Formula 1 Blog

Force India's new COO:Otmar Szafnauer

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:02:00 PDT

Shortly before the Brazilian GP Force India announced that Otmar Szafnauer had joined the team in the role of Chief Operating Officer, replacing Simon Roberts, who returns to McLaren after a year on secondment from the Woking-based outfit. The British-based American has held senior management roles at Ford, British American Racing and Honda and, as such, brings a wealth of experience to the role.

How did your new role come about?
The first discussions were about a year ago after the team’s first season in F1. The team was looking at making some structural changes, including changing engine supplier and some personnel changes, and that’s when the discussions first started. At that time Honda had just announced they were pulling out of F1, and I was looking at where else can my skills be applied meaningfully. This team looked like they were on the path to doing what’s necessary to improve performance, and it seemed like a perfect match.

How did things progress?
On November 10 the McLaren-Mercedes drivetrain package was announced and Simon [Roberts] joined from McLaren to facilitate the partnership. At that stage, since everything was so new, the board wanted to see how the relationship would gel together. It came to September 2009 and as Simon’s secondment was nearing completion, I was asked to come to Monza and meet Dr Mallya. It came together very quickly as working closely at that level it’s more than experience that counts, it’s also personality and chemistry. It’s a great team, and Vijay is fantastic. He runs lot of businesses, but the minute he’s focussed on F1 he has instincts about what he’s talking about, and asks the right questions.

What is the biggest challenge you face?
My biggest task is to maintain this current level of performance, but it will be a very difficult thing to do as the path of improvement has been so steep already and it’s going to be much harder the higher we go. If you look back a year ago to what’s happening now, there has been a big step. This jump in performance came for a few fundamental reasons, and I don’t think you can duplicate that for the next step. Yet somehow with the resources we have, we need to keep improving. That will be looking at procedures, processes and understanding the team’s strengths and areas requiring improvement, then implementing the enhancements with the goal of improving performance.

How will you go about that?
My philosophy is before you make any changes, you have to understand what you have, otherwise you get lost. My short term steps are to deeply understand how the team works, what areas could require more resource, with the goal always of improving performance. There have been a lot of people in the industry who come in as a new management team and they make change because they think that’s the right thing to do. I’ve seen it in F1 teams, where a big company puts a new management team in: sometimes that works, but for me that’s like closing your eyes and throwing a dart! Sometimes you hit the dartboard, but not always. You should see where it is before you throw. From what I see so far the team is massively in the right direction, so it will be about honing rather than making fundamental changes.

How excited are you by your new role?
I’m very excited. It’s very different from my previous teams as the size is different. The job is the same, you have to go racing, you have to be competitive, you have to design a car, you have to build a car, you need quality control, you need a marketing group. You have to do all the same tasks, just with fewer people so that means the people you have have a wider sphere of influence. I really like this ethos as you also get satisfaction from performance when your involvement is bigger. With that comes the fact that you’ll be able to know more intimately every individual, which is a very important point when you are building a team. It is about personalities and understanding who everybody is, to make sure they work together and go in the same direction.
Source:www.forceindiaf1.com

A look back at the F1 season gone by

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:39:00 PDT

The Formula One caravan will shortly move to Abu Dhabi, for its final stop this season. But, for all practical purposes, it's already over with
Jenson Button sealing the title and Brawn taking the constructor's trophy in Brazil last week. Lets look back to the season gone by.

THE WORLD IS BRAWN
It's perhaps the biggest against-the-odds success story ever. Brawn GP rose from Honda's ashes, produced the best cars on the grid, found two able drivers in unsung Jenson Button and veteran Rubens Barrichello to snatch both the driver and constructor crowns. Big names like Ferrari and McLaren were left scratching their heads in frustration as Button stood tallest on the podium in six of the first seven races of the season. By the time they regrouped to do a catchup , it was too late. Ross Brawn, one of the greatest engineers and tacticians in F1, clearly did his homework while the others were resting on past glory.

SINGAPORE CRASHGATE
The 2008 Singapore GP was a watershed event, not just because it was the country's first F1 race but also because it was the first night race in F1 history. Renault's Fernando Alonso, starting 15th on the grid, scored one of his most thrilling wins to make it even more memorable. All seemed well till Alonso's teammate, Nelson Piquet Jr, was sacked by Renault this August. He promptly claimed he was asked to crash in Singapore by team boss Flavio Briatore and chief engineer Pat Symonds to help Alonso win. The FIA upheld his charges, and banned Briatore for life and Symonds for five years. Piquet was granted immunity. The scars of the scandal, however, will remain forever.

