Engineer Toni Cuquerella assumes, as of today, the role of Technical Director of HRT Formula 1 Team. Cuquerella, besides being at the head of technical development, will continue to exercise his role as the maximum figure of engineering on the track.

Since Geoff Willis left the team in September of 2011, the position of Technical Director has not been occupied. The decision was then made for the development of the F112 to take place at the team’s technical office in Munich, at the hands of Holzer Group and the Chief of Aerodynamics, Stephane Chosse, under the supervision of the, until last February, Technical Coordinator Jacky Eeckelaert.

With the F112 put on the track, it’s now time to work on its development and evolution and so, the naming of a person to lead this project is necessary. And no one better than Toni Cuquerella, with his experience in Formula 1 and his praiseworthy work at the fore of HRT, to take it on.

The appointment of the Spanish engineer at the head of the technical department is a new step in the new management’s desire to centralize and take control of all the activities related to the design and development of the car. This will optimize the coordination of the different departments, helping to meet the set targets, and also rationalize resources.

Toni Cuquerella, Technical Director: “The role of Technical Director implies a great amount of responsibility in terms of coordination and decision making. That’s why I’m very proud that the management considers me to be the most adequate person to carry it out. Until now there was a lot of dispersion from within the technical team and that had its repercussions in the concept and quality of the F112. My priority is to solve the current car’s problems to then develop it to its maximum potential, whilst also unifying and expanding the technical department, but I’m confident that we have a good work base and a clear direction to advance and have a good project for the future”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “Toni Cuquerella has been a key figure in the team since its inception and, above all, in this new stage. The transition from the previous project to this one hasn’t been easy and a lot of work has been carried out that without vital figures such as him wouldn’t have been possible. The position of Technical Director was vacant and the development of the F112 was carried out at the technical office in Munich. But now, with the car already on the track, it was important to take control and count on someone influential at the head of the technical office. And because of his experience, judgment and knowledge, Toni’s profile fitted in perfectly”.

Profile
Date of birth: 14th of April 1973
Place of birth: Gandia, Spain
Nationality: Spanish

Antonio Cuquerella was born in Gandía, Spain 38 years ago. He did a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Universidad Politécnica of Valencia.

In 1999 he had his first role as a race engineer for Campos GP at the Open Nissan. After this he worked in various national and international motorsport categories before becoming Chief Engineer of the Toledo WTCC and Leon WTCC projects at SEAT Sport.

In 2006 he arrived in Formula 1 as a race engineer for Super Aguri F1, where he spent two years before moving to BMW Sauber F1 Team, acting in the same role with driver Robert Kubica.

Towards the end of 2009 he decided to take a risk and back Adrián Campos in a project to establish a new Spanish team in Formula 1, becoming the Chief Race Engineer for Campos Meta. Since the team’s first season, Toni has been the Chief Race and Test Engineer and has been a key figure both in the early days and this new stage of HRT and now he assumes an even more important role as the Technical Director.

Paul di Resta has revealed he is racing to catch up with his contemporaries and F1 champions Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
The rookie Scot has impressed the F1 paddock with his Force India debut this season after rising to the top of the German touring car series DTM.

In an interview with Autosprint, he revealed how his career took a turn after beating Vettel to the F3 Euroseries, when Mercedes offered to pay him to race in DTM.

But Vettel, of course, had already started his F1 career with BMW-Sauber, while reigning F3 champion Hamilton was dominating the GP2 championship that would lead to his sensational McLaren debut.

“I took some time to think about it (Mercedes’ offer),” said di Resta, “because I really wanted to stay in single seaters.

“But I also had a significant problem. I did a test in a GP2 car and it was simply too small for me. I changed seats three times but it was a nightmare.

“I decided that the chance to do DTM was the best choice, but I never stopped thinking I would get to formula one some day. But I knew it was vital to keep myself visible, so I had to win.”

With a good first half to his debut F1 season now behind him, 25-year-old di Resta’s immediate future is secure and he is being linked with a move at some point to Mercedes GP.

But does he rue the success already achieved by his defeated F3 rival Vettel?

“In my F3 team there were four of us: me, Vettel, Kobayashi and van der Garde. I have to say that when he got to F1, Sebastian did an incredible job, capitalising on what he had in the best way.

