Kubica starts rehabilitation programme

Renault’s Robert Kubica has been transferred from intensive care to the rehabilitation department of Italy’s Santa Corona Hospital as he continues to recover from the injuries he sustained in a rally accident earlier this month.

“He is doing pretty well and his condition is positive considering what he has been through,” the hospital’s Dr Rossello told Renault’s official website on Tuesday. “He can move his fingers slightly and has a little bit of sensitivity already in his hand. What is very important is that there is no sign of infection, which is the main concern.

The Polish driver is expected to stay in the hospital’s rehabilitation department for at least a fortnight.

Bahrain Withdraws

The Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) today (Monday) announced that the Kingdom of Bahrain would withdraw from hosting this year’s F1 Grand Prix.

Barcelona Day Four

1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:22.625
2. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:23.442
3. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 1:23.550
4. Nick Heidfeld, Renault, 1:23.657
5. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:24.003
6. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:24.057
7. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:24.177
8. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:24.515
9. Jerome D’Ambrosio, Virgin, 1:26.501
10. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP, 1:27.079
11. Jarno Trulli, Lotus, 1:29.992

Trulli Crashes

Lotus’s Barcelona test programme came to a premature halt on Monday morning when Jarno Trulli crashed at the Circuit de Catalunya’s Turn Nine due to a car failure. Trulli was unhurt, but without the necessary parts to repair the T128, the team were forced to abandon the last of their four days in Spain.

“It's obviously disappointing to have the test cut short like this but these things happen in motor racing,” said Trulli. “We started the day well and until the accident happened I had picked up where I left off yesterday.

 Trulli had completed just 18 laps when he suffered his off, but chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne remained upbeat with Lotus’s progress, the T128 having now run for over 2,400 kilometres since testing began.

Barcelona Day Three

1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, 1:23.168, 92 laps
2. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, 1:23.463, 93
3. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:23.858, 93
4. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:24.815, 60
5. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:24.995, 139
6. Jarno Trulli, Lotus, 1:25.454, 48
7. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:25.557, 115
8. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:25.720, 102
9. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 1:26.155, 31
10. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:26.508, 123
11. Timo Glock, Virgin, 1:26.598, 97
12. Giorgio Mondini, HRT, 1:28.178, 39
13. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:28.329, 42
14. Narain Karthikeyan, HRT, 1:30.722, 32

Barcelona Day Two

1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:23.315, 104 laps
2. Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso, 1:23.519, 97
3. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:23.978, 90
4. Rubens Barrichello, Williams, 1:24.008, 118
5. Nick Heidfeld, Renault, 1:24.242, 41
6. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, 1:24.243, 125
7. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, 1:24.730, 131
8. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:24.923, 54
9. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:25.194, 80
10. Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, 1:26.421, 58
11. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, 1:26.884, 61
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT, 1:27.044, 70
13. Timo Glock, Virgin, 1:27.242, 66
14. Ricardo Teixeira, Lotus, 1:31.584, 26

Barcelona Day One

1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:24.374, 37 laps
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:25.485, 101
3. Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso, 1:25.638, 57
4. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, 1:25.641, 78
5. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:26.365, 77
6. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:26.575, 26
7. Rubens Barrichello, Williams, 1:26.912, 52
8. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP, 1:27.512, 90
9. Narain Karthikeyan, HRT, 1:28.393, 116
10. Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, 1:30.065, 54
11. Jerome d’Ambrosio, Virgin, 1:30.950, 116
12. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, 1:35.174, 20
13. Nick Heidfeld, Renault, 1:44.324, 27

Bell joins Mercedes as Technical Director

Former Renault team head Bob Bell has been appointed as Mercedes GP’s technical director with effect from April 1. Reporting to team principal Ross Brawn, Bell’s role will primarily be based at the team's UK factory in Brackley with overall responsibility for the technical operations of their chassis group.

Bell’s appointment is designed to allow Brawn greater freedom to oversee the team’s full programme between the chassis group in Brackley and their engine group at Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines in Brixworth.

Renault confirm Heidfeld

Renault have announced that Nick Heidfeld has joined the team, taking over driving duties from the injured Robert Kubica, starting at this week’s test session in Barcelona. It follows his evaluation at Jerez last week.

The 33-year-old German is one of the most experienced drivers in Formula One, having started 172 races over the last 11 seasons. He will race alongside Vitaly Petrov when the new season gets underway in Bahrain on March 13.

Reliability Challenge for Mercedes GP

Mercedes GP’s hit and miss performance at the recent Jerez test has prompted some to speculate that the team are on the back foot ahead of the 2011 season.

