DHL has agreed to continue its logistics partnership with Formula 1 having signed a deal to provide logistics support for the 2011 season.
Under the agreement, the air and sea freight specialist will provide a range of services for the Formula 1 event which commenced in Melbourne on Monday.
Services porvided include importing team cars for the race weekends, moving replacement parts and handling fuel requirements.
The company will also provide a 24-hour service point at each track where an on-site team will provide round-the-clock service for urgent shipments and customs clearance
After a long Research and Development let by the FIA institute and leading helmet manufactures FIA prescribed 8860 racing helmet.
It’s a 1200 gram carbon fiber shell that can resist the crushing force of 55 – tonne tank without deforming and an 800 degree Celsius fire for 30 sec without its interior rising above 70 degrees Celsius.
It is a remarkable piece of kit, supplied to race (and rally) drivers by Arai, Schuberth and Bell since 2004. Yet the quest for perfection is unceasing.
And this season all 8860 helmets will feature a new refinement, a Zylon strip across the top of the visor (also indicated, right, but in prototype carbon-fiber form) that will significantly enhance protection in one of its unavoidably weaker areas - the visor, a polycarbonate medium that of necessity isn’t as strong as the overall shell.
The vulnerability of the visor area was exposed at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, when the helmet of Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was struck by a spring that had become detached from the car ahead. The spring hit Massa’s helmet at precisely the point where visor and helmet shell meet, with a force equivalent to a bag of sugar smacking into his head at 260 km/h (160 mph). Massa suffered a serious injury and, while he has made a full recovery, the incident prompted drivers to ask whether further safety enhancements to the visor area could be made.
The Zylon strip, 50mm tall across the full width of the visor, is the answer. It overlaps the top 25mm of the visor itself and extends 25mm above the helmet shell edge - dimensions that ensure extra protection without further restricting driver vision. It’s a neat arrangement, occupying as it does the area currently covered by advertising strips, so there’s no commercial downside to improved driver protection.
Andy Mellor, the FIA Institute technical adviser, explains that Zylon is subtly different from the carbon fibre used elsewhere in the helmet shell: “In tests we found that Zylon was better than carbon fiber for this application as it offers better energy-absorbing qualities. Our goal for the visor was to get the best performance-to-weight ratio for whatever material we chose. We’ve added about 70 grams to the visor, but we have doubled its impact performance.”
Zylon, a synthetic polymer, is already used widely in high-profile applications, such as ballistics-resistant body armour, snowmobile drive belts and the rigging on racing yachts. It is also a familiar material to motorsport engineers - since 2007 the cockpits of Formula One cars have been Zylon-clad and their wheel tethers can be made from Zylon.
The introduction of the strip marks only the first phase of planned enhancements to visor safety. The FIA Institute and helmet manufacturers are currently researching the use of high-performance optical materials - transparent ceramics - as the main visor medium.
Formula 1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that he is joining the cast of Disney Pixar's Cars 2.
The 2008 world champion revealed the news on his official Twitter account yesterday afternoon, posting a teaser image of his character and a video.
He said: "Hey guys, big news - I'm going to be in @DisneyPixar's #Cars2! Take a look at my car... This is wicked."
The studio describes Hamilton's character in the film as a "seriously fast #2 Grand Touring Sports champion" and a "powerful contender", revealing that his car will represent Great Britain in the film's World Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who finished second in this weekend's Australian Grand Prix for McLaren Mercedes, recently signed a contract with Simon Fuller's talent management company XIX Entertainment.
The Cars franchise has previously attracted motor racing talent. The late Paul Newman voiced Doc Hudson in the original film, with Mario Andretti, NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Jr and seven-times Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher also making cameo appearances.
Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 Formula One champion, is considering an offer to join a team in the Nascar auto-racing series, his agent David Robertson said.
Robertson declined to identify the team the 31-year-old Finn was talking to.
“Negotiations are ongoing but nothing is guaranteed,” Robertson said by telephone. “Somebody had come to us with an offer and we are considering it.”
Raikkonen is set to join a new team, ICE1 Racing, in the Truck series before moving to the Nationwide and Sprint Cup categories, as reported by Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper.
One of the team’s partners is Foster Gillett, the son of George Gillett. George Gillett is the former owner of the Liverpool soccer team and the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team.
Raikkonen was the top-earning athlete after golfer Tiger Woods in 2008 with $45 million in income, according to Forbes magazine.
He was dropped by Ferrari after the 2009 season and left Formula One to compete in the World Rally Championship for Citroen last year. Raikkonen remains committed to his contract in the rally series, Robertson said.
Swilling champagne and mixing with celebrities at Formula One races is cheaper in Milan than New Delhi [Jaypee International Circuit, Greater Noida], according to the 2011 price list of a licensed hospitality agent for the motor racing series.
A weekend VIP pass for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix costs $4,200 (Rs. 1,87,000 approx.), 1.4 percent more than for a race in Monza, near Italy’s fashion capital, in prices listed by London-based F1 Corporate Ltd.
Defending world champion Sebastian Vettel won the first of as many as 19 races this season in Melbourne yesterday.
Formula One is also tapping emerging markets by bumping up the price of hospitality for next month’s race in Shanghai by 16 percent compared with increases of less than 7 percent for events in Barcelona and Silverstone, England.
“Asia and the emerging markets are the big growth areas for Formula One,” Zak Brown, chief executive officer of Zionsville, Indiana-based Just Marketing International, an auto- racing marketing agency, said in an e-mail. “The pricing is a reflection of supply and demand.”
Formula One chief executive officer Bernie Ecclestone has moved races outside the series’ European heartland since 2004 to help increase sales. With Brazil, China and India on this year’s schedule, Russia is slated to become the final so-called BRIC race host in 2014.
In 2009, the series generated $1.1 billion in income for its owner, buyout firm CVC Capital Partners Ltd. Officials at Geneva-based Allsport Management SA, which oversees corporate hospitality, didn’t immediately return a telephone call or e- mail seeking comment
At least two of the four engine manufacturers in Formula One are not backing Bernie Ecclestone's push to repeal the new rules for 2013.
The FIA has announced a more environmentally friendly four cylinder turbo formula, but Formula 1 Chief Executive Ecclestone has said he is worried about his sport losing the roar of the current normally aspired V8s.
"Renault supports the new engine rules because technically it is relevant to our road cars," Renault's Formula 1 engine chief Rob White told Auto Motor und Sport.
He said the rules could also entice other manufacturers to enter or return to Formula 1.
Mercedes' Norbert Haug added: "For us, there is no turning back. The development of the four cylinder engine has already begun.
"To go back now would mean a huge waste of money," he said.
The German media report said Ecclestone's recent stance against the FIA and its President Jean Todt is actually about the 100 year commercial lease agreement between the two sides.
