F1′s Enstone based team will keep the ‘Lotus’ name until at least 2017.

It emerged late last week that the sponsorship agreement between the team formerly known as Renault, and the Proton-owned carmaker Group Lotus, has ended.

But the team will at least keep its new chassis name for the foreseeable future, the French sports daily L’Equipe reveals.

“We are pleased to keep the name,” said team owner Gerard Lopez, “because it’s a great brand for F1.”

Group Lotus confirmed: “The F1 team uses the strength of the Lotus name to promote themselves, and in return Group Lotus benefits from F1 exposure and the ambassadorship of its drivers.”

The carmaker confirmed that the “financial arrangement” between Group Lotus and the F1 team has ended.

L’Equipe said the Genii-owned team is currently in talks with a major North American company about becoming the new title sponsor.

Two experts have tipped Lotus to shine this weekend at Sepang.
The black and gold E20 car was a standout of the winter pre-season, but Kimi Raikkonen qualified poorly in Australia while Romain Grosjean was punted into early retirement by Pastor Maldonado.

Seeing the chequered flag first in Melbourne was McLaren’s championship leader Jenson Button, but he said he is expecting a “strong fight” this weekend.

“Of course we’re not relaxing,” said the Briton.

“Both Red Bull drivers were very quick in the race (in Australia), and I think we can expect further strong challenges (in Malaysia) from Mercedes and Lotus,” added Button.

Also anticipating a Malaysian push by Lotus is team ambassador Jean Alesi, the former Ferrari race winner.

“The car should suit Sepang well,” said the Frenchman.

“In testing in Jerez and Barcelona it was particularly good in the fast turns, which is what defines the Malaysia track.

“Lotus appear to be quicker than everyone except McLaren,” added Alesi.

He is worried, however, that the former Renault team might not be able to keep up its pace throughout 2012.

“Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari have much bigger budgets,” said Alesi.

“They have a brilliant team at Enstone but it is really tough to match the development pace of the biggest teams, and I think that will be Lotus’ challenge this year.”

Karun Chandhok has advised F1′s travelling circus to take care this week in India.
Some team bosses recently played down fears about ‘Delhi belly’, but Team Lotus reserve driver Chandhok – a brand ambassador and also a consultant of the new Buddh circuit – has admitted some caution will be necessary.

He told the Swiss newspaper Blick: “The Indian culture will be a shock to many.

“It is organised chaos, maybe like a mixture of Brazil and Malaysia. It affects everything — the traffic, the food, our way of life. We are very loud, chaotic.

“From the moment you arrive you will experience this madness, which will surprise everyone but it also means India is a country with soul.

“Nothing is structured — if someone says 12.30, he means 1 or 2 o’clock. So then you could think of Italy,” he laughed.

Veteran Blick correspondent Roger Benoit asked Chandhok how F1′s travellers should prepare for their forthcoming adventure.

“Many will get vaccinated, yes, but you definitely need to be careful with food,” he answered.

“Only drink bottled water, don’t use ice, don’t eat salad. Only eat cooked food. This should mean you won’t have problems.”

Jean Alesi has welcomed news his native France looks set to rejoin the formula one calendar.
It is expected that, three years after Magny Cours dropped off the schedule, France will return in 2013 with a single annual date to be alternated between Paul Ricard and Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps.

“The drivers love Spa and I think it is very important to always go there because of the spectacle, the history and everything else,” Frenchman Alesi, who contested more than 200 grands prix until 2011, said.

“But the problem is the money,” the 1995 Canadian grand prix winner and Group Lotus ambassador is quoted by France’s Auto Hebdo.

“Spa doesn’t have enough (money) to compete with places like Abu Dhabi. So it would be a shame to lose Spa but I say it’s better to go every other year than not at all.

“The compromise would be beneficial for everyone. As I am French, I would love to see the French grand prix coming back,” added Alesi, “and with the sharing (scheme), we can have both (France and Spa).”

Media outlets have discovered an uncomfortable detail about F1 rookie Paul di Resta’s family.
Bild newspaper in Germany claims the Force India driver’s aunt Delizia runs an adult entertainment club in Edinburgh called ‘Bottom’s Up’.

And it is believed another club, ‘Fantasy Palace’, is run by Delizia’s brother Tom.

The 81-year-old father of Delizia and Tom, meanwhile – Felice di Resta, Paul’s grandfather – heads the empire and runs the Ambassador, a sauna/brothel.

“Yes,” 24-year-old Paul di Resta confirmed reluctantly. “Part of my family is in the ‘gentlemen’s business’.”

His father, Louis, reportedly has several regular clubs, including the popular ‘The Twig’ in Bathgate.

(TMS) Williams test on Thursday for the first time be KERS – rewinds from Pastor Maldonado easy 101 rounds and gets to know the FW33
After Williams had had on the first two of the three days of testing at Valencia technical problems with its new KERS, Pastor Maldonado was on Thursday over a hundred laps with the system. The rookie was the seventh fastest lap time of the day (1:14.299 minutes), with which he was also much faster than his experienced team-mate Rubens Barrichello during the day before.

“I now feel much more comfortable in the car,” said the man from Venezuela, who tried out on Thursday next KERS also the new, adjustable rear wing. “I work better with the team and develop the car both in long runs than short stints. I feel better from time to time I get in the car.”
Maldonado was in high spirits on Thursday, after he received an important visitor at the racetrack: the Venezuelan ambassador to Spain, looked over at the Williams box and inquired of the largest motorsport hope of his country after the recent progress. “It was the first time that I met the ambassador, and for me it is great that he came here and supported me personally.”

“To know people like the ambassador behind me is very important to me. This shows that Venezuela supports me and the sport is very strong,” said Maldonado, who in the form of the state oil company PDVSA a sponsor in the back, prominently this season visible on the rear wing of the FW33 is.

Williams technical director Sam Michael was the last day of testing at Valencia also satisfied. While Barrichello was on the first two days of KERS still brake and electrical problems, Maldonado was able to try out all the systems of the new car extensively. “He did a good job you were to know all the control systems,” said Michael.
“There is a lot, think about the driver’s cockpit must now, with KERS, the rear wing, the brakes and the tires, which must be maintained at temperature,” gone, drove the experienced engineer. “We have made several changes to the vote to get to know the car, and some long runs down to temperature checks carried out.”

50,000 tyres will be produced for F1 in 2011

Pirelli, present since 1960, celebrates 50 years’ activity in Turkey

Pirelli today inaugurated the “Factory of Champions” at Izmit, the plant where the group will produce tyres for all the Formula One teams for the 3-year period 2011-2013. The Izmit facility, which this year celebrates 50 years’ activity, has housed the Motorsport tyre production line since 2007 and, in synergy with the Research and Development centre in Milan, will become the heart of Pirelli’s Formula One activities.

Producing 8 million tyres for cars, trucks and motorsport each year, Izmit is the Pirelli factory with the greatest unit output of all. The group has invested 140 million euros there over the last 10 years and plans to invest a further 30 million euros in 2011 to support expansion in Turkey and nearby emerging markets.

The Formula One tyre division was inaugurated with a press conference at the plant with the participation of Nihat Ergun, Turkey’s Minister for Industry and Commerce, Gianpaolo Scarante, Ambassador of Italy in Turkey, Marco Tronchetti Provera, Chairman and CEO of the Pirelli Group, Francesco Gori, CEO of Pirelli Tyre, Andrea Pirondini, CEO of Turk Pirelli Lastikleri and Metin Ar, Chairman of Turk Pirelli Lastikleri.

Pirelli in Turkey

Inaugurated in 1960, the Izmit facility produces tyres for the car and industrial segments, as well as Motorsport. It supplies key European markets (including Turkey, ltaly, Germany, France, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, United Kingdom) and the Middle East, as well as car makers such as Mercedes, Jaguar, Fiat and Renault. The facility, which also houses a steel cord factory in its 25th year of activity, covers an area of 340,000 square metres and employs 1,800 people.

Pirelli expects 2010 revenue in Turkey of over 500 million euros, an increase of over 25% compared with 2009, and will strengthen its position further with new investments of 30 million euros in 2011, having already invested 140 million euros in the last 10 years.

Turkey and Formula One

With the launch of the Formula One division, Pirelli has broadened its offering of automobile sports tyres. In 2011, the Company will produce a total of 200,000 competition tyres, 50,000 of these for Formula One and 70,000 for the GP2 and GP3 championships, for which Pirelli is the sole supplier. The remainder will go to the 60 international automobile road and track competitions for which the Milan-based tyre maker is the exclusive supplier, as well as prestigious single brand championships such as the Ferrari Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Trofeo Maserati. In total, Pirelli’s automotive sports range counts 200 types of racing tyres, including rally tyres.

Formula One tyres will be produced exclusively at the Izmit plant on the basis of simulation models, compounds and structures developed by Pirelli Research and Development, which counts over 1,000 engineers and technicians. The Formula One line, which covers an area of 15,000 square metres, will run the most advanced sports tyre production machinery.

The Izmit facility, in synergy with Pirelli’s centre for the preparation of sports tyres in Burton on Trent (United Kingdom), will also be the centre of all Formula One logistics activities.

First tests

The new PZero Formula One tyres, developed on the basis of Pirelli’s extensive experience in road and track automobile competitions, have been tested, beginning in mid-August, with success on tracks in Mugello (Italy), Le Castellet (France) and Jerez (Spain) and have recently undergone new tests on the Monza (Italy) circuit. In Mugello and Le Castellet, structures and profiles were tested to guarantee maximum adaptability, continuity and homogeneity of tyre performance. In Jerez and Monza, testing focused on optimization of the compounds, of which there will be six: four “slicks” for dry conditions, one rain tyre and one intermediate for light rain.

Track testing was done on a Toyota TF 109, used in last season’s Grand Prix, driven in Jerez by Germany’s Nick Heidfeld. Final testing is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi in November after the Grand Prix.

“The tests went beyond my own expectations and I believe Pirelli is at a good point in the development of the tyres,” said Heidfeld. “The Pirelli team, to whom I think I gave some useful advice, has from the beginning been on the right track in terms of supplying all Teams with reliable and safe tyres to ensure a great show and enable each driver to express their own driving style”.

Formula One and sustainability

In line with the Pirelli Group’s Green Performance strategy, aimed at developing products and solutions that combine maximum performance and safety with respect for the environment, Formula One production was also inspired by criteria of environmental sustainability. In particular, as in all Pirelli competition tyres, the compounds for the PZero are free of highly aromatic oils. Further, the processes used in Izmit are based on energy and water efficiency and the reduction of dangerous emissions like carbon dioxide. Special attention has been given to the re-utilization of production remnants and used tyres. The waste handling protocol calls for the recycling of used F1 tyres for either the generation of new primary material or energy production. Pirelli’s attention to the issue of sustainability is also shown by its recent confirmation in the Dow Jones Sustainability STOXX and Dow Jones Sustainability World indices, where the Company has been the leading company in the “Autoparts and Tires” sector for four consecutive years.

Pirelli’s 50 years in Turkey

The inauguration of the Formula One division coincides with celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Turk Pirelli’s activities which will include, among other things, a photographic exhibition which opened yesterday at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace. The collection of images recounts the history of the Company’s industrial presence in Turkey and its technological evolution. The official opening was attended by local authorities and leading exponents of Turkey’s business and cultural communities, including the director Ferzan Ozpetek and singer Sezene Aksu

F1 drivers must follow even the rules of the road, the FIA declared on Wednesday.

In the wake of Lewis Hamilton’s arrest and summons for dangerous driving in his hire car whilst in Melbourne earlier this year, Jean Todt suggested drivers might in future be penalised by the governing body for such offenses.

“We are … trying to see whether to do something, and how,” the FIA president recently told a French newspaper.

After a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Geneva, the first step in Todt’s new plan was unveiled.

“Competitors … must act as ambassadors for the sport, be aware their conduct on the road must be exemplary and respect road safety rules,” a media statement read.

The FIA also said changes to the international sporting code are possible to ensure the Paris body’s “overall objectives and, in particular, its commitment to road safety, are upheld”.

(GMM)

Jun.16 (GMM)  Organisers of the inaugural Korean grand prix, scheduled to be held in October, have played down renewed fears the event might be called off.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone recently checked on construction progress of the Yeongam circuit and dismissed rumours it will not be finished on time.

But political tensions between South Korea and the rogue North have since ramped up, after the South blamed the North for the sinking of a naval vessel and the North retaliated by threatening all-out war.

“If there is (war), we won’t be there obviously,” Ecclestone told reporters in Turkey.

The latest development on Wednesday was a news conference given by the North Korean ambassador to the UN, threatening military action if the UN condemns the sinking.

“Our people and army will smash our aggressors with merciless counter reaction if they dare to provoke us despite our repeated demands and warnings,” said ambassador Sin Son Ho.

