Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Bruno Senna to race in F1 next season with Campos Meta 1]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/06/bruno-senna-to-race-in-f1-next-season-with-campos-meta-1/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/06/bruno-senna-to-race-in-f1-next-season-with-campos-meta-1/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/06/bruno-senna-to-race-in-f1-next-season-with-campos-meta-1/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The past few years in Formula One have seen an unprecedented return of legendary family names to the sport: names like Villeneuve, Piquet and Rosberg. But the most hyped scion of racing fame has been Bruno Senna.

The nephew of the late, great Ayrton Senna was rated highly by his world-champion uncle and has been on everyone's watch list for the past few years since he began competing in open-wheel formula racing. The young Brazilian was tipped to race in F1 for Honda until the Japanese automaker (which, incidentally, powered all three of his uncle's championship-winning McLarens) withdrew from the sport. Instead Bruno bided his time, won a few GP2 races and completed the 2008 championship as runner-up while finishing on the podium at his Le Mans Series debut at Catalunya.

Those waiting for the Senna name to return to F1, however, can stop waiting as Bruno has signed on with Campos Meta 1. Notably, despite the family ties with several teams on the grid - including Lotus, McLaren and Williams, to say nothing of the STR ties through family friend and confidante Gerhard Berger - Bruno ended up signing with one of the new teams joining the grid next year.

There's been no word on who will partner with him for the rookie squad, but sources suggest a more experienced veteran driver (like Alex Wurz, for example) is in the mix. But one thing's for sure: Senna's going to have all eyes fixed on him, and he'll have quite the reputation to live up to.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Mauricio Lima/Getty]

Bruno Senna to race in F1 next season with Campos Meta 1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bruno sennaBrunoSennacamposcampos metacampos meta 1campos-cosworthCamposMetaCamposMeta1cm1sennaFri, 06 Nov 2009 07:01:00 EST<![CDATA[In Bad Taste: Ecclestone calls Senna's death "good for F1"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/21/in-bad-taste-ecclestone-calls-sennas-death-good-for-f1/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/21/in-bad-taste-ecclestone-calls-sennas-death-good-for-f1/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/21/in-bad-taste-ecclestone-calls-sennas-death-good-for-f1/#commentsFiled under:



Believe it or not, nobody has put a muzzle on Bernie Ecclestone yet. After having publicly praised the likes of Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein, the Formula One chief has made headlines once again by characterizing the death of Ayrton Senna as "good for F1."

Clarifying his comments, Ecclestone noted that while it was "unfortunate" to have lost the three-time world champion widely remembered as history's greatest driver, the publicity his death generated ultimately helped the sport attract new followers.

As if the remarks couldn't have been any less sensitive or more revolting in their own right, they were shockingly made to the press in Senna's home country of Brazil - where the 2009 world championship was tied up this weekend - after meeting with the late Senna's sister Viviane and her son Bruno. The late great's nephew is reportedly being closely considered for a race seat next season with either Campos or Manor, two of the new teams joining the grid for the 2010 championship. That is, assuming Bruno can bear the thought of working with someone who characterizes the death of his family member as good for business.

[Source: F1-Live | Image: Clive Rose/Getty]

In Bad Taste: Ecclestone calls Senna's death "good for F1" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ayrton Senna is often regarded as the best racing driver that ever lived. But when he left McLaren - the team with which he won three World Championships - at the end of the 1993 season, he reportedly declared, "If you think I'm good, just wait until you see my nephew Bruno." That's quite an endorsement. The following season, Ayrton died at San Marino, and Formula One has been waiting for the return of the Senna name and legendary prowess ever since. According to the latest reports, that's exactly what we could get as soon as next season.

The young heir to the Senna name has been working his way up the formula racing ladder for the past several years, leapfrogging from Formula BMW and Formula Renault up to Formula Three (where he won several races), GP2 (where he was runner up in this year's championship) and even a third-place finish at the Le Mans Series season opener at Catalunya. He earned a test with Honda last year and was tipped to replace Rubens Barrichello until the Japanese automaker - which had also powered his uncle's McLarens - pulled out of the sport. Now, however, the promising young Brazilian is reportedly being considered by Campos, one of the new teams joining the Formula One grid for next season.

