Autoblog

Race Recap: 2013 Chinese Grand Prix a test of tires, carnage and a fight for second [spoilers]

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, China, Infiniti, Lotus, Ferrari, Renault, Racing, McLaren

Formula One fans and commentators have spent the three weeks since the Malaysian Grand Prix discussing two things more than any other: that pass, and tires. Sebastian Vettel spent days giving his tongue an Olympic workout on the verbal gymnastics parallel bars before finally admitting he passed his Infiniti Red Bull teammate Mark Webber on purpose partly for reasons of payback, partly out of a desire to win - he doesn't apologize for it and he would do it again.

Then came those Pirellis - every single driver and team representative interview touches on how important it is to understand the tires and manage their degradation. Two races in, though, it seems no team has any clue yet how to make the race-weekend compounds work predictably. The only thing predictable about the soft compound tires that Pirelli brought to China was that they would last for six laps, and that led to an odd qualifying session with drivers reluctant to leave the pits or even set a time.

It also led to the first pole position for an Englishman in a Mercedes-Benz since Stirling Moss did it in 1955.

Continue reading Race Recap: 2013 Chinese Grand Prix a test of tires, carnage and a fight for second [spoilers]

Race Recap: 2013 Chinese Grand Prix a test of tires, carnage and a fight for second [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India reveals VJM06 at Silverstone [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

Echoing words spoken at launches of the Formula One cars for Ferrari and McLaren, Sahara Force India F1 technical director Andrew Green said that it's what's under the skin of the VJM06 that marks the car's changes. The team began working on the car in the middle of last year - and cut development on last year's car, which could have played a part in its inability to overtake Sauber for sixth - with the emphasis on simulations and computational fluid design.

An evolution of the VJM05, Green said the engineering team was pushed out of its comfort zone to get everything out of every part in the car. The "rear suspension, front suspension and aerodynamics have all been pushed hard," and there was plenty of work put into making the car easier to drive. The modesty panel over the stepped nose has made it easier to look at.

For now, Paul di Resta will be the only one driving it - instead of being joined by a teammate or reserve driver, he rolled the sheet back with the help of deputy team principal Bob Fernley. Fernley said a driver would be named by the second pre-season test. The video below has the sights and sounds of the VJM06 in wet action at Silverstone.

Continue reading Force India reveals VJM06 at Silverstone [w/video]

Force India reveals VJM06 at Silverstone [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Feb 2013 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India F1 team reveals 2012 VJM05

Noah Joseph — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

Force India has come a long way. What started out as Jordan Grand Prix and changed hands (and names) several times before landing in the stewardship of Indian bazillionaire Vijay Mallya has become a solid mid-field contender on race days. In 2011, the team finished sixth in the constructors' standings, behind front-runners Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Lotus Renault GP. In 2012, however, Force India aims to challenge Mercedes and Lotus for fifth place using the car shown above.

The VJM05 bears the same unfortunate stepped nose of the just-unveiled Ferrari F2012 and Caterham CT01, a trend we expect to see across much of the field as teams deal with F1's technical regulations. Engine, transmission and KERS are again provided by Mercedes-Benz through a partnership with McLaren, and while former DTM champion Paul di Resta returns for another season in the cockpit. Adrian Sutil departs the team in the wake of his assault conviction, his seat now occupied by Nico Hulkenberg.

We'll be watching to see if the young duo can continue to move Force India up the F1 hierarchy. For now, you can check out the press release after the jump and photos from the car's unveiling - which included the first on-track session of any 2012 F1 cars revealed thus far - in the image gallery above.

Continue reading Force India F1 team reveals 2012 VJM05

Force India F1 team reveals 2012 VJM05 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adrian Sutil convicted of assault in Germany

Noah Joseph — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Celebrities

Formula One driver Adrian Sutil has been convicted of assault in a trial concluded this week in Munich, Germany. The proceeding revolved around a brawl at a night club in Shanghai, where Sutil slashed the throat of Genii Capital CEO Eric Lux, co-owner of the team now known as Lotus, with a champagne flute.

The conviction comes with a suspended sentence of 18 months and a 200,000-euro fine which is earmarked towards charity. For his part, Sutil reportedly claims it was an accident and that he tried to settle the issue out of court with Lux, who in turn says he didn't get the apology he was after until the courts settled the matter.

The next question is where that leaves Sutil. The driver has been with the Force India team (in its various iterations) since 2006 when he was named a driver for the team then called Midland, making his race debut the following year under Spyker management. With the trial looming over his head, the team cut Sutil from its roster for this season, leaving him without a drive as the rest of the field has all but completely filled up.

