Ferrari intensifies for the decisive phase of the Formula 1 World Championship in the technician field. The Italian team of the Spanish world champion Fernando Alonso Ex-bound former McLaren chief engineer Pat Fry and hoped for, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport ‘by the British also had a decisive impact for the season 2011th

Fry had dissolved his contract with Ferrari rivals McLaren recently after more than eight years. His career in the premier class of the 46-year-old had started in 1987 with Benetton. Alonso shows in the World Cup driver standings after eight of 19 races as the best Ferrari driver in fourth place, while the team from Maranello in the constructors’ standings to third place is.
Pat Fry was brought to his departure from McLaren, with several Formula 1 teams as possible. Among their tasks, even Red Bull and Mercedes have been interested in the 46-year-old British. When the renowned engineer will take up his duties at the new employer in Maranello is as yet unclear.

The Finnish former Formula 1 driver J.J. Lehto is in the early morning was seriously injured taken to hospital. As the Finnish Agency ‘YLE News reports, “the former Benetton team-mate Michael Schumacher on Saturday against four clock had struck with a motor boat to a bridge. On board was apparently a friend of the 44-year-old who could be salvaged, but only dead.

According to initial findings, the boat had collided with a speed of 40 knots (the equivalent of almost 75 km / h) against a concrete pillar. Both occupants were thrown in the southern Finnish city Tammisare into the water. Lehto had to swim ashore and in a nearby house to get help.
The police have the identity of the former Formula 1 stars and traveling with his friend, not yet officially confirmed, but witnesses and local residents have the 44-year-olds clearly identified. Details on the accident happened and the cause is not known. Lehto was denied in its active Formula 1 career 1989-1994 a total of 62 Grands Prix for Onyx, Scuderia Italia, Sauber and Benetton.

The new Ferrari superstar Fernando Alonso has spent nearly two eventful days in Maranello. Like team-mate Felipe Massa, the Spaniards began on Thursday in the simulator of the Italians to be able to zero in on the next Grand Prix in the streets of Valencia. Same time, we simulated the latest updates on the Ferrari F10.

In view of the extensive remodeling of the Formula 1 car the Italians arrived just in that shooting was planned in Fiorano. After Alonso Ferrari for some customers as well-known “driving instructor” on the test track on the way, he was allowed to rise in the better cars. It was the first time that the two-time world champion moved a Formula 1 car at the Ferrari home track.
According to the team Alonso completed only a few laps with the F10, because you can not because of the planned shooting could get too many free rounds. For a shakedown of the B-version of the Formula 1 racing car but it was enough. Ferrari had timed the film shoot for sponsors and new video content from your own website perfectly.

Rides with current Formula 1 cars are also in times of current test limits for the purpose of filming permits. Interesting still, published by the Alonso-Ferrari at Fiorano more precisely a single photo. It shows the F10 from the front. The most extensive changes to the B version will be found, however, at the rear …

Jun.18 (GMM)  Red Bull is bidding to return to dominance on the streets of Valencia next weekend by using an F-duct system.

With Red Bull earlier looking set to walk the 2010 title, McLaren crept onto the pace in Turkey and then leapt to the top of the championships with one-two victory in Canada last weekend.

Red Bull used its initial version of McLaren’s downforce-stalling F-duct concept in practice for the Turkish grand prix, but then decided to develop it further rather than take it to Canada.

Valencia, like the long straights and slow corners of Montreal, is another circuit that is expected to play into the hands of McLaren and the British team’s original F-duct.

Vettel was the highest placed Red Bull in Canada with just fourth place, but on Friday he said the North American round is now in the past so that the team can “fully concentrate” on Valencia.

“There, with the F-duct system we are getting an important part on the car,” he told Germany’s Auto Bild Motorsport.

“Our technical chief Adrian Newey did not come to Canada in order to put the finishing touches on the new system at the factory,” added the 22-year-old German.

Red Bull has presented an open and McLaren Mercedes and Ferrari also rely on the big leap. The days of lazy Sunday drives by Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are at the top of the Formula 1 field over. At the latest by the two McLaren-double victory in Istanbul and Montreal, this should be clear. The British want to take the momentum now to Valencia.

“We took out the last two races, the maximum score. It seems as if we had a good run,” said Jenson Button before the race in Valencia. “The team is a unit, of which we want to benefit again in Valencia.” The question is still how well the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-25 on the Spanish roads is.
“While it is a road course, but nevertheless different from Monaco or Singapore,” says the reigning world champion. “The track is faster. There are some sharp curves, but also quick direction changes and long straights. Regarding the setup is it interesting. It is not only to maximize output from. This could accommodate us very much.”

Button for Valencia is a small hurdle to overcome two major events yet to be. “There then follow two home games: Grand Prix at Silverstone and Festival at Goodwood. Both events incomprehensible many British fans will be. As world champion I am looking forward to it. Silverstone is a great experience and at Goodwood I may fulfill a childhood dream.”
The champion is the famous “Festival of Speed” at the McLaren MP4/2C sitting with Alain Prost was driven in 1986 for his second title. “I can not even partially believe how happy I am,” says Button is looking forward to the special trip as a child. And team-mate Lewis Hamilton will be allowed to drive the vehicle through the historic park in Goodwood.

“Now I’m looking forward to Valencia,” said the winner of the Grands Prix in Istanbul ind Montréal. “Last year I had a great, combative racing there. In the past two years I was there each second. So this is still a score to settle,” the clear statement of Hamilton. “It’s great that there is so much variance in the tracks. From Montreal we are now fast on the narrow street circuit in Valencia.”

“Until one has never seen a lot of overtaking in Valencia, but this year it might otherwise be, given the narrow field,” promises the series leader voltage. “For me as a driver, it is difficult to estimate and not predictable. More can you ask for little. The last races were great. It would be nice if we could also offer the Spanish fans a great show. It is determined again closely.”

Jun.18 (GMM)  There could be more Renault-powered cars on next year’s formula one grid than any other engine supplier.

Although the French marque currently supplies its 2.4 litre V8 only to the team that bears its name as well as Red Bull, it is reported that Williams is now close to agreeing a deal for 2011.

There have been reports that the Grove based team is less than fully happy with the returning supplier Cosworth this year, while at the same time Renault has confirmed it is looking to add a team to its customer engine roster.

Also linked with a switch to Renault has been the currently Cosworth-powered new team Lotus, while Cosworth’s business director Mark Gallagher recently said he suspects equipping the sport’s 13th team for 2011 will be “a Cosworth/Renault competition”.

A report by France’s Auto Hebdo said it is likely that eight cars on the 2011 grid will be fitted with Renault engines.

“An agreement with Williams is almost done,” said the magazine.

Jun.18 (GMM)  If the F1 teams and Bernie Ecclestone want to do a deal with Pirelli, the FIA will have to go along with it.

That is the claim of an unnamed team boss, amid rumours the president of F1′s governing body Jean Todt is pushing for Michelin to re-enter the sport as the new tyre supplier.

It is believed commercial contracts with F1 chief executive Ecclestone have now been signed by Pirelli, while the teams group FOTA has signed a letter of intent to be supplied by the Milan based company from 2011.

The final hurdle is said to be the consent of the World Motor Sport Council next week.

But the unnamed boss told France’s Auto Hebdo magazine: “The FIA manages the regulations, but it is not possible to impose on teams something they don’t want.

“Certainly, (the FIA) can boycott a decision of FOTA, but I think Ecclestone has enough power.”

Jun.18 (GMM)  Niki Lauda is on the lookout for a new sponsor for his famous red cap.

Ever since a near-fatal shunt in 1976 left him with head and facial scars, the iconic Austrian racer, businessman and TV commentator has sold the commercial rights to the front of his ever-present baseball cap.

For more than two decades, ‘Parmalat’ paid for the privilege, and in 2002 the German heating company ‘Viessmann’ took over the deal.

In 2007, the name and logo of the Swiss machinery maker ‘Oerlikon’ began adorning 60-year-old Lauda’s head, with speculation suggesting an annual six-figure sum.

The daily Osterreich newspaper is now reporting that the Oerlikon deal is set to lapse at the end of the year due to cost cutting.

“The contract with Oerlikon is running out — that’s right,” Lauda confirmed to the APA news agency.

Jun.18 (GMM)  Before departing F1, Bridgestone is considering equipping teams with its ‘super soft’ compound at more races in 2010.

The compound is credited with spicing up the recent Canadian grand prix by graining and degrading on the track’s slippery and smooth surface in cool conditions, thereby opening up a range of pitstop strategies.

And according to a report on Autosprint magazine’s Italian-language auto.it website, although harder tyres are necessary at Silverstone, the softest compound is tipped to re-appear for the subsequent Hockenheim round.

The report said Bridgestone will be happy to supply the super-soft to spice up further races, if as in Canada the tyres are still deemed to be adequate from a safety standpoint.

“Safety is our priority, so if we can avoid the phenomenon of blistering then we can supply the super soft at other races this season,” director of motor sport Hirohide Hamashima is quoted as saying.

Jun.18 (GMM)  Another team reportedly in the running to become F1′s 13th team in 2011 is Carlin.

Headed by former Jordan boss Trevor Carlin, the outfit is the most successful in the history of British F3, and also races in GP3 and the Renault World Series.

Since 2007, Carlin has been based at Brabham’s old F1 factory in Surrey, featuring a wind tunnel, and late last year the team was bought by Grahame Chilton.

Finland’s Turun Sanomat said the team, alongside Epsilon Euskadi and ART, is in the running for the 2011 spot made vacant by the demise of USF1.

Jun.18 (GMM)  Red Bull’s Mark Webber has led more laps this season than any of his competitors.

In total, drivers on the 2010 grid have led 491 laps in total at the eight grand prix venues.

Australian Webber has led 210 of them, a full 93 more than his highly rated teammate Sebastian Vettel.

It means the Adrian Newey-penned RB6 has only failed to lead 33.4 per cent of all the racing laps so far.

However, it is McLaren leading both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships at present, despite the MP4-25 only leading 26 per cent of the laps.

And although with only one victory compared to his teammate’s two, Jenson Button (73) has led significantly more laps than Lewis Hamilton (55).

