Source: https://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/robert-kubica-hospitalised-following-rally-accident/
Louis Rosier Ricardo Rosset Huub Rothengatter Basil van Rooyen Lloyd Ruby
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Robert Kubica Hospitalised Following Rally Accident
UPDATE ON KUBICA’s CONDITION: �http://wp.me/p3uiu-11K Renault Lotus F1 driver Robert Kubica has been airlifted to hospital following a car accident while competing on a rally. The incident, described as a high speed accident, left the Pole injured and he had to be airlifted to hospital. �His co-driver Jakub Gerber was uninjured in the incident. While […]
Would Vettel or Alonso be more deserving champion?
On the surface, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso seem very different. Alonso is all dark, brooding intensity; charismatic but distant.
Vettel is much sunnier - chatty, long answers, always ready with a joke and, as the Abu Dhabi podium ceremony proved, a salty English phrase.
Underneath, though, they share more than might at first be apparent. Both are highly intelligent, intensely dedicated to their profession, and totally ruthless in their own way.
Equally, although Alonso’s wit may be less obvious than Vettel’s, it is highly developed, bone dry, effective, and often used to tactical ends.
Sebastian Vettel (right) leads Fernando Alonso in the Championship going into the penultimate race of the season. Photo: Reuters
And they are both, of course, utterly fantastic racing drivers.
These two all-time greats head into the final two races of a marathon and topsy-turvey 2012 Formula 1 season separated by a tiny margin. Ten points is the same as a fifth place - or the margin between finishing first and third.
Vettel, on account of being ahead and having comfortably the faster car, is favourite. But within F1 there is a feeling that Alonso would be the more deserving champion, so well has he performed in a car that is not the best.
But is that a fair and accurate point of view? Let's look at their seasons, and you can make your own judgement.
THE GOOD
Vettel
It seems strange now, in the wake of Red Bull's recent pulverising form, but at the start of this season the world champions were struggling.
The car always had very good race pace - it was right up with the quickest from Melbourne on - but qualifying was a different matter.
In China, Vettel did not make it into the top 10 shoot-out in qualifying; in Monaco he did – just - but then did not run because he didn’t feel he had the pace to make it worthwhile.
In both races, though, he was competitive, taking a fifth place in China and fourth in Monaco, where he nearly won.
That was the story of the first two-thirds of Vettel’s season. He kept plugging away, delivering the points and keeping himself in contention in the championship.
He took only one win – in Bahrain, from pole – and he should have had another in Valencia, when he was as dominant as he ever was in 2011 only to retire with alternator failure.
Then, when Red Bull finally hit the sweet spot with their car, he delivered four consecutive wins (one of them inherited following Lewis Hamilton’s retirement in Singapore), the last three from the front row of the grid, including two pole positions.
And in Abu Dhabi there was an impressive comeback drive to third after being demoted to the back of the grid, albeit with the help of a significant dose of luck.
Alonso
It is hard to think of a race in which, assuming he got around the first corner, Alonso has not been on world-class form.
In Australia, when Ferrari were really struggling with their car at the start of the season, he fought up from 12th on the grid to finish fifth (including getting up to eighth on the first lap).
His three victories have been among the best all year –in the wet in Malaysia from ninth on the grid; in Valencia from 11th, including some stunning, clinical and brave overtaking manoeuvres; and a superbly controlled defensive drive in Germany, holding off the faster cars of Vettel and Jenson Button for the entire race, by going flat out only where he needed to, lap after lap after lap.
Then, to pick out some other highlights, there was beating the Red Bulls to pole in the wet at both Silverstone and Hockenheim; his rise from 10th on the grid to third in Monza, including a courageous pass on Vettel a couple of laps after being forced on to the grass at nearly 200mph; and splitting the Red Bulls to finish second in India.
THE BAD
Vettel
Impressive Vettel has been this year, flawless he has not.
In Malaysia, he cost himself a fourth place by sweeping too early across the front of Narain Karthikeyan’s HRT while lapping it. There was a hint of frustration and a sense of entitlement about the move – as there was in his post-race comments in which he called Karthikeyan an “idiot”.
In Spain, he was penalised for ignoring yellow caution flags.
