2010 formula 1 Grand Prix season

[TBWG]

Hi folks

Well Sakon Yamamoto is flat on his back with Singapore trots, so reserve HRT driver Christian Klien will stand in for this weekend.

Bearing in mind he has not competed in a race for 4 years and that it is expected to be a wet night race then it is a bit of a baptism of fire!

Still be interesting to see if he can put one over on Bruno Senna?


TBWG

[John the Traveller]

Well as a Lotus fan from way back I am pleased to see this press release from Sigapore. I hope the new team can bring some more glory to the name Team Lotus


Lotus Racing will be known as Team Lotus from next season after confirming a deal for the rights to the iconic name.

Lotus Racing announced in Singapore on Friday that Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun's Tune Group has acquired Team Lotus Ventures Ltd, the company led by David Hunt since Team Lotus was last on track, and through that agreement now has full ownership of the historic rights and goodwill of the Team Lotus brand and heritage.

"It's difficult to express just what it means to be able to say we are Team Lotus, one of the most iconic names in any form of sport worldwide," said Fernandes.

"We have been working very hard to make this dream come true, and today it has.

"After our first year in Formula One, we believe we are ready to do justice to the legacy we have inherited.

"It was always important to us that Lotus Racing and Team Lotus could be brought together to unite the past and the present, and now we have done so."

Hunt, meanwhile, is eager to see the Team Lotus name and badge back on the Formula One grid. "I'm delighted this day has finally arrived," he said.

"In January 1995, when I had the simply awful task of making the loyal Team Lotus personnel redundant, I promised them, the fans and the media that somehow we would return Team Lotus to F1 in good order and properly funded.

"We had no idea of the huge difficulties we would have to overcome when I made that statement.

"Nevertheless, I simply would not allow the legacy of Colin Chapman's extraordinary achievements to die.

"The custodianship of the iconic brand and history now passes from me to Tony.

"I look forward to assisting the team towards scoring Team Lotus' 80th grand prix win - that will be the day when all the effort of the past 15 years will finally seem worthwhile."

[TBWG]

Hi F1 bums

Second practice results

Pos.   Car   Driver   Car   Best lap   Gap   
1   5   Sebastian Vettel   Red Bull-Renault   1’46.660      
2   6   Mark Webber   Red Bull-Renault   1’47.287   0.627   
3   1   Jenson Button   McLaren-Mercedes   1’47.690   1.030   
4   8   Fernando Alonso   Ferrari   1’47.718   1.058   
5   2   Lewis Hamilton   McLaren-Mercedes   1’47.818   1.158   
6   9   Rubens Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth   1’48.302   1.642   
7   7   Felipe Massa   Ferrari   1’48.341   1.681   
8   4   Nico Rosberg   Mercedes   1’48.679   2.019   
9   11   Robert Kubica   Renault   1’48.855   2.195   
10   3   Michael Schumacher   Mercedes   1’48.889   2.229   
11   10   Nico Hülkenberg   Williams-Cosworth   1’49.153   2.493   
12   23   Kamui Kobayashi   Sauber-Ferrari   1’49.438   2.778   
13   22   Nick Heidfeld   Sauber-Ferrari   1’49.558   2.898   
14   12   Vitaly Petrov   Renault   1’49.608   2.948   
15   15   Vitantonio Liuzzi   Force India-Mercedes   1’49.896   3.236   
16   14   Adrian Sutil   Force India-Mercedes   1’49.984   3.324   
17   17   Jaime Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1’50.191   3.531   
18   16   Sebastien Buemi   Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1’50.896   4.236   
19   19   Heikki Kovalainen   Lotus-Cosworth   1’51.878   5.218   
20   24   Timo Glock   Virgin-Cosworth   1’52.150   5.490   
21   25   Lucas di Grassi   Virgin-Cosworth   1’53.431   6.771   
22   18   Jarno Trulli   Lotus-Cosworth   1’53.526   6.866   
23   21   Bruno Senna   HRT-Cosworth   1’54.725   8.065   
24   20   Christian Klien   HRT-Cosworth   1’55.542   8.882   

2010 Singapore Grand Prix


TBWG

[TBWG]

Hi F1 bums

Post Monza diatribe, courtesy of Pitflaps.com 

Noble, humiliated Latin country ego restored now shiny red car has beaten shiny silver car

SQPR et tu Brutae: An entire nation of proud Italian men and women have regained their self-respect following the victory of a car painted largely red under all its advertising logos, sort of mostly made by their fellow countrymen, writes our breast-beating correspondent, Travis Spectacle.

