Williams renews Oris sponsorship

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Sponsors, Williams

Williams announced today that it has secured an extension of its sponsorship deal with Oris.

Becoming the second Swiss watchmaker to confirm a sponsorship deal this week – after Sauber and Certina announced they were continuing their 5-year marriage – Oris’ logos will be in full view on the drivers’ overalls and left sleeves, both sides of the helmets, racing gloves and front wing endplates of the team’s 2010 challenger, the FW32.

Sauber extends partnership with Certina

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Sauber, Sponsors

Swiss watchmaker Certina has renewed its sponsorship of the Sauber team, continuing their relationship that started in 2005.

The watchmaker’s logos will be visible on the Ferrari-powered cars’ mirrors, as well as the driver overalls’ cuffs, driver gloves and helmets of Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi.

While hardly enough of a deal to fill the breach left by the defection of title sponsor, Petronas, to Mercedes GP, it’s still pleasing to see some of the team’s sponsors maintaining faith in the Sauber brand.

A1GP boss wants to buy into Campos

RichardsF1    Formula 1     A1GP, Campos, Tony Texeira

And just when you think it couldn’t get worse, it does get worse!

Tony Texeira, the head of the current bankrupt "postponed" A1 Grand Prix championship, has confirmed that he is in negotiation with the Campos F1 team ahead of its debut season.

With rumours wildly circulating as to the team’s financial position, the South African said he is looking to buy into the Spanish team.

The fifth season of the A1GP series ground to a complete halt due to Texeira stealing all the money massive funding issues, but that hasn’t stopped Texeira from looking into his bottomless vault and now he’s looking to throw money Campos’ way!

"I am talking to Campos, but I’m not the only one," Teixeira told Reuters. "There’s more than one group talking to Campos and for us it has got to be part of an A1 deal. It’s all for A1. My ambition is to bring A1 into F1."

This just has disaster written all over it!

Happy birthday Taku!

RichardsF1    Birthdays, Former F1 Figures, Formula 1     Takuma Sato

Happy birthday to Takuma Sato, who turns 33 today!

Sato’s last F1 appearance was in 2009 pre-season testing with Toro Rosso, in an unsuccessful bid to secure a race seat after he was left without a drive when Super Aguri collapsed in the first half of the 2008 season.

He was briefly in contention for a seat with Lotus, but did not secure the drive.

Here’s hoping a great birthday present arrives for Taku in the form of an F1 race seat!

WTCC plans for Hartmann Racing

RichardsF1    News, WTCC    

Denmark’s Hartmann Racing team have announced their plans to participate in several events of the 2010 FIA WTCC season with their Honda Accord Euro R cars, one of them driven by British touring car legend James Thompson.

“Our priority is the FIA European Touring Car Cup, because we want to defend the title James won last year at Braga,” team principal Hans Hartmann revealed. “ However we are also looking at occasional participations in the WTCC, because we wolud like to warm Honda up for the future.”

The Danish team are due to take part in the WTCC events at Monza and Brands Hatch and they are currently in negotiations with a few experienced drivers for their second Accord car.

“I think we can spring a surprise or two at one of those races and represent ourselves well,” Thompson commented.

Jones backs Webber for the 2010 title

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Alan Jones, Mark Webber

A host of drivers are being considered as candidates for the 2010 F1 title – mind you, the season still hasn’t started yet! – but 1980 Champion Alan Jones thinks his compatriot, Mark Webber, should not be discounted.

Prior to last season, of the 16 Australians to have made the top flight in motorsport, only Jones and Sir Jack Brabham had registered Grand Prix wins, let alone four championships between them.

At the German GP, Webber finally became the third Australian to break his duck and join Jones and Brabham as a race winner. He repeated the feat at the penultimate round in Brazil.

Jones believes that Webber has what it takes to go all the way.

"He’s already displayed that he’s got the speed, he’s got the stamina, he’s very fit and he’s very consistent,” the 63-year-old told Speedcafe. “They’re the things you need for a championship.

“Winning your first race is certainly a terrific morale-booster, and I believe that Mark drove with a lot more confidence after he won his first grand prix. He had a handle on what to do and, providing Red Bull give him a good car this year – which I think they will – he’s well set at having a crack at the championship.”

Silverstone ‘close’ to Arena layout for 2010 race

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Silverstone

Silverstone is progressively moving closer to a decision to run this year’s British GP on its new ‘Arena’ Circuit. This follows positive meetings with the circuit’s managers and key F1 figures.

