Anthony Davidson to stay with Super Aguri

Super Aguri's managing director Daniele Audetto insists he will persevere with Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson in 2008.

There had been a suggestion that the team would ditch Davidson before the start of the new season, but Audetto will remain loyal to the 28-year-old.

When asked whether he would keep Davidson, Audetto said: "Definitely, 100 per cent. He's doing a fantastic job. I think Anthony is proving that he was a good choice.

"The speed is still there and the maturity is coming. So I expect that next year we are going to have two very good drivers." Sato scored four points for the team in 2007 while Davidson's best finish was 11th, even though he did better than his Japanese team-mate in ten out of 17 qualifying sessions.

Davidson said of the uncertainty surrounding his future in Formula One: "I think some of the driver choices that have happened in the past, and will continue to happen, have been shocking.

"I mean, this is Formula One - we're supposed to be the best guys in the world driving these cars, and clearly history would suggest that hasn't been the case."

Formula One: Japanese Grand Prix Preview

Formula One racing goes back into the melting pot this weekend as the championship battle moves on to the unknown territory of the Fuji International Speedway near Gotemba, in the shadow of Mount Fuji.

After 20 years at Suzuka, the race’s move to this updated venue - scene of the original Japanese Grands Prix in 1976 and ’77 puts everyone in the same position of having precious little empirical information for setting up their cars.

McLaren and Ferrari venture to the East still locked in battle. Recent events may have cemented the world championship for constructors in the latter’s favour, but the drivers’ title is still wide open with Lewis Hamilton leading on 97 points from Fernando Alonso (95), Kimi Raikkonen (84) and Felipe Massa (77). All of them still have a chance of winning.

The Ferrari drivers are both very confident after their one-two in Belgium. Raikkonen, the victor there, said: “Our car is going extremely well and we have high hopes for the final three races. As far as we are concerned, the championship battle is far from over and we will keep pushing to the very end.”

With medium downforce levels similar to Spa, the reds are feeling very optimistic, but the track’s characteristics will also suit McLaren, though not necessarily with the margin seen at low-downforce venues such as Monza and Indianapolis.

“I haven’t even seen Fuji Speedway yet, but I am sure it will be a great place to race,” Hamilton said. “Hopefully there will be some overtaking opportunities because of the really long start-finish straight. I was a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t be getting to race at Suzuka because everyone goes on about how great it is, but this season I have really enjoyed going to new tracks and learning them.

“It provides a slightly different challenge so I am looking forward to it. Everyone will be in the same boat and it should be quite exciting. Everything is so close in the championship now, so we have to go out there in Fuji and get as many points as possible. It would be great to win. Also, Japan is one of my favourite countries and the fans are very enthusiastic, so it would be even better to win in front of them!”

Alonso is equally enthusiastic. “In 2006 I did a couple of demonstration laps with passengers here and it seemed really good. It is going to be a challenge to find the optimum set-up for the cars. To be honest, we will have to wait until after Friday free practice to tell more, but I am looking forward to seeing what it is like.

“We are not in any position to make any predictions, but I am sure the championship will continue to swing between all four drivers. Ferrari were strong at Spa, we were strong at Monza, everyone in the team is pushing hard to be strong at Fuji, Shanghai and Interlagos. We can still win races, and will be doing everything to make this happen in Japan.”

The race will also be critical for the three Japanese teams: Toyota, Honda and Super Aguri, while Williams (with their Toyota engines) and Spyker (with Sakon Yamamoto) also feature local interest factors.

Toyota will have a revised TF107 with aerodynamic and suspension updates, for Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli to drive. “I remember the old Fuji circuit from my time racing in Formula Nippon in Japan and I always enjoyed racing there,” the former said. “One of the most impressive things about Fuji Speedway is the location, with Mount Fuji in the background. The track itself is also very impressive, especially now the facilities have been improved. It is now one of the most modern in Formula One but they have kept a lot of the character of the old track, with the very long main straight.”

Honda stopped off in Odaiba prior to the trip to Fuji, for the annual Tokyo Motorsports Festival where Jenson Button and James Rossiter demonstrated the thrills of Formula One machinery to thousands of fans by taking the RA107 car around the streets of the city.

“The Japanese Grand Prix is always a very special weekend for the whole Honda Racing F1 Team as it is one of our two home races of the year,” said Button. “I have had fantastic support as a Honda driver at the Honda-owned Suzuka circuit in the past few years and the Japanese fans always create such a special atmosphere over the race weekend.

“This year will be a new challenge for both myself and the team as the race returns to the Fuji International Speedway. It is an unknown quantity so I will be studying the circuit layout with our engineers in advance but we will only find out its true characteristics during our track walk on Thursday and the first few laps of practice on Friday.”