Adrian Sutil convicted of assault in Germany originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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F1 teams filling 2012 rosters as Force India promotes Nico Hulkenberg

Noah Joseph — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:02:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

Now that the 2011 season is behind us, Formula One is focusing on the year ahead. So far, the top teams are keeping their talents in place: Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will continue at Red Bull Racing, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will take another crack at McLaren, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will soldier on at Scuderia Ferrari, and Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will stick it out another season at what's now begin called the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.

The bigger changes are happening in the mid-field and back-market teams. Lotus (formerly Renault) is bringing back Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. Toro Rosso is likewise switching up its roster with Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne. Meanwhile Sauber and Caterham (formerly Lotus) are both keeping their drivers (Kaumi Kobayashi & Sergio Perez, and Heikki Kovalainen & Jarno Trulli, respectively).

HRT has picked up perennial McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa, but has yet to announce its second seat. Marussia (formerly Virgin) is keeping Timo Glock and bringing in lackluster newcomer Charles Pic. Williams is keeping Pastor Maldonado but has yet to confirm whether Rubens Barrichello will be returning. And the final piece to the puzzle was filled in today when Force India announced it is keeping former DTM champ Paul di Resta in place, but replacing Adrian Sutil with Nico Hulkenberg, a German driver who raced for Williams after winning titles in Formula 3, A1GP and GP2 and who spent last year as Force India's test driver.

With just two seats (Williams and HRT) still vacant, the 2012 championship is already shaping up before the new year has even started.

Continue reading F1 teams filling 2012 rosters as Force India promotes Nico Hulkenberg

F1 teams filling 2012 rosters as Force India promotes Nico Hulkenberg originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India does the art car thing with an F1 racer

Noah Joseph — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Auctions, UK, India, Design/Style, Racing

Force India VJM01-05 art car by Dexter Brown - Click above for high-res image gallery

Far and away, BMW has commissioned more Art Cars than any other manufacturer. But the German automaker doesn't have exclusive purview over the realm, and this one is quite different.

This is the first art car based on an F1 racer. The Force India team commissioned renowned automotive artist Dexter Brown to apply his wares to the VJM01-05 which Giancarlo Fisichella drove - rather unspectacularly, mind you, without a single championship point finish - in 2008, the year before he scored that remarkable second place at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix and subsequently signed with Ferrari.

The result is quite innovative, and will be auctioned for charity, complete with the signatures of various F1 drivers and personalities, Bernie Ecclestone first among them. The project will also be commemorated with a special book to be published by Opus - the same publishing house behind the $275,000 Ferrari book. Check out the car in the high-res image gallery and follow the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Force India does the art car thing with an F1 racer

Force India does the art car thing with an F1 racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India aims to pick "One from a Billion" with driver search program

Noah Joseph — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, India

Karun Chandhok and Vijay Mallya

Just a few years ago, India would not have ranked among the countries you'd commonly associate with Formula One racing. Today, however, the nation has its own F1 team in Force India, has bred two F1 drivers in Karun Chandhok (pictured above at left) and Narain Kathikeyan, and will host its first grand prix this year. Despite all this, Force India chief, Vijay Mallya (above at right), thinks his home country still has more to offer the world of motorsports, so he's launched the Force India F1 Team Academy.

The initiative aims to find and foster the top talent in a "hunt for 1 from a billion". Beginning with subsidized karting events, the program will select the fastest teenagers (between ages 14 and 17) for the national finals. The top ten finishers will be sent to England for a week-long training program at Silverstone. Three finalists will be announced in October at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, with one winner receiving full sponsorship to race in the UK for a season.

Of course, Force India isn't the only team to support such a program. Ferrari's Driver Academy is in full swing, Red Bull has one of the most advanced talent search programs in the world, and Renault supports an advanced driver training program as well. Follow the jump for the press release or head over to onefromabillion.com for more information.

[Source: Force India]

Continue reading Force India aims to pick "One from a Billion" with driver search program

Force India aims to pick "One from a Billion" with driver search program originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India takes on the 2011 F1 championship with the new VJM04

Noah Joseph — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:27:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

2011 Force India VJM04 - Click above for high-res image gallery

With an expanded grid over years past, Formula One has grown into a three-pronged competition. At the front you have the championship contenders like Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes GP. At the back you have the newcomers Lotus, Hispania and Virgin. In between are the rest that make up the midfield: Renault, Williams, Sauber, Toro Rosso and Force India. But while these divisions are fairly consistent, changes do occur from one season to the next. Mercedes GP - previously known as Brawn GP and Honda F1 before that - was a solid midfielder at best for years, but emerged as the champions in 2009 and still run at the front. Ditto Red Bull Racing, that has seen a remarkable transformation since the Stewart/Jaguar days. And then you have Force India.

