The Middle East has become a most welcoming motorsport destination for both Formula 1 teams as well as their fans. Now, Iran is looking to add their name to the calendar.
Even though Iran's Cultural Heritage VP Masoud Soltanifar thinks Formula 1 racing has a "great future" in Iran, building a track on Qeshm Island and getting Bernie Ecclestone to sign off it isn't as simple as it sounds.
On the flip side, the location could be quite spectacular as it's situated in the Strait of Hormuz, only a few kilometers from Dubai. But with a stacked calendar for 2016 (at least), odds are they'll have to wait and hope they come up with a solid bid.
As Soltanifar added while being quoted by the Islamic Republic News Agency, "It has the potential to become one of the world's most beautiful destinations." Can't argue with that, especially since Iran's climate is exceptionally good for F1 racing due to its long hot summers and short cool winters.
At the moment, there are quite a few other nations trying to bring Formula 1 to their shores, such as Qatar (they already host MotoGP races), and of course there are rumors of a second Grand Prix in the U.S. It's a tough business.
Story references: planetf1
Note: Track image shows a Lotus E23 Hybrid racing in Bahrain
After 11 straight wins, it lost to Ferrari. It then continued its streak, claiming a startling 15 wins out of 16 starts but by a strange twist of fate, the one it lost was on Scuderia’s home ground and, at the same time, the first Italian GP after Enzo Ferrari’s death…
That was then and this is now. The latest Formula 1 race was the Indian Grand Prix and Sebastian Vettel took an easy win, his fourth in a row. It was an almost perfect race for the reigning world champion, who extended his lead in the drivers’ championship by seven points.
Fernando Alonso, who until the previous race at Korea was leading the standings, managed the best he could with a car that’s clearly inferior to that of his rival.
As always, he drove brilliantly to pass McLaren’s Jenson Button and, when his KERS failed, Red Bull’s Mark Webber. He then started closing in to Vettel, but eventually had to settle for second place.
After the race, Ferrari’s top driver admitted that “it’s not easy at the moment to fight Red Bull… we knew we were not fast enough but we lost the minimum points”. Alonso added that he and the team “will not give up” and that he hopes they will perform even better in the three remaining races of the season.
Vettel was asked what it is that has made him the favorite for the title: “There’s not one thing that stands out and makes a difference. I think it’s all of us working hand in hand together and I’m glad to be part of that and just enjoying the moment.”
The winner, who currently has an advantage to snag his third title in as many years at the tender age of 25, said that he was also very proud to be the first driver since the late Ayrton Senna to lead every single lap for three consecutive races.
As for the rest, McLaren had another not too impressive weekend, by its own high standards, claiming fourth and fifth positions with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button respectively. The only silver lining was that it did much better than in Korea and Button recorded the fastest lap of the race. Small comfort for a team that’s used to being a title challenger...
1961 saw the debut of a car that would become one of the most distinctive and beautiful racing Ferraris of all time. With its unmistakable twin nostril air intake, the Carlo Chiti designed 156 was known simply as the Sharknose Ferrari.
Although Enzo Ferrari had famously dismissed rear-engined Formula 1 cars stating “The horses pull the car rather than push it,” he finally gave into the idea starting in 1960, when Richie Ginther drove theScuderia’s first rear-engined machine to a less than stellar sixth place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The 156 came a year later and was considerably more successful. In a season that consisted of only eight races, the Ferrari 156 took home five victories as well as both the driver’s and constructor’s championships. Sadly, the year was also marred by tragedy when Ferrari driver Wolfgang von Trips was killed at the Italian Grand Prix along with fifteen spectators.
The events of that horrific September afternoon along with Ferrari’s 1961 season are remembered in the 1996 movie “La Passione”, which tells the story of a boy and his love for the scarlet cars.
Because Enzo Ferrari always wished to look to the future of his company and never dwell upon the past, all of the original Sharknose Ferraris were destroyed after the 1963 Formula 1 season when they ceased to be of use to the team.
