The Fruit of Knowledge
Posts tagged formula 1
Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix sets up final dash for second place [spoilers]
Nov 13th
Filed under: Motorsports, Middle East
The ongoing revolutions in the Middle East may have put the kibosh on the Bahrain Grand Prix this year, but the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was campaigned as planned against the setting Arabian sun. Follow the jump to read how the final race of the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship went down at Yas Island.
Continue reading Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix sets up final dash for second place [spoilers]
Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix sets up final dash for second place [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: American racer Michael Lewis earns Ferrari test on back of F3 victory
Nov 11th
Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Ferrari
When this year’s Formula 1 young driver test kicks off in Abu Dhabi, Alexander Rossi may be the only American there, but he’s not the only young Yank with his eyes on grand prix racing. And he’s not the only one set for an F1 test, either.
Rossi is joined in his aspirations by fellow Californian driver Michael Lewis, who is scheduled to test for no less prestigious a team than Scuderia Ferrari. The opportunity is Lewis’ reward – arranged between Ferrari and the Italian racing body CSAI – for his achievements in the Italian F3 Championship, where he emerged as rookie of the year. He also placed second in the overall standings behind series champion Sergio Campana, who will be driving the 2009-spec Ferrari F60 alongside him at the Vallelunga circuit outside Rome.
Prior to Formula 3, Lewis competed in Formula BMW both on this side of the Atlantic and the other. All the while, he’s been working towards a business degree at the Fullerton campus of California State University – a rarity in a demanding field that often precludes aspiring racers from furthering their education. Press release after the jump.
Continue reading American racer Michael Lewis earns Ferrari test on back of F3 victory
American racer Michael Lewis earns Ferrari test on back of F3 victory originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: Hublot named as Ferrari’s latest official timekeeper [w/video]
Nov 10th
Filed under: Etc., Videos, Ferrari
Watchmakers pursue partnerships with automakers and racing series like they’re made of gold – which is, often enough, the case with the timepieces that ensue. Breitling has Bentley. Jaeger-LeCoultre has Aston Martin. TAG Heuer has McLaren. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions about Porsche Design watches.
Ferrari‘s relationship with official timekeepers has been a bit more volatile, however. Girard-Perregaux served the function until a few years ago when the contract was awarded to Panerai. Cabestan was supposed to be producing a very high-end timepiece for Ferrari next, but now the coveted contract has been awarded to Hublot.
If that name sounds familiar to fans of the Scuderia, that’s because Hublot already serves as official timekeeper for Formula 1 – much as Rolex does for Le Mans, Edox does for the World Rally Championship and Chopard does for classic rallies like the Mille Miglia.
Although the first result of their collaboration has yet to be unveiled, the partnership was officially announced this weekend at the Mugello circuit where Ferrari is wrapping up its season of client racing programs with the annual Finali Mondiali. Follow the jump for the press release and video footage from the press conference.
Continue reading Hublot named as Ferrari’s latest official timekeeper [w/video]
Hublot named as Ferrari’s latest official timekeeper [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Followup: Sam Michael cleared to start at McLaren
Nov 9th
Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs
Staff changes take place all the time in Formula 1. And since every team is working pretty much from the same talent pool, staff members are bound to rotate between teams. Typically the top talents are share between the top teams: a list that in recent years has comprised of outfits like Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes GP. But while they haven’t been there in a while, Williams was once classified among the elite front-runners, and with some personnel and technical changes, hopes to again soon. Those plans, however, don’t include Sam Michael.
Until recently, Michael served as technical director of the Williams team, but as the team failed to emerge from the back of the pack, he was let go. Mike Coughlan, formerly of McLaren and related controversy, is now sitting at Michael’s desk. So where has Michael landed? At McLaren, of course.
The new appointment as the Woking outfit’s sporting director wasn’t expected to take effect, in any practical sense, until his contract with Williams had expired. But since it was Williams that cut him lose in the first place, they’ve been kind enough to let Michael off the leash. So he’ll be traveling with McLaren to the last two grands prix of the season, where he’ll be able to observe the team at work and begin plotting what changes he’ll make once he takes over control of the team’s trackside racing operations next season in an effort to help Button and Hamilton edge out Vettel for next year’s title.