Sources recently indicated that the tension is slowing down construction of the 5.62 kilometre track, while teams are currently reluctant to charter equipment to Korea or book airline seats or hotel rooms.

But in a media statement, the race promoter Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO) dismissed the speculation.

“We are extremely pleased with the progress of the circuit, facilities, and preparations for the grand prix,” said chief executive Yung Cho Chung.

“Construction is on schedule for completion this summer, and we have encountered no obstacles whatsoever, either logistical or political,” he added.

Jun.11 (GMM)  Karun Chandhok has set out his stall for a switch from struggling HRT to the Force India team for 2011.

The Indian rookie said in Montreal that while he is happy to have proved competitive alongside Bruno Senna so far this year, it would make more sense to be on the lineup of the team headed by his countryman Vijay Mallya.

Billionaire Mallya was recently quoted as doubting an Indian is ready to drive a Force India.

But Chandhok, 26, said on Thursday: “I’d love to drive for Force India at some point in my career, whether it happens next year or not, because I think in some ways I’m an ambassador for the sport in our country.”

With Delhi now set to join the F1 calendar, Chandhok insists it is the perfect time to unite an Indian driver with the Silverstone based team.

“A lot of what happens to the sport in that part of the world depends on us a little bit, and I think if you have an Indian driver in an Indian car at the Indian grand prix, it’s a no-brainer in terms of ticket sales,” he insisted.

Chandhok acknowledges that Mallya’s assessments of his form have been cool to date due to inconsistent performances from his GP2 teams.

“So I think this year he’s been quite surprised because I’ve been competitive against Bruno and I think generally I’ve done quite a good job.

“This is just what I hear from people around him; we haven’t really had a conversation about it yet,” he added.

Chandhok also admits that staying with the new Spanish team HRT might not be a bad call.

“If these guys carry out the plans which the (team owners) Carabantes have talked to me about, they can be a very competitive team in the future.

“So far they seem happy with what I’m doing.  Jose Ramon is very keen to try to do something for next year as well,” he added.

(GMM)  Costs in formula one must be further cut so that the sport’s newly arrived teams do not fall at the first hurdle, Jean Todt said on Tuesday.

While announcing that he is pushing for KERS to return to the grid in 2011, the FIA president vowed to support new teams Virgin, Lotus and HRT, on the same day he intended to visit the Spanish headquarters of hopeful entrant Epsilon Euskadi.

“We must ensure the survival of those teams who have just entered the championship,” the Frenchman is quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“That doesn’t mean I’m thinking about a spending cap for each team.  There are many ways to reduce costs,” added Todt.

A report in El Universo newspaper said Todt is hoping the reintegration of KERS will make F1 “the ambassador of new technology” and entice sponsors to return.

He admitted that Ferrari is never likely to support budget caps but said “there is obviously great disparity” in the funding of the current teams.

He also said drastic changes to the aerodynamic regulations must accompany the sport’s new engine formula for 2013.

Spain’s Diario Sport quotes Todt as saying: “These (current) rules give excessive prominence to aerodynamics and make overtaking too hard.

“Unless there are difficult weather conditions, then the car in front stays there throughout the race and this is mostly due to the aerodynamics,” said Todt.

May 4 (GMM)  Jean Todt on Tuesday said the FIA is pushing for the energy-recovery technology KERS to be redeployed in formula one next year.

While the regenerative braking energy systems will surely be part of the sport’s new engine formula for 2013, it has been reported that some teams want KERS back on the grid as soon as next season.

Currently allowed by the technical regulations, the F1 teams group FOTA agreed to voluntarily ban KERS this year after only some teams ran the systems in 2009 with mixed results.

Ferrari, Renault and Williams are at the forefront of the new push to see KERS back in F1 in 2011, and FIA president Todt admitted on Tuesday that the governing body is also “very serious” about the return of the technology as soon as possible.

According to the Associated Press, the Frenchman said on a visit to Spain that KERS is important so that F1 can be “an ambassador to new technologies”.

It is also reported on Tuesday that Flybrid Systems, a British company set up in 2007 by former Renault F1 engineers, has made an offer to FOTA to become an independent supplier of KERS systems in 2011.

Ferrari and Renault have also offered to make available their KERS units to customer teams for 1 million euros, while Williams intends to use its own flywheel-based system.

The matter will be further discussed by FOTA in Barcelona this week.