Other drivers under consideration include McLaren's veteran test driver Pedro de la Rosa or Marc Gené (who was recently passed over for the race seat at Ferrari in favor of his fellow tester Luca Badoer) as well as Russian prodigy Vitaly Petrov and Spanish up-and-comer Antonio Garcia.

[Source: F1-Live | Image: JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty]

Ayrton's nephew Bruno Senna up for F1 race seat next season? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brunobruno sennaBrunoSennacamposcampos metaCamposMetaf1formula 1formula oneFormula1FormulaOnesennaThu, 13 Aug 2009 18:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Aston Martin LMP1 debuts at Le Mans Series season-opener in Catalunya [SPOILER ALERT]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/06/aston-martin-lmp1-debuts-at-le-mans-series-season-opener-at-cata/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/06/aston-martin-lmp1-debuts-at-le-mans-series-season-opener-at-cata/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/06/aston-martin-lmp1-debuts-at-le-mans-series-season-opener-at-cata/#commentsFiled under: ,


European Le Mans Series, Catalunya 2009 - Click above for image gallery

Ambition is good. Ambition backed by competence is better. Aston Martin Racing would appear to have both.

Since landing on the endurance racing scene in 2005 with a victory in its first race, the competition arm of the venerable British sportscar-maker has become an indomitable force, taking victory in the GT1 category at Le Mans two years in a row and expanding into every other GT class along the way. But AMR wasn't satisfied with class wins, so for this year, David Richards and company took aim at the diesel-burning big boys from Audi and Peugeot by entering the Le Mans Prototype Class with a DBR9-powered Lola chassis in partnership with Charouz Racing Systems. The Gulf-liveried Astons were unveiled less than a month ago, but made their racing debut this past weekend in Spain at the 1000 km of Catalunya, the season-opener to the European Le Mans Series. Follow the jump to read how it all unfolded.


Gallery: European Le Mans Series - Catalunya 2009

Continue reading Aston Martin LMP1 debuts at Le Mans Series season-opener in Catalunya [SPOILER ALERT]

Aston Martin LMP1 debuts at Le Mans Series season-opener in Catalunya [SPOILER ALERT] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1000 km1000 km of catalunya1000Km1000KmOfCatalunyaastonaston martinaston martin lmp1aston martin racingAstonMartinAstonMartinLmp1AstonMartinRacingbarcelonabruno sennaBrunoSennacatalunyaeuropean le mans seriesEuropeanLeMansSeriesle mansle mans prototypele mans seriesLeMansLeMansPrototypeLeMansSerieslmp1lmsMon, 06 Apr 2009 18:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Honda strikes an Accord, may stay in F1 after all]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/16/honda-strikes-an-accord-may-stay-in-f1-after-all/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/16/honda-strikes-an-accord-may-stay-in-f1-after-all/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/16/honda-strikes-an-accord-may-stay-in-f1-after-all/#commentsFiled under: ,

With the start of the 2009 Formula One championship approaching, reports from the motorsport press are suggesting that Honda's F1 team may be starting this season after all. Honda had announced it was withdrawing from the sport after last season, leaving team leaders Nick Fry and Ross Brawn to look for new funding. And if those reports are to be believed, they may have found it. Some of it, anyway.

Without Honda's active participation, the team is speculated to run customer engines supplied by Mercedes-Benz. The task of securing financial backing, however, was made all the more difficult by team sponsor Petrobras' decision to withdraw from Formula One as well. But sources suggest that Honda may have found it more cost-effective to help keep the team afloat for a while longer rather than having to offer its employees severance packages. Additional funding is said to have come from the personal backers of Bruno Senna, nephew of the late great Ayrton Senna, who was tipped to partner Jenson Button at the team for this season before Honda pulled the plug. Lastly, reports indicate that F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone may be backing the orphaned team out of his own business interests. But the $30 million in funding reported may only be enough to get the former Honda team on the grid for the first four races in Australia, Malaysia, China and Bahrain, which could at least give Ross and Nick some more time to find new patrons and sponsors.

