official F1 World Championship 2011 Thread

[simonlang]

looks like kubi will be out of the cockpit for at least a year. :(

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Virgin Racing VR-02:

[KiHu]

Looks just as beautiful as last years..Lets hope the performance has increased then

[KiHu]

Kubica to undergo second surgery

Robert Kubica faces more surgery for treatment to his injuries after responding 'well' to a seven-hour operation to save his right hand, following his crash during the Ronde di Andora rally on Sunday.

The 26-year-old suffered a sub-amputation of his right forearm and lost a significant amount of blood while he was trapped in his Skoda Fabia rally car for more than one hour, while emergency crews tried to extricate him.

Kubica is reported to have lost control between two timed runs and made contact with an Armco barrier, which pierced the footwell of his car. He also sustained compound fractures to his right elbow and shoulder, as well as more to his right leg.

The director of the trauma centre at the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure, Dr Giorgio Barabino told Italian media that Kubica will remain in intensive therapy for at least another day, but that initial signs are positive.

"The patient will stay in intensive care for 24 to 48 hours," he was quoted as saying by Il Vostro Giornale. "We are optimistic, anyway, since he is responding very well to treatment.

"Obviously he feels a lot of pain, but it couldn't have been any different."

"After the crash, Robert was taken to the trauma centre with the maximum hemorrhagic shock," added Barabino. "The first phase of stabilisation was long and difficult, and it carried on in the operating theatre. Wounds-wise, there was large bleeding which was difficult to control...

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89323

[san.W10]

Co-driver explains Kubica crash

Robert Kubica's co-driver, Jakub Gerber, has explained how their accident on Sunday's Ronde di Andora rally happened.

The Renault F1 driver remains in intensive care in hospital in Italy and is due to undergo a second surgery on serious hand and arm injuries and a broken right leg.

Gerber explained how their Skoda Fabia was penetrated by a section of barrier after Kubica slid wide into a right-hander.

"We knew the surface was slippery because of the humidity and we were ready," Gerber told Gazzetta dello Sport. "After skidding, the car leaned against the guard rail and pushed it outwards. Then it crashed against the following guard rail.

"The guard rail pierced through the car and went all the way through it. I immediately saw it was serious, he also had a bad bruise under his eye after hitting the steering wheel. Robert passed out and I exited through the window because the door was stuck.

"The ambulance arrived immediately and then came the firemen. They took over half an hour to pull him out. The first crew didn't have the shears so they had to wait for another crew. Then the helicopter couldn't land in that spot, so Robert had to be moved and more time was lost."

Gerber was critical of the section of road that had a gap between two sections of barrier, leaving the end of the second exposed. And he also called for increased protection around the cockpit of rally cars.

"That opening [between the two sections of barrier] makes no sense," he said. "But, most of all, we shouldn't have cars with so little protection at the front. It's not the first time a crash like this happens - the Federation should think of something to protect the cockpit."

When asked whether he thought the accident was caused by a car failure or a mistake by Kubica, Gerber replied: "In a competition you try to go as quickly as possible. Robert is the type of person that thinks hard, always looks a step ahead, he's precise, fast and clean. A complete driver."

Mauro Moreno, who was the driver on the scene running one minute behind Kubica, gave his account.

"It was a horrifying view. I called him by name a couple of times, but he didn't reply," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The steel blade was coming out of the hatchback. His co-driver signalled to me he had no problems so I asked Robert if he was ok too. But that was useless because he was in a state of semi-unconsciousness and he wouldn't talk."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89327

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Rendering of this year's HRT:

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Force India VJM04:

[Buio]

Co-driver explains Kubica crash http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89327

Saw two more images from the car posted on Autosport forums. It looks really weird, the guard rail went trough the whole car and then wrapped itself as it spun around.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/03JhdT284kebc/610x.jpg

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0erhdhB1xS0bO/610x.jpg

Happy to hear he is making progress, really hoping for him to make a good recovery and be able to heal the arm/hand.

[Subject Delta]

The new HRT looks a lot nicer than the old one IMO, the new FI is not much different

[san.W10]

Renault to evaluate Heidfeld at Jerez

Nick Heidfeld will test for Renault at Jerez later this week as the outfit evaluates a replacement for the injured Robert Kubica.

The German has emerged as the leading contender to stand in for Kubica, who could be out for the remainder of the season as the result of the serious injuries he picked up in a rally crash at the weekend.

Although Renault has five reserve drivers, and is giving its lead one Bruno Senna a first test in its car this week, the team has made no secret of the fact that it will need an experienced driver to lead its team if Kubica is sidelined for a long time.

