Virgin complete VR-01 shakedown (Gallery & Video)
Virgin Racing have completed their two-day shakedown today, with Timo Glock kicking things up a notch from yesterday’s exploratory laps, completing 42 laps of the 1.8km Stowe circuit during the morning.
Lucas di Grassi then took over in the afternoon recording his first 36 laps as an F1 driver, before saying:
“It feels good. It feels like home! I’m really happy and our first impressions of the car are very positive. It’s amazing what the team has achieved in such a short space of time. I think we have a strong car and a great team to get things started in Jerez. It was important for me to learn as much as possible here so I can start to put some real mileage on the car next week.”
Lucas di Grassi
Nick Wirth, Virgin Racing’s Technical Director, said:
“I am delighted that we have successfully shaken down the VR-01. To achieve 100km of running out of the box is a great achievement with only a few minor issues along the way. We have acquired some good information to feed straight back into design for the development of new parts, which we may even be testing next week. All in all this is a very pleasing conclusion to a memorable week for Virgin Racing.”
Nick Wirth
Team Principal John Booth paid due credit to his brand new race team:
“Our shakedown provided our very first opportunity to work together as a trackside operation and it couldn’t have gone any better. The way the team has come together to achieve such a successful shakedown has been commendable. I’m very proud of what we have achieved and we’re looking forward to taking our place alongside the other F1 teams in the pitlane next week.”
John Booth
Virgin Racing will join up with the other teams at the Jerez test which starts on Wednesday.
Gallery
Images (C) Virgin Racing
VR-01 Shakedown (Gallery)
Timo Glock has today taken the all-CFD designed Virgin Racing VR-01 for its first taste of track action.
The shakedown will continue tomorrow before the team fly to Spain for the second pre-season test in Jerez on Wednesday.
The livery sure does look as good on track as it does in the studio shots!
Gallery
Images (C) Virgin Racing
Kobayashi confirmed at Sauber
Sauber have today confirmed their first driver for 2010 – Japanese former Toyota driver Kamui Kobayashi.
Kobayashi stood in for an injured Timo Glock at Toyota in the last 2 races of last season to make his F1 debut. He finished 9th and 6th but won himself an instant fanbase due to his aggressive style. Kobayashi has previously won the GP2 Asia Series, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 Italia. He said:
“Ever since the start of my career I have dreamed of racing in F1. Now this dream has come true. I am very happy that my two races in 2009 have earned me a cockpit place.
“I will do my very best for Peter Sauber’s team and I am proud to be able to carry on flying the Japanese flag in F1.”
Team boss Peter Sauber said:
“I’m very much looking forward to working together with Kamui. In the final two Grand Prix of last season he was granted an unexpected chance to show his skills, and he made impressive use of it.
“Particularly in the Abu Dhabi race he demonstrated not only that he can drive fast and aggressively, but also his ability to successfully implement a strategy. I am convinced he has a great deal of potential and will be able to make the most of it in our team.”
Virgin Racing completes driver line-up
Virgin Racing today made its driver announcement in London, where it was confirmed that Manor have teamed up with Richard Branson’s Virgin brand, and that Lucas di Grassi will drive alongside Timo Glock at the team. di Grassi said:
“I could never imagine a F1 debut as perfect as this one. Entering F1 with John Booth and his crew, the same people with whom I won the 2005 Macau F3 race – one of the greatest successes in my career – is really beyond perfection I should say. And I believe I am ready for F1.
“I have worked a lot during these years to get here and I believe it happened just in time. I always had great expectations about the day I would enter F1, and I should thanks everyone who was with me all these years, and I shall say John and his team are among those very people I consider helped me to get there much before we signed the F1 contract.
“Being here with them makes more sense to me than to be with a veteran organisation. We will debut together, and that detail makes for a special bond too. I guess all that will make me stronger and more confident as I will be among old friends. I am ready to work twenty four seven and I am sure I will be able to contribute with the team efforts in every stage of our evolution in 2010.”
It was also revealed that Lucas di Grassi’s fellow GP2 graduates Alvaro Parente and Luis Razia will take on the role of test drivers with the team.
Glock sure Schu will return
Virgin Racing driver Timo Glock is certain seven-times F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher will make a return to the sport.
