Wanting to standout from their rivals, Virgin announced their car would be launched exclusively online to an audience of anticipated Internet users. Unfortunately, the show didn’t go without a hitch, or rather, it just didn’t happen. However, the car was eventually seen and has been billed as having been completely designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics. In a crude way of explaining, the car has been designed solely by computers. The VR-01 has not seen a wind tunnel, nor has it been penned out on a giant piece of pale blue paper.

Designing a car based solely on CFD is quite a risk, and although teams do obviously utilise computers in the design and development of their cars, Virgin are the first to go down this route 100%, ignoring the craft of pen and paper that has guided so many other designers to producing world championship winning machines. How this will translate to the race tracks is obviously yet to be fully seen, but without doubt, designer Nick Wirth is breaking new ground with the VR-01.

The car itself is certainly quite striking, painted in a red and black colour scheme with contrasting tattoo-like patterns flowing over the bodywork. Virgin have taken up some advertising space on the front and rear wings, sidepods and monocoque bridge. Elsewhere on the car other sponsor’s logos can be seen, which is encouraging for such a new team. It would seem as though they have even managed to retain financial services company FxPro in the sport by taking on their sponsorship after BMW pulled the plug last year.

The VR-01 has possibly the smallest sidepods on the grid thus far, and also the most pointed nose. The front view is impressive in not really looking like any other car that has so far been launched, although a Newey-dip is clear to see. The front nose has quite a pronounced curve to it as the line moves backwards towards the cockpit and all things said and done, it looks to be the prettiest so far.

Testing hasn’t gone quite as well as the team would have liked though, and despite passing all the crash tests, Timo Glock lost his front wing while charging around Jerez earlier in the month. Front wing failures are quite serious in Formula One, and many drivers have suffered an impact because, once fallen from its mounts, the wing can lodge itself under the front wheels, raising the car from the ground and removing any effect of steering and braking. Glock thankfully suffered no impact and cruised back to the pitlane, but the team were forced to halt their test due to a lack of spare parts and the need to understand why the part failed. The team stated they would be modifying the mounts before sending a driver out in the car again.

Virgin’s car designation system refers to the initials of the team name, Virgin Racing, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, starts at the beginning. Hence, VR-01.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Virgin VR-01

In December last year, Honda surprised all by withdrawing from the sport, leaving drivers and staff potentially without jobs. Of course, we all now know that Ross Brawn and Nick Fry saved the team and sensationally went on to take both world championships in a thrilling season of motor racing.

Earlier in the year, BMW also announced they would be leaving the sport at the season’s close, and the future of the Hinwil team is currently up in the air. It is hoped that Peter Sauber, the former owner of the squad, can reprise his role and keep the squad going, although currently the situation doesn’t look too good.

And now Toyota have become the third manufacturer in less than a year to pull out of Formula One.

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces it plans to withdraw from the FIA Formula One world championship at the end of the 2009 season.

TMC, which had viewed its participation in F1 as contributing to the prosperity of automotive culture, remained dedicated to competing at the pinnacle of motor sports even in the face of the abrupt economic changes that started last year.

However, when considering TMC’s motorsports actitives next year and beyond from a comprehensive mid-term viewpoint reflecting the current severe economic realities, TMC decided to withdraw from F1. Toyota Press Statement.

Toyota have signed the recently agreed Concorde document, which essentially ties them to the sport through to the end of 2012. However, this position may be able to be transferred to Sauber if they can cobble together a team and financial backing.

Both Jarno Trulli and Timo were expected to leave the squad, with Glock being suggested as a partner for Robert Kubica in the second Renault. Jarno Trulli may end up with a new team, his experience perhaps being seen as a big enough draw over his lack of ultimate race pace.

Interestingly, Autosport are also reporting that Renault have an important meeting today to discuss the company’s future, and although they are expected to continue, I personally wouldn’t be surprised if the Enstone team decided to follow Toyota and bow out. The loss of Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds amid huge controversy earlier in the year, combined with the loss of star driver Fernando Alonso, could be enough to sway the minds of those making the decisions.

Original article by BlogF1.

Toyota Withdraw From Formula One With Immediate Effect

It would seem that Toyota have breached the rule regarding flexibility in wings, and the rear wing on the TF109 has been or has the potential to move.

The Stewards have received a report from the Technical Delegate that the upper rear wing elements of cars No. 9 and 10 are showing extreme flexibility in contravention of Article 3.15 of the 2009 Formula One Technical Regulations.

The Stewards have heard the explanation from a representative of Panasonic Toyota Racing and have examined the cars in question.

The Stewards concur with the opinion of the Technical Delegate and find the cars contravene the requirements of Article 3.15 of the 2009 Formula One Technical Regulations.

It is the Stewards decision that cars number 9 and 10 be excluded from the Qualifying Session Official Classification. FIA Statement.

Article 3.15 of the Technical Regulations states:

With the exception of the cover described in Article 6.5.2 [the fuel connector cover] (when used in the pit lane), the driver adjustable bodywork described in Article 3.18 [permitted movable front wing element] and the [air] ducts described in Article 11.4, any specific part of the car influencing its aerodynamic performance:
– must comply with the rules relating to bodywork ;
– must be rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom);
– must remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car.

Any device or construction that is designed to bridge the gap between the sprung part of the car and the ground is prohibited under all circumstances.

No part having an aerodynamic influence and no part of the bodywork, with the exception 3.13 above, may under any circumstances be located below the reference plane. FIA Technical Regulations – 18/03/2009.

