McLaren has signed up the son of a former team driver to test its 2012 formula one car later this year.
In 1995, Denmark’s Jan Magnussen – also a former McLaren test driver – made his formula one race debut with a one-off McLaren seat.

He moved on to contest 24 grands prix with Stewart until he was stepped down for poor performances in 1998.

Now, the 38-year-old’s son Kevin, who is 19, has been signed up for McLaren’s young driver programme, which will include a seat at the young driver test later this year.

Like Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey, Magnussen will also work in McLaren’s state-of-the-art simulator.

He first caught McLaren’s attention in 2010, and last year finished runner-up in the British F3 championship with eight poles and seven wins.

This year, he will contest the Renault World Series.

“The team has shown great faith in me so far and I feel that this is an important step in my career,” said Magnussen.

Karun Chandhok is today a shadow of the boy who a decade ago dreamed of emulating his heroes.

On a trip to Delhi this week, he revealed to the Daily Pioneer that when he left high school he peaked at 96 kilograms.

“I was told that if I wanted to race I had to lose weight in order to first fit in the car,” said Chandhok, who as Team Lotus’ reserve driver is tipped to contest India’s inaugural grand prix late next month.

“So I lost 26 kg in less than six months and went on to win the Indian national racing championship. I guess that was the turning point for me,” added the now 27-year-old, who graduated to British F3 and then GP2.

British F3 champion Felipe Nasr is hoping his new title, and well-connected manager Steve Robertson, open doors for him in formula one.
Brazil’s Globo Esporte reports that McLaren and Ferrari are both interested in signing up the 19-year-old from Brasilia to their young driver programmes.

“I can not say anything,” Nasr said. “I have mentioned these two teams because of Steve’s very good relationship with them.”

Robertson, who formerly managed Jenson Button, was Kimi Raikkonen’s manager throughout the 2007 world champion’s race-winning stints at McLaren and Ferrari.

Nasr continued: “I know that in time he (Robertson) can negotiate an opportunity to test. I think at the time Steve sees that I am ready, he will contact those teams.”

The report said Nasr’s most likely destinations for 2012 are the Renault World Series or GP2, but with the latter category less likely due to his shortage of sponsors.

He said he turned down an opportunity to join Red Bull’s roster of young development drivers two years ago.

“Actually I preferred to be managed by Steve Robertson, whose resume includes two champion drivers (Raikkonen and Jenson Button).

“He is 100 per cent focused on me, which is different from Red Bull who are looking at five or six drivers at a time,” added Nasr.

Jean Eric Vergne has emerged as the leading contender to become Red Bull’s F1 reserve driver in 2011.

The 20-year-old Frenchman this year replaced the energy drink company’s ousted junior driver Brendon Hartley, and he said in August he is becoming “more and more” involved in the F1 programme.

“The objective is preparing for grands prix: we try different setups and there is also work on the (2011 car) RB7,” said Vergne.

On Tuesday and Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, the new champion of British F3 will conduct the ‘young drivers’ test days for Red Bull’s second F1 team Toro Rosso.

“I am looking forward to it and hope there will be other opportunities to drive an F1 car in the future,” said Vergne.

The French publication Auto Hebdo said Vergne, who in 2010 also raced in Red Bull colours in the Renault World Series, “should be confirmed soon in the position of third driver with Red Bull Racing for 2011″.

Red Bull’s current third driver is 21-year-old Daniel Ricciardo, who is driving the title-winning RB6 in Abu Dhabi this week.

Susie Stoddart has revealed she would like a formula one team to give her the opportunity of a proper track test.

The 27-year-old Scottish driver, whose partner is the Williams co-owner Christian ‘Toto’ Wolff, currently races a Mercedes in the German touring car series DTM.

“I dream about formula one,” Stoddart, no relation to the former Minardi owner Paul Stoddart, told the Austrian magazine SportWoche.