BACK FROM THE DEAD
A fractured skull is no laughing matter. Brazilian Felipe Massa suffered much more: brain concussion, a blood-clotted left eye. The 28-year-old Ferrari driver crashed heavily after being struck by an errant spring from compatriot Rubens Barrichello's car, during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix in July. Just six days prior to that, Formula 2 racer Henry Surtees was killed when his helmet was struck by a stray tyre. An unconscious Massa was airlifted to a military hospital in Budapest and underwent emergency surgery. He survived, and two months later, was back in a Ferrari car. He wanted to drive at his home circuit but Ferrari refused. In the new season, he will have to fight competition from within too.

ALONSO'S FERRARI MOVE
Of the many movers and shakers in F1 this season, the big one was Fernando Alonso moving from Renault to Ferrari. It sets up a highly interesting 2010 season. Classic rivalries make classic sport, and the Ferrari-McLaren rivalry, or the one between Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, has already created F1 folklore. The Brawns and Red Bulls might have cornered all the attention this season but one can be sure that the 'big brothers' , having been caught napping this time, won't repeat the same mistakes again. The problem area, however, could be the driver pairings. Will Alonso get along with Massa? It'll be interesting to watch.

RECESSION EFFECT
First Honda, then BMW. Toyota too waved the pullout threat, not too long back. On the other hand, Mercedes have parted ways with McLaren. In between, Toro Rosso and Williams have given hints of leaving the sport too if the situation didn't improve. At one time, it looked like there won't be more than five or six cars on the grid. Yes, there have been recessions earlier too; but never before had F1 been hit so hard. More than the teams, it was the sponsors' exodus that hit the motorsport so hard. ING, RBS, Credit Suisse, Martini, Schu-co , Baugur, Petronas... the list has only been growing. Thankfully, the downturn seems to have stopped. Now, in fact, we know that at least three new teams will lineup in 2010.

THE GREAT REVOLT
In what could be termed the greatest upheaval in the sport's 60-year history, eight teams - Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, BMW Sauber, Toyota, Brawn GP, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso - threatened to form a breakaway series after their talks with FIA president Max Mosley over controversial budget cap proposals for 2010 failed. While the governing body was keen on cutting costs to make it viable for smaller teams to enter F1, the bigger teams were in no mood to oblige. They wanted the cost-cap to be optional and there were even fears that F1 might become a two-tiered event. In the end better sense prevailed, though, with the teams having the last laugh.

FORCE DE INDIA
Their first season was forgettable. Not only did Vijay Mallya's outfit fail to win a point, it booked the back of the grid on a permanent basis. The jinx continued in the first half of 2009 too. Then like the phoenix, Force India rose. From Q3, they forced their way into Q2. The crowning glory came at the Spa in the Belgian GP when Giancarlo Fisichella came a stunning second to announce that the team had finally arrived, after 30 fruitless starts. Sadly, the Italian left for Ferrari soon after, to fill up for the injured Massa. But Fisi's German teammate, Adrian Sutil, kept up the good work, coming very close to the podium on two occasions. 2010 promises much for the only Indian-owned team in F1.

Todt is new FIA president

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:17:00 PDT

Former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt has been elected president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA).The Frenchman beat his only rival the job, Ari Vatanen, at a vote of FIA's general assembly in Paris.Todt got 135 votes compared to Vatanen's 49. There were 12 abstentions or invalid votes.

The victory means Todt will succeed outgoing president Max Mosley, who made it clear from the outset that he wanted Todt to win the vote.
Vatanen, a former rally driver from Finland, had fought his campaign on a ticket for change and broader democracy within world motorsport.

But Todt, riding on the success of his glory years as Michael Schumacher's team boss at Ferrari, enjoyed establishment support and ended up claiming a crushing victory.

Todt's immediate focus will be on restoring the reputation of F1, motorsport's marquee brand, following a difficult period.

F1 2009 Championship:Now its Vettel Vs Barichello

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:02:00 PDT

If you thought that the current F1 season is all over, then you are advised to think again. Although Jenson Button was crowned the World Formula One Champion for 2009, a much deserved victory welcomed by the vast majority of British F1 fans, there is still much to play for in the final days of what has turned out to be one of the most exciting F1 seasons for many years.

With Sebastian Vettel on 74 championship points and Rubens Barrichello on 72, there is very little to choose between them. As 10 points go to the winner, and 8 points to number 2 (with 7 to number three and so on with one point going to number 9) there are many possible combinations of places that could result in one or the other ending up with most points. If the point score is a tie, then the championship will be decided by the number of race wins: so far Barrichello has one win and Vettel has two.

So,we have a finale before the 2009 F1 season's curtains goes down.Who will be crowned as the runner-up for 2009 season? Have your say in comments below.

Button to move to McLaren?

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:07:00 PDT

Jenson Button,the 2009 F1 world champion,has been linked with McLaren for 2010 session by various U.K. newspapers.There are rumours in the U.K. media about transfer of Button to McLaren due to payment differences between Button and the Brawn GP team.

It has been rumoured that Jenson Button is demanding £6m wage and it is believed to be the biggest roadblock between Jenson and Brawn team to continue their partnership.Vodafone-backed McLaren could easily afford the Brit to drive alongside Hamilton, who is on £15m a year.

McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh added the fire by saying that they are still in touch with Button for a possible deal,he said:

"We've talked to a number of drivers. It wouldn't be appropriate to say more than that. We'll hire the two best drivers available to us as we always have."

Kimi Raikkonen, who is being replaced at Ferrari next season by Fernando Alonso, had been expected to join McLaren.

Should Button go to Mclaren leaving Brawn? Have your say in comment it below.

Pictures:Jenson Button in Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:18:00 PDT

Jenson Button won the 2009 F1 world champion by grabbing 5th position in the Brazilian Grand Prix 2009.
Here is a slide show showing the every emotion of the new World champion as he reached this milestone.

Provisional 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship Race Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:29:00 PDT

FIA has released 2010 F1 provisional calendar,With few changes in the previous provisional calendar.
The FIA also announced that the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi grands prix were set to swap their current dates if the race promoters' approved, potentially making Abu Dhabi the season finale again in 2010.
01. 2010 FORMULA 1 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Sakhir) 12 - 14 Mar
02.2010 FORMULA 1 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne) * 25 - 28 Mar
03.2010 FORMULA 1 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur) *02 - 04 Apr
04. 2010 FORMULA 1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai) * 16 - 18 Apr
05. FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA 2010 (Catalunya) * 07 - 09 May
06. FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2010 (Monte Carlo) * 13 - 16 May
07. 2010 FORMULA 1 TURKISH GRAND PRIX (Istanbul) * 28 - 30 May
08. FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2010 (Montreal) * 11 - 13 Jun
09. 2010 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia) * 25 - 27 Jun
10. 2010 FORMULA 1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Donington Park) * 09 - 11 Jul
11. GROSSER PREIS VON DEUTSCHLAND 2010 (Hockenheim) * 23 - 25 Jul
12. FORMULA 1 ING MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2010 (Budapest) * 30 Jul - 01 Aug
13. FORMULA 1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps) * 27 - 29 Aug
14. FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO D'ITALIA 2010 (Monza) * 10 - 12 Sep
15. 2010 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore) * 24 - 26 Sep
16. 2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka) * 01 - 03 Oct
17. 2010 FORMULA 1 KOREAN GRAND PRIX (Korea) * 15 - 17 Oct
18. 2010 FORMULA 1 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX (Yas Marina Circuit) * 29 - 31 Oct
19. FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2010 (Sao Paulo) * 12 - 14 Nov
* Provisional

Source:formula1.com

Transfer window 2010:Kimi gets offer from Toyota

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:45:00 PDT

After the Kimi's threat to quit F1 as he is being replaced by Fernando Alonso for 2010,he has been offered driver seat by Toyota.Trulli is unlikely to stay in Toyota,as he has not been in the best of relatiopnships with Howett,Toyota F1 president.Trulli went on record saying that:

“There were 80 or so people there and you would struggle to find one who did not want me at the team next year. Well maybe one.”

Howett said:

"We have put an offer on the table with Jarno, I think that he himself is not dissatisfied with the financial offer, the bottom line to some extent is certain issues on the contract and I don't think they are negotiable from our side."