Crossing the finishing line a few seconds ahead of a silver car made by a bunch of Englishmen and Germans in a factory in Surrey, the whole of the country formally known as a bit of the Roman Empire erupted in pride and joy at the red car’s crushing marginal victory last Sunday.

“Today has been the most amazing day of my life”, one fan told us, draped in one of the red car’s flags he’d stolen from an unattended merchandise stall barely 20 minutes after the famous win.

“Before this weekend I was bereft; my life a drab, uninspiring morass of meaningless actions defining my life as an Italian citizen in the most anodyne and banal fashion only a daytime television commissioning editor could imagine”, he told us.

“But now that Spanish bloke with the eyebrows has vanquished the blonde one with the teeth I feel completely uplifted spiritually, fully formed and at one with this magnificent nation”, he fulminated, spreading his arms to encompass the borderline xenophobic rampage going on around him.

“Many countries rely on a peculiarly gullible populace to enable them to routinely shaft their citizens with complete impunity”, Professor Caz Carolgees of the Institute for the Study of Basketcase Nations told us.

“But the prize for outright credulous, juvenile fuckwittery surely has to go to Italy”, he added.

“Only here could a whole culture exist depending almost entirely on the slavish devotion to one lump of brightly coloured metal finishing ahead of another differently brightly coloured bit of metal every other week to grant them any self-respect”, he explained.

“The nearest thing I can think of to this level of infantile retardedness is Scottish people’s relationship with Irn-Bru or just every Frenchman I’ve ever met, generally”, he surmised.

“And don’t even get me started on their clinging sentimentality for fascism and ridiculous devotion to worshiping a discredited arcane religion either”, he finished in case we had’t got it yet.

“ING-A-LURND, ING-A-LURND, ING-A-LURND, ING-A-LURND, ING-A-LURND-ING-A-LURND, ING-A-LU-URND, ING A LURRRRRRNNNND!!!!“ Richard Littlejohn later added in agreement.


TBWG

[attachment deleted by admin]

[TBWG]

Well Folks an interesting grid Ferrari first & last!  So no Massa spoiling tactics.



Singapore Grand Prix grid
25 September 2010

Row 1      1. Fernando Alonso 1’45.390
Ferrari
   2. Sebastian Vettel 1’45.457
Red Bull-Renault   
Row 2      3. Lewis Hamilton 1’45.571
McLaren-Mercedes
   4. Jenson Button 1’45.949
McLaren-Mercedes   
Row 3      5. Mark Webber 1’45.977
Red Bull-Renault
   6. Rubens Barrichello 1’46.236
Williams-Cosworth   
Row 4      7. Nico Rosberg 1’46.443
Mercedes
   8. Robert Kubica 1’46.593
Renault   
Row 5      9. Michael Schumacher 1’46.702
Mercedes
   10. Kamui Kobayashi 1’47.884
Sauber-Ferrari   
Row 6      11. Jaime Alguersuari 1’47.666
Toro Rosso-Ferrari
   12. Vitaly Petrov 1’48.165
Renault   
Row 7      13. Sebastien Buemi 1’48.502
Toro Rosso-Ferrari
   14. Nick Heidfeld 1’48.557
Sauber-Ferrari   
Row 8      15. Adrian Sutil 1’48.899
Force India-Mercedes
   16. Vitantonio Liuzzi 1’48.961
Force India-Mercedes   
Row 9      17. Nico Hülkenberg 1’47.674
Williams-Cosworth
   18. Timo Glock 1’50.721
Virgin-Cosworth   
Row 10      19. Heikki Kovalainen 1’50.915
Lotus-Cosworth
   20. Lucas di Grassi 1’51.107
Virgin-Cosworth   
Row 11      21. Jarno Trulli 1’51.641
Lotus-Cosworth
   22. Christian Klien 1’52.946
HRT-Cosworth   
Row 12      23. Bruno Senna 1’54.174
HRT-Cosworth
   24. Felipe Massa
Ferrari   



TBWG

PS: Sakon Yamamoto looked surprisingly sprightly in the HRT garage. So HRT continue to upset all their drivers, though Senna can't be happy over 1.2secs slower than a driver who has not raced in last few years!

