F1: Britain race quotes: Mercedes

Sunday, June 30th 2013, 15:47 GMT

Nico Rosberg - 1st: This is a great moment for me and our team to win in the home of motor racing at Silverstone. We have such great momentum in our Silver Arrows team and I'm very proud to be part of it. This win is for every single person who has been involved in building our car. It was a shame for Lewis today, and I had also a problem with my tyre but I was lucky because of the Safety Car. It was so special to win today, especially in front of fellow team members and their families as our factory is only ten minutes away from the track. The race was really exciting. I had to manage the tyres really carefully, I was told to avoid the kerbs. At the end, it was difficult to hold Mark and to look after my tyres but I was able to keep the position, and take a great victory for us. Now we can look forward to another home race next weekend at the Nürburgring.

Lewis Hamilton - 4th: Of course, I'm disappointed by today's race and I would have loved to deliver the win this afternoon for all the British fans here at Silverstone. The race started so well for us today; I felt comfortable out in front and was managing my pace. The tyre problem was such a shame and from then, it was just a case of giving it my all and battling as far up the field as possible. I had some good overtaking moves and, given another lap, I might have got Fernando and ended up on the podium. Everything considered, fourth place is pretty good after having been last on lap 10 and we'll take that. It's a great result for the team today, big congratulations to Nico who came through a tricky situation to take the win for us. We've now moved up to second place in the Constructors' Championship which is a nice reward for everyone at the factories just down the road from here.

Ross Brawn: It is a very special feeling to win here at Silverstone and especially at the end of such a dramatic afternoon. Nico didn't put a foot wrong today: he drove extremely well, looked after the tyres like he needed to and was in the perfect place to pick up the pieces when others ran into trouble. It got very tense in the final laps after the second Safety Car period, but Nico showed he had the speed to respond and the composure to bring the car home. It's his second victory in three races and really deserved. As for Lewis, he showed exactly what he's made of today. He was driving beautifully at the front of the field and slowing pulling away when he suffered the tyre failure. Then he went from dead last on lap nine to fourth at the finish - and he was lapping incredibly quickly with a damaged car in the final laps. I am sure he will take a lot of encouragement for the rest of the season from the basic pace we showed today. But the biggest praise of all must go to our team. We have worked night and day this year to improve this car, solve our tyre management issues and put ourselves in a position to take the fight to our rivals. Today, we took another big step in the right direction and perhaps we have turned a corner now. It's extra special to have done it here at Silverstone, in front of our colleagues, family and friends. Congratulations to the entire team.

Toto Wolff: What a great day for our team. The guys in Brackley and Brixworth have worked so hard in the past weeks and months to deliver this kind of performance, always with the total support and commitment of our board in Stuttgart. Today, we began to deliver on the potential we have shown this year. Both cars were right on the pace all the way through the race and, while we had misfortune with Lewis, we also enjoyed good fortune with the final Safety Car period, which allowed Nico to change a damaged tyre without penalty. Nico drove beautifully and Lewis was full of fight and determination to come from the back of the grid to the edge of the podium. Most of all, this is a win for everybody who has worked so hard at our factories to pull us into contention at the front of the field. In a normal race, on a demanding circuit, we were right there in qualifying and all through the race, which is probably the best news from today. So thank you to Stuttgart, to Brixworth and to Brackley. Now we need to keep pushing because we still have a lot more to achieve this season.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Britain race quotes: Sauber

Sunday, June 30th 2013, 15:50 GMT

Nico Hulkenberg - 10th: "The race today was a lot of fun. I had some good duels and was able to push to the limit. It was fun to drive the car on such a high-speed track like Silverstone. At a point in the race, I lost the overview of what was going on, with the two safety cars and lots of tyre debris on the track. I had a slow puncture during my second stint, which is why we had to pit earlier. I think our speed was what we expected it to be, and overall was better than in qualifying yesterday."

