Motor Sports: McLaren face hard work - Hamilton

Page last updated at 18:48 GMT, Wednesday, 4 March 2009

McLaren face hard work - Hamilton

Hamilton has been testing McLaren's MP4-24 in Spain Lewis Hamilton admits McLaren have a great deal of work to do if they are to be ready for the Australian Grand Prix. The reigning Formula One world champion is currently testing McLaren's new MP4-24 in Spain, ahead of the season-opening race in Melbourne on 29 March. "I haven't arrived here thinking I'm world champion, I've arrived thinking I've got a great team I need to push as hard as I can," said the 24-year-old. "We've got a lot of work to do to make sure we're ready for Australia." Hamilton admitted in January he was facing a race against time to get to grips with the technical changes Formula One will embrace this season. The Renault doesn't look bad, the BMW doesn't look bad, so there's quite a lot of teams looking pretty impressive at the moment Lewis Hamilton McLaren is one of the teams using kinetic energy recovery systems (kers) - one of the many changes that are being introduced for 2009 - in its two cars. Hamilton and former world champions Fernando Alonso of Renault and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen were among those testing on Wednesday, the fourth of five development days. Alonso headed the standings on a windy day, clocking one minute 19.945 seconds - the third best time of the week and 1.357secs quicker than Hamilton, who could only finish seventh of eight overall on his return to the track. "I'm very happy with the result from this test as we had two trouble-free days, a very consistent car and the work we have done has been very useful," said Alonso. Raikkonen was second quickest, just over three tenths of a second down, followed by Nick Heidfeld for BMW Sauber and Toyota's Jarno Trulli. Red Bull's Mark Webber and the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima also finished ahead of Hamilton, who only managed 70 laps. On Sunday, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel outpaced last year's championship runner-up Felipe Massa with his fastest lap of one minute 19.055 seconds, nearly 1.3 seconds ahead of the Ferrari driver's best effort. Massa was followed by Toyota test driver Kumui Kobayashi, Williams' Nico Rosberg and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica. "Just from looking at the times it seems like they (Toyota) are doing quite a good job but I think a lot of the teams are doing quite good jobs," said Hamilton. "The Renault doesn't look bad, the BMW doesn't look bad, so there's quite a lot of teams looking pretty impressive at the moment. "This is my first day of McLaren and Ferrari being at the same track but for me it looks very similar to every other year. Everyone's times are looking good - some consistent, some not." Hamilton added that the MP4-24 felt pretty similar to last year's car. "We have less down force and the tyres have slightly different characteristics but otherwise it's all very similar, he said. Heikki Kovalainen, Hamilton's team-mate, said he was "99% confident" McLaren would be using kers in Melbourne. The system provides drivers with a short burst of power on each lap from energy stored under braking. Despite teething problems, McLaren appear in an advanced stage of development compared to a number of their rivals who have made it clear they will not be using kers at the Albert Park circuit. "Hopefully it should be an advantage for us. Certainly it's going to potentially give you a big benefit from the start to the first corner," said Kovalainen. "My feeling comes from how well we're operating it at the track, and that's why I'm 99% confident we should be using it. "We are now hitting a stage where we can run it all day, reliably, without any problems, at the maximum power. So unless something goes dramatically wrong, I don't see a reason why we shouldn't run it. "Hopefully other people don't get it and we get it, but there are other good teams around and I wouldn't under-estimate anyone. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the other teams had it as well." Ferrari, BMW Sauber and Renault are also hoping to use kers in Melbourne.

Motor Sports- Honda struggle to find F1 buyer

Page last updated at 09:07 GMT, Monday, 23 February 2009

Honda struggle to find F1 buyer

Takeo Fukui is struggling to find a buyer for his Honda F1 team Honda has revealed it currently has no serious buyers to take over its Formula One team. The company announced last year that it was pulling out of the sport, blaming the global economic crisis. The deadline for an agreement to buy the team is believed to be this week, one month before the 2009 season's first race in Melbourne. "There are various offers for the team but we haven't seen any serious buyer," Honda president Takeo Fukui said. "We find the sale process difficult." It is thought the team are up for sale for £1 - although any buyer would need to find a budget in the region of £40m to run the outfit for the new campaign. A management buyout, led by current chief executive Nick Fry and team boss Ross Brawn, has been mooted for some time. On Saturday, Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson told the BBC that he would be interested in becoming involved in Formula One, but refused to confirm he was in talks with Honda. Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone told the News of the World that team bosses had turned down his offer to help with a management buy-out. "I tried to help with the management buy-out," he was quoted as saying. "It was a very good offer. It gave them complete protection but they wanted to do things on their own. "They should have taken what I offered. It was a very good offer for everybody concerned. "Now all we can do is hope and pray."

