BMW i8 Concept Car

After successful initial testing of the vehicle concept, the decision for a series production vehicle was quickly made. The BMW i8 Concept is the next step in the evolution of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. The result: The most progressive and innovative sports car of its time. Its innovative plug-in hybrid concept combines the modified electric drive system from the BMW i3 Concept – fitted over its front axle – with a high-performance three-cylinder combustion engine producing 164 kW/220 hp and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) at the rear. Working in tandem, they allow the two drive systems to display their respective talents to the full, delivering the performance of a sports car but the fuel consumption of a small car.

Acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under five seconds combined with fuel consumption of under three litres per 100 kilometres (approx. 94 mpg) are figures currently beyond the capability of any vehicle powered by a combustion engine of comparable performance. Thanks to the eDrive technology with its large lithium-ion battery, which can be charged from a domestic power supply, the BMW i8 Concept can travel up to 35 kilometres (approx. 20 miles) on electric power alone. Added to which, the 2+2 seater offers enough space for four people, giving it a high level of everyday practicality.

The LifeDrive architecture of the BMW i8 Concept has been carefully adapted to enhance the vehicle's sports car character, and therefore to deliver unbeatable performance and excellent driving dynamics. The motor in the front axle module and combustion engine at the rear are connected by an "energy tunnel", which houses the high-voltage battery. This gives the car a low centre of gravity – and the dynamic benefits that come with it. The positioning of the electric motor and engine over their respective axles and the space-saving and well-balanced packaging of all components result in an optimum 50/50 weight distribution.

The sporting character continues into the interior. Boasting a driver-focused environment unmatched by any BMW Group vehicle before it, the BMW i8 Concept immerses the driver fully in the unique driving experience. The BMW i8 Concept is the sports car for a new generation – pure, emotional and sustainable.The design of the BMW i8 Concept is as special as the car's overall concept embodying the perfect synthesis of technology and aesthetic allure. Its sweeping lines and flat silhouette lend the vehicle a strikingly dynamic appearance even when standing still. A large, transparent glasshouse lends the exterior an extraordinary feeling of lightness and highlights the exceptional efficiency of this vehicle concept. Short front and rear overhangs round off the sporting overall impression.As with the BMW i3 Concept, layering again serves as the central design element of the interior and exterior. The individual vehicle components are also clearly visible from the outside, the black and transparent Life module clearly setting itself apart from the silver-coloured body components around it. This layering approach lends the BMW i8 Concept an extremely technical and cutting-edge appeal.

View Gallery The BMW i8 Concept's Exterior

Dynamic side view.

Taut surfaces and precise edges form an extremely sculptural and organic surface structure. The precise lines along its flanks and BMW i "stream flow" also give the BMW i8 Concept a strong sense of powering forward even when it is standing still. The BMW i8 Concept's doors swing upwards like wings to provide an undeniably emotional and sporting allure. Below the doors, the silver-coloured layer moulds the car's flanks into a powerful wedge shape, opening out from the door sills towards the rear. A blue flourish accentuates the dynamic presence of the sills. Together, the bonnet and door sill sculpting emphasise the BMW i8 Concept's forward-surging stance, and their smooth lines imbue the car with a touch of lightness.

Striking front end.

The BMW i8 Concept also shows its dynamic sports car persona when viewed from the front. A number of different levels interact with one another in the design of the front end, while the expressive surface treatment exudes dynamic verve and advertises the car's sporting potential. The full-LED headlights of the BMW i8 Concept are designed as two U-shaped configurations.

A black, semi-transparent "V" rises out of the bonnet just behind the kidney grille, opening out towards the windscreen and guiding the eye to the electric motor below. The "V" also offers the first glimpse of the CFRP module and extends back towards the rear like a black band to provide a visual connection between the different sections of the car.

Sporty rear end.

Similarly to the front end, the rear of the car is also very low, horizontal and sculptural in design. The silver-coloured side sections form a striking vertical frame around the rear of the car, with a precise line extending out to the sides enjoying particular prominence. In its centre the silver-coloured and blue-framed rear diffuser is a wider and lower interpretation of the version on the BMW i3 Concept, adding a distinct sporting flavour to its relationship with its stablemate.

At the rear, the car's exceptional sporting credentials are also expressed in width-accentuating lines, three-dimensional air outlets and "floating" tail lights with air through-flow. The tail lights, which also have a distinct horizontal design, are integrated into the upper layer of the rear and share the signature U-shape of the BMW i light concept.