Regarding Kimi's inclusion in the team,Howett said:

"We have had very good relationships with Scandinavian drivers in the rallying times that enjoy life and it works very well, so we could cope with it as a team."

What goes around comes around: Jenson Button is F1 2009 World Champion

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:58:00 PDT

The incredible story of 2009 had a good ending,with Jenson Button winning the 2009 world Championship and making Brawn team as the 1st team in history of F1 to clinch constructors champiponship in their debut.
The former Honda team had a fairy tale run for 2009 season,saw up and downs before clinching the World Championship.

Here are the reactions of various people who are deeply connected to F1:
Michael Schumacher
"As a fan of F1 I would have wished for a decision at the last race obviously, but on the other side I know from my own experience that being involved you have a different view on that. Congratulations to Jenson and Ross and the whole team - what they managed to achieve this year has my full respect.I grant them the titles because if you only look at what they have been through you realise what an incredible story this is: just one year ago they did think everything is over. I am extremely happy for Ross who I know since such a long time now, he deserves this success."

John Button-Jenson Button Father
"It doesn't seem real at the moment,It was very emotional obviously in the last few laps when I realised it was going to happen, but now it has all gone. It is really weird. It is really strange.I don't know what is around the corner, what happens when we walk through that door now? I don't know what is on the other side now that he is world champion. It is going to be really weird because he is just my boy, end of story."

Mercedes motorsport
"It's very pleasing, I'm very happy for the guys, it's a fairy tale story,To get a call on 5 December and then, three months later, to go fastest at Barcelona over a single lap and a race distance, it's incredible. It's fully deserved.
"And at McLaren, nobody has scored more points than us in the final part of the season, so we've recovered quite well. I think Jenson was strong today, very committed, and he deserved it. And it's car 22 for the second year in a row, two English champions in a row, two Mercedes engines winning in a row and the second time that they champion scored the points he needed by finishing P5 in Brazil."

Button is 2009 F1 world Champion

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:17:00 PDT

Jenson Button clinched the 2009 Formula 1 world championship by coming through to fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix, as Mark Webber took a comfortable victory for Red Bull.

Sebastian Vettel made it up to fourth from 15th on the grid, but that was not enough to keep his title bid alive, while Button's closest rival and Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello was only running fourth when he had to pit with a puncture eight laps from the end, ending his last remote hope of the championship.

The result also gave Brawn a remarkable Constructors' Championship title in the team's first year, less than 12 months after Honda's departure left its staff facing an apparently bleak future.

Behind Webber, Robert Kubica (BMW) took his best result of the year in second, and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) came through from the tail of the field for third.

Button and Vettel's charges were immediately aided by a chaotic first lap. First contact with Vettel sent Heikki Kovalainen spinning into Giancarlo Fisichella, then the fast-starting Kimi Raikkonen broke his front wing on the back of Webber's Red Bull as the Australian defended his line into the Descida do Lago.

Through the next kink Toyota's Jarno Trulli went wide onto the grass - later accusing Adrian Sutil of putting him there - and spun back across into the Force India, which then collected Fernando Alonso's Renault, putting all three out and prompting a safety car.

There was even more drama under the yellow, as Kovalainen took the McLaren fuel hose with him as he left the pits following repairs, resulting in a flash fire as fuel splashed out of the hose onto Raikkonen's close-following Ferrari. Remarkably both were able to continue with minimal delay.

As the stewards began investigating all of those incidents, Button and Vettel found themselves ninth and 11th in the restart queue, with Barrichello leading the race over Webber, Nico Rosberg (Williams) and Kubica.

Both Button and Vettel immediately charged forward with some aggressive passes, before getting stuck behind Kamui Kobayashi's Toyota and Kazuki Nakajima's Williams in seventh and ninth respectively.

Williams splits with Toyota

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:46:00 PDT

Williams ended the 3 year deal today as they announced they will part away from Toyota today.Williams is now looking for other engine suppliers in future,and most probably will go for either Renault or Cosworth for next season.

Williams team said:

"Toyota has been a very decent partner who have always respected our independence and provided us with a first-rate technical product. We are proud that we have been able to work with such a great company and we are grateful to the team in Cologne for their support."

Red Bull Racing team's car assembly

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:30:00 PDT

Most of us are used to seeing F1 cars rocketing along at speeds of 300km/h down straights and downshifting as they head into hairpin turns. But, on Wednesday, 7th October 2009, F1 enthusiasts received a special treat as the Red Bull Racing crew assembled their Formula One car ahead of the highly anticipated Red Bull Speed Link at the JW Marriott.

Spectators got a rare insight into the hi-tech world of Formula One as they witnessed first hand the technical crew putting together one of the fastest machines on the planet – a Formula One car. The session captured the attention of everyone there, as they marvelled at the sheer number of parts that it actually takes to make an F1 car.

Under the supervision of Red Bull Racing Support Team Manager, Tony Burrows, the Formula One car took shape as it was built up around its powerful 10-cylinder engine. The entire assembly process took 3 hours.

Commenting on the session, Tony said, “We’ve assembled the car many times and yet, every time we do it, it’s always a challenge as it has to be completely right. In Formula One there is absolutely no room for error. Red Bull Racing is a brilliant group of individuals who are experts in the assembly of the F1 car and we hope to make the Red Bull Speed Link in Mumbai a great success.”

Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/redbullindia/to download photos of the event

The Red Bull F1 car will be touring Mumbai, much to the delight of F1 fans in the city. The car will visit Inorbit Mall, Malad and Nirmal Mall, Mulund to visually delight Mumbaikars and will be on display at these locations on the 8th and 9th of October, 2009.

On October 11th, 2 pm, visit Bandra Reclamation to catch the real Formula 1 action as F1 race sensation David Coulthard races down the recently opened Bandra – Worli Sea Link in the Red Bull Racing Formula One car, presenting Mumbaikars with an energy experience like never before.

Kubica joins renault for 2010 season

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:58:00 PDT

Kubica is back where he belonged:Renault.He made his F1 testing debut with Renault four years ago, when he was given a test as a reward for winning the 2005 World Series by Renault title. But he was not offered a deal by the team and instead went to BMW to start his F1 racing career.
Kubica said:

"I share with Renault a strong winning mentality and feel comfortable with their friendly and open attitude. I'm highly motivated and optimistic that together we can be at the front of the grid next year and hopefully fighting for the world title."

Renault is looking to over-shadow the recent controversy and carry on the legacy.

This is a short article,full coverage of the transfer of Kubica will be covered in coming articles.

Suzuka,Japan Grand Prix in Videos

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:09:00 PDT

Japan Grand Prix 2009 is over with Vettel's dominant victory and point difference between him and Button narrowing down to 16 with just 2 races to go.

The controversial decision of stewards to not to give penality to Rosberg,who didn't slowdown his car during safety car, means Brawns due have to wait until next race to clinch the Constructor's championship.

Well,I searched for some cool videos and here we go. Please watch them before FIA deletes them due to copyright infrignment :)

F1 Japan 2009 - Race Highlights Video

F1 Japan 2009 - Jaime Alguersuari Huge Crash during Race

Do you know any other links to cool videos? Or do you have some cool pics of Japan GP? Share it with us by mailing to f1indiablog@gmail.com

Vettel Wins Japanese GP in style,keeps alive Championship hopes

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:24:00 PDT

Sebastian Vettel won the Japanese GP at Suzuka in dominating fashion leading the race from flag to flag in his Red Bull-Renault. Jarno Trulli finished in second place, some 4.8 seconds behind at Toyota's home race, followed by Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren-Mercedes in third, 6.4 seconds behind the leader.

Vettel has kept the championship hopes alive in a race where Rubens and Button finished at 7th and 8th positions.With 2 races to go,Vettel is 16 points behind Button and 14 points behind Rubens.

Rate the Japanese Grand Prix 2009: Cast your vote below.

Results of F1 Suzuka Grand Prix:
POS DRIVER NATIONALITY ENTRANT LAPS TIME/RETIRE
1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Jarno Trulli
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Kimi Raikkonen
5. Nico Rosberg
6. Nick Heidfeld
7. Rubens Barrichello
8. Jenson Button
9. Robert Kubica
10. Fernando Alonso
11. Heikki Kovalainen
12. Giancarlo Fisichella
13. Adrian Sutil
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi
15. Kazuki Nakajima
16. Romain Grosjean
17. Mark Webber
Retirements
18.Alguersuari
19.Buemi
20.Glock

Links for 2009-10-03 [Digg]

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

F1 Suzuka,Japan Grand prix 2009 Race day:Watch live online
Watch live online at www.f1indiablog.in

F1 Suzuka,Japan Grand prix 2009 Race day:Watch live online

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:24:00 PDT

Watch F1 Suzuka,Japan Grand Prix 2009 online LIVE streaming by clicking on the links provided below:
1. BBC FEED: http://www.justin.tv/thunderbunny
2. http://www.p2pstation.net/
3. http://live.f1.f-e-n.net/live.php
4 .http://www.justin.tv/p2pstation_net12#
please provide other active links where we can watch F1 live
Online Live Chat and twitter Feeds: Get second-by-second updates of the Japanese Grand Prix by clicking the 'play' below:

LIVE COMMENTARY:
1. BBC Live text commentary
2.Autosport Live commentary

LIVE F1 TIMINGS:
http://www.formula1.com/services/live_timing/

Glock out of Japanese GP,final grid positions released

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:55:00 PDT

Timo Glock who injured in yesterday's qualifying session at Suzuka, is out of the race and won't be replaced by any other driver,which is a big blow to his team-Toyota.

Kamui Kobayashi drivered for Toyota during Friday's Practice session as Timo Glock was suffering from Flu.

Meanwhile,FIA has released the final grid positions for Suzuka Grand Prix today,the grid will be the provisional one first, because then it depends on other teams/cars getting penalties if they change parts before race.The grid was releases by FIA by considering the regulation which says that-"grid position penalties will be applied to the drivers in question in the order the offences were committed."

Grid for Japanese Grand Prix (Changes in brackets)
1 Vettel
2 Trulli
3 Hamilton
4 Heidfeld (+2)
5 Raikkonen (+3)
6 Barrichello (-1)
7 Rosberg (+4)
8 Sutil (-4)
9 Kubica (+4)
10 Button (-3)
11 Kovalainen (-3) [ gearbox change]
12 Alguersuari (+3)
13 Buemi (-3) Impeding
14 Fisichella (+2)
15 Nakajima (+2)
16 Alonso (-4)
17 Grosjean (+1)
18 Liuzzi (+1)
Starting from pit lane: Webber
Out of race: Glock

Big blow to Button
This is a big blow to Button's dream to wrap up the Championship in Suzuka.Button needs to score five more points than Barrichello to clinch the title in Japan and prevent the battle being taken to the next race in Brazil.Also,if Vettel finishes of the race in pole position,then he will be back in the Championship race.But,Vettel may struggle to keep Hamilton with his KERS system behind him at the start.

Heikki Kovalainen's KERS-equipped McLaren will be starting alongside Button on the clean side of the circuit, so there is a chance that the Briton will lose a further place away from the grid.

Who will win on the pole position today? Will Button wrap up the championship today? Have your say in the comments below.

Suzuka Grand Prix qualifying:Vettel at pole,5 drivers get grid penalities

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:11:00 PDT

Update:According to autosport, A definitive grid for the Japanese Grand Prix will be issued prior to the race on Sunday morning.
the positions will depend on the order in which penalties are applied - with the regulations stating that "grid position penalties will be applied to the drivers in question in the order the offences were committed."

Suzuka Qualifying started with the crash by Jaime Alguersuari after 8 minutes into Q2,followed by Glock who rammed his toyota in the final run and in Q3 it was Heikki Kovalainen’s turn to hit the wall.

After the qualifying,Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button, Force India's Adrian Sutil and Renault's Fernando Alonso were given five-place penalties for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags for Sebastien Buemi's accident in Q2.

Mark Webber and Glock(if he recovers by tomorrow) will start from pitlane after they changed their chassis.

Any other updates? provide links by commenting below.

