General F1 news

[Big Kev]

Ricciardo will definitely be a reserve driver next year and I've heard the same as woodsy with the Toro Rosso drivers only being on 6 month contracts at this stage.

Daniel Ricciardo will drive for Toro Rosso in Friday practice sessions at all grands prix in 2011, the team has announced.

The Australian, a product of Red Bull's driver development system, was already a reserve for both Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso, and dominated the recent Abu Dhabi rookie test for the former team.

Ricciardo will replace one of Toro Rosso's race drivers, Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, in practice at each event, with the two drivers alternating in stepping aside for the 21-year-old.

Team boss Franz Tost welcomed Ricciardo's promotion and joked that it would keep Buemi and Alguersuari on their toes.

"When our team was created, its stated aim was to bring on young drivers from the Red Bull Junior Programme, so Daniel's appointment as our third driver is an obvious one," he said.

"Although Daniel has done some F1 testing already, running on Fridays at the grands prix will give him a valuable insight into the additional pressures of doing it for real during a race weekend.

"I am also sure that having a hungry youngster on the books will keep our current driver pairing nice and sharp!"

Ricciardo will also contest the Formula Renault 3.5 series again next season. He finished second in the championship at the first attempt this year.

"I am really excited at the prospect of driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso in the free practice one sessions at the grands prix next year, so I have to say thanks to Red Bull for this great opportunity," he said.

"My main priority for 2011 is to win the Formula Renault 3.5 championship, but my ultimate aim is to be a full-time Formula 1 driver and this new role has to be the best step towards achieving that ambition."

[Hazelb]

A year praccy and then into Webbers seat..as number 2!

[Big Kev]

Certainly sounds like a possible plan.
Or maybe replace Buemi in 2012 then go to RBR the year after.

tbh neither of the current toro drivers impress me that much so I would think either are at risk of replacement if Ricciardo can do better on a friday.

[Dan]

With the chances of the Torro Rosso drivers only getting 6 month contracts... It's easy to say that Daniel Ricciardo will have a full time seat sooner than you think.

[w00dsy]

i'd like to be sympathetic, but Bernie has needed a good mugging for a while now.





FORMULA One boss Bernie Ecclestone has been mugged and robbed of jewellery - just weeks after he said only "simple" people got attacked in London.
Four men punched and kicked the 80-year-old billionaire to the ground after pouncing on him and his girlfriend, Fabiana Flosi, 31, outside the headquarters of his business empire, Formula One Holdings.
The attackers escaped with $320,000 worth of jewellery including a watch and diamond rings.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said police were called to the scene on Wednesday night to "reports of a man and a woman robbed".
"The man was taken to a west London hospital for treatment to a minor head injury and was subsequently discharged. There were no reports of any other injuries," the spokesman said.
"The items stolen are believed to be a quantity of jewellery."

Mr Ecclestone, the commercial rights holder for motor racing's elite division, compared London to Sao Paolo earlier this month after Formula One driver Jenson Button escaped a roadside assault ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
"You have to remember we have a lot of problems in England, Oxford Street and places, and in New York people get mugged," he said.
"They look for victims, they look for people who are a little bit slow and simple, but the people who look a bit bright, they never go after them."




from sniffpetrol

[NeilPearson]

aww what. you could have mentioned it!!! ya bugger.

[durbster]

i'd like to be sympathetic, but Bernie has needed a good mugging for a while now.

Again!

Heard any jokes about Kobayashi recently?

[w00dsy]

oh ffs, that's it, i'm not posting in here anymore

[Dr. Pain]

I heard something about small eyes. Anyone posted that yet?

[Big Kev]

In F1 Racing this month:
Q - Who would you rather be stranded with on a desert island - Michael Schumacher or Eddie Irvine?
Rubens Barrichello - I'd kill both of them long before they had a chance to explore the island!

(me waits for w00dsy to post it again in a few hours )

[Big Kev]

Sniffpetrol had a report from D.I. Blundell on the mugging

‘Ello ‘ello ‘ello. Detective Inspector Mark Blundell done be reporting. On Wednesday 24 November I done receive a report from the London area of London that a mugging done have, in fairness, done taken place. The victim done be an IC1 old man, one Mr Bernard Ecclestone, who done be in the company of an IC2 trophy, one Miss Fabiana Flosi.

During the course of this incident the victim done receive a head injury when he done be pushed from a standing position to the ground, a distance I done calculate to done be just under three feet. The victim done later claim that items worth £200,000 done be taken from himself and his associate, specifically these done be two tickets for VIP seats at the British Grand Prix.

Let this be a lesson to all people that they should done take care in city streets at night, especially if they done be elderly or a dwarf. Over and out.

[Big Kev]

Provisional FIA team/driver list for 2011
Sauber name change drop the BMW bit.

[Exar Kun]

Lotus Racing are Team Lotus and Renault are still Renault.

TBAs are interesting - STR for both drivers despite supposedly confirmed contracts. FI a similar deal with Liuzzi supposedly confirmed and Williams still haven't put Maldonado in that second seat.

[Big Kev]

Williams has confirmed that GP2 champion Pastor Maldonado will be its second driver in 2011, taking the seat occupied by Nico Hulkenberg this season.

Maldonado had been extensively linked with Williams in recent months, and tested for the team during the recent rookie sessions in Abu Dhabi, where he also spent two days with Hispania. He is believed to bring significant levels of personal sponsorship to the team.