In short, this means the rear wing is not allowed to move or flex in any way. According to the FIA, Toyota’s does. This puts Toyota at the back of the grid after qualifying well in P6 for Timo Glock and P8 for Jarno Trulli. At the moment, this promotes Felipe Massa to P6, Kimi Raikkonen to P7, Mark Webber to P8, Nick Heidfeld to P9, Fernando Alonso to P10 and similar along the grid.

However, the grid could change yet again because Williams have protested the legality of the Ferrari and Red Bull cars. This protest comes after Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault protested the legality of the Williams diffuser (along with Brawn’s and Toyota’s) yesterday. It is thought that Williams’s protest centres around some aerodynamic part of the F60 and RB5 cars.

And finally, Lewis Hamilton has also gone to the back of the grid after having to get a new gearbox fitted to his McLaren MP4-24. Originally qualifying in P15, Hamilton couldn’t take part in Q2 as his car lost all drive. The team had hoped it was something other than the gear box knowing the ensuing penalty would only make Hamilton’s Australian Grand Prix go from bad to worse. Unfortunately, it has done just that. According to the team, fourth gear was to blame.

Grid penalties are awarded to drivers in the order they were handed out, but it is unknown to me if Hamilton’s gearbox was changed before or after the FIA deemed the Toyota’s illegal. It more than likely was, and therefore Hamilton will start in P18 while Glock and Trulli take P19 and P20 respectively. Of course, Hamilton could end up starting higher than his original qualifying place if Ferrari and Red Bull promote him to P14.

Update

Williams has now withdrawn it’s protest against Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.

Original article by BlogF1.

Australia 2009: Hamilton & Toyota Sent To Back, Ferrari & Red Bull May Follow

This morning we were again a bit unlucky with the conditions, which made the race simulation quite tough. But it was useful to find out when to change to slick tyres and our pace wasn’t bad.

Then we got some dry running for the rest of the day. We did a lot of set-up work and late on we did some shorter runs to make it through the programme. We’ve made it through a lot of miles over these two days and we’re making useful progress. Timo Glock.

The Toyota team have managed to complete a lot of mileage during the off-season, unlike many of their rivals who have stayed away from the track when it has been wet, or just had the luck of the draw and had the poor weather follow them around. Ferrari as an example, have not enjoyed a particularly productive off-season.

However, perhaps the Scuderia’s fortunes are changing as Felipe Massa completed a fine 134 laps today, albeit 0.4s shy of Glock’s ultimate pace. Michael Schumacher was present in Ferrari attire today, observing Massa from the pitwall and advising as the day went on.

Impressively, Fernando Alonso managed to show just what the Renault R29 can do, the Spaniard setting the third quickest time of the day, just 0.058s slower than the Ferrari pilot. Alonso was the busiest driver of the day and managed 152 tours of Jerez, approximately two full race distances.

Heikki Kovalainen was present for McLaren and finished the day in fourth, less than 0.3s behind Alonso and 0.1s ahead of Force India pilot Adrian Sutil. Sutil has taken over from Giancarlo Fisichella for the final two days of testing, and the German’s pace was pretty good in the new VJM02.

Also taking over from his team mate was Mark Webber, powering the RB5 to sixth on the timing sheet, 0.4s shy of Sutil and 0.04s ahead of Robert Kubica’s BMW. The Polish driver was concentrating on fine tuning set ups on the F1.09. Nico Rosberg ended the day at the bottom of the timing sheets.

Testing continues at Jerez tomorrow, where once again rain is forecast.

Jerez Test Day Three Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m19.814s	141 Laps
2.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m20.238s	134 Laps
3.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m20.296s	152 Laps
4.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m20.535s	85 Laps
5.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m20.621s	63 Laps
6.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m21.021s	98 Laps
7.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m21.069s	98 Laps
8.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m21.412s	125 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez Test Day Three: Glock Continues To Lead

Although Timo Glock was only able to complete 89 tours of Jerez – in Bahrain the team racked up many hundreds of laps – the German was pleased with how the day was spent on wet weather tyres and was thankful the weather was consistent enough for some set up work to be completed.

Robert Kubica finished the day in second although the Pole was forced to stop on track with a false electrical alarm caused by the wet weather. Nico Rosberg (the busiest driver of the day with 114 laps) in the Williams posted a promising third fastest lap and Giancarlo Fisichella managed fourth in the new Force India VJM02, although the Italian was only able to complete 54 laps.

Nico Rosberg continued preparation work with the FW31 today. Despite the wet conditions and a red flag temporarily halting proceedings this morning, Nico still managed to complete a race distance. We then spent the afternoon on general wet-weather setup work. We’ve had a good day and haven’t come across any problems with the car. Dickie Stanford.

Sebastian Vettel and Heikki Kovalainen were down in the rankings, the pair 1.2s and 2.3s off the leaders pace respectively. Vettel concentrated on pitstop work with the new crew who will be present for the first race in Australia. Nelson Piquet Jr. finished at the bottom and Ferrari chose not to run, instead keeping cover in the garage and motorhome. One can only presume the Scuderia have completed enough wet weather running to know exactly how the F60 handles in these conditions.

Testing is scheduled to continue tomorrow, but forecasts also predict the rain will continue as well. Adrian Sutil, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso are all expected to run tomorrow, weather permitting.

