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MCLAREN: DRASTIC CHANGES ARE NEEDED

As Lewis prepares himself for the coming race in Australia, his team say they will deliver some ‘drastic changes’ to ensure a win in secured at Melbourne. 

McLaren team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, says that new changes are necessary if they are to succeed this year, however admits they are a risk. 

“There's some risk in that but I think it was the right thing to do and we're hoping that risk comes off and the car is a lot more competitive.”

Lewis Hamilton thinks that McLaren will end Red Bull’s reign at the front of the pack and declares that they are no longer going to dominate the sport in the same way they have been.

"For many, many years it has been McLaren and Ferrari at the front and now we have got a new team that has come and knocked us off the top. But I am really certain that either team will do absolutely everything in their power to make sure they can remain at the top.”

He added: “They [Red Bull] have not been there as long as our teams. Our teams have got status they would like to keep.”

However Hamilton showed concern that the performance of his car won’t be up to pace Red Bull has set in testing, saying: “Red Bull will have improved their reliability from last year," he said. "They will have the pace and the reliability this year, as will Ferrari. Those two are definitely the hardest to beat.”

The 2011 Formula One season starts on March 27 in Melbourne.

STIRLING MOSS: “I FIND MOTOR RACING INTERESTING, BUT NOT VERY EXCITING”

Sir Stirling Moss made an interesting comment when discussing the new rules for 2011, saying that he found motor racing interesting, but not very exciting. 

Described by some as ‘the greatest driver never to win the championship,’ Moss said that he thinks the technical changes for 2011 will put emphasis back on the skill of the driver.

2011 will see the re-introduction of the KERS system seen in 2009 and an adjustable rear wing which can be changed by the driver to reduce drag or increase downforce. 

They bring the driver back into it," he told the Press Association. "The driver now has to decide when to use the KERS, the wing and everything else. I must say I'm looking forward to the best season for many years because I find motor racing interesting, but not very exciting.

"That was the case last year, it was interesting but not exciting, however this year I think we are going to see excitement as well. There are so many new things that have come in where a driver's input is going to mean a lot more than it did last year.

"We also don't know how the Pirelli tyres are going to perform this season, and they are going to be quite important. So I'm just looking forward to something that I think is going to be exceptionally exciting."

BAHRAIN F1 RACE UNDER THREAT

The recent political unrest in Bahrain has caused concern over whether or not the opening race will take place next month. A decision by F1 chiefs will be made shortly.

This weekends GP2 race has already been cancelled as a result of the riots, and it is still unsure whether the opening round of Formula One will take place here. 

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said this is a big concern for the sport and they are watching the situation very carefully, hopefully making a decision by the end of next week.

“We'll have to keep our eye on things and make a decision quickly.

Bernie added, “If things stay as they are today, the answer is no.”

Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, CEO of the Bahrain circuit, said in a press statement that they plan to go ahead with the race as planned, yet they are paying careful attention to the situation and place the safety of all it’s visitors as a priority.

“The safety of all Bahraini nationals, expats and overseas visitors is a priority at all times in the Kingdom and, at the Bahrain International Circuit."

He added, “Our focus at the present time remains on delivering another successful event in the form of the 2011 Gulf Air Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.

“We continue to monitor the situation very closely indeed in association with the relevant authorities.”

MATESCHITZ: DRIVER RIVALRY WILL CONTINUE INTO 2011

Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz has said that Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel will be as competitive this year as they were last year.

The pair endured a somewhat troublesome season last year, when a collision during the Turkish grand prix and accusations of favouritism within the team caused serious concern.

With the first race in Bahrain just a few weeks away, Mateschitz said that the rivalry between the two will be just as significant as last year and that they are free to fight it out on the track.

“Sebastian is fully motivated, and Mark nothing less. They won't exchange gifts. Therefore I expect a similar situation to last year. And they remain both free to race.”

VETTEL: “IT’S MY DREAM TO RACE FOR MARANELLO ONE DAY.”

In a recent interview conducted by Gazzetta dello Sport, Sebastien Vettel said that it is his ‘dream’ to race for Ferrari in the future. Even though he is happy at Red Bull Racing, he insisted that has always wanted to drive for the Maranello outfit someday.

"Let's put it this way: I love to race, I know motor racing history and I know Ferrari is a legend," he told the newspaper.

"Yes, it's my dream to race for Maranello one day. However I'm still young, there is time. At the moment I'm happy to be in Red Bull, without them I would have never arrived in F1.

"To have your name written among the names of the world champions is special, but having it in the list of the Ferrari drivers would be special too.

“I would like to be on the podium at Monza with Ferrari.”

Vettel joked around saying that if he could not race for Red Bull this year, then he would offer Fernando Alonso or Massa a vacation to go away, saying, “I would get busy booking them a nice hotel. Even though I'm not sure they'd shake my hand."

Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz reckons that Vettel will stay with the team as long as he has a competitive car, however if they cannot offer that to the world champion, he will move elsewhere.

“As long as we can offer him a car capable to win he won't leave for Ferrari or anywhere."

VALENCIA F1 TESTING - DAY 1

The first day of testing finished today in Valencia, moments after the Red Bull team revealed their 2011 title contending car. Sebastien Vettel finished with the fastest time overall in his brand new RB7, whilst Fernando Alonso came in at almost a whole second slower. However it is still early days in the development process with another 14 days of testing for the teams to get to grips with their new cars and Pirelli tyres. 

The teams were working tirelessly to gather valuable data for the new Pirelli tyres, with Red Bull clocking up 93 laps, Ferrari having done the most at 98 laps and other long distance runners averaging at around 71 laps a piece. 

Considering the lengthy runs of most teams there were no major reliability issues to report, apart from a minor situation where Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg had to park his MGP W02 on the front straight section of the track. 

Despite the technical hitch, Rosberg declared that he was happy with how he felt in the car, saying, "The positive thing is that I felt at home straight away, it didn't feel like a car I didn't know, which is an important thing to straight away feel comfortable. ... I think it's just a better car in general. Ross [Brawn] has reorganised the company in many ways and improved the communications between the car and engine groups. It's going to be a big step for us."

The Pirelli tyres have held up well for the first day of testing. Each team has a dedicated tyre engineer with who they can relate important information to. The teams also get the whole range of compounds of tyres to choose from, depending upon their testing programmes. 

Some teams still have not revealed their cars for the 2011 season. McLaren, Force India and HRT plan to show their new contenders within the next two weeks. 

BTCC: JORDAN CONFIRMS HIS RETURN IN 2011

Andrew Jordan has confirmed that he will return to the MSA British Touring Car Championship in 2011 with the Pirtek Racing team. He returns to the sport alongside teammate Jeff Smith to form an extended line up of two Vauxhall Vectras being operated by team boos Mike Jordan.

The 2010 season saw the Pirtek team claim two victories in their maiden season, whereas Smith comes into the team with having only one race experience at Knockhill last year. 

Andrew Jordan commented, "It’s great to be back in the BTCC with Pirtek Racing, we had such a strong debut last year and we have been busy building on those foundations in readiness of the upcoming season."

We now have a bigger team behind us, we have greatly increased our staffing levels and our biggest focus is to develop and improve the Vectra for an even stronger season this year. Fundamentally the Vectra is a great chassis, the engine had teething issues in its development season but Swindon, the engine builders have also been focusing on improving the performance during the winter. As a team we are confident that we will be able to once again fight for victories in the BTCC and our aim is to be Independent Drivers Champions.”

Business Development Director at Pirtek UK, Alistair Wiggins, added, "The Pirtek brand received great exposure from being part of the BTCC, which is why we have returned for a second season.

“This year the team will field two cars, and with double the technical feedback, increased development on the car, as well as increased exposure, Pirtek Racing will be looking to equal, if not better their success in 2011.”

CAPE TOWN'S FORMULA ONE BID HITS MAJOR HURDLE

Cape Town's bid to bring Formula One back to South Africa hit its first major hurdle with only a few days of making their plans public. It was announced by the local tourism authority that a full impact assessment needs to be carried out before any agreement can be made with Formula One Management (FOM). 

