Jacques Villeneuve visitou ontem as instalações da nova equipa Lotus, tendo aproveitado para conhecer os primeiros locais de trabalho em que Colin Chapman construiu os seus carros.

Esta visita de Villeneuve acaba por potenciar ainda mais os rumores que dão conta de um possível regresso do campeão do Mundo de 1997 à Fórmula 1, com o piloto a revelar recentemente que retomou os exercícios físicos para estar à altura das exigências da F1.

“A visita do Jacques é uma honra para a Lotus. Os nossos empregados são uma mescla de talento e sabedoria combinado com paixão pela marca. Os nossos altos são os deles, pelo que é um dia especial para todos nós”, afirmou o director-executivo da Lotus, Dany Bahar, ao Norwich Evening News.

Já Jacques Villeneuve confessou-se muito satisfeito com esta visita à Lotus: “Foi um grande dia para mim poder vir aqui e visitar o meu amigo Gino Rosato no seu novo papel e ver de onde vem a magia da Lotus”, afirmou. Villeneuve é um dos pilotos falados para garantir uma vaga ao volante dos Lotus, ainda que Jarno Trulli também seja um dos nomes na calha.

[Fonte: autosport.aeiou.pt]

Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 World Champion has been spotted visiting Lotus F1’s factory in Norfolk.

The former Williams and BMW driver visited this week to check out how serious Lotus were about their Formula One plans.  Villenueve is said to be in talks over a contract with the team, but boss Dany Bahar was just happy Villeneuve made the trip.

The Canadian has always split opinion, and his return is likely to be lukewarm.  If Michael Schumacher made a shock return with Mercedes Benz too, this could be one of the most interesting seasons ever.  The build up and hype would be almost unbeliveable!

“Jacques’ visit is an honour for Lotus,” stated CEO Bahar.

“Our people are a blend of talent and expertise combined with passion for our brand.”

There are said to be four interested parties for the Lotus’ two seats, with Villeneuve and Jarno Trulli being favourites for the roles.

Com a Lotus tendo já indicado a ocupação de um cockpit para a próxima temporada, a equipa malaia ainda decidirá o companheiro de equipa do actualmente desconhecido primeiro piloto.

O chefe de equipa Tony Fernandes revelou, no entanto, que opções já foram filtradas.

Com Jarno Trulli largamente visto como o primeiro piloto da Lotus, graças ao seu relacionamento passado com o director-técnico da equipa Mike Gascoyne na Jordan, Renault e Toyota, nenhum cockpit está oficialmente confirmado.

Rapidamente após chegar a Nova York na quinta-feira, Fernandes revelou que as suas escolhas estão próximas de serem tomadas. ‘Tenho que decidir entre 4 pilotos para 2 vagas’, o chefe do Tune Group, nome por trás da Airline AirAsia, escreveu no seu Twitter.

[Fonte: portalf1.com]

1 Malaysia F1 Team Principal, OK let’s just call it Lotus from here on in, Tony Fernandes has revelead that four drivers remain in the running for two seats at the team in 2010. The news comes in spite of Fernandes’ own admission that Lotus had signed its first driver a few weeks ago.

“Arrived in london. New york to london on virgin. One day. AirAsia fron kl to london to new york. Have to decide on 4 drivers for 2 seats,” he reported on his twitter feed late last night.

The news that two seats remain thus raises an interesting question…

1.) Did Fernandes’ initial quote refer to the signing of a test driver?

2.) Did Fernandes’ initial quote refer to a race driver, and the two remaining seats include the position of test driver?

3.) Has the initial deal Fernandes reported collapsed, thus opening two vacant race seats?

My hunch is that Fernandes’ initial report that the team had signed a driver was a signal that the squad had bitten the bullet and done a deal with Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy to act in the predominantly artificial role of test / reserve driver for 2010. Given that current testing regulations will give Fauzy all of about six miles in an F1 car, it would be an easy appointment for the team to make and would please the team’s major backer, the Malaysian government.

The two remaining seats, therefore, would be the race seats.

Jarno Trulli is known to have been high on the team’s list since Day 1. The Italian recently tested NASCAR and enjoyed himself, but I don’t believe he is ready or willing to walk away from F1 if a chance to race still exists. While he is still quick and would be a worthy addition to any young squad, I’m not sure how much personal backing he has. The team however would probably be willing to bring Trulli in if for nothing other than his vast experience.

Takuma Sato is also in discussions with Lotus, and to my mind is by far the team’s most sensible option. He proved at Super Aguri what he could do with a young team, and the maturity which he showed in leading the team has marked him out as a man that Lotus cannot afford to simply ignore. With most new teams looking for around US $8 million, Sato’s personal backing may fall short of the required amount, but what he brings in marketing value in Asia and in his experience with a start-up team is, to my mind, far more valuable.

So who are the other two drivers? An educated guess says that Kamui Kobayashi is still in there. We know he’s been talking to Lotus and we know he has backing from a few old Toyota backers. He impressed in his two outings for Toyota and a renewed partnership of him and Trulli would be a nice mix of youth and experience. But the question remains as to whether as a new team you can take a chance on youth or whether you should put your eggs in a more experienced basket?

Finally, then, you’d probably have to say that Kovalainen is in the mix of the final four. A line-up of him and Trulli would be one of total F1 underachievement but of two men who have much to prove. It could prove potent, but it could equally prove to be high risk as if both fail to shine, Lotus’ much vaunted return could be a tremendous flop.

What is interesting is that Lotus seems close to making its decision. Another large piece of the driver market puzzle could be about to fall into place.

O italiano Jarno Trulli garantiu que apenas deverá tomar uma decisão quanto ao seu futuro no inicio da próxima semana, após o Toyota Motor Sport Festival, que se irá realizar este fim-de-semana no traçado de Fuji, no Japão.

Trulli e Kamui Kobayashi estarão presentes no evento da marca nipónica, mesmo sabendo que esta já não participará no Mundial de Fórmula 1 de 2010, com o italiano a revelar ao site Autosport.com que apenas irá tomar uma decisão assim que o seu trabalho com a Toyota cessar.

Quanto ao seu futuro e às hipóteses para a próxima temporada, Trulli referiu que está em conversações com diversas equipas e que ainda nada está garantido.

“Ainda não assinei nada. Estou em conversações com várias equipas e em breve irei tomar a minha decisão. Nada é certo na vida. Mantenho a minha porta aberta [a todas as propostas], mas de certeza que em breve irei chegar a acordo com uma equipa”, referiu o veterano piloto italiano.

