Adam Cooper F1

The Red Bull and Ferrari wings will face the new test today

The FIA is set to try its new and stricter deflection tests on the Red Bull and Ferrari front wings after practice at Spa this afternoon.

However teams have been able to do their own tests in their factories, having been told by the FIA on August 13 exactly what format would be used, and thus in theory they should not expect any surprises.

Meanwhile RBR boss Christian Horner insists that his team has not had to modify the wing to meet the new requirements.

“There’s been a lot of noise from other quarters about our car, but I think our guys take it as a compliment,” he said on BBC radio this morning.

“We’re totally happy that our car complies. The FIA have had concerns that have been raised to them, and they’ve raised the tests, but we’re confident that our car complies.”

Horner says he isn’t worried about the new floor tests which will be used in Monza for the first time.

“I think it will affect us only as much as any other team. I don’t think it will have any significant impact upon us. We’re confident that we will comply with any tests that are required.”

Lewis Hamilton has been fined a modest AU$500 – less than £300 – for his Mercedes hooning incident in Melbourne earlier this year. However, he did not get a conviction that would have left him with a record.

The McLaren driver did not attend the hearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court, but communicated by letter, apologising for his absence due to his “international racing duties.”  He was represented by lawyer Sandip Mukerjea.

Hamilton pleaded guilty to improper use of a motor vehicle. His lawyer said that he had apologised and had suffered “embarrassment, humiliation and distress” as a result of the bad publicity he had received.

In his letter Hamilton stressed that he was involved in various road safety campaigns, with Mercedes-Benz, Johnnie Walker, and the FIA. he added that the bad publicity could be “potentially detrimental to my efforts to promote road safety.”

Magistrate Clive Alsop said that Hamilton was a role model and should behave appropriately, but as it was a first offence, the Briton did not get a conviction. The fine was the maximum he could give.

The return of the story to the headlines just before Spa will ensure that Lewis gets a media grilling in Belgium on Thursday, but otherwise he can now put the event behind him.

The full text of Hamilton’s letter can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/25z3duv

Pirelli motor sport boss Paul Hembery says that Nick Heidfeld was the ideal choice as test driver, and will do a “great job” for the Italian company.

Pirelli will use a Toyota TF109 for its initial testing. As previously reported the existing teams will get their chance to try the new rubber during the week after the Abu Dhabi GP.

In a statement Hembery said: “We’re delighted to welcome Nick into the Pirelli family, and we’re confident that he’ll do a great job for us. The role of test driver is a crucial one, so we were looking for a driver who had plenty of recent Formula One experience, the speed to push our new tyres as hard as possible, and the consistency to provide reliable simulations, as well as the analytical skills to relay information accurately to our engineers.

“Nick fits the bill in every respect and we’re very pleased to have secured his services and obviously thankful to Mercedes GP Petronas for agreeing to release Nick from his contract. As for the car, we have a policy of complete impartiality, so we did not want to favour any existing team. The Toyota was the perfect solution, as it is a contemporary racing machine with proven speed and reliability but without links to any of the manufacturers currently competing in Formula One. I’m confident that we have an extremely good package that will give us every opportunity to maximise the potential of our tyres prior to the start of next season.”

Meanwhile Heidfeld added: “It’s a great privilege for me to join Pirelli in order to carry out this vital work and I am very grateful to Mercedes GP Petronas for releasing me from my contract to take on this role. Through the experience I have built up over the years, I’m confident that I will be able to provide Pirelli with some important feedback regarding the development of next year’s tyres.

“I’ve got a lot to give but I haven’t been driving so much this year, so it is good to get started! Together, I’m sure that we can create a dynamic range of tyres that will make Formula One an even more exciting sport in the future.”

Mercedes has confirmed that it has released Nick Heidfeld from his reserve driver role so that he can take up his new job as Pirelli’s official test driver.

Pirelli had earlier made it clear that in the interests of fairness it did not want to have a driver associated with an existing team, or indeed one who had ambitions to race again in the future, so the nomination of Heidfeld came as a surprise.

While the Mercedes news has addressed the first issue Nick still has ambitions to compete – and indeed one of his own bosses says his Pirelli experience will make him a valuable asset for another team.

Mercedes in theory has now safety net should either Nico Rosberg or Michael Schumacher be unable to race in the latter part of the season, but one imagines that should that be the case Heidfeld might just find that he is available after all…

Ross Brawn said in a statement: “We can confirm the team is pleased to allow Nick Heidfeld the opportunity to join Pirelli and contribute to their development work for the company’s imminent return to Formula One. Nick is an extremely experienced driver and we are confident that his racing knowledge and technical feedback will prove extremely useful to Pirelli and therefore of benefit to the sport as a whole. Nick has been a real asset to our team this year and we are pleased to see his career progressing.”

Norbert Haug added: “It was clear from the beginning of our cooperation that Mercedes GP Petronas would release Nick from his obligations as soon as a promising opportunity as an active Formula One driver developed. This is now the case and there could be no more experienced and knowledgeable driver in the cockpit to steer the tyre development for next season. We thank Nick for his contribution to our team over the last nine months and wish him well with his new challenge. It would be great to see Nick in a competitive car in next year’s Formula One World Championship and I am sure his leading role in the new tyre development, in addition to his skills, puts Nick in a good position for the remaining seats in 2011.”

Heidfeld said: “First of all I would like to thank Ross Brawn, Norbert Haug and Nick Fry for allowing me the opportunity to become Pirelli’s official test driver. The team has always said that they would not stand in my way if such a chance arose and they have kindly allowed me to take up this exciting new role.

“I would like to thank everyone at Mercedes GP Petronas for the great cooperation that we have had this year. I have greatly enjoyed supporting the team in my position as Reserve Driver and have felt welcome right from the outset. It was impressive to have the opportunity to work with the current World Champions and I wish the team all the best for the remainder of the season and beyond.”

If you have $1m to spare you can buy one of these...

Lotus Cars has revealed the ultimate track day car for wealthy enthusiasts. And instead of following the Ferrari route and creating a GT car with F1 heritage – in other words the FXX – it has made an out and out single seater.

The Exos Type 125, unveiled at Monterey this week, is powered by a Cosworth V8 that’s good for 650bhp and can do 3000 miles or so between rebuilds.

What’s more the car can be started by the driver, as opposed to requiring a fleet of lap top wielding technicians.

Lotus expects to sell 25 of these amazing machines for $1m a pop. Customers will be able to choose their own liveries, and the company will even be offering versions reflecting Gold Leaf, JPS and Camel heritage…

Fernando Alonso and Stefano Domenicali appeared together for a book launch in Italy today, and made some interesting comments as the team heads into the summer break.

Both men made it clear that they won’t be switching off as they prepare for the next race in Belgium.  Indeed Domenicali implied that he expects his engineers to come back with new ideas, something that probably won’t go down too well with the wives and girlfriends who think that they have finally got the attention of their other halves for a couple of weeks!

“It won’t be possible to switch off my mind completely over these two weeks,” said Alonso. “I will try and relax and do a bit of sport, but at least once a day, maybe just for 10 minutes, I will inevitably think about the next race in Belgium. I think it will be the same for everyone and the timing of the break, does not make any difference.

“After a few unlucky races, which went badly for various reasons, we are now on the right road. The car is much improved and so that makes me more optimistic and has seen the whole team grow in confidence. In Spa, we will have a few more things and we hope they help us progress still more. The others will do the same, which means we will have to be better than them and quicker in terms of development work.”

“We will be on holiday, but that does not mean our brains will stop working,” said Domenicali. “Maybe one can even find fresh inspiration when outside the normal working environment and I expect this time to be a fertile one for ideas, which when all is said and done, are what make the difference.”

Alonso says he’s happy with the way things have gone in recent weeks, and clearly Ferrari has built up some momentum.

“It only took us two normal races to be fully back in contention for the title,” said the former champion. “It’s true we are still behind in the classification and it is always better to be in front, but I am convinced that in the final sprint, by which I mean the last two or three races, we will be closer to the top than we are now. The important thing is to remain calm and concentrated and to do our job well.”

