Alonso: Too early to judge upgrades

Fernando Alonso concedes he has no idea where Ferrari stand in the Turkish pecking order, although he does believe their rivals have improved

After a trying start to the Championship, Ferrari arrived in Istanbul with several upgrades for their 150° Italia, including a new front and rear wing.

Alonso proved to be quickest in the wet during the morning session while his team-mate Felipe Massa was the lead Ferrari in the dry during the afternoon, taking sixth place.

Alonso, though, could only manage P11 after suffering a reported hydraulic problem that kept him in the pits for a while. And when he did venture out, his car broke down at the entrance to the pit lane.

"It's difficult to evaluate right now because we just finished practice, but the car felt good," said the double World Champion.

"Felt okay this morning, felt okay this afternoon. We had some mechanical issues in my car, but nothing too worrying. So we'll see tomorrow.

"In terms of performance as I said it's difficult to evaluate after a Friday, you never know what the others are doing as well, but we did a step forward. We need to see how big it was.

"All the improvements we've brought here are aerodynamic parts, obviously what you feel in the car is a little bit more overall grip. If it's down to the tyres, to the improvements, to the track conditions, or everybody's feeling a good grip, we don't know.

"It's too early to say, but we'll wait for tomorrow. The target is to be fighting with them.

"I think Mercedes also improved a lot, they are quick. Renault I think also, they will also be competitive. So it's tough. I think two or three tenths, you can be fourth or fifth, or ninth, so we just need to make our best tomorrow.

"We need to take out the best of the car, the maximum potential we have, and be in front of all these people."

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton: Tyre wear not that dramatic

Lewis Hamilton says tyre wear around the Istanbul Park is not as bad as many drivers initially feared it would be

Prior to the Turkish GP, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembrey stated that it could be the worst race for the Italian manufacturer as they were expecting high wear.

However, Friday's cooler temperatures, which saw rain in opening practice and a maximum of just 22 degrees in the afternoon session, meant the wear was not nearly as bad as predicted.

And with temperatures expected to remain low with more rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday, Hamilton is predicting just three, or even as few as two, stops in Sunday's grand prix.

"Quite surprised that they felt very similar to the last race," the McLaren driver told Autosport.

"I thought they'd be a lot worse here, but the long run was probably one of the best practice long runs I've ever had, so it was really good.

"I expect something similar to Shanghai, definitely. Two or three stops, no more than that."

Source: Planet-F1

Vettel: A bit more difficult but not much

Sebastian Vettel is adamant his accident on Friday morning will not hurt his chances of winning the Turkish Grand Prix

With two race wins and a second-placed finish to his name, the defending World Champion is sitting at the top of the standings heading into Sunday's grand prix.

However, he blotted his good record for this campaign when he crashed his RB7, dubbed 'Kinky Kylie', in Friday's opening practice at the Istanbul Park.

Venturing out for his first shot at a lap time, Vettel ran wide at the exit of Turn 8, sending him spinning across the track before slamming hard into the barriers.

The German's car was badly damaged, forcing him to sit out Friday's second session.

However, Vettel insists it won't put too much of a spanner in the works as he bids for his first Turkish GP win.

"Unfortunately we couldn't get the car ready in time, I'm sorry for the guys," the defending World Champion said.

"It makes it a bit more difficult no doubt, but I don't think it will be a big problem. We know the track quite well from the last years. In the end it was only one afternoon we had in the dry. Tomorrow I think it will be dry.

"We'll see. I'm still confident for tomorrow. Everything is open. It looks fairly close, this afternoon I had a bit more time to watch the times than usually. I think it will be quite exciting tomorrow."

The German has already admitted the accident was a driver error but instead of hiding away in his team's motorhome, he spent Friday afternoon with his mechanics in the garage.

"It was only fair," he said. "Obviously I apologised, because it was not my intention to damage the car. But this is racing, this can happen. The most important thing is that we are still here.

"Of course this means a lot of work for the mechanics now, but it's only fair to show them that I am with them, because if I'm struggling or I have a problem they are with me as well."

