Latest

TRAGIC NEWS: Maria Villota found dead in her hotel room

According to Spanish media, the body of Maria Villota was found in her hotel room in Seville, this morning.

According to police sources, Maria Villota was scheduled to participate in a talk called ‘What really matters’.

Emergency service sources have said that they received a call from the hotel at 07.23am to attend to a young woman and have subsequently confirmed that Maria Villota has died. According to reports, emergency personnel did try to resuscitate her but were unsuccessful and it is believed that she died an hour prior to the emergency call. No further details regarding cause of death are available at this point and an autopsy will be conducted.

A statement on her Facebook page, signed by her family, read: “Dear friends: Maria has left us. She had to go to heaven like all angels. We are thankful to God for the extra year and a half that he left her with us.”

The Marussia F1 Team released this statement on their web page: “The Marussia F1 Team would like to make the following statement in response to the very sad news of the death of Maria de Villota:

“It is with great sadness that we learned a short time ago of the news that Maria de Villota has passed away.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Maria’s family and friends at this very difficult time.”

Maria Villota was the daughter of former Formula One driver Emilio de Villota, and sister of Emilio de Villota, Jr., who like his sister competed in Formula Palmer Audi. She was only 33 years old.

Villota made news headlines in 2012 when she sustained serious head and facial injuries in an accident which occurred during a straight-line testing session in her role as the Marussia Formula One team’s test driver. Maria lost an right eye in the accident but was making a great recovery and was cleared to start driving again.

Maria Villota was the first female driver to test for a contemporary Formula 1 team since Katherine Legge in 2005. She also raced in several series including Spanish F3, the Daytona 24 Hours, and Superleague Formula Championship.

More to follow.

October 11, 2013
F1 2013: Free Practice 1 Report – Japanese GP

The first free practice session for the 2013 Japanese grand prix was topped by Lewis Hamilton.

The notoriously difficult Suzuka circuit didn’t take long to snare its first victim as Marussia’s Jules Bianchi ended his first session in the tyre barrier of the Degner 2. It was later reported that Bianchi had gotten his elbow stuck between the steering wheel and the chassis and was unable to reduce the steering wheel lock which resulted in the crash. The Frenchman was seen icing his forearm in the Marussia motorhome. Bianchi completed only eight laps in the first free practice session.

The track looked in great nick for the session with slightly overcast conditions doing nothing to hamper the pace set by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton set the quickest time for the session on the orange side-walled Pirelli tyres, a 1:34:178. The standings had a familiar look about them towards the closing stages of the session as Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber occupied second through fourth on the sheets.

Two separate incidents for Williams’ Pastor Maldonado and Caterham’s Giedo van der Garde brought out several yellow flags. The first incident involved Maldonado running wide at the Spoon curve and losing his left right wheel. The tyre bounced into the gravel trap around the edge of the circuit and was quickly recovered by the Japanese marshals. At the same time van der Garde parked his Caterham in the barriers of Degner 2, thankfully without too much damage to the car. The famous Degners have already claimed two victims and there is sure to be a few more this weekend.

The level of tyre degradation seemed minimal however the long runs completed by some drivers lasted on a handful of laps. A clearer picture should emerge in the second free practice session. The news coming into the Japanese GP this weekend was about the possible retirement of Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn. However, during an interview with the BBC Brawn was adamant that nothing had been decided and that no discussions had taken place between himself and Honda nor McLaren. In fact, Brawn made it quite clear that negotiations are on the go with Mercedes for 2014.

Over at McLaren Martin Whitmarsh neither confirmed nor denied the rumour about Fernando Alonso rejoining the Woking based team. Whitmarsh also declined to reveal details about Sergio Perez’ future with McLaren. Rumours suggest that Alonso wants to make the move to McLaren in 2014; however this is pure speculation at this stage.

Jenson Button has long since considered the Japanese GP as his second home race of the season and is sporting quite a nifty new helmet design for the weekend. (Photo: www.twitter.com)

Sebastian Vettel considers every race weekend a special occasion and is also sporting a new lid design. (Photo: www.twitter.com)

October 11, 2013
Favourite Walkerisms over the years – Murray Walker

It’s Formula One commentating legend Murray Walker’s 90th birthday today and we thought we’d celebrate by sharing some of our favourite Walkerisms.

For many Formula One fans worldwide Murray Walker is part and parcel of the sport they fell in love with.

Starting every race with his enthusiastic, “GO! GO! GO!”, Murray is well known as the Voice of Formula One and his voice is genuinely synonymous with F1 through the years, as are his bloopers – or Walkerisms as they’re affectionately known – which he’d make while getting emotionally over-charged in the thrill of an F1 race.

There is no doubt that without him Formula 1 would not be as popular as it is now.

What better way to celebrate Murray’s birthday than to take a look at our favourite Walkerisms. One of the best known Walkerisms of all time, and one we’d hear race after race is, “Unless I’m very much mistaken …”. Puts a smile on our faces every time.

Below are some of our favourite Walkerisms. Share yours with us in the comments section below!

Australia 2000

Murray on M Schumacher’s fight for championship glory with Ferrari: “…and it’s something he’s been trying to achieve since he left Benetton in 1958!”

Belgium 1996
“…and now, just in case there is any CONFUSION this is the race order on lap 19: David Coulthard leads and has yet to stop; Hakkinen leads and has yet to stop…”

Monaco 1981
“You might not think that’s cricket, and it’s not, it’s motor racing”

Spain 2000
“So while we wait for them to come on to the podium, and I’ll interrupt myself when they do…”

Malaysia 2000
Murray: “Wake up on the left, there! This is a terrific race going on!”
(A McLaren mechanic is lying down on the garage floor)

Monaco 1992
“We’re now on the 73rd lap and the next one will be the 74th.”

British GP
“There’s no damage to the car except of course to the car itself…”

Argentinia 1997
“I didn’t see the time largely because there wasn’t one.”
(Referring to the pit stop clock)

Qualifying, Imola 1997
“Ralf Schumacher, son of double world championship winner Michael Schumacher”

Imola 2000
“Michael Schumacher as I expected is extending his lead over Michael Schumacher”

Malaysia 2001
Murray: “You can see the cooling elements coming out of his balaclava.”
Martin Brundle: “That’s his hair.”

Here are a few more random Walkerisms:

“He’s obviously gone in for a wheel change. I say obviously because I can’t see it”

“With half the race gone, there is half the race still to go”

“He is shedding buckets of adrenalin in that car”

“It’s raining and the track is wet”

Murray: “What’s that? There’s a BODY on the track!!!” ….
James Hunt: “Um, I think that that is a piece of BODY-WORK, from someone’s car.”

Murray: “There’s a fiery glow coming from the back of the Ferrari…” James Hunt: “No Murray, that’s his rear safety light.”

“Only a few more laps to go and then the action will begin, unless this is the action, which it is.”

“And the first five places are filled by five different cars.”

“And an enormous gap building before Mika Hakkinen goes through in third position…when I say enormous it’s 1.5 seconds”

“I hate to be a Jeremiah, but I have to tell you that the clouds are lowering…”

How can these famous Murray Walker quotes not make any F1 Fan smile from ear to ear? 🙂 Happy Birthday Murray!
Let us know what your favourite Walkerisms are in the comments section below!

October 10, 2013
Kimi Raikkonen’s engineer Mark Slade not moving to Ferrari

It has emerged that Kimi Raikkonen’s race engineer Mark Slade will not follow him from Lotus to Ferrari, according to a report in Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The report on Thursday, said that Ferrari has “no intention” of hiring Mark Slade. The report stated, “Ferrari has no intention of hiring Mark Slade to bring him to Maranello as engineer to the “Iceman”. The Finn will be asked to work with another engineer, chosen by team principal Stefano Domenicali, as the Alonso-Stella partnership is unbreakable.”

Raikkonen first worked with Mark Slade at McLaren, and the two reunited when Kimi returned to Formula 1 with Lotus last year.

Raikkonen’s former Ferrari engineer, Andrea Stella, now works with Fernando Alonso and there is no sign that this will change going forward, unless of course the Spaniard throws a cat among the pigeons and leaves Ferrari at the end of the season which despite all the speculation, seems highly unlikely.