Heidfeld has held talks with Renault over the last 48 hours and agreement has been reached for him to run at Jerez at some point this week. Vitaly Petrov will test, as originally scheduled, on Thursday and Friday before Senna and Heidfeld are given mileage over the weekend.

Renault team owner Gerard Lopez said earlier today that the team would wait until after testing before deciding on who will partner Vitaly Petrov this year - and Heidfeld's chances will depend on how he compares pace-wise against Senna.

"We must wait for the Jerez tests now, and thankfully the Barcelona ones too, and see how the car is going, and how the driver - who will start the season and maybe ending it too - is doing. We don't know," he told IVG.it

"There are drivers who have had good races, for example Nick Heidfeld. We all know that Nick is rather good, but we don't know what level he is in now, we don't know how he does with our car. Same goes for Vitantonio Liuzzi, same goes - I don't know -for Bruno Senna, who last year was in a team with a car that could do nothing."

Heidfeld has been left without a seat after being replaced at Sauber at the end of last season by Sergio Perez, who brought valuable sponsorship backing from Mexico.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89366

[.mcman]

Renault to evaluate Heidfeld at Jerez

I hope he'll get the drive.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Ford suing Ferrari over F150 name

American car maker Ford is suing Ferrari for a trademark infringement over the use of the F150 name for its latest Formula 1 car.

According to Ford, Ferrari has used the name "in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed in the F-150 trademark".

Ford's F-150 pick-up truck is a top-selling vehicle in the United States.

"Ferrari has misappropriated the F-150 trademark in naming its new racing vehicle the 'F150' in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed in the F-150 trademark," Reuters quoted Ford as saying in a complaint filed in a court in Detroit.

Ford said its pick-up's logo (pictured, below) bears striking resemblance to that of Ferrari's car (pictured, above).

The American car maker is seeking unspecified damages and wants Ferrari to be blocked from using the trademark in the US.

Ferrari said it chose the F150 name to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.

Source: Autosport

... :blink:

[.mcman]

"Ferrari has misappropriated the F-150 trademark in naming its new racing vehicle the 'F150' in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed in the F-150 trademark," Reuters quoted Ford as saying in a complaint filed in a court in Detroit.

I thought it was a joke when I first read this. :pinch:

[san.W10]

Teams show support for Kubica during Jerez test

Formula 1 teams came together at the Jerez test this morning to publicly wish Robert Kubica a speedy recovery - as the Renault driver continues to make good progress in hospital...

more...

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Ferrari rebrands car after dispute

Ferrari has officially renamed its new Formula 1 car the 'F150th Italia' as an act of good faith to avoid confusion with Ford, in the wake of the American car company going to court over what it claims is a trademark infringement.

Ford's F-150 truck is a top-seller in the United States and the car manufacturer believes Ferrari breached its trademark in naming its new challenger the F150.

Although Ferrari has decided to rebrand its car, the F1 team says it does not understand why Ford believes there is any confusion.

"On the subject of the name of the new Ferrari Formula 1 car, the Maranello company wishes to point out that it has sent a letter of reply to Ford, underlining the fact that the F150 designation (used as the abbreviated version of the complete name, which is Ferrari F150th Italia) never has, nor ever will be used as the name of a commercially available product - indeed there will definitely not be a production run of single-seaters," said a statement issued by Ferrari.

"In fact, it has always been the case in the history of Scuderia names, that they represent the nomenclature of a racing car project and are linked to a chronological order with a technical basis, or in exceptional cases, to special occasions.

"This year, the decision was taken to dedicate the car name to a particularly significant event, the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, an event of such great importance that the Italian government has declared, for this year only, a national holiday.

"For these reasons, Ferrari believes that its own contender in the forthcoming F1 championship cannot be confused with other types of commercially available vehicle of any sort whatsoever, nor can it give the impression that there is a link to another brand of road-going vehicle. Therefore it is very difficult to understand Ford's viewpoint on the matter."

Ferrari has indicated that from now on, the car will become officially known as the F150th Italia.

"To further prove it is acting in good faith and that it operates in a completely correct manner, Ferrari has decided to ensure that in all areas of operation, the abbreviated version will be replaced at all times with the full version, Ferrari F150th Italia," it added.

Source: Autosport

[Kerm]

in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed in the F-150 trademark

Get real.

[what]

I hope he'll get the drive.