[Fonte: autosport.aeiou.pt]

The Lights Go Out In Cologne...

First it was Honda. BMW soon followed suit. Now, after a brief and altogether forgettable stint in Formula 1, it’s Toyota’s turn to bow out of auto racing’s pinnacle championship series. I for one was disappointed to hear the news as I had always held high hopes for the Japanese team (based out of Cologne) to become one of the sport’s super powers. Much like Honda and BMW, Toyota successfully integrated breakthroughs in their Formula 1 R&D into their road fleet… hell, its one of the major reasons, if not the major reason, that car manufacturers throw their caps and millions upon millions of dollars, euros, pounds sterling and yen into the ring. One need only think of the F1 engineering advances that have been integrated into Ferrari’s production car platforms to understand the possibilities attainable by constructors in the sport. However, despite one of the championship’s consistently highest budgets, and despite employing some of the most innovative minds in the automotive industry, they could never build a winner.

Lets look at the facts to see just how exactly this kart hit the tyre wall:

2002: Panasonic Toyota F1 makes their debut in Formula 1. Allan McNish and Mika Salo take to the track as the team’s first drivers though, unfortunately, manage only two points collectively on the season. In other news, Michael Schumacher delivers an absolute gem of a season, winning yet another drivers title.

2003: Toyota brings in Brazillian Cristiano Da Matta from ChampCar and Frenchman Olivier Panis from BAR to shake things up in the driver department. It works, sort of, as the team managed 16 points in the championship, good for… well it was good for 8th place. At least they beat Minardi. Too bad Michael beat everybody.

Panis Prepares...

2004: Toyota ran Panis and Da Matta for the second straight year… and finished 8th again. While there were some bright spots it was a season marred by disqualification at Montreal and involvement in an industrial espionage fiasco with Ferrari.

2005: Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher join Toyota and results markedly improved. Ralf and Jarno snared five podium finishes between them, and managed to score points in all but one race culminating in 6th and 7th place finishes respectively in the drivers championship and securing a 4th place finish in the constructors championship. Far and away the best team the Japanese stall ever put on the road.

2006: More setbacks, and especially disappointing because the team was unable to build on their results in 2005. 6th place finish in the constructors.

2007: A complete write-off. 14 points… total. Ralf leaves Toyota.

Ralf Walks...

2008: A new star is born in Timo Glock and the team has high hopes for the combination of experience and skill between their two drivers. Toyota managed to squeeze out 55 points and finish in 5th place in the hunt for the constructors title.

The Long Goodbye

2009: Glock and Trulli get out to a blistering start scoring 3 podiums between them in the first 4 races, before petering off in typical fashion. Despite the introduction of a groundbreaking (and FIA loophole exploiting) double diffuser, the team could manage only two additional podiums en route to a 5th place finish in the quest for dominance in Formula 1 construction. Following the end of yet another mediocre season, and taking into account their embroilment with the FIA ,which almost saw Toyota split away from F1 and join a rival championship series, in conjunction with Toyota’s first financial loss EVER, the team decided to take its final bow.

One Final Note:

Keep in mind that despite Toyota’s wish to leave F1, their exit may not be as easy as one might imagine. The FIA is currently investigating the legality of Toyota’s decision to forgo the 2010 season, despite having signed on in a last minute agreement to ’save’ the sport last spring. In any event, should that investigation turn cold, and given the cyclical nature of the sport, I am quite certain that Toyota will eventually wander back to Formula 1… This writer hopes it will be sooner rather than later. 

Toyota By The Numbers:

Seasons: 8

Constructor’s Titles: 0 (Highest Finish – 4th place)

Driver’s Titles: 0 (Highest Finish – 6th place)

Wins: 0

Podiums: 13 (Highest Finish – 2nd place)

Championship Points: 278.5

Most Successful Driver (Total Championship Points): Jarno Trulli (129.5)

Most Successful Driver (Average Points Per Race): Timo Glock (1.53)

]]> http://f1sms.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/temporada-2010-15-lugares-para-24-pilotos/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:53:03 +0000 f1shortmessage http://f1sms.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/temporada-2010-15-lugares-para-24-pilotos/

O pelotão da principal categoria do automobilismo, por enquanto, terá 26 lugares quando a FIA confirmar uma nova equipa para o lugar da Toyota

Com a saída da Toyota, a Fórmula 1 tem 12 equipas confirmadas na temporada 2010. Dos 24 lugares no pelotão, porém, apenas 11 já têm donos – três deles são de brasileiros: Felipe Massa na Ferrari, Rubens Barrichello na Williams e Bruno Senna na Campos.

As 13 vagas ainda abertas são um alento para os agora desempregados Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock e Kamui Kobayashi, que ocuparam o cockpit da equipa japonesa este ano. Eles passaram a fazer parte do grupo de 24 pilotos que estão disponíveis no “mercado”.

A lista de “candidatos” inclui, também, o actual campeão, Jenson Button, que ainda não renovou com a Brawn GP. E corre o risco ficar ainda maior caso a Renault também saia da categoria. A categoria terá 26 vagas em 2010, assim que a FIA confirme uma equipa no lugar da Toyota.

A Toyota foi a segunda equipa a deixar a F1 esta temporada – a BMW Sauber também saiu. Além de Trulli, Glock e Kobayashi, um outro piloto fica em situação diícil. Kazuki Nakajima, que defendia a Williams, era um dos nomes cotados para a vaga na equipa em 2010.

Há, ainda, uma esperança para os pilotos. A Sauber – comprada pelo grupo de investimentos árabe Qadbak – ainda aguarda aprovação da Federação Internacional de Automobilismo (FIA) e das equipas.

Lucas di Grassi, Antonio Pizzonia e Nelsinho Piquet lutam por vagas, principalmente nas quatro (ou cinco) equipas estreantes.

Pilotos “disponíveis”: Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, Nick Heidfeld, Kamui Kobayashi, Timo Glock, Heikki Kovalainen, Kazuki Nakajima, Lucas di Grassi, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Giancarlo Fisichella, Pedro de la Rosa, Nelsinho Piquet, Pastor Maldonado, Anthony Davidson, Jacques Villeneuve, Jonathan Summerton, Antonio Pizzonia, Adam Carroll, Jarno Trulli, Takuma Sato, Alex Yoong, Fairuz Fauzy e Christian Klien, Vitaly Petrov

(Fonte: portalf1.com)

Jarno Trulli says that although he still has opportunities to remain in Formula 1 next year, he wants to leave the door open to a possible future NASCAR switch.

