Williams FW33 Interim Livery pictures ( 1st of February)

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Williams F1 Team presented their 2011-spec FW33 car at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, on 1 February 2011 only hours before the Valencia test kick-off. The car featured an interim livery, as the Grove based team is yet to finalize their sponsorship deals for the upcoming Formula 1 campaign.

The interim livery featured the team's classic navy blue color, along with the name of the team's newest major sponsor, Venezuela's state-owned petroleum company PDVSA, posted on the rear side of car, below the engine box.

Technical specifications

Chassis carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite monocoque
Suspension (front) Carbon fibre double wishbone arrangement, with composite toelink and pushrod activated springs and anti-roll bar
Suspension (rear) as front, except pullrod activated rear dampers
Engine Cosworth CA2011k 2.4 L (146 cu in) 90° V8, limited to 18,000 RPM naturally aspirated mid-mounted
Transmission Seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with reverse gear Electro-hydraulically actuated seamless shift
Weight 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver)
Fuel BP
Tyres Pirelli P Zero

Rays Wheels (front and rear): 13"

Link
Williams FW33 ? Lowline gearbox (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"One fear from the outsiders point of view would be the structural efficiency of such a waisted design, especially the vertical spar, that supports the wishbones leg above the differential. Williams would either have to compromise weight or stiffness to make the design efficient. So despite the loss of a large proportion of the gear case, the gain may be offset by the penalty of added weight to make the remaining structure stiff enough."

Williams FW33 Interim Livery pictures





Photos © Williams/LAT

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/Pc5Zps9vp1c/williams-fw33-interim-livery-pictures.html

Brendan Gaughan Loan Max Toyota Tony Raines Joe Nemechek

Nascar Safety Accessories And Restrictions

Nascar was always criticized for the lack of safety ordinances in its races. But since 2001 after a series of accidents killed many peak drivers, including the ill-fated last-lap wreck of Dale Earnhardt, Nascar had to disengage and modify its position on this. It has now begun to bring in safety devices and accessories.

The Seat
The Seat has evolved over the last few years. The seat in a racing car is designed to contract and distribute the impact over a greater part of the body in case of a wreck. The rib cage is one area where the force of a crash can get centered. Another area is the shoulder. This will contract the impact and it will not get centered on one particular area, which can often be fatal.

Harnesses
Now Nascar has updated its norms, and the HANS device is now mandatory. Earlier, the Hutchens device was all that was required. But since the accidents, the norms have converted.

The Seat Belt
A very fundamental accessory when it comes to the safety of the driver. In Nascar, the six-point seat belt is utilized. In this system, two straps come over the drivers shoulder and two come over the waistline. One strap even comes up between the legs of the driver.

The Restrictor Plate
This is a very important accessory that reduces power on the racing circuits. This is placed in between the carburetor and the intake manifold. It confines air flow and subsequently power as well. Since this add-on was made mandatory in high-speed racing circuits like Daytona, the speeds have reduced considerably.

Today, in order to see high speeds, the spectator has to go to certain race courses where the restrictor plate is not required. In such race courses, high speeds like 230mph have also been achieved. But the restrictor plate has become a mandatory part in most race circuits by Nascar.

Barriers
The new S.A.F.E.R (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers have been put in across most Nascar race courses. This will absorb a lot of zip from the car in case of a crash. This is much better than a concrete wall, which does not absorb any energy at all. There are some other types of softer walls and barriers as well. Cello-foam barriers are also very popular. The PEDS system, which involves the use of small cylinders inside bigger ones, is also a popular form of barrier.

Compression barriers were also used in earlier times. This involved the use of soft materials like tires over the walls and then covering it up with a soft surface. This guaranteed that the walls came back to their original shape as soon as the impact was over.

This author is a HUGE fan of NASCAR licensed merchandise

Article Source: Nascar Safety Accessories And Restrictions

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/111195/nascar-safety-accessories-and-restrictions

Johnny Andrew Sauter Kenneth William Schrader Bradley Reed Sorenson Anthony Wayne Stewart

Stakes still high in Singapore

In Singapore

Sebastian Vettel may be on the verge of clinching his second world title, a feat he could achieve here this weekend, but the narrative thread of this Formula 1 season is a long way from complete.

In fact, in many ways, when the 24-year-old Red Bull driver finally clinches the title, it will change little - it has looked inevitable from very early on in the season.

But here under the spectacular night-time skyline of Singapore, plenty of issues remain to be resolved.

Although Vettel set the fastest time in Friday practice, one of those issues is whether he can take the win on Sunday that would make him the sport's youngest double world champion if Ferrari's Fernando Alonso is lower than third, and McLaren's Jenson Button or Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber do not finish second.

The German is, as Button said, clearly "very fast" again here - you would expect nothing else from a man who has won eight of the season's 13 races and taken 10 pole positions.

But on the evidence of Friday practice, he could face a stiff challenge from Alonso, the man who beat him to victory here last year.

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Although Vettel was 0.2secs faster than Alonso on headline times, the Spaniard looked if anything slightly quicker on their race runs late in the session.

Alonso's fastest time on these was one minute 52.160 seconds, compared to Vettel's 1:52.374, while the Ferrari's average pace was about 0.15secs a lap quicker.

Lewis Hamilton described the Ferrari as "massively quick", but all may not be as it seems.

