Transportes Azkar S.A., an international integrated logistics operator with its headquarters in Spain, and HRT Formula 1 Team have signed a collaboration agreement for the renowned logistics operator to become a collaborator of the renewed team, joining as an Official Supplier for the 2012 season.

With a fleet of three trucks that cover more than 16,000 kilometres on the road to European Grands Prix and that transfer cars and material to the airport, HRT F1 Team’s transport needs are very demanding. Therefore, having a first class national partner, such as Azkar, was a fundamental objective.

Alfonso Hostaled, Azkar CEO: “At Azkar we back sports and national companies that wish to open up overseas and that is why HRT’s project as a Spanish team fits in perfectly with our market strategy. Azkar puts at the disposal of HRT logistics services that meet the challenging demands of Formula 1. On another note, through this association, we look to bring our clients closer to this thrilling sport”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal HRT F1 Team: “As a part of the team’s renovation process, we are working on many fronts, all of them being important. There are many aspects besides the car and staff, such as telecommunications and logistics, which are vital for a team to function properly in such a demanding world as is Formula 1. We want to count with first class national partners for this. Azkar is the standout logistics operator and we are very proud to have them as collaborators. In a paddock which is crammed with German and English trucks, to find Spanish trucks aswell is proof that there are national companies with the same capacity as any other company to perform at this demanding level”.

- Ends -

ABOUT AZKAR

AZKAR puts at the disposal of its clients a potent international network for the management of importing and exporting goods, from and to any part of the world. Specifically, in the Iberian peninsula and islands, the company has 87 facilities, with more than 500,000m² built over more than 1 million m²of terrain, a team made up of 5,000 professionals and a fleet of 2,700 trucks.

via: HRT

After months of evaluations and negotiations in which diverse options have been assessed, Spanish team HRT has finally opted for the facilities of the Complejo Deportivo Madrid Caja Mágica to locate its permanent headquarters.

The team will occupy part of the Caja Mágica facilities and will coexist with the Masters 1000 Madrid Open. HRT F1 Team will be specifically situated in the Indoor Sur and Indoor Central buildings, occupying a total surface of 11,000m2.

In only seven months, the new directors have carried out a restructuring process with the objective of providing the team with stability and viability, besides having a new identity. To reach these targets, a lot of hard work has been focused on three fronts in these last three months: the new car, the renewed operational and technical team and a permanent headquarters which, besides from uniting the whole team in a workspace with F1 standards, will contribute an added value to the team.

With the signing of Pedro de la Rosa this past October a long desired objective was accomplished, which was none other than to incorporate a Spanish driver. The recent addition of Narain Karthikeyan completes a driver line-up packed with experience, which is of great value in this new chapter for the team.

The renewal of the technical team started once the 2011 season was over and the new team members have been working ever since at the temporary logistical base in Paterna, Valencia, until the definitive relocation to the permanent headquarters is carried out. The chosen venue had to meet very specific and ambitious requirements.

And the Complejo Deportivo Madrid Caja Mágica meets the requirements that HRT Formula 1 Team considers indispensable for this new chapter. It is a versatile and sustainable space that will take in the different departments that make up the team besides being an area open to fans, sponsors, suppliers and collaborators.

Remodeling and adaptation of the space will begin immediately and it is calculated that in under a month the first workers will be able to move in. The technical and operational sectors of the team won’t do so until Formula 1 returns to Europe but the headquarters is expected to be fully operational for May. The Technical Design Office is anticipated to move in progressively as of early June, thus completing a programme which is calculated to generate more than a hundred jobs with different degrees of specialization.

The headquarters won’t only be a technological and R&D centre, but also a way of getting closer to the public, sponsors, suppliers and collaborators with accessible areas such as a future museum, guided tours or a conference area, whilst also becoming a formation centre.

Electric mobility and sustainability are fundamental aspects for HRT and something it shares with the Complejo Deportivo Caja Mágica. The team is a pioneer in the Formula 1 world after integrating alternative energies to petrol in its mobility plan and using electric bicycles to move around both at Grands Prix and away from them.

The Complejo Deportivo Madrid Caja Mágica is a multifunctional centre designed by the architect Dominique Perrault. It is located in the Parque Lineal del Manzanares, in a space of 17 hectares which includes large garden areas. The design and distribution of this space enables the celebration of all kinds of events, not only sporting ones, such as presentations, spectacles and conventions.

