Pirelli stands ready to supply special ‘qualifying tyres’ to formula one teams next year.

With the emphasis of the sport’s spectacle now relying on the complex and heavily degrading control tyres, it was the qualifying session that suffered last weekend in Barcelona.

Arguably to the detriment of Saturday’s spectacle, teams took an exceedingly strategic view of the fight for pole position, with some drivers sitting out the decisive ‘Q3′ runout altogether.

One solution, according to Pirelli’s chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera, is the return of ‘qualifying tyres’.

The proposal has been made following recent criticism, notably by seven time world champion Michael Schumacher, of Pirelli’s 2012 product.

Tronchetti defended his marque’s approach.

“What we have is many competitive cars, which is what the teams wanted — opprtunity for everyone who is able to win,” he told Italian radio Rai GR Parlamento.

“So it’s fine if someone complains. We are available to the teams. We are ready to make qualifying tyres tomorrow.

“But they are choices that are not ours.”

France’s return to the 2013 formula one calendar is not quite at the finish-line.

Many expected prime minister Francois Fillon’s visit to the Paul Ricard circuit last Friday to coincide with an announcement about the revival of the French grand prix next year.

Some think that was indeed the intention, but ultimately a couple of details were missing at the last hurdle.

The first was the identity of the host circuit that will annually alternate the race date, amid reports Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps is not yet ready or able to agree.

“The formula one management has approved the plan without indicating who would be the other country,” Fillon is quoted as saying in local reports.

Another problem is on the financial side, with Fillon admitting that – politically – there can be no direct government subsidy other than a mere “bond”.

The difference between a deal and no deal between Bernie Ecclestone and the Le Castellet organisers, then, is “about two million euros”, Fillon revealed.

“The formula one organisers’ proposal is reasonable enough,” he said, “but we have to make them remove the ‘enough’,” he added.

“Symbolically it would not be acceptable (for the government) to subsidise a grand prix,” he insisted, “as was the case in the past with Magny Cours.”

Magny Cours, the former French GP venue, reacted with shock and anger, accusing the prime minister of “bias in favour of Le Castellet”, where temporary grandstands will have to be erected to host spectators.

On the other hand, Magny Cours has “all the facilities, infrastructure and expertise needed to organise such an event”, insisted Patrice Joly, president of the conseil general of the Nievre department.

“Contrary to what you would expect from the head of government, the prime minister strives to implement a solution based on partisan considerations and personal issues away from the general interest,” he added.

 Singapore, the southeast Asian city-state and the scene of F1′s annual street night race, could be at the centre of the sport’s plans for the future.
Sky News reports that Temasek Holdings, one of Singapore’s principal sovereign wealth funds, has been approached by F1′s majority owner CVC with a proposal to buy into the sport.

It is also rumoured that F1 could be floated on the Singapore stock exchange.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone admitted last November that, “It would be better (for CVC) to float the company in Singapore than sell it”.

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) would not comment.

“It is not our practice to publicly comment on our dealings with individual entities,” a spokeswoman told the AFP news agency.

 Valencia president Alberto Fabra has admitted it is possible the Spanish port city will annually alternate its F1 race date with Barcelona.
Amid Spain’s worsening economic crisis, organisers of the Circuit de Catalunya’s Spanish grand prix last year proposed a Germany-style sharing of a single race date, alternating between the venues every year.

Valencia, however, turned down the initial proposal, but Barcelona officials this week suggested that talks are back on.

Indeed, Valencia’s regional president Alberto Fabra confirmed to EFE news agency on Monday that alternating with Barcelona “is one of the alternatives”.

He warned that an agreement “is not yet done”, because the issue will need to involve F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone over the course of “the coming weeks”.

“We’re still in negotiations, waiting for a proposal with Ecclestone,” added Fabra.

