1 seat left on the grid now & thats the HRT 1 now sutil & di resta have the force india ones (with hulkenberg as reserve)

eoin i would love to go to 1 of the races abroad (canada would be my dream one) but doubt can afford this year maybe next

Michael Schumacher is confident that he can still add to his seven World titles despite suggestions that he is too old to reach the summit of F1.

Having returned to the sport after a three-year absence, the German failed to reach the standards he had set in the past and generally performed below most expectations.

Despite this, the World Champion has lost none of the self-belief that helped him to seven World titles during the 1990's and 2000's, declaring that he is certain he can challenge for the top honours in 2011.

"Absolutely [I can win another title]," the German told F1 Racing.

"Look, we have a three-year project. Very clearly right now, we are not where we want to be. We've put a lot of effort into coming back and are optimistic we have a chance.

"But in the history of Formula 1, when does it ever happen that you come back straightaway from this level to win in just one year? Very rarely.

"So I'm sure we can fight for wins this year and we might be able to fight for the championship. I hope so. I'm here on a mission and I want to succeed. I want to perform and I'm going to put 100 per cent into it. And if that's not the case in 2011, then we will have to do it in the final year," he added.


:shocked: This is the Michael of old, the Michael I thought was gone........ Mind games have begun people. He seems so committed for 2012 too. I cant wait for season now.

New Ferrari Car

Source: www.F1.com

Source: www.autosport.com

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER believes 2011 will be his year — and says he is 'on a mission' to win his eighth Formula One world title.

Schuey, 42, failed to make the podium in his unspectacular comeback with Mercedes last season.

But he said: "We have a three-year project. In the history of F1 when does it ever happen that you come back to win in one year? We can fight for wins this year and fight for the championship.

"I'm here on a mission and I want to succeed. I want to perform and I'm going to put 100 per cent into it."

Schumacher will be back on track next week in Valencia for the first of the four pre-season tests ahead of the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain on March 13.

Source: Thesun.co.uk

I didnt know the testing was next week :D

http://www.formula1.com/wi/597x478/m...al1128ja16.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/597x478/m...al1128ja17.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/597x478/m...al1128ja21.jpg

Source: www.F1.com

http://images.itv-f1.com/ImageLibrary/59932_2.jpg

Source: www.ITV.com

Team Lotus have unveiled their 2011 challenger online ahead of its track debut later this week. The UK-based team hope the T128 will make them midfield contenders and bring them their first world championship points.

After contesting their 2010 debut season with the deliberately conservative, Cosworth-powered T127, Lotus have taken a more aggressive approach with the new car, which uses Renault power and Red Bull transmission systems.

“This year’s car is a much more contemporary design,” said chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne. “The car really will be a midfield runner. It’s a modern F1 car. I’m very confident it is a big step up and it’s the start of a process that takes Team Lotus back to the front of the grid.”

"T128 takes Team Lotus in exactly the right direction,” added team CEO Riad Asmat. “We have said since day one of the Team Lotus dream that the plan for our second year was to take the fight to the midfield, and with this car we are all confident that is what we will be able to do."

Team principal Tony Fernandes commented: "There has been so much focus off-track it's a thrill to be able to get back to talking about racing. The launch of the T128 is a big step forward for Team Lotus and I want to thank the whole team for the amount of hard work that has already gone into the car, and I want to thank Renault and Red Bull Technology for their tremendous support in helping us make this step forward and for being such great team partners."

The T128 is expected to make its track debut on Wednesday, in the second day of this week’s official F1 test session at Valencia in Spain. The team's driver line-up remains unchanged for 2011, with Finland's Heikki Kovalainen and Italy's Jarno Trulli at the wheel.

Source: www.F1.com

Sauber’s 2011 race line-up of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez were on hand at the Valencia circuit in Spain on Monday to unveil the team’s new car, ahead of its track debut in testing on Tuesday.

After the upheavals of 2010, with their metamorphosis from a works to a private team, Sauber hope the Ferrari-powered C30 will form the basis of a more stable 2011 campaign and help them better last year’s eighth place in the constructors’ standings.

“We want to finish in the points regularly and clearly improve our position,” said team principal Peter Sauber ahead of his squad’s 19th F1 season. “2010 marked the 41st year of our company history and one of the most difficult. But we managed to overcome these difficulties in the second half of the season.