Red Bull believe Ferrari run with slightly less fuel than them in these race-simulations runs, and with 10kg of fuel adding 0.42secs in lap time, that can make a big difference.

On top of that, Vettel's run was slightly compromised by traffic, so he may not have exploited the initial pace of his tyres as well as Alonso.

Either way, this race looks for now as if it will be a battle between these two - just as last year's was.

McLaren looked a long way off on pace on Friday. Hamilton's long-run average appeared to be nearly a second slower than Alonso's - and on top of that McLaren seem to be struggling more severely with tyre degradation.

Still, a Vettel-Alonso battle would be heavy with significance. This is a race Vettel has never won. He is well known for his fondness for ticking statistical boxes and it will smart that he was beaten here last year by a slower car as a result of a mistake in qualifying borne of pressure exerted by Alonso at a track at which he excels.

It is, too, only two weeks since Alonso edged Vettel on to the grass as the Red Bull passed him to take the lead of the Italian Grand Prix.

Vettel has played down the significance of that incident here, but it impressed him enough to mention to race director Charlie Whiting and his deputy Herbie Blash after the race in Italy how touch-and-go it had been.

Equally, Alonso is a proud man who will not have appreciated being passed around the outside there - as he was by Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber at Eau Rouge at the preceding race in Belgium.

For many people, Alonso and Vettel are the two most complete drivers on the grid. A battle between them on Sunday would only be one of many F1 will witness in the coming years, but each one is laden with a significance of its own that adds complexity and detail to the bigger story.

It was perhaps significant that, at a race many of the drivers agree is the toughest of all, the top three places on Friday were occupied by F1's 'big three'.

Like Alonso, Lewis Hamilton excels around this place - they are the only two men to have won here - and the Englishman arrives here, the first of six long-haul races that will bring the season to a close, determined to try to replace memories of what his team admits has been a difficult season with more positive recollections.

Hamilton was strangely subdued at the last race in Monza, saying he was determined just to finish after crashing in Spa. But he says he has arrived here with "massive motivation".

That befits a schizophrenic season by Hamilton, who has veered between breathtaking excellence and ham-fisted errors, from all-out attack and too much aggression in some places to excessive conservatism at others.

After Monza, team principal Martin Whitmarsh has said he wants "the old Lewis back". Which Hamilton will be on show on Sunday?

McLaren have mirrored Hamilton's up-and-down year, with Button - their best driver in the last three races - admitting on Thursday that a series of errors had prevented them mounting any consistent challenge to Red Bull.

For them, too, a strong end to the season would provide a welcome boost ahead of a renewed challenge on Vettel in 2012.

No one is more in need of that, though, than Webber.

It is becoming an ever more glaring statistic that in a season his team-mate has dominated in the best car, the Australian has yet to win a race, and lies fourth in the championship.

Webber says he is sure a win will come before the end of the season, but the situation is clearly beginning to grate a little - on Thursday, he swore at a journalist who asked him about it.

Webber's team boss Christian Horner has had his own frustrations this weekend, with the re-emergence of murmurings that Red Bull have broken the Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) that restricts the teams' spending on research and development.

Several rival teams clearly believe Red Bull have gone beyond the limitations laid out in the RRA, and Horner has found himself fending off questions about a story that we first covered on this blog back in January.

BBC Sport has seen excerpts of a report into the RRA commissioned by the F1 teams' umbrella group Fota from a Dutch auditor called Cap Gemini.

It concludes that Red Bull have "successfully implemented the processes and procedures and supporting systems of the RRA and observed the rules and regulations in their daily practices" and adds that they "have sufficient basis and inputs to answer the questions asked by Fota".

In the circumstances, it's no wonder Horner has appeared a little frustrated by this story at times this weekend.

All this intrigue and drama is occurring at what is rapidly emerging as one of the best events on the calendar.

The drivers universally praise this race, with Vettel and Button disagreeing over whether this or Monaco was a greater challenge, Hamilton describing it as a "mega fun" and Alonso and Webber agreeing it is probably the toughest race of the year.

That might sound odd to some - after all, a quick glance at the circuit map reveals an almost endless succession of slow, right-angled corners.

But go out to watch trackside here, and it becomes abundantly clear.

The cars, glistening and gleaming under the lights, buck and dance over the bumps and kerbs. The best drivers literally skim the walls. Lovely, coloured lanterns line the track. The Singapore downtown skyline provides a dramatic backdrop and the heavy heat and humidity combine with a relaxed ambience to create a heady atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the viewing for the fans trackside rivals anywhere in the world - they can wander around the circuit almost at will, and the cars are close by in all their violence and beauty.

As Button said here on Thursday, an individual grand prix victory means almost as much to a driver as a world title, so big are the emotions it unleashes.

And, for many people for many different reasons this weekend, a win in Singapore would mean more than most.

UPDATE 1900 BST, SATURDAY

After an incident-packed but somewhat inconclusive qualifying session, Vettel's chances of winning on Sunday look if anything even stronger than they did before the weekend.

Vettel is on pole, inevitably, but behind him are three drivers unsure whether they can challenge him. Webber has admitted to not being that comfortable around Singapore - although he says he feels better about the race - and the McLaren drivers in third and fourth places have deep concerns about tyre wear.