Links for 2009-10-02 [Digg]

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Suzuka's Senna and Prost deliberatily collision
Senna and Prost settled their differences – and the championship – by deliberately crashing into each other. The second one was really fierce, Senna driving Prost off the road at over 120mph going into turn one. Everyone knew he was going to do it, even Prost knew he was going to do it, yet somehow everyone forgave him and no action was ever taken
F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2009:Practice 3 and Qualifying LIVE
F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2009:Practice 3 and Qualifying LIVE online streaming

F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2009:Qualifying LIVE

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:44:00 PDT

Watch F1 Suzuka,Japan Grand Prix 2009 online LIVE streaming by clicking on the links provided below:
1. BBC FEED: http://www.justin.tv/thunderbunny
2. http://www.p2pstation.net/
3. http://live.f1.f-e-n.net/live.php
4 .http://www.justin.tv/p2pstation_net12#

Online Live Chat and twitter Feeds: Get second-by-second updates of the Japanese Grand Prix by clicking the 'play' below:

LIVE COMMENTARY:
1. BBC Live text commentary
2.Autosport Live commentary

LIVE F1 TIMINGS:
http://www.formula1.com/services/live_timing/

Preview: Japanese Grand prix 2009

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:02:00 PDT

The Grand Prix of Japan this year will feature a track that is a favorite for everyone involved with Formula One: the Suzuka circuit. F1 will be returning to the Honda-owned track for the first time since 2006, after the last two Japanese Grand Prix were run at the Toyota-owned Fuji circuit.

VIRTUAL LAP OF SUZUKA CIRCUIT

Jenson Button can clinch the World Championship in Japan, but he doesn't sound like he will be going all out for victory, “I know I can clinch the title if I finish five points ahead of Rubens here. But it’s just another race to me and I won’t be changing the way I drive. I will keep doing what I have been doing, and hopefully that will be enough.”Two drivers who have never raced at the awesome Suzuka track are Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, and both young and talented drivers seem genuinely thrilled to finally have a chance to race for real at the legendary circuit. Lewis has had some virtual experience there, perhaps he will be hoping that will help him win his second straight race, “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve raced Suzuka on computer games - and while it kind of gives you an idea of how the circuit goes, nothing can beat the real thing. It looks like a real driver’s circuit - the first sector esses look very demanding and the higher speed corners towards the end of the lap will probably require real precision and a good car set-up.”

It is Vettel however, who actually still has an outside shot at the Driver's championship this year, and he sounds ready to lay it all on the line for a victory in Japan, “Suzuka is the best track in the world. I drove the two hours of Friday free practice here at the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. The first hour was wet, which was pretty scary as I didn’t know where the track went. I’m looking forward to racing there as it’s one of the most challenging circuits with a lot of high speed corners. It’s enjoyable and I think it should suit our car.”
I think it may be Vettel's turn to shine, with Lewis and possibly even Kimi Raikkonen breathing down his neck if Sebastian stumbles for even a moment. Kimi will be out to prove that Ferrari letting him loose from his contract in favor of Fernando Alonso is a big mistake.

Another driver looking for redemption will be Williams' Nico Rosberg, after his crossing the pit line error last week cost him a possible second place. “I am now looking forward to Suzuka because I think we can do well there. Personally, I think the track is one of the best on the calendar, up there with Spa. It’s also a good venue for Formula One because the fans are so enthusiastic which is always great. I haven't been to Suzuka for three years now but I felt really comfortable on the track the last time that I raced there I am looking forward to driving it again.”

Suzuka's Unforgettable historical moment:Senna and Prost deliberatily colliding

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:20:00 PDT

Lewis Hamilton's views on Suzuka circuit,where he mentioned about the Famous Senna and Prost collision to settle their differences and the championship,led me to the further digg the story.

Lewis Hamilton is great admirer of Senna & has Yellow colored helmet like that of Senna.Regarding the famous 1989 and 1990 incidents,Hamilton said:

“The track is very special, I’ve always wanted to drive here since the very early stages, when I was watching Formula 1, I remember what happened here in 1989. Yesterday I was walking the track and I was thinking-this is where it happened with Ayrton and Prost and then there’s turn one and all there is so much history here. I got on the track this morning and the first couple of laps are quick. I’m just looking forward to getting out there in the dry and seeing how much you can push on this track."

James allen described the incidents very well-Given what’s happened recently in Formula 1, it’s quite ironic that people still look back nostalgically on those incidents, where Senna and Prost settled their differences – and the championship – by deliberately crashing into each other. The second one was really fierce, Senna driving Prost off the road at over 120mph going into turn one. Everyone knew he was going to do it, even Prost knew he was going to do it, yet somehow everyone forgave him and no action was ever taken.

The videos of Senna and Prost collision in 1989

The videos of that Senna and Prost collision in 1990

A short interview with Ayrton Senna just a few minutes after his title deciding crash with Alain Prost.

