Lotus are to return to Formula One Grid in 2010

Lotus are to return to Formula 1 next season for the first time since 1994.
They have been awarded the final grid spot and join Campos GP, Manor and US F1 as one of four new teams for 2010.
The FIA has given current team BMW Sauber "14th place" for 2010, meaning they are now first reserves to fill any vacancy on the grid should one arise.
However, motorsport's governing body says it will "consult urgently" with the 10 existing teams to expand the grid from 13 to 14 teams for 2010.
"The FIA believes that a good case can be made for expanding the grid to 14 teams," read an FIA statement released on Tuesday.
"It will be consulting urgently with the existing teams regarding the introduction of an appropriate rule change to expand the grid to 28 cars in time for the first Grand Prix in 2010."
While the FIA said it had received an "impressive application" from the BMW Sauber team, it added: "However, given that BMW has announced it will withdraw its support in 2010, there are still uncertainties regarding the future ownership of the team."
The German car manufacturer, which took over Sauber in 2005, revealed it would withdraw from F1 at the end of July citing "current developments in motorsport" as the reason for their decision.
BMW was the second major manufacturer to announce it was leaving the sport after Honda's withdrawal eight months earlier.
The Norfolk-based Litespeed team bought the rights to the name Team Lotus - which competed in F1 from 1958 through to 1994 - and was awarded its place, also pushing out Epsilon Euskadi, following an intensive selection and due diligence process conducted by the FIA.
The team won seven constructors' crowns and six drivers' championships, including wins by Jim Clark and Graham Hill, during their golden era in the 1960s and '70s.
Three-time world champion, the late Ayrton Senna, drove for Lotus for three seasons between 1985 and 1987 - although the team enjoyed limited success during that period.
In its new incarnation the team is a partnership between the Malaysian Government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs and is being led by team principal Tony Fernandes, the founder of the Malaysian-based Tune Group, which owns Air Asia airline.
Mike Gascoyne - who has 20 years experience in the sport after working with Jordan, Renault, Toyota, and most recently Force India - returns to F1 as the team's technical director.
The team will be initially based in Norfolk, though its future design, research and development, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia's Sepang International circuit.
Their withdrawal from F1 in 1994 was down to financial pressures, but Lotus remains the fourth most successful constructor of all time.


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
-- Post From My iPod Touch

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Hamilton explains crash at Italian Grand Prix

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh refused to criticise Lewis Hamilton after he crashed while third on the final lap of the Italian Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion caught the kerb trying to run down Jenson Button and spun off to ruin his hopes of grabbing a podium place.
But Whitmarsh told BBC Sport: "Lewis is just a racer, he pushes and pushes.
"You don't want to change that in a great, great champion and a great racing driver like Lewis."
Hamilton's crash gifted third spot to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, with the Briton eventually classified in 12th place.
After starting on pole, Hamilton could do little as his two-stop strategy allowed Brawn GP pair Rubens Barrichello and Button - both on a one-stop plan - to pass him.
However, with the race drawing to a close, the 24-year-old was closing in on second-placed Button, with barely a 1.5 second gap between them in the final few laps.
But Hamilton, pushing to get the most out of his car in the hope of overtaking his compatriot, clipped the kerb coming out of the first Curva di Lesmo on the final lap and spun into the wall, ending his race.
"Every lap I was pushing like a qualifying lap - it was to be expected," said Hamilton. "We didn't have the pace and I was pushing as hard as I could. I can only say I'm sorry to the team.
"They did a great job but we just weren't quick enough.
"I did all I could to catch the Brawns and to win it for them (the team). I apologise to all my fans.
"People make mistakes, these things happen. I just lost the back end and snapped out."
Whitmarsh admitted the result was "obviously really disappointing," but insisted he would not blame Hamilton for trying to win second place and a precious two extra points.
"He'd just set a purple (fastest) sector, he was racing to the very end, and that's how he is. He was there fighting for position and his competitive spirit kept him pushing until the end.
"He wants to win and compete, that's what makes him who he is. We're a racing team and he is an experienced racing driver.
"Yes, it's disappointing, but we'll rebuild and he'll rebuild."



By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
-- Post From My iPod Touch

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Monza race report: Brawn and Barrichello on top

Rubens Barrichello headed Jenson Button for a Brawn one-two in a tense Italian Grand Prix as the Englishman scored his first podium finish in six races.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who started on pole but was beaten on strategy, lost third place when he crashed on the last lap trying to chase down Button.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took the place ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil.
Brawn's title rivals Red Bull had a bad day as Mark Webber crashed on the first lap while Sebastian Vettel was eighth.
Button has had his championship lead cut by two points to 14 from second-placed Barrichello, while Vettel sits 12 points behind the Brazilian with Webber 2.5 points behind his team-mate in fourth.
Forty points are available now with four races remaining.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso pushed hard throughout the race to finish fifth, just ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.
After starting back in 15th, Nick Heidfeld did well to score two points for struggling BMW Sauber with a seventh place.
Hamilton was eventually classified in 12th after dramatically crashing out on the exit kerb of the first Lesmo on the last lap having been breathing down Button's neck for the final third of the race as he desperately tried to get in a position to overtake his compatriot.
The 13th grand prix of 2009 was a tale of two races within a race - pole-sitter Hamilton trying to gain enough time to stay ahead of the Brawns knowing he needed to stop twice, while they competed against each other and sought to keep Hamilton at bay.
In-form Barrichello - who claimed his second win in three races - made a brilliant start, jumping into fourth from fifth as Kovalainen slipped down the field despite possessing a Kers power boost button.
The Brazilian built on that move with an aggressive first lap and that early period was also critical for Button.
He swiftly produced a clever manoeuvre on struggling Finnish driver Kovalainen, overtaking on the inside of the second Lesmo to put him into a truly competitive position.
Seven out of last 10 Italian Grands Prix have been won from pole but, while Hamilton opened up a decent gap before his first pit stop, the Brawns stayed well in touch as they ran solidly in fourth and fifth.
Second-placed Raikkonen had jumped Sutil at the start but both drivers were on a two-stop strategy, meaning they were effectively without a chance of winning.
Hamilton's car did not, ultimately, have the pace of the Brawns whose strategy - fuelling heavier in qualifying to use just one stop in the race itself - proved to be a shrewd move.
The lead swapped between Hamilton and Barrichello, but as their differing pit-stop strategies played themselves out, it became quickly apparent that the Brawns had the edge and Hamilton emerged from his final stop in third place.
The world champion was not about to give up, and he closed on Button over the remaining laps of the race.
Heading into the last lap, Hamilton was about a second behind Button and still still striving to close the gap when he pushed just a bit too hard, dropped a rear wheel too far on to the kerb, and spun across the track before smashing into the barriers on the inside.
The veteran Brazilian, meanwhile, was firmly in control in the latter stages with a relatively safe gap between himself and Button - while his decision to stick with an engine which had briefly caught fire at the last race in Belgium was fully vindicated.
"It feels great. I have no words," he said. "At 37 I'm driving better than I ever have.
"I had a tough night, we didn't know if the gearbox would be OK and there are some concerns. But it should last [for the rest of the season].
"It was great to have such a good start. The first lap made my race. There will be times when we don't have to worry about the Kers cars, but with the straight lines here you do."
The championship battle now looks to be a straight fight between two team-mates - a rare thing in a sport where one driver is usually favoured over the other as the season pans out - after a poor race seemed to blow any title hopes for struggling Red Bull.
Webber, who started 10th, went off at the Della Roggia turn after tangling with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica in what the Australian described as a 'racing incident' - meaning it was not the Pole's fault as he was genuinely challenging for position.
"This gives [my championship chances] a blow, for sure," said Webber. "I haven't scored points in three races, though this is my first DNF [did not finish] of the season.
"We've still had a great middle run in the championship but we need to bounce back from this. We need to finish the season as strongly as we can but it's been a tough period for us."
Button's finish, which clinched Brawn's fourth one-two of the year, was a decent response to critics who have been constantly questioning whether he has been struggling to deal with the pressure of leading the championship after a relatively barren recent run.
"It's nice to be back up here," said the 29-year-old, who won six of the season's first seven races but had only collected 11 points in the five before Monza.
"I'd like to be where Rubens is sat but he did a better job today. I've lost two points to Rubens but gained seven on Vettel.
"We're going to take it I'm sure right down to the wire...for me it was a great result."
German driver Sutil collected his first points of the season by finishing fourth while also handing increasingly-impressive Force India a consecutive second place over the past two races.


