Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel formula auto racing. It consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held on purpose-built circuits or closed city streets, whose results determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors. The cars race at speeds often in excess of 300 km/h (185 mph) with engines that produce, as of 2005, around 950 bhp at just over 19000 rpm.
Whether or not you were young enough - or maybe not even born yet - to not remember the career of arguably the greatest auto racing driver in history, you still owe it to yourself and your love for racing to watch the just-released feature-length documentary of Ayrton Senna.
Regarded with so many superlatives both as a man and as a racer, Ayrton Senna was a larger-than-life character who happened to be the best at what he did: auto racing. The man was charismatic, passionate, and an all-around lighting rod. Unfortunately, he was also a victim of an accident that cost him his life.
Over the past year, the documentary about the greatest racer of all time was being developed and now, the final product is about ready to hit the shelves. Everything you want and need to know about Ayrton Senna is included in the documentary, including his early upbringing in Brazil, his meteoric rise to the top of Formula One, his unbridled rivalry with Alain Prost, and even the fateful afternoon in Imola in 1994 when everything ended so unexpectedly.
Ever the source of important automotive information, Top Gear is front and center in promoting the documentary. The British auto show has a review of it up on their site and in addition to that, the latest issue of the magazine, which will go on sale on May 18, will contain a free preview DVD of the documentary that includes film footage, outtakes, exclusive interviews with Alain Prost and director Asif Kapadia, and so much more.
If there ever was a documentary that puts serious truth to the phrase "must-watch", this one is it.
When Hublot and Formula One struck a partnership last year for the former to serve as the official timepiece maker of the latter, you kind of expected the watchmaker to roll out a slew of special edition timepieces. Since then, we’ve seen a number of limited edition watches from Hublot and now, they’re preparing to release their latest model. It is called the Hublot Formula 1 King Power Ceramic Watch and will only come in a limited run of 500 pieces.
Coming in a matte black ceramic King Power style case measuring 48 mm wide, the watch was given black and red tones with a strap mixed with titanium tones. There’s also a ceramic bezel placed over a carbon fiber plate and a black Nomex strap with red stitching attached to the case. All the elements used on the watch boast of premium quality, something that you would expect from the luxurious and extravagant world of Formula 1.
Aesthetically, it doesn’t get any better than this. It’s one of the best race-themed watches we’ve seen in a long time, and as a special edition, we expect it to be run dry faster than a Red Bull RB7 laps the Nurburgring.
Luxury timepiece-maker Girard Perregaux needs no introduction when it comes to creating some of the most lust-worthy watches in the world. Just like a lot of other luxury timepieces, the company has close ties to auto racing, probably even more than most considering that since 1992 until 2010, the Swiss company has had the late Luigi Macaluso as its president.
The 1972 European Rally Champion and later president of both the Italian Motorsport Federation and the International Karting Federation, Luigi Macaluso had oil and petroleum running through his veins. As one of the most influential figures in auto racing before his passing last year, Macaluso was also fond of high-end driver’s watches, none more so than the products of Girard-Perregaux.
The Swiss watchmaker’s latest creation, the R&D 01, is a chronograph that features inverted push-buttons, dials styled after a car’s gauges, a tough rotating internal bezel, and a crown field that takes the look of a Formula One air intake. The watch actually took more than a few years to build with lengthy time given to research, development, and feedback given by Formula 1 drivers.
In the end, the R&D 01 is exactly what Luigi Macaluso wanted for the perfect driver’s watch: sporty, classy, and functional with a touch of subtle luxury.
In the world of crossover drivers, a lot of people have wondered how a Formula One driver can fare driving a stripped down NASCAR stock car and a NASCAR driver can handle the technology of a Formula One race car. It’s a scenario that we’ve all wondered and now, thanks to Mobil 1, we might find our answer.
The motorsport oil company and sponsor for both the McLaren F1 team and the Stewart-Haas NASCAR team have come out with a marketing campaign that has the Formula One Champion and the 2-time Sprint Cup Winner taking the other driver’s car to see how they can fare in uncharted cockpits. Will Tony Stewart be able to understand the technology employed in the MP4-26? How will Lewis Hamilton react to driving Stewart’s #14 stock car and all the bumps and bruises it’s bound to come in?
These questions will soon be answered in Mobil 1’s running campaign. For now, check out the teaser video to see how the two ace drivers size up each other and their respective rides.
The long and arduous task of building the new world-class, 3.4-mile racetrack in Austin, Texas took a positive turn after track officials officially unveiled the circuit’s name. From here on out, the racetrack will be called the ‘Circuit of the Americas’.
Now that that’s been settled, the important part of actually building the track before it hosts the 2012 Formula One U.S. Grand Prix continues on. Earlier this year, the site from where the track will rise officially broke ground, kicking off a tight and busy 18 months to build the track before it opens to racing.
The Circuit of the Americas will be the latest race track to open in the US, one that is expected to host other racing events apart from Formula One. In fact, executives announced that the track will also host MotoGP starting in 2013. It is still unclear whether the Circuit of the Americas will be the third US track on the MotoGP schedule, or if it will replace the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which does not have a contract set up for 2012 or 2013.
In addition to running 3.4 miles, the circuit also features 20 turns, a 133-feet elevation change, and most importantly for stability and business reasons, a 10-year contract with Formula One.
Seeing as the 2011 F1 seasons just kicked off, it seems like there’s plenty of time for the Circuit of the Americas to be completed. But given how a Formula One season runs as fast as the cars that compete in them, 2012 will be just around the corner in no time.
Let’s just hope that by then, the Circuit of the Americas will have more than just an official name to show for it.
Last year, Red Bull Racing took it upon themselves to preview each and every race of the 2010 Formula One calendar and, as luck would have it, that strategy paid off when the team eventually won both the Driver’s and Constructor’s Championships.
Okay, the two things don’t really have anything to do with each other, but for all we know, those guys are superstitious enough to not mess with a good thing.
So now that the 2011 F1 season is so close - it starts on Sunday March 27th -, the defending champs are at it again, releasing a preview video of the 2011 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne.
It must be noted that even though Red Bull romped to both championships last season, their fortunes at last year’s race in Australia