Source: Planet-F1

Massa: “important for fans to see a really exciting show”

Felipe Massa was called up to today’s FIA press conference in the Istanbul media centre, for the obvious reason that he has won this race three times out of the total of six Turkish Grands Prix held to date. “Of course I’m happy to be at a track where I have won three years in succession from pole,” said the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver. “It’s a great feeling, even if the last two years here have not been so successful, so I hope this weekend we go in the same direction as in the past. Everyone at the track is well wrapped up against the cold and the rain, something never before experienced here, which raises the possibility of a wet race. “It could be a good thing or a bad one, but above all it would be a lottery,” commented the Brazilian. “In winter testing we did very few laps in the rain so it is hard to know what to expect,” he added before moving on to explain what the Scuderia has been up to since China. “Everyone has been working so hard during the break, trying to understand more about the car,” he said. “I hope the new step we have here will be interesting for us, especially for qualifying, given that our race pace is much better than on Saturday afternoon. However, all the teams have been trying to make progress, so until we are actually on track, it is difficult to know what our new parts will deliver and then, the weather could actually make that even harder to assess.”

Asked if he and the team felt under pressure after the results of the first three races, Felipe admitted that now was the time for Ferrari to react. “Clearly, in qualifying Red Bull has had the quickest car and McLaren has also been strong. If you consider that Sebastian’s (Vettel) worst result so far is a second place, it means he already has a big points advantage. So we need to make a significant step here in Barcelona, because even though of course, we never give up, the points gap is quite big now. We must start to get closer to them.”

Whatever the situation regarding Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Felipe was very positive about the current state of health of Formula 1. “I have heard so many good things since the last race in China, from the press and from other people,” he revealed. “Everyone seems very impressed with the racing and the good fights, the overtaking and the influence of the rear wing, the KERS and the tyres. We drivers have always had fun on the track, but it’s important for the fans to see a really exciting show and it seems we are moving in a good direction on this front compared to last year.”

All the drivers in the conference were asked to say a word about Robert Kubica, the Renault driver recently released from hospital after an horrific rallying accident. “I have known Robert for a very long time,” said Felipe. “Since he was in Formula Renault in fact. He is a great driver and a very nice guy and I miss fighting with him on the track. I hope he can soon return to what he likes doing best, which means racing.”

Finally, Felipe could not help laughing when a journalist mentioned rumours about his being replaced within Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro next year. “What, is it that time already?” joked the Brazilian. “Every year since I have been with Ferrari, there are these rumours and always around this time of year. And like every year, I have nothing to say!”

Source: Ferrari.com

Webber likely to end career at Red Bull

Mark Webber insists he is keeping his options open for next year but admitted it was unlikely he would leave Red Bull for another team.

Webber is on a rolling year-by-year contract with the team and it was about this time last year, after two victories in Spain and Monaco, that he signed up for 2011. But he said the situation is different this time around and a decision would not be dependent on results.

"It's a bit harder," he told reporters on Thursday. "So whether it ends this year or I go again next year, it doesn't depend on results. Results will be fine. It depends on how I feel."

Webber played down the likelihood of driving for another team in 2012 after stories last week that he might look elsewhere.

"I've three options: stay here, stop or drive somewhere else - which is probably unlikely," Webber added. "I am obviously in good contact with the team, and every year we've done the same. It's obviously a lot down to how I feel about things and we'll see how we feel later in the year. We haven't had too many discussions of yet, but obviously in the next few months things will start."

He said moving from Williams to Red Bull in 2007 had been a key moment in his career and, hinting that he was keen to stay at bit longer, added: "There have been a lot of things that have happened in the last few years that have been big highlights for me, sensational moments. I hope I can add to those in the next few years and go from there. There are still a lot of big boxes to tick."

Source: ESPNF1

Sebastian Vettel not worried about KERS in Turkey

World champion Sebastian Vettel insists he is not worried about KERS in Turkey this weekend, despite the problems that have afflicted the system on the Red Bull this year.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Vettel said, “We have had some problems but have had. That’s why for this next race I am not worried.”

Red Bull left China three weeks ago with clearly the fastest car but far from the best KERS system, after Adrian Newey repackaged the Renault based unit over the winter for best aerodynamic performance, which has been the RB7′s strength.

The repositioning of KERS elements caused cooling problems at the first three races of 2011, but team consultant Helmut Marko insisted this week that the team used the Easter break to fix the system.

The world championship leader also revealed that the RB7 will have some other upgrades for Turkey this weekend.

“When I asked the team what (new) to expect, I received many answers,” Vettel answered cryptically. “You’ll have to ask them for yourself.”

Source: YallaF1

Leading teams to meet for talks on potential takeover and Formula One's future

Four of Formula One’s biggest teams will meet in Germany this month for summit talks regarding the future of the sport

Representatives from Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull are scheduled to meet in Stuttgart a week on Saturday to discuss a range of issues including negotiations over the new Concorde Agreement, various technical regulations including the planned switch to a new 1.6-litre turbo engine from 2013 and, of course, the potential takeover of the sport by a consortium including Rupert Murdoch’s News International and Exor, an investment firm with links to Ferrari.

On Tuesday night, News Corp and Exor released a joint statement confirming their intention to approach the sport’s stakeholders regarding a takeover.

CVC, Formula One’s owners, responded by claiming that the sport was currently not for sale but leaving the door open for a bid.

McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull are likely to grill Ferrari on their intentions with regard to the News Corp-Exor partnership. They may even investigate the possibility of joining the consortium themselves and trying to become joint owners in Formula One.

Former team boss Eddie Jordan said on Wednesday that the News Corp-Exor takeover was “just posturing” and there are many who believe that the teams led as usual by Ferrari are trying to use the threat of a takeover, or a breakaway series, to extract a better deal from F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

Source: The Telegraph

Turkish GP - Alonso: “only race four, so still plenty of time to recover”

Fernando Alonso had his first meeting of the weekend with the press this afternoon and for the first time this season, now that the European leg of the championship is underway, it took place in the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro media hospitality unit in the paddock. However, as the Spaniard explained the pattern of races is similar. “We’ve had three weeks to recover from the first three races and now I am ready for another three races in four weeks, which follows the same pattern as the start of the season, with one race on its own and then two races one week after the other,” explained Fernando. “We will hopefully score more points in these three than in the first three. Last season we lost points at the beginning and then we recovered in the last part and we got close to winning the championship at the final race. This year we are currently losing points and we are aware there is some distance to the leaders. But it is much earlier in the season than last year when we only started to recover at Silverstone around race eleven or so and now this is only race four so there is still plenty of time.”

The Scuderia has revealed it will run new front and rear wings and new brake ducts here in Turkey, but Fernando was keen to explain that the media and the fans should not expect miracles. “We know that the new parts we have here will improve the car compared to China: it should be worth a couple of tenths per lap but it is not a revolutionary change,” he said. “We will not change the car completely in just one race. Step by step we must close the gap and we are very happy with the work we did over these last three weeks, but we need to wait, probably until qualifying to see how much of the gap we have closed, given that we can expect the other teams to have also made progress. It will be a good motivation for everyone in the team if we can do well here. For my part, I did what I could in the break, working in the simulator, which is the most a driver can do really to help the team. I am sure we will recover very soon and hopefully here in Turkey, we can see the first signs of some positive results.”

One journalist keen on analysing every aspect of the races pointed out to Alonso that he had not had good opening laps at the first three races this year. “It’s true,” admitted the Ferrari man. “I had clutch problems in China that caused a very slow start, I had a very slow reaction in Malaysia that cost me some places and in Australia, when I was close to having the best start of the grid, Petrov pushed Jenson to the outside and Jenson had to push me to get away from Petrov, so you could say we need to make sure there are no clutch problems, I must improve my reactions and we need to improve our luck factor at the start!

Finally, Fernando was asked about his friend Robert Kubica. “We all miss Robert,” affirmed the Spaniard. “That is the feeling I first had in Australia and when we did the driver group picture there, as is the tradition at the first race, we all had this feeling that someone was missing. We hope he makes a quick recovery and I spoke to him three days ago: he is doing well, even if it is not an easy recovery, but I am sure he will be with us, maybe this year and no doubt next year.”

Source: Ferrari.com

Hamilton: The thrill will continue

Having ended Sebastian Vettel's perfect start, Lewis Hamilton heads to the Turkish GP looking for ways to further close the gap on the defending Champion

When Vettel won the opening two races of the season and took his third straight pole position in China, talk was building that the German driver's lightning-quick Red Bull would be impossible to catch - until Hamilton beat him at the Chinese GP last month.

With the season heading into Europe for the first time, Vettel holds a 21-point lead over Hamilton and is 30 ahead of the Briton's McLaren team-mate Jenson Button. Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber is a point behind Button in fourth.

Hamilton, the F1 Champion in 2008, thinks the suspense is just beginning and predicts further twists in Istanbul.

"There's every reason to believe that the run of interesting and exciting races will continue," he said. "I won this race last year and Istanbul Park is a circuit I really enjoy."

Vettel was undone by McLaren's strategy in Shanghai, where Hamilton took one more pit stop and had fresher tyres in the closing stages.

But it will take more than one glitch to upset the 23-year-old Vettel, whose cool temperament is already a hallmark.

"We have to respect our competitors," Vettel said. "People are pushing hard, but we are pushing very hard too to maintain our strengths."

Tire strategy is likely to prove crucial again in Istanbul, especially given the cooler temperatures than usual.

"We'll be seeing drivers working quite hard to look after their tires throughout the race, particularly in Turn Eight, which is fast and bumpy," Hamilton said. "It's one of the most demanding corners for tyres anywhere on the calendar."

The weather could also dictate how quickly the Pirelli tyres degrade.

"It's going to be a bit colder than we're used to," Button said. "The race is three weeks earlier in the season than it was last year, and that might also have an effect."

Red Bull will be hoping history does not repeat itself in Istanbul. Vettel and Webber lost out on a 1-2 sweep last year when their wheels touched as Vettel passed Webber on the inside, forcing Vettel to spin out of the race.

That gifted Hamilton and Button a 1-2 finish, and sparked a feud between the Red Bull drivers that lingered until the end of the season.

Webber has had to watch Vettel dominate so far this year, but the Australian thrilled fans with an inspired drive in China as he carved his way through the field after starting 18th to finish third.

That means Vettel now has Webber to contend with again, along with the resurgent McLarens, the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, and the aggressive Renaults of Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov.

"Sebastian is very fast, he's got a notable temperament and now he's also got a decent amount of experience," Webber said. "But he's not unbeatable."

Alonso, meanwhile, needs a strong performance to avoid slipping out of contention for the Championship. The two-time former World Champion has yet to finish on the podium this season and is already 42 points adrift.

Alonso's best result was fourth at the season-opener in Australia, but the Spaniard finished behind his team-mate Felipe Massa when finishing sixth in Malaysia and seventh in Shanghai.

Ferrari's lack of pace compared to the Red Bulls and McLarens has been alarming, although engineers have been working hard on improving the aerodynamics in the three weeks since Shanghai.

"We are going through a difficult period and there is no point denying that our start to the season was a disappointing one," Ferrari's chief designer Nikolas Tombazis said.

"We have tried to see if our approach was too conservative and we realized that, for various reasons, we were neither reactive nor aggressive enough in the development stages."

Aggression has not been lacking in Heidfeld and Petrov, with each getting a third-place finish - Heidfeld in Sepang and Petrov in Melbourne.

"We've shown over the first three races that we have a good car," Heidfeld said. "Istanbul could be very interesting because it is the first European race and a lot of teams will bring updates - including us."

Istanbul's circuit features Turn Eight - the 640-meter corner is the longest of the season - and its layout should give Hamilton and other challengers plenty of chances to attack Vettel.

"It is quite a wide track which makes it quite safe," Petrov said. "Overtaking maneuvers are possible so that should help make a great race."

Source: Planet-F1

Massa's Blog: As a racing driver, you always want more

The biggest event in my life since the Chinese Grand Prix is that I turned 30 around a week ago! I celebrated with my family here in Monaco and I have to admit, it did feel significant hitting thirty. Although, on the other hand, I don’t feel any different, I don’t feel older but it’s strange not be twenty something anymore. When I first appeared in Formula 1, I was twenty: it was ten years ago and I cannot complain about my career and my life since then, which has always delivered more than I expected. But as a racing driver, as a competitor, you can never be happy and you always want more and that is what motivates me. Looking at the current driver line-up in F1, I can take encouragement from the fact that, even if there are plenty of very young drivers in the sport, there are also guys like Michael (Schumacher) who show that it is possible to have a very long career and seeing him still competing makes me feel even younger!

After a long break from racing, I will be heading for Turkey very early on Thursday morning and I have to say that Istanbul is a very special place for me, as it was here in 2006 that I took my first ever F1 victory, which is something no driver can ever forget. I remember it as an incredible win from pole position and also I recall the fact I finished ahead of Michael and Fernando who were fighting for the championship that year, which all added to making it a great achievement. And after that, I made it a hat-trick, winning for the next two years, when I was definitely the fastest man on track. In fact, apart from the three wins from three poles, since I am in Ferrari I have always finished in the points at Istanbul Park, but I hope the Turkish wins won’t stop at three! It sounds strange, but looking back at my results in Istanbul and combining it with my recent significant birthday, it might even be a further motivation to get a good result this weekend. However, we must be realistic and I know we need a good improvement on the car, as we were not as strong as we expected in the first three races. But everyone in Maranello has been working very hard to produce some aero updates for this race, so hopefully we can be a bit stronger, even though these new elements cannot be considered to be a major upgrade. That is the story for this weekend, but we can expect more improvements to follow at the races immediately after this one.

If you look at our positions in qualifying at the last race, we did not have the performance to deliver a podium result, but during the race itself our pace was such that we were actually fighting for a top three finish. We cannot say now what the situation will be in Turkey, because if we have been working hard, then so have the other teams, but it is not impossible that we will find ourselves with a car capable of fighting for a podium. It is true that the tyre situation is the same for everyone, but it is equally true that this could again be the key factor in deciding what happens in the race. The famous Turn 8 will be very important, because you really put a very heavy load on the tyres at this corner so we need to think carefully about the car set-up to deal with it and control the degradation. One element that could make this a completely different situation is that, currently, the weather forecast predicts some rain on nearly every day of the race weekend, which means we and especially our strategists, have to be very concentrated and ready for anything. I can’t remember rain in Istanbul, so it could make life interesting.

Since China, I’ve kept in touch with my engineers to know what they are working on and I also spent two days at the factory and in the simulator last week, which was important for our development work. I enjoyed having a break from this with the unique opportunity of driving three Ferraris on the same day around Fiorano for a filming event: I had a Formula 1 car, the 458 road car and the 458 in its Challenge version. It was good fun, but the problem was that when you step out of the F1 car and into the road car – even a Ferrari – you have to be very careful about your braking points for the corners, because they are very different. But it all ended safely!

Source: Ferrari.com

Alonso's Blog: No predictions for Istanbul

I arrived in Istanbul this evening along with the team on the usual charter flight that we use for European races. I was in Maranello from Monday night onwards: we had programmed some work in the simulator to prepare for these first few races of the European part of the season and so it was the perfect opportunity to meet up with the engineers to discuss how development is coming on with the 150° Italia. Already in Turkey, we will have a few new aerodynamic components, but further updates are due to arrive in the following races. We know we have to take a significant step forward in terms of performance if we want to get back to fighting for the top places, especially in qualifying. I’m not expecting a major change in Istanbul: on Friday we will see if the new parts work the way we are expecting, but we are well aware that the others have not been twiddling their thumbs these past few weeks, so it’s impossible to say today where we are compared to our main rivals.

We’ve had a slightly longer break than usual and it was useful to pause for breath after the first run of races outside Europe. I made the most of it to spend time with my family, but also to concentrate on upping my training level, working mainly on the bike.

The Istanbul circuit is very technical, with many different types of corner, some serious ups and downs and a couple of places where overtaking was possible in the past: this year that should be even more the case thanks to the moveable rear wing. This element has proved to play an important part in making overtaking easier, but the factor that has the biggest effect on whether one driver can pass another is the difference in tyre performance, as we clearly saw in China. When you end up in trouble with the tyres, it gets very difficult to defend your position from another driver, even if his tyres are just a few laps fresher than yours. Usually, the Istanbul race is pretty demanding on tyres and so it will be very important to get an understanding of their behaviour in Friday’s free practice. At the moment, the weather forecast looks very uncertain, especially for Friday, which adds a further unknown to this weekend.

I don’t want to make any predictions about the final result: we know it will be tough for us, but the will to work hard and to do well is not lacking. I saw that these past few days in Maranello where everyone is working very hard, from Domenicali to the mechanics, so that everyone can get on top of the situation in their own area as soon as possible. It is this great desire to get the job done that makes the people at Maranello so special.

Source: Ferrari.com

Turkish GP Press Conference schedule

Ferrari's Felipe Massa and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton will be among six drivers to field questions at Thursday's FIA press conference in Istanbul

Istanbul is GMT +3

Thursday, May 5 - 15h00:
Timo Glock (Virgin)
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus)
Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
Vitaly Petrov (Renault)
Adrian Sutil (Force India)

Friday, May 6 - 16h00:
Robert Fernley (Force India)
Mike Gascoyne (Lotus)
Norbert Haug (Mercedes)
Christian Horner (Red Bull)
Franz Tost (Toro Rosso)
Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren)

Saturday, May 7 - post qualifying:
Three fastest drivers from qualifying.

Sunday, May 8 - post race:
First three finishing drivers.

Source: Planet-F1

Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton at the Bercy Kart Masters 2011

Karting: The Paris indoor race to use electric karts

The karts will be back at the Bercy sports centre in Paris next December, and this time the drivers will compete aboard the newest generation of electric karts.

The return of the event was expected for years. The official press conference announcing it was held this morning in Paris, unveiling the date of the ERDF Bercy Kart Masters 2011.

The first international races in the world for electric karts will take place on Saturday December 10th (evening) and Sunday 11 (afternoon) with the participation of several of the best drivers in the world.

Philippe Streiff, a former Grand Prix driver and organizer of the Masters in Bercy in the ‘90s, is heading this new project with ERDF, the provider of electric power in France.

While Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna contested the Bercy event behind the wheel of gasoline-powered karts, the next races will take place with fully electric machines.

The French manufacturer Sodikart has been selected to supply the chassis. The electric motor is developing about 30 horsepower at 11,000 rpm, and the full weight of the machine is 114 kg (with 2 batteries located in the sidepods).

Jean-Eric Vergne, the Formula Renault 3.5 driver, tested the kart Electric SODI STX and declared he was fully enthusiastic. "The Sodikart electric kart is fantastic; its power is impressive, proving a vigorous and continuous kick. Since the weight is relatively low, the machine is also quite nimble. I am delighted to contest the Bercy event with this kart,” said Vergne.

Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastien Ogier have already confirmed their participation in December. Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are also very interested to compete, but Philippe Streiff has yet to convince their teams and managers.

Source: Auto123.com
Courtesy: Sleenster

24MAS Announces First Game Based on Kimi Räikkönen, Ice One Racing Franchise

24MAS announced today the first in the series of sports racing titles based on the racing franchise of Kimi Räikkönen, Ice One Racing coming to iPhone, iPad and other smartphones. 24MAS has selected award winning PC and mobile developer BlackBox Interactive to develop the game, having participated in racing titles such as Supercross, ATV Offroad, TROPHYLITE Rally, X Games Snocross, and Ricky Carmichael’s Motocross Match-Up. The first game in the Kimi Räikkönen franchise will focus on four unique racing types, representative of Kimi’s experience and passion for each. The game will be shipping worldwide globally in late summer.

In April it was announced that Kimi Räikkönen is heading to the United States to drive in the premier race of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to start of the 2011 season. The former Formula 1 champion will debut in the N.C. Education Lottery 200 in North Carolina on May 20th, teaming up with owner Kyle Busch. The next stop will be in Greece in the beginning of June where Kimi will participate in 2011 Acropolis: The Rally of Gods. In developing a game series based on Kimi Räikkönen, fans will have the opportunity to follow Räikkönen racing around the world. Providing a progressive play experience based on this multi-faceted platform will give players increased levels of difficulty and a means for which to engage with Kimi and his skill.

“We feel honored to have been selected to partner with 24MAS on the development of a mobile game for Kimi Räikkönen. We welcome him to the United States, and look forward to watching him excite his fans both on the track and in game as he takes on NASCAR as part of Kyle Busch’s team. We are excited to launch a game based on Kimi’s legacy and offer an extension of his already solid brand to his fans, whereby they can engage with him through devices they carry in their pockets," says Richard Cassey, President BlackBox.

"I'm happy with the choice of developer and the game design that will be coming to market. I've tried the first version and it looks really cool so I'm excited to see it once it gets out. As a fan of racing games myself I see The Ice One Racing game as a great opportunity for global brand awareness and an innovative, fun form of sports marketing. I'll be working closely with 24MAS for advertising and marketing initiatives globally," says Kimi Räikkönen.

"We are delighted to be working with BlackBox on the first installment of our new global racing franchise for smartphones. The combination of a world-class franchise of Kimi and a cutting edge development team, is going to give racing fans worldwide a great new experience on tablet and smartphone devices. We have lined up a unique global marketing and advertising partner around the game as well which we will be announcing shortly," says Tero Turunen, CEO 24MAS.

About 24MAS

24MAS is an established leader for targeted mobile advertising, applications and managed services in Asia-Pacific, Latin America, North America and Europe. Through distribution via mobile operators and media companies as well as partnership with publishers and handset manufacturers in five continents, 24MAS gives advertisers and application developers the opportunity to reach mobile subscribers in more than 80 countries via its application and advertising platforms.

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, the company has been in business for over ten years and currently has 120 employees in seven global offices located in Stockholm, London, Zurich, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Lima. http://www.24mas.com.

About BlackBox Interactive

BlackBox Interactive is a digital media company that provides branded video games and mobile applications with innovative solutions to connect with customers through mobile technology. The Phoenix-based company creates customized interactive digital experiences through video games, mobile applications, dynamic advertising and their proprietary YourRealRewards.com platform.

Source: Business Wire
Courtesy: luieluv

Kimi could have drove the whole Nascar-season

Kimi Räikkönen told that he could have drove the whole Nascar-serie already this season.

He starts from the Truck-serie and will see after a couple of races if he will go to Nationwide- or Sprint Cup -series in the future. Räikkönen has agreed upon driving 3-5 races with the team owned by Kyle Busch.

- I could have raced the whole serie this year also if I would have wanted but there are unnecessarily many races for that. Let's just drive what we have agreed upon and see what happens next year, Räikkönen tells MTV3.

- It will become interesting when you start racing with others. I guess it will take it's own time before getting used to not really seeing anything at all to the sides, Kimi says.

- America is quite different. The going is at times quite funny too because they have a completely different approach to the whole motorsport. It's quite laidback in the final games although I've just seen it. It was a funny experience already in the beginning, Kimi smiles.

MTV3 - Antti Rämänen, Anette Latva-Piikkilä
Courtesy: Nicole

Webber: I’m determined to fight for the title

Mark Webber intends to fight for the title just like he did last year

Mark Webber denied that he will retire from Formula 1 if he is not signed by Red Bull for next season and is totally committed to fight for the 2011 title.

The Australian told La Stampa during his showcar run in Turin, “I’m determined. Last year I fought for the title and I want to do it again.”

Team boss Christian Horner claimed recently that Australian Webber has “no desire” to switch to a rival camp as his current contract is set to expire at the end of 2011.

The 34-year-old has had a difficult start to the new season but he told reporters that he is confident of a surge of form in forthcoming races.

“When this championship ends my contract with Red Bull does as well,” Webber told the Italian newspaper. “But I don’t think it depends on the results; I want to win for me.”

“We’ll see,” added Webber. “If the team doesn’t want me any more, I will have to ask myself a question — hang up my helmet or change teams?”

He admitted he has “flaws” but said his teammate and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel does too.

As for Vettel, Webber answered: “Sebastian is very fast and he now has a good amount of experience. But he’s not unbeatable.”

“I prefer not to talk about his weaknesses, but we all have them,” he insisted.

Webber showed ‘true grit’ when he overcame a torrid qualifying in Shanghai, which saw him start 18th on the grid, to recover and after scything through the field in the RB7 finished third.

The message on the day was clear from the Aussie: don’t count me out.

Source: YallaF1

Did Ferrari bend testing ban rules at Fiorano?

Felipe Massa during the recent filming at Fiorano

Ferrari is courting controversy by testing new components for its struggling 2011 car during a track day for “a promotional film” at Maranello last Friday, according to media reports.

“After so many hours in the simulator it was nice to have a break and enjoy myself on track,” Felipe Massa said after the test at Fiorano late last week.