Sam Michael cleared to start at McLaren originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: American driver Alexander Rossi racing his way into F1
Nov 8th
Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Lotus
Formula 1 may be coming to America – with two races within the next two years, no less – but it’s been a long time since an American has taken on Formula One.
Scott Speed was the last standard-bearer The U.S. had in the series, but after showing early promise with Formula Renault 2000 titles in Europe, he failed to shine in his seat with Scuderia Toro Rosso, ultimately moving back Stateside to NASCAR. Mario Andretti and Phil Hill both took the trophy home for America, but those titles were decades ago. What America needs now is a new talent to waive the Stars and Stripes at the grand prix circuits of the world. And it could have just that in Alexander Rossi.
The twenty-year-old Californian has shown serious promise in the feeder series, winning the Formula BMW title and landing third in the critical Formula Renault 3.5 series where, with two wins, he emerged as this season’s rookie of the year. Rossi was linked to the failed USF1 team, and in 2009 was awarded a test drive for BMW Sauber F1, making him the only American to currently hold the FIA Superlicense required to compete in Formula 1.
Now Rossi’s coming back for another try at F1, participating in the young driver test at Abu Dhabi for the outfit currently known as Team Lotus (soon to be renamed Caterham). He’ll already be on hand for the GP2 race the same weekend, in which he’ll drive for Caterham’s feeder squad, Team AirAsia. We’ll keep an eye out to see how the young Yank does. Follow the jump for the press release.
Continue reading American driver Alexander Rossi racing his way into F1
American driver Alexander Rossi racing his way into F1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Kleenspeed pitches Formula E concept to FIA
Nov 2nd
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Racing
The FIA is serious about developing environmentally friendly forms of motorsport. But while its premier series – Formula One – is implementing new measures like regenerative braking and heat-energy recuperation, F1 remains a fossil fuel-powered sport. That’s where Formula E comes in.
First mooted back in April and officially announced in August, the FIA Formula E series starts from scratch with a new formula that calls for entirely electric propulsion. The FIA has put out an official tender for interested constructors to submit their proposals, and after Italian upstart FondTech pitched their idea in September, now Kleenspeed is getting in on the action.
The American outfit already produces an array of electric vehicles, from scooters and karts to electric-converted Miatas and even the EV-X11 sports prototype. Its Formula E concept is certainly no less ambitious, outlining plans for Kleenspeed to develop and manufacture the energy storage and propulsion systems, the complete chassis and everything that goes in it. Kleenspeed even wants to field the car with its own works team.
Whether the Formula E championship ends up going with a single design (like IndyCar, GP2, Formula 2, A1GP, Superleague and just about every other open-wheel single-seater racing series), a constructor-team format (like Formula 1) where every team designs and builds its own cars, or something in between likely depends on the quantity and quality of the proposals. But we can already see Kleenspeed’s design whizzing around the world’s finest racing circuits. Details in the press release after the jump.
Continue reading Kleenspeed pitches Formula E concept to FIA
Kleenspeed pitches Formula E concept to FIA originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: PSA: Stray dogs on F1 tracks "not acceptable"
Oct 31st
Filed under: Motorsports, Safety
When an animal makes its way onto a freeway, the result could be a significant accident with the real possibility for casualties. But while your local Interstate could see speeds of 80 miles per hour, it’s nothing like Formula 1.
During testing at the Indian Grand Prix, a dog with a death wish made its way onto the track. Luckily, the dog was unharmed, and a potentially serious accident was avoided. The incident comes three years after driver Bruno Senna actually hit a dog during a GP2 race in Turkey. Senna reportedly told ESPN that he saw the very same dog around the entrance to the paddock, adding that it was “difficult to believe” that the dog actually made it onto the track.
Officials at the track were quick to respond to the incident by red flagging the session. Senna was quick to point out that while waving the red flag was the right thing to do, the circuit must be more vigilant in keeping animals off the track.
