Autoblog

Lotus, Renault and Virgin F1 teams change names for 2012

Noah Joseph — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:03:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Lotus, Renault

What's in a name? More than you might think, particularly in Formula One where two teams have been fighting for use of the Lotus moniker for a couple of years now.

The battle, as you may recall, involves two outfits - neither of them directly owned by Lotus. One is based in Malaysia and licensed the name from Lotus' parent company, Proton, before subsequently "acquiring" the name from a third party that laid claim to it. The issue was further complicated when Lotus itself teamed with the Renault F1 team (which also happens to supply engines to the other Lotus team), resulting in two squads called Lotus-Renault.

The two operations have now reached a compromise. The green-and-yellow Malaysian outfit known until now as Team Lotus be named Caterham in 2012 (having bought that company recently), while the Renault team will be cleared to use the Lotus name.

The move further distances Renault from direct involvement with any particular team, stepping back to a more traditional engine-supply role with teams like Lotus, Caterham, Williams and, of course, the world-champion Red Bull Racing team.

The F1 Commission also approved a name change for Virgin Racing, which will drop the name of Richard Branson's company from its official moniker and adopt that of Marussia, the Russian exotic carmaker that bought into the team last year. All three team name changes will require official ratification from the World Motor Sport Council of the FIA, but that's seen as a pro-forma step that isn't expected to derail any plans.

Lotus, Renault and Virgin F1 teams change names for 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Racing signs technical partnership with McLaren

Noah Joseph — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Getting ahead as an F1 team is a costly affair. There's an endless stream of expenses, but even all the cash in the world doesn't buy experience and expertise.

Virgin initially tried keeping costs down to a minimum with its new F1 team last year. The team skipped wind-tunnel testing in favor of designing its car entirely using computers. It also retained a consulting firm rather than hire the staff usually required of an F1 team. But that approach hasn't done very well for the team, so it's starting over again.

The ambitious outfit has dismissed its technical director, retained the services of Pat Symonds (the disgraced former technical director from Renault) and acquired lock, stock and barrel the Wirth Racing Technologies company that handled its cars until now. However the latest development could bode best for the team's forward momentum.

As anticipated, Virgin has signed a technical partnership with McLaren that will grant the former access to the latter's considerable facilities and expertise. It's a similar deal to that signed between McLaren and Force India a couple of years ago, which helped propel Force India from the back of the field into solid midfield contenders. The main difference here is that, while Force India's deal included using Mercedes-Benz drivetrains, Virgin will, for the time being at least, continue using Cosworth engines. Details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Virgin Racing signs technical partnership with McLaren

Virgin Racing signs technical partnership with McLaren originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Racing fires technical director as it changes direction

Noah Joseph — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

It's safe to say that Virgin Racing hasn't been a huge success so far. One of three new teams that joined the F1 grid last season, Virgin has largely been performing better than perennial back-markers HRT, but has failed to keep pace with Lotus, which is itself still far from competing with even the bottom end of the established teams like Williams and Toro Rosso. But Virgin has little intention of staying at the back, and to that end is shaking things up.

The first big change is to fire its technical director Nick Wirth (former technical director at Benetton and onetime owner of the Simtek F1 team), and jettison his consulting group Wirth Research that has assumed much of the team's development work until now. The team has stopped short of announcing Wirth's replacement, but former Renault technical director Pat Symonds - who left the sport in disgrace in the wake of the Crashgate scancal - has been consulting Virgin along the way and could be primed to move in.

With Wirth Research out of the picture, Virgin will have to start doing its own technical work. Reports indicate that it has its eye on moving into the British facility that at various points housed the Arrows and Super Aguri teams. It could also form a technical partnership with McLaren (much as Force India did) to help it get a leg up. Fresh capital from Marussia Motors could help the team get there, as it moves to abandon the more cost-effective Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach that it has used exclusively to design its cars until now in favor of actual wind-tunnel testing.

Virgin Racing fires technical director as it changes direction originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Pat "Crashgate" Symonds finds his way back into F1 with Virgin

Noah Joseph — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:27:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal

Say hello again to Pat Symonds. The former Renault F1 technical director was thrown out of the sport in disgrace along with Flavio Briatore in the wake of the Crashgate scandal for having ordered Nelsinho Piquet to crash his car on purpose. But now Symonds is back.

In a controversial move, the FIA's agreement with Symonds stipulated that he could not participate in the sport until the end of 2012. But the ruling stipulated that he could, through his company Neutrino Dynamics, take up a consulting role before then. And according to reports, that's exactly what he's done.

