Heidfeld and Kubica optimistic before the first race

Pre season testing has gone really well for the BMW Sauber team, with the F107 showing good pace altough with some small troubles in terms of reliability.

Ahead of the season start in Australia, Nick Heidfeld is aiming for his best season in F1 and hopes that the BMW Sauber team can achieve fourth position in the championship.

“Even if we managed to dramatically improve our points tally and remained 5th – that wouldnt be too bad either” - Heidfeld stated on the official BMW Sauber site. “Personally, I hope to improve my best position in the F1 to date – that was an 8th place in the classification. I would be happy if we achieve that.”

Team mate Robert Kubica is now more upbeat about his own chances. The rookie had experienced difficulties adapting to the new spec tyres supplied by Bridgestone early on with the F107. Now however, he says that the problems are firmly behind him.

“You have to adapt your driving style,” said polish driver. “But I feel this is already behind us now. I drive more smoothly with less steering angle and it is fine.”

Red Bull launches RB3 – modestly ;)

In the modest launch so far this winter, Red Bull unveiled the Adrian Newey designed RB3 on a chilly morning at Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.

Without the glamour of McLaren event or even spectators within sight, mechanics for the Milton Keynes based squad simply rolled the curvy car into the Barcelona pitlane shortly before 9am for photographers to snap.

With a lower and thinner nose and distinctly McLaren esque curvy side pods, the car was later taken onto the circuit by Mark Webber, who has joined Red Bull from Williams to be veteran David Coulthard’s new teammate.

Also present at the launch were Newey and team boss Christian Horner, both wearing heavy winter jackets, as well as Renault’s Rob White, representing RedBull’s new engine supplier.

The Red Bull designers started with a clean sheet of paper with the new Renault powered RB3. The design process has been led by Red Bull Technologys Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey, who looks back over the months leading up to launch.

“The car looks great” – stated David Coulthard – “we probably won’t beat Ferrari but we will be very strong. I’d expect us to cause some trouble to teams like BMW Sauber or Honda.”

Green power

With the environment having becoming kind of a buzzword in F1 today, in recent months, Honda may be about to do their bit for making the sport a little greener – by establishing a clean image that may well hint at the teams future image.

Honda have already admitted they will enter a new era in 2007 when they shed the corporate red, white and black livery design that was conveniently ideally suited to both the brand of the team and its primary sponsor BAT, with Nick Fry hinting at a radical redesign.

Indeed, with BAT going away from the sport in light of harsher tobacco advertising guidelines, Honda are expected to use it as a chance to change their image and this could involve adopting a green ethos that will stretch to the livery design of the forthcoming RA 107.

Much of this direction change is thought to be down to Simon Fuller, whose “19 Entertainment” company has been managing the teams image since last year, although only now is the mogul beginning to make his substantial presence felt.

In an interview with MW, Fuller cites F1 as not having a strong enough youth demographic and believes the greater awareness of the environment is a perfect way for the sport to tap into this age group.

Several strategies are in the pipeline, including using solar energy through the paddock at race meetings, but the most obvious change in the immediate future will be Honda potentially reverting to a green colour scheme to promote their cause in a year that is expected to see the Japanese brand forge ahead with various forms of environmentally friendly concepts in various markets.

The move will put Honda ahead of the FIAs targets too, with the governing body insisting going environmental is one of their key issues for the future, with renewable energy throughout the sport set to be introduced within the next 5 years.

Jerez Testing

Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen set the fastest lap at Jerez today, the Finn enjoying a gap of nearly half a second over Luca Badoer who finished second at the wheel of his Ferrari.

Honda drivers Christian Klien and James Rossiter were 3rd and 4th fastest respectively, followed by Giancarlo Fisichella in 5th position.

Champ Car driver Sebastien Bourdais drove for Toro Rosso, his first Formula 1 test in years. The Frenchman finished at the bottom of the time sheets, 0.678 slower than regular STR driver Tonio Liuzzi.

