Narain Karthikeyan Suffered A Fuel Pick Up Issue During Qualifying

Narain Karthikeyan was struck with a fuel pick up issue during the closing stages of Q1, which prevented the Indian driver from improving upon his time. The HRT duo have endured a disastrous weekend at Austin, and have qualified in 23rd and 24th position for tomorrow’s United States Grand Prix.

At the beginning of the weekend, rumors began circulating the paddock that HRT were running low on spare parts, after the team were put on sale by their current owners Thesan Capital. Throughout the weekend, it has been touch and go as to whether the Spanish outfit would qualify for the race, with both Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan only just managing to qualify 105.647 and 106.402 percent within the 107 percent rule.

As the opening segment of qualifying came to a conclusion, Narain Karthikeyan was seen coasting to a halt at Turn 2. It was later confirmed that the Indian driver was struck with a fuel issue on his F112, which prevented Karthikeyan from completing another lap. The 35-year-old is adamant that he could’ve improved upon his time had he been able to complete another lap.

“Driving was quite challenging in the morning because it was difficult to bring the tyres up to temperature.” Explained Narain Karthikeyan, “But things improved a lot in the afternoon with a much warmer track. The tyres and the car performed much better and we managed to put in a few good laps. I think we could still have improved on the last laps but the car suddenly stopped. We had a problem with the fuel pick up that we are now looking into it but we don’t expect it to be a problem for tomorrow’s race.”

HRT are hoping for a much more successful race tomorrow, despite starting from the back row of the grid. The Spanish outfit will simply be hoping to see both cars finish the race, as they aim to end the season on a positive note as negotiations rumble on with regards to a new potential buyer for the team.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Dani Clos To Return Behind The Wheel At Korea During Practice

HRT’s reserve driver, Dani Clos, will once again return behind the wheel of the F112 this weekend during the opening practice session for the Korean Grand Prix. This will be the Spaniard’s sixth outing for the team this season, and his first since the Belgian Grand Prix prior to Ma Qing Hua’s introduction to race weekends at Italy and Singapore.

Dani Clos made his first official appearance for the Spanish outfit back in May during opening practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, creating F1 history by becoming the first all-Spanish line-up alongside Pedro de la Rosa in a Spanish team. Since then, Clos has partaken in practice at the British, German, Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix, stepping aside from his role to allow the team’s development driver, Ma Qing Hua, two race weekends within the team.

“Driving the F112 is always a great satisfaction and I feel very lucky and thankful to the team for this new opportunity they have given to me to drive in the first free practice session in Korea.” Explained Dani Clos, “Like always, I’m going to give my 100% and my main objective is to work for the team to complete the established programme in the best way possible. To be able to contribute, even in a modest way, makes me very proud and, personally, it’s an experience that is helping me to grow as a driver. And even more so having someone like Pedro next to me.”

Once again Dani Clos will be replacing Narain Karthikeyan during the opening practice session this weekend, and will join fellow countryman Pedro de la Rosa. Both drivers will get their first taste of the Korea International Circuit this weekend, before Narain Karthikeyan returns behind the wheel of the F112 later Friday afternoon for the second practice session and the remainder of the weekend.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

2012 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix Preview

Only several days after Sebastian Vettel’s excellent display of dominance at the Japanese Grand Prix, Formula 1 has moved swiftly on to Yeongam for the third running of the Korean Grand Prix. First held in 2010 in utterly treacherous weather conditions, the Korean Grand Prix will once again be held around the Korea International Circuit.

With Fernando Alonso spinning out of the Japanese Grand Prix after only 371 meters, the Drivers’ Championship has once again been flown wide open with Sebastian Vettel taking a masterful race victory to reduce Alonso’s Championship advantage to only four points. Kimi Raikkonen remains 3rd in the Championship, but has yet to win a race this season and will be at a minor disadvantage for the next two events as the Finn will need to learn both the Korea International Circuit and the Buddh International Circuit in India.

After being officially confirmed back in 2006, Korea held their first Formula 1 race in 2010. The race was held at the brand new Korea International Circuit, which was subject to major speculation that it would not be ready in time for the date set for the inaugural event. Regardless of these allegations, the race organizers remained positive, stating that the track construction was well ahead of schedule. After race director, Charlie Whiting, visited the track only thirteen days before the race, it was declared that the Korea International Circuit was fit to host its first race.

The inaugural race was held in extremely inclement weather conditions, with the race being delayed for roughly forty minutes before the safety car initially led the opening 17 laps. Once the race turned green, carnage and mayhem ensued which resulted in both Red Bulls failing to finish and Fernando Alonso taking an important victory for Ferrari ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa.