Esteban Gutierrez - 14th: "Start on hard tyres, after 10 and 27 laps change to medium tyres, after 29 laps change to hard tyres, after 40 laps change to medium tyres "It was a crazy race, because a lot of things happened and I just tried to focus and make the best out of the situation. I had to pit because of a problem with my front left tyre. This also damaged my front wing, which forced me to pit again two laps later. This is something that needs to be looked into for safety reasons and also to avoid having a race that is defined by the tyres. The car was still a bit tricky to drive in the slow corners, but overall it was ok."

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: "A hard earned point. Nico did a good job and was unfortunately slowed down by a tyre issue. Esteban dropped back due to two unplanned pit stops, also to tyre problems. At the moment we cannot expect any miracles from the car, but this result will lift the team spirit."

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: "This must have been one oft the busiest days at the pit wall for quite some time. We had a slow puncture on Nico's car and a left front tyre problem on Esteban's car, and both those resulted in the strategy being compromised. Esteban had to pit again two laps later, because his front wing had been damaged previously. However, from a very difficult situation Nico was able to get into P10, which gave us a very useful point."

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Britain race quotes: Red Bull

Sunday, June 30th 2013, 15:56 GMT

Mark Webber - 2nd: "What a day! I don't think any of us expected it to unfold like this. The start was pretty bad, we have to look into that as we had had a good run of starts recently. Then I had contact with Grosjean and the wing was damaged; the boys did a great job in the stop when they changed it, After that we got into the race. I was praying for a safety car, but not for the reason they were coming, as you knew you could be next. When you have something like that, it's Russian Roulette; when you see that many tyre issues for the fellow competitors then it's never comforting. I made the most of those safety cars - and today the strategy was one of the best we've done. I think it worked very, very well. I worked hard to manipulate the pace when I had to and then it was Nico and I left at the end. It would have been nice to have had a few more laps, but that's how it was today. It was nearly a really special day, but it was still a nice day."

Sebastian Vettel - DNF: "Obviously it's quite disappointing to retire when we were only a few laps from the end. We had a gearbox issue, I think fifth gear broke and damaged the rest of the gearbox as well, so it was not possible to carry on. It's a shame because we were in a good position and it's a nice race to win here, so yeah I guess we have to come back next year and try again. It's good that it's only a short time until the next race."

Christian Horner, Team Principal: "Obviously to get within 12 laps of winning the race and have a retirement due to a transmission issue is pretty painful, particularly at this venue, but Sebastian had done everything right today and it was a great shame. For Mark, after a difficult start and being hit at the first corner, he made a great recovery with a good nose change from the guys and his drive from then on was fantastic. He got his head down, charged his way back through the field and came pretty close to claiming the victory, but nonetheless second place was a great performance from him on a big weekend for the team."

Thierry Salvi, Renault: "In races like those, sometimes you have no luck and other times you make your own. We seemed to have both cases today. Mark drove a phenomenal race, coming back from down the field, and could have won for a third time at home if the race had been a lap longer. Seb deserved more, but sometimes that happens. We've got another race in one week so it's now back to work to keep the gap we have at the top of both championships."

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Britain qualifying quotes: Pirelli

Saturday, June 29th 2013, 15:48 GMT

Paul Hembery: "The wet conditions yesterday morning meant that the teams had to work hard in the morning to make up for time lost gathering data on the slick tyres. All of them managed to find plenty of pertinent information: vital not only for qualifying today but the race tomorrow as well, which we expect to be dry. During the final free practice session this morning we saw a deflation on the rear left tyre of Sergio Perez. First findings show that this was unequivocally caused by a cut in the inner sidewall: something went into the tyre, pierced it, and then came out again, in the direction of travel.

"Whether that was a piece of debris or the edge of a kerb is hard to say at the moment and it is important to point out that this incident was unrelated to any of the delamination issues we have had in the past. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton for sealing a great pole position with a stunning lap at his home grand prix. Yesterday's rain meant the fans didn't get a chance to see much on-track activity but today was action from start to finish. We're looking forward to an exciting grand prix tomorrow with between two and three pit stops per car if conditions stay largely the same."