“Reliability is our main challenge at the moment,” Brawn told Mercedes GP’s official website. “Although we have completed the third highest mileage of any team with our new car (a total of 2310km), our level of reliability is not where it needs to be yet. We have experienced our share of teething problems with the MGP W02 but we have solutions in the pipeline to resolve them.

“The second pre-season test in Jerez was extremely useful. Our priorities at this stage are improving the reliability of the new car, working with the KERS system, and developing our understanding of the Pirelli tyres. We had good reliability for the middle two days which allowed us to accumulate mileage and collect a lot of data to study ahead of the next test in Barcelona this weekend."

Jerez Day Four

1. Rubens Barrichello, Williams, 1:19.832, 103 laps
2. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, 1:20.601, 86
3. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:21.074, 115
4. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 1:21.213, 90
5. Bruno Senna, Renault, 1:21.400, 68
6. Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, 1:21.632, 43
7. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, 1:22.103, 45
8. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:22.222, 90
9. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:22.278, 70
10. Jerome d’Ambrosio, Virgin, 1:22.985, 45
11. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:23.111, 99

Jerez Day Three

1. Nick Heidfeld, Renault, 1:20.361, 86 laps
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:20.493, 131
3. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP, 1:21.054, 114
4. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:21.099, 36
5. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, 1:21.242, 84
6. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:21.574, 98
7. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 1:21.681, 92
8. Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, 1:21.711, 61
9. Rubens Barrichello, Williams, 1:22.227, 99
10. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:22.945, 64
11. Jerome d’Ambrosio, Virgin, 1:25.471, 72

Jerez Day Two

Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher responded on Friday to Felipe Massa’s swift Thursday pace for Ferrari, as this week’s four-day test continued in Jerez. Schumacher’s fastest lap, a 1m 20.352s, was almost four-tenths of a second quicker than Massa’s best the day before - and six-hundredths up on the Brazilian's own Friday best at the Spanish circuit.


1. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP, 1:20.352
2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.413
3. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:21.009
4. Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso, 1:21.214
5. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:21.613
6. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:21.780
7. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:21.857
8. Timo Glock, Virgin, 1:22.208
9. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, 1:22.493
10. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.591
11. Jarno Trulli, Lotus, 1:23.216

Jerez Day One

1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.709
2. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:21.483
3. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:21.522
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:21.755
5. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:21.914
6. Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso, 1:22.689
7. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:23.472
8. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, 1:23.504
9. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, 1:23.963
10. Jarno Trulli, Lotus, 1:24.458
11. Timo Glock, Virgin, 1:25.086
12. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:34.968

Online launch for Force India

Force India have unveiled their 2011 challenger online ahead of its track debut later this week. After finishing seventh in the 2010 constructors’ championship, the team hope the Mercedes-engined VJM04 will power them to even greater things in 2011.


The new car will be raced by Adrian Sutil and reigning DTM champion Paul di Resta.

The VJM04 has been designed in-house at the team's UK facility by a unit led by technical director Andrew Green. Although an evolution of its predecessor, the new car is very different thanks to 2011’s rule changes and features a moveable rear wing, a KERS system and a new-look roll hoop.

 "Exhaust management will also be a big area of development this year. There will be an upgrade for the first race, so there are some changes that will come into effect at the Bahrain test. Further down the line there are some big updates for the front of the car coming in for the first European race."

Green is also keen to build development momentum over the course of the season and plans to use the Fridays of race weekends more thoroughly by placing a greater emphasis on gathering data.

Following its launch on Tuesday, the VJM04 will make its testing debut at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on Thursday, as the second multi-team pre-season test session gets underway at the Spanish circuit.

Force India VJM04

Force India have revealed the first images of their 2011 F1 car, the VJM04.