So for this season at least, Symonds will be advising the Marussia Virgin Racing team on how to ~~cheat~~ advance their way up the grid. He won't be actually at the races, but if Virgin tries anything suspicious, we'll know exactly where to look.

[Source: ESPN]

Report: Pat "Crashgate" Symonds finds his way back into F1 with Virgin originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marussia Virgin Racing comes back for more with new MVR-02 F1 challenger

Noah Joseph — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

2011 Marussia Virgin Racing MVR-02 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Last year, Virgin Racing popped its cherry with the VR-01 that led the team through a lackluster first season, finishing the 2010 Formula One World Championship dead last. The team failed to start one of its cars at two grands prix, retired fifteen times and scored a grand total of zero points in the standings.

Now with backing from Russian automaker Marussia Motors, the team has unveiled its Cosworth-powered 2011 challenger in the form of the MVR-02 in the hopes of a more competitive followup season. The car was unveiled at the BBC Television Centre in London, and followed the debuts from Ferrari, Lotus, Renault, Sauber, Mercedes, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Williams and McLaren, leaving only Force India and HRT to follow suit.

With a similar design to its competitors (but a slightly lower nose cone) reflecting the latest tweaks to the formula, the MVR-02 will be driven again by Germany's former GP2 champion and Toyota F1 driver Timo Glock. Partnering Glock this season is the Belgian former International Formula Master champion and GP2 Asia Series runner-up Jérôme d'Ambrosio, who replaces axed Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi.

Follow the jump for the full press release from Virgin and check out the high-resolution images in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2011 Marussia Virgin Racing MVR02

[Source: Marussia Virgin Racing]

Continue reading Marussia Virgin Racing comes back for more with new MVR-02 F1 challenger

Marussia Virgin Racing comes back for more with new MVR-02 F1 challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lotus Renault GP, Virgin confirm drivers for 2011

Noah Joseph — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Lotus, Renault

Jerome d'Ambrosio (above left) and Vitaly Petrov (above right) the latest drivers to be confirmed for 2011

As we wind down the remaining days of the calendar year, the final few seats are closing for the 2011 Formula One World Championship after both Renault and Virgin have officially confirmed their rosters for next season.

After much speculation and a change of ownership, the Lotus Renault GP team has confirmed that rookie Russian driver Vitaly Petrov will stay with the team to drive alongside fellow incumbent Robert Kubica for another two years. The announcement comes several weeks after widely-publicized negotiations with Kimi Raikkonen broke down.

The Virgin team, which has likewise rebranded as Marussia Virgin Racing, has also confirmed its drivers for next season, with Timo Glock staying on and newcomer Jerome d'Ambrosio taking the second seat. The Belgian driver won the International Formula Master in 2007 and placed second in the GP2 Asia Series in 2008/09. After a year as a Renault reserve driver, d'Ambrosio will replace Lucas di Grassi.

Shortly after the announcement, di Grassi made headlines by winning Felipe Massa's charity karting event in Brazil ahead of Massa, Williams veteran Rubens Barrichello and Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari. Did Virgin act too hastily? Only time will tell.

There are just six seats still unconfirmed at Force India, Toro Rosso and HRT, and the 2011 F1 season is scheduled to kick off on March 13 in Bahrain. Follow the jump for the official announcements from both teams.

[Sources: Renault, Virgin]

Continue reading Lotus Renault GP, Virgin confirm drivers for 2011

Lotus Renault GP, Virgin confirm drivers for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Branson loses F1 bet, will cross-dress as Air Asia stewardess

Noah Joseph — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Lotus, Celebrities, Humor

You don't get much higher stakes than Formula One. And while some teams have their own airplanes, there are a couple this season that have their own airlines: Richard Branson's Virgin, and Tony Fernandes' Lotus Racing and Air Asia.

As you may recall, the rivalry between the two tycoon-backed upstart teams escalated to such a point that Branson and Fernandes made a gentlemanly bet that was anything but: the owner of the team that fared worse in this year's championship would have to cross-dress as a female flight attendant and serve as such on the other's airline.

Well, Lotus edged out Virgin towards the bottom of the standings, so it's Sir Richard who'll be wearing Air Asia's finest skirt and blouse. Fernandes is keen on placing his rival on a long-haul Kaula Lumpur-to-London flight, tickets for which he plans to auction off for charity. Looks like the negative effect of downforce isn't the only kind of drag these guys will be dealing with in the offseason.