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Britain qualifying quotes: Ferrari

Saturday, June 29th 2013, 15:51 GMT

Fernando Alonso - 10th: "This weekend has been complicated for us by problems that we haven't managed to get on top of, concerning various aspects such as the balance of the car, its driveability and performance. We can consider this the worst Saturday of the season so far, having never finished so far down, but now we must react immediately to try and return to the form we showed at the start of the year. We definitely expected a lot more here, because this is a track that suits our car's characteristics better than others. In Q3, we hesitated a bit over tyre choice: we went out on the Hards because they had worked well in free practice this morning and in Q1. Then we switched to Medium with the idea of just coming back to the pits if it did not go well but then we decided to finish the lap and nevertheless our rivals were quicker. Now, we must try to do the same, starting from tomorrow: even if the race will be an uphill struggle we are well aware how things can change during a race. We hope we can stage a good climb up the order and bring home as many points as possible."

Felipe Massa - 12th: "It was an extremely difficult day as we did not have the car we were expecting and we had no grip whatsoever with new tyres. Compared to other cars, we struggled to put together a good lap. The time lost when I went off the track yesterday and the interruption this morning to change the engine definitely cost me valuable kilometres and in qualifying I lacked the few tenths necessary to make it through to Q3. Now we must think about tomorrow, as the race is an altogether different matter and I hope that, with a full fuel load and higher temperatures, things can change in our favour. If the car is more competitive, I'm sure I can pull off a few passing moves and fight for a good result."

Pat Fry: "Today, the much awaited sunshine didn't manage to push the temperatures up as much as we had hoped, especially on the track. The surface stayed rather cold and already in the final free practice this morning had created some problems with grip, with several drivers going off the track. Things only improved slightly in qualifying, but not enough to improve the grip levels. Looking at our start positions, it's obvious that our cars suffered more than others, even if the gaps in the small group of cars ahead of Fernando are very close. While trying to improve the balance on the car, we tested various solutions, trying to increase driveability in both the high and low speed corners, always keeping in mind what will be the key factors in tomorrow's race. We can be more confident when it comes to the race and we will be counting on the performance we have seen over a long run, which is encouraging. During the opening laps it will be important to try and make up a few places. Then, our strategy will be aimed at helping the drivers as much as possible in their efforts to close up to our direct rivals."

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Webber doubts Mercedes will fade

By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde

Saturday, June 29th 2013, 15:56 GMT

Mark Webber believes Mercedes is a real threat for victory in the British Grand Prix, despite the team playing down its chances after securing a commanding pole.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg secured a front-row lockout for Mercedes, the Briton finishing over half a second quicker than Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Webber.

The Mercedes duo said it would be hard to keep Red Bull behind given its tyre struggles in the race.

Webber, however, said he was not convinced by Mercedes' apparent worries.

"Not really," said Webber when asked if he expected Mercedes to fade away in the race. "Lewis was pretty sensible in Montreal. The last time they raced on this type of circuit was Barcelona, and they got lapped. That is not going to happen.

"I think they did pretty well at that test, to be fair. They have moved the bar up for themselves a big chunk on Sundays - anyway... that is the way it went.

"We are not expecting them to be too slow tomorrow. They will be OK, but we will put pressure on them at the stops and through the stints themselves."

Webber, who was less than two tenths off second place, believes he could have set a better time had his lap been cleaner.

"I would have liked to have a better finish to the lap. There was a better time there, but I think Nico would have been difficult to get," he said.

The Australia is nonetheless confident of a strong performance in the race.

"The car is going pretty well here," he said. "I think we have a good balance – not car balance, but balance between qualifying and race, as we will find out tomorrow."

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

LEMANS: Le Mans to avoid 2014 F1 clash

Friday, June 28th 2013, 15:29 GMT

Next year's Le Mans 24 Hours will not clash with a round of the Formula 1 World Championship.

The FIA has announced the the 24 Hours will be held on June 14/15, which marks a return to its traditional mid-June date, and that an F1 race will not take place on the same weekend as the blue-riband round of the World Endurance Championship.

