Adam Cooper F1

Sebastian Vettel was the star of last night’s Autosport Awards in London as he picked up the prize for International Racing Driver of the Year.

It was Vettel’s first appearance at the prestigious event, which is already one more than Michael Schumacher made in his long career, despite numerous invitations – although once he was kept away by plane trouble.

Vettel charmed the crowd with his good humour and modest demeanour, admitting that he had ‘sounded like a little girl’ when he cried on the radio after clinching the title.

He also made some interesting observations about his relationship with Mark Webber.

“We had the opportunity after the race in Abu Dhabi to talk to each other. Obviously we are not similar, so some things, we have a different opinion, which is fine, it’s normal, human. We talked about it, some of the stuff we got rid of. Other things, we might still have different opinions, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not looking at him anymore or don’t talk to him anymore.

“It’s good, I think we have pushing ourselves very hard this year, and very often it has been very marginal in qualifying. He was a ahead, I was ahead. It was a tough season. I’m looking forward to beating him, that must be the target. I’m sure if you ask him, he will tell you exactly the opposite.”

Intriguingly the news broke today that Webber contested the last four races of the season nursing a shoulder injury from a mountain bike crash. Perhaps the Aussie will be stronger than people think next year…

In possibly the least surprising announcement of the winter Williams has finally confirmed that Pastor Maldonado will join the team in 2011.

It was confirmed the day after the Abu Dhabi GP that Nico Hulkenberg had left the team, and with Maldonado subsequently completing four days of testing with Williams and its future gearbox customer HRT you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to work out who would replace him.

Maldonado brings massive funding from Venezuela but as the current GP2 champion he is obviously more than qualified for an F1 seat. Like Robert Kubica, he is also an ex-Renault Driver Development squad member.

Frank Williams said in a statement: “Pastor first caught my eye in 2007 when he drove a masterful race at Monaco. Since then, he has regularly reminded us of his unquestionable talent with some skilful wins, particularly during this year’s GP2 championship, taking an unsurpassed record of six successive victories. Of course, we already know Pastor from the time he spent with the team at the Abu Dhabi test, but we are very much looking forward to developing his talent over the winter and a fruitful season with him next year.”

Maldonado was quoted thus: “I feel very privileged that Williams has selected me as one of their race drivers. It is a great way to end what has already been an amazing year for me. I tested with the team in Abu Dhabi, but can’t wait to start working with everyone properly to be in the best possible shape going into next year. I will be doing my best over the winter to prepare myself, and I know the team will be working hard to ensure a successful season. 2011 will be the first time in nearly thirty years that a Venezuelan has driven a Formula One car so I will be looking to get some good results in return for the support my country has given me to help get me to this position today.”

Peter Sauber says that  no plans are in place to sell his team – and insists once more that the deal with Telmex is purely for sponsorship, and will not involve any kind of stake.

Yesterday the Swiss outfit was confirmed on the FIA entry list as the ‘Sauber F1 Team,’ marking the end of the unwanted association with the BMW name which dragged into 2010.

In a Q&A issued by the team today the team boss gave his thoughts on next season. What he had to say is worth a look:

Have you ever regretted the decision to buy the team back?

“No, never. And I never will, although I knew that keeping the team alive would be a very difficult task. But if I hadn’t taken the plunge, every day I’d have been asking myself why. We’ve cleared one obstacle after another from our path; when I compare the situation a year ago to where we are today, everybody in the team can be proud of what we’ve achieved.”

The team’s progress early in the season was very slow. What was going through your mind?

“That was tough, no question. The car was not only too slow, it was also unreliable, which is extremely unusual for this team. And then, as so often happens in sport, we also had a fair amount of bad luck. That wasn’t just annoying, it also made negotiations with potential sponsors pretty much a non-starter.”

But then, from Valencia onwards, things suddenly picked up. What was the catalyst?

“In April James Key took over as Technical Director and achieved a great deal in a short period of time. He and his team identified the weaknesses of the C29 and laid down a clear roadmap for improvements. These ideas were quickly put into practice and had a positive effect. After collecting just a single World Championship point in the first eight races of the season, we added another 36 over the next eight GPs – plus seven in the final three races. Added to which, James also implemented a series of organisational changes. Our success in finding a way out of such a difficult situation over the course of the season represents a fine advertisement for the quality and spirit within the team.”