[TBWG]

 Hi F1 Bums

Well Alonso did the deed again and triumphs in Singapore.


PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore, Singapore;
61 laps; 309.087km;
Weather: Dry.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                       Time
 1.  Alonso        Ferrari                    1h57:53.579
 2.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +     0.293
 3.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +    29.141
 4.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +    30.384
 5.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +    49.394
 6.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +    56.101
 7.  Kubica        Renault                    +  1:26.559
 8.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes       +  1:52.416
 9.  Hulkenberg    Williams-Cosworth          +  1:52.791
10.  Massa         Ferrari                    +  1:53.297
11.  Petrov        Renault                    +     1 lap
12.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     1 lap
13.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +     1 lap
14.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     1 lap
15.  Di Grassi     Virgin-Cosworth            +    2 laps
16.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Cosworth             +    3 laps

Fastest lap: Alonso, 1:47.976

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                         On lap
Glock         Virgin-Cosworth              51
Heidfeld      Sauber-Ferrari               35
Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes             34
Klien         HRT-Cosworth                 30
Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari               29
Senna         HRT-Cosworth                 28
Trulli        Lotus-Cosworth               26
Liuzzi        Force India-Mercedes         1


World Championship standings, round 15:               

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Webber       202        1.  Red Bull-Renault          383
 2.  Alonso       191        2.  McLaren-Mercedes          359
 3.  Hamilton     182        3.  Ferrari                   316
 4.  Vettel       181        4.  Mercedes                  168
 5.  Button       177        5.  Renault                   133
 6.  Massa        125        6.  Force India-Mercedes       62
 7.  Rosberg      122        7.  Williams-Cosworth          57
 8.  Kubica       114        8.  Sauber-Ferrari             27
 9.  Sutil         49        9.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari         10
10.  Schumacher    46       
11.  Barrichello   39       
12.  Kobayashi     21       
13.  Petrov        19       
14.  Hulkenberg    18       
15.  Liuzzi        13       
16.  Buemi          7       
17.  De la Rosa     6       
18.  Alguersuari    3       
       

Alonso is probably my least favorite driver (well a toss up with Schumacher) but he put in a faultless drive and deserved the win, whilst for the second race on the trot Lewis self destructs! My driver of the race must be Kubica, mass overtakings after a late puncture but still finished with a good haul of points. Also the Williams team had another race with both drivers in the points! Unlike Kovalainen who had a bonfire on last lap in front of the pits ~~~ all good stuff!

Onwards and upwards to Suzuka in 2 weeks time.


TBWG    

[TBWG]

Revised results after lots of finger pointing!


Hulkenberg given 20-second penalty

Sunday, September 26th 2010, 17:43 GMT

Nico Hulkenberg has been handed a 20-second penalty following a protest by the Force India team in Singapore.

The Silverstone-based squad protested against Hulkenberg after its own driver Adrian Sutil was given a 20-second penalty for having gained from going around the outside of Turn 7 on the opening lap of the race.

The team felt the Williams driver has also gained from cutting a corner.

Sutil, who had finished the race in eighth, was demoted to 10th, but has now moved to ninth following Hulkenberg's penalty.

The Williams driver, meanwhile, drops to 10th.

The penalty means Force India is back in front of Williams in the Constructors' Championship. Force India has also confirmed it has withdrawn its protest against Sutil's penalty decision.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa, having finished in 10th, moves up to eighth.