“We implemented some well-considered structural changes. The appointment of James Key as technical director already bore fruit last season, and he is now in charge of development of the Sauber C30-Ferrari. At the same time, we have managed to secure our business foundation for the 2011 season. In these economically straitened times that is something we can be proud of too.”

Sauber’s aim is for the C30 not just to prove more reliable than its predecessor; there were a number of other weaknesses to be banished as well. One of the team’s overriding targets is to improve aerodynamic efficiency, low-speed cornering, mechanical grip and to gain more flexibility in suspension tuning.

The striking visual features of the Sauber C30 are a raised front, slender waist, compact rear, new rollhoop and downward-sloping engine cover. Propelling the car as before is the Ferrari 056 engine, while power delivery is courtesy of a new Ferrari transmission. Its KERS system also comes from the Maranello factory.

“In order to take a step forward in 2011, we were already systematically tackling the C29’s weaknesses over the last season - and we’ve made progress,” explained technical director Key. “The insights we gleaned were taken into account when the concept for the new C30 was being drawn up."

The new technical regulations presented Sauber’s engineers with a tricky assignment, since the ban on double diffusers fundamentally alters the car’s aerodynamic concept. Another tough challenge was the switch to Pirelli tyres, which meant the engineers had to make decisions during the concept phase before the teams had a chance to test the tyres out on track.

“Since some of the changes decreed by the regulations - particularly regarding the tyres - can only be analysed out on track, it was important for us to build, firstly, a fundamentally predictable car and, secondly, one that would provide sufficient flexibility to respond to ongoing findings at the track and during further development stages,” added Keys.

After completing a few installation laps on Monday, the C30 will begin a full test schedule alongside its rivals on Tuesday at the start of a development programme that will see it fitted with a new aerodynamic package before 2011’s season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain on March 13.

Source: www.F1.com

Hot on the heels of rivals Lotus and Sauber, Renault have become the latest team to reveal their 2011 car. The R31, bedecked in the iconic black and gold colours associated with backers Group Lotus, was presented to the media in the pit lane of the Valencia track, ahead of the first pre-season test of the year which will begin on Tuesday at the Spanish circuit.

Race drivers Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov were on hand to unveil the new machine, alongside technical director James Allison, team principal Eric Boullier and chairman Gerard Lopez. For Allison, the long months of hard work have paid off and the engineer is confident that the R31 will present a tangible step forward from its predecessor, the R30, which powered the team to fifth in the 2010 constructors’ standings.

“Words like ‘aggressive’ and ‘innovative’ are very much in vogue in Formula One at the moment, but where the R31 is concerned we feel those adjectives are appropriate,” he said. “It’s true to say that the car has been designed in an ambitious manner and a quick glance at the layout will confirm that its entire concept differs considerably, not just from last year’s car, but from any car this team has ever produced.”

Team principal Boullier was just as optimistic, thanks to the new car’s strengths, as well as the Enstone team’s growing efficiency.

“All the hard work over the winter has been focused on delivering a big improvement for 2011,” he said. “The result is a car with more than 92 percent new parts compared to the R30. But technical innovation isn’t the only key to performance. Since last year, we have reviewed all our internal processes and our overall efficiency has now improved by 15 percent. That means we should be more competitive than last year, on the track and at the factory.”

Petrov, who gleaned 27 points from his debut season in 2010, will be in charge of the R31 when it makes its on-track debut on Tuesday, and for the Russian it’s a thrilling opportunity.

“It feels exciting to be starting my second year of Formula One and I can’t wait to try this beautiful car for the first time tomorrow,” hesaid. “Now that I have a year of F1 experience behind me, I feel more confident and ready to deliver. I’m determined to do well and fight hard for this team.”

Petrov's more experienced team mate Kubica will take over the car for the remaining two days’ of testing from Wednesday. The Polish driver, who scored 136 points and three podium finishes in 2010, is also targeting a much more productive 2011.

“After a long winter break you always feel ready to jump back in the car,” he added. “At the moment it’s difficult to know just how competitive our package will be, but the engineers have decided to go for an innovative design, which is good.”