Jerez Test Day Two Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m30.979s	89 Laps
2.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m31.327s	70 Laps
3.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m31.451s	114 Laps
4.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m31.547s	54 Laps
5.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m32.220s	102 Laps
6.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m33.371s	31 Laps
7.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m33.476s	66 Laps
8.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	No Time	0 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez Test Day Two: The Rain In Spain…

While the Toyota appears to be developing well, Ferrari were faced with further troubles in the morning when after just a handful of laps, Felipe Massa was forced to wait in the garage while the mechanics stripped the gearbox down. The Brazilian was able to return to the track although at the end of his running in the afternoon, an electrical problem brought his day to slightly premature end. Nick Heidfeld also had two stoppages on track, although the German was upbeat about the progress the team are making with the F1.09 car.

But despite [the stoppages] I managed to run for 444 kilometres and we made good progress with the development of the car. Nick Heidfeld.

We didn’t have any major problems and we again made it through a lot of work. We concentrated on set-up and went through our programme smoothly. It has been a bit tricky to drive today because there was a lot of wind, which was also blowing from a different direction to yesterday when Jarno [Trulli] was driving. But in the end I’m happy that we did so much work and it’s positive that we found some useful directions to work with. Timo Glock.

Meanwhile, McLaren visited Kemble Airfield to complete some straight-line testing with Pedro De La Rosa. Sidepodcast were once again there and noted that the MP4-24 was carrying some kind of scaffold structure on the left sidepod. Pedro De La Rosa didn’t manage to complete much running, but presumably the Woking-team got what they needed from the morning’s run.

Bahrain Test Day Three Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m32.492s	132 Laps
2.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m32.917s	105 Laps
3.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m32.993s	82 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Bahrain Test Day Three: Glock, Massa & Heidfeld

Only a small rain shower in Spain dampened spirits as the teams got to work on set up evaluation and gathering useful data. Nico Hulkenberg was on track for Williams, putting the FW31 through its paces and finishing ahead of the McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen by 0.2s. Nelson Piquet Jr was the final driver on the Jerez circuit today, finishing in fifth and 1.2s adrift of Vettel’s pace.

As the car is so new, we learn something with every lap and we have some useful data to go through this evening. The forecast looks better for tomorrow so hopefully we can continue the work we started today. Nelson Piquet Jr.

In Bahrain, three teams were present; Toyota, Ferrari and BMW. Timo Glock headed the table with a 1m33.501s, just over 0.1s faster than Felipe Massa in the Ferrari F60. Robert Kubica finished in third, although the Pole was only 0.201s shy of Glock at the top of the finishing order. Once again, Ferrari had opted to test away from the main group, heading out to Bahrain in the search of good weather. While the day was mostly sunny, fog in the morning prevented the cars from going out too early.

After the weather intervened during our Portugal test, this was our first real chance to give the TF109 a run in dry conditions. The fog held us up briefly at the start but it wasn’t a major problem. We did a lot of set-up work and in the end we found a good direction.

The car felt quite consistent so this is already a positive sign. We got through a lot of laps so this was an encouraging start to the test. Timo Glock.

Jerez Test Day One Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m19.660s	104 Laps
2.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m22.177s	61 Laps
3.	Nico Hulkenberg Williams	1m22.443s	82 Laps
4.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m22.643s	58 Laps
5.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m23.313s	35 Laps
Bahrain Test Day One Results Table
1.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m33.501s	82 Laps
2.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m33.615s	98 Laps
3.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m33.702s	95 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez & Bahrain Tests Day One: Buemi & Glock Lead

Not only is Toyota a Japanese motor manufacturer, but the company also owns the very circuit Formula One is tearing up right now, so whether or not Timo’s lap was corporate remains a mystery, but let’s just say it isn’t the first time the squad have fuelled a car light in Japan to please the sponsors. Although, the team have clearly improved this season, and Glock has been driving superbly well recently.

That was a good day. This was the first time I have driven at the Fuji Speedway so I had to learn the track this morning. It didn’t take too long – two or three laps, but it’s not an easy circuit. It’s especially difficult to find the right compromise for the long high speed straight and the last sector which is very technical.

But we sorted out a lot of stuff and we brought everything together for the second practice, which went well. I had a nice lap near the beginning of the session and it’s great for the team to end up quickest on Friday here in Japan.

So far I’m happy and it would be nice to keep the position like this for the whole weekend. That will obviously be difficult but hopefully the local fans will give us an extra boost. Timo Glock.

Team mate Jarno Trulli also improved from his morning practice times, getting his TF108 into tenth. Fernando Alonso in the Renault was second by the close of play, the Singapore Grand Prix winner having bolted on a set of softs and narrowly missed out the top spot by running wide around a corner.

McLaren and Ferrari slipped down the tables, but I imagine this is of little concern to either team. Lewis Hamilton went third, Felipe Massa fourth, Kimi Raikkonen fifth and Heikki Kovalainen mixed it up on the midfield with ninth. Local hero Kazuki Nakajima improved on his morning time, ending his day in seventh and once again ahead of his more experienced team mate Nico Rosberg.

Adrian Sutil has enjoyed a good start to his weekend, the concert pianist finishing in eleventh before lunch, and sixteenth after. Giancarlo Fisichella, on the other hand, went from twentieth to eighteenth. David Coulthard improved, although it was only from nineteenth to seventeenth. Honda also remain towards the rear of the pack.

The difference between Glock’s fastest lap and Fisichella’s fastest lap was 1.616s, showing the field was closer together after lunch. In fact, Mark Webber and Kazuki Nakajima set exactly the same laptime, the Australian getting there first and therefore being awarded the higher position. It isn’t that unusual for two drivers in different teams to set the same time to within a thousandth of a second; qualifying for Jerez in 1997 saw three drivers equal on pace at the front of the grid.

