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Monday, 19 April 2010
McLaren started it, Sauber followed and now Ferrari is trying to match its steps with these two teams. You must be wondering what we are talking about. So here is the unravelling of the mystery. McLaren first introduced the F-duct and other teams, including Sauber and Ferrari, have tried to emulate this technology in their vehicles. The idea is quite simple but the implementation becomes a complicated procedure because the cars have been homologated and significant changes to the chassis are difficult to make. So what is an F-duct and what does it do? Let’s fins out. The F-duct is designed to reduce the rear wing drag at high speeds, and downforce on straights. In the McLaren, the F-duct is controlled via the driver’s leg. Once the duct is open, air is drawn into the duct at the front of the car and released just in front of the rear wing. This helps achieve greater speeds by reducing the effectiveness of the rear wing. This may not be considered as a big advantage; however, the effect can be noticeable over an entire lap as it allows the driver to apply more downforce for greater speeds during the turns, while the rear wing stalling to maintain a competitive top speed. Ferrari introduced a host of aerodynamic changes during the Chinese Grand Prix 2010. A new under-body behind the front wing and a new double-decked floor, very similar to the one used by Renault during the Malaysian GP, has been attached. The Ferrari F10’s diffuser now has a revised central section. So what if Ferrari does not have the F-duct feature that makes the McLaren proud. Ferrari has something else up its sleeve. The F10 now has, instead of splitting the airbox in two like on the MP4-25, two small openings, which is also seen on Force India's VJM03. There are two very distinct airflows, which are quite similar to the McLaren. One flows, the bottom yellow line, via the pipe to the diffuser’s top leading edge. The other one, the top yellow line, flows on to the rear wing flap and also features a slot like the on McLaren. All the items have been tested by Fernando Alonso and the data have been collected. The data will be used to build a final version of the solution for the Spanish Grand Prix, which is happening next month. Labels: Chinese-Grand-Prix, Fernando-Alonso, Ferrari, Ferrari-F10, Force-India, Malaysian-Grand-Prix, McLaren, Renault, Sauber, Spanish-Grand-Prix
 Three years down the line F1 may switch to 1.5 litre powerplants along with the return of turbochargers. Yes, you’ve heard it right. The years 1977 through 1988 saw the greatest times in the history of sport. It was the turbocharged era. There were the super-fast machines which were regarded the most powerful open-wheel circuit racing cars in the history of motorsport. These turbocharged super powers took motorsport at its peak. They helped the sport live up to its ‘pinnacle of motorsport’ tag. 1977 to 1988 was indeed the best period during which F1 got most of its name and fame. The F1 grid was filled with turbo engines from a variety of builders. The racing cars touched the highest level of performance in the history of motorsport. The then racing cars proved to be true missiles with even 1,100 bhp turbo engines. Forced induction really took off in 1983 to improve engine power, efficiency, and emissions without much extra weight and minimal modifications to the engine architecture. Till 1988, Formula 1 cars with those extra-wide tyres pushed over 1000 bhp each and travelled round the globe. In 1988, the turbo engine saw an end, its last gasp behind World Champion Aryton Senna’s McLaren, powered by a turbocharged Honda V-6. It now looks like that technology is going to return. The F1 team bosses are looking at switching to 1.5-litre turbocharged engines from 2013. But, if you’re expecting the same power, please don’t. The Formula 1 turbochargers will focus on efficiency and the engines are not going to develop the same power. In the new engines, only the inline-four configuration will be permitted. Earlier, we had the six- and eight-cylinder mills roaming on the racetracks. The good news is that the new engines would only need half the amount of fuel currently required to race the entire race distance. New F1 trends will now be dictated and the new cars will likely display higher performance with lower consumption of fuel and emissions too. Isn’t that great news? We would have to wait till 2013 though. With the four-cylinder engine, it sure seems like FIA is looking at re-adopting the standard Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems or KERS technology, just another element of sportiness without excess fuel. This technology is believed to be made use of. Doesn’t this sound exciting? It does. But unfortunately, the KERS technology cannot be adopted by old car manufacturers. Brands like Ferrari do not have makes that can adopt the new kind of engines. So, while most manufacturers are happy about the downsized engines, Ferrari has been largely opposing the move. If you’re wondering what is bringing about all this talk, well, don’t you think more sponsors will now get attracted towards the race? The smaller race engines would influence the opinions of sponsors and manufacturer works teams who still haven’t made up their minds completely. Rumours say promoting F1’s green credentials can work its way in getting the unnamed sponsors. Just like any other professional motorsport, the importance of sponsorship funding cannot be simple here too. We have heard that Volkswagen, long on the F1 radar, is likely to look for an entry spot if the turbocharged engines are made mandatory. The German auto maker is looking at entering into the sport. Will it come as an all new team or will it take over Williams? Let’s wait. With Bridgestone leaving the sport, Michelin is looking at coming in again and has forced several conditions, the main one being, switching to 18-inch rims to make its F1 tyres more relevant to its road and sports car programmes. Labels: Ferrari, FIA, Formula-1, Formula-1-2013, New-Cars, Turbo-Engines, Turbochargers, Volkswagen
Friday, 16 April 2010
 Well, once again it is the time when adrenaline rush is almost as fast as the F1 cars themselves. Yes, this weekend brings the fourth race of the Formula One Championship 2010 and expectations are high, The race weekend at the Shanghai circuit will be entirely different from what we saw at the Malaysian circuit. Shanghai will be cool and dry and not warm and wet like Malaysia. The Shanghai track is abrasive ob tyres and hence it bears a lot of promise of extra fun. The Malaysian GP, which was held two weeks ago, put up an exciting show with the Red Bull Racing drivers snagging the first two positions, while the other racing biggies struggled to touch the finish line. Red Bull has been very strong from the beginning of the season but engine problems hit them hard and prevented their victories at the first two races. Vettel was in the lead to win at both the Australian and Bahrain GP's, but engine issues halted his progress. However, finally the team got everything in tact when he won at the Malaysian circuit. Ferrari and McLaren both went through a bad experience at the Malaysian GP and failed to get a driver on the podium despite having better cars. McLaren still seems to have an upper hand for the upcoming race as their cars look better suited for the Shanghai track. McLaren would be looking at giving a tough time to the Red Bull Racing team. Even though Ferrari leads both team championships as of now, engine reliability, of late, has become a major concern for them. And here is another piece of rumour from the team; Robert Kubica may join Ferrari in 2011. Let’s just hope that Massa’s performance does not get distracted by such rumours. Mercedes is another team which was all adorned with Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. However, except Nico Rosberg finishing third at the Malaysian GP, the team’s performance has been anything but exciting. Michael Schumacher got his last win at the Chinese GP, and though that was years ago, we hope that Lady Luck smiles on him again. Force India has seen its best season opener so far and would want to continue the excellent performance. Force India is ahead of the Williams and STR; however, Liuzzi and Sutil will have to be fast in order to catch up with Renault. The Hispania Racing Team has been doing well so far, even though Karun Chandhok is yet to make a good presentation of his racing skills. HRT will have to pull up its socks before Lotus and Virgin Racing race past them in the points table.  Though Red Bull is on a high after its latest win, Ferrari and McLaren are in very good shape too. At the same time, you might just be surprised by the Force India and Renault team. This is the fourth race of the season and 1983 was the last time when four different teams won the first four races of an F1 season. Labels: 2010-Formula-One, Chinese-Grand-Prix-Preview, Ferrari, Force-India, McLaren, Michael-Schumacher, Red-Bull-Racing, Shanghai-Circuit, Shanghai-GP
Monday, 29 March 2010
 After the not-so-exciting season opener at the Bahrain racing circuit, Australian Grand Prix, at the Albert Park, brought the much needed excitement for F1 enthusiasts the world over. Power packed with spins and crashes, rain and dry, wheel-to-wheel action and leapfrog passes, the Australian GP gave its audience a weekend full of fun. It seemed as if the drivers and team managers were in a hurry to prove that the new Red Bull car was much faster than the other cars. On Saturday, Vettel and Webber completed the laps at the Albert Park faster than anyone else and placed their cars at the top of the time sheet, securing the front row – pole and second positions – on the grid. Jenson Button secured not only his second in a row win at the Australian GP, but also his very first one for team McLaren. Button decided to come in early for slick tyres on the rain washed track and that proved to be fruitful to him. Lewis Hamilton, also from the McLaren team, started 11th and struggled for the second place. But then he was called for a second change of tyres and that nearly swallowed his hopes. He ended up finishing 6th.
