Formula 1 news from Formula1
Technical Q&A - Lotus's James Allison on the E20
Following the launch of his team's 2012 car, the E20, Lotus technical director James Allison looks to the season ahead...
Q: How different is 2012 likely to be from 2011?
James Allison: If you casually flicked through the regulations you'd be forgiven for thinking that there aren't many differences from last year, however nestling in there are some fairly profound changes
Sunday 5 February 2012
Kimi Raikkonen Q&A: I've missed F1
2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen makes his Formula One race return with Lotus this March, when he will grace the grid for the first time since his Abu Dhabi outing with Ferrari at the end of 2009. Following the launch of his new team's 2012 car, the E20, the Finn discusses his comeback and the year ahead
Sunday 5 February 2012
The Lotus E20 breaks cover
Lotus have officially unveiled the new car with which returning 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and team mate Romain Grosjean will contest the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship.
The UK-based team hope the E20 - the 20th F1 chassis built at their Enstone factory - will allow them to improve on the fifth place they achieved as Renault last season
Sunday 5 February 2012
Van der Garde signs as Caterham reserve
Caterham have confirmed that Dutchman Giedo van der Garde will be the team's official reserve driver in 2012. Van der Garde will participate in the upcoming pre-season tests and will take part in a number of Friday practice sessions at Grands Prix this year.
?I'm very happy to become a part of the Caterham F1 Team family and I'm very excited about the next step in my career
Sunday 5 February 2012
Technical director Key leaves Sauber
Just three days before the launch of their 2012 car, Sauber have announced that technical director James Key is to leave the company. His role will instead be covered by the Swiss team's department heads for aerodynamics, design, performance and operations.
Englishman Key joined Sauber from Force India midway through 2010, taking over from Sauber stalwart Willy Rampf
Friday 3 February 2012
Q&A with HRT's Narain Karthikeyan
This time last year Narain Karthikeyan was looking ahead to a full season of Formula One competition with HRT. In the end he made eight Grand Prix starts. Now, after weeks of uncertainty, he is again relishing the prospect of racing for the Spanish team, having been confirmed as 2012 team mate to Pedro de la Rosa on Friday
Friday 3 February 2012
Di Resta Q&A: Force India must have a strong start
With a new team mate in Nico Hulkenberg - and now, after its Friday launch, a new car - Force India's Paul di Resta is targeting a successful 2012. And first on Di Resta's agenda is to maintain the momentum which helped the team end last season so strongly. The Scot discusses the VJM05 and his hopes for the year ahead?
Friday 3 February 2012
Hulkenberg Q&A: I can't wait to race again
After excelling in the Williams in 2010, Nico Hulkenberg spent last year sitting on the bench as Force India's third driver. Now promoted to a 2012 race seat, Hulkenberg is impatient to restart his competitive Formula One career and get his first taste of the newly-launched VJM05?
Friday 3 February 2012
Technical Q&A - Force India's Andrew Green on the VJM05
They finished sixth in the 2011 standings and for 2012 Force India's target is fifth. The car they are hoping will take them there is the new VJM05. Following its launch and track debut at Silverstone on Friday, the man who has led its design, technical director Andrew Green, discusses its development and its prospects for the coming season
Friday 3 February 2012
Ferrari confident aggressive approach will yield results
After spending the last few seasons playing catch-up to Red Bull and McLaren, Ferrari were under pressure to pull something special out of the bag for 2012. And after revolutionising the way they approach the design of their cars, the Italian team are certain the newly-launched F2012 is capable of returning them to their championship-winning heydays.
The Scuderia endured a miserable 2011, winning just one race and finishing the year 275 points behind eventual champions Red Bull and 122 behind long-time rivals McLaren. After much reflection, Ferrari decided their recent disappointments had been largely caused by their too-conventional design approach and have opted to be much more aggressive this year.
Friday 3 February 2012
Force India take wraps off the VJM05
Sharing the media spotlight with Ferrari, Force India unveiled their 2012 car in the pit lane at Silverstone on Friday morning. The team, who are based just down the road from the UK track, hope the VJM05 will prove quick enough to push them firmly into the midfield following their excellent progress in 2011, which saw them take sixth in the constructors' standings.
?We have set our sights on challenging for fifth place,? explained team principal Dr Vijay Mallya. ?To do so we will need to begin the new campaign by delivering the kind of form we showed in the second half of 2011. I believe this is a realistic goal and that we have the talent and determination to realise these ambitions.?
Friday 3 February 2012
Ferrari present the F2012 online
After being forced to cancel their planned launch ceremony due to snow, Ferrari presented their 2012 car to the world via the internet on Friday. The F2012 will make its testing debut at Jerez in Spain next week.
As predicted, the Scuderia's new machine uses a stepped-nose design to meet new regulations on front chassis height and practically every area of the car has been fundamentally revised from its 2011 predecessor.
Friday 3 February 2012
Karthikeyan completes HRT's 2012 line-up
Narain Karthikeyan will partner Pedro de la Rosa in HRT's line-up for the 2012 season. Karthikeyan competed at the first eight 2011 Grands Prix for the Spanish team, before stepping aside for Red Bull protege Daniel Ricciardo, but made a one-off race return at his home Grand Prix in India in October.
?It has taken a lot of hard work to make this happen but I am absolutely elated to feature on the 2012 grid with HRT F1 Team,? said the Chennai-born driver. ?I was pleased with our strong performance at the Indian Grand Prix, in front of my passionate home fans and I look forward to building on this result in 2012. I have been training hard since the end of 2011, ensuring I was ready for the rigours of F1 if an opportunity arose.
Friday 3 February 2012
Snow forces Ferrari to call off launch ceremony for 2012 car
Ferrari have opted to cancel the official unveiling of their 2012 car because of heavy snowfall in Maranello. The launch ceremony was due to take place in Italy on Friday morning.
Thursday 2 February 2012
Driver Q&A with McLaren's Button and Hamilton
Wednesday's launch may have been our first opportunity to glimpse the new McLaren, but it was also the first time either of the British team's drivers had properly laid eyes on the brand-new MP4-27. After ripping the wraps off their shiny new charge, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton revealed their first impressions, looked ahead to next week's debut test and explained why they couldn't wait to get back behind the wheel after a winter of relaxation?
Wednesday 1 February 2012