2005/2006 F1 News and Testing.

[Flibster]

It begins

Following a three-week break for Christmas and the New Year, testing for the 2006 season resumes today, with Ferrari, Toyota, Red Bull and Renault kicking off, what is essentially, a two-week test at Jerez.

On Wednesday, the four teams will be joined by WilliamsF1, BMW, McLaren, Honda and Toro Rosso, with several of the teams scheduled to stay on at the Spanish track for several days next week.

Today (Tuesday), will mark the track debut of Renault's 2006 challenger, the R26, which will be driven by Giancarlo Fisichella. 2005 World Champion, Fernando Alonso, isn't scheduled to get his hands on the car until Thursday.

 

[Flibster]

Official: Davidson stays with Honda

Honda Racing has confirmed that Anthony Davidson will be its Third Driver for the 2006 Formula One season. 26 year old Davidson, who has been with the team since 2001, now completes Honda Racing's full race weekend driver line-up for the coming season alongside race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

Anthony will fulfil the crucial Friday testing role at each Grand Prix, as well as regular testing duties throughout the year. He will also be on stand-by should he be required to substitute for either race driver in a Grand Prix at short notice.

The team is delighted that Anthony will remain as part of its driver line-up and grateful for his continued loyalty and dedication. To retain a driver of Anthony's calibre will greatly strengthen the team's performance and its ambitions of winning the Constructors' Championship.

This will be Anthony's fifth year with the team. After three seasons in the roles of test and reserve driver, Anthony made the step up to third driver in 2004, delivering excellent performances in Friday testing in 2004 to regularly top the free practice timesheets. With no third driver role in the 2005 season due to the team's second place finish in the 2004 Constructors' Championship, Anthony concentrated on testing where his commitment and insight have been highly valued by the team.

Commenting on the continuation of his role as Third Driver, Anthony Davidson said, "I'm really looking forward to starting the 2006 season with the team in its new guise as the Honda Racing F1 Team. I have enjoyed five years with the team during which time I have made a positive contribution to its development. My decision to remain with Honda is the right one, for sure. They are committed to F1 for the long-term and absolutely focused on winning the World Championship. Although I would prefer to be in a race seat in 2006, I am in the best possible position to work towards achieving that goal. For now, we have a very intensive testing programme coming up in preparation for what should be an exciting 2006 season."

Gil de Ferran, Honda Racing F1 Team Sporting Director, comments, "We have said many times how important Anthony Davidson's contribution has been over the past few years to our progress and competitiveness. We are delighted that he accepted our offer to remain with the team as our third driver for 2006."

"Although we all know that Anthony aspires to be a Formula One race driver, and we are all confident that this will happen eventually, his role at Honda Racing is crucial to us this season. In addition to regular testing duties he will also be present at each Grand Prix weekend for Friday testing and to assist with tyre and set-up decisions."

So that him out of a seat at Super Aguri Racing. Damn....

 

[Flibster]

Bernie's 'gift' for the Greeks

With several races already under threat, thanks to financial and environmental concerns, not to mention the realization that neither Italy nor Germany can continue to sustain two rounds of the Formula One World Championship, F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, has resumed his (seemingly) never-ending search for new Grand Prix hosts.

At the weekend he visited Greece, which clearly hasn't learned the lessons of other recent additions to the F1 calendar, and fails to understand that only one party really gains (financially) when a nation signs up to the F1 dream.

Visiting a prospective site close to Athens, the former Hellinikon Olympic complex, Ecclestone was clearly enthused, and of the several locations on offer, admitted that this was the most suitable. There are two other locations being considered, one near Patras, about 125 miles from Athens, and the other at Orchomenos, of which Ecclestone said, according to The Guardian: "Why do you look for a place for a circuit that is a further 80km from Athens? You have everything here."

The Hellinikon Olympic complex was built on the site of the old Athens airport, and (ironically) is part of the legacy of the 2004 Olympic games, a sporting event for which the Greeks, like several other former hosts, will be paying for many years to come.

Despite the appeal of F1, it is likely that hosting a round of the Formula One World Championship will, in time, become just as much of a burden. Greeks should beware Bernies bearing 'gifts'.

 

[Flibster]

Building in Norfolk

The Breckland Council, which oversees a large area of Norfolk, is planning a major investment to establish a Rural Enterprise Valley, a 44-acre site near Thetford designed to house hi-tech motorsport and engineering businesses to bolster the area's motorsport industry. The intention is to raise the profile of the region through motorsport activities.