In Hockenheim he overtook Jenson Button’s McLaren off the circuit, earning himself a demotion from second to fifth place, despite the drivers being warned only a month or so before that they could not benefit by going off the track.
In Monza, he earned a drive-through penalty for pushing Alonso on to the grass at nearly 200mph, in presumed retaliation for a similar move the Spaniard had pulled on Vettel in the same place the previous year. Again, this was despite the drivers being warned that they had to leave room for a rival who had any part of his car alongside any part of theirs.
In qualifying in Japan, he got away with blocking Alonso at the chicane, despite Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne being penalised for doing the same thing to Williams’s Bruno Senna earlier in the session.
And in India he appeared to break guidelines about having all four wheels off the track at one of the chicanes on his only top-10 qualifying lap, but kept his time because the only available footage was from outside the car, and showed only the front wheels. So the FIA had to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Alonso
Er… Has Alonso made any errors at all this year?
Well, he did cost himself a couple of points in China when he ran off the road attempting to pass Williams’s Pastor Maldonado around the outside of Turn Seven – a move that Vettel did pull off against Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen.
He spun in a downpour in second qualifying at Silverstone, just before the session was red-flagged because it was too dangerous.
And some argue that, defending a championship lead, he should not have put himself in the position he did at the start in Japan, where his rear wheel was tagged by Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus on the run to the first corner, putting Alonso out of the race.
The claim is that Alonso had everything to lose and that, while he did nothing wrong, trying to intimidate Raikkonen into backing off, and squeezing him twice, was too big a risk.
The opposing view of that incident is that Raikkonen, who was behind Alonso, had a better view of the situation and should have realised he wasn’t going anywhere from where he was and backed off.
THE MISFORTUNE
Vettel has lost points from two alternator failures, one in Valencia when he was leading and one in Italy when he was running sixth. And third became fourth in Canada when a planned one-stop strategy had to he aborted. That’s 36 points lost.
Alonso was taken out twice at the start – once definitely not his fault (Belgium, when Romain Grosjean’s flying Lotus narrowly missed his head); and once arguably not (Japan).
He lost a possible win in Monaco because Ferrari didn’t realise that if they left him out a bit longer before his pit stop he could have overtaken leader Mark Webber and second-placed Nico Rosberg as well as third-placed Lewis Hamilton.
He should have finished second in Canada and probably won in Silverstone - rather than being fifth and second - but for errant tyre strategies, and he would have been on the front row and finished at least second in Monza had his rear anti-roll bar not failed in qualifying.
That’s 60-odd points lost.
A POST SCRIPT
While we’re analysing Vettel and Alonso, spare a thought for Lewis Hamilton.
The McLaren driver finally lost any mathematical chance of the title after his retirement from the lead in Abu Dhabi. He is 90 points behind Vettel.
Hamilton has said that he has driven at his absolute best this season, and it’s hard to disagree – he has not made a single mistake worth the name.
But his year has been a story of operational and technical failures by his team.
At least three wins have been lost (Spain, Singapore and Abu Dhabi), as well as a series of other big points finishes, as detailed by BBC Radio 5 live commentator James Allen in his blog.
Without that misfortune, Hamilton would be right up with Vettel and Alonso, if not ahead of them.
So, if you’re thinking about ‘deserving’ world champions, if such a thing exists, spare a thought for him too.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/11/benson.html
George Connor George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard Piers Courage
Force India satisfied with form after late start
Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley says his team can be satisfied with successful ?damage limitation? over the first four races. The VJM08 was completed late and did very little testing, and the team looked set for a tough … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/04/28/force-india-satisfied-with-form-after-late-start/
Paddy Driver Piero Drogo Bernard de Dryver Johnny Dumfries Geoff Duke
Grosjean says he ?hated? 2014 Lotus but he?s smiling now
After being out of the points for nearly 11 months Romain Grosjean made it two scores in eight days when he followed up seventh in China with the same result in Bahrain. The Frenchman agrees that the Lotus E23 has … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/04/24/grosjean-says-he-hated-2014-car-but-hes-smiling-now/
Johnny McDowell Jack McGrath Brian McGuire Bruce McLaren Allan McNish
Raikkonen in rude health
Kimi Raikkonen already had a bottle of beer in his hand by the time he joined his Lotus team for the now-traditional group photo following a grand prix victory.
