The system looked like it might have been a masterstroke when Renault produced strong times early in winter testing, but it never delivered the performance gains expected and ultimately limited the team's development ability this year.
I regard it as… Full Story »
The Enstone outfit took the blown diffuser a step further, relocating the exhaust towards the front of the car, between the chassis and radiator, and then turning it 90 degrees so that it points towards the leading edge of the… Full Story »
Valterri Bottas was in the seat of the FW33 today at Abu Dhabi where Williams were testing a number of car changes, including a new exhaust system to prepare for next year's changed regulations. Apart from a gearbox problem at… Full Story »
Valtteri Bottas was happy with his laptimes during his first day of testing for Williams despite losing track time in the afternoon with a gearbox problem.
The Finn ended the day seventh fastest after improving his best time in the… Full Story »
Valtteri Bottas is in the FW33 for the first time, and his car has the top-exiting exhaust layout visible as Williams becomes the first team to test exhausts conforming to 2012 regulations. The set of rules will come in to… Full Story »
Tom McCullough, Race Engineer: Valtteri had his first day properly driving the car after previously doing straightline testing with the team. He got straight into it and did a really good job, enabling us to get through quite a long… Full Story »
Pirelli will be very busy this weekend with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and subsequent young driver test on November 15-17. The race itself will be the same complicated compromise set-up for long straights but high downforce corners. It's a… Full Story »
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The man who helped develop many of the safety improvements in motorsports said there's not enough evidence at this point to determine whether the catch fence played a role in Dan Wheldon's death on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
But Dr. Dean Sicking, director of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at… Full Story »
Rubens Barrichello thinks it is vital that Williams gets an understanding of why this year's car did not perform if it is to ensure that its 2012 challenger is a big step forward.
With Williams enduring its worst ever season… Full Story »
Scheckter was a spectator at Sunday's Las Vegas Indy 300 and had an anxious wait before discovering son Tomas had escaped unharmed from the 15-car crash.
I think the set-up they put in so it can be more of a spectacle… Full Story »
Asked whether the sport was safe, Scheckter said: "No. It is the most dangerous form of motor racing at the moment.
"I think the set-up they put in so it can be more of a spectacle makes it very, very dangerous on circuits like this. Some others [circuits] aren't as bad."
Scheckter, 61, who won the Formula 1 title in 1979, claimed the crash was "inevitable" due to the changes designed at making IndyCar more competitive.
He said wings allowing more downforce were aiding the speed of cars, and also pointed to the number of drivers - 35 - who took part in the race.
"There is hardly any difference in speed between the good drivers and the bad drivers," said Scheckter, a South African who now runs an organic farm near Basingstoke.
Tomas Scheckter made his IndyCar debut in 2002
"They were basically touching wheels at 220mph. They all bunch up together so there are 35 cars in a small space of track.
"One person makes a mistake and this happens. You [shouldn't] have to get killed if you make a mistake. It was madness. Formula 1 is not like that anymore and it is still quite exciting."
Scheckter said he was in a hospitality suite when the crash happened and feared the worst for his son, who has competed in 115 races, winning two.
"We really just hoped," he said. "I had the headset on through to his channel and I heard him say 'someone had hit me in the back' so I knew he was OK after that.
"Dan raced with or against some of my sons in England in Formula Vauxhall. We have known him for years really. He has been very successful. A bubbly guy all the time. It is very sad."
Former Formula 1 and IndyCar driver Mark Blundell said the Las Vegas track was unsuitable for cars of the power and speed used in Indy 300.
"It was inevitable in many ways," the Briton said of Sunday's accident. "It was a recipe for disaster. These type of cars shouldn't be on these type of circuits.
"Fifteen cars wiped out - 40% of the grid - and we've had a fatality. That's not acceptable."
Jody Scheckter competed in 113 F1 races, winning 10
Former Formula 1 driver and BBC commentator Anthony Davidson said a $5m offer to any non-regular series driver who won the season finale in Las Vegas was not to blame.
"We drive our hearts out - you know, whether it's at the back of the grid or the front of the grid - our goal is always to win a race and you know it was a great idea and I wouldn't put any blame on the organisers or that style of the race," he said.
"You've got to look to the root of the problem and the root of the problem is just the fact that you've got very high speed cars travelling around very closely fought races with open cockpits.
"You have to question, do they have to go that fast? Can the spectators see the difference between 250mph or 160mph? I am not so sure.
"I don't think it is down to the style of the race or the carrot at the end of it. The temptation and carrot of the money is always there no matter what race you are in."
Scottish IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti, a four-time IndyCar series champion, also had concerns about the race.
Track was packed for Wheldon crash - Legard
"I could see within five laps people were starting to do crazy stuff," he said.
"I love hard racing but that to me is not really what it's about, one small mistake from somebody.
"Right now I'm numb and speechless. One minute you're joking around and the next he's gone.
"He was six years old when I first met him. He was this little kid and the next thing you know he was my team-mate.
"We put so much pressure on ourselves to win races and championships and today it doesn't matter."
