FORMULA ONE 2009

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McLaren on 2009: Part Two - KERS, engines & racingWith one winter test session already under their belts, McLaren are fully focused on preparations for the 2009 season and the introduction of some of the biggest and most comprehensive rule changes in Formula One history.

The team抯 top engineers, aerodynamicists, engine expert, test team manager and test driver spoke to the McLaren press office to bring you an exhaustive analysis of the changes and the impact they抮e likely to have

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Alonso aiming for 2009 title with Renault

Renault抯 Fernando Alonso has said his objective for 2009 is simple - to add a third world title to the two he won with the team in 2005 and 2006.

Alonso and Renault experienced a difficult start to their 2008 campaign, but fought back in the latter part of the season with the Spaniard taking back-to-back wins in Singapore and Japan.

With radical rule changes set to shake up the order in 2009, Alonso says he now has to believe the team are well placed to return to the front of the grid when the new season gets underway in Australia in March.

"I can抰 allow myself to start the championship without thinking I抦 going to win," he told reporters at a Madrid charity event organised by team sponsors ING. "My aim - and the team's - is the title. It's a very clear objective, even if as the year progresses one may have to adapt to circumstances."

Alonso is no stranger to adapting to circumstances - midway through 2008 he had scored just 13 points, but turned things around to finish fifth in the final standings with 61 points

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McLaren to launch MP4-24 on January 16

McLaren will reveal their 2009 car at their UK factory midway through next month. The MP4-24 - the machine in which Lewis Hamilton will defend his Formula One drivers

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Finnish training camp to test Hamilton & Kovalainen

While McLaren抯 engineers are busy preparing the team抯 machinery for December抯 two remaining test sessions, drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen are preparing for a test of a very different kind; a five-day pre-season training camp at the Kuortane Sports Institute in western Finland.

Kourtane, McLaren抯 human performance partner, has helped train some of the world抯 top athletes, including Finland抯 Olympic hopefuls, for more than 40 years. The training camp also acts as a useful team-building exercise, with mechanics and engineers joining the drivers for group exercises and tests at the campus.

"Travelling to Finland for our winter training camp is one of the best weeks of the year for me; it feels like you抮e miles from anywhere and totally cut off from the outside world,

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Third Toro Rosso test for Sato

Takuma Sato抯 hopes of returning to the Formula One grid appear very much alive after his management revealed that he has been asked to test for a third time with Toro Rosso next week.

With neither of their 2009 race seats confirmed, the Italian team will put the Japanese driver through his paces again in Spain as they continue to ponder their line-up for next season.

揟akuma has been recalled by Scuderia Toro Rosso to test at Jerez, Spain, on 10/11 December,

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McLaren MP4-23 - revised rear wing



For the final race of the season in Brazil, McLaren have introduced a completely new rear wing. The flap has two outer extensions, which jut out to the main profile's entry edge (see inset and green arrow). Each triangular protrusion partially covers the main profile, thereby creating a channel for the airflow. In comparison to the previous version, the distance between the main profile and flap has been increased to generate higher pressure not just around the extensions but over the entire wing. The change allows the angle of the flap to be reduced so as to boost the car's performance at top speeds, whilst maintaining efficient levels of downforce through the slower sections of the anti-clockwise Interlagos circuit.

[ Last edited by  h@i at 5-12-2008 08:50 AM ]

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Barcelona paddock to be renovated
Updates for the Spanish circuit in 2009


Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, home of Formula One and MotoGP races, is to undergo renovations to its paddock.

The works are slated to take place after both 2009 events, with the Spanish Grand Prix scheduled for May, and MotoGP's Catalan Grand Prix in mid June, according to Catalunya Radio.

Circuit boss Ramon Praderas said the bulk of the work inside the venue would be on the 40,000 square metres of asphalt otherwise known as the 'paddock'.

"We are going to pull up the paddock and make it again," he confirmed, explaining that the task will take two or three months.

Praderas said it will be the first time the paddock has been re-built, at an estimated cost of $6 million, since the circuit was constructed in 1991.

Source: GMM

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Kovalainen seeks change in quail-tactics
''Only once was I lighter than Lewis''


Heikki Kovalainen believes McLaren's approach to the 2008 season cost him race wins.