REVISED RACE RESULTS

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                   
 1.  Alonso        Ferrari
 2.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault
 3.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault
 4.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes
 5.  Rosberg       Mercedes
 6.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth
 7.  Kubica        Renault
 8.  Massa         Ferrari
 9.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes
10.  Hulkenberg    Williams-Cosworth
11.  Petrov        Renault
12.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari
13.  Schumacher    Mercedes
14.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari
15.  Di Grassi     Virgin-Cosworth
16.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Cosworth



Revised World Championship standings, round 15:               

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Webber       202        1.  Red Bull-Renault          383
 2.  Alonso       191        2.  McLaren-Mercedes          359
 3.  Hamilton     182        3.  Ferrari                   319
 4.  Vettel       181        4.  Mercedes                  168
 5.  Button       177        5.  Renault                   133
 6.  Massa        128        6.  Force India-Mercedes       60
 7.  Rosberg      122        7.  Williams-Cosworth          56
 8.  Kubica       114        8.  Sauber-Ferrari             27
 9.  Sutil         47        9.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari         10
10.  Schumacher    46       
11.  Barrichello   39       
12.  Kobayashi     21       
13.  Petrov        19       
14.  Hulkenberg    17 
15.  Liuzzi        13       
16.  Buemi          7       
17.  De la Rosa     6       
18.  Alguersuari    3       
       
All timing unofficial


TBWG

[F1ART]

You might like this F One!
Fernando Alonso was the only one not amused when Sebastian Vettel cracked a joke during Saturday night's post-qualifying press conference.
Vettel qualified behind Ferrari's pole sitting Alonso on the Singapore street circuit, but said he still rated his chances of driving his Red Bull to the top of the podium.
"The further up you are the more it helps but obviously the race can still change a couple of things. I think Fernando started here from 15th on the grid two years ago and won the race," said the 23-year-old German.
He smiled as he paused; the reporters laughing as they realised Vettel was referring to the famous 2008 race, when Nelson Piquet crashed deliberately to trigger an opportune safety car period for his Spanish teammate. Alonso's face matched the hue of his Ferrari overalls!

[Admin]

Fernando Alonso Wins The Singapore Grand Prix Race

[TBWG]

Thailand and F1

October 6, 2010 by joesaward

Dietrich Mateschitz has long been a man with ambitions in motor racing. He has been involved in the sport since the very beginning of the Red Bull story, when the then new drinks company had a personal sponsorship deal with Gerhard Berger. He then became the sponsor of Sauber and ultimately bought the Jaguar Racing and Minardi teams to become Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso. He also acquired the Osterreichring, which is now known as the Red Bull Ring. On top of all of this he has invested in a NASCAR team and in any number of personal sponsorships in the junior formulae, in rallying, touring car racing and so on. His ambition is to win the World Championship, while at the same time increasing sales of his celebrated energy drink.

What is not well known is that Mateschitz owns only 49% of the business. His partner Chaleo Yoovidhya, a Thai national, owns another 49%, while Yoovidhya’s son Chalerm owns the remaining two percent, having been the man who introduced the two major partners. That was back in the early 1980s. The deal was that Mateschitz would run the business, but that the Thais would have nominal control. Chaleo (78) is now the richest person in Thailand, with a fortune estimated at $4 billion, thanks to Red Bull, and to other products that are produced by his TC Pharmaceuticals company, which continues to market the original energy drink Krating Daeng (on which Red Bull is based) in the Asian markets. The success of the Red Bull business has enabled Chalerm to become Thailand’s most celebrated winemaker, while also being the co-owner of Cavallino Motors, a joint venture with the Bhirombhakdi Family, which owns the Singha Beer company. Singha was recently seen as a sponsor on the Red Bull-Renaults in F1 and said that this was designed to promote Formula 1 in Thailand, which would automatically create interest in Ferrari.

Now Chalerm is saying that he wants to build a F1 circuit in Thailand, so that there can be a Thai Grand Prix. He says that this will help to boost the tourism industry in the country. The country does have a 1.5-mile circuit near the seaside resort of Pattaya. This was built in 1985 and named after Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubandh (known in Europe as “Prince Bira”) who raced Grand Prix cars with some success in the 1940s and 1950s. This is not suitable for Formula 1.

The shift of F1 towards Asia means that Thailand should be considered a sensible contender if Red Bull is willing to put up the money. Why not a Red Bull Ring in Asia, as well as in Austria?