Renault also presented their new third drivers Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean at the event, whilst the team’s reserve drivers (and members of their young driver academy) were confirmed as Jan Charouz, Ho-Pin Tung and Fairuz Fauzy, who was unable to attend the launch due to his GP2 commitments.

Source: www.F1.com

A confident-looking Mercedes GP launched their 2011 car in the Valencia pit lane on Tuesday. After their championship-winning success as Brawn in 2009, the team endured a hit and miss 2010 season and are now targeting a return to their winning ways with the new MGP W02, which will once again be driven by Nico Rosberg and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

Despite their stellar line-up, Mercedes finished fourth in the 2010 standings, with less than half the points’ tally of champions Red Bull. After 12 months of intense design and development work, however, the team are hopeful their new challenger could see them back in front-running form.

“It is always a thrill to see a new car ready to take the track for the first time and this year is no exception,” said team principal Ross Brawn. “After our first year as the Mercedes-Benz works team, we are now seeing the benefits of our chassis group and our engine group working well together.

"With a good technical structure and a strengthened race engineering organisation, both at the factory and the race track, I am confident that we have done and will continue to do a better job this year in all key areas.

"The concept development for the MGP W02 started early and we have set challenging targets for the design, combined with a robust plan to ensure that the pace of development can continue throughout the long 2011 season. We want to be setting the standard right from the start but if we are not, we will respond very strongly to get ourselves into the game. Everyone is excitedly waiting to see what the new season will reveal.”

As well as Pirelli tyres, an adjustable rear wing, KERS and a striking, high-gloss airbrush effect livery, the MGP W02 features a raft of technical innovations and changes. And the aggressive approach taken by Mercedes’ engineers means the new car is almost unrecognisable from its 2010 forerunner.

“The new Silver Arrow for the 2011 season has little in common with its immediate predecessor,” explained Norbert Haug, vice-president of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “Our chassis engineers have taken a fairly ruthless approach and were determined to shave off every superfluous gram and millimetre.

“What emerged from this process is a compact and exquisitely shaped vehicle that introduces a host of sophisticated solutions and truly reflects the enormous dedication of its constructors. We have given it a brand new coat of paint, and we aim to see a smile on the faces of our hard-working drivers and team members that is as bright as our new silver livery.”

Of the team’s two drivers, it was Schumacher who struggled the most with their 2010 car, scoring just 72 of the team’s 214 points. The German, however, is optimistic about his targets for the season ahead.

“Finally the waiting is over and things get started,” he said. "Even if I have been involved and updated all winter on the developments, and even if I know the improvements are significant, it is still different to see the new car literally for the first time in front of you.

"You automatically build up this nice pre-start tension. I very much look forward to the new season. We have said it several times already but again, we are really to building up something big together. I am very confident that this season we will be standing on the podium much more regularly; ideally in the middle!”

Although his team mate Rosberg did manage to clinch three podiums during the course of 2010, the younger German wants much more from his second season with Mercedes.

“I am very much looking forward to having a much stronger season than last year and as always, our targets are aggressive,” he said. “We want to be competing at the front and challenging for race wins. Everyone at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth has worked extremely hard on the new Silver Arrow and we are all looking forward to seeing how it performs.”

The MGP W02 makes its on-track debut at the Spanish circuit on Tuesday, with both Rosberg and Schumacher expected to get a turn at the wheel.

Here's the latest on Robert Kubica after his rally crash.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/9389513.stm

Stupid Polish man going and crashing when I was on a break :nono: well I'm back now so from what I've read and been told he will be out indefinately????

Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher responded on Friday to Felipe Massa’s swift Thursday pace for Ferrari, as this week’s four-day test continued in Jerez. Schumacher’s fastest lap, a 1m 20.352s, was almost four-tenths of a second quicker than Massa’s best the day before - and six-hundredths up on the Brazilian's own Friday best at the Spanish circuit.

Jenson Button finished third behind Massa as he sampled the new McLaren, the MP4-26, for the first time, whilst Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari took fourth slot after covering 72 laps in the STR6. Alguersuari’s programme featured three key elements - tyre evaluation, weight distribution and set-up work. His team mate Sebastien Buemi will take charge of the car on Saturday.