Robert Kubica, from the Renault team, finished second, after jumping Felipe Massa in the pits. He held on for his first podium finish since Brazil last year. Vitaly Petrov, from the same team, was running in the top ten, but unfortunately had to retire after his car got stuck in the gravel, post tyre change. Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, from Ferrari, finished third and fourth respectively. Alonso made a poor start and was later nudged into a spin at the first corner. Massa moved up to the second position but could not hold on to it. He still managed to grab his second podium in a row.
Nico Rosberg, who was considered as an underdog to his fellow team mate, Michael Schumacher, outdid him and finished at the fifth position. Schumi, however, seemed to be struggling throughout the racing and then made a late finish at the tenth position. Definitely not one of the very impressive performance from the racing legend. While Adrian Sutil suffered a loss of engine power and had to retire on lap nine, fellow team mate from the Force India team, Vitantonio Liuzzi managed well and finished in the points for the second race in a row Rubens Barrichello kept the Williams team ahead and finished on the eighth position. Nico Hulkenberg’s car was speared by Kobayashi's Sauber at turn six and had to retire at the end of the first lap. Sebastian Vettel, from the Red Bull team, started from the pole for the second race in a row and failed to make the podium. He later retired due to a brake failure. Mark Webber, who set the fastest lap of the race, finished at the ninth position. Jaime Alguersuari, from Toro Rosso, finished eleventh. Pedro de la Rosa, from Sauber, finished twelfth. Heikki Kovalainen, from Lotus, finished thirteenth and our very own Karun Chandhok finished at the fourteenth position. Timo Glock, from the Virgin team, retired after the 15th lap due to a suspension problem. Fellow team mate, Lucas di Grassi retired after the 26th lap with hydraulics failure. Other racers who retired due to technical problems with their cars are Bruno Senna (after five laps with an hydraulics problem), Jarno Trulli (failed to start due to hydraulics problem), Kamui Kobayashi (crashed on the first lap) and Sebastien Buemi (hit from behind in the first lap melee). Labels: Adrian-Sutil, Australian-Grand-Prix-2010, Felipe-Massa, Ferrari, Force-India tea, Formula-One, Jenson-Button, McLaren, Michael-Schumacher, Nico-Rosberg, Robert-Kubica, Vitaly-Petrov, Vitantonio-Liuzzi
Monday, 15 March 2010
The first race of the F1 2010 Championship, which happened this Sunday at the Bahrain racing circuit, has given an excellent start to Ferrari. In what seemed like a nail-biting racing event, Fernando Alonso, the Spanish driver for Ferrari, finished the race sixteen seconds ahead of his team mate Felipe Massa.
Massa was severely hurt last year in Hungary and this was his first race after that. He seemed very pleased with his second finish at the 2010 Grand Prix season opener.
Sebastian Vettel, who finished fourth place, started on pole position for the race but had to slow down due to exhaust problem. There on it was a different story. First it was the Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, who took over Vettel and then British driver Lewis Hamilton, who finished third, managed to overtake. We can say it with a great amount of certainty that without the exhaust problem, Vettel would have finished first.
Defending champion, Jenson Button managed to be one among the top ten by securing the seventh position.
And now, let’s talk about the much hyped return of Michael Schumacher. Seven times world champion, Schumacher started at the seventh place in the grid and had to satisfy himself with the sixth position.
"I can live very well with sixth position and it gives both me and the team a good base to make progress. I have every confidence that we will improve the car," Schumacher said.
Let’s focus our attention on our home-team, Force India. Vitantonio Liuzzi secured the ninth position for Force India, while fellow team-mate Sutil had a first-lap spin in Webber's oil slick and finished twelfth after dropping right to the back of the field.
Karun Chandhok, who was racing for the Formula One Team Hispania, crashed his HRT on the second lap.
The refuelling ban, though created an initial slow-burn effect, made the racing much more entertaining.
Ferrari, with 43 points, is leading ahead of McLaren which has got 21 points. Mercedes is on 18 points, and Red Bull is on 16. Ferrari driver Alonso has firm grip on the title with 25 points, Massa on follows with 18, Hamilton on 15, Vettel on 12, Rosberg on 10 and Schumacher on 8. Labels: F1 Bahrain, F1 Bahrain results, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Force India, Jenson Button, Karun Chandhok, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Michael Schumacher, Schumacher, Vitantonio Liuzzi
Thursday, 11 March 2010
 Bahrain is currently in the grip of a motorsport fever that is popularly known as Formula One. Bahrain International Circuit is bustling with activity as the BIC team, Formula 1 teams and staffs, marshals, medical personnel and other logistical staff prepare to host the region’s largest motor sport phenomenon. The Bahrain Formula One race that starts on 14th of this month flags off the 2010 International Automobile Federation (FIA) F1 World Championship and brings in the landmark 60th Anniversary celebrations of the motor racing sport. People in Bahrain have already started spotting their favourite Formula 1 drivers as they arrived at the Bahrain racing circuit. Some F1 drivers were even seen relaxing with their team members. They also visited their team garages to get a close and final look at their car's assembly, while many others set out by road car or bicycle to learn the new track layout ahead of the weekend Grand Prix. Also seen on the racing circuit were Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber of Red Bull, Sebastien Buemi of Toro Rosso, Nico Rosberg of Mercedes GP, Pedro de la Rosa of Sauber, Heikki Kovalainen of Lotus, Adrian Sutil of Force India, Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi of Virgin, Nico Hulkenberg of Williams, Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov of Renault, and Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok of Hispania Racing Team.  And last but not the least, seven time champion Michael Schumacher of Mercedes GP and Jenson Button of McLaren also showed up. There were other high-profile visitors who also landed at the Bahrain International Circuit. President of the General Organisation for Youth and Sports, Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa showed two thumbs-up for the excellent preparation done ahead of the Grand Prix event. Today BIC will open its gates to the lucky all three-day ticket holders who can take an exclusive walk down the F1 pit lane. Labels: Adrian-Sutil, Bahrain-International-Circuit, BIC, Fernando-Alonso, Ferrari, Force-India, Heikki-Kovalainen, Lotus, Mercedes, Nico-Rosberg, Pedro-de-la-Rosa, Red-Bull, Timo-Glock, Toro-Rosso
Friday, 5 March 2010
Now when most of the supercar manufacturers are busy showing off their hybrid concepts at the Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari stepped forward and did what was long overdue.
Ferrari unveiled its new experimental vehicle based on the 599 GTB Fiorano, which is equipped with an advanced new hybrid powertrain. Christened as HY-KERS, the hybrid two-seater uses modified version of Ferrari's Formula One Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to recover the braking and decelerating energy in a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery.
With an electric motor that assists the 6.0-litre V12, the hybrid KERS system provides instantaneous torque for enhanced performance and efficiency. The HY-KERS also features a dual-clutch transmission, the first time when such a gearbox has been combined to a V12-engine car.
The HY-KERS has been designed in such a way that its handling, chassis dynamics, braking abilities and performance remain unaffected by the added weight and complexity of the hybrid powertrain. While driving in the city, the car’s HY-KERS system can also function as a full-electric drivetrain, which reduces fuel consumption and emissions.
The tri-phase, high-voltage electric motor of the HY-KERS, which weighs about 40KG, is coupled to the car’s dual-clutch seven-speed F1 transmission. When braking, the electric drive unit acts as a generator, using the kinetic energy from the negative torque generated to recharge the batteries.
