Official Racing Thread

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Lotus unveils car for return

Associated Press

LONDON -- Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes believes the iconic company's return to Formula One after 16 years can help unlock untapped revenue streams in Asia.

Fernandes, who owns Air Asia airline, unveiled the Malaysian-backed team's car that will start the 2010 championship in Bahrain next month.

"Formula One has been really inaccessible and seemed elitist," Fernandes said Friday at the London launch. "It's a fantastic time to come into Formula One because it's not a global sport yet -- you can have tracks all over the world but it really is just a European sport.

"And the revenue they are getting is primarily from Europe, North America hasn't worked yet and Asia is a huge potential market. Having Lotus with Malaysian backing will really help to spread the sport in Asia," Fernandes added.

While Lotus' $86 million annual budget will be funded by a partnership between the Malaysian government and a consortium of the country's businessmen, Fernandes is freezing plans to move the team from its car factory in Norfolk, England.

Fernandes has revived the Lotus brand, which won 79 F1 races and seven constructors titles between 1958 and 1994 before the team collapsed because of money problems.

"It will be great to take Lotus back to where it belongs," said Italian driver Jarno Trulli, who finished eighth last season with Toyota. "We've got a very hard task ahead of us but that's what we are here for."

With Trulli and former McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen in the lineup, Lotus is returning as one of four new teams on the grid this season, along with Virgin, Campos Meta and USF1.

Trulli and Kovalainen will be at the test sessions from Feb. 17-20 in Jerez, Spain, and at the Catalunya Circuit in Barcelona from Feb. 25-28.

Lotus is just hoping both of its drivers finish the season-opening race at the Bahrain Grand Prix on March after building a car in only two months.

"We had to compromise in the design, you can't make things as light as you want to because you just don't have time," said technical director Mike Gascoyne, who has held the same role with Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan. "One target we have set ourselves is to be the best of the new teams.

"At the end of the season, we need to be racing the second half of the established teams and maybe nicking some points to build for the year after," he said.

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Combined team to field one car

Associated Press

Gil de Ferran wants back in the IndyCar series -- this time, as a team owner. Jay Penske wants to beat his father on the racetrack.

Now they're working toward those goals together.

De Ferran announced Tuesday that he is merging his startup IndyCar team with Luczo Dragon Racing, an established team co-owned by Penske -- a son of racing mogul Roger Penske -- and technology executive Steve Luczo.

They're starting small, fielding one car for Raphael Matos, who won series rookie of the year honors driving for Luczo Dragon last year. Eventually, they hope to use technological innovation to go after Penske Racing and fellow IndyCar heavyweight team Chip Ganassi Racing.

"The goal is to be as good as them, if not better," de Ferran said on a teleconference Tuesday.

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Barrichello fastest at penultimate test

Associated Press

JEREZ, Spain -- Rubens Barrichello of Williams set the fastest time despite more poor weather hampering teams' Formula One preparations on Thursday.

Barrichello's time of 1 minute, 27.145 seconds came during one of the few dry moments at the Jerez Circuit, as rain continued to spoil track conditions at the preseason's penultimate test.

Vitaly Petrov of Renault was nearly seven-tenths of a second behind in second, while Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg of Mercedes GP and Ferrari's Felipe Massa rounded out the top five.

Virgin Racing had its most productive day yet as Timo Glock managed 72 laps. Fellow newcomer Lotus had problems as Heikki Kovalainen lost his front wing after running off the track into a tire wall.

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Branson confident Virgin will contend

Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain -- Virgin Racing owner Richard Branson believes Formula One needs new teams despite recent criticism over whether the rookies will make the season-opening race in Bahrain.

Branson expects Virgin to eventually give Ferrari, which has been critical of F1's decision to allow four new teams onto the grid, "a run for their money."

Branson believes Virgin, which alongside fellow rookie Lotus is testing in Barcelona this weekend, will show a private team on a smaller budget can compete. Campos Meta and USF1 are also hoping to reach the March 14 opener.

Branson says he preferred to start "from scratch" and build a new team than continue working with last year's championship winner Brawn GP, which was eventually bought out by Mercedes.

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Hamilton, Webber lead final F1 test

Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain -- McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes GP confirmed their positions as front-runners for Formula One's championship as preseason testing wrapped on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton set a fastest time of 1 minute, 20.472 seconds for McLaren to edge Red Bull's Mark Webber by just over two-hundreths of a second.

Felipe Massa of Ferrari was third ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel fifth. Michael Schumacher of Mercedes was sixth as the top drivers were separated by less than three-tenths of a second.

Rubens Barrichello of Williams and Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi finished within half a second of Hamilton.

Most teams practiced low-fuel runs for the best indicator on pace heading into the season-opener at Bahrain on March 14.

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Hamilton to run three races

Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Veteran driver Davey Hamilton will run three IndyCar Series races for Luczo Dragon Racing.

The racing team announced Wednesday that it will add a second car, and Hamilton will compete in the Indianapolis 500, the Bombardier Learjet 550 at Texas Motor Speedway and another oval race.

He joins 2009 rookie of the year Raphael Matos as the Luczo Dragon drivers. This will be Hamilton's first multi-race IndyCar schedule since he retired with injuries in 2001 following a crash at Texas Motor Speedway.

He endured 21 surgeries to reconstruct his feet but has competed in the last three Indy 500s.

Hamilton will race in Texas on June 5 for the first time since the accident.

He was the series runner-up in 1997 and 1998.

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No replacement allowed for US F1

Associated Press

PARIS -- USF1 will not be racing in Formula One this year and its place on the grid will not be given to another team.

"The USF1 Team have indicated that they will not be in a position to participate in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship," the sport's governing body said in a statement Wednesday. "Having considered the various options, the FIA confirms that it is not possible for a replacement team to be entered for the championship at this late stage."

The American team, one of four planned newcomers for 2010, had previously said it was looking to skip just the first four races of the season.

The decision dashes the hopes of Serbian team Stefan GP of taking USF1's place, having waited in the wings with the cars from the defunct Toyota team.

FIA added that it would soon announce details of "a new selection process to identify candidates to fill any vacancies existing at the start of the 2011 season."

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Moss injured in elevator shaft fall

Associated Press

LONDON -- Former Formula One driver Stirling Moss has broken both ankles and hurt his back in a fall down an elevator shaft at his London home.

The 80-year-old Briton was taken to the Royal London Hospital on Saturday after falling three floors.

A statement on Moss' Web site says he stepped through the open elevator door without noticing the elevator had malfunctioned and stopped on the floor above.

Moss broke four bones in a foot and chipped four vertebrae but did not lose consciousness. The statement says his "body still has the same resilience to injury as it did in his racing days."

Moss won 16 Grand Prix races but never the world championship. He was runner-up four times.

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Patrick, Duno, two rookies to race

Associated Press

SAO PAULO -- Ladies, start your engines.

Danica Patrick will be among four women on the IndyCar grid of the season opener Sunday in Brazil, a record number to start a series race.

Patrick will race with Milka Duno of Venezuela and rookies Simona de Silvestro of Switzerland and Ana Beatriz Figueiredo of Brazil. American Sarah Fisher is set to run on a limited schedule this year, but she will not be in the opener.

Patrick applauded the number of women racing on the streets of Sao Paulo, but said it's not happening because of her.

"I don't look at it like I'm responsible for it," Patrick said. "Everyone that gets to this level -- male or female -- carved out their own path, one way or another, and is here for a reason.

"I'm happy about anything that brings attention to our series and pulls in more interest."

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Power wins rain-shortened race

Associated Press

SAO PAULO -- Will Power made a late overtaking move to take the lead from Ryan Hunter-Reay to win the rain-shortened IndyCar season opener on the streets of Sao Paulo on Sunday.

The Australian passed the American with three laps to go, clinching the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 for his second career victory.

Power crossed the line 1.858 seconds ahead of Hunter-Reay when the race ended at the two-hour time limit with only 61 of the 75 scheduled laps completed.

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Monza gets F1 deal extension

Associated Press

MONZA, Italy -- Italy's Monza circuit will stage grand prix races until 2016 after Formula One rights holder Bernie Ecclestone agreed to a contract extension with the venue.

Monza has hosted races since 1922 but its place in the race calendar was threatened by a proposed race around the streets of Rome.

An existing deal to host the Italian Grand Prix was to end in 2012.

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Castroneves excited about St. Pete

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- If there was a low moment for Helio Castroneves during last year's tax-evasion trial that threatened to end his racing career and send him to jail, it likely came during the Honda Grand Prix.

It's one of Castroneves' favorite races. And fighting for his freedom kept him from sitting behind the wheel that weekend.

On Sunday, he'll be back, starting fifth in the race on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit. His Penske Racing teammate Will Power, easily the dominant driver in St. Pete so far this weekend, will be on the pole.