Ironically, then, the man in fifth place on the grid - Alonso - might be the man who could push Vettel closest, given the Ferrari is usually quicker comparatively in the race than it is in qualifying, and looked very pacy on Friday.

But even if that is the case he has three cars to get past before he can do so. And as Button says: "You need to have Vettel in your sights at the start of the race to have any chance of challenging him at the end."

But if a win seems locked on for Vettel, he doesn't look likely to be able to win the title on Sunday, given the make-up of the grid. But no one expects a straightforward race, at the longest event on the calendar, on one of the most demanding tracks. Even rain is a possibility.

"It's not going to be a straightforward race," Button said. "It'll be about strategy and looking after your tyres."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/09/stakes_still_high_in_singapore.html

Peter Hirt David Hobbs Gary Hocking Ingo Hoffmann

Pirelli to change colours to differentiate tyres in 2011

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Pirelli will not only bring more aggressive tyres into Formula One this year, but also ensure a more colorful method to differentiate the multitude of compounds for the 2011 season. According to Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, backed by several other Italian media, Pirelli has come up with a different color scheme for their F1 tyres.

Back when the International Automobile Federation (FIA) asked former F1 sole supplier Bridgestone to differentiate the appearance of the soft and hard compounds, the Japanese company chose to paint a line in a middle groove of the soft options. The next season, when slicks came into play once again, Bridgestone marked the soft compound with a green circle on the sidewall.

For 2011, all F1 tyres will have the words ?Pirelli P Zero? written on the sidewall, but the color of the writing will change based on the compound, as follows:

  • The super-soft wording will reportedly be in red
  • The soft will be in white
  • The medium in blue
  • The hard in yellow

In addition to that, the full wet and intermediate tyres will also feature different colors, with the former having the ?Pirelli P Zero? mark painted in yellow and the latter in red.

According to a report from the GMM news agency, the FIA will distribute Pirelli's tyres to the teams after randomly shuffling the code numbers at grands prix, just so that favoritism claims will not be issued.

Pirelli has recently ended its last testing session prior to the first official group test of the winter in Valencia, as Pedro de la Rosa drove the TF109 test car in Abu Dhabi in wet conditions, at night. After evaluating the behavior of Pirelli's wet and intermediate compounds, the marque's research and development boss Maurizio Boiocci admitted he is yet to find out how the additional speed ensured by the introduction of KERS and adjustable rear wings will affect the tyres.

?If the speed came on gradually, for sure there would be no problems. But it remains to be seen what happens when all the power comes on suddenly,? said Boiocci.


Article (C) Ovidiu Panzariu, Image(C) Pirelli

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/iW2fhYHXXjo/pirelli-to-change-colours-to.html

Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith Georges Grignard Bobby Grim

Saying goodbye to Europe

Welcome to this week's blog, the final blog from a European race for 2011, which feels very strange indeed.

I can scarcely believe I'm writing that; where is my life disappearing to?

Firstly, let me apologise for the lack of a blog after the Belgian Grand Prix.

The only holiday I've managed to grab this season was the week after Spa and I would have been in serious trouble with Harriet, my wife, if I'd spent the first of our five days away writing a blog.

Anyway, back to last weekend, and the end of my love affair with a truck for another season. OK, you're probably thinking a love affair with a lorry is rather strange, but it's more than that, it's our European home.

You see, for the grands prix that are referred to as 'fly-away' - the long-haul races outside Europe, that is - the circuits provide the hospitality suites for the teams and the production offices for the television stations.

It is essentially to cut down on costs so the huge team 'paddock palaces' aren't transported the other side of the world.

But at the European races, we take a truck, which we occupy from the first European race in Spain to the last one in Monza.

It's a dressing room, edit suite, production offices and kitchen all rolled into one. It has even been known to accommodate the odd overnight stay if someone's working particularly hard and late in Monaco and can't face the drive back to our hotel on the way to Nice.

But now our European adventure is at an end for another year and so it was with a heavy heart on Sunday evening that we waved off Pete D'Lemos and the trusty silver truck he looks after; we'll see him next in Spain in eight months.

It feels like two minutes since I walked into that truck for the very first time in 2009. It was the same one ITV had been using, but their presenter Steve Rider's office had been turned into an edit suite so I couldn't quite say I was walking in his shoes.

Talking of getting his job, remarkably it is three years ago this week that the then BBC head of F1 Niall Sloane offered me the chance to be the presenter, and what a learning curve it has been.

I can still remember the fear and apprehension as I walked into the F1 paddock in Australia for the first time, and the nerves as I started listening to 'The Chain' down my earpiece, hoping the words would come out in the right order.

The good news is that doing this job never becomes 'normal' or mundane and I still cherish every moment.

For that reason, I asked someone to follow me with a camera this weekend as in years to come I'll fondly look back on what it was like to share the pit lane with Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard as a 30-something guy, lucky enough to see the world and follow the sport I love.

Fans at a gate to trackside at Monza, during the Italian Grand Prix

I managed to capture Paul di Resta's Force India while taking this shot of the Monza track from a gate near the pits

I've posted a selection of pictures with this blog. Have a look through and see what you think. The one I'm most proud of is the one directly above - and it doesn't actually feature much apart from a big silver gate!

You see, one of the oddities of this job is that I very rarely see a car actually on the track.