The Italian has spent the weekend with Michael Waltrip Racing at Phoenix, watching events from the Sprint Cup garages and listening to the team’s radio communications during the practice sessions, as he prepares for his first NASCAR outing and his first run on an oval in a test next week.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT at the Arizona track, Trulli once again stressed that despite the NASCAR test coming at a time when his future is not yet set, his priority is still to remain in F1, where he is rated as favourite to land a seat with the new Lotus team.

However he wants to leave the doors open in NASCAR, even if a switch does not happen next year.

“Obviously looking at today’s situation it’s pretty clear that I can race in Formula 1 next year, but doing this test might keep many doors open,” said Trulli. “So I’m fully open on any kind of stuff, even though my priority is to stay in Formula 1.”

Trulli has also spent some time during the weekend talking to former F1 colleague Juan Pablo Montoya. He said that he has followed the Colombian’s progress since his move to NASCAR in 2006, and having being to a few races already, he has a clear understanding of how big and professional the sport is.

“The fact that Juan Pablo has stepped in a few years ago has attracted a lot of attention, to many people, and that’s why I’ve been sat and looking at the series because I was trying to understand what really was the target for him, what pushed him to get in the series,” said Trulli.

“But actually when you come here and see how many people come to watch these series, you understand, you realise there’s so much interest around. So it’s really a professional top series, especially for America.”

A move to the US is not something Trulli rules out. The Italian has some business interests in Europe besides his racing, namely his vineyard Podere Castorani near his native Pescara, but he says that would not play a big part in any decision over a NASCAR future.

“Absolutely not,” said Trulli. “I have no business in Europe apart from the vineyard that my father runs. Racing is racing. We travel a lot around the world, I like living in the US, I have already an apartment in Miami, so that’s never been a problem to think about my career.

“It’s just a question that I don’t know if I want to do it. That’s why I’m extremely interested in testing this car, to get an idea of what [it] is [like] driving these cars.”

The 35-year-old said he was not very fond of the current climate in F1, given the recent pull-out announcements from manufacturers, and believes work still needs to be done to improve the health of the world championship.

“It doesn’t seem too healthy at the moment,” he said. “It’s just my opinion, but I don’t want to make any further comment. I think there’s some work to do.”

Speaking about Toyota’s exit from F1, Trulli lamented having not won a race for the team in their 90 grands prix together. The Italian scored seven podiums while driving for the Japanese manufacturer, finishing second twice, the last time being at this year’s Japanese Grand Prix, which will stand as Toyota’s last appearance on an F1 podium.

“I think we were very close many times, especially this year,” said Trulli. “We never had enough luck or we always missed a little bit. It’s a shame that it has ended up like this.

“It’s a shame for the people over there. We had quite a good group, a good team and actually also a great car but probably the car was never strong enough to win a race. I tried and tried many times but we failed.”

Trulli will test a Sprint Cup Series Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing next Wednesday, while fellow former Toyota F1 driver Mika Salo, who is also with the team this weekend at Phoenix, is set to drive on Tuesday.

in: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80161

Lotus are set to announce their first new driver for 2010, within a few days or potentially hours.

The Malaysian backed outfit is headed up by Tony Fernandes.  He wrote on his official Twitter page;

“Malaysia Formula 1 team, aka Lotus, has signed its first driver,” Fernandes wrote.

“Public announcement soon. The dream continues.”

After a discussion between Fernandes and Autosport Magazine was published recently, it is likely that the two drievrs could be Jarno Trulli and Takuma Sato.  Kamui Kobayashi has been linked to the seat and looks an increasingly likely possibility as Fernandes seems to disagree with Mike Gascoyne the technical chief on having 2 experienced drivers and suggests that one youngster would be more useful.

“If we can get a guy who has been doing it for a long time, that’s fantastic because you can’t buy experience and he can help us develop the car and the team,” said Fernandes. “And he can help us after the race, adding value to driver development.

“On the second driver, I think that it’s good to have someone young because sometimes if you have been doing it for 15 years there is a little bit of cynicism and it gets repetitious. If you’ve got an energetic young guy that rubs off on you. Ultimately, I will leave it to Mike and the team to decide.”

Could Lotus' new driver be Jarno Trulli?

Lotus F1 team boss Tony Fernandes has revealed that the team signed up its first driver for the team’s first season in Formula 1. Fernandes did not wish to reveal his name just yet but said a public announcement will be made very soon.

Lotus F1, also called 1Malaysia F1 Team, will enter Formula 1 next season but has yet to announce its drivers. Jarno Trulli is rumoured to be one of the candidates for the Malaysian team.

Team boss Tony Fernandes said this weekend: “1Malaysia Formula One team aka lotus has signed it’s first driver. He will soon be announced.”

Have your say and share your views in the comments  – get writing now…

Reference: f1.gpupdate.net

Toyota’s final F1 drivers from 2009 will get behind the wheel of the car one last time later this month.

Jarno Tulli and Kamui Kobayashi will join Kaz Nakajima (who might be tasting F1 speed for the last time) at the Toyota Motor Sport Festival on November 21-22.

You have to assume the event will be your classic bitter-sweet affair, given the team’s decision to pull-out of F1.

Here’s the news, courtesy the team’s site:

Jarno and Kamui are back! 13.11.2009

Jarno Trulli and Kamui Kobayashi will return to the cockpit of a Panasonic Toyota Racing car later this month at the Toyota Motor Sport Festival.

Both drivers will join Kazuki Nakajima at the annual Toyota Motor Sport Festival at Fuji Speedway, running demonstration runs of Toyota Formula 1 cars on November 21-22.

Jarno, the longest-serving and most successful driver in Panasonic Toyota Racing history, completed his last Grand Prix for the team in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of the month, ending with a points finish.

But, after the announcement that Toyota will cease its Formula 1 programme with immediate effect, Jarno has decided to get behind the wheel of a TF109 for one last show for the Japanese fans.

Kamui was the star of the show in Abu Dhabi, scoring his first Formula 1 points in a brilliantly exciting drive to sixth place, when he overtook two World Champions on the way.

Both drivers will give the Japanese fans a fitting finale for Toyota’s Formula 1 programme, while other aspects of Toyota’s motorsport heritage will be on show as well.

Kamui’s colleague in the Toyota Young Drivers’ Programme, Kazuki, will get behind the wheel of a Toyota Formula 1 car for the first time, after the end of his three years with Williams.