The circuit’s managing director, Richard Phillips, said that he was increasingly hopeful that the new layout (above) could be used – but that the final decision, as ever, rests with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

"It’s yet to be decided," he told AUTOSPORT. "We need approval from three sides. So far two have said yes and one [Ecclestone] says maybe, so we’ll work on that.

"The FIA needs to homologate the new track of course, [but] it is happy with the plan in principle.

"Bernie needs us to send him the plans for the changes and a report of the progress so far before he can agree, but I think it should be alright [for 2010]," he said.

In spite of the loss of the awesome Bridge corner, we think the new layout looks fantastic!

Teams agree to new tyre rule for 2010

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Rules

The F1 teams have agreed to introduce an extra strategic element to the 2010 races by forcing leading drivers to start races on the same tyres that they qualified on.

Already facing the refuelling ban this season – the biggest change in race tactics since 1993, when refuelling was last not used – this rule will impact how teams approach qualifying as well.

The tweak still hasn’t been committed to regulations, as it has to be ratified by the F1 Commission and the World Motor Sports Council. This should be a mere formality.

The majority of teams present at last week’s Sporting Working Group meeting voted in favour of the rule, which will require the top ten cars that make it through to Q3 to start the race on the same tyres that they set their fastest Q3 time on.

This will open up more tactical possibilities. Do teams gamble on sacrificing the fastest possible time in Q3 by running a more durable, but theoretically slower, tyre in order to have a better chance in the race? Or do teams choose a tyre that is quicker over a single lap to secure a good grid position, if it runs the risk of compromising their race pace?

Hopefully this rule tweak will mix up the tactics throughout the grid and lead to more exciting races!

Red Bull to launch car on 10 February

RichardsF1    Formula 1, Launches     Adrian Newey, Christian Horner, Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull Racing will launch its 2010 challenger – the RB6 – at Jerez on 10 February, the team has confirmed. The unveiling of the Renault-powered car by drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will coincide with the team’s first pre-season test outing of the season.

As was the case last year, the team is missing the opening test session of the season – being held at Valencia from 1 February – as Adrian Newey’s design team put the team’s latest challenger through its final paces in the wind tunnel.

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Livery change for Toro Rosso?

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Jaime Alguersuari, Sponsors, Toro Rosso

A sneaky photo of the Toro Rosso TR5 posted on Forza Toro Rosso looks to have revealed a subtle livery change from the team’s previous challenger, the STR4.

Speculation had been mounting that the Red Bull sister team would look at a change to its beautiful livery in a bid to stem confusion between the liveries of Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso.

Judging by the picture above, the livery looks to have gold flashes on the side pods and a possible orange strip on the nose, which could tie in with the Repsol sponsorship Jaime Alguersuari has brought to the team.

The car will be launched at the Valencia circuit during next week. The team also revealed that staff have been working hard at the factory in Faenza, with mechanics working night shifts to make sure the car is ready on time.

With only 15 days testing time before the start of the season proper, the team have said "We wanted to get in as much mileage as possible, for the sake of sorting out the car and also to give our drivers as much cockpit time as possible [in the car]."

Currently, it is the most beautiful livery of all the teams! Provided the team’s livery hasn’t been completely changed, we will be happy!

Campos likely to miss all pre-season testing

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Bernie Ecclestone, Bruno Senna, Campos, Dallara

It appears that Bernie Ecclestone’s comments may have had some merit – USF1 signs a cashed-up Argentine and Campos’ future looks bleaker by the day!

So financially depleted is the Campos F1 team that it is likely to miss all pre-season testing in its Spanish homeland.

This effectively renders the opening round of the 2010 season, the Bahrain GP, an extended test session.

The Spanish team’s head of strategy, Daniel Eisen told the Associated Press, "Bahrain is a test, it’s not a first race for us.

"The cars are very advanced [in terms of their development stage], we have a driver under contract [Bruno Senna] and our intention is to be in Bahrain for the first race.

"Everybody’s worried, and that’s logical because the season is long and we’re the new ones, but first thing’s first – we want to be there with the best of everything, especially the cars."

Eisen continued to try to stem the doubts about the team’s financial position: "It’s no secret that right now we are negotiating with investors and sponsors, especially on an international scale," he continued, "but everything is going according to plan.
"Bruno didn’t come with cash and that’s important. We’ve always wanted it like that from the start; yes, it would bring a lot economically but our focus is to be ready. We can’t compromise the cars in any way."

You’re going to compromise the cars without any cash in the wallet! Has chassis-builder Dallara even been paid?