The busiest driver of the afternoon was Jarno Trulli, setting 45 lap times, and least active was Sebastian Vettel, only completing 23 tours of Fuji Speedway. The drivers will reconvene for qualifying tomorrow.

Fuji 2008: Friday Free Practice Two

Original article by BlogF1.

Fuji 2008: Friday Afternoon Practice

Toyota went to the stewards upon completion of the race to lodge their protest, but shortly later after the stewards had examined the video evidence and interviewed both drivers, they have decided not to take any action. Therefore, Sebastian Vettel will keep his fifth-place finish, and the points gap between the two teams will remain at 15.

Original article by BlogF1.

Toyota Lodge Protest Against STR, Stewards Throw It Out

The stewards spoke to both drivers after the incident and despite pleas from Heidfeld, citing his moment with Sebastien Bourdais in Hungary three weeks ago as a similar altercation that led to the French driver receiving a five grid-slot penalty. However, the stewards feel no action should be taken on Glock and the matter has been dropped.

The Stewards after hearing the explanation of both the competitors representatives and the drivers decided that the incident requires no further action. Steward’s Statement.

I didn’t get to watch qualifying so I cannot comment as I usually do and offer opinion. However, if you did see the incident, feel free to say if the stewards are right, or if Heidfeld has been hard-done by.

Original article by BlogF1.

Glock Gets Heidfeld’s Finger, But Escapes Penalty

It was relatively clear that Timo’s rear right suspension gave way, and this explains why the back of the car dropped and pivoted around in the way that it did. However, suspension failures don’t happen all that often these days; the rules regarding strength of these parts are pretty stringent given that they only tend to fail at high speeds.

The cause of the failure in this case has been put down to a trackrod that was carried over from the previous British Grand Prix. During the Silverstone event the part had been damaged, but overlooked during the team’s usual inspections following each race.

This [investigation] initially established that a rear toelink (trackrod) gave way causing Timo to lose control of the car.

Further investigation has established that damage sustained in the British Grand Prix two weeks earlier was the cause. During that race Timo suffered several incidents.

As a result of this investigation, Toyota Motorsport has revised its inspection processes to include such cases and is extremely confident there will be no repeat. Toyota Press Statement.

While it is good that Toyota have discovered the fault and are adjusting their processes to ensure this doesn’t happen again, you can’t help but wonder why it has taken a potentially dangerous accident for this to have happened? Surely the processes each team go through should be inspected themselves every now and then to ensure that every member of staff and every checklist is maintained accordingly.

This incident has also caused some other drivers to question the governing body’s approach, most notably (read: exclusively) Red Bull Racing and David Coulthard. Earlier in the season Coulthard was involved a number of clashes with other cars and kerbs. During these relatively minor incidents the Scot’s RB4 appeared to disintegrate somewhat unnaturally. The FIA forced an inspection of the Adrian Newey-designed car to test it’s strength in a few key areas.

I didn’t hear of any investigation into the structural integrity of the Toyota – but presumably that will happen because when we had a suspension breakage in Malaysia we came under the spotlight of the FIA in a way that was publicly uncomfortable for the team. David Coulthard.

As Sidepodcast point out, the structural integrity of the Toyota appeared to withstand the incident better than the Red Bull’s, especially considering that Coulthard ran over a kerb in Malaysia and destroyed his car, and Glock pounded a wall very hard, but managed to get out and still recognise his TF108.

Either way, Glock was released from hospital on Monday shortly after being admitted and got back into the car on Thursday for a day’s testing at Jerez.

Original article by BlogF1.

Damaged Trackrod Caused Glock’s Accident

DSQ For Rubens

Rubens Barrichello has been disqualified from his sixth-place finish at Albert Park, the penalty being handed out after a string of incidents surrounding one pit stop under the second safety car period. First, Rubens comes ont the pits before they were opened under the safety car. For this infringement the Brazilian received a ten-second stop/go later in the race. Then, as the team were still re-fuelling his Honda, the lollipop man stepped aside and indicated to Barrichello to go. With the fuel hose still attached the refueller was knocked down, although thankfully escaped injury. And to top off the terrible pit stop, Barrichello then left the pit lane while the red lights were on. It was the latter infringement that caused his disqualification, although speaking immediately after the race Rubens denied any knowledge of the lights being red.

The signs from the weekend show that this car has great potential and the guys back at the factory have done a fantastic job over the last few weeks on its development. It was good to complete a full race distance to increase our understanding of the car. We’ll now look forward to Malaysia and optimising the performance of the car there. Rubens Barrichello.

His optimism is shared by many in the paddock and the Honda does appear to be much improved over last year’s RA107. Now Ross Brawn needs to shake the team into order to prevent errors in pitstops. Rubens’s disqualification improves Nakajima to sixth, Sebastien Bourdais to seventh and Kimi Raikkonen to eighth.

Kazuki Nakajima Receives Penalty

Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima has been given a penalty after his accident with Robert Kubica during the final safety car period at Albert Park. The race stewards have decided to give the Japanese driver a ten grid-slot penalty at the next race in Malaysia, justified by the silly accident that could have been avoided. The coming together meant Kubica had to retire from a points-paying position while Nakajima was able to continue and pit for a new nose.

