Tag Archives: Formula 1

Valtteri Bottas

 

Williams Bottas

Valtteri Bottas

#mymotorways, #F1, Williams,

 

Niki Lauda Ferrari Artwork #2

Niki L

 

#F1 #Mymotorways #Racing #FormulaOne

 

Lotus F1 shows first pictures of new Lotus E22

2014 Lotus G1Lotus has revealed the first image of its new E22 2014 Formula One car. The car appears to have a different take on the nose scenario compared with other cars seen so far, with an unusual twin-pronged approach.

2014 Lotus F1

The team issued the image just as McLaren was unveiling its new F1 car online in what was clearly an attempt to gain some positive PR just hours after Lotus revealed that team principal Eric Boullier was leaving — possibly for a new job at McLaren.

The car now carries the logos of Pastor Maldonado’s sponsor PDVSA, while a new deal with Yotaphone was announced today. Coca-Cola brand Burn’s logo has been moved from the end plates to the top of the car, near the cockpit.

Lotus is the only team missing the upcoming Jerez test in Spain, and the car will thus make its track debut in Bahrain next month.
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20140124/f1/140129878#ixzz2rOA7i8So Follow us: @AutoweekUSA on Twitter | AutoweekUSA on Facebook

New McLaren breaks Cover (and other news from the team)

Here is the first pictures of the new 2014 McLaren F1 contender  the MP4-29

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now, more news:

Gone now is the title sponsor Vodafone, but also missing at the launch of the MP4-29 on Friday was boss Martin Whitmarsh.

Button welcomed the return to power of company supremo Ron Dennis.

“For me that’s the exciting thing about this year.  And you do need change sometimes,” he said.

Multiple authoritative sources all agree that Whitmarsh’s certain successor is Eric Boullier, the newly-departed Lotus team principal.

That move has ruffled some feathers at Enstone.

Indeed, in what was widely interpreted as a spoiling move, Lotus chose the precise minute that McLaren’s 2014 car was revealed to publish the first photo of its own new single seater, the E22.

And, defiantly hinting at Boullier’s choice of next job, the team said on Twitter that the Frenchman’s parting gift is a copy of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’.

Now, the respected Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt claims that a leading contender to succeed Boullier at Lotus is none other than Whitmarsh himself.

Schmidt also mentioned Ross Brawn as a contender, while rumours on Twitter pointed to Craig Pollock, Jacques Villeneuve’s former manager, who may also be interested in buying into the Enstone based team.

Another reason for the animosity between McLaren and Lotus, according to Schmidt, is because the teams are both in talks with the same major potential sponsor.

Lotus has reportedly entered the talks with a lower asking price, but the identity of the sponsor is currently not known.

“We only know that it is a Japanese technology company,” said Schmidt, speculating that it could be Sony.

Name the Next Ferrari F1 Car…

Ferrari has given race fans the opportunity to name its 2014 contender ahead of its unveiling on 25 January.

Rather than designating the car name in-house, the Maranello outfit has invited race fans to make the choice, the options being between F14 T, F14 Maranello, F14 Scuderia, F166 Turbo or F616.

Voting is now open (here) and will close on 24 January 12:30 (CET), the day before the 2014 car is unveiled ahead of its track debut just a few days later in Jerez.

In addition to naming the car, fans can also put questions to Stefano Domenicali and drivers Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, the three answering the most “interesting and stimulating””questions in a video which will also go out on the day of the car’s unveiling.

F1 Launch Dates Set…. Here we go !

Just three teams — Lotus, Marussia and Force India — have yet to set dates for their launches. Lotus previously said that it would wait until next month’s test at Bahrain before unveiling its 2014 car. The Bahrain tests are slated for Feb. 19-22 and Feb. 27-March 2.

 

2014 Formula One Launch Dates

Jan. 14 – McLaren

Jan. 25 – Ferrari

Jan. 26 – Sauber

Jan. 27 – Toro Rosso

Jan. 28 – Mercedes

Jan. 28 – Red Bull

Jan. 28 – Williams

Jan. 28 – Caterham

TBA – Lotus

TBA – Force India

TBA – Marussia

 

New F1 Regulations for 2014 Explained…

Honda back in F1 with McLaren

McLaren has officially announced they will be racing with Honda engines from 2015 onwards.

Here you have the McLaren-Honda partnership in numbers:

5 years of partnership – 1988 to ‘92

80 grands prix starts

53 pole positions – a 66 per cent strike rate

44 victories – a 55 per cent win rate

30 fastest laps – 10 in 1988 alone

8 world championships – drivers’ titles for Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990, 1991) and Alain Prost (1989), and constructors’ titles in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991

3 race-winning engine configurations – 1.5-litre turbo V6, 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V10, 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V12

McLaren could return to orange F1 livery | News | Motorsport.com

McLaren’s cars could go orange in the near future, team boss Martin Whitmarsh has admitted.

The new McLaren MP4-21 at the McLaren Technology Center

Although the Woking based team’s cars have been silver since 1997, orange is actually McLaren’s traditional race colour, dating back to the Can-Am days of the 60s.

Asked  if the change of title sponsor for next year in the wake of Vodafone’s scheduled departure might be a chance for McLaren to return to orange, Whitmarsh answered: “I really like the idea.

“Orange is a great colour, especially for McLaren,” he told the Russian website f1news.ru.

“We use it for our racing GT and it looks great, and we’ll continue to move in this direction.

“F1 is a bit different: the modern business model is one of the main tasks of the team — to promote the brands of our partners.

“But if we’re lucky enough to find a sponsor who likes orange, you could see that colour again in formula one,” added Whitmarsh.

From Motorsport

Feels like this would be a step back in this writer’s opinion…

 

F1 to Long Beach? Doubtful….

I posted comments from Gordon Kirby last week re: the possibility of Long Beach looking at F1 back in the streets.  In discussions around the e – “water cooler”, the consensus is that this will never happen with the current track configuration, the paddock space and just the general lack of run offs.  That and the fact that the current owners of the race would be hard pressed to sell one of the most profitable races on the calendar.

That’s my sense, what is yours?