We must be out of the pit lane with 15 minutes to go before qualifying and the race and so by the time the cars are track I'm in the paddock and there is nothing to see.


Eddie Jordan, Jake Humphrey and Ted Kravitz prepare to go on our for the Italian Grand Prix

An hour before we go on air and Eddie Jordan, Ted Kravitz and I have to cram ourselves between Ferrari and McLaren's motorhomes to get our gear on for the show

One of the most common requests I get is from people who have tickets to the race asking to get into the paddock. I tell them they would soon be bored of sitting around drinking coffee and would see more in the grandstand.

Anyway, in Monza on Sunday, I walked out of the paddock and along the back of the garages and the photo is testament to how tricky it is even for me to get to the track during the action - I always say that in front of the TV you get the best seat in the house and this is proof!

And why am I so proud of the photo? Well, Paul di Resta's Force India is passing by me at full speed and somehow I managed to press the button at just the right time - trust me, it was far more luck than judgement.

Talking of luck, some people may well think that Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel has had his fair share of it over the course of the year, but perhaps in Monza he finally put the doubters to bed by doing something a few were questioning - pulling off a cracking overtake!

Vettel knew he had to get past Fernando Alonso's Ferrari for his race strategy to work, he managed it really early on, then delivered the lap times and the consistency to take another win.

I think that perhaps it was the race that finally broke his challengers and since then we've seen a few of Seb's rivals declare that he has now won the title.

Spa and Monza were the races where McLaren and Ferrari were expecting to challenge Red Bull, but Vettel won both. As for Seb's team-mate, Mark Webber, well, he only managed to collect 18 points to Vettel's 50.

So, with that in mind we had a meeting back at BBC HQ on Wednesday to discuss how we tackle the Singapore race weekend.

Our mantra is 'fail to prepare, prepare to fail'. With that in mind, we need to fly into Singapore fully ready to do justice to Vettel if he manages to win the title there.

I always enjoy Singapore. And if you want to read about how strange it is for us as a production team, as we stay on European time, which is eight hours behind where we are, my blog from 2009 will tell you about the perils of trying to get dinner when the city is asleep.

Before I sign off, I'm sure that there will be plenty of people reading this who are keen to know about our plans for the 2012 F1 coverage.

As soon as there is something concrete to announce, I know that the BBC will do that. However, I can tell you I am committed to helping the BBC make its F1 coverage next year as compelling as it has been for the last three years.

And thanks for your continued loyalty - all 5.8m of you who watched the race with us on Sunday.

Jake.

Eddie Jordan, Lee McKenzie and Jake Humphrey

Lee McKenzie looks on as EJ and I check comms. It involves talking to each other while the team in the gallery talk at the same time to make sure the sound levels are workable

Roger Bines, BBC Sport's rigger, and Jake Humphrey

Roger Bines, our rigger, is our unsung hero. We wouldn't be on air without him and I've spent the past three years with him in the pit lane. He retired after 15 years in F1 on Sunday. We'll miss you, Rog!

Jake Humphrey chats to Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley

Two minutes to on-air and Rob Smedley, Felipe Massa's race engineer, pops over to say hello and have a chat.

Jake Humphrey notes down the finishing order after the Italian Grand Prix

Post-race and I am busy noting down the race finishing order, the championship standings and any other notes I need close at hand for 45 minutes of unscripted, unplanned post-race analysis

Jake Humphrey and Eddie Jordan on air during the Italian Grand Prix programme

I love this snap.. Eddie Jordan doing what he does best... having an opinion!

Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard chat to Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari

Whil you at home are watching the top three drivers' interviews, we decamp to the paddock, where Toro Rosso's Jaime Algersuari pops over to see what we thought of his charge into the points

Jake Humphrey, Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard and Martin Brundle after the Italian Grand Prix

This photo sums up the job for me, and I love it. The team, all four of us, owning the paddock as we go looking for stories. On screen it just seems to flow

The Monza banking

The last photo I took on my way out of the circuit. The Monza banking is a reminder of how much has gone before us, and that F1 will continue to evolve long after we've left

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/09/saying_goodbye_to_europe.html

Aric Almirola JR Motorsports Chevrolet Kevin Lepage Citifinancial Ford

Vettel wins the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix

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Sebastian Vettel won his second consecutive race this year after another dominant performance on the Sepang International Circuit, making it two out of two for both him and his Red Bull Racing team in 2011.

Although the winning margin wasn?t as big as in Australia two weekends ago, the reigning world champion did not look in trouble at any time while in the lead, crossing the finish line a little over 3 seconds ahead of McLaren?s Jenson Button. And just as it happened at Albert Park, the last step of the podium was taken by a Lotus Renault driver, only this time it was Nick Heidfeld who got to enjoy that position.

Vettel kept 1st place from pole position early on and built a comfortable time margin ahead, while Heidfeld started off great and jumped from 6th to 2nd by the first corner, ahead of McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Renault enjoyed a great race start, as Vitaly Petrov also jumped a few positions to 5th place, ahead of Ferrari duo Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso.

Mark Webber?s nightmare was again the race start, as he lost no more than 5 positions and dropped to 8th overall.

While Vettel did his race undisturbed in the front, positions in the back changed after the first round of pit stops, where Heidfeld and Massa lost a huge amount of time and returned to the track in 6th and 7th respectively. The two McLarens and Fernando Alonso were easily the beneficiaries going into their 2nd stint, as the trio started putting in fast lap times and threaten Vettel?s leading position.

