Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: Motorsports

The French are getting screwed out of their Formula One fix. A little over a week after French Canadians began mourning the Canadian Grand Prix’s cancellation from the 2009 F1 calendar, word comes that the French Grand Prix has also been nixed. The GP’s promoter, the Federation du Sport Automobile (FFSA), announced the race’s cancellation yesterday and blamed it on finances, though we find it hard to believe that even an F1 race in Europe can’t make money in these tough economic times. With the race at Circut de Nevers Magny-Cours scrapped, the 2009 F1 calendar has now been whittled down to just 17 races.

The French GP began in 1906, and has run continuously since 1950 except for 1955 when it was cancelled after a horrible accident at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year’s cancellation is not expected to be permanent, however, as the FFSA loses its promotion rights in 2010, and F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has expressed his wish to see it moved from the Magny-Cours track, where it’s been held since 1991, to somewhere closer to Paris.

[Source: Telegraph.co.uk, Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK/AFP/Getty]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

This weekend Singapore will host Formula 1’s first night race, and SPEED TV has created a computerized lap of the course narrated by Mark Webber taking you through the 24 corners. Perhaps the best part of this brand new track in a brand new host country at a brand new time of day night is the knowledge that there are three spots for overtaking, which hopefully means this will be more than just a two-hour parade lap. If nothing else, McLaren might be packing a surprise. Follow the jump to check out the video. Thanks for the tip, Andy!

[Source: Speed TV via MotorWorldHype]

Continue reading VIDEO: Singapore GP Preview

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Supercars

The desire to take on Ferrari has birthed at least one iconic car (GT40) and launched an entire brand (Lamborghini), and for David Frem, a 25-year-old Lebanese design student, the ambition to chase after Italy’s prancing horse has created this: the Frem F1.

After three years of design and fabrication, Frem has created the F1 prototype as a steppingstone to the production version, aptly titled the F2, which is slated to appear at the Detroit Auto Show this January.

The F1 is currently powered by a Volkswagen-sourced 2.0-liter four-pot and mated to an Audi gearbox (DSG?), good for a claimed top speed of 124 mph — assuming it doesn’t undress itself in the process. But if the world’s first Lebanese supercar has any chance of catching up to Italy’s finest, it had better be packing twice as many cylinders and a bit more refinement.

Needless to say, the styling and build quality leaves a lot to be desired. The front end might bare a striking resemblance to Frem’s targeted marque, but the massive upright schnoz and gaping air intakes won’t lend themselves well to European pedestrian impact standards. And if you think the exterior is bad, the foam and wood interior, complete with offset steering wheel held in place by a bent metal bracket, is even worse.

If Frem hopes to have a show-worthy car ready by January, he’s going to need a lot more than just a massive wing and a prayer.

[Source: NextAutos]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Euro, Marketing/Advertising, Videos

We know that McLaren has a sense of humor, we simply never know when it’s going to reveal itself. Happily for us, the team has decided it’s time to laugh again. The Singapore Grand Prix, on September 28, is the first Formula 1 race at night, and team CEO Martin Whitmarsh gives us a little insight into McLaren’s preparations. This is the kind of silly season that makes sense. Follow the jump for the video. Thanks for the tip, Peter!

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: McLaren makes a Singapore Sling Zing

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Filed under: Motorsports

You’d think that the teams in Formula One would all be striving to eek out every little performance advantage they can, right? Well, not quite. It turns out that some of the teams are lobbying behind closed doors to equalize engine performance across the series.

The development has been prompted by Sebastian Vettel’s landmark domination at this past weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. The young German drives for Scuderia Toro Rosso, which essentially - and controversially - runs the same cars as the senior Red Bull Racing team, only with one major difference: the engine. While RBR uses Renault engines, STR is powered by Ferrari. And according to Red Bull chief Christian Horner, the performance advantage which Ferrari has cultivated over Renault is what allowed Vettel to beat out the Renault-powered Red Bull cars, to say nothing of the rest of the field. Horner insists that Renault has obeyed the engine development freeze currently in place, while Ferrari, BMW and McLaren partner Mercedes-Benz have taken advantage of loopholes that has allowed them to find as much as 30 extra horsepower. “We don’t need an engine formula to completely open up,” said Horner, “but there should be a parity as much as possible among the engine suppliers - otherwise we will all end up with one engine at the end of the day.”

[Source: Autosport]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari

Ferrari announced during the first practice day of this weekend’s Monza GP that Kimi Raikkonen’s contract has been extended by one year. This mean’s he’s locked into service with the scuderia until the end of 2010, which is the same time Felipe Massa’s contract runs out. Terms of the extension weren’t disclosed, but the fact that Ferrari re-signed the Iceman means they aren’t nearly as worried about his recent form as the rest of the paddock appears to be. It also means that Fernando Alonso can now decide where he wants to go for at least two years and get the silly season officially over with.

[Source: F1 Live]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

On Thursdays before a Formula 1 GP weekend really kicks off, Bernd Maylander, the F1 safety car driver, and Dr. Jacques Tropenat, the F1 medical car driver, check out the trackside cameras and timing equipment. Steering identical Mercedes CLK 63’s, they also check out their driving skills by seeing which one of them can set the best lap.

