-Formula 1 - Season 2011

[genius83]

Lotus confirms Caterham purchaseTeam Lotus Enterprises has confirmed the purchase of British sportscar maker Caterham Cars, as reported by AUTOSPORT last week.

Fernandes: No decision on team name
Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes says has no immediate plans to rebrand his F1 outfit as Caterham, despite buying the car company and revealing he will rename his GP2 squad.

Ecclestone willing to sell QPR stake
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says he is willing to sell his stake in football team Queens Park Rangers.

@UK
Yes, Michelin and Dunlop are the best but Pirelli and Firestone should also considered as good as this is Pirelli's first sole supplier stint while Firestone's 11 sole supplier race wins are all Indy 500 when Indy500 was part of F1 from 1950 to 1960. Otherwise they also have competition throughout their stints. GoodYear also has an excellent success rate with nearly 70% race wins comes when they have competition and that makes Bridgestone the worst tyre manufacturer of F1 history with only 59 wins when they have competition. Also I never knows that between Goodyear leaving at the end of 98' and Michelin's arrival in 2001, Bridgestone was the sole tyre supplier.

[Blackeye117]

@uk .. Lol Thats good To Know They Are Scared Of Me Ahan Well Goood For Me
Yeah Sure We'll meet ... And I will Try some new For Our Paula this time ..tough not going to experiment on her first time but thinking of some new stuff for paula this time ....

ummm it seems you are going to enjoy f1 bbc there.... iney ...

[UncleKracker]

@Steve, Eddie & Paula

See you guys on the other side.

ummm it seems you are going to enjoy f1 bbc there.... iney ...

I very much will:) No more Spanish, German whatever commentators for me.

GoodYear also has an excellent success rate with nearly 70% race wins comes when they have competition and that makes Bridgestone the worst tyre manufacturer of F1 history with only 59 wins when they have competition. Also I never knows that between Goodyear leaving at the end of 98' and Michelin's arrival in 2001, Bridgestone was the sole tyre supplier.

Goodyear was great. Bridgstone has been very conservative which might explain their lack of success and at one point became very unprofessional, which resulted in the big teams switching to Michelin. Firestone is Bridgestone, but their success came before Bridgestone took over Firestone.

[Blackeye117]

@ Sure Sure .. Have A Nice Journey Do Take Care Of Your self there ..... and dont be like paula , i mean she didnt told us about the prince so dont want you to do anything like that

[genius83]

Button wants to end career at McLaren
Jenson Button says he is ready to commit the rest of his Formula 1 career to McLaren, ahead of the opening of talks later this summer to discuss a new contract with the team.

Rosberg set for DTM car run
Nico Rosberg is to get his first proper taste of DTM machinery at Hockenheim this weekend, with the Mercedes GP driver scheduled to complete several laps in a C-Class.

Turkey not ruling out retaining GP
Turkish Grand Prix chiefs insist the door is not fully closed on sorting out a deal to secure the future of the race, despite a reluctance by the government to bankroll a big hike in fees.

McLaren to focus on small upgrades
McLaren will focus on small upgrades to help lift its performance during next week's Turkish Grand Prix, the fourth round of the 2011 season.

Ecclestone willing to give Bahrain time
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is willing to give Bahrain Grand Prix organisers more time to decide whether or not they can hold their race this year, ahead of this weekend's deadline laid down by the FIA.

Boullier: 2013 engine debate open
Renault team principal Eric Boullier believes Formula 1 teams need to consider only what is best for the sport - rather than what suits their own interests – when it comes to deciding what to do about future engine rules.

Vettel taking nothing for granted
Sebastian Vettel says Red Bull Racing can take nothing for granted about its speed heading into the Turkish Grand Prix, despite its pace-setting form from the first three races.

@UK
I hope that first part of your journey has been completed safely and comfortably and best wishes for your remaining journey.