Glock’s Car Should Never Have Launched Like It Did

Timo Glock’s accident needs investigating (and undoubtedly is) because his Toyota was launched into the air in a peculiar manner. Although accidents are bound to happen when cars are travelling at 140mph, Glock’s TF108 appeared to launch off a bump in the grass as it joined a service road. The resulting air-time for Timo meant the German became a passenger, having no control over a car that isn’t in contact with the ground. Thankfully for Timo, his car came back down on the track and bottomed out. The resulting spins helped to shed some of the speed before the back-end lightly thudded the wall. Glock was only winded and he got away with it, but the FIA need to look into bumps and sharp gradients like these at other circuits, particularly on the exits of corners and surrounding run-off areas.

Skill Is Rewarded, Mistakes Are Punished

The words of Martin Brundle sum up my thoughts on the lack of traction control. And boy, did it contribute to a great race. We saw spins, drivers out-braking themselves, silly errors and experienced drivers ending up in the gravel traps. The lack of engine-braking caused a few risky up the inside moves and I don’t think I can remember when a race has had as much sharing of rubber.

So many drivers made errors on the dusty track, even reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen visited the kitty litter twice during the race. I loved seeing the cars slide and the drivers having to work hard in the cockpits. And the result was quite unexpected. Lewis Hamilton leads the championship from BMW driver Nick Heidfeld and a very happy Nico Rosberg for Williams. The extra point that Nakajima received after Barrichello’s disqualification promoted Williams into second in the constructors while Ferrari languish in sixth with Kimi’s single point.

Original article by BlogF1.

Australia 2008: Update & Thoughts

Adrian Sutil will be starting from the pitlane having damaged the underside of his chassis during qualifying yesterday. The German spun over the kerbs and Force India have had to rebuild his car for the race. As Sutil was ony meant to start from nineteenth his punishment isn’t too bad, although the rules state that he can only leave the pitlane once all the cars have passed, effectively making Sutil last at the start of the first lap.

Timo Glock has received a couple of penalties, something he doesn’t fully agree with. His gearbox had to be replaced just prior to qualifying, meaning a five-place grid-slot penalty landed his way. And then after qualifying, the stewards awarded the German with another five-place demotion for impeding Mark Webber.

Glock wasn’t the only driver facing the stewards though, as Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button were asked to explain why they set quick laps while the yellow flags were waving. The four escaped with only a reprimand though and will start in their qualifying positions.

And for those watching the race with the a computer to hand, you might want to check out F1Fanatics live blogging of the event. Fellow blogger Keith has organised a way for people to converse while the action is happening on the track. Along with Duncan from vee8, I’ll be helping Keith out with the show and judging from the qualifying event, it should be a lot of fun. You don’t need to sign up for an account or anything, just head on over, type your name into the box and start talking with like-minded fans. Details are below.

That’s just about it. The pre-punished grid can be seen here. Just remember Sutil is starting from the pitlane and Glock is now in nineteenth. Hopefully I’ll see you all an hour or so. I’m off to warm up the espresso maker and get comfy on the sofa.

Original article by BlogF1.

Australia 2008: Pre-Race Updates

Nelson Piquet Jr

Son of former world champion Nelson Piquet, Junior has grown up around motor racing. Initially living with his mother in Monaco, Nelson moved to Brazil to be with his father when his was still young. It was the time spent in Brazil, learning about the culture and language, that Nelson started to gain interest in his fathers previous job.

With substantial backing from Piquet Sr, Junior started competing and rose through the ranks like any other driver, occasionally receiving a helping hand from his dad (he set up a GP2 team). Eventually Piquet Jr found himself in a testing role at Renault, helping out regular drivers Kovalainen and Fisichella. Piquet Jr actually took this job from Heikki Kovalainen who was promoted himself in 2007. Piquet was similarly promised, allegedly, a race seat for 2008. And sure enough, Flavio Briatore promoted his new young driver and Piquet Jr partners double world champion Fernando Alonso this year.

It is unknown just how the young Brazilian will fair at Renault, Alonso having gained a reputation for being not the greatest of team mates. Perhaps it is wrong to judge a man’s character on one year, but if Alonso has succeeded in gaining number one status at Renault, this will not help Piquet in the slightest.

Of course, Nelson could blow the Spaniard away this year. After all, he only just missed out of the 2006 GP2 title to Lewis Hamilton who faired well in the McLaren during his maiden season. A lot of Piquet’s pace will also come down to the car. The R27 was a bit of a handful, and while it has surely improved, we won’t know exactly how good it is until qualifying in Melbourne.

Sebastien Bourdais

Sebastien is currently a world champion. His current trophy complements the other three he has on his mantelpiece. But for Bourdais though, the Champ Car World Series is not enough, and for a very long time the French driver has dreamed of adding the Formula One drivers trophy to his collection.

Bourdais has tested Formula One cars in the past, once with Arrows, who went under before Bourdais could be signed. His second test came with Renault, but contractual complications got in the way and Sebastien chose to remain in America. It is alleged that Bourdais’s Renault contract hinged on Flavio Briatore getting a signature on a management contract as well; something Sebastien did not want.

Not giving up though, Sebastien came over to Europe a few times last year to test with Scuderia Toro Rosso, and after a falling out with their current drivers, Gerhard Berger and Franz Tost signed the Frenchman for 2008. It seems strange that a CCWS world champion would sign for a midfield team, flying in the face of previous crossovers like Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya who both joined Williams initially. But I feel this proves just how much Bourdais wants to be in Formula One. He’s completed CCWS and really there is only F1 left of the single-seater classes.