You made a driver change ahead of the race in Singapore, replacing Pedro de la Rosa with Nick Heidfeld. With the benefit of hindsight, would you make the same decision again?

“Yes, I would. We were in a situation where we didn’t know how far we had come in terms of performance. Both drivers were new to the team, we didn’t know them very well and we didn’t know how good the car was. What we were missing was a reliable benchmark. We know Nick well after working with him for many years, and that allowed us to gauge the progress of various elements.”

How happy are you with Kamui Kobayashi?

“Kamui inspires us all within the team. His refreshing, attacking style really puts a smile on your face. You can tell from reactions in the stands that the Formula One fans love him too; his overtaking moves are always great to watch. However, it would be doing him an injustice to only focus on this aspect of his driving. Kamui is also a very clever driver and understands how to put a pre-defined strategy into action. He’s progressed wonderfully well this year and I’m certain that there’s more to come from him in the future. When I signed him a year ago, I had to put up with critical comments from some experts. But my gut feeling told me that Kamui was something special. And today I’m just delighted to have him in the team.”

This year coming you’ll be lining up with Sergio Pérez – a rookie – and Kamui Kobayashi, who only has a year’s experience in Formula One behind him. Is that not something of a risk?

“I’m confident that we’re going into next year in good shape from a driver point of view. Kamui has also made big steps forward this year on the technical side of things, and I have no doubt that he will continue to grow with his new responsibility. Sergio is brimming with talent. For him, it’s a question of learning quickly. Here, he can pick things up from Kamui in the same way that Kamui did from Pedro and Nick. Plus, it’s worth remembering that 2001 was one of the most successful years to date for Sauber – and that season we had a rookie by the name of Kimi Räikkönen alongside Nick, who was in only his second year in F1, as our drivers.”

Will Kamui Kobayashi then automatically be the team’s number one?

“There’s no number one driver in our team; the drivers will be given equal treatment in every respect. But, of course, I’m expecting Kamui to bring his extra experience into play.”

How is the development of the new car progressing?

“The development of the Sauber C30-Ferrari is running according to plan. We’re setting our sights high, and things are looking good so far. James Key has proved in the past that he knows how to build fast cars. All the changes to the technical regulations – including the ban on double diffusers, the introduction of Pirelli tyres, adjustable rear wings and the option of using KERS – make this a particularly exacting challenge this year.”

A lot has been written about the team being up for sale. What’s the current situation?

“I own 100 percent of the team and there are at present no plans to sell the team or any part of it. Our partnership with Telmex, which will come into force on 1^st January 2011, does not include any kind of stakeholding and is purely a sponsoring agreement.”

How long will you stay on as team boss?

“A year ago I said that I didn’t want to remain on the pit wall when I turned 70. That’s still the case, and I’m now 67. The critical thing for me is to ensure that we bring even greater stability to the team and that we have a financial basis on which to move forward from a sporting point of view. When that is in place, the time will have come for me to take a step back.”

The FIA has published the 2011 F1 entry list, which is notable more for what is missing than what is actually on it.

No drivers are listed for Force India, Toro Rosso (although the team has named Buemi and Alguersuari), Virgin and HRT, while there is no second driver for either Williams or Renault.

Aside from the addition of Marussia to the Virgin name, BMW Sauber has now become the Sauber F1 Team, while Lotus Racing is listed – as announced in Singapore – as Team Lotus. Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen are confirmed as drivers for the first time.

Heikki Kovalainen proved yesterday in Dusseldorf that any kind of motor sport can be dangerous when he was knocked unconscious after a spectacular crash at the Race of Champions.

In the very first race of the day Kovalainen was matched against rally ace Sebastien Loeb. In his efforts to stay in touch Heikki touched the wall with his Audi R8 coming out of the final corner, and then suffered a suspension breakage as he crossed the line and headed into Turn One. He hit the blocks that mark the inside of the track, and then spun into the wall on the outside.

Heikki was briefly unconscious but after a trip to the hospital he returned to the venue a few hours later.

“The rear suspension broke when I touched the wall, and also the throttle jammed at the same time,” he told this blog.

“I actually hit the wall for quite a long way. I sort of planned it beforehand, that I can afford to bounce a little bit on the wall. So I was actually going on the power earlier than before, because I knew that it was going to be a close fight with Loeb. And it broke the rear suspension.