Knowing Raikkonen's reputation, it will almost certainly not have been the last drink that passed his lips in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night as he celebrated his first win since returning to Formula 1 this year after two years in rallying.
"For sure we're going to have a good party today," the sport's most famous hedonist said on he podium, "and hopefully tomorrow, when we are feeling bad after a long night, we will remember how we feel."
How long will you celebrate for, he was asked.
"I have almost two weeks," he said. "As long as I manage to get myself to the next race I think the team is happy. I try to get home at some point."
The party is well deserved. Raikkonen's comeback year has had its ups and downs, but a win has looked a probability since the start of the season, and in many ways the big surprise has been that it has taken so long.
Raikkonen has been remarkably strong and consistent in races this season, but until Abu Dhabi his best chances of victory had been squandered by starting too far down the grid.
Raikkonen has now taken 37% of his career victories after starting from outside the top three on the grid. Photo: Getty
He is the first to admit that he has made too many mistakes in qualifying. Indeed, for the first half of the season he was generally being out-paced over one lap on Saturdays by his novice team-mate Romain Grosjean.
But in the second half of the season his qualifying pace has edged forward, the mistakes have dried up, and this weekend everything came together to produce the result the team and he undoubtedly deserve.
Out of the car, Raikkonen is about as uncommunicative as they come. He simply refuses to engage in the media game. That can be frustrating for journalists who are searching for insight from an undoubtedly great driver, but still there is no mystery about his true character.
The radio messages that caused such amusement during the race sum him up.
His poor race engineer was only doing his job when he informed him of the gap to Fernando Alonso's Ferrari behind him, and some may find it rude that Raikkonen would respond by asking him to "leave me alone, I know what I'm doing".
But that is Raikkonen all over. He's a no-nonsense character, and he just wants things the way he wants them. And if he is not comfortable in the spotlight, he was born to be in a Formula 1 car at the front of a grand prix.
"Kimi is a man of few words but he's all about racing," McLaren driver Jenson Button said, summing up the Finn's unique appeal.
"It's good to see him have a good race here and collect the victory. He does deserve it. He is back for the racing. That's what he loves and it's good to see that."
For all his impressive performance, Raikkonen owed his win to Lewis Hamilton's wretched fortune at McLaren.
Yet another failure - this one in a fuel pump on the McLaren's Mercedes engine - cost Hamilton another victory. It's the second time it has happened in five races and it is the story of his season.
Hamilton said on Sunday that he had "been at my best this year" and so it has looked, but he also made a pointed reference to McLaren's myriad problems throughout the season: "We have not done a good enough job to win this championship."
For the men who can win it, it was a weekend of wildly fluctuating fortunes.
Following Sebastian Vettel's exclusion from qualifying because not enough fuel had been put in his Red Bull to provide the requisite one-litre sample, it appeared that Alonso had a golden opportunity to close down some of the advantage the German had eked out with his four consecutive wins through Singapore, Japan, Korea and India.
But after a wildly topsy-turvy race and an impressive drive by Vettel, the German joined his Spanish rival on the podium.
All three podium finishers gave an object lesson in racing to the many drivers who crash-banged into each other behind them, including each of their team-mates, and while Vettel's drive quite rightly stood out, so too was a little luck involved.
Vettel damaged his front wing against Bruno Senna's Williams on the first lap, but was able to continue and overtake the rabbits at the back of the field.
Then, not for the first time in his career, he made a mistake behind the safety car, misjudging the pace of Daniel Ricciardo's Toro Rosso as the Australian warmed his brakes, veering to avoid him, and finishing off the front wing against a marker board.
The mistake forced Red Bull to pit Vettel when they were not going to and the fresh tyres he fitted at the stop meant he had a grip advantage over the drivers he now had to pass.
Again, he sliced rapidly through the backmarkers - this time without incident - so that he was up to seventh by the time the pit-stop period started for those in front of him.
By the time the leaders had all stopped, Vettel was in second place, and suddenly it looked like he might have a chance of pulling off a sensational victory.