Saúl Ruiz de Marcos, HRT F1 Team CEO: “For us it is fundamental to have a headquarters that, apart from uniting the team and ending with the dispersion, is beneficial from a logistical and industrial point of view. But that also enables us to maintain a closer relationship with our fans, suppliers and sponsors. Madrid and the Caja Mágica facilities fit perfectly with the standards we were looking for. In the last few months we have assessed different options, looked at their pros and cons, and we feel that the decision to establish our permanent headquarters in Madrid was the best one. I want to thank Madrid Espacios y Congresos for the interest they have shown in this going ahead and I’m sure that this relationship will be very beneficial for everyone”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal of HRT F1 Team: “We’ve been working hard for months and establishing our permanent headquarters was very important. Finding a space in which we could all work together was vital, in order to optimize work and generate a good team feeling, a sense of belonging. When the adaptation of the facilities is completed and every department starts working under the same roof in a few months, we will only have one step left to take, which is to have the design department in Madrid too. All this implies not only becoming a place to feel identified with and carry out activities for the team, its sponsors, suppliers and fans, but also an important reference in technology and R&D in the centre of Madrid”.

Korean carmaker Hyundai could become interested in formula one in the coming years.

That is the view of a spokesman for the Korean grand prix, following the country’s second formula one race last weekend.

The inaugural 2010 event was a shambles and circuit officials recently revealed financial concerns about the future of the event.

Late on Sunday, the Yeongam organisers revealed a race day crowd of 84,174, causing Red Bull’s official Twitter to wittily observe: “That must include mosquitos. And fish. And those were counted twice.”

A report by the Associated Press claims a Korean driver or team might help in the future, powered by the involvement of a local carmaker like Hyundai or Kia.

“Hyundai has been enthusiastic about the idea around the middle management levels, but the CEO has yet to be convinced,” said Korean grand prix spokesman Shin Young.

“In the future though, I think it will happen. I hope so.”

Karun Chandhok will test at two forthcoming formula one tests, Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes confirmed on Sunday.
Indian Chandhok, the former HRT driver, was seen wearing a Team Lotus jacket at the opening pre-season test at Valencia last week, amid reports he is a frontrunner to occupy a reserve driver role in 2011.

“We would like him to be reserve driver but we’ve got to see whether it all works out, that’s the plan,” team owner Fernandes said from Malaysia after it was announced he has been appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

“He (Chandhok) is going to get a couple of slots in the testing now in Jerez and Barcelona,” the millionaire told Reuters. “And then we’ll decide after that.

“(Technical boss) Mike (Gascoyne) and (CEO) Riad (Asmat) and everyone else feel he’s the right guy to add value to the team,” added Fernandes.

Porsche has continued to step away from its earlier hints about entering formula one in the near future.
Late last year, CEO Matthias Mueller said there are some “drawbacks” about entering F1 that are not present in other prominent series.

But then the FIA green-lighted the much anticipated new engine rules for 2013, causing Volkswagen representative Hans-Joachim Stuck to say the “conditions for a possible (F1) entrance of the … group have been created”.

However, Mueller insists that although VW brands including Porsche and Audi might often mention F1, the more realistic forays are elsewhere.

“There are undoubtedly some attractive aspects (of F1),” he told the Swiss car newspaper Automobil Revue.

“But there are other sides to it as well. Formula one is very expensive, while success is far less predictable (than in other series),” added Mueller.

He said a Le Mans foray for Porsche, in the premier LMP1 category, is a more likely target.

“We would not necessarily have to line up against Audi, but we would do it if we need to and it would mean there are two of the (VW) group’s brands fighting in the races.

“The likelihood that the group wins would therefore obviously be increased,” added Mueller.

He urged all the VW brands to get together to “agree on a motor sport strategy for the coming years”.

The identity of the F1 team currently known as Lotus Racing moved further under a cloud on Thursday.

The team’s official naming license has been withdrawn by the Proton-owned Group Lotus, and Tony Fernandes’ alternative plan to be called Team Lotus by buying that separate name is now subject to court proceedings.

Meanwhile, Group Lotus is expected to enter F1 in collaboration with the Enstone based Renault team in 2011, and the sports car marque has now announced a project to supply engines and bodywork in the Indycar series from 2012.