The Norfolk area has been attracting motorsport operations since the establishment of Team Lotus near Norfolk in the 1960s. Today it is the home of Van Diemen, the GP2 teams Super Nova Racing and iSport and the Racing Technology Norfolk operation, an offshoot of the Volkswagen/Audi Group. There are also smaller operations such as P1 Motorsport and Nexa Racing and there will soon be a major boost with the opening of the Norfolk Centre of Engineering Excellence. There are also plans for a new business park at the Snetterton racing circuit.

Oh yes - the Center for Engineering Excellence...

Which is in Hethal...

About 60 seconds drive from Lotus...

Hmmm....

 

[Flibster]

'STR' car heading for January debut

Faenza based Scuderia Toro Rosso's all-new 2006 car should be completed later this month.

Interestingly, it is expected that the car will not be based on either the 2005 Minardi PS05, raced by the Red Bull-owned team's former incarnation, or the Red Bull Racing RB1.

'STR' will, however, return to the test track at Jerez in Spain this week with last year's Red Bull (RB1) car.

Like its sister team, Scuderia Toro Rosso - meaning 'Team Red Bull' in Italian - will then launch the car on the day before official practice for the season opening Bahrain grand prix.

So - Super Aguri and MF1 at the back this year?

 

[Flibster]

Rossi theory binned

A theory, that seemed to support Valentino Rossi's supposed 2007 switch to Formula One, has been knocked on the head.

With his Yamaha team's split with tobacco sponsor Gauloises, it appeared to some that the MotoGP champion had started to set up a smooth transition to Ferrari's Marlboro branding.

The sponsor conflict would have made the rumoured plan to both race for Yamaha in '06, and test for Ferrari, tricky.

However, the convoluted theory has been thrown in the bin with news that Yamaha has penned a new title sponsorship for 2006 - with another tobacco brand, Camel.

Indeed, the Marlboro-Camel clash is an even more troublesome one, as Camel is owned by Japan Tobacco - who promote the Mild Seven brand in F1 with Renault.

 

[Flibster]

Schu could switch to Toyota

Michael Schumacher is being linked with a move from Ferrari to Toyota.

The seven time world champion's manager, Willi Weber, is quoted in the German 'Bild' newspaper as openly embracing the possibility, just days after 37-year-old Schumacher warned that he could quit Ferrari if the next scarlet racer is not competitive.

Michael's younger brother, Ralf, currently drives for Cologne based Toyota, even if he is no longer managed by 63-year-old Weber.

Schumacher left open a 'one per cent' likelihood that he would switch teams at the end of this year in his 'Der Spiegel' interview.

Weber explained: 'He did that because, in F1, there are always surprises. Even though McLaren have signed (Fernando) Alonso for 2007, there is still a big player on the market.'

F1's biggest player, with an estimated annual budget of now more than $500 million, is the Japanese carmaker.

It is also perhaps the only F1 player able to meet Michael's wage demands.

Willi Weber concurred with his champion charge that much depends on the pace of Ferrari's 2006 challenger.

'We will see how the season starts,' the German explained, 'before making a decision in the summer.'

He even went so far as to insist that having both Schumacher brothers at a single team is no longer a problem. Previously, he ruled out the scenario because - no matter what - one of his pair would be a loser.

'I no longer look after Ralf,' he said, 'so it's no longer a problem.'

 

[Flibster]

Newey pops up at Jerez

Wearing a new Red Bull uniform, Adrian Newey will show his face at the first test of 2006, at Jerez in Spain, on Tuesday.

McLaren's departed technical director, who started as 'chief technical offer' at Milton Keynes on Monday, vowed to be in pitlane as the Ferrari powered 'RB2' is tested.

'It'll be nice to escape England in January and to be back at a race track again,' the Englishman, 46, said.

'I'm also looking forward to hearing the sound of these new V8 engines for the first time.'

Newey said he would spend the first days of his new job 'observing' the team and getting to know his Red Bull colleagues.

He explained: 'The technical team is very strong and has a good reputation, so my aim at the start will simply be to understand how Red Bull Racing operates.'

The highly-lauded aerodynamicist and engineer has not been involved in the design of Red Bull's 2006 racer.

 

[Flibster]

Newey to focus on RB3 - Horner

Red Bull Racing has targeted fifth in the 2006 constructors' championship, and competing with teams Honda, Williams and Toyota.

As team principal Christian Horner outlined his goals for the new season to f1total.com, he also confirmed that technical wizard Adrian Newey will indeed arrive from McLaren to start work on Monday morning.

"Adrian has not been able to influence the RB2," Horner said, "but he will surely play a role in the development of the car in the second part of 2006."

The Milton Keynes team's boss also confirmed that Newey - chief technical officer - would focus on designing the 2007 racer.

