Adam Cooper F1

Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo says that the team has to make a good start to the 2011 season, having in effect lost last year’s title by failing to score well enough early on.

He also said that he’s still bugged by the Abu Dhabi strategy disaster.

“Believe me, I often still wake up at night thinking of the race in Abu Dhabi, so it goes without saying that we must absolutely look to the future,” he said at Ferrari’s PR event in Italy. “We are working very hard on the new car. As Domenicali and I told you back in December, there has been no revolution within our organisation, just a few adjustments aimed at improving the way the team is run.

“We must make a good start, both in terms of reliability and, above all, on the performance front. Last year, we lost the championship in a first half that found us failing to live up to our expectations. I think this will be a very interesting championship. There are a few question marks regarding the new rules, and therefore we will have to wait and see how competitive are our rivals.”

He also had some thoughts on who might be Ferrari’s main rivals this year, after Fernando Alonso tipped Michael Schumacher,

“I think we must wait for the first few races, but these tales are good for the media and the fans. Alonso says Michael, Felipe says Hamilton, maybe Michael will favour Vettel, so there’s nothing new under the sun! But, Michael is still close to my heart and part of Ferrari’s history and I have no doubt he is still a fantastic driver.”

Reminded about Nico Rosberg, he added: “So, sure, there’s also Rosberg. In fact, I expect three teams, maybe even four to be fighting it out at the top in 2011. Of the new generation of drivers, he is in there as indeed is Vettel. But the hierarchy will be established on the stopwatch. Having said that, one problem we don’t have is on the driver front: I know who is the best in the world, but I’m not saying…”

Felipe Massa says he can bounce back after his difficult 201o season, when he found himself playing second fiddle to new team mate Fernando Alonso.

Massa finished a frustrated sixth in last year’s championship, his season overshadowed by the Hockenheim team orders controversy. However the 2008 title contender is confident that he can be strong again this year.

“My target for this season is simple – to win races and to fight for the title,” said Felipe at Ferrari’s annual PR event in Italy. “I know that things didn’t go well last year but that is the past. I believe I can return to fight for the crown and I have nothing else in my mind.”

Massa struggled in 2010 to get the most out of the harder Bridgestone tyres.

“I was never comfortable with the tyres, in particular the front ones. I didn’t manage to adapt my driving style to those tyres, which were very different to the ones from 2009. That took its toll, especially in qualifying and when the available compounds were the hardest ones. There were never problems with motivation, not even after a difficult weekend like Hockenheim.

“Fernando was better than me but I know my potential and I know that the team believes in me. In the past I’ve always had very strong team mates, like Michael and Kimi, but I’d never found myself in a situation of not being comfortable with the car, as I had in 2010.”

Massa says he likes the latest rules package: “I think that these changes are going in the right direction. We will certainly have more buttons on the steering wheel and we will have to pay a lot of attention – for example with the buttons to activate KERS, which you don’t use all in one go but at different parts of the circuit according to the track and the moment. As for the rear wing, we won’t be able to make a judgement until the first races.”

Fernando Alonso expects another close fight in 2011, and says that Michael Schumacher and Mercedes will be tougher competition than last year.

Alonso is still seeking his third World Championship, having missed out at the final round last year. Logic suggests that he could start this season even stronger than last, having found his feet at Ferrari.

“It would be nice to repeat 2010 – to be able to fight for the championship until the end,” said Fernando at Ferrari’s media gathering in Italy. “I think that it will be possible but we will begin to find out in the winter tests. We are totally focused on preparing in the best way to win both the titles.”

Regarding his likely competition, Alonso said: “It would be great if my rival was Felipe – that would mean we have the best car. I expect that there are at least four teams who will be battling, ourselves, Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes.

“There will be five world champions on the track – and if I had to choose the most dangerous rival I would say Schumacher. He’s a driver who has won the most, he has nothing to prove and he certainly has every capacity to be the strongest.”

Alonso made the intriguing point that this year he’s had more input into the design of the car, which may therefore be even more suited to him than its predecessor.

“When I arrived at the team in 2010 the car was already prepared whereas this year, thanks to the reciprocal relationship between me and the engineers, we’ve been able to try to introduce everything that can be influenced by the driver.

“That includes the cockpit, the controls, the behaviour of the car based on driving style – that will be much more adapted to me compared with last year.”

Alonso also made some interesting comments on last season, and specifically the team’s disastrous strategy call in Abu Dhabi.