 Organisers of the Spanish grand prix are set to propose once again that Valencia shares a single annual date on the formula one calendar in future.
Both the Barcelona and Valencia venues have admitted to financial troubles amid Spain’s dire economic situation.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone is pushing the Spanish organisers to agree a deal whereby they open up a date to a new host country by annually alternating their races.

Valencia, however, is believed to have rejected a proposal along those
lines made by the Catalonian government last year.

“They said they were happy with how formula one had developed to date in Valencia and believed they could continue doing it the same way,” Barcelona official Germa Gordo, reportedly close to Catalonia president Artur Mas, told the DPA news agency.

“We understand that although there was the rejection, the new Valencian government is prepared to consider a proposal,” he added.

“The offer will be made in the coming weeks.”

Marca newspaper, meanwhile, quoted a Valencian official as reiterating that “the issue of major events” is “under review”.

“What we want is an agreement that is good for everyone,” the unnamed official said.

It is believed informal talks between the regional authorities have already taken place.

 Alain Prost has backed France’s touted return in 2013 to the formula one calendar.
Recently, the four time world champion was involved in a project to bring the sport to Paris.

“That’s a closed chapter,” he rued, according to the Russian website F1News.

“I really regret that, because – believe me – it was the best project I had seen in a long time.”

The latest proposal is for France’s Paul Ricard to share an annually alternating grand prix date with Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium’s fabled and much loved circuit.

Prost said: “Obviously the best thing would be for France and Belgium to have their own grands prix each year.

“But unfortunately you have to admit that Europe is facing great difficulties, so if this is the only way for the race to happen, then why not?

“It’s better than nothing,” he said.

Qualifying tyres are not returning to formula one in 2012.

Pirelli’s F1 boss Paul Hembery revealed a month ago that ultra-fast and sticky qualifying tyres were among the official supplier’s ideas about how to maximise its involvement beyond this season.

“In the end for something like that the decision is with the teams. They might say no,” he said in August.

Asked by a Twitter follower on Thursday if the proposal was given the green light, Hembery said: “Not for 2012.”

Thailand has become the latest country bidding to join the ever-expanding formula one calendar.
The Bangkok Post said media reports have been confirmed by Thailand’s official promotion arm the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau.

The agency’s president Akapol Sorasuchart said businesses have called on Thailand to organise major events in order to enhance its reputation.

He said experts will be called in to study the proposal.

“Building an F1 circuit is very costly but it would be useful after the races end,” said Mr Akapol.

“(And) I think that street racing is interesting for Thailand because it involves lower investment.”

He said a street layout would likely include the capital city Bangkok’s Ratchadamnoen road, built in 1899 to link the royal palaces during King Rama’s reign.

Jean Alesi has welcomed news his native France looks set to rejoin the formula one calendar.
It is expected that, three years after Magny Cours dropped off the schedule, France will return in 2013 with a single annual date to be alternated between Paul Ricard and Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps.

“The drivers love Spa and I think it is very important to always go there because of the spectacle, the history and everything else,” Frenchman Alesi, who contested more than 200 grands prix until 2011, said.

“But the problem is the money,” the 1995 Canadian grand prix winner and Group Lotus ambassador is quoted by France’s Auto Hebdo.

“Spa doesn’t have enough (money) to compete with places like Abu Dhabi. So it would be a shame to lose Spa but I say it’s better to go every other year than not at all.

“The compromise would be beneficial for everyone. As I am French, I would love to see the French grand prix coming back,” added Alesi, “and with the sharing (scheme), we can have both (France and Spa).”

Red Bull is not interested in a push among some rival formula one teams to buy into the sport’s commercial rights.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said some of the major teams – but not Red Bull – want to commission a viability study into the idea.

The report said Red Bull, owned by billionaire energy drink magnate Dietrich Mateschitz, considers the proposal a “senseless expenditure”.

The Vietnamese government has played down the possibility of a formula one grand prix in the southeast Asian country.

