Mercedes’ highly-anticipated 2012 car made its track debut this week during a secret test day at Silverstone.
“Lots of questions about Silverstone and shakedowns,” admitted the Northamptonshire based team on Twitter on Thursday.

Youtube video footage, captured by a trackside observer, showed the ‘step’ nose W03 turning laps at the British grand prix venue, which is located just a 15-minute drive from the German team’s Brackley headquarters.

Mercedes said the test was for “filming” purposes, with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher’s equally sharing the allowed 100 kilometres of running.

Italy’s Autosprint website said the car appeared “fairly conventional”, despite speculation the late test debut is due to the team keeping an explosive technical innovation close to its chest.

Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s car designer, admitted he and Mercedes’ rivals might have a very close look at the W03 if the rumours about the technical secret are true.

“If it comes out and goes three seconds quicker than anybody else, yes of course,” he is quoted by Reuters.

“Other than that, simply because its later doesn’t mean to say you are going to suddenly show more attention at that than anybody else’s.”

Meanwhile, after the struggling Spanish team’s 2012 car recently failed two mandatory FIA crash tests, HRT will sit out next week’s Barcelona test.

Last week at Jerez, Pedro de la Rosa ran at the wheel of the 2011 car.

Cosworth is staying in formula one and designing a V6 engine even though it only has two customers for 2012.
Team Lotus switched to Renault power last year and Williams is following suit for 2012, leaving struggling Virgin and Hispania as the only Cosworth teams on the grid.

The independent Northampton based engine maker said when it returned to F1 in 2010 that it needed a minimum number of customers to make its programme viable.

But when asked if Cosworth can survive with only two teams on the books, boss Mark Gallagher told Auto Motor und Sport: “We can.”

He explains: “We regard each of our customer contracts as a separate deal. Each has fixed costs: engine, support at the track, development, individual adjustment to the car.

“So there is a profit with each deal. With regards to 2012, instead of having three separate profits, there will be only two.”

Chief executive Tim Routsis expands: “In 2010 we supplied mainly new teams, and no one knew whether they would survive. It would not have made sense if we had not taken a potential collapse of one of these teams into account.

“As a fourth team, Williams was for us rather a bonus,” he added.

And Routsis said it was always clear that Williams might jump ship at any moment.

“(Chairman) Adam Parr was always quite clear with us, saying from the outset that they would jump at the first chance of being with a car manufacturer,” he said.

As for the future, Cosworth is happy with the change of plan from four-cylinder to V6 engines to debut in 2014.

Said Gallagher: “For the four cylinder there was no cost-curbing device. The big manufacturers were counting on at least EUR 60 million for development, while for us we are dependent on the payments from our customers.”

He added that the V6 rules restrict development costs much more effectively.

“We also have a customer guarantee,” revealed Gallagher. “Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault have committed that at least two customers will stay with us. Three would be ideal.”

Auto Motor und Sport speculated that Cosworth has set its sights on signing Force India, or the team currently known as Lotus Renault GP.

Three teams will continue to be powered by Cosworth engines in 2011, the independent British company has announced.

At Monza, an agreement “in principle” was reached between the Northampton based marque and Lotus to end their current engine deal.

That termination has now been signed, paving the way for Lotus to switch to Renault power for 2011 and 2012.

“Cosworth’s support for Lotus Racing will cease at midnight on 30 November 2010,” confirmed Cosworth.

It said Lotus wanted to end the deal “to solve reliability and performance issues unrelated to the Cosworth engine”.

The Williams, Virgin and HRT teams will continue to use Cosworth engines next year, a media statement issued by Cosworth confirmed.

It is expected a formal announcement of Lotus’ Renault deal will be made next week.

“Three announcements out next week,” team boss Tony Fernandes wrote on Twitter, “which will show the strength of what we are building.”

The other announcements are probably the extension of Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli’s contracts, and possibly an extended deal with sponsor Dell.

It is also clear that next year’s Lotus will once again be painted green and yellow, despite the legal spat with carmaker Group Lotus.

“I would say that that’s the only thing I can confirm 100 per cent,” Fernandes said.

If Red Bull had known in advance the performance of Cosworth’s engine, the British marque and F1′s title leading team could be working together now.

That is the opinion of Cosworth’s managing director Tim Routsis, who has revealed that talks between the independent Northampton based engine maker and Red Bull took place a year ago.

Instead, the RB6 is fitted with the Renault V8, which according to Red Bull is significantly down on power compared with the industry leading F1 engines.

Red Bull designer Adrian Newey said this week that the 2011 car will likely also be powered by Renault, due to McLaren vetoing a collaboration with the team’s preferred supplier, Mercedes.

But Routsis reveals that there were talks last year between Cosworth, who have lost Lotus as an engine customer for 2011, and Red Bull.

“There were several contacts with Red Bull,” he is quoted by the Italian language Autosprint.

“But we were at a disadvantage, because we had no evidence about how our engine was going to debut.

“I am convinced that if we had been able to wind the clocks forward by 13 months, things with Red Bull would have gone differently,” added Routsis.

At Monza, Sir Frank Williams confirmed once again that his Oxfordshire built cars will be powered by Cosworth in 2011, although the financial health of the marque’s other partners – HRT and Virgin – is clouded.

“We are pleased to have produced a very reliable and economical engine,” Routsis concluded. “This I think is recognised by everyone.”

Bruno Senna will return to the wheel of his HRT car at Hockenheim in two weeks.

The new Spanish team has replaced the Brazilian at Silverstone with reserve driver Sakon Yamamoto, amid speculation the Japanese is better funded.

But Senna, 26, is at the Northamptonshire venue on Friday and has been locked in meetings with team boss Colin Kolles and manager Chris Goodwin.

Hispania then said in a statement that the team “decided to give an opportunity” to Yamamoto, who turns 28 on Friday.

“Bruno Senna will continue to drive in the remaining races,” the statement added.

Yamamoto is more than a second off the pace of team regular Karun Chandhok at Silverstone, and during the afternoon session looked to be suffering from a sore neck.

HRT’s statement referred to “the rumours” about Senna’s financial position, but neither Senna, Goodwin or Kolles would explain the true reasons for the Silverstone situation.

A hotel popular with formula one teams, spectators and media personnel has burned down just days before the British grand prix.

A stone’s throw from Silverstone, the double storey Premier Inn hotel – based at the popular Green Man pub – caught fire on Monday night and was attended by more than 50 firefighters.

One woman was hospitalised and two men have been arrested.

“There have been no similar fires reported in the area and there is no suggestion that there is any link to the British grand prix,” said Northamptonshire West CID inspector Andy Glenn.

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And last year, succeeded the “red bull” on the course in Northamptonshire a double victory. The signs are so good, but is happy not only because of technical director Adrian Newey to forward to the next Grand Prix at Silverstone (July 9 to 11).

For the team headquarters of Red Bull Racing in Milton Keynes is 30 minutes away from Silverstone. “So many of our employees the chance to see the race immediately,” said Newey. Whether they will experience a strong performance of the team, the design guru but can not promise yet: “There are so many variables such as the track temperature, so many things that can affect the performance of the team.”
Unlike in Valencia Red Bull will be at Silverstone have no major upgrade here, but only minor modifications, mainly at the front and rear wings. “We were in Valencia with a new diffuser and another F-shaft a few innovations here, all of which have worked well,” says Newey.
“The team has worked incredibly hard and Sebastian drove a great race,” continues Newey. “He brought the car really well through the race, after he blocked during restart after Safetycarphase the brakes and made the left front tire was flat. And it was a great relief that Mark was after his big crash in order.”

Meanwhile it had become difficult to find under the new regulations still tricks that bring a big step forward with it, continues Newey, but he added with a grin: “It is interesting to see how popular our exhaust systems along the pit lane has become! ”

Newey is now but once the first rounds of the Red Bull looking forward to the new section of the Silverstone course. “Like all other teams, we got the floor plan map and simulated,” he says. “But we have to address details such as bumps and Gripwechsel, we know only when we are driven there. It looks good in any case and as I noted at the MotoGP race there, the drivers loved it.”

Cosworth is tweaking the design of its formula one engine in order to accommodate KERS systems in 2011.

Although already permitted by the technical regulations, the teams voluntarily agreed to not use the energy-recovery technology this season.

But for 2011, the FOTA ban will lapse, and teams currently powered by Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault have indicated they will fit KERS systems to their cars.

Williams has also indicated it will run KERS in 2011, and as well as the British team, Northampton based Cosworth also currently powers Lotus, Virgin and HRT.

“We have to make several new configurations to our V8 and also change some of the accessories,” Cosworth’s business director Mark Gallagher is quoted by Autosprint’s Italian-language auto.it.

He confirmed: “Our partners will be able to use KERS if they so choose.”

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Rather than bracing to lose a customer, Cosworth says it is ready to supply engines to a fifth formula one team next year.

The British marque’s business director Mark Gallagher played down recent reports that the currently Cosworth-powered Williams or Lotus could be moving to switch to Renault.

Renault has said it is willing to add to its customer engine roster for 2011, but Gallagher told Reuters that he thinks Williams, Lotus, Virgin and HRT are going nowhere.

“The obvious solution is actually the thirteenth team that is coming into formula one,” he said.

“My gut feeling is that it is probably a Cosworth/Renault competition to supply (that) team,” added Gallagher.

Even if the four Cosworth-powered teams all stay put, Gallagher said the Northampton-based supplier has the capacity to supply a fifth team.

“It certainly wouldn’t be a problem to step up to the mark again and do it for next season,” he said.

