Rumours that a top English premier league football club is entering formula one as a sponsor have proved correct.

Ever since Sauber has been running teaser ‘Out of the blue’ and ‘True blue’ graphics on its engine cover livery in China and Bahrain, speculation about the identity of the forthcoming sponsor have been swirling in the F1 paddock.

We reported the rumour that the deal could be with the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, to promote his football club Chelsea.

Swiss F1 team Sauber confirmed the “new and innovative partnership” on Monday.

“The C31 sporting the blue logo of Chelsea FC will be seen for the first time at the Spanish grand prix,” the Hinwil based team announced in a media statement.

“A partnership like this between formula one and football has never existed before in this form, yet there are numerous commonalities and possible synergies,” said Sauber chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn.

The statement said Chelsea will in turn display Sauber’s logo on its advertising boards and interview walls, ensuring one another “a significant market presence outside their original sport”.

 Pedro de la Rosa has defended the viability of struggling HRT, despite its new owners trying to build up a formula one team in the mist of a near-unprecedented economic crisis.
The unemployment rate in Spain has spiralled past 20 per cent, and yet owners Thesan have taken on the task of rebuilding the former Hispania team following the departure of boss Colin Kolles and all the infrastructure.

The F112, bearing more than a striking resemblance to the Dallara-designed 2010 and 2011 car, was launched recently with a new livery but only two visible sponsors.

Asked whether it is a good time to push ahead in Spain with a formula one project, lead driver de la Rosa said: “Any moment can be good.

“There is a large labour force in Spain, highly educated and motivated people, young people pushing hard and experienced people.”

But in formula one, money is the fuel and it’s difficult to come by at present.

“This is a time of crisis,” de la Rosa acknowledged to DPA news agency, “and also it has been noticed in formula one and budgets have gone down.”

He admitted, however, that HRT will have to attract more backing in order to survive.

“If the (financial) injection does not come, it is going to be difficult,” said the 41-year-old. “We need sponsors, investors who believe in the project, to help us to grow.

“It’s obvious, we need it, but first we need to build a foundation so it can be seen that it is profitable to invest in our team,” he added.

Sauber’s departing technical boss James Key appears headed for Lotus.
On the eve of its 2012 car launch, the Swiss team announced that it will not replace the departing Briton Key, who has accepted an offer to work in the UK.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said it is rumoured Key is headed for Lotus.

Not the Enstone based F1 team, however, but sponsor Group Lotus’ motor racing programme, including Le Mans.

Sauber managing director Monisha Kaltenborn denied the Hinwil based team cannot afford to replace Key.

“If we look back 20 years, the team have always lacked funds,” she insisted.

Kaltenborn defended the bare look of the 2012 car’s livery.

“We are in negotiation with new partners so I am quite confident our livery will look different by the time we hit the first race,” she said.

As for Key, “For some time both sides had the feeling that things were not working any more, and what has happened is the outcome,” La Gazzetta dello Sport quotes Kaltenborn as saying.

Boss Franz Tost as well as Jaime Alguersuari have denied that Toro Rosso’s new sponsorship deal has secured the future of the Spanish driver.
The fact that the logos of the Spanish oil company Cepsa have been added to the livery of the STR6 this weekend was interpreted by some as good news for Alguersuari.

The 21-year-old Spaniard, as well as his Swiss teammate Sebastien Buemi, are under pressure by Toro Rosso’s owner Red Bull to prove they should not be replaced for 2012 by Daniel Ricciardo.

“It’s good that they (Cepsa) have come along, because the team needs the money,” Spanish media reports quote Alguersuari as saying at Monza.

“But I don’t think they have come for me, they have come for Toro Rosso because we are a young team with huge potential,” he insisted.

And Tost told The National newspaper: “Jaime’s future with the team is exactly the same as it was before Cepsa came on board.”

Alguersuari also told Spanish reporters that Toro Rosso’s 2012 car has been in the wind tunnel now for “about a month and a half”.