The bulletin from today's meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council said: "In order to preserve the historic date of the Le Mans 24 Hours, which this year celebrated its 90th edition, the date of June 14/15 2014 has been retained to ensure that a F1 GP is not hosted the same weekend."

The announcement means that Le Mans will not clash with an F1 round for the third year in succession.

The race has repeatedly clashed with the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal since the 1980s.

Le Mans most recently took place on the same weekend as the race in Canada in 2010-11 and ran on the same weekend as the F1 event every year from 1996 to 2000.

The dates of Le Mans and the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis coincided in 2005 and '07.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Britain practice quotes: Williams

Friday, June 28th 2013, 15:46 GMT

Britain practice quotes: Williams

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '
' + '' + google_ads[i].line2 + ' ' + google_ads[i].line3 + '
' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].visible_url + '
'; } } document.write(s); return; } google_ad_client = 'ca-haymarketgroup'; // substitute your client_id google_ad_channel = 'autosport'; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '3'; google_ad_type = 'text'; google_encoding = 'iso-8859-1'; google_safe = 'high'; google_adtest = 'off'; google_ad_section = 'default'; google_hints = 'Formula One, Formula 1, F1'; // -->

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

GP2: Ericsson tops rain-hit qualifying

By Charles Bradley

Friday, June 28th 2013, 15:48 GMT

Marcus Ericsson scored his second pole of the season for DAMS at Silverstone on Friday afternoon, setting the quickest lap of the half-hour session just before a rain shower curtailed any further improvements.

The threat of rain meant that all 26 cars went straight out at the green light on a virtually-dry track using the Pirelli medium-compound tyres.

A flurry of fast times soon followed, with Felipe Nasr and Sam Bird the early pacesetters before Ericsson produced his 1m40.716s.

That would remain as the pole time, with rain spots finally arriving as cars headed pitwards for their second set of tyres.

When they re-emerged, the conditions were markedly worse and remained so until the end of the qualifying period.

Bird's Russian Time machine will start alongside Ericsson on the front row, his best time 0.371s slower than the Swede. Nasr will start third, with points leader Stefano Coletti alongside.

Coletti had a scare this morning, when he was slowest in free practice, but clearly regained his mojo in qualifying with fourth position.

Ericsson's team-mate Stephane Richelmi was fifth fastest, ahead of last year's Silverstone pacesetter Fabio Leimer.

Rio Haryanto and Mitch Evans were next up, ahead of Tom Dillmann and James Calado.

Those who failed to get a quick time in before the rain included Robin Frijns (who was quickest early on but will start 16th), Johnny Cecotto Jr (who spun on his out lap and will start 18th), Alexander Rossi (19th) and Jolyon Palmer (20th).

  Pos  Driver               Team                Time       Gap   1.  Marcus Ericsson      DAMS                1m40.716s   2.  Sam Bird             Russian Time        1m41.087s  +0.371s   3.  Felipe Nasr          Carlin              1m41.144s  +0.428s   4.  Stefano Coletti      Rapax               1m41.219s  +0.503s   5.  Stephane Richelmi    DAMS                1m41.411s  +0.695s   6.  Fabio Leimer         Racing Engineering  1m41.442s  +0.726s   7.  Rio Haryanto         Addax               1m41.537s  +0.821s   8.  Mitch Evans          Arden               1m41.563s  +0.847s   9.  Tom Dillmann         Russian Time        1m41.633s  +0.917s  10.  James Calado         ART                 1m41.662s  +0.946s  11.  Julian Leal          Racing Engineering  1m41.765s  +1.049s  12.  Fabrizio Crestani    Lazarus             1m41.771s  +1.055s  13.  Nathanael Berthon    Trident             1m41.812s  +1.096s  14.  Sergio Canamasas     Caterham            1m41.881s  +1.165s  15.  Kevin Ceccon         Trident             1m41.890s  +1.174s  16.  Robin Frijns         Hilmer              1m41.970s  +1.254s  17.  Jon Lancaster        Hilmer              1m41.978s  +1.262s  18.  Johnny Cecotto Jr    Arden               1m42.013s  +1.297s  19.  Alexander Rossi      Caterham            1m42.020s  +1.304s  20.  Jolyon Palmer        Carlin              1m42.207s  +1.491s  21.  Simon Trummer        Rapax               1m42.213s  +1.497s  22.  Rene Binder          Lazarus             1m42.376s  +1.660s  23.  Jake Rosenzweig      Addax               1m42.402s  +1.686s  24.  Adrian Quaife-Hobbs  MP                  1m42.658s  +1.942s  25.  Daniel Abt           ART                 1m42.687s  +1.971s  26.  Daniel de Jong       MP                  1m42.862s  +2.146s  

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

MOTOGP: Doctor cautious over Lorenzo's injuries

By Matt Beer

Thursday, June 27th 2013, 15:34 GMT

MotoGP surgeon Dr Xavier Mir says Jorge Lorenzo will need further scans to ensure he did not suffer any injury beyond his collarbone break in his violent Assen crash.

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

MOTOGP: Marquez saddened by Lorenzo injury

Thursday, June 27th 2013, 15:45 GMT

Marc Marquez says Jorge Lorenzo's collarbone injury is a blow for MotoGP and that he feels huge sympathy for his compatriot.

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

MOTOGP: Rossi: Lorenzo absence adds pressure

By Matt Beer

Thursday, June 27th 2013, 15:51 GMT

Valentino Rossi admits the pressure is now on him to spearhead Yamaha at the Dutch Grand Prix after his title-chasing team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was sidelined with a fractured collarbone.

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

INDY: IndyCar drivers expect Pocono to thrill

By Mark Glendenning

Wednesday, June 26th 2013, 12:56 GMT

IndyCar drivers expect a tough race when the series returns to Pocono next weekend after several had the opportunity to test at the famed tri-oval on Tuesday

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

GT: Ogier lines up Bentley GT3 test

By David Evans

Wednesday, June 26th 2013, 13:46 GMT

World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Ogier has been linked to a test in Bentley's Continental GT3, with the Frenchman saying he hopes to do more circuit racing in the future

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Hamilton: Mercedes gains remarkable

By Jonathan Noble

Wednesday, June 26th 2013, 13:35 GMT

Lewis Hamilton thinks Mercedes has done a 'remarkable' job this season to bounce back from its 2012 woes and already deliver a Formula 1 race win

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

RALLYX: Ekstrom to compete at X Games

By Jamie O'Leary

Tuesday, June 25th 2013, 14:03 GMT

Two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom will become the latest star name to compete in rallycross this year when he takes part in this weekend's X Games Munich

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

Find out more about FIA European Rallycross with our 2013 season guide

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: McLaren trials upgrades in Idiada test

By Edd Straw

Tuesday, June 25th 2013, 14:58 GMT

McLaren is trialling planned British Grand Prix car upgrades at the Idiada test facility in Spain today.

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

MOTOGP: Honda: less pressure after 2014 test

By Matt Beer

Tuesday, June 25th 2013, 15:08 GMT

Honda says the fact that its work riders saw no reason to hurry its 2014 bike into action means it is now under less pressure.

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

BTCC: Turkington adds another victory

By Kevin Turner

Sunday, June 23rd 2013, 14:29 GMT

Colin Turkington won the second British Touring Car race at Croft in tricky conditions to take his second success of the day

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

LEMANS: Strakka: Le Mans transforms season

By Scott Mitchell

Sunday, June 23rd 2013, 15:21 GMT

Danny Watts believes Strakka's LMP1 privateer win in the Le Mans 24 Hours has transformed the team's World Endurance Championship battle with Rebellion

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

SSTARS: Vanthoor hands win to Morbidelli

By Andrew van Leeuwen

Sunday, June 23rd 2013, 15:24 GMT

Gianni Morbidelli took maximum points away from Zolder, after his Audi Sport Italia team-mate Laurens Vanthoor purposely surrendered a healthy lead in the second Superstars International Series race

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

BTCC: Turkington gives new BMW first pole

By Kevin Turner

Saturday, June 22nd 2013, 15:28 GMT

Colin Turkington gave WSR's NGTC BMW its first British Touring Car pole by topping a dramatic qualifying session at Croft

