Category: News

Codemasters to Launch F1 2013 game

Codemaster’s has announced that F1 2013 will be released, worldwide, in the next few months.

The software company, who made their first F1 game in 2011, announced a new feature of the game that is sure to please the purists. A new gameplay mode, called F1 Classics, will be featured that allows fans a chance at taking on legendary drivers on some of the most iconic racing tracks throughout the world.

The F1 Classics gameplay mode will be introduced by legendary Murray Walker and will enable gamers to race the classic Williams, Lotus and Ferrari cars of the 80s.Gamers will be able to compete on famous circuits such as Brands Hatch and Jerez against greats of the sports like Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi and Gerhard Berger. Codemasters have suggested that more legends may be include in the F1 Classics mode but at still to confirm exactly which heroes from the past will make an appearance.

F1 2013 will be available on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation3.

Codemasters have released these ‘work in progress’ screenshots to whet the appetite.

July 16, 2013

Everything you need to know about the Young Driver’s Test

Formula 1’s annual Young Driver’s Test starts tomorrow on the Silverstone race track.

However, this year’s three day test session has a bit of a twist to it. As a result of the tyre troubles at Silverstone grand prix the test has been transformed into an emergency tyre test for the Italian manufacturer to regain its footing in the sport.

Teams won’t have free reign to do as the please throughout the three days though. Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, has clearly stipulated what can and cannot be done.

The FIA will send its own observer to the test session to ensure that no current race driver complete any development work for their respective teams.
The current race drivers may complete one full day of work on the emergency tyre testing program.
The ‘young driver’ will be permitted to carry out development work on their team cars.

Mercedes will sit out the three day test session as the Brackley based team serves a ban imposed on them for conducting a tyre test after the Spanish grand prix. Lewis Hamilton has voiced his concern on the dangers of Mercedes not being allowed to test the new tyres before their introduction at the Hungarian grand prix.

“I don’t know if people fully appreciate how big a negative it is for us not to do the test.We are going to go to Hungary when other people have gone and tested (the new tyres with) different ride-heights, different pressures, got their car ready for a long run so they arrive ready.We don’t have any of that information so when we get there we’re going to go into it blind.We shouldn’t be in this position in sport, but that’s the way it is,” said Hamilton.

But it seems the Brit’s fears will be assuaged as Pirelli motorsport director, Paul Hemberey, announced that Mercedes will recieve data on findings about the new tyres.

The Young Driver’s Test was institued with the aim of showcasing up-and-coming talents that could, potentially, be the future of Formula 1.Several current drivers will be present at the test but in amongst will be some eager drivers keen to make their mark.

Team	Wednesday 17th	Thursday 18th	Friday 19th
*Red Bull*	Antonio Felix da Costa Daniel Ricciardo	Antonio Felix da Costa Daniel Ricciardo	Carlos Sainz Jnr Sebastian Vettel
*Ferrari*	Davide Rigon	Davide Rigon	Felipe Massa Davide Rigon
*McLaren*	Kevin Magnussen	Oliver Turvey	Gary Paffett
*Lotus*	Nicolas Prost	Davide Valsecchi	Nicolas Prost
*Mercedes*	Banned
*Sauber*	Robin Frijns	Robin Frijns Nico Hulkenberg	Kimiya Sato
*Force India*	James Calado	Paul di Resta	Adrian Sutil
*Williams*	Daniel Juncadella	Pastor Maldonado	Susie Wolff
*Toro Rosso*	Johnny Cecotto Jnr	Carlos Sainz Jnr	Jean-Eric Vergne Daniil Kvyat
*Caterham*	Alexander Rossi	Will Stevens	Charles Pic Giedo van der Garde
*Marussia*	Tio Ellinas Max Chilton	Rodolfo Gonzalez	Rodolfo Gonzalez Jules Bianchi

July 16, 2013

No race drivers in McLaren Young Driver Test line up

McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez will not be taking part in the Young Driver Test at Silverstone this week despite the FIA now allowing regular race drivers to take part in order to help Pirelli test tyre development.

This leaves the running up to Kevin Magnussen, Oliver Turvey and Gary Paffett.

New Pirelli tyres which will be used at the Hungarian Grand Prix will be tested by Pirelli at Silverstone during the Young Driver Test but McLaren have opted not to run either Button or Perez.