Meanwhile, he said he quickly got over the Belgian grand prix two weeks ago, when Bruno Senna took him out at the first corner.

“I don’t stay angry for long,” said Alguersuari. “Bruno sent me a message and apologised, which I accept. We can all make mistakes, even big ones like that.

“I hope I never make one that destroys the race of another.”

Every time Sebastian Vettel wins in 2011, he adds another smile to his collection.
Germany’s Bild newspaper reports that there are seven small ‘smiley’ stickers aligned in a row inside the cockpit of the runaway championship leader’s Red Bull.

One was added to ‘Luscious Liz’ after each of his seven 2011 victories so far in Australia, Malaysia, Turkey, Barcelona, Monaco, Valencia and Spa two weeks ago.

The 24-year-old confirmed at Monza: “(Adding) the faces was my idea. It’s an old tradition.”

He is referring to 2004, when a large yellow smiley sticker was added to the exterior livery of his formula BMW car after every win.

“By the end of the year the nose was almost completely covered in them,” laughed Vettel, who as a seventeen year old won 18 of the 20 races.

Toro Rosso has confirmed it will be sponsored with immediate effect by the Spanish oil brand Cepsa.
Spanish reports revealed the deal, involving the Mercedes GP part-owner Aabar, last week.

The AS newspaper said Toro Rosso’s 2011 car will be wearing significant Cepsa signage at Monza and beyond.

The report also said other brands linked to Abu Dhabi and its International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) will be added to the STR6′s livery, including the Canadian company Nova Chemicals.

Toro Rosso on Tuesday confirmed the deals with Cepsa and Nova.

AS last week said a full title sponsorship is then likely for 2012 and beyond, probably resulting in a wholesale livery change for Faenza based Toro Rosso.

A deal between Red Bull’s second F1 team Toro Rosso and the Spanish oil brand Cepsa is racing ahead.
That is the latest claim of the Spanish sports daily AS, despite the Cepsa-linked, Abu Dhabi state-owned Aabar recently denying the reports.

In June, part Mercedes GP-owner Aabar admitted to the talks with Red Bull but said they were not about the energy drink company’s “formula one teams”.

But AS says Toro Rosso’s 2011 car will be wearing Cepsa colours starting from next weekend’s Italian grand prix at Monza because Red Bull “has already closed the deal”.

The report said other brands linked to Abu Dhabi and its International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) will also be added to the STR6′s livery.

The main one will be existing Toro Rosso sponsor Falcon Private – a Swiss bank – and another is Canadian company Nova Chemicals.

A full title sponsorship is then likely for 2012 and beyond, probably resulting in a wholesale livery change for Faenza based Toro Rosso.

There is a place in formula one for teams like HRT, the struggling team’s Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan has insisted.
Lures to potential new backers like ‘This could be you’ aside, Karthikeyan’s sponsor Tata is the only significant logo on the livery of the F111.

Hispania had an horror start to its 2011 campaign and is still at the back of the grid, but team figures now believe they can soon be troubling the next target, Virgin.

And despite Bernie Ecclestone suggesting the sport would be better off without them, Karthikeyan insists that F1′s minor spat also brings value.

“The fact is we are never in contention for the title,” he told the Hindustan Times. “But teams like these are equally important for F1.

“We are all a part of the show.

“(Those teams) provide the platform for younger drivers and for drivers like me who are coming back. There’s this hierarchy in every sport, but it only makes it more interesting,” added Karthikeyan.

HRT on Tuesday revealed the first computer-generated photos of its new car and livery for the 2011 season.
The F111 looks similar to the Dallara-built chassis of last season, but the Spanish team said it has been designed by Geoff Willis and Paul White.

“We are very pleased to introduce the first spec of the F111,” said team owner Jose Ramon Carabante. “This is only a first step as we are planning several updates during the season.”

Added team boss Colin Kolles: “We have made a big improvement for our second season and what you see confirms our commitment to F1.”