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso (18 laps) and Nico Rosberg (17) are the only other drivers to have led laps so far in 2010, with the exception of Sebastien Buemi, who went to the front of the field for one lap in Canada before making a pitstop.

Jun.18 (GMM) Luca di Montezemolo has continued his sustained attack on formula one’s new teams.

The Ferrari president thinks the grid should be filled by the bigger teams fielding three cars, rather than by opening the doors to newcomers including Lotus, Virgin and HRT.

Next year, another small team is likely to make its debut.

Spain’s El Mundo newspaper this week claims that the budget of the new Spanish outfit HRT is ten times smaller than Ferrari’s.

“In modern F1 races cars with GP2 levels of performance shouldn’t be allowed to participate — they are supposed to race on Sunday mornings,” Montezemolo is quoted by Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Montezemolo argues that Fernando Alonso’s push for Montreal victory was ruined by the lapping of backmarkers, an apparent reference to his delays behind Jarno Trulli’s Lotus and the HRT of Karun Chandhok.

But while it is true that, earlier this year, the small teams were vastly off the pace, all of the six cars were faster by multiple seconds than the entire GP2 field in Turkey recently.

And in Canada last weekend, Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus qualified just two tenths behind the Ferrari-powered Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi, while Virgin and HRT runners were also easily within 107 per cent of the pole time.

The new teams’ laptime deficit in Canada was between 3 and 4 seconds, compared with Giancarlo Fisichella’s 2.2 second qualifying deficit in a Ferrari-powered Force India at the same circuit two years ago.

A report at Italiaracing said: “It should be noted that the only complaints this season about the smaller teams have come from Ferrari.”

Jun.17 (GMM)  Gerhard Berger has dismissed claims that Pirelli is a questionable choice as formula one’s new tyre supplier.

Although the news is not yet official, it is now expected that the Italian company will succeed the departing Bridgestone — with confirmation coming possibly at next week’s meeting of the World Motor Sport Council.

The other serious contender has been Michelin, Bridgestone’s most recent tyre competitor between 2001 and 2006 with 43 grand prix wins in this period, and utterly dominant in 2005.

The fact that Pirelli’s proposal is the one that has gained the majority of support has therefore been surprising to some; not only because it has absent from F1 since 1991, but also because the development time for 2011 is now so short.

Moreover, there has been some criticism in the past during Pirelli’s forays in world superbike racing as well as world rallying.  The Milan based brand is currently also the GP3 supplier and tipped for a deal with GP2 for 2011 and beyond.

“This (criticism) is absolute nonsense,” Berger, who won the 1986 Mexican grand prix with Pirelli tyres and Benetton in 1986, told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“Pirelli equips the fastest sports cars in the world.  There are also people in formula one who have been successful with Pirelli,” added the Austrian.

Pirelli’s last grand prix win was with Nelson Piquet and Benetton in Montreal in 1991.

On his visit to last weekend’s Canadian grand prix, director of motor sport Paul Hembery declined to comment.

Renault has fought valiantly in the previous eight races. Robert Kubica climbed on the podium twice and Vitaly Petrov has also shown fighting benefits. With six points from China, the Russian is so far even the best rookie. The black and yellow currently see no reason to replace the 25-year-olds.

Team boss Eric Boullier thinks about his discovery: “It meets our expectations and achievements are not surprising. We have chosen for him because he has brought in GP2 good performance. On the basis of which he brings exactly what we by him be expected. It shows that we have made the right choice. ”
As is set Felipe Massa at Ferrari in 2012, the speculation has broken about a change of Kubica. Since the other top teams are also occupied the long term, the former BMW driver will have to stay at Renault. His current chief says of the talks: “We speak today. But if you want to set for several years, then you have to overcome the obstacles, so that both parties are happy.”

An important issue is currently the tire question from next year. Pirelli is in pole position, but still nothing is decided. Boullier can announce as a member of FOTA is no news: “The decision must fall as soon as possible. But we have started based on the current tire course already with our plans for 2011.”

For the first time since 1994, the name Senna in Formula 1 start list. The season opener went for Bruno yet resinous. In eight races of the Brazilians saw only twice in 16th the checkered flag. The HRT is not only slow but also difficult to control. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old is happy to be a member in the premier class. Well, must follow the next step.

“Formula 1 is so difficult that one can not imagine. One can only react,” Senna is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport ‘. “In the first two or three races I had severe adjustment problems of the sports cars I’ve driven in the past year, back on formula cars. At a certain point, I got my normal F1 driving style found again.”
The greatest successes celebrated Senna in the British Formula 3, which he finished as joint Ritter (2006), and in the GP2. In the junior formula, which is held under Formula 1, missed the youngster the title in 2008 only just. “I was always one of the top drivers. Therefore, it is now very ugly for me so far to go back. Especially the Überrundetwerden is bad because you can focus fully on your race and not your strategy.”

Talk big, triple world champion Ayrton’s nephew Senna has already beaten around. This includes the announcement that he may be in a better car champion. “What is clear is that easy to say but difficult to put into practice. But I think basically because I have the potential. Whenever I had to take another step, I’ve done.”