Alex Zanardi Aiming To Make Future Indy 500 Debut

Former ChampCar and Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi has expressed a desire to partake in the Indianapolis 500 in the future, a race which the Italian driver failed to start during his once dominant era in America. However, Zanardi is confident he could one day make an appearance in what is unarguably America’s biggest motor race.

Alex Zanardi’s motorsport career came to a premature end in 2001, when the Italian driver lost his legs in a horrific incident at the 2001 American Memorial ChampCar race at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz. Zanardi spun whilst rejoining the track after making a pitstop, and collided with Alex Tagliani who was traveling at full racing speeds. However, this tragedy failed to deter Zanardi from racing, and he made a superlative return to the sport in 2005 when he competed in the WTCC for BMW.

Although Alex Zanardi is now preparing to compete in the London 2012 Paralympic Games, he still remains open to a return to motorsport. Ultimately IndyCar racing in America is where Zanardi made his name, with two Drivers’ Championships in 1997 and 1998, however he has also hinted at a interest in racing in the DTM Series in Germany.

“To be honest at the moment I’m totally focused on the handbike,” explained Alex Zanardi in an interview with Italian magazine AutoSprint. “Obviously, should I be offered a drive, perhaps in DTM, that would be super cool. I’m not sure about Touring Cars: maybe I’d accept immediately, after all I had some great times in the WTCC, but now it would seem like a step backwards. Now, this is just a theory, but should someone like Morris Nunn call me, it would be easier for me to do the Indy 500, as there isn’t too much braking or tight curves.”

Morris “Mo” Nunn was the founding member of Mo Nunn Racing, a ChampCar and IndyCar team which was founded back in 2000. Alex Zanardi raced for this team in 2001, when he was involved in the horrific accident in Germany. Mo Nunn has since returned to his previous role as Technical Adviser to the hugely competitive Chip Ganassi Racing, a team which Alex Zanardi won his two ChampCar titles with in the late nineties. Whether or not Zanardi does make a return to motor racing, his career is unquestionably one of pure inspiration after overcoming many obstacles to continue doing what he loves most…racing.

Picture Copyright © LAT Photographic

2012 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix Preview

After several painstaking weeks of no Formula 1 action, fans across the globe can rejoice this weekend as Formula 1 returns at unarguably the most spectacular and demanding circuit on the calendar, with the Belgian Grand Prix at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Situated deep within the Ardennes Forest, near the towns of Spa, Malmedy and Stavelot, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit has produced some of the most exciting races of recent years and also plays host to some of the most iconic corners of the season. Although the track has undergone several redesigns since its inaugural year back in 1922, the track is still one of longest on the Formula 1 calendar, with the 7.004km lap taking just under two minutes to complete.

The weather at Spa-Francorchamps is almost as unique as the track itself, with inclement weather always a possibility throughout the Formula 1 weekend. With rain as heavy and persistent as was seen back in 1998, when only five cars finished the race on the lead lap, the teams and drivers are fully aware of the bite which the Spa-Francorchamps beast can unleash at any time.

This season sees the Formula 1 circus head to Spa-Francorchamps with a great deal of unpredictability still surrounding what has so far been a highly unique season, with seven different drivers already having won so far. With the excitement and unpredictability which can arise when Formula 1 visits Spa-Francorchamps, an eighth different winner is a strong possibility, with the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean and Michael Schumacher still without a victory in 2012.

Michael Schumacher returns to Spa this weekend to compete in his 300th Grand Prix, after making his debut at the same circuit back in 1991 for Jordan. The German legend has won the Belgian Grand Prix a record six times throughout his career (’92, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’01 and ’02). Unsurprisingly Ferrari hold the record for the most amount of races won by a Constructor, with a stunning 16 race victories at Belgian Grand Prix (’52, ’53, ’56, ’61, ’66, ’75, ’76, ’79, ’84, ’96, ’97, ’01, ’02, ’07, ’08 and ’09).

It has been confirmed that former F1 and IndyCar driver Eliseo Salazar will be the Drivers Steward at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, a role which has previously been held by fellow former drivers Nigel Mansell and Emanuele Pirro, amongst others. Eliseo Salazar’s Formula 1 career spanned three seasons, with a career best finish of 5th at the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix when he was racing for ATS. Salazar was a race winner in IndyCar, winning the season finale at Las Vegas in the 1996-97 season for Team Scandia.

The DRS zone for this weekend’s race remains relatively unchanged from last season, with the detection point located 235m before turn 2 and the activation point located 320m before turn 4. Although the device will be available to the drivers anywhere on the circuit throughout practice and qualifying, the FIA have enforced a ban on the device being activated throughout the notoriously difficult Eau Rouge corner. This is to prevent incidents similar to that seen in 1999, when Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta crashed heavily during qualifying.