Much of the original track layout’s character has been retained in the revamp, which still features an epic 1.5 kilometre main straight. This is the longest in Formula One Racing and will undoubtedly encourage slipstreaming opportunities of the sort seen at Monza. Additional corners have been added to promote more exciting racing and overtaking.

The key changes have been made at the end of the lap, where some slower corners have been added to decrease entry speed for the start-finish straight. As in Indianapolis, teams will have to compromise on their set-ups to retain as much top speed as possible, while engineering in sufficient downforce for the low- to medium-speed corners round the rest of the lap.

Unpredictable weather is also another factor at Fuji; everybody remembers the heavy rain that was such a factor in the 1976 championship decider here. Thus Bridgestone will also have supplies of wet and extreme wet-weather tyres just in case, besides their prime choice of the medium compound dry tyre and the softer compound option.

Source: Formula One official website

McLaren Formula One - The Early Years

The start of the 2007 Formula One season has seen the spotlight fall firmly on the McLaren Formula One team with the arrival Lewis Hamilton on the scene. With his incredible success so far in his debut season and a few controversies along the way, McLaren has barely been out of the sports news pages.

However this success is not new for the team. During its history the team has won 8 constructors championships and 11 drivers championships with motor sport legends such as Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Ayrton Senna and more recently Mika Häkkinen. In fact they are the second most successful formula one team after Ferrari, with more Grand Prix wins under their belt than any constructor other than Ferrari.

The team was founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren and was at that time know as Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Limited. They spent their first three years building a formula one car and were finally ready to make their debut at the Monaco Grand Prix of 1966 with the team founder at the wheel The first race ended in failure as a result of a serious oil leak however the team went on to score their first championship point later that year. 1968 saw the team score their first race win as Bruce piloted the McLaren Ford to victory in Belgium. They then went on to record further wins in Italy and Canada later that year.

The 1970s started in tragedy for McLaren as Bruce McLaren lost his life in a testing accident at Goodwood. Although the team continued his legacy they wouldn’t see another race win for two years. Finally at the South African grand prix in 1972 Denny Hulme, former world champion, recorded his first race win for McLaren since Bruce’s death..

1974 saw a turnaround in the teams fortunes. Emerson Fittipaldi joined the team and with his driving managed to win their first world constructors title as well as the world drivers title. They even managed to win the Indianapolis 500 in the same year. The team’s next championship win came in 1976 with James Hunt taking over from Fittipaldi and taking the drivers championship. . By the 1980’s McLaren were back on form. The McLaren team merged with Ron Dennis’ Formula 2 team to from the current McLaren F1 team and they began their dominance of Formula one. A succession of top drivers over the next few years, the likes of Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna brought great results with McLaren taking the championship in 1984, 1985, 1988 and 1989.

Team mates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost achieved the highest number of double race wins of any pair in F1, notching up 14 wins between them in 1988 and 1989. This partnership holds the record for the most wins in a season, winning 15 out of the 16 races in 1988. 1988 was seen as the pinnacle of their success to date. The winning combination of Senna & Prost together with class leading new Honda engine meant that not only did they win all but one race, they also led all but 27 laps of the season, a record still unbeaten today.

To keep up with the latest Formula one fashions and show your support with the latest Lewis Hamilton and McLaren F1 merchandise visit http://www.lewis-hamilton-f1-driver.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_D

Fernando Alonso Will Be World Champion - Flavio Briatore

Flavio Briatore, Renault Team Boss believes that Fernando Alonso is going the win the world championship.

The flamboyant Italian was the team boss of Renault when he scouted Alonso and he guided him to his first 2 world championships in 2005 and 2006.

Lewis Hamilton, Alonso’s nearest competitor has moved 10 points ahead in the standings after another win at the USGP.

“Fernando will win, I’m 100% sure,” Briatore said in a newspaper interview. “He knows what he needs to do. Last year there was a moment when it looked like he would lose the title. Everybody thought he was going to lose it. But pushing together we ended up winning."

“To win, he must do the same thing he did in the last four races last year. Focus on his work in the car, not let outside voices distract him.”

Briatore added: “I think Fernando, above all, is a champion. Like everybody, he is having difficulties to adapt to a new team. He has gone from using Michelin tires to using Bridgestone, while Hamilton already knows the tires from GP2.

“He has experience and, if the McLaren stays ahead of the Ferrari, he must remain calm, focus on himself, forget about the rest, and that way he will win the title.”

Emerson Fittipaldi wants Renault to give Nelson Piquet Jr. a chance.