[Source: Autosport]

Richard Branson loses F1 bet, will cross-dress as Air Asia stewardess originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marussia acquires stake in Virgin Racing F1 team

Noah Joseph — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Russia

As Red Bull Racing aptly proved this season, you don't need an automaker's backing to rise to the top of the Formula One ladder. Any consumer company with a popular image will do the trick. Virgin has been trying to follow in Red Bull's footsteps with the launch of its own F1 team, but as Richard Branson and company have discovered, it's more than most can chew. So it should come as little surprise that the upstart team has pursued - and secured - an automaker's support for next season and beyond. The surprise is at which company that is.

You may be familiar with Marussia Motors for such quirky creations as the B2 sportscar and the F2 crossover. Now the niche Moscovite automaker has teamed up with Virgin for an undisclosed stake in the F1 team. The long-rumored deal is expected to secure space for the newly christened Marussia Virgin F1 Team for several seasons to come. Since Marussia's road cars are powered by Cosworth-developed engines, that deal is likely to remain unchanged for the F1 team as well.

The partnership is only the latest step in Russia's increased involvement in Formula One, a trend that previously resulted in the Midland F1 team, the signing of Vitaly Petrov at Renault and the upcoming Russian Grand Prix. For its part, Virgin has yet to announce its driver line-up for next season, and with Petrov's seat at Renault still yet to be confirmed, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Russian rookie in red and black next season. Follow the jump for the official announcement.

[Source: Marussia | Image: Shuji Kajiyama/AP]

Continue reading Marussia acquires stake in Virgin Racing F1 team

Marussia acquires stake in Virgin Racing F1 team originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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F1 bosses place bet that involves cross-dressing flight attendants?

Zach Bowman — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Europe, Lotus, Celebrities, Humor

Things are heating up in Formula One. As you may recall, earlier this year, Lotus head honcho Tony Fernandes jested that he would retire and kill himself if his team was bested by Virgin. A gaggle of reporters recently pinged Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson to see how he felt about Fernandes' oath of victory or death, and Branson responded with a challenge for the Lotus guru. The boss of the losing team will have to serve as a stewardess on the winning team's respective airline.

Surprisingly enough, ESPN reports that Fernandes is apparently just fine with the notion, saying that the sexier the outfit the better. Fernandes owns Air Asia, which was quick to crank out a rendering of what Sir Branson would look like all dolled up in the airline's standard flight-attendant garb. It's an image we won't be able to shake for a good long while.

Fernandes was also quick to throw a little more fuel on the trash-talking fire, saying that he was certain that his customers would be thrilled to be served by a Knight of the Realm. Judging from that rendering, we're not sure that "thrilled" is an accurate description.

[Source: ESPN F1]

F1 bosses place bet that involves cross-dressing flight attendants? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poll: Sir Richard Branson, Jeremy Clarkson best fit for UK transportation minister job

Zach Bowman — Wed, 12 May 2010 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, UK, Celebrities, Humor

If you've stuck your head outside of the automotive maelstrom for half a second, you've probably caught wind of the fact that the UK is going through a major political shake up right now. Jolly Old has just appointed David Cameron from the Conservative Party as its new Prime Minister, and that means plenty of change is in store.. That also means that a new Transportation Minister is likely to pop up in the near future. According to a new AA/Populous pole, the Brits wouldn't mind seeing Sir Richard Branson or Jeremy Clarkson at the head of transportation.

The survey found that 26 percent of those polled could potentially see the head of the Virgin empire call the transportation shots. Even more surprising, Jeremy Clarkson pulled down 24 percent of the vote. It's hard to imagine a world in which Jezza calls the transportation shots. Caravans, hybrids, bicycles and most American vehicles would be forsaken in favor of Ariel Atoms and a selection of supercar hardware. You know, on second thought that doesn't sound so bad... minus the lack of nice American iron, of course.

The survey asked participants to choose between a list of 15 non-governmental celebrities and business people. While Branson and Clarkson took the lion's share of the votes, poor Jenson Button walked away with less than a six-percent vote of confidence.

[Source: Fleet Directory | Image: AFP/Getty]

Poll: Sir Richard Branson, Jeremy Clarkson best fit for UK transportation minister job originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 May 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Racing VR-01: Revealed for the very first time

Noah Joseph — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

2010 Virgin Racing VR-01 - Click above for image gallery

If you were one of the thousands of fans who surfed over to Virgin Racing's website the other day expecting to watch the live reveal of the team's very first Formula One car, you were likely disappointed. Technical glitches prevented the webcast from going live on schedule, but we'll chalk the silicon snafu up to opening night jitters. That's understandable, though, because Virgin Racing is one of several new teams that started from scratch this year to join the F1 grid.