“We want to compete with the big buys,” said CEO Dany Bahar.

A GP2 project for 2011 has already been put in place by Group Lotus, all of which leaves Fernandes with little option than to adopt an alternative identity for his privately-owned UK based Malaysian team.

“I do not want to comment on Proton’s move to enter F1 but their action certainly will have some bearing on the team name,” admitted Lotus Racing chief executive Riad Asmat.

“For now, we are preparing our team and we want to be ready for any eventualities.  We are definitely going to be there when the (2011) season starts,” he is quoted by the Malaysian newspaper The Star.

A contract formalising the sale of French carmaker Renault SA’s minority shareholding in the Enstone based formula one team will be signed on Wednesday.

That is the claim of the Paris daily Le Figaro, revealing that the buyer of the 25 per cent share is Proton, the Malaysian carmaker.

Without naming its sources close to the transaction, the newspaper said Proton’s Group Lotus brand will then become the title sponsor, in a EUR 30 million per season deal over five years.

Renault SA president and CEO Carlos Ghosn would not comment on the report except to say: “We’ll be there next year and in future seasons.”

But Le Figaro said the carmaker will actually only be an engine supplier to the renamed Lotus-Renault, Red Bull and the Malaysian team currently known as Lotus Racing in 2011.

Tony Fernandes on Friday admitted he would like Group Lotus, the Proton-owned maker of British sports cars, to be involved with his formula one team.

But in reality, Lotus Racing – Fernandes’ entirely separate Malaysian-owned outfit – and Norfolk based Group Lotus, seem to be moving even further apart.

Group Lotus is reportedly retracting the license for the Lotus Racing moniker, meaning Fernandes has had to buy the separate and historic Team Lotus name in order to continue to be called Lotus in formula one.

At the same time, the Malaysian airline millionaire admitted he was surprised when he learned that Group Lotus is getting involved in GP2 next year with the top team ART.

Asked pointedly in Singapore if there is a link between Lotus Racing and Group Lotus’ new motor racing plans, he answered: “No.”

Fernandes admitted that, when originally founded by Colin Chapman in the 50s, Group Lotus and Team Lotus were entirely cooperative.

“Of course they cooperated and of course we would like to cooperate but if Group Lotus doesn’t want to then there’s not much we can do about it,” he said.

“The door is always open,” continued Fernandes. “It makes sense if they did.

“If I was sitting there and there was a formula one team going around the world with 20 races, promoting a brand, if I was the CEO, I would definitely want to get involved, especially if I’m not putting any money in it,” he added.

Jun.10 (GMM)  Virgin still has no plans to give its test and reserve driver Andy Soucek some laps on the Friday of a grand prix weekend.

We reported in April that the reigning F2 champion is contracted to do some driving in 2010, but he said the new British team “currently have other problems than to be thinking about the third driver”.

The 24-year-old Austrian-Spaniard now tells laola1.at: “I have a contract that states I will test at the end of the year for two days.”

As for the possibility of a Friday practice session outing, Soucek adds: “I believe it would be interesting for the team to have a third opinion about the car, but at the moment they do not see it the same way.

“Every week I’m putting pressure on the CEO by sending emails,” he said.

With Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi in the race cockpits this year, Soucek is not sure he sees a future at Virgin for 2011.

“It’s hard to say,” he answered.  “I have a one year contract with a clause for renewal.  There is a chance of a (race) cockpit, but there are other options,” he added.

Asked if he has a plan-B for 2011, Soucek answered: “It’s simple — I want to make money with my racing.  After almost 14 years I think it’s time!

“Indycar is definitely a possibility and I would go to another series if I would get paid for it.  Already this year I am making money with my job.”

Renault wants to build its team around Robert Kubica.

That is the claim of the team’s new majority owner Gerard Lopez, amid rising speculation that Pole Kubica is being lined up for a 2011 switch to Ferrari.

In the wake of the French carmaker’s part-withdrawal from F1 at the end of 2009, Kubica has been widely credited for Renault’s solid season so far this year.

The 25-year-old looks particularly impressive on the streets of Monaco, where Lopez admitted that Renault is willing to fully embrace Kubica’s presence into the future.

“He is in a unique position, as a racer, to have a team built around him now and we see it that way,” Lopez, who announced he has sold a share of the team to oil company PetroSaudi CEO and friend Tarek Obaid, is quoted by the AFP news agency.