I hope he doesn't. He has the experience but he's never done anything with his long stint in F1. I think it's time to realise he's nothing special and to give Senna a shot in a real car. I don't particularly like Senna and so far believe he is playing off his uncle's name, but you never know until you put him in a competitive car and give him some time to adjust.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Massa fastest on Jerez test day one

Felipe Massa's Ferrari topped the opening day of this week's pre-season test at Jerez.

The Brazilian set Thursday's best time on the seventh lap of his first run of the day. That came exactly halfway through a stint, which is a positive sign for the Ferrari's pace on both a fuel load and tyre front.

Ferrari undetook just one more long run in the afternoon, with Massa completing 16 laps mostly in the 1m23-24s. He was also back in the 1m22s a few more times on shorter runs but at no stage did he lap within 1.5 seconds of his best.

Sergio Perez set the second-fastest time of the day. That lap came on the first flying lap of an eight-lap stint, during which his pace dropped away drastically through the 1m25s to 1m27s before he pitted. The Sauber did not run for more than eight laps at any time during the day.

Perez had earlier caused the first red flag of the day when he stopped at the exit of Curva Jorge Martinez - the second of the left-handers after the Dry Sack hairpin.

Mark Webber's best time may only have been good enough for third overall, but it was set on the first of a six-lap run. The Red Bull RB7 once again showed impressive consistency of pace over several longer runs - Webber had two more stints of longer than a dozen laps and was a fixture in the 1m23s throughout.

Daniel Ricciardo was fourth-fastest for Toro Rosso, lapping regularly in the 1m23s during mid-length stints and dipping down to a 1m21.7s for his best lap.

McLaren stuck mainly to short runs for the first day out of its new car, which ended up fifth. During his longest run, of 11 laps, Lewis Hamilton's lap times dropped from 1m23s into the 1m24s. His best time of the day, a 1m21.914s, was set on a single-lap run.

Jaime Alguersuari took over the Toro Rosso driving duties from Ricciardo for the afternoon and finished up sixth. He stuck mainly to five-lap bursts, his times ranging from consistent 1m22s up to one run entirely in the 1m27s.

It was a careful start for Force India's first run out with its 2011 car, but at the end of the day Adrian Sutil did 11 consecutive laps, circulating mainly in the 1m24s. He also did the best of his 28 laps early in that stint, putting him seventh at the end of the day.

After a quick stint to test the water, Renault's Vitaly Petrov spent the majority of his morning doing back-to-back installation laps. He settled into the 1m24s on his longest run of eight laps, and set his best time on the first of a five-lap run. He also caused a red flag by spinning into the gravel at Turn 1 late in the afternoon.

It was another day of testing that Mercedes has completed without yet showing any signs of a frontrunning pace. Nico Rosberg's times slipped from 1m24s to 1m26s on his longest run of the day, 17 laps - though he did set his best time of the day - a 1m23.963s - on the third lap of that stint, while carrying a significant fuel load.

The Mercedes was also the cause of one of the day's red flags as Rosberg stopped out on track mid-way through the day.

Lotus's best long run was of a dozen laps, peaking at a 1m24.792s and dropping into consistent 1m26s. Jarno Trulli was able to dip lower into the 1m24s on shorter runs later in the day.

Timo Glock did 42 laps today in the Virgin MVR-02, spending most of his day in the 1m25s - on shorter runs earlier on, and then during an eight lap stint to the session's close.

Pastor Maldonado completed just 14 laps for Williams, following a problem with the car's rear wing actuator in the morning. The team hoped to return to the track for more running in the afternoon but in the end managed just a couple of short stints.

Pos  Driver             Car                   Time       Gap
 1.  Felipe Massa       Ferrari               1m20.709s
 2.  Sergio Perez       Sauber-Ferrari        1m21.483s  + 0.774s
 3.  Mark Webber        Red Bull-Renault      1m21.522s  + 0.813s
 4.  Daniel Ricciardo   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m21.755s  + 1.046s
 5.  Lewis Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      1m21.914s  + 1.205s
 6.  Jaime Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m22.689s  + 1.980s
 7.  Adrian Sutil       Force India-Mercedes  1m23.472s  + 2.763s
 8.  Vitaly Petrov      Renault               1m23.504s  + 2.795s
 9.  Nico Rosberg       Mercedes              1m23.963s  + 3.254s
10.  Jarno Trulli       Lotus-Renault         1m24.458s  + 3.749s
11.  Timo Glock         Virgin-Cosworth       1m25.086s  + 4.377s
12.  Pastor Maldonado   Williams-Cosworth     1m34.968s  + 14.259s

All timing unofficial

Source: Autosport

[Buio]

Live commentary and times from Jerez day 2

http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/307

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Schumacher tops Jerez testing

Michael Schumacher set the fastest time of the second day of testing at Jerez for Mercedes.