Purpose-built interior.
The transparent surfaces in the doors and roof give the exterior and interior design of the BMW i8 Concept the appearance of merging into one another. The colour concept and underlying structure of the BMW i8 Concept interior closely mimic those of the BMW i3 Concept. Here again, the Porcelain White support structure, black technical level and comfort section with Mocha Brown leather are split into three different layers. The arrangement of the air vents, control panels and displays also betrays the car's family ties to its BMW i3 Concept sibling. Overall, however, these features have a more sporting character and are geared much more clearly towards the driver. Indeed, a level of driver focus beyond that of any BMW Group vehicle before it allows the BMW i8 Concept to immerse the driver fully in the unique experience behind the wheel. Driver-relevant functions such as the gearshift lever, start-stop button and parking brake are arranged around the driver on the centre console and the graphics are strongly geared towards the driving seat as well. The three-dimensional displays are extremely clear and flash up the relevant information for the driving situation at hand. At the same time, occupants in the BMW i8 Concept sit in a highly integrated position low down in the car and are separated by the battery running lengthways through the interior. This longitudinal bisection of the cabin underlines the sporting and forward-looking character of the BMW i8 Concept interior.

Optimum information.
The freestanding information display in the dash is joined by an equally large display taking the role of the instrument cluster. Designing the central instruments in this way enables driver-relevant information to be conveyed in a three-dimensional and high-resolution format. In keeping with BMW i style, the displays are premium, modern and purist. Depending on the driving mode, the two drive systems are depicted by a pair of ellipses, which supply information on their operation at any given time. Other information – such as the available range and fuel level – can be found here, too.

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Motorsport Zone Goes Multi-Platform!

I am delighted to announce than not only can you enjoy the articles of Motorsport Zone through your laptop or desktop computer it is now also available and beautifully formatted on iPad and iPhone.


For those of you who have no tried it yet and own an iPad or iPhone, Flipboard is a fantastic application it allows you to build a completely custom magazine (content rich) using internet news feeds and although that sounds complicated i assure you it is not. All you have to do is download the app by searching Flipboard in the app store, open the application, click 'more' and in the search type 'Motorsport Zone' and select this blogger feed. It is that simple. The beautiful layout is shown in the screen shots below.


Note: Although currently only iPad compatible Flipboard will be coming out for iPhone in the next month or so, i shall update this article when it does to show you the results. In the meantime see at the bottom of this page on the best way to check out Motorsport Zone on your iPhone. Also, Motorsport Zone is fully compatible with almost all mobile browsers.

Above: Flipboard's Magazine layout - pages turned by swiping from left to right (landscape)

After selecting an article this is the format for reading in Flipboard in portait here, also readable in landscape, simply swipe from top to bottom of the screen to read on.

For the time being the best way to view motorsport zone other than obviously in the browser is to download MobileRSS from the app store and add the feed by clicking on the RSS feed at the top of this page and entering it.

If you're looking to buy a vehicle then make sure you visit motors and search for new and used cars either in your local area or nationwide throughout the UK.

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Engine Design 101

This article covers the design considerations for: Cylinder heads, cylinder blocks, sumps, lubrication systems (including oil pumps), superchargers and turbochargers.

Fig 1 - Engine with cutaway section to show pistons.

The engine is the heart of any car, or petrol or diesel driven vehicle for that matter. A poorly designed engine means a poorly designed car, there is so much to consider in the design for an engine that a blog post just won’t cut it. I will however try to cover all of the key areas and explain the basic principles and design considerations for major parts.

Just an initial point, this article doesn’t contain anything on the subject of the power cell unit (piston, crankshaft etc.); that can be found in the piston design 101 article here: LINK

Alternatively you can look in the categories section in the right hand sidebar and click on the ‘101 guides’ or ' section to see my range of articles on vehicle design.


Cylinder Head

Fig 2 - Cylinder head (from below).

Starting from the top is always a good idea so first of all we will look at the cylinder head and work our way down through the engine. The cylinder head is very important; it provides the upper portion of the combustion chamber and houses the valve train and camshafts. Generally speaking the main tasks of the cylinder head are to:

• Form the upper part of the combustion chamber.
• House the valve-train and its lubrication system.
• House spark-plugs (in a petrol engine) and fuel injection system.
• Resist combustion loads and allow cooling for valves, spark plugs and ignition.
• Provide sufficient oil drainage
• Seal and transfer charge whilst minimizing thermodynamic and breathing losses.

As i'm sure you can see already there are a lot of components involved here and it makes this part of the car very difficult to package well, as well as this it is subject to considerable cyclic loading from the combustion process and so needs to be very durable to repetitive wear.

Cylinder heads are typically made of cast iron or aluminium, cast iron has the advantage that it is very strong and cheap, aluminium however is more expensive but is very lightweight in comparison. An aluminium head would typically have the weigh about 50% of the weight of a cast iron head. Cast iron performs acceptably well but it is also more expensive to repair and harder to port (and more expensive to port) than its aluminium counterpart.

There is a future trend in the industry towards using Aluminium based silicon blend alloys as they provide a low mass and a high thermal conductivity to protect it against the thermal loading present from combustion.

The coolant systems housed within the head are often quite complex and require computer based tools to optimize, however after a design has been provided using FEA (finite element analysis) and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) then it is possible to test physically in a lab. This is done by fitting an engine with the prototype coolant system and make the head out of a clear plastic material so you can physically watch the coolant flow around during operation. This technique can be enhanced by dying particles of coolant in fluorescent colours and using high speed cameras to track them, this can help to find areas of blockage and poor circulation.

First generation direct injection used a layout by which air the fuel was wall guided round the cylinder, this lead to efficiency improvements of around 5 - 10%. The aim when injecting fuel and is to cause turbulence in the flow, this is known as forward tumble when done effectively, this does lower volumetric efficiency of the engine but allows for faster and more complete burning of fuel. The first generation system used a wall mounted spark plug to ignite the fuel. In the second generation layout designers managed to package the system so that the fuel and spark plug were both mounted centrally along with the valves, the differences are shown in the diagram below. Second generation injection lead to further efficiency benefits of around 5% and reduced the amount of wall wetting (fuel sticking to and burning on the walls of the cylinder).

Fig 3 - 1st Generation DI Layout
 (Notice side mounted injector).

Fig 4 - 2nd Generation DI
(showing forward tumble in red).

Camshaft

Camshafts are housed within the head and control the timing of the valves, camshafts typically move at half of the engine speed. The most common valve-train layout in modern cars is rows of poppet valves driven by camshafts. A layout called 'roller finger follower' is used in premium gasoline engines, this involves adding a rotating wheel to the rocker arm which controls the valve, this means that instead of rubbing surfaces we now have rolling surfaces so friction is reduced and thus the engine is more efficient. Generally camshafts are made of cast iron or steel. 3 common layout pros and cons are shown below:

Overhead Valve (Pushrod):

Fig 5 - Pushrod Valve System

• Pros: Simple and proven system, easy to implement in side mounted valve engines.
• Cons: High mass and component count, rods restrict port layout, not usable for small powerful engines.

SOHC - Single Overhead Camshaft Layout (one shaft for both exhaust and inlet valves):

Fig 6 - Single Overhead Cam Animation

• Pros: Reduced component count and reciprocating mass, low cost and higher engine speeds possible. 
• Cons: Restricted variable valve timing between inlet and exhaust valves. 

DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft layout (one for exhaust one for inlet):

Fig 7 - Double Overhead Cam Animation

• Pros: Same as SOHC plus, higher engine output and reduced emissions 
• Cons: More components than SOHC and therefore more expensive

The future of the automotive industry seems to be heading towards variable valve-train systems, many manufacturers are currently working on using these systems to increase engine efficiency.


Cylinder Block

The cylinder block as the name suggests is the block of metal which makes up the cylinders, as such it is subject to significant repetitive loading, from both thermal energy and surface abrasion. 7 key properties that a cylinder block must have are listed below:

• Sufficient thermal conductivity
• Low thermal expansion
• High hot strength
• High strength to weight ratio
• High resistance to surface abrasion

Cylinder blocks tend to be made of cast iron and are bolted down to the end case and the onto the head with long bolts designed to withstand large loads (generally at least 3.5 times the peak gas load from the engine). Designs have been suggested with bolts which  travel all the way through the engine assembly keeping all the parts in constant compression, and the load is distributed through a nut plate below the end case. However this is hard to achieve due to packaging issues in a lot of engines.

Honing is used in the cylinders them selves, this is a process by which a number or horizontal holes are cut into the cylinder wall; This enables better distribution oil. Laser honing has also recently been introduced for racing applications and although the mechanisms of honing are not yet completely understood efficiency savings of up to 6% have been claimed.