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Asked whether the sport was safe, Scheckter said: "No. It is the most dangerous form of motor racing at the moment.
"I think the set-up they put in so it can be more of a spectacle makes it very, very dangerous on circuits like this. Some others [circuits] aren't as bad."
Scheckter, 61, who won the Formula 1 title in 1979, claimed the crash was "inevitable" due to the changes designed at making IndyCar more competitive.
He said wings allowing more downforce were aiding the speed of cars, and also pointed to the number of drivers - 35 - who took part in the race.
"There is hardly any difference in speed between the good drivers and the bad drivers," said Scheckter, a South African who now runs an organic farm near Basingstoke.
Tomas Scheckter made his IndyCar debut in 2002
"They were basically touching wheels at 220mph. They all bunch up together so there are 35 cars in a small space of track.
"One person makes a mistake and this happens. You [shouldn't] have to get killed if you make a mistake. It was madness. Formula 1 is not like that anymore and it is still quite exciting."
Scheckter said he was in a hospitality suite when the crash happened and feared the worst for his son, who has competed in 115 races, winning two.
"We really just hoped," he said. "I had the headset on through to his channel and I heard him say 'someone had hit me in the back' so I knew he was OK after that.
"Dan raced with or against some of my sons in England in Formula Vauxhall. We have known him for years really. He has been very successful. A bubbly guy all the time. It is very sad."
Former Formula 1 and IndyCar driver Mark Blundell said the Las Vegas track was unsuitable for cars of the power and speed used in Indy 300.
"It was inevitable in many ways," the Briton said of Sunday's accident. "It was a recipe for disaster. These type of cars shouldn't be on these type of circuits.
"Fifteen cars wiped out - 40% of the grid - and we've had a fatality. That's not acceptable."
Jody Scheckter competed in 113 F1 races, winning 10
Former Formula 1 driver and BBC commentator Anthony Davidson said a $5m offer to any non-regular series driver who won the season finale in Las Vegas was not to blame.
"We drive our hearts out - you know, whether it's at the back of the grid or the front of the grid - our goal is always to win a race and you know it was a great idea and I wouldn't put any blame on the organisers or that style of the race," he said.
"You've got to look to the root of the problem and the root of the problem is just the fact that you've got very high speed cars travelling around very closely fought races with open cockpits.
"You have to question, do they have to go that fast? Can the spectators see the difference between 250mph or 160mph? I am not so sure.
"I don't think it is down to the style of the race or the carrot at the end of it. The temptation and carrot of the money is always there no matter what race you are in."
Scottish IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti, a four-time IndyCar series champion, also had concerns about the race.
Track was packed for Wheldon crash - Legard
"I could see within five laps people were starting to do crazy stuff," he said.
"I love hard racing but that to me is not really what it's about, one small mistake from somebody.
"Right now I'm numb and speechless. One minute you're joking around and the next he's gone.
"He was six years old when I first met him. He was this little kid and the next thing you know he was my team-mate.
"We put so much pressure on ourselves to win races and championships and today it doesn't matter."
The blown diffuser, which channels exhaust air over the rear of the car to improve downforce, has been a hot topic for much of this year's Championship.
With talk of banning it, not banning it and then only doing so… Full Story »
Q. Carl comes in third tonight. You come out of here halfway now and you're the points leader. CARL EDWARDS: Yeah, it's huge for us. We had this one circled on the schedule as one that our whole Aflac team was nervous about.
We qualified well. We were not that fast at the beginning of the race and Bob did a really good job dialing it in, the car and the track kind of came to us, so just overall a really good nice for Roush Fenway, it's great to see Matt get a win. Those guys, I guess it's… Full Story »
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has revealed that Lewis Hamilton lost about 10 points of downforce early in the Korean Grand Prix because of an unidentified problem. Full Story »
Vijay Mallya, has confirmed that Force India has a a new co-owner, in the shape of the sports promoter firm Sahara India Pariwar, and that the team will run under a new name of Sahara Force India. Mallya's shareholding has… Full Story »
Senna did well to recover from a practice crash to qualify in ninth position, but a poor start and lack of downforce left him well short of the points as he finished the race in 16th place. Senna said that… Full Story »
After an improved performance at the Japanese Grand Prix, Renault believes the Korean International Circuit, hosting the next round of the championship this weekend, could yield even better results.
Renault struggled to its worst performance of the season at the… Full Story »
Jaime Alguersuari (STR6-02) - Pos. 15th "I had more or less the same strategy as Perez, however he seemed to be one second a lap faster than me. I was unable to get past as I was hitting the limiter… Full Story »
After a number of very good races for Toro Rosso, Jaime and Sebastien were unable to get in any points scoring position today. Jaime had trouble getting up to speed while Sebastien abandoned after the right front wheel on his… Full Story »
Jaime Alguersuari - 15th: "I had more or less the same strategy as Perez, however he seemed to be one second a lap faster than me. I was unable to get past as I was hitting the limiter on the… Full Story »
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Tomas Scheckter made his IndyCar debut in 2002
Jody Scheckter competed in 113 F1 races, winning 10
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