Kubica declined to comment about his future in Monaco.

(GMM)

Bridgestone is showing signs of performing a dramatic U-turn and staying in formula one beyond 2010.

Currently, the Japanese supplier is due to depart at the end of the season, as potential replacements including Michelin, Pirelli, Avon, Kumho and possibly others clamour at the paddock turnstiles.

But the teams are trying to persuade Bridgestone to stay, and have written a letter to Bridgestone Europe that will be passed on to CEO Shoshi Arakawa.

“The request is an honour,” said the marque’s F1 boss Hiroshi Yasukawa.

Before departing Barcelona, he indicated in a statement that F1 is still important to Bridgestone.

“We hosted guests from the USA and Brazil as well as many from our European markets which has illustrated the importance of formula one as a business tool,” said Yasukawa.

“Our sales companies continue to support our formula one activities, showing the significance of this to our business.

“We are proud to have the support of all of the teams in this fantastic sport,” he added.

FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh said the teams are hoping the issue of 2011 tyre supply is settled in Monaco this weekend, but Stefano Domenicali fears it might take another week.

“There are four proposals that appear to be out there and maybe there’s another couple as well,” Whitmarsh confirmed to Reuters.

And with Michelin wanting tyre competitors and the smaller teams wanting cheaper options, the Briton admitted that the concept of multiple brands in F1 next year is not out of the question.

But he insisted: “If you use multiple suppliers, it has got to be controlled in terms of testing and development.”

(GMM)

Mercedes will revert to its original 2010 car for the Monaco grand prix this weekend.

The Brackley based team unveiled a car with a longer wheelbase in Spain last weekend, which is tipped to have helped Michael Schumacher get the upper hand over his teammate Nico Rosberg for the first time in 2010.

But according to German media sources, the pre-Barcelona package – which in Rosberg’s hands was driven to the podium twice in four races – will be up and running again in Monaco because it better suits the slow and twisty curves of the unique street layout.

The shorter-wheelbase car will however be fitted with the latest aerodynamic innovations in Monaco, including the knife-like rollover structure and engine cover air inlets.

“I am very optimistic that we will be more competitive than in Barcelona,” team CEO Nick Fry is quoted as saying by Germany’s RTL.

(GMM)

Apr.26 (GMM)  F1 teams are close to agreeing upon a new engine formula for the six-year period beginning in 2013.

Until then, development of the current 2.4 litre V8s will remain ‘frozen’, to be replaced thereafter by similarly powerful engines that use less fuel, emit less pollution and are affordable for the small teams.

Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo newspaper said an in-principle agreement has been reached for a four cylinder, 1.5 litre engine equipped with a twin-turbo and direct injection.

The new formula would reportedly also involve KERS.

“If F1 has to develop something helpful for real (road) driving conditions, then the best solution is for an engine that is turbocharged and GDI (gasoline direct injection,” Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa told Autocar magazine at the Beijing Motor Show.

“That is what we would support,” he said.

Mercedes’ Norbert Haug agrees that smaller engines are likely for reasons of consumption and emissions, but warns that high technology needs to remain a crucial focus.

“If you fly from Europe to Japan on a 747, you would use more fuel than an entire F1 season.  We need to see the whole picture,” he insisted.

Apr.24 (GMM)  Tony George is interested in taking formula one back to the United States.

We reported last weekend that the 50-year-old former boss of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was spotted in Shanghai for the Chinese grand prix.

George met with F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone and also Zak Brown, founder and CEO of motor sport marketing firm Just Marketing who represents several high level sponsors according to the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ).

“Would Tony George love to broker a deal to bring back a US grand prix?  Sure,” said Brown.

IBJ said sources confirmed that George was in China to discuss F1′s return to America and meet with potential sponsors for a race that would not necessary take place at Indianapolis.

Indeed, new Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Jeff Bulskus said George was not in China to represent the fabled Indy 500 venue, while Ecclestone has been pushing for a street race with the New York skyline.

Brown said: “Tony has a lot of contacts in motor sports, and he knows how to put on a US grand prix.

“I think if there’s a role for Tony in trying to bring formula one back to the US, he’d be willing to help.  Tony and Bernie have a very good relationship, and Tony has a lot of interest in seeing F1 return to the US,” he added.

Tony George, who still has an ownership stake in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, could not be reached for comment.