Valencia, day 2 - Massa stays quickest in Spain

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa took the top honours for a second consecutive day, as this week’s test at Valencia continued on Tuesday. Massa’s fastest time of 1m 11.722s in the Italian team’s new F10 was over three tenths of a second quicker than the best effort of Kamui Kobayashi, who made his debut for BMW Sauber at the Spanish track.

Exactly two-tenths down on Kobayashi was Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren MP4-25. Hamilton completed 108 laps during the course of the day, as he sampled his 2010 car for the first time. Robert Kubica set the fourth-fastest time for Renault, ahead of Nico Rosberg for Mercedes GP. Both Kubica and Rosberg covered 119 laps.

Sixth quickest was Rubens Barrichello for Williams, while Sebastien Buemi was the day’s final runner in seventh for Toro Rosso. After the gearbox problems that blighted his debut in the STR5 on Monday, Buemi was able to complete 107 laps.

Unofficial Tuesday test times from Valencia:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:11.722, 124 Laps
2. Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber, 1:12.056, 96 Laps
3. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:12.256, 108 Laps
4. Robert Kubica, Renault, 1:12.426, 119 Laps
5. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, 1:12.899, 119 Laps
6. Rubens Barrichello, Williams, 1:13.377, 102 Laps
7. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 1:13.823, 107 Laps

Source: Formula1.com

Kimi speaks at the FIA WRC launch in Paris

Thanks: Justrnet @OF

Photos from Valencia - Day 2

Massa in black still quick on Tuesday

Wearing a prototype black carbon helmet for manufacturer Schuberth, Felipe Massa on Tuesday continued to impress at the wheel of Ferrari's 2010 car.

As the Valencia test entered its second day in chilly conditions, the Brazilian led his chasers into the 1m11s and was "extremely satisfied with the car's set up and the tyres' grip", according to the famous Italian team.

Again impressive was Sauber's new C29, this time in the hands of Japanese rookie Kamui Kobayashi, while Lewis Hamilton was a full second ahead of test driver Gary Paffet's Monday time in the McLaren MP4-25.

However, the British team concerned some onlookers when it was seen to again use its green aerodynamic paint, so synonymous with McLaren's problems of 2009.

But McLaren said the paint is now routine, and "no cause for concern".

At the lunch break, Mercedes (Nico Rosberg), Williams (Rubens Barrichello), Renault (Robert Kubica, who is also wearing a black carbon helmet on Tuesday) and Toro Rosso (Sebastien Buemi), followed in the time sheet pecking order.

Source: F1 Complete

FIA launches officially WRC in event in Paris

The World Rally Championship showed its support for the Make Roads Safe campaign and the call for a Decade of Action for Road Safety at the official launch of the 2010 WRC season in Paris today.

The initiative forms part of the FIA’s continued commitment and support for the Commission for Global Road Safety and its Make Roads Safe campaign.

Jean Todt, FIA President said:

“We are one month away from one of the most important turning points in the history of Road Safety. In March the UN General Assembly is set to approve a Decade of Action for Road Safety, if this happens we could save five million lives over the next 10 years.

“I am pleased that WRC has also rallied itself behind the cause, helping give further exposure to the campaign and helping the Decade become a reality.”

Sébastien Loeb, six time World Rally Champion said:

“I support this campaign and other road safety initiatives. Road crashes kill on the same scale as Malaria, and it is important for long term action at the highest level in order to make roads safe.”

Kimi Räikkönen, former Formula One World Champion turned WRC driver said:

“I am pleased to be able to lend my support to this campaign. It is important for us to use the high profile of our sport to highlight the terrible accidents occurring on the world’s roads, and even more importantly for us to help find a solution to these problems.”

Source: RallyBuzz, FIA

ONE EXPERIENCE RICHER

Kimi Arctic Lapland Rally review in Finnish

The Arctic rally came and went. I'm in a good mood and one experience richer.

We had a good test before we went to Rovaniemi. It gave me a good feeling and more trust in the car once we got all bits and pieces and seats in order. The basic setup was done and we went to Tunturi to get as many kilometers under our belts as we could possibly get. Nothing more.

It was good that Sordo was there. We got the benchmark we had hoped for so we would know exactly where we stand at the moment.

In the final games we saw how much behind Sordo we were but after we reeled in those things we also knew the reason for it. All we now need is more kilometers and we'll find it from there.

There was this one blunder when we drove out during the second stage. It was completely my own blunder. I misheard the note and after that it didn't bend back anymore.

Fortunately we made it with small damages and managed to get back. Thank you to the shovel-men for helping.

The roads were quite cool! It was also nice to see how big the gangs by the routes supporting us were.

When me-myself have only five rallies in the meter the times in Tunturi weren't a catastrophy. When I learn something new everytime I drive we get closer to the lead. We'll see how close we are during the midseason.

From this basis it's nice to go to Sweden. We'll see there what our pace is but the serie is only beginning. At least we will go faster than we did in the practice race.

Just as a tip, remember to check out the video clips beside. They are rolling the Iceman's adventures in Lapland and we are reeling in how things went in Tunturi.

Next stop is the FIA-info in Paris, press and photos. After that we will only concentrate on Sweden rally.

There it will be just like in Indy - Gentlemen, start your engines!

Source: kimiraikkonen.com
Courtesy: Nicole Planet-F1

[Video]: Valencia Testing Day 1

Source: YouTube

Thanks: Amanda

Kimi bends but doesn't break!

Even after hitting a tree, Kimi Räikkönen hasn't given up and remained on the Arctic Rally

Source: Autosprint
Thanks: Tania S

RÄIKKÖNEN TO MTV3: I DON'T MISS ANYTHING FROM F1

02.02.2010

Kimi Räikkönen who is feverishly waiting for the WRC-season to start tells that so far he doesn't miss anything from F1.

- I can't think of anything that I would miss from F1, the Citroen-driver snapped to MTV3.

- I don't have any idols in rally. These guys who are driving are tough guys - Räikkönen said. He also said that he doesn't have any special driver he would especially want to beat when the season starts.

- At first I will compare my pace with my own team mate.

Source: MTV3

Courtesy: Nicole Planet-F1

F1 teams approve new rules

F1 commission approves a change to the regulations regarding tyres for the 2010 season, while new points system is also confirmed

F1 teams have approved a change to the tyre rules for the 2010 season, which will force the top ten qualifiers to start the race on the same tyres they used to set their quickest qualifying times.

The proposal was agreed during the latest meeting of the F1 commission on Monday, with the decisions announced by the FIA set to add a new strategic element to qualifying during the year ahead.

It will lead to teams needing to evaluate how to approach qualifying, with the possibility that teams will sacrifice going for a quick time by using a tyre that will be better suited to the race. Alternatively, teams could use a tyre that will allow them to secure a better grid position but then face the prospect of being disadvantaged when race day arrives.

The teams have also agreed to reduce the number of sets of dry tyres available from 14 to eleven per team, with further changes to encourage cars to take part in Friday practice. Under the new rules, one set of tyres must be returned before the start of second practice, and two sets before the start of third practice.

A revised version of the new points system was also approved during the meeting, which gives a greater advantage to a driver winning a race.

Under the agreed plans, the winner of the race will secure 25 points with the runner-up taking 18 – a difference of seven points as opposed to the five initially suggested.

The points system for 2010 will reward the top ten drivers and run 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.

Further measures for 2010 are to be examined.

Further down the line, teams have agreed to effectively ban the controversial double diffuser from 2011.

The aerodynamic device proved to be a bone of contention during the 2009 season as a number of teams – including title winners Brawn GP – were able to exploit the rules to run the device from the start of the campaign, leading to a number of protests from other teams before the device was declared legal.

Under the new regulations, the permitted height of the main diffuser will be reduced from 175mm to 125mm.

Source: Crash net

Good first impressions of the car, unlike last year - Massa

Ferrari's Felipe Massa is already feeling good about their 2010 challenger, the F10, after the first test day of the year. He also shares that in contrast to last year, the new car has given him good impressions thus far. And it shows, as the Brazilian clocked the fastest time of the day and amassed the most laps as well.

Speaking to reporters in the Valencian paddock, Felipe Massa shared about his official return to Formula One, "For sure I'm happy to be back after such a long time watching the races in television, sometimes on track. I think it was a very positive day. The car behaved very well. We managed to start and finish our programme like expected, even did a few more laps than expected. So I think it all went very well on the first day.

"The car behaved in a good direction in terms of... I felt it was an easier car to drive compared to last year's. Last year it was always difficult to find the balance. This year it was just one day but at least it was quite positive and quite easier to find the set-up and the balance.

"Also in the tyres I didn't feel any problems. I think everything went in a very good direction for the first day but it's not enough. There's still a lot to improve until the first race, which is the most important thing.

"I'm happy for the first day," Massa added, "It was not like last year, when we already knew there were problems with the car. So this time we could finish our programme in a very easy way, so I'm quite happy.

"It's always good to have a good first impression of the car, but I still know there's a long way to go. So we need to work every day. We know how F1 changes to quickly that if you don't improve the car every day it's difficult."

The six year Ferrari veteran driver will continue tomorrow, with his teammate Fernando Alonso taking the wheel on Wednesday.

Source: F1 Technical

Kovalainen still set for rallying and F1

Lotus has not banned Heikki Kovalainen from contesting rallies.

After emerging from his restrictive McLaren contract, the 28-year-old Finn hinted he would take advantage by doing a rally this winter.

The Arctic Lapland Rally was touted, but France's Auto Hebdo claimed Kovalainen had decided against it because he "does not have time to prepare seriously".

Finland's Turun Sanomat, confirming that Kovalainen's new Lotus contract does not forbid rally outings, asked the 2008 Hungarian GP winner about his decision.

"I would certainly have liked to have been out there, but if you do rallies, even for fun, you still need to do some preparation.

"It would have meant a couple of weeks for the project. At this stage, I preferred to spend the time at the (Lotus) factory," Kovalainen explained.

Source: F1 Complete

Valencia day one - Massa leads the way for Ferrari

If Ferrari’s Felipe Massa wanted to prove he hasn’t changed since his life-threatening accident last July, he did a very good job on Monday in Valencia, topping the timesheets as this year’s opening test got underway at the Spanish track. Massa covered 102 laps in the new F10, clocking a best time of 1m 12.574s.

Second quickest was Pedro de la Rosa for BMW Sauber. De la Rosa, who has opted to forsake his long-held test role at McLaren for a chance to race at the Swiss team, will no doubt be pleased with the maiden showing of his C29, after he ended the day just over two-tenths down on Massa’s Ferrari.

The third slot on the timesheets was taken up by returning seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, who made his debut outing for new team Mercedes. Covering 40 laps during the course of the afternoon, Schumacher took over the W01 from team mate Nico Rosberg, who posted the day’s fourth-fastest time during the morning session.

Fifth quickest was McLaren tester Gary Paffett, who was charged with giving the MP4-25 its maiden run and completed 86 laps. Paffett was the last runner to make it under the 1m 13s mark, with Rubens Barrichello ending the day in sixth following his first day in the new Williams FW32. Barrichello covered 75 laps for his new team.

Despite only managing to complete 18 laps after his STR5 suffered a gearbox issue, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi finished seventh. The final runner was Robert Kubica for Renault. Kubica finished eighth after clocking a best time of 1m 15.000 over his 69 laps in the R30.

Testing continues at Valencia until Wednesday.


Unofficial Monday test times from Valencia:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:12.574, 102 Laps
2. Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber, 1:12.784, 74 Laps
3. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP, 1:12.947, 40 Laps
4. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, 1:13.543, 39 Laps
5. Gary Paffett, McLaren, 1:13.846, 86 Laps
6. Rubens Barrichello, Williams, 1:14.449, 75 Laps
7. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 1:14.762, 18 Laps
8. Robert Kubica, Renault, 1:15.000, 69 Laps

Source: Formula1.com

Kimi Räikkönen Arctic Rally Lapland 2010 Behind The Scenes

Source:http://www.kimiraikkonen.com/

Some more photos from Kimi at the finish of Arctic Rally Lapland

Source: reissumies.info

Photos from Valencia testing

Arctic Rally: Kimi finishes 58th overall; 2nd in his category

Citroen driver Dani Sordo has won the 2010 Arctic Lapland Rally after dominating the Finnish event. Sordo's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen put in an impressive performance, despite crashing on the first day, with a string of second fastest stage times throughout the event.

This was Raikkonen's first time driving the Citroen C4 WRC in competitive conditions and without yesterday's crash, he would have finished 6 minutes behind Sordo.

Raikkonen's co-driver Kaj Lindstrom commented after SS9: "The difference to Dani is now 0.9 seconds per kilometre.

"We know where the difference comes from, therefore it's a relief. It would be different if you had to think to yourself that you are going damn fast but still be behind, that would be worrying.

"We are still setting the car up so Kimi doesn't yet have 100% confidence in how it behaves. It affects the way we go into corners. We are braking early when there is ice because we don't want to do anything stupid, that's where the differences in time come from. The notes will also improve once we see how fast we can go," Lindstrom added to MTV3.

Kimi Raikkonen commented at the finish: "Once we get the car the way we want it, it will be quite easy to go faster. I don't think that it will be terribly difficult to drive faster when I know myself that the car is not going the way I want it to.

"This is the fifth rally for me so it's not really something to worry about. I learned quite a lot and it will be much better for Sweden. The main thing was that we were able to get some kilometres behind us. It doesn't matter that we finished in a lowly position," he added.

Arctic Lapland Rally 2010 Results

1. Dani Sordo/Marc Marti (E) Citroen C4 WRC 1:38.29,1 (1. A18)
2. Kosti Katajamäki/Lasse Hirvijärvi (FIN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +6.07,7
3. Jarkko Miettinen/Mikko Lukka (FIN) Skoda Fabia S2000 +7.16,1
4. Juha Salo/Mika Stenberg (FIN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +8.06,9
5. Kristian Sohlberg/Peter Flythström (FIN) Subaru Impreza WRX STI N15 +9.12,3
6. Ari Vihavainen/Antti Piira (FIN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +9.40,6
7. Atte Alanen/Pasi Hedman (FIN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +9.44,5
8. Tommi Luostarinen/Risto Pietiläinen (FIN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +9.48,9
9. Jukka Ketomäki/Kai Risberg (FIN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +10.45,8
10. Marko Ipatti/Kari Kajula (FIN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +10.46,9

Source: RallyBuzz

Massa back on track as testing kicks off

Felipe Massa has returned to the cockpit of a competitive Formula One car for the first time in six months.

Massa was among the first of the drivers on track on the opening day of the first F1 test of the season at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

The Ferrari driver required life-saving surgery after an accident in qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix last July. The 28-year-old Brazilian, who now has a metal plate inside his skull to repair the fracture he sustained in the crash, has since made a superb recovery.

Although Massa has driven karts, and most recently a 2008-spec Ferrari in a private test in Barcelona, the moment he pulled out of the garage in the new F10 was his most significant since the smash.

Massa was joined on track by McLaren test driver Gary Paffett, Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa, Robert Kubica in his Renault, Rubens Barrichello for Williams, Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi and Nico Rosberg in the new Mercedes.

It is the first time a works Mercedes has been seen on a circuit since Juan Manuel Fangio won the Drivers' title for the team in 1955.

Mercedes now have a 75% stake in last year's Championship-winning team Brawn GP, with Michael Schumacher coaxed out of retirement to form an all-German line-up with Rosberg.

After a hiatus of more than three years, the seven-time World Champion is scheduled to make his return to action in the afternoon session.

Source: Planet F1

New Mercedes, Toro Rosso & Williams break cover as testing starts

As 2010’s first pre-season test began at Valencia on Monday morning, fans got their first glimpse of the Mercedes GP MGP W01, the Toro Rosso STR5 and the Williams FW32, with the three teams launching their new cars at the Spanish circuit.

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg unveiled Mercedes’ challenger, in its silver and green livery, while Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari were on hand as the wraps came off Toro Rosso’s Ferrari-powered machine. Williams, meanwhile, chose to hit the track with little pomp or ceremony, Rubens Barrichello giving their Cosworth-powered design its official debut.

Rosberg will be first to sample the W01, the first car produced by Mercedes following their takeover of Brawn GP late last year, before returning seven-time champion Schumacher takes over the car later in the day.

Toro Rosso, with their unchanged driver line-up, hope the STR5 will move them up the grid after the Red Bull-owned team’s tenth-place finish in the 2009 constructors’ championship. Williams, who will field reigning GP2 champion Nico Hulkenberg alongside Barrichello, are out to improve on their seventh place of last year.

Source: Formula1.com

Arctic victory a confidence boost, says Sordo

A dominating performance in the Arctic Lapland rally at the weekend has left Citroen factory team driver Dani Sordo feeling more confident about his chances of success in Rally Sweden, the opening round of the World Rally Championship, which gets underway on 11 February.

Sordo and co-driver Marc Marti took an easy win on the Rovaniemi-based rally - the opening round of the Finnish Championship - which they tackled as part of their pre-season test programme.

Driving the same C4 WRC they will campaign in the 2010 World Championship, they faced little real challengers on an event which doesn't normally allow World Rally Car entries. His Citroen stable-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, was the only other competitor in a top level car, while Estonian Ott Tanak was the only other WRC entrant, in a 2003 specification Ford Focus.

Throughout the rally, Sordo didn't put a foot wrong. The Spaniard set 12 fastest times in as many stages and felt his driving on ice and snow had benefited from the experience. "I enjoyed myself so much that I would happily have driven on for a few more stages!" he said. "This weekend went well, run in perfect conditions, and we were able to carry out some useful work with the team.

"Of course, there was no real pressure. All the more reason for us to drive a very disciplined event! After looking at the data with the engineers, it’s clear that we’ve made consistent progress. That gives me a lot of confidence as we head into the new season, which is just a few days away now."

After an awkward start to his World Rally Car driving debut, when he lost more than 30 minutes after an accident soon after the start, Raikkonen completed the rally in a positive frame of mind. Throughout the two days of the rally, the gap between Dani and the Finn stayed consistent at around eight-tenths of a second per kilometre.

"Things didn’t exactly get off to the best start as we went off the road during the second stage," explained the Citroen Junior Team driver. "But luckily there was no mechanical damage and I was able to continue in the rally. From there it got a lot better for me and we were much more consistent. We put a few more kilometres under our belt, which was vital to help us continue learning the C4 WRC. As well as being pleased by our performances I was also pleased by the way we were able to work with the team.

"We developed our set-up in the right direction and now we are going to continue our work in order to arrive in Sweden in the strongest possible position."

Benoit Nogier, Citroën Racing Technologies team manager, concluded: "This practice event allowed the team to make more progress in preparation for the Rally Sweden.

Dani drove exactly the sort of rally that we expected from him. He was fast and consistent, growing in confidence on the surface that comes least naturally to him. As for Kimi, he was quickly able to put his mishap at the start of the rally behind him and get to the end of a complex event, whilst improving at the same pace as Dani."

Source: WRC