BlogF1

As in life, Formula One is often unfair. A talent may be overlooked, or a silly incident not of his creation can lead to a driver retiring from a great position in a race. Occasionally, these moments define a career and a driver fails to make it into a top team, or fails to win if already in a competitive car. While those fans who understand the sport may recognise the efforts and skill, the record books will tell a different tale. Does the current grid of 20 pilots contain any of these so close yet so far drivers? Continue Reading

Following Toyota Motorsport president John Howett’s comments from the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend about not wanting to participate in a two-tier Formula One, Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has also added his concerns to the growing number of outfits. The tension between the teams and the governing body, the FIA, is becoming increasingly desperate as time ticks on towards the May 29th deadline for 2010 entry. Continue Reading

The little team from Italy certainly did well in 2008, beating the parent squad and taking a pole position and win along the way. Sebastian Vettel showed he had talent and Sebastien Bourdais had some strong runs in the second car, at times keeping pace with his whipper-snapper team mate. 2008 will almost certainly be difficult to repeat, but that doesn’t mean Scuderia Toro Rosso cannot do well and continue to impress. Continue Reading

The 2008 campaign was disappointing for Red Bull Racing to say the least. The car looked reasonably quick at many of the circuits on the calendar but either through accidents or mechanical problems, the team from Milton Keynes could only score 29 points. This was only made worse by the junior team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, scoring ten more and finishing ahead of the Red Bull squad in the overall standings. Can 2009 be any better? Continue Reading

The eighty-second photograph to feature in BlogF1’s caption contest, and as they say, better late than never! You know the drill, think of something funny and witty to say and leave it as a comment below. Another image from the 2008 archive, here we have hotshot Sebastian Vettel in the Scuderia Toro Rosso garage during the Spanish Grand Prix. Although himself and Nicolas Todt aren’t actually in each others faces, the way the photo was taken would certainly make it appear as if they were. Handbags at dawn? Continue Reading

While at the Circuit de Catalunya yesterday the Faenza-based Scuderia Toro Rosso team unveiled the fourth car to be built by the team. The STR4 was shown the press ahead of it’s public debut with Sebastien Bourdais. The car had taken part in a private shakedown at the Adria circuit last week, and after 96 laps on Monday, Bourdais finished in a respectable sixth. The car continues the Red Bull livery and will be driven by Sebastiens Bourdais and Buemi. Continue Reading

Takuma Sato today posted a message to the news section of his website informing fans that he is no longer in negotiations with Red Bull Racing or Scuderia Toro Rosso over the possible role as a third driver for either of their teams. Sato had been praised for performing very well during tests after the close of the 2008 season, and was looking good for a comeback in the Scuderia Toro Rosso. However, Sebastien Buemi claimed the first seat, as expected, and after a long wait, the team decided to go with Sebastien Bourdais in the second. Continue Reading

Scuderia Toro Rosso are yet to receive the blueprints for their 2009 car, but both Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastien Buemi have been putting in some serious mileage in the 2008 post-season tests and also in the pre-2009 sessions. Driving a modified STR3 with less downforce and slick tyres, both drivers have been acclimatising themselves to how the new car may handle, and combined with Takuma Sato’s tests, the team have certainly been collecting a lot of information. Continue Reading

With the final day of testing at Jerez and Sakhir over for this week, it is the McLaren and Ferrari that continue to dominate at each circuit respectively. Although Sebastien Bourdais set the fastest lap in Spain this afternoon, the French driver was piloting the modified 2008 chassis while the team wait for the new RB5 to be delivered. The sand finally cleared in Bahrain to allow Ferrari, Toyota and BMW to get some running in, and the times set between the three cars on track were all relatively close. Lewis Hamilton proved to be the quicker of the 2009 chassis on track at Jerez. Continue Reading

With sand continuing to plague the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, the only results from today’s testing to show are from Jerez where five teams were working hard prior to the season start in March. Once again, Ferrari, Toyota and BMW were forced to sit in the pitlane and wait for a break in the storm. Alas, the sand continued to blow all day and the only running allowed in Bahrain was one single installation lap. In Spain, Sebastien Bourdais led the tables in his 2008 Scuderia Toro Rosso. Continue Reading