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Toyota will take on Audi and Peugeot at Le Mans next year

This blog doesn’t normally cover sportscar racing but there was big news today as Toyota confirmed its anticipated Le Mans 24 Hours programme for 2012, to be run from the former F1 base in Cologne.

TMG have designed the chassis, which will be powered by petrol hybrid engine. The team says the car will roll out ‘at the turn of the year.’

It’s a massively ambitious schedule given how tough Le Mans is for first timers. Toyota will also compete in ‘several’ other WEC races.

Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota Motor Corporation Senior Managing Officer and TMG Chairman, said: “Toyota Motor Corporation has entered Le Mans before but by using our hybrid technology this time will be a completely new challenge. We want to write a new page in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as in the FIA World Endurance Championship, through our use of hybrid technology.

“In addition, we aim to learn from the experience of competing in such a challenging motorsport environment to enhance our production car technology. Le Mans is a legendary race and I would like to thank the ACO and the FIA for their constructive and positive cooperation over the last few months.”

Sebastian Vettel says he’s not concerned by McLaren’s pace at a wet Korean GP venue today, and says that little was learned of value for what is expected to be a dry race.

Vettel was third in FP2, some 1.8s off pacesetter Lewis Hamilton.

“On Sunday the weather forecast to be dry,” said Vettel. “So whatever we learned today might not be worth a lot for this weekend, maybe for the next event in case it’s damp or wet. But unfortunately the track didn’t dry up and allow us to get a shot on these tyres. It’s pretty aggressive this weekend, so we’ll find out in the race, I guess.”

With Pirelli bringing both of its softest compounds, it’s anticipated that there will be a high number of pit stops on Sunday.

“We can do maximum five, that’s all the tyres we have. Maybe we need to put a set of intermediates at the end just to cross the chequered flag! We’ll see.

“Maybe it turns out to be better than we all expect, or worse. It’s hard to predict as usual. It’s quite a tough track on tyres I think, even though you’ve got long straights in the first sector, there’s hardly any rest after that. It’s not that easy. As I said what we learned today is not worth a lot for the next two days, but the car feels alright, that’s the most important thing.”

Vettel says he doesn’t think that his life will be any tougher now that the championship is done and dusted.

“I don’t think it’s tougher than all the other weekends. It would be bad for all the others if they were going around with half throttle for all the other races! I don’t expect it to be more difficult than the other races. We’ll see who is more competitive. Surely in those conditions this afternoon McLaren looked very strong, but we’ve seen that a couple of times on Fridays, so it’s hard to judge.”

Michael Schumacher is now only three points behind team mate Nico Rosberg, but the former World Champion says that finishing ahead of his countryman is not an extra spur as the end of the season approaches.

“To me that is not what matters,” said Schumacher in Korea today. “I think we have spoken about this some time before, whether I’m placed in front or behind him, that’s not what matters. To me it matters that as a team we go in the right direction, that we get the car that we need to really fight for a front position, and then it will matter where I am against him.”

Michael said there was no one reason for his recent improvement in form: “I guess in the end it’s a combination of many things, and the point is we are able to achieve more often to get 100% out of the car. That has not always been the case, but it’s very clear that since about three or four races we’ve been pretty consistent this way.”

Schumacher added that the recent arrival of Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis was a major boost for the team.

“I came here to succeed, together with Mercedes. On the way there obviously after the first two years, or first one and a half years, it was obvious that we needed to raise our game.

“And despite that we have fantastic engineers and great guys, we just need more capacity, and that’s what has arrived with two guys, one obviously Aldo that I know from the past, working together with in Ferrari days, and Geoff I’ve heard he’s been involved with the team in the past. So, two men with a wealth of experience that should help for the future.”

Force India has confirmed new investment from and co-ownership by Sahara India Pariwar, a leading promoter and patron of sports run by Saharasri Subrata Roy Sahara. The outfit will be known as Sahara Force India F1 Team.

Dr Vijay Mallya and Sahara India Pariwar will both have 42.5% stakes, while the Dutch Mol family will retain 15%.

Mallya said: “I am delighted to welcome Saharasri Subrata Roy Sahara as Chairman of Sahara Force India. It has indeed been a matter of pride for me to put India on the F1 map with Force India and raise the performance of the team to its current levels.

“The Sahara Group has played a very important role in the development of sport in the country and is an ideal partner to take the Force India F1 Team to greater success in the Formula One World Championship.”

Meanwhile Saharasri Subrata Roy Sahara said: “India is reaching new heights in all spheres, including sports. Formula One car racing has always remained a bastion of the western world. The advent of India in this exciting sport has remained a matter of pride for all our countrymen.

“I feel doubly proud that Sahara is the co-owner of India’s only F1 team and I am sure that through the Sahara Force India F1 Team, we will together bring pride and laurels to our beloved nation.”

Red Bull protege Jean-Eric Vergne will take the next step on his path to an F1 seat when he drives for Toro Rosso in FP1 in Korea this weekend.

The Frenchman will replace Jaime Alguersuari in Korea, skip the Indian GP, and then return to deputise for Sebastian Buemi in Abu Dhabi.

Whoever has the least points will then have to sit out the first session in Brazil.

