Rubens Barrichello has alleged that Ferrari made a threat that might have ended his motor racing career during the infamous 2002 Austrian grand prix.

Ten years ago, the Brazilian led the race at the A1-Ring but eventually, at the very last corner, succumbed to team orders that allowed number one teammate Michael Schumacher to pass him.

Subsequent video footage has depicted then Ferrari team boss Jean Todt asking Barrichello on the radio to simply “let Michael pass for the championship, please”.

But Barrichello, having left F1 at the end of 2011 for a seat in Indycar, says it was not quite as simple as that.

“It was eight laps of war,” he is quoted by Brazil’s Globo.

“It’s very rare that I lose my temper, but I was screaming on the radio. I kept going right to the end, saying I would not let him pass.

“That’s when they said something about something much broader. It was not about the contract.

“I cannot tell you what they said, but it was a form of threat that made me think about re-thinking my life, because the great joy for me was driving,” said the 39-year-old.

Now less than three weeks before the island kingdom is scheduled to host its return to formula one, bitter protests and violence have once again erupted in Bahrain.

Witnesses claim a 22-year-old man who was filming the firing of tear gas on protesters was shot and killed by state-supporting militia on Friday.

The death – reportedly the first since last year’s troubles forced the cancellation of the 2011 race and test – intensified the clashes and calls for the forthcoming grand prix to be axed.

The government has denied it is responsible for the death.

“The ministry of interior will do all it can to find the criminal and bring him to justice,” a spokesman is quoted as saying by the Times of London.

The ministry also confirmed that Nabeel Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, has been arrested.

He had said last week: “We are going to use the opportunities that a lot of journalists are there (for the grand prix) and we are going to protest everywhere.”

The protests, however, continued.

“We (object to) holding a sports race that belittles the sacrifices of our children and ignores our suffering and wounds,” said a video statement posted on the internet by a protester.

“Do not tarnish the reputation of the respected auto sport with the blood of Bahrain victims.”

And on Twitter, the hashtags #BloodyF1 and #noF1 are being used to protest against the race and link to graphic photos and videos purporting to depict government violence.

 Christian Horner has admitted Red Bull is keeping its cards close to its chest ahead of the 2012 season.
Under the glare of the F1 world’s eyes, the title-defending RB8 has been in action for four days at Jerez recently.

But when the Adrian Newey-penned car was officially launched, the team refused to host a traditional unveiling ceremony, instead releasing a short animated video.

“We didn’t want it photographed at the first opportunity from every side by our competition,” admitted team boss Horner to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Amid Red Bull’s meteoric recent success, rival teams have copied the blown diffuser and flexible wing concepts, and this year’s ‘step’ noses are all the result of yet another Newey design philosophy beneath the chassis.

“At last year’s launch at Valencia there were 100 photographers all doing their shots from the roof of the pits,” Briton Horner exclaimed.

“In no time at all, everyone knew every dimension of our car.”

So, in 2012, some mysteries about the RB8 continue to exist — one is the real or secondary function of the letterbox-style nose slot, and another is an unlaunched development of the exhaust layout.

“Last year we had to have the blown diffuser out early,” explained Horner, “because we had to find out how the exhaust gases affected the tyres.

“This time, the secret is in the detail, and you don’t want to give your competition too much of a helping hand,” he smiled.

 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.

Lewis Hamilton looks set to be recalled as a witness as the Adrian Sutil assault saga rolls on.
German Sutil, and his father Jorge, described former close friend and 2008 world champion Hamilton as a “coward” and “pathetic” after the McLaren driver did not appear at the recent hearings in Munich.

But with the former Force India driver – and Munich prosecutors – now filing appeals against the judge’s verdict, Hamilton’s personal testimony might be regarded as crucial.

Hamilton is clearly visible in the video footage of the incident with Eric Lux in a Shanghai nightclub last April, but Sutil’s manager Manfred Zimmermann claims the judge neglected the gravity of the security camera evidence.

“Not asking one of the witnesses to court and other important circumstances have not been considered as well,” Zimmermann charged.

London newspaper the Daily Telegraph claims Hamilton “is happy to testify provided the date does not clash with prior commitments”.

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

An HRT mechanic is not seriously injured on Sunday despite a terrifying incident during the Italian grand prix.

Video footage has emerged of a German mechanic called Marcel being thrown violently to the ground by Sakon Yamamoto’s car as the Japanese left the pits at Monza.

The mechanic was adjusting Yamamoto’s radio when the lollipop-man let the driver go too early.

HRT said Marcel never lost consciousness as he was taken to the medical centre.

“The situation is under control and we are waiting for more information,” added the Spanish team.

More information emerged in recent minutes thanks to former HRT race driver Karun Chandhok, who visited Marcel in the medical centre.