In order to film scenes for “La Passione”, the film’s writer, Chris Rea, commissioned a replica of the fabled Ferrari, bringing life to this iconic piece of Formula 1 history once more.
The Bathtub: Lotus 25
Those who follow Formula 1 will be more than familiar with the name Adrian Newey. Renowned for being the most talented designer of his generation, it seems as though whatever Newey touches turns into gold.
In his day, Colin Chapman was similarly famous for his innovative designs and being ahead of his time. In 1952, Chapman created one of the most recognised companies in motor racing history when he founded Lotus Cars.
In the early 60s, while having lunch with chassis designer Frank Costin, Chapman drew sketches on a napkin for the car that was to give Team Lotus its first ever World Championship and launch the team into an era of success that most constructers can only dream of.
The Lotus 25 made its racing debut in 1962 and featured a stiff monocoque chassis that was also very light. The car was often referred to as the Bathtub because of its tub-like appearance and its drivers had to lie back sharply behind the wheel.
The hugely successful car was used in the 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965 World Championships respectively and won a total of fourteen races, including two driver’s championships and two constructor’s championships.
Black Beauty: Lotus 79
Continuing Colin Chapman’s tradition of success was a revolutionary car that took the world by storm in 1978. The Lotus 79, which was both stunningly beautiful and blindingly fast, quickly earned itself the nickname “Black Beauty” because of its black and gold livery.
After pioneering ground effects the previous year, Team Lotus finally perfected the concept with the Lotus 79 and the result was a car that gripped the road better than any of its rivals. The 79 dominated the 1978 Formula 1 season, taking six victories and securing both the driver’s and constructor’s championships.
The chassis was also used during parts of the 1979 Formula 1 season and has since gone down in history as one of the most innovative cars of all time. It is credited for launching Formula 1 into the aerodynamics era and is featured frequently on lists of the most beautiful racecars.
The Skateboard: Brabham BT55 In 1986, Gordon Murray was desperate to revive the days of Brabham’s glory and decided that something radical had to be done to gain advantage over the team’s rivals Williams and McLaren.
The result was the Brabham BT55, a car that was so low to the ground that it forced drivers Riccardo Patrese and Elio de Angelis to lie down almost horizontally in the cockpit.
Its height off the ground led to the car becoming known as the Skateboard, the Roller Skate and even the Flat Fish. Although the car produced plenty of downforce, it also created drag making the BT55 uncompetitive.
Although Murray’s first attempt at the concept proved to be unsuccessful, the talented South African-born Britain was not deterred and when he moved to McLaren in 1988, he designed the legendary McLaren MP4/4, which is said to have been based on the BT55.
The iconic car, which took Ayrton Senna to his first World Championship dominated the season, winning all but one race in 1988. In addition to this, it is credited for making the lying down position fashionable once more in Formula 1.
Kate’s Dirty Sister: Red Bull RB5
Kate’s Dirty Sister is the odd one out in this list of iconic cars and their nicknames because it was not the name that was given to every Red Bull RB5 ever produced, but rather the nickname given to one particular chassis driven by Formula 1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel.
The young German, who is known for celebrating his victories with an index-fingered salute, has gotten into the habit of giving his cars female names. Vettel’s ‘ladies’ have had names like Julie, Luscious Liz and most recently Abbey but out of all of the nicknames, Kate’s Dirty Sister is certainly the most amusing.
It all started in 2009 when Vettel’s first RB5 chassis, which he had lovingly christened Kate, was involved in a major shunt at the first Grand Prix of the season. Ruined beyond repair, Sebastian was forced to replace Kate with an updated model, one that was a little bit different to her older sibling.
Final Thoughts Sebastian Vettel is just one of several drivers who talk to their cars as if they are human beings; coaxing them to the end of a race, paying homage to them in victory or even scolding them in defeat.
As fans, our emotions are also tied closely to the cars that we support and so it is little wonder that when one particular model catches our eye, we humanise it with a nickname. Whether the name is intended to ridicule or to praise is of little importance. All that matters is the power that it has to invoke fond memories of years gone by and of the vehicles that defined them.
“My original car was called Kate.” Vettel confided after winning the Chinese Grand Prix. “But then it got smashed up in the opening race in Australia. So we called this one Kate’s Dirty Sister because it is more aggressive and faster.”
Together, Sebastian Vettel and the Adrian Newey designed chassis achieved a total of four wins together and took second place in the driver’s championship.
The 2009 season saw Red Bull emerge as a serious title challenger and the success of the RB5, which gave the team its very first victory, propelled Red Bull to back to back championships in 2010 and 2011.
We'll remind you that the Evora GTE gets a tuned 3.5-liter supercharged V6 delivering 444-horses, up from the 350HP, channeled to the rear wheels via a new sequential AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) racing gearbox, while Lotus engineers also shaved 105kg or 232 pounds over the base model by eliminating certain parts and using carbonfibre throughout the exterior and interior.
Mercedes GP chose the first day of FIA’s second official pre-season test in Barcelona to unveil the W03. Admittedly, it has come late to the party, as the company's F1 racer was launched later than most of its competitors, but the team reckons that this was a good thing, since it gave them more time to hone the car.
The project was initiated in May 2011 and despite having 200 more parts compared to last year’s car (4,500 vs 4,300) it is actually lighter and better packaged than its predecessor.
Mercedes GP principal Ross Brawn said: “We had a car that was mechanically complete some time ago and we’ve done a lot of work on rigs to understand how it behaves and performs.”
As for the delay, Brawn claims it was intentional. “For us, at least, in that respect this is probably the best prepared program we’ve had going into the first race,” said Brown.
Design-wise, the W03 has adopted the clumsy, airflow-maximizing stepped nose seen in almost every 2012 car with the notable exception of the McLaren. The Woking-based team’s new car has bucked the trend – and is much better looking than the competition.
Brawn agrees that the nose is “an acquired taste” but is quick to add that the new car is “elegant” and “a clean step forward in terms of detail design and sophistication”.
Schumacher, who will be the first to test the W03 today, has already driven the car last week so he already has a first impression of what it feels like. “It instantly have us good feedback and, starting today, we will work hard to make it a competitive runner,” said Schumacher.
The seven-time world champion was cautious about how the new car performs versus its rivals since he and his teammate Nico Rosberg have another seven days of testing at Barcelona.
“Obviously, we will only see over the next couple of weeks how big the step is that we have made, but I can say we will definitely try to deliver," Schumacher added.
Follow the jump to see videos of both today’s launch and in-car footage from Rosberg’s test at Silverstone five days ago.
While it was initially scheduled to be revealed at Maranello, and then make its maiden test at the Fiorano circuit, the heavy snow that was more suited to the Ferrari-special Grand Cherokee than an F1 car resulted in the new F2012 to be launched via an online presentation.
Compared to last year’s F150o, which celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Italian Republic, Ferrari's new Formula 1 car has a very unimaginative design. But names don’t matter that much; after all, the 2011 car had only one win to its credit.
Naturally, the F2012 is a completely new design, featuring a distinctive “stepped” nose and a 2011 McLaren-like double air intake.
“It really looks very aggressive”, said Scuderia driver Felipe Massa. “This was part of my dreams. I know there was quite a lot of brainstorming when it comes to the new car, and I am impressed with it.”
What Massa really has to do, though, this year, is impress his boss with his performance if he wants to retain his seat in 2013.
Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo warned the Brazilian, who in 2011 didn’t finish higher than fifth place in any race and scored less than half the points of his team-mate Fernando Alonso, that he must up his game.
“Massa has to do something great, and something special, after a non-positive season”, said di Montezemolo. “We are offering him the best conditions to do a better job.”
Posts