We reported recently that the Finn was seeking winter talks with the British team's bosses, after he usually went into the decisive 'Q3' phase of qualifying with a higher fuel load than team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Now, in a candid interview with the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell, Kovalainen has confirmed that some behind-the-scenes goings-on during his first season with McLaren often made 'good results impossible'.

"Only once was I lighter than Lewis," said Kovalainen "and that was at Silverstone, where I was on the pole. In all the other qualifyings I was fuelled more heavily. I was often the heaviest guy in the top six or seven"

"Obviously this has an effect also in the race," he insisted, pointing out the compromise in track position, tyre wear, and time lost in traffic.

When rumours began gathering pace that Kovalainen's seemingly lacklustre performances this year might threaten his seat for 2009, the Finn said he had no doubt about his position.

"The team knew exactly what was taking place," he said. "If I had been at the front more often, then I would have won more frequently."

"So that's something we have to look at for the coming year," Kovalainen said.

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German state convenes Hockenheim summit
Manufacturers unwilling to fund Grand Prix


The government of Germany's Baden-Wuerttemberg state has convened a meeting to discuss the financial strife of the Hockenheim circuit.

The loss-making venue said this week that it will no longer host the Grand Prix in 2010 or beyond without state financial support.

And even though state officials have so far declined direct grants, the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper said a meeting with stakeholders of the local region has been organised with the aim of finding a solution.

The German car manufacturers on the grid, however, insist it is not their role to bail out race hosts.

"The teams and manufacturers are responsible for the sport, not for the financing of the race meetings," Mercedes' Norbert Haug told the news agency SID.

A BMW spokesman added: "Commercial considerations are for the organisers and for FOM.It is here that a solution must be found."

Hockenheim's woes have raised doubts that Germany's entire future on the F1 calendar could be in danger, given the current arrangement with the Nurburgring to annually alternate the hosting rights.

"Like some other European races, Germany is a fundamental component of the Grand Prix schedule," a concerned Hermann Tomczyk, sport President of the German automobile club, told DPA.

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New Renault to debut on January 20





Renault's 2009 car, the R29, will make its test track debut on January 20, team driver Fernando Alonso said at a sponsor event on Tuesday.

He also declared at the Madrid charity event, organised by Renault title sponsor ING for UNICEF, that he is scheduled to drive the 2008 car with slick tyres at Jerez on December 10th.

Alonso pointed out that the January car, to feature a KERS system for the first time, will be very different to the final configuration that will be taken to Melbourne in late March.

"The later you get the car ready, the better," he told reporters.

"In fact, the car we will unveil on January 20th will have nothing to do with the car that arrives in the first race."

power neh

[ Last edited by  h@i at 5-12-2008 09:05 AM ]

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Team heads gather in Geneva for FOTA meeting
Medals, cost cutting and engines to be discussed


Formula One team bosses have travelled to Geneva, Switzerland, for Thursday's meeting of the FOTA alliance.

We previously reported that the sport's ten teams intend to discuss Bernie Ecclestone's proposed 'medals' scoring system for the first time, as well as a possible shake-up for the qualifying format.

More pressing on the agenda, however, is cost-cutting, under the threat that FIA President Max Mosley will impose draconian measures if the teams cannot themselves propose worthwhile money-saving proposals.

With Mosley already threatening to proceed with engine standardisation, the pressure is on FOTA to put together a cohesive package before next week's meeting of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council.

"A lot has been defined for 2009, more is to come for 2010 and 2011 to reduce costs and improve the show.These are the leading principles," Ferrari spokesman Luca Colajanni confirmed to The Guardian newspaper.

Believed to be the most radical of the proposals for discussion is a move from 2.4 litre V8 engines for 2011 to fuel-efficient turbo 1.8 litre engines.

This specification, using about 30 percent less fuel than the current engines, could pave the way for a ban on mid-race refuelling.

  meeting jgn tak meeting

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Formula One driver Alonso eyes third world title in 2009

MADRID (AFP) - - Spanish Formula One driver Fernando Alonso said he is aiming for a third world title with Renault in 2009, Spain's sports newspaper Marca reported Wednesday.

"Our only aim is to be champions," he said. "The arrival of slick tyres is good for my driving and the new (technical) rules give us confidence to fight McLaren and Ferrari."