The team took over from perennial back-marker outfit Jordan in 2007, and in its first season under new management, finished tenth in the constructors' standings - just ahead of Super Aguri, which withdrew partway through the season. But the following season it finished ninth (ahead of Toro Rosso) and last year, after running sixth most of the season, emerged in seventh, beating out Toro Rosso, Sauber and the three newcomers. That's some impressive progress, but this year Force India is targeting fifth place in the championship, and this is the car with which they hope to get there.

The VJM04 (the team's fourth car, so named after team principal Vijay Mallya) is an evolution of last year's design, and returns under McLaren-Mercedes power for the third season. Adrian Sutil, who has been with the team from the beginning, returns once again, partnered this time by DTM champ Paul di Resta who replaces Vitantonio Liuzzi. Nico Hulkenberg takes up the test driver role - the team having opted to run the 2010 car at the first test session - while several high-ranking team personnel departed over the course of the off-season to rival teams.

Will Force India be able to continue its upwards trajectory to achieve its goals, and maybe add a podium to the lonely one Giancarlo Fisichella scored for the team at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix? We'll have to wait and see, but in the meantime you can check out the images in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 Force India VJM04

[Source: Force India]

Continue reading Force India takes on the 2011 F1 championship with the new VJM04

Force India takes on the 2011 F1 championship with the new VJM04 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India dumps Tonio Liuzzi for DTM champ Paul di Resta

Noah Joseph — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

It's a tough business, being an F1 driver. It's one of the most coveted, competitive jobs in the world. Every year there's a crop of new youngsters vying for race seats, and there's only so many to go around. Nico Hulkenberg found that out the hard way when he lost his seat at Williams to newcomer Pastor Maldonado. Vitantonio Liuzzi is no stranger to the phenomenon either.

Tonio lost his seat at Red Bull to Christian Klein in 2006, bumped down to the b-squad at Scuderia Toro Rosso only to be replaced two years later by multiple Champ Car champ Sebastien Bourdais. After settling for a test role with Force India in 2008, he was promoted to the race seat for the subsequent two seasons, and has now been replaced by another young gun.

For the 2011 Formula One season, Force India has confirmed Paul di Resta as its race driver alongside returning pilot Adrian Sutil. Di Resta spent last season in F1 as a test driver himself for Force India, all the while locking up the DTM championship in Germany to add to his pair of Formula 3 series titles.

The announcement confirms two of the last race seats that were up for grabs for the upcoming season, leaving only one position open at the upstart Hispania Racing Team alongside Narain Karthikeyan (who in turn replaced Bruno Senna). So did Liuzzi get relegated back to the test driver job for the upcoming season? Not even: that job went to the aforementioned Nico Hulkenberg. It's a cutthroat business, Formula 1 racing. Follow the jump for the official announcement.

[Source: Force India]

Continue reading Force India dumps Tonio Liuzzi for DTM champ Paul di Resta

Force India dumps Tonio Liuzzi for DTM champ Paul di Resta originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whyte & Mackay blends special scotch for Force India's F1 drivers [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Videos

Force India drivers receive their custom blended whiskies - Click above for high-res image gallery

Think drinking and driving don't mix? Well they don't. Not in the common sense of the term, at least. But though some advocates have called for its elimination, booze brands have been sponsoring motor racing for decades. And while they may not run on grain alcohol like IndyCars, several F1 teams continue to carry sponsorship from scotch whisky distillers like Johnnie Walker and Whyte & Mackay.

To mark its collaboration with Force India, the latter's master distiller Richard Paterson - a giant in the scotch business - created special blends for each of the team's drivers: Adrian Sutil, Tonio Liuzzi and test driver Paul di Resta (who remains the only Scot in F1 following David Coulthard's retirement). Each blend was matched to the driver's character and presented to the drivers in lead-up to the recently concluded British Grand Prix.

Marketing ploy? No doubt. But while we enjoy our jobs more than the next guy, this serves as just one more reason why we'd willingly swap our laptops for an F1 helmet any day. Have a closer look in the gallery below or follow the jump to see Paterson giving Force India a little extra boost for the race.