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

WRC: Ogier claims victory in Italy

By Matt Beer

Saturday, June 22nd 2013, 15:21 GMT

Sebastien Ogier extended his World Rally Championship lead to 64 points as he wrapped up a fourth maximum score by winning Rally Italy

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

SSTARS: Morbidelli and Audi on pole at Zolder

By Andrew van Leeuwen

Saturday, June 22nd 2013, 15:31 GMT

Gianni Morbidelli took his and Audi Sport Italia's first pole position of the 2013 Superstars International Series season with a dominant performance at Zolder

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Horner declines to criticise FIA verdict

By Jonathan Noble

Friday, June 21st 2013, 14:29 GMT

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has welcomed the fact that the FIA Tribunal confirmed Mercedes broke the rules in testing its 2013 Formula 1 car - but has drawn short of saying whether the penalty handed to the team was enough

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

SSTARS: Schiattarella back to Superstars

By Jamie O'Leary

Friday, June 21st 2013, 14:45 GMT

Ex-Formula 1 driver Domenico Schiattarella will return to the Superstars Series at Zolder this weekend after a three-year lay-off

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

WRC: Ogier extends lead as Neuville stars

By Matt Beer

Friday, June 21st 2013, 15:38 GMT

Sebastien Ogier stormed into a 42-second Rally Italy lead on Friday afternoon, as Thierry Neuville starred

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

LEMANS: Toyota could stretch fuel advantage

By Gary Watkins

Thursday, June 20th 2013, 15:24 GMT

The Toyota TS030 HYBRIDs could go two laps further between fuel stops than the rival Audi R18 e-tron quattros in this weekend's Le Mans 24 Hours

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

RALLYX: DRR to enter Los Angeles X Games

Thursday, June 20th 2013, 15:48 GMT

Dreyer & Reinbold's first programme since suspending its IndyCar effort will be to run a car in the Global Rallycross element of the Los Angeles X Games in August.

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

Find out more about FIA European Rallycross with our 2013 season guide

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

WRC: Andersson cautious on WRC return

By David Evans

Thursday, June 20th 2013, 15:49 GMT

PG Andersson insists his focus is firmly on the finish of Rally Italy as the Swede returns to World Rally Car competition

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

LEMANS: Lotus LMP2 team in court case

By Gary Watkins

Wednesday, June 19th 2013, 12:09 GMT

The German Lotus LMP2 squad is going to court this afternoon in order to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend.

The team is looking to overturn a court order that resulted in key parts of its pair of Lotus-Praga T128 LMP2 prototypes being seized on Tuesday after an unnamed supplier took action against the squad.

The court case in the city of Le Mans is due at 3pm local time. Team sources are hopeful that a successful resolution would allow the two Lotuses to take to the track in free practice, which runs from 4 to 8pm.

Suspension components, gearboxes and the steering wheels were taken from the team's pit in Le Mans by bailiffs at 5pm on Tuesday.

It is understood that the court order alleged non-payment of bills, something that team sources have denied.

A statement will be issued by the team in the wake of the hearing.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Indian GP slams 'malicious' rumours

By Pablo Elizalde

Wednesday, June 19th 2013, 13:37 GMT

Indian Grand Prix organisers have dismissed "baseless and malicious" rumours that the event could be in doubt after its 2014 edition

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Bottas: Canada reinvigorated Williams

By Edd Straw and Matt Beer

Wednesday, June 19th 2013, 14:36 GMT

Valtteri Bottas says his third place on the Canadian Grand Prix grid changed the atmosphere in the struggling Williams team.

The multiple title-winning squad has yet to score a point in 2013, and despite Bottas's qualifying performance, that situation remained after Montreal as he slumped to 14th in the race.

But the Finn said his Saturday speed seemed to remind Williams of its glory days.

"It's been such a difficult start. When I came back from the press conference after qualifying, they seemed like different people," Bottas said.

"It was very good. It reminds the team what the feeling is when you have a good result.