It was reported last week that Hans Geist, linked in the past with F1 forays in Russia, Austria and Bahrain, has proposed a $150 million project to Vietnam’s ministry of planning and investment.

The proposal is for a formula one circuit to be built near Nha Trang Bay in central Khanh Hoa province in three years.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment subsequently confirmed that a working session with Geist took place.

But Dang Huy Dong, the deputy minister, stressed that the possibility of a grand prix should not be overstated.

“To date, the only thing the investor has done is meet with relevant Vietnamese authorities to find out about the feasibility of the project,” he told the Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam newspaper.

“It is too early to say if such a project will really take place in Vietnam,” he added.

Polyphony Digtial has today fully revealed the “X1 Prototype”, a project in conjunction with Red Bull Racing.

All races that exist in today’s world are restricted by regulations. However the X1 is a machine born from a fantastic “what if” dream of Polyphony; “What would the fastest racing car on Earth, free of any and all regulations look like?”

Initially the X1 prototype was a single seater, canopied prototype wing car with covered front wheels. The performance brought about by the 1500ps direct injection V6 Twin Turbo would have been spectacular as is, with a top speed of 400km/h and a maximum lateral acceleration of 6G. But this concept showed an even greater advancement through the help of Red Bull Racing, who became a partner in this project.

Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer, the genius aerodynamicist Adrian Newey proposed that “Fan Car” technology, a dream that he had held to himself over the years be added to the X1 Prototype.

A “fan car” is a vehicle having a fan mechanism which forces the air out from underneath the car, to reduce air pressure under the car’s floor. The resulting suction draws the car to the ground surface and creates a massive amount of downforce. And because it can create downforce regardless of the vehicle’s current speed, it dramatically raises it’s cornering speed even in low speed corners.

The incredible ability of fan cars has already been proven in history. The Chaparral 2J fan car entered in the 1970 Can-Nam series was so fast that it was banned after just 1 season. Even in the F1, the BT46B fan car entered in 1978 by Brabham dominated the opening round of the series with extreme speed, and was banned just after that single race.

With this proposal from Mr. Newey, the machine was transformed with a large fan added to the rear end of the body. With additional advice regarding the shapes of the front and rear wings and rear diffuser, its aerodynamics became even further refined. As a result, the X1 prototype attained an astonishing level of performance, reaching a top speed of over 450km/h, with a maximum lateral acceleration reaching up to 8.75G. This is a performance level that is at the very limits of what a normal human body can withstand.

The driver who performed the shakedown test of the machine in Gran Turismo 5, was the world famous Sebastian Vettel. In his very first run on the Suzuka Circuit, he shortened the record time of the course by over 20 seconds. And in the test drive on the Nurburgring GP Course, he marked a record time of 1 minute 4 seconds, drawing out the incredible potential of the X1 Prototype.

This is the dream of the fastest racing car on land, brought to life through the collaboration between Polyphony and Red Bull. Witness for yourself the power of the X1 through the in-game “X1 Challenge”, the first driving lesson ever in Gran Turismo to be performed by a top professional driver.

Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer at Red Bull Racing

The results were thrilling. X1 is about evolution. Delivering the optimum combination of tested technologies in a single integrated design. This would be the future of racing were we not bound by regulations, but one that is achievable today. And as Sebastian has shown, it is about devastating speed coupled with real handling control. Today thanks to PlayStation®3 and Gran Turismo we can test drive the future.

Kazunori Yamauchi, President, Polyphony Digital Inc and creator of the Gran Turismo series

X1 sees the marriage of virtual and real worlds as we explore the boundaries of our technology and aesthetic senses. The X1 Prototype Project has been motivated by curiosity and passion, powerful forces that brought together the best the world has to offer in design, physics simulation, racing car product technology and driving.

X1 Downforce Specifications

Lets try calculating the cornering G’s of the X1 at 300km/h from the total tire load and coefficient of friction for the tires.