Gallery: Whyte & Mackay for Force India

[Source: Whyte & Mackay]

Continue reading Whyte & Mackay blends special scotch for Force India's F1 drivers [w/video]

Whyte & Mackay blends special scotch for Force India's F1 drivers [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India launches VJM03 for 2010 F1 championship

Noah Joseph — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Mercedes-Benz, India, Racing

Force India VJM03 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Force India: The Little Team That Could. After decades of racing as Jordan Grand Prix, the team changed hands several times over the past few years, first as Midland, then Spyker before Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya stepped in and took over. No one thought the tumultuous outfit had much fight left in it, but last season - the second under the Force India banner - the team took a shocking pole position, set the fastest lap and finished in second place at the Belgian Grand Prix, making for the best results the team (under any name) had seen since Giancarlo Fisichella won the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix in the Jordan-Ford EJ13.

To match last year's success, however, Force India will have to push its way past Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren, all of which are fielding multiple world champions, to say nothing of a hungry runner-up Red Bull Racing, all the while fending off a field expanded by four new teams. This is the machine Mallya and company hope is up to the task.

F1 designers face a tough choice when laying the groundwork for a new car: It can either be a ground-up re-design, or an evolution of the previous year's. Given Force India's impressive results last season, chief designer Mark Smith went with the latter for the 2010 season. The biggest changes, like on the cars it will be competing with, is the larger gas tank to deal with the ban on fuel stops, and the double-diffuser design everyone's running this season. The engine, once again, is provided by Mercedes-Benz, which powered the team last year and which will continue motivating both McLaren and world champion squad which the company acquired from Ross Brawn.

With Fisichella gone to Ferrari, the VJM03 will be piloted again by Tonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil. Former F3 Euroseries champion and DTM driver Paul di Resta, a Mercedes prodigy, has been retained as the team's test driver following his earlier test for the team at Jerez. The VJM03 has already undergone its first test private run at Silverstone,and will be joining the next group session at Jerez shortly. Follow the jump for more details in the press release, and check out the high-res photos in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2010 Force India VJM03

[Source: Force India]

Continue reading Force India launches VJM03 for 2010 F1 championship

Force India launches VJM03 for 2010 F1 championship originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India confirms Tonio Liuzzi for Fisichella's seat

Noah Joseph — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

From Left to Right: Giancarlo Fisichella, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil

Italian race fans are in for a big treat at their upcoming home grand prix at Monza this weekend. Not only will their homegrown hero Giancarlo Fisichella, fresh from his command performance at Spa, be driving for their nation's pride-and-joy team Ferrari, but there'll be another Italian driver on the track as well, as Force India has confirmed the promotion of Vitantonio Liuzzi to his compatriot's vacated race seat.

The announcement comes as no big surprise, really, as Liuzzi was expected to get the nod. The promising Red Bull prodigy advanced to Formula One in 2005 after winning the International Formula 3000 feeder series the year before, racing first for the Red Bull Racing team then spending two seasons with Toro Rosso before being dropped in favor Sebastien Bourdais. Tonio has spent the past two seasons as a test driver for Force India, waiting for his chance to get back into the hot seat. And that's exactly what he'll do at his home race this weekend.

As for Fisichella, his contract with Ferrari has emerged as something of a gilded cage. He'll be filling in for Felipe Massa likely for the rest of the season, after which he'll stay on as a test driver next season. Nice work if you can get it, but as David Coulthard and Michael Schumacher could tell you, reverting to test driver - no matter how prestigious the team - is tantamount to retirement.

[Source: Autosport]

Force India confirms Tonio Liuzzi for Fisichella's seat originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Giancarlo Fisichella, meet your new Ferrari race seat

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:20:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

First thing this morning, no one knew who'd be replacing Luca Badoer in the second Ferrari alongside Kimi Raikkonen - in addition to Williams test driver Nico Hulkenberg and former Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Bourdais, the likes of current BMW driver Robert Kubica had been mentioned. Force India driver Giancarlo Fisichella's name has also been persistently mooted, but the scuttlebutt was consistently shot down by team principal Vijay Mallya.

Ah, Formula One. No sooner had Mallya quashed the rumor again that he then turned around and announced that Fisichella was indeed let go to Ferrari. This gives Fisi the race seat for the rest of the year and, according to Mallya, "will secure Giancarlo's long-term future with Ferrari." We have no idea what that could mean for 2010, since Ferrari already has Raikkonen and Massa, and supposedly Alonso to deal with currently.