When it comes to cooling the walls of the cylinders themselves coolant passages are cut in the block to allow coolant to pass around the cylinder and withdraw excess heat. This can be in the form of a wet liner (open topped) which helps to reduce the thermal expansion or closed deck, which seals the passages but means the do not extend the full length of the cylinder so maximum cooling is not achieved. However it means that the block has better structural integrity.


Sump


Most modern cars use a wet sump system for lubrication, this means that the oil supply is housed in the engine right at the bottom, and the oil pump is within the oil pan and it ran directly from the crank; by chain or belt. This case will use a single phase pump, this means that the oil flow is directly related to the engine speed (since it driven by the crank as i just mentioned). A pressure relief valve is also fitted to these systems so that at high load the pressure of the oil entering the engine is not to high. This is a simple piston normally, which will be spring loaded and sat in the oil feed channel, as the pressure increases the piston moves back and opens a hole which allows oil to exit and reduce the pressure.


Testing of lubrication systems is often performed on a what is known as a 'rock and roll rig' as the name suggests this provides a dynamic platform to move the engine around on to check lubrication is sufficient at a number of different angles (that may be typical in situations such as hill climbing or descent). Plastic covers are applied to the engine and cameras are used to observe the flow of oil and check for potential bad circulation or vortices (very bad!).


Dry sump systems have a fairly different layout, in this case the oil reservoir is not housed within the engine itself but in an external tank somewhere else in the vehicle. This requires a multi-stage pump which is externally mounted. This system has a huge advantage in that it significantly reduces the height of the engine. This means that the engine can be mounted lower and subsequently the centre of gravity of the car is lowered. As well as this it can lead to an increase in engine output (since no windage losses) it also means oil handling issues are reduced since it is housed externally. On the down side it is quite a complex system, as well as heavy and expensive.


Superchargers


Supercharging is popular because it means you can have increased performance for a fixed engine size, or equally you can decrease engine size for a given performance. By adding different degrees of supercharging manufacturers can create a range of different output engines from the same base engine design which is obviously very attractive from a manufacturing costs perspective. For those who don't understand supercharging or turbocharging you are basically supplying the engine with more air, which means you can also supply more fuel and therefore get more combustion and more power.


Since you are increasing the power and output of and engine when you supercharge it you need to consider a number of upgrades to ensure the engine can survive the increased loads present:

• Exhaust valve-train design and materials must be revised.
• Reduced compression ratios will be needed since thermal and pressure loads both rise. 
• New bearing materials may be needed to withstand the higher loads. 
• Increased oil pump capacity is required.
• The breather gas system may need to be redesigned to cope with higher pressures. 

Superchargers are often associated with parasitic losses within engines but that can be overcome with bypassing or clutching. In comparison to a turbocharger a supercharger has a favourable back pressure. 

There are two main types of supercharger compressor: 

Roots Blower Type

Fig 8 - Roots Blower Compressor Animation.

Typically has a peak efficiency of 65 - 70% and a peak compression ratio of 2 and runs at speed of around 20,000 revolutions per minute. It is commonly found in Mercedes, Audi, Mini and Jaguar superchargers. 

Screw Type

Fig 9 - Screw Type Compressor Animation.

Generally has a peak efficiency of 75 - 80% and a slightly increased compression ratio of 2.3 compared to the roots blower compressor. However it has a more limited use only found in AMG Mercedes. 

Turbochargers

Fig 10 - Turbocharger Diagram

Formula one is currently considering re-introducing turbochargers in 2013 and the BTCC are confirmed to be introducing them this year (2011). A turbo is a compressor which does very much the same job as a supercharger but the difference is in how they are powered. A turbo is driven by the exhaust gases as they are expelled from the engine, they pass through a turbine, which are attached by a single common shaft to a compressor. The exhaust gases spin the turbo up to incredible speeds of around 150,000 to 220,000 rpm with the smallest turbos providing the fastest speeds; thats over 10 times faster than typical supercharger speeds. They have a typical pressure ratio of 2.5-3.0 and the peaks of thermal efficiency lie in between 75 and 80%. Due to these speeds and pressures the air exiting the turbo can be around 140 degrees centigrade and such need cooling, so an intercooler is added which reduced this to around 40 -50. The cooled air is then passed through a throttle which controls the volume flow rate of air which then enters the intake manifold.

