2011 F1 Grand Prix season

[TBWG]

Heidfeld confirmed at Renault


Nick HeidfeldThe Renault team has confirmed that Nick Heidfeld will be Robert Kubica's replacement this season, starting from this week's test at Barcelona.

Heidfeld was expected to land the drive after impressing the outfit during his test at the Jerez circuit last week.

The 33-year-old will be working as an official Renault driver starting at this week's test at Barcelona, the German driving on Saturday and Monday.

"I would have liked to come back to Formula 1 in different circumstances, but I'm proud to have been given this chance," said Heidfeld. "Everything has happened so quickly, but I've been very impressed by what I have seen so far in terms of the facilities and the dedication of the people at Enstone.

"I really enjoyed the test last week in Jerez and I've already settled in well with the guys at the track. I have a good feeling for the car, which is quite innovative. I'm extremely motivated and can't wait for the season to begin."

Heidfeld will race alongside Russian Vitaly Petrov while Kubica recovers from his injuries following his accident during a rally.

"The team has been through a very difficult couple of weeks and we had to react quickly," said team boss Eric Boullier. "We gave Nick a chance in Jerez last week and he really impressed us. He's quick, experienced and is very strong technically with his feedback and understanding of the car.

"We always said the priority was to have an experienced driver in the car and we feel he is the ideal man for the job. We are pleased to welcome Nick to the team and look forward to a strong start to the season with him and Vitaly in Bahrain."


TBWG

[TBWG]

Formula 1 teams concerned about opening race in Bahrain
Bahrain Grand Prix

The Formula 1 season is scheduled to begin in Bahrain in March

Formula 1 teams are concerned about the season-opening race in Bahrain in the wake of growing unrest in the country.

This weekend's GP2 Asia event at the Sakhir circuit has been cancelled after at least three people were killed overnight in clashes with police.

Virgin Racing team boss John Booth told BBC Sport: "It's obviously very disturbing and there is concern - that ramped up with the latest disturbance."

F1 insiders have admitted the race on 13 March could be at risk.

And BBC Sport understands that teams are already considering whether to go ahead with the final pre-season test, which is due to be held in Bahrain from 3-6 March.
   
It does give you a lot of concerns but if we're informed it's safe to go, we'll go

John Booth
Virgin team principal

It could be moved to Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya if the unrest continues.

Booth said he would be led by F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone's FOM company, motorsport governing body the FIA and the Bahraini authorities on whether his team travel to the race.

"If the local government, the FIA and FOM say it's safe to go, we'll go," he said.

"They will have people on the ground assessing the situation and they will be well informed on the risks.

"It does give you a lot of concerns but if we're informed it's safe to go, we'll go."

Ecclestone was unavailable for comment on Thursday.

Bahrain Grand Prix officials pledged on Wednesday to deliver a safe event, but that was before at least three people were killed overnight when Bahraini police stormed a protest camp in a central Manama square.

Thousands of overwhelmingly Shi'ite protesters have taken to Manama's streets this week demanding more say in the Gulf Arab kingdom where a Sunni Muslim family rules over a majority Shi'ite population.

The F1 teams are due to test in Bahrain from 3-6 March, a week before the race, which Booth admitted was an "added complication".

That means many F1 personnel are due to be in Bahrain for more than two weeks.

Booth said a decision on whether the test would go ahead would need taking by the 25 February, when the freight is scheduled to be sent out, and one on the race a week later, at the beginning of March.

Asked if the race could be held elsewhere, Booth said: "Impractical. Our sea freight, like every other team's, left for Bahrain a month ago, and a lot of the equipment in the sea freight is vital of the running of the cars. So to run it somewhere else would be very difficult."

On Thursday morning, GP2 practice was scrapped after medical staff at the track were assigned to hospitals in the capital Manama where protests are continuing.

Organisers later said the entire meeting was off "due to force majeure".

Ecclestone admitted on Wednesday that the risk to F1's planned activities in Bahrain next month was "obvious" and that he was "watching events closely".

However, Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain International Circuit chief executive, said: "The safety of all Bahraini nationals, expats and overseas visitors is a priority at all times in the kingdom, and our focus at the present time is on delivering another successful event in the form of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

"We are monitoring the situation very closely indeed, in association with the relevant authorities, and will respond appropriately to any further developments."