“I tried all compounds except the super-soft here and I had a good feeling from the car with all of them, getting an idea of their different behaviour,” said the young Spaniard. “I also made progress in terms of using the KERS and the DRS (downforce reduction system) which to be honest, does not look as complicated as I expected it to be.

“The important thing is that we are making progress every time I go out of the garage. In performance terms, it is still a bit too early to start drawing conclusions, especially as the lap times here vary a lot from the morning to the afternoon, but I am reasonably confident that this side of the car’s progress is on the right track.”

Red Bull’s Mark Webber finished in fifth, ahead of Force India’s Adrian Sutil and Sauber’s Sergio Perez.

Full report to follow.

Unofficial Friday test times from Jerez:
1. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP, 1:20.352
2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.413
3. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:21.009
4. Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso, 1:21.214
5. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:21.613
6. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:21.780
7. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:21.857
8. Timo Glock, Virgin, 1:22.208
9. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, 1:22.493
10. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.591
11. Jarno Trulli, Lotus, 1:23.216

YIKES

Mercedes GP’s hit and miss performance at the recent Jerez test has prompted some to speculate that the team are on the back foot ahead of the 2011 season. But team principal Ross Brawn is confident they have plenty of time to remedy any reliability issues and is optimistic that by the time March’s Bahrain Grand Prix gets underway any teething problems will have been solved.

“Reliability is our main challenge at the moment,” Brawn told Mercedes GP’s official website. “Although we have completed the third highest mileage of any team with our new car (a total of 2310km), our level of reliability is not where it needs to be yet. We have experienced our share of teething problems with the MGP W02 but we have solutions in the pipeline to resolve them.

“The second pre-season test in Jerez was extremely useful. Our priorities at this stage are improving the reliability of the new car, working with the KERS system, and developing our understanding of the Pirelli tyres. We had good reliability for the middle two days which allowed us to accumulate mileage and collect a lot of data to study ahead of the next test in Barcelona this weekend."

Whilst Michael Schumacher ended his two days at Jerez a happy man, setting the fastest time on Friday and the second-best time on Saturday, a much gloomier Nico Rosberg climbed out of the MGP W02’s cockpit on Sunday after a precautionary engine change interrupted his programme. Brawn, however, is relaxed about progress.

“Michael had the better of the reliability in Jerez where he completed 226 laps in total, and this has provided us with a wealth of data to study prior to Barcelona,” explained Brawn. “Nico was slightly unfortunate with the issues that we faced on his running days but still achieved some good work and will have better days to come in Barcelona and Bahrain. Only each team knows the truth about its performance during the pre-season period, and knowing all the facts, I am satisfied with our progress over the first two tests.”

Although determined to keep his cards under the table and wait until Bahrain to see how the car fares, Brawn was keen to remind the team’s fans that Mercedes GP will introduce a comprehensive aero upgrade ahead of the Sakhir race.

“We made a deliberate decision towards the end of last year to have a very ‘plain’ car for the first tests and a significant upgrade for the first race in Bahrain,” Brawn said. “With the Pirelli tyres, and the return of KERS, we wanted to make sure that our new car was ready for the first test and this was certainly the correct decision.

“The final features for the Bahrain upgrade were confirmed recently and we are comfortable with the performance step that these developments will bring. Our current package includes some compromises, and we know that there is more performance to come from the car. Of course, we don’t know where the other teams are, and what they have planned in terms of development. No-one will have the full picture until the racing starts in Bahrain.”

Lewis Hamilton's Brother To Make Racing Debut
 

LONDON (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton's younger brother Nicolas, who has cerebral palsy, is to compete in the junior Renault Clio Cup series in Britain after gaining his racing licence last week.

The older Hamilton, Formula One world champion with McLaren in 2008, has described the 19-year-old as his biggest fan and inspiration.

The teenager said in a statement on Wednesday: "I have loved motor sport from a young age and watching my brother achieve so much has given me inspiration to make my own racing debut."

Heidfeld confirmed at Renault. (Imagine he was a title contender???)

http://uk.reuters.com/resources/r/?m...OPTP_0_GERMANY

This is the car & team to beat in 2011

I cant see anything I'm assuming it's the mclaren though?

yes :hugesmile:

The test this week should show a good sign of whos gonna be quick or not come Bahrain

wish there would show the test on tv (Red Button)

????

Looks like the Season won't start in Bahrain.