With the F1 world now returned from Bahrain, the sport is assessing the fallout of one of the most controversial grands prix in history.

The drivers were conspicuously quiet over the saga in the island Kingdom, but – with no contract tying him down – former Force India driver Adrian Sutil admitted he was glad he was not there.

“In a situation like that, it is probably better not to go,” the German said on Sky Deutschland.

“On the one hand, the decision was made (to go to Bahrain), on the other hand, it’s very difficult when there are so many problems in a country.”

Red Bull reserve driver Sebastien Buemi, who has family living in Bahrain, does not agree at all.

“I arrived on Monday and I had no problem — maybe there were a few more police than two years ago, but nothing happened to me,” the Swiss insisted on Austrian Servus TV.

Force India and Sauber, however, witnessed Molotov cocktail attacks on their treks to and from the circuit.

And Caterham team spokesman Tom Webb told the Sun that there was “one minor incident when one of our (hire) vans slowed down in traffic and its occupants saw a local youth on the side of the main road brandishing a bottle with a rag stuffed in its neck”.

World champion and race winner Sebastian Vettel also admitted the feeling was tense in the paddock throughout the weekend.

“It was not easy for anyone,” the Red Bull driver admitted, according to SID news agency, “but I’m glad that nothing happened to any of us (in F1).”

And the Telegraph quotes Vettel adding: “Hopefully, we come back in the future when everything’s a little bit safer.”

Reuters reports that Vodafone, the main sponsor of the half Bahrain-owned McLaren team, sent no staff to the country and expressed concerns to the British outfit.

But Jim Wright, an F1 sponsorship expert, told the Guardian that he thinks while the sport’s image took a beating last weekend, sponsors will be happy.

“Most teams handled a difficult decision very well,” he said. “On that basis I think a lot of people would be pleased with that and happy to get involved with them.”

The television audience was also unaffected – even boosted – with the BBC reporting more viewers for Bahrain than Australia and Malaysia, and Germany revealing similarly strong figures.

Still, there remains criticism.

“Now is an opportunity to reflect,” former F1 driver Alex Zanardi told Tuttosport, “and make sure that major sporting events are assigned only to governments that deserve the honour of hosting them.

“Ecclestone is brilliant and has made formula one what it is, but he can’t administer races at any cost and above all else,” insisted the Italian.

Due to security fears, Force India sat out a practice session on Friday so that staff could return to their hotels in daylight.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone was reportedly enraged, and according to rumours got his revenge by instructing Formula One Management’s television cameras to ignore the Silverstone based team’s cars in qualifying.

“There was a bit of fuss about what we did,” deputy team principal Bob Fernley is quoted by Spain’s AS newspaper, “and it was not easy, but I think it turned out to be the right response.

“We had a lot of pressure, our attitude was not well received,” he confirmed, “but I think that we had a duty of care to our employees, and to do the right thing by the team.”

High-profile sponsors are nervous, as formula one ploughs ahead with next week’s Bahrain grand prix.

Despite widespread trepidation felt within the paddock this weekend in Shanghai, the FIA has declared that there is no reason the Sakhir event cannot go ahead.

And after meeting with the teams on Friday, Bernie Ecclestone told reporters the race is “200 per cent” on.

But The Times reports that, amid the threat of violence, some sponsors have pulled the plug on providing hospitality for guests next weekend.

“When you have an environment like Bahrain then all the sponsors will be watching developments very, very closely and talking to each other,” a source said.

“It’s a case of ‘watch this space’ basically.”

However, the British newspaper said it is unlikely any major sponsors will pull their logos from the cars.

“(They) will effectively just have to follow the sport,” said Tim Bampton, of the motor sports marketing company Just Marketing.

“They will have to watch and wait to see what happens even though they could be caught in the vortex.”

But, at the same time, it is believed that sponsors’ contracts with the teams – such as Vodafone’s estimated $75m deal with McLaren – contain “brand damage” clauses.

An added complication for McLaren is that it is part owned by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, with Mumtalakat Holdings “on course to own half the business” according to writer Kevin Eason.

Also under heavy scrutiny is the conspicuously silent FIA president Jean Todt, whose son Nicolas shares ownership of his GP2 team with Bahrain’s controversial crown prince.

“We all know why it (the Bahrain saga) might have dragged a bit,” Mark Webber is quoted by the Telegraph.

“F1 is like that. There’s a lot of funding and finances that have come from Abu Dhabi and Bahrain and the Middle East.

“They’re very excited about F1 and they clearly want to give it another go. Let’s see if it works,” added the Red Bull driver.

McLaren is not yet ready to roll out a Mercedes-style ‘F-duct’ to complement its highly competitive 2012 car.