Typical materials for various turbocharger components:

• Compressor wheel - precision cast Aluminium alloys
• Compressor housing - die cast Aluminium alloys
• Turbine wheel - Nickel super alloy (Inconel)
• Turbine housing - die cast Iron
• Turbocharger shaft - forged Steel

Turbochargers are FAR more efficient at high speed and high load. At low speeds and loads 'turbo lag' tends to be present whereby very little happens when you press the accelerator since the turbo is not spinning up to speed and as such acceleration can be very poor while the turbo spins up and then suddenly gets up to speed and the vehicle will begin to accelerate quickly. 

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Vehicle Design: Piston Design 101

This article provides a truly comprehensive look at the design considerations for pistons. Further articles are available which provide a look at piston rings, the connecting rod and many other components. Select the '101 guides' or 'vehicle design' category in the right hand sidebar lower down the page. Anyway onto the article:

Fig 1: Labelled image of a piston and con-rod.

The two main requirements of the piston are as follows:

1. Contain all the fluids above and below the piston assembly during the cycle.
2. Transfer the work done in combustion to the connecting rod with minimal mechanical and thermodynamic losses.

They key thing to note about piston design for absolutely any application regardless of the field is that it is HUGELY dependent upon the task that the engine will be required to fulfill.  The pistons for a 1000 horse-power racing car will be designed differently and made from different materials than pistons that are used inside a tractor for example. The shape of the piston crown (see diagram above) can also vary dependent on the type of engine you are dealing with as they can be used to change flow characteristics within the cylinder. The crown of a piston in a diesel engine is likely to look different to the piston of a petrol engine, especially in high performance applications.  Despite this all pistons need to obey the following;

Five Key Properties of a Piston:

1. Sufficient thermal conductivity
2. Low thermal expansion
3. High hot strength
4. High strength to weight ratio
5. High resistance to surface abrasion

A few definitions for the terms that are mentioned above:

Thermal conductivity: The ability of a material to absorb heat without causing damage or significant change to the materials microstructure or properties.

Thermal expansion: How much the material will expand when heated.

Hot strength: Ability to withstand stress, strain and shear at temperatures higher than room temperature. (Piston temperatures will be covered later in this article).

Strength-to-weight ratio: Fairly obvious this one, ideally we want a very light material with very high strength, the lighter and stronger the better.

Surface abrasion: The rate at which material wears due to rubbing on the surfaces of it, surface treatments can be added to metals to increase the surface toughness and make them more resistant to this.

The piston is obviously one of THE key components in any engine; it provides the seal, which enables power to transfer to the crankshaft so an effective design is key.

Heat is one of the biggest problems faced when designing a piston, an example of typical road car piston temperatures and their distribution is shown below:

Fig 2: Typical temperature map for a piston

So n the crown of the piston the temperatures tend towards around 250 – 300 degrees Celsius and gradually decrease the further from the combustion you go. The second key property I mentioned earlier was that pistons should have a low thermal expansion; this is because at these temperatures pistons will expand, especially on the crown and the top of the skirt. Because of this, pistons are actually tapered, although it is not obvious with the naked eye pistons are wider at the bottom of the skirt than the top to allow for expansion at the crown. If this was not done then when the piston expanded then it could potentially become too wide to fit within the cylinder.

Piston temperatures also vary with speed, which is key to note for higher performance engines, since at 1500 rpm a piston crown can be around 100 degrees Celsius cooler than when the engine is providing 5000 rpm. Piston spray jets may be added to engine in these high performance engines in order to lower the temperature of the crown. These feed of the main oil gallery and usually provide between one half and one litre per minute.

Piston Materials:                   PROS                                       CONS

Cast Iron                                Hot strength                          Mass

                                                Hardness                               Thermal conductivity

                                                Thermal expansion

Aluminium Alloys                  Mass                                       Thermal expansion

                                                Strength-to-weight                Hot strength

                                                Thermal conductivity            Hardness

Carbon Fibre Reinforced     Mass                                        Cost

Carbon (CFRC) -                    Strength-to-weight                Operating issues

(Research use only)              Hot strength

                                                Thermal expansion

The operating issues mentioned with the CFRC pistons include hydrocarbon emissions, since the material used for the piston has been observed to absorb fuel particles and then release them in the exhaust causing unwanted pollutants, this is also a knock problem with this technology. However it must be pointed out these pistons are purely experimental at the moment and engineers are experimenting with materials in an attempt to come up with better compounds. 