But Horner insisted: "I'm sure that we will notice his influence in the second half of this year."

 

[Flibster]

F1 is 'exhausting'

An unnamed race engineer has described working in modern F1 as 'exhausting'.

He told the British 'Sunday Mirror' newspaper that he spent just two days per month at home in the busiest parts of the 2005 season.

In 2005, although the Concorde Agreement allows only for a maximum of 17, the F1 calendar featured an unprecedented 19 grands prix -- including a record six back-to-backs.

The engineer explained: "It's exhausting to bounce around the world, but it's possible."
However, he suggested that the biggest price of today's long calendars are being paid by 'our wives, girlfriends and children'.

Just last month, McLaren boss Ron Dennis - a staunch opponent of plans to extend the calendar to as many as 21 races - warned that the public, too, is at risk of formula one burnout.

 

[Flibster]

First images of the R26

 

[Flibster]

First images of the BMW-Sauber interim car

 

[Flibster]

More images of the R26

 

[Flibster]

More images of the R26

 

[rpstewart]

Renault seem to have made the same mistake as Red Bull - in their rush to improve rear end downforce they seem to have omitted space for an engine

 

[Dutch Guy]

Renault seem to have made the same mistake as Red Bull - in their rush to improve rear end downforce they seem to have omitted space for an engine

Yeah, noticed that as well, where the hell is the engine I know it'ssmaller but it's still a 2.4 V8

 

[Flibster]

Anyone else prefer the look of the RBR car?

The renault just doesn't do it for me.

 

[Flibster]

Why 'F2004' is still clocking up miles

Ferrari has moved to clear up a little mystery.

The Maranello based team is running this week at Jerez (Spain) with two cars.

The first, driven by Luca Badoer, is the V10-powered 2005 model, rev-limited to imitate new rules. Steered by Michael Schumacher, the other 'interim' chassis is fitted with a new V8 engine -- but it's the two-year-old 'F2004' machine.

It has raised speculation that Ferrari deem the V8-powered 2004 car to be a better indication of how the F2006 will behave, with tyre rules similar to those of '04. Or perhaps the red-clad team has decided that the development route of last year's car was wrong, and will therefore attempt to resume where '04 - when the team collected fifteen wins - left off. '

'Our new V8 engine simply does not fit in the F2005 chassis,'' a Ferrari spokeswoman clarified.

The 2.4 litre power plant, however, does fit in the less tightly-packaged old car. Fear not, though, if you think Ferrari might tread the familiar pattern of kicking off the new season with an 'interim' car -- which is, this time around, in effect two years old. The F2006, to be launched late this month, will definitely appear for the first race of the year, in Bahrain. It will reportedly be shaken down at the private Fiorano circuit next week.

 

[Flibster]

'STR' launch official website

Scuderia Toro Rosso has launched a new website. The former Minardi team - bought, taken over and renamed by Red Bull - can be found online at www.scuderiatororosso.com.

A simple design, featuring the new team's logo, emphasises the profiles of 2006 drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi, Scott Speed and 'Friday' star Neel Jani.

Italy's Liuzzi, according to his profile, singles out Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell as childhood heroes. ''More than anyone else,'' he was quoted as saying, ''those two drove for their love of racing. ''In the end, that's the only goal that counts.''

Swiss 22-year-old Jani, meanwhile, turns to the world of skiing for his role models. He reckons the discipline is closely related to motor sport because 'both are about discipline and the right mixture of aggression and consistency.'

 

[Flibster]

Finn not promised Alonso's ride

Renault test driver Heikki Kovalainen has admitted that he nearly became a formula one racer for the 2006 season.

It is common knowledge that the 24-year-old Finn, runner-up to Nico Rosberg in last year's GP2 championship, negotiated with BMW-Sauber about a two-season deal (2006 and 2007).

''I was in contact with some teams,'' Heikki confessed to the Motorsport Aktuell magazine. ''However, (Flavio) Briatore decided that it would be better for me if I spent a whole year getting experience with Renault as a test driver.''

It is probably no coincidence that the end of Briatore-run Kovalainen's talks with BMW preceded news of Fernando Alonso's switch to McLaren in 2007. With the experienced Giancarlo Fisichella in one car, highly-rated Kovalainen is no doubt being groomed to step into Alonso's shoes.

Indeed, the 24-year-old world champion also spent a full year as Renault tester, in 2002, before moving into the racing cockpit. Kovalainen admits that Alonso's departure will probably be good for his career. ''But I can't really say anything about that,'' he insisted, although Heikki did answer 'no' to whether Briatore had already promised him Alonso's ride.