The former Toyota driver, now partnered alongside Lucas Di Grassi at Virgin said:
“There’s still a lot of speculation, but in the end he is a crazy race driver, and he wants to come back to racing. It’s not enough for him to just do go-kart races, or go to the Race of Champions at the end of the year.
“The flame is still there, it’s still burning within him, and it will be great for Formula One if he comes back.
“For me, my personal feeling, it is quite obvious he is coming back.“For Formula One and the fans it would be a big boost, a seven-time world champion coming back after three years out. It would be a mega highlight, and to drive for Mercedes, you would have a German driver in a German car.”
And Glock said he would relish the chance to race alongside his countryman, but realises it would be difficult.
“To beat Michael would be a good year for us, but we have to concentrate on ourselves, and not look at what others are doing.”
Virgin Racing have revealed Portuguese drive Alvaro Parente will be their reserve driver, and they have also made their new website live today.
To visit the the Virgin Racing website, click HERE
Why the Trulli- Kovalainen pair up makes a good deal of sense
Today it was announced that Lotus F1 Racing would run ex Toyota driver Jarno Trulli and ex Mclaren man Heikki Kovalainen for 2010. Both have won only one Grand Prix.
This seems to be a fairly good pairing for Lotus; age and experience alongside youth and potential. The only team which will have a more experienced line up is Williams although they will be fielding a rookie.
Jarno is a master over one lap, he really excels at qualifying. This suggests that he can squeeze the extra tenths out of the car which will be vital to any new team. He tends to suffer on race day and seems to be a fragile driver. However, his experience should also be an aid at the developing the car and he has worked very well alongside Mike Gascoyne before when they were back at Renault and at Toyota.
Heikki on the other hand, will only be entering his fourth season in F1. This should be an edge over the new teams with rookie signings (Senna at Campos, di Grassi probably at Virgin Racing) as he has a lot of mileage under his belt. He showed a good bit of talent back in 2007 but the step up to Mclaren seems to be one too soon. The situation and Heikki’s mentality probably took another big hit with Lewis completely dominating him. At a new team he’ll have to contend with Jarno who is inching closer to retirement and so will probably find things much easier.
He showed some ballsy moves at times, most notably at Suzuka this year with a splendid move on Fisichella after leaving the pits. The Finn seems to have the potential and Lotus has thrown him a lifeline-if he wants to stay in F1 he will have to deliver this time.
This line up gives Lotus a good starting point and time to shop around for a young, talented Malaysian to take over the cockpit when the time is right. Another interesting point to note is that Jarno’s now ex –teammate Glock will be racing for Virgin, a team that Lotus seems determined to beat.
The rumours are that Trulli has an option to leave at the end of each year of a reported three year contract so we’ll see how that develops.
Timo Glock signs for Manor Grand Prix
One of the new teams in town for 2010, Manor Grand Prix have today announced their first driver – Timo Glock.
Glock made his debut in F1 in 2004 when he got to drive 4 races for Jordan who he was test driving for. However Glock fell out of favour and didn’t get to drive in F1 until 4 years after his debut in 2008, following winning the 2007 GP2 championship. He stayed at Toyota through the 2008 & 09 seasons. Despite never winning a race, Glock has had 36 F1 starts, 3 podiums and 51 career points.
Glock had been widely rumoured to join the Renault team for 2010, however now he has signed for Manor, we ask the question; is the future of Renault in Formula 1 really as secure as we had thought?
Glock to Renault for 2010?
The German media are suggesting that a deal bringing Timo Glock from Toyota to Renault is 95% done.
Kobayashi in for Glock in the final race of the season.
Japanese driver Kamui Kobayshi will continue to stand in for Timo Glock for the second consecutive race at the final Grand Prix of the season in Abu Dhabi next weekend for the Toyota team after the German crashed in Suzuka.
Team principal John Howett said; “We feel genuinely sorry for Timo that his season, which has included two impressive podium finishes, is ending in this way. Having discussed the medical advice with Timo and his management, the team has decided to take no risk and to put Kamui in the car. Kamui performed well in Brazil in difficult circumstances so we are happy to ask him to once again deputise.”
Source: ToyotaThis will only be Kobayashi’s second race in F1, with his first coming in the race at Interlagos on October 18th where he finished the race just outside the points paying positions in 9th and being branded ’absolutely crazy’ by Jenson Button.
Below is a video of the crash which has ruled out Timo Glock for the remainder of the season.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWAghJqwyvg]