Downforce32

BMW is on their way

Willy Rampf has no regrets about pushing the new BMW Sauber F1.08 to the limits as he believes that is what it will take to challenge the front-runners.

Team principle Mario Theissen admitted back in December that the team would need to find over half a second to be in the running for Grand Prix victories in 2008, and the engineers were handed the difficult task of ensuring the car evolved into a true contender.

At the official launch of the F1.08, Rampf, the team's technical director, said he was delighted with the new set-up and believes the team were right in pushing the car.

BMW Sauber enjoyed their best season in 2007 with second place in the constructors' championship and Rampf is confident the team can score a maiden win in 2008. Whilst it doesn't necessarily expect to finish so high up again, it at least expects drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica to get closer to the silver and scarlet machines on the circuit this year, and reach the top step of the rostrum along the way.

Whether the F1.08 is considerably quicker than the F1.07 is yet to be seen, and to exploit its full potential at any given time and condition can not be done on the test track alone. A better understanding of the car will be gotten from the races themselves - I have no doubt that BMW is on their way!

Super Aguri cancel Spain testing

Super Aguri have withdrawn from testing in Spain, prompting fears about the financial future of the team ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March.

Next week's test in Barcelona will be their last chance to try the cars before they are flown to Melbourne.

The cash-strapped Japanese team have held talks with potential backers but have yet to strike a deal.

Super Aguri had postponed their official launch of their 2008 car last week in the hope of finding an investor. And the Honda-backed team have yet to confirm their drivers for the forthcoming season.

But they have said they expect to continue with Japan's Takuma Sato and Britain's Anthony Davidson, who drove the team to ninth place overall in 2007.

Hamilton Gets Laureus

British driver Lewis Hamilton has won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award after his remarkable debut Formula One season.

The 22-year-old driver powered his way to four Grands Prix victories in 2007 before finishing second in the F1 championship behind Kimi Raikkonen.

Bottoms-Up

Super Aguri seeking new investors

Formula One minnows Super Aguri are in talks with new investors to avert a potential financial crisis.

The Japanese outfit has struggled to find enough funding since ex-F1 driver Aguri Suzuki founded the team in 2005.

There are many things to be resolved at all levels. But we will be alright, we will never disappear.

Suzuki also confirmed his Honda-backed outfit intends to retain Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson as his team's drivers for the 2008 season. An Indian consortium, led by the Spice Group telecom company, last week said it was interested in buying into Super Aguri on condition that Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan be put in the cockpit this year.

Karthikeyan, 30, became India's first F1 driver with Jordan in 2005. He tested for Williams in the past two years but his contract was not renewed.

The website of the American broadcaster Speed TV also reported rumours that an unidentified Russian consortium had emerged as a potential investor in Super Aguri. And it was claimed last week that Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag had bought as much as 50% of the team, which is based in Leafield, England, but this has also been denied.

Suzuki said: "We are holding talks with a few companies not mentioned before.

Approval for Silverstone upgrade

Plans to secure Silverstone's future as a Formula One circuit have received the backing of a second local authority.

The Northamptonshire circuit's facilities are due to be upgraded as part of plans to keep the British Grand Prix on the F1 race calendar.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said it is the sport's worst circuit, jeopardising the future of the British GP.

But South Northamptonshire Council's Cabinet committee has adopted the Joint Silverstone Circuit Development Brief.

Aylesbury Vale District Council previously endorsed the same blueprint.

The development brief, which has been prepared by independent consultants on behalf of South Northamptonshire Council and Aylesbury Vale, sets out plans for sustainable development of the circuit.

Proposals include a new pit and paddock complex for the circuit along with a manufacturer test centre, business park, two hotels, a university campus and new homes near the circuit.

A planning application for the new pit and paddock facility is now being finalised with a submission expected to be made in the spring.

Force India confident in new car

Force India launched their 2008 Formula One car on Thursday and co-owner Vijay Mallya said he is confident it would mark the start of better performances.

Force India raced as Spyker last season before being bought and renamed by a group headed by billionaire Mallya. The Ferrari-powered VJM01 has the same basic chassis as used by Spyker last year but has aerodynamic changes.

Spyker scored just one point and finished 10th overall in the 11-team championship - after McLaren were stripped of all their points for a spying controversy. Force India's new car will be tested for the first time in Barcelona on 25 February, and the test drives will be spread over three days.

The experience of the drivers - Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and German Adrian Sutil - provided value to the engineering team, Mallya said. Sutil was the most successful driver from last season's team, which was known as Spyker, while Fisichella joined Force India from Renault.

Force India's budget for the season has been set at $120m, an increase of $50m from last year.

BMW plotting F1 title challenge

BMW Sauber are hoping to break the stranglehold of Ferrari and McLaren in 2008 and turn the new Formula One season into a three-horse race.

BMW were second in the constructors championship last year, 103 points behind Ferrari, but only after McLaren had been stripped of all their points.