“I would at least like my first test. That’s what I really want to do. But I don’t want it to just be a PR stunt.

“I want to show them what I can do,” added Stoddart, who has also raced in Formula Renault and British F3.

She is currently 12th in the 2010 DTM standings, ahead of former F1 drivers Ralf Schumacher, David Coulthard and Markus Winkelhock, with two races to go.

Jean Eric Vergne has confirmed he is becoming “more and more” involved in Red Bull’s formula one programme.

The 20-year-old is the energy drink outfit’s replacement for ousted junior and F1 reserve driver Brendon Hartley.

There is no testing during the F1 season, but the Frenchman – who drives in British F3 and now in Hartley’s Formula Renault 3.5 seat – is hoping to do the young driver session in Abu Dhabi in November.

And when asked if he is now working with Milton Keynes based Red Bull Racing, he answered: “More and more — in the simulator.

“The objective is preparing for grands prix: we try different setups and there is also work on the (2011 car) RB7,” said Vergne.

That would seem to indicate that he will definitely have a role with the F1 team next season.

“No project has been set for next year and it’s too early to think about it.  I don’t know what I’ll be doing in 2011,” he insisted.

A young French driver is eyeing a clear step into the world of formula one at the end of the 2010 season.
Jean-Eric Vergne, 20, drove a Red Bull car at last weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, and is now targeting a place for the end-of-season young driver test in Abu Dhabi.

In 2010, he is part of Red Bull’s Junior Team driver development programme, and clearly leading the British F3 championship with multiple champions Carlin.

When asked by Auto Hebdo if he wants to test in Abu Dhabi after November’s season finale, Vergne answered: “That is clearly the goal.

“If I win the championship, I’ll do the tests later this year. I don’t know if it will be with Red Bull or Toro Rosso,” he told the French publication.

A similar path was trodden by Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who won last year’s British F3 championship, did the young driver F1 test, and was then appointed an official reserve driver for 2010.

“Yes, the goal is to do that, but not because Ricciardo did it, because I am racing in a championship and want to win it.

“Then, Red Bull lets its best drivers do the (F1) testing. If I win my championship, I think I’ll top the list,” added Vergne.

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.16 (GMM)  Williams’ new test driver must start winning races if he is to progress further in formula one.

That is the admission of the Grove based team’s technical director Sam Michael, referring to Williams’ 2010 test and reserve driver Valtteri Bottas.

The 20-year-old Finn is also contesting this year’s F3 Euroseries, and he drove in the same series last year as well as British F3, but has won no races so far.

Earlier this month, however, Bottas did win the F3 Masters event at Zandvoort, as he also did in 2009.

“Of course, it was a brilliant performance,” Michael is quoted by the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

“Valtteri is the first person to have won the event twice and the Masters has always meant a lot to Williams.

“But he knows what he needs to do.  We all expect him to win the Euroseries and hopefully he will do it soon,” added Sam Michael.

“Valterri is a clever guy and he knows that he has to start winning races in F3, and only then will we look together at the next stage.”

May 3 (GMM)  Bruno Senna is not as good as his late uncle, but Martin Brundle thinks a deeper analysis of the Brazilian rookie’s performance so far would be unfair.

Brundle, who had a fierce battle with eventual triple world champion Ayrton Senna for the British F3 title in 1983, is now observing 26-year-old Bruno’s rookie season as commentator for British television BBC.

The Briton concedes it is “spooky” to note the physical similarities between uncle and nephew, particularly with the helmet visor up.

“Senna is a fine young driver and seems a very good human being,” said Brundle.

“His GP2 performance suggests that he is worthy of a chance in F1 but it is fair to say he doesn’t appear to have the potential of his late uncle Ayrton,” he added.

But Brundle warned that Senna, who was considered for the Brawn seat alongside Jenson Button last year, cannot be judged too harshly in 2010.

“Given the Hispania car that he is driving, it is virtually impossible to make any further judgement at this time,” he said.