Nelson Piquet Jr should be given a chance to resume his personal battle with former GP2 Series rival Lewis Hamilton, according to double world champion Emerson Fittipaldi.

The Brazilian veteran has told Reuters that he feels his younger countryman could surprise as much as Hamilton has done if given the chance to race this season, despite the fact that Piquet would be lining up with Renault. Hamilton won his second grand prix in as many weekends when he beat team-mate Fernando Alonso to the line at Indianapolis on Sunday, but most accept that his success has been accelerated by running with Mclaren, which has established itself as the form team in 2007.

Fittipaldi, however, has called on Renault boss Flavio Briatore to replace one of his current line-up with Piquet Jr, a decision that may have been easier until the end of last month as rookie Heikki Kovalainen struggled for form. However, the Finn has since recorded back-to-back points finishes in Canada and the USA, coming from last on the grid to take fourth in Montréal and out-qualifying veteran team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella at Indianapolis.

Piquet has been tipped to replace either driver since being signed as Renault's reserve this season, but is more likely to step up at the end of the year should Fisichella decide to hang up his helmet.

"Nelson and Lewis were the two hardest competitors in GP2 last year," Fittipaldi reasoned, "He's extremely talented and, if you ask me what is the next hope for Brazil, I think it's Nelson Piquet Jr. Talking about natural talent, I think Nelsinho could surprise as much as Hamilton has surprised."

The Brazilian A1GP team boss, who has first hand experience of working with Piquet in the World Cup of Motorsport, went to claim that his 'protege' had more potential for success than current Ferrari points leader Felipe Massa - in much the same way as Hamilton has raised British hopes over and above those previously carried by Jenson Button.

source: crash.net

Robert Kubica Released from Hospital with Minor Injuries

Poland's Robert Kubica emerged from a Montreal hospital on Monday to say he had recovered from minor injuries sustained in a horrific crash in Sunday's Canadian Formula One Grand Prix and hoped to race next weekend in Indianapolis.

On Monday, Robert Kubica said he remembered "nearly everything" about Sunday's crash which shattered his car.

"As you see I'm quite in good shape and I'm hoping [to be] going to Indianapolis if the doctors will say OK for my driving," Kubica told reporters outside Montreal's Sacre-Coeur Hospital.

"I feel very good. I was very lucky -- big accident, but fortunately, nothing hurt," he added after walking gingerly down the steps of the hospital.

Kubica said he remembered "nearly everything" about the crash in which he suffered a slight concussion and sprained ankle.

The accident occurred when the 22-year-old BMW Sauber driver's car made contact with the rear wheels of Jarno Trulli's Toyota on the approach to the hairpin on lap 27 on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit and his car took off, flying through the air and slamming into a concrete wall before barrel-rolling across the track.

The crash shattered Kubica's car to the extent that his feet could be seen through the sheared off front end of the vehicle.

Source: Reuters via ESPN.com

Lewis Hamilton Predicted to Earn Beckham-like Money

Lewis Hamilton is on the cusp of superstardom, according to a famous British publicist.

Max Clifford, who has represented clients including the billionaire Harrods mogul Mohamed Al-Fayed, said the 22-year-old McLaren rookie is poised to become as big and as rich as David Beckham.

Football star Beckham recently signed a five year contract worth (US) $250m, and Clifford urged Hamilton to keep up his huge media profile if he wants to make the same sort of money.

He told The People: “Beckham has taken football into showbiz and it is important for Hamilton to be in the news because that will make him megabucks.

“(Lewis) has become a household name in five minutes and all aspects of his life are under a microscope,” Clifford added.

Hamilton, the reigning GP2 champion, has finished all of his five career grands prix so far on the podium, but he is yet to win a race.

Ferrari F1 at Tractor Launch Event

Here is a short video clip (no sound, sorry) of the new Ferrari. They focused heavily on a tiny logo on the news for Case International, a company that manufactures farming tractors with traditional red paint jobs. Farming in Formula One are certainly an unexpected combination.

Honda goes Green in Formula One

Honda F1 announced that they will replace advertising on their car this season with a giant picture of the Earth to raise awareness for environmental issues. The car was unveiled in London by Honda drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

Furthermore, Honda launched a new website, www.myearthdream.com, to launch a charity campaign for the environment. A 360° photo is available on the site.

Formula One drivers nominated for the Laureus Award

Three Formula One drivers have been nominated for the 2007 Laureus Awards. The British awards are very prestigious throughout Europe.

Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso have both been nominated for Sportsman of the Year. Formula One driver, Lewis Hamilton, was nominated for World Breakthrough of the Year, reserved for up-and-coming stars. He won based on his championship GP2 Series title.Lewis Hamilton has been nominated for the British 2007 Laureus World Breakthough of the Year Award following his GP2 series title.

Formula One Season Preview 2007

I ran across this blog entry on a website that has nothing to do with Formula One, but it did have a quality F1 preview for 2007. Here's an excerpt, and the link.

"A new Formula One season is upon us and with new drivers joining new teams; this year’s championship could be the most unpredictable in the 56 years of the sport. Seven times world champion Michael Schumacher has left Formula One after announcing his retirement late last year. His presence will be sadly missed on the grid this season but two likely drivers could take over the role as the greatest – Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. Both superstars have switched teams for 2007, with the double world champion joining Team McLaren Mercedes and the Finn joining Scuderia Ferrari respectively. It will be fascinating to see how well these two drivers will get on racing in their new cars, the MP4-22 and F2007 in this 17-race calendar."

Read the full 2007 Preview for Formula One

Super Aguri postpones launch of new car

Super Aguri have postponed the launch of their new Formula One car by two days.

The back-of-the-grid team, which is owned by former Grand Prix driver Aguri Suzuki, had been scheduled to unveil their SA07 in Tokyo on March 12.

But they have now elected to hold the launch from their pit garage at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne on March 14 – just two days before practice gets underway for the Australian Grand Prix.

"We are working relentlessly to prepare our 2007 challenger which will unfortunately not be available for presentation on March 12 in Tokyo as originally planned," said a team statement.

The SA07, which will be raced by Britain's Anthony Davidson and Japan's Takuma Sato, is expected to attract controversy due to its similarity to Honda's 2006 car.

Rival team bosses, spearheaded by Williams chief Sir Frank Williams and Spyker's Colin Kolles, have threatened to take action against Super Aguri if they believe the car is deemed not to be exclusively of the team's own design.

source: Eurosport - Jamie O'Leary

Eleven Teams Will Compete in Formula One in 2007

Again in 2007, eleven teams will compete in Formula One.

A few changes and notes of interest from last season include:

• Champion Fernando Alonso moves from Renault to McLaren.
• McLaren second driver is Lewis Hamilton who replaces Pedro de la Rosa. Pedro de la Rosa remains with McLaren as a test driver.
• Rookie Heikki Kovalainen moves into the seat vacated by Fernando Alonso, and notable rookie Nelson Piquet Jr. and veteran Ricardo Zonta will test for Renault.
• Ferrari's Felipe Massa is officially the number one driver, relegating Kimi Räikkönen to an unfamiliar number two seat. Räikkönen moves to Ferrari from McLaren following the retirement of Michael Schumacher.
• The new team for this season is Spyker, the Dutch sportscar maker. They purchased Midland F1 in September. They will be running with Ferrari engines.

Below are the teams and their drivers, with their primary driver listed first. Drivers in their first full season are designated with (R).

• McLaren -- Fernando Alonso -- Lewis Hamilton(R)
• Renault -- Giancarlo Fisichella -- Heikki Kovalainen(R)
• Ferrari -- Felipe Massa -- Kimi Räikkönen
• Honda -- Jenson Button -- Rubens Barrichello
• BMW Sauber -- Nick Heidfeld -- Robert Kubica(R)
• Toyota -- Ralf Schumacher -- Jarno Trulli
• Red Bull -- David Coulthard -- Mark Webber
• Williams -- Nico Rosberg -- Alexander Wurz
• Toro Rosso -- Vitantonio Liuzzi -- Scott Speed
• Spyker -- Christijan Albers -- Adrian Sutil(R)
• Super Aguri -- Takuma Sato -- Anthony Davidson(R)

Formula One Championship Edition available for PS3

The first reviews for the new Sony PS3 console video game Formula One Championship Edition seemed to be favorable. It kind of makes me wish I had a PS3. The graphics are outstanding and the gameplay is very good according to reviewers. Online racing is also available. Here's a few links if you're interested:

Formula One Championship Edition official game site.

A review of Formula One Championship Edition on gamezone.com

Buy Formula One Championship Edition on Amazon

Flavio Briatore calls Formula One "very boring"

Here is an excerpt from the story reported on Bloomberg.com.

Flavio Briatore, who led Renault SA to the past two Formula One titles, said races should be shortened from their current 1 1/2 hours because his French team and Ferrari dominate the motor sport.

"The last 30 minutes are very boring,'' Briatore said in an interview in London. Formula One has to "improve our performance for TV because the income comes from TV.''