“Perhaps he would have done the same thing if he had been in my place in DTM, maybe not. It’s also true that I can’t say what I would have done if I had had his chances.

“The same thing happened with Hamilton, he was a good driver in the minor categories, and when he arrived with a great (F1) team straight away it was natural that he did a good job.

“Sebastian and Lewis were able to get what I’m trying to get now,” added di Resta.

Sebastien Buemi has a new chief mechanic and trainer, following his lacklustre second half of the 2010 season.
Although Toro Rosso insists it is retaining both the Swiss and his teammate Jaime Alguersuari for this year, the FIA is yet to confirm that news officially.

And team owner Red Bull’s driver coordinator Helmut Marko said recently that while Alguersuari is “on the correct path”, 22-year-old Buemi “struggled” towards the end of last season.

“I make no excuses,” Buemi told the Swiss newspaper Blick. “At the most there are explanations, but this analysis stay inside the team.

“But I know why it happened and there is a lot to talk about with the mechanics and the engineers. And now I have a new chief mechanic,” he revealed.

“It’s not the solution but just one of the things I had to fix. I will also change my physiotherapist,” added Buemi.

“My current trainer, an Italian, gave me too little mental support. Formula one is not just about fitness and driving and your physio needs to do more than hold your helmet and drink bottle.”

He said his new trainer is an Austrian who formerly worked with Nick Heidfeld at BMW-Sauber, with Blick confirming it is 45-year-old Helmut Fink.

But Buemi acknowledges that some of his mistakes in 2010 were purely his own.

“Oh, yes! I disappointed my team several teams when I was not aggressive enough or distracted, and there were some accidents. But 2010 is now checked off and I know that this season I will improve in every area.”

An extra motivation will be the presence in the 2011 Toro Rosso on Friday mornings of Daniel Ricciardo, who is pushing to enter F1 with Red Bull’s backing.

“Maybe that’s right,” answered Buemi when asked if Ricciardo’s new role puts pressure on him and Spaniard Alguersuari.

“But I’m not worried that I am slower than anybody and I have enough confidence in myself.”

But he is not entirely confident he will still be on the grid in 2012.

“You can never be certain,” insisted Buemi. “But since 2005 Red Bull have been giving me so much support and I hope to be part of the family for a long time and one day race with Red Bull (Racing),” added Buemi.

Permission to contest rallies is crucial at this stage of Robert Kubica’s formula one career, his manager has confirmed.

Following the contractual restrictions during his time with BMW-Sauber, the Pole has enjoyed contesting a range of formative rallies since switching to Renault in 2010.

His latest outing in his Renault Clio is this weekend’s Rallye du Var in France.

“Kimi (Raikkonen) is Kimi,” said Kubica’s manager Daniele Morelli, according to Turun Sanomat newspaper, “but maybe it has been easier for Robert to learn with the smaller car.

“Robert is only 25 and he has at least 7 or 8 years more time to drive at the top in F1. What is certain is that if Robert does rallying (full-time) one day, he wants to do it properly,” he added.

The key to his preparation, said Morelli, is permission within Kubica’s F1 contract to take part in rallies.

“With BMW it was impossible. Williams will let you do rallies, but McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes wouldn’t allow it,” he revealed.

Said Kubica: “I hope to be around in F1 for quite a few years yet. But when that stops I’d like to indulge my passion for rallying — just for fun, in the same spirit that I approach it now.”

Two more race cockpits for the 2011 season are locked out, according to reports.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport claims that Vitantonio Liuzzi is already under contract with Force India for next season, while Kamui Kobayashi is set to stay at Sauber due to the existence of a 2011 deal.

The existence of Japanese rookie Kobayashi’s ongoing contract was also reported recently by Finland’s Turun Sanomat.

It is a different story, however, with the other Sauber seat, currently occupied by Pedro de la Rosa.

The Spanish veteran had an awful weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, crashing into the barriers during qualifying and then losing a points-scoring position with another incident in the race.

In the post-race statement, Peter Sauber did not even mention the 39-year-old.

It is rumoured that former BMW-Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld is a candidate for the 2011 place, and his attractiveness for next year has been boosted by his new Pirelli testing role.

The German was not seen in the Spa paddock at the weekend, and it is believed he has been asked by Pirelli not to speak to the media in the midst of the 2011 tyres’ development.