Speaking on Wednesday before the overnight clashes, Jean Todt, president of motorsport's world governing body the FIA, said he was also monitoring developments in Bahrain.

"Of course, the essence of the FIA is safety; safety on the racing car, safety on the road, safety in our organisation," he said on a visit to Dublin.

The GP2 Asia event cancelled on Thursday is a regional single-seater championship similar to the main GP2 series that serves as a feeder to Formula 1. The first race of the Bahrain meeting was scheduled for Friday with another on Saturday.

Organisers said in a statement on Thursday that practice had been postponed because "medical staff normally stationed at the circuit has been temporarily called to the city's hospitals in case of an emergency".

But they later issued a another which said: "Following the current events in Bahrain, at the request of the Bahrain Motorsport Federation, it has been decided that the remainder of the meeting is cancelled due to force majeure."


TBWG

[nookiebear]

Its not looking good for the race to take place on 13th March.....I wouldn't fancy going over there if the current situation persists.....Ecclestone will have a hole in his pocket too!!

[Dave the Dude]

WITH THE FIA constantly looking for ways to slow down modern Formula 1 cars, why haven't they tried wrapping hair and fluff around the rear wheel axles? It certainly works on my Scalextric.

[bartomeer]

F1-kalender 2011:
13/03 Bahrein
27/03 Australië
10/04 Maleisië
17/04 China
08/05 Turkije
22/05 Spanje
29/05 Monaco
12/06 Canada
26/06 Europa
10/07 Groot-Brittannië
24/07 Duitsland
31/07 Hongarije
28/08 België
11/09 Italië
25/09 Singapore
09/10 Japan
16/10 Zuid-Korea
30/10 India*
13/11 Abu Dhabi
27/11 Brazilië

[TBWG]

   

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone set for talks over Bahrain GP

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is set for talks with Bahrain's crown prince on Monday to decide whether next month's grand prix should be postponed.

Reports suggest the season opener be moved from 13 March to later in 2011 after unrest in the Gulf kingdom.

"I shall be speaking to [Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa] and then we can make some decisions," said Ecclestone.

If the race was postponed the season would instead begin with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 27 March.

The sport's governing body the FIA is expected to make an official decision about the Bahrain race this week and news on a potential alternative venue is also awaited.

Teams had been due to test their cars in Bahrain from 3-6 March but that prospect now appears increasingly unlikely.

"There are two issues - the test and the race," said BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz.

"We expect to hear an official decision on whether the race goes ahead from the FIA on Monday or Tuesday.

"Increasing suggestions point to a postponement rather than a cancellation but let's wait to hear official word from the FIA.

"If the race isn't going to happen neither will the test and the teams will decide in a meeting at the end of Monday whether to stay at the Barcelona track for another test next week.

"It appears the Jerez track is not available and teams would rather stay in Barcelona than relocate to Valencia or Portimao."

There are free weekends either side of the penultimate race in Abu Dhabi on 13 November when a rescheduled Bahrain contest could be incorporated although that would lead to racing being staged over three consecutive weekends at the end of an eight-month season that at 20 races is the longest in F1 history.

Opposition groups and anti-government protesters in Bahrain have said their demands must be met before they could enter into talks with the Gulf state's monarchy.

They want the government to resign, political prisoners to be released and the deaths of protesters investigated.

Six people were killed and many wounded as security forces used deadly force to quell protests.

Earlier, Ecclestone had told BBC Sport that the crown prince was best placed to make the call over the Bahrain Grand Prix.

"He will decide whether it's safe for us to be there," added Ecclestone.

"I've no idea. I'm not there so I don't know."

He added: "We won't advise people to go unless it's safe."

The crown prince is the son of the Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and the country's heir apparent.

Red Bull driver Mark Webber is among those to have expressed doubts about whether the Bahrain Grand Prix should go ahead.

"When you hear of people losing their lives, this is a tragedy," said the Australian.

"It's probably not the best time to go there for a sporting event. They have bigger things, bigger priorities."

TBWG

[TBWG]

Rosberg tops Barcelona day three



Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, Catalunya testing 2011Nico Rosberg put Mercedes on top with a rapid late lap in a Barcelona testing session that began wet before later drying.

A shower at the start of the morning and a combination of high humidity and low temperatures meant it was not until the eve of the lunchbreak that drivers were able to try slick tyres, and even then conditions remained treacherous, with lap times five seconds off yesterday's fully-dry pace even on slicks.

But by the afternoon only a few off-line damp patches remained, and Rosberg made the most of the clear running to go quickest with a 1m23.168s on a single-lap, qualifying-style, run with a quarter of an hour to go. He had earlier done a 15-lap stint mostly in the 1m29s/1m30s region.

Renault's Vitaly Petrov took second, 0.295 seconds slower than Rosberg. He had missed much of the wet early running, but a busy afternoon meant he still accumulated over 90 laps through the day. Like Rosberg, his best times came on some short one, two and three-lap runs in the closing stages.

McLaren suffered further reliability problems in the morning, forcing Lewis Hamilton to repeatedly abandon planned stints and return the garage after single laps.

Once the car was running, Hamilton was quick - setting some of the best slick-tyre times in the closing stages of the morning and then going third in the dry. His best laps were also from short qualifying-type bursts, with his pace nearer 1m29s, 1m30s when on longer runs, though this was clouded by the McLaren backing off to get aero data on occasion.

Pastor Maldonado (Williams), Sergio Perez (Sauber) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari) all caused red flag stoppages by spinning in the wet - twice in Massa's case. While the Sauber and the Ferrari were soon cleaned and sent back out, Maldonado lost further time with an alternator problem, though he made up for it by taking fourth in the end - his 1m24.815s coming on the first tour of a five-lap run.

Mark Webber caused the final red flag, bringing the session to an end two minutes ahead of schedule as he stopped his Red Bull on the circuit. He was fifth in the order, his session-best 1m24.995s coming on his first lap out of the pits following a tyre change during an afternoon race simulation, and at the start of a 17-lap stint before his next stop.

Water leaks again hampered Lotus, but the car showed good pace as Jarno Trulli took sixth ahead of Perez and Force India's Adrian Sutil.

Toro Rosso running was shared between test driver Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastien Buemi. Ricciardo was a star of the morning, setting a very impressive pace on slicks during the changeover in conditions. He was only narrowly beaten by Hamilton as the lunchbreak began, leaving him 13th in the end-of-day times having not run in fully dry conditions. Buemi was ninth after his 31 laps.

Hispania also split its running between two drivers. Narain Karthikeyan was well up among the established teams in the mixed wet/drying conditions of late morning, though he was last in the order in the end having sat out the afternoon so that Giorgio Mondini - a former Midland test driver - could make a Formula 1 return.

The Swiss driver covered 39 laps and did a respectable job considering his long absence from the F1 cockpit. He was 5s off the outright pace and within 1.6s of Timo Glock's Virgin.

Pos  Driver              Team/car              Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m23.168s            92
 2.  Vitaly Petrov       Renault               1m23.463s  + 0.295s  93
 3.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m23.858s  + 0.690s  93
 4.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Cosworth     1m24.815s  + 1.647s  60
 5.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m24.995s  + 1.827s  139
 6.  Jarno Trulli        Lotus-Renault         1m25.454s  + 2.286s  48
 7.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m25.557s  + 2.389s  115
 8.  Adrian Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1m25.720s  + 2.552s  102
 9.  Sebastien Buemi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m26.155s  + 2.987s  31
10.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m26.508s  + 3.340s  123
11.  Timo Glock          Virgin-Cosworth       1m26.598s  + 3.430s  97
12.  Giorgio Mondini     Hispania-Cosworth     1m28.178s  + 5.010s  39
13.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m28.329s  + 5.161s  42
14.  Narain Karthikeyan  Hispania-Cosworth     1m30.722s  + 7.554s  32

All timing unofficial



TBWG

[TBWG]

Hi F1 bums

The F1 teams have reportedly agreed not to head to Bahrain for the final pre-season test in light of the political unrest.

According to Sky Sports News, the Formula One teams have agreed not to attend the pre-season test in Bahrain, which was scheduled for March 3-6.

The test, as well as the season-opening race at the Bahrain International Circuit, has been thrown into doubt after violent unrest in the country.

The teams were scheduled to meet on Monday - where pre-season testing is currently taking place - to discuss the viability of travelling to Bahrain.

The decision to stay away will throw further doubt on the grand prix proper, which is scheduled for March 11-13.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone hinted last week that a decision on the race itself will be made on Tuesday.


TBWG

PS;  I reckon season opener will now be in OZ!l

[John the Traveller]

You are right TBWG the postponement has been announced. The first GP will be OZ! There is talk of slotting Bahrain in further into the year.....I guess we will see.
Should do Melbourne a bit of good with all the calls for the race to be discontinued after the contract expires. It's interesting that local and Federal government reps are the ones doing the yelling but do not fund the race 
Cheers
John

[nookiebear]

You are right TBWG the postponement has been announced. The first GP will be OZ! There is talk of slotting Bahrain in further into the year.....I guess we will see.
Should do Melbourne a bit of good with all the calls for the race to be discontinued after the contract expires. It's interesting that local and Federal government reps are the ones doing the yelling but do not fund the race 
Cheers
John

Cancelled or Postponed??

[TBWG]

You are right TBWG the postponement has been announced. The first GP will be OZ! There is talk of slotting Bahrain in further into the year.....I guess we will see.
Should do Melbourne a bit of good with all the calls for the race to be discontinued after the contract expires. It's interesting that local and Federal government reps are the ones doing the yelling but do not fund the race 
Cheers
John

Cancelled or Postponed??

Well looks like I have to wait another 2 weeks for my F1 fix!

As to cancelled or postponed I suspect that it will be squeezed in later if situation quitens down. Being cynical it could be down to which is the most financially beneficial to Bernie!


TBWG

[TBWG]

Bahrain GP called off because of civil unrest

The Bahrain Grand Prix has been called off because of anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom.

The race, due to be staged on 13 March, would have opened the new season but had been in doubt for more than a week because of the civil unrest.

Instead, the 2011 campaign will begin in Australia on 27 March.

"We must focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting to a later date," said crown prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifah.

"After the events of the past week, our nation's priority is on overcoming tragedy, healing divisions and rediscovering the fabric that draws this country together; reminding the world of the very best that Bahrain is capable of as a nation once again united."

The race could still be rescheduled as the FIA, F1's world governing body, confirmed the postponement in a statement.

"The FIA is responsible for the international calendar as well as all matters of safety relating to the stakeholders involved in Grand Prix racing. We support the decision."

said in a statement that no decision had been taken yet.

The Bahrain GP has been on the Formula 1 calendar every year since 2004.

"It is sad that Bahrain has had to withdraw from the race, we wish the whole nation well as they begin to heal their country," F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

"The hospitality and warmth of the people of Bahrain is a hallmark of the race there, as anyone who has been at a Bahrain Grand Prix will testify. We look forward to being back in Bahrain soon."

Demonstrators in Bahrain are demanding that the ruling monarchy gives up its near-absolute control over key policies and positions.

Red Bull driver Mark Webber, who expressed doubts about staging the Bahrain Grand Prix at the weekend, supported the decision to call off the race.

"They [the authorities] know what's going on, so the right decision is made," said the Australian, who finished third in last year's championship.
   
"I made my decision yesterday which was pretty clear - read the papers. They know what's going on out there and they've made their call so let's go to Melbourne.

"It would have been nice to go to Bahrain but we have to wait a bit longer to have our first race and that just happens to be my home race. Back to the good old days."

Williams F1 chairman, Adam Parr, also expressed his relief that a decision had been made.

"It is clear that to race in Bahrain at this time would be inappropriate given the current circumstances," Parr said in a statement by the British team.

"We now look forward to a season debut in Melbourne and returning to Bahrain when it is right to do so."

The fourth and final round of testing was due to take place in Bahrain on 3 March, but this has been cancelled and rescheduled for 8-11 March in Barcelona.
   
It will play into the hands of the teams that were struggling to make fast and reliable cars


BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle told Sarah Holt in Barcelona the decision was inevitable, but remains the right call.

"The Crown Prince has a lot of things under consideration at the moment, a lot of decisions and discussions - not just around Formula 1," said Brundle.

"I don't think we were looking forward to going to Bahrain, shouting about a pole position lap or applauding a podium, when they've had so much turmoil there. The deaths and injuries have been a tragedy.

"It is absolutely the right decision for F1."

Brundle believes the delayed start to the new season could benefit some struggling teams.

"It will play into the hands of the teams that were struggling to make fast and reliable cars.

"There were 19 events last year and there will be 19 this year by the looks of it. It is not like we're short of Grands Prix this year.

"I hope it is back on the calendar if not later this year then certainly in its due place next year because it is a great venue."

Eddie Jordan echoed those sentiments and believes the safety of drivers and spectators is paramount.

"The Crown Prince has made an early call, a big call, and he has got it right. He is a pragmatic man and he is logical," Jordan told the BBC.

"F1 is a global sport, we pride ourselves that we have a genuine world championship that goes around the world.

"The Middle East is a crucial part of that so it is very important that we go there. But this civil unrest is far more important than any sporting event."

TBWG

[Oh Really]

That new road out of buriram is going to be a race track so it can take over from bahrain dont u think

[TBWG]

Hi F1 bums

The question that everyone wants to know the answer to at the moment is who is going to be on top of the timesheets at the end of the qualifying in Melbourne – and who is going to win the race?

Over the years I have made the mistake of making predictions, and seen many others make the same mistake. Testing gives an impression, but one never really knows whether it is the right impression, because one does not know what the different teams are up to. They have more of a chance to assess who is where because they have data available and lots of people who can analyse this information.

In addition to this, in 2011 we have the additional problem of the new tyres, which adds an important new variable to what was already a very complicated task. One does not know, for example, if there is any sandbagging going on; or any performance-enhancing come to that. There is a big difference now between hard and soft tyres with Pirelli having agreed to make tyres that will add to the show rather than the bulletproof black round rubber things that Bridgestone were using at the end of last year. The other point that has to be made is that most of the teams will have new aerodynamic kits for the first race. Development never stops so what is possibly true today may not be true tomorrow. Add to that the important point that some teams are ahead of others in their work, because they have had fewer problems and the point that all testing thus far has been in cool conditions and some cars will work better on their tyres in warmer conditions and you can see that this is a problem which is best left to sort itself out… as it assuredly will.

Impressions are all that can be drawn from the testing to date. I have been really impressed thus far by the amount of running that some of the teams have been doing with new cars. One expects a few problems out of the box but there are teams that have been running 100 laps a day from the start of testing. Given the complexity of the machines this is incredible. Changes to the technical regulations usually increase gaps between the teams, while stability draws them closer together, so we should expect there to be some bigger gaps this year.

The regulatory restrictions that exist these days mean that the differences between the cars are much less pronounced that previously. Engines are fairly well matched and balanced, aero and CFD time is controlled, spending is curtailed and teams are not allowed to build things out of wildly expensive unobtainium because it is two percent stiffer than titanium… These are still fabulously exotic pieces of machinery but they are not as exotic as they could be. That is a good thing because one needs to have a sustainable level of budget to ensure that there is a grid full of cars.

Most people seem to think that Red Bull has not lost the advantage seen at the end of last year and that these are still the cars to watch, although Ferrari appears to have toughened up its challenge. Who is ahead? It may depend on the nature of each individual circuit. It may not. Thus far at least, one gets the impression that McLaren and Mercedes are not quite on the pace. McLaren missed the first test to get some additional aerodynamic development time and that means that there is some on-track catching up to do, although it is dangerous thing to write off a team of such calibre just yet.

Mercedes does not seem to be on the pace but there is clearly a belief that there are new parts in the system that will improve the speed of the cars. Renault seems to have made technical progress but losing Robert Kubica is going to hurt and one has to look at budgets as well because cars with spaces on the bodywork or in-house deals never do as well as those with big corporations writ large on the side… particularly when we get two-thirds of the way into the season.

In the midfield there seems to have been (logical) progress from Sauber, Williams and Scuderia Toro Rosso, but will this be progress enough to be challenging up front? Force India was late getting the new car out and so is not quite there at the moment. Team Lotus has made the expected leap forward that would logically come from using Renault engines and a Red Bull gearbox, but one must not forget that this is a completely new team and it takes time develop the same levels of efficiency as the big established operations. Hence there have been some reliability problems thus far. It is to be expected. Virgin has a better car but the impression is that it has not jumped as far up the order as Lotus and Hispania remains a mystery for now. The car looks nice from the pictures released to date but they are a long way behind in terms of knowledge.

What we do know is that with the Pirelli tyres as they are now, races are going to be won and lost thanks to a driver’s ability to make his tyres last a little longer than the opposition. The drop off in performance when it comes is more pronounced than previously which means that race will be won and lost as a result.

An interesting seson ahead…


TBWG

[nookiebear]

Ecclestone is still trying to fit Bahrein in just before the Brazilian GP