[Source: F1-Live and GrandPrix.com]

Honda strikes an Accord, may stay in F1 after all originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bruno sennaBrunoSennahondahonda f1honda f1 bruno sennaHondaF1HondaF1BrunoSennaross brawnRossBrawnMon, 16 Feb 2009 18:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Psych! Honda F1 not being bought by Mexican billionaire]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/29/psych-honda-f1-not-being-bought-by-mexican-billionaire/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/29/psych-honda-f1-not-being-bought-by-mexican-billionaire/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/29/psych-honda-f1-not-being-bought-by-mexican-billionaire/#commentsFiled under: ,

Have you heard the one about the former F1 team that gets bought by the Mexican billionaire? Yeah, well, we heard it, too, and it's completely untrue. Not only has Carlos Slim has not bought Honda, but a spokesman makes clear that "There is no deal for the Honda team. There is neither agreement nor negotiations."

Nevertheless, Honda says it is leaving the team in good shape and everything is still moving forward. Team chief Ross Brawn said "We have enough funding to get us through to Melbourne and we still have a competitive package." Brawn also said so many folks are snooping around that they've got to sort the jokers from the serious players. Cue Dave Richards...

[Source: Eurosport]

Psych! Honda F1 not being bought by Mexican billionaire originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to La Stampa, Honda F1 has a buyer: Mexican telecom billionaire Carlos Slim Helu. Reports claim he paid the single dollar Honda was asking. He trumped Force India F1 owner Vijay Mallya, who was suspected to want the Honda team only for its tech know-how, and Prodrive's Dave Richards.

When Honda announced its immediate departure from F1 on December 4, it gave the outfit 27 days to find a bona fide buyer who would make a credible 3-year commitment to run the team. If the team did find such a purchaser, Honda said it would assist with finances and technical support. Carlos Slim has the finances and the experience: he is reportedly the second richest man in the world, and his companies are already involved in motorsport.

If the transaction proves to be true, and assuming the team gets funded properly, it will mean a few good things for the 2009 F1 season: it will add another privateer team to the grid, it will let Ross Brawn continue creating the team he's been dying to lead since he was at Ferrari, and it will return the name "Senna" to the grid. Bruno, Ayrton Senna's nephew, is sponsored by Embratel, a subsidiary of Slim's Telmex company, and will certainly replace Rubens Barrichello as the one flying the Brazilian flag.

[Source: La Stampa via My Automovil]

Honda F1 SOLD! to a man named Slim originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click for a hi-res gallery from the 2008 GP2 finale at Monza

If you're not familiar with the GP2 Series by now, think of it as the formula racing equivalent to college football. It can sometimes make for an even more engaging spectacle and gives a chance to preview who will make it into the big leagues of Formula One next. Since the series inception in 2005, each year's champion has earned a race seat in F1. And more than that, every year the runner-up has secured a testing role with the Renault F1 team. Considering that the drivers who have graduated from GP2 in the past few years have turned out to be some of the most talented young rookies in F1, any formula racing fan worth his lug-nuts keeps a keen eye trained on GP2.

This year's championship just wrapped up this weekend in Monza where the F1 circus came to race the Italian Grand Prix, providing a secondary spectacle for racing fans who braved the rain to get a glimpse of the action. Each stop on the GP2 calendar includes two races: the feature race on Saturday, and the reverse-grid sprint race on Sunday. To find out who took the honors and who you should watch in the big leagues for next year, follow the jump.

Gallery: GP2 Monza 2008


[Source: Autosport | Images: GP2 Series]

Continue reading The Once and Future King: 2008 GP2 Series wraps up at Monza (SPOILER ALERT)

The Once and Future King: 2008 GP2 Series wraps up at Monza (SPOILER ALERT) originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Settle down now, we haven't spoiled the results of the Monaco Grand Prix. For one thing, the race itself is on Sunday. For another, there hasn't been a Senna driving in F1 since Ayrton died in 1994. We're talking about Bruno Senna, his nephew who has been working his way up the ranks in pursuit of a hard-earned Formula One race seat to follow in the footsteps of his triple-world-champion uncle.

Bruno Senna drives in the second-tier GP2 series, from which the latest crop of F1 drivers have been plucked and in which Senna just scored his first victory of the season. And it wasn't just any track - it was in Monte Carlo, the same track where Ayrton won six times. Bruno practically led from pole, taking the lead from Pastor Maldonado, renowned for his pace at the Monaco track, and leading a flawless race all the way to the checkered flag - ahead of Maldonado and Senna's team mate Karun Chandhok - and setting the fastest lap in the process. Senna's victory puts him in second place for the GP2 title, only two points behind Giorgio Pantano who retired early from the race after an accident.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty]

Senna wins at Monaco! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 May 2008 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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