HY-KERS hybrid maintains the high-performance characteristics typical of all Ferraris while, at the same time, reducing CO2 emissions on the ECE + EUDC combined cycle by 35 per cent.
So here comes a 'green' one from the house of Ferrari which is world famous for its raging 'red' supercars. Never have we witnessed a green car revolution like this before from the supercar manufacturers. Other auto manufacturers who showcased their hybrid concept cars at the Geneva Motor Show are Porsche, Mini, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz. Labels: 599 GTB Fiorano, Ferrari, Ferrari-Cars, Geneva motor show, Green-Car-Technology, Green-Cars, HY-KERS Hybrid, Hybrid-Cars, KERS, Kinetic Energy Recovery System, V12-engine car
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
The Formula 1 World Championship races are just about to begin. It is the highest class of auto racing with a set of rules to which all participants and cars must comply. The “Formula” in Formula 1 refers to these rules. This year new rules have come in. The top ten cars will be awarded points, the winner receiving 25 points. The total number of points won at each race will be added together and the driver and constructor with the highest points at the end of the season will be the World Champions. 2010 will see Mercedes Benz re-enter the sport as a manufacturer after its purchase of Brawn GP and split with McLaren after 15 seasons with the team. This will leave Mercedes, Renault, and Ferrari as the only car manufacturers in the sport and the only engine suppliers. The youngest ever Formula One World Champion, McLaren team's Lewis Hamilton thinks Ferrari will be his strongest competitor this year and is expecting a tough fight. He is not sure enough to tell which team is the most competitive, but, feels Ferrari is the fastest. Hamilton believes McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, Sauber and Force India will be the strongest teams fighting each other. Hamilton's McLaren has set impressive records and will be in good shape for the first race of the season in Bahrain on 14 March. On the first day of the qualifying trim, McLaren was slower than Ferrari. But, on the last day, they improved the car. And then, the competition was very competitive. The team has now received a boost in confidence. Jenson Button, Hamilton’s team-mate and last year’s world title recipient had the same views as Hamilton. They are heading to Bahrain very confidently, but feel the F1 is highly unpredictable with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes in the picture. Button feels McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes are the big four and the smaller teams will not be able to keep pace. Will this be the best Formula 1 season in years? Well, Button thinks it will be. With such a tough competition it will have to be the best. There’s something more interesting. After 3 years of retirement, Michael Schumacher is back with Mercedes. Wait, there’s more. Double world champion Fernando Alonso has moved to Ferrari. There is so much change this year and everybody is looking forward to having a very special season of Formula 1 racing. Hamilton is very excited about having a legend like Michael on the same track as his. He is waiting to have some good battles with Michael at Mercedes and Fernando at Ferrari. The race will be a real hard battle with a lot of fun. The ban on in-race re-fuelling is going to add more fun making the races more unpredictable. It will increase the drivers' need to manage their tyres. Some teams will have tyre stops two to three laps before their rivals and then try to jump them. The smaller teams too might try crazy stuff. They may stop after two laps and try to go the distance on one set of tyres. Whoa! All we know is that the game will be a lot of fun for spectators. Let’s watch the fun. Labels: Fernando-Alonso, Ferrari, Formula One-World-Champion, Formula-1, Jenson-Button, Lewis-Hamilton, McLaren, Michael-Schumacher
Monday, 1 March 2010
Ferrari has not taken well to the Formula One governing body, the International Automobile Federation’s decision to allow new teams to enter F1 for the 2010 season. According to a column published on the official Ferrari website, the Italian team has attacked FIA for bringing in struggling newcomers like Campos and US F1 instead of supporting old veterans such as BMW and Toyota, who have both left the sport. After Toyota and BMW withdrew from the F1 championship, in order to cut costs, International Automobile Federation was forced to bring in new players. Things have not been going too well with the F1 Championship 2010 which has resulted in Ferrari attacking the FIA. Out of the 13 teams which signed up or were induced to sign up for this year’s championship, only eleven have turned up so far. Of the few who have managed to turn up on the tracks for testing, only some of them have been able to do more than a few hundred kilometers. And others who have done more than that have done it at a relatively slower pace. The column on Ferrari official website blames the current problems of F1 to the former FIA president Max Mosley, who battled it out with established players such as Ferrari last season over his plans to bring in new teams for the upcoming season. A team official has revealed that Indian driver Karun Chandhok is very close to signing a deal with new Formula One team Campos Meta to race in the upcoming 2010 season. Campos Meta is a new Madrid-based team founded by ex-driver Adrian Campos and financed by Spanish investor Jose Ramon Carabante. If the deal works out with Campos Meta, Chandhok will become the second Indian F1 driver, after Narain Karthikeyan who represented the Jordan team in 2005. Michael Schumacher has said that the Mercedes GP Formula1 car may not be the best car on the track and they’ll have to catch up with the stronger teams including McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull. The new season of Formula One starts at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain on March 14. Labels: Campos Meta, F1-Championship-2010, Ferrari, FIA, Formula-1, Formula-One, International-Automobile-Federation, Karun-Chandhok, McLaren, Mercedes-GP-Formula1, Narain-Karthikeyan
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
 Force India have become the latest team to present the car with which they will compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. The VJM03, which will be raced by the unchanged driver line-up of Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi this season, was unveiled online on Tuesday morning. The Silverstone-based team may have made a name for themselves last season, scoring their first pole position, points and podium, but they are hoping their new Mercedes-engined car will power them to even greater things in 2010. “Our goal is to continue on the same path of performance improvement that we had at the end of 2009,” said Force India’s chairman and team principal Dr Vijay Mallya. “I don't think I am being over-proud when I say 2009 was an exceptional year for us. The bare statistics say it all: one podium, one pole position, one fastest lap, a further five top 10 starts and 13 points. “We've learnt from our experiences and we've come out a better team: resilient, resourceful and now resurgent. I hope 2010 will see this great progress carrying forward. We've got one podium so far but I would hope that, this time next year, I'm talking about more points and more podiums. I'm confident we can get this, why not aim high?”  The VJM03 has been designed in-house at the team's UK facility by a unit led by design director Mark Smith. Although very much an evolution of its predecessor, the new car incorporates the 2010 rule changes, including the switch to narrower front tyres and the need for a much larger fuel tank as a result of the refuelling ban. “The VJM03 is definitely an evolution of the VJM02 in terms of the design philosophies we have developed at Force India over the last year,” explained Smith. “We are very happy with the direction, therefore we have opted to evolve the car rather than significantly revise. “Obviously one of the major aspects we have had to contend with are regulation changes which have had a considerable impact on some aspects of the design of the car. The removal of refuelling from races increases the amount of fuel needed to be stored in the cars - almost twice the amount we ran in 2009. There is a compromise now: either make the car much longer or wider, or, as we have done, a combination of both. This of course has influenced the mechanical design solutions and also the aerodynamics, specifically with respects to the diffuser and bodywork.” Both Sutil and Liuzzi are thrilled with their new car and spoke of their hopes for the season ahead: “2010 is a really important season and we are very optimistic about going well,” said Sutil. “I think this year it's important to be consistent from the first race. I'd like to be in the midfield and be competitive from Bahrain. "It's the first time we have been completely on schedule so I feel this will be the first season when I can show from the beginning to the end what is possible with the car and what I can do. Of course we will have updates and performance packages from this point on but I hope we will be strong from the first practice session rather than compromising at the start.” Liuzzi, who was promoted from his reserve role to a race seat in September 2009 after Giancarlo Fisichella moved to Ferrari to replace the injured Felipe Massa, added: “After one and a half years in a test role, I feel really prepared, both physically and mentally for a full race season. My objective is to be as strong and consistent as possible and give good feedback to the team to help them improve. For sure scoring points as many times as I can is going to be the key and you never know, perhaps we can get something more as well if everything comes together.”  Following its Tuesday launch, the VJM03 will make its testing debut at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on Wednesday. Liuzzi will be in charge of driving duties for the first two days, before Sutil takes over on Friday and Saturday. Labels: 2010-FIA-Formula-One-World-Championship, Adrian-Sutil, Ferrari, Force-India, Force-India- VJM03, Giancarlo-Fisichella, Mercedes, Vijay-Mallya, Vitantonio-Liuzzi
