in Lotus Renault has nothing to do with the current Lotus team?

The Lotus in Lotus Renault comes from Group Lotus, whereas the current Lotus team had bought the rights to the classic Team Lotus name.

.. yes, it is a bit of a mess which needs to be cleared up.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Team Lotus still bullish over name

Team Lotus chiefs Tony Fernandes and Mike Gascoyne have responded defiantly to the announcement of Group Lotus's entry into Formula 1 with Renault.

The two organisations are currently battling over the use of the Lotus brand in F1, with Group Lotus and its owner Proton insisting it has sole rights over the name, while Fernandes' squad is adamant that the car company and F1 team were separate in the original Lotus days so its purchase of Team Lotus rights from David Hunt is valid.

In messages on their Twitter pages this morning, both Fernandes and Gascoyne signalled that news that Group Lotus had become a partner of Renault and Genii Capital would not deter them from fighting to use Team Lotus next year.

"Thanks for all the messages of support from our fans," Gascoyne wrote.

"Rest assured, we are Team Lotus and we are here to stay and we at Team Lotus are in F1 to design, build and race F1 cars from our home in Norfolk, and in the future to win as a Team, bring it on."

Fernandes said he was also still extremely positive about his team's prospects in the row - and noted that Group Lotus and Renault were using black and gold colours, the livery his squad had recently announced it would switch to in 2011.

"[Group Lotus CEO] Dany Bahar has done us a favour," Fernandes wrote. "Never felt better about our future and Team Lotus. Looks like they're trying to hijack our black and gold idea."

Gascoyne also took a light-hearted dig at Group Lotus and owner Proton when congratulating Fernandes on being named Businessman of the Year for 2010 by Forbes Asia.

"Congratulations to Tony Fernandes, Forbes Asia businessman of the year. Bet the guys from Proton have never won that!!!" Gascoyne tweeted.

Source: Autosport

[ahmz]

If Lotus didn't want their name being tarnished, they have already failed in my eyes.

[Buio]

Some images seen at Autosport forum

[Subject Delta]

That really is a beautiful looking car :woot:

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

FIA drops team orders ban from 2011

The ban on team orders in Formula 1 will be dropped from next season, the FIA announced following its World Motor Sport Council meeting on Friday.

A number of changes were confirmed in the sporting regulations from 2011, and the governing body said "article forbidding team orders (39.1) is deleted."

The FIA said, however, that there would still be an article in the rules to punish the teams if it considers they had brought the sport into disrepute with their actions.

"Teams will be reminded that any actions liable to bring the sport into disrepute are dealt with under Article 151c of the International Sporting Code and any other relevant provisions," it said.

A team orders row erupted following this year's German Grand Prix, where the Ferrari team asked Felipe Massa to give way to Fernando Alonso to win the race.

Ferrari was fined $100,000 for its actions, although no further punishment was imposed, with the FIA vowing to clarify team orders rules.

The FIA also said on Friday that all team radio communications will be made available to broadcasters from the 2012 season.

Source: Autosport

View: FIA press release

[san.W10]

FIA approves radical rules shake-up

Formula 1 has agreed to a radical shake-up of rules over the next two years - with major car changes approved for next year and all new engine regulations given the green light for 2013.

Following a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Monaco on Friday, the governing body confirmed that it would ratify amendments proposed to it by the F1 Commission, following discussion among teams.

The idea of a moveable rear wing for 2011, which will help overtaking, was approved - meaning that teams must now focus on getting the concept to work correctly prior to the start of the season.

The FIA has also tightened up the bodywork regulations in a bid to prevent a repeat of the controversy caused this summer by allegations that Red Bull Racing and Ferrari were illegally flexing their front wings.

The plan is for the rules relating to the 'reference plane' to become stricter, as well as there being better bodywork deflection tests at the front of this area of the car.

Longer term, the FIA has agreed that the current 2.4-litre V8 engines will be replaced with a new formula from 2013.

The new power units will be four cylinder 1.6-litre direct-injection engines. Although there will be a 12,000rpm limit and it is hoped fuel consumption will be cut by around 35%, the use of energy recovery systems should keep power at its current level.

For 2013, drivers will also be limited to just five engines per season - but that limit will be reduced to four for the following year.

As well as the car and engine changes, the FIA also confirmed revisions to driving and driver conduct, a limit on the width of the fast lane in the pits, plus the ability for the Race Director to shut the pit lane during a race for safety reasons. Drivers will also be instructed on circumstances when they can overtake the safety car.

Gearboxes will now have to be used for five consecutive races rather than four, while the intermediate tyre will be allowed back in F1 for 2011.

The FIA is expected to confirm the specific regulation changes over the next few days.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88647

just four cylinder & 12,000 rpm! :\ :sleep:

[Subject Delta]

FIA drops team orders ban from 2011

The ban on team orders in Formula 1 will be dropped from next season, the FIA announced following its World Motor Sport Council meeting on Friday.

