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| Sunday, May 27, 2007 |
| Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa at Monaco F1 2007: barely savlaging Ferrari pride |
Felipe Massa did a good job for the Ferrari team at Monaco F1 alright today - but nothing great. The other Ferrari car, of teammate Kimi Raikkonen, was in even worse shape.
Felipe Massa managed to bang in a respectable third place on the famous Monaco streets. But his top speeds were nowhere near the speeds achieved by his competitors in the silver MCLaren Mercedes F1 cars. In fact, after the first corner, Felipe never even seriously managed to hassle rookie McLaren F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, who steadily vanished into the distance hot on the tail of Fernando Alonso. But one has to admit that his was a clean race, at least.
Clean is the word to describe Kimi Raikkonen's race too - except that he only managed a single point by finishing 8th at Monaco. Considering that Kimi was starting from 16 th on the grid, that is respectable. But Kimi Raikkonen wasted a hell of a long time on the tail of cars much slower than him, and there was nothing he could do about it. Kimi Raikkonen and his engineers had relied on a one-stop strategy at Monaco, but in the end even that came to naught. Kimi probably was a little psyched by his encounter with Aramco during the second qualifying.
Another reason for both the Ferrari drivers' poor performance (relatively, of course) at Monaco Grand Prix 2007 could be their wheelbase. The longer wheelbase of the Ferraris, which had come to their aid during the Formula One races so far in 2007 probably did not help much during the twists and turns of Monaco / Monte Carlo.
That is the initial update after the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix!Labels: Ferrari, Formula One |
posted by a correspondent @ 6:54 AM   |
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| Wednesday, January 31, 2007 |
| Fernando Alonso fastest at Valencia, Kimi Raikkonen improves |
Testing at Valencia in Spain is going on now. On the second day of testing, Fernando Alonso in the McLaren MP4-22 was still the fastest man on the track. A tad slower than day 1, but still the fastest. F1 rookie and teammate Lewis Hamilton was nowhere around.
Okay, Alonso managed to clout Ferrari's test driver Luca Badoer from behind and push him in to the grass. No serious harm done to anyone. Alonso's car developed some problems, but whatever they were, they were minor.
If you think we are being pretty vague about everything, that is because there is no real interesting bits of info coming from Valencia right now. On top of that, it has been raining, and testing has been a stop and start affair for the F1 teams at Valencia.
Other interesting bits are from the Renault R27 drivers. Giancarlo Fisichella and his rookie teammate Heikki Kovalainen. The Renault R27 did not perform badly, despite suspicions in the paddock and hype around Fernando, Lewis and Kimi. Fisichella managed to bang in a quick second fastest time in the R27 F1 car right behind Alonso's McLaren MP$-22. And Heikki Kovalainen followed with a decent third fastest time right behind him.
Fourth fastest time was recorded by 'the fastest F1 driver' Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari F2007, in his second ever outing. That is decent enough, we think, and Kimi Raikkonen himself was totally not bothered about the faster times set by Fernando Alonso and the Renault drivers. He said that the weather was not bad, he has not managed to put in as many as laps as he wanted, and that he is still getting used to the F2007. Fair enough.