[NashTrooper]

Tony Stewart and Lewis Hamilton's Track Challenge
www.youtube.com

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Driver Lewis Hamilton and NASCAR'S Tony Stewart test each other's course knowledge. Watch these two racing stars battle it out, and when you're done, head to http://www.grid1.tv/ to play the Mobil 1 Track Challenge, where you can create your own tracks and race against your friends and other racing fans. See if you can drive like these two racing giants!

[genius83]

Parr: Williams can bounce back this year
Williams CEO Adam Parr is adamant the 2011 season is far from over for the team despite its worst ever start to a Formula 1 championship.

Heidfeld: Renault can get better
Nick Heidfeld believes his Renault team has yet to show its full potential as it eyes a good recovery from its disappointing Shanghai performance in next week's Turkish Grand Prix.

Mercedes 'will' be fast again in Turkey
Michael Schumacher believes his Mercedes GP team can do even better in Turkey than it showed at the Chinese Grand Prix, when team-mate Nico Rosberg led the race and fought hard for a podium finish.

Toro Rosso to introduce Monaco upgrade
Scuderia Toro Rosso plans to wait until the Monaco Grand Prix to deliver the first major update to its car - with the team optimistic it has the platform to fight with Williams, Sauber and Force India.

Teams expect 'alternative' Turkey tactics
Formula 1 teams could opt for some 'alternative' strategies in next week's Turkish Grand Prix because of the expected high levels of tyre degradation.

Trulli trusts FIA on Monaco DRS call
Jarno Trulli is confident the FIA will do the right thing when it comes to deciding about the use of DRS at the Monaco Grand Prix - even though he believes keeping it on the cars for Monaco will be 'pointless'.

Bahrain wants F1 back 'in near future'
The Bahrain Grand Prix authorities say they look forward to having Formula 1 back "in the very near future", but stopped short of committing to being able to host the race later in 2011.

[genius83]

HRT aims to catch Virgin in Turkey
HRT has set its sights on overhauling nearest competitor Virgin Racing at this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix on the back of a series of updates planned for its car.

F1 teams set for closer customs checks
Formula 1 and motor racing transporters are likely to face tougher scrutiny at UK customs from now on, after drugs were found in the trucks of a Superbike World Championship team last month.

Mallya eyes points at every race
Force India team boss Vijay Mallya is confident his squad can be a points contender in every grand prix this year based on its form so far.

Trulli wants power steering fix
Jarno Trulli believes that fixing the power steering problems that have plagued his start to the season is key to taking a step forward in form.

Bahrain Grand Prix talks continue
Bahrain Grand Prix officials remain in talks with Formula 1 chiefs about a possible rescheduling of their race this year, AUTOSPORT has learned, despite the passing of a May 1 deadline relating to the future of the event.

[waqitariq]

Formula 1? - The Official F1? Website
FIA extends Bahrain deadline

[alliereyaz]

@Nashtrooper: good to c u at my place.

[genius83]

Webber open to future team switch
Mark Webber insists his future in Formula 1 remains open for now - after saying he would consider a switch to another team for 2012 if Red Bull Racing chooses not to extend his contract.

Bahrain given extension until June
The FIA has given the Bahrain Grand Prix organisers a further month to decide whether it will be possible to hold the race on a new date in 2011.

Analysis: The magic of Turn 8
Although the Turkish Grand Prix is a relatively new addition to the calendar, its Turn 8 has already found an entry into Formula 1 folklore as one of the best corners of the season.

Michael resigns, Coughlan joins Williams
Williams technical director Sam Michael and chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson have resigned from the team, as the outfit announced on Tuesday the appointment of Mike Coughlan as chief engineer.

Williams eyes bigger role for Coughlan
Williams will wait until the end of the season to decide whether newly signed chief engineer Mike Coughlan becomes it new technical director.

Parr reveals he offered resignation
Williams Chairman Adam Parr has revealed that he offered to resign from the team in the wake of its troubled start to the campaign.

Williams says Michael's exit a blow
Sam Michael's decision to leave Williams at the end of the year is a 'blow' to the team, says Chairman Adam Parr.