Prior to working with Stella at Ferrari, Raikkonen was engineered by Michael Schumacher’s engineer Chris Dyer, with whom he won the 2007 world championship.

Rumour has it that Felipe Massa’s engineer Rob Smedley will be heading for Williams next season so he’s not looking set to be Raikkonen’s race engineer either, but according to the report Ferrari will be promoting from within as it prepares for the arrival of the Iceman. The paper hints that Domenicali is likely to choose either Giuliano Slavi or Antonio Spagnolo, who work currently as chassis engineers for Massa and Alonso respectively.

We will be keeping a close eye on this story and update you as events unfold so as always, watch this space.

Photo credit: Lotuscars.com

October 10, 2013
Suzuka Preview Quotes – McLaren F1 Team

Jenson Button, McLaren

“Suzuka feels a bit like a second home circuit to me. My win there back in 2011 remains one of my most emotional victories, because it was the first Japanese Grand Prix after the terrible tsunami that devastated the north of Japan – it was such an important event for the whole country. The thing I really like about Suzuka is that it’s such an unforgiving track. On most circuits, if you run wide or out-brake yourself, you invariably end up just running onto the Tarmac run-off, so you can easily get back onto the track without any penalty. At Suzuka, if you run wide through the Esses, or go off the track at the exit of the Degners, you’re going to find yourself in the gravel. And I like that – I think it rewards those who don’t make mistakes, and it makes for better racing, because you have to stay honest and focused. Suzuka requires a car with a rock-solid balance and good downforce in order to go well. We’re not quite there with our car, but Korea showed that we can race well and, even despite misfortune, can score points. I think the whole team is keyed up for another positive weekend.”

Sergio Perez, McLaren

“I love Suzuka – such a great circuit. I really enjoy driving at fast tracks, and this place just has so many great corners – the Esses, the Degners, Spoon, 130R. It’s a place which has a fantastic flow – once you commit into Turn 1, you’re basically just modulating your speed all the way through until the track spits the car out over the brow at Turn 7. The feeling through there when you nail it is incredible. The only drawback about Suzuka is that it’s very difficult to overtake – most of the corners are very fast, and most of the heavy braking zones are preceded by quick turns, so it’s very hard to get past another car. I tried and failed in equal measure last year, but I’m proud that I was able to have a go. I’ll be pushing like crazy for a good result in Japan this weekend.”

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
“Our race in Korea once again demonstrated the extent of our ability and determination whenever we go racing. Despite suffering numerous setbacks throughout the race, nobody in the team let their head go down, and both drivers posted fantastic, determined comeback drives to get into the points. For Suzuka this weekend, our aim will be for a clean and trouble-free afternoon’s racing in order to see if we can improve upon our results from last weekend. For everybody at McLaren, Suzuka is a place of many fantastic memories – I remember seeing Ayrton win his penultimate grand prix here, Mika’s two world titles were sealed in Japan, Kimi drove one of his very finest races here, and we all fondly remember Jenson’s beautifully measured victory back in 2011. This is a racetrack that ranks with the very greatest in the world, and while we are realistic enough to know that we will not add to the tally of successes this weekend, just being in Suzuka, the spiritual home of Japanese motorsport, will help inspire us to greater heights and many further victories in the future.”

October 10, 2013
F1 2013: Japanese GP Preview – Spectacular Suzuka

There are few things that are greater than the sport Formula 1. But if there was ever a possibility of it being transcended, of something being greater than the sport that so is beloved then Japan’s Suzuka circuit would be that mystical exception.

The circuit lap record is held by Kimi Raikkonen, set during the exceptionally memorable 2005 Japanese GP. Suzuka made its debut on the Formula 1 calendar in 1987 and this race, where Raikkonen blasted his way through the field from seventeenth to first, is highly regarded as one of the best Japanese GP in F1 history.

The history of this circuit is saturated with some of the sport’s most unforgettable moments. One of the most grandiose and infamous moments between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, the rivals who defined F1 in the 90s, transpired here. Both in contention for the 1990 world title Senna’s cunning plan was set into motion the moment the lights turned to luminous green. As Prost turned his Ferrari into turn 1 Senna held station in his McLaren resulting in a collision that sent both into the turn 1 gravel trap. Both retired from the race and Senna was crowned champion ensuring not only one the most memorable moments in Japan but in all of Formula 1.

Aside from its history, drivers are unanimous in their praise of Suzuka calling “one of the best tracks in the world.” The circuit’s old school, classic, layout and limited run-off area is reminiscent of traditional F1 tracks that required intense concentration and precision. The 5.807 km long lap is uncompromising and ready to punish the slightest lapse in discipline. “If you touch the grass at any point, it’s going to spin you off into the wall, so it’s a much more demanding circuit in terms of precision, positioning and turning points for each corner,” said Lewis Hamilton.

The adrenaline charged layout is a combination of medium to high-speed with first sector of the lap characterised by the flowing Esses, more commonly known as the Snake. Spoon curve, a double apex left-hander in sector two, is taken at fairly high-speed and is crucial for a good end to the lap as it leads directly onto the back straight. The figure-of-eight layout adds the element of elevation changes to the mix along with hairpins, Esses, 130R and a chicane, Suzuka is the perfect blend of a prodigious racing track.

A good front-end, a descent amount of drag and few mistakes should translate into a good result at the end of the 53 lap Japanese GP on Sunday. Both Lotus drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean, showed good pace in Korea and could be a threat this weekend. As throughout the year the Lotus has shown adequate long run pace in comparison to its one lap speed; at least in the case of Raikkonen. A better run in qualifying should put Raikkonen in prime position to challenge for race victory; assuming that a certain Mr. Vettel isn’t able to unleash his Singapore-style pace.

Of late, Ferrari’s challenge seems to have faded and not even Fernando Alonso’s Samurai inspired tweets have been enough to enthuse his championship bid. Given that the Suzuka circuit is similar, in terms of corner speed, to Silverstone it may be yet another uphill battle for the Italian squad.

It’s all over bar the singing as Sebastian Vettel’s run of recent victories has led to the possibility that he could clinch his fourth consecutive title in Japan. Four world championships crowns in a row has only been achieved twice in the history of F1; first by Juan Manuel Fangio and secondly, by Michael Schumacher who racked up five consecutive titles between 2001 – 2004. Should Sebastian Vettel find himself first to the chequered flag this weekend, and closest rival Fernando Alonso finishes ninth or lower, the German will secure a fourth driver’s world title at the Japanese GP.

There appears to be no a definite challenge to the all-conquering dominance of Sebastian Vettel. But perhaps the splendour and palpable history is a combination great enough to conjure a Japanese GP to remember.

October 10, 2013
Suzuka Preview Quotes – Lotus

The Lotus boys really had quite a bit more than usual to say ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Perhaps their double podium in Korea had a bit to do with their longer than usual preview quotes.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus

“Normally it doesn’t make too much difference to me where we race – as long as we have a good result then I’ll enjoy it – but Suzuka is a track I look forward to every season. It’s a proper circuit that’s been around for a many years, and you can understand why as it’s a challenge for the drivers and usually makes for some good racing too. It’s fast, technical and there are some good places to overtake, which to me is what racing should be about. There are some corners where you are flat out – or very nearly flat out – but then there are others where you really have to balance the braking and throttle carefully to maintain the best speed. If you push too hard then you can easily be punished, as I found out in qualifying last year when I was on my best lap in the final session. Hopefully this time we’ll get everything right and be fighting at the front; that’s where you can have the most fun at a circuit like Suzuka. As a racing circuit it has unique characteristics and belongs in the top three in the world with Spa and Monaco. I enjoy winning races the most at the places like these.

“For me coming to Suzuka was never that enjoyable because of the long journey, but driving a Formula One car on the track has felt great every time. I had a good race at Fuji too. It was that wet race back in 2007 when I came from pretty far back to a podium finish, but Suzuka 2005 is my best memory from Japan. It’s very difficult to say which is your best race – especially if you have won many – but coming from the last row of the grid to take victory at a place like this is one I remember very, very well. Since my first ever visit to Japan back in 2001 with Sauber, I’ve always enjoyed the almost fanatic loyalty of the local fans. They really support you, no matter what position you are racing for. Maybe that Suzuka victory was the best memory for them too. Even last year – after being out of Formula 1 for two seasons – I still had a lot of Japanese fans all over the world. For sure, that feels nice! Whenever I race or go rallying, there are always some Japanese supporters around and I appreciate the support.”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus

“I know I won’t be the first one to say this, but Suzuka is definitely my favourite circuit of the year. Every driver has races that are special to them for one reason or another – a home Grand Prix, or the venue for their first win maybe – but I think if you ask most racers they will tell you there’s just something about this place that’s a little bit different. This will be only my third time driving the track, but I’ve been looking forward to it ever since the flag dropped in Korea; it’s simply fantastic. It’s a track that really allows a driver to demonstrate their feel for the car. Not only is combination of corners pretty relentless – so you never really get a rest – but the way the layout flows together means that the smallest mistake can make a big difference to your time. Get it right, and the feeling is amazing. Get it wrong, and you just want to keep trying again and again until you have it nailed. Each sequence is challenging in its own way, and you have to find the perfect balance to put a good lap together. Every track has its challenges, but Suzuka is a continuous test of a drivers skills and I think that’s what makes it so beautiful to drive.

“As for Japan itself, Suzuka itself it pretty far out from the busier parts of the country, but the people, the culture, and of course the food all really appeal to me, so it’s somewhere I’d definitely like to explore a little more one day. You can’t help but mention the Japanese fans as well; they really are in a league of their own! Everywhere you look there are people with shirts, flags, crazy hats, and so many other things they have made at home just to show their support for the drivers on one weekend of the year. I don’t think any of us will forget the noise last year when [Kamui] Kobayashi got his first Formula One podium in front of his home crowd… my ears were ringing all the way to Korea; it was unbelievable!”

Alan Permane, Lotus trackside operations director
“I think Suzuka is pretty much everyone’s favourite track; particularly amongst the drivers. The first part of the Esses – also known as the ‘Snake’ – is one of the most rewarding pieces of track a driver can experience. In a strong car with a good front end it really does flow well, and it’s one of the highlights of the year. Then, there are a couple of very high speed corners. Turn 1 is almost flat-out on entry, with braking at the mid-way point for Turn 2. 130R is flat out at very high speed; a little more tricky with high fuel loads, but certainly in flat in qualifying. Then you have the Spoon curve; a very long, double-apex, third to fourth gear corner leading onto the back straight and taken at reasonably high speed. There are plenty of challenges and I think we’ll have another interesting weekend. The nature of a figure-of-eight configuration adds elevation into the mix, with the track heading downhill into Turn 1 followed by a reasonable climb uphill through the Esses in sector one. It then heads down and up out of the hairpin, down some more into Spoon and along the long straight, before rising up again through 130R and the chicane. There’s quite a long downhill stretch on the start-finish straight to wrap things up, so it’s certainly a circuit that’s full of character.

“It’s a reasonably high grip surface, so the hard and medium tyres should be well suited to it. Tyre degradation won’t be as significant here as we saw in Korea, but it’s a track which exposes any weakness in your car or setup so we’ll be working hard as always to get things spot on. Although there are high speed corners it’s actually a high-downforce layout; a similar feel in many respects to Silverstone, but with the added feature of elevation. A car with a strong front end is essential as understeer really kills a lap time here, but everything else is needed as well; good braking, good stability and a car which can ride the kerbs, especially in the last sector.”

October 9, 2013
Suzuka Preview Quotes – Mercedes F1 Team

The Mercedes boys sound very excited about going to Suzuka. Here are their preview quotes ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes

“Suzuka is one of the most exciting circuits of the year and I love racing there. Our car has been fast in high-speed corners this season as we seem to have good downforce so I hope the fast layout of Suzuka will suit us this weekend. The Japanese fans are always very enthusiastic which is fantastic and I look forward to seeing them again. I would love to get the deserved good result that has eluded us for the last few races and I know that everyone has been working really hard to achieve that.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

“Suzuka is one of the few circuits we have left in Formula One with the authenticity of a real old-school circuit. I drove there for the first time in 2009 and it takes a while to pick up pace each year because of how fast-flowing it is. If you touch the grass at any point, it’s going to spin you off into the wall, so it’s a much more demanding circuit in terms of precision, positioning and turning points for each corner. It’s a real race track where you have to think ahead as a driver and it just needs crazy levels of downforce from the car. From my point of view, the car felt fantastic to drive in Korea when everything was hooked up, so I am excited to get to Suzuka and see what we can do there.”

Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
“The Japanese Grand Prix is always one of the highlights of the Formula One season. First of all are the fans: the Japanese public have a great passion for Formula One as well as a deep understanding for the sport, and it is always a pleasure to see them again when we visit Suzuka. As for the circuit itself, it is a fantastic challenge not just for the drivers but also the engineers. It includes an unusual number of medium to high speed corners, which make the circuit exhilarating to drive but also challenging to engineer. It is vital to find a comfortable, neutral car balance that gives the drivers confidence and can also look after the tyres, as this circuit is comparable to Silverstone in terms of the prolonged high lateral loadings they must cope with. It was a tough weekend for us in Korea so our clear target will be to respond to that disappointment with a result that delivers the full potential of the car we have developed this season.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team executive director
“The team had a frustrating time in Korea: qualifying showed the pace that we had in the car but we were not able to use it at the right moments of the race. We also lost points because of a problem on Nico’s car and everybody in the team is working hard to get on top of reliability issues like this one. Looking ahead to Suzuka, we can take two small positives from last weekend. First, we closed the points gap to Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, and it now stands at just a single point. The second is that our car was possibly the quickest of all in sector two last weekend, which contained all the medium and high-speed corners. This is promising for Suzuka, where nearly two thirds of the corners are taken in fourth gear or higher, and should see our car perform well on this fantastic track. It’s a true drivers’ circuit and we have the best driver pairing in the field, so I am optimistic Nico and Lewis can qualify and race strongly to bounce back from last weekend.”

October 9, 2013
Suzuka Preview Quotes – Marussia

Here’s what the lads at Marussia had to say ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Jules Bianchi, Marussia

“I am very much looking forward to my first experience of racing here at Suzuka. It is a track that is associated with some of the greatest moments in Formula 1 history and racing here will be one of the highlights of my debut season, regardless of the outcome. It is also a real test of car and driver with some fantastic corners, which I have only ever been able to sample on the simulator until now. I think that rain is possible early in the weekend, which should make life interesting – much like some of the big moments I saw here when I was growing up – but I think it may be dry later on, which will enable us to keep pushing for our season objective. I love Japan and have spent the past few days training and relaxing in Tokyo, which has been good fun. I can’t wait to be driving in front of the incredible fans here on Sunday.”

Max Chilton, Marussia

“It’s great to be back in Japan and to finally get the opportunity to race at the Suzuka Circuit. I came straight here from Korea so I would have the opportunity to explore a little more because there are so many fantastic things to experience here. This will be another new challenge and one that I have been looking forward to because it is such a technical circuit and because of all the history attached to it. I have been inspired by some of the great battles I have watched here over the years. The fans are also pretty special, both in and out of the circuit. Seeing them camped outside the drivers’ hotel is quite something, never mind the reception we get when we’re out on track. I hope we can race to a strong two-car finish again – and hopefully with less attrition up ahead.”

John Booth, Marussia team principal
“This weekend represents another interesting challenge for our drivers in that neither Jules nor Max has driven at Suzuka previously. Technically it is one of the more challenging and interesting circuits, so they’ll start the weekend with maximum track time to help bring them up to speed. It has been raining heavily at the circuit today but our forecast suggests this won’t be the case come Saturday and Sunday, so I hope we can enjoy conditions more conducive to achieving our objectives this weekend.”

October 9, 2013
Video: Pirelli Tyre Preview: Suzuka, Japan

Mario Isola gives us insight about how the tyres are tested and also tells us about the tyre choices for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka

October 9, 2013