Financial terms weren't announced, but it is suspected that in return for letting Fisichella go Ferrari forgave Force India's €4 million bill owed the Scuderia for the engine contract that the Indian team terminated last year. While Fisi gets five races to prove his worth in one of the best cars on the grid, now we get to wonder who will be Adrian Sutil's new teammate. Hat tip to everyone!

[Source: F1 Live | Image: John Thys/Getty]

REPORT: Giancarlo Fisichella, meet your new Ferrari race seat originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari to sign Fisichella to replace Badoer?

Noah Joseph — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Ferrari

Ferrari has had plenty of time to get its hands on Giancarlo Fisichella. The Italian driver has been on the grid since 1995 when he started as a test driver for Minardi, and later driving for Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault and now Force India. But the Scuderia wasn't interested. Not until its fortunes were down, and Fisico's were up.

The 36-year-old driver pulled off a shocking command performance at this past weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, grabbing pole position and a relentless second place behind Ferrari's own Kimi Raikkonen. All the while, Ferrari itself has been struggling with its veteran test driver Luca Badoer, who has been suffering from a difficult time readjusting to the competition. The team's test driver, promoted to the race seat after ten years of developmental duties when Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher were both knocked out of commission by head-eye injuries (as has now been revealed), has finished the two races he started so far in 17th and 14th positions. Ferrari is plainly disappointed and embarrassed, but with no junior driver in place for a rainy day, Maranello has been left with little choice.

For his part, Ferrari's outspoken former triple world champion Niki Lauda has called on the team to poach Fisichella from Force India, which is experiencing financial troubles and would surely take the money and run. One way or another, Fisichella's in for a hero's welcome at his home race at Monza into two weeks. And Ferrari will have an experienced Italian driver behind the wheel for the Italian Grand Prix. Exactly which one that will be, however, remains to be seen.

[Source: F1-Live | Image: Fred DuFour/AFP/Getty]

Ferrari to sign Fisichella to replace Badoer? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spoiler Alert: 2009 Monaco Grand Prix recap

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 26 May 2009 08:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Ferrari, Renault

2009 Monaco Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery

Another race, another week of wondering whether the other Formula 1 teams would make enough progress to catch Brawn GP. Saturday's qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix looked pretty familiar, save for a sorely missed flash of red on the front row. This week's top three? Not surprisingly, Brawn's Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello bracketing Ferrari's former champion, Kimi Raikkonen. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel was fourth, with last year's runner-up, Felipe Massa fifth in the other Ferrari. Massa had shown the updated F60's potential by qualifying fourth last time out in Spain, but it was refreshing to see both Ferraris in the front three rows for a change. Would KERS help Kimi grab the lead going into turn one? Would Brawn show any chinks in its previously impervious armor? Would Vettel somehow get through to bring Red Bull its second victory of the season? Follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: 2009 Monaco Grand Prix

Continue reading Spoiler Alert: 2009 Monaco Grand Prix recap

Spoiler Alert: 2009 Monaco Grand Prix recap originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 May 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India joins the grid with 2009 VJM02

Noah Joseph — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Mercedes-Benz, India

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the 2009 Force India VJM02

While we were busy preparing for the automotive fun fest that is the Geneva Motor Show, one of the last Formula One cars for the 2009 season made its public debut. Called the VJM02 - the second new car since Indian businessman Vijay Mallya bought and rechristened the team Force India - the new challenger ditches the red and gold livery from last year in favor of the orange, white and green of the Indian national flag. As we reported previously, Force India terminated its engine supply deal with Ferrari in favor of a new deal with Mercedes-Benz, incorporating the engine, gearbox, regenerative braking system and hydraulics, implemented on the new car, which will be driven by veteran pilots Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil. With all the cars now revealed and Honda returning to the grid as Brawn GP, it's full speed ahead to the season opener in Melbourne, Australia on March 29.

Gallery: 2009 Force India VJM02

Force India joins the grid with 2009 VJM02 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ecclestone "requests" USF1 name change, US Grand Prix Engineering born

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising

There will be no USF1 in Formula 1 racing this year - or any year for that matter. A full year before the new American team was set to take to the track in 2010, they have been shot down by the very series they planned to compete in. But before you get too upset and think this is a case of Anti-American bias or something, know that it is just the name that the sanctioning body was objecting to.

Apparently Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One Management (FOM) weren't overly fond of the use of "F1" in the team's initially stated name. So it's out with USF1 and in with USGPE, which stands for US Grand Prix Engineering. We wouldn't be surprised to hear that Pontiac is now threatening a lawsuit, or perhaps sponsorship.