PSA: Stray dogs on F1 tracks “not acceptable” originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: Chevy bringing Belle Isle Grand Prix back to Detroit in 2012
Oct 12th
Filed under: Motorsports, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM
Open-wheel racing is returning to the Motor City next summer. The Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will be held June 1-3, the first of a three-year sponsorship deal between General Motors, Penske Corporation and the IndyCar series. The weekend of racing will feature not only an IndyCar race, but the first Grand-Am event ever held on Detroit’s island course.
The new Detroit race will take the place of another IndyCar event on the schedule, though officials did not say which one. IndyCar officials expect starting grids to have 25-28 cars next season. Other support races for the Detroit weekend include a Cadillac V-Series Challenge and an Indy Light race.
Race organizers said they plan to spend $6 million to rehab the racing facility, which last saw action in 2008. Detroit has a long and tumultuous history of hosting open wheel racing events on city streets, dating back to 1982, when Formula 1 ran on a course through downtown. In 1989 the Detroit Grand Prix moved to the current location at Belle Isle, a public park in the Detroit River, where several races under different sanctioning bodies have been held intermittently over the years. Follow the jump for GM’s official release.
Continue reading Chevy bringing Belle Isle Grand Prix back to Detroit in 2012
Chevy bringing Belle Isle Grand Prix back to Detroit in 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Video: Jeremy Clarkson releases trailer for new ‘Powered Up’ DVD
Oct 11th
Filed under: Performance, Videos, Celebrities, Specialty
It seems we may never get enough of Jeremy Clarkson. The Top Gear host always attracts loads of attention no matter what he does, and it doesn’t hurt that he always seems to surround himself with some of the most beautiful machines on the planet.
That doesn’t change for his new DVD, which is titled ‘Powered Up.’ Clarkson and his band of highly skilled photogs shot the DVD at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, and the post-jump trailer gives us a good idea of the automotive stars of this show.
Hit the jump to watch four minutes of Sir Clarkson as he takes on the McLaren MP4-12C, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Jaguar E-Type Convertible and plenty more. Even Formula 1 driver Karun Chandhok got in on the fun, if a high-speed spin-out in a 911 GT3 is your idea of a good time. ‘Powered Up’ goes on sale on November 7.
Continue reading Jeremy Clarkson releases trailer for new ‘Powered Up’ DVD
Jeremy Clarkson releases trailer for new ‘Powered Up’ DVD originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Confirmed: Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version approved for production, may result in AMG-like tuning arm
Oct 10th
Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Motorsports, Crossover, Infiniti, Nissan, Rumormill, Luxury
Running a luxury brand used to be simple. Tart up a few mass-market sedans with leather interiors and power accessories, slap on a big hood ornament, jack the price through the roof, then sit back and watch the gravy train flow. These days it couldn’t be more different. You need dedicated luxury platforms and halo cars and marketing tie-ins. And if you really want to be taken seriously among the cognoscenti, you need an in-house performance tuner to craft your own AMG or M-series line of cars.
Which brings us to Infiniti, the formerly North American-only luxury brand. It has been going toe-to-toe with Mercedes and BMW in some product segments for years, but with aspirations of competing with the big two luxury marques globally, it needs to put some muscle behind its nascent Infiniti Performance Line brand. So that 414-horsepower Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version you saw at Frankfurt? Yep, it’s coming, according to an interview with Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer on the company’s corporate blog. And although it won’t necessarily be branded an IPL car, Palmer says the Vettel FX will serve as a pilot, to prove that Infiniti can sell “low-volume, very special versions, and be able to charge a premium.”
Vettel took his second straight Formula 1 title with a victory in Japan this weekend, and Infiniti might as well capitalize on its marketing partnership with Red Bull Racing. You don’t spend upwards of $10 million on a racing deal if you’re not going to use it to sell cars. Of course, Vettel is hardly a celebrity in the U.S., so we’ll have to wait to hear some official word about North American plans. “Right now,” Nissan PR told us, “it is still simply a concept.”
Watch the entire interview with Palmer after the jump.
Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version approved for production, may result in AMG-like tuning arm originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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