Do click or bookmark the Formula One link below to read more news reports. Right now the reports are sparse, but that is because these initial testing numbers are pretty much of no real use. Do come back!Labels: Formula One |
| posted by a correspondent @ 11:20 AM |
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| Monday, January 22, 2007 |
| Formula One 2007 calendar |
Australian Grand Prix Melbourne, Australia - March 18, 2007
Malaysian Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - April 8, 2007
Bahrain Grand Prix Sakhir, Bahrain - April 15, 2007
Spanish Grand Prix Catalunya, Spain - May 13, 2007
Monaco Grand Prix May 27, Monaco - 2007
Canadian Grand Prix Montreal, Canada - June 10, 2007
United States Grand Prix Indianapolis, USA - June 17, 2007
French Grand Prix Magny-Cours, France -- July 1, 2007
British Grand Prix Silverstone, Grea Britain - July 8, 2007
German Grand Prix Nürburgring, Germany - July 22, 2007
Hungarian Grand Prix Budapest, Hungary - August 5, 2007
Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul, Turkey - August 26, 2007
Italian Grand Prix Monza, Italy -- September 9, 2007
Belgian Grand Prix Spa, Belgium - September 16, 2007
Japanese Grand Prix Fuji, Japan - September 30, 2007
Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai, China - October 7, 2007
Brazilian Grand Prix São Paulo, Brazil - October 21, 2007
DWS F1 CommunityLabels: Formula One |
| posted by a correspondent @ 11:43 AM |
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| Honda RA107 Formula one challenger: Jenson Button and Barrichello to go for it |
Honda Racing usually prefer a low-key launch, and that will happen in two days from now.
Honda racing F1's challenger for the 2007 formula one season is the Honda RA107. Will this be the car that will see Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello make a real go at the title? We are not sure. Button and Barrichello consistently improved during the course of the 2006 formula one season - and this year, Honda has promised that they will be aggressive in their approach towards the race.
Discuss F1 news at DWS F1
We wish Honda all the best. No one wants to see Kimi Raikkonen doing a Michael Schumacher and running away with every race - however much we wish for the underdog to win. A real battle between Kimi and Massa in their Ferrari F2007 cars, Renault drivers Fisichella and Heiki Kovalainen in their R27s and current world champion Fernando Alonso and dashing partner Lewis Hamilton going head to head in every race - that is what we want to see.
The Honda RA107 is rumored to sport green livery as a nod to environmentalism. We shall see in a couple of days, expect a photo gallery from us on the same day.
For more Formula one news, bookmark the Formula One url below this post and keep visiting us!Labels: Formula One |
| posted by a correspondent @ 11:01 AM |
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| Team India in A1GP: First ever 4 points thanks to Narain Karthikeyan |
Yup, he did it. I sat up bleary eyed on a Sunday morning 6:30 a.m. and made some dynamite black coffee and switched on my newly working DishTV box - and yes it was there. The A1GP. Narain had shown some promise during Friday practise, and he started the Sprint Race at 10th position, lost it in the starting melee, and regained it towards the end of the Sprint Race.
Next came the Feature Race, and he started from 10th. There was pretty much no chance of overtaking through the race, but 3 cars failed on the way to the finish line, and Narain held the car together to take position 7, and the first ever 4 points for Team India.
Good work. Shows that there is still that but extra in proper F1 drivers. Now if only Team India could use the data, prep the car better, and then an inspired Karun Chandok and Armaan Ibraahim can perhaps do it again. Narain is back with Williams testing duties, and I am not sure when we will get to see him in A1GP again. In a month or two perhaps? Let us see.Labels: Formula One |
| posted by a correspondent @ 10:43 AM |
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| Thursday, January 18, 2007 |
| Kimi Raikkonen needs Ferrari formula one car built like a tank! |
We are not saying this -- a former McLaren Mercedes engine expert is saying it.
Why so? Seems the quiet brooding Finn is a hard driver - and he bangs the car about a lot, and things can easily break and fall off! Fernando Alonso too is known to be quite the same, by the way. Mario Ellen, the ex-McLaren guy, says Ferrari has a tough job to build a car like that.
"No one drives the machine harder, no one bangs it so hard lap after lap into the kerb," the Swiss, who left Formula One in 2005 and now has an Ilmor MotoGP team, told Sport Bild on Thursday. "Ferrari will have to build Kimi a tank if they want to win the title with him."
Probably. Even with a McLaren F1 that was obviously slower than its competition last year, Kimi still maintained his reputation as the fastest driver on the track. And if one looks back at 2005, remember how blazingly fast Raikkonen was, how fast the car was, and how predictably it used to fall apart everytime it looked like Raikkonen is going to catch up to Alonso?