Magnussen, Turvey and Paffett will each spend one day at the wheel of the McLaren, as they did last year’s three day Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi.

Since teams who make use of regular drivers will have to stick to a test plan decided by Pirelli, the move allows McLaren to dictate their own test plan each day instead.

July 16, 2013
Susie Wolff, Daniel Juncadella to join Maldonado for Williams at Young Driver Test

Susie Wolff and Daniel Juncadella will join Williams driver Pastor Maldonado at the upcoming Young Driver Test at Silverstone.

Susie Wolff has completed a number of straight line tests for Williams but this will be her first participation in an official test session. She is hoping to get a better understanding of the car which will help her in her development feedback at the factory simulator testing which she regularly participates in.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me, so now it is up to me to prepare myself the best that I can for the day,” she said. “It’s going to be a big challenge but the most important thing is to do a solid and consistent job and to give good feedback to the team to be able to prove I am at the level to compete on a day such as this. Most of my work is based in the simulator which is why this day is so important for me. It will give me a better understanding of what the car is like on track and how that correlates to the simulator which will also help further develop the work I can do there.”

Daniel Juncadella is currently racing in DTM and like any young driver is relishing the opportunity to test in a Formula One team.

“It’s a great chance for me and I hope I can help the team next week,” he said. “It’s an important test for any young driver as there aren’t many opportunities to drive a Formula one car. I had my first taste of Formula One as a prize for winning the 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series title, but it was a 2009 car so I therefore see this as being the real deal, having the chance to drive a current car in a full test. I’ve spent a couple of days at the factory getting to know the team and I felt at home. Looking at the history of the team is also amazing and so to get this chance with Williams, a team so many great drivers have raced for, makes it even more special.”

Now that current race drivers are also permitted to take part in the Young Driver Test, Pastor Maldonado will also get a day behind the wheel of the Williams taking part in tyre development tests for Pirelli.

Photo: Williams F1 Team

July 16, 2013
Red Bull to test Daniel Ricciardo at Young Driver Test

In a move that has sent the rumour mill into overdrive, Red Bull have announced that Daniel Ricciardo will be testing the RB9 in this week’s Young Driver Test at Silverstone.

This will certainly give the young Ricciardo’s hopes of replacing fellow Australian driver Mark Webber at Red Bull next year a boost.

According to Red Bull, Ricciardo – who is facing competition for the Red Bull seat from Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen and fellow Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne – will be in the seat of the Red Bull RB9 on Wednesday afternoon.

Mark Webber, who is leaving Formula One at the end of the season to race for Le Mans sports car racing with Porsche, will be testing the Pirelli tyres on Thursday afternoon and Sebastian Vettel will be in the car on Friday afternoon.

Portuguese driver Antonio Félix da Costa who is a member of the Red Bull young driver programme, and would be most likely to replace Daniel Ricciardo at Toro Rosso, will test for Red Bull on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

Carlos Sainz Jr will take over for the final morning at Silverstone.

The Young Driver Test at Silverstone was originally intended to be for young drivers only but after a spate of blow outs during last month’s British Grand Prix, the FIA opened it up to regular race drivers to test for Pirelli.

July 16, 2013
Marussia’s Pat Symonds Moves to Williams

The Marussia F1 team announced today, (16 July 2013) that their Technical Consultant Pat Symonds has been released off his responsibilities to the team with immediate effect.

At the same time Williams F1 announced that Mike Coughlan has stepped down from his role as Technical Director at the Grove based team and Pat Symonds will take up the role as Chief Technical Offier at Williams, effective from 19 August 2013.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Marussia F1 Team over the course of the past two and a half seasons. The Team has developed immeasurably during that time and it now has all the right people and resources in place to achieve great things in the future. I wish the Team the success it so richly deserves.” said Symonds.

“I’m delighted that Pat is joining the team. His technical capabilities and sporting successes speak for themselves and I’m sure that his knowledge and leadership will contribute considerably to the success that all of us at Williams are working hard to achieve.” said Williams founder, Sir Frank Williams about appointing Pat Symonds.

Symonds who brought success to the Benetton and Renault, and with his partnership with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso that produced 32 race wins, 4 Drivers’ World Championships and 3 Constructors’ World Championships, had this to say about Williams F1; “Williams is a team steeped in success and engineering excellence and I’m honoured to be asked to play a role in returning the team to its rightful place at the pinnacle of Formula One.