Motor sports: Branson keen on Honda - F1 boss

Page last updated at 18:05 GMT, Thursday, 19 February 2009

Branson keen on Honda - F1 boss

Richard Branson has been strongly linked with a move for Honda F1 Tycoon Richard Branson would "love" to take over the Honda Formula One team, Bernie Ecclestone has said. Honda have confirmed Branson's Virgin Group is one of several potential buyers of their F1 outfit. The British-based team was put up for sale in December after Honda announced they would quit the sport as both a constructor and engine supplier. "I've spoken to Richard's people about it. He would love to do it," said F1 supremo Ecclestone. The Japanese carmakers hope a deal can be done in time for the start of the 2009 season in Australia on 29 March. It is thought the team are up for sale for £1 - although any buyer would need to find a budget in the region of £40m to run the outfit for the new campaign. Honda have said they are negotiating with several buyers and hope a deal can be done in time for the start of the new season on 29 March. 606: DEBATE I'd imagine Branson would leave the running of the team to those who actually know what they are doing leesharpuk1984 Speaking about the prospect of Virgin being involved with F1, Ecclestone said: "I'd like it very much. It would be super. We're working to try to make it happen." The team are very short on time to put a deal together to enable them to compete this season. They are planning to use Mercedes engines, but the German company has set a deadline by which the team have to prove they have the finances in place to pay for the power-plants. BBC Sport understands that deadline expires in a matter of days. Honda announced they were pulling out of F1 because of the effects of the global economic crisis. Since then the leading contender was rumoured to be a planned management buyout led by the team's current chief executive Nick Fry, principal Ross Brawn and three other senior Honda Racing executives. Honda are prepared to provide some funding to go towards a racing budget for 2009 as this would be cheaper than paying off the contracts of the team's 700 employees. Branson has been involved with F1 in a minor capacity - his Virgin Mobile company sponsored the Jordan team in 2002. Virgin Atlantic Japan have also been personal sponsors of Honda-backed Japanese driver Takuma Sato for the past four years. But a source close to Branson told BBC Sport that the entrepreneur had in the past been reluctant to get involved with F1, because he saw the sport as a "big black hole for money". Should a buyout be put together, it would be a major boost for the career of English driver Jenson Button as well as the jobs of the team's 700 employees. Button has no other options for a place in F1 this coming season. Honda first competed in F1 in 1964 and has clocked up three Grand Prix wins as a full works team. Its engines have also been behind dozens of victories by stars such as world champions Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

Raikkonen goes fastest in Bahrain

Page last updated at 18:43 GMT, Friday, 13 February 2009

Raikkonen was among the drivers frustrated by a sandstorm in Bahrain Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest lap of the week in pre-season testing at Sakhir in Bahrain. The Finn clocked one minute, 33.325 seconds with Toyota's Jarno Trulli 0.104 secs behind, BMW Sauber's Christian Klien posted 1:33.666. Practice had been disrupted for two days by a sandstorm that grounded the medical helicopter. At Jerez in Spain on Friday, British world champion Lewis Hamilton went fastest with a lap of 1:19.632. Hamilton was fastest for a second straight session while former team-mate Fernando Alonso of Renault was next, followed by Nico Rosberg of Williams and Red Bull's Mark Webber. Toro Rosso's French driver Sebastien Bourdais clocked the best time for the second day running - in a time of 1:17.472 - but in a 2008 car while the other teams were using vehicles that had been reconfigured to conform with the new rules for the 2009 season. Alonso had finished slowest on Thursday but after a number changes the Spaniard said he was pleased with the way his car is starting to drive. "We concentrated more on set-up work today to get a better understanding of the car and make it easier to drive," he said. "The car responded well to the set-up changes we made, so I think we've found some good solutions." Webber drove for the second time since he suffered a broken leg while riding a bike at his own charity event in November last year. The 32-year-old Australian managed 92 laps despite an early mechanical problem.