Even though the agreement has been in action for a decade, it has never actually been finally signed off, and the Todt led FIA is said to be negotiating for better terms with Ecclestone/CVC in a couple of crucial areas.
"There are still some issues that need to be clarified," confirmed Todt. "The agreement is very complex and relates to 100 years, which is so long that none of us will see its end."
F1India.org team personally feels that, more environmental friendly matters must be incorporated in the Formula One. It will not only for the good will of motor-sport but also for the future generation. Though we understand, Ecclestone urge to not lose the luster of speed from F1, but a lot can be done in this matter. But not at a cost of killing the environment.
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ace and 2009 World Champion Jenson Button wrote history today, becoming the first-ever race driver to take on Australia’s iconic Mount Panorama circuit in an F1 race car.
As part of a Vodafone sponsored event with the support of the Bathurst Council, Jenson Button and Craig Lowndes (three time V8 Supercar champion and five time Bathurst 1000 winner) swapped their cars for a day at the historic Australian circuit.
The historic event proved to be irresistible to motorsport fans, with thousands flocking to line the Mount Panorama circuit to see a Formula 1 car soar around the legendary track.
Jenson Button and Craig Lowndes drove 2008 world championship winning Mclaren F1 car.
Button completed 5 laps in the 2008 McLaren F1 machine before Craig Lowndes took the wheel of the championship winning car. Between the F1 runs, both drivers drove the Team Vodafone VE Commodore across the mountain.
Craig Lowndes
"Imagining an F1 car around Bathurst initially seemed a bit crazy. But it’s here and we’re going to enjoy it for what it is. It will be a hell of an experience. I never thought in my lifetime we’d see this." said Lowndes
It was the acceleration of a modern F1 car that caught his attention once he got behind the wheel.
"When I first went out it was the acceleration but when you go through turn two you really realise how much acceleration you have. In comparison the V8 seems to labour up the mountain."
With a hint of disappointment in his voice, Lowndes explained that the car didn't approach the previously predicted 360km/hr mark.
"I think we got up to just over 300km/hr, I don't think it was geared for much more, but it would have been good if we could gear it for Bathurst," he said.
Jenson Button
For Button it was the fulfilling of a childhood dream to drive a V8 at the mountain.
"As a driver you have your favourite tracks. Like Macau and Silverstone for instance. But this is the one I haven’t had the possibility of driving and I’m going to fulfil a childhood dream in not only a V8 but also in a Formula 1 car – which I think is pretty special myself." said Button
He was however surprised at the grip level of the V8 Supercar.
"I didn’t expect so much grip. It took me a while to get used to it. I haven’t hammered a car over kerbs like that for 12 years so it was a new experience for me and something I’ve missed."
"I was holding on tight all the way. It takes everything out of you. It was the experience I’ve wanted to have for many years and I’ve finally done it. In a way it’s probably not a good thing because it’s made me more hungry to come back."
Button was left wanting more from his F1 drive after his 5 lap demonstration.
"This is an iconic race track and it’s great to celebrate the unofficial fastest lap in a F1 car. That was phenomenal. It was such a rush."
"Once you get over the straights being quite hard to control the car over it is such a pleasure. It’s just a pity I don’t have more laps to test it out."
Both drivers paid tribute to the large number of fans who turned up, many from all over Australia to see the historic event. Money raised at the gate via a Gold coin donation will go the Queensland and Victorian Flood Appeal.
The five-times Bathurst winner, revered by the Mt Panorama faithful, managed to smash his own V8 track record by more than 15 seconds when driving in an F1 car on Tuesday.
But Lowndes could only play second-fiddle to 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button, who polished off the iconic track in a blistering time of one minute, 48 seconds - a full second clear of the local on just his second lap
After an impressive performance by Sauber Drivers - Rookie Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi in the Australian GP, there cars were disqualified in the post race check due to technical infringement in rear wings rule and they were stripped off their 7th and 8th position respectively.
Click to follow the News related to Sauber Disqualification
Sauber Technical Director James Key earlier announced that they will going to appeal against the Stewards Decision.
But, on 29th March, Sauber team announced that they won't appeal the disqualification of Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi from the Australian Grand Prix after accepting that their cars broke technical rules.
Sauber's technical director, James Key, says the team accepts it made an "error in the checking process" and has put measures in place to ensure the mistake won't be repeated.
The internal investigation showed the team had made a mistake with rear wing measurements.
"We have since found that there was an error in the checking process for the relevant dimension on this component," said Sauber's technical director James Key in a statement.
"We have already put measures in place to ensure that nothing of this kind occurs again in the future."
What would have been a exceptional start for the team Sauber with 10points and 5th in the constructors was vanished with the outcome. Also, The 21-year-old Rookie Driver Sergio Perez would have become the first Mexican to score championship points in 30 years.
The outcome ensured that Force India will be having a double point finish for the team as Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta are elevated to 9th and 10th respectively.
This made, Paul Di Resta the only debutant out of the four to score point on the opening season race.
Felipe Massa moved to 7th while Sebastien Buemi to 8th are the other two drivers who have been benefited from Sauber disqualification in terms of point tally.
Rubens Barrichello says he was not trying to pass Nico Rosberg when he made contact with the Mercedes GP driver during the Australian Grand Prix.
Barrichello crashed into Rosberg's car in what looked like an optimistic passing move at Turn 3. Rosberg was forced to retire while Barrichello continued only to be forced out on lap 49.
The Williams driver said he was actually defending from Kamui Kobayashi when he crashed into Rosberg, and blamed the different tyre grip for the crash.
Barrichello was nonetheless encouraged by the pace of his car during the race.
"It was a tough race for us," said Barrichello. "I was pushed out a little bit at the start, but then I had a good rhythm going and was doing quite a lot of overtaking until the incident with Rosberg. I wasn't planning on overtaking him at that point, I was defending from Kobayashi.
"I think we have one tyre with grip and one with less and so we have different braking points. Rosberg braked earlier, and was already in the middle of the corner before I could stop the car. The '33' was competitive today, which is positive going into the next race."
Team-mate Pastor Maldonado also retired from his first Formula 1 race, the Venezuelan stopping on track after just 10 laps.
"We don't know exactly what happened with the car; we will have to look into the problem with our engineers," he said. "There was no warning, we just stopped and that was it for us.
"The start was great though. There were some big moments going into the first two corners, but I came through them ok. I was then getting settled into the race, everything was feeling ok in the car, I felt good and then it went. I'll now just look forward to getting back out there again in Malaysia."
Martin Whitmarsh criticised FIA officials after Jenson Button served a drive-through penalty in the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.
The British driver took a short-cut on the inside of Albert Park's high speed chicane on Sunday as he passed Ferrari's Felipe Massa.
"I feel a bit harshly treated," boss Whitmarsh is quoted as saying by British newspapers.
"As the incident happened we asked race control for their advice, what we should do. They explained they would come back to us and they didn't," he revealed.