 

Reference: formula1blog.com

Thursday, October 29, 15.00
Fernando Alonso (Renault), Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari), Adrian Sutil (Force India-Mercedes), Jarno Trulli (Toyota).

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. A question to you all. What are your reactions to seeing the Yas Island Circuit for the first time. The facilities? The circuit? Adrian, would you like to start?

Adrian SUTIL: Impressive, let’s say. A very nice circuit, very big. I think it is the biggest I’ve ever seen. The facilities are amazing. It is going to be an interesting weekend really.

Jarno TRULLI: I think I agree. I was impressed with the facilities and the place and the circuit. So far it seems to be very well made with the surface and the kerbs. I think the run-off area so far seems pretty good. Obviously before we judge the circuit lay-out we need to have a run.

Kimi RAIKKONEN: I have only seen the paddock area so far. I haven’t been around the circuit yet. It looks all new and you can see a bit that it is last minute but, overall, it is a very big, massive thing and it will be one of the nicest when everything is ready.

Q. Fernando, have you looked at it on the simulator?

Fernando ALONSO: No, no simulator for us. Not even Play Station this time. It will be the first lap tomorrow. Again, the same as all the others, I am very impressed with all the facilities. The circuit itself and the lay-out I think we need to wait until tomorrow as in the car you have always different feelings and different sensations, so I am looking forward. It will be an interesting weekend especially with the late start for the race, with the lights, so it can be quite a good show for television.

Q. Adrian, you have tried it on the simulator, haven’t you?

AS: Yes, I tried it on the simulator. It is quite good to drive but let’s say, not overwhelming, but let’s see how it is in the real. It is always a different thing.

Q. Do you think you can continue the form you have shown in the last few races here?

AS: Well, hopefully yes. There are long straights on this circuit, so hopefully it will suit our car but it is hard to say where we are. It went really well in the last races, especially in qualifying where our pace was great. But it is a new circuit and we have no set-up here. For everybody it is a big challenge, so let’s see how we go but we try to do the best out of the car and hope for a really good race.

Q. There are a lot of right angle turns here. Do you think they will hurt the car?

AS: Yeah, a long straight and then hairpins. Some second gear corners, some first gear corners, so actually really slow corners everywhere. I am not sure if it suits us but we will have to try and make the best out of it. But when I walked the circuit today I had quite a good feeling, so hopefully it is the truth.

Q. What about your future? What are the chances of staying on at Force India?

AS: Well, at the moment I am still not confirmed but we are talking with Force India for sure and it would be a good thing to do another season there. Both sides are interested and I feel really well with my team at the moment.

Q. Jarno, a similar questions to you really, concerning your form over the last few races and your future.

JT: I think it was really good by the team to show the performance in the last few races after a poor middle of the season. It was nice to be back fighting for the front. I think we missed a little bit of luck but all in all it was nice to prove that Toyota was bouncing back after a fantastic start to the season. But to be honest we have gone through such an up and down season that it is difficult to predict what is going to happen for this race. These hot conditions should suit our car but it is only a hope and we will only find out during the weekend. Regarding the future, I have nothing to say or add at the moment.

Q. Are you talking to other teams as well at the moment?

JT: I prefer not to make any speculation. Obviously I have got some options.

Q. What are your thoughts on possibly leaving Toyota?

JT: Obviously there is a high chance to be leaving Toyota but it difficult to say and talk about. A lot is up in the air.

Q. Kimi, what are your thoughts on leaving Ferrari?

KR: Well, it is not any different than a few races ago. I don’t have a contract anymore with them. It is the last race and we try to make a good result and we will see what happens in the future.

Q. Is your focus totally on Formula One or would you like to pursue your rallying career?

KR: Basically I have a few different options and we will see what is the best one overall and then make my decision.

Q. Would rallying be a consideration?

KR: It is definitely one of them, but I mean it is not just Formula One and rallying. There are other things I could do and we will see what happens.

Q. Just looking back at the second part of the season. You have only scored two points less than the person who has scored the most points. Considering that development has stopped on the car it is a pretty remarkable record, isn’t it?

KR: Yeah, I think we had a good second half. The car is definitely not the fastest but we found a pretty good way of working with the car and getting the best out of. It has been more normal to drive than for a long time before. Once you get something that you have a good feeling with, then usually you get good results. The bigger teams or the better teams who have been faster this year should have done better; better cars, better results and better points overall in the last part but they haven’t and I think we did pretty well.

Q. It seems almost unfair that the focus has been on your team-mates and how fast they have been going whereas you have been racking up points all the time.

KR: It makes no difference for me really. I don’t think they have been going very fast and they can talk to them as much as they want. We just try to score points and get good results. That has been our aim and is still our aim in the last race and hopefully we can get a bit more than McLaren.

Q. Fernando, looking at your future and leaving Renault. What are your thoughts on those?

FA: Well, obviously it is finishing one of the steps that you do in your career and now it is time to move forward and change team. It will be quite an emotional race as it has been many years with Renault now, seven years with them, and I know everybody in the team. Some of them after so many years are good friends to me, so for sure I will miss them in the future but a new challenge is ahead of me now and I am looking forward to next year as well.

Q. When do you go to Ferrari for the first time? Is there a date?

FA: No, there is not a date.

Q. No ideas?

FA: No, soon.

Q. Pretty soon?

FA: Hopefully, yes.

Q. I know for a long time you had somewhere to live in Oxford. Are you going to have somewhere in Maranello?

FA: No, I will be in Switzerland, where I am now, but it is not too far from Maranello. It is only three hours driving or whatever, or two, so it won’t be too difficult to go there.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q. (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) If I can ask all of you. Jean Todt is the new President of the FIA. What would you like to see him achieve and accomplish for Formula One? Q. Jarno, would you like to start?

JT: I mean he knows better than me what Formula One needs at the moment. Probably stability and consistency in terms of rules as this will help the cost cutting. There are plenty of things that will be discussed with the team principals. They really have to work together in order to get Formula One back to where it was last year. This year has been pretty difficult in general. On our side, the drivers’ side, I think we have always had a good relationship with the FIA people. We look after safety and it will be important to talk to each other.

KR: I think he is going to do good work. I think he is a good guy for this work and he is very straightforward and not too much politics. But I know from working with him that he is going to be the right guy.

FA: The same. I think his experience in Formula One will be a huge help to improve things and he will have a better idea of what Formula One needs. He is quite a clever guy, so I am sure we are in good hands now.