Meanwhile, barbs are flying between McLaren, Kimi's former team, and the Finn. While LcLaren boss Whitmarsh said that Kimi would have to change his style at Ferrari, and Kimi shot back that whatever the style, it was a slow car which screwed his chances last yeat, and it had nothing to do with his driving style!
In other news, Giancarlo Fisichella is doing a good job testing the Renault R27, setting the pace with a best time of 1:20.193 at Jerez. This is his first chance too, to be out of the shadow of the double Formula One world champion Alonso for the first time and show the stuff that he is made of. If he doesn't do it for Renault this year - the way he had that magnificent win in Australia in F1 2006 - it will be a matter of time before he joins the ranks of the F1 drivers who are never considered potential winners.
Update: Now Illien says he did not say anything of the sort, and that he has not spoken to anyone about such stuff in a month. Guess that was overnethusiastic reporting by someone.Labels: Ferrari, Formula One |
| posted by a correspondent @ 10:46 AM |
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| Tuesday, January 16, 2007 |
| McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 launched - photo gallery |
Well, what can I say. The car looks stunning. The drivers look stunning too, especially Lewis Hamilton, who has those sweet boy looks. Alonso and Hamilton look like the perfectly matching pair of photo opps - both with their close cropped hairstyles! Back to the car. The MP4-22 was launched with all the usual fanfare that a McLaren Mercedes launch usually offers. And this time they have a double world champion to drive their car. Bringing you the tech specs of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Mp4-22 in a while. But frankly, those are not going to tell you anything. Fernando himself believes that at Australia, at the 2007 F1 race debut, Ferrari may have an advantage over McLaren F1. Mostly, he attributes that to the Ferrari Bridgestone collaboration of eight years - and this year's tyre would definitely have some of the characteristics of the earlier tyres from Bridgestone. Ferrari of course tries to play down any such talk of an advantage. You don't want people putting it all down to your former collaborator, right? Anyway here is the obligatory photo gallery of the McLaren Mercedes Mp4-22. Feel free to link to them or use them in your blog or message board. A link back to us would be nice, but thats up to you. We are not selfish, sometimes :) The McLaren F1 mp4-222 photo gallery 
Top view of McLaren's championship contender MP4-22.
This is the imposing front view. The question is, will this be what Kimi sees looming behind him? Or will it be disappearing into the rear view mirror?
And this here is the side view.
You know, on the one hand, I wish McLaren's last year's poor form would change and this year, they would be something. It will be embarassing to watch Fernando Alonso getting overtaken - and do expect Fernando to crib loudly if that happens. I also do not want to see a F1 rookie like Hamilton to be dispirited. On the other hand, this time, we have top dog Fernando Alonso and in last year's underdog car. And on the other hand, we have Kimi Raikkonen, perenniel underdog, in last year's no.2 and almost top-dog car. I frankly do not know who I wish to win. Now whoever it is, I just hope there is no whitewash - nothing worse than seeing the same car and the same driver winning again and again, whoever that car and driver are. Labels: Formula One, McLaren |
| posted by a correspondent @ 2:20 AM |
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| Sunday, January 14, 2007 |
| Ferrari F2007 launch update and photo gallery of the F1 challenger |
All that Ferrari secrecy for nothing? Made me write one entire post and its completely wasted now! Anyway, the F2007 will be Ferrari's challenger for the 2007 Formula One season. The car was unveiled, no press photographers were allowed in so obviously no press photos, and we have all got just the official stock photos of the F2007. So here they are for your viewing pleasure. I of course hate these pictures. Somehow the pictures look very unflattering to me. Can't Ferrari hire a better photographer? I hope more pictures of the Ferrari F2007 are released soon. I shall add the technical details to this page in a little while. Unless you are a hardcore F1 techie, I doubt if the specific technical specifications of the F2007 will be of any use for us. I shall scour the net for what the pundits are going to come out with. If you are a Ferrari Fan, I suggest you scroll down to the Ferrari label at the bottom and bookmark it so you can follow our coverage of the Ferrari F1 2007 campaign, and track the fortunes of Felippe Massa as well as my personal superstar Kimi Raikkonen. Nw heres the picture gallery for you below. God I wish the photos had a bit more life in them. 