 The Italian sports car brand with prancing horse logo, Ferrari is doing what might be the most extreme thing ever. Coming up with a hybrid, Yeah, You read that right. Ferrari is expected to reveal a hybrid version of the 599 GTB during the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show in March. Coinciding with the same "green" strategic direction as some other notable supercar makers, fans of the Italian marque might not find this news too disappointing or at least not much of a surprise. If this is the case, then a hybrid Ferrari 599 concept would usher in a new era for the sports car manufacturer starting with the first ever prancing horse from Maranello to feature a gas/electric power train that is intended for public use. The car’s hybrid system will combine a set of highly efficient lithium ion batteries and an electric motor mounted in the rear transaxle. This electrified prop shaft will generate its maximum torque at zero RPM, thus cutting the extremely inefficient around town fuel consumption by up to 35% which may be translated as equivalent to about 17 litres per 100km. The future Ferrari concept will make the most of what the Scuderia has learned from the F60’s Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS ) that was developed throughout the 2009 Formula One season. The KERS-like brake regeneration system, start/ stop technology and electric boost will also be installed.  A hybrid 4x4 Ferrari technical illustration first appeared a few months ago and was reported to be the real thing. It seems in the absence of a sedan from the prancing horse the more family-oriented V12-powered 599 GTB would be the perfect candidate for a hybrid powertrain. Labels: Ferrari, Ferrari-599-GTB-Hybrid, Ferrari-Concept, Geneva-Motor-Show, Hybrid-Car, Kinetic-Energy-Recovery-System, Sports-Car
Monday, 1 February 2010
 Close on the heels of Ferrari, Mercedes GP and McLaren launching their new F1 car, BMW Sauber also have revealed their 2010 F1 car. This car lacks any major sponsors although the team announced several deals into the run-up to the launch, some of which feature on the car. They include Scalp-D, a Japanese shampoo, and watch brand Certina. The car named C29 is no longer run by BMW, the team has retained the name in its title. But the car carries on the model designation used by the Sauber team until 2005, when it raced the C24. The car is now powered by Ferrari and also uses the Ferrari gearbox. The notable changes in the car include the increased length of the fuel tank which means the car has grown longer overall. And since the car is quite slimmer, the front tyres will be more heavily worked, requiring weight to be shifted further towards the rear of the car.  But the eye-catching feature of the C29 is its highly intricate raised nose and another very distinctive feature of the car is the extremely long undercut at the transition from chassis into underbody. These and other aerodynamic measures also help to ensure optimum airflow to the double diffuser. Further changes were required to integrate the Ferrari engine and, in particular, the Ferrari gearbox. BMW Sauber car’s basic specifications including some of its dimensions are the car has a chassis made up of carbon-fibre monocoque body with upper and lower wishbone suspensions for both front and rear which includes inboard springs and dampers, actuated by pushrods. The brakes of the car feature six-piston brake calipers from Brembo and carbon pads and discs from carbon industries. BMW Sauber C29 gets the Ferrari Seven-speed quick shift gearbox with carbon and is longitudinally mounted along with carbon-fibre clutch. The combined weight of the car is 620 kg including the driver with an empty tank. Labels: BMW-Sauber-C29, BMW-Sauber-F1-Team, F1, Ferrari, McLaren-F1, Mercedes-GP
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
The Formula One season of 2010 is around the corner and the 1st month of the New Year almost is a passé. We have seen, heard and read a lot on F1 in the year 2009, the hits and misses, titles and scandals… F1 certainly has been a good thing for the fans in 2009 with Jenson Button finally emerging out in the top as the World’s Drivers Champion after a close fought fight with rivals for this coveted award. When we thought that 2009 was almost over, came in the news of the King of F1, Michael Schumacher returning back to the grid, no, not in a customary Red Ferrari F1 car but in all whites, the official colour of the newly formed Mercedes GP F1 team and will be driving the Mercedes Silver Arrows F1 car. There have been many changes in the teams and drivers in the 2010 F1 season when compared to 2009 F1 season. The drivers have changed their loyalties to different F1 teams; some F1 teams have disappeared and have been replaced with newer ones. We here give you the list of the teams and their respective drivers participating in the 2010 season of F1. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will be driving for Team Ferrari F1 this season. Yes Alonso has shifted his loyalties yet again from Renault F1 Team while Massa who was injured in the 2009 F1 season has returned back in the prancing Horse team and will be proving his mettle. Mercedes who had partnered McLaren and supplied engines for the McLaren Mercedes Team has picked up a major share in the last year’s victorious team Brawn GP to form Mercedes GP where Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher will be doing the driving duties. This is a big year for Schumi as lots of expectations has already started running high on this Seven-time world champion. Red Bull F1 team which has closely followed Brawn GP last year will be retaining last year’s drivers line up in Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, while McLaren F1 team will have the youngest world drivers champion Lewis Hamilton and last year’s world Drivers Champion Jenson Button performing their driving duties. Sauber F1 team, the remnants of the erstwhile BMW SAUBER F1 Team will have Kobayashi and pedro de la Rosa discharging their driving duties. Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg will be driving for Williams F1 team this sedason while Force India F1 cars will be chauffeured by Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi. Likewise Sebastian Buemi and Alguersuari will be driving for Team Toro Rosso. Renault F1 which hit a rough patch in 2009 with a string of scandals have for the moment confirmed just Robert Kubica as their driver and they are yet to give heads-up on the other driver. The new teams apart from Mercedes GP to take part in this year’s Formula One races will be Lotus Malaysia with drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen driving the F1 cars for them. Other teams in the grid will be Virgin Racing driven by Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi. USF1 will feature Pechito Lopez as their driver while Field Goal F1 team has announced Bruno Senna to be their drivers. These two teams along with Renault are expected to come up with more names pretty soon. Labels: 2010-Formula-One, F1, Ferrari, Formula-One, Mercedes-GP
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
 Get a load of this. Rolls Royce has taken 60 orders in November-December 2009 for its newly launched Rolls Royce Ghost in India. How cools is that? India is finally back to its old ways in the global business of buying Rolls Royce cars, punching above its weight. This fact certainly is a nostalgic-feel for the RR marquee. India is back in track from where it started for RR market. The new breed of Indian business tycoons are following in the footsteps of the pre-war maharajahs in their quest for luxury cars, snapping up the new $600,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost at the fastest rate in the world. The first Ghost will be delivered to a Chennai based realtor next month. Rolls-Royce, the iconic British carmaker now owned by BMW, is hoping for big things from the Ghost, a “baby” 2.4-tonne luxury sedan that is about 40 per cent cheaper than the company’s flagship Phantom range. Rolls Royce’s global sales dropped southwards with just 1000 RR Phantoms being sold in 2009 when compared to 1212 in 2008 thanks to the Global recession. But RR is quite optimistic this year and targets selling 2500 units of Phantom and Ghosts this year. The Ghost, was unveiled at the September 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show as the new entry level Roller. Though Abu Dhabi and Dubai were the top sales outlets for Rolls Royce in 2008, thanks to the global financial crisis, the Middle-East luxury car sales is now cooling off and the new markets for the RR is emerging from the Asia-Pacific particularly from countries like China and India. RR expects to sell over 400 units with China accounting for half of the sales while India, Japan and Australia raking the rest of RR units. RR though is targeting the global market for its sales, Indian car market will always remain special to the Rolls Royce as the saga of RR in India dates back to 1907 when Maharaja of Gwalior, Madho Rao Scindia , imported the first example of the