After a stint working on his NASCAR plans, Jacques Villeneuve has returned this week to the other side of the Atlantic to focus on setting up his own F1 team.

While also trying to land a full-time seat in America’s premier series, the 1997 world champion is collaborating with the Italian former GP2 outfit Durango in a bid to fill the 13th and final place on the 2011 formula one grid.

The French Canadian publication Rue Frontenac reports that Villeneuve, 39, is now in Europe where team officials will on Wednesday present their project to authorities in Geneva.

“I’m really proud of our bid,” he is quoted as saying.

“We have no control over what the others will present and how our approach will be evaluated, but everything has been done according to the requirements of the FIA.

“We have cut no corners, we have done everything by the book. My partners have done an impeccable job,” said Villeneuve, who was last on the F1 grid with BMW-Sauber in 2006.

It has been reported that Villeneuve/Durango is competing with two rivals for the 13th team entry — Epsilon Euskadi and Stefan GP.

“We don’t know how many people are presenting a dossier, let alone who they are and their seriousness,” insisted the winner of 11 grands prix.

“Also, the FIA has not committed to having a thirteenth team if a project is not consistent with their requirements,” said Villeneuve.

“If we do get the place, then the real stress will begin!” he added. “It will be difficult to be competitive in 2011, we know that, but we are not building a team only for one year.”

Long-time McLaren team boss Ron Dennis commented: “The finances will decide everything.

“Everyone in the world of F1 hopes it works out — it’s always good to keep the sport’s champions around. But I repeat that it will require extensive financial resources.

“This is not a sport for the faint of heart,” added the Briton.

Jacques Villeneuve is reportedly bidding to return to formula one next year with his own team.

Germany’s authoritative Auto Motor und Sport magazine said ‘Villeneuve Racing’ is one of the three candidates for the 13th and final place in pitlane.

The 1997 world champion and now 39-year-old French Canadian wanted to return to the cockpit this year with Stefan GP, but the Serbian outfit was not granted an entry.

The report said almost ten candidates originally made applications to race next year, but now there are only three in the running; with Villeneuve Racing and Cypher Group among them.

Auto Motor und Sport said the third name could be Spain’s Epsilon Euskadi or the former GP2 team Durango, after Nicolas Todt’s ART failed at the hurdle proving finance for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

The magazine said Villeneuve Racing has cleared all the hurdles so far, including proving an existing infrastructure for a team based in England.

The report said it is rumoured that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds may be involved, as might be a crew made up of former Arrows and Super Aguri staff.

The FIA’s decision about the 13th team is expected in late July.

Villeneuve last raced in F1 with BMW-Sauber in 2006, losing the seat to Robert Kubica mid-season.

Although the German carmaker pulled out of the sport at the end of last year, Peter Sauber’s once-again independent team retained the official title BMW Sauber F1.

It is believed the reason was so that the commercial rewards due from Sauber’s participation in the 2009 world championship, resulting in sixth place in the title, were not jeopardised.

However, the situation means the C29 has been known officially and awkwardly as the BMW Sauber-Ferrari, due to the use of a Ferrari customer engine.

But although initially using clearly visible signage, the team has increasingly moved away from even mentioning BMW, now running a red ‘S’ logo and Sauber Motorsport branding.

According to Germany’s motorsport-total.com, the F1 Commission met on Monday ahead of a Geneva meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on Wednesday.

Sauber reportedly lodged a request with F1 Commission members – among them key stakeholders including FOM, fellow teams, promoters and sponsors – for a name change.

The next step is the approval of F1′s governing body.

(GMM)

In the afternoon, had the 24 Formula 1 drivers with overcast skies and temperatures around 22 degrees again 90 minutes time to get to Saturday’s qualifying and the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday to prepare in Montreal.

After it was over for Red Bull in the morning not quite round, could grow Sebastian Vettel in the afternoon clear. The German was in 1:16.877 minutes, the fastest. And team-mate Mark Webber was the front. The Australians were missing lying in fourth place 0.396 seconds.
In second place was Fernando Alonso in Ferrari, the residue was 0.086 seconds at the top. Felipe Massa in the Ferrari was second with 0.524 seconds gap to the best value in the fifth position to find.

In between, Nico Rosberg pushed the Mercedes, which was led by 0.274 seconds gap to the third rank. Michael Schumacher was to be found in the second Mercedes 0.811 seconds difference to the fastest time at the ninth position.