Labels: Ferrari, Formula One |
| posted by a correspondent @ 8:41 AM |
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| Saturday, January 13, 2007 |
| Toyota TF 107: Toyota launches F1 race car for 2007 |
The Toyota TF 107 will be co-sponsored by Kingfisher Airlines Toyota has launched its F1 car for the upcoming Formula One season, the Toyota TF 107. Toyota hopes to make a serious bid for the championship this time with the latest TF 107. The car was unveiled in Cologne, Germany. 
Toyota has had six frustrating years in the Formula One Circuit so far. The company hopes to break the jinx with the Toyota TF 107. Ralf Schumacher, brother of legendary F1 racer Michael Schumacher will be driving the new Toyota Formula One car TF 107. "Toyota is hungry for the first victory," he said. Ralf was the only Toyota driver who had a podium finish last year. However, the Toyota TF 107 is not an all-new F1 car. It has the same engine as its predecessor, but comes equipped with better aerodynamics, suspension and gear shift. After testing the car, Ralf said that this is only the third F1 car with which he was completely satisfied after the first testing. Along with Ralf, Toyota will be racing team mate Jarno Trulli. The 2007 F1 season starts with the Australian GP on March 18 in Australia. In five years, Toyota has spent more than a billion dollars into race car development. The Toyota TF 107 was presented to a gethering of 500 people on Friday. Of all the 11 F1 racing teams, Toyota is the first to present its Formula One car for the season, now named Toyota TF 107. Also, Toyota is the only team to stick with all racers of the previous season. Toyota also offered an apology for failing to win last year's Formula One title. "We made an unfortunate announcement about our first win just one year ago. We failed to succeed. We want to apologise to our worldwide fans and sponsors," said a Toyota official. No parts have been carried over from the last year. There is also a better launch system. Meanwhile, India's Kingfisher has joined hands with Toyota TF 107 for its upcoming racing season as one of the sponsors. The deal is worth Rs 40 crore in Indian rupees. The Kingfisher sponsorship for Toyota TF 107 is for a period of two years. Kingfisher chairman Vijay Mallya expressed hope that the Toyota TF107 will come up tops in the first year itself. After Ferrari, Mallya said, Toyota is the only team to have a superlative engineering department. With the Toyota F1 association, Mallya awaits a tremendous boost for his Kingfisher brand. "None of my competitors have this kind of association," he told The Times of India. Kingfisher is India's beer-to-airline conglomerate, one of the world's largest spiriti manufacturers. The group runs India's premium airline Kingfisher Airlines. This is also the largest sports deal signed by the airline so far. According to Kingfisher, the red and white colours of the Toyota matches well with the colors of Kingfisher. As part of the sponsorship deal, Kingfisher will be promoting the Toyota F1 car TF 107 in all its flights and on the ground. There will be contests for its travellers to watch F1 and even meet with the Toyota TF 107 F1 drivers. Kingfisher will also put up replicas of the TF 107 in select cities in India. This is the first time an Indian airline is sponsoring the Toyota F1 car team. However, two years back, India's Tata group had sponsored Narain Karthikeyan, who drove for Jordan. Currently, Narain is a test driver for Williams. Technorati tags: Formula One, ToyotaLabels: Formula One, Toyota |
| posted by a correspondent @ 5:26 AM |
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| Friday, January 12, 2007 |
| McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 F1 car pre-launch news: Drivers: Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton |
.. Will this be McLaren's year? Naysayers are many, after the lackluster showing of the McLaren F1 team in the 2006 Grand Prixs. However, McLaren F1 the team is in full action mode. Fernando Alonso, current world champion, had his seat fitting done in the MP4-22 recently.