Ferrari gets upgrades boost for Turkey
Ferrari will introduce new front and rear wings, plus modified brake ducts, at this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix as it begins to get on top of the problems it has suffered in the early part of the campaign.

McLaren seeks exhaust flow answers
Red Bull Racing's qualifying advantage could be helped by 'elaborate' engine mapping that helps make its blown diffuser more effective over a single lap.

Tyre gamble in Q3 unlikely - McLaren
McLaren has played down the chances of frontrunning teams deliberately sacrificing qualifying in Turkey in a bid to save all-new tyres for the race.

FIA reveals DRS area for Turkey
The FIA has confirmed that the DRS activation zone at this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix will start shortly before Turn 11.

Fernandes not expecting progress
Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes has said he doesn't expect the team to have found any more lap time at the Turkish Grand Prix, as it focuses on an updated for Spain.

Pirelli aims to change hard tyre
Pirelli is planning on changing the compound of this season's hard tyre from the Spanish Grand Prix.

News Corp confirms interest in buying F1
Media group News Corporation has officially confirmed it plans to look into a joint takeover of Formula 1 with an Italian investment company that has close links to Fiat.

Renault plans upgrades to remain in the hunt
Renault is planning a raft of upgrades for the Turkish Grand Prix to remain in the hunt for podiums and bounce back from a disappointing result in China.

Williams seeks front wing solution
Williams technical director Sam Michael says that the team have been focussing on the car's front wing in an attempt to improve the performance of the FW33.

Sauber happy to develop rookies
Sauber team principal Peter Sauber has said that his team is the best place on Formula One for rookie drivers to learn their trade.

[NashTrooper]

@Nashtrooper: good to c u at my place.

Thanks dude & same is here
Glad to see u & ur Automotive stuff!!!
I was really thinking to steal something........:P;)

[NashTrooper]

‎2 Days until practice#1 starts in Turkey.

[NashTrooper]

Webber,
hoping to improve his reaction speed in Turkey and prevent anybody from hitting him, or him hitting anybody else....

[genius83]

Virgin aims to 'turn corner' in Turkey
Virgin Racing boss John Booth is hopeful the upgrades to be introduced by his team in the Turkish Grand Prix will help the squad turn the corner following a poor start to the season.

CVC insists Formula 1 not for sale
Formula 1 owners CVC Capital Partners say the sport is currently not for sale, responding to the interest shown by media group News Corporation in recent weeks.

Michael determined to leave on a high
Outgoing Williams technical director Sam Michael says he is determined to turn around the team's form before he makes way for Mike Coughlan at the end of year.

Pollock to return to F1 as engine supplier
Former BAR team principal Craig Pollock is to return to Formula 1 in 2013 as the head of a new customer engine supply company.

PURE engine on test bed by year's end
PURE's new Formula 1 engine is set to be on the test bed at the end of this year - with project chief Craig Pollock believing his company is ahead of its rivals in preparation for 2013.

[genius83]

Red Bull's KERS problem fixed - Marko
Red Bull has fixed its KERS problems ahead of this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix, according to the team's consultant Helmut Marko.

Ferrari vows to go aggressive
Ferrari has admitted it was too conservative with its initial designs for the F150 Italia and has promised to change tack in order to close the gap to Red Bull and McLaren over the coming races.

Ferrari shows Rosberg interest
Nico Rosberg has emerged as a candidate to replace Felipe Massa at Ferrari when the Brazilian's contract ends after the 2012 season.

Here is the Timing Schedule for Turkish GP this weekend:

[U]<font color='darkorchid'>Turkish GP</font>[/U]
[U]<font color='darkorange'>Friday</font>[/U]
<font color='green'>[U]Practice Session 1[/U]        12;00 To 13:30</font>
<font color='green'>[U]Practice Session 2[/U]        16;00 To 17:30</font>
[U]<font color='darkorange'>Saturday</font>[/U]
<font color='green'>[U]Practice Session 3[/U]        13;00 To 14;00</font>
<font color='green'>[U]Qualifying Session[/U]        16;00 To 17;00</font>
[U]<font color='darkorange'>Sunday</font>[/U]
<font color='green'>[U]Race[/U]                      17;00 To 19;00    </font>

[genius83]

Ferrari: F1 needs to clarify future
Ferrari believes that big decisions need to be made soon about the future direction of Formula 1 - as it suggested more needs to be invested by its chiefs to promote the sport.

