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[Star Search: Fresh talent descends on Jerez for F1 mega test]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/12/star-search-fresh-talent-descends-on-jerez-for-f1-mega-test/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/12/star-search-fresh-talent-descends-on-jerez-for-f1-mega-test/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/12/star-search-fresh-talent-descends-on-jerez-for-f1-mega-test/#commentsFiled under: ,

Youngsters invade F1 test at Jerez
F1 Young Drivers Test at Jerez - Click above for high-res image gallery

The biggest football fans don't just watch the NFL. They're watching college football too. If not because they say it's a better spectacle, then simply to see the future pros who'll ultimately be drafted by NFL teams.

Formula racing works the same way. (Well, sorta.) There are countless feeder series staged every year around the world, and most of the drivers in them are hoping for their shot at the big leagues. But with championships split between so many series - from Formula Renault to GP2 and from Indy Lights to Formula 2 - it can be a bit much to follow.

Fortunately this year in the off-season, all the returning F1 teams came together for one massive test at the Jerez track in Spain. There they put the latest crop of up-and-coming talent to the test. Follow the jump to read how it unfolded.


Gallery: F1 Young Driver Test, Jerez, December 2009

Continue reading Star Search: Fresh talent descends on Jerez for F1 mega test

Star Search: Fresh talent descends on Jerez for F1 mega test originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Alexander RossiAlexanderRossiAndy SoucekAndySoucekBertrand BaguetteBertrandBaguetteBrendon HartleyBrendonHartleycircuito jerezCircuitoJerezDaniel RicciardoDaniel ZampieriDanielRicciardoDanielZampieriEsteban GutierrezEstebanGutierrezf1formula 1formula oneFormula1FormulaOneGary PaffettGaryPaffettHo-Pin TungHo-pinTungjerezJR HildebrandJrHildebrandJules BianchiJulesBianchiLucas Di GrassiLucasDiGrassiMarco ZipoliMarcoZipoliMarcus EricssonMarcusEricssonMike ConwayMikeConwayMirko BortolottiMirkoBortolottiNico HulkenbergNicoHulkenbergOliver TurveyOliverTurveyPablo Sanchez LopezPabloSanchezLopezPaul Di RestaPaulDiRestayoung driver testyoung driversYoungDriversYoungDriverTestSat, 12 Dec 2009 09:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Williams FW30 breaks through the fog]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/22/williams-fw30-breaks-through-the-fog/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/22/williams-fw30-breaks-through-the-fog/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/22/williams-fw30-breaks-through-the-fog/#commentsFiled under:


click above for more high-res pics of the Williams FW30

Things have gotten a bit foggy over at Williams F1. The once front-running, championship-winning grand prix team has landed on tough times. This year the team opted against holding a glitzy unveiling event like those held recently by Ferrari, McLaren, Toyota and BMW Sauber, and instead focused its energies on developing its new car, the FW30. It seemed like a strange choice for the team that will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and during the season will mark its 500th grand prix and 50,000th racing lap.

But while the team isn't holding an official unveiling, it has whipped up six special paint schemes to celebrate its milestones this year. (We doubt any of them will be as cool as Aston Martin's new-old Gulf livery, but hopefully they'll be better than Honda's tree-hugging paint scheme.) The first time the motorsport press got a glimpse of the new FW30 was yesterday at the Valencia track where the new car was being put through its paces.

Renault was also supposed to take out the R28, the new chariot it has developed for returning former champion Fernando Alonso, but the fog kept them indoors. Honda is scheduled to unveil its new car later this week, as well. Williams, for its part, is hoping the new FW30, powered under contract by Toyota and driven by Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima, will perform and be reliable enough to get it back on the track to its former winning form.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by DIEGO TUSON/AFP/Getty]

Gallery: Williams FW30


Williams FW30 breaks through the fog originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anniversarycelebratecircuitdebutfogfw30jereztrackunveilvalenciawilliamsTue, 22 Jan 2008 10:41:00 EST<![CDATA[Marco Andretti to test-drive in F1]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/11/marco-andretti-to-test-drive-in-f1/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/11/marco-andretti-to-test-drive-in-f1/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/11/marco-andretti-to-test-drive-in-f1/#commentsFiled under: ,

Marco is set to become the third Andretti to get behind the wheel of an F1 car as he heads to the Jerez test track on Friday. The son of former McLaren driver Michael Andretti and grandson of the legendary F1 champ Mario Andretti, Marco has become a rising star in motorsports, named IRL rookie of the year.

Marco will test for Honda, whose engines power the Indy car he races. But that doesn't mean he'll be making the jump to F1 quite so quickly. He's contracted to Andretti Green Racing for the next two seasons, though somehow we can't imagine his dad holding him to it if Marco had a shot at moving up to the big leagues. But at 19, the youngest race winner in IRL history (short as it is), Marco's got plenty of time to dominate in Indy cars before switching to F1.

Still, just the idea of a third-generation Andretti coming anywhere near Formula One is an exciting notion. With Scott Speed just barely getting by in a back-marker team, F1 struggling to thrive with the US audience, and Honda competing with Toyota for the mantle of "most American" of Japanese carmakers, an exciting American driver behind the wheel of a Honda F1 car could be just what the doctor ordered.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

Marco Andretti to test-drive in F1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Dec 2006 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>andrettif1hondajerezmarcotestMon, 11 Dec 2006 10:39:00 EST