Formula 1’s visit to Spa-Francorchamps is always a highlight of the season, with action and excitement usually in abundance throughout the weekend. With the possibility of rain looming over proceedings for the weekend, this year’s Belgian Grand Prix has all the ingredients to be yet another thrilling chapter of Spa-Francorchamps and Formula 1’s unique partnership.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Romain Grosjean Becomes 200th Different Driver On The Podium

Romain Grosjean made Formula 1 history in Bahrain, becoming the 200th different driver to step onto the podium since the sports inaugural season in 1950. With Grosjean joining his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel on the podium, it was all change once again on the top step of the F1 rostrum.

For Grosjean, it was his first step on an F1 podium in only his 11th start. The Frenchman began his career in 2009 with Renault, however he was replaced by Vitaly Petrov for the 2010 season. Grosjean then returned to the GP2 Series and in 2011 won both the GP2 and GP2 Asia Series’.

In 2012, Grosjean has returned to the top tier of motorsport along with his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, and the two have already shown high amounts of competitiveness in only the first four races of the season. Although Grosjean failed to complete more than seven laps in the first two races due to two DNF’s, he seems to have made up for his errors with two points finishes in China and Bahrain.

The last Frenchman to step onto the podium was 14 years ago, when Jean Alesi did so in unforgettable circumstances at the crazy 1998 Belgian Grand Prix for Sauber. The French veteran was joined by the Jordan duo of Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher, who had memorably achieved Jordan’s first F1 victory with a 1-2 finish in the rain at Spa.

Romain Grosjean has ended this drought for France and has returned the French flag to the podium once again, becoming the 21st Frenchman on the podium. He now joins the likes of Jean Alesi, Rene Arnoux, Alain Prost, Didier Pironi and Olivier Panis as French drivers’ who have reached the podium in their career. 

With Grosjean only several races into 2012, his aim now will naturally be to become the first French winner since 1996, when Olivier Panis won the Monaco Grand Prix for Ligier in a race which amazingly saw only three cars eventually cross the finish line at the end of the race, the least amount in F1 history.

Lotus showed promising pace in pre-season testing at both Jerez and Barcelona, with Raikkonen and Grosjean both setting the fastest times throughout the testing period. It now seems that Lotus are beginning to show that pace once again, when it all counts during the race on Sunday. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean know how to win races, and they will undoubtedly be striving to do so in 2012.

Picture Copyright © AFP 

Argentine Grand Prix Poised For Return In 2013

The return of a Grand Prix in Argentina is quickly gathering momentum which could see the South American nation replace Korea in 2013, a move which would see the first race in Argentina since 1998. The official confirmation could well come in May, however F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone has yet to comment on such an agreement.

The Korean Grand Prix made its inaugural appearance on the Formula 1 calendar in 2010, and after negotiations regarding the race-sanctioning fees with Ecclestone, the race is scheduled to be dropped in 2013. With Argentina eager to bring Formula 1 back to the country, this has paved the way for a potential return next year.

  “The National Government accepts the challenge of organizing the Grand Prix of Argentina to promote the image of our country around the world.” Said Argentina’s minister for tourism, Enrique Meyer in an interview with Autosprint, “In May, the three-year contract will be signed between all parties involved.”

The last time Argentina hosted an F1 race was in 1998, at the Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez circuit in Buenos Aires. The circuit was used in many different configurations throughout the history of the sport, with the first Argentine Grand Prix held in 1953 on the Buenos Aires configuration No. 4 circuit. 

However, if Argentina does return to the F1 calendar, Hermann Tilke will most likely be called upon to design a new track in the resort of Mar del Plata. 

Picture Copyright © LAT Photographic 

Future Of The Nurburgring In Doubt

It has emerged that the future of the Nürburgring circuit, situated in the village of Nürburg in Germany, is under threat of loosing its ability to host the German Grand Prix. The circuit has hosted Grand Prix races since its construction in 1927 on the legendary Nordschleife track which consisted of 174 bends, 14.2 miles in length.

As the years passed, many severe and fatal accidents occurred on the twisty and difficult circuit, forcing Formula 1 to move away from the circuit and use the Hockenheimring instead.

This prompted the construction of a smaller, less dangerous track in the Nürburgring GP-Strecke. The track hosted its first ever F1 race with the 1984 European Grand Prix, and has since not only run the under the name of the European Grand Prix but also the Luxembourg Grand Prix in 1997 and 1998 and the German Grand Prix, alternating with Hockenheim to this present day.