TBWG

[TBWG]

Hi F1 fans

Seven Eleven again part sponsoring Red Bull for Japanese GP this weekend, although seven eleven is a worldwide organisation I still see it as a good sign for the importance of this part of the world in GP racing. Who knows Thailand may well get a GP in the future.

TBWG 

[TBWG]

2nd practice results. ~~~~   


1     Vettel    Red Bull    1:31.465    

142.024 mph
2    Webber    Red Bull    1:31.860    

0.395
3    Kubica    Renault    1:32.200    

0.735
4    Alonso    Ferrari    1:32.362    

0.897
5    Massa    Ferrari    1:32.519    

1.054
6    Button    McLaren    1:32.533    

1.068
7    Petrov    Renault    1:32.703    

1.238
8    Schumacher    Mercedes    1:32.831    

1.366
9    Sutil    Force India    1:32.842    

1.377
10    Hulkenberg    Williams    1:32.851    

1.386
11    Rosberg    Mercedes    1:32.880    

1.415
12    Kobayashi    Sauber    1:33.471    

2.006
13    Hamilton    McLaren    1:33.481    

2.016
14    Barrichello    Williams    1:33.564    

2.099
15    Heidfeld    Sauber    1:33.697    

2.232
16    Buemi    Toro Rosso    1:34.005    

2.540
17    Alguersuari    Toro Rosso    1:34.055    

2.590
18    Liuzzi    Force India    1:34.310    

2.845
19    Kovalainen    Lotus    1:36.095    

4.630
20    Trulli    Lotus    1:36.333    

4.868
21    di Grassi    Virgin    1:36.630    

5.165
22    Glock    Virgin    1:36.834    

5.369
23    Senna    HRT    1:37.352    

5.887
24    Yamamoto    HRT    1:37.831    

6.366


TBWG

[TBWG]

Oh Dear!

Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix has been rescheduled to take place on Sunday morning following torrential rain at Suzuka on Saturday.

Storms at the track that intensified over the day meant it was never safe to let Formula 1 drivers attempt to set grid times.

Despite several time delays to try and wait for a window in the weather, the FIA said at 3.18pm local time that qualifying would now be shifted back to Sunday morning.

A new track inspection will take place at 9:30am tomorrow, with qualifying to start at 10am - five hours before the start of the race.

It is the first time since the 2004 Japanese Grand Prix that a qualifying session has had to be abandoned and shifted back to Sunday.

Qualifying for the 2004 event also took place on 9 October, and it was Michael Schumacher who secured pole position on Sunday.


TBWG

[John the Traveller]

They had an impromptu model boat race in the pit lane TBWG  Apparently Lotus won ! Red Bulls boat was made from Red Bull cans.....Dieter would have been pleased 
I was interested to read the story about the majority ownership of Red Bull being Thai thanks for the info.
Cheers,
John

[Admin]

Hamilton to take five-place grid penalty at Japanese Grand Prix
Published: 10/10/2010 at 06:58 AM
Bangkok Post: Online news: Sports

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton faces a five-place drop on the grid for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix after the team was forced to change the gearbox on the Briton's car.


McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton drives in the rain during the third free practice session of the Formula One's Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit in western Japan. Hamilton faces a five-place drop on the grid for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix after the team was forced to change the gearbox on the Briton's car.
The 25-year-old has had a miserable weekend at Suzuka, crashing heavily in first practice on Friday and being forced to sit out much of the afternoon session as the team frantically fixed his battered MP4-25 machine. Hamilton was one of 22 drivers not to set a timed lap in a wet practice session Saturday morning, and with qualifying postponed to Sunday because of worsening weather, he has completed just six timed laps of the daunting 5.8km circuit this weekend.

On Saturday night, McLaren found that there was an oil pressure problem with Hamilton's gearbox, necessitating its replacement and a five-place penalty on the grid for Sunday's race.

Hamilton is in third place in the championship standings, 20 points behind Red Bull's Mark Webber with four races remaining.

The 2008 world champion has failed to finish three of the last four races, the last two after retiring with accident damage after attempting to overtake Ferrari's Felipe Massa in Italy and Webber in Singapore a fortnight ago.
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SUZUKA, Japan: