New Flyslot Lotus 78

Photos from Crazy4Slot.com of the new Flyslot Lotus 78.

F1 spoiler!

The rest of the field in the Australian GP saw nothing but this...

F1 season wrap up video

An awesome video from the 2010 season.

New SCX McLaren F1

Hamilton Vodaphone commercial

I thought the premise of this Lewis Hamilton Vodaphone McLaren commercial was nice... yeah I know not slot related...

Bahrain F1 Qualifying

F1 Qualifying from Bahrain:
Drivers:
1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1m 54.101s
2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 1m 54.242s
3. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 1m 54.242s

Q: Sebastian, the testing did not tell us very much. You have picked up where you left off but how big a surprise is pole position to you?
Sebastian Vettel: A big surprise. I mean in winter testing no-one really knew where we were. Of course it was clear that there were four teams pretty strong, but close to each other. To be honest yesterday it was a very tough day for us and we had not as much running as we were hoping for. Another long night especially for the mechanics, not a lot of sleep, some tired faces, but everyone was still keen this morning to push. I knew we had a great car but first of all you have to get it together. I have to say practice this morning and qualifying went pretty smoothly. Obviously I am very, very happy to be on pole, so thanks to the team. As I said the boys didn’t get much sleep in the last month with a lot of testing in a short amount of time. To come here first time everyone really shows how strong they are and to be on top is definitely a very, very nice feeling.

Q: Felipe, what comeback for you from injury. Tell us about how you feel today about your journey back here and your performance today.
Felipe Massa: Well, first of all congratulations to Sebastian he did a great job for the first race of the season. I think it is very nice to be back here racing competitively and in a good direction. I feel very happy to be back after such a difficult time. I was watching the races on television and was pretty excited but it is much better to be sat in the car. I prepared myself in a good direction, testing, driving go-karts, everything was great to be back in the car for racing and if you look at what happened last season with us I think it is a good start to the season for us. After a difficult season where we finished in the last race and where we are starting the season in the first race is always great for the team, great for the guys who did a very tough job inside the factory since a long time, so I feel really positive to start on the first race second. We are second and third and for the team that is really great and we will see how we doing in the race. Red Bull and also some other teams are really strong, so the race will be very difficult but I am very happy to be here fighting for the top.

Q: Fernando, the margins at the end of qualifying were quite a bit bigger than they were at the beginning. What do you put that down to and how do you feel about where you have ended up?
Fernando Alonso: Well, I think the difference is difficult to read. With such a long lap like this one and with the conditions we were facing, with this very warm temperature, I think it is very difficult to complete that long lap with no mistakes and not any problems. I think the times are related to how the gap was as well and about the competitiveness of the car. I think in different parts of the weekend we saw times that were very tight and times that were split like they are now but I think it is okay. From our point of view we are obviously extremely happy with the result of this weekend so far. The race is tomorrow. We cannot forget this but so far everything has been great and we will keep going as we did all winter testing with a very strong car and I think competitive in all conditions, qualifying and race, and to be second and third as Felipe said is a great achievement for everybody in the factory at Maranello and the job they did from November last year until now was flat out every day and every night and the first result of the season is very, very positive, so this is a big boost for the team to carry on.

Photo used with permission from Red Bull Racing.

Lotus F1 revealed

What a wonderful track!

Check out this Monaco themed slot track!

Schumacher returns to F1!!!!!!

http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2009/12/10303.html
See this link to read the interview where Michael Schumacher answers questions about his return to Formula 1 competing for the newly-formed Mercedes GP team.

From the interview:
Q: Michael, welcome back to Formula One. Your signature on the contract has hardly dried - can you say something about the content of your contract?
Michael Schumacher: Yep, the deal was done only hours ago. Regarding the driving, the time frame is three years. There was never any intention to do a one-off. There will be an option after that to be brand ambassador for Mercedes, which would make sense in a way.

Last one out turn off the lights....

With so many of the high profile teams leaving F1 it makes you wonder how long it will be before it's only Ferrari and McLaren out there racing against each other...

A statement by Toyota about F1:
“Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces it plans to withdraw from the FIA Formula One World Championship at the end of the 2009 season,” said a statement released by the Japanese car manufacturer.

“TMC, which had viewed its participation in F1 as contributing to the prosperity of automotive culture, remained dedicated to competing at the pinnacle of motor sports, even in the face of the abrupt economic changes that started last year.

“However, when considering TMC’s motor-sports activities next year and beyond from a comprehensive midterm viewpoint reflecting the current severe economic realities, TMC decided to withdraw from F1."

Bridgestone too is leaving as tire supplier.

From the Bridgestone motorsport website:
Bridgestone Corporation today announced that it will not enter into a new tyre supply contract with the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1) series; the current contract is set to expire at the end of the 2010 season.

In addressing the impact of the continuing evolution of the business environment on its decision, the company focused on the need to redirect its resources towards the further intensive development of those innovative technologies and strategic products which support the company’s goals and further enhance the company’s reputation as a technology leader.

Over the years, the company has benefited directly from its involvement in Formula One racing. The lessons learned through Bridgestone’s successful participation have translated into innovations that can be applied to the design and manufacture of high performance tyres. In addition, its collaboration with F1 has contributed to increased brand awareness and the recognition of Bridgestone as a leader in the global tyre industry.

Having achieved these goals, Bridgestone is now poised to take its technological and brand building efforts to the next level. Bridgestone is committed to supporting F1 and the series’ teams through the completion of the 2010 season. The company also expressed its sincere appreciation and gratitude to the management of Formula One, the F1 teams and support staff, and the F1 fans around the world for their enthusiasm and support for Bridgestone over the last 13 years."

And with rumors swirling about whether Renault will return they made this annoucement recently...

"The Renault F1 Team is delighted to announce the signing of a three-year partnership with TW Steel, the Dutch watchmaker, which will become the official timing partner of the team."

At least for the time being Renault seems to still be in the F1 business.

Ferrari puts Fisichella in for Monza

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro announces that it has appointed Giancarlo Fisichella to drive car number 3 from now to the end of the 2009 season.

See the story at this link.

BMW F1 video - press conference

Schumacher returns!!!!!!!!!

From SpeedTv.com it's official!

Michael Schumacher has returned to Formula 1 for Ferrari in place of Massa.

BMW leaves F1

The BMW Group will not continue its Formula One campaign after the end of the 2009 season. Resources freed up as a result are to be dedicated to the development of new drive technologies and projects in the field of sustainability. BMW will continue to be actively involved in other motor sports series. The landmark decision to restructure BMW Motorsport’s activities was made at the Board of Management’s meeting yesterday.

“Of course, this was a difficult decision for us. But it’s a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment," explained Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula One campaign is thus less a key promoter for us. Mario Theissen has been in charge of our motor sports program since 1999. We have scored a large number of successes in this period, including some in Formula One racing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mario Theissen and his team for this,” said, Reithofer.

Dr. Klaus Draeger, the member of the Board of Management responsible for development, said: “It only took us three years to establish ourselves as a top team with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet expectations in the current season. Nevertheless, our ten years of Formula One experience have had a major impact on our development engineers. We have racing to thank for numerous technological innovations as well as the competitive spirit that drives us to develop mass-produced cars.” Possible redundancies in Munich and Hinwil cannot be quantified at present. Says Draeger: “Since we only made this decision yesterday, we cannot provide any more precise information. We will develop and assess various scenarios and do our best to find a solution for the employees in Hinwil and the staff members involved in the Formula One project in Munich. We are aware of the responsibility we shoulder and will inform the staff as soon as we can make a clear statement."

Says BMW Motorsport director Dr. Mario Theissen: “Of course, we, the employees in Hinwil and Munich, would all have liked to continue this ambitious campaign and show that this season was just a hiccup following three successful years. But I can understand why this decision was made from a corporate perspective. We will now focus sharply on the remaining races and demonstrate our fighting spirit and put in a good result as we bid farewell to Formula One racing.”

BMW will continue its programs in a number of motor sports series: BMW will appear on the starting grid in the touring car series and young driver promotion program in Formula BMW. This will be supplemented by BMW’s participation in ALMS, the American Le Mans Series, endurance races and close-to-production customer sports. Furthermore, BMW Motorrad Motorsport will continue its campaigns, with the super bike world championship leading the way.
BMW looks back on a long track record of success in the field of motor sports:
BMW achieved eight Formula One victories from 1982 to 1985 with Brabham. In 1983, BMW won the driver’s championship with Nelson Piquet (Brabham BMW). The last win with the legendary turbo engine followed with Benetton in 1986. Ten victories were scored during the partnership with Williams (2000-2005). BMW had a total of 19 grand prix wins and 33 pole positions before the BMW Sauber F1 Team era.

In its debut season in 2006, the newly established BMW Sauber F1 Team wound up fifth in the constructor’s championship. In 2007, the German-Swiss team came in second after McLaren-Mercedes’ exclusion from the points standings. The 2008 season saw the team in the hunt for the world championship until the end of the season, winding up third. Polish-born Robert Kubica achieved the first and hitherto only GP victory in Canada on June 8, 2008. So far, the BMW Sauber F1 Team has taken one pole position (Kubica in Bahrain in 2008) and 16 podium finishes. The BMW Sauber F1 Team occupies the eighth spot in the manufacturer’s standings in the season presently underway.

News used with permission from BMW Motorsport.

Timo Glock introduces us to his crew

Timo and his F1 crew in this video.

Williams F1's at Goodwood-video

Check out this video, produced by Williams F1, about Williams F1's at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Senna F1

The new SCX Ayrton Senna F1 McLaren.




Read the newsletter at this link.

McLaren free practice notes-Silverstone

In order to explore the performance of MP4-24 to a fuller extent, the team has chosen to pursue differing paths for Lewis and Heikki over the course of the Silverstone weekend. Today’s practice was the most divergent of the season so far: on a track where the benefits of using KERS are less pronounced, Heikki’s engineers chose to continue running the system while Lewis’s team decided to focus on developing the most effective balance without it.
Also evaluated today were further modifications to the floor and front wing, the back-to-backing of tongued and standard static front hubs and the addition of new double-fin sidepod strakes.

LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-04
P1 programme 26 laps 1m20.650s (8th)
Lewis spent the morning understanding the balance of the car and was encouraged by its consistency. He completed two installation laps and three runs, all on the Prime tyre, as he evaluated a series of new aero components. With the track starting off cold and slippery and the tyres requiring several laps to reach their optimum, Lewis spent the morning working down to a fast time. He completed runs of four laps/1m23.722s best; six laps/1m21.026s and seven laps/1m20.650s, ending the morning session eighth fastest.
“It took a while to get used to the car this morning,” he said. “It feels a little different from what we’ve been running in previous races. Generally, I’m very happy with the balance but, with a revised car and on a high-speed circuit like this, it takes a bit longer than usual to find the limit.”

P2 programme 35 laps 1m20.417s (7th)
Lewis’s opening five-lap run (1m21.181s) felt different from the pace shown this morning. Nonetheless, his second run, on Primes, was remarkably consistent, seeing him post the following eight-lap sequence: 1m22.572s, 1m22.736s, 1m21,826s, 1m21.862s, 1m21.768s, 1m24.032s, 1m21.644s and 1m21.688s. Two further runs on Options (10 laps/1m21.475s and four laps/1m20.417s) concluded his session.
“It’s no secret that we’re lacking speed in the faster sections,” Lewis concluded. “But the car wasn’t too bad today. The balance was good, we’ve made some set-up changes and it now appears to be fairly consistent. But this has already turned out to be one of the best weekends of the year for me because I’m at my home grand prix and the fans are incredible here – I’ve seen and felt their support from the very first lap I did today.”

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-02
P1 programme 22 laps 1m21.029s (12th)
Heikki completed three runs this morning: five laps/1m22.779s;four laps/1m22.161s and six laps/1m21.029s. MP4-24’s lack of high-speed grip and its nervousness in the faster corners meant it was difficult to extract a strong time from the car, but Heikki felt the team made progress with its understanding of the car and its balance at high speed.
“Firstly, it’s great to be back at Silverstone because it’s a circuit I love,” Heikki said. “I got pole position last year and I really enjoy driving here. We know we face a tougher weekend this season because we’re lacking grip, but the balance of the car didn’t feel too bad this morning. As Lewis is running without KERS this weekend, we now have to analyse the balance of both cars and see what we’ll do for the rest of the weekend.”

P2 programme 37 laps 1m20.733s (12th)
Another busy session. Heikki started off on Primes (five laps/1m21.796s) and Options (three laps/1m20.859s) before starting his long-run programme, completing runs of seven laps (Primes/1m22.682s) and eight laps (Options/1m22.822s).
“We’re definitely making progress,” he said afterwards. “It’s still difficult to say whether it’s an advantage to be running KERS, but I felt I was getting a laptime benefit from the system. This weekend will be all about developing our car and seeing what difference the changes make to both Lewis’s and my pace. The whole team is pushing like crazy and we’re getting a better understanding of our car. Whatever happens, we are definitely going to learn a lot of useful things about the car this weekend.”

1 Sebastien Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m19.456 39 laps
2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m19.597 35
3 Adrian Sutil Force India 1m20.141 41
4 Kazuki Nakajima Williams F1 1m20.209 36
5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1m20.237 36
6 Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP 1m20.244 26
7 Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m20.417 35
8 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1m20.458 40
9 Nico Rosberg Williams F1 1m20.468 42
10 Nelson Piquet Jr Renault 1m20.608 37
11 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1m20.622 23
12 Heikki Kovalainen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m20.733 37
13 Timo Glock Toyota 1m20.762 37
14 Jenson Button Brawn GP 1m20.767 28
15 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1m20.932 35
16 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso 1m20.945 36
17 Felipe Massa Scuderia Ferrari 1m21.005 37
18 Kimi Raikkonen Scuderia Ferrari 1m21.132 38
19 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1m21.413 40
20 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1m21.668 37

Session 1
Pos Driver Constructor Time Laps
1 Sebastien Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m19.400 20
2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m19.682 19
3 Jenson Button Brawn GP 1m20.227 20
4 Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP 1m20.242 29
5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1m20.458 26
6 Felipe Massa Scuderia Ferrari 1m20.471 23
7 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1m20.585 32
8 Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m20.650 26
9 Nico Rosberg Williams F1 1m20.815 32
10 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1m20.838 25
11 Adrian Sutil Force India 1m20.913 22
12 Heikki Kovalainen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m21.029 22
13 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1m21.103 24
14 Kimi Raikkonen Scuderia Ferrari 1m21.179 27
15 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso 1m21.384 23
16 Timo Glock Toyota 1m21.386 32
17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams F1 1m21.489 26
18 Nelson Piquet Jr Renault 1m21.525 30
19 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1m21.590 37
20 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1m21.801 16

News and photos courtesy of McLaren.com, ToyotaF1, and Red Bull no reuse for any reason.

Timo Glock Turkish GP interview

Nascar vs. F1... a tired argument taken to new... um.. heights?