Kazui Nakajima completed another day of testing at Williams and achieved a respectable best time of 1.20.859.

All the teams were in action today, except for Spyker F1.

Time sheet:

1. H. Kovalainen – Renault – 1′19″467 – 112 laps
2. L. Badoer – Ferrari – 1′19″901 (+0″434) – 78 laps
3. C. Klien – Honda – 1′20″005 (+0″538) – 122 laps
4. J. Rossiter – Honda – 1′20″016 (+0″549) – 97 laps
5. G. Fisichella – Renault – 1′20″104 (+0″637) – 100 laps
6. P. de la Rosa – McLaren – 1′20″125 (+0″658) – 110 laps
7. F. Massa – Ferrari – 1′20″160 (+0″693) – 74 laps
8. N. Heidfeld – BMW Sauber – 1′20″209 (+0″742) – 83 laps
9. J. Trulli – Toyota – 1′20″244 (+0″777) – 93 laps
10. F. Montagny – Toyota – 1′20″493 (+1″026) – 55 laps
11. G. Paffett – McLaren – 1′20″541 (+1″074) – 88 laps
12. S. Vettel – BMW Sauber – 1′20″575 (+1″108) – 94 laps
13. K. Nakajima – Williams – 1′20″859 (+1″392) – 95 laps
14. T. Sato – Super Aguri – 1′20″977 (+1″510) – 121 laps
15. M. Ammermuller – Red Bull – 1′21″371 (+1″904) – 91 laps
16. V. Liuzzi – Toro Rosso – 1′21″843 (+2″376) – 65 laps
17. S. Bourdais – Toro Rosso – 1′22″521 (+3″054) – 80 laps

Formula 1’s future

Please read this very important post. It underlines the changes taht will happen in formula 1 racing in the coming years – both on the sporting and technical front.

2007 – regulations are already published – existing 2.4 litre engine remains frozen.

2008 – regulations as published but possible elimination of aerodynamic appendages (barge boards, winglets, chimneys, etc) forward of rear wheel centreline and behind front wheel centreline (subject to unanimous agreement of competing teams); possible restriction of the use of wind tunnels and/or models for use in wind tunnels and/or test rigs (subject to the consent of a majority of competing teams); (existing 2.4 litre engine remains frozen)

2009 – energy recovery and reuse from braking, 50% reduction of downforce, aerodynamic and other changes to facilitate overtaking existing 2.

2010 – a proportion of waste heat recovered and used to propel the car a proportion of waste energy from exhaust gases recovered and used to propel the car wholly or partially standardised aerodynamics (or, possibly, new rules to encourage road-relevant research into aerodynamics) (existing 2.4 litre engine remains frozen, or, if applicable, four-race drive train remains frozen)

2011 – perhaps a new four-race engine including – high-efficiency turbocharging – fuel (energy) flow limits – direct injection – downsizing so as to ensure very high (15000+) rpm – bio fuels (possible freedom to use any bio fuel, with a limited maximum energy flow rate rather than a maximum fuel flow rate) perhaps a new approach to the chassis with – further reductions in downforce – greater emphasis on cornering performance and handling by means of chassis, suspension, and brake management – complete freedom to use electronics to make the car more energy-efficient (drive train, etc, management) – possibly also free up driver-aid electronics materials – limitations on materials to bring them more into line with those used in road cars other road-relevant technologies

Zanardi to drive Kubica’s BMW Sauber

Former Indy Car Champ and F1 racer Alex Zanardi is to return to the Formula One cockpit next month when takes to the Valencia circuit in a modified BMW Sauber F1.06.

Zanardi was fortunate to escape with his life in a horrific Champ Car accident in Germany in 2001, losing his legs in the accident. Since then the Italian has returned to racing with BMW in the Touring Car Championship.

Zanardi will run the F1.06 on November 24th to 26th. “First of all I would like to say thank you to BMW Sauber for this opportunity,” Zanardi told the teams website. “Of course, I know that I wont get a contract with the Formula One team. However, having the chance to drive an Formula 1 racer again is just incredible.”