"The next thing we knew it had gone to the stewards, Massa had stopped and we were unable to do anything about it. When they say 'We'll get back to you', you expect, to be honest, that they'll get back to you.
"It's frustrating and its annoying," he added.
At the same time, Button admitted to suspecting that Ferrari called Massa in for new tyres immediately after the incident so that he would not be able to simply let the Brazilian back into position.
"I don't know if Ferrari pitted Massa on purpose so I would get a drive-through, fair enough if they did. That's the way it is," he said.
"Maybe it was done on purpose, maybe not. I just don't know why he was so slow. It screwed both of us," added Button.
Overall, however, Whitmarsh admitted he was happy with the pace of the MP4-26 in Australia, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second after a dire winter season.
"Two weeks ago I would have snatched your hand off for that result," he said.
Pirelli has admitted that it even surprised itself by the solid start it made to its return to Formula 1 in the Australian Grand Prix.
It might be too soon to sing Pirelli’s praises. After all, one race does not a season make.
But given that it’s not too soon to talk about Red Bull’s blistering pace, or McLaren’s impressive turnaround.
After a winter of scaremongering from some quarters that the high degradation of Pirelli's rubber would turn F1 races into a lottery this season, the new 2011 tyres received a unanimous thumbs-up in Melbourne as teams opted for varied strategies throughout the event.
And although Pirelli is well aware that the next race in Malaysia will likely be a much tougher challenge for its tyres, its motorsport director Paul Hembery says he is delighted the doom mongers have been silenced for now.
"After the winter testing, some people were suggesting four or five stops which I always thought was over-exaggerated and misguided," he said.
"I was expecting three stops to be the most common strategy in Australia, and maybe somebody who was doing really well could do two, but what I wasn't envisaging was a one-stop from [Sergio] Perez, which was quite extraordinary.
"It shows that we have brought something different to the sport. We have surprised everyone and surprised ourselves.
Christian Horner poked fun at Mercedes after the German Formula One team's bad start to the 2011 season.
As the paddock took shape last week in Melbourne, Michael Schumacher predicted the W02 car might be Red Bull's closest challenger this year.
But the Brackley built car was in fact two seconds off the pace in qualifying before the seven time World Champion retired "for safety reasons" with a damaged floor.
"The team said 'stop, it makes no sense, it's too dangerous'," Schumacher told Bild newspaper.
His team-mate Nico Rosberg also stopped after being struck by Rubens Barrichello's Williams.
"Mercedes was lucky to have failed cars, so that nobody could see how slow they were," Red Bull team boss Horner joked to the German newspaper.
Schumacher admitted that Mercedes lacked speed in Melbourne.
"I can't tell you how good we would have been in the race because my car was damaged in the third corner. But it definitely would not have been easy.
"After the encouraging winter tests we came here with very different expectations," he said.
Mercedes also had problems with its KERS units in Australia, but competition director Norbert Haug urged calm.
"To panic or to rush would be the ideal recipe for failure," Welt newspaper quotes him as saying.
Securing a point on his Formula One debut is a great start for Paul di Resta.
Di Resta initially finished 12th in the Australian Grand Prix, only to be elevated to 10th after the race as Sauber duo Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi were excluded from the classification due to technical infringement. Read More
The FIA have cited a technical infringement relating to the rear wing, however, Sauber have since lodged a statement of intention to appeal.
"If the news is true then this is a mega result for me and the team," said the 24-year-old from Scotland.
"It is exactly what we set out to achieve and I am delighted to have scored my first point in my debut race."
Sauber, however, feel their case is strong, with technical director James Key claiming neither of his team's car gained an advantage.
"This is a very surprising and disappointing result," said Key.
"It appears there is a question over the top surface of the uppermost rear wing element.
"This area is not the working surface of the component and therefore relatively unimportant to its function. Certainly this has not led to any performance advantage.
"We are checking the design of the parts now to better understand the situation and we intend to appeal the decision made by the stewards."
Vitaly Petrov believes he is capable of leading Renault in the absence of the injured Robert Kubica after finishing third at the Australian Grand Prix.
Petrov managed to claim his first podium while Kubica's stand-in Nick Heidfeld was 12th in a damaged car.
It was the drive of a lifetime for Petrov, who had given an indication of his pace on Saturday evening when he qualified sixth, although few F1 analysts gave him much chance of bettering his starting place in the race itself.
But Petrov drove like a seasoned professional, taking advantage of mistakes by others and moving up into fourth place and then third as the race unfolded.
It was the sort of performance that had observers asking whether he now had sufficient maturity and smarts to become Renault's team leader this season in the absence of Kubica, who injured himself in a rally accident earlier this year.
Petrov was not keen to get involved in that debate, but expressed his sheer delight at his achievement yesterday.
''I am [just] happy to be sitting here with these guys'', he said, gesturing to Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, the current and former world champions had finished in front of him, sitting alongside him.
Vitaly Petrov, a 26-year-old born in Vyborg, close to St Petersburg, became the first Russian driver in F1 last season when he landed a drive with the Renault squad as No. 2 to another Eastern European, the Pole Robert Kubica.
Fernando Alonso was not able to overtake Vitaly Petrov in season opening race. In a similar scenario, it last happened during the finale at Abu Dhabi last year, where Petrov holding Alonso caused Alonso losing his third world championship title.
Both Sauber C30 cars were disqualified from the Australian grand prix by the stewards after reviewing their car in the post-race checks.
With an unique and surprising one-stop strategy, Mexican rookie Sergio Perez stunned the F1 Paddock by finishing an impressive seventh on debut, one place ahead of his teammate Kamui Kobayashi.
The 21-year-old would have become the first Mexican to score championship points in 30 years.
Japan's Kobayashi had also impressed, finishing eighth for the Swiss-based team on a day principal Peter Sauber had described as a "dream start to the season".
After the race it was found that both the cars infringes the technical rules related to Rear Wing of the car.
The scrutineers discovered that the wings breached two articles of the technical regulations, where essentially the angle created too great a gap when the adjustable element was deployed.
Breached Technical Rules: (Followed from Formula One)
Article 3.10.1
"Any bodywork more than 150mm behind the rear wheel centre line which is between 150mm and 730mm above the reference plane, and between 75mm and 355mm from the car centre line, must lie in an area when viewed from the side of the car that is situated between 150mm and 350mm behind the rear wheel centre line and between 300mm and 400mm above the reference plane. When viewed from the side of the car no longitudinal cross section may have more than one section in this area.
"Furthermore, no part of this section in contact with the external air stream may have a local concave radius of curvature smaller than 100mm.
"Once this section is defined, 'gurney' type trim tabs may be fitted to the trailing edge. When measured in any longitudinal cross section no dimension of any such trim tab may exceed 20mm."