AS: Yeah, I think a good President. He has a lot of experience in Formula One and he knows what’s important. I think the biggest point is maybe the drivers can also argue a little bit than just being asked about situations and stuff like that as it did not really happen, I think I had a feeling, in the last years. That will be the most important thing for myself that we are in there for discussions as well sometimes.

Q. (Chris Lines – Associated Press) Question for you all about the late start: starting in the afternoon, going into the evening. We had a situation in Australia, first race of the year, with a similar kind of timing. Towards the end of the race there were complaints from the drivers about the sun getting in their eyes, complaints about the track cooling down, so the grip wasn’t as good. Do you have concerns here for the same reasons?

KR: I don’t think there will be any problems. Of course, it might look a little bit different at some point when the sun disappears but the lights, at least in Singapore, were so good that you hardly see the difference between day and night. Here, it will be quite hot anyhow, so it should be OK.

Q. Would ten degrees make a lot of difference to the track temperature?

FA: I don’t think so. I think in Australia the temperatures were different. Here, the track temperature at the start of the race will maybe be 50 degrees, so it will never be cool enough to give you problems warming up the tyres. AD: Very similar. I think it won’t be a real problem. The only place where we were quite late this year with the sunset was in Australia. It was a little bit difficult, for sure, in some corners but not a problem for me, and temperature-wise, well, it’s so hot here anyway, so we shouldn’t have a problem. For sure you have to readjust the temperatures but it’s about communicating with the engineers and just doing the right thing at the right time.

JT: I agree. In general temperatures shouldn’t be a problem. The only question mark which we will eventually find out about tomorrow will be the shadows because of the sunset in this twilight race. We’ve got the experience of Australia and all the time schedule has been moved, so already tomorrow we will find out, so we will get an idea.

Q. (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Question to Jarno and Adrian: I’m just wondering if you two guys have settled your differences after your exchange of words following your first lap accident in Brazil?

JT: I think we’re going to discuss it probably tomorrow in the drivers’ briefing and in the GPDA briefing. Obviously it was very disappointing to end the race like that, especially on the first lap. Obviously I think I had every reason to be extremely furious. I’ve got all the evidence to show that I was there, I was next to him, so I think tomorrow we are going to discuss it.

AS: I think there’s nothing to discuss. It was a quite obvious incident. In the end it was very disappointing for myself, even more, I think, because I was the one who was just driving and he lost control of his car and crashed in my back, so it was not my problem, it was his problem. I don’t know why he’s freaking out like that, to be honest.

JT: (Laughing) If you want, I can show you some pictures. I don’t know if you’re blind but they clearly show you that my front wing is next to your front wing, so…

AS: Yeah, but you’re trying to overtake me on the outside on the kerbing. There was not a problem…

JT: So you mean… you didn’t move there…

AS: No, you were just not going off the power. The same happened in Barcelona where you lost control again and crashed again into a Force India car. You just have to sometimes also…

JT: I just lost…

AS: …expect the limits of the car. If there’s no way to go, you have to back off, that’s how racing is, and I don’t know how long you want to learn it.

JT: In Barcelona I spun and he hit me because he tapped the kerb, he completely cut the circuit and he didn’t slow down, so basically… Anyway, I think it’s better…

FA: (to KR) Shall we go?

AS: No, no. Watch the race in Barcelona. I didn’t hit you, you hit me. I don’t know what’s the problem, but maybe your eyes are a problem.

JT: I don’t have any feeling about him.

AS: I don’t understand, really, sorry.

Q. (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) I was actually going to ask a similar question, but maybe the two of you can agree on what you said after the incident in Brazil, because obviously Jarno was seen to be gesticulating and saying quite a few things. Could you just tell us what was said at the time?

JT: I was furious because I said ‘didn’t you see me?’ I mean, I was next to him and he kept pushing me going outside until I was obviously on the kerbs. I couldn’t believe…

AS: …the kerbs, not a problem to be on the kerb, I think. Where’s the problem?

JT: Ok, no problem, it’s OK. As long as we know the rules.

AS: I know the rules.

JT: Fantastic.

Q. (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, you were behind these two guys. Could you give us your point of view and Kimi, we heard something about you taking a sabbatical next year in 2010. Is that true, it’s an option or not?

KR: I can if I want. I can do whatever I want, but like I said before, I haven’t made my decision what I want to do yet.

FA: Yes, I saw everything, more or less. Second or third row, because I had two cars in front of me but as Jarno said, I think tomorrow in the drivers’ briefing we will discuss… deep.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – AFP) Do you think, the four of you, that Jenson Button is a good champion for the sport, or just that he had the best car this year?

FA: I think he’s a good champion for Formula One and he deserved it. He did a very good job this season. It’s true that in the second half he maybe didn’t score the points that people expected but it was very difficult to keep the same average points as in the first half, when he won all the races. For that reason, you have the feeling that he stepped back a little bit but I think he did a very good job. If you look at the overall view of the championship from race one to the final race, he was the best of us, so he deserved it. It’s good for him, good for Brawn and good for the sport, I think.

AS: Yes, I think he deserved it, definitely. I think it was quite hard in the last races because he was maybe struggling a little bit with the car and the car just wasn’t the fastest anymore, so they were harder races for him, but I think he always made the best of his possibilities and scored points, a few points, sometimes more points but it was definitely enough for the championship, so my congratulations to him. He did a good job this year, yeah.

JT: I think he’s a very well deserved champion because it’s turned out a good season. Obviously he’s had some ups and downs but he managed to handle the situation; when he had the best car he proved he was a race winner and when he had to defend he just drove well, always keeping his head cool. I think in the end, he deserved it.

KR: Yeah, he had the most points, also at the end of the season but whoever gets the most points deserves it, so he’s definitely the right man for that.

Q. (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere dello Sport) Kimi, what would like to tell Fernando as he’s joining Ferrari to replace you?

KR: I don’t think I need to tell him anything; for sure he will find out. He’s been in Formula One a long time and he’s not going to have any issues there. I think he’s probably been there before and met the people already, so there’s not much to say.

Q. (Gautam Sharma – F1 Racing, Middle East) Question for Fernando: do you know anything about the car you will be driving next year and do you have any expectations for the season or are you just taking it as it comes?

FA: I don’t know anything so far, about the 2010 car but hopefully it’s quick enough to fight for the title which is the main goal not only for myself but for the team as well. After one season that was not good for me and maybe not good enough for Ferrari either, I think next year hopefully we have the possibility to fight and then you can win, you lose, it depends on many details but at least there is the possibility to be winning some races and afterwards you will see race by race. You never have any specific programme before the championship. You take it as it comes, later.