Igshaan Amlay has been working on his proposal for 15 years and it consists of creating a street circuit with elements similar to the Monaco Grand Prix. He claims that building a street circuit instead of a permanent track is the cheaper option, however with that said, the 5.3km track does feature a section travelling through a $600m stadium, a layout similar to the Race of Champions at Wembley. 

Amlay has been in constant communication with FOM since the end of 2009 and has made 'significant progress' with Mr Ecclestone. They both arranged to meet up in 2010 to discuss the proposal, however the South African government was too focused on the FIFA World Cup and the meetings had to be postponed.

"But, the 2010 World Cup has now allowed Mr Ecclestone to evaluate a major event in South Africa and we hope to secure a meeting with him before the grand prix season."

Ferrari: 2011 F1 car to be called F150

Ferrari have announced that their new F1 car for the 2011 Formula One World Championship will be called the F150. It marks the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification and will be launched at a special event organised by Ferrari in Maranello on Friday. 

Ferrari president, Luca di Montezemolo was there to announce the machine's new name, saying, "Ferrari is an expression of Italian excellence, talent and creativity. 

"All the men and women who put so much effort and passion into their work at Maranello share the pride and responsibility of representing our country around the world and it is in this spirit that we chose to dedicate this car to an event that is so important for the whole of Italy." 

Italian president Giorgio Napotilano expressed his support towards the Scuderia at the event. In a press statement released by Ferrari, Giorgio "took the opportunity to wish the Scuderia the best of luck for the forthcoming season."

The car will also feature the traditional 'Tricolore' from the Italian national flag in its livery. 

Mercedes Play Down Schumacher Simulator Sickness

Mercedes have downplayed the recent stories surrounding Michael Schumacher's simulator sickness, saying that the poor performances seen in the 2010 season were not connected to the simulator sessions. They remain adamant that he is still as capable to win races as he was when he was with Ferrari. 

Throughout his career, Michael from time to time has been susceptible to simulator sickness,” a statement from Mercedes read. "It hasn't adversely affected Michael's race preparation or competitiveness with regard to his team-mate.

"Simulator sickness has affected the length of time that he can spend on a simulator. This is a relatively common occurrence for many people in all fields of simulator activity including military, aircraft and racing cars.

"The simulator is one of a number of tools which drivers use to prepare for the race weekend [but] Michael has not been disadvantaged as together with his engineers he has made his simulation work effective."

To prevent any further effects the simulators have on their drivers, Mercedes are designing a new one which will be ready for the 2012 season, according to Ross Brawn. 

"The situation has been exacerbated by the level of our current simulator technology,” Mercedes added. "For many reasons, we have invested in higher quality and more realistic simulation equipment which will be completed and available for our drivers shortly."

Berger: Red Bull will be unstoppable in 2011

Former part-owner of the Toro Rosso F1 team and ex-joint BMW motorsport director, Gerhard Berger, said that the Red Bull outfit will be unstoppable again in 2011. 

Berger told Auto Motor Und Sport that the 'genius' of chief technical officer Adrian Newey will play a vital role in the success of the team. He also added it would be better if the driver played a more crucial role. 

“I do not see a chance for the others, unless the regulations change dramatically.

“Adrian Newey is quite simply in the area of aerodynamics a genius. It would however be much, much better if driving genius would play the crucial role.”

Berger also commented that the price of running an F1 team deterred him away from becoming involved in the sport once again.

"With the way F1 is today, there is not the opportunity. I cannot afford it. The sport has become too expensive.

“You just can't find the money that you need in order to do a good job on the open market.” 

Luca Badoer leaves Ferrari F1

Ferrari F1 test driver, Luca Badoer, said his final farewell to the Maranello based team at their annual winter celebration in Italy yesterday. 

The traditional 'Wroom' event was opened by Badoer driving Ferrari's 2010 F1 car on the ice for five laps. Pirelli, the new tyre manufacturer for the 2011 season, produced special studded tyres for the event, which were fitted to the car to aid traction.