Article 3.10.2
"Other than the bodywork defined in Article 3.10.9, any bodywork behind a point lying 50mm forward of the rear wheel centre line which is more than 730mm above the reference plane, and less than 355mm from the car centre line, must lie in an area when viewed from the side of the car that is situated between the rear wheel centre line and a point 350mm behind it."
"This is a very surprising and disappointing result. Certainly this (breach) has not lead to any performance advantage," insisted technical director James Key.
Swiss based Sauber said it will appeal the decision.
As per their appeal, a provision result for the race has been given and final decision will only be made after their hearing.
Their disqualification means that Felipe Massa has moved upto 7th place, Sebastien Buemi in 8th and Both Force India cars of Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta in 9th and 10th position.
Sebastian Vettel the undisputed champion shows the real pace of Red Bull with clearly finishing the race 22.2sec ahead of second driver Lewis Hamilton.
The race had seen 6 drivers retiring and 7 are overlapped by the world champion while 2 are disqualified.
Lewis Hamilton shows the performance of the upgraded Mclaren finishing 2nd ahead of Vitaly Petrov.
Petrov is well adjusted with the team and stronghold his position as the Main Driver of the team. This is the first podium finish for Petrov.
The first race of the season shown the plight on drivers due to the rule changes. The major setback in 2011 is the Pirelli tyres which has seen teams to manage their tyres more rather than focusing on driving. But still the drivers manage to finish the race with only 2 pit stop except for Mark Webber and Ferrari’s in the top runners.
Both the Red Bulls complaint for the tyre degradation during the race.
After fighting for place with Mark Webber, Petrov, Massa, finally Fernando Alonso finished 4th in his Ferrari.
Mark Webber struggled during the race with the strategy for the tyres failing.
Jenson Button finished 6th after being penalize to drive through penalty for cutting the track and overtaking Felipe Massa during the initial stages of the Race.
((
Rookie driver Sergio Perez has shown his excellence by finishing 7th with only 1 pit stop with the ever degrading Pirelli Tyres. Perez has taught all other drivers the method to manage their tyres and really made a mark of what he is capable of. Looking like a future World champion.
Kamui Kobayashi again after a great performance during the practice and qualifying finished the race 8th ahead of Felipe Massa Ferrari.
)) - Due to technical infringement Sauber was disqualified, from the race. Click to follow
Sebastian Buemi filled the last of the top 10 slots. (Now in 8th). Following him were both Force Indians Car VJM04. After a poor performance during the practice and Qualifying, Force India proved reliable and finished the race 11th and 12th. (9th and 10th). There is a lot of improvement required for Force India as they are clearly lagging in pace against midfielders Sauber and Toro Rosso. May be the scenario changes if Sauber car has to be modified for next race.
Jarno Trulli of Lotus was 15th. (Now in 13th) Team Lotus again showed the lack of reliability with their car with Heikki Kovalainen retiring earlier.
It was a day of accidents and problem for Rubens Barrichello who was earlier on lap 1 avoided collision with Sergio Perez and moved wide on gravel trap. With a collision with Nico Rosberg during the race saw a front wing change for the Williams. The problems lead him to retire of the race.
It is not the start that was expected by the Mercedes as both of their drivers were unable to complete the race. Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg both retired at the same time. Michael was involved in a collision on the starting lap. With only 3 tyres on his MGP W02 he went to the pits for a tyre change and was at the back of the grid.
Rookie Pastor Maldonado of Williams was the first to retire.
Original Time Posted after the Race is finished:
Pos
Driver
Team
Laps
Time
Grid
Points
1
Sebastian Vettel
Red Bull - Renault
58
1h 29min 30.259sec
1
25
2
Lewis Hamilton
Mclaren - Mercedes
58
+22.297sec
2
18
3
Vitaly Petrov
Renault
58
+30.560sec
6
15
4
Fernando Alonso
Ferrari
58
+31.772sec
5
12
5
Mark Webber
Red Bull - Renault
58
+38.171sec
3
10
6
Jenson Button
Mclaren - Mercedes
58
+54.300sec
4
8
7
Sergio Perez
Sauber - Ferrari
58
+1min 05.800sec
13
6
8
Kamui Kobayashi
Sauber - Ferrari
58
+1min 16.800sec
9
4
9
Felipe Massa
Ferrari
58
+1min 25.100sec
8
2
10
Sebastien Buemi
STR - Ferrari
57
+ 1 Lap
10
1
11
Adrian Sutil
Force India - Mercedes
57
+ 1 Lap
16
12
Paul Di Resta
Force India - Mercedes
57
+ 1 Lap
14
13
Jaime Alguersuari
STR - Ferrari
57
+ 1 Lap
12
14
Nick Heidfeld
Renault
57
+ 1 Lap
18
15
Jarno Trulli
Lotus - Renault
56
+ 2 Laps
20
16
Jerome d'Ambrosio
Virgin - Cosworth
54
+ 4 Laps
22
Ret
Timo Glock
Virgin - Cosworth
49
+ 9 Laps
21
Ret
Rubens Barrichello
Williams - Cosworth
48
+ 10 Laps
17
Ret
Nico Rosberg
Mercedes GP
22
+ 36 Laps
7
Ret
Heikki Kovalainen
Lotus - Renault
19
+ 39 Laps
19
Ret
Michael Schmacher
Mercedes GP
19
+ 39 Laps
11
Ret
Pastor Maldonado
Williams - Cosworth
9
+ 49 Laps
15
DNQ
Vitantonio Liuzzi
HRT - Cosworth
DNQ
Narain Karthikeyan
HRT - Cosworth
Fastest Lap - Felipe Massa, Ferrari - 1min 28.947sec
Lap Record - Michael Schumacher, Ferrari (2004)- 1min 24.125sec
Modified Race Times, after the Sauber - Ferrari C30 car were disqualified for the technicall infringement. The result is provision, subject to change after the decision over the appeal made by Sauber to FIA.