car to India , just three years after Rolls-Royce was formed. India, pre-independence though predominantly a British Raj, was a royal mass of land with over 500 princely states in it. Most the maharajas and Royals of these princely states were avid buyers of the brand, customizing them to suit Indian conditions. The Nizam of Hyderabad, for example, had a fleet of 50 Rollers, while the Maharajah of Patiala had 44 in his collection. But with the coming of Indian independence in 1947, royals and Maharajas were forced to abandon their ostentatious lifestyles and lead a life of austerity for many decades to come. Their Rolls-Royces were garaged or sold to private collectors, such as the industrialist Pranlal Bhogilal, who has a collection of 200-plus vintage cars on his estate near Ahmedabad. Further financial privation for the royals came in 1971 when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi abolished the Privy Purse system of payments to them. By this time Rolls Royce had withdrawn from the Indian market and it was not until 2005 that it returned, appointing Navnit Motors in Mumbai as first authorized RR dealer in almost 50 years. Navnit subsequently opened a showroom in Mumbai’s Atria Mall in May 2006, and this was followed by a second Rolls-Royce dealership in India in September 2008, when Select Cars opened a showroom in New Delhi. Going by the reports of the latest world wealth published by consulting firms Capgemini and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, India had 84,000 US-dollar millionaires at the start of last year, down more than 30 per cent from an estimated 123,000 at the start of 2008, when share markets were at their peak. Of the 84,000, about 1000 Indians are in the “ultra” high net worth category, with assets above US$30 million, while between 50 and 100 are billionaires. India has already become a land of modern new age Maharajas. While high net worth individual numbers may have receded a little from early 2008, the return of strong economic growth in the second half of 2009 in both India and China points to strong sales ahead for sellers of luxury goods. China’s GDP growth in 2010 is likely to be around 9 to 9.5 per cent, while India should reach 7.5 per cent. That compares with just a 2.2 per cent outlook for the US and 3.5 per cent for the world overall. This is what makes India a fertile hunting ground for Rolls-Royce and other luxury car purveyors such as Bentley, which is owned by BMW’s rival German maker Volkswagen. Maybach, the Mercedes-Benz luxury model, rounds out the trio of brands at the top catering to the “chairman” segment, where customization is the name of the game. Family crests, cocktail cabinets, special carpet trim and unique colour combinations are among the personal touches most often requested. In addition to the “chairman” luxury-car segment, there is also strong Indian demand for sports-style “supercars,” where names like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche dominate the market. Source: The Australian Labels: Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Indian-car-market, Lamborghini, Luxury-Cars-In-India, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce-Ghost, Rolls-Royce-Phantom, Sports-Car, Volkswagen
Thursday, 24 December 2009
 The legend is back and how? Michael Schumacher is back in the Formula One grid and this time he is racing for Mercedes GP. Remember, about a week back we had written a blog on Schumi’s much anticipated return to F1, now the news is confirmed. The German ace at the age of 41 is coming back from his retirement to race for Mercedes GP and signed a 3-year deal for $10 million dollars to be on the grid when the new season starts with Bahrain GP on March 14th, 2010.The gritty German legend is already eyeing the championship and is determined to give his 100 per cent to fight for the championship. Schumi started his career as a race driver in Mercedes sports car team when he drove a Mercedes before breaking into F1 with Jordan in 1991. This 7 time World Drivers Champion made his F1 debut with the Jordan team in Belgian GP in 1991 and had won the championship titles with Benetton and Ferrari before retiring in 2006. It might be recalled that Schumi had planned a comeback with Ferrari earlier this year as a stand-in for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, but had to abandon the grand plans due to a freak neck injury caused in a motorcycle accident. Schumi after his retirement in 2006 had kept himself busy by taking charge as the consultant for Ferrari road cars. Ferrari 458 Italia was the last car to be ever fine-tuned by this German Ace during his stint as a consultant for Ferrari. Formula One has changed a lot since 2006 after Schumi retired from F1. This time around F1 has become more cost-conscious and Ferrari and Mercedes GP will be the only teams that are fully manufacture-owned teams with BMW, Honda and Toyota thrown in the towels already in F1. Renault F1, a troubled team after crash-gate scandal in Singapore involving Nelson piquet Jr also is due to sell a significant stake in their British-based operation. Austrian Niki Lauda and France’s Alain Prost are the only two world champions who came back to win the titles in their hay days and Schumi will try emulating them in this outing. Schumi’s comeback will allow 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who entered the sport after Schumi’s retirement to measure himself with the German ace.  This year’s F1 grid lineup features the most oddest when Mercedes GP will feature an all-German line up in the F1 grid that also includes Nico Rosberg apart from Schumi the McLaren F1 team will feature an all-English drivers in Lewis Hamilton and 2009 world champion Jenson Button who recently quit the erstwhile Brawn GP, taking the Anglo-German battle for title to a new level. It also will be the battle of generations when Schumi and Lewis Hamilton who is half his age eying for the coveted title. The oldest champion in the F1 grid till now was Argentine Jaun Manuel Fangio who took his fifth title at the age of 46 while oldest driver to win a Grand Prix is Italian Luigi Fagioli in 1951 at the age of 53. It can be recalled that Mercedes withdrew their stakes in McLaren F1 team to take over the Brawn GP from Ross Brawn to form a new F1 team called Mercedes GP. Ross Brawn was a technical director in Ferrari when Schumi was a driver and world champion in Ferrari and Schumi-Brawn alliance was considered to be the best in the world of F1. All of this is set to return when Ross Brawn takes the charge as a technical director in Mercedes GP with Schumi also in the team as a best driver for the German team. Lets all hope that Schumi renews his winning streak with the new team. In conclusion, the year 2009 certainly has ended on a high note for F1 with Schumi’s comeback. Come this 2010, it surely is a treat for the F1 fans throughout the world and May the best driver hold on to his title in 2010. Labels: Brawn-GP, Ferrari, Ferrari-458-Italia, Formula-One, Mclaren-F, Mercedes-GP, Michael-Schumacher, Ross-Brawn, Sportscar
Monday, 14 December 2009
 Remember we had come up with a blog on Lexus LF-A some time back? Well, we are back again, but of course in a different beat and tune. Lexus, the luxury brand of Toyota had come out with a super car strangely named Lexus LF-A and intended to produce only 500 units of these beasts costing Rs 3 crore and above a piece. The super car which is endowed with conventional rear-wheel drive and transaxle six-speed automated sequential gearbox for smooth shifting of gears carries under its hood a 4.8-litre, 552 bhp, V10 powerful engine. Moreover, the engine revs rise and fall so quickly and with such a sharp timbre that it feels like a pure race engine. The LF-A can sprint 0-100 km/h in 3.7seconds and can run at a top speed of 323km/h. Now let’s come to the main part of this blog. You can only imagine the raw sound and thump it would create right? Toyota’s stint with F1 probably has served its purpose as the Lexus LF-A will now come with a distinctive Formula-1 inspired sound from its silencer pipe. That’s a song for a car that is fitted with an equally explicit car engine eh? The acoustics have been tuned to create a rumbling note at idle, which rises to a spine-tingling wail at higher revs. ‘The acoustic team studied the noise made by a Formula 1 car at maximum revs, then applied detailed design features to create an exhaust note for the LFA that is unlike any other car on the road, enhancing the sensation of speed and acceleration,’ says a press release from Lexus. Unlike other supercars, the LFA’s engine induction and exhaust sounds are actually channelled into the car’s cabin, so people on board can enjoy the experience as much as those on the outside. Do we hear you say Mother of God, give us more? Wishes granted, here you go… The main sound channel that pipes in the engine’s induction notes runs from the surge tank into the cabin below the main dashboard panel, while two further sound channels run to an opening in the upper cowl on top of the dashboard structure and a reflector panel low down at the front of the cabin. Together with the primary sound channel, these put the driver at the centre of what the Lexus LFA team calls the 3D Surround Sound Concept. Well, we can already see the mechs and sound engineers in Ferrari, Lamborghini and Nissan scurrying for cover or are they off for the Iron Maiden Rock concert to learn more of acoustics? Labels: F1, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Lexus-LF-A, Nissan, Super-Car, Toyota
Friday, 27 November 2009