Alonso moved quickly to pass Jenson Button for 3rd place, before the second round of pit stops messed with the leading pack once more. The Spaniard lost plenty of time in the pits ? while staying more on the track and pitting last ? and returned to the track behind Hamilton and Button.

Again, while finally closing down on the two McLarens, the field began their 3rd pit stop entries, causing Alonso to further lose some positions to Petrov and Webber, while Button and Hamilton switched positions behind Vettel.

Once Petrov and Red Bull?s Webber pitted (the latter for the 4th time on Sunday), Alonso began closing down on Hamilton and, with some 10 laps to go, set up the stage for the most exciting duel of the afternoon. It didn?t last for too long however, as the Spaniard ? whose rear wing stopped working after his 3rd pit stop ? clipped the rear of Hamilton?s car when trying to overtake him and damaged his front wing.

As he was forced to pit for the 4th time, he returned to the track in 7th place, behind teammate Felipe Massa. Hamilton, however, also hit trouble late in the race and, after losing two positions to Heidfeld and Webber, decided to pit and take on a new set of tires.

While Vettel and Button ran undisturbed for 1st and 2nd, Heidfeld had to really struggle to keep his position ahead of Webber, despite having the advantage of using KERS (which neither of the two RBR drivers used on Sunday).

Felipe Massa finished in 5th place, ahead of his teammate Alonso, while Hamilton returned to the track in 7th place after his 4th stop. Sauber?s Kamui Kobayashi scored a great 8th place, at the end of a race that say him overtake Michael Schumacher a handful of times, while the German had to settle for 9th place.

Rookie Paul di Resta (Force India) managed his second point-scoring performance in F1 in 2 races and finished in 10th place, ahead of his much more experienced teammate Adrian Sutil.

-By Ovidiu Panzariu


The Race as it happened via f1livetweets

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2011 Malaysian Grand Prix Race times

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time Grid Pts
1 1 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 56 Winner 1 25
2 4 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 56 +3.2 secs 4 18
3 9 Nick Heidfeld Renault 56 +25.0 secs 6 15
4 2 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 56 +26.3 secs 3 12
5 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 56 +36.9 secs 7 10
6 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 56 +37.2 secs 5 8
7 3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 56 +49.9 secs 2 6
8 16 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 56 +66.4 secs 10 4
9 7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 56 +84.8 secs 11 2
10 15 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 56 +91.5 secs 14 1
11 14 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes
+ 1 Lap 17
12 8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes
+1 Lap 9
13 18 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari
+1 Lap 12
14 19 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari
+1 Lap 13
15 20 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault
+1 Lap 19
16 24 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth
+2 Lap 21
17 10 Vitaly Petrov Renault
+4 Lap 8
Ret 23 Vitantonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth
+10 Lap 23
Ret 25 Jerome d'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth
+14 Lap 22
Ret 21 Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault
+25 Laps 20
Ret 17 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari
+33 Laps 16
Ret 11 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth
+34 Laps 15
Ret 22 Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth
+42 Laps 24
Ret 12 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth
+48 Laps 18

Fastest lap:
Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 1m 40.571s lap 46

Championship points:

Drivers? championship
Constructors? championship
Pos Driver Points
Pos Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel 50
1 Red Bull 72
2 Jenson Button 26
2 McLaren 50
3 Lewis Hamilton 24
3 Ferrari 36
4 Mark Webber 22
4 Renault 30
5 Fernando Alonso 20
5 Toro Rosso 4
6 Felipe Massa 16
6 Sauber 4
7 Nick Heidfeld 15
7 Force India 4
8 Vitaly Petrov 15
8 Mercedes 2
9 Sebastien Buemi 4
9 Lotus 0
10 Kamui Kobayashi 4
10 Virgin 0
11 Adrian Sutil 2
11 Williams 0
12 Michael Schumacher 2
12 HRT 0
13 Paul di Resta 2



14 Jaime Alguersuari 0



15 Nico Rosberg 0



16 Jarno Trulli 0



17 Jerome d?Ambrosio 0



18 Heikki Kovalainen 0



19 Timo Glock 0



20 Rubens Barrichello 0



21 Sergio Perez 0



22 Narain Karthikeyan 0



23 Vitantonio Liuzzi 0



24 Pastor Maldonado 0




Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/FUAjwPrWw8E/vettel-wins-2011-malaysian-grand-prix.html

Red Line Oil Dodge Steve Wallace Tony Raines Tayler Malsam

Marussia Virgin MVR-02 Launch pictures (7th of February)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zM-_w3QnMxc/TWDmQmpWvDI/AAAAAAAAHJc/N8PsrxU3WAs/s1600/jpg_9dcaf017%2B-%2BCopy.jpg

Marussia Virgin Racing unveiled their 2011 challenger at BBC Television Centre in London on 7th February 2011.

The Virgin MVR-02 is designed by Nick Wirth for the 2011 Formula One season. Like its predecessor, the Virgin VR-01, the MVR-02 is designed entirely with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), with Nick Wirth's Wirth Research design studio doubling their CFD capacity ahead of the 2011 season.