Despite Mercedes struggling with tyres in the actual races so far, the W03 is a standout qualifying performer, thanks in part to the so-nicknamed front and rear ‘super-DRS’ system.

Red Bull, Lotus and perhaps even Ferrari are threatening to protest, but until now McLaren – with arguably the dominant package of the 2012 season so far – has stayed out of the argument.

“We don’t have a strong view one way or the other,” technical director Paddy Lowe confirmed during the regular Vodafone media teleconference on Tuesday.

The F-duct will remain a hot topic in China this weekend, with Lotus’ technical boss James Allison believed to be armed with two new arguments against its legality.

It was thought McLaren was quite advanced with its own version of the system.

But Lowe revealed: “Until we’ve got clarity it’s difficult for us to commit a huge about of effort in that direction. So that’s where we are at the moment.”

He steered away from suggestions Mercedes, including boss Ross Brawn, have flouted the “spirit” of the recent F-duct ban.

“There’s no such thing as the spirit of the rules,” insisted Lowe, admitting that if there was a ‘spirit’ of the DRS rule, the Mercedes system is “definitely” in breach.

“The debate around whether they can keep that system on the car is not about whether it is in that spirit or not, it’s about whether the text of the regulations means they can’t,” he explained.

McLaren has denied speculation it is set to drop its traditional silver livery for the 2011 season.
Reports had linked the team’s launch of mainly black and red official clothing for this year with rumours McLaren may want to differentiate itself from former works partner Mercedes, who now compete with a similarly silver-liveried car.

“Black livery? Er, no,” McLaren said via its official Twitter feed TheFifthDriver.

The Woking based team, still powered by Mercedes engines, added that the 2011 livery will be “the same Rocket Red and chrome finish that you’ve grown to love since Vodafone McLaren Mercedes was born in 2007″.

“That’s official, btw (by the way),” McLaren confirmed.

Vodafone has extended its title sponsorship of McLaren through to the end of 2013, the British F1 team announced on Thursday.

“Formula one is a strong platform from which we can engage our customers with unique experiences and events,” said Morten Lundal, group chief commercial officer of the UK based telecommunications giant.

The Vodafone/McLaren relationship began in 2007.

Fernando Alonso insists he is not worried about his engine situation with five races still to run in 2010.

Ferrari is pushing ahead with the Spaniard’s championship chances, but at Monza two weeks ago he began using his eighth V8 unit for the season.

FIA rules state that if a driver uses a ninth engine during the season, he must move ten places down the qualifying grid — a situation that would seriously affect Alonso’s aim to recover his 21 point deficit to Mark Webber.

But he said: “There is no reason to worry about engine problems, because our (other) engines can also be used more.

“And there are no other tracks where we are on the throttle for most of the lap,” Alonso is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo.

It is believed that, this weekend in Singapore, Alonso will use the engine he raced recently at Spa-Francorchamps.

“It is a street circuit, where the engines are less important,” noted team boss Stefano Domenicali.

McLaren’s chief engineer Phil Prew believes Ferrari when the Italian team says it is not overly worried about engine usage.

“I think it will only affect their Friday running, in terms of running used engines on the Friday,” he told reporters during Wednesday’s Vodafone teleconference.

“Sadly I don’t think that will give us any advantage over them,” added Prew.

McLaren team figures believe the recent flexible bodywork saga will have taken the shine off Red Bull’s earlier dominance.

At F1′s last outings in Spa and Monza, where new FIA compliance tests came into effect, the RB6 was no longer the stand-out dominant package it had been at earlier events.

But Red Bull already expected to struggle at those high speed circuits, due to its less powerful Renault engines.

In light of the team’s dominance on twisty tracks like Monaco and Hungary, therefore, this weekend’s racing on the Singapore street circuit might be seen as a litmus test of the true effects of the FIA’s flexibility clampdown.

“I think a lot has changed since that race in Budapest — not least, some quite hefty revisions to the rulebook regarding bodywork flexibility,” said Jenson Button.

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh agreed: “Singapore is likely to give us a much clearer idea of the respective pace of the leading teams after two less-representative events in Belgium and Italy.”

Chief race engineer Phil Prew is also hoping Red Bull will be closer to the rest of the field in Singapore this weekend.

“The legality clarification and changes that we’ve all made in response to that could well influence it (the pecking order),” he said during Wednesday’s Vodafone phone media conference.

“We’re optimistic that the gap, which was massive by formula one standards, should well have reduced,” added Prew.

He said he now feels all the teams are racing on a level playing field.