Pos
Driver
Team
Laps
Time
Grid
Points
1
Sebastian Vettel
Red Bull - Renault
58
1h 29min 30.259sec
1
25
2
Lewis Hamilton
Mclaren - Mercedes
58
+22.297sec
2
18
3
Vitaly Petrov
Renault
58
+30.560sec
6
15
4
Fernando Alonso
Ferrari
58
+31.772sec
5
12
5
Mark Webber
Red Bull - Renault
58
+38.171sec
3
10
6
Jenson Button
Mclaren - Mercedes
58
+54.300sec
4
8
7
Felipe Massa
Ferrari
58
+1min 25.100sec
8
6
8
Sebastien Buemi
STR - Ferrari
57
+ 1 Lap
10
4
9
Adrian Sutil
Force India - Mercedes
57
+ 1 Lap
16
2
10
Paul Di Resta
Force India - Mercedes
57
+ 1 Lap
14
1
11
Jaime Alguersuari
STR - Ferrari
57
+ 1 Lap
12
12
Nick Heidfeld
Renault
57
+ 1 Lap
18
13
Jarno Trulli
Lotus - Renault
56
+ 2 Laps
20
14
Jerome d'Ambrosio
Virgin - Cosworth
54
+ 4 Laps
22
Ret
Timo Glock
Virgin - Cosworth
49
+ 9 Laps
21
Ret
Rubens Barrichello
Williams - Cosworth
48
+ 10 Laps
17
Ret
Nico Rosberg
Mercedes GP
22
+ 36 Laps
7
Ret
Heikki Kovalainen
Lotus - Renault
19
+ 39 Laps
19
Ret
Michael Schmacher
Mercedes GP
19
+ 39 Laps
11
Ret
Pastor Maldonado
Williams - Cosworth
9
+ 49 Laps
15
DSQ
Sergio Perez
Sauber - Ferrari
58
+1min 05.800sec
13
DSQ
Kamui Kobayashi
Sauber - Ferrari
58
+1min 16.800sec
9
DNQ
Vitantonio Liuzzi
HRT - Cosworth
DNQ
Narain Karthikeyan
HRT - Cosworth
Fastest Lap - Felipe Massa, Ferrari - 1min 28.947sec
Lap Record - Michael Schumacher, Ferrari (2004)- 1min 24.125sec
"F1 2011", the sequel to the fastest-selling FORMULA ONE game and BAFTA award winning F1 2010, will be launched on September 23rd, 2011, Codemasters announced on 24th March, Thursday.
The game is available on Pre-Order.
The F1 2011 will be launched for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC Games For Windows.
Handheld edition of F1 2011 is still in production for Nintendo 3DS whose release dates are yet to be announced
Features in F1 2011
In F1 2011 players will be challenged to ‘Be the driver, live the life, go compete’, with wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements on and off track and vastly extended competitive and co-operative multiplayer components.
F1 2011 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the highly anticipated 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including the current FIA FORMULA ONE DRIVERS’ WORLD CHAMPION Sebastian Vettel.
The 2011 season also sees the debut of the 2011 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF INDIA at Delhi’s Jaypee International Race Circuit and the return of the iconic Nürburgring to the calendar.
Competition to "BE THE FIRST TO PLAY F1 2011"
Codemasters is offering gamers the chance to be amongst the first in the world to play F1 2011 ahead of its release and star in future Development Diary videos. To enter the competition, fans are invited to ask a question about the game on a video uploaded to YouTube.
The most interesting and creative video entries, featuring the best questions as judged by the development team, will be invited to Codemasters Birmingham to go hands on with the game, meet the team and ask their questions face-to-face in May. The day will be filmed and released as first look video.
Winners unable to attend will also have the chance to be featured in forthcoming F1 2011 trailers via pre-recorded questions played out to the development team.
In production at Codemasters Studios Birmingham, F1 2011 is being developed using the EGO Game Technology Platform, Codemasters’ proprietary tech that powered the critically acclaimed, 2 million-plus selling F1 2010™, GRID and currently driving DiRT 3.
With the Australian Grand Prix, Kaspersky Lab has launched a special Ferrari Edition of its Internet Security to mark the start of the Formula One season.
Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content and threat management solutions, announced the release in partnership with Scuderia Ferrari on 25th Mar, Friday.
The companies launched the product at Melbourne’s Albert Park. Kaspersky himself didn’t try out a car, perhaps due to jetlag from touching down in Melbourne at 8am.
Fans of gaming and the Ferrari brand will appreciate the chance to hone their driving skills with the inclusion of the Ferrari Virtual Academy video simulator on the product’s installation disk, allowing them to enjoy thrills and spills that the world of Formula 1 racing has to offer.
“Ferrari is a symbol of speed, reliability and world class driving performance. Our Ferrari inspired style security product brings users a taste of that excellence when using their computers or browsing the internet,” said CEO and co-founder Eugene Kaspersky.
"It’s the first time that Ferrari has co-branded with a software company”
The cooperation between Kaspersky Lab and Ferrari started in 2010 when Kaspersky Lab entered into a commercial sponsorship agreement with the Ferrari AF Corse team at the Le Mans racing series in France. After this successful debut, Kaspersky Lab decided to expand its partnership to include the Formula 1 championship. In November 2010, Kaspersky Lab announced that it would be an official sponsor of the world-renowned Formula 1 racing team for the next two years.
As part of the agreement, the Kaspersky Lab logo will appear on the Scuderia Ferrari team’s racing cars. This decision forms part of Kaspersky Lab’s global promotion strategy.
Saturday Qualifying, Qantas Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia
World Champion Sebastian Vettel grab the pole on the season opener Australian GP to show his dominance over the other drivers. He out-qualified all other drivers on track by setting 1min 23.529 as the fastest time with no other man can breach 1min 23 zone in qualifying. Second man Lewis Hamilton was almost 8tenth of a second slower than Vettel.
Mclaren continues its good performance with recent updates on car. Lewis qualified 2nd while Jenson was 4th. Mark Webber was thirdd fastest with Ferrari strongman Fernando Alonso was 6th fastest followed by Vitaly Petrov in Renault. Vitaly showed an exceptional performance during qualifying proving that he can lead the team in absence of Robert Kubica.
Kamui Kobayashi and Sebastien Buemi made a mark in their respective teams to out qualify Michael Schumacher to Q2 only with 11th position on grid.
Force India Adrian Sutil initially put a better performance in Q1 while could not get much out of Q2 and qualified only 16th while teammate and rookie driver Paul Di Resta with consistent performance in Q1 and Q2 qualified at 14th. There were far greater expectations from Force India to their performance. In comparison Sauber and Toro Rosso make their mark in 2011 season.
In the Q2, Rubens Barrichello runs wide on to the gravel trap which made him to qualify only 17th on the grid.
Q1, seen Nick Heidfeld exit as much of a surprise while all three new teams were out qualified in Q1. HRT was not able to put a time to beat 107percent Rule. This means they are ruled out of Tomorrow Race.