As compared to its predecessor, as well as many of the current F1 challengers , the new MVR-02 presents a lower nose design, while also featuring a tighter rear section. As far as the livery for the 2011 F1 season goes, Virgin's partnership with Marussia Motors reflects in a slightly different color scheme, with some white added to the front of the car's nose.The air intake on the front nose has been designed to resemble the one on Marussia's road car, the Marussia B2.

Technical specifications

Chassis carbon-fibre construction monocoque and nosebox
Suspension (front) carbon-fibre wishbones with titanium flexure joints, aluminium alloy uprights, Penske dampers
Suspension (rear) as front
Engine Cosworth CA2011 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90° V8, limited to 18,000 RPM, naturally-aspirated, mid-mounted
Transmission Seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with reverse gear, Aluminium construction, "seamless shift", electronically controlled hydraulic differential
Weight 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver)
Fuel BP
Tyres Pirelli P Zero

BBS Wheels (front and rear): 13"

Link

Virgin MVR-02 ? Exhaust Positioning (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"One detail of note on the car was the exhaust system. Already the buzz word at every launch, the exhaust mates the simpler diffuser to help produce downforce. In Virgins case they have extended the exhausts to blow over the diffuser. Nick Wirth did confirm a Renault style front exit was simulated, but the more conventional approach has been adopted on the launch car at least."

Marussia Virgin MVR-02 Launch pictures




Photos © Marussia Virgin Racing

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/8QADREG6WOE/marussia-virgin-mvr-02-launch-pictures.html

Elliott Sadler GT Vodka Chevrolet Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota

A day in the life of Jake Humphrey

Remarkably I managed to get through the past week in Singapore while tricking my body that I was still in Europe.

It may seem strange that I was eating muesli at two in the afternoon, feeling ready for lunch at eight in the evening and finishing the day by sharing some grub with Martin Brundle at three in the morning but it felt oddly routine.

For a variety of reasons this has quickly become my favourite race of the season. I think it is largely because the drivers, press officers, production team and everyone else are a little wired - slightly giddy because of the time difference. That creates an atmosphere totally unique to the Singapore GP.

The Singapore Grand Prix portrays a beautiful picture under the beaming floodlights. Photo: Getty

This is my working day, Singapore-style...

11am
Sunlight is coming through the curtains, while Beach Road in downtown Singapore is alive with commuters and passers-by. I try to ignore it and carry on dozing.

2pm
Time to start the day. Mine usually begins with a call to my wife Harriet, or my parents. If there is time, my favourite pastime is Skyping my niece and nephew. On a Saturday we would be gearing up for our qualifying show.

I much prefer writing scripts in the morning, possibly because my brain feels a little more alive at that time. That could be because of 10 years delivering the Eastern Daily Press to the locals of Upper Stoke Holy Cross.

Anyway, I'll start scripting the show and, at this point, I start clock-watching, working out how many hours until I'll be delivering these lines to a few million people. Once I've written a few links and given myself keywords to prompt me during interviews, it's time to get myself sorted.

I go through the running order and think about the guests we should try to get. I have to think what the stories are and the people you guys would like to hear from - plus the locations where we will be for each link. Everything has to be planned because we need permission from the teams to be live in their garages and to tell them the precise time we will be there.

That doesn't mean my ideas are final - the Editor, Mark Wilkin will have his own opinions and might not like my ideas.

Once I've scripted, showered and shaved, it's time to iron my 'show shirt'. I like to do this myself as I hate creases in them. This weekend I even ended up doing fellow presenter Lee McKenzie's ironing - don't ask!

3.30pm
Departure time. In Singapore it was £2 to get a cab to the circuit, which is far more appealing than walking, otherwise you end up looking like you've had a shower with your clothes on due to the humidity.

On Saturday I jumped in a cab with Rebekah, our Production Manager. While we were busy gossiping our poor driver took a wrong turn and we ended up on the other side of Marina Bay, seemingly unable to get back across the water.

On Sunday, I was the fool as I left my shoes in the hotel lobby. To make it worse I was wearing bright white trainers, which isn't very BBC Sport. Production coordinator Louise Elliott went back in a cab for me. I'll say it again - thanks Louise, I am an idiot.

4pm
Myself, senior producer Richard Carr, assistant editor Steve Aldous and film editor Mark Wilkin share our thoughts on the script. Once we've decided which drivers, team bosses and garages we want to get involved with, it's up to Steve to sort things out. With gentle persuasion, the odd reminder of a favour we are owed and some occasional begging, he makes it look easy.

Some people ask why we never speak to certain drivers and if we are biased against them. Often our first-choice driver turns us down, so we have to make a sudden change of plan. Sometimes we ask three or four teams before we get a 'Yes' to one of our requests.

6pm
David Coulthard, Eddie Jordan and Martin Brundle rock up. DC makes tea the most, Martin is the most punctual and Eddie probably misses one in every three meetings for some reason - but we let him off.

We then watch the various video pieces. Sometimes we collectively decide to make a change to one of them but very rarely is a glaring error spotted.

Once I say, "Ted Kravitz reports...", we usually have to sprint three garages down the pit-lane, find our next interviewee and check they are ready to go live. Mark will update the three of us as to whether we are over or under time - or if there is any breaking news while Richard Carr directs the cameras and Louise lets us know how long is left on the video.

The fact we have already seen it means we can reference back to it, or simply keep the chat along the right lines.

