2011 Formula 1 Teams & Drivers
Due to war in Bahrain, the first race of 2011 was postponed. That left the season opener in Melbourne – The Australian Grand Prix. The race took place last weekend, introducing several new rules as well as technological advances.
Conversely, Hispania Racing Team did not qualify and ultimately was not allowed to race in the Aus GP as neither driver lapped within 107% of the pole in qualifying. This has left a sour taste in the mouth of everyone surrounding the sport. The rule was brought back from the dead this year (’96-’02) in what I believe is Bernie Ecclestone’s function of survival of the fittest.
The list of teams and drivers is as follows:
Red Bull Racing (Horner & Newey) – Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber
McLaren (Whitmarsh & Lowe) – Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button
Ferrari (Domenicali & Costa) – Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa
Renault (Boullier & Allison) – Nick Heidfeld, Vitaly Petrov
Scuderia Toro Rosso (Tost & Ascanelli) – Sebastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari
Force India (Mallya & Green) – Adrian Sutil, Paul Di Resta
Team Lotus (Fernandes & Gascoyne) – Heikki Kovalainen, Jarno Trulli
Virgin (Booth & Wirth) – Timo Glock, Jerome d’Ambrosio
Sauber (Sauber & Key) – Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Perez
Williams (Williams & Michael) – Rubens Barrichello, Pastor Maldonado
Mercedes (Brawn) – Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg
HRT (Kolles & Cuquerella) – Narain Karthikeyan, Vitantonio Liuzzi
Read more at formula1.com
Alonso Takes First in Bahrain Season Opener
(Source: Formula1.com, via FIA)
1st Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 1h39m20.396s; 2nd Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 1h39m36.495s; 3rd Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), 1h39m43.578s.
Read more at Formula1.com
Should be a great season…One of the
most anticipated in years. Schumacher comes out of retirement with Mercedes GP and finishes 6th, behind Rosberg, Vettel, Hamilton, Massa and Alonso.
The race was rather smooth, not much overtaking, a few engine problems, one stop per driver.
The new rules require carrying a full fuel load the entire race, so we will see how teams strategize using their soft and hard sets of tires throughout the season.
FIA Publishes Revised Full Entry List of Constructors
The full entry list of constructors and drivers as published by the FIA is as follows (via formula1.com):
McLaren Mercedes
1 Jenson Button (GB)
2 Lewis Hamilton (GB)
Mercedes Benz GP Limited
3 Michael Schumacher (D)
4 Nico Rosberg (D)
Red Bull Racing Renault
5 Sebastian Vettel (D)
6 Mark Webber (AUS)
Ferrari
7 Felipe Massa (BR)
8 Fernando Alonso (E)
Williams Cosworth
9 Rubens Barrichello (BR)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (D)
Renault
11 Robert Kubica (PL)
12 Vitaly Petrov (RUS)
Force India Mercedes
14 Adrian Sutil (D)
15 Vitantonio Liuzzi (I)
STR Ferrari
16 Sebastien Buemi (CH)
17 Jaime Alguersuari (E)
Lotus Cosworth
18 Jarno Trulli (I)
19 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)
HRT Cosworth
20 TBA
21 Bruno Senna (BR)
BMW Sauber Ferrari
22 Pedro de la Rosa (E)
23 Kamui Kobayashi (J)
Virgin Cosworth
24 Timo Glock (D)
25 Lucas di Grassi (BR)
Read more at Formula1.com
Using the Patch Tool
Using the ‘Patch Tool’ can be very time-effective…
Today I used the patch tool to remove some numbers in a photo that would be impossible to remove without Photoshop.
The ‘Patch Tool’ plays a similar role to the ‘Clone Tool’ – in that the goal is to overwrite an area with a pattern contiguous with another area…The difference is that you are able to work on areas that have too difficult of patterns to emulate with the Clone Tool. It is also similar to the healing tool, but more efficient…
Yanik (below) describes a way of using the tool… I chose this video because of how specific the instructor is; and because skin is the most difficult thing to edit. If you can edit skin successfully – you can edit/blend anything…
Check out the video below.
Schumacher to Race for Mercedes in 2010
(via formula1.com)
German firm welcome back their former ‘apprentice’
After weeks of speculation Mercedes confirmed on Wednesday that Michael Schumacher will make a comeback to race for the team next season alongside fellow German Nico Rosberg.