Force India VJM04

Force India VJM04

Force India VJM04

Force India VJM04

Force India VJM04

The VJM04 is the first car designed by new technical director Andrew Green. Its predecessor achieved the team’s best-ever constructors’ championship position of seventh.
This year the team say they want to finish in the top five.
The team will use Mercedes power for the third year in a row.
Chairman Vijay Mallya said: “This year there is even more to be optimistic about. We’ve got three race drivers that are hungry to take the next steps in their careers, whether that be points, podiums or wins.
“We have an experienced technical team that have the ingenuity, flexibility and drive to adapt to the new wave of rule changes, and we also have the tools and resources in our partnerships with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines to aim even higher.
“Not to mention the very special event, and one that I personally can’t wait for, the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. What better place would there be to reach some of those aims than on our home soil?”
Adrian Sutil said he hopes to finish in the top ten in the drivers’ championship for the first time this year:
“The progress the team has shown over the past two years has been very impressive and what I’ve seen in the factory and at the wind tunnel over the past weeks indicates that the rate will continue this year.”
Paul di Resta makes his F1 debut with the team this year. He said: “I don’t want to say exact targets on record as there are so many factors that can come into play.
“What I do want to do is to have a positive approach, finish, be consistent and contribute strongly to the team’s overall performance. We’ve got high aims of finishing in a good constructors’ championship position and I know that I’ve got to play my part in this.”
Technical director Andy Green explained some of the changes on the car:
“The most obvious visual change is that we’ve gone away from a conventional roll-hoop to a blade. This gives us a small packaging improvement compared to a more conventional style.
“The engine cover is different, in-line with the abolition of the F-duct system. But there are a lot of differences under the skin that people won’t necessarily notice.”
“We’ve recovered a lot of the aerodynamic performance, we believe. We still have a little bit to go, but we are still in the process of the realignment after the end of last season, because it does take a long time to move aerodynamically from one position to another.
“The movable wing is a whole new game, and we’ll be trying to exploit its performance to the max.
“Exhaust management will also be a big area of development this year. There will be an upgrade for the first race, so there are some changes that will come into effect at the Bahrain test. Further down the line there are some big updates for the front of the car coming in for the first European race.”
The team have recruited a new senior tyre engineer, Jun Matsusaki, to help with the switch to Pirelli tyres.
Greem also confirmed the new car will use a Kinetic Energy Recovery System: “‘The Mercedes KERS system looks very strong, and we’re really happy with it.

HRT F111 Launch

HRT have revealed the first pictures of their 2011 F1 car, the F111.

HRT F111

HRT F111

HRT F111

HRT F111

HRT F111

HRT F111

HRT F111

HRT F111

Team principal Colin Kolles said: “The F111 represents a significant step forward for Hispania Racing.
“We have made a big improvement for starting our second season in Formula 1 and what you see in our new car confirms Hispania Racing´s commitment to F1.”
The F111 was designed by Geoff Willis and Paul White. The team confirmed it will have an adjustable rear wing. However it will not have a Kinetic Energy Recovery System.
HRT aim to run the car for the first time in the pre-season test at Bahrain which begins on March 3rd.
Team president Jose Ramon Carabante said: “We feel really proud of the car our drivers will run this forthcoming season.
“Despite a challenging first year, we managed to finish on the 11th position in the World Constructors Championship. Now, we are very pleased to introduce the first specification of the F111, which means a huge design-effort from our side.
“This is only a first step as we are planning several updates during the season.”
The car’s distinctive livery was designed by Daniel Simon of Cosmic Motors. He said, “I miss fearless visual statements and large beautiful numbers on today’s racing cars.
“Playing with the restrictions of what you can do to a complex F1 body is fun. There are many don’ts, but I found a way to lay courageous racing essence on the car.”
However aside from sponsorship from Tata, thanks to new driver Narain Karthikeyan, the F111′s bodywork features few sponsors.
Instead the bodywork shown includes the messages: “This could be you” and “This is a cool spot”.

Virgin MVR-02 Launch

Virgin have launched their 2011 F1 car, the MVR-02.

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

Virgin MVR-02

The car was launched at BBC Television Centre in London.
As last year, the car was designed entirely using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), without using a wind tunnel.
Following the arrival of Russian sports car company Maurssia as an investor the team are now registered under a Russian licence. The air intake on the front of the MVR-02 is designed to resemble the one on Marussia’s B2 road car.
The car will run for the first time in the Jerez test later this week. Some of the car’s internals, including its hydraulics, were already run on the VR-01 at Valencia last week.
Designer Nick Wirk confirmed the MVR-02 has not been designed to use KERS, citing the expense of developing the technology as a reason for its absence.

McLaren MP4-26 Launch

McLaren have launched their 2011 F1 car in Berlin.
Here are the first pictures of the car.

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren MP4-26

McLaren staged an unusual launch in Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz. Competition winners brought different pieces of the car and they were assembled together in front of the public and press.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: “I think today’s innovative launch demonstrates the enthusiasm within Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to engage the general public; to show them that our sport is intense and exciting and that we’re very keen to showcase Formula 1 to the wider world.”
As well as featuring KERS and an adjustable rear wing, as permitted by the 2011 rules, the MP4-26 sports an unusual U-shaped sidepod arrangement. McLaren say the layout is to direct air to the rear of the car more efficiently.

Toro Rosso STR6 Launch

The Toro Rosso STR6 has been launched in Valencia.
Here are the first pictures of Toro Rosso’s new car:

Toro Rosso STR6, Valencia, 2011

Toro Rosso STR6, Valencia, 2011

Williams FW33 Revealed

The Williams FW33 has done its first lap at Valencia.
The car is running in an interim livery for the first test session of the year.

Williams FW33 drawing

Rubens Barrichello, Williams, 2011

Rubens Barrichello, Williams, 2011

Rubens Barrichello, Williams, Valencia, 2011