Sebastian Vettel Q&A: I will always go for it
September 10, 2010 (20:56) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
After crashing out of the last round in spectacular fashion (taking a title rival with him), you might expect a more circumspect approach from Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in this weekend's Italian Grand Prix - a race on which his championship hopes could hinge. True to form, however, Vettel is playing it cool, insisting nothing will change in his quest for victory More...

Friday analysis - more in reserve at McLaren?
September 10, 2010 (20:21) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
McLaren's MP4-25 was tipped to be the fastest car around Monza, and it may yet prove so. However, as the British team experimented with F-duct versus non F-duct configurations on Friday afternoon, Hamilton and Button found themselves outpaced by arch rivals Red Bull and Ferrari. We take a team-by-team look at early progress in Italy More...

FIA Friday press conference - Italy
September 10, 2010 (20:21) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Technical directors: Aldo Costa (Ferrari), James Key (BMW Sauber), Paddy Lowe (McLaren), Sam Michael (Williams), Adrian Newey (Red Bull). Q: A question to you all. Can you tell us about your Monza specifications? What have you changed? Are you running the F-duct if you have an F-duct? Sam Michael: Our Monza spec is just for Monza really. We didn't actually put a lot of work into it as it is only one race, so we put a lot of our effort into the next race as it pays off for five Grands Prix rather than one... More...

Q&A with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton
September 10, 2010 (20:21) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Lewis Hamilton is on a roll after his excellent victory at Spa a fortnight ago. McLaren are expected to go well at Monza too and Hamilton, eager to win at the classic venue in an F1 car for the first time, is not about to disagree - even if Friday's practice times might suggest Red Bull and Ferrari are going to push them all the way. With the MP4-25 seemingly quick with or without F-duct, Hamilton remains confident the team have plenty of available options More...

Friday practice - selected team and driver quotes
September 10, 2010 (16:37) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
McLaren's Monza-friendly MP4-25 confirmed everyone's suspicions on Friday morning, with Jenson Button leading the timesheets. But in the afternoon Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and the two Ferraris had found their footing on the Italian circuit. The leading drivers and their rivals reflect on their early progress at Monza More...

Practice Two - Vettel to the fore in Italy
September 10, 2010 (16:07) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Sebastian Vettel turned the tables on McLaren at Monza on Friday afternoon by setting the fastest time so far of 1m 22.839s, but the Red Bull driver was only 0.076s faster than Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and 0.222s ahead of Felipe Massa in the second F10. Soon after Massa had gone fastest with 1m 23.061s he was deposed by Alonso with 1m 22.915s, before Vettel displaced both. That left the McLarens in fourth and fifth places... More...

Labours of Liuzzi - can home crowd help secure Italian's future?
September 10, 2010 (12:56) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
One of only two Italian drivers on this year's grid, Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi is certainly better placed to take advantage of a quick car at his home Grand Prix this weekend than fellow countryman, Lotus's Jarno Trulli. It has been 44 long years since an Italian - Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966 - won the Monza race and five since a local hero - Giancarlo Fisichella - even claimed a podium. The question is can Liuzzi convert the VJM03's latent pace into a real result? Sadly, recent form is not on his side. Although the car has certainly shown strong performance at recent rounds, and should do well at low-downforce Monza, the 2010 season hasn't gone to plan for the man from Locorotondo. There have been some flashes of brilliance, but overall the Italian has struggled for results and, more importantly, struggled to match his team mate Adrian Sutil. More...

Practice One - Vettel splits McLarens at Monza
September 10, 2010 (12:11) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
McLaren's Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton sandwiched Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel at the top of the times after Friday morning's first free practice session at Monza. The reigning world champion lapped in 1m 23.693s, just 0.097s faster than the German's 1m 23.790s, with the 2008 title winner on 1m 23.967s in the second MP4-25. Nobody else breached 1m 24s, but Robert Kubica and Nico Rosberg got closest... More...

Pre-Monza analysis - Alonso under pressure
September 10, 2010 (09:37) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Fernando Alonso comes to Monza under the greatest pressure to deliver a strong result to keep Ferrari in the hunt for the world championship. And yesterday he admitted here that this race, and the next in Singapore, will have a crucial effect on his and the Scuderia's chances... More...

FIA Thursday press conference - Italy
September 09, 2010 (23:16) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Drivers: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Rubens Barrichello (Williams), Jenson Button (McLaren), Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India), Jarno Trulli (Lotus). Q: Jarno, your home race. Tell us what it means to you. New team and all that. Jarno Trulli: Yeah, it is always great to be back in a sunny Monza. We know Monza can also be very rainy and wet and no-one really enjoys that kind of circumstance. I enjoy Monza as it is a special atmosphere... More...

Adrian Sutil Q&A: Force India the 2011 priority
September 09, 2010 (21:56) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Adrian Sutil is driving the best season of his Formula One career - and it hasn't gone unnoticed. Gone are the times when only he knew that he could race with the fastest on the grid - now he has demonstrated to the world that he can do it. Nevertheless, Sutil says it would take a very special offer to tempt him away from Force India, the team with whom he has shared a remarkable journey in recent years, as he explained exclusively to Formula1.com in Monza More...

Q&A with Renault's Robert Kubica
September 09, 2010 (21:56) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
After some difficult races mid-season, Renault's Robert Kubica was finally back on the podium at Spa. And those who do well at Spa traditionally do well at Monza too, so the Pole is looking forward to another positive weekend at the Italian Grand Prix More...

Italy Preview - Monza make or break for Ferrari?
September 09, 2010 (11:56) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Monza, that wonderful cathedral of sport, could be the turning point of the world championship fight this weekend. Its long straights and the need for minimal downforce may militate against Red Bull, while Ferrari, fresh from no further penalties in their team orders hearing at the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on Wednesday, will decide their strategy for the rest of the season based on their performance here on their home ground... More...

Renault on how to master Monza
September 09, 2010 (10:51) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Monza presents a unique challenge for a Formula One car. It's known as the 'Temple of Speed' for the simple reason that it's by far the quickest track of the year. It's so extreme that all teams have to develop bespoke aero packages to make their cars slippery enough to be competitive over the 5.8-kilometre lap. The old Hockenheim used to present a similar challenge, but today Monza stands alone as the only track on the calendar where the cars race flat out at speeds approaching 340 km/h. Renault explain how they plan to master the Italian circuit... More...

No further Ferrari penalty, team orders to be reviewed
September 08, 2010 (21:11) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
The FIA is to review the rules relating to team orders in Formula One racing after its World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) decided on Wednesday to impose no further sanction on Ferrari for their controversial one-two finish in July's German Grand Prix. Hockenheim stewards fined Ferrari US$100,000 for imposing team orders and bringing the sport into disrepute after Felipe Massa moved aside to let team mate Fernando Alonso win the race. More...

Stricter team and driver licensing rules proposed
September 08, 2010 (17:51) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
The FIA's World Motor Sport Council has announced two proposals it hopes to introduce in order to better maintain the reputation of the sport and the integrity of its competitors. It plans to submit both proposals to the FIA's General Assembly for consideration. One suggestion will see the introduction of a 'competitor's staff' licence to ensure team members comply with standards of 'good standing'... More...

Q&A with McLaren's Tim Goss
September 08, 2010 (16:46) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Although McLaren have been tipped to be the best of the bunch at Monza this weekend, many believe they will then struggle to match car to circuit characteristics at the remaining five rounds. But Tim Goss, chief engineer of the MP4-25, is confident new upgrades, a better understanding of the blown diffuser and their leading role in the development of the F-duct could see the team go from strength to strength as the season's climax approaches. He reveals more during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 'Phone-In' session More...

FIA announces 20-race calendar for 2011
September 08, 2010 (16:07) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
Formula One racing's governing body, the FIA, has released the calendar for the 2011 world championship. The addition of the Indian Grand Prix makes for a 20-race season - one more round than in 2010 and the longest in Formula One history. The Bahrain Grand Prix will kick off proceedings on March 13, followed by the Australian, Malaysian and Chinese rounds, before the championship heads to Europe. The inaugural Indian event will take place towards the end of the year on October 30, with the season drawing to a close in Brazil on November 27... More...

FIA: No new teams for 2011
September 08, 2010 (16:07) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
The FIA has announced it will keep the Formula One entry list at 12 teams for 2011 and 2012, after deciding that none of the those bidding for a 13th entry next season met the necessary requirements. Formula One racing's governing body had received bids from numerous organisations after it invited expressions of interest from potential new teams back in March, following the late withdrawal of one of the new 2010 entries... More...

Tougher floor tests prompt minor changes to McLaren
September 08, 2010 (16:07) [ Indexed from Formula1.com ]
McLaren have revealed they have carried out minor modifications to the MP4-25's floor ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, in light of the more stringent tests to be applied by the FIA at the Monza event. The sport's governing body revised their scrutineering checks following July's Hungarian race after some teams, namely Red Bull and Ferrari, were accused by rivals of running flexible front wings. After introducing tougher front-wing tests at the last round in Spa, the FIA will carry out a stricter floor test in Italy, with weight applied to the side of a car's floor as well as its centre. More...