How will he fair? With difficulty. STR are starting the season with last year’s chassis, albeit modified to fit with the changes in regulations. The STR2 finished 2007 quite strong though; it was clear how Red Bull had improved the chassis during the season. And to top it all off, I have a feeling Sebastien could be spending a couple of seasons at STR before being promoted to Red Bull to replace David Coulthard. Which, if the master-plan goes accordingly, would be when they finally combine a reliable and fast car together.

Kazuki Nakajima

The second Japanese driver to grace the grid this year will be Nakajima, another child of a former Formula One driver. Unlike Piquet though, Nakajima purposefully distanced himself from his father during his progressive years in lower formulae. Instead of teaming up with Honda, as his father did, Kazuki signed for Toyota, the result being a drive for the Toyota-powered Williams in 2008.

Kazuki has already completed his first race though, driving in the Brazilian Grand Prix last year. Alex Wurz, the team’s full-time driver retired early, allowing Williams to fully assess Nakajima’s ability before waving a contract in front of his face. The cynic in me says that Wurz was asked to retire early in order for Kazuki to get some practice in, the Japanese driver I feel already having a contract in place thanks to pressures from Toyota.

Either way, Nakajima has already got the most difficult hurdle out of the way, and aside from running over his pit crew, Kazuki’s maiden race went quite well. His lap times were good, his control wasn’t bad. All in all, it wasn’t a bad effort, although being partnered to Nico Rosberg may put Nakajima in the shade a little. Williams have placed a lot of faith in Kazuki though, a decision I’m sure they wouldn’t have taken if they were unsure.

Timo Glock

Toyota have another new driver this season (aside from Nakajima in the Williams), but Timo Glock isn’t as fresh-faced as you might think. Back in 2004 the German driver raced for Jordan when Giorgio Pantano stepped aside. It was only one race, but Glock immediately showed decent pace in the under-powered car and, thanks to some disqualifications, actually scored points on his debut.

Timo returned to the same car for the remaining three races that year, although no more points came due to a slow down in the car’s development and less luck on his side. His performances though should have brought Timo a race drive for 2005, but alas it did not. Instead, Glock went to America to drive in the CCWS, enjoying moderate success and finishing the year in 8th.

A return to Europe in 2006 and participation in GP2 was the plan for Glock. With GP2 being the feeder series to Formula One, the plan was to have another crack at getting into motor sport’s pinnacle series. His first season was dominated by Lewis Hamilton and Nelson Piquet Jr, but Glock managed two wins and finished in fourth. In 2007, the title was his with four wins and an eleven point margin to his nearest rival. Glocks’s 2007 campaign was dove-tailed with testing duties with BMW, but towards the end of the year Toyota made an approach and Timo signed. There were some contractual complications involved, but BMW were eventually forced to let Glock go.

2008 will see the German’s second chance at competing in Formula One, and he really has to make it stick this time around. Few drivers are ever given a second chance, and although Timo perhaps didn’t deserve to be without a drive in 2005, he needs to make sure he has one for 2009. But with his previous experience and testing with BMW, Glock should hit the ground running. He’ll probably get thrashed in qualifying, team mate Jarno Trulli being quite spectacular over one lap. During the races though, Glock has every chance of challenging Trulli and taking the fight to his experienced team mate.

Original article by BlogF1.

F12008: The Rookies

Last year was not Toyota’s finest moment, the team failing to step on the podium and only scoring a rather miserable 13 points, the third worst in the squad’s history. Their highest finishing position was two sixth places, one for Jarno Trulli at Indianapolis and one for Ralf Schumacher in Hungary. The overall pace of the TF107 was pretty poor to say the least and the majority of points earned were largely thanks to the remarkable qualifying charges of Trulli. The development of the 2008 machine, launched early in January and named the TF108, has been described by the drivers with some contradiction, with comments ranging from possible podiums to we have a lot of work still to do.

The Drivers

Speaking of drivers, Toyota have a new face in their team for 2008, namely Timo Glock. Timo has driven briefly in Formula One in the past, racing in the 2004 Canadian grand prix for Jordan. His debut went well, finishing in eleventh on the track, but later promoted to seventh following Williams’s and Toyota’s disqualification. Glock then returned the seat to regular driver Giorgio Pantano, but was asked to drive once again for the final three races of the year. No more points came to the German, but the experience gained was valuable and Timo looked good to get a drive for 2005. Oddly though, a drive didn’t come and Glock went to America to race in Champ Car, winning the Rookie Of The Year award. However, missing European racing and wanting a chance to return to Formula One Timo returned to the UK in 2006 and competed in GP2. By the end of 2007, Glock had tested well for BMW and also took the GP2 championship in style.

So once again Timo has been given the opportunity to flex his driving muscles in Formula One, and given his reasonably successful path to the sport, one would have to say that he has a good chance of impressing. However, his career hangs with the competitiveness of the car; if the TF108 turns out to be a dog, Timo’s abilities will be overshadowed and he could lose out once again.

Partnering Glock will be Formula One veteran Jarno Trulli. The Italian out-scored his 2007 team mate Ralf Schumacher, despite the German winning more races in his career. The punishing difference of points and attitude allowed Jarno to stand out better, despite only scoring a paltry eight points. Trulii’s position in the squad isn’t guaranteed though as shown by the indecision in the team over the winter. When others were busy announcing plans for 2008, Toyota remained eerily silent, the reason becoming clear when it became apparent they were chasing Fernando Alonso. Failing to gain a signature from the Spaniard, Trulli was retained by the team for another year. After 2008 though, his position will surely be under question with so many young talented hopefuls desperate to get a chance in F1.