The Ferrari 166 Inter was Ferrari’s first GT car. It was manufactured between 1948 and 1950, with 37 units being produced. The 166 Inter was a road version of the 166 sports racing models like the 166 MM Barchettas. The 166 Inter was built on a 2420 mm wheelbase tubular steel chassis and was powered by a 2-liter V12 aluminum engine coupled with a 5-speed gearbox driving through a rigid rear axle. The engine delivered 115bhp having been available at 6000rpm when compression was set at 7.5:1. With this amount of power the 166 Inter was able to hit a top speed of 185 km/h. The engine on this model had a twin distributor and coil ignition system, and was fitted with a single twin choke carburetor as standard although a triple twin choke carburetor set-up could be specified as an option to obtain extra performance. The 166 Inter was the only road production Ferrari models of the period available with disc type road wheels, as an alternative to the more popular and sporting wire wheels. Although the Inter series were built as road cars, many owners used them frequently in competition. Normally, the Ferrari 166 Inter had coupe bodywork, although Stabilimenti Farina produced three examples in cabriolet form and Bertone also produced a single cabriolet body for the model. Various coachbuilders’ bodywork was fitted to the series, all with their own interpretation of how they felt a Ferrari should be. Apart from Stabilimenti Farina, Bertone, and Carrozzeria Touring, the latter having bodied the first 166 Sport coupe for the 1948 Turin Salon, there were also examples of coachwork from the design houses of Ghia and Finale. The Carrozzeria Touring examples were the most numerous and bore a strong family resemblance to the style of their 166 MM Barchettas, although on a longer wheelbase chassis and with a smoothly curved three box coupe body. The examples from Stabilimenti Farina and Ghia were very similar in overall shape, featuring fastback coupe bodies that appear slightly heavier in comparison to the Touring interpretation, whilst the Stabilimenti Farina cabriolets were virtually identical to the coupes from the waist down, and featured a folding canvas soft top, as did the Bertone bodied car. The Finale styling offering was also a fastback coupe, but of a much lighter design than those from Farina and Ghia, providing a stronger sporting image, which made them second in popularity, in terms of numbers produced, to the Touring version. Although any two models from one coachbuilder might appear identical, each body was hand-built and the client had the opportunity to personalise the car, so that virtually every car came with an individualistic car design. Labels: Ferrari, Ferrari-166-Inter, Inter-Series, Road-Cars
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
 The latest offering from Ferrari stable, the 458 Italia, has sparkled bright and basked in the glory with its speed, style and performance. The Ferrari 458 Italia can accelerate to 100km/h in just 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 202 mph or 325 kmph. This means that the 458 Italia has broken the V8 engine top speed limit with is restricted to 200 mph or 322 kmph! The Ferrari 458 Italia is a replacement for the Ferrari F430. This latest car from the Italian super car maker is a massive leap forward from the company’s previous mid-rear engined sports cars by incorporating new engine, design, aerodynamics, handling, instrumentation and ergonomics which means it has a creative flair, passion as well as cutting edge technology. The car was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The two-seater car gains its design and technology inspirations from the racing legend Michael Schumacher and Ferrari also delivers the needs from its vast Formula One experience. This is evident from the car’s response to driver’s inputs and the improved fuel efficiency by reducing the overall friction levels and aerodynamic efficiency which is reduced to only 140 kg at 200km/h in the new model. There is a single opening port in the front grille with side air intakes. The aerodynamic sections are designed to direct air to the coolant radiators and the new flat underbody. The engine capacity is 4499cc with V8 architecture and is first direct injection mid-rear mounted engine from Ferrari. The piston compression heights are very low like racing engines which achieve a nice compression ratio of 12.5:1. The engine delivers a power of 562 bhp at 9000 rpm and a maximum torque of 540 Nm at 6000 rpm. The amount of torque and power available at low rpm is also extraordinary. The transmission system is seven speed dual clutch transmission that provides smoother gear shift even at full throttle. The gear ratios are nicely chosen to match the power and torque delivery of the engine. Too good to be true, right? Labels: Ferrari, Ferrari-458-Italia, Ferrari-F430
Friday, 23 October 2009
 Dubai is a place of rich Emirs, sheiks and oil barons. These tycoons drive Ferraris, Beamers and Mercs. So, what is the Indian REVA doing there? The REVA is there with a mission to complete. The tiny environmentally friendly car is in Dubai as a part of the 'Green Car Programme'. The Dubai Municipality has started test driving the first REVA, which is licensed to SS Lootah Company. The car has been gifted by the company to the Municipality for three days for the employees of the civic body to test drive the car and familiarize with this type of eco-friendly cars. The car has been parked at the entrance of the main building of the Municipality as part of the civic body's endeavor to spread awareness on environmental conservation and cooperation with its strategic partners. The project named the 'Green Car Programme' comes as part of its efforts to achieve the vision of Dubai to reduce all elements of pollution caused by cars and encourage people to use clean energy in addition to enjoy other benefits offered by this car such as safety and calmness during its driving in addition to the material savings as its cost fits people from every strata of the society in Dubai. Hope REVA makes the mission possible. Amen! Labels: Ferrari, Green-Car, REVA
Thursday, 8 October 2009
It seems that everything's changing for the Renault F1 team. The team principal has been barred from the sport indefinitely and the technical director has been mercifully banned for five years. They've already booted out their car-crashing, whistle-blowing driver Nelson Piquet Jr. and replaced him with rookie Romain Grosjean. Renault F1 team’s star driver, Fernando Alonso, who brought two titles home for the team, is leaving for Ferrari. And they've lost their title sponsor ING. The team has hit just about rock bottom, but now it's time for them to get up and begin rebuilding for next season, counting their lucky stars they've been allowed to participate altogether (Talk about Luck). And this is their first step. Following weeks, if not months of speculation, Robert Kubica has been announced to be moving to Renault for next season. The promising Polish driver – who took the checkered flag last year at the Canadian Grand Prix – has been racing for BMW Sauber for the past four seasons since entering Formula One. But now that BMW has pulled the plug, Kubica's headed to the French team. There's no telling who, at this point, will be driving alongside him next year at Renault, but Grosjean has so far failed to earn his keep. Speculation places his equally talented BMW team-mate Nick Heidfeld alongside him, but nothing's been announced yet. Labels: BMW-Sauber, Fernando-Alonso, Ferrari, Renault-F1-Team, Robert-Kubica
Monday, 24 August 2009
All the excitement and the dust encompassing Sunday’s European Grand Prix in Valencia have just settled down. But seems the rumour mills are working overtime to churn out the best quality gossips that we haven’t heard in Formula One Racing for quite some time now. Well, According to the stories that have been flying after Sunday’s Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso is likely to say au revoir to Renault and will join hands with Ferrari for the year 2010. Fernando Alonso of Renault came in the sixth place in yesterday’s European Grand Prix held at Valencia in Spain. This rumour still has not been confirmed and will remain unofficial as Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are still under contract with Scuderia Ferrari. Once the contract is over, we are likely to get the official confirmation of this news. Ferrari has denied having talks with Fernando Alonso. But the shifting of team is a possibility at a situation surrounding Massa’s injuries and Kimi Raikkonen’s growing interest in driving rally cars as well as the rather slow and desultory performance of Luca Badoer in yesterday’s European Grand Prix. Moreover, in the world of Formula One racing, anything can happen and Ferrari is not afraid to shake things up in and around Formula One. So guys if the rumour turns out to be true, get ready to see Fernando Alonso with those red jumpsuit-wearing boys from Ferrari next year. Labels: Fernando-Alonso, Ferrari, Formula-One
Monday, 17 August 2009
Team Ferrari F1 seems to have got the solution to the problem it has been prodding for over a month a now. Ferrari has confirmed that Felipe Massa will be replaced by Luca Badoer for the upcoming European Grand Prix, pulling down the curtains on the most debated issue in the F1 circles of late. Ferrari has been in distress since Felipe Massa was injured in Hungarian Grand Prix on July 25, 2009 and soon after that it was speculated that Massa would be replaced by the legendary, seven-time world champion Micheal Schumacher. Schumi who had been recalled for the event by Ferrari soon forced to back out and call off his participation at the Formula One racing because he was haunted by the neck injuries he sustained during a motorcycle race earlier in the year. Now Ferrari left with no other options, has zeroed on Luca Badoer to replace the injured Felipe Massa at the upcoming European Grand Prix at Valencia. Ferrari has promoted its test driver Badoer to the race position for the next race in Valencia, as a reward for his many years of efforts with the team. Luca Badoer has been a Ferrari test and reserve driver since 1998 and last raced in 1999 for Minardi. Luca Di Montezemolo has named the 38-year-old Italian to race for the Scuderia. Luca Badoer is Ferrari's longest ever serving test driver. He holds a distinction of being the only driver who has competed in the 48 Grand Prix without scoring a single point. He was about to achieve his first points finish in the 1999 European Grand Prix, but the gearbox on his Minardi failed with only thirteen laps to go. Unable to find a satisfactory race seat in Formula One after 1999, Badoer became a permanent test driver for Ferrari. He covers thousands of kilometres at the Mugello and Fiorano test circuits each year and has probably driven more kilometres in a Ferrari Formula One car than any other Italian in history. Labels: Ferrari, Formula-One, Michael-Schumacher
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
 The excitement around the European Grand Prix seems to have just faded with Michael Schumacher cancelling his much hyped Formula One comeback. The legendary German F1 driver was supposed to step in for the injured Felipe Massa for Ferrari. But he is compelled to call off his participation in the European Grand Prix to due health reasons. Schumacher had a freak motorcycle accident earlier this year in February and had injured his neck. The seven-time world champion has informed the Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo and team Principal Stefano Domenicali regarding his unavailability for the race. It was only last week when he took a one-day test in an F2007 to evaluate his fitness levels and to prepare for the race. He covered 67 laps of Ferrari’s Mugello circuit in Italy. The neck pain poured forth once again and all consequent treatment has failed to ease his distress and the injury will not be able to withstand the extreme stress levels of the Formula One racing. The 40 year-old former world champion was disheartened to the core and especially for the team and his fans who were anticipating his return. Labels: Ferrari, Formula-One, Michael-Schumacher
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
The famous Italian car design house and coachbuilder Pininfarina is up for sale. If things go right, our desi car maker Tata Motors will secure it. This will be icing on the cake as Tata Motors has recently acquired the luxury marquee brand Jaguar Land Rover. The company Pininfarina is struggling with financial problems and is losing its influence and command over as one of the most successful car styling companies of the world. So, the decision to put it up for sale came as a part of an agreement to restructure the company's debt. Currently, the Pininfarina family holds a 50.6 per cent stake in the company and has hired a bank to help it sell its shares. Indian car maker Tata Motors is a strong contender among its potential buyers. One of Tata Motors’ contenders is a French industrial company called the Bolloré which is presently developing the Bluecar EV with Pininfarina. It has also been rumoured that Ford is also looking at the deal. Tata Motors is in partnership with Fiat, which has its Ferraris and Maseratis designed by Pininfarina. So, the Indian car company is expected to have a better stand compared to others. The car styling firm was established as the Società anonima Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in 1930 by Battista "Pinin" Farina. It has designed Ferraris and Maseratis and also other models such the Ford Streetka, Peugeot 406 Coupe, Fiat Coupe, Alfa Romeo Brera and Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin. The famous Pininfarnia has also worked with other major car companies like Peugeot, Alfa Romeo, Cadillac, Jaguar and Volvo over the last seventy-eight years. Pininfarina also worked on the Tata Prima concept car that was presented at Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. Labels: Ferrari, Pininfarina, Tata-Motors
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Just when everybody thought that Ferrari had lost the race even before racing, after its ace driver Felipe Massa incurred serious injury, the Italian car manufacturer has done the unbelievable. Ferrari has announced that former F1 driver Michael Schumacher will replace Massa for the forthcoming Grand Prix. The upcoming racing event is the European Grand Prix to be held on August 23rd in Spain. Schumacher will be racing in all the motorsports events for Ferrari till the Brazilian is fit to race. By bringing back the legendary Michael Schumacher, Ferrari has raised the level of enthusiasm for the upcoming sports event. Schumacher had retired from Formula One racing in later part of 2006. He is considered the greatest ever driver motorsports has witnessed. He is the only Formula One driver to have won the Formula One World Driver’s championship seven times. Currently, he is functioning as the advisor and temporary driver for Ferrari. For the upcoming racing event, Schumacher will undergo a special training programme over the next few weeks before he is confirmed fit for the event. Schumi, if deemed fit, will be the oldest driver in the F1 drivers line up with 40 of his birthdays past him and will be gunning for glory in his next F1 outing. By this announcement the 2009 European Grand Prix has become one of the most important event of the year. Many F1 enthusiasts who were worried about Ferrari’s poor performance in the recent races, were shocked when Felipe Massa suffered a grievous injury during the qualifying race at the Hungarian Grand Prix. European Grand Prix promises to be the best of the season with Michael Schumacher filling in for Massa. Fans of Formula One will have a literal treat to watch out for. Labels: Ferrari, Formula-One, Michael-Schumacher
Thursday, 9 July 2009
What do you do if you were to be Lapo Elkann, the grandson of late industrialist and Fiat Chairman Gianni Agnelli and an heir to the Fiat SpA automobile company? You get a custom built denim themed Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, of course!!! Blasphemy! Did you just say? But this is just what happens if you were to own the company that made the car. Lapo Elkann, an heir to the huge business empire and a notorious playboy has also splurged millions of dollars on cars. His passion for cars many a times ran overboard. But when he commissioned the denim themed Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, he was just going a step further to show his eccentricities. (But we are loving it!!!) The denim themed Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is painted in baby blue, the roof, mirrors and pentagram wheels in a contrast indigo blue colour. The car has been decked up with denim upholstery instead of the customary leather seats offered by Ferrari itself. (What the ….? Yeah, we do understand your emotions) Now don’t flinch at the billionaire playboy’s taste. A look at this denim blue Ferrari is actually very startling for Ferrari fans who have liked their Ferraris best clad in flaming red and black. To add to the sacrilege done already, Mr. Elkann now uses it everywhere he goes, which make it unbearable to prancing Horse enthusiasts. But guys remember Mr. Elkann could one day be running Fiat Company and along with it the Ferrari, as Fiat holds a major stake in the sports car company. He could also be running the Chrysler in America and to a lesser extend the Fiat Automobiles in India too. (Thinking of the shapes of things to come already?) Labels: Ferrari, Ferrari-599-GTB-Fiorano, Fiat SpA, Fiat-Automobiles-India, Sports-Car
 Ross Brawn, the British motorsport engineer and Formula One (Brawn GP) team owner was on the ninth cloud after being honoured with the Motorsport Industry Association’s (MIA) Award. This prestigious award was for his outstanding contribution to the motorsport industry. The award function was organized at the MIA's annual summer reception at Britain's House of Lords. Brawn collected the impressive award in the presence of over 300 guests which comprised of Ministers of State, Ambassadors, VIPs, MIA members and leaders from the motorsport industry. With this award under his wings, Brawn will be sharing the list of other esteemed winners of the award from Formula One Motorsports which includes Professor Sid Watkins, Frank Williams, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart and Bernie Ecclestone. Brawn’s contribution in the motorsport is clearly evident as he has promoted the F1 global industry in numerous ways. With his strategic planning and quick thinking Brawn gets the credit for many F1 victories. In his appreciation, MIA CEO, Chris Aylett commented that “His exceptional race engineering talent is coupled with integrity, sincerity and humility - a rare combination in this aggressive competitive sport.” Ross Brawn has served various championship-winning F1 teams such as Benetton and Ferrari as the technical director. In 2007 he took a small vacation and showed his presence again in 2008 season as a Team Principal of Honda. He owns Brawn GP team (he took over the Honda team in early 2009, as Honda was hit by recession. He is a man of inspiration, hard work, integrity, confidence and it is these characteristics that made him successful. Beside Formula One as his first love he is also a great lover of fishing and gardening. Labels: Car-Racing, Ferrari, Formula-One
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
It was only last month when a 1957 Ferrari’s 250 Testa Rossa, was auctioned for a whopping U.S. $12.2 million which was acclaimed as the world’s most expensive auction of a car ever. But this record will soon be broken when a 1936 Bugatti Type 57C coupe would also be auctioned speculate the auction pundits. This classic French machine, could fetch more dollars in millions than the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa did when it will be up for sale at the Gooding & Co’s auction in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance scheduled to be held this August. This 1936 Bugatti Type 57C coupe was built as a gift for Ettore Bugatti, the founder for Bugatti cars. It has been preserved in excellent condition by the Bugatti factory which took pains to maintain the car at all times including WW II. When Ettore died in 1947, the factory took over the maintenance of his favourite car which was sold off in 1950. Since than the car has not undergone any changes. The Type 57C were built between 1937 to 1940 and only 750 units of them were produced. Type 57Cs were fitted with 3.3 litre engine which produced 160hp with a Roots type supercharger fitted into it. The Gooding Auction will also put many other race cars on the auction trail from the collection of Don Lyons, including the 1967 Gurney Eagle Indy car driven by the legendary Denny Hulme and Mario Andretti’s Lola Indy car. Bugatti, which was until now known as the World's fastest car would have a new tag of “The most expensive auctioned car” added to it when the auction takes place in August. But it is still wait and watch until the event happens. Labels: Bugatti-Cars, Ferrari, World’s-fastest-car
Friday, 19 June 2009
Owning a car with a logo of “Prancing Horse” seems like a must do in everybody's wish list. Anybody loaded with loads of moolah can fit the description provided he goes an extra mile by buying “the” Ferrari of the Ferrari boss himself. Whew!!! You read that right. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the Chairman of Ferrari and Fiat is bidding his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in an online auction (What gives). The outcome of this auction is going to benefit a charity that provides funding for young researches working on projects involving technological innovation.(So much for the cause of science. Eh?) This 2006 model Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is feature laden with the F1 Super Fast gearbox, Rosso Monza exterior paint, charcoal leather interior, carbon-ceramic disc brakes and carbon fiber accents. This car has been a personal transport of di Montezemolo with the total mileage reading at a very low 5,776 km (3,589 miles). The bidding for the car is currently open until June 29 at 3:00pm GMT. When last heard the highest bid so far was hovering at €180,000 ($250,000). If you are planning to place your bid, all you have to do is to go to the official website of Ferrari and show your Swiss bank balance (All for the cause of Science) . Labels: Car-Auctions, Ferrari, Formula 1
Friday, 29 May 2009
Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari has been trapped by the car rallying bug and is all set for another annual rally after an impressive debut performance in Arctic Lapland Rally. Another car rally that Raikkonen is to participate is the Rally della Marca alongside co-driver Kaj Lindstrom. The young boy is very excited about the rally as this would be his first experience of rallying on the tarmac. He also feels thankful to Scuderia for giving him a golden opportunity to participate in this adventurous rally. Scuderia is a division of Ferrari automobile that mainly looks after racing sports. The 2007 Formula One World Champion entered two rounds of the Finnish Rally Championship in the winter with the Tommi Makinen-prepared racing car, the Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000. Raikkonen will use the same car for the 26th Rally della Marca. He wonders what magic he will do behind the wheel of the Grande Punto but still has high hopes to win the competition. Labels: Car-Rally, Ferrari, Formula-One, Racing-Car
Monday, 6 April 2009
Mumbai streets were more sublime and warm on April 5, 2009. The sunny Sunday when people normally desire to stay within the shelters of their homes because of the prickling heat and humidity had transformed into a sublime Sunday because of the Parx Super Car Show held at Kala Ghoda in Mumbai. The show was an excellent and exhilarating parade of finest sports and luxury car. Infact the key aim of introducing such a kind of event was to bring together all like-minded individuals and car enthusiasts who own and have a passion of cars especially cars that lead admiring glances and envious stares. The event was flagged by former Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan. The Managing Director of Raymond Mr Gautam led the entourage of supercars in his Lamborghini Gallardo. Other participating cars in the show were from top brands like AMG, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Porsche, and Rolls Royce. And all these were driven from Kala Ghoda to Siddhi Vinayak Temple and back through Walkeshwar and Breach Candy. For the onlookers the parade of the most scintillating and impressive cars was the most spectacular sight. Organized by Autocar India and Bellset, the Parx Supercar Show is expected to travel to other cities including Delhi and Bangalore. Labels: AMG-Cars, Audi, Bentley, BMW-Cars, Ferrari, Formula-One, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Narain-Karthikeyan, Porsche, Rolls-Royce-Cars, Super-Car-Show
Monday, 16 February 2009
The sensational Aero Show which occurs every year in Bangalore brought something new and different this year. When the Sukhoi, F16, MiG-35, Tejas, and other fighter aircrafts glittered the sky, the ground was stage for a maroon Formula one car. The presence of the car at the aero show was undoubtedly peculiar but the site of the car truly added more excitement to the event. Inexplicably, it was not the Ferrari or the Toyota F1 cars but the Formula car PM408 built by the Team HAYA from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of People’s Education Society Institute of Technology (PESIT), Bangalore. Amazingly, for the first time any racing car was showcased at an air show. During the first four day, the car was displayed in one of the exhibition hall and performed only on the last day of the event. The custom-designed all-aluminium body is crafted to give a smooth and speedy drive along with adjustable pedal assembly and a custom-made shaft drive for maximum power transmission. It also carries custom-made automatic button shift for fast and efficient transmission and reaches 200 km/h with an acceleration of 0-100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds. The Team HAYA is set to participate in the upcoming FSAE ITALY 2009 with the car and has taken useful tips from the spectators like Rata Tata as how to improve its performance. Thus the participation of this car in the aero show has benefitted both the event as well as the Team. Labels: Aero-Show, F1-Cars, Ferrari
Monday, 22 December 2008
It's the first time in the history of automobile industry that an Indian brand will appear on the Ferrari. This brand is none other than the Tata Ferrari has signed a sponsorship deal with Tata Consultancy Services aimed at bucking up the impact of global recession squeezing the glamour sports. Formula One the the richest sports, has recently experienced a hard pinch due to the credit crunch. The aftermath resulted in the immediate pull out of Honda and thereafter, Formula One decided to go for cost cutting measures. In response, Ferrari agreed to have the stamp of TCS on the bodywork of the Ferraris, Felippe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, active participants for the 2009 Formula One season. The deal seems to be of great significance amid F1's plan to bring a variety of changes including sporting, technical, and economical. Tata group is not new to the F1 and Ferrari. Even in 2005, Tata had provided financial support to the winning Indian car driver, Narain Karthikeyan, when he drove for Jordan. Then again in 2006, Tata logo was embellished on the Williams F1 cars that was driven by Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg on the F1 circuits. Since then, Ferrari has enjoyed a massive benefits gained by the efforts and sponsorship of Tata. This time too Ferrari may benefit from the support of Tata. But, then the current meltdown in the market has gripped the sports so tightly that it's difficult to say that how far Formula One will drive in the path of success. Labels: Ferrari, Formula-One, Tata
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Vijay Mallya is stressing on everything with respect to Force India from management of the team to engine partner. Force India will now use new engines in the next season along with new drivers. This new engine is a significant addition to the sporting event brought in association with McLaren and Mercedes. Fondly, the team will now use the most powerful engine and gearbox used in the world champion Lewis Hamilton's McLaren. This new deal with Mercedes and McLaren was signed by Force India after it terminated the contract with Fiat-owned Ferrari. For the next season, the Force India team also plans to use a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) that is developed by Mercedes and McLaren. The team feels that the new engine and this innovative system will boost the technical armoury and lead to better growth prospectus both in terms of winning races and business. Hopefully, the new contract will give a new force to the force India. Labels: Ferrari, Force India, Mercedes
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