The run on which Schumacher did the best lap was not a drastically low fuel run - at least not less than 10 laps.

But it still was not a complete turnaround for Mercedes because, despite the fastest time, it took a lot of laps for his times to stabilise - and when they did they were around a second slower than where Red Bull was on similar runs.

Felipe Massa was the only other driver to get into the 1m20s. The Ferrari was posting 1m21s at the beginning of eight-lap stints earlier in the day.

The times indicated the team was working on heavier fuel loads in the afternoon when his longer run times were between 1m26s and 1m28s. It once again ended the day with the most laps completed, 116.

McLaren made a slow start to the second day with the MP4-26, still working on system checks and installation runs throughout the morning. Jenson Button was on track more in the afternoon but still did not run for more than six laps at a time.

Button's times trickled down from the 1m23s, through the 22s and into the 21s a few times this afternoon.

Jaime Alguersuari was fourth-fastest for Toro Rosso, with his best time coming at the start of one of two 10-lap runs around lunchtime. Both of those began in the 1m21s and held steady in the 22s until the final lap.

The Spaniard caused one of the day's red flags by spinning off at Turn 9, then was back to working on shorter runs in the afternoon.

It was another quiet day for Red Bull, with Mark Webber once again producing impressive long-run times without setting any headline-grabbing single laps.

The RB7's best time came in a three-lap burst, but he was only a couple of tenths slower than that on a longer run later on. But it was the 19-lap run largely in the 1m24s that highlighted the potential - as nobody else was able to lap consistently at that pace on such a long stint.

Sauber did a lot of laps today, but never more than five at a time. Sergio Perez almost always began his stints in the 1m22s and dropped away through the 1m23s.

The Mexican cut his team's day short by crashing between Turns 7 and 8 and damaging the front end of the Sauber C30.

Force India stuck to mainly short runs on the second day out for the VJM04, with Adrian Sutil mainly in the 1m23s and 24s.

Renault did not grab too much attention with Vitaly Petrov also sticking mainly to short bursts. There was a big variation in his times throughout the day, but at best he settled into 1m23s.

He was another to cause a red flag by spinning - his coming at Turn 2 mid-way through the morning.

Pastor Maldonado went one step further and provoked a stoppage by crashing his Williams at the exit of Turn 4 with around 75 minutes remaining. He went through the gravel trap and into the wall, damaging the front and rear of the car.

The team had already lost a significant amount of running when it stripped and reassembled the KERS as a precaution following a warning from the unit in the morning. Maldonado had only done two laps after rejoining when he crashed.

Virgin Racing did some longer running around lunchtime, before Timo Glock set his best time of 1m22.208s to grab eighth place in the final half-hour.

Lotus was able to do some longer runs in the morning, with Jarno Trulli consistent in the 1m23s and 24s on the soft tyre. But it did not reappear in the afternoon due to an unspecified mechanical problem which requires spare parts from its UK base.

Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m20.352s            112
 2.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m20.413s  + 0.061s  116
 3.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m21.009s  + 0.657s  69
 4.  Jaime Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m21.214s  + 0.862s  72
 5.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m21.613s  + 1.261s  113
 6.  Adrian Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1m21.780s  + 1.428s  73
 7.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m21.857s  + 1.505s  56
 8.  Timo Glock          Virgin-Cosworth       1m22.208s  + 1.856s  57
 9.  Vitaly Petrov       Renault               1m22.493s  + 2.141s  65
10.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Cosworth     1m22.591s  + 2.239s  38
11.  Jarno Trulli        Lotus-Renault         1m23.216s  + 2.864s  40

All timing unofficial

Source: Autosport

[Subject Delta]

I seriously hope McLaren are just sandbagging, and that this is not an accurate representation of their pace

[TheLegendOfMart]

They are testing not racing.

[TheLegendOfMart]

Cant edit my last post:

Jenson Button was third after his first day of running in the new McLaren, 0.657s slower than Michael Schumcher?s Mercedes.

But he revealed afterwards he had not done a competitive run using the super-soft tyres or Drag Reduction System (adjustable rear wing).

Speaking to journalists after his first run in the MP4-26 he said:

?This morning we were mostly just fitting me into the car and getting used to KERS because it?s new to me, as it is to most drivers.

?And it?s alright, I quite like the boost of power and the system?s been running really well. So it?s just been getting used to using it as a set-up tool and everything.

