Räikkönen gets only six testing days before the season starts

Kimi Räikkönen has to adapt to Lotus-Renault F1-car and Pirelly-tyres really fast because he only gets to drive six days in winter tests.

F1-teams have decided to limit the winter testing to three four-day periods 7-10.2.2012 and then 18-21.2.2012 in Jerez plus 1-4.3.2012 in Barcelona.

All and all there are 12 driving days which are divided evenly between the teams' both drivers.

The F1-season starts 18th March in Australia, Melbourne.

According to information Turun Sanomat has Räikkönen gets to drive Renault's F1-car privately in January on the testing track before starting with the new cars.

Regulations are that these kinds of tests can only be driven by an old car from season 2009 using GP2-tyres. It's called a 'demo-car'.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi's column: WRAPPING UP THE SEASON

Kimi GB rally preview in Finnish

Let's wrap up the season now and go to drive the last race. It always has a certain kind of different vibe than other races have. Once again I have raced for one different kind of year.

We had really good tests and got the car nicely so that it pleased us. The setups are the setups that I want. It's good to drive now. The shakedown also went well so everything is now in place to start the rally.

The weather is typical for GB. At times the sun shines, at times the water is dripping. There's mud, fog and slippery. When the conditions are changing you have to take really carefully all the spots in the beginning, so that you don't get any nasty surprises.

This is one of the most challenging rallies in the whole season. From last year they left only a few stages and there are a lot of new roads. New roads are always different. Let's see how the car works on them.

The last rallies have been a bit minor-predominant, hence it would do me really good to get a clean race again. Let's go and make a good result and avoid stupid blunders.

I am concentrating only on this rally to finish the season. Lets see what the future holds when it arrives.

Source:KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM
Courtesy: Nicole

Räikkönen: We have had negotiations

Kimi Räikkönen says that he doesn't have a contract to F1 for next season, although he has negotiated over it.

- We have talked with them (Williams) but I don't have any contract one way or another. Nothing has changed, Räikkönen said.

Räikkönen's shakedown in Wales could be his last if his job continues in F1. If this happens, then Räikkönen leaves WRC in a good mood.

- It has been fun and we have improved when comparing to where we started from, Räikkönen estimated.

- I didn't expect anything from it although I always tried to drive as well as I could. Sometimes the results were better, sometimes worse, Räikkönen says about his WRC-rallies.

If Räikkönen's Citroen changes next season into Williams F1-car, then the change is smaller in Räikkönen's eyes than it was when he came to rally.

- It's a thing that I've been doing for the most part of my life. It's much more challenging to try something else, Räikkönen said about F1.

Räikkönen isn't swayed by the flexible rear wings and the couple new tracks in F1.

- From what you see in the television they haven't changed much. The biggest differences are in the tyres, Räikkönen estimated F1.

One heck of a talent

Kaj Lindström would like to see Räikkönen in WRC also in the future.

- He makes his own decisions but it would be interesting to see how far Räikkönen can go in rally, Lindström says.

- He can't develop his skills other than by driving. Kimi is one heck of a talent when it comes to steering the car. It just comes out of somewhere all by itself, Lindström says.

- I said already in the beginning that this is a four-year project if he wants to go to the top. The first developing steps are long but after that the steps are smaller.

Source: Iltalehti
Courtesy: Nicole

Pained Hamilton looks for answers

The mysterious disappearance of Lewis Hamilton's race pace has stumped the McLaren driver heading into Sunday's Korean Grand Prix

The 2008 Formula One world champion cut an unusually subdued figure after last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, struggling to understand where his pace had gone while team mate Jenson Button celebrated victory.

He missed out on pole position after crossing the line too late to get in a second lap and then had another coming together in the race with Ferrari rival Felipe Massa.

Even a visit to paddock neighbours Red Bull to congratulate Germany's Sebastian Vettel on a second successive championship ended in failure when he was unable to find the 24-year-old.

Hamilton could have blamed some of his woes on a slow puncture but instead, talking to British reporters with little animation, he was hard on himself and also seemingly lost for an explanation.

"We've got far bigger problems than that to worry about the championship," he said when asked whether it hurt to see Vettel, more than two years junior, win his second title.

While he agreed that his car was 'fantastically quick', the 26-year-old said he was just "not fast enough."

"I think you're all trying to come out solutions as to why I'm not going well, but there is no solution, there is no answer to it," he said as reporters suggested possible reasons.

"I don't know what the answer is, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't just jump to conclusions because I don't know what the answer is.

"I just wasn't quick enough. I was quick in qualifying, I just wasn't quick in the race."

NIGHTMARE SEASON

Hamilton has had a nightmare season, regularly called before the stewards and triggering numerous controversies over his aggressive driving style. Some of his comments have been ill-chosen and he is trailing Button in the standings.

Since his debut in 2007, and including that memorable season, Hamilton has never ended a championship behind a team mate on points.

There is a suspicion that the easy-going Button's increasing popularity and success in a team once seen as being built around the protege Hamilton, is starting to unsettle the younger Englishman more than he would like to admit.

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh indicated that Hamilton was fighting a number of battles, some of them psychological, but expected him to fight back at the Yeongam circuit.

"His form will return," he said. "There's no-one in this team that doesn't believe in Lewis Hamilton.

"Every international athlete has highs and lows, and this has been a difficult time. That's the way of life sometimes," he told reporters.

"When things aren't going well they seem to multiply on you and that affects your mental condition, your state of mind, and it makes it more difficult."

Whitmarsh pointed out that Hamilton was five years younger than Button, who had been through plenty of difficult times earlier in his career.

"We have these massive expectations, and Lewis has massive expectations, on very young shoulders," he said of a driver who finished runner-up in the championship in one of the most sensational rookie seasons ever.

"When you start and it's very easy, then when you have that pressure and expectation, it takes some adjustment. He is dealing with that, and I am sure he will. He is a tough little fighter," added Whitmarsh.

"So I'm sure he's going to come good very, very soon."

Source: Reuters Sports

Here are Kimi Räikkönen's plans for next season

According to information IS Urheilu has, Kimi Räikkönen is looking after a quite diversified racing program for next season

He is going to drive both rally and track-racing next season also.

If Räikkönen's plans succeed, then his racing program migth also include these famous track-races: Nascar's opening race Daytona 500, legendary formula-race Indianapolis 500 and the classic of endurance races; Le Mans 24 hours.

Räikkönen also wants to continue in WRC where he would drive only for a part of the season, mainly in races taking place in Europe.

Though Räikkönen recently visited Williams F1-factory in UK his comeback to F1 is still highly unlikely.

Räikkönen is however interested in driving one formula race with an IndyCar-car. One of his dreams is to take part in North America's most famous formula race Indianapolis 500, which takes place at the end of May. It remains to be seen if the Indy-start will happen next year already. It might not go well together with his Le Mans -plans.

Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 are USA's most famous car races. They are on oval tracks and Räikkönen already has oval-experience from last spring's Nascar-races.

Räikkönen is also very fascinated by Le Mans 24 hours that takes place in June. In August he was already testing Peugeot’s Le Mans -car on Aragon's track in Spain and he enjoyed that experience very much.

Janne Aittoniemi

Source: Ilta-Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

BBC F1 2011 - 1 Melbourne - Fernando Alonso - Team orders useful for all

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso welcomes the rule change to allow team orders during the 2011 F1 season, and pays tribute to the injured Robert Kubica



Source: BBC - FiftyBuckss

Alonso: Fighting for the title is my goal

Fernando Alonso is convinced he faces another nail-biting fight for the Formula One World title this season

Alonso was pipped at the death last year by Sebastian Vettel, with the Spaniard denied a third world crown by a bungled call from his Ferrari team in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

That mistake, viewed from the pitwall by Ferraro president Luca di Montezemolo who believed the title was his team's for the taking, sparked a pointed message from the 63-year-old earlier this year.

On the day Ferrari's new car was unveiled, di Montezemolo said: "This car was created with a very simple aim, and it is so simple I don't want to say it - we just have to achieve it."

As far as di Montezemolo is concerned, nothing less than the world title will do this year, ensuring the pressure is on Alonso, Felipe Massa and the rest of the team.

Alonso, speaking ahead of this Sunday's season-opening grand prix in Australia, said: "If you race for Ferrari there is no other goal than fighting for the World Championship.

"That is the history of Ferrari, the power of Ferrari. This team and its history is about passion, motor racing and about winning.

"That is our aim, that is our goal for the 2011 campaign, trying to fight for the World Championship.

"At the end you can win, you can lose. It depends how competitive you are. It depends on many other factors as well.

"But we need to be there, and I am sure we will be until the last moment."

For now, Alonso simply intends to be firmly in the hunt throughout the opening few races in order to build a solid platform on which to build the remainder of his season.

"Right now it's impossible to determine the order or say who is competitive and who isn't before race one," said Alonso.

"On paper there are five, six teams capable of winning races and to fight for the championship.

"After three or four races you see maybe only two or three can really fight for the Championship.

"The important thing for each team, and for us especially, is to do well and be competitive in these first three races, to be in that smaller group of two or three teams.

"But at the moment everything is very open."

Source: Planet-F1

Vettel prepared for a 'long, hard and tough season'

Sebastian Vettel: We seem to have a good car, but it's still too early to tell so we have to wait and see. There have been a lot of changes which has involved a lot of work over the winter trying to get the whole package ready to start the new season

Sebastian Vettel is hopeful he will be stronger this season now he has won the world championship.

Vettel will be out to try and defend his crown in F1 2011 and while he has been pleased with the new RB7 in pre-season testing, he remains cautious about his prospects in the countdown to Melbourne's Australian Grand Prix.

“It's very difficult in the beginning to tell,” he replied when asked about the pecking order. “I don't have an advantage with having the number '1' on the car.

“Obviously it's a nice feeling, and it was a great success and a big relief for me last year. Hopefully that has made me a bit stronger, but nevertheless, it will be a long, hard and tough season.”

Pressed on if he feels different now he is world champion, Vettel added that for him little has changed.

“It was good to have a little bit of time for myself over the winter and to spend it with friends and family,” he continued. “But now we've started again with the new car preparing for the new season, I wouldn't say life has changed too much.

“We seem to have a good car, but it's still too early to tell so we have to wait and see. There have been a lot of changes which has involved a lot of work over the winter trying to get the whole package ready to start the new season.

“Obviously it's very busy now with preparation work, and we're all doing our best to try to get the best possible package together. You can never have enough preparation to make the car ready.

“The tyres are very different to last year, but then again, it's the same for everybody.

"I think the racing will change and that one-stopping – maybe even two-stops – is impossible at this stage, so it will be at least three or four-stop races, which will make it interesting.”

Source: Crash.net

Video: Kimi Räikkönen Driver Profile WRC

Courtesy: F1ARAB

WRC Face to Face 2010 Book: Kimi Räikkönen

WRC Face to Face 2010 Book!

Courtesy: sleenster

Vettel: Schumi can finish second to my first

Sebastian Vettel says compatriot Michael Schumacher is still his role model and has backed the Formula One legend to return to form this season

"I always see him as a role model and I think he is capable of achieving something big this season," the reigning World Champion told German motoring magazine ADAC Motorwelt.

"I hope that it will not be too big, if he is second in the 2011 Championship, that would be okay for me," he joked.

Schumacher returned to Formula One racing in 2010 after a three-year hiatus which followed his seven World title victories.

He finished a disappointing ninth in last season's Drivers' Championship racing for Mercedes GP.

Schumacher turned 42 in January and told the magazine he is feeling "rather good" with the new season, which is set to start with the Australian GP on March 27.

"This season, I think we can claim for the podium and why not some grand prix wins," said Schumacher.

"But talk of the World title is still unrealistic."

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton denies team-mate fall-out is looming

Lewis Hamilton has downplayed concerns that McLaren could be in for a rough season should their MP4-26 move to the front of the pack

Despite having two World Champions on the payroll in Hamilton and Jenson Button, last season proved to be a harmonious one for McLaren.

Many believe this was because the McLaren drivers were not regularly squabbling over race wins while Button's quest was further undone by his poor qualifying performances.

But should McLaren's new MP4-26 prove to be a regular race winner, F1 commentator Martin Brundle reckons the duo will soon find themselves fighting on the track - and off it.

Hamilton, though, is adamant himself and Button can avoid the pitfalls that befell Red Bull rivals Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber when they were fighting each other for race wins in 2010.

"We're both racers, but we're both sensible," the 2008 World Champ told the official F1 website.

"We both know that to win in Formula One you need the best equipment. Is there any sense in Jenson and me fighting against each other if it damages our chances of having the fastest car?

"As we've said all along, we need to work together to develop our car, move it into the best possible position, and only then can we start thinking about the World Championship. What's the use in battling tooth and nail over 10th place?

"Having said that, Jenson and I also get on very well together - we've both grown up within British motorsport, we've shared a lot of the same experiences and it's brought us to the same point in our lives, driving for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and doing our very best to win the World Championship for ourselves and our team."

As for whether McLaren's MP4-26 will rise to the front, Hamilton insists it's too early to tell.