However due to the Rhineland-Palatinate state canceling the circuit operator’s lease, a future race at the Nürburgring is in serious doubt. Roger Lewentz, a minister for the state, said in the German newspaper Rhein-Zeitung that a bright future was not possible.

Talks with F1 Supremo, Bernie Ecclestone are apparently underway, where a new deal for the legendary circuit could well be met, saving Formula 1 from loosing another famous European circuit.

With the 2011 German Grand Prix being hosted by the Nürburgring, this seasons race will come from Hockenheim. This will hopefully give the involved parties enough time to come to an agreement in preparation for the 2013 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.

Barrichello Completes First Day Of IndyCar Test

Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello got his first taste of IndyCar racing today as he completed Day 1 of testing with KV Racing Technology, racing around a shortened version of Sebring alongside other 2012 IndyCar teams’ and drivers’.

Rubens Barrichello, who at first ruled out a switch to IndyCar, was replaced at Williams by fellow countryman Bruno Senna and now has only a drive at HRT keeping his F1 2012 hopes alive. Barrichello’s close friend Tony Kanaan has raced in America since 1998 when he made his debut in CART, before switching to the IndyCar Series full-time in 2003. If Rubens Barrichello completes the switch to IndyCar, Tony Kanaan would become his team-mate, along with fellow South American driver E.J. Viso.

“I’ve always wanted to test an IndyCar. I love speed so it’s natural to want to try this,” Said Barrichello in O Estado de Sao Paulo, a Brazilian newspaper, “As I have no contract with anyone there’s nothing to stop me from testing it. I’m going into this test with my mind wide open. If I leave with the passion I have always had as a driver then why not? I love racing.”

Rubens Barrichello tested in the new Dallara DW12 chassis, named after Dan Wheldon who was tragically killed at Las Vegas last season, and who assisted Dallara in testing the new chassis. 

With a new chassis in IndyCar for 2012, all of the teams will using all the available track time to learn as much as possible before the season opener at St. Petersburg on March 25th. 

Frentzen Says Age Has Caught Up With Schumacher

Former F1 race winner, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, has spoken out about fellow countryman Michael Schumacher’s current form in the sport recently, stating that age has caught up with him. 

Frentzen and Schumacher had a very tense relationship during their time together in the sport, which dates back to the Mercedes Junior Programme in Germany. The two came together during the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix where Schumacher exited the pit-lane and simply drove Frentzen off the track, many believing Schumacher knew exactly where Frentzen was.

Whilst Michael Schumacher went on and became seven-time World Champion, Frentzen settled for only three Grands Prix wins and 18 podiums throughout his career and retired from the sport in 2003. Whilst Schumacher returned to the sport in 2010, Frentzen admitted he never really missed F1 after his retirement, even though he has raced in DTM and Le Mans since.

“As you grow older, you tend to hesitate and become indecisive whether or not to push and take risks,” he told IANS, “You lose precious tenths of a second. I think, Michael is at that stage in his career. I think, I took the wrong decisions while Michael took the right ones. In 1994, I joined Sauber and later that year, I had an offer from Williams as a replacement for Ayrton Senna who died in a crash. I rejected the offer as Sauber had given me a break into F1. But when I eventually joined Williams in 1997, things had changed in the team. I had some good races and bad, but after I retired in 2003, I have never really missed Formula One, but have raced on and off in other series.”

With Michael Schumacher admitted he is set for a hard winter testing program with Mercedes, he’ll be hoping for a more successful 2012 after a less than successful return to Formula 1.

Argentina In A Bid For F1 Return

Argentina could be the next nation to host an F1 race after plans were announced for a new track to be built in Zarate, 100km from the country’s capital Buenos Aires. The track in question is set to be built by the same company that has recently redesigned Silverstone, Populous, who are also currently working on a track to be built in Mumbai that is expected to be built to F1 standards.

The expectation is for the new venue to attract Formula 1 by 2014, which is also the year that the inaugural Russian Grand Prix is expected to be held. With theses two new additions set to be introduced, it is bound to be replacing the traditional European races which are quickly being ignored by new venues such as India, Abu Dhabi and Singapore. With Belgium possibly alternating with France in the future, the outlook is unfortunately bleak for European venues, and a further race from South America only enforces the fact that Europe is no longer the home of Formula 1. What with a proposed return to South Africa as well, Europe could well end up the same way as Ovals in IndyCar with only a handful remaining.

The last F1 race that was held in Argentina was on the Buenos Aires circuit between 1995 to 1998, with the race being cancelled due to financial difficulties which left a five week gap between the opening two rounds of the 1999 World Championship.