“When I lifted I still had full throttle, so I went on the brakes and the car turned to the left, and I was a passenger. I hit with the left rear corner, and that’s when it knocked me out. I was unconscious and a little bit dizzy.

“Half an hour after the impact I didn’t really know where I was or what was happening, but on the way to the hospital everything started to come back. It’s sort of normal. I’ve had this feeling before, when I hit the wall in Barcelona [with the McLaren in 2008], but then the blackout was longer. Now everything came back, I remember every single corner and moment before.”

It’s customary to take VIPs on passenger rides at the RoC, and by chance Hekki was accompanied on his dramatic ride by none other than his girlfriend, Catherine Hyde.

“Catherine is fine, she just has a little bit of back pain. She didn’t lose consciousness. It was quite an experience for her.  The only thing that worried her was when I was sitting there unconscious!

“She’s fine, she’s cool, just a little back pain on the left. I think the belts pulled her a little bit.”

The accident did of course put an end to Heikki’s participation in the event, which he famously won back in 2004.

“It’s a shame, it was a close fight with Loeb, and I thought I had him. The second lap wasn’t quite as good as the first lap, but really after that kind of impact it’s kind of game over, and it’s better to be pleased that nothing happened…”

Footage of the crash can be found here:

Daniel Ricciardo has been confirmed as Toro Rosso’s third driver for 2011 – and the Aussie will also appear on Friday mornings on race weekends, replacing either Sebastien Buemi or Jaime Alguersuari.

Ricciardo, who impressed when he drove the Red Bull RB6 at the recent rookie test in Abu Dhabi, will also continue in the Renault 3.5 series.

Team boss Franz Tost said: “When our team was created, its stated aim was to bring on young drivers from the Red Bull Junior Programme, so Daniel’s appointment as our third driver is an obvious one. Although Daniel has done some F1 testing already, running on Fridays at the Grands Prix will give him a valuable insight into the additional pressures of doing it for real during a race weekend. I am also sure that having a hungry youngster on the books will keep our current driver pairing nice and sharp!”

Ricciardo added: “I am really excited at the prospect of driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso in the Free Practice 1 sessions at the Grands Prix next year, so I have to say thanks to Red Bull for this great opportunity. My main priority for 2011 is to win the Formula Renault 3.5 championship, but my ultimate aim is to be a full-time Formula 1 driver and this new role has to be the best step towards achieving that ambition.”

Bernie Ecclestone was mugged in London on Wednesday night and had to go to hospital after getting a bump on the head. However he was reportedly back at work the following day.

Bernie and his girlfriend Fabiana Flosi were returning to his apartment when they were attacked by four men. They were forced to hand over watches and jewellery that are said to be worth £200,000.

Bernie was involved in a similar attack four years ago, when thieves attempted to steal his Mercedes.

A police spokesman told the Daily Mail: “We were called to reports of a man and woman who had been robbed in south west London at approximately 10.30pm on Wednesday night. The man, aged 80 years old, was taken to a west London hospital for treatment to a minor head injury. The woman was not injured.

“At this early stage it is believed a quantity of jewellery was stolen but we cannot disclose details of what was stolen as yet. No arrests have been made at this time and inquiries are continuing.”

Jens Marquardt is to leave his role at Toyota to replace Mario Theissen as head of BMW Motorsport.

Marquardt was the team manager of the Toyota F1 team before in effect taking over the day-to-day running of the Toyota Motorsport facility as General Manager Business Development, Operations and Production. He was in charge as it looked for new opportunities and attempted to sell its engineering services.

It was thus with Marquardt that Colin Kolles and the Hispania team were dealing with regard to using Toyota chassis technology next year, until the deal apparently collapsed.

Marquardt arrives at BMW in time to kick start the company’s plans to return to the DTM in 2012. He will initially work alongside Theissen for the first six months of next year.

Theissen, who has worked at BMW for 33 years, has been the company’s motor sport boss since April 1999, when the company was gearing up to enter F1.

A statement from Toyota said: “Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) confirms the departure of Jens Marquardt and wishes to place on record its sincere thanks for his significant contribution to the company over the past 10 years.”

TMG President Yoshiaki Kinoshita, who remains officially in charge of Cologne, added: “While we are naturally sad to lose Jens, we can understand why this was an opportunity he felt he had to take and we wish him the very best for his future.

“As well as his valued contribution to our Formula 1 project from beginning to end, Jens has played a key role in TMG’s emergence as a leading provider of high-performance engineering services and we are very grateful for his efforts.