“In the second part of the year we made an extraordinary recovery then, at the last race, we didn’t manage to win the title. Certainly after the race you can say that decision was wrong and we should have acted differently. But at the moment that we chose to come into the pits it seemed the right move to us. Now we can stand here and say the degradation of the soft tyres evolved in a surprising manner and that we could have stayed on the track until lap 30 but it’s easy to say that now.

“The truth is that, as I’ve always said, even if they seem predictable words, you win and you lose together. If it’s true that you learn more from defeats than victories it’s also true that for me 2010 was a success. It’s no longer worth thinking about Abu Dhabi: one minute more given to this means a minute less to dedicate to this year’s work.

“At the end of every season you do an assessment: we know that there are areas where we must improve while seeking to keep up our strengths. We lost so many points in the first part of the year and we know that we will have to be perfect from March to November to win. We’ve made some changes inside the team that I’m sure will help improve things – as you have to do in every field, not just sport. I know [new race engineering boss] Pat Fry very well, having worked with him at McLaren, and I think that he can be a big help to us.”

The HRT team has now officially confirmed that Narain Karthikeyan will drive this year, after the Indian driver told his local media yesterday.

Karthikeyan, who turns 34 on January 17, last raced in F1 with the Jordan/Midland in 2005, and later spent some time as a Williams test driver, although he didn’t do much mileage.

Kolles said in a statement: “It is a great pleasure for us to have signed Narain Karthikeyan as our race driver for the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship. I have known Narain for a long time and he can revert to the experiences he gained when he was competing for Jordan Grand Prix and being test and reserve driver for Williams F1.

“Narain has also been driving in other racing series and running in one of the legendary Audi sports cars in the Le Mans Series. I am sure that his experience and speed will be very useful for the team during the season. We are welcoming Narain to our team and we look forward to working closely with him this year.”

Karthikeyan added: “It’s been a while in the making, but I am extremely happy to be racing again in Formula 1 in 2011. I have always maintained that I have not given up on my desire to return to the pinnacle of world motorsport. I am confident that I still have the pace, the fitness and the will to succeed in Formula 1.

“I’m looking forward to racing for Hispania Racing, and to working again with Dr. Colin Kolles. We have a long standing and excellent working relationship together. I’m also looking forward to racing at the first ever Indian Grand Prix in October, and I hope that the Indian public will spur me on with their blessings and good wishes.”

Narain Karthikeyan is set to return to F1 with HRT this season, ensuring that there will be a local presence on the grid for the first Indian GP in October.

Karthikeyan announced the news on Twitter by saying: “Back in F1 in 2011. Signed a deal to race for HRT. I’ve always maintained that my time in F1 was not over & now making good on that promise.”

Karthikeyan’s arrival at HRT is logical given his long relationship with team boss Colin Kolles, who haS a history of maintaining contacts with drivers he’s employed over the years. In 2005 Karthikeyan drove for Kolles at the Jordan team in its first season under Midland ownership, finishing fourth in the US GP after the Michelin runners pulled out. He has since driven for Kolles at Le Mans.

He kept his hand in after the Jordan season with a spell as Williams test driver. Last year he competed in the NASCAR truck series but also got some single seater mileage in Superleague.

Karthikeyan – who turns 34 in two weeks – has the support of the mighty Tata Group, which is also involved with Ferrari.

The Times of India quoted him as saying: “It’s been a while in the making, but I am delighted to be racing again in Formula 1 in 2011. I have always maintained that I have not given up on my desire to return to the top level of motor sport. I am confident that I have the pace, the fitness and the will to succeed in Formula 1. I am extremely grateful to the Tata Group, without whose unwavering support, this comeback would not have been possible.”

Chris Dyer has lost his role as head of race engineering at Scuderia Ferrari, in the wake of the team’s Abu Dhabi strategy disaster.

The Aussie’s job will now be an extra responsibility for deputy technical director Pat Fry, who joined from McLaren last year.

The Ferrari website says that Dyer’s “role within the company will be redefined in the next few days.” History suggests that he will be given a non-travelling factory job, something that may actually suit him as he has a young family.

Meanwhile former McLaren and Red Bull man Neil Martin has joined the team as head of a new Operations Research department. The 38-year-old Brit will report to technical director Aldo Costa.

Work finally commenced at the Austin site on December 30

Promoter Tavo Hellmund was on hand to keep an eye on progress

A picture of earth moving equipment would not normally be of much interest to motor racing fans, but these exclusive shots prove that work is finally underway at the site of the US GP in Austin.

Promoter Tavo Hellmund told everyone some months ago that work would have to begin in December in order to be ready for the first race, expected to be scheduled for June 2012.

