Virgin Yet To Announce Second Driver

It was announced prior to the German Grand Prix that Timo Glock has agreed a new deal, which will keep him with the Marussia Virgin team until 2014.

However, upon completing his qualifying laps at the Nurburgring on Saturday, Glock was heard apparently criticising his mechanics on the radio "You make my life difficult in the last two races - the car is just so difficult to drive at the moment". Comments which he later claimed were made in jest.

The Virgin team however have not yet made a decision regarding his team mate for 2012. The team's CEO, Graeme Lowdon, said that now Glock has signed there is no need to rush the decision on a second driver. A decision will probably be made once the season has finished.

Virgin's current number two, Jerome D'Ambrosio, has clearly impressed the team so far this year. However in 2010, Lucas di Grassi outperformed Glock in several races and actually finished higher in the Championship standings than the experienced German, yet despite this he was not retained for a second year.
D'Ambrosio, however, is believed to have brought sponsorship with him. Whether this funding will continue for a second year remains to be seen.

For more on this story, visit www.autosport.com

Virgin Join Forces With McLaren

The Virgin team have announced the introduction of a technical partnership with McLaren, which will see the young team which first joined the Formula 1 field in 2010, given access to McLaren facilities including simulators and wind tunnel.

Virgin were the only team in the field to not use wind tunnels to some degree, instead opting to use only CFD (computational fluid dynamics), but the team decided that significant changes were required if they were to acheive the targets they had set themselves.

The team parted ways with designer Nick Wirth, but purchased the Wirth Racing Technologies business to use as an operational base.

The team are expected to continue using Cosworth engines, despite Williams' announcement that they are to move to Renault motors from next year.

A partnership such as this is not unheard of in the sport, with McLaren currently assisting the Force India team, in a move which moved the Silverstone-based squad from perpetual back-markers to regular points contenders in a short space of time.
Whether the same can be acheived with Virgin remains to be seen, but the commitment from both parties is surely positive.

For more on this, visit www.virginracing.com

Williams Reunited With Renault

The Williams team confirmed today that from 2012 onwards, they will switch to using Renault engines, as opposed to their current Cosworth powerplants.

This will be considered great news by many nostalgic fans of the team, as the British outfit won several World Championships as Williams Renault, from 1989-1997. This fruitful period included Drivers Championship crowns for Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, who were all present at the Williams HQ when the news was announced.

Team boss Frank Williams warned that this was a statement of future intent from the team who will "not allow ourselves to dwell too much on the past."

This news means that - as it currently stands - Renault will provide the most engines to Formula 1 teams next season (five), whilst Cosworth will now only provide engines to the two smallest teams, Virgin and Hispania.

For more on this, visit www.williamsf1.com

Virgin Part Company With Wirth

Virgin have announced that Technical Director Nick Wirth has left the team following a poor start to the season.

Virgin had been aiming to reach Q2 on multiple occasions this season, but their best start to a Grand Prix in the six races so far this season has been on the tenth row of the grid.

It has recently been rumoured that McLaren may become a technical partner of the team, similarly to the arangement between McLaren and Force India, which saw the team move from being perpetual tail-enders to regular point scorers in just a few seasons. This may also mean that Virgin look to use Mercedes engines in future seasons.

Virgin may now look to introduce a wind tunnel to it's design department. To date, the team have done all their design using CFD (Computation Fluid Dynamics) technology, which is much more cost effective, but still not considered as effective as wind tunnels.

Expect to hear many more changes from the Virgin camp in the near future! In the meantime, to read more on this story, visit www.autosport.com

Williams Announce Internal Restructuring

The Williams Formula One team - which has suffered it's worst start to a Formula One season in the team's long history - has announced that Technical Director Sam Michael will retire at the end of the season.

It has emerged that the team's Chairman, Adam Parr, offered his resignation as a result of their terrible performance this year so far, but that this offer offer was declined by team owner Sir Frank Williams.

However, the team has also announced a controversial appointment of a new chief engineer, that of former McLaren employee Mike Coughlan.
Coughlan was banned from the sport in 2007 for his part in the "spygate" scandal, by illegally obtaining technical information from Ferrari - this also resulted in the disqualification of McLaren, who in addition received a record $100 million fine.
Ferrari's Nigel Stepney was also banned for his part in the controversy.

Both Coughlan and Stepney have served the two year bans they received, and are therefore entitled to return to the sport. However, it does raise a question of whether they should return.
Ferrari in particular would not be likely to look upon the return of these individuals very kindly.

This announcement comes just weeks after Marussia Virgin confirmed that Pat Symonds - the former Renault team member who was bannded for his part in the "crashgate" scandal, where Nelson Piquet Jr purposefully crashed his car at the Singapore Grand Prix - has been appointed as an advisor to the team.

Should these 'cheaters' be welcome back into the sport, having served their sentences, or should lifetime bans be introduced? Let us know your thoughts.

For more on this story, visit www.jamesallenonf1.com

107% Qualifying Rule

The reintroduction of the 107 per cent qualifying rule created it's first victims in the first race of the 2011 season.

Neither Hispania managed to reach the required time in the first session of qualifying, and were therefore not eligible to take part in the race on Sunday.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time in Q1 of 1:25.296, the Hispania cars therefore needed a lap time below 1:31.267 in order to qualify. This was always going to be a big ask for a team who had not tested their car at all pre-season - the first time the cars were driven was during the practice sessions for the first Grand Prix.

Vitantonio Liuzzi's best time was just over a second outside of this margin, with Narain Karthikeyan finishing approximately 1.3 seconds further back.

The question is, how often will the cars manage to qualify, especially without being able to use the race days as valuable testing mileage?
Also, although the other 'new' teams (Team Lotus and Marussia Virgin) were able to qualify on this occassion, how confident should they be of repeating this achievement in future races?

We have therefore compiled a list of how the three new teams would have fared if the 107% rule would have applied in 2010, based on 2010 qualifying times. (Driver '1' being the highest qualifier in each race):

The good news for Team Lotus is that both of their cars qualified within 107% of the fastest time at every race last year.

There are exceptions to the rule, for example during changeable weather conditions, or if a driver has proven previously that they are quick enough (for example in Free Practice), the FIA may allow them to participate in the race.

For more information on this rule, visit www.formula1.com

Yamamoto Given Reserve Role

Another former Hispania driver has been given a testing role for 2011.

This time it is Sakon Yamamoto who has been confirmed as reserve driver for the Marussia-Virgin team.

It is unclear yet how many Friday practice sessions the young Japanese driver (who is rumoured to have financial backing from sponsors) will participate in.

For more, see www.marussiavirginracing.com

2011 Preview: The 'New' Teams

Part one of our 2011 preview focuses on the three teams which were new to the grid in 2010.

These three teams were also the only three on the grid unable to score a single World Championship point, and their positions were decided based on their highest results. This did not come as a surprise to many, however, as their inclusion in the Championship was only confirmed shortly before testing began, giving the teams minimal time to design and build their cars.

These teams will be looking to improve in 2011, and will be aiming to score at least a point, particularly with Bernie Ecclestone repeatedly claiming that the Championship only requires ten teams.

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Starting with Marussia Virgin Racing. Classified 12th last season, the Cosworth-powered team founded by entrepreneur Richard Branson will be looking for an improved run of results this year.

The experienced Timo Glock will once again be the team's number one driver, despite technically finishing lower down the order last season than rookie Lucas di Grassi. Glock will certainly feel he has a point to prove now, even though he has admitted that the new car is probably still not quick enough to challenge the midfield runners.
Glock does not appear to be someone who is happy just making up the numbers at the back of the field. He will be encouraging his team and engineers to provide him with a good car, with which he can compete with the established teams.

The second driver for this season is Jerome D'Ambrosio, who is believed to have brought additional sponsorship to the team which aided his ascension to a first team drive. The young Belgian will want to show that he is worthy of competing at the pinacle of motorsport and will certainly keep Glock on his toes.

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The next team to look at is Colin Kolles' HRT F1 Team (Hispania). This Cosworth-Powered team are certainly not the richest team in the sport, with many suggesting they would not last an entire season. However, last it they did, and they're back again in 2011. They even managed to finish in the rankings above Virgin last year, despite using four different drivers over the course of the season, and missing pre-season testing in it's entirety.
The 2011 car is probably not too dissimilar to it's predecessor, and will have been based around the 2010 model with a few modifications. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the team's control, they missed all of the 2011 pre-season tests again.

Vitantonio Liuzzi was the final driver announcement for the year, having been relieved of his position as Force India driver at the end of last year. The often outspoken Italian is fighting to keep his Formula One career alive. It will be interesting to see how he copes with life at the back of the grid, and how he copes if he is expected to lead the team.

Liuzzi's team mate is Indian Narain Karthikeyan, who formerly competed in Formula One for Jordan, among others, but spent last season competing in the NASCAR Trucks series. He is a hard working and committed driver, who recently admitted that he spent all of his savings that he earned in the States on securing this drive.

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Finally, we have Team Lotus. Definitely the most competitive of the new teams, and the team that came closest to the ellusive World Championship point. This will certainly be an interesting season for the team, both on the track and off, as they have got at least two court dates booked due to ongoing disputes regarding the use of the Lotus name. On track, however, they will certainly be looking to catch the midfield runners, as they have signed a deal with Red Bull Technology for their transmission package and will use Renault engines in an effort to acheive their goals.

Driver one for the team is Jarno Trulli. Trulli is one of the most experienced drivers in the field, having first competed in Formula One back in 1997. The Italian was outperformed by team mate Heikki Kovalainen for much of last season and will want to correct that this year.
He knows, however, that he is in the Autumn of his Formula One career, and will need a stong season to ensure he is offered a drive in 2012.