Schumacher, who retired at the end of 2006, has signed a deal that will see him return to the Formula One grid at the age of 41, bidding to add to his record tally of 91 wins and seven world titles.
It follows a planned comeback earlier this year for Ferrari – the team with which he won his last five drivers’ championships – to replace the injured Felipe Massa. Those plans had to be abandoned because of a neck injury from a motorbike accident.
Now fully fit, Schumacher will revive his relationship with Mercedes, a company with whom he had close ties earlier in his career. The German carmaker recently purchased the 2009 title-winning Brawn GP team, retaining team principal Ross Brawn, who previously helped lead Schumacher to title glory at Benetton and Ferrari.
“Mercedes GP Petronas represents a new challenge for me both in a sporting and a personal context,” said Schumacher. “It is a new chapter in my racing career and I am really looking forward to working with my old friend Ross Brawn and my companions from my days with the Mercedes Junior Programme.
“I am convinced that together we will be involved in the fight for the Formula One World Championship next year and I am already looking forward to getting back onto the race track. For me, this partnership closes the circle. Mercedes supported me for so many years when I began my Formula One career and now I can hopefully give something back to the brand with the star.”
Ross Brawn commented: “I am delighted that we can confirm today that Michael will make his much-anticipated return to Formula One next year and drive for our Mercedes GP Petronas team. As seven-time world champion, Michael’s outstanding record in Formula One speaks for itself and I am looking forward to working with him again.
“With the completion of our driver line-up, I believe that we now have the most exciting partnership in Formula One with Michael and Nico, who provide the perfect mix of talent, experience, speed and youth. We can now turn our full attention to the preparations for the new season and everyone at Mercedes GP Petronas is extremely excited about the challenge ahead.”
Explaining Schumacher’s previous Mercedes relationship, Norbert Haug, Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports, added: “In April 1991, when I had been in charge of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport programme for just six months, Michael was standing beside me on the balcony one evening. Without the slightest doubt, he said in a low voice: ‘It’s about time that I got into Formula One’. Michael had just turned 22 years of age and four months later, he made his debut at Spa in a Jordan. Mercedes-Benz helped him to this point and the rest is history: seven world championship titles, more than any racing driver, 91 Grand Prix wins, more than any racing driver. Michael has more of everything than every other driver.
“As part of the Mercedes Junior Programme, Michael had raced in Group C sports cars and competed in a few DTM races. Ross Brawn, then our opponent at Jaguar, quickly realised Michael’s talent and they went on to win all seven of his drivers’ world championship titles together at Benetton and Ferrari. Our sporting ambition has always been that Michael should drive again where his professional career had started and Michael knew that. We often joked about it after the races and discussed the prospect seriously several times during the last 14 years in Formula One. It didn’t happen in 1995, it didn’t happen in 1998 and it didn’t happen in 2005. I am delighted that it will now happen in 2010. I am very much looking forward to working with Michael and everybody at Mercedes-Benz and Daimler extends a very warm welcome to our ‘apprentice’ of 19 years ago. That apprentice is now the most successful racing driver of all time.”
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/12/10301.html
Trulli and Kovalainen Confirmed at Lotus for 2010
(Via Formula1.com)
The new Lotus Formula One team confirmed on Monday that Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen will form their race line-up for 2010, with Malaysia’s Fairuz Fauzy taking on the role of test and reserve driver.
Former Monaco Grand Prix victor Trulli has spent the past five seasons racing for Toyota, whole Kovalainen, also an F1 race winner, moves from McLaren after losing his seat to new world champion Jenson Button.
The appointment of Trulli, Kovalainen and Fauzy to the Malaysian-backed team was made formal in an official announcement by Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur, at which all three drivers were present, along with team principal Tony Fernandes.
35-year-old Trulli is regarded as one of the most experienced and consistent F1 racers and one of the fastest men over a single lap. The Italian, who made his Formula One debut with Minardi in 1997, has also finished in the top ten of the drivers’ championship on seven occasions.