7pm
Out to the paddock to do a tech check with the crew. On Saturday, we walked live into McLaren. One of the crew realised he was the wrong side of the camera and had to make a dash to safety. You can watch the moment on iPlayer and see the flash of white as he athletically sprints out of, or rather into, shot.

These guys arrive days before us, set up the office, the communication links with the paddock, plug in the kettle and make sure that, when us creative types come up with a ludicrous idea to push the boundaries, that it can be achieved.
It hasn't gone unnoticed and no other F1 coverage has ever got so close to the action. You won't find better, harder-working pros.

8pm
Live to the nation! The final few seconds before we are on air never fail to be exhilarating, petrifying and surreal in equal measure.

10.30pm
The show is over and, after pre-recording a chat for BBC News and the trail you may often see on the BBC later that night, it's back to the office to think about the following day's race programme. We always discuss what worked, what didn't and what we could have done differently or better.

Midnight
We go through the video packages for the following day. I love the creativity and madness of the people who create these. The music is an important part of the show and can come from anywhere. I was running the track on Thursday and the Black Eyed Peas song Get Ready For The Showdown was on my playlist. We have now done over 50 Grand Prix on the BBC and these guys certainly haven't run out of ideas - or music.

3am
We have decided on the running order for Sunday, drunk enough tea to refresh an army and, despite how strange it feels, it is actually time to leave the track and head out for dinner.

At this point I usually ring my parents as I still like to get their feedback on the show and find out what's happening in Norwich. Missing loved ones and home is the only real negative of this job.

An average Singapore Grand Prix day ends with the team heading somewhere to grab some noodles and a beer. I wouldn't usually admit to drinking at four in the morning before a Grand Prix, but that's the beauty of this race - in reality it's only nine in the evening.

There are many similarities with every Grand Prix but this one is slightly different. It is more exciting and electric than normal.

As we draw near to the end of another season, let me place on record my thanks to all the guys who have worked on the BBC F1 output this year. I can honestly say that, despite all the well-publicised distractions of the past few months, our team have been as hard-working, professional and perhaps even a little more driven and keen for success than ever.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/09/it_worked_remarkably_i_managed.html

Kevin Harvick Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet Zaxby s Chevrolet Brad Keselowski

NASCAR Tickets - All-Star Race to Feature 10-Lap Final Sprint

$1 million is at stake for the winner of this year's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, but the money isn't even half of what draws such huge throngs of fans to Charlotte's Lowe's Motor Speedway for this famed stock car rumble. While the All-Star Race has been running annually since its inception in Charlotte in 1985, this year's competition has been rousing tons of speculation, as the track previously disclosed that this year's format for the 25th anniversary of the race would slightly differ in format than recent years.

In this midst of this mystery format change, NASCAR has just come out with the answer to the conjectures flying around the racing realm, as the website reported this week that the change taking place in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race this upcoming May will be the addition (and revival) of a 10-lap final sprint at the tail end of the all-star race. The thrilling element of the 10-lap final sprint as the end segment to the all-star race is already scoring high-fives around the racing realm, as the sprint is an exciting end to cap off the already-exhilarating race.

Robin Pemberton, the vice president of competition, recently made a statement concerning this addition to the all-star race, saying, "Some of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race's most spectacular finishes have come using the 10-lap shootout as the final segment, and what better way to celebrate the 25th running of this great event than incorporate that element back into the format. I can tell you from personal experience, I was Kyle's [Petty] crew chief in 1992 when he and Davey Allison battled all the way down to the wire and that has to go down as one of the most exciting All-Star Race finishes ever. The 10-lap shootout there at the end was something else from a competition standpoint. That was quite a night; one I'll never forget."

Fans with NASCAR tickets to this year's All-Star Race will get to see all qualifying Sprint Cup Series pros zoom around the racetrack in four different segments, all building in a crescendo of excitement for fans at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Segment 1 of the race will be the beginning 50 laps with a mandatory pit stop at Lap 25, while Segment 2 features 20 laps with the optional pit stop. Segment 3 is 20 laps with a 10-minute break at the end, and Segment 4 will bring the return of the much-anticipated 10-lap shootout with only green-flag laps counting.

Just like every year, this May's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is open to any and every race winner from the previous year (and winners from this year up through May 9) as well as past champions of the All-Star Series from the previous 10 years. The top two finishers of the 40-lap Sprint Showdown are also eligible for the All-Star Race, as is the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote. Look for heavy hitters like Kurt and Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, who have all won Sprint Cup races this year, to dominate the track at Charlotte on May 16, 2009, when these stock car racing favorites start their engines. Tickets to this huge event are still available, so check online to secure your seat in the grandstands this spring!

This article is sponsored by StubHub.com. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling NASCAR tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Article Source: NASCAR Tickets - All-Star Race to Feature 10-Lap Final Sprint

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/252996/nascar-tickets-all-star-race-to-feature-10-lap-final-sprint

Chico Landi Hermann Lang Claudio Langes Nicola Larini

Vettel shines as troubled Hamilton toils

In Singapore

In more ways than one, the Singapore Grand Prix was a microcosm of the 2011 Formula 1 season as a whole.

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull produced another immaculate weekend, exploiting their blistering pace to take pole position and then quickly extend an advantage in the opening laps that they could then defend for the rest of the race, pacing themselves to their closest 'rivals'.