The Car

The TF108 is performing worryingly similar to the hopeless TF107, suggesting little has been pushed forward in comparison to the other teams. While the new car has been said to be more drivable, the testing times so far have put them largely towards the bottom of the timing sheets. A couple of surprising performances have come from the tests, but these were likely done with low fuel loads.

The Prediction

Unfortunately, I really cannot see Toyota performing any better than last year. While the car probably has improved, the other squads surrounding them have also improved. Red Bull have been working on reliability and Scuderia Toro Rosso finished strong in Japan and China in 2007. Williams look to have made a sizable step forward, notably being powered by none other than Toyota engines. I really cannot see Toyota earning much more than 15 points in 2008. They’ll probably keep themselves above Force India and Super Aguri should they make it to the Australian grid. They may get pass STR again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Toyota went backwards a little.

Original article by BlogF1.

F12008: Toyota

Scuderia Toro Rosso completed a productive test with their old car, Sebastien Bourdais finishing Wednesday in fourth. The fast pace from both cars was broken though with Sebastian Vettel not managing any better than fourteenth and last. And the other Ferrari powered cars finished the day in fifth and eighth for Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen respectively.

Adrian Sutil ran in last years Spyker, branded in Force India colours while Nico Hulkenberg and Kazuki Nakajima took the two interim Williams out to develop parts for their new car. Although Hulkenberg did embarrass himself slightly by causing the most red flags of the day, running off the circuit three times.

And finally, following the low-key launch at the start of the day, Red Bull Racing let David Coulthard out in the only new car the team have at the moment while Mark Webber was forced to chug around in the RBR3 from 2007. Coulthard completed a healthy 54 laps shaking down the RBR4 but could only manage a 1m22.581s, 0.2s slower than Webber in the old version of the machine.

Super Aguri didn’t manage to complete the final day of the test due to waiting for spare parts to arrive from the factory. Their SA07 was suffering overheating issues yesterday, so Anthony Davidson was forced to sit on the pitwall while the team coordinated the delivery of components. Unfortunately, their cargo was diverted from Gibraltar to Malaga at the last minute. The team member then hot-footed it towards the circuit only to find the main motorway was closed for roadworks. The parts didn’t arrive in time and Super Aguri sat out the final session.

Most teams are returning to their home bases this evening, although Renault are staying on for an extra day in order to give World Series winner Alvaro Parente a chance to test as a reward for his achievement.

Jerez Test Day Three Times

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez Test Day Three: Glock Surprises With Fastest Lap

The aerodynamic concept of this car has changed. The TF107 was an evolution of the TF106 but this time the new package is a departure from recent Toyotas.

The primary aerodynamic design philosophy for the TF108 is geared towards optimising the entire package to minimise balance and downforce changes throughout a lap, thereby producing a more driveable, aerodynamically robust car.

In addition to the aerodynamic philosophy, another fundamental change is the wheelbase, which is longer.

I am pleased to say the TF108 is on target, the aerodynamic efficiency and associated performance metrics continue to improve rapidly, but of course the real test will come when it runs on the track.

Personally, I believe the target should be to fight systematically for the podium in 2008. Next year we should aim to achieve what BMW Sauber achieved in 2007, which was to be the best of the rest. Pascal Vasselon.

Big words from Vasselon there, but I fear he has set his targets a little too high. The last time a Toyota driver stood on the podium was Australia 2006 at the third round, and before then the squad achieved three thirds in 2005.

New driver to Toyota Timo Glock was equally optimistic, and says that his time spent away from Formula One shouldn’t hurt his chances at hitting the ground running.

Even though I have not raced in Formula One since 2004, I have tested quite regularly so I expect it will take very little time for me to get back in the groove. I want to have the most successful season possible. I aim to be consistent and to help the team move upwards. My first goal will be to regularly challenge for points and I believe we will be able to do that. Timo Glock.

Jarno Trulli also stated that he felt podiums were a possibility in 2008, but the Italian is likely to be facing his final year at Toyota if he cannot find some pace out of the car and fight for points on a regular basis.

Finishing on the podium is always possible and . Obviously we have to be careful and not be unrealistic – Formula One is a very hard sport so we cannot expect to suddenly be right at the top.

We have to be modest and say that we have some work to do to catch up with the very top teams but I think we can bounce back and score points regularly if we do a good job over the winter time. This means we can expect to fight for podiums sometimes.

We know we still have a lot of work to do to achieve our aims but there is certainly the potential within this team to be successful in Formula One. I am optimistic for the future. Jarno Trulli.

Photographs Of The TF108

Original article by BlogF1.

Toyota TF108: More Information & Photos

As usual, the squad were buoyant and spoke of returning to competitive ways, hyping up the TF108 as a significant improvement over last years poor showing.

We have to perform significantly better than in 2007. I believe we have the same level of hardware and resources as the top teams, we simply need to keep pushing to improve the total package. John Howett.

Of course, our ultimate target is the middle step of the podium – we are in Formula 1 to win and we want to do that soon. Our clear target in 2008 is to make a big improvement in our results because we were not satisfied with our performance last year. We expect to have a truly competitive car so our drivers should be aiming to finish in the points regularly and challenging for the podium. Tadashi Yamashina.

The new car features a bridged front wing like McLaren, having passed on their moustache nose to Ferrari. The car looks reasonably straight forward with few flourishes to disturb the lines. It does however, look much like every other Toyota I’ve seen, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be good. The team are due to commence testing on Sunday 13th January with a simple roll out and shakedown before heading out to Jerez for the first test session of the year..

Photographs Of The TF108

Original article by BlogF1.