A number of changes were confirmed in the sporting regulations from 2011, and the governing body said "article forbidding team orders (39.1) is deleted."

The FIA said, however, that there would still be an article in the rules to punish the teams if it considers they had brought the sport into disrepute with their actions.

"Teams will be reminded that any actions liable to bring the sport into disrepute are dealt with under Article 151c of the International Sporting Code and any other relevant provisions," it said.

A team orders row erupted following this year's German Grand Prix, where the Ferrari team asked Felipe Massa to give way to Fernando Alonso to win the race.

Ferrari was fined $100,000 for its actions, although no further punishment was imposed, with the FIA vowing to clarify team orders rules.

The FIA also said on Friday that all team radio communications will be made available to broadcasters from the 2012 season.

Source: Autosport

View: FIA press release

Common sense, the rule on team orders was hypocritical and unenforceable.

[ahmz]

"while the intermediate tyre will be allowed back in F1 for 2011."

But they already have intermediates?

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Team Lotus to keep green livery

Team Lotus will now stick with its green and yellow colours for 2011 after chief Tony Fernandes said it would be 'ludicrous' for his squad to run in the same paint scheme as the rebranded Lotus Renault outfit.

In the wake of the announcement this week that Lotus Cars was buying a stake in the Renault team and becoming its title sponsor, there had been fears that confusion could be caused by both the Enstone outfit and Team Lotus racing with the same black and gold colours for next year.

However, although Fernandes remains steadfast that he will stick with the Team Lotus moniker, he thinks it better for his outfit to stick with the famous green and yellow brand that it used this season rather than see through his original plans to run in black and gold.

Speaking exclusively to AUTOSPORT for the first time since the Lotus/Renault announcement, Fernandes said: "I have no problem that there will be two Lotuses on the grid. But I do think it would be ludicrous if we are both black and gold, and I can inform you that we will be changing our plans for the colour scheme.

"We declared that we were going to run in black and gold, and I'm not going to be childish to say we were first with our plans, so we will do it whatever. They have painted their car black and gold, they have made their intentions clear on that front, so be it.

"But every cloud has a silver lining, and I received some messages from people suggesting that by being black and gold we would be promoting a cigarette company. I wasn't actually aware that JPS [John Player Special] was still being sold in the United Kingdom and various parts of the Commonwealth. So did I need that controversy? No.

"And after yesterday's announcement by the FIA about the new engine plans for 2013, which means F1 is going green - so what better colour to be than green? So, we have been testing our fans' reactions and many have come back to us to say we should stay green and yellow. So, I am 99 per cent sure that we will be green and yellow."

Fernandes has expressed some frustration that Lotus has decided to team up with Renault, rather than throw its weight behind Team Lotus.

Speaking about the Lotus Cars decision, Fernandes said: "My first reaction is obviously disappointment. We were originally given a mandate for five years to go and develop a Formula 1 team.

"There are comments that have emerged in the Malaysian press that Proton was disappointed with our performance, which is one of the reasons that they gave up. I don't know how anyone in their right mind could expect us to be competing in the top half of the grid, or even up in the bottom half of the grid, last year - having just been given an entry in September.

"I stand by the fact that I think we did very well in the year and I think that 99 per cent of the paddock would agree considering where we came from. We built a classy team - a team that could do pitstops in the same time as Ferrari. We looked good, we had a good motorhome and performed well on the track with two good drivers.

"We were the best of the new teams. We had two good drivers and Heikki Kovalainen said he had the greatest season he has had in F1 ? which is great testament from a guy who has driven for McLaren and Renault. So I am a bit disappointed that we did not get a chance [from Proton/Group Lotus]."

He added: "Logically I think we could have built a great brand together. I think this year if anyone says that we didn't help Lotus then I think they are mad, because we have helped them. And the reaction from the public is very strongly in support of us. So I think given time we would have built something good, and the perfect scenario for me would have been a merger of the two with one ambition."

Fernandes has said that he will push on with legal moves to get a clarification on the Lotus name situation in the courts, and said he has been hugely encouraged by messages of support from fans.

"You cannot win people overnight," he said. "This support we have got has been built up over a year.

"As I always say, things take time and things have to be done properly. You cannot parachute yourself into a brand. If you look at all my business strategy I have always believed in organic growth. It needs foundations and it needs strategy. You cannot parachute into something and say it is yours.

"People are not stupid any more, and I think the reason for the support is the people see we are trying to do something the right way.

"I am not Colin Chapman, and I never will be. He is a legend and we are not going to emulate him ? but everything he did is what we are doing. He built it from scratch and did not buy into anything. You have to have brands that people love. There is lots of competition out there and people have to have respect for what you do."

Source: Autosport