Manufacturing Effects:

To demonstrate the effects of manufacturing effects on the performance of a piston we will focus on only aluminium pistons, however similar effects follow across most metals.

For spark injection engines, cast aluminium can provide an intricate part at relatively low cost and low weight. Forged aluminium however can provide a finer microstructure and therefore higher strength when compared to casting, albeit more expensive.

Due to the additional pressures occurring in a diesel engine (since the fuel is self igniting) the pistons require local reinforcements. For example, a cast aluminium piston for a diesel engine would be made from a higher temperature alloy than for a petrol engine, and the following reinforcements may be applied:

• Refined casting methods; finer microstructure around the bowl (crown).
• Insertion of high strength cast iron piston ring carriers.
• Insertion of bushes into the pin bores.

That is the end of the main piston design article, further articles going in depth into the design of piston rings, connecting rods and loads of other major components are available in the '101 guides' and 'vehicle design' categories found in the right hand side bar. Thank you for reading and please feel free to comment any questions about this subject or any other topic you'd like to see me write a guide to. 

By Adam Feneley,

Brunel University

MEng Motorsport Engineering (Level 2)

Affiliate of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers

April 2011

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2011 F1 Malaysian Sepang Grand Prix - Preview

An Unprecedented Home Grand Prix for Three Formula 1 Teams

With three Formula 1 teams ‘carrying’ the Malaysian flag, the 2011 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix will indeed be a special one for Malaysians.

“F1 has always been a special event for Malaysia. This year, however, it is even more extraordinary,” says Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak in reference to the alliance of Malaysian corporate companies with the Mercedes GP PETRONAS, Lotus Renault GP and Team Lotus.
“Never has the event been associated with so many Malaysian companies; making the 2011 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix and Sepang Circuit as their ‘home race’ this season,” Najib said in his message at in the event’s official programme.
2011 marked the 13th edition of the Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix, which traced back to 1999 when it was first developed as tourism tool to sell Malaysia as an international destination and a national agenda to uplift the country’s image worldwide.
The new season opened at Albert Park in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix on March 27 and Malaysia hosts Round 2 of the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship, which now runs for 19 rounds with the cancellation of Bahrain Grand Prix.
Najib said: “Malaysia’s interest and its glorious image will be prominently projected this year, throughout all the rounds across the globe through the participation of Mercedes GP PETRONAS, the Proton-backed Lotus Renault Racing; the 1Malaysia Team Lotus as well as Virgin Formula 1 Racing, which has Q-Net as one of its key partners this season.
“Formula 1 – the world’s most prestigious motorsports event; and Malaysia’s tool in promoting the country for so long – is now adopted by more Malaysian companies as their business tools as well,” he said, adding that before Sepang Circuit came into the picture in 1999, Malaysia had Tourism Malaysia riding the popularity of the Stewart Grand Prix team in 1997.
Before that PETRONAS became the presenting sponsor for Red Bull Sauber in 1995. Over the years, the national petroleum company expanded further its investment in the sports including becoming the title sponsor for the Malaysian race and deeper involvement in the F1 racing teams.
Najib said: “With an extensive global audience; reaching hundreds of millions televisions on Race Day alone, the sport is undoubtedly the most effective platform for international mileage and worldwide recognition. Apart from global branding, it’s also the place for business networking, a stage to showcase a country; and an engine for transfer of technology. As such, for Malaysia, as a nation aspiring to be a major player in the automotive industry, its deep association with Formula 1 is only natural.
“Malaysia is always proud to be associated with Formula 1. We are proud to be the second Asian nation after Japan to host this prestigious event and inspired other Asian nations to bid for the privilege as well. Our current contract runs until 2015; and we aim to make full use of this privilege to reap in the fruits of benefits. And, to date, the impact of Formula 1 for Malaysia has been tremendous,” he added.
For Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, the Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix was proof Malaysia’s capability in organizing world class motor racing events; and he hoped that it would be reflected as well in the competition field as well.
“Formula 1 has always been a special event in Malaysia; and the Malaysian Government has always been proud to be associated with the prestigious event. And, we, Malaysians, are truly privileged that have this event here at our own backyard.
“From the first race on October 17, 1999 and 11 editions later, the Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix had been a success story for Malaysia. It had transformed Malaysia’s status in the international arena; generated massive tourism dollars as well as jumpstarting the motorsports industry.
“Not too long ago, we would have never imagined of Malaysians competing in international races. But, after the establishment of Sepang Circuit in 1999, the perspective definitely changed – there’s was renewed confidence; and there was enhanced commitment among Malaysians,” he said.
He related the days of PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Team TVK venturing into the GP World Championship in 2000, to the introduction of Alex Yoong as Malaysia’s first F1 driver in Alex Yoong, the teenage Jazeman Jaafar dominating the Formula BMW Pacific series and Fairuz Fauzy role as an F1 test driver.
Declaring that he saw good prospects for the future, Shabery said that he believed with the continuous commitment and persistent effort, motor racing, too, could produce Malaysian world beaters
“We are proud to have world class athletes in badminton, squash, cycling and bowling. And, I strongly believe we can have world class performers in motor racing as well; especially with the current emphasis that Malaysian corporate companies are giving to the sports,” he added.
While welcoming the strong alliance of the Malaysian companies in the F1 teams, the minister hoped that the corporate companies involved would look at their partnership more than just from the business perspective.