After flirting with Brawn GP sponsorship last season, Richard Branson's Virgin group took over the start-up team previously known as Manor Motorsport. Powered by Cosworth, former Toyota F1 driver Timo Glock will team up with rookie Lucas di Grassi, who finished behind Glock in the 2007 GP2 Series.

Webcast aside, the Virgin VR-01 is a technological achievement in its own right. It's the first F1 car designed entirely on computer - using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) processors - with no models built for wind tunnel aerodynamic testing. The striking car - in red and black with a tribal-style tattoo design - is heading to Silverstone for its first shakedown before joining the next group test at Jerez. Hopefully the webcast will be their only glitch in taking on the established teams (and the other newcomers) in what's shaping up to be the most exciting F1 season in decades.

Gallery: 2010 Virgin Racing VR-01

[Source: Virgin Racing]

Virgin Racing VR-01: Revealed for the very first time originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bahrain or Bust: Ecclestone doubts all four new F1 teams will make it

Noah Joseph — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Following the culmination of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, slots were granted to four new teams for the upcoming season. They were all ecstatic about the prospect of dicing it with the likes of McLaren and Ferrari, but not all of them are guaranteed to make it when the flag waves at Bahrain in just a couple months' time. This comes right from the mouth Bernie Ecclestone, F1's notoriously outspoken commercial director.

Rumors have been circulating for months that at least two of the teams - USF1 and Campos Meta - were having trouble finalizing their car designs and getting their houses in order. The other two newcomers - Lotus and Virgin - have hardly been immune to the rumors, either.

Given the difficulties involved in designing, building and fielding two new cars from scratch, Ecclestone doubts all four will be ready to start the season, much less see it through to the end. Bernie's solution would have been to allow the newcomers to purchase chassis from any of the established teams, and field just one car to start off. Good idea or not, it's a little late at this point, so we'll just have to sit back and see how it unfolds.

[Source: Autosport | Image: AFP/Getty]

Bahrain or Bust: Ecclestone doubts all four new F1 teams will make it originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Marussia shows up on the catwalk, in commercials, and in F1 with Virgin Racing

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Russia

Marussia B1 commercials - Click above to watch video

Marussia, which was last seen showing a new car and new colors at the Frankfurt Motor Show, has spent the intervening months being quiet and productive. In addition to putting together promotional packages like commercials and rolling footage, the three-year-old Russian company is now an official partner of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Racing.

The details are scant, but the two parties have signed a multi-year deal with Marussia getting "major on car, driver and team branding." Taking the Virgin step further, Marussia signed up with Cosworth, Virgin's engine supplier, and Cosworth will help the Russian company develop gas and diesel engines and drivetrains.

Follow the jump to check out two vids of all three Marussias on track, and the three Marussia commercials along with the official press release. Be sure to watch how the model has to squeeze herself into the cockpit - it looks tiny in there. Hat tip to Greg!

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Marussia B2 and B1 Hybrid

[Sources: Marussia, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Marussia shows up on the catwalk, in commercials, and in F1 with Virgin Racing

Video: Marussia shows up on the catwalk, in commercials, and in F1 with Virgin Racing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Space Cadet: Niki Lauda training to be an astronaut with Virgin Galactic?!

Noah Joseph — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

From left to right: Rubens Barrichello, Sir Richard Branson, Niki Lauda

The thing about racing careers is that they end rather early. And with world champions getting younger every year, that's not about to change. So after hitting their prime, some drivers choose to stick with it a while longer, some set up their own racing teams, driving schools or become commentators, while others embark upon entirely different second careers altogether. Former world champion Niki Lauda, for example, has done it all. After retiring from Formula One racing a double world champion in 1979, he came back in 1982 and won the championship again two years later. Then he retired from racing again, ran his own airline, acted as a consultant to Scuderia Ferrari, managed the Jaguar F1 team, became a commentator for German-language station RTL, and even wrote four books. But at 60 years-old, Lauda's about to embark on yet another career: becoming an astronaut.

The accomplished pilot - both on the track and as a commercial aviator - is training to fly the Virgin Atlantic low-orbit space craft. But this is hardly the only interaction between the space tourism firm and the world of Formula One. After considering a buyout, Richard Branson's Virgin group is sponsoring the Brawn GP team, whose cars ran at this past weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix with the Virgin Galactic logo, and Sir Richard himself was on hand to present Rubens Barrichello with his paid ticket on one of the company's flights. Sure beats Jenson Button's HondaJets, and may even prove a greater high than winning three out of four of this season's races... so far.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Clive Mason/Getty]

Space Cadet: Niki Lauda training to be an astronaut with Virgin Galactic?! originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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