Ferrari F60 made out of clothes and F1 car made out from Red Bull Cans

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:33:00 PDT

As Formula 1 gets prepared for the Grand Prix of Japan this weekend, here's something a little more entertaining than the Friday's practice sessions which were washed out in rain.

Ferrari F60 Formula 1 made out of clothes and accessories:

Red Bull team is organising Mumbai speed link event,and students in Mumbai are gearing up for the event by designing F1 car from the 1906 Red Bull drink's cans.

The heading says:
8 Students from J.J. School of Arts actually built an F1 Car using 1906 Red Bull Cans. It's on display at the following venues: Oct 2nd - 4th Vashi Inorbit ,Oct 5th to 7th Inorbit,Malad Oct 8th to 10th Mocha Bandra .

Transfer Window 2010:Schumi Backed Alonso moves to Ferrari,Kimi might quit F1

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:56:00 PDT

Continuing with our previous article on transfer window-where we look at the latest updates on driver's new teams for 2010 seaoson,we have few updates which will be covered in this article.So,read on to know whats going on in F1 world.

Kimi Raikkonen said he may quit F1 after he was replaced by Fernando Alonso, whereas Michael Schumacher said that he was involved in Alonso's transfer to Ferrari and this statement may raise some eyebrows.
Schumi said in his official website:

“Fernando with Ferrari, that’s something I like a lot. I was involved from the very beginning in this decision, and I always liked the idea. I am sure Fernando will feel well with us, and I can only say: Welcome, Fernando!”

So here is the updated line-up for 2010 season:

FERRARI: Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso
Red Bull racing: Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel( If team don't pull-out)
McLaren: Lewis Hamilton and Kimi( If he don't quit F1)
Brawn GP: Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg(expected)
Renault:Robert Kubica
Toro Rosso:Jaime Alguersuari and Sébastien Buemi

No official news from Toyota, Force India and Sauber teams and 4 new teams joining in 2010.

Links for 2009-10-01 [Digg]

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2009 Practice 2 session LIVE

F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2009 Practice 2 session LIVE

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:30:00 PDT

Watch live video from GO1-SPORT on Justin.tv

LIVE COMMENTARY
1. BBC Live text commentary
2.Autosport Live commentary

F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2009: Star sports TV timings

noreply@blogger.com (KAUSHAL) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:05:00 PDT

There is some problem with Television listings of Japanese Grand prix in Star Sports website,it is showing that the Qualifying will be held on friday whereas Race is scheduled for Saturday.Which is incorrect,I checked the Autosport website and it show otherwise.

Website is showing following TV timings for the F1 race.Please note that all timings are in Indian Standard time(IST), which is GMT +5:30.

Friday,2nd october 2009
11:00 Live FIA F1 World Championship Qualifying 2009

Saturday,3rd October 2009
09:30 Live FIA F1 World Championship Raceday
10:15 Live FIA F1 World Championship 2009 - Main Race

Autosport is showing following timing:
Friday,2nd october 2009
Practice 1 Fri 06:30-08:00
Practice 2 Fri 10:30-12:00

Saturday,3rd October 2009
Practice 3 Sat 07:30-08:30
Qualifying Sat 10:30-11:30

Sunday,4th october 2009
The Race Sun 10:30-12:30

Links for 2009-09-27 [Digg]

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Formula1: F1 News|race|F1 wallpaper|videos|F1 Singapore Gran
watch Singapore GP online live video streaming on the links given at www.f1indiablog.in
F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2009: Hamilton wins
Ah! It was boring.. With long driver-trains and expected results,the 2nd session of Singapore Grand Prix was quite boring.What you think about the race?

Links for 2009-09-26 [Digg]

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT

F1 Singapore Grand prix 2009 Qualifying Result
McLaren's world champion Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix on pole position after title contender Rubens Barrichello crashed in the dying seconds of Saturday's qualifying.

Links for 2009-09-25 [Digg]

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Singapore Grand Prix 2009:Practice 3 and qualifying LIVE
watch singapore GP live online free streaming

Links for 2009-04-23 [Digg]

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 PDT

F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2009 RACE (online Live Streaming)
Watch Formula one(F1) Chinese Grand Prix Practice sessions,qualifying and race,Live online streaming or listen to Live Radio commentary or get updates by Live Text feeds from various broadcaster's websites.All the links are given below: