Formula One 2012

[Katsuya]

HURRY THE HELL UP KIMI!

[Starvinho]

Last lap! COME ON KIMI!!

[Starvinho]

Kimi wins!

Alonso second, Vettel third. What a race.

[Rich]

YES KIMI!

[Katsuya]

KIMIIII

[Fry_4000]

Kimi wins Vetel 3rd

[Katsuya]

"Last time they were giving me shit for not smiling enough". Bless him.

[LUKIE]

Webber was given a fucking lifeline against Massa. If he and Massa hit, he would have been in the shit. So fuck him for going out.

And yay Top 2!

[MJB]

That two races now where Lewis has been cruising out in front and the car has let him down. If you also think about some of the pit stop problems he had earlier in the year, McLaren really have fucked things up for him this season.

So happy that Kimi finally got a win, although for the championship, I'd have actually rather Alonso got another seven points.

[Lineker]

Holy shit, what a race!! Best race of the season so far - cannot wait for Austin now. Need I say any more?

[LUKIE]

McLaren turned his car off out of spite

"Oh sorry Lewis, there was a random electrical malfunction".

[fr34k]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wr2C7Niak8

[Katsuya]

Looking at the championships, there's a whole lot to play for still in the last two races.

Obviously there's Vettel vs. Alonso for the win; Kimi has a 31 point lead over Webber and 33 over Hamilton, so I'd guess that he has third sown up. Massa-Rosberg-Grosjean for 7th-8th-9th are separated by five points, and Kobayashi has climbed up to right behind Perez too (and you'd hope that if Kobayashi could beat Perez, considering Sergio is off to McLaren, that it'd be enough to prove he deserves the drive next year). Then there's Ferrari vs. McLaren for 2nd/3rd in the constructors and Mercedes vs. Sauber for 5th/6th.

[MJB]

I got very bored yesterday and calculated the Drivers Championship based on qualifying positions, sad I know. Anyway, here's what I came up with after 18 rounds:

Lewis Hamilton - 303pts

Sebastian Vettel - 249pts

Mark Webber - 197pts

Fernando Alonso - 148 pts

Kimi Raikkonen - 109pts

Jenson Button - 167pts

McLaren really have fucked this season up for Lewis, I know that things always happen but this still astonished me.

[Lineker]

Tony Fernandes is to step down as team principal of Caterham before the end of the season so he can focus more on developing his road car business.

The Malaysian entrepreneur had always intended his tenure as F1 team boss to be mid-term, while he worked to find someone suitable to take over from him.

Having just finalised a major tie-up with the Renault group to produce new Alpine sportscars, Fernandes revealed that he and deputy chairman Dato' Kamarudin Meranun have decided that the time is right to appoint a successor.

"On the racing side we have come to the conclusion that it is better if someone else takes over the team principal role to move forward," he said in a joint interview with AUTOSPORT's sister publication Autocar.

"We are definitely better at business than finding tenths of seconds around a lap.

"It was right for us to lead the team initially and set a template of how it should be. That vision is now set and the team is ready to move forward to the midfield."

It is not clear who Fernandes' successor will be, but he revealed it would be someone already working in F1.

"I know who it will be - and can tell you that today as I had confirmation earlier," he said.

"[but] I cannot tell you their name yet. All I can say is that they are from within F1."

Formula 1's final young driver test of the season kicks off in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, with Red Bull and McLaren among the six teams running.

Red Bull will run junior driver Felix da Costa, a race-winner in both GP3 and Formula Renault 3.5 with previous F1 test experience for Force India, on the opening day of the test, which runs until Thursday.

Another Formula Renault 3.5 racer, Kevin Magnussen, will make his F1 test debut for McLaren in the morning before handing over to test driver Gary Paffett.

Lotus will run Nicolas Prost, son of four-time world champion Alain Prost, with Sauber running Robin Frijns, who is set for a long-term future with the team.

Scuderia Toro Rosso will run GP2 race winner Luiz Razia, with Caterham running Giedo van der Garde, who is in contention for a race seat with the team for 2013.

The Abu Dhabi test is the third one of the year for young drivers, with Williams, HRT and Marussia running at Silverstone in July and Mercedes, Ferrari and Force India at Magny-Cours in September.

Abu Dhabi young driver test line-up:


Team       Tuesday                Wednesday              Thursday

Red Bull   Antonio Felix da Costa Antonio Felix da Costa Robin Frijns

McLaren    Kevin Magnussen        Gary Paffett           Oliver Turvey

           Gary Paffett           Oliver Turvey          Kevin Magnussen

Lotus      Nicolas Prost          Edoardo Mortara        David Valsecchi

Sauber     Robin Frijns           Esteban Gutierrez      Esteban Gutierrez

Toro Rosso Luiz Razia             Johnny Cecotto Jr      Luiz Razia

Caterham   Giedo van der Garde    Giedo van der Garde    Alexander Rossi[/code]




Kevin Magnussen set the pace for McLaren on the opening day of Formula 1's final young driver test of the year in Abu Dhabi.



The 20-year-old Dane worked his way down to a 1m42.651s in the morning, edging out Red Bull's Antonio Felix da Costa by just over six hundredths of a second.



The pair finished more than three quarters of a second clear of the field, which was headed by Gary Paffett - the McLaren test driver having taken over from Magnussen for the afternoon.



The Briton focussed primarily on trialling a variety of aerodynamic and suspension developments intended for use either in the final two races of this season or on McLaren's 2013 car.



Robin Frijns, this year's Formula Renault 3.5 champion, finished fourth fastest for Sauber. The 21-year-old Dutchman is set for a long-term future with the team.



Nicolas Prost (Lotus) finished fifth fastest ahead of Luiz Razia (Toro Rosso) and Giedo van der Garde (Caterham), who spent the day working on aero developments rather than chasing laptimes.



Razia brought about the day's only red flag 10 minutes from the finish, although he was able to return to the pits under his own power.



Magnussen will return for the final afternoon of the test with McLaren on Thursday, while da Costa - the busiest man on the opening day with 79 laps completed - will remain with Red Bull for one more day before handing the RB8 over to Frijns.



In the Dutchman's stead, Esteban Gutierrez will take over at Sauber for days two and three.



[code]DAY ONE


Pos  Driver                  Team                Time                Laps

 1.  Kevin Magnussen         McLaren-Mercedes    1m42.651s            40

 2.  Antonio Felix da Costa  Red Bull-Renault    1m42.717s  + 0.066s  79

 3.  Gary Paffett            McLaren-Mercedes    1m43.407s  + 0.756s  44

 4.  Robin Frijns            Sauber-Ferrari      1m43.775s  + 1.124s  78

 5.  Nicolas Prost           Lotus-Renault       1m44.194s  + 1.543s  55

 6.  Luiz Razia              Toro Rosso-Ferrari  1m44.691s  + 2.040s  67

 7.  Giedo van der Garde     Caterham-Renault    1m45.936s  + 3.285s  57


*All timing unofficial

Antonio Felix da Costa moved Red Bull to the top of the timesheets on the second day of the Abu Dhabi young driver test. On his final day in the RB8 before handing over to this year's Formula Renault 3.5 champion Robin Frijns, the Portuguese driver worked his way down to a 1m42.679s. While that was just over two hundredths of a second slower than yesterday's fastest time, set by Kevin Magnussen for McLaren, it proved easily enough to end day two on top. Oliver Turvey, who managed 62 laps in a busy afternoon for McLaren, finished just under half a second down the road in second. Edoardo Mortara, taking over from Nicolas Prost at Lotus, and Sauber reserve driver Esteban Gutierrez finished the day third and fourth. The Mexican recently enjoyed his first competitive taste of F1 machinery when he stood in for Sergio Perez, who was struggling with illness, for the first practice session of the Indian Grand Prix. He was the day's busiest driver, completing 93 laps, and will remain with Sauber for the third and final day tomorrow. Gary Paffett, on duty for McLaren in the morning before handing over to Turvey, was fifth fastest ahead of Johnny Cecotto Jr (Toro Rosso) and Giedo van der Garde in the Caterham. The Dutchman focused on aero and set-up work in the morning before switching to long runs and tyre management in the afternoon, racking up 72 laps in total. Lewis Hamilton sealed pole position for the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a best qualifying lap of 1m40.630s.

DAY TWO


Pos  Driver                  Team                Time               Laps

 1.  Antonio Felix da Costa  Red Bull-Renault    1m42.679s           61

 2.  Oliver Turvey           McLaren-Mercedes    1m43.176s  + 0.497  62

 3.  Edoardo Mortara         Lotus-Renault       1m43.418s  + 0.739  75

 4.  Esteban Gutierrez       Sauber-Ferrari      1m43.486s  + 0.806  93

 5.  Gary Paffett            McLaren-Mercedes    1m43.771s  + 1.092  41

 6.  Johnny Cecotto Jr       Toro Rosso-Ferrari  1m44.569s  + 1.890  76

 7.  Giedo van der Garde     Caterham-Renault    1m45.106s  + 2.427  72[/code]

[Adam]

Gary Paffett, at 31, is taking part in the young driver test!?

[GA!]

They've tarmaced/painted over the first corner of the Interlagos track. BASTARDS.

[Lineker]

Gary Paffett, at 31, is taking part in the young driver test!?

Yeah, I'm surprised that they didn't use Turvey for the whole test too. But this may go to some lengths as to why it was. Turvey was in the cockpit for day three, though.

They've tarmaced/painted over the first corner of the Interlagos track. BASTARDS.

I saw this a few days ago. It makes it so boring!!

Davide Valsecchi topped the times for Lotus on the final day of Formula 1's young driver test in Abu Dhabi.

The Italian, who won the GP2 title with DAMS this year, posted a time of 1m42.677s that was just 0.002 seconds quicker than Antonio Felix da Costa's best overall time on Wednesday for Red Bull.

McLaren's Kevin Magnussen was second fastest at the Yas Marina Circuit, 0.150s behind Valsecchi. Magnussen was back in the car after topping the timesheets on the opening day.

McLaren sporting director Sam Michael praised Magnussen's performance after the test, which was the young Dane's maiden Formula 1 outing.

"His pace, consistency and engineering feedback were all excellent," said Michael. "Given his performance, he certainly didn't look like a guy who had never turned a wheel in a modern F1 car before the start of this week."

Magnussen drove the car in the afternoon, while Oliver Turvey was in charge of testing duties in the morning. The Briton was fifth quickest.

Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez finished in third position after completing 80 laps. A place behind him was Red Bull's Robin Frijns, who returned to action following his outing with Sauber on Tuesday.

Luiz Razia returned to the wheel of the Toro Rosso he drove on the opening day to post the sixth quickest time of Thursday's session. The Brazilian, however, was running a fever and struggled during the day, although he still managed to complete his programme.

American Alexander Rossi was slowest for Caterham after having to finish his day early due to oil on the garage floor when he returned to the pits after his 14th run.

"That meant I didn't have the chance to do any performance runs and I'm sure if I did, my laptimes would have been close to the race drivers, but issues like that are just one of those things," said Rossi.

"They'll take a proper look at what caused the problem and I'm sure it won't affect the team's preparations for Austin or Brazil."

DAY THREE


Pos  Driver               Team                Time               Laps

 1.  Davide Valsecchi     Lotus-Renault       1m42.677s           86

 2.  Kevin Magnussen      McLaren-Mercedes    1m42.827s  + 0.150  51

 3.  Esteban Gutierrez    Sauber-Ferrari      1m43.093s  + 0.416  80

 4.  Robin Frijns         Red Bull-Renault    1m43.233s  + 0.556  53

 5.  Oliver Turvey        McLaren-Mercedes    1m43.604s  + 0.927  44

 6.  Luiz Razia           Toro Rosso-Ferrari  1m45.286s  + 2.609  68

 7.  Alexander Rossi      Caterham-Renault    1m46.485s  + 3.808  86[/code]


Cyril Abiteboul has replaced Tony Fernandes as team principal of Caterham's Formula 1 outfit with immediate effect.


Abiteboul joined Caterham as F1 team CEO in September and will combine that role with his new responsibilities as team boss.


Fernandes confirmed on Tuesday that he will step down as team principal of Caterham before the end of the season in order to focus more on developing the company's road car business.


"I am honoured to take over as team principal, now combining that role with the CEO post I took up in September 2012, and I would like to thank Tony and [Dato'] Kamarudin [bin Meranun] for the chance to lead this team into the next phase of its growth," said Abiteboul, who is also working at Renault Sport until next year.


"We have big challenges ahead of us but the shareholders are committed and behind us to help us take significant steps forward over the coming years, and one day challenge for the highest honours in F1.


"We have an incredible spirit within the team and that has been created by Tony and Kamarudin. This spirit, allied to a strategic vision that gives us a clear path to success, is what will keep driving us forwards and we all look forward to the day we can make the dreams our shareholders had several years ago come true."


Fernandes has backed Abiteboul to do a great job in his new role.


"Cyril is going to be an excellent team principal. He has extensive experience in F1, he is extremely well respected and he shares our vision for what we want our team to achieve.


"He takes over during a season when we have not yet fulfilled our potential, but at a time when we have everything in place to help us do so. One day we will earn our seat at the top table of Formula 1 and he is the right person to take us there."


Formula 1 teams have been warned by the FIA that drivers swearing during media activities during grand prix weekends is not acceptable.


The FIA made the decision to write a letter to the teams after both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel swore on the podium after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.


AUTOSPORT understands that the FIA made the decision to send out the letter in the wake of the incidents and that it was not simply reacting to complaints from broadcasters.


Britain's BBC confirmed that it received 22 telephone calls about the swearing.


The new podium interview procedure, which replaced that unilateral TV press conference that was traditionally held shortly after, was introduced at Silverstone.


But the FIA felt that this incident proved the need to remind drivers about their conduct, particularly so soon after the end of the race and during the emotional high of the podium.


Vettel has accepted that the language he used on the podium was potential offensive and posted an apology on his website.


"I'm terribly sorry for using the wrong word on the podium today and I'm sorry if I have offended anyone who was watching," said Vettel.


"In the heat of the moment, I didn't use the right words and I apologise. I'll do better next time."


Silverstone has completed its refunding process for customers who were forced to miss parts of the British Grand Prix weekend because of poor weather, AUTOSPORT has learned.


The circuit was forced to advise fans with public car park passes not to attend Saturday's qualifying in order to ensure the venue was able to host a full attendance for the race, after traffic chaos and waterlogged campsites due to unprecedented levels of rainfall.


More than 10,000 ticket holders were eventually refunded at a cost of nearly £1million to the venue.


Silverstone managing director Richard Phillips told AUTOSPORT: "We beat ourselves up about what happened at the grand prix, but actually, other than a few thousand people of the 129,000 people that should have attended the event, a heck a lot of those people came in Friday, Saturday and Sunday.


"We know we had problems, which we put our hands up to, and we've done our best to refund people for Friday and Saturday.


"The criticism really came for the Friday, I don't think people were really criticising us for the Saturday - I think they understood the logic of that."


Phillips added that he believed Silverstone had managed to maintain its good relationship with the paying public, after years of hard work to improve the traffic infrastructure in the wake of the 2000 British Grand Prix mud bath.


"A lot of people say that we did the honourable thing and we've refunded the money," he said.


"Actually I think we have refunded slightly more than people were expecting in a lot of cases. So the majority of people are reasonably on side with it and have said so.


"Out of the people that we have refunded, you get the odd ones that are angry, but they are very few actually.


We didn't try to skin people...We've been very fair about it."

[Lineker]

The HRT Formula 1 team has confirmed it is looking for a new owner after being put up for sale by Thesan Capital.

Spanish investment company Thesan took over the team from previous owner Jose Ramon Carabante in July of last year.

Since then the team has moved to a new factory in Madrid, where the Spanish squad has started working from this season.

HRT has been at the back of the grid this year and is currently in last place in the standings.

AUTOSPORT understands the team came close to a sale to a Middle East-based buyer at the end of last month, and that talks are still ongoing.

Thesan said in a statement on Monday that it was time for the team to find a new owner that would help it move forward.

"The current owners of HRT Formula 1 Team, TC II S.a.rl., would like to confirm that they are currently in talks with a number of groups interested in buying the team," said a statement issued by the team.

"HRT Formula 1 Team's current management hopes to conclude the sale in the upcoming weeks and, with it, enable the team to continue progressing and become a reference in modern-day Formula 1 after the important achievements already accomplished in this 2012 season.

"HRT Formula 1 Team hopes to communicate the name of its new owner in the upcoming weeks.

"We believe the moment to let new investors come through for HRT Formula 1 Team has arrived.

"We're very proud of the work done by the entire team and of the excellent sporting evolution achieved but the time has come for the team to continue growing with new financial backing.

"We're convinced that the sporting potential of the team is huge and that the presence of new investors can give it a big boost."

[Katsuya]

How many different owners has that team had now?