The new Daniel Simon-designed livery is also apparently only a first specification, given that the only on-car sponsor is Tata and several spaces include logos such as ‘This could be you’.

Hispania Racing is shaping up the F111, the new Spanish Team´s car, which will be hitting the tracks of the 2011 F1 season.

Hispania Racing is pleased to show the pictures of the new car developed by its own group of engineers and designers under the technical leadership of Geoff Willis and Chief Designer Paul White.

Jose Ramon Carabante, Hispania Racing President, stated: “We feel really proud of the car our drivers will run this forthcoming season. Despite a challenging first year, we managed to finish on the eleventh position in the World Constructors Championship. Now, we are very pleased to introduce the first spec of the F111, which means a huge design-effort from our side. This is only a first step as we are planning several updates during the season.”

Colin Kolles, Team Principal of Hispania Racing, “The F111 represents a significant step forward for Hispania Racing. We have made a big improvement for starting our second season in Formula 1 and what you see in our new car confirms Hispania Racing´s commitment to F1.” Colin Kolles also reveals that “the F111 will incorporate the adjustable rear wing.”

Daniel Simon who was responsible for the livery of the car, has perfectly expressed the combination of his personal ideas and those of Hispania Racing.

Colin Kolles: “Daniel has created a wonderfully confident look for our new car which really captures the effort the whole team has put into developing the F111. The car design and the graphic design perfectly complement one another and mark the real beginnings of our ambitions.”

Daniel is today one of the most imaginative and adventurous designers in both Hollywood and the motor industry. Although he and his label Cosmic Motor live mostly in the future, he also has a strong passion for motor racings bold iconic liveries from the past, and he has drawn inspiration of them in creating Hispania Racing´s new livery. “I miss fearless visual statements and large beautiful numbers on today´s racing cars.”

That distinct Cosmic Motors look brings together racing spirit and commercial reality, blending the dual requirements in a seamless, but attractive manner, which reflects the motivated vibe of the Hispania Racing team as it enters its second Formula 1 season.

Working within the defined Hispania Racing shape was enjoyable for Daniel, “Playing with the restrictions of what you can do to a complex F1 body is fun. There are many don´ts, but I found a way to lay courageous racing essence on the car.”

Fernando Alonso on Thursday said he was calm amid reports more adventurous car designs could set the pace in 2011.

With its radical front-exiting exhausts, the new Renault driven by Robert Kubica set the fastest time of all as the first group test of the pre-season concluded.

“Futuristic projects are not always better than more conservative ones,” insisted Ferrari’s Alonso, according to La Stampa newspaper.

“I have my traditional Ferrari and I’m happy that way,” he added.

The Spaniard had joked earlier that the only thing he has noticed about Red Bull’s new car was its unchanged livery.

Now also asked about the newly Lotus-sponsored Renault, Alonso answered: “One (the Red Bull) has the same colours as before, the other (the Renault) is different.”

Christian Horner, boss of the reigning champion Red Bull team, told Sport Bild that he too is cautious about drawing conclusions.

“Everyone knows that the times are insignificant at the moment,” he insisted.

Of the other main contenders, McLaren’s 2011 car breaks cover for the first time only on Friday, while there have been concerns about the early speed of Mercedes’ new W02.

“What we have on the car now is a long way from what we are eventually going to have,” warned Nico Rosberg. “Right now, I’m not worried.”

And with moving wings, scarce allocations of tyres at the test, KERS and big fuel tanks all in the mix, his Mercedes teammate Michael Schumacher is also not panicking.

“There are so many things to take into account that I don’t care about the times,” said the German.

“Some teams could be close already to what they are going to have at the first race, while for others it is different,” Schumacher is quoted by L’Equipe.

“We will have a clearer picture of the situation in Bahrain for the final test,” he insisted.

Team boss Ross Brawn agrees: “It’s too early to judge, but there is nothing wrong with this car,” he is quoted by autohebdo.fr.