With Daniel Ricciardo in action at HRT Red Bull has four young drivers from which to choose the 2012 Toro Rosso line-up…

Lewis Hamilton was clearly bitterly disappointed after finishing fifth in Japan, and was at a loss to explain his lack of pace.

To be fair his race was badly compromised when he had a slow puncture in the first stint that led to an early first stop. That put him a little bit out of synch for the rest of the race. Matters were not helped by the clash with Felipe Massa, which damaged the car.

However, Lewis was willing to blame himself for the lack of performance.

“My team mate finished first clearly our car was fast enough to win, and I was nowhere near fast enough to compete with anyone today,” he said.

“Today was one of the slowest races I’ve probably ever had in terms of performance. I just need to find out where I lost all that time. Jenson did a fantastic job, and in qualifying I was very close, but in the race I couldn’t hold him to save my life.

“I think it’s me, how I dialled the car in. I don’t know if I dialled the car in as well as he has, maybe. Who knows, but I’m clearly not driving as well as he is. That’s something I can work on.

“My job and my hope is to pick up some pace from somewhere. I was just struggling, I didn’t have any grip. But that’s the way it goes.”

Lewis apologised for the clash with Massa and said he could not see the Brazilian.

“I don’t really know what happened, but I can’t see anything out of my mirrors, they vibrate so much at this race track, I can’t see a thing. So I had no idea he was there. So apologies if we touched.

“It’s the same thing that happened, we always come together, and fortunately nothing bad happened to either of us. It was not intentional. He’s a fantastic driver, he was very quick today, and I was very slow, that’s why he was all over me. I tried my hardest to stay ahead.”

Fernando Alonso qualified in his traditional 2011 fifth position in Japan, and the Spaniard is hoping that a little bad luck for those ahead could give him a chance to get on the podium.

“It went quite OK for us, no problems,” said Alonso of his qualifying session. “Fifth is quite a good position. I started fifth in 90% of the races this year, normally behind two McLarens and two Red Bulls. Today I have Mark behind but Felipe in front, so I’m still fifth once more.

“Hopefully tomorrow I’m starting on the clean side, and I think with a lot of pit stop strategy, because the tyres are degrading quite a lot, we can see an interesting race, and hopefully take any opportunity that Sebastian and the two McLarens give us to be on the podium, because with a normal race I think those three positions are already in the pocket for them.”

Alonso expects the degradation to lead to multiple pit stops: “It has been quite high, but normally on Sunday it improves. I think it will be from two to four stops, but I think more three or four.”

Lewis Hamilton blames himself rather than McLaren for failing to get his final lap in during Q3 in Suzuka.

Hamiltgot the chequered flag as he was about to start his lap after getting caught up with Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher, both of whom were equally keen to get round and start a lap.

Hamilton had to settle for his earlier time, which had been fastest, but was eventually good enough only for third.

“It was nothing to do with the team,” said Lewis. “The team were telling me what I needed to get the lap. The car in front was quite close to me, and I had to make sure I had a gap between myself and the car in front. The two guys behind me were racing to get to the line, and they got past, got past while I was just braking for the last corner.

“There’s not very much to say. It’s not the team’s decision, as I said it was my mistake, I should have got out sooner, but I was making a wing change which meant I went out later, so it was my fault.”

Hamilton said that his pace only became apparent in qualifying because he hadn’t had decent runs earlier in the weekend: “I’ve been quick all weekend, just I’ve got a lot of yellow flags, and not putting the sectors together, just not really done a complete lap. In qualifying, I did. Except the last lap.”

Meanwhile Martin Whitmarsh said that Lewis was wrong to take full responsibility.

“In fairness to Lewis we could have more explicit to him about time running out,” said the McLaren boss. “It was very tight, and people were trying to make gaps. It was a difficult situation, and in my view Lewis is being a bit hard on himself. I think we would have been more explicit in pushing him towards the end of that lap.”

Sauber sources have confirmed that Kamui Kobayashi is set to start seventh in Suzuka after the FIA timing system at the end of Q3 left him in 10th place – having failed to take account of the rules.

Those who fail to set a lap time are split into three categories:

– Drivers who start a flying lap

– Drivers who leave the garage but don’t start a flying lap

– Drivers who stay in the garage.

Within those categories cars line up in number order.

Kobayashi is in the first category because he started a flying lap, although he did not complete it. That puts him ahead of everyone else.

Michael Schumacher intended to start a flying lap, but did not make it round and received the flag. Senna and Petrov also received the flag. They line up in number order, with Schumacher ahead of Senna and Petrov.

Mark Webber says he surprised and disappointed to be only sixth in Suzuka after team mate Sebastian Vettel took pole with a brilliant last lap.

Webber had hoped that he would be able to challenge Vettel here, but was behind him in all three sessions.

“Very surprised to be sixth,” said the Aussie. “I did my best, but not good enough, not quick enough. It was a surprised I couldn’t go with the pace there at the end. Disappointing, not just to miss the second row. Seb obviously did a massive lap for pole, which was a great effort, and I’m disappointed to be third row.

“The car I think was pretty good yesterday on long runs, it was also good on short runs up until the end there. Clearly we didn’t get the most out of the car. So, wake-up and push tomorrow.”