Lopez confirmed as USF1 driver

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Gaston Mazzacane, Jose Maria Lopez, Peter Windsor, Renault, USF1

Almost as if to dispel Bernie’s latest comments about the health of the team, USF1 has secured massive funding signed its first driver, Argentina’s José María López.

López becomes Argentina’s first F1 racing driver since the heavily financed dreadfully slow Gaston Mazzacane competed for Minardi and Prost in the 2000 and 2001 seasons; the Argentine was sacked by latter team after just three races.

The driver from Rio Tercero has been competing (and winning) in Argentina’s touring car championship, the TC2000 for the last three years after placing 9th and 10th in the respective classifications of the 2005 and 2006 GP2 championships.

The TC2000 series is hardly a proving ground of F1 material – frankly, it’s little better than a club championship! – so one would therefore speculate that López’s drive comes by dint of a huge wallet, rather than bucket loads of talent.

Say it isn’t so!!!

Word has linked the team’s desperate need for cash driver line-up with Lopez for several months, and team boss Peter Windsor was typically effusive about his driver signing: "Securing the sponsorship of ‘Pechito’ López has been a goal of ours for a long time," commented the Team Executive Vice President.

"We’ve been following his wallet career since he dominated the Renault V6 Championship in 2003 and we’re thrilled to have him on-board as we return America to Formula 1. López is a consummate professional and born leader."

Really!

Windsor continued: "The most revealing thing about his character was how he handled the disappointment of not racing for Renault after three years of testing with them in F1. Instead of moping around and feeling sorry for himself, he returned to Argentina and acquired tons of money totally dominated the local scene, winning 38 races and three championships. He became a major star as a result and, in turn, the Argentine nation – a country where F1 is second only to soccer – has got behind him."

As proof of that, López’s signing was officially announced by the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, in the Buenos Aires Government House on the afternoon of January 25.

Would it be remiss to speculate that the Argentine government is one of López’s backers?

Bahrain announces new layout for 2010 race

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Sakhir

Bahrain Grand Prix organisers have unveiled a new circuit layout for the opening round of this year’s Formula 1 championship.

The Sakhir circuit will host the opening race of the 2010 season on March 14 and, with a grid of up to 26 cars set to take part, race organisers have opted to use an existing extra loop for this year’s event.

The new layout will see the drivers turn left shortly after Turn 4, the right hander at the top of the hill following the first sequence of turns.

There will then be a sequence of five turns before the cars loop back to the original circuit. There will then be a left-right kink before a tight hairpin returns the cars onto the main track. The new layout increases the circuit length from 5.412km circuit to 6.299km.

Zayed R. Alzayani, Chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, said: "The loop was completed in 2006 as part of the built-in evolution of the venue for competitors and fans.

"We gave it its debut with the inaugural 24 Hour Race of Bahrain that same year where it proved extremely successful, and with the changes to the regulations, the teams and the driver line-ups in Formula 1 this year it is the perfect time to evolve the circuit with this new challenge and new overtaking opportunities."

Hopefully it provides exactly that! Now all the event needs is decent ticket sales…

Further amendments to 2010 points system

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Rules

The F1 teams have agreed to further changes to the points scoring system ahead of the 2010 season.

With the top ten finishers set to pick up World Championship points this year, the latest incarnation of the scheme features a 7-point gap between first and second places, rewarding race winners more.

This should make Bernie Ecclestone happier!

The FIA is now likely to accept the proposal to which all teams have agreed, with any change to the sporting regulations requiring the consent of all entrants. The first top 10 points system was introduced in mid-December, with 25 going the way of the winner and intervals of four then separating positions 1 to 4.

However, the latest version of the system would see the runner-up pocket 18 points as opposed to 20.

"I think there is some tuning to the middle range of the points system," Mercedes Team Principal Ross Brawn explained to Reuters at the team’s 2010 presentation in Stuttgart on Monday.

"There is a bit of a disparity in the gaps…it has to be ratified by the F1 commission but that’s the proposal."

The new system would see drivers scoring as follows:
Winner 25
Second 18
Third 15
Fourth 12
Fifth 10
Sixth 8
Seventh 6
Eighth 4
Ninth 2
Tenth 1

Hartley & Ricciardo confirmed as Red Bull & Toro Rosso reserve drivers

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso

Great news for the Antipodes, particularly with today being Australia’s national holiday!

Brendon Hartley and Daniel Ricciardo will be the reserve drivers for the Red Bull and Toro Rosso teams for the 2010 season. Both drivers hail from the drinks company’s driver development programme.

Both aged 20, the duo tested for the respective Red Bull-backed teams at the Jerez ‘Youg Driver ‘ test session in December 2009.

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