“Im really excited to see what has changed since my last GP racing in 1999,” Zanardi continued with reference to his season with Williams Racing.
“I can call myself a happy man, as I turned my passion into my profession. I still feel the fire burning in me. Formula One is – and will always be – the pinnacle of motor racing.”

BMW Motorsport Director is happy to give Zanardi a run. “It was rather a joke when he asked me at the beginning of the year, if he could do an F1 test with us,” Mario Theissen said. “We will give him his chance now, the engineers made it possible. I can’t wait to watch his reaction after the test

Massas day, Alonsos title, Schumachers farewell

Felipe Massa brought Brazils 13year wait for a home win at Interlagos to an end with superb performance in the final GP of 2006, while the fortunes of title rivals Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher also held the capacity crowd enthralled.

Even though the Spaniard went into the Brazilian GP needing just a point to clinch a second world title, and Schumacher started only tenth on the grid, there was still tension in the air as the 71 laps got underway, and the atmosphere remained to the end, despite Schumachers race not going to plan.

There was a sense of history repeated as the grid formed up, with two future team-mates lining up alongside each at the front of field. Three years ago, Raikkonen was the man staying put, and gridded alongside McLaren-bound Juan Montoya. This time around, with the Colombian already forging a career in NASCAR, it is the Finn on the move, ready to join poleman Massa.

The feeling of ” I’ve seen it all before” continued as the pack filed into turn one. Although Massa, Raikkonen and, more importantly, Alonso, made it through safely, there was confusion further back, as a Toyota and BMW Sauber rubbed sidepods, causing those behind to take avoiding action or check up earlier and harder than expected. Among those caught out was Mark Webber, the Australian jumping on the anchors and promptly being walloped up the rear by Williams teammate Nico.

The pair continued minus rear and front wing respectively but, where Webber made it back to the pits before being retired, Rosberg underestimated the damage to his car and smacked the wall at the final corner. One year ago, the two whiteandblue cars made contact on lap one, on the start-finish straight, innocent victims of a lunge by David Coulthard.

Rosbergs impact was enough to to see the safety car, although the driver himself appeared unhurt. However, despite five laps at reduced pace while the course workers cleared up the mess, the incident was to have deeper consequences.

The field was released again on lap seven, with the leading order much the same as it had been on the grid. Massa, having made a textbook start, headed Raikkonen, with Jarno Trulli heading Alonso in a repeat of row two. Giancarlo Fisichella had gotten the better of Barrichello to slot in behind his Renault team-mate, but already had Schumacher breathing down his neck, the German clearly possessing more pace than many of those around him.

Temperatures on race day were some four degrees higher than had been expected, and that was thought likely to play into the hands of the Bridgestone runners, especially as some of the leading Michelin cars had based their choice of rubber on the cooler conditions of Saturday. The early running, however, did not bear out the theory, with only Massa, Trulli and Schumacher running strongly for Toyota.

Barrichello held seventh on the restart, just ahead of Honda colleague Jenson Button – already up from 14th on the grid – Ralf Schumacher and the BMW pairing of Kubica and Heidfeld, the two Germans having been those to make contact on lap one.

Having already annexed four places in two racing laps, Schumacher Sr wasn’t hanging around, and soon lined up Fisichella as his next victim. The move came at the start of lap nine, Ferrari diving to the inside of Renault into turn one, having previously lined it up on lap eight. The red machine, however, twitched noticeably as Schumacher braked to complete the move, and Fisichella was back through in a flash. Things were clearly not right with Schumachers mount, the seven-time champion snaking slowly out of the Senna S, its leftrear deflating rapidly.

Initial speculation suggested the two cars had made the briefest of contacts as Fisichella attempted to defend, but later examination showed that the cut in the tyre had been made by debris left over from Rosbergs off. Whatever the cause, however, Schumacher was left to limp almost the entire 4.3km distance back to the pits with his tyre disintegrating. The entire field had passed by the time he made it back to the pits, but the prolonged tour had been worth it as the Ferrari was hardly damaged. The team took the opportunity to refuel as well as fit fresh rubber, leaving Schumacher out of sequence with his rivals, and adding a new twist to a championship battle many expected to have been extinguished.