Bernd is a former race car driver who has been doing safety car duty since 2000. When the FIA decided to hire a professional safety car driver instead of using former F1 pilots, Bernd was plucked from the DTM series and given two years of training. Now, the hardest driving he does is when he’s called out to parade the racers around during a caution. He knows how slow it looks on TV, but he says “I have to drive 99% up to my limit. I can’t drive over my limit - that extra 1% is to make sure I’m safe. The drivers know I have to drive really hard in a much slower car, but if they push me then I know I can drive a little bit quicker. We have to play together.” He also wins the award for The Most Obvious Quote of Memorial Weekend when he says “The difference between a safety car and a F1 car is like a jumbo jet and a star fighter. To put it simply, I could never win a Grand Prix in the safety car.” That said, his only real competition is the Thursday bout with his medical colleague. Call it Fire Marshall Bill vs. McDreamy.

Thanks for the tip, Patrick!

[Source: BBC]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Euro, Supercars, Ferrari

Michael Schumacher’s credentials run the gamut: 1995’s youngest double Formula 1 World Champion, most career wins, most wins in a season, most consecutive wins, etc. Now he can add a notch on his belt representing his role as test driver for Ferrari… or at least for a day.

Autocar spies caught a rare sight the other day — a Ferrari 599 GTB on the Nurburgring rather than its test track in Fiorano. After witnessing some pretty serious hot rodding, the photographers zoomed in on the driver… only to see one Michael Schumacher at the wheel. Future profession for Schumi, or entertaining day trip? Hopefully we’ll find out soon. High-res photo available here

Thanks for the tip, Wang Meng!

[Source: AutoCar]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Honda

Looks like Honda Racing was pretty impressed with Marco, too. Marco Andretti, the teenage son of former CART champ and one-time F1 pilota Michael, and grandson of former F1 and CART campione, Mario, will be back in the saddle of the Honda RA 106 for a couple of days. Marco had a brief run at Jerez back in December that apparently went well enough for Honda to invite him back for more. Sporting director (and former CART champion himself) Gil de Ferran said that because the RA 106 was still available this week in Jerez, they would love to have the youngest racing Andretti take a few more laps. The IndyCar (IRL) Series ‘Rookie of the Year’ will be on track in Jerez on 2/7 and 2/8 while Jenson Button and Christian Klien continue to work on the new RA107 chassis.

After an impressive, if somewhat heartbreaking, second place finish in last year’s Indy 500, the 19-yr-old Andretti has been seen as a highly visible talent who could potentially draw American fans into Formula 1. While his first test in the Honda RA 106 went well, Marco admitted it was too short to reach any conclusions: “I felt that I did a good job in December but on the first day you spend more time getting used to the car and familiarizing yourself with the circuit,” he said. “When I get in the car this time, I am sure I will be able to hit the ground running. I’m looking forward to it.”

[Sources: Paddock Talk and Guardian Unlimited]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Motorsports

Despite all the ongoing rumors of this country and that preparing bids for F1 czar Bernie Ecclestone, few of them are anywhere near that stage. As track designer Hermann Tilke has pointed out, many of the speculative locations lack circuits that would be ready to host grands prix.

Tilke has to his credit the designs of most of the new F1-spec race tracks around the world, including Malaysia, Bahrain, Istanbul and Shanghai.In addition to those, he’s working on Abu Dhabi’s. The overwhelming likelihood is that Tilke Engineering would be commissioned to draw up the plans for any new track if prospective organizers are serious about their F1 bids.

In an interview with British publication Autosport, Tilke said that Mexico, India, Russia, South Africa and Greece are a long way from making their Formula One dreams realities. Mexico, he says, is stalled with political problems, India and Russia are merely topics for discussion, plans for a return to South Africa are “dormant” and the Greek bid has “fizzled out.” That leaves plenty of room for progress on each front, but then again, there are a lot of countries vying for Tilke’s talents…and for Bernie’s attention.

[Source: F1i]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Renault

Click on the image above to jump to our gallery of 16 high-resolution images

Enthusiasts and consumers may contend that F1 racing provides only negligible benefit to road cars, but automakers evidently think otherwise, as more and more buy into the top-tier motorsport each year. Each has its own way of bringing its racing success to the road: Ferrari makes nearly-unobtainable supercars; McLaren’s even more so. Renault, on the other hand, translates their immense success on the F1 circuit into some of the hottest hatchbacks on the market (even if they’re not currently offered stateside).

Renaultsport launched the Clio F1 Team R27 edition to coincide with the racing team’s launch of the R27, the Formula One single-seater they’ll be fielding in the 2007 season that kicks off in a week. The new hot hatch made its public debut at the Geneva motor show last week. Along with special decals and a “Sirius yellow” finish, Recaro racing buckets, lightweight 17″ anthracite rims and a few other special touches, the Clio R27 gets an upgraded “Cup” suspension. The limited series goes on sale this month, and once it’s been sold out, the Cup suspension will be made available on the “ordinary” Clio Renaultsport.

The Clio R27 follows on the same formula as last year’s Megane Renaulsport F1 Team R26, featuring the same livery and treatment, which was displayed alongside the new Clio R27 and the new F1 car on the Geneva show floor. Check out all the action in our high-resolution image gallery below.

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• That’s Special: Renaultsport hatches Clio Renault F1 Team R27
• Revealed: ING Renault F1 R27 and new title sponsor ING Group
• eBay Find of the Day: Fernando Alonso’s Renault
• VIDEO: Renaultsport Clio and R26
• Megane Renaultsport 225 celebrates company’s F1 championship
• Renault R26 F1 car meets the new Clio RenaultSport
• Renault plans diesel for Megane RenaultSport in ‘07

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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