Last year’s race was won by the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel, only a week after he clinched his second consecutive Drivers’ Championship at Japan. Lewis Hamilton secured pole for the race, breaking Red Bull’s sensational run of fifteen back-to-back pole positions which began at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Ex-Formula 1 driver Martin Donnelly will reprise his role as the driver representative steward at this weekend’s Korean Grand Prix, a role last held by the Ulsterman back in June for the Canadian Grand Prix. Donnelly incidentally carried out the same role during last season’s Korean Grand Prix, which was the first time he was chosen by the FIA for the role of driver representative.

The DRS zone for this weekend’s Korean Grand Prix has once again been situated along the tremendously long straight after turn 2, however the designated zone has been extended by 80 meters with a hope of increasing overtaking maneuvers into turn 3. The detection zone for DRS is situated 90m before turn 1, with the activation zone situated 320m after turn 2. This comes after the DRS zone for the Japanese Grand Prix was shortened, resulting in little overtaking maneuvers into turn 1.

The Korea International Circuit is by far one of the least exciting venues visited by the Formula 1 fraternity throughout the season, largely due to its design reminiscent of other tracks designed by Hermann Tilke. Either way, it will once again play host to a pivotal chapter in this unique Formula 1 season. Just like in 2010 during it’s inaugural year, the Korean Grand Prix has the ability to greatly alter the Championship standings ahead of the final races of the year.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

GP3 Confirms Nine Teams For 2013-15 Seasons

The nine teams for the next three GP3 seasons have today been confirmed by the GP3 Series organizers, which will see eight of the historical teams continue with Ocean Racing Technology the only team leaving the Series. The Portuguese-outfit will be replaced by reigning Formula Renault 2.0 Champions, Koiranen Motorsport.

The 2013 season will see the introduction of the new generation GP3/13 car, which will replace the GP3/10 car which was used the for the first three seasons of the Series. However, the GP3/10 car still has two final outings to attend, as the 2012 season is brought to a final conclusion with two winter tests at Jerez later this month and Estoril in November. After these final two track events, the GP3/10 chassis will become obsolete and will be officially replaced by the much-improved GP3/13.

“I am very pleased to reveal the names of the nine teams that have been given an entry for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons.” Explained GP3’s CEO, Bruno Michel. “We have received a lot of requests from some of the best motorsport teams which proves once again that GP3 generates a lot of interest. In only three years time, the Series has grown into one of the most important categories and its rescaling with a more powerful car has reinforced its position as a stepping stone to GP2.

“We have chosen to stay loyal to most of the existing GP3 teams but we thought it was also important to bring fresh blood into the mix which is why we’re happy to welcome Koiranen Motorsport who has been very successful in other categories. It will be very interesting to see how these nine teams will adapt to the new GP3/13 car.”

The nine teams chosen to compete in the next three year’s of GP3 will be permitted to run three cars each, thus providing the grid with maximum of 27 cars. The 2012 GP3 Series season once again offered us with a great insight to the up-and-coming stars of the future, and will continue to do so for many more years to come.

Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service

IndyCar’s 2013 Schedule Revealed

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule has finally been released, revealing what promises to be a thrilling 19 race season. Once again, the season will kick-off around the streets of St. Petersburg, before culminating with another 500-mile night race at the Auto Club Speedway at Fontana.

Fourteen of the fifteen venues which hosted races in 2012 will return next season, with the re-introduction of the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway and the race around the streets of Houston. With the loss of Edmonton on next year’s calendar, only two races will take place outside the United States, with the race around the streets of Sao Paulo in Brazil and Toronto in Canada. A new introduction for the 2013 season will be the full-distance doubleheaders which will take place on three street courses throughout the year, which will see races on both the Saturday and the Sunday of the relevant weekends. Rules regarding qualifying for these doubleheader weekends will be released at a later date.

The 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on May 26th, and is once again billed as the crown-jewel of the IZOD IndyCar Series calendar. Pole Day for this legendary race is scheduled for May 18th. Once the Indy 500 has been completed, the Series will move swiftly on to Detroit for the first of the three doubleheader weekends, before IndyCar visits four ovals in succession with races at the Texas Motor Speedway, The Milwaukee Mile, the Iowa Speedway and the Pocono Raceway.

Once again the Series will visit regular street and road course venues at Barber, Long Beach, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma and Baltimore, before the penultimate race weekend in early October at the Reliant Park in Houston, Texas. From there, the season will once again come to what will undoubtedly be an enthralling conclusion around the daunting 2-mile D-shaped oval at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

“We are proud of the on-track product we provided in 2012,” explained IndyCar’s CEO, Randy Bernard. “From the drivers to the new car, we demonstrated that the IZOD IndyCar Series is showcasing the best racing in the world. It is important to provide opportunities to generate additional exposure for our sport by expanding our racing schedule, and we feel that our 2013 schedule will certainly challenge the fastest, most versatile drivers in the world with a strong mix of ovals and road and street courses, cumulating in 19 races.”