Heikki Kovalainen once again partners Trulli. The Finn had a strong season last year, and was only a few positions from scoring points on a number of occassions. However, Kovalainen's season will perhaps be best remembered for his fireman antics in the Singapore Grand Prix, singlehandedly extinguishing the flames from his burning car.
Kovalained will want to return to the front of the field, where he was when competing in the number 2 McLaren in 2009.

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It will be interesting to see whether any of these teams can score points in 2011, or whether their lack of budget, KERS and DRS (adjustable rear wing) will mean they will have to be content just racing each other.

Pay Drivers - Good Or Bad?

Is it right that drivers can effectively 'buy' a seat in a Formula One car?

In the 2011 campaign, there will reportedly be six drivers who have brought funds with them to their team.

Jerome d'Ambrosio (VIR); Segio Perez (SAU); Pastor Maldonado (WIL); Vitaly Petrov (REN); Narain Karthikeyan (HRT) and TBC (HRT) are each believed to have brought between £5-10 million in backing.
However, Vitaly Petrov was awarded a contact extension, and is now in his second year with the Lotus-Renault team.

The most obvious advantage of paid drivers is the money they bring to the team through backing and sponsorship.
However, another advantage is that it brings opportunities to drivers who may not have ever had a chance of a Formula One drive otherwise. Although scouts and talent-spotters operate extensively in Europe and UK, it can be much more difficult for a Russian or South American to break into the mainstream.
The sport itself can also benefit as it can gain exposure in Nations where previously Formula One was relatively unknown. This is having a noticeable effect already, as car makers Lotus, Marussia, Infiniti and Lada have recently become involved.

The disadvantage of pay drivers is that some highly talented drivers may be unable to obtain a race seat, or even (in the case of Nico Hulkenberg) lose a seat, as they are unable to obtain the necessary funding required.

There is still one race seat available for the 2011 season with Hispania, which is believed to be available for £5 million! If you would like to find out more about this opportunity, visit www.hispaniaf1team.com

Glock Taken To Hospital

Marussia-Virgin driver Timo Glock has been taken to hospital in Switzerland with suspected appendicitis.

The German was successfully operated on, and is not expected to miss any Grands Prix, but is unlikely to appear at the final pre-season test in Barcelona.

Glock used his Twitter account to thank fans for their support:
- @realTimoGlock - "Hello everyone thanks for all the great messages that helps recovery :-) ! Greetings from the Hospital to everyone !!!Will be back soon Timo"

To follow Timo, visit www.twitter.com

The Pros and Cons of KERS

The 2011 Formula One season sees the re-introduction of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), which stores energy used by the car (for example, under braking) and stores the energy to be used as a performance boost, activated using a 'Push To Pass' button on the steering wheel.

KERS can only be operated by the driver, and is limited to a fixed amount of boost (equivalent to just a few seconds) per lap.

As the system effectively recycles energy, usually by recharging a battery stored in the car, it is seen as a 'green' performance enhancer and is therefore used in an effort to increase the sport's environmental image.

Use of the system is encouraged, but not compulsory. It is thought, however, that teams using KERS will see a significant performance increase over their rivals. The nine established teams are expected to begin the season with a KERS system in place, but apparently Marussia Virgin and HRT will not use the system in 2011. Team Lotus may introduce KERS to their cars later in the season.

The main disadvantage of KERS is the significant weight of the battery which can hamper performance, as explained on the Formula1.com website:
"A typical KERS system weighs around 35 kilograms. Formula One cars must weigh at least 620kg (including the driver), but traditionally teams build the car to be considerably lighter and then use up 70kg of ballast to bring it up to weight. This means that teams with KERS have less ballast to move around the car and hence have less freedom to vary their car’s weight distribution. Heavier drivers are at a particular disadvantage, an issue addressed by the raising of the minimum car weight for the 2011 season."

With this in mind, we have produced a table showing the height and weight of each of the drivers involved in the 2011 season, below:

*These teams are not expected to run KERS during 2011

This data suggests that Force India may be the most affected by running KERS, as they have the largest drivers, and perhaps Sauber may benefit the most, as their drivers are the smallest. However, each team runs a different KERS design, with different levels of success and reliability. Williams have even discussed the possibility of using a flywheel based KERS system in place of a battery later in the season.

How big a part will KERS play in 2011? Only time will tell.

Symonds To Make F1 Return

Former Renault engineer Pat Symonds announces Formula One return.

Symonds was banned following the race fixing controversy at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and is not allowed to work full-time for a team until 2013.

However, he is able to work on a consultancy basis, which he will do with the Virgin Racing team.

For more, see www.autosport.com

Virgin Unveil New Car

The Marussia Virgin team launched their 2011 car at BBC Television Center in London today.

Like the Team Lotus car, out features a very similar livery to last year, but looks more like a modern formula one car than its predecessor.

Only Force India and Hispania are yet to unveil their new designs.

For images from the Virgin launch, visit www.autosport.com