It remained a tall order for Schumacher, with Alonso apparently comfortable in fourth, and still 19 cars for the German to get through if he was to keep his side of the equation and win the race. His task was eased almost immediately, however, as both Toyotas pulled in to retire within a lap of each other, the victims of identical rear suspension problems.

The sudden exit of the white and red machines elevated Alonso to third, with Fisichella, Barrichello, Button, Kubica and de la Rosa completing the scoring positions, the latter having disposed of Heidfeld. Further back, the Toro Rosso pairing of Scott Speed and Tonio Liuzzi were running respectably, both ahead of David Coulthard and Robert Doornbos, with Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato and Spyker’s Christijan Albers mixing it with the Red Bull cars. DC was not long for the fight, however, complete a quintet of early retirements when he, too, pulled in, this time with gearbox problems that left him without fourth.

Surprisingly, that was it in terms of retirements until eight laps from the end, when Heidfelds first lap brush with Ralf Schumacher finally caught up with him, suspected suspension failure pitching the BMW Sauber into the tyre wall at turn one. With no-one else stopping ahead of him, Schumacher Sr had his work cut out if he was to even sniff an eighth world title…

He may have been retiring at the end of the afternoon, but Schumacher was determined to go out in style. Even if he continued to publicly deny his chances of another individual crown, a constructors’ title for Ferrari was something close to his heart, and he set about his recovery with gusto. The lesser lights proved no match for the German, although some made it a little too easy for him, including the BMW Saubers, and he quickly reduced the 70 seconds deficit to his teammate, who continued to lead – to the delight of the partisan home crowd.

Such was Massas pace out front, that he was 7.5secs up on second-placed Raikkonen five laps after the restart and continued to pull away, a string of fastest laps only interrupted by his equally fired-up team-mate. The Brazilian was among the first to pit, but held his place, eventually emerging ahead of de la Rosa when the cycle played out. The Spaniard, for the record, had opted for a one-stop strategy having started twelfth, and was to drop back to a more representative position mid-race.

As one Spaniard pitted, so another took his place as pursuer-in-chief to the fleeing Massa, Alonso having run later into the race than many of his frontrunning rivals. A solid stop by the Renault crew turned the champion-elect around in quick enough time to get him out ahead of Kimi, who subsequently lost another place to the charging Button, whose Honda was nicely hooked up on the sweeps of Interlagos and showed just what a setback his traction control problems had been in qualifying.

The Briton even had the temerity to take a look at passing Alonso for second into the same first turn that had proved so lucrative against Kimi, but was rebuffed as the Renault driver did his bit to maintain a firm hold on both championships.

That was lap 35, just short of halfdistance, and, while Alonso was coming under pressure, his title rival was still clawing his way back up the order. One lap later, Schumacher passed Heidfeld for eighth, and took only four more to catch and pass the second BMW of Kubica. Again, however, the Ferrari twitched, causing many to catch their breath fearing a second puncture, but the moment was merely a case of Schumi pushing a little too hard and, having had to cede the place back to his Polish opponent, made short work of claiming it back on lap 41.

The chase was halted briefly by Schumachers final stop on lap 48 but, having emerged ahead of de la Rosa – who had earlier gathered quite a train in his wake – the German set about claiming more victims. His first flying lap out of the pits established a new fastest lap, some half second under Massas best to that point, and he was soon past Barrichello for 6th.

Massa, meanwhile, was some 27secs to the good on Alonso as the second round of pit-stops began and, as the pair traded almost identical times while being serviced, the race to the flag resumed with little difference being made to the gap. The Spaniard, however, was being kept honest by Button, and responded in the closing stages to avoid an embarrassing tangle that could have let Schumacher through to an unlikely crown.