“TMG has been aware of Jens’ decision for some time. We are taking steps to strengthen our structure and ensure we can build on a very positive first year for TMG as a service supplier.”

A leading sports stadium design company has joined forces with Tilke GmbH as plans for the US GP venue in Austin continue to take shape.

HKS Inc is known in Texas as the architectural firm behind the Dallas Cowboys stadium – said to be the most advanced venue in the NFL. The Dallas-based company has also been involved in many other major projects around the USA, in addition to overseas soccer venues such as the future home of Liverpool FC in Stanley Park, and the famed Maracana Stadium in Rio.

Usually Tilke takes total responsibility for the likes of pit buildings and grandstands, but presumably the addition of a top domestic firm to the mix will speed things along.

“The HKS Sports and Entertainment Group is extremely energized about our role in bringing the Formula 1 United States venue to life,” said Mark Williams of HKS. “We are honoured to work with Tilke, a global leader in racetrack construction, and the entire Formula 1 United States team.  Our design expertise, coupled with this world entity, will result in a destination environment that will elevate the face of Formula 1 United States on a global scale and further enhance one of America’s great cities.”

Race promoter Tavo Hellmund added: “HKS’ leadership in the design and construction of Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas — the largest and most technologically advanced NFL stadium in the world — is a testament to the level of skill, experience and attention to detail they will bring to this facility.

“Never before has a cast been assembled in motorsports history that has the combined wealth of experience and knowledge that HKS and Tilke bring to this project. Having industry leaders in sports facility architecture and design raises the bar for future motorsports facilities in this country and around the world.  We are pleased that a collaboration of this calibre will take place in Texas.”

Fernando Alonso set the fastest time for Ferrari on the second and final day of the Pirelli test in Abu Dhabi as the Spaniard drove a marathon 105 laps, more than any other driver and the equivalent of almost two full Grand Prix distances.

Once again most teams were represented by 2010 race drivers, with the exception of McLaren, who employed third driver Gary Paffett and junior test driver Oliver Turvey, and HRT, who used Pastor Maldonado.

In addition Paul di Resta shared driving duties at Force India with Tonio Liuzzi, and future Sauber driver Sergio Perez split the day with Kamui Kobayashi at his new team.

“Overall, it was a positive day,” said Alonso. “We had no particular problems with the Pirelli tyres and we were able to gather a lot of data for their engineers to work on. We are pleased with the way we worked and in how we were able to adapt the set-up of the car to suit the new tyres, especially in terms of the work we can do on the new car in preparation for next season. From what we could see, the switch from Bridgestone to Pirelli should not be a traumatic one.”

Much interest surrounded the appearance of Michael Schumacher, who did his early Grands Prix for Benetton on Pirelli rubber back in 1991. Mercedes and its drivers have been hoping that the front tyres will give them a hand next season. After some less than glowing comments to the media from Nico Rosberg yesterday, Schumacher caught the eye when he was second fastest on the day – although his time was later revealed to have benefited from a trip across a chicane. He dropped down to seventh, but nevertheless he sounded more positive than his team mate.

Schumacher said: “Today was my first day of testing for 2011 and I feel that we had an interesting session. We gathered a lot of data and insights, and have positive feedback from our first impression of the new tyres. I am probably the only driver to have driven with Pirelli tyres before but it was 20 years ago and I didn’t have any certain expectations before today. In terms of consistency, it looked quite good but we were using the 2010 car today and it will be all about how these tyres suit our 2011 car. I am already curious to try it out but at the same time I am looking forward to having a break now.”

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn added: “This week’s test has been very productive for us and comes at a time when we can use the information gathered here to fine-tune the detail of our 2011 car and optimise the areas which we believe will be critical. Pirelli have done an excellent job to get these tyres to where they are now after such a short period of time and we are looking forward to working closely with them through the winter test programme at the start of next year.”

Sebastian Vettel was third fastest today on the final outing for the Red Bull RB6. It was the German’s second day in the car, as Mark Webber was not scheduled to do the test.

“We have had two busy days on track, getting our first impressions of the new tyres, analysing how they perform and looking at some things for next year,” said the new World Champion. “There is still a lot to do, but I think the tyres are already better than expected. Since February we haven’t really had time to do any in-depth testing on track, so these two days have given us a chance to reflect on things we have tried during the season.”