“I sincerely hope that it would be translated into programmes for motorsports development as well,” said Shabery, who hailed SIC’s successful efforts in incorporating the Malaysian Super Series as support races for the 2011 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix.

Hailed as the national championship for track racing and introduced in 2002, the MSS would be running the Malaysian GT class and the Malaysian Touring Car Challenge at the F1 race in Sepang as its opening round for its 2011 season.
In his message, SIC Chairman Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir said: “I am very happy that we finally managed to incorporate our Malaysian Super Series as the support races for the F1 event in Sepang. This is a racing series that we, at Sepang International Circuit, had diligently nurtured for years as the national championship for track racing; and the platform to provide top class competition for the drivers and teams.
“Together with our two other major events – the 12-hour Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race and the 1000-kms Endurance, these are the events that we hope for Malaysians to pick up their skills in managing and operating motor racing teams as well as to unearth new talents.
“Through these events, we aim to create a new culture of motorsports among Malaysians especially the grassroots, added Mokhzani.

Driving like an F1 driver on normal roads can be dangerous, but that doesn't stop some people. If you have been in an accident because of someone's dangerous driving and you want to know more about car accident compensation claims, then visit www.roadtrafficaccidentsite.com.

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Photo Gallery: 2011 F1 Cars - All Teams

This stunning gallery of images documents the latest 2011 models of all 12 of the teams in this seasons F1 World Championships.  For more info on rule changes see this article: link

Please also take time to vote on who you think will be successful this year, there are a set of three polls on the right-hand sidebar which include views on who will win the constructors and drivers championships and who will be the best 'new' team!

Ferrari F150th Italia - 2011 Season F1 Car

Force India VJM04 - 2011 Season F1 Car

HRT (Hispania Racing Team) F111 - 2011 Season F1 Car

Virgin Racing MVR-02 - 2011 Season F1 Car

McLaren Mercedes MP4-26  - 2011 Season F1 Car

Torro Rosso STR6 - 2011 Season F1 Car

Williams FW33 - 2011 Season F1 Car

Red Bull Racing RB7 - 2011 Season F1 Car

Mercedes GP Petronas MGP W02 - 2011 Season F1 Car

Renault Lotus R31 - 2011 Season F1 Car

Sauber C30 - 2011 Season F1 Car

Team Lotus T128 - 2011 Season F1 Car

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Your Predictions: Who will win this seasons F1 World Championship?

So the new F1 season is finally under-way, albeit overdue! With a great first race under the belt, people are already beginning to form opinions on who the think will be the world champion and who will win the constructors championship.

On the left hand side of this page are a number of polls for all the readers of this site to vote on who they think will be the winners of the drivers and constructors championships. The initial lists are quite small, however if you feel a worthy candidate for either championship has been missed of the polls then please comment on this post and I will add them to it for you! It will be very interesting to see everyone's view on who will be triumphant this season. Feel free to share your predictions and comment them below!