Just for clarification, Formula 1 has allowed "F1" in a team's name, but only if the word "Team" is also used. The lone exception is Williams, which officially goes by WilliamsF1. In related news, Force India was asked to revise their logo because "FI" looks too much like "F1". The team will now use a lowercase "i" in the logo to avoid confusion with the series. Got all that? So USF1 is now USGPE and Force India is now using "Fi" instead of "FI". Thanks for the tip, Ryan!

[Source: F1-Live]

Ecclestone "requests" USF1 name change, US Grand Prix Engineering born originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially official: Force India ditches Ferrari for McLaren

Noah Joseph — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, UK, India

Ferrari's 056 V8 was good enough to propel the Scuderia to the constructors' title this past season, and good enough to bring erstwhile back-markers Toro Rosso to a solid 6th place by season's end. But it wasn't enough to take Force India F1 - the latest incarnation of Jordan Grand Prix - out from the back of the field all season. Notwithstanding the unfortunate incident that saw Ferrari's own Kimi Raikkonen take Force India's Adrian Sutil out from 4th place at the Monaco Grand Prix with only ten minutes to go, Force India didn't manage a top 10 finish all season, earning a grand total of 0 championship points. So rather than stick with Ferrari, Vijay Mallya - the team's owner, chairman, director and main sponsor - has canceled the remaining year left in his contract with Ferrari and defected to McLaren-Mercedes instead.

The new deal, which was widely anticipated, will see Force India using engines, transmissions, hydraulics, Kinetic Energy Recovery System and a variety of other parts from McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines. The collaboration means McLaren-Mercedes will provide pretty much everything but the chassis, which Force India will have to design itself using its new computational fluid dynamics facility.

This new deal with McLaren tips the balance: whereas Ferrari was supplying an unprecedented two teams with engines this past season and McLaren none, in the coming season each will supply another team, while Toyota continues to supply Williams and Renault to Red Bull, leaving Honda (since the demise of Super Aguri) and BMW as the only engine suppliers not supporting b-squads.

[Source: Force India Formula One Team, Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty]

Continue reading Officially official: Force India ditches Ferrari for McLaren

Officially official: Force India ditches Ferrari for McLaren originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Force India negotiates deal to buy cars from McLaren

Noah Joseph — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:28:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Motorsports

Click for a hi-res gallery of the current Force India VJM01

So far, the Force India team has had a consistent season in Formula One. Unfortunately, that means consistently running at the back. But Indian business mogul Vijay Mallya is committed to making a go of it, and the latest deal in the works could give his team the machinery they need to start moving up the field.

The deal is reportedly all but complete between perennial back-marker Force India and front-runners McLaren for the former to buy their cars - lock, stock and barrel - from the latter. It's a highly tentative deal, however, as Formula One rules are due to be enacted that would ban customer cars. F1 teams are supposed to act as their own constructors, however other teams - such as Red Bull and Toro Rosso, Honda and the defunct Super Aguri - have been using common designs. David Richards' Prodrive outfit was slated to re-enter the series with customer cars from McLaren, but withdrew their tender at the last minute due to the anticipated ban on customer cars. Force India, which currently builds its own chassis and buys engines from Ferrari, evidently thinks the rules won't be enforced. If it is allowed to proceed, the Force India team would turn into an effective B-squad for McLaren.

Gallery: Force India VJM01

[Source: F1-Live]

Force India negotiates deal to buy cars from McLaren originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eddie Jordan barricades entrance to Force India F1

Noah Joseph — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:02:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Plants/Manufacturing

They often use the term "F1 circus" euphemistically, but sometimes there's just no other word to describe some of the ridiculous things that go on at the pinnacle of motor racing. In this week's episode, we have news that former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan has placed concrete blocks to barricade the access road leading to the headquarters of the Force India F1 team.

Jordan founded the team under his own name in 1991 and sold it to Midland in 2005, which in turn sold it to Spyker in 2006, who then sold the team to Force at the end of last season. Yet despite having been promoted at times as Russia's team, Holland's team and now as India's team, the actual headquarters has never moved from its location at the Silverstone race track in England. When Eddie Jordan sold off the team, he held on to some of the surrounding land through which the main access road leads. Jordan, who would now like to sell the land to the team but is claiming that Force India's management has refused to even discuss the matter, took things into his own hands recently and closed off the driveway. Just watch, they'll discover that the cinder-blocks he used were probably stolen from McLaren.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by Clive Mason/Getty]

Eddie Jordan barricades entrance to Force India F1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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