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For the first time since winter testing began in late November, someone other than a Ferrari driver has topped the time sheets and set the fastest lap time of the day. That man is Lewis Hamilton, powered by his McLaren Mercedes, and the lap time was 1m18.682s - 1.3 seconds quicker than the current king of testing - Felipe Massa. The Ferrari’s were languishing down in sixth for Massa, and twelfth for Luca Badoer, who was five tenths down on his team mates time. Continue Reading…

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I would share a few ideas for those who have to buy for motorsports fans, or simply want to splash out on yourself just to get you through to next March. Listed below are some great ideas for gifts, and where I am able to, I have provided links to online shops that sell the goodies, so you won’t even have to leave the sofa.

First up is a selection of Formula One reviews of the 2006 season. With so many to chose from, it can be hard to make a decision. Continue Reading…

Spyker’s technical director James Key has explained his teams absence from winter testing, informing the media that it would be too costly to build an interim car. For the 2006 season Spyker (formerly known as Midland) used Toyota engines, but after a disappointing year, the team moved to Ferrari power for the upcoming 2007 campaign. In order to test the Ferrari unit, Spyker would have to build an interim car, taking away valuable resources from the development of the 2007 challenger. However, Key is confident that the lack of testing miles will harm their progress, as they raced on Bridgestone tyres last year. Most of the testing currently being done is by teams acclimatising themselves to the new rubber of Bridgestone, who will become the sole supplier next season.
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Seven time world champion Michael Schumacher has been awarded an honorary citizenship for Ferrari’s home town in Italy - Maranello. After eleven years of driving for the team, Michael is regarded as a key factor that revitalised the team and helped make the squad into the record-breaking championship-winning machine that it is.

Mayor of Maranello - Lucia Bursi - presented Michael with the award, who was joined at the ceremony by Ferrari chief Jean Todt, president Luca di Montezemolo and friend and ex-Ferrari Technical Director, Ross Brawn. Continue Reading…

Felipe Massa has again topped the timing sheets, this time at the Jerez test which got underway earlier today. Luca Badoer - Ferrari’s long-time test driver - comfortably sat in second behind his team mate, and over half a second faster than Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren. The Ferrari drivers spent most of the day testing the engine on long runs, assessing its durability and reliability. Hamilton completed 79 laps and finished two tenths quicker than McLaren’s long-time test driver Pedro De La Rosa.
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Christine from Daily F1 Blog (and now of Sidepodcast fame) got me thinking earlier today about the numbers racing drivers use when they are driving around the circuits. I started to wonder when the number thirteen was last used, and if todays modern drivers still believe in the superstition?

Every Formula One driver is assigned a number which must be displayed on the front and side of their car (usually on the rear wing endplates). The number is designated by the governing body – the FIA – but there is a procedure which they follow to determine which number goes to which driver.

The world champion is automatically assigned number one, even if he changes teams between the end of his winning year and the start of the next – the world champion is always number one. His team mate then gets the number two. The numbers follow on in the order of each team’s position in the previous year’s title race.
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Double World Champion Fernando Alonso has been awarded the prestigious Autosport International Driver Of The Year Award at a ceremony in London on Sunday evening. Alonso missed out on the award last year, conceding to Kimi Raikkonen, but his second title after a season long battle with retiring Michael Schumacher was enough to mean the young Spaniard clinched it this time around. Continue Reading…

Vitantonio Liuzzi is very hyped at the moment regarding the 2007 Formula One season. He seems to be under the impression that his Scuderia Toro Rosso team is going to be making a substantial improvement over the winter and next year, but there are obstacles that the Red Bull owned squad need to conquer before they can turn a wheel in anger. Namely, the construction issues they currently face.

While most teams were recently in Spain at Circuit de Catalunta running interim cars through their paces, or at minimum getting some mileage in before the Christmas break. Continue Reading…

Ever wondered what keeps a Formula One driver in place when they’re charging around the circuits like lunatics? It is their super strong seat belt - or in F1-speak, the six-point harness.

The harness has only been a mandatory part of a Formula One car since 1972, which was complimented in 1996 with the energy absorbing Confor foam (which goes around the top of the monocoque) and in 2003 with the Head & Neck Support (HANS) device, which prevents the head from moving too much in the event of an impact.
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Ever wondered why Formula One drivers spray champagne on the podium after a race?

Champagne has always been associated with Formula One, being a drink of celebration it was ideal for the drivers after a race. But it wasn’t until the American Dan Gurney accidentally sprayed the bubbly during his celebrations of winning the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hour that the tradition of spraying started. Apparently, Dan couldn’t speak any French, but his engineers were below his platform looking expectant, so he emptied the prize-winning magnum all over them, including Henry Ford II. Since then, the tradition has transferred to Formula One and the top three drivers soak themselves and their teams at every grand prix. Continue Reading…