Spain’s AS newspaper said the Ferrari 150 Italia car was featuring “improvements” that will be rolled out in Turkey this coming weekend.

Last year, the wording of the in-season testing ban was improved to explicitly rule out the testing of new components for the few filming days permitted for each team.

Omnicorse.it said the car differed from its Shanghai-specification in the diffuser and rear suspension areas. Brazil’s Globo also said the car Massa drove at Fiorano “had some differences” compared with the car used in Australia, Malaysia and China.

All the reports indicated that the car seemed “higher at the rear” than before, almost certainly to imitate the rake seen in the Red Bull to make best use of a flexible front wing.

Autosprint also reported that it is “likely” Ferrari took a “big risk” and “exploited the opportunity” of the Fiorano filming day to test the Red Bull-style upgrades.

Meanwhile Red Bull driver Mark Webber told La Stampa that he has a theory about Ferrari’s recent struggles, “In Schumacher’s days, the rules didn’t change very much for years and so the team made many small steps forward. Now the changes are big and very often.”

Source: YallaF1

Bahrain uncertainty continues after deadline

Ongoing talks will result in a decision in the next hours

A decision about the possible rescheduling of the Bahrain grand prix this year has been postponed for yet another day.

After the May 1 deadline ran out on Sunday, it had been expected that the governing FIA would declare on Monday if a new date could be set for a 2011 race in the troubled island kingdom.

But as the Paris federation and Bernie Ecclestone apparently disagree about whether the organisers should be given even more time, the F1 chief executive was quoted as saying the sport "will go there this year if the authorities can guarantee a peaceful and quiet race".

The rubber-stamp however must be given by the FIA, and a spokesman told the BBC that ongoing talks will result in a decision "in the next hours".

"The Bahrain government will let us know within this deadline whether they see the conditions (for a rescheduled race) or they don’t," he said.

The situation was muddied as the May 1 deadline expired on Sunday, when the Sakhir circuit issued a vague statement.

Asked what it really meant, a spokesman for the track said: "We are not saying we are hosting it, we are not saying we are not hosting it. We are not saying it is cancelled."

Source: Nextgen-auto

Vettel: I answer because I'm asked

Sebastian Vettel says the only reason he talks so often about racing for Ferrari is because "I'm often asked about it."

With rumours at the start of the year suggesting that Ferrari could be lining Vettel up to replace Felipe Massa in 2012, Red Bull were quick to extend their reigning World Champ's contract.

There is, however, believed to be a performance clause in his new deal, although given that he's won two of this season's opening three races, it doesn't appear as if that will come into play.

But that doesn't mean that the German, who is signed with Red Bull until 2014, wouldn't one day love to race for Ferrari.

He told Italian magazine Autosprint: "Ferrari? If I talk about it so often, it's because I'm often asked about it.

"In fact, there are two reasons - first of all Ferrari is something special, as I've said many times.

"The second reason is that I have to reply to whoever asks me about it. It's a self-feeding situation.

"For me, Ferrari is a legend and, one day, it would be an honour for me to have my name on the list of Ferrari drivers.

"But that doesn't mean I want to go there now - I'm happy where I am and this is why I've renewed for a couple of seasons."

He added: "It is about all the team, not just me or one other person like Adrian (Newey, technical director).

"We are a group and we are together and that is why I decided to stay and to extend my contract by a couple of years more."

Source: Planet-F1

The Turkish GP timetable

The Turkish GP, which takes place around the Istanbul Park circuit, marks the fourth round of the 2011 F1 World Championship

All times are local (Turkey is GMT +3)

Thursday 5 May
15:00: FIA press conference

Friday 6 May
10:00 - 11:30: First free practice
14:00 - 15:30: Second free practice
16:00: FIA press conference

Saturday 7 May
11:00 - 12:00: Third free practice
14:00 - 15:00: Qualifying
15h00: FIA post qualifying press conference

Sunday 8 May
15:00 - 17:00: Turkish GP
17:00: FIA post race press conference

Turkish GP Info
No of Laps: 58
Race Distance:309.396 km
Lap Record: 1:24.770 - JP Montoya (2005)
2010 Winner: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

Source: Planet-F1