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
-- Post From My iPod Touch

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Patrick Head wants tough punishment if Fixing scandal proven

Williams co-owner Patrick Head says Renault should be punished "pretty firmly" if claims they fixed the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix are proved true.

The French team are accused of asking driver Nelson Piquet Jr to crash in the race to deploy the safety car which aided team-mate Fernando Alonso's win.

"It is extraordinary," said Head. "If that did happen the people responsible should be dealt with pretty firmly."

Renault deny the allegations and have launched legal action against Piquet.

Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, has summoned Renault to an extraordinary meeting of its world motor sport council in Paris on Monday 21 September to answer the charges.

FIA president Max Mosley confirmed to BBC Sport on Sunday that Renault could be thrown out of the F1 championship if they are found guilty.

But Mosley also stressed the team must be considered innocent until they are proven to be guilty.

Renault have a case to answer - Mosley

"There were all sorts of rumours at the time, but to me it's a pretty extraordinary situation," said Head.

"Young drivers, before they have established their name in F1, are in quite a difficult position," added Head, referring to Piquet's claims that he crashed to protect his position within the team.

"But if young Nelson was asked to deliberately crash or spin his car, regardless of his contractual position, in my view he should have said no at the time.

"Young people, when they are under pressure, do make mistakes, but I would put 99% of the blame on the people that asked him to do that, if that's what happened.

"Ultimately, if that is what happened and that is what he did, then in my view he made a mistake to agree to do it.

"But young people under pressure do make mistakes and I don't necessarily think they need to be crucified as a result."

Piquet drove for Renault throughout 2008 but was sacked by the team after 10 races of this season.

The 24-year-old has been outspoken in his criticism of Renault team boss Flavio Briatore since he was dismissed after July's Hungarian GP.

On Friday Piquet Jr said in a statement, he said: "Because I am telling the truth I have nothing to fear."

Renault announced they were launching legal action against Piquet Jr and his father Nelson Piquet over the race-fixing allegations made against the team.

The French team deny claims they asked Piquet to crash to facilitate Alonso's win and have accused the Brazilian pair of making a blackmail attempt in relation to "allowing Mr Piquet Jr to drive for the remainder of the 2009 season".

Renault accuse Piquets of blackmail (UK only)

Piquet has been promised immunity from being punished in return for giving evidence, as was the case when Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso gave evidence in the McLaren 'spygate' scandal in 2007.

McLaren were excluded from that year's constructors' championship and fined $100m (then equivalent to £49.2m) after being found guilty of illegally possessing confidential Ferrari technical data.

If Renault are found guilty in Paris they would have the right to appeal, but if that appeal failed they could face severe sanctions.

"It has in the past been that one car has deliberately held up another car in order to give favour to the team-mate and that isn't very sporting. But it's hardly something on which one would impose a $100 million fine, said Head.

"I've got no knowledge of what information is available and how well the various parties will stand up under questioning. The thing that's emotive about it is actually a car crashing.

"First of all, if the thing comes down to the word of one man against another, it might be quite difficult to provide sufficient proof to impose those sorts of penalties," he said.

"When you start going as far as requesting that one car does something that brings out the safety car, it goes to another level."

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