Raikkonen's Lotus team, for one, thought Vettel would not be stopping again, but Red Bull were concerned enough about tyre wear to want to play safe, and the 20 seconds he lost in his second pit stop were then wiped out by another safety car.
Fourth at the re-start, the fastest car in the field and on fresher tyres than Raikkonen, Alonso and Button ahead of him, it again looked like he might win.
In the end, though, Button's clever defence kept him behind long enough to ensure that although he could pass the McLaren, third was as far as he was going to go.
BBC F1 chief analyst Eddie Jordan said Vettel's ability to salvage a podium finish from a pit-lane start must feel like a "dagger in the heart for Ferrari" but if Alonso was disappointed you would not want to play poker with him.
He talked about his pride at finishing second in a race Ferrari had expected to deliver a fifth or sixth place - and as Red Bull team boss Christian Horner pointed out, Alonso celebrated on the podium as if he had won the race.
For a while now, Alonso has been saying Red Bull's winning run would end, that eventually they would have some bad luck.
Well, in Abu Dhabi they had it, and still Alonso could gain only three points on Vettel, and it was noticeable that the tone of his remarks after the race shifted slightly.
In India two weeks ago, he said he was still "100% confident" of winning the title. After Abu Dhabi, though, he did not repeat that remark.
"Without the problem for Sebastian we were thinking we would exit Abu Dhabi with 20 points deficit or something and we are 10 (behind)," Alonso said. "In the end it was a good weekend for us.
"They will have the fastest car in the last two races. There is no magic part that will come for Austin or Brazil. But as I said a couple of races ago, they have the fastest car, we have the best team. So we see who wins."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/11/post_abu_dhabi.html
Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle
Piech resigns from VW
There is big news from Volkswagen today with the announcement that supervisory board Chairman Ferdinand Piech has resigned on Saturday after losing a boardroom fight that he had provoked with Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn. Piech has been the major figure in VW for more than 20 years and has been the block to the company […]
Source: https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2015/04/25/piech-resigns-from-vw/
JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger
The TEN Best & Worst Driver Moves Ever
Shockwaves reverberated around the world of Formula One when Lewis Hamilton confirmed his controversial switch to Mercedes away from F1 giants McLaren for the 2013 season. The 28-year-old?s move included some strategy. Huge engine regulation adaptations will throw F1 into...»
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/gKXGvdFbPbU/
Gene Hartley Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn
Grosjean says he ?hated? 2014 Lotus but he?s smiling now
After being out of the points for nearly 11 months Romain Grosjean made it two scores in eight days when he followed up seventh in China with the same result in Bahrain. The Frenchman agrees that the Lotus E23 has … Continue reading
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/04/24/grosjean-says-he-hated-2014-car-but-hes-smiling-now/
Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Shelby GT350 Will Be Limited To 100 Units; GT350R To 37
To celebrate 50 years since Carroll Shelby created the Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R back in 1965, Ford has announced that the initial run of the recently introduced Shelby cars will be severely limited in production. For the 2015 model year, Ford will only build 100 examples of the Shelby GT350 Mustang and just 37 versions of the track-ready Shelby GT350R.
Of the 100 GT350s that will be built for 2015, half will come with the Technology Package and the other half will be equipped with the Track Package. As for the GT350R, the 37 units isn?t just a random number. This number correlates with the 37 GT350Rs that Carroll Shelby is said to have built in 1965. According to Ford, Shelby himself claimed to have built two prototypes and 35 production models, but it goes on to say that existing records tend to show that only 34 production units were made.
The excitement behind the new GT350 and GT350R models is the powerful flat-plane-crank V-8 that was developed for these cars. Although Ford has not released official power output figures, the special 5.2-liter V-8 promises to deliver more than 500 horsepower and peak torque above 400 pound-feet.
Both models go on sale this fall, but Ford has yet to reveal pricing details.
Continue reading to learn more about the Shelby GT350 and GT350R.
Shelby GT350 Will Be Limited To 100 Units; GT350R To 37 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 28 April 2015 17:00 EST.
JeanPierre Jarier Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson
Kyle Busch goes wire-to-wire in N?wide Phoenix win
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Kyle Busch became the first driver in a national NASCAR race to win wire-to-wire in nearly eight years. [+] Enlarge Tom Pennington/Getty Images Kyle Busch performs a burnout after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday Related posts:- NASCAR: Kyle Busch closes on Phoenix sweep Kyle Busch closes on Phoenix sweep By Diego Mejia Sunday,...