July 16, 2013
Marussia F1 Announce New Engine Deal With Scuderia Ferrari

The Marussia F1 team announced their new engine partnership with Scuderia Ferrari on Tuesday.

The deal will see the Marussia team running the 1.6l turbo charged engines from Ferrari for the 2014 Formula 1 season. The deal also includes, together with the engine, the gearbox, the Energy Recovery System (ERS) and all other additional components.

The full statement from the CEO of the Marussia F1 team, Andy Webb, is included below:

“The Marussia F1 Team is delighted to be entering into a technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari for the supply of a full powertrain from 2014. The importance of this development to our Team cannot be overstated. Not only will we benefit from a customer supply from the most successful engine manufacturer in Formula One’s history, but this also provides further confirmation, if it were needed, of our commitment to the sport and determination to maintain our progression towards our long-term ambitions. The new powertrain regulations being introduced next year represent the most substantial engine development within the sport since the introduction of the V8 formula and are all the more significant for the increased contribution of the Energy Recovery System. We look forward to working with Scuderia Ferrari during this exciting new era of Formula One competition. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Cosworth, with whom we have partnered since our debut season in 2010. We have shared an important part of our Team’s journey together and Cosworth have been an integral part of our clear progression. We will continue to work together during the latter half of the season to ensure we all achieve our combined objectives before Cosworth leave the sport.”

July 16, 2013
Juan Manuel Fangio’s W196 sells for £17.5m at auction

Juan Manuel Fangio’s 1954 Mercedes W196 sold for a world record auction price of £17.5m at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The previous auction record of £11m ($16.7m) was paid for a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa in 2011. After commission and taxes are added, the sale of the W196 reaches a total of £19.6m.

Juan Manuel Fangio’s W196 went up for auction after being found in a warehouse earlier this year. Initial estimates expected the car to sell for around £5m.

Racing historian Doug Nye described it as “a beautiful survivor” when it was discovered. He told Eurosport, “The first time I saw this car I needed oxygen; it’s landmark technology and it was driven by a landmark driver. Some people think it looks grotty – that’s not the point – the really rare cars today are the unrestored ones. Every car that’s restored has lost a part of its history because it’s been obliterated by repainting or by rebuilding. Nothing’s been obliterated on this; it’s just a beautiful survivor.”

In the W196 Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1954 German and Swiss grands prix and secured the second of his five world championships.

July 13, 2013
Red Bull exploring Pirelli tyre test options

Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, has said that the team is exploring the option of carrying out a Pirelli tyre test.

This follows the International Tribunal’s ruling on the Mercedes tyre test where it has been made clear that running a 2013 car is perfectly legal as long as plans are communicated to and approved by the FIA.

None of the teams have agreed to run a current car but Red Bull seems open to completing a test running a 2011 car, similar to the test carried out by Ferrari for Pirelli in Barcelona earlier this year.

Horner told Sporting Life, “We will see, it is something we have to discuss with Pirelli”.

When asked about what the importance would be to Pirelli, Horner replied: “That is for them to judge, what they need and what they require from testing. Whatever happens it has to be done transparently. We don’t want people sneaking off behind closed doors – and wearing nondescript helmets.”

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery says that Pirelli will continue to push to use current (2013) cars. He told ESPN, “We’re asking for [a 2013 car]. We’ve got a couple of teams maybe interested in running a 2011 car and doing 1000km, which is good, but I think the big thing is we’d like to get the 2013 car run.”

July 13, 2013
Sauber will run Hulkenberg at the Young Driver Test

The FIA’s decision to allow race drivers to take part in the upcoming Young Driver Test in order to test the new Pirelli tyres has seen quite a few teams opting to make use of the opportunity to run their regular drivers.

Sauber have announced the they will run Nico Hulkenberg along with reserve driver Robert Frinjs and Japanese driver Kimiya Sato at the 17-19 July test.

Hulkenberg will be testing on the Thursday afternoon with Frinjs getting track action in the morning as well as on Wednesday. Kimiya Sato will take the C32 around Silverstone on the Friday.

Sauber have also confirmed that they will be bringing a new upgrade package to the Young Driver Test.

July 13, 2013