Pos
Driver
Team
Q1
Q2
Q3
Laps
1
Sebastian Vettel
Red Bull - Renault
1min 25.296sec
1min 24.090sec
1min 23.529sec
16
2
Lewis Hamilton
Mclaren - Mercedes
1min 25.384sec
1min 24.595sec
1min 24.307sec
19
3
Mark Webber
Red Bull - Renault
1min 25.900sec
1min 24.658sec
1min 24.395sec
15
4
Jenson Button
Mclaren - Mercedes
1min 25.886sec
1min 24.957sec
1min 24.779sec
18
5
Fernando Alonso
Ferrari
1min 25.707sec
1min 25.242sec
1min 24.974sec
19
6
Vitaly Petrov
Renault
1min 25.543sec
1min 25.582sec
1min 25.247sec
18
7
Nico Rosberg
Mercedes GP
1min 25.856sec
1min 25.606sec
1min 25.421sec
17
8
Felipe Massa
Ferrari
1min 26.031sec
1min 26.611sec
1min 25.599sec
18
9
Kamui Kobayashi
Sauber - Ferrari
1min 25.717sec
1min 25.405sec
1min 25.626sec
17
10
Sebastien Buemi
STR - Ferrari
1min 26.232sec
1min 25.882sec
1min 27.066sec
15
11
Michael Schmacher
Mercedes GP
1min 25.962sec
1min 25.971sec
13
12
Jaime Alguersuari
STR - Ferrari
1min 26.620sec
1min 26.103sec
11
13
Sergio Perez
Sauber - Ferrari
1min 25.812sec
1min 26.108sec
9
14
Paul Di Resta
Force India - Mercedes
1min 27.222sec
1min 26.739sec
16
15
Pastor Maldonado
Williams - Cosworth
1min 26.298sec
1min 26.768sec
17
16
Adrian Sutil
Force India - Mercedes
1min 26.245sec
1min 31.407sec
15
17
Rubens Barrichello
Williams - Cosworth
1min 26.270sec
No-Time
12
18
Nick Heidfeld
Renault
1min 27.239sec
10
19
Heikki Kovalainen
Lotus - Renault
1min 29.254sec
10
20
Jarno Trulli
Lotus - Renault
1min 29.342sec
12
21
Timo Glock
Virgin - Cosworth
1min 29.858sec
10
22
Jerome d'Ambrosio
Virgin - Cosworth
1min 30.822sec
8
NQ
Vitantonio Liuzzi
HRT - Cosworth
1min 32.978sec
11
NQ
Narain Karthikeyan
HRT - Cosworth
1min 34.293sec
11
According to 107percent Rule, both drivers of HRT were not qualified for tomorrow race.
The time to beat was 1min 31.266sec. So, only after the special permission of Stewart they may be able to race tomorrow. Otherwise only 22 drivers will take part in the Australian GP with World Champion Sebastian Vettel starting on pole.
Saturday Practice Session - 3, Qantas Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia
The third and the final practice session of the season opener Australian GP ends with flying Red Bull.
It was again the Red Bull duo on top. Sebastian Vettel was a no match even for his team mate Mark Webber. He breached 1min 24 barrier with following Mark Webber was almost 1sec behind him.
Mclaren plays a catch up to Red Bull with 3rd and 4th quickest time. There recent upgrades to exhaust system has paid them well and brought them back in competition with the front runners.
Vitaly Petrov stroms its way up to field with 5th quickest time for the session followed by Two time World Champion Fernando Alonso in 6th.
Sauber is looking strong team as they posted 7th, 8th and 9th quickest times in practice sessions. The timeline predicts they can be a strong mid-fielder giving competition to Williams and Force India.
Nico and Michael could only score 8th and 10th quickest time for the session.
The other half of Red Bull Toro Rosso were showing a strong sign of competitiveness in the midfield with 11th and 13th on the time sheet.
Felipe Massa poor performance continues as he was only 12th quickest with a gap of 2.5sec from the quickest man Vettel.
Force India's poor performance also continues as they have shown no sign of 6th team in the constructors. In all the three session their cars were slower than their competitors Williams, Toro Rosso, Sauber. They were ahead of only new teams Lotus, Virgin and HRT.
Team Lotus shows a good sign as their times are just in contention to give competition to midfielders but nothing can be predicted until 3-4races in the season.
HRT woes continues as Vitantonio Liuzzi F111 come to halt on the very first lap while Narain only managing to run his F111 for 5 laps and managing only 1min41.554sec.
As all the team have geared up and pull up their pants, They will be getting ready for their final run in qualifying to secure the pole position. Some will try to make their mark and some will try to qualify 107percent rule. It is for sure all will try to outpace their competitors.
Karun Chandhok admitted he was totally to blame for his crash right at the start of opening practice in Melbourne this morning.
The Indian was announced as a Lotus test driver earlier this week, but his first run in the car was extremely brief as he lost control on cold tyres while coming out of the pits to begin the first session of the Formula 1 season.
"I'm obviously disappointed to have had such a short run for my first time in the Team Lotus car, but I put my hands up to it and totally accept it was a combination of a slippery track and less grip than I expected from the tyres that combined to put me out so early," said Chandhok.
He praised the team's efforts to get the car repaired ready for race driver Jarno Trulli to take over in second practice.
"I'm just pleased the guys could get Jarno out in the afternoon session and it shows what a great team this is that they could get the car fixed that quickly to ensure Jarno could get a decent number of laps under his belt in FP2," Chandhok said.
The documentary based on the life of Senna, winner of the World Cinema Audience Award documentary at the Sundance Film Festival is set to be released as Movie on June 3rd.
After starting off in karting, Senna moved to Europe at the age of 18 before switching to open-wheel racing.
But winning the British Formula 3 championship in 1983 acted as the springboard into his illustrious F1 career.
Senna made his F1 debut a year later and Asif Kapadia's touching film documents the Brazil hero's early years with Toleman-Hart and Lotus-Renault prior to his switch to McLaren-Honda in 1988.
Senna’s remarkable story, charting his physical and spiritual achievements on the track and off, his quest for perfection, and the mythical status he has since attained, is the subject of Senna, a documentary feature that spans the racing legend’s years as an F1 driver, from his opening season in 1984 to his untimely death a decade later. Far more than a film for F1 fans, Senna unfolds a remarkable story in a remarkable manner, eschewing many standard documentary techniques in favour of a more cinematic approach that makes full use of astounding footage, much of which is drawn from F1 archives and is previously unseen.
It was June 1984, a Sunday at the Monaco Grand Prix. As the heavens unleashed a torrential downpour, one of the greatest line-ups in motor racing history took to the track. No fewer than six current or future World Champions vied for the race that day, including recent World Champion Keke Rosberg; a stoic, fearless Englishman called Nigel Mansell; Austrian double World Champion Niki Lauda; the flamboyant double World Champion Nelson Piquet; and the man dubbed ‘The Professor’, Frenchman Alain Prost, who was on the cusp of being regarded by many at the time as the most complete driver ever. In 13th position on the grid meanwhile, attracting little interest in his un-fancied Toleman car, was a wiry, fiery young driver in just his sixth Formula 1 race.
As the engines fired and the drivers tore through the city streets, the man that started in 13th place ripped through the field, demonstrating virtuoso technique and jaw-dropping courage as he passed every car in front of him, taking Prost on line of the 32nd lap. That man was Ayrton Senna, announcing his arrival to the world of F1 with a spectacular drive.