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2011 F1 Australian GP Race Report

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel got his title defence off to a perfect start with a pole-to-flag victory in the Australian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton finished second to seal McLaren's turnaround in form but team-mate Jenson Button was sixth after being penalised for cutting a corner.
A brilliant start from Russian Vitaly Petrov propelled him to his first podium with third for Renault.
Scot Paul di Resta finished with 12th for Force India on his debut.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso jumped Mark Webber's Red Bull in his final pit stop to take fourth place from the Australian, who could only equal his career-best finish at his home race.
There was more frustration for Mercedes as both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg retired from the race.
It was a faultless race from the man intent on chasing Schumacher's record seven championship as Vettel pulled clear at the start, stopped twice and ran much of the race on his own.
"A stunning performance from the man who's led every lap of the last three grands prix," said BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle.
"That is a calm and steely Vettel, and frankly I don't think anyone was going to beat him."
Ominously for the rest of the field, team principal Christian Horner revealed after the race that neither of the Red Bull cars was running a Kers boost system.
"It was a fantastic day for Sebastian and the team, he was dominant in qualifying and totally dominant today," said Horner.
"We felt Kers was a potential risk, and we made a decision not to run it. It didn't look like we needed it."
Vettel himself insisted the race had not been as straightforward as it appeared.
"It was not easy, the start was crucial," he said.
"I had a good getaway, but didn't know if it was enough until I saw Lewis and Mark [Webber] battling for position.
"After my stop it was crucial to get past jenson, which I could do immediately, so that was very, very important. There were a lot of things to learn today and we need to have another look at the race."
Vettel had already built a 2.6-second lead at the end of the first lap while others toiled behind him.
Button found himself down in sixth after losing position to Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Petrov, who had brilliantly nosed his Renault up from sixth on the grid.
As the race developed, Button tried time and again to pass Massa, and even activated the moveable rear wing which is designed to aid overtaking, but the Brazilian defended deftly and Button was left asking his team over the radio; 'How's he getting away from me?"
There were more headaches to come for Button when he cut a chicane in an attempt to pass Massa and was subsequently handed a drive-through penalty.
"There's no question that he gained an advantage," said BBC analyst David Coulthard.
"He knew that two doesn't go into one around that curve. He had to go off track and had to pay a penalty for that."
Button had a stab at holding up Vettel - who had pitted for the first of his two stops to leave Hamilton at the front for McLaren - before serving his penalty but the German soon flew past him and comfortably resumed his lead when Hamilton came in.
After his stop-go penalty Button fed back in 12th but he crossed the line in sixth after what Brundle described as an "adventurous race".

Despite Button's busy day, he and team-mate Hamilton will be relieved that McLaren's hard work at their Woking factory to turn a winter marred by a lack of pace and unreliability into a competitive start to the campaign.
Hamilton managed his race well and took his car across the line for second despite warnings from his team that his car was damaged. It quickly became evident the undertray and floor of the car was broken, which as Hamilton pointed out afterwards, badly affected the amount of downforce.
"To come away from here with a second is a great achievement - in the end I was simply trying to nurse the car home," Hamilton said.
Renault proved they had taken a step forward over the winter, in part thanks to their innovative car design with its front-exiting exhausts, as Petrov collected third place with a cool drive.
The Russian repeated his trick from the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by holding off a looming Alonso.
Robert Kubica was second for Renault at last year's race in Melbourne and Petrov suggested he is capable of leading the time on the track in the absence of Kubica, who is recovering from serious injuries in a rallying accident.
Petrov's Renault team-mate Nick Heidfeld, the stand-in for Kubica, finished a lowly 14th,
Alonso had got himself caught up in Button's wake as the McLaren went backwards off the line and the Ferrari ran wide into the first corner.
The Spaniard slid to 10th but he picked his way smoothly through the field before passing Webber for fourth place.
Both drivers were on a three-stop strategy but Webber conceded fourth place to Alonso on the final stop after he ran wide on his return to the parkland circuit.
There had been a lot of talk about tyre strategy and management in the build-up to the race as this season's Pirellis tyres had been designed too degrade more quickly than 2010's Bridgestones.
Most of the field made straightforward two-stop strategies work but Sauber raised eyebrows as Mexican rookie Sergio Perez stopped just once on his way to seventh.
Mercedes arrived in Melbourne with high hopes of a podium but their weekend ended miserably inside two laps.
Schumacher, who had a puncture at the start, was retired from the race as a precaution before his old Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello added to his misery by ploughing his left wheel into the side of Nico Rosberg's Mercedes, sending him back to the garage for good.
"I had a good start but someone knocked on my rear right and there were consequences from that," Schumacher told BBC Sport.
"I had an entertaining few laps but the team quite rightly for safety decided that I should come in."
Barrichello was the second driver to serve a drive-through penalty for his move on Rosberg and later had to retire from the race.

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