The victory, the German's ninth of the season, has effectively won him a second consecutive world title. Vettel has been either first or second in all the races bar one, in which he was fourth. To clinch the title, he needs to score only one more point in the remaining five races - and that's only if Jenson Button wins them all.

As he admitted himself with a wry grin after the race: "Obviously, it should not be a problem."

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It has been a quite stunning season from Vettel and his team - almost completely flawless while operating at a level no one else has generally been able to match.

He has won all the races he should have won, as well as the odd one that he perhaps should not. As every single one of his rivals was all too happy to admit this weekend, he fully deserves this title.

Vettel and Red Bull's superiority has had an interesting effect on his rivals.

McLaren's Button and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso have knuckled down, accepted that they generally have not had the car to challenge Vettel, and concentrated on doing the best they can with what they have.

The result is they lie second and third in the championship - ahead of Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber.

By contrast, Button's team-mate Lewis Hamilton seems to be battling inner demons, the exact nature of which perhaps even those closest to him do not understand.

Not for the first time this year, Hamilton wrecked his race with an avoidable collision with a rival. In Singapore, it was Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

Hamilton was trying to make up ground after losing places at the start when he was forced to back out of an attempt to pass Webber, who was slow off the line for the third race in a row.

The move on Massa was never on. Hamilton was on the outside and behind the Ferrari, and he simply made an error of judgment as they turned into the left-hander at Turn Seven.

He clipped the Ferrari's rear wheel with his front wing, and both their races were ruined there and then. Massa's right-rear tyre was punctured, and Hamilton's front wing damaged - and the stewards added insult to injury by giving him a drive-through penalty.

As he battled to climb back through the field from 16th place, Hamilton's frustration at the situation became clear in his communications with his team - again, not for the first time this season.

"Would you please give me some info on how I'm doing," he said, "what I'm racing for?"

Most people interpreted that as effectively saying, "Is it really worth me continuing with this?" Which is a surprising thing, to say the least, to hear from F1's most aggressive, attacking racing driver.

His team responded by reassuring him that he was fighting for a points finish, adding that there would definitely be a safety car that would further aid his cause - correctly as it turned out, although they were not to know it at the time.

Having been told that, Hamilton got his head down and produced what his team principal Martin Whitmarsh was "a great drive".

Whitmarsh added: "He did some of the best overtaking, some fantastic driving, to get back up into the points, so I think he should be given credit for that."

In that, Whitmarsh was absolutely right, but so, too, was he when he said: "He's a driver who wants to overtake in a hurry. Afterwards he'll regret that and maybe he could have waited another few corners."

Whitmarsh initially bristled after the race when he started to be questioned by the media about Hamilton's race, and his season.

When it was pointed out that this was not the first avoidable accident Hamilton had been involved in, and asked how McLaren and Hamilton could prevent such incidents from recurring, he replied: "If you stay in the garage, any accident is avoidable. Any serious questions?"

But as he was pressed on the same issue again and again, he finally admitted that the race "went badly", adding: "Undeniably this has not been a good year for Lewis Hamilton."

Indeed not. On the one hand, he has delivered two of the greatest wins of the season - his victories in China and Germany rank with any of Vettel's.

But the same driver was over-aggressive and incautious in Monaco - a fact Hamilton has admitted himself; collided with his team-mate in Canada; crashed out of the Belgian race after misjudging an overtaking move; and got into two altercations in two days with Massa in Singapore.

The one in the race followed him barging his way past the Ferrari at the start of final qualifying on Saturday, a move that prompted Massa to say: "I think he didn't use his mind. Again."

After their altercation in the TV interview area post-race in Singapore, Massa implied that if Hamilton kept driving this way, he would find it difficult to win any more world championships.

To which Whitmarsh countered: "I think he's wrong. Lewis is still a young guy, he's learning all the time. He'll win races and I'm sure he'll win more world championships."

Hamilton may indeed be young - but he is two and a half years older than Vettel, who is driving with a maturity way beyond his years. And many people in the F1 paddock feel that if Hamilton is to compete with Vettel in the future, he needs a change of approach.

No one wants to see him abandon the aggressive, charging driving style that makes him the most exciting driver in F1.

But there is no doubt he needs to find a better balance than he has done this year - or indeed in any of his seasons in F1 bar perhaps the first one. A better way, too, of coping with the frustration of not having the best car - which is what seems to be at the root of some of his behaviour this year.

Nor is it just Hamilton who has committed costly errors this season. McLaren have racked up a fair few as well.

"None of us are perfect," Whitmarsh said in mitigation. "The team has made some mistakes; we'll make more mistakes. We don't want to, but that's life. We're pretty open and honest about that. We have to try to get better, Lewis has to try to get better as a race driver."

The honesty and openness is admirable. The fact is, though, that Vettel and Red Bull have raised the bar this season to a level beyond their rivals' capabilities.

Such has been their superiority that even a flawless year from Hamilton and McLaren would almost certainly not have prevented Vettel winning the title - although it would have been a lot closer than it has been.

But however quick McLaren's car is in 2012, they are going to find it hard to beat Vettel and Red Bull if they and Hamilton keep performing like this.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/09/vettel_shines_as_troubled_hami.html

Timo Glock Helm Glöckler Paco Godia Carel Godin de Beaufort