Toyota TF108: Launch & Photos

The BMW Master Plan

BMW have been speaking lots this week, be it the announcement of drivers who will take part in the December test at Jerez, or their drivers remaining cautious about the 2008 campaign. Following a steady growth over the past two years, the Swiss-German team are surely on the brink of winning a couple of races next year, but lead driver Nick Heidfeld is trying not to get carried away.

Looking ahead to the coming season you have to admit that the time gap still is a rather big one. We always held the position behind the two top teams while remaining ahead of the others. This was fantastic for 2007, but catching up half a second in 2008 won’t be a walk in the park. We are positive about being able to realise the goals we have set ourselves. Nick Heidfeld.

The already spoken plan from Hinwil is to win races in 2008 before mounting a serious challenge for the title in 2009. And providing BMW can continue with their current pace of development, I wouldn’t bet against them doing just that.

Glock, Asmer & Villa

Continuing with BMW, they have allowed Timo Glock to be released from his contract early in order for him to test with his new team Toyota, before Christmas. The German had signed a deal with the Japanese squad while still under contract with BMW, but after the CRB got involved, Glock was allowed to leave at the end of the year. However, the young GP2 champion will be able to get some mileage under his belt earlier than expected thanks to the kind heart of those at the German marque’s helm. Glock will not be able to take part in any media related events though, and will wear unbranded overalls and helmet in Spain next week, much like Fernando Alonso did with McLaren last year.

Glock will drive on all four days of the test while new Toyota test driver Kamui Kobayashi will share the time with expected full-time driver Jarno Trulli.

Also, BMW have announced that they will run British F3 champion Marco Asmer and GP2 competitor Javier Villa in Jerez next week. Both youngsters will drive on the first day and Marco will return on the final day in a bid to secure the role of test driver for the squad.

I’m A Celebrity Racing Driver, Get Me Out Of Here…

Reality US TV show Dancing With The Stars has been won by Brazilian driver Helio Castroneves. The Indy Car driver beat British pop singer Melanie Brown to the title, and the finale was broadcast to 22.8 million viewers. However, despite winning the Mirror Ball Trophy, Castroneves hasn’t had the best of weeks when rumours were finally confirmed that his engagement to Miami-based business executive Aliette Vazquez had been called off. Helio and Aliette had been together for six years.

Also due to make a TV appearance is British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. The young McLaren charger will chat with Jeremy Clarkson on the ever-popular Top Gear show, due to be broadcast on Sunday evening at 8pm GMT. Although Hamilton missed out on the 2007 title, he will attempt to drive the Suzuki Liani around the Dunsfold test track in the fastest time, hopefully beating previous attempts by Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Mark Webber. And of course, the benchmark time of 1m44.4s set by The Stig.

Felipe Gets Hitched

And lastly, but by no means least, Ferrari pilot Felipe Massa has married his partner Rafaela Bassi in Brazil. Massa, who is five years Bassi’s junior, was married in front of 800 guests at Igreja Nossa Senhora do Brasil church in Sao Paulo. Rubens Barrichello and Antonio Pizzonia were present, as were a few Ferrari employees as well, including Jean Todt, Luca Baldisserri, Mario Almondo, Stefano Domenicali, Luca Colajanni and Aldo Costa. Son of Jean Todt and manager of Felipe, Nicolas Todt was also in attendance.

Congratulations to Felipe and Rafaela.

Original article by BlogF1.

News Round-up: Testing Times, TV Shows & Wedding Bells

The driver’s market is still up in the air at the moment, and even Jarno Trulli’s contract is apparently not set in stone yet as the Japanese team are awaiting Fernando Alonso’s decision. Everything, it seems, is resting on the Spaniard’s shoulders. However, it is unlikely that Alonso will drive for Toyota, not impossible, but unlikely. And after everything Timo and Toyota have been through with the CRB, the GP2 champion is also likely to be officially signed. It is thought an announcement could be made at a motorsport event in Tokyo next week where the motor manufacturing company will be present.

Timo has previously raced in Formula One, completing four races for the Jordan team in 2004. The German driver started well, finishing in seventh in his first race at Circuit Gilles Vileneuve in Canada. However, when he returned later in the year, Timo could only manage three 15th place finishes in the final trio of races. To be fair, 15th was about all the Jordan could manage at the time. Those two points earned in Canada though were important, and they probably helped Glock to remain in the back of many a team owner’s mind.

Unfortunately though, a contract wasn’t gifted to the driver in 2005 and he went to America to compete in Champ Car. Collecting 202 points and finishing 8th in the overall standings, Glock did well, but the itch to race in Europe continued and in 2006 he returned to compete in GP2. Two wins and a flurry of points set him up good for 2007 where the absence of the dominating-Hamilton meant Glock could serenely cruise to the title with iSport. Timo did suffer a few retirements (and I’m sure it wasn’t as easy as he made it out to be), but the wins in between assured him of the title.

Original article by BlogF1.

Timo Glock To Partner Jarno Trulli At Toyota?

Kubica suffered concussion as well, but doctors say that he may be released later today. BMW have said that they will not make a decision regarding the US Grand Prix next weekend until Thursday. Obviously, they would like to run Robert in the second car, and undoubtedly, Robert would also like to drive. But concussion can be serious, particularly if the Pole suffers another shunt at Indianapolis. The German team could run either Timo Glock or Sebastian Vettel in replacement for Kubica, but the team will wait until the last moment to decide in case Robert is given the all clear to race.

Original article by BlogF1.

Robert Kubica Crashes At 180mph And Suffers Sprained Ankle