Alonso, who was world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, has concluded a largely disappointing year in which Renault failed to keep pace with McLaren and Ferrari.

But improvements in the car's performance helped him record two wins late in the season.

Briton Lewis Hamilton of McLaren won the 2008 world title ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa in a Ferrari.

Alonso also said he opposed the new scoring system proposed by Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, while saying he was resigned to it.

Under the planned system, drivers would receive gold, silver and bronze medals for the first three placings in a race, and the world champion would be decided by the driver with the most golds.

Alonso, 27, also criticised a plan for a single standard engine in all Formula One cars for 2010, saying he would consider retiring from the sport if it was implemented.

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Pantano bitter over lack of F1 interest
''Money is becoming the priority in order to race''


Giorgio Pantano has admitted his recently-won GP2 championship is unlikely to lead to a career in Formula One.

If his fears are confirmed, the 29-year-old would be the only GP2 champion, in the company of Nico Rosberg (2005), Lewis Hamilton (2006) and Timo Glock (2007), who has not gone on to secure a seat in the premier category.

In the pages of the Italian magazine Autosprint, the frustrated Italian slammed the situation as a 'joke', where contenders he defeated in 2008 - Bruno Senna and Sebastien Buemi - appear poised to make their Grand Prix debuts.

"I feel total indifference towards me. I read of Senna and Buemi but, really, what have they done?"

"At this point, a guy in my situation must think that being a racing driver is not advantageous, doing another job would be better," said Pantano.

It appears that not only Pantano's age played against him in the eyes of F1 team bosses.

He actually made his F1 debut for the uncompetitive Jordan team in 2004, before being replaced near the end of the season

Prior to his abortive Jordan tenure, Pantano had tests with Williams, McLaren and Renault.

Pantano charged: "Money is becoming the priority in order to race, talent doesn't exist anymore."

He said the only figure in the F1 paddock who has not 'abandoned' him is F1 Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone, who spoke with Pantano on the phone a few days ago.

"The only real drives still available are at Honda and Toro Rosso," he said. "Bernie told me that if anything moves, I'll be the first to know."

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UPDATE - raikkonen

Raikkonen spending winter in Finland
A little hockey and property rationalisation


Deposed world champion Kimi Raikkonen has spent much of the time since the last race of 2008 in his native Finland.

Reports from the Nordic country reveal the 29-year-old is in Helsinki, Finland's capital which is a short distance from Raikkonen's birthplace of Espoo.

He was photographed training with a local ice-hocking team, with whom he is friends with some of the players.

The tabloid Iltalehti said that, while in Helsinki, Raikkonen has also organised to sell one of his three houses near the Finnish city.

The eight-bedroom house on the exclusive island suburb of Kaskisaari was reportedly put on the market by Raikkonen, who lives mainly in Switzerland, for 14.5 million euros.

According to the newspaper, some foreign embassies have expressed interest in the property.

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UPDATE BEKAS SUPER AGURI - anthony davidson

Out-of-work former F1 driver Anthony Davidson looks set to turn to the world of prototype sportscars for 2009.

The 29-year-old Briton's short-lived Grand Prix career ended abruptly a few races into the 2008 season, when Super Aguri went out of business.

But while his 2008 team-mate Takuma Sato is back in the running for a F1 race seat - and to test again with Toro Rosso this month, Davidson has returned just once for a Honda test, and a few appointments as a race commentator on British radio.

He has therefore turned to the world of sportscars, and recently tested a prototype Peugeot.

The French marque's team manager Serge Saulnier said Davidson is in consideration for a 2009 seat.

"He tested the car for us and we have some other drivers to test," Saulnier told Motorsport News.

"He did well. The target of this test was more for him to get the feeling of the car. He's now got a good idea of the car and the team, so he will know about us if we consider a collaboration."

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UPDATE TEAM HONDA

Nakamoto leaves Honda F1 team
Another change of role in Honda shakeup





Shuhei Nakamoto, Ross Brawn's technical predecessor, has left the Honda F1 team.

After becoming senior technical director in 2006, the 51-year-old Japanese is therefore arguably most responsible for the last two Honda single seaters, which in 2007 and 2008 finished the constructors' championship in respectively eighth and ninth positions.

Nakamoto, who lives in England, will now return to the Honda Racing Corporation as Vice President, reportedly to focus on the marque's motorcycle racing operations.
Initially working on Honda's motorcycle racing programme, Nakamoto joined Honda in 1983.