Q. (Jonathan Legard – BBC Sport) Question for Kimi: you talk about your options. I just wondered how important it would be if you decided to stay in Formula One, if you found another team, that you could do some rallying as well, like you did with Ferrari or whether that’s something of a stumbling block, wanting to do another form of motor sport as well as doing Formula One?

KR: It’s definitely going to be Formula One, it’s going to be in the contract that I’m allowed to do it (rallying). It’s not going to hurt you. Any kind of driving is always going to give you some experience, so I don’t see what’s the issue. It’s been working well this year, so as long as it doesn’t disturb what you’re doing in Formula One or whatever you do, I don’t see that there’s any problem.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – AFP) Both championships have been settled. Will this race be the last opportunity to show yourselves, the ones that don’t have a team for next year?

JT: I think we race for the team as well. We don’t only race for us. We always want to do our best and obviously this is the last race and we want to finish on a high, not just for us or the team. Basically we’re in the same boat.

KR: You always try to do your best – at least, I try and it’s the same story in the last race: we try to get back third place in the championship for the team. I think it’s a bit late if you only try to do your best in the last race to try to prove yourself to some other team, then you shouldn’t be there. It’s the same story as any race this year: we try to do the maximum.

AS: For me it makes no difference. I’m always trying to get the best out of the car and do my best. It’s the last race but there’s no difference for me.

Q. (Jonathan Legard – BBC Sport) Fernando, after you won the title in 2005, there were still two races to go. How did you approach those? Just thinking of Jenson Button’s approach; he’s done it now, is there a sense of release, any different approach to the race?

FA: I think he will be more relaxed because you did the job already, and they also won the Constructors’ Championship, so there is nothing really to fight for, so you approach the race relaxed and you enjoy the weekend, while in the last two or three races you maybe had some stress when you arrived at a race. For me, 2005 was different because we were fighting for the Constructors’ Championship until the last race, so there was still a little bit of stress in the weekend, but for him it will be quite a fun weekend.

Reference: Autosport and FIA.com

Although this blog has become mostly about Formula One, that wasn’t what I set out to do with it. Well, now, after many posts about F1, I have a new topic (although it also involves F1). A few months ago, I was in a little principality you may have heard of called Monaco. This is a place of glitz and glamour and the cars and the city did not disappoint. I arrived there on a day that started out raining extremely hard, but as we pulled into the principality, the skies began to clear and the sun briefly shone through. The main reason that I wanted to go to Monaco was to walk the Formula One track that has become so famous. You may have watched it on TV, seen it in a movie or even played it in a video game, but unless you go there, you cannot believe how close to the buildings these guys get to drive. The second reason I wanted to go to Monaco was to see all the great cars these super wealthy people drive. As the day started with that aforementioned rain, I was not expecting too much, but I was surprised at what I did see.

We parked waaaaay up at the top of some hill that I probably couldn’t even find again. Luckily, we had a GPS system with us and it really came in handy. As I said, we parked way up the hill, as Monaco is sort of built into the side of a mountain (or at least some very tall hills). This leads to the city being a bevy of apartments, all built right on top of one another. Another thing this leads to is lots of stairs; thousands of them, in fact. However, we had another stroke of luck in that we parked near an elevator. Because the town is built so vertically, they have elevators that you can use to go up and down throughout the city to get to your destination. This not only saves time, it keeps you from killing yourself trying to climb up all those stairs. As it happened, we came down an escalator that opened up onto a street with a view directly toward the harbor. And again, as luck would have it, this street also contained the Formula One store and the Ferrari dealership. How fortuitous is that?

Obviously, I had to check both of them out. First, we took a trip inside the store. This place has everything…almost. Other than an actual car being inside the store, they had helmets, suits, an engine, exhausts, wheels and models galore! The walls were lined with models and hats and actual racing suits. I have been in other Formula One stores before, and though the one in Toronto comes close, this one is right in the heart of the action and is the place to go if you want some great merchandise. I will say that the one in Toronto has a very awesome Ayrton Senna helmet, but this one in Monaco is actually in Monaco! You can’t go wrong with that. I wish I had taken pictures of the inside, but I never thought to do so. I have this one of the outside, and the address is 15, Rue Grimaldi, should you ever be in the neighborhood. Originally, I wanted to get a car model or something that would be very Monaco-ish from the store (like a Michael Schumacher Ferrari F1 car), but all of the stuff they had – surprise, surprise – was really expensive. I ended up looking around the store and just taking it all in and then leaving to go explore the town with my dad.

The next stop was the Ferrari dealership just down the street, toward the harbor. This store had pretty much everything, bar an Enzo. Outside, in the rain, was a new California, a 599 GTB, a couple of 360s  and even a rare (in that it didn’t sell very well) 456. Inside the showroom was a 430 spider as well as an F430 Scuderia. This car is unbelievable to look at and the interior is pure racing car. Welds out in the open, no carpets, upgraded seats, Alcantara all over the place; a true beast of a car. I snooped around here for a bit and then we moved on down toward Port Hercule.

Port Hercule is the port that is so famous because of all of the gigantic yachts in the harbor during the grand prix. These yachts in these photos are just little things compared with what shows up on that weekend. It really is amazing that there are so many wealthy people out there who can not only live in Monaco, but be able to still afford to eat, let alone own a boat that is larger than my entire house!

Of course, right next to the port is the front straight of the actual track. Right on the street that all the cars drive on you can see the grid positions where they line up every year. It’s an amazing thing that an entire city/country can be shut down just for a bunch of cars to drive at ludiculous speeds through the town. At the corner of the first turn, called St. Devote, there is a large statue of a car drifting through that turn. Then it is up the hill toward the casino and the square. This hill is so much steeper than it appears on the television, it’s hard to get across in pictures, but it is like walking up stairs without the benefit of steps. And when you get to the top of the hill, it is a completely blind left turn that seems to go on forever, until you get into Casino Square.

And what a square! If you love to watch cars, this is one of the very best places in the world to see supercars up close and personal. There are two good reasons for this. The first is that the casino attracts many high rollers of course, but the other reason is that the Hotel de Paris is right next door. This is where high rollers stay, racing drivers sleep and celebrities frequent. Outside of the hotel, there were approximately 8 Bentleys waiting to take people wherever they wanted to go. And pulled up in front of the casino were multiple Porsches, Ferraris, an Aston Martin and an Audi R8. In fact, as I walked up to the Casino for the first time, I saw a convertible SLR McLaren leaving the scene. It is one of the many cars in the world that I wish I could have gotten a picture of, but, alas, I was not fast enough.