“It is a privilege for me to sign for the new Lotus F1 Racing team,” said Trulli. “I have been impressed by the long-term vision of the team management and technical staff. Tony has set out very ambitious plans and I am ready to help the team achieve these high targets. I am also pleased to be back working alongside (team technical boss) Mike Gascoyne, someone with whom I have enjoyed previous success at other teams. I get on very well with him and I respect his working style. Lotus is a truly iconic and inspirational brand and it is great that the name is back in Formula 1. We will be hoping to draw inspiration from the heritage of Lotus for our team.
“I am also delighted to be racing alongside Heikki, someone who I have enjoyed racing against since 2007, and someone else, like me, who brings valuable experience from his time with two of Formula One’s most established teams. I believe that together, we are among the most competitive pairings on the grid, and we will be determined to bring success to Lotus F1 Racing to repay the faith that Tony and the team have shown in us.”
Kovalainen’s F1 career began in 2006 when he made his debut as a Renault test driver. His appointment to Lotus will see the 28 year-old Finn, who won the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2008, starting his fourth Formula One season.
“It’s fantastic to be joining Lotus F1 Racing and I am excited about the challenges that lie ahead,” he said. “I recently visited our factory in Norfolk, UK, and was so impressed by seeing how far the team has come in such a short time since it was launched in September, and by how determined everyone is to meet Tony’s ambitious targets. I knew immediately it would be a fantastic opportunity to help them achieve their goals.
“I believe that appointing two drivers with the experience Jarno and I have shows how determined the team is to go racing in a truly competitive way, and our pairing sends out a very strong message to our competitors.”
27-year-old Malaysia Fauzy joins the team having previously held a Formula One testing role for the Spyker squad back in 2007. Since then he has driven in the F1 feeder series GP2, the World Series by Renault, as well as being named as lead driver for Malaysia’s involvement in the A1GP championship.
“To have the chance to join Malaysia’s first fully fledged Formula One team is very special for me and the highlight of my career so far,” he said. “I look forward to working closely with Jarno and Heikki on developing the car and the team in our first season together in Formula 1. I am sure we can do Malaysia as a nation proud, as well as upholding the tradition of such a legendary F1 name such as Lotus.”
Commenting on the appointments, team principal Tony Fernandes said: “I am thrilled that we have been able to sign Jarno, Heikki and Fairuz to drive for Lotus F1 Racing in our debut season. The appointment of Jarno, Heikki and Fairuz as our race drivers is a testament to the quality of our team, to our ambition and drive, and above all to our long-term vision of success in Formula One.
“Jarno and Heiki are winners and have proven track records in Formula One, and will be a big asset to us as we look to develop the team and the car throughout 2010. Jarno and Heikki are two extremely versatile drivers who have proven themselves more than capable of achieving solid results no matter how tough the conditions. Having Fairuz on board is also great news. He is undoubtedly the best Malaysian senior driver at the moment and it is a pleasure to welcome him into Malaysia’s Formula One team.
“We only secured our 2010 entry from the FIA in September and already we have our first car in production and have signed two Formula One race winners to drive for us, as well as a home-grown Malaysian driver. Not bad for three months’ hard work! There is more to come from us and we head into the holiday period buoyed by what we have accomplished already but inspired to push the boundaries yet further.”
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/12/10283.html
Raikonnen Drives Over to WRC in Citroen C4
(Via Formula1.com)
Kimi Raikkonen has ruled himself out of a Formula One drive for next season following confirmation that he will compete for Citroen’s Red Bull-backed junior team in the 2010 World Rally Championship (WRC).
Raikkonen, whose Ferrari seat has been taken by Fernando Alonso for next year, has signed a one-year contract with Citroen and has not ruled out a Formula One return in the future – though only if it’s with a team with title-winning potential.
He made his WRC debut earlier this year on home soil in Rally Finland, and will now experience a full campaign co-driven by compatriot Kaj Lindstrom, who previously partnered multiple WRC champion Tommi Makinen.
“I always wanted to compete in rally, especially in the World Rally Championship at some point in my career,” said Raikkonen. “Thanks to Red Bull, I have the opportunity to drive the best car of the series with the Citroen C4.
“This is a new but very exciting challenge. For the moment we have a one-year contract and we will see how it goes for the future. I am really looking forward to testing the car and taking the start of the first rally.”
Raikkonen will contest 12 of next year’s 13 WRC rounds, missing only the New Zealand event, which the team are not taking part in.
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/12/10263.html