"If the race is normal the way we operate, the two quick cars are in front and it's not so exciting,'' he said. "It is good only if something unexpected happens, or if it's raining.''

source: Alex Duff and Marco Langmann (Bloomberg)

Read the full story: Briatore, After Title Wins, Says Formula One Is `Very Boring'

March 2007 -- Auto Racing Schedule of Events

For most open-wheel auto racing, the season begins in March. Formula One, IndyCar, and the Indy Pro Series kickoff their seasons. Champ car and Atlantic series finish testing. The schedule also includes other racing series and related events. Formula One, IndyCar, and Champ Car races are in bold.


March 4 -- Busch Series -- Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez , Mexico City -- 1:30 p.m. Eastern -- ESPN2
March 7 -- Atlantic Series -- Spring Training -- Laguna Seca
March 10 -- Champ Car -- Spring Training -- Laguna Seca
March 10 -- Busch series -- Las Vegas motor Speedway -- 2:30 p.m. Eastern -- ABC
March 11 -- NASCAR -- Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- 4 p.m. Eastern -- FOX
March 16 -- NASCAR trucks -- Atlanta motor Speedway -- 8:30 p.m. Eastern -- SPEED
March 17 -- Busch series -- Atlanta motor Speedway -- 2:30 p.m. Eastern -- ABC
March 18 -- Formula 1 -- Australian Grand Prix -- 10 p.m. Eastern -- SPEED
March 18 -- NASCAR -- Atlanta Motor Speedway -- 1:30 p.m. Eastern -- FOX
March 24 -- Indy Pro Series -- Homestead Miami Speedway -- 5 p.m. Eastern -- ESPN2
March 24 -- IndyCar -- Homestead Miami Speedway -- 8 p.m. Eastern -- ESPN2
March 24 -- Busch series -- Bristol motor Speedway -- 2:30 p.m. Eastern -- ABC
March 25 -- NASCAR -- Bristol Motor Speedway -- 1:30 p.m. Eastern -- FOX
March 31 -- NASCAR trucks -- Martinsville Speedway -- 3 p.m. Eastern -- FOX

Formula One Quote-Of-The-Day

Nelson Piquet Jr. talking about Lewis Hamilton:

"He's a good driver. The only difficult thing for him is that he's going to learn all the circuits again and having a very strong driver [Fernando Alonso] next to him. For sure he's going to do well, maybe not in the first year because it's very very difficult, but he's definitely a good driver."

source: F1GrandPrix.it

United Arab Emirates to host Formula One Grand Prix in 2009

USA Today is reporting that Formula One has announced a race in Abu Dubai in 2009.

"Abu Dhabi's hospitality, the genuine warmth of its people and ever increasing number of world class facilities, will ensure that its round of the FIA Formula One World Championship is a wonderful addition to the Formula One calendar," Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone said. He made his remarks at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Formula One Festival.

Read the full story: Abu Dhabi to host Formula One Grand Prix in 2009

It’s Official: Lenovo To Sponsor Williams Formula One Team

Lenovo CEO, William Amelio, was in Raleigh, North Carolina Thursday and announced that Lenovo will sponsor Williams in the upcoming Formula One season. While rumors have been circulating for quite a while, until Friday's announcement Lenovo had not committed publicly.

Lenovo is the world's third-largest computer manufacturer. They replace Hewlett-Packard, a rival, as one of the primary sponsors on the Williams F1 team.

Williams will be sponsored overall by AT&T.

Read the full story as reported by WRAL in North Carolina. -- It’s Official: Lenovo To Sponsor Williams Formula One Team

Super Aguri to unveil car one week before opener

Super Aguri will unveil their 2007 car less than a week before the start of the new Formula One season in Australia on March 18.

The Honda-backed team, whose drivers are Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson, said that the SA07 would be launched in Tokyo on March 12.

The new car could be a controversial one, with some rivals such as Spyker and Williams already preparing for protests should it bear too close a resemblance to last year's race-winning Honda. Formula One rules say teams must design and build their own chassis.

Source: Reuters

Spyker Formula One Test and Reserve Drivers

Spyker F1 announces their Formula One test and reserve drivers for the 2007 season.

Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy joins the team from GP2 and the A1GP series. In 2005 Fairuz stepped up to GP2 and now makes his F1 debut as a test and Friday driver with Spyker in 2007.

Giedo Van Der Garde, 22 year old from the Netherlands, is graduating to Formula 1 from the highly competitive Euro F3 series in which he won two races in 2006 for the ASM team. Giedo joins Spyker F1 as a test and Friday driver.

Adrian Valles and Markus Winkelhock will be test and development drivers.

Visit the official Spyker F1 website.