"That's what we're here for, and I hope it encourages the team to push even harder than before.

"For me motivation has never been a problem, but it was nice and I'll definitely work very, very hard to get back there one day."

Bottas said the race disappointment did not overshadow what he had achieved in qualifying.

"We have to take [qualifying] as a positive and it's something I will never forget," he said.

"You could see the mood in the team was just a different feeling after that.

"We need to remember the good bits of the weekend."

He also said he felt much more at home among the frontrunners.

"It would have been nicer to be on pole... But yeah, it was much better like that," said Bottas.

"You know that you have all the experienced guys around you and you know all of them are thinking about the whole race.

"It felt really comfortable there. I could get used to it."

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1: Lotus sells stake to investment group

By Jonathan Noble

Tuesday, June 18th 2013, 14:35 GMT

Lotus owner Genii Capital has sold a 35 per cent stake in the team to new investor Infinity Racing.

After a long-running effort to find suitable partners, Genii boss Gerard Lopez has agreed that the Infinity Racing group - made up of private investors from America, Abu Dhabi and an unidentified oil producing nation – will take a minority shareholding.

Lopez will remain chairman of the Lotus team, with Eric Lux, who is CEO of Genii Capital, continuing on the team's Board of Directors.

Speaking about the move, Lux said: "As Lotus F1 Team results have continued to improve every year, we have been waiting for the right investor who will help make the jump to the top spot in the constructors' championship.

"In Infinity Racing, we have found a partner with the right connections in addition to technological expertise and a global reach in major markets with key sponsors to achieve this goal.

"We look forward to working with Infinity Racing as we continue on this exciting journey."

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

LEMANS: Le Mans 'much harder than Monaco'

Tuesday, June 18th 2013, 11:21 GMT

Karun Chandhok believes the Le Mans 24 Hours poses a more formidable challenge than racing on the streets of Monaco.

The Indian scored one of five career GP2 podiums in the principality in 2008, before equalling his best Formula 1 finish when he guided his HRT to 14th in the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix.

After switching into the World Endurance Championship, Chandhok made his Le Mans debut last year - becoming the first Indian to contest the endurance classic - and finished fifth overall for the JRM LMP1 squad. He will return this year with P2 outfit Murphy Prototypes.

"I'm very excited to be back at Le Mans," Chandhok said.

"This race is certainly right up there [with] the Monaco F1 GP in terms of prestige but in terms of getting a result it's much harder I think.

"It's such a long race and certainly feels like a very long 24 hours hoping that the car runs reliably.

"Racing here last year, and being the first Indian to compete in and finish the historic 24 hours, was one of the highlights of my career."

Chandhok said his move down to LMP2 this year will boost his chances of victory, even though 22 cars are entered in the class.

"Last year I was in the LMP1 class, but the problem is that only the two manufacturer teams have a chance of winning," he explained.

"In LMP2, you have a real chance of fighting for a class victory as every team is a privateer outfit."

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

NASCAR: Villeneuve joins Phoenix for Sonoma

By Sam Morgan

Tuesday, June 18th 2013, 15:28 GMT

Jacques Villeneuve will compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway this weekend.

The 1997 Formula 1 world champion will step into the #51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet for NASCAR's first road course event of the season.

It will be Villeneuve's first appearance in NASCAR's premier series since 2010, when he finished 29th at Indianapolis.

"We wanted to put a driver in our #51 Chevrolet who would give us the best chance to win at Sonoma Raceway," said Phoenix Racing team owner James Finch.

"When the opportunity came up to have someone like Jacques Villeneuve in our car, we were very happy to make that happen."

Villeneuve has competed in various road course events in the Nationwide Series, but this will be his first foray into non-oval racing at Cup level.

The 42-year-old came within a whisker of winning the Nationwide race at Montreal last year, but was passed by Justin Allgaier on the final lap and dropped to third.

Phoenix Racing led two laps at Sonoma last year with Kurt Busch, who eventually finished third.

Subscribe to Premier Sports TV to watch all Sprint Cup events live in the UK. Visit www.premiersports.tv for more information.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More