[ Last edited by  h@i at 5-12-2008 09:43 AM ]

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UPDATE TEAM RENAULT -

Alonso happy grooved tyre era over
Grooved Potenza rubber a tricky challenge




Fernando Alonso said he is happy that the sport will enter a new tyre era in 2009.The Renault driver said the last two seasons, when Bridgestone was the sole supplier of grooved tyres, were difficult.

Next year, the Japanese supplier will still be the sole supplier, but for the first time since 1997, the dry specifications of tyre will be 'slicks'.

Alonso admitted in Madrid that he was not a fan of Bridgestone's control grooves.

"The cars had to be driven in a unique way," he said, "with more difficulties than ever"

The tyres were sensitive under braking and offered little grip, and had a strange feeling in the curves."

"They were very different to the days when (Bridgestone) were competing with Michelin," added the former champion

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  TEAM HONDA PULA

LONDON, Dec 4 - Honda will make a statement on the future of their Formula One team on Friday, a team spokeswoman said on Thursday.

No further details were given although a senior source at another team had earlier quoted Honda team bosses saying the team was up for sale and would be closed if a buyer was not found by the end of the year.

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TEAM TORO ROSSO

Sato remains in the frame
A third test with Toro Rosso

Takuma Sato will test again with the Toro Rosso team at Jerez next week.

It will be the Japanese veteran's third outing with the Ferrari-powered team, indicating he is still firmly in the running to return to the sport next year.

A statement released by the 31-year-old's management said Sato, who raced 93 times with Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri, is to appear on December 10 and 11 at the southern Spanish circuit.

"We obviously see this as a positive step but still nothing is decided for the 2009 racing season," said Sato's commercial manager Matthew Winter.

Swiss rookie Sebastien Buemi is the favourite to replace Sebastian Vettel at Toro Rosso next year, with Sato and Sebastien Bourdais the most likely candidates for the second race seat.

LAWAN JGN TAK LAWAN..

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CERITA TEAM HONDA SEMULA

LONDON, Dec 4 - Honda are pulling out of Formula One and will close their team down if no buyer is found by the end of the year, a senior source at a rival team told Reuters on Thursday.

"They have a month to find a buyer, otherwise they are closing the team," the source quoted Honda team bosses Ross Brawn and Nick Fry as telling a meeting of the Formula One Teams' Association .

"It's very, very sad for Formula One to see a team with the heritage of Honda leaving the sport," added the source, adding it was no real surprise given the team "were running up costs to a level that were self-evidently unsustainable".

Another source said the staff were told they would be on three months' notice from January if no buyer was found. The season starts in Australia on March 29.

There was no official confirmation from the British-based team, whose staff were told in a meeting at the factory on Thursday evening.

However, a spokeswoman said there would be a statement from Honda Motor Corporation on Friday.

The departure of Japan's number two carmaker, with their sales and profits battered by the global financial crisis, has huge implications for the sport.

TIGHT TIME-FRAME

It would also leave Britain's Jenson Button without an immediate drive for 2009 -- although some teams have yet to confirm their lineups.

Brazilian Bruno Senna, the 25-year-old nephew of the late triple world champion Ayrton, had also been tipped to take the place of his veteran compatriot Rubens Barrichello at Honda next season.

Honda's exit will leave the $1 billion sport, dominated by carmakers, facing a depleted grid of just 18 cars if no buyer with deep pockets can be found in the extremely tight time frame available.

Formula One sources also fear that other major manufacturers, with their factory production suspended and thousands of staff laid off, could follow Honda's example.

Honda, along with Toyota, have been the big spenders in Formula One in recent years.

Brawn, the former Ferrari technical director who won multiple championships with Michael Schumacher, was hired to run the team after he returned from a one-year break at the end of last year.

Despite their resources, Honda had a dismal 2008 season and were pinning their hopes on next year's new rules levelling the playing field.

Button, a winner for Honda in Hungary in 2006, scored just three points while Barrichello took 11. The team finished ninth overall.

The last team to leave Formula One was Honda-backed Super Aguri, the struggling tail-enders who folded for financial reasons in April and left Britain's Anthony Davidson and Japan's Takuma Sato without a drive.