“The advantage that was felt to be gained by Red Bull and Ferrari in Hungary will be harder to exploit,” confirmed Prew.

Dutch airline KLM is unimpressed after a recent promotional event involving McLaren and Lewis Hamilton.

The Vodafone sponsor event earlier this month involved Hamilton driving a formula one car on a runway of the Netherlands’ main international airport Schiphol over two days.

According to a KLM spokesman, the runways should be exclusively for aircraft “and not for race cars”.

“An airport is not a theme park,” he told Amsterdam daily Het Parool.

“As the main user of the major Schiphol airport it was a huge inconvenience,” a spokesman is also quoted by nu.nl.

“At such a busy airport, safety and sustainability must come first.”

KLM also claims it was not informed in advance about the closure of the runway for the F1 demonstration.

The local airline said it will discuss the situation with the government authority Inspectie voor Verkeer en Waterstaat (IVW) in order to avoid a repeat of the situation.

De Telegraaf newspaper said IVW has launched an investigation after receiving multiple complaints.

“Why couldn’t a campaign like this take place at a closed airport?” said the KLM spokesman.

McLaren on Wednesday would not confirm reports its F-duct innovation will be removed from the MP4-25 ahead of the forthcoming Italian grand prix.

It was reported that, because the concept is designed to boost straight-line speed by shedding rear wing drag on the straights, it will be inefficient at Monza due to the minimal downforce configuration of the cars there.

“I read that on Monday morning and there were a few of us raising our eyebrows,” McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale told reporters during a Vodafone teleconference.

“We have the option to either run it or not. I think at the moment we are just looking at all the options. It is incorrect to assume we can make any decisions (yet) as to whether we are (going to use the F-duct at Monza) or not,” he added.

Neale said a final decision will be made after studying data from this weekend’s Spa-Francorchamps event.

He also revealed that, after Red Bull dominated in Hungary amid the flexible wing saga, McLaren is still no closer to understanding the phenomena at the front of the RB6.

In a team preview, McLaren said it is “optimistic the bodywork rules clarification will close the gap” at Spa this weekend.

But Neale said on Wednesday: “I’ve read the trade magazines, I’ve seen the footage. We can’t explain, at McLaren, why the (flexing) cars operate in the way that they do.”

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes preview the forthcoming Chinese Grand Prix to take place at the Shanghai International Circuit on the weekend of 16 to 18 April 2010.

“Last year, they moved the race from the end of the season to the start, and the weekend was quite a bit colder and wetter than it had been before. The weather forecast doesn’t currently suggest this year’s event will be any different – but I’m optimistic that we’ll have a dry weekend and a more straightforward race than we did last year”, said Button.

“Nonetheless, it’s a track I enjoy: it’s a typical modern circuit – it has a real mix of corners, but it manages to combine some quite precise and technical sections with some faster corners and long straights. It’s a good drivers’ circuit while also being a place that benefits from a well-balanced car”, added.

“I think I’ve made some real progress in that area, though. I wasn’t completely happy with the balance of the car in Malaysia, so I spent a day back at the McLaren Technology Centre looking at how we could have done things differently in Sepang while also looking ahead to Shanghai”.

“Along with my engineers, I think we’ve developed an even better understanding of the MP4-25. We know how to fine-tune the car’s balance and how to develop it over a race weekend. Of course, it’s a continuous process, but the overall feeling is that we’re moving forwards – which, again, is always a positive.”

The time has come for the presentation of one of the best, accompanied by two world champions: the McLaren team with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, who this morning, launched the new MP4-25.

The team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, specially emphasized the single-seater’s preparation as a key element to the season’s success, in an event that took place at the Vodafone telephone company’s headquarters, main sponsor of McLaren.

“This car has been prepared more than ever,” began by saying Whitmarsh, who will face the challenge of leading the last two world champions, in the same team.  This situation resembles the one between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, which was resolved with the withdrawal of the pilot from Asturias.

Both champions said a few words about their respective team-mate, making clear that there is cordiality and a good atmosphere in the team.  “I have always wanted to follow Jenson’s footsteps.  I hope to work with him for many years,” Lewis declared.

Whitmarsh, on his part, explained that there is an equal position between “both pilots because there is no doubt that they’re winners and they want to win again this season.”

“Let’s hope it’ll be an exciting year.  We aware that we have to be at our best level to beat our rivals,” the team principal stated.

The test pilot, Gary Paffett will be in charge of the first laps with the new’MP4-25′ this next Monday in Cheste, for the first official trainings that most of the ‘Scuderias’ will carry out.

With March’s season about to begin and the first official test of the year scheduled to start in just a week, the teams are locked up at the factories busily preparing their single-seated cars.