The Ferrari man – who would undoubtedly have benefited from a Massa problem should he have found himself in second spot – was doing all he could to put himself in position to reap from any fall-out, catching and passing early nemesis Fisichella on lap 63, despite another bobble a couple of laps earlier that had given the Italian unexpected breathing space. Schumachers pressure eventually proved too much for the Renault man, however, Fisi outbraking himself into turn one and taking to the grass, allowing Schumacher free passage into5th.

The Germans pace was unbeliavable, and Raikkonen had little to offer as the red car loomed larger in his mirrors. The figures of Ferrari present and future ran nose-to-tail for a couple of laps, Schumacher even trying an audacious outside pass at Mergulho, before the older man pulled off one last trademark move, diving late into turn one and braving it out as the gap between rival and wall closed.

The top three were just too far ahead for any more heroics, leaving Schumacher to chase an even faster lap on which to end his illustrious, if occasionally ill-starred, career. Fourth was no good to him in terms of an eighth title, and the puncture -like his Japanese engine failure – had done little to aid Ferrari’s constructors’ championship bid, but Schumacher did his best to redress the balance, eventually helping the Scuderia to close the gap by four points in the final reckoning.

That gap would have been bigger, however, had it not been for the equally stunning performance of the local hero, a driver born not far from the Interlagos estate, Massa had been in imperious form all weekend, claiming pole for Brazil on Saturday, but always wondering if he would have to give best to his retiring team-mate come race day. Instead, he was able to succeed where others – notably one Rubens Barrichello – had failed over the past years, becoming the first Brazilian winner of the Brazilian GP since the late Ayrton in 93.

Victory ensured him of third place in the drivers championship, and a performance such as this will stand him in good stead for the battle with the incoming Raikkonen next season. It was just a shame that Sao Paulo 2006 will always be remembered as Michael Schumachers farewell ;(((((

Sauber confirms Kubica for 2007 !! Great !!

BMW Sauber confirmed today that Robert Kubica will race alongside Nick Heidfeld in 2007. The team also confirmed that Sebastien Vettel will take the role of official test and driver.

Kubica was promoted to the race role following the exit of Jacques Villeneuve after the German Grand Prix. With Kubica promoted, this allowed the team to try Sebastien Vettel who was just as impressive in his Friday role.

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director
“We are very pleased with our drivers and hope we have a good line-up for the future. Nick was already a firm fixture for 2007. He is experienced driver in the team, both in terms of F1 and from the point of view of his relationship with the team. He has raced for us and in 2007 will be contesting his third season for BMW. Robert, before he was signed as a test driver less than a year ago, was an unknown quantity. From the start he made an outstanding impression on his test drives and in the Friday practice sessions. The reward was the switch to a racing cockpit in Budapest, a move that was vindicated when, in only his third grand prix, he made it onto the podium.”

Robert Kubica
“For me to be confirmed as a driver for the team in 2007 proves that in the last 5 races I have done the job expected of me. Although we still have the seasons final race to go, I feel I can start my 2007 season now. It is a good feeling when you know exactly what your racing plans will be and I think any driver who can approach the next season before the current one is finished can really be properly prepared. The experience I have gained this year as a Friday driver up to the Hungarian GP also means that I shall know the tracks from this year we will be racing on and, therefore, have some valuable data for the start of each GP weekend. The BMW Sauber F1 Team has given me a great opportunity and I want to thank Mario Theissen and the team for this.”

Sebastian Vettel
“I’m so happy,” declared . “This is a big step in the right direction. I have always dreamed of sitting in the cockpit of such a fast car on a regular basis. The task that awaits me is clear: I will do everything to help the team as a test driver and to push developments forward. I would like to thank the whole team for the trust they have placed in me, and also for giving me the chance earlier this season of being regularly involved as the Friday driver..”

Winning in the Wet (by Allianz)

Back in the founding years of F1, it was enough to glance up at the sky. Today, the teams invest a large amount of money in the most accurate weather forecasts possible, on which they then base their race strategies. But despite state of the art satellite technology, they are never safe from unpleasant surprises. The approach of a rain front in particular sets off alarm bells with the strategists on the pit wall.