Going on from here, you take a right turn around the mirror in the middle of the square and head down the hill to Mirabeau. This is the corner where Lewis Hamilton crashed in qualifying for the 2009 GP. I took these pictures of the hairpin from his crash spot. Here you can see just how much of a drop in road height there is from the top of this spot to the bottom.

Once you get down there, you take a succession of quick right hand turns and enter the spectacular tunnel. I walked the entire track, and at the end of the tunnel, there was construction, but that didn’t stop me from walking out near the traffic and continuing on. Another car that I missed taking a picture of, mostly because I didn’t want to be hit by it, was the new Lotus Evora. Once you are down here, you are literally right next to the port again. While there are barriers blocking the cars from splashing into the ocean, or crashing into multi-gazillion dollar yachts, it is still only about five or 10 feet from the actual marina. Then it is a left around Tabac and then the quick piff-paff of the swimming pool. Once you are past the pool, you can see right down to the Rascasse restaurant and corner. This corner is famous for a couple of reasons. First, it is a famous restaurant, but also, it is where Michael Schumacher “lost control” of his Ferrari in trying to lock out pole for the 2006 race. Just about where this white van is sitting is where Schumi parked his car. SUCH HISTORY!

From here, the cars blast through Antony Noghes and back onto the start-finish straight. The lap is one of the coolest things you can do in Monaco, because it only takes a couple of minutes (barring any unforeseen stopping to ogle cars) and is a great way to get a sense of the history of the track and to feel just how close they actually come to buildings and spectators. We then took a look at the Automobile Club of Monaco. Since we were not members, we only went into the doorway to see the trophies and the names on the plaques, but behind one of the windows are three formula one engines for all to see.

Unfortunately, we did not spend the night in the city (expensive much?) and moved on. But before we did, I figured that since I would probably never be back to the city, I we should stop back at the Formula One store that we went in earlier. I already had something in mind that I wanted, and luckily, I got there just before they were about to close. In fact, about five minutes before they were about to close! I ran in the back and grabbed a hat. In all the years I have been watching Formula One I have never owned a Michael Schumacher hat, so I grabbed the final edition of his world title winning hats and took it up front. The woman that worked there was kind enough to answer my questions as well. The main one being, “Who is that in the picture?” She then rattled off names like Jarno Trulli, Sylvester Stallone, Sebastian Loeb and more that had all been pictured inside of the store. There were pictures of many people up there, all of them very famous racing drivers or celebrities. This store has a lot of history in it and should be on your list if you are a fan of motorsports and are in Monaco. With this track now crossed off my list, I have been to seven Formula One circuits around the world. Monaco is a beautiful place to visit, and should certainly be on your list of places to visit if you love F1.

This post is a place where we can put all our favourite moments of the 2009 season. I have set the ball rolling with a few of my faves below. Leave a comment on the bottom of this page to give your suggestions and they will be added to this post.

My favourite moments

Jenson Button wins in Melbourne

This has to be one of the most memorable moments of the season. We all had no idea what was coming. Button had gone from a backmarker in previous years (which is where we expected him to be in 2009) to race winner at the first race of the season. It was a simply incredible moment.

Jenson Button: “We are the champions!”

This moment encapsulated all of the excitement of everyone in Britain, we had another World Champion, and he was as excited as every single one of us.

Post race scenes after Jenson Button wins the World Championship in Brazil

Not only had he drove a fantastic race finishing 5th after lining up 14th on the grid but he also had a World Championship waiting for him at the end of the race. He really did not know what to do with himself and ended up kissing the BBC’s presenter Jake Humphrey during the interview in amongst the drunk Brawn GP team in the garage amongst hundreds of lenses.

Jenson Button vs Mark Webber in Abu Dhabi

It may have not been the most exhilarating race ever in Abu Dhabi in the final Grand Prix of the weekend but the battle between Jenson Button and Mark Webber in the closing laps under the lights in the simply stunning Yas Marina circuit certainly spiced things up.

Fernando Alonso vs Jarno Trulli in Bahrain

Not all of my favourite moments involve the World Champion you know! This moment was in Bahrain early on in the season where Fernando Alonso executed a brilliant bit of nerves and overtaking nouse as he passed Jarno Trulli.

Lewis Hamilton wins in Hungary

After all of the excitement of Jenson Button’s success, we all forgot about our reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton who was driving an appalling car, and was finishing in very low positions until Hungary that is where he popped out of nowhere in Hungary and took a superb race win, reminding us all he was more than just there to make up the numbers.

Jenson Button vs Kamui Kobayashi in Abu Dhabi

Good god Kamui Kobayashi has nerves of steel! In his first ever F1 race his fighting spirit showed through with this aggressive fight with Jenson Button who later branded him crazy.

Kobayashi’s fighting spirit captured the imaginations of a lot of F1 fans including myself and we all thought he had cemented a drive with Toyota next season until they pulled out. I then started a petition just to see how many people agreed with me and it was certainly more than I was expecting – on the Save Kamui Kobayashi petition we had over 350 signatures!

Your suggestions?

Leave a comment on the bottom of this page to give your suggestions and they will be added to this post.

From Lynda Kelly via Twitter (@LyndaKelly)

Jenson Button parks in the wrong spot after winning in Monaco

Mark Webber takes his maiden F1 victory

Kamui Kobayashi has stated he is now targetting getting a contract with one of the four new F1 teams, preferably with the Lotus Grand Prix team.

Kobayashi was a Toyota test driver, who completed the last 2 races for the Japanese outfit who pulled out of F1 earlier this week.  Kobayashi, who admits he has no budget for next season and is concerned about going back to work in his father’s Sushi restaurant, has been seen as a potential new world champion after valiant performances.

“Obviously, my place at Toyota is lost,” the 23-year-old is quoted as saying.

“I was close to signing a contract for 2010, but there are four new teams and still options,” Kobayashi added. “If I could choose a team I would choose Lotus.”

However, Mike Gascoyne who is the new head of technical design at Lotus, and who has already landed himself in hot water and an argument with Force India about whether he has put their 2009 wing on the new 2010 Lotus, reckons he wants some experienced drivers.

“We are looking for two drivers with experience,” he told Autosport.com

“We are not looking for pay drivers or new drivers. We think that is very important for the team.”

Gascoyne also confirmed the rumours that Jarno Trulli is at the top of the wanted list for the team. “He [Trulli] is one of the guys we would like to have. Jarno has, over one lap, always been sensational. That is even more important in a new team because you need to know where you are on a Saturday. Jarno can always give you that.”