He hinted at tensions in the Red Bull camp by suggesting that the McLaren drivers were better prepared for the title fight: “It’s hard to say who is my strongest rival – we are all almost equal. Maybe, Hamilton, Button and myself, who have already won a title, will tackle the final rush in a calmer way, having already experienced something similar. Percentage chance? I’d say 50%, which is the normal state of affairs.”

Alonso would not be drawn on the World Motor Sport Council meeting: “We have to await the decision with confidence, hoping for a positive outcome. We drivers and the engineers have the task of staying focussed on the car and on our work, trying to get the results on track.”

Domenicali also commented on the recent team orders and flex wing controversies.

“I was dumbstruck to see so much hypocrisy in our world,” said the team boss. “But I don’t want to add anything else: there will just be more work to do; who knows it might be an added distraction for some. I have to say I was very pleased with the way our team reacted at a point in the season when the results were just not coming.

“The second half of July went very well and I hope it has given the right impetus for the final part of the season. We know there is much to do, because we still do not have the best car, but this should simply be a further incentive. We said it with Fernando a few days ago: if we manage to always be there, in the top places, then we can get satisfaction.”

Somebody must have spent a lot of time on this

The unveiling of the logo of a new GP venue isn’t normally an earth shattering event, but the Korean organisers seem to have invested so much in theirs I couldn’t resist giving you its background. And anyway, it’s a slow news day…

 What at first glance looks like a fairly pedestrian graphic positively rocks with meaning and nuance, according to the press release that accompanies it. Apparently the logo is “an eloquent combination of national tradition and high-octane excitement. The design is inspired by the Korean flag, or ‘Taegeukgi’, and incorporates motorsports’ most recognisable symbol, the chequered flag.

 “The ‘Taegeukgi’ incorporates the four Taoist philosophical ideals of harmony, symmetry, balance and flow, and its swirling treatment on the KIC emblem depicts both the energy of motorsport and the flow of the circuit.

 “Commented Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO) Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yung Cho Chung:  ‘The Yin and Yang elements of the Taegeukgi represent perfect balance and give our emblem a local aesthetic, while the modern design reflects our technologically-advanced new motorsport facility, the only one of its kind in the country and set to become the heart of the sport in South Korea.  The emblem will be a symbol of motorsport excellence here.'”

So now you know!

The Austin F1 track will cost $180m to build, according to documents given to the Statesman newspaper.

An apparent battle of wits between the local media and promoter Tavo Hellmund continued when the newpaper requested information on the project. Despite them being marked “Confidential” and copyrighted to Hellmund;s company, they were released by City Hall after the attorney general decreed that they were not exempted under the Texas Public Information Act.

The actual building of the track is being funded privately, and thus in theory the number is not of any great relevance to the taxpayer. Of more interest perhaps is the claim that the race will have a $300m annual impact on the Austin area. In theory the $25m granted by the government to help offset running costs will be funded by sales tax.

Aside from quoting the cost of building the track, the documents contend that the project will require 1500 construction workers, and that 1200 people will be employed over the Grand Prix weekend. There will also be 40 full time employees at the venue.

Other activities expected to keep the track busy for up to 250 days a year include testing, alternative fuel research (as previously outlined here), driving schools, police training, music concerts and “high-end auctions.” There is also mention of NASCAR and drag racing events.

Fernando Alonso insists that the championship is still wide open with seven races to go, and says that Ferrari has to stay calm as it tries to close the gap to the leaders.

Alonso gave his thoughts on the season  in an interesting video interview today on the Ferrari website, in which he also said that his experience of battling for titles could pay dividends.

“I think we have to be happy with our championship so far,” said Alonso. “We had some good races and some disappointing races as well, but overall I think we are in a position in the championship now very close to the leader. In a short distance we are five drivers fighting for the championship, so we are there. There are seven races to go now, anything can happen in these seven races. We always start from zero, so we need to be the best one in this last part of the championship.”

The Spaniard said that the gap to the Red Bulls in Hungary was disappointing, but he was happy to get points for second place.

“I think at Ferrari we need to think always about the win, we need to aim for pole positions and victories every race we go. In Hungary this was not possible, we were not as quick as our competitors, the Red Bulls, so it was a little bit of frustration, a little bit of disappointment in Budapest. But in the end we know that there will be some circuits that will suit our car, and we need to take the opportunity to win, as we did in Germany.

“And there will be some circuits which maybe are not perfect for our characteristics, so we need to make the best of the race, as we did on Hungary. Overall I think as a team group we worked very well in the last part of the championship, and we maximised always our performance.”

He pointed out that while Red Bull pulled away in Hungary, Ferrari was still the same margin ahead of the rest relative to the previous race.

“I think we need to start with the gap from Ferrari to the rest of the teams, McLaren, Renault, Mercedes. It was a couple of tenths in Germany or half a second, and in Hungary it was the same. So we maintained more or less our good level of performance, it was more Red Bull that was maybe underperforming a little bit in Germany and overperforming in Hungary, due to the characteristics of the Hungarian circuit.

“I think with these medium/high speed corners, not many straights, that was a perfect circuit for Red Bull, and we knew that. We have to remain calm. The championship is 19 races, and for the overall picture of the 19 races, I think Ferrari has a very competitive package.

“I think we have to respect everyone. So far until Hungary McLaren and Hamilton were dominating the championship, and we know how strong they can be. Also Red Bull has a very quick car this year, and they are now leading the championship with Webber. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be difficult, but we are there.

“We are in a position now that we are able to take the lead of the championship if we win one race. I think we have to remain calm we know that four or five drivers will fight until the last race, but we need to use our experience as a team, Ferrari winning so many championships, and my personal experience as well, fighting for three championships. We have to stay calm, and in these seven races do as many races as possible. I think continuity will be key to winning the championship.”

Regarding the next race in Spa, he added: “It’s a circuit with all types of corners, slow and high speed corners, the circuits goes up, down, so the feelings that you have driving in Spa are very unique. But at the same time I think we have fantastic races in the calendar. We have Malaysia in my case, I love this track as well, we have the Monaco GP which is special for all of us. At Spa we know how beautiful is that circuit, and how important it is to win at Spa.”

Enthusiasm in the F1 paddock for the scheduled visit to Korea in October could be described as lukewarm at best, and ongoing speculation to the effect that the race won’t happen continues to leave people a little sceptical.

Sources suggest that even Korean companies are not in a rush to book Paddock Club hospitality, since the venue is so far removed from the focus of their activities in Seoul. Nevertheless Bernie Ecclestone insists that all is well.

“They’re getting on with it,” he told this blog. “Like all new events, until it happens, it’s a new event, and people won’t believe it. Even when I went to Abu Dhabi three months before the race I thought, ‘This isn’t going to happen.’”

Matters have not been helped by increasing tensions between North and South. Even Bernie concedes that that doesn’t help.

“That’s been going on for a long time. You mean if they started a war? It’s not good. It would probably be difficult, the spectators wouldn’t come to the race if there’s a war, which wouldn’t be good. But I shall be there…”

A Korean delegation met with Bernie at the recent German GP to update him on progress. Event boss Yung Cho Chung, the CEO and President of the Korea Auto Valley Corporation, says everything is on schedule.

“Our preparation and construction is under control, and will be completed in August,” he told me. “Pre-inspection from the FIA is already done, and Charlie Whiting is quite happy with our progress. Now he is checking a report every day, but our schedule is in place so actually we e-mail him every day on what’s happening. Very soon FOM and other people will check out our preparations. We are very comfortable.”

He says the political situation is not a worry, and the government is happy to see the race go ahead: “I don’t think it’s a problem. If something goes wrong investors from overseas will know, but it’s never impacted our markets. We are trying to get the World Cup and the inspectors were in Korea recently.”

“The sports culture minister is coming to us, and already government workers come to our organisation. We have 55 people from the government in our area. Ticket sales are on schedule, and we are confident in selling the Paddock Club. Big companies are interested.”

If Korea does drop out there will be a gaping three-weekend hole between Japan and Brazil.