Nice shot of the pit stop at Monza.
A quite interesting take on the recent ‘incident’, if you want to call it that, between our favourite Mercedes drivers.
McLaren will use its presence at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to showcase its P1 GTR, in design concept form.
Conceived in response to requests from buyers of the road legal McLaren P1 for a track focused edition of its car, and available for purchase only to this group as a fully comprehensive programme to include driving events, training and vehicle support, the McLaren P1 GTR will be in production by June 2015 when the 375th and final example of the road car has been completed – two decades on from the 24 Hours of Le Mans win by the McLaren F1 GTR.
The GTR will be unveiled at the McLaren Brand Centre on the 18th Fairway at the Pebble Beach Lodge (18.00 EST on Friday 15 August – 02.00 BST Saturday 16 August).
Both of the Bentley Continental GT3 cars finish the Total 24 Hours of Spa in the top 20
The M-Sport Bentley charging through the order
Some nice snaps from Lotus:
Romain Grosjean in his E22 Renault
Pastor Maldonado getting sorted
We should be shouting a lot more about F1..engaging the future.
Just in case you hadn’t heard, Caterham Group is not for sale.
The reports circulating last weekend were factually incorrect, says Caterham. However, the Group is actively searching for additional investment as it seeks to fulfil ambitious plans to develop.
“The shareholders of the Group, co-Chairmen Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, remain wholly committed to the Caterham brand.”
Adds Fernandes:
“We love what we build and we are always looking for further investment. This is no different to how we started AirAsia. Yes, we are constantly challenging ourselves and making decisions on everything from the structure to projects within the Group. That is normal business. That does not mean we are selling.”
Some nice images during qualifying of Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado
Sahara Force India’s Sergio Perez
and Nico Hulkenberg
The E22 showing El Greco livery
On the initiative of its owner Gérard Lopez the Lotus F1 Team will pay homage to Spanish painter El Greco with a special livery for the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix on 9-11 May.
The team’s E22 will feature branding of the major El Greco exhibition currently taking place in Toledo which commemorates the 400 years since the death of a leading figure of the Spanish Renaissance through his work as a painter.
A commemorative helmet will be presented to the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy on 8 May in La Moncloa, and to His Majesty King Juan Carlos I during his planned visit to the Lotus F1 Team motorhome at the Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday 11 May.
Says Lopez:
“This is the first time a Formula 1 team has publicised a Spanish cultural event so prominently. We will promote the El Greco exhibition – for no commercial fee – to a global TV audience of over 600 million people. Through this the legend of El Greco will be displayed in support of Spanish Culture and cultural tourism in Spain.”
Gérard Lopez is no stranger to mixing art and sport. The son of Galician immigrants, Lopez is an expert in Asian art, and a collector of incunabula and historical automobiles.
The ‘El Greco’ exhibition in Toledo currently receives thousands of visitors as one of the largest ever to gather together practically every work by the sixteenth century painter.
El Greco is regarded as one of the greatest artists of Western civilisation, an accolade that has been formed over the last 100 years, changing opinions previously held regarding his paintings during the two and a half centuries following his death. Previously he was regarded as an eccentric painter marginal to art history.
So much still to do, but with the right people. The sad tale of Mr Nigel Stepney.
Above: The Magna
Trident Sports Car, the British sports car brand established by Phil Bevan and Daniel Monaghan in 2005, has made its flagship Iceni – claimed to be the world’s fastest and most fuel efficient diesel sports car – available globally.
With a top speed in excess of 190mph and able to run for 2,000 miles on a single tank of mineral or bio-diesel, the Iceni uses torque multiplication technology (which Trident has patented) to achieve a unique combination of speed, power and fuel efficiency (by up to 20 per cent). A V8, 6.6-litre turbo diesel engine sits under the bonnet.
Two new models to the Iceni range are also unveiled today – the Iceni Magna (fastback) and Iceni Venturer (estate). Prices start at £96,000.
The bespoke division of McLaren Automotive – McLaren Special Operations (MSO) – has released images of its MSO 650S Coupe Concept – a showcase of the MSO-designed and engineered upgrades available for the McLaren 650S Coupe and 650S Spider, the latest models to join to the McLaren Automotive range.
The model is being shown throughout China over the coming weeks and includes an array of bespoke MSO features, including a newly designed carbon fibre rear diffuser and MSO-branded carbon fibre side blades.
The striking MSO 650S Coupe Concept has a stealth-like, menacing appearance, with subtle upgrades made to the exterior bodywork and within the driver-focused cabin. The MSO 650S Coupe Concept is finished in Agrigan Black – a metallic black paint specially developed inhouse with a deep ruby red metallic flake.
This paint effect gives the exterior bodywork a dramatic colour change in direct sunlight, contrasting with the extensive use of satin-finished carbon fibre highlights. The lightweight carbon fibre accents, including the prominent front splitter and air intakes, are complemented by bespoke MSO carbon fibre side blades and the unique MSO ear diffuser.
The MSO branded side blades are a more aggressive, full length, interpretation of the door blades seen on the 650S Coupe and Spider models. Finished in satin, they offer increased improvements to the airflow along the edges of the bodywork, further optimising aerodynamic efficiency.
At the rear, the GT3-inspired rear bumper features a carbon fibre centre section, and the lightweight material carries through to the carbon fibre airbrake and unique MSO rear diffuser. The engine bay has been further enhanced with satin black engine covers and a satin finish to all carbon fibre parts.
The purposeful exterior look of the MSO 650S Coupe Concept is finished with the addition of a set of special satin black finished lightweight 650S alloy wheels, shod with Pirelli P ZeroTM Corsa tyres.
Inside the cockpit, the one-off design showcase is fitted with the fixed-back carbon fibre racing seats, based on the lightweight design found in the McLaren P1TM, finished in carbon black leather. The seats position the occupants lower in the car and provide superb levels of upper and lower body support, while offering a weight saving of 15kg.
Satin carbon fibre features extensively throughout the cabin, which is further enhanced by the switchgear and bezels that are finished in contrasting gloss black.
The MSO 650S Coupe Concept is presented as a one-off design study, and MSO is monitoring reaction regarding any potential production examples. The MSO side blades and rear diffuser are available to order now from McLaren retailers, priced at £5,114 and £7,245 respectively for a new 650S. These styling upgrades can also be fitted to the 12C.
More thoughts on the current state of F1 from Joe Saward. He has a point here…
Valtteri Bottas finished seventh and Felipe Massa 15th in the Chinese Grand Prix.
Valterri Bottas
Felipe had a great start but then made contact with a defending Fernando Alonso, whilst Valtteri was hit by Nico Rosberg who was braking hard in response to the action ahead. Felipe recovered to sixth with Valtteri in eighth before the first round of pitstops but a problem in Felipe’s first pitstop then dropped him to the back of the field. Valtteri meanwhile chased the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg eventually finishing just half a second behind, as Felipe fought hard to gain positions back to 15th.
Rob Smedley, Head of Vehicle Performance:
“It’s bittersweet really as the car was quick. We had a good strategy and the team worked well together. It’s a real shame for Felipe and the whole team about the pitstop and it is something that we need to investigate to ensure it doesn’t happen again, as it cost us points today. To have one car in the top ten shows that we have the pace and that gives us continued optimism, so we will take the positives forward to Spain.”
Rob Smedley
Valtteri Bottas:
“It was a good race for me despite some hard contact at the start which cost me a few positions. I also had to drive the whole race without telemetry which isn’t the easiest thing to do. We made progress over the whole weekend which is good. It’s great to make steps forward and we are looking to do the same in Spain in a three weeks’ time.”
Felipe Massa:
“I had another great start today and we were fighting at the top. I felt some contact with Fernando but luckily the car wasn’t damaged so I could carry on. There was a mistake at the first pitstop and that effectively lost me the race as I came back out on track in last position. It is a frustrating situation and something we need to work on to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. We have time now to work hard and improve the car for Spain.”
Felipe Massa
The team continued its strong points-scoring form in China as Nico Hulkenberg finished in sixth place ahead of Sergio Perez in ninth. The 10 points scored today leave the team with 54 points and third in the constructors’ standings.
Nico Hulkenberg:
“Finishing in sixth and bringing both cars home in the points again was a very positive result for the team. It was actually a pretty straightforward race for me after we got in front of Massa: I had to manage my tyres, my pace and avoid mistakes, and it only got tricky at the end when Bottas was getting a bit closer. We have beaten all other customer Mercedes cars, which are our main competition at the moment, but we have also seen some other teams up their game so we will need to keep pushing.”
Sergio Perez:
“To start from P16 and finish in ninth place is a good recovery after a difficult qualifying session yesterday. I made a good start and after that I just focused on making the two-stop strategy work. I think everybody suffered with tyre graining and I picked up a few flat spots, but we still made it work. It was not easy to overtake today, even the cars were on a different strategy, so I think ninth place was the maximum. It means I’ve scored points in three out of four races, but I was hoping for more today after the weekend we had in Bahrain. It’s also clear that all the teams around us are finding pace so we have to keep working hard to be ready for Barcelona.”
CLIVE COULDWELL: Formula One as it is... 