Volkswagen Says No to F1

The Volkswagen group is not going to enter Formula One.

That is the conclusion on Tuesday of a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

Last month, following speculation the German giant was considering entering F1 with Audi or Porsche branding, it emerged that VW would discuss the possibility during a meeting in early November.

The FAZ newspaper, citing definite but unnamed sources, now says Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech has decided the marque will not be entering F1.

Interestingly, the report said Red Bull and McLaren had expressed their interest in being supplied engines by Volkswagen.

FAZ said VW is still interested in entering the world rally championship, as well as operating two programmes – with Porsche and Audi – at Le Mans.
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Michael Schumacher Slammed by Own Manager

Michael Schumacher has been slammed by his own manager just as his Grand Prix comeback gives every sign of preparing for lift off.

Willi Weber said it would be easier to find a 50-year-old virgin than a sponsor for the legendary racer after a string of lacklustre races.

Michael Schumacher of Germany and Mercedes GP prepares to drive during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 9, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain


But the puzzling outburst came just days ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix where Schumacher’s return appears to have got back on track as he out performed teammate Nico Rosberg in all three practice sessions leading up to qualifying.

The 41-year-old said Mercedes had finally gien him the car he wants.

And the practice session times certainly seem to back that up as he out performed teammate Nico Rosberg in both Friday sessions for the first time this season.

Weber had said: "Sales are not how I expected them to be. There's a certain Schumi-tiredness. People are saying 'my god, where is he driving?' You only know him as a winner.

"In the past the stands were full of Ferrari caps. Now I can count the silver caps with one hand.

"And it is easier to find a 50-year-old virgin than a sponsor for Michael."

Schumacher is 10th in the world championship with 10 points, 50 behind championship leader Jenson Button.

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Mark Webber Wins Spanish Formula One Race

Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing on his way to victory in the 2010 Spanish F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, 09 May 2010.

Webber led from pole to flag, but Hamilton had out-raced Sebastian Vettel in the other Red Bull before a puncture forced the Englishman out.

That promoted Fernando Alonso's Ferrari to second, ahead of Vettel, who also hit trouble in the closing stages.

Mercedes's Michael Schumacher was fourth from Jenson Button's McLaren.

Vettel looked to have lost third place when he ran into problems in the closing laps.

The German came into the pits after running off the track with 12 laps to go following a brake failure, and when he rejoined, he was warned by his team that the problem was "critical" and that he needed to nurse his car to the finish.

Felipe Massa's Ferrari took sixth, just over a second behind Button, while Force India's Adrian Sutil held off the Renault of Robert Kubica for seventh.

Rubens Barrichello was ninth for Williams after driving a superb first lap to jump up from 17th on the grid to 12th, with Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari promoted to 10th by Hamilton's misfortune.

The result has tightened an already close championship battle.

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Ferrari 458 Italia

Ownership of the 458 Italia starts from RM2 million, and Naza Italia already has 14 names in its order book for the car.

The new Ferrari 458 Italia is powered by a new 4.5 liter V8 engine producing 570 horsepower at a mind-boggling 9,000rpm, and 540Nm of torque at 6,000rpm (over 80% of this available from 3,250rpm onwards), thanks to high-revving, a 12.5:1 compression ratio, and direct injection. The torque numbers are pretty darn high for a normally aspirated of this size, thanks to direct injection and the high compression. Ferrari pointed out that out of the 570 total horses, 5 are gained only at higher speeds thanks to a ram air effect.

Power goes to the rear wheels via a new 7-speed dual clutch F1 gearbox. This combination of a V8, a twin clutch, and a dry weight of 1,380kg takes the car up to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds, and the top speed is set at over 325km/h. For those who even bother, fuel consumption is 13.7 liters per 100km on a combined cycle and Ferrari says this is the best in its segment.

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Sauber Unveils F1 Car: C29

Drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro De la Rosa unveiled Sauber's 2010 Formula One car Sunday, with the team confident of being competitive despite its late takeover of BMW Sauber.

Team principal Peter Sauber said he would have preferred not to have returned to F1 in such a prominent role but was left no choice in November but to buy back the team he started and had then sold to BMW.

The changes to the new C-29 car coupled with the ban on refueling -- cars will carry at least 353 pounds more weight -- make it nearly impossible to know if the team's hopes of fighting for points at every race are realistic until it gets on track.

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Mercedes GP Petronas 2010

Mercedes-Benz officials have fresh confirmed that the special start circumstance of the new Mercedes GP Petronas F1 single-seater will be organised at Mercedes-Benz Museum in Unterturkheim, at the end of the next month. Moreover, Michael Schumacher, the latest and most-awaited addition to the drivers' lineup of the new Formula 1 team, will get behind the wheel of the car he'll drive in 2010, for the first time, on February 10th, when the metropolis track FIA tests commence.

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F1 Mercedes-Benz TV commercial

F1 Mercedes-Benz TV commercial - fernando Alonso, Hamilton, Mika Hakkinen




Take a look on http://www.mercedes-benz.tv for more Information about the film incl. Making of

The song calls "I can do anything you can do better", originally performed by ANNIE OAKLEY and FRANK BUTLER

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F1: Fernando Alonso Dreaming of World Title With Ferari

Fernando Alonso said on Sunday that he is already dreaming of winning the world title with Ferrari.

Alonso, 28, is attending the Ferrari World Finals in Valencia this weekend, after Renault allowed the Spaniard to be at the event with his new team.

Alonso will drive for Ferrari from next season but his appearance at the event was in doubt as he still has contractual obligations with Renault until the end of the year.

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Aerodynamics In Car Racing

Aerodynamic efficiency is the goal of all race car designers. It is the most important element in developing a competitive race car.

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