- Kyle Busch rolls to 8th Nationwide win of season CLERMONT, Ind. -- Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski kept it...
- Kyle Busch leads final 107 laps for trucks victory AVONDALE, Ariz. -- A quick pit stop and some key...
Source: http://doxcar.com/kyle-busch-goes-wire-to-wire-in-nwide-phoenix-win/
Nino Farina Walt Faulkner William Ferguson Maria Teresa de Filippis Ralph Firman
Mad Max Gameplay Trailer For PS4: Video
PlayStation has released a new gameplay trailer, and it looks pretty epic. What do you do if you find yourself marooned in a vast post-apocalyptic wasteland, stripped of resources and equipment, beset in all directions by war-painted psychopaths with nothing better to do than prey on the weak? The answer should be obvious ? chop together the fastest, toughest, most badass ride you can, weld on as many spikes and guns as the exterior can hold, and dish out some payback.
That?s the scenario presented by the new Mad Max video game from Avalanche Studios. It hails from the action-adventure genre and has lots of vehicular combat. At Max?s disposal is a variety of four-wheeled weaponry, allowing you to create your own version of the hero?s ?Magnum Opus? domination mobile. You get stuff like harpoons, mounted cannons, flamethrowers, and a V-12 engine transplant for higher speeds when ramming vehicles. Other configurable options include the chassis, wheels, body panels, paint, and body shell. Choose wisely, though, because certain upgrades may improve one aspect of the car but hamper it in others.
Use the car to explore a large, open world made up of the prototypical arid landscape you?d expect from the franchise. But be careful as you explore ? some areas are more dangerous than others, with varied levels of food, water, enemies and environmental threats.
Mad Max will be released this September for the Linux, Windows, PS4, and Xbox Oneplatforms.
Mad Max Gameplay Trailer For PS4: Video originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 28 April 2015 11:00 EST.
Robin Widdows Eppie Wietzes Mike Wilds Jonathan Williams Roger Williamson
2017 Chrysler Town & Country spied for a second time
Minivans rarely get the heart racing but that hasn't stopped our spies from snapping new pictures of the 2017 Chrysler Town & Country.Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/fpgwIn3-ZNo/2017-chrysler-town--country
Jos Verstappen Sebastian Vettel Gilles Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Sr
F1: Mercedes buyout ?won?t change team?
Mercedes buyout 'won't change team' By Edd Straw Monday, February 28th 2011, 12:50 GMT No changes will be made to the way that Mercedes GP is run after Daimler AG and Aabar Investments took full control of the team, according to the German firm's motorsport boss Norbert Haug. It was announced this morning that Mercedes and Aabar had acquired the remaining 24.9 per cent of the team, which was owned by the five shareholders involved in the original management buyout of Honda in 2009 - Ross Brawn, Nick Fry, Caroline McGrory, John Marsden and Nigel Kerr. Related posts:- F1: Mercedes working flat out to catch up Mercedes working flat out to catch up By Pablo Elizalde...
- F1: Haug: No doubt Mercedes will win again Haug: No doubt Mercedes will win again By Jonathan Noble...
- F1: Mercedes denies management friction Mercedes denies management friction By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, September 28th...
Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-mercedes-buyout-wont-change-team/
David Purley Clive Puzey Dieter Quester Ian Raby Bobby Rahal
Fiat 124 Spider to be unveiled later this year
According to a recent report, Fiat will unveil their version of the Mazda MX-5 later this year.Karl Oppitzhauser Fritz d Orey Arthur Owen Carlos Pace Nello Pagani
Hamilton's tough decision
Since BBC Sport chief analyst Eddie Jordan reported on this website last week that Lewis Hamilton was on the verge of switching to Mercedes from McLaren next year, Formula 1 has been awash with speculation about the 2008 world champion's future.
McLaren did their best at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix to dismiss the story - team boss Martin Whitmarsh even joked: "Any sentence that begins, 'Eddie Jordan understands' is immediately questionable, isn't it?"