Badoer driving the 2010 Ferrari F1 car at the 'Wroom' event in Italy

Badoer has been part of the squad for 13 years, making his first appearance for Ferrari in 1998 and being heavily involved in the development of championship winning cars. Part of his career at Ferrari was filling in for Felipe Massa after he was involved in a life threatening accident at the 2009 Hungarian grand prix. However, due to poor performance he was removed from his position as secondary driver after only two performances.     

Alonso: "Schumacher will be dangerous"

Fernando Alonso has announced that his biggest threat for the 2011 season will be seven time world champion Michael Schumacher.

At a joint Ferrari/Ducati media launch at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort earlier this year, Alonso spoke about his prospects for the upcoming season and commented that despite Schumacher's initial struggle with Mercedes in 2010, he should not be written off just yet.

"There will be five world champions on the track [this season] and the most dangerous champion for me is always Michael."

"[So] now in January if I have to choose one name I have to say Michael [is my main worry]. He is seven-times champion. He has nothing to prove."

Sebastien Vettel is also considered a threat by Alonso and mentions that he will be one to watch this season especially as he has championship behind him. 

"No doubt Sebastian will be a contender [too]. He will have experience and will be calm in certain moments. 

"He will drive better than last year and that makes him dangerous to us". 

The disappointment of missing out on the championship to Vettel last year will spur the Scuderia on to perform better this year, says Alonso. 

"When you succeed the emotions, feelings don't make you think of the general view of what happened. When you don't succeed, you look into the details,” 

Pirelli Tyres will make F1 ‘more interesting’, says Pedro De La Roda.

The new introduction of Pirelli as tyre manufacturer to this years Formula One season has sparked excitement during testing last weekend. De La Rosa said during an interview on Spanish radio that the new Pirelli tyres are ‘very different’ from the previous year’s Bridgestones.

After enduring four days of the development programme in Abu Dhabi, the ex-racer said that the races in the coming season “will be more interesting, because they have designed a tyre for the show, especially the super soft which is very fast but also has a very big degradation.”

One of the most significant changes the tyres will make to the season is the increased number of pitstops each driver will have to take, up to 2 or 3 per race. 

Other new introductions for this season are the moveable rear wing and a re-introduction of the KERS system from 2009, a system that allows the driver to access additional bursts of power for a short amount of time at the touch of a button. 

Two Seater F1 Ride Auction

An eBay auction currently underway will allow the winning bidder to experience a ride in a Formula One car at this years Australian Grand Prix.

The auction is a charity based appeal to help the victims of the recent Australian floods in Queensland. All proceeds from the auction will go towards the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal in order to help recover affected areas of the floods.

The winner of the auction will be strapped into the 700bhp, V10 F1 car at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne where they will be driven around the track by a professional racing driver. They will also receive 2 four-day passes to the Grand Prix.

Chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Andrew Westacott said, "To experience the power of a two-seater F1 hitting speeds of 300 kilometres per hour is normally a money-can't-buy opportunity. By auctioning this amazing experience we hope to raise a significant amount to support Queenslanders."

After the first day of auctioning the highest bid stands at $5,000 Australian dollars (Approximately £3140) and will come to a close on the 28th January.

High Definition for Formula 1

It was confirmed by Formula One Management that the 2011 Formula One season will be broadcasted in full HD (1080i) resolution, after they announced a HD feed will be made available to all.

The BBC is one of the many other broadcasters who will bring high definition racing to TVs when the season commences on 11th March in Bahrain.

Danielle Nagle, Head of HD and 3D at the BBC, is delighted with the new introduction of HD, saying “Along with many, many HD viewers, I’m delighted that we’ll have a chance next season to see F1 in all its glory on television. It’s fantastic news that FOM has decided to green-light HD broadcasts, and we’re looking forward to sharing with the fans all the races in all their detail on BBC One HD and BBC HD.”

Despite the high-tech nature of F1, it has never been broadcasted in HD before. Bernie Ecclestone commented that there was no demand for the viewing of F1 in a HD format, however if a demand was made visible, the change would be made. "If somebody guarantees to broadcast it we'll do it," he said, "we'll do a deal when people are more interested."