His counterpart at Ferrari, technical director Aldo Costa, also said the pecking order after just three days of testing is unclear.

“I’m not saying we’re stumbling around in the dark, but almost,” he told reporters on Thursday.

Williams’ stock market floatation is close to being realised, according to an authoritative newspaper.
The British team announced recently that the option is being examined because it is the “best way to secure” its future.

A report in the Wall Street Journal this week said up to 28 per cent of the Oxfordshire based team will be floated on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange later this month.

Williams’ new car for 2011, the FW33, features radically low rear packaging and a small gearbox, but it has failed to impress the Valencia test timesheets so far.

And the car’s plain interim livery, and the fact that the race trucks and team uniforms are bare, have also raised concerns about Williams’ financial health.

“We have a full budget for 2011,” insisted technical director Sam Michael.

“The mechanics are wearing a basic uniform because we aren’t launching the race livery until the end of February and don’t want to ruin the surprise!” he said.

Red Bull on Tuesday revealed its new car for the 2011 season featuring the number 1 for reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Photographs of the RB7, which is an evolution of the dominant title-winning car of 2010, were published on the team’s official website shortly before a blue sheet was pulled off in the Valencia pitlane by Vettel – who will drive the car on Tuesday – and Mark Webber.

Mercedes will also reveal its 2011 car at the Ricardo Tormo circuit on Tuesday, as will Toro Rosso, while the new Williams will make its test debut with an interim livery.

No rain and mild temperatures are forecast for the first day of pre-season testing in Cheste, which is 25 kilometres from the Spanish port city Valencia.

Sauber on Monday became the next team to reveal its 2011 car.

Photographers captured the new C30 in the chilly Valencia pitlane, where group testing will begin 24 hours later.

The Ferrari-powered car is outwardly similar to the 2010 model and features the familiar white and grey livery, punctuated by some new sponsors brought mainly by new Mexican driver Sergio Perez.

“We have managed to secure our business foundation for the 2011 season. In these economically straitened times that is something we can be proud of,” said team owner and boss Peter Sauber.

Team Lotus on Monday revealed its 2011 car.
In an edition of its online magazine Team Lotus Notes, the team published the first photographs of the new green and gold TL11 featuring a Mercedes-style unconventional airbox shape.

The new livery features more yellow and prominent Renault signage, reflecting its new engine partnership with the French marque.

The car itself, with a rear end supplied by Red Bull, has a high and straight nose similar to the other designs seen so far including the Ferrari and Mercedes.

“It is a much more contemporary design. The car really will be a midfield runner. It’s a modern F1 car,” technical boss Mike Gascoyne is quoted as saying.

“There’s been almost no carry-over of parts for the 2011 car — it looks substantially different from last year’s car. It’s the basis of our cars for the future,” he added.

Two days ahead of the rest of the world, a German newspaper has revealed the first photo of Mercedes’ formula one car for 2011.

Bild am Sonntag published a photo showing the W02 with a very high and wide nose, a shinier silver livery and a reversion to a more conventional airbox.

The car will only be officially launched on Tuesday morning before it is tested for the first time as pre-season testing kicks off at Valencia.

“It has a shiny new silver paint, which really illumates the beautiful shapes,” said the German marque’s motor sport vice-president Norbert Haug.

He said the goal is to race with the front-runners this season, and team boss Ross Brawn revealed that designers have been aggressive with the W02.

“Last year I had to turn down some of the engineers’ interesting suggestions. Now it’s different. We are much better organised,” said the Briton.

Added Michael Schumacher: “The guys have done a very good job, I am very satisfied.

“We decided to start work on the car very early last season. We knew quite quickly what was wrong with the 2010 car and have improved significantly in all of those areas.”

And Brawn said of of the W02′s proudest boasts is its KERS system.

“It is very light, very compact, and will affect the balance hardly at all. It is a big step,” he revealed.