With the Pocono Raceway joining the likes of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Auto Club Speedway for the 2013 season, IndyCar have announced they will institute a Triple Crown award for a driver lucky enough to win all three races around these fabulous venues. The winner will received a whopping $1 million, with a driver that wins two of the three races instead being awarded $250,000.

“Our new events provide the right mix of strategically-located markets and historic tradition to our schedule.” Continued Randy Bernard, “Houston gives us exposure in another top-10 U.S. market. Pocono is deep in open-wheel, oval racing tradition and has produced some of the most memorable races in IndyCar history. The addition of Pocono allows us to bring back a version of the Triple Crown, restoring a popular legacy of our sport to reward the Champion of our three longest races of the season.”

Another new factor for IndyCar in 2013 will be the introduction of standing starts at Detroit, Toronto and Houston, the three doubleheader weekends. This form of starting a race is widely used throughout the rest of the world, particularly in Europe and with the likes of Formula 1.

“We want to create more exposure and content for our sport, and we feel this strong and diverse schedule along with the addition of doubleheader races will provide an opportunity to further showcase the skills and personalities of the IZOD IndyCar Series next season,” said Randy Bernard. “We look forward to watching Ryan Hunter-Reay defend his title, the second year of engine manufacturer competition and the best-of-the-best tackle this challenging schedule in 2013.”

The 2012 season was one of the most exciting in recent years, with Ryan Hunter-Reay and Will Power fighting right to the end at the Auto Club Speedway. With such a mouthwatering schedule for 2013, it’s unquestionable that such excitement will return once the new season begins in March at St. Petersburg.

2013 IndyCar schedule:

24 March     St Petersburg (street)
7 April      Barber (road)
21 April     Long Beach (street)
5 May        Sao Paulo (street)
26 May       Indianapolis 500 (oval, triple crown)
1 June       Detroit (street)
2 June       Detroit (street)
8 June       Texas (oval, night)
15 June      Milwaukee (oval)
23 June      Iowa (oval)
7 July       Pocono (oval, triple crown)
13 July      Toronto (street)
14 July      Toronto (street)
4 August     Mid-Ohio (road)
25 August    Sonoma (road)
1 September  Baltimore (street)
5 October    Houston (street)
6 October    Houston (street)
19 October   Fontana (oval, night, triple crown)

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Jake Humphrey To Leave BBC After 2012 season

BBC F1 presenter Jake Humphrey has announced plans to leave the BBC for BT after the current Formula 1 season, in a move which will see the 33-year-old become the face of BT’s Premier League football coverage from the 2013/14 season onwards. Humphrey has presented F1 since its return to the BBC in 2009, alongside Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard.

Jake Humphrey was initially a children’s TV presenter for CBBC, however he soon began covering sport for the BBC, with his first role as a match reporter for BBC Radio 5 Live in 2005. Humphrey’s career quickly gathered momentum with BBC Sport, as he soon began presenting Football Focus and Super Bowl coverage. Once the BBC obtained the rights to broadcast Formula 1 from ITV ahead of the 2009 season, Jake Humphrey was confirmed as the presenter for the coverage alongside pundits Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard. The trio were an immediate success, and have continued to present the coverage since. However, Humphrey will bring an end to that successful combination when he pursues his career presenting football coverage for BT next season.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the team at BT, not just because I get to fulfill a lifelong dream of presenting the Barclays Premier League but because of the fresh perspective that BT will bring to both sport and broadcasting in this country,” explained Jake Humphrey after the announcement on Tuesday.

This season has seen the BBC share its broadcasting of Formula 1 with major sporting broadcaster Sky Sports, who have created a dedicated F1 channel and broadcast every session from every race weekend live. Due to a cut back on the BBC’s coverage of the sport, only half of the season is now shown live by the BBC.

It is yet unknown who Jake Humphrey’s replacement at the BBC will be, however rumors indicate that current BBC F1 reporter Lee McKenzie could get the nod. The 34-year-old Scot has presented F1 coverage previously, when Jake Humphrey covered the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and the Olympic Games in 2012.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Professor Sid Watkins Passes Away Aged 84

The man who unquestionably increased motorsport safety, Professor Sid Watkins, has passed away at the age of 84. A renowned neurosurgeon, Sid Watkins started working in Formula 1 in 1978 after being offered a job by Bernie Ecclestone. In his 26 years served as the FIA Medical Delegate for the Formula 1 World Championship, Watkins saved the lives of numerous F1 drivers.

Brought up in Liverpool, Professor Sid Watkins was officially appointed as the F1 Doctor back in 1978, after being offered the job by the then Chief Executive of the Formula One Constructors’ Association, Bernie Ecclestone. The first race he attended was the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp, a race eventually won by the Brabham of Niki Lauda. After the death of Ronnie Peterson at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix, Sid Watkins immediately made an impact on the safety of the sport by demanding that a medical car and a medical helicopter be introduced at the races, as well as requesting improved safety equipment.

In 1981, Sid Watkins was appointed the President of the Medical Commission, an organization set up by the sports governing body FISA. Sid Watkins was on the scene only moments after Gilles Villeneuve suffered his fatal incident during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. He was also first on the scene when Riccardo Paletti died at the start of the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, extinguishing the fire which engulfed the Italian’s car whilst his boots melted in the blaze.

By the mid-1980s, Sid Watkins was already becoming renowned for his superlative work towards the safety of the sport, and was presented with a silver trophy during the drivers’ briefing prior to the 1985 British Grand Prix. In 1992, Sid Watkins founded the Brain and Spine foundation and in 1994 he was appointed Chairman of the FIA Expert Advisory Safety Committee following the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and good friend Ayrton Senna during the tragic events of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

In 1995, Sid Watkins unquestionably saved the life of future double World Champion Mika Hakkinen, after the Finn crashed heavily during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix on the Adelaide Street Circuit. The McLaren driver was declared unconscious after the incident, and upon arriving at the scene Sid Watkins restarted Hakkinen’s heart twice before carrying out a tracheotomy to clear his air passage.

In 2002, Professor Sid Watkins was made a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and in 2005 he announced his official retirement from the world of motorsport. Watkins was succeeded by Gary Hartstein, who remains the FIA Medical Delegate for the Formula 1 World Championship to this day. Sid Watkins remained the President of the FIA Institute until December 8th, 2011, before he finally decided to retire for good.

Professor Sid Watkins oversaw the implementation of many safety procedures throughout his career, such as the medical car following the pack during the opening lap of the race to enable a quick response if a major incident occurred. Such procedures are now vital in the safety of the sport, and Sid Watkins will be forever remembered as the man who restructured safety in Formula 1.

Picture Copyright © LAT Photographic

Mika Salo Believes Closed Cockpits “Ridiculous” For F1

Former F1 driver Mika Salo believes the introduction of closed cockpits in Formula 1 to improve driver safety would be “ridiculous”, and would ultimately lead to the sport no longer being the top tier of open-wheel racing and would instead see the sport become a sportscar prototypes series.

After Romain Grosjean caused the huge opening lap incident during last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, in which Grosjean’s Lotus narrowly missed Alonso’s head, rumors up and down the paddock have been sparked at the possible introduction of closed cockpits by 2014. This theory has been greatly tested for many years, and would prevent incidences such as Felipe Massa and Henry Surtees in 2009, where both drivers were struck on the head by debris.

Mika Salo scored 33 points during his career in Formula 1.

However, former Arrows, Ferrari and Sauber driver Mika Salo has dismissed these theories as ridiculous. The Finn thinks that panicking after incidences such as was seen at Spa-Francorchamps is not a good idea, especially when no driver was seriously injured. Mika Salo contested 111 Grands Prix throughout his career, with a personal best finish of 2nd at the 1999 German Grand Prix when the Finn stood in for the injured Michael Schumacher at Ferrari.

“I think the idea of a closed cockpit is ridiculous for Formula One,” Explained Mika Salo, who competed in F1 between 1994 and 2002. “Actually, it would no longer be Formula One, it would be (sports car) prototypes. In my view it’s not a good idea to panic after an accident, especially when nothing happened [in terms of serious injuries].”

Since the end of Mika Salo’s F1 career, the Finn has raced in numerous other categories including ChampCar and Sportscars. He also became an FIA Drivers’ steward earlier in the year for the European Grand Prix at Valencia, and has since become a commentator for Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Closed Cockpits The Way Ahead In Formula 1 After Alonso Crash

Closed cockpits in Formula 1 are now almost a given in future seasons after Fernando Alonso’s lucky escape during the first corner incident at Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, in which the Championship leader was violently collected by the Lotus of Romain Grosjean and the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton.

With Technical Chiefs up and down paddock hinting at bringing forward plans to introduce closed cockpit designs, it is believed these introductions could occur as soon as 2014. With Grosjean’s car passing so closely to Alonso’s vulnerable head, a horrific outcome was only centimeters away as the Frenchman’s machine flew over the top of Alonso’s Ferrari.

A similar incident occurred in 2007, when David Coulthard tangled with Alexander Wurz at the season opening Australian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver was attempting to overtake Wurz in the Williams, however the Austrian driver failed to notice him and the two collided with Coulthard flying over the Williams in similar fashion to Grosjean on Sunday.

Felipe Massa being attended to after getting struck on the head by debris at Budapest in 2009.

Closed cockpits in Formula 1 has been on the cards for several years now, especially after Felipe Massa was struck on the head by debris from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP car at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. This incident severely injured Massa, and came only days after Henry Surtees was killed in a similar incident during a Formula 2 race at Brands Hatch. McLaren’s Paddy Lowe believes the introduction of closed cockpits is inevitable, after working on the project in recent years.

“I think 2014 is intended, as we started the project a year ago,” explained McLaren’s Technical Director, Paddy Lowe. “Personally I think something is inevitable because it is the one big [safety] exposure that we have got. You see it time and time again and think ‘that was lucky’. One day it won’t be lucky. At the same time it is an open cockpit formula so we have to protect that, but it should be technically possible one way or another.”

Romain Grosjean was subsequently issued a one race ban for causing the incident, which took out two Championship contenders and nearly injured a fellow competitor. The Frenchman has become renowned for his start-line antics, and hopefully this ban will change his mentality when he returns to racing at the Singapore Grand Prix later this month.

Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images

Alex Zanardi Preparing For London Paralympics

Former ChampCar and Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi is preparing to compete in the London Paralympics, which gets underway on the 29th August. The 45-year-old Italian will compete in the Paracycling event at Brands Hatch, a circuit renowned for its colorful history in motor sport.

Alex Zanardi’s motor sport career saw him become ChampCar Champion twice in 1997 and 1998, whilst racing for the hugely successful Target Chip Ganassi Racing team. Throughout his ChampCar career, the Italian driver took 15 career victories at iconic tracks such as Laguna Seca and Long Beach. Between racing in ChampCar, Zanardi also experimented in Formula 1 with Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams.

Alex Zanardi made 41 starts in F1, between 1991-94 & 1999.

Unlike ChampCar, Alex Zanardi was unable to enjoy huge successes in F1. The Italian could only score 1 point throughout his entire F1 career, with 6th at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix. Alex Zanardi’s last season in Formula 1 was 1999, when he teamed up with Ralf Schumacher at Williams. Whereas Schumacher scored 35 points throughout the season, Zanardi failed to score at all.

After a relatively uncompetitive season in Formula 1, Zanardi found himself back racing in ChampCar for the 2001 season. This time the Italian was racing for Mo Nunn Racing, a relatively new outfit in the ChampCar Series. This led to some uncompetitive results at the start of the season, but soon enough Zanardi began finishing in the points once again. However, disaster struck at the 2001 American Memorial race around the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany.

Upon exiting the pit lane on lap 142, Zanardi apparently accelerated too early, and subsequently spun through the grass which separated the pit-exit and the high-speed track. Patrick Carpentier narrowly missed the spinning Zanardi, however Alex Tagliani failed to do so and slammed into his car at an estimated 200mph. This split Zanardi’s car in two, and after extensive medical care at a local hospital had his legs amputated due to the severity of his injuries.

Several years after his accident, and Alex Zanardi made a return to motor racing, albeit in a heavily modified BMW 3 Series in the European Touring Car Championship at Monza. This Series then became a World Championship [WTCC], and saw Zanardi compete until 2009 taking 4 victories along the way.

Since then, however, Alex Zanardi has been heavily involved in marathons and time trials in the handbike class, and declared an ambition earlier in the year to compete in the London 2012 Paralympics. However, Zanardi has also stated that his Olympic career could well begin and end with his participation in the London games.

“I enjoy what I do and I am not in a hurry to complete this great adventure,” explained Zanardi in an interview with AutoSport back in March. “Actually, I believe that when the Games will be over, it will be a sad time for me because this chapter of my life will be over. I can carry on competing in the same sport, but I cannot imagine staying in shape for another four years to participate in the Brazilian edition of the Games. Never say never, but right now this is the glass of wine I am enjoying and I am taking every sip very, very slowly, not rushing to get to the bottom of the glass.”

The London 2012 Paralympics will officially get underway on the 29th August, and will end on the 9th September. Alex Zanardi has enjoyed a highly successful motor sport career, and an Olympic medal would be yet another memorable chapter in Zanardi’s inspiring career.

Picture(s) Copyright © LAT Photographic & Williams F1 Team