Motor Sports- FORMULA ONE

Sunday, 15 February 2009

FORMULA ONE Raikkonen goes fastest in Bahrain Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen sets the fastest lap of the week in pre-season testing at Sakhir in Bahrain. KEY INFO: Formula One standings MotoGP standings MotoGP coverage Features and comment FORMULA ONE Donington to bridge F1 gap A revamp begins for the circuit that will host the British GP in 2010 Formula 1 teams unveil 2009 cars Red Bull are latest team to show off their new car Mark Webber column "The first test since my injury couldn't have gone better" F1 testing photos Lewis Hamilton leaves the rest trailing in his McLaren at Jerez FROM BBC NEWS >> Hard times America's favourite motorsport faces credit crunch impact FORMULA ONE F1 teams face testing times F1 to scrap 'bad' pit lane rule Hamilton faces tight test regime India 'will host 2011 Grand Prix' New rules prompt Ferrari concern Motorbikes Farquhar to ride for KMR Kawasaki Kawasaki pulls team out of MotoGP RALLYING Mitsubishi in Dakar withdrawal Rally calendar

Webber back to test Red Bull car

Webber had not driven an F1 car since the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix Mark Webber got back behind the wheel of a Formula One car for the first time since breaking his leg last November by testing the new Red Bull on Wednesday. Red Bull launched its 2009 challenger in Jerez on Monday in preparation for the new F1 season, which begins in Australia on 29 March. "There were a lot of questions going into today and I answered them," said Webber, who completed 83 laps. "From my point of view, it all went better than expected," he added. "To do over a race distance on my first day back in the cockpit, with several weeks to go to Melbourne is a good thing." Webber broke his right leg in November when he collided head-on with a car while riding a bike at his own charity event in Tasmania. The Australian said last week he was confident his recovery was "ahead of schedule" after undergoing an intensive recuperation programme. Webber, 32, has been working to get strength back in his leg and as well as improving his fitness in the pool and on a static bike, he has been using a cryogenic chamber to help knit the broken bones together. "I've been doing it for three weeks now," Webber, who is also a BBC Sport columnist, told the Red Bull website. Webber has been spending some time in a cryogenic chamber to aid recovery "You go from a normal, ambient room temperature into a chamber of -50 C for about 30 seconds and then for another three minutes into -130 C. "It's very good for your general well-being, your immune system and apparently it's good for cellulite. Not much of a worry for me but it's very good for the whole body." With Webber sidelined, the team have been relying on new recruit Sebastian Vettel to guide them in developing the car. However, the Australian, who missed the team's winter test in Spain last December, got back in the cockpit and comfortably completed 83 laps in Jerez, clocking a best time of one minute, 21.321 seconds. For the second day running, Sebastien Buemi was fastest in Toro Rosso's 2008 car with a best lap of 1:17.591 at Jerez. In Bahrain, Felipe Massa went quickest for Ferrari before a sandstorm forced the rest of the day's testing at the Bahrain International Circuit to be cancelled.

Formula One - News

FORMULA ONE Coulthard fears for Button future Jenson Button's Formula One career could be over unless current team Honda find a new owner, warns former driver David Coulthard.

Coulthard fears for Button future

Button made his F1 debut in 2000 and joined Honda in 2003 Jenson Button's Formula One career may be over unless current team Honda find a new owner, former driver David Coulthard has warned. With every other team having confirmed their line-up, Button's only chance of a drive in 2009 looks to be with Honda, who were put up for sale in December. "You cannot say 100%, but it would be very difficult to imagine where he goes from there. "It is a fickle business," said Coulthard, who retired last year. Coulthard believes his 29-year-old fellow Briton cannot afford to sit out a season if Honda do not make the grid. "The way the sport is now, there are so many young drivers coming through and there are so many opportunities for teams to pick up these guys," he added. Honda announced they were pulling out of Formula One in December, blaming the global economic crisis. The team remain hopeful of a rescue bid, but with the season beginning in Melbourne on 29 March, time is running out. Coulthard, speaking at the launch of Red Bull's new car in Spain, warned that even if the team are bought out, Button could still experience a hugely frustrating season at the back of the grid. "Honda, off the back of a bad season, suddenly when they realise they are up for sale start talking that this (their 2009 car) is a winning design and it's a great opportunity for anyone to buy this winning design," Coulthard said. "I don't think it is a given that it will suddenly be a winning design. "You would like to imagine that it would be better than what they were given last year but I think the team at the back of the grid potentially could be Honda. "Whereas going into previous years with Honda he was all full of hope and expectation that this could be the year that Honda will step up, he has to take a different view now. "He has to now consider himself as driving for a mid-grid, privateer team. "Whether they can deliver to his expectations or not is more difficult to judge going into this season and presumably longer term he has to be looking to try to make a step up to a manufacturer team."