Stark was on the way Adrian Sutil, Force India finished in 0.538 seconds with residue position six. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes came in 0.645 seconds with distance in eleventh place.

Nico Hulkenberg was 13th in the Williams (+1.570), Sébastien Buemi Toro Rosso in 17th (+2.291), Timo Glock was taken in the Virgin with 4.611 seconds behind in second last.

Free Practice 2 – 11 June

Robert Kubica and Montreal – that’s a Hochschaubahn: 2007 pilot of the accident, the then BMW Sauber F1 Team at the hairpin difficult, but escaped miraculously with minor injuries. A year later he led a complete surprise double victory of his team ahead of Nick Heidfeld – it was the only win for the Bavarians in the premier class. Last year there was no race in Montreal – Kubica this year but returns to the Ile de Notre Dame. “The Grand Prix of Canada is something like my destiny race,” says the poles ‘Auto Bild motorsport’.

And so he feels: This year a sensation in the air – “with little luck.” Because: “The course our car will be. It’s fast on the straights and is as wonderfully out of slow corners. It is these properties are required in Montreal.” The strength in tight corners is based on the small wheel base of the Renault R30 – no current Formula 1 racing car can compete in this discipline with Kubica’s car. It showed the team had in Monaco, where the 25-year-old is the sharpest of the superior competitor Red Bull pilot was.

And although the Renault engine has a power deficit, Kubica and Vitaly Petrov scores are in the top speed is always at the front – reason is the low air resistance of the R30. Moreover, the French have for the Grand Prix of Canada, a secret weapon in the quiver: the first time is given to an in-house interpretation of the F-shaft system, which turned out on the long straights of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as a great advantage. Now the only question is whether the system works right away, or if you have it like Red Bull in Turkey to expand after the first test.

That will leave Robert Kubica after just one season, the team Renault is unlikely. After Felipe Massa contract extension with Ferrari in Maranello in 2012 the door is closed. Even if the pole for 2011 is not linked to Renault, there are few other enticing options. This Renault boss Eric Boullier had managed to retain its number-one pilots in 2011 and to his team. The Luxembourg wants to build the Renault racing team to head the Polish pilots around.

(MotorSportsTotal)

May 3 (GMM)  One of James Key’s first tasks as technical director will be to oversee a “small restructuring” of the struggling Sauber team.

In the wake of former owner BMW’s departure and founder Peter Sauber’s return as privateer, the Hinwil based squad has struggled notably with the pace and reliability of the C29.

Key, newly arrived in long time technical director Willy Rampf’s wake, said on Monday he has completed his initial analysis after switching from Force India.

“It requires a slightly new approach to the way certain areas work to make better use of the size the team is now,” he said.

“In the short term there is going to be a small restructuring within the technical group, which I have just started instigating.

“This should allow the team to be more in tune with the smaller organisation it is now, particularly in terms of the efficiency of its operation,” added Key.

Apr.30 (GMM)  Drivers’ and constructors’ championship leaders McLaren are also winning the race as F1′s most reliable team.

The British outfit, whose Jenson Button leads the drivers’ table by 10 points over Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, completed every single lap with both MP4-25 cars at the initial Bahrain, Australian, Malaysian and Chinese grands prix.

In second place, a 100 per cent record for Ferrari was tarnished only by Fernando Alonso’s engine failure in the closing stages in Malaysia.

Red Bull is third with a 92.4 per cent finishing record in 2010, despite the RB6 appearing to have suffered from several reliability glitches so far.

In fact, Sebastian Vettel’s wheel nut problem in Melbourne was the team’s only DNF, while teammate Mark Webber has completed all four races within the top 9.

Similarly, only one Mercedes car – Michael Schumacher’s in China – has failed to reach the chequered flag, but the German team is fourth in the list with a 89.2 per cent record due the stoppage occurring early in the race.

Williams’ single DNF culminates in a 86 per cent reliability record because Nico Hulkenberg was taken out on the first lap in Australia.

Renault is sixth of the ten teams with 75.1 per cent, for while Robert Kubica has finished every race with the R30, rookie Vitaly Petrov’s first race finish was in China.

In Bahrain the Russian damaged the suspension by hitting a kerb too hard, in Melbourne he spun into the gravel, and in Malaysia he had to stop with a gearbox problem.

Impressively, the new team Lotus also has a 75 per cent finishing record, even though Jarno Trulli was not actually a classified finisher at Sepang because he was ten laps behind.

And in Melbourne, the Italian’s T127 was not even on the grid due to a pre-race hydraulics problem.

Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari has finished all the races, but teammate Sebastien Buemi was taken out on the first lap in both Australia and China — first by Kamui Kobayashi and then Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Force India is now increasingly mentioned as a serious F1 competitor, but its reliability record so far in 2010 is just 65.9 per cent.

Liuzzi crashed in China and had a throttle problem in Malaysia, while Adrian Sutil had a Ferrari engine problem in Melbourne.

HRT’s F1 career started badly with only one car crossing the line in the opening two races.

But the Dallara-built cars of Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok both finished in Malaysia and China, giving the Spanish team a 65.2pc finishing record.

Virgin and Sauber are at the bottom of the pile, with Virgin achieving a mere 33.8pc reliability record with only Lucas di Grassi able to cross the line in Malaysia by aggressively saving fuel.

Sauber is last, with only Pedro de la Rosa recording a race finish in Melbourne for a reliability record of just 25.5 per cent.

“We’ve suffered too many reliability issues on both the chassis side and with our engines,” team founder Peter Sauber said on Thursday.

“That’s very unusual — we’ve always been one of the best teams in this respect over the years.

“We’ve closely analysed all the chassis-related problems and already put measures into effect.  Our engine partner Ferrari is doing the same,” he added.

Apr.27 (GMM)  Pedro de la Rosa has singled out Renault as the “biggest surprise” of the 2010 season so far.

With the wounds of the crashgate scandal still fresh, the Enstone based team went into March’s season opener with new owners and management.

In winter testing, Renault’s was among the slowest of the established cars, with a single seater that closely resembled last year’s uncompetitive R29.

But after four races, the R30 is a healthy fifth in the constructors’ standings behind the prominent top-four title protagonists.

Team newcomer Robert Kubica, now linked with a move for 2011 to Ferrari, has never been out of the final ‘Q3′ group this year, and was even on the podium in Australia.

Asked to nominate his biggest surprise of 2010, Sauber racer and F1 veteran Pedro de la Rosa answered: “For most people in the paddock it is Renault.

“The performance of the team, and particularly Kubica, has been sensational.  In testing we were usually quicker than them,” de la Rosa told the Swiss newspaper Blick.

Apr.27 (GMM)  Sauber needs some more sponsors to ensure the C29 car can be properly developed, Pedro de la Rosa insists.

Four races into the 2010 season and still with a mainly blank white livery, the formerly BMW-owned team is struggling with poor reliability and lagging pace.

Team boss Peter Sauber insists the team has a guaranteed budget to survive the 2010 season.

But when asked about Sauber’s sponsorship situation, de la Rosa told the Swiss newspaper Blick: “This is a very important point.

“With each day it is more difficult to find backers for 2010, but without finances a normal development of the car is hardly possible,” said the Spaniard.

Asked about the car’s main problems, he answered: “There have been too many engine problems, and at the rear of the car something is not right — it is too unstable.

“We simply must believe in our abilities and those of our new technical boss James Key.  And also that luck might be with us sometimes as well.”

De la Rosa returned to a full time racing role in 2010 after several years as McLaren’s test driver, and it is already rumoured that Sauber is considering replacing him with a pay-driver on the basis of his initial form.

He admits it has been a trying campaign so far.

“I knew that with Sauber, difficult work was awaiting me.  But after the tests in February I didn’t think it would be quite so hard.”

Apr.22 (GMM)  Peter Sauber has reassured a close supporter of Pedro de la Rosa that the Spanish veteran is not about to lose his race seat.

39-year-old de la Rosa, who returned to the F1 grid this year after a long stint as McLaren’s test driver, played down the rumours about his near future in China last week.

His boss Sauber had expressed doubts about the time it was taking the Spaniard to reacclimatise to racing, with de la Rosa insisted he is “driving well”.

At a media event this week ahead of the forthcoming F1 race in Barcelona, the head of the Spanish motor racing federation called on the press to support the Spanish drivers, especially de la Rosa.

A report in the Diario Sport newspaper added: “Carlos Gracia said Peter Sauber had assured him that he (de la Rosa) is not in doubt.”