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  • Adrian Sutil sets the morning pace at Young Driver Test

    Adrian Sutil sets the morning pace at Young Driver Test

    Adrian Sutil set the early pace on the final morning of the Young Driver Test at Silverstone, putting Force India back on top of the time sheets.

    Carlos Sainz Jr, who ventured out for Red Bull for the morning session, ended in second place ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Jean-Eric Vergne for Toro Rosso.

    Susie Wolff, who is testing for Williams today, focused on aero testing and finished in 8th place after a rather impressive morning. A big day for F1 as Wolff becomes the first woman to take part in the tests.

    Here is the full time sheet for the morning.

     

    ydt-finalmorning

    Photo: Official Force India Twitter account

  • F1 Video – Christian Horner races Red Bull Soapbox

    F1 Video – Christian Horner races Red Bull Soapbox

    Christian Horner volunteers to get behind the wheel of the Red Bull Soapbox creation at Alexandra Palace. The team seem to have been a little economical in explaining the course though … Did the Team Principal survive the ‘kickers’? Watch to find out.

  • Cutaway Insights – Episode 11: SECU / Standard Electronics Control Unit

    Cutaway Insights – Episode 11: SECU / Standard Electronics Control Unit

    In Episode 11 of Sauber’s Cutaway Insights series we see the SECU or Standard Electronics Control Unit – which is basically the car’s brain. Or heart? Feel free to discuss F1 cars’ physiology 😉

  • Video – Cutaway Insights – Episode 10: Correvit Optical Sensor – Sauber F1 Team

    Video – Cutaway Insights – Episode 10: Correvit Optical Sensor – Sauber F1 Team

    In this fascinating episode of the Sauber F1 Team’s Cutaway Insights Series, they look at the Correvit Optical Sensor.

  • Red Bull seat not looking good for Vergne

    Red Bull seat not looking good for Vergne

    With Mark Webber leaving Red Bull at the end of this season, his seat at Red Bull has been the topic of many a heated debate.

    Until now, the seat has had three names on it – Kimi Raikkonen, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

    In an interview with Sky Sports today however, Christian Horner has indicated that it is not likely that Jean-Eric Vergne will get the seat saying that we’re “probably” looking at a two-horse race now.

    Vergne had already been shifted aside with the Young Driver Test this week, since Red Bull have given Daniel Ricciardo an opportunity to drive the RB9 at Silverstone, rather than using Vergne.

    When asked whether the choice is now between Ricciardo and Raikkonen, Christian Horner replied, “Essentially, probably.”

    Talking to Sky Sports, he explained the rationale behind using Ricciardo for the Young Driver Test. “We’re very keen to have a look at Daniel as a prospect for next year. Obviously there is a great deal of interest in the seat, but it’s an opportunity to have a look at Daniel and for him to do some of our tyre testing work in our RBR car. It’s a great opportunity for him.”

    Ricciardo does seem like a safer bet than Raikkonen since he’s less likely to ruffle the feathers of remaining Red Bull driver, Sebastian Vettel. Raikkonen however, is likely to be a force to be reckoned with in the Red Bull so it’s going to be a tough choice for Horner and co.

  • Young Drivers Test: Ricciardo Stays Top of the Timesheets

    Young Drivers Test: Ricciardo Stays Top of the Timesheets

    Daniel Ricciardo remained on top of the time sheets at the end of day 2 of the Young Drivers Test in Silvertone.

    Ricciardo’s time of 1:32.972 in the Toro Rosso was the fastest of the day. Testing for Red Bull in the afternoon session he managed a 1:33.187 with the RB9, just two tenths slower than the time set in his Toro Rosso, showing us that a driver cannot just jump into a good car and set fastest laps. According to AutoSport, he ran off the track at Luffield, briefly stopping the session.

    Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg finished tenth for the day with a time of 1:34.224, who carried out tyre evaluations for most of the day.

    The full classification for the day is included below:

     

    YDT_ThursFullDay

     

  • Young Drivers Test: Ricciardo Fastest in Thursday Morning Session

    Young Drivers Test: Ricciardo Fastest in Thursday Morning Session

    Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest time for the morning session of 1:32.972 at the Young Drivers Test at Silverstone on Thursday.

    Ricciardo will take Mark Webber’s place in the RB9 this afternoon to continue his running for the day. Antonio Felix da Costa, in the Red Bull set the second fastest time of 1:33.958.

    Here’s the full time sheet for the mornings session:

     

    YDT ThursMorning

  • McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen tops day one of Young Driver Test

    McLaren test driver Kevin Magnussen topped the first day of Formula One’s Young Driver Test at Silverstone.

    Magnussen did not spend much of the session at the top of the timesheets until the final 20 minutes of the afternoon session when he fired out on medium tyres and set a 1.33.602.

    Here is the timesheet for the afternoon session.

    Kevin Magnussen fastest in afternoon Young Driver Test session

  • Kimi Raikkonen no longer taking part in Young Driver Test

    Kimi Raikkonen no longer taking part in Young Driver Test

    Kimi Raikkonen will no longer take part in the Young Driver Test on Friday after the Lotus team decided he would be underutilised under the regulations restricting the race driver’s programmes at Silverstone.

    “Once details of what race drivers were allowed to do here became apparent, we would have only been able to conduct a very limited programme with Kimi,” Lotus trackside operations director Alan Permane said. “If we were to run him, it would compromise the other development work we want to do with the car here. By running Nico again we’ll be able to build on the work already carried out and hopefully be in the best position to develop the E21 ahead of Budapest, whilst also conducting the necessary tyre testing for Pirelli.”

    Race drivers are allowed to take part in the test this year but only if they stick to a run plan dictated by tyre supplier Pirelli. Development work may only be done by drivers who have less than two grands prix experience so Lotus will put Nicolas Prost back in the car on Friday.

    Mark Webber was also pulled from the programme this morning.

    Red Bull will still make use of Sebastian Vettel for Friday afternoon though and Ferrari has also opted to keep Felipe Massa for a half day’s testing.

    Photo: Lotus F1 Team Twitter

  • F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone formally indicted

    F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone formally indicted

    Formula One chief, Bernie Ecclestone, has been formally indicted by German prosecutors investigating allegations of bribery.

    The charges relate to allegations of bribery against Ecclestone and in the wake of the German banker, Gerhard Gribkowsky – who Ecclestone is accused of bribing, being sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison after being convicted of breach of trust, tax evasion and bribery for the £28 million received from Ecclestone during the sale of Formula One in 2005.

    Ecclestone confirmed receiving the indictment on Wednesday, telling the Financial Times, “I have just spoken to my lawyers and they have received an indictment. It’s being translated into English.”

    Ecclestone has always maintained his innocence and said that they will be defending the indictment. “We are defending it properly,” he said. “It will be an interesting case. It’s a pity it’s happened.”

    He has admitted making the payments to Gribkowsky but has always maintained that he had been threatened with blackmail. Ecclestone previously told the Munich state court that he felt pressured into the payment in 2006 because he was worried that Gribkowsky would report him to British tax authorities.

    Ecclestone also confirmed that the prosecutors are “alleging I bribed someone” but continues to say he did “nothing illegal”.

    In December last year, Ecclestone told the Sunday Telegraph that if he was charged, he would likely be removed from his position. “It [the CVC] will probably be forced to get rid of me if the Germans come after me. It’s pretty obvious, if I’m locked up.”