"I feel very privileged that Williams has selected me as one of their race drivers," Maldonado said. "It is a great way to end what has already been an amazing year for me.

"I tested with the team in Abu Dhabi, but can't wait to start working with everyone properly to be in the best possible shape going into next year. I will be doing my best over the winter to prepare myself, and I know the team will be working hard to ensure a successful season.

"2011 will be the first time in nearly 30 years that a Venezuelan has driven a Formula 1 car so I will be looking to get some good results in return for the support my country has given me to help get me to this position today."

The 25-year-old took the GP2 title with seven victories this year, but team boss Frank Williams said he had been watching Maldonado's progress since his maiden GP2 win in Monaco with the Trident team in 2007, when he had just moved across from the World Series by Renault.

[Exar Kun]

No real surprises there. Should we start taking bets as to how many times he will crash?

[NeilPearson]

No real surprises there. Should we start taking bets as to how many times he will crash?

probably cause more damage to the car Money wise than what he brings in. haha

[Big Kev]

German Timo Glock will stay at Virgin Racing for a second season in 2011.

Glock has decided to honour the two-year deal he signed last December but his team-mate Lucas di Grassi's future at Virgin remains in doubt.

"Yes, I am definitely driving for Virgin Racing," Glock, 28, told the team's website. "I'm excited.

"There's been speculation about me wanting to leave the team but it is not about leaving, it is about wanting to do better and keep moving forward."

[Big Kev]

The Sauber team has become the first Formula 1 outfit to announce the launch date for its 2011 challenger, which will be unveiled on 31st January.

The Swiss squad said on Friday it will present the Ferrari-powered C30 car at the Valencia circuit.

Official testing will kick off the following day at the Spanish circuit.

AUTOSPORT reports that Paul di Resta & Nico Hulkenberg will drive for Force India in 2011. Vijay Mallya is reportedly unhappy about Adrian Sutil making noises about going to a bigger team and Vitantonio Liuzzi will be paid off.

There are rumours that the BBC have let Legard go

[Exar Kun]

It'd be good to see Nico and di Resta at FI. I'd like to see Sutil at Renault but the smart money would still be on Petrov staying there I think.

[durbster]

I wouldn't be too surprised if Legard goes. He hasn't gelled with Brundle and although he doesn't seem quite as divisive as Allen, I don't think he's particularly loved particularly among the F1 fanatics. There always seems the underlying sense that he doesn't love F1. For all Allen's awfulness, there was never any doubt about his passion for the sport.

I'm quite surprised not to see Chandhok in the Force India seat, surely that's a sponsorhip dream for Indian companies?

[VTRacing]

I'd be happy to see Chandhok in Legard's seat.

[Big Kev]

Bernie Ecclestone has proved he can turn even a violent mugging into a commercial opportunity.

The F1 chief executive was viciously punched and kicked outside F1's London headquarters late last month as a reportedly hugely-expensive watch was taken from his wrist.

A graphic photo of his battered face is now featured on a print advert for his sport's official watch sponsor, including the Ecclestone quote: "See what people will do for a Hublot."

The Nyon-based Swiss watchmaker confirmed in a statement that the photograph and quote attributed to 80-year-old Ecclestone in the advert are genuine.

Indian F1 driver Karun Chandhok said the move was "classic Mr. E".

[Woodee]

F1 King power! hahaha

[Scottie]

Lotus are BACK!

Lotus unveils F1 plans with Renault

Group Lotus has ramped up its involvement in Formula 1 by becoming title sponsor and a major shareholder in the rebranded Lotus Renault GP Team.

As AUTOSPORT exclusively revealed in October, Renault has revised its F1 strategy by selling the stake it had in its F1 team back to co-owners Genii Capital and will now focus on being just an engine supplier.

That move has allowed Genii to sell a stake to Group Lotus - which has led to a renaming of the outfit and a move for the team's colours to be in iconic black and gold next year.

The title sponsorship deal with Group Lotus is due to run until the end of the 2017 season, with Renault committing to supply engines to the team for a number of years.

Gerard Lopez, chairman of Renault F1 Team, said about the deal: "We are delighted that we can now go public with the news that we will be racing as Lotus Renault GP in 2011.

"It is extremely exciting to begin a new era for the team in partnership with Group Lotus, and we will continue to enjoy a strong relationship with Renault over the coming seasons. It is a tribute to the excellent work this year by the team in Enstone that we have been able to attract both major sponsorship and new investment for a very bright future."

The announcement of Group Lotus' plans for 2011 comes despite Tony Fernandes pushing on with his plans to race as Team Lotus next year - with his outfit now also having Renault engines and set to run in black and gold colours.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar, who has been pushing aggressively for his company's return to motorsport, added: "I can think of no better platform for automotive brand communications than motorsport and F1 is the very pinnacle of open-wheel racing.

"We're well aware that there has been a lot of controversy around the usage of our brand in F1 and I'm delighted to be able to formally clarify our position once and for all: we are Lotus and we are back."

No more renault, but I think we'll see Kubica and Sutil at the outfit... good lineup.

now, what's Mr Fernandez going to do? turn into a 'torro rosso' for lotus?

[Exar Kun]

How awesome does the concept colour scheme look!