But it was noticeable that not only did McLaren not deny the story was true, they said very little to suggest Hamilton was staying with them.
From Whitmarsh, it was: "Lewis and his management have made their position clear to us", "my understanding is we're talking to him" and "I'm pretty convinced we will have a very good, competitive driving line-up next year."
None of which translates as "Hamilton is staying".
Hamilton was triumphant at Monza, but how many more races will he win with McLaren? Photo: Getty
As for the doubts cast on the veracity of the story, the source is strong and credible, and the core information - that Hamilton has agreed terms on a contract with Mercedes for next year - is based in fact.
That does not necessarily mean Hamilton will move but it does mean he is thinking about it seriously. And you can make what you will of his downbeat behaviour throughout the Monza weekend - even after he won the race.
In the paddock, the general view was that a move would be a mistake - but it is a much more complicated decision than that.
Firstly, McLaren have undoubtedly been more competitive than Mercedes in the last three years. Between them, Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button have won 16 races since the start of 2010; Mercedes only one, with Nico Rosberg in China this season.
Over an extended period, McLaren have a winning pedigree beyond that of any other team. Only Ferrari have won more grands prix, and they have been in F1 for 16 years longer.
Hamilton, who has been nurtured by the team since he was 13, says: "I want to win." On pure performance, there's only one choice, right?
In F1, things are rarely that simple.
Yes, McLaren usually have a good car, but until this year it had been a long time since they had unquestionably the best.
It was close with Ferrari in 2007-8, although hindsight would suggest now that the McLaren was probably not quite as good then. In which case, you probably have to go back to 2005 to find the last time McLaren had conclusively the fastest car in F1.
This is known to have irked Hamilton in 2010-11, and played some part in the cocktail of issues that led to his difficult season last year, when his frustration at the car's inability to compete for the title and problems with his family and his girlfriend led to what he admitted was his worst season in the sport.
That all changed this season. The McLaren is again setting the pace. But a series of operational problems in the opening races badly affected Hamilton, costing him 40 points. Add those points to his current total and he would be leading Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, not trailing him by a win and a fourth place.
Hamilton has done well to disguise his disappointment publicly, but it was around this time that his management started approaching McLaren's rivals about job opportunities.
On top of that, McLaren are entering an uncertain period. For the first time next year, they will have to pay for their Mercedes engines - that's in the region of eight million euros they cannot spend on the performance of the car unless they find it from other sources.
Tied in with this is the question of salary. McLaren have made it clear they cannot afford Hamilton at any price. The word is they have offered him a cut in money for next season, on the basis that they cannot afford anything more. This might be offset by other compromises, such as over PR appearances, flights and so on.
Already on about half of what Alonso earns at Ferrari, one can imagine how that has gone down with Hamilton - especially as McLaren's portfolio of sponsors makes it very difficult for a driver to do personal deals elsewhere to top up his earnings. That's because almost anywhere he looks there's a clash with a company that has links with McLaren.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
Meanwhile, Mercedes are by definition a "works" team with factory engines, have the might of an automotive giant behind them. They can pay Hamilton a lot more than his current salary - believed to be about �13m - if they want to. And at Mercedes there is also a lot more freedom for a driver to do personal sponsorship deals.
The funding for Mercedes' F1 team comes entirely from external sponsors - and the budget is reputedly significantly less than enjoyed by Red Bull and Ferrari. But it is underwritten by the parent company so even if there is a sponsorship shortfall it doesn't affect the team.
Performance-wise, the team that is now Mercedes actually won the world title more recently than McLaren, when they were Brawn in 2009. Ironically, the man who won it was Button. His success - and what he interpreted as the team's ambivalence about him staying - led to him moving to McLaren.
Admittedly, Brawn's success in 2009 was tainted by the row over double-diffusers that clouded that season. Once everyone had them, the car was no longer as competitive as it had been.
Mercedes have certainly been under-performing since then, but that can at least partly be explained by the fact that Brawn, facing serious financial problems, slashed their staff by 40% in 2009. As Mercedes, they have been slowly building levels up again.
The pressure on the team to up their game is massive - hence the huge investment in terms of staffing and resources in the last 18 months or so.
And while they are a long way behind McLaren this season, they are on an upward trend, even if it is significantly slower than either the team or the Mercedes board would like.
Equally, few in F1 would disagree that Hamilton is one of the three best drivers in the world, alongside Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. Mercedes don't have any of them.
It's impossible to know how much faster the car would go in their hands than it has done so far in those of Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. Some might argue not at all. But, that's not how Hamilton, who raced and beat Rosberg in their formative years, will look at it.
Add all that up, and the decision doesn't seem so easy after all.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/hamiltons_tough_decision.html
Robert Manzon Onofre Marimón Helmut Marko Tarso Marques Leslie Marr
The importance of remaining relevant
Many older Formula 1 fans remember “the good old days” when F1 teams would turn up each season with cars featuring wildly new ideas: there were fan cars, surface-cooling, ground-effect, “skateboards”, twin-chassis and so on. In those days aerodynamic development was still exciting. The teams all invested in wind tunnels but slowly the excitement faded […]
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Holden Cascada Launch Edition announced
Holden has announced plans to offer a Cascada Launch Edition.Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly
Why Michael Schumacher Could Win The 2011 World Championship
Michael Schumacher?s 2010 comeback was somewhat abortive.� The results, the driving standard and the overtakes were well below par for the former champion.� He even let his team mate beat him for the first time in his career.� So why can Schumacher, the fallen Ferrari hero, win the world championship for an 8th time? It?s […]
Jim McWithey Carlos Menditeguy Harry Merkel Arturo Merzario Roberto Mieres
F1 2011 Launch Catch Up ? McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Renault?
Catching up on the launches in one mega post. �Here in you’ll find quick interviews with senior members of the team and photos from the Red Bull, Sauber, Renault Lotus, Toro Rosso, Mercedes and McLaren launches. Apologies for being somewhat late, the whole blog isn’t running at full power until the season starts again. Red […]
Bob Veith Jos Verstappen Sebastian Vettel Gilles Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve
BMW 3 Series M Sport Style Edge Edition
BMW loves releasing random special editions in Japan, and oftentimes they are limited to only mild body kits and a few extra standard features. Well, for 2015, BMW has just released this Japan-exclusive version of the 320i and 320d that it calls the M Sport Style Edge.
Like many Asian special-edition Bimmers, this model?s updates are limited in terms of exclusivity, as most of the updates are simply added standard features. Things like upgraded rims, a new aero kit, and upgraded interior trim are just a few examples of what makes this Bimmer special. However, the fact that BMW will offer only several hundred of these M Sport Style Edge models may be enough to make up for its slight price hike.
You can check out our full review of the standard 320i here
Continue reading to learn more about the 2015 BMW 320 M Sport Style Edge.
BMW 3 Series M Sport Style Edge Edition originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 27 April 2015 13:00 EST.
Duncan Hamilton Lewis Hamilton David Hampshire Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen
Porsche rules out flat-eight engine for future 911 models
VW Group powertrain boss Heinz-Jakob Neusser announced a flat-eight engine is not being developed for future Porsche 911s.Roberto Guerrero Maurício Gugelmin Dan Gurney Hubert Hahne Mike Hailwood
F1: Alonso: 2011 tyres will hurt top teams
Alonso: 2011 tyres will hurt top teams By Matt Beer Monday, February 28th 2011, 19:07 GMT Fernando Alonso says he is not in favour of the move towards less durable tyres for 2011, as he fears this will end up penalising faster cars. Related posts:- F1: Teams expect 2011 tyres test in summer Teams expect 2011 tyres test in summer By Jonathan Noble...
- F1: Cooper Avon enters race for 2011 tyres Cooper Avon enters race for 2011 tyres By Jonathan Noble...
- F1: Alonso: Passing just as hard in 2011 Alonso: Passing just as hard in 2011 By Jonathan Noble...
Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-alonso-2011-tyres-will-hurt-top-teams/
Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion
Drivers hush up frustration over slow races ? Webber | F1 Fanatic Round-up
In the round-up: Drivers "frustrated" with slow F1 ? Williams suggests starting races later ? Arrivabene demanded changes to help Raikkonen 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/LdNTzhmUc3g/
Timo Glock Helm Glöckler Paco Godia Carel Godin de Beaufort Christian Goethals
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)