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According to reports in the financial media, F1 engine supplier Cosworth could soon be floated on the stock exchange.

The reports estimated the value of the flotation at about (US) $360 million, following the famous British marque’s return to F1 with Williams and all three of the new teams.

Main investors Gerald Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven, who bought Cosworth from Ford in 2004, are reportedly considering the move as profits are expected to surge from $2m in 2008 to more than $70m this year.

The reports said auditor Deloitte may have been hired for the initial public offering, and a source admitted that business has picked up dramatically since the company laid off 200 staff when it dropped out of F1 at the end of 2006.

The Northampton Chronicle quoted a spokesman as saying on Tuesday: “As with any company that enjoys a particularly successful period, there is speculation that they will float. Those things go hand in hand.”
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(GMM)  While Ferrari and Toro Rosso have been running cars recently in Italy, Michael Schumacher was at the wheel of the 2010 Mercedes at Rockingham.

The combined oval and road course circuit is located in Northamptonshire, about an hour’s drive from Mercedes’ F1 headquarters, where the 41-year-old German has been this week to look over the updated W01 for the Spanish grand prix.

Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm confirmed to the DPA news agency that the seven time world champion did drive at Rockingham this week for team filming purposes.

The circuit was reportedly closed for the session and Schumacher is said to have covered about 100 kilometres.

“We are looking forward to evaluating the impact (of the car developments) on our pace whilst remaining conscious that this is very much a first step in improving our competitiveness,” said team boss Ross Brawn before travelling to Barcelona.

Apr.30 (GMM)  Silverstone has admitted to stretching its financial abilities “further than ever before” to pay for its circuit changes.

The Northamptonshire venue’s new 760 metre ‘Arena’ section was launched on Thursday, and for the 2011 race the start-finish line and pit and paddock complex will be moved to the straight after Club corner.

It is believed the new facilities are a requirement of the new 17-year grand prix contract, and BRDC chairman Damon Hill admits the financial cost is a risk to the circuit owners.

Asked if Silverstone’s coffers are now stretched to the limit, the 1996 world champion answered: “Not to the absolute limit, but certainly stretching further than has been stretched before.

“I think it’s a necessary risk.  The alternative was very possibly that the British grand prix would have gone off the calendar.”

Hill talked up the talents of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton at Thursday’s event, admitting that Silverstone is now relying on Britain’s “tradition for producing world class drivers who will eventually drive people through the gate”.

Cosworth engine supplier since 2006, has enjoyed his first action in the Formula One racetrack.  This week two of his clients have tested its engines.

The AT & T Williams team carried out the three day test in the Valencia Circuit in Spain, placing the Cosworth V8 CA to seriously give its first steps for the first time in a racetrack.

The new Virgin Racing team unveiled its digitally designed racing car known as the VR-01, with Cosworth engine on Wednesday before the initial sampler session in Silverstone.

This way, Cosworth F1 executives have expressed their first impressions

In an interview with Mark Gallagher, Director General of Cosworth F1 (Business Unit) he was asked about “what relevance have this week’s activities had regarding the World Championship:”
“We are excited to have begun this week the pre-season tests in Valencia with Williams, because it was our first opportunity to see the CA in the rear end of a racing car with all the consequences that has.  The development and test of an engine in our installations in Northampton is one thing, but to see it in the racetrack takes us to a new phase in our program, “ explained Mark Gallagher.

It’s evident that they are thrilled with the debut in the F1, giving credit to their work with Williams, the Director stated;  “Our work with Williams has been very important to collect data, driver’s response and to measure the initial results of the combination of the CA engine to the FW32 chassis.  Our first performance measure will always be the durability, and the fact that Rubens and Nico have completed more than 1.200 kms between both, showed that the engine’s reliability has been up to our expectations. We also paid attention to the global success of the overall installation; see how the engine works together with the Williams gear selection and prove all the associated systems, pressures, cooling system, temperatures.. [...]  Now, we’re waiting for next week’s test in Jerez where we can take our technical program with the team to the next level. “

However, the Director looked particularly excited with the Cosworth VR-01 combination.  “It was very gratifying to see the Virgin-Cosworth VR-01 this week and to welcome the first of our new teams in the Formula One.  We have developed a solid work relationship with Virgin Racing during the last months, and I would like to congratulate Nick Wirth and his design team for the results of their efforts. We’re doing all that is possible to support them since the beginning of their activities in  F1 and when they join with Williams in Jerez, next week we’ll have two teams in the racetrack which will increase our pre-season activities very much.“

What are you specifically involved with? “We were at Silverstone with Virgin Racing for a shakedown session, as a base before the test in Jerez.  Even though the weather conditions were good today, the car worked as expected and it has been a good opportunity to start to understand the new chassis-engine.  This will help to insure that we’re capable of doing most of next week’s important test in Spain.“