?So it was a positive morning getting used to that. I feel a lot more comfortable in the car now than I did this morning, played around with a few things in the cockpit just to make me feel properly comfortable and it?s all good now, we?ve made some good progress.?

Source: F1Fanatic

[Buio]

Live times and commentary from todays testing at Jerez at Autosport.com

http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/308

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Heidfeld quickest on Renault debut

Nick Heidfeld set the fastest time of the third test day at Jerez during his audition to substitute for Robert Kubica at Renault.

The German set his 1m20.361s best at the beginning of an eight-lap run, seemingly on the soft or super soft tyre - given the immediate two-second drop-off and then steady but sharp decline over the rest of the stint.

Fernando Alonso took second place, 0.132 seconds behind Heidfeld. The Ferrari was busy on track from the outset and posted its best time during a flurry of two and three-lap charges mid-morning.

Ferrari then spent the afternoon with the F150th Italia stacked with fuel for several longer runs. The most impressive of which was 19 laps - lap three being a 1m25.4s and lap 17 a 1m26.6s, a drop-off of just 1.2s over 14 laps.

Mercedes was regularly in the low 1m21s during quick bursts this morning, but third-placed Michael Schumacher stuck to mainly long runs after lunch.

The MGP W02 showed signs of improved consistency today, staying within 1.3s of Schumacher's best lap for 13 laps before slipping by around 0.5s per lap over the next five.

McLaren lost a chunk of time in the middle of the day due to a shortage of spare parts. Come the afternoon, Lewis Hamilton took on a few single-lap bursts, jumping to fourth.

Kamui Kobayashi caused the day's first two red flags. The first came just over 20 minutes in when he stopped on the inside of the track at the exit of the Dry Sack hairpin. The second was an hour from the end when he parked up on the escape road at the chicane with an engine problem.

The Sauber's fastest lap of the day was the one prior to its stoppage first thing this morning, which put him fifth in the end. This afternoon, Kobayashi took on an 18-lap stint holding firm from the 1m25s to the 1m26s 14 laps later.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel did not commit to many long runs, mainly sticking to the staple five to eight-lap set-up tweaking and tyre evaluation stints. His best time was the only one of those in the 1m21s to be set during a run of as many as eight laps.

But the Red Bull was matching Ferrari's consistency of pace this afternoon, with Vettel posting 1m22.8s on lap four of a stint and 1m23.4s 11 laps later, losing just over a second.

Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) was never on track for more than six laps at a time. His fastest time came at the start of a four-lap run.

The Swiss then caused the final red flag when he stopped on the outside of the entry to Turn 9 with 10 minutes to go, leaving him seventh.

Heikki Kovalainen got some significant mileage in the Lotus T128 following reliability troubles for the car in the previous two days. His regular times ranged from 1m23s to 1m26s on a series of short runs during the afternoon. Then he posted a 1m21.7s with a single burst at the end to move to eighth.

Williams was once again delayed by a KERS problem, though Rubens Barrichello was able to get through a variety of mid-length stints after lunch and end up ninth.

The times varied widely as the team appeared to be sampling various tyre and fuel combinations. The FW33 seemed able to hang on to a set of tyres through a 10-lap run in the 1m24s.

It was short runs all day for Paul di Resta in his first outing in the Force India VJM04. The variation in times suggested the team was working on things other than performance.

The Scot had complained of struggling with the brakes earlier in the day and then caused a red flag when he spun off to the outside of Turn 9 with half an hour of running remaining.

Virgin worked on its long-run pace with 19-lap stints either side of lunch. Jerome D'Ambrosio's times worked down from 1m29s-1m30s on the first run to 1m27s-1m29s on the second.

His best effort of the day was a 1m25s and that came on the third lap of nine earlier this morning, indicating that the MVR-02 is still some way from showing its full potential.

Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Nick Heidfeld       Renault               1m20.361s            86
 2.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m20.493s  + 0.132s  131
 3.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m21.054s  + 0.693s  114
 4.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m21.099s  + 0.738s  36
 5.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m21.242s  + 0.881s  84
 6.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m21.574s  + 1.213s  98
 7.  Sebastien Buemi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m21.681s  + 1.320s  92
 8.  Heikki Kovalainen   Lotus-Renault         1m21.711s  + 1.350s  61
 9.  Rubens Barrichello  Williams-Cosworth     1m22.227s  + 1.866s  99
10.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m22.945s  + 2.584s  64
11.  Jerome D'Ambrosio   Virgin-Cosworth       1m25.471s  + 5.110s  72

All timing unofficial

Source: Autosport