McLaren will launch their 2007 challenger the MP4-22 Valencia on Monday 15th January. Expect a photo gallery from us on that day, and bookmark this page, although it will not run on a test track until Alonso gives it a shakedown at the city's track on Wednesday. Fernando Alonso and new driver Lewis Hamilton will test the MP4-22 later from January 24th to 26th, post-launch.
 Fernando Alonso must be feeling the butterflies in his stomach - considering McLaren's underperformance even with the superfast Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel in 2006, thats pretty understandable. What he must be thinking is, will McLaren be the car that will put an end to his reign as the Formula One world champion? McLaren's history too does not offer much by way of confidence.
McLaren too had its own jitters recently. According to McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh told the media that he was worried that Renault's success with Fernando Alonso at the wheel for 2 years purely a result of them building their car around the driver's peculiarities. For example, Fernando Alonso has a rather aggressive technique for turn-ins. And what if Renault had just built their car to utilise that driving style to the maximum? Anyway, his fears were unfounded, he said, when Fernando Alonso tested with McLaren F1 just before Christmas holidays. Seems Fernando can drive a McLaren well too -- so now all that McLaren F1 has to do is to prov ide him a car that can do serious battle with Ferrari and Renault this year.
 That brings us to Lewis Hamilton, the excellent rookie who will run alongside world champion Fernando Alonso. Lewis Hamilton is a driver who came up through the McLaren Young Driver Programme. He signed a contract with McLaren in 1998 when he was only 13 - and the contract contained a future option on him being able to get an F1 seat someday! So Lewis Hamilton is one guy we are eagerly looking forward to. In case some of you don't know, he is black. This might be politically incorrect to specifically mention in some countries - we don't care. It is a big thing because is the first black F1 driver we will see, and we at DWS personally are thrilled to see such stuff. We were equally thrilled when our own Narain Karthikeyan managed to get a seat last year in F1. Former formula one champion Damon Hill recently said that Lewis Hamilton will get probaly the grace of half a season to prove himself. He is racing alongside a double world champion, and playing second fiddle will not help at all. Let's see how it goes. Best of Luck, Fernando, and welcome to the mad world of F1 racing, Lewis Hamilton! Labels: Formula One, McLaren |
| posted by a correspondent @ 12:16 AM |
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| Wednesday, January 10, 2007 |
| Ferrari's 2007 F1 car launch - why all the secrecy? |
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We start the F1 blog with some speculation on the team that ended 2007 the strongest - Scuderia Ferrari.
This is the week when all the car launches for 2007 explode on us. There are going to be F1 car first looks, testing news, analysts's opinions, photo galleries - the works. The second car to be launched will be Ferrari's F1 2007 challenger. Only problem is, there may be no car on display.
What the...?
Yes, a Ferrari spokesman said that the launch will happen, but there is no guarantee that the Ferrari F1 2007 car will be there. How do you have a F1 launch without the formula one car that the drivers are gonna drive? Usually, we would get to see them and the entire management and the engineering team grinning inanely around a gleaming formula one car. The interesting thing is, the spokesman did not say that the car will not be there either. Basically, he wants all of us to go a little mad.
Anyway, speculation among Ferrari-watchers is that the 2007 F1 Ferrari will have a completely stunning bodywork, and that it is still not complete. Hence, the confusion. For all you know, there will be a Ferrari F1 car there, but the final car that will make it for the final testing might be different. So we may get to see a new Ferrari F1 car alright at the 2007 launch at Maranello, and we may see the same car running around Fiorano tracks, and the car that debuts on the race day will have a complete bodywork overhaul.
That is one way of looking at it.
Or you may just get to see a few stock photographs from Ferrari. The participants and invitees at the launch will see the 2007 car, but no photographers are allowed in, and so we will see no photos either.
That's it for now. We shall keep you posted on more F1 news daily.Labels: Ferrari, Formula One |
| posted by a correspondent @ 9:51 PM |
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