Speaking at the launch of their new F1.08 car, team boss Mario Theissen was optimistic for the coming season.

We're confident we can turn the battle into more than two teams

BMW are still awaiting their first F1 victory, but German driver Nick Heidfeld did finish second in Canada - the team's highest ever placing - and was third in Hungary.

Heidfeld and Polish team-mate Robert Kubica have again been confirmed to drive for the team in 2008, and Heidfeld is targeting victories.

The new season gets underway in Australia on March 16.

 

 

Hamilton 'can surpass Schumacher'?

Max Mosley predicts - Lewis Hamilton could go on to beat Michael Schumacher's all-time record of seven Formula One world titles.

Hamilton made a spectacular F1 debut in 2007, losing the drivers' title to Kimi Raikkonen by a single point.

However, the 23-year-old's debut season was also marred by his spats with former McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso and the fall-out of the "spy row".

We spend a fortune on safety, and most is to the benefit of the drivers

McLaren were fined £50m and lost all their constructors' points after being found in possession of confidential Ferrari technical data.

The pressure of the politics surrounding the sport and the media spotlight even led to suggestions by Hamilton that he could quit.

But instead he has signed a new five-year deal with McLaren, reported to be worth £10m per year, and Mosley says that was the right decision.

Mosley also insisted that new FIA guidelines, which will see drivers charged £7,441 for the required super licence and £1,488 per point they win, will be used to improve safety.

BMW Returns to ALMS with the Latest Gen M3

BMW presented the racing version of the new BMW M3 at the Chicago Auto Show. Powered by a 485 bhp eight cylinder engine, this impressive race car has been designed to compete in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) beginning in 2009. The car is based on the fourth generation of the BMW M3, the high-performance sports car produced by BMW M GmbH

With the sporting genes of the production BMW M3 being clearly evident, developing a racing version of the car was the next logical step. The fact that the road-going vehicle is fitted with a V8 engine as standard provided us with an ideal base. However, the BMW M3 is more than a race car, it has achieved legendary status amongst race fans across the globe. I am convinced that this unique story of the BMW M3 racing cars will now be expanded upon by the addition of further chapters.

BMW's 2009 entry into the American Le Mans Series will be driven by a partnership between BMW of North America, LLC and Rahal Letterman Racing, co-owned by US motorsport legend Bobby Rahal.

Sports car racing has been part of BMW of North America's history practically from day one. Just two weeks after the company was incorporated in March 1975, a BMW CSL won the Twelve Hours of Sebring.


In the course of developing the race version of the BMW M3, BMW's engineers were faced with an ambitious task: to improve upon the sportiness of an already sporting car. A better base would, though, be difficult to find. In standard form the vehicle delivers powerful dynamics and sporting aesthetics. Thanks to an eight cylinder engine producing 414 bhp, BMW's customers are provided with a unique driving experience.

The race version of the BMW M3 is clearly aimed at the top echelon of motorsport. As such, it is no surprise to discover that in the course of its development, begun in mid-2007, numerous Formula One techniques were applied. Development drivers will be BMW works drivers Andy Priaulx (GBR), Jörg Müller (GER) and Augusto Farfus (BRA), currently racing in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). The aim is, after all, for the BMW M3 to be an immediate front-runner upon its comeback to the American Le Mans Series.

The American Le Mans Series is far from virgin territory for BMW. During both 1999, the series' inaugural season, and the following year, the company celebrated major successes in North America. Under the management of the Schnitzer Team's Charly Lamm, five BMW drivers scored a total of six victories with the 580 bhp BMW V12 LMR. In 1999 the impressive BMW V12 LMR simultaneously won the very race which served as inspiration for the ALMS: the Le Mans 24 Hour Race.

What a line-up!

Fernando's Homecoming - de facto number one driver

Alonso is certainly back amongst familiar faces at the team who gave him his first Grand Prix win in Hungary, 2003, and where he says he grew up in F1.

The first day back it seemed as though time had not moved on

The reality is, since Alonso left Renault, after winning his second world title with the French team, a lot has changed for both of them.

The Spaniard struggled to cope with an intense rivalry both on and off the track with his rookie team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, at McLaren - What a horror show!

They finished tied on points behind Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, with Hamilton second on a countback of second-place finishes.

The pair's relationship deteriorated as the season wore on and so did Alonso's relationship with Dennis. Alonso certainly looked like the older not so favorite son in this family.

A return to Renault may not offer Alonso a shot at a third world crown in the short-term but what they can offer is something he found hard to find at McLaren - a sense of belonging - the prodical son returns.

I believe that this is why Alonso rejected the overtures of Red Bull, Toyota and Honda and sign a two-year deal with Renault.

There is of course another reason why Alonso is likely to feel at home, though both Briatore and Alonso skirted the issue in Paris. The Spaniard will be the de facto number one driver ahead of rookie Nelson Piquet - a status he was not afforded at McLaren. And of course that would make me feel better as well!

For me, questions remain over what the possibilities are for Alonso in 2008, but one thing is for sure - he needs to be focused on the future and not the past.

Raikkonen's searing desert pace

Ferrari fired out a warning to its rivals back in Europe during the second day of the Bahrain test as Kimi Raikkonen set a searing pace in the new F2008.

The world champion’s best lap of 1m30.595s was two seconds faster than the best effort recorded during last year’s race weekend at Sakhir as he completed a full grand prix simulation.

In milder and less windy conditions than the opening day, Raikkonen ran through a practice of all three qualifying sessions and an entire race distance.

Ferrari’s veteran test driver Luca Badoer was once again second on the timesheets, on a 1m32.230s, and spent the session focusing on general development of the F2008.

Meanwhile the other team in action in Bahrain, Toyota, welcomed Jarno Trulli back for day two of the test.

However both the Italian and team-mate Timo Glock were out on track for less time than planned after both of their TF108s ran into gearbox problems.

Glock ended up third on the timesheet, half a second up on Trulli’s best effort.

The final day of the first leg of the Bahrain test will see Felipe Massa make his first appearance of the week for Ferrari alongside Raikkonen.

Testing times from Bahrain (February 5)

1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m30.595s
2. BADOER Ferrari 1m32.230s
3. GLOCK Toyota 1m32.889s
4. TRULLI Toyota 1m33.379s

Kimi fastest on first day in Bahrain

Ferrari and Toyota began their testing programmes at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit on Monday – with world champion Kimi Raikkonen going fastest in the new F2008.

Both teams opted to head to the Middle East for the first of two three-day tests instead of joining the eight teams at Barcelona in pre-season testing last weekend.

Raikkonen and Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer unsurprisingly set the two fastest times on day one, with Raikkonen setting the pace on a 1m32.079 compared to Badoer's 1m33.323s.

The pair concentrated on general development work on the new F2008 and finding the best set-up for the circuit.

Toyota had Timo Glock and Japanese tester Kamui Kobayashi at the wheel of the two TF108 challengers.

Glock finished the session just under a tenth of a second behind Badoer’s best effort, as the team continued with the set-up work it began at its last test outing in Valencia.

Both drivers each had a harmless spin into the gravel on a fairly windy Monday at the circuit.

Testing times from Bahrain (February 4)

1. RAIKKONEN     Ferrari 1m32.079s

2. BADOER       Ferrari 1m33.323s

3. 

GLOCK

      Toyota 1m33.418s

4. KOBAYASHI   Toyota  1m33.856s

2008 Who's Who and Where

Ferrari
1. Kimi Raikkonen
2. Felipe Massa
Luca Badoer (test driver)
Marc Gene (test driver)

BMW Sauber
3. Nick Heidfeld
4. Robert Kubica
Christian Klien (test driver)
Marko Asmer (test driver)

Renault
5. Fernando Alonso
6. Nelson Piquet Jr
Romain Grosjean (test driver)
Sakon Yamamoto (test driver)

Williams
7. Nico Rosberg
8. Kazuki Nakajima
Nico Hulkenberg (test driver)

Red Bull Racing
9. David Coulthard
10. Mark Webber
Sebastien Buemi (test driver)

Toyota
11. Jarno Trulli
12. Timo Glock
Kamui Kobayashi (test driver)

Scuderia Toro Rosso
14. Sebastien Bourdais
15. Sebastian Vettel

Honda Racing
16. Jenson Button
17. Rubens Barrichello
Alex Wurz (test driver)

Super Aguri
18. Takuma Sato
19. Anthony Davidson

Force India
20. Giancarlo Fisichella
21. Adrian Sutil
Vitantonio Liuzzi (test driver)

McLaren
22. Lewis Hamilton
23. Heikki Kovalainen
Pedro de la Rosa (test driver)
Gary Paffett (test driver)

Klien becomes BMW back-up driver

Austrian Christian Klien has landed the job of test and reserve driver for BMW Sauber for the 2008 F1 season.

Klien, 24, competed for Jaguar and Red Bull from 2004 to 2006 before spending a year testing for Honda.

 

We wanted a third driver with Formula One racing experience.

Christian is familiar with the format of a Grand Prix weekend and can step into the breach right away should one of our drivers have to back out.

Estonian Marko Asmer, 23, will be the team's second test driver.

BMW Sauber needed to use German Sebastian Vettel as a stand-in at last year's US Grand Prix after Poland's Robert Kubica crashed heavily in Canada.

Vettel subsequently moved to Toro Rosso as a full race driver while Germany's Timo Glock, who took over as BMW's  reserve in 2007, will be competing for Toyota when the season starts in Australia on 16 March.

Klien had hoped for a race seat with Force India but lost out to Italian Giancarlo Fisichella.