As it transpired, Senna did not win the race; he lost out on a technicality and the first-place passed to Prost. At the time Senna was not bitter, it was still his first podium finish, although what happened that day would set the tone for the young Brazilian’s future career; he would frequently win on the track, but would find himself defeated off the track, struggling against what he perceived as injustices in a highly politicised sport. Still, he overcame obstacles placed in his path, won three World Championships — his years at McLaren forging a fierce rivalry with team member and rival Prost — and achieved superstar status across the globe. With the international press he proved a charming and dashing champion; to his native Brazilian media he was a humble and deeply religious man.
On the Sunday of the race, Senna managed just two laps after the safety car pitted, before crashing on the high-speed Tamburello corner, his car hitting a concrete wall at more than 130mph. In 1987, Nelson Piquet had crashed at the same corner and emerged with a mild concussion; in 1989 Gerhard Berger came off at Tamburello and exploded in a ball of flames. He was hurt but survived. In 1994, when Senna crashed, his car hit the wall at such an angle that part of the suspension flew back and punctured his helmet, causing fatal skull fractures. Medics found an Austrian flag in his car: he had planned to honour Ratzenberger when he finished the race.
Senna won an astonishing 41 grands prix during his time in F1 before his untimely death at the age of 34 during the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.
FIA has given teams a headache by adjusting the length of the movable rear-wing zone on the eve of the first race in Australia this weekend.
The section of track on which drivers may activate the wing was set originally at 600 meters for race day, on the basis that the figure could be changed if experience in the early races proved that changes were necessary.
However, for the opening race in Melbourne, the sport's governing body has decided to make the “operational zone” more than 860 meters long. The zone now starts on the approach to the final corner, but obviously, drivers won't activate their wings until the exit, about 750 meters from turn one.
The difficulty for the teams is that they have done all their homework on the basis of the original 600-meter figure.
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner explained, “I only found out today. It's a pain because it screws up our simulations and affects gear ratios.”
The FIA had intended for the length of the wing zone to stay the same at all tracks to ensure that passing is not easier at places such as Monza, compared with other venues that have shorter straights.
Despite all the fears of four or possibly even five stop Formula One race strategies in Melbourne, Adrian Sutil on Friday said the tyre situation in Melbourne is not so bad.
Formula 1's new official supplier Pirelli has copped a barrage of criticism for the extreme degradation seen in winter testing, but the tyres did not wear so badly during the three hours of practice under cool and cloudy skies as the 2011 season finally kicked off.
"They need at least a lap to get up to temperature, but I did a long run without any problems, because there are so few fast corners," said Force India driver Adrian Sutil, according to Auto Motor und Sport.
Tacticians had travelled to Australia this week expecting at least three pit stops, and possibly four.
"Two stops may be possible," said Sutil, "as you lose a lot of time here in the pits. So it may well be that some try to do two."
Pirelli has said consistently that its P-Zero product would work better in higher temperatures, with boss Paul Hembery confirming that "Our rubber is working better" at Albert Park than at recent tests.
"We will definitely not see a ridiculous race with five stops (per car) or something," said Sutil.
Williams' technical director Sam Michael explained: "Melbourne doesn't have the high speed corners of Barcelona or Jerez, so the tyre has a simpler task."
Force India and its drivers will have a point to prove when the 2011 Formula One season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
For the team, it will be an opportunity to give the big guns a run for their money and prove that performance over the last two seasons were not just flashes in the pan. For Adrian Sutil, the most experienced driver in the team, it will be a mission to turn it into one of his best season, after finishing 11th in the championship in 2010, his best position since making his debut in 2007.
For Paul di Resta, who finally managed to break into Formula One, the target will be to cement his position or go a step further, which has seen Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel (his rivals from junior days) already being crowned champions.
Sutil, who was in the city with Di Resta and test driver Nico Hulkenberg for a promotional event, feels if they get their act together, they can improve upon last two years’ performance.
“In the first two years, we were constantly on the up. However, it will now get difficult because as you go up, the competition becomes strong. But I’ve high expectations from the 2011 season both for myself and the team. I would like to finish in the top-eight on the driver standings whereas from the team perspective, we would want to go better than last year’s seventh slot in the constructors’ championship,” said Sutil.
Speaking of the team’s new car, the VJM04, Sutil said, “The car is pretty good. We don’t have too many problems. It is easier to handle. The engine and KERS are very good. However, we need to concentrate on the area of generating more downforce. We have to understand the whole new system as well.”
Di Resta, who was the team’s test driver last season, was ecstatic about making his debut. “It has taken a long time to make it here. I’m really excited ahead of the first race in Melbourne. But my focus will be on performance, getting the best out of the car on Friday and Saturday to see what areas we need to improve as a team for the race. As for my personal expectations, I am going to be realistic and gauge how it goes over the weekend and focus on the job in hand,” Di Resta said.
This season will see a set of new rules being introduced like the moveable rear wing, return of KERS but it’s the tyres that have been the talking point in all the test sessions leading to the first GP. Pirelli, who replaced Bridgestone, have been criticised by most of the drivers for not being durable.
Sutil is one of the concerned drivers but feels it will give the sport a new dimension. “The Bridgestone tyres lasted a bit too long. As a result, it was possible to complete the race on a single tyre. Pirelli though have done it differently.
Now, the tyres will wear rapidly and as a result lose their grip in quick time. We will be witnessing lots of pit stops and races will have more action,” he said.
Friday Practice Session - 2, Qantas Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia
It was Mclaren who had stolen the show in the Friday's 2nd Practice Session. Mclaren Duo made a commendable comeback after being outpaced by front runner in the Pre-Season Testing. It seems that Mclaren's last minute brush up with the exhaust paid a lot and brought them back in contention for World Championship.
Session started with the clouds above but fortunately no rain. All the teams participated except for HRT whose parts for F111 are still not ready.
Mclaren duo were in 1min 25sec as the only drivers reaching the mark. Alonso again posted the 3rd fastest lap time as looking strong for the race. Following Alonso came home the two Red Bulls followed by 7 time world champion Michael Schumacher.
Rookie driver Sergio Perez surprised all setting the 8th fastest time with 1min 27.101sec.
Paul Di Resta made his debut run of the season for the first time as replacing Nico Hulkenberg from Practice Session 1. He was just 2tenth of a second faster than his team mate Adrian Sutil.
In the end, it was Vitantonio Liuzzi out of the garage as HRT finally prepared one of there car, but did not posted the time for the Team.
Lot of incident involving cars running off-track were a common sight in the session majorly involved Timo Glock, Sebastien Buemi, Vitaly Petrov, Heikki Kovalainen, Adrian Sutil and Rubens Barrichello, but nobody did any damage.
Under the current time sheets and rule changes, If Virgin Racing and untested HRT posted the same times as of their Practice Session then they will not qualify the 107percent Rule during tomorrow's qualifying session.
Friday Practice Session - 1, Qantas Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia
[Mark Webber - Red Bull] [Sebastian Vettel]
As the 2011 Season commences today with the first practice session of season opener Australian GP ended with flying colors from Red Bull duo topping the charts.