Even in F1, the weather does exactly what it wants to. The job of the meteo gurus is one of the most delicate and thankless in motor racing’s top class. Nature does not always make their job easier, as at the 2004 Japanese GP, when a full-blown typhoon off the coast sent heavy rainstorms across the country and flooded the track. Usually, their work consists of analysing a multitude of weather data and then drawing the correct conclusions. An incorrect forecast can have disastrous effects on the cars’ performance during racing.

The recommendations the meteorologists pass on to their teams’ strategists must take into account not only performance but also safety – on a wet circuit, the usual conditions are turned entirely on their head. “If it rains,” says Mark Webber, “you’re under much more pressure.” If it starts to rain during the race, the drivers have to adjust to impaired visibility and other changed conditions within seconds.

How late can I brake? Should I race around the puddles? And most importantly: how much grip there is? The rubber build-up which improves the cars’ grip along the racing line is often washed away when it rains. As a consequence, the cars are more likely to slip and the drivers more likely to make a mistake.

In normal traffic, drivers also need to be aware of additional hazards when driving on wet roads. “Above a speed of roughly 70 kilometres an hour, a water depth of only a couple of millimetres is enough to reduce the tyres’ grip to less than 20 percent,” Dr Christoph Lauterwasser of the Allianz Centre for Technology explains.

The water gets in between the tyres and the tarmac and in extreme cases the tyre actually begins to skate across the water, resulting in aquaplaning. The water therefore needs to be displaced through the grooves and channels of the tyre’s tread. Lauterwasser says: “At higher speeds, each tyre moves a body of water corresponding to several bucketfuls every second. That can only work if the tyre tread has sufficient depth. This should be at least three to four millimetres, which for wider tyres is the absolute minimum in wet conditions.”

When the F1 weather forecasters predict rain, the strategists on the pit wall start doing some serious thinking. The fact that the conditions during rainfall rarely remain constant, often changing from one minute to the next, poses a particularly difficult challenge. They need to determine the difference in lap times amid the changing conditions and then pinpoint the precise moment at which it will make sense to change from dry-weather tyres to intermediates or full wets – and vice-versa once the track begins to dry again. “It’s during the latter phase of drying that races are decided, as the lap times improve very quickly,” says Sam Michael, Technical Director for the Williams Team.

The regulations of F1 offer various options for reacting to rainy weather. If it begins to rain just before the start, for example, the race director can abort the starting procedure, thereby providing the teams with the opportunity to change the tyres. In heavy rain, he can order a flying start following a lap behind the safety car or postpone the start of the race. Should the conditions on the track become too dangerous because it begins to rain, or because the rain becomes heavier, he has the option of sending out the safety car. The teams can then change to intermediates or full wets. If that is not sufficient to ensure the drivers’ safety, the race can be aborted or restarted later.

While the teams used to have a lot of options for adjusting the cars to rain, the changes to the set-up allowed today are minimal: the cars must start the race with the same set-up used during qualifying. Nevertheless, the teams always make preparations for a possible wet weather race before every GP, even though serious changes to the basic set-up only make sense if it is absolutely certain it will be raining throughout the entire race, which is rare. According to the stats, F1 only ever experiences a pure wet-weather race once every 10 years.

Heidfeld moans about Kubica

BMW Saubers Nick Heidfeld is frustrated about the media buzz surrounding his new teammate Robert Kubica.

Although the German has a secure contract for the next season, he told in an interview that he – not Polish youngster Kubica – is the real star of the BMW team.

His annoyance was probably triggered by team radio messages at Suzuka informing him that Kubica, who was following Heidfeld on the Japanese track, is faster.

“I am usually faster than Robert and have scored more points since Budapest” Heidfeld was quoted as saying to Auto Motor Und Sport, “so if Kubica is so fast then what am I?”

Robert Kubica replaced Jacques Villeneuve following the German Grand Prix.