And indeed the Austin team has met that schedule, albeit only just, as groundbreaking commenced yesterday. There’s still a long way to go, but at least the weather should be more favourable than it is elsewhere in the USA…

The Chapman family has now officially come out in favour of Group Lotus in the ongoing battle over the use of the famous name.

They have also made it clear that they did not want to see the Team Lotus name back in F1, and imply that they had been told by Lotus Racing that its name would not change.

When Lotus Racing was announced the family was totally behind the project, but things changed when the war over the name stepped up a gear in the autumn, and it became apparent that Group Lotus was planning a deal with Renault.

It was soon suggested that the family had withdrawn its support of Tony Fernandes, but Colin Chapman’s son Clive declined to comment when asked by this blog some months ago.

He did however mention that Group Lotus’s ambitious plans included a museum, or ‘heritage centre’ at Hethel, which would become a home for the fabulous Classic Team Lotus collection which he curates – something that Fernandes clearly could not offer.

A statement by Clive issued on behalf of the family reads as follows:

“The Chapman Family is impressed by the exciting developments underway at Group Lotus, and it is very grateful to Proton for the significant investment that is being made, to secure a strong future for the excellent workforce at the Hethel factory.

“In 2010 the Chapman Family and Classic Team Lotus have been pleased to support Group Lotus in many ways.  In consultation with Proton, this included supporting the use of the Lotus name in Formula One, which was licensed by Group Lotus.

“The Chapman Family was impressed by the achievements of Lotus Racing as a new team, and appreciated its respect for Team Lotus history.  However, then its license to use the Lotus name was terminated and things changed.

“During 2010, the Chapman Family, as and when appropriate, made it clear to those involved that it would prefer that the Team Lotus name should not be used in Formula One.  Indeed, assurances to this effect were received.

“The Team Lotus identity represents the motor racing legacy of Colin Chapman, and this was preserved by the Chapman Family and invested within Classic Team Lotus.  The association by Group Lotus with Team Lotus history is much appreciated and entirely appropriate, especially as it is in keeping with how things were in Colin Chapman’s time.

“The  Chapman Family is looking forward to continuing to give its support to Group Lotus, which is the ongoing Lotus entity created by Colin and Hazel Chapman.  After all, the Lotus marque is the responsibility of Group Lotus, and Hethel is the home of Lotus.”

Vitaly Petrov has signed for two more years with the renamed Lotus Renault GP team.

The Russian, who endured a difficult rookie season in 2010, will partner Robert Kubica again next year. Although there had been some question marks about his continued involvement, the team has decided to give him another chance.

Petrov said in a team statement: ““I am very happy to continue with the team and proud to be representing Lotus Renault GP for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. I learned a lot about the sport, the circuits and the car this year. That will help me improve even more in the future. I am very excited about working with this great team once more, and I’’m confident that I will deliver. In many ways, 2010 was about learning. 2011 will be about performing. Today, I feel I am ready to rise to this challenge.”

Genii boss and team chairman Gérard Lopez commented: “”We’re delighted to have Vitaly on board for another two years. Last season, he showed on several occasions that he clearly has the potential to deliver. It was just a matter of putting everything together during the same weekend, race after race, and this will be his target for 2011. Also, thanks to Vitaly and the team, Russia is opening up to Formula 1. Over the past few months, we’’ve established close links with this country and with some of its strongest companies. We’re looking forward to building on this special relationship and turning it into a very successful adventure over the next two seasons.”

”Eric Boullier said: ““We are very pleased to confirm that Vitaly will be staying with us for 2011 and 2012, in order that both he and the team can build on a promising 2010 campaign. The entire team has been working flat out over the past months to improve our competitiveness, and a stable driver line-up is essential to achieving our targets. Robert Kubica provides a remarkable benchmark for both speed and consistency, and we are certain that Vitaly will move closer to this level of performance next year.””

Incidentally the team company name has now been formally changed to Lotus Renault GP Limited in official documentation.

”Here’s a Q&A with Vitaly Petrov Issued by the team:

Vitaly, how does it feel to be confirmed at Lotus Renault GP?

“It feels great. I learned so much this year and I know that I can come back stronger in 2011. I’’m extremely proud to be part of this team and I’m determined to repay the faith they have shown in me.”

Looking back on your rookie season, what did you enjoy the most?

“There were a lot of special moments. The race in Shanghai is something that I will always remember when I overtook Schumacher and Webber to score my first points. Then, the first time I made Q3 in Turkey was an important step for me. And, of course, the race in Hungary was probably my best weekend when everything came together for me.”

How has your life change since you became an F1 driver?