Again, Red Bull proved their dominance in this season with Ferrari of Fernando Alonso following the pack with gap of only 1sec. Nico Rosberg put his Mercedes on Fourth while overnight upgrades to Mclaren proved vital and reliable.
Test Driver Karun Chandhok started the 2011 season with a bang by hitting the wall on turn 4 and damaging his new T128.
Rubens Barrichello demonstrated a strong Williams with fourth fastest for the session.
Seeking 8th world title, Michael Schumacher was only 8th fastest Ironically as the season 2011 commences.
Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi came home 9th with Vitaly Petrov of Renault only putting 10th fastest for the session as the team struggle after exit of Robert Kubica due severe rally crash accident in Feb.
Adrian Sutil of Force India was only 14th as he tested for Adjustable Rear wing with Nico Hulkenberg, Force India Reserve driver, testing for Pirelli Tyres.
The minnows HRT was not able to take part in the practice session as there 2011 challenger F111 was still being prepared with Rear parts still to attach. Narain Karthikeyan and Former Force Indian Tonio Liuzzi both show concerns earlier for saturday qualifying 107percent rule. It can only be cleared tomorrow whether they will be able to deliver a car to qualify for Race or not.
Indian Driver Karun chandhok after his initial accident was not able to took part in the rest of the session of Team Lotus.
Japan's Sakon Yamamoto will be Virgin Racing's reserve driver for the first three races of the Formula One season starting in Australia this weekend, the team said on Wednesday.
Virgin will be the well-funded 28-year-old's sixth team in Formula One, after first being signed up as a reserve for Jordan in 2005.
Yamamoto started seven races with struggling Hispania (HRT) last season, after also joining them as a reserve. Previously he drove for Spyker in 2007 and now-defunct Super Aguri in 2006, where he also was initially a reserve.
He was one of Renault's F1 development drivers in 2008, without getting any serious mileage in the car, and has failed to score any points in his 21 races.
"Sakon will spend the weekends observing the race drivers and attending all engineering meetings to ensure he is up to speed should there be an occasion where a last minute substitution is required," team boss John Booth said.
"Our reserve driver strategy is to help a number of drivers gain hard to come by track time and so we will be operating a roster featuring a number of racers that we are interested in evaluating during the forthcoming season."
Virgin were last overall in 2010, their debut season, without scoring a point. Their regular race drivers are Germany's Timo Glock and Belgian Jerome d'Ambrosio.
“I thought about it numerous times,” he confesses as we sit down in the bar of the Intercontinental Park Lane
“I didn’t want my words to be twisted into something negative. I find a lot of reporting can be destructive but I want to be positive in my life. If I’ve got anything to say, it must be positive.”
Those words reveal the essence of Formula One's most famous father of recent years; anxious, intense, guarded, but at the same time deeply caring and clearly possessed of an overwhelming urge to set a good example to others.
He gets over his initial reservations rather well. One hour turns into three as we discuss the projects he has on the go, his work helping young drivers stay on the straight and narrow. It turns out Hamilton Snr has chilled out.
We talk about the burden of responsibility he feels when families sell their houses and move abroad in the hope that their boy will be the next Lewis Hamilton. “I know of at least five people who have done that,” he says, shaking his head. “If I know five, there must be 500 more.” Mention of Lewis brings up the elephant in the hotel’s bar.
We both know it is this subject which Hamilton is so cautious about; understandably so. Their split 12 months ago after nearly 20 years as driver-manager was a uniquely painful episode in both their lives.
Although painted as amicable to start with, it later emerged the break-up had been nothing of the sort. Lewis sacks Dad ran the headlines. “It wasn’t like that,” Anthony says. “The desire to go our separate ways was mutual. We had discussed it for ages. It just didn’t happen quite the way I would have wanted.” After years of symbiosis, the pair went months without talking as the strain of going cold turkey told.
Anthony has not spoken about this period in his life before. In fact, this is his first interview since the split with Lewis. The last thing he wants to do now that they are back on good terms is to rock the boat.
Narain Karthikeyan's hopes of a triumphant return to Formula One at the Australian Grand Prix after a six-year break may yet be put on ice with concerns that the untested Hispania (HRT) F111 cars may struggle to meet minimum pace in qualifying.
With the "107 percent" rule re-introduced this season after being cancelled last year to help the championship's new teams, Karthikeyan must coax his car to within 107 percent of the fastest time to qualify for Sunday's race.
"Yes, of course, (the pace) is a concern, but we believe the car is a good step forward with the Williams rear end and everything else so it should be a positive step, at least on paper, but until you drive you never know," said Karthikeyan, India's first F1 driver, who joined the struggling HRT team in January.
The championship tail-enders unveiled their F111 earlier this month but Karthikeyan and his Italian team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi were not able to test it in Barcelona because certain suspension parts had not cleared customs.
It will be the second year in a row that Cosworth-powered HRT have arrived at the first race with a completely untested car, having missed much of Friday practice in Bahrain last year as they rushed to complete the cars.
The team's 2010 drivers Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna both retired in that race, managing less than 14 laps between them.
Although written off by many, HRT survived a point-less season last year and finished enough times to be placed above fellow debutantes Virgin Racing in the constructor's championship.
"Yeah, we had some mileage in the old car but the new car, we will have to see how it goes tomorrow as it will be the first time," Karthikeyan told reporters at Albert Park on Thursday.
"An uphill task but I will go with the flow and see what happens."
"Anyway we will go with the flow and it is an important year for me with the Indian Grand Prix.
"As you know motorsports in India is going to grow a lot. I am looking forward to it so hopefully we will have a reasonable year.
"First qualify and then finish the race, we will see."
The 34-year-old last raced in F1 for Jordan in 2005 when team boss Colin Kolles was also in charge of that team, and the Indian's return follows stints in the Le Mans series racing and NASCAR truck racing.
[Narain Karthikeyan] [Vitantonio Liuzzi]
Meanwhile, other HRT Driver, Former Force India Driver, Vitantonio Liuzzi shows his concern for the team and car as only one day left for Friday Practice Session of the season opener Australia Grand Prix.
"Getting some laps in the dry is vital," Liuzzi confirmed.
"At the moment we only have a very vague idea about how the car will be."
There are rumours building in the Melbourne paddock that, just as the car was not ready to run throughout the winter, it still will not be in working order for Friday's 12.30 practice.
Team boss Colin Kolles denied the rumours about engineers quitting due to not being paid.
"All the salaries of all the team members are paid," he is quoted by Spain's AS daily. "And it's not true that we are in debt to suppliers."
Former Grand Prix driver Alex Wurz admitted he is pessimistic about HRT F1's prospects.
"HRT is beyond good or bad, they are fighting for survival and for every Euro," he told laola1.at.