“Marcel the radio man is talking and stable awaiting more scans,” said the Indian.

According to well-known French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet, a notable meeting involving the Mercedes GP team took place on Monday.

Moncet wrote in his Auto Plus blog that the video conference would involve the Stuttgart based Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche, and the Brackley based team’s Ross Brawn, Norbert Haug, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.

He said the “various statements by members of the team to the media” would be discussed, even though a Mercedes spokesman rubbished the report.

And although Mercedes insists the comments were taken out of context, Moncet could be referring to Rosberg’s quoted claims about being frustrated by a lack of development progress.

There have also been hints from Rosberg, Schumacher and Brawn that development of the 2010 car could be stopped in favour of focusing on next year’s project.

But in a team statement late last week, those figures insisted the team is still working hard on the W01.

“It’s been tough for us over the last few races but we are working hard to improve and I am confident we will get there,” said Rosberg.

However, a headline in the German daily Die Welt said “Expectation and reality are far apart at Mercedes”.

The article included Zetsche’s warning of early this year when he said that “If there are clear indications that we can use our money more effectively outside of formula one, we will have to take a new decision”.

And former Jordan and Jaguar designer Gary Anderson said: “The people around Brawn understand the car they have built for 2010 in the same way they understood it in the second half of last year.”

But Bernie Ecclestone thinks Mercedes needs more time to get up to speed with its own team.

“Of course it takes a bit of time to revive a myth, but I am sure they are on the right track and that the Silver Arrows will come back to full strength,” said the F1 chief executive.

(GMM)

After rather modest achievements of Mercedes-superstar Michael Schumacher rattled on the 41-year-old world champion last down a lot of criticism. The expectations of many fans and observers could meet the Schumacher after his return to the Formula 1 scene so far barely. Especially after the race in Canada was fulminated against the Germans.

“Schumacher is a shadow of bygone days”, with David Coulthard said this had brought his view of things in the ‘BBC’ comment clearly. The Scot is now presenting in a video interview on the website of Red Bull still for once. The services of Schumacher are not in the foreground, but rather a principled position.
“It’s great to see that Michael is back on the track. It robs the new generation, however, that a place,” said Coulthard. He set himself apart not in accordance with a comeback. “Imagine I can to me, but I’m not going. I am with my Grands Prix satisfied with the opportunities I had. I am part of the Red Bull family and very happy that now the next generation of their gets a chance. “

Christian Horner on Friday accused a “naughty” Ferrari of breaching the “spirit” of the in-season testing ban.

The Italian team tested its new Red Bull-like low exhaust layout at its own Fiorano test circuit last week, under the guise of a “filming and promotional” day.

Indeed, Ferrari did distribute media photos of the event and even a video of Fernando Alonso driving the car with a camera mounted on his helmet.

“It was arguably within the letter of the laws but not within the spirit,” Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, told the Telegraph.

“You don’t just run these cars – there has to be a lot of planning – and it wasn’t by mistake that they happened to run on that day with the new exhaust system,” he added.

Horner suggested that if Ferrari was really just running the F10 for filming purposes, the car did not need to be fitted with its important Valencia update.

“They managed to have a look at it, and they’ve probably learned a bit.  I’m sure there will be a lively debate at the next team principals’ meeting,” he predicted.

“I think it’s something that needs to be tidied up, because it’s effectively a gentlemen’s agreement, and it’s important that that should be respected.”

But it is true that the Ferrari was running with Bridgestone’s ultra-hard promotional tyres, and Alonso said the runs had been of little competitive value.

“I was running behind a car with cameras at 60kph so it was very stable,” the Spaniard joked.

“We did some laps also with no car in front, and ten cameras on the car and on the helmet, so it was not very comfortable to drive, and it was also the first time driving a Ferrari F1 car at Fiorano,” insisted Alonso.

(GMM)

Ferrari has confirmed that a new exhaust system is among the changes to its 2010 car to debut on the streets of Valencia this weekend.

It has been reported that the revised F10, tested by Fernando Alonso at Fiorano and seen on a fan video posted on the internet, features a Red Bull-like layout for the exhausts.

Ferrari also revealed that test driver Marc Gene was at the wheel of the car for an aerodynamic test at Vairano last week.

The low-mounted exhausts, located directly ahead of the double diffuser, are tipped to slice up to half a second off laptimes.

Maranello based Ferrari on Tuesday confirmed that the Valencia upgrade includes “several modifications and updates”, although “not quite as far-reaching or extensive as (the) reports have suggested!”

The team said: “The most significant feature is a new configuration for the exhaust system, aimed at improving the aerodynamic efficiency of the car.”
(GMM)

The new Ferrari superstar Fernando Alonso has spent nearly two eventful days in Maranello. Like team-mate Felipe Massa, the Spaniards began on Thursday in the simulator of the Italians to be able to zero in on the next Grand Prix in the streets of Valencia. Same time, we simulated the latest updates on the Ferrari F10.

In view of the extensive remodeling of the Formula 1 car the Italians arrived just in that shooting was planned in Fiorano. After Alonso Ferrari for some customers as well-known “driving instructor” on the test track on the way, he was allowed to rise in the better cars. It was the first time that the two-time world champion moved a Formula 1 car at the Ferrari home track.
According to the team Alonso completed only a few laps with the F10, because you can not because of the planned shooting could get too many free rounds. For a shakedown of the B-version of the Formula 1 racing car but it was enough. Ferrari had timed the film shoot for sponsors and new video content from your own website perfectly.

Rides with current Formula 1 cars are also in times of current test limits for the purpose of filming permits. Interesting still, published by the Alonso-Ferrari at Fiorano more precisely a single photo. It shows the F10 from the front. The most extensive changes to the B version will be found, however, at the rear …

Jun.9 (GMM)  As Red Bull continues to put the pieces of its fractured team back together, boss Christian Horner has moved to exonerate Mark Webber’s race engineer.

Initially after the Australian crashed with his teammate Sebastian Vettel while they led in Turkey, Horner and team consultant Helmut Marko pointed the finger not only at Webber but also Ciaron Pilbeam.

Race engineer Pilbeam was accused of not passing on information about the charging Vettel to Webber, and conspiracy theorists believe he refused to implement a team order.

Moreover, the official video edit of the Istanbul race published by F1′s official website depicts Pilbeam instructing Webber to use his overtake Button to repel Vettel’s attack.

And in an interview with the BBC published on Wednesday, Horner denied that he was calling on the pitwall for Webber to “move!” in the moments before the crash.

“I don’t think I actually said ‘move’,” said the Briton.

“Ciaron Pilbeam has taken a bit of flak recently.  He had no instruction to tell mark to move out of the way, that is 100 per cent clear.

“There was no conspiracy trying to get one car past the other or getting one to slow down,” added Horner.

He also admitted that team figures had been wrong to initially blame Webber for the incident.

“In the cold light of day it was a racing accident, nothing more, nothing less.  It was wrong to blame either driver,” said Horner.

Jun.8 (GMM)  An engineer was wrong to tell Lewis Hamilton that his teammate Jenson Button would not overtake during the recent Turkish grand prix.

A video edit of the Istanbul Park race released by F1′s official website revealed that Phil Prew, the British team’s principal engineer, answered ‘No Lewis, no” when Hamilton asked if Button would overtake him.

Conspiracy theorists interpreted the news as 2009 world champion Button having ignored a veiled team order.

But team boss Martin Whitmarsh explained on Tuesday: “Phil gave an opinion to Lewis, and as it turned out his opinion was wrong.  It’s as simple as that.

“They were being told to look after fuel, (and) as a consequence of that Phil Prew had the opinion that Jenson wouldn’t overtake,” he told reporters during a teleconference.

The Red Bull crash hogged all the headlines, but a dice between another pair of high profile teammates in Turkey could also have spiralled into an intense controversy.

While Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber spectacularly crashed, it is believed McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button actually clanged wheels when they also fought for first place at Istanbul Park.

Television images of boss Martin Whitmarsh’s face captured the horror reaction of the all-British team that had effectively called off the fight for victory.

Button and Hamilton’s engineers had told the pair they needed to save fuel.

“Jenson is closing in on me, you guys,” Lewis Hamilton told his team via car-to-pit radio, according to the race review video posted at F1′s official website.

Added the 2008 world champion: “If I back off, is Jenson going to pass me or not?”

“No Lewis, no,” came engineer Andy Latham’s reply.

Moreover, while Hamilton was set an actual minimum lap time target for his fuel-saving, Button was not.

“They didn’t put a lap time on it.  They just said you have got to save a bit of fuel,” Button confirmed.

At the same time, Hamilton explained that it was his “slow” lap time target that allowed Button to mount his overtaking attack.

“I was slowing down to keep that target and all of a sudden Jenson was right up my tail,” said the 25-year-old.  “He just appeared from nowhere and he was up my tail and there was nothing I could do.”

Ultimately, Hamilton re-passed Button after a five-corner battle and won the race, but on the podium his celebrations were restrained.

In the week since the race, McLaren has released interviews with both Button and Hamilton that depict the clash as fair racing.

“It was tricky in those closing laps, because we knew we were pretty marginal on fuel, but the team lets us race and that’s exactly what we did,” said Button.

Hamilton denied that the incident soured his twelfth career win.

“Not at all, I think it added to the win if anything.

“I am looking forward to many more races like that where we have fun, hard battles yet fair in our race to the championship,” he insisted.

(GMM)