“There’s a lot more travelling and not a lot of time for myself, but I will never complain because I love what I’’m doing. I still feel like a boy at Christmas every time I get in the car. Life is not as easy as people think, of course, and there’s a lot more to F1 than driving the car, but it’s an amazing experience and I know I’m lucky to be one of just 24 drivers on the grid.”

Do you feel at home at Lotus Renault GP?

“Yes, definitely. Previous drivers have always said that there is a special atmosphere here and I have to say I agree with them. The team is very warm, friendly and open, and I get on really well with the guys.”

Can you feel the growing support for F1 from Russia?

“Definitely. I get more support from my country every week. In fact, recently one of the major lifestyle magazines included me in their top ten most attractive single men of Russia! You can feel that the sport is becoming more popular and soon we will have our own Grand Prix, which will create more interest. Even our prime minister, Mr Putin, got a taste of F1 when he tried a Renault F1 car earlier this year.”

What will be the main challenges of 2011?

“There are quite a few changes that we have to adapt to as a team: new tyres, moveable rear wings and KERS, which I’’ve never used before. There’s even a new race in India. So there are some things to adapt to, but they should improve the show and make for better racing. I’’ve already seen the new car in the wind tunnel and it looks very promising. I also love our new colours and can’’t wait to get back in the car and go racing.”

What do you hope to achieve in your second season?

“My objective is to continue improving as a driver and to become more consistent. There were times this year when I made mistakes and lost points, and I know this is where I can improve. I think I showed that I have the speed, but I need to be consistent over the whole weekend and get the maximum from every session.”

What is your plan over the next couple of months before testing begins in February?

“I was thinking about spending a few days in Maranello this winter, but I have been told it probably wasn’’t the best idea… Seriously, after a busy year I’’m taking the time to go back home and see my family and friends. It’’s also the time to recharge my batteries so that I can come back fresh next year. I’’m already working hard on my fitness and doing lots of training to be ready for the start of the season. Then, in January, I will be at the factory to see my engineers and for my seat-fit in the new car.”

Jerome D’Ambrosio has been confirmed alongside Timo Glock at Marussia Virgin Racing for 2011.

The GP2 veteran drove in the first Friday session for the team at four of the last five races of this season, and has also done some testing for Renault. He replaces Lucas di Grassi, who ironically was on the Renault Driver Development scheme with him in 2004.

D’Ambrosio, who turns 25 next week, will be the first Belgian to compete in F1 since Philippe Adams was briefly at Lotus in 1994.

Team Principal John Booth said: “Jerome had been on our radar for quite some time as a driver we should seriously consider for a 2011 race seat. We had followed his progress in GP2 closely and it was clear he was ‘one to watch’, but when we put him in the car for the four race weekends and the Abu Dhabi test he surpassed even our own expectations. He slotted into the team perfectly and everyone took a shine to him, including our partners and the media.

“Apart from his obvious skill at the wheel of a Formula One car, he is an immensely personable young guy who is a pleasure to have around. He has secured this seat absolutely on merit and I think coupled with Timo we have the perfect blend of youth, experience, speed and potential and we can’t wait to see what they can achieve together next season.

“Timo has done an excellent job for us in our debut season, in often challenging circumstances. There is no doubt that he has helped us to establish a strong foundation from which to develop the team and the package. We look forward to being in a much stronger position to deliver the car he deserves in 2011.

“Finally, I must thank Lucas di Grassi for the important role that he also played in establishing the team. He contributed a great deal to our development and we wish him every success in his future career, which we have no doubt will be an exciting one.”

D’Ambrosio commented: “I’m thrilled to have achieved my goal of a Formula One race seat with Marussia Virgin Racing. When I came to the team in September this year it was everything I could hope for. I had a tough test to complete because there was a lot of competition for this seat, but at the same time I got on well with the team and felt that I had found my home. I feel very comfortable with them – they are extremely professional and ambitious people and it is exciting to think that I can be a part of shaping the team’s future. I would like to thank everyone at Marussia Virgin Racing for the faith they have shown in me and everyone at Gravity Sport Management for the support they have given to my career so far.”

Meanwhile Timo Glock, finally formally confirmed, added: “My congratulations to Jerome on joining the team and I look forward to working with him next year. After a tough but rewarding debut season for our team we now have a lot of hard work to do to take Marussia Virgin Racing to the level we should be performing at in 2011. I for one cannot wait to get started in the new car when testing begins in February.”

(PS: Part time Belgian Bertrand Gachot competed in 1995 but he was born in Luxembourg and was officially racing as French by then…)