The total load on the X1′s tires at 300km/h is 1142.7kgf at the front tires, and 1432kgf at the rear tires. The coefficient of friction for the tires isμ=1.97. From these conditions, the maximum cornering force that the tires can exhibit can be determined to be 5073kgf. Dividing this by the wet weight of the X1 of 615kg comes to be 8.25, which is the maximum cornering G of the X1.

8.25G greatly exceeds the G’s felt during the launch of the Space Shuttle, and is roughly the same as that of a jet fighter plane at full afterburner. It is a figure at the very limits of what a human body can withstand.

Test Calculation: Cornering G at 300km/h
Total Tire Load: 2575.6kgf (Front Wheel 1142.7kgf+Rear Wheel 1432.9kgf)
Coefficient of Friction of Tires: μ=1.97 (baseμ=2.16, model calculates an efficiency reduction to 91.5% under high load)
Cornering force that can be exhibited by tires: 5073.9kgf
Cornering G: 8.25G (= 5073.9kgf / 615kg)

Read more: http://www.worldcarfans.com/110102929262/red-bull-x1-prototype-revealed-for-gran-turismo-5-video#ixzz13tUTExBi

After Sunday’s condensed action in Japan, the idea of reducing a grand prix weekend to just two days is back on the agenda.

It is believed the proposal is once again being discussed by team bosses, after Sebastian Vettel earned pole position just hours before winning the Suzuka race.

Qualifying in Japan had to be rescheduled due to Saturday’s torrential rain, highlighting the sport’s ability to cope with all its practice and qualifying sessions without needing a full three-day schedule as at present.

“From the team’s perspective it is quite intense, a lot of adrenaline, a lot of pressure,” said Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali when asked whether a two-day schedule makes more sense for today’s F1.

“And then if you have a problem with the car or a crash, then it is very difficult to make sure that you are able to start the race.

“(But) it would be interesting how you (the media) and the public will think about it,” he added.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner also commented on the concept of a two-day weekend.

“I think the format worked well in two days (in Japan) because of the bad weather,” he is quoted by France’s L’Equipe.  “What we could possibly do is condense what happens on a Friday.

“Personally, I would prefer to keep qualifying on a Saturday and the racing on Sunday, but there are certainly things we could do with Friday.

“One example would be with the young drivers.  (And) everybody arriving at the circuit on a Wednesday makes no sense.

“We need to discuss it with the FIA and FOM,” added Horner.

The annual formula one calendar should be shifted in order to give team staff a more suitable period of holidays at year’s end.

That is the opinion of Otmar Szafnauer, chief operating officer at the independent Silverstone based team, Force India.

Traditionally, the F1 calendar kicks off in March, ending some time in November.

Szafnauer said that, as a consequence, team staff take an initial end-of-season break before the pressure ramps up around Christmas to prepare the following season’s car.

“If we started a month later and the season then finished a bit later, we (the season) would be finished for Christmas.

“We could then shut the factories so that everyone comes back in the new year at full speed,” Szafnauer explained to the Dutch language formule1.nl.

He said his proposal has been discussed within the FOTA group, but admitted he is not confident the shape of the calendar will change dramatically any time soon.

“It’s not going to happen from one day to the next, because of the contracts with many of the circuits,” added Szafnauer.

Abu Dhabi is set to help Bulgaria join the formula one calendar.

According to reports, an economic cooperation agreement was signed this week between the Bulgarian economy minister and the Emirates Associated Business Group, a state-owned Abu Dhabi company.

Standart News and Sofia news agency Novinite claim the agreement involves construction of a formula one circuit at the former air base at Dobroslavtsi, 15 kilometres from the Bulgarian capital.

The agreement would see Abu Dhabi pay for construction of the circuit, with the land provided by Bulgaria.

The press office of the Bulgarian economy ministry confirmed the news.

2012 is slated as a possible grand prix debut date, but the reports said a proposal is late being lodged with the FIA.