Jacques Villeneuve and Christian Klien have also held talks with Lotus over a potential future drive.

On the day Toyota bowed out of Formula One, we take a look back at some of their high and low points in photos to remember the great Japanese manufacturers time at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Toyota spent 2001 testing around the world

Then the real launch came in 2002, with much promise and funding

Things looked good too, as Mika Salo scored the team's first point in their maiden GP

But things went downhill from there, and 2002 was summed up by Allan McNish's 200mph horror crash at Suzuka

Things looked up for 2003 with Olivier Panis getting 4th place in Qualifying early in the season

Cristiano da Matta went on better and led for a part of the 2003 British Grand Prix

However their luck slumped again in 2004, with both drivers being disqualified at the Canadian Grand Prix

Before Da Matta left and was replaced by Ricardo Zonta

2005 saw Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli put the team to their best ever finish

Trulli got their first podium, a 2nd place at the 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix

However 2006/7 were poor seasons, leading to expensive Ralf Schumacher being dropped at the end of the season

For 2008 promising star Timo Glock was brought in, and is the team's most successful driver by points with an average of just under 2 per race

For 2009 the car was quick, but they were embroiled in the "illegal" diffuser row

Good results were few and far between, and Glock's season ended with a massive shunt in Japan

Before Kamui Kobayashi, the promising youngster, delivered Toyota's final points in their final race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

If Kamui Kobayashi’s performance in Brazil during his debut for Toyota had been bold, then his second-ever Formula One race in Abu Dhabi on Sunday was nothing short of brilliant. From 12th on the grid, Kobayashi made the most of his one-stop strategy to finish in sixth, ahead of veteran team mate Jarno Trulli. Here the 23 year-old Japanese driver reflects on his Yas Marina race…

Q: What did you think about the new Yas Marina Circuit?
Kamui Kobayashi: The new facility is just amazing and I’ve never seen a racing track like that. The organisers did a great job with the facilities, which were perfect for everyone. The track itself was interesting and fun to drive; also you could overtake there which makes it even better.

Q: How would you sum up your second Grand Prix weekend?
KK: It was a great weekend for me and I have to thank the team for this opportunity. Sixth place was a fantastic result and better than I imagined at the start of the weekend, so I am very pleased with how things worked out. Still, there is room for improvement and I have several areas to improve, such as qualifying pace. My target was to qualify in the top 10 but I just missed out, so there is a bit of work to do there.

Q: How did you feel when you crossed the line to score your first Formula One points?
KK: I was just really, really happy because my goal since I was a little kid was to be a Formula One driver and to score points in only my second Grand Prix felt great. Actually, I had the potential to finish even higher but I lost a little time in traffic; otherwise I could have been fighting for fourth because I was getting close at the end of the race. It was a great moment to come back to the team after parc ferme and see how happy everyone was.

Q: You had another exciting race, tell us about it…
KK: At the start I got a good getaway and managed to pass Kimi (Raikkonen) which was very important for our one-stop strategy. If I had been behind him during my first stint it would have been much tougher to score points but when I was past I concentrated on setting consistently fast lap times, even though I had a heavy fuel load. Towards the end of my first stint Jenson (Button) came out of the pits just in front of me. He was heavier than me and on cold tyres so I was able to pass him. Again that was important because I needed some fast laps at that time to make my strategy work. On the option tyres I struggled a bit to start with but then I found a rhythm and just kept going faster and faster, so at the end I was getting close to the battle for fourth.

Q: How did it feel to overtake two world champions?
KK: I don’t think about them as world champions; they are just my rivals on the track like everyone else and my job is to get past them if I can. It’s fun to battle on track, particularly when you can overtake, but I’m only thinking about my race position, not about what another driver has won or whatever.

Q: How did you prepare for this race? Did you concentrate on anything specific after Brazil?
KK: Well, I didn’t know for sure I would be driving until the week of the race but obviously there was a chance because of Timo’s (Glock) injury. So I spent as much time as I could in Cologne at the factory; I was only at home in Paris for one day after Brazil. We looked at all the information from Brazil and identified areas to improve – things like car set-up, tyre management, communication with engineers. We studied everything and thought about improvements, which really paid off. One area I particularly worked hard on was race pace because that wasn’t perfect in Brazil, so when I started the race I was confident I had the potential to get into the points.

Q: Were you happy with your qualifying performance?
KK: It was not bad but I was aiming for the top 10 and I definitely think I had the potential to do that. In the end I was just a tenth of a second away which was a bit disappointing. But as we proved on race day, I was close enough to finish in the top six so everything worked out well.

Q: What will you do now?
KK: My first priority is to take a holiday! For the past two years I have hardly had a day off with GP2, GP2 Asia and Formula One testing so I am really looking forward to a bit of a break to relax and recharge my batteries. After that, we’ll see what happens.

Reference: f1.com

The news I broke yesterday on the blog has turned out to be true, the Toyota F1 Team are pulling out of the sport and will not be present on the grid at the first race of the season in 2010.

There had been rumours of a move out of F1, when the company saw its first ever loss in profits.  Also signs when Fuji Speedway, their circuit, was dropped from the calendar.  Although signing up to the concorde agreement stating they would be present until 2012, no-one really thought it would be true, and the team would be pulling out at the end of 2010 after operating the season with a reduced budget.

Where the team goes from here is unknown, it could turn into a satellite operation, an independent team via management buy out, or even possibly become the new Sauber team.

The long official statement from Toyota’s Chief Executive’s read:

“Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces it plans to withdraw from the FIA Formula 1 world championship at the end of the 2009 season,”

“TMC, which had viewed its participation in F1 as contributing to the prosperity of automotive culture, remained dedicated to competing at the pinnacle of motor sports even in the face of the abrupt economic changes that started last year.

“However, when considering TMC’s motorsports actitives next year and beyond from a comprehensive mid-term viewpoint reflecting the current severe economic realities, TMC decided to withdraw from F1″

“TMC also wants to express its heartfelt gratitude to all Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers to date and to all Toyota Motorsport GmbH employees who have helped make the team’s achievements possible,” said the statement.

“TMC intends to do its best to find a solution for those parties who will be affected by any inconvenience this decision may cause.”

“In motorsports, [Toyota] will not only race in various categories, but will also actively contribute to further development of motorsports by supporting grassroots races and planning events in which it is easy for people to participate.”

Toyota Team Profile