"Performance is relative. You can pull out all the stops over the winter and still not know what shape you'll be in at the first race.

"All I can say is that every single person within our organisation has been flat out to ensure the car is the best it can be.

"Will that be good enough? We won't know until we get to Bahrain next month."

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso not worried about bad season with Ferrari

Fernando Alonso has reacted cautiously to those predicting a stellar season for him in 2011.

Bernie Ecclestone and Mark Webber are reported to have tipped the Spaniard for title contention with the new F150 Ferrari, which was three tenths faster than reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel’s new Red Bull at the Valencia test on Wednesday.

"I have nothing to say about it," Alonso told Spanish reporters when asked about the championship predictions.

"Expectations are naturally high but it’s the same for all the drivers with the big teams," he said.

"What gives you some peace of mind is that you know that a bad year at Ferrari or McLaren will have you fifth, while at some other teams you might not be in Q3," added Alonso.

"So that’s not something we have to worry about.

"I like the car but it’s too early to know if it’s good enough to win," he said.

Alonso also tempered his earlier criticism of the Pirelli tyres, whilst many drivers are speaking about high degradation, inconsistency and handling problems.

"It is true that they degrade but it was worse on the first day," said Alonso.

"We have made some setup changes that have helped us, while others have improved maybe less.

"The truth is that adapting the car to the tyres is one of the main challenges."

He also dismissed reports that Renault’s new exhausts which exit near the sidepods is set to be the must-have innovation of 2011.

"There are new things with each team; Renault have that and the others have something else," Alonso answered coyly.

Source: Nextgen

Solberg set to contest full season, Räikkönen to enter ten rounds

Citroën Racing enters the third dimension!

The entry of the DS3 WRC in the 2011 World Rally Championship will open a new chapter in the history of the French make. The Citroën Total World Rally Team’s aim is win its seventh Manufacturer’s World Title, and to achieve this it has entered two crews: Sébastien Loeb-Daniel Elena, gunning for their eighth drivers’ world title on the trot, and Sébastien Ogier-Julien Ingrassia who have been promoted to the works outfit full time after scoring two victories in 2010. Three more Citroën DS3 WRCs will be driven by privateers: Petter Solberg, Kimi Räikkönen and Peter van Merksteijn.

Citroën Racing, which has been involved in top-level world rallying for ten years, is about to give its third World Rally car its debut. After the Xsara and the C4, which racked up three world titles each, the DS3 WRC will make its bow on the world stage in the Swedish Rally (10-13 February). The team directed by Olivier Quesnel has fixed itself an aim as simple as it is ambitious for this key season that represents a turning point in the make’s history - retain its Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles!

The Citroën DS3 WRC is a stunning synthesis of Creative Technology that complies with the new regulations drawn up by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The most visible change is its size. The DS3 WRC is more compact than the C4, which gives it much more spectacular behaviour. The revolution continues under the bonnet as the car is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged direct injection 4-cylinder engine designed in-house by Citroën Racing. It is coupled to 4-wheel drive transmission with a manually controlled sequential gearbox and with a constant power sharing system between the front and rear axles.

The Citroën DS3 WRC was unveiled at last year’s Paris Motor Show, and it has since undergone multiple test sessions to be ready for a season consisting of thirteen rallies, each one with its own specific characteristics, stretched over a 9-month period. From the polar chill of Sweden to the heat of the Jordanian desert, the World Rally Championship is a huge challenge for men and machines. The technical team managed by Xavier Mestelan-Pinon has reproduced the most extreme conditions during the sessions aimed at testing the reliability of the car and developing its performance.

The Citroën Total World Rally Team that represents the official colours of the make has entered two DS3 WRCs for crews that come from its own nursery, which today consists of the ‘Citroën Racing Trophies’ organized all over Europe. The reigning 7-time world champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena can’t wait to take on this new challenge. ‘Seb’ and ‘Danos’ hold just about all the records in the WRC, and they will start each round with the aim of winning and adding more laurels to their already-mind-boggling results. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who took part in three rallies for the works team in 2010, have been given the no. 2 DS3 WRC. The French pairing have already won two world championship rallies, and they must now confirm their ability to associate speed and consistency.

Total continues its long-standing partnership with Citroën as title sponsor of the works team. The DS3 WRCs will also carry the famous Red Bull colours as the company pursues an involvement that began in 2008. Three brands will be back among Citroën’s partners, Michelin which will supply tyres for the DS3 WRCs, as well as Facom and Alcon.

Three more DS3 WRCs run by Citroën Racing Technologies will be entered for private crews in 2011. Petter Solberg-Chris Patterson will start all thirteen rounds, Kimi Räikkönen-Kaj Lindström will take part in ten rallies while Peter van Merksteijn-Eddy Chevaillier will begin their season at the Portuguese Rally.

Source: Nextgen-auto

formula1.ferrari.com publishes Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 2010 Season Review Part III

formula1.ferrari.com publishes the 2010 season review, a "virtual book", which can be downloaded to relive the entire 2010 season, with the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as a main protagonist in an exciting Championship, with an exceptional recovery and an unfortunately missed victory.

Six chapters around the 2010 World Championship with wins, difficult moments, the epilogue in Abu Dhabi and further sections dedicated to technical in-depth articles. 28 drawings by Giorgio Piola with virtual animations of the F10's various components, four specials about the most important issues of the season such as pit stop and new rules, also explained in a video by Marc Gené, the complicated logistical aspects and the celebration of the 800th Grand Prix for Ferrari. A detailed section with a list from 1950 until today concludes the review, with Formula 1 models Ferrari used in the pinnacle of motorsports since the beginning of the F1 Championship.

Over 120 extraordinary images and more than 25 parts with multimedia content on the different pages, enriching the texts in the sections turning reading into real pleasure. The protagonists statements are combined with comments from the fans, who followed and supported the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro during the whole season in the Communitys forum as well as on Facebook and via Twitter.

After the first and the second part, today is online the third, wich will complete the 2010 Championship review.

Source: Ferrari.com

formula1.ferrari.com publishes Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 2010 Season Review Part 2

formula1.ferrari.com publishes the 2010 season review, a "virtual book", which can be downloaded to relive the entire 2010 season, with the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as a main protagonist in an exciting Championship, with an exceptional recovery and an unfortunately missed victory.

Six chapters around the 2010 World Championship with wins, difficult moments, the epilogue in Abu Dhabi and further sections dedicated to technical in-depth articles. 28 drawings by Giorgio Piola with virtual animations of the F10's various components, four specials about the most important issues of the season such as pit stop and new rules, also explained in a video by Marc Gené, the complicated logistical aspects and the celebration of the 800th Grand Prix for Ferrari. A detailed section with a list from 1950 until today concludes the review, with Formula 1 models Ferrari used in the pinnacle of motorsports since the beginning of the F1 Championship.

Over 120 extraordinary images and more than 25 parts with multimedia content on the different pages, enriching the texts in the sections turning reading into real pleasure. The protagonists statements are combined with comments from the fans, who followed and supported the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro during the whole season in the Communitys forum as well as on Facebook and via Twitter.

After last week's first chapter, as of today the second part is online, which will be followed by the third and last part, completing the 2010 Championship review.

Source: Ferrari.com

formula1.ferrari.com publishes Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 2010 Season Review

Maranello, 24 November - formula1.ferrari.com publishes the 2010 season review, a "virtual book", which can be downloaded to relive the entire 2010 season, with the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as a main protagonist in an exciting Championship, with an exceptional recovery and an unfortunately missed victory.

Six chapters around the 2010 World Championship with wins, difficult moments, the epilogue in Abu Dhabi and further sections dedicated to technical in-depth articles. 28 drawings by Giorgio Piola with virtual animations of the F10's various components, four specials about the most important issues of the season such as pit stop and new rules, also explained in a video by Marc Gené, the complicated logistical aspects and the celebration of the 800th Grand Prix for Ferrari. A detailed section with a list from 1950 until today concludes the review, with Formula 1 models Ferrari used in the pinnacle of motorsports since the beginning of the F1 Championship.

Over 120 extraordinary images and more than 25 parts with multimedia content on the different pages, enriching the texts in the sections turning reading into real pleasure. The protagonists statements are combined with comments from the fans, who followed and supported the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro during the whole season in the Communitys forum as well as on Facebook and via Twitter. As of today the review's first part is online, followed by the other issues covered in upcoming sections, completing the 2010 Championship review.

Source: Ferrari.com

F1 - 2010 Red Bull Racing season review with Vettel, Webber and Horner

Source: NextegenAutoVideos

BBC F1 2010 - Sebastian Vettel's F1 season in 60 seconds

Source: FiftyBuckss

F1 2010 - Fernando Alonso's Roller-Coaster Season So Far

Source: bokuwahmz