Domenicali: Newey makes the difference
Adrian Newey is making the difference when it comes to keeping Red Bull Racing ahead of its rivals, according to Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali.

Di Resta not distracted by Mercedes link
Paul di Resta says he is not letting speculation linking him to Mercedes GP distract him from his work at Force India.

Hamilton stays cautious for Turkey
Lewis Hamilton is staying cautious about his chances for the Turkish Grand Prix despite having scored his first win of the season in the previous race in China.

Massa hopeful of significant step
Felipe Massa is hoping his Ferrari team can take a significant step forward in Turkey thanks to the upgrades to be introduced this weekend.

Boullier: F1 must be a better product
Renault team principal Eric Boullier believes Formula 1 must put aside its internal squabbling and focus on improving the product as a whole as competition for the paying public's attention from other sports and entertainment media grows ever more fierce.

Vettel: Red Bull must learn from China
World champion Sebastian Vettel says Red Bull must learn from the mistakes of the Chinese Grand Prix, the German claiming McLaren's victory in Shanghai had nothing to do with luck.

Webber 'unlikely' to move team in 2012
Mark Webber thinks a move to another team next year is unlikely, as he suggested on Thursday there was a 'good chance' he would stick with Red Bull Racing again for 2012.

Webber: Michael lacked support
Williams technical director Sam Michael was put in a 'difficult situation' at the Grove-based outfit because he did not have the full support structure around him to use the best of his talents.

Alonso says updates not a revolution
Fernando Alonso is not expecting the updates Ferrari is introducing in Turkey to be a "revolution" and instead expects his team to react slowly.

Barrichello: Williams needs changes
Williams needs to make further changes to its staff and structure if it is to make the progress it needs to rediscover its top form.

[genius83]

[genius83]

Alonso fastest, Vettel crashes in FP1
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso set the pace in a wet first practice session for the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul.

[U]<font face='Courier New'><font color='navy'>Turkish GP Practice Session 1</font></font>[/U]
<font color='darkorchid'>Pos  Driver                Team                   Time                Laps</font>
 1.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                1m38.670s            13
 2.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes               1m40.072s  + 1.402   14
 3.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes               1m40.132s  + 1.462   18
 4.  Nick Heidfeld         Renault                1m40.338s  + 1.668    9
 5.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                1m40.401s  + 1.731   10
 6.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari         1m40.421s  + 1.751   16
 7.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                1m40.697s  + 2.027   14
 8.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m41.094s  + 2.424   18
 9.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m41.178s  + 2.508   22
10.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes   1m41.347s  + 2.677   16
11.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault       1m42.564s  + 3.894    5
12.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth      1m42.597s  + 3.927    7
13.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes   1m43.525s  + 4.855   11
14.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth      1m43.913s  + 5.243    5
15.  Karun Chandhok        Lotus-Renault          1m43.986s  + 5.316    6
16.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth           1m44.787s  + 6.117   20
17.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault       1m44.954s  + 6.284    4
18.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth        1m45.183s  + 6.513   15
19.  Jerome D'Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth        1m45.237s  + 6.567   11
20.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth           1m48.461s  + 9.791    8
21.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault          1m51.676s  + 13.006   6
22.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari         1m55.791s  + 17.121  13
23.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes       2m00.666s  + 21.996   4
24.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes       no time               1

Schumacher says 2011 rules are 'mega'
Michael Schumacher has labelled this year's Formula 1 rules a "mega success" - as he reckons they have not only been good for fans but they are also fairer for drivers.

Rosberg: Future plans not a topic now
Nico Rosberg insists that talk about his future plans is 'not a topic' for him right now - as he insists his focus is on helping push current team Mercedes GP to the front of the grid.

Heidfeld: Renault can fight big guns
Nick Heidfeld thinks Renault can be fighting right at the front of Formula 1 this season, after feeling that the team underperformed in the first three races of the campaign.

Williams, Jaguar to build supercar
Williams has teamed up with British car manufacturer Jaguar to build an hybrid supercar, it was announced on Friday.

Button: Turkey to show true picture
Jenson Button believes the Turkish Grand Prix will provide a definitive answer as to just how close McLaren is to Red Bull Racing this year.

Pirelli wants tyre allocation change
Pirelli wants to open discussions with teams about changing the wet weather tyre allocation limits on Formula 1 weekends to prevent drivers running out of sets.

[genius83]

Button pips Rosberg in second practice
Jenson Button narrowly beat Nico Rosberg to the fastest time in a dry second practice session at Istanbul Park, while championship leader Sebastian Vettel did not run at all after his morning crash.

[U]<font face='Courier New'><font color='navy'>Turkish GP Practice Session 2</font></font>[/U] 
<font color='darkorchid'>Pos  Driver                Team                    Time        Gap     Laps</font>
 1.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1m26.456s            26
 2.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes                1m26.521s  +0.065    29
 3.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes        1m27.033s  +0.577    31
 4.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes                1m27.063s  +0.607    21
 5.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault        1m27.149s  +0.693    31
 6.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                 1m27.340s  +0.884    37
 7.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                 1m27.517s  +1.061    37
 8.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes    1m27.725s  +1.269    37
 9.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari          1m27.844s  +1.388    32
10.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1m28.052s  +1.596    37
11.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                 1m28.069s  +1.613    27
12.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m28.153s  +1.697    36
13.  Nick Heidfeld         Renault                 1m28.475s  +2.019    35
14.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m28.765s  +2.309    32
15.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth       1m28.828s  +2.372    19
16.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth       1m28.946s  +2.490    20
17.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault           1m29.409s  +2.953    39
18.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari          1m29.637s  +3.181    27
19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault           1m30.281s  +3.825    37
20.  Jerome D'Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth         1m31.035s  +4.579    28
21.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth         1m31.221s  +4.765    22
22.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth            1m31.320s  +4.864    29
23.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth            1m31.989s  +5.533    30

Vettel downplays lack of running
Sebastian Vettel has played down the impact his crash during practice will have in his preparation for the Turkish Grand Prix.

Hamilton: Tyre wear fears unfounded
Lewis Hamilton believes tyre wear will be nowhere near as big an issue in the Turkish Grand Prix as was feared before the weekend.

Rosberg hopeful of beating Ferrari
Nico Rosberg is confident his Mercedes team can be ahead of Ferrari during this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix following a promising start to the weekend on Friday.

Alonso not judging upgrades yet
Fernando Alonso is optimistic that Ferrari has taken a step forward with its upgrades for the Turkish Grand Prix, but felt he could not make a proper judgement about the car's potential today.

Trulli: Steering issue not resolved yet
Jarno Trulli says his issues with Lotus' power steering have been improved by modifications introduced for Turkey, but that the problem is not totally resolved yet.

Barrichello says Q3 is realistic
Rubens Barrichello is adamant his Williams team can qualify in the top ten in Turkey, the Brazilian labelling the updates introduced today as "promising".

Trial tyre compound set to stayPirelli expects to allocate the new more durable tyre compound that was trialled today as its regular hard compound tyre from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards.

Virgin needs more time with updates
Virgin says it will take time to know the extent of the advance it has made with the major aerodynamic upgrade package the team has brought to Turkey, after effective running with it was cut short to just one session because of the poor weather.

Teams keen for F1 ownership stake
Formula 1 teams are ready to listen to what News Corporation's plans for the future are, saying that ownership of a share in the sport is an ambition they are keen to achieve.

D'Ambrosio receives grid penalty
Jerome d'Ambrosio has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the Turkish Grand Prix after ignoring yellow flags in second practice.