This week may be decisive and surely enough, the teams will begin to unveil their cars to their expectant audience.

After months of waiting, this is always an exciting moment and with four new motor-racing teams, great surprises are guaranteed.

First with Ferrari, which will show its single-seated on January 28^th, with pilots Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa; an appointment one must not miss.

The MP4 McLaren with 25 engine, that will be driven by the current World Champion, Jenson Button and the also British, Lewis Hamilton, will be launched next Friday(January 29th) at Vodafone in Newbury, the sponsor’s British headquarters.

On the other hand, BMW Sauber, Williams and Renault will introduce their single-seaters directly in the Valencia racetrack on January 31^st, one day previous to the year’s first official test.  By the way, they have both refused to take place in the traditional show in the factory.

Mercedes has been the first one to officially introduce its team, but with the Brawn GP painted with the colors they will be using this year.

Red Bull and Force India will present their single-seaters in the second official test of the year, at the Spanish circuit of Jerez in February 10th.  Likewise, Lotus will wait until that second test to launch its single-seated car.  Mike Gascoyne has revealed he plans to start out his car’s engine for the first time in February 5^th, before introducing it in February 12th.

The mystery comes from the other side of the “ocean”, from the new USA team.  USF1 has decided to break conventionalism and its car will make its debut on the Barber Motorsport Park’s tests in Alabama, at the beginning of February.

The thing that is worrying most is the lack of information concerning the newcomers: Virgin Racing and Campos Meta which have not specified any date.

Presentations of single-seated cars and teams

28 January – Ferrari, Maranello, Italy.

29 January – McLaren, Newbury, Great Britain.

31 January – BMW Sauber / Renault, Valencia, Spain.

1 February – Mercedes GP / Williams, Valencia, Spain

10 February – Red Bull / Force India, Jerez, Spain

Beginnings of February – Barber Motorsport Park, Alabama, USA.

12 February – Lotus

Ferrari formula one racing is the best in the formula one world. Ferrari fans around the world watch Formula one every week. What makes Formula one so special? It’s hard to say. But Formula one gains more and more interest in public.
Scuderia Ferrari is a division of the Ferrari automobile company, which is concerned with racing. Scuderia means “stable” in Italian and Ferrari is after the name of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the brand. Scuderia was formed in the year 1929 and consisted of 40 racecar drivers including Enzo at that time.
Ferrari achieved great success in the Le Mans Races. The team made its debut into Formula One at the Italian Grand Prix with the model 125F1. Since then the team has been involved in the Formula One Racing and is one of the best racing teams in Formula One history.
Few of the finest drivers such as Niki Lauda, Phil Hill, Lorenzo Bandini and Michele Alboreto have contributed towards the success of the Ferrari Formula One team over the years. Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen are the current contracted drivers for the team. Both the drivers have been signed for three years contract after the retirement of “Michael Schumacher”. Michael Schumacher was the one of the best race drivers in the history of world racing.
Marlboro was a major sponsor for the Ferrari team since 1984. They backed the team till 2005, but had to withdraw, as tobacco sponsorship was made illegal in the European Union. Acer was one of the sponsors for the company till late 2008. Acer also sold laptops with Ferrari badges. Vodafone was also one of the sponsors till 2005, however they too withdrew in favor of the McLaren team.
Many others played the part of sponsors for the Ferrari racing team. FIAT is a major sponsor of the team including others such as Bridgestone, AMD, and Martini. Ferrari also saw sponsorship from the Gulf, such as Mubadla, an investment company of Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways.
The Ferrari racing team has achieved great success over the years particularly in the Formula One racing championships. The team and its drivers have won the “Mille Miglia”‘ 8 times, the “Targa Florio” 7 times and the “24 Hour Le Mans”, 9 times. Formula One achievements for the team are still marked distinctly.
Most Constructors Championship: 15, Most Drivers Championship: 15, Most wins (all time): 208, Most wins (season): 15, Most podiums (all): 617, Most podiums (season): 29, Most points (all): 4,887.27, Most points (season): 262, Most pole positions (all): 201, Most pole positions (season): 262, Most fastest laps (season): 262, Most fastest laps (all): 215, Highest winning percentage: 26%
The Ferrari team also managed to lead over Ford as the most successful F1 engine manufacturer with 182 wins compared to Ford’s 176 wins.
With years of hardship and trial, the Ferrari team still continues to dominate the Formula One racing world with its unmatchable endurance. The team has witnessed a massive fan following over the years. Italian fans for the team are known as “tifosi”. Recently, the Ferrari Formula one team saw its first win of the year 2008 at the Malaysian Grand Prix.