Still, it's a course that suits Castroneves perfectly, proven by his IndyCar victories here in 2006 and 2007, and runner-up finish in 2008.

And to say he appreciates this return to the waterfront layout is putting it mildly.

"Big time. Big time," Castroneves said Saturday. "The fans are happy to see me back, they say 'We really missed you here last year.' Those kind of words make you appreciate even more what you do, what you did, and I appreciate what the fans are doing for me. I missed everyone, too. I love this town."

Given his track record in St. Pete, it's easy to see why.

Of course, it's becoming a fast favorite for Power, too.

Power won the season-opener two weeks ago in Sao Paulo, was the best in every IRL practice session Friday and Saturday, and had the best lap time in the final round of qualifying by more than a quarter-second over Tony Kanaan.

It's the third time Power will start from the pole.

"Obviously, the race is what counts," Power said. "I can see that there'll probably be a bit of mayhem tomorrow, with the weather and so on."

Rain is in the forecast for Sunday afternoon. Scott Dixon will start third, on the inside of Justin Wilson. Row 3 will have Castroneves and Marco Andretti.

Among other notables, Dario Franchitti will start 13th, Dan Wheldon opens 15th, 2008 St. Pete winner Graham Rahal will start 16th in Sarah Fisher's No. 67 car, and Danica Patrick starts 21st.

Castroneves' bad break a year ago was Power's good fortune.

Power was hired by Penske to be Castroneves' replacement in St. Petersburg in 2009, a defacto tryout that blossomed into something more. Power -- now recovered from an August crash that left him with four broken bones in his back -- gave Team Penske a win in this year's season-opening race in Sao Paulo two weeks ago.

"My friend here, Mr. Power, he has too much power," Castroneves said after qualifying. "Breaking his back last year gave him a little more power. So we might break his legs next time. But certainly, he's done a great job. We want him to obviously keep doing well, but we can't let him get too many points. Otherwise, we might be in trouble."

Team owner Roger Penske raves about Power, for obvious reasons.

Power took a risk a year ago, taking a job with no guarantee of a future, given the delicate situation involving Castroneves. Somehow, it ended up working out for all parties involved.

"He fits in the team. He's committed," Penske said. "I've never seen a guy more committed to his personal health. He came back so strong physically."

And Castroneves, in turn, is duly impressed by his teammate.

"I'm actually happy for him," Castroneves said. "Last year, he started in a very awkward situation. Finished in a very frustrated situation. But Roger gave him a chance and he's proving that the guy is a real talent."

Castroneves proved that long ago, of course.

His unbelievable 2009 started in a courtroom and amid accusations that he evaded federal income taxes, later saw him win the Indianapolis 500 for the third time, and ended with him fourth in the yearlong IRL rankings.

"I'm sure it lingers in his mind as he comes to the different tracks, especially not being able to run here a year ago," Penske said. "But I think it's behind him. Legally, financially, it's all behind him. So he should be fully engaged in what we're doing."

Legally and financially, yes.

Emotionally, apparently not.

"It's never going to go away," Castroneves said. "The scars are there. The scars are going to be there forever."

So this weekend is about redemption, returning, maybe even some more healing.

Here's the best indicator of how he really feels about St. Petersburg: He might think about moving there someday. Having a baby three months ago with fiancee Adriana Henao has Castroneves thinking about if the time is right to shift his U.S. base away from the Miami area and make the four-hour drive across to southwest Florida permanently.

Nothing's imminent, but it's clear, this place is special to Castroneves.

"This brings me peace," Castroneves said. "Plus, brings me good memories, too. It's not all about racing. The good thing about racing is you get to meet and know a lot of places, a lot of towns. But St. Pete, no question, combines everything together. It's Florida. It's warm. And people seem to accept us very well."

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Shaping IRL's car of future no easy task

The Izod IndyCar Series had gained some leadership and direction in terms of determining its new engine and chassis formula for the future. But the decision remains controversial.

Spurred by the unveiling of the radical Delta Wing concept, there's been a lot of recent talk about the new chassis. But things have gone quiet on the engine front.

That is, until Roger Penske, the most successful team owner in Indy car racing history, stepped into the fray when he met with reporters at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Citing cost concerns for the teams, Penske advocated introducing the new engine formula first and retrofitting it into the current Dallara chassis, which has been the default chassis of the IndyCar Series since 2003.

"Let's make each step one at a time rather than two steps at once," Penske commented. "I'm all about saving costs right now for all of the teams. I'm not sure if we change cars right now we are going to put 50,000 more people in the stands."

He added: "I don't think it changed NASCAR when we went from the old car to the [Car of Tomorrow], so we just have to look at it. Our team has probably got to have seven or eight cars, so you're talking $2-3 million, plus all your parts. I think they've got to consider that."

Indy Racing League CEO Randy Bernard has met with Penske, and he seems to be leaning toward delaying the introduction of a new technical package until 2013. It's a tricky situation to balance for Bernard:

On the one hand, public perception is that the IndyCar Series badly needs a new design to replace the aged and unpopular Dallara. On the other hand, in the current economic climate, can competitors -- even well-funded ones like Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing -- afford to make a major equipment change?

One point that shoots down Penske's argument is that the new engine formula is expected to lower engine costs, whether it is the turbocharged V-6 favored by current IndyCar supplier Honda or an inline-4 being pushed by alternate manufacturers.

Bernard is counting in particular on Gil de Ferran, who has been nominated as the team owner representative for the seven-member advisory committee chaired by retired US Air Force General William Looney.

"I think it's very important for Gil to do a team owner survey to see exactly what is important to the team owners," Bernard told reporters at St. Petersburg. "Can they afford, in this economic situation right now, to move into a new car in 2012? Do they like leasing their engines rather than owning their engines? Questions like that.

"I don't want to just shoot from the hip. We could have announced a car last week, and that would have created negative vibes among our fan base and our team owners and sponsors. We need a new car for perception, but if you look at how close some of these races are, the fans love the closeness of these races. We've got something working for us and we have momentum. We have more cars now than we have in the past four years.

"This is one chance that IndyCar can continue to build momentum by making sure this process is well done and well thought out," Bernard concluded. "If the advisory committee comes back and says we need to wait until 2013, we need to think about that."

While the chassis will provide the visual identity for the Indy car of the future, the engine is probably a more important element. Once again, a number of factors need to be considered. Obviously there is the basic format. What kind of fuel should the new powerplant use? How much relevance to street car engine technology should be part of the package?

My own transportation during the St. Petersburg race week was a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, a vehicle I was highly impressed by after driving it. The car's transition from electric to gasoline power was seamless and unobtrusive, performance was on par with a V-6 Fusion, and I averaged 35.5 miles per gallon in more than 300 miles of varied driving. The standard V-6 Fusion probably would have returned mileage in the low to mid-20s.

You could argue that relevance to street car technology is much more important to stock car racing. Of course, NASCAR is legendary in its refusal to adopt modern technology; its spec cars still feature carburetors some 55 years after fuel injection was introduced into Formula One, and the design of basic components such as the live rear axle date to the early '60s.

Formula car racing, on the other hand, has always been about new and advanced technology -- which often carries a higher price tag. But it also provides open-wheel racing with a bit of cache for serious gearheads who love to watch the development of the latest and greatest technology. It also offers car manufacturers an avenue to filter racing technology into their road cars and genuinely prove the adage "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday."

These are the questions the IndyCar technical advisory committee -- and ultimately Randy Bernard -- must grapple with. And with a decision on Indy car racing's future technical direction expected by June 1, time is running short.

[reina's eyes]

^ The irl should look at a couple of japanese racing series:

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Vettel atones with Malaysian GP victory

Associated Press

SEPANG, Malaysia -- Spurred by the disappointment of mechanical failures that cost him victory in the Formula One season's first two races, Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel led from start to finish to win Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix.

After the team's championship hopes had been written off because of doubts about the reliability of its cars, Red Bull answered in the best possible way -- Vettel leading a 1-2 finish ahead of teammate Mark Webber.

Vettel led in Bahrain and Australia before his car let him down mid-race, but there was no easing up Sunday, with the German passing pole-sitter Webber in the run to the first corner at Sepang circuit and leading throughout as the rain in the forecast stayed away.

"A very good result for us, especially for me, after two races where we didn't finish where we wanted to be," Vettel said. "Racing cars are built on the limit and sometimes they break.

"We want to fight for the championship."

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg was a distant third, with Renault's Robert Kubica a comfortable fourth. Force India's Adrian Sutil took fifth, impressively holding off McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who had stormed up from 20th on the grid to third before he pitted.

Webber gave up the lead when he spun his tires trying to get off the line and had to settle for second after a close battle into the fourth turn on the first lap. He pushed Vettel in the early laps, but that pressure eased when a stuck wheel gun made for a slow pitstop.

"A 1-2 finish for us was sensational," Webber said. "It was a nice comeback by us after some tough races. We blew everyone away, which is great."

McLaren teammates Hamilton and Jenson Button -- the defending race and series champion -- fought their way through the field from the back of the pack to finish sixth and eighth. Ferrari's Felipe Massa was seventh.

Despite not finishing better than third in any race, Massa leads the championship with 39 points, two ahead of Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

"Starting 21st and finishing seventh, it was a great result," Massa said. "Leading the championship is always important, looking at the many drivers that are there, fighting."

Alonso would be atop the standings if not for an engine failure on the penultimate lap as he attempted an ambitious passing move on Button.

"Always when you retire you are disappointed, but I prefer to retire when I'm ninth and not when I'm first," Alonso said. "So if I have to retire one or two times in 2010, I prefer this race and hopefully not another race that I'm in first position."

Red Bull's victory Sunday meant it was the first time in 20 years that three different teams had won the opening three races of a championship.

The closeness of the competition was reflected in the standings, with the top seven drivers separated by only nine points.

Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari and Williams' Nico Hulkenberg were ninth and 10th, with both earning their first F1 points.

Mercedes' Michael Schumacher, a seven-time world champion, was forced out on the 10th lap with a wheelnut failure. Schumacher, who has a record 91 victories -- including three at Sepang -- has a disappointing nine points in three races since ending a three-year retirement.

"It's a shame. We were in a good position. ... I believe we could have had two cars in very good points," said Schumacher, referring to Rosberg's 35 points. "To be honest, I'm right on schedule, in my opinion. The car is not quite on schedule."

Williams' Rubens Barrichello was slow off the start line and never in contention and Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa was done in by engine failure on the installation lap.

Ferrari leads the constructors' championship with 76 points, ahead of McLaren's 66 and Red Bull's 61.

Next up is the Chinese GP on April 18.

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Rahal racing at Long Beach for Fisher

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- Graham Rahal's deal with Sarah Fisher Racing will last a little longer.

Rahal will drive for Fisher at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18. He was originally signed to drive in two races, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg last month and this weekend's Indy Grand Prix in Birmingham, Ala.

In a statement, Fisher said she was "proud of where we have been able to go in such a short period of time." She will return behind the wheel of her car at Kansas on May 1.

Rahal was 12th at Long Beach a year ago.

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Drivers need better visibility

Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Veteran Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello expects this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix to be the last before mirror placement on cars is changed to aid visibility.

Drivers have complained that having mirrors on the sidepods of the cars, to aid aerodynamics, makes them vibrate too much and provides poor rear vision.

Barrichello said Wednesday it is agreed that drivers need better visibility, "so the change could come as early as the next race."

No official announcement has been made by F1 authorities.

The change would move the mirrors back inward, onto the main body of the chassis, adjacent to the cockpit, where they would be less likely to vibrate.

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Power takes IndyCar pole

Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Will Power fully understands how difficult it is to win in the IndyCar Series. Really, he does.

The competition is stiff, the cars competitive and the margin for error slim.

"You've got to have everything go right on the weekend now," Power said. "You can't have a bad start. You can't make mistakes or you're not going to win. It's very hard now."

Really, it is.

The Australian is just making it look easy. He will start on the pole for the second straight race in Sunday's inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at the 2.38-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park.

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Briatore's suspension to end in 2013

Associated Press

PARIS -- Flavio Briatore will have no part in Formula One until 2013, after the sport's governing body accepted his offer to end an appeal of his lifetime ban.

The former Renault team principal was sanctioned for ordering driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash on purpose. Briatore will also not be allowed to take part in any FIA activities until the end of the 2011 season.

Briatore appealed after a Paris court overturned the ban in January.

FIA said it accepted the offer with its "best interests" in mind, and to end the legal disputes which "are very prejudicial to the image of the FIA and of motor sport."

Pat Symonds, the Renault team's former chief engineer, received a five-year ban for his role in the crash.

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Committee to find economical car

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- IRL executive Brian Barnhart and former Indianapolis 500 champion Gil de Ferran will help steer the IndyCar Series in a new direction.

Barnhart and de Ferran will lead a seven-member committee that is charged with finding new, innovative, cost-effective race cars.

Also on the committee are: former Formula One executive Tony Purnell; Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage; Neil Ressler, former chairman of F1's Jaguar Racing; Tony Cotman, former vice president of operations for the defunct Champ Car World Series; and Rick Long, who has helped with the development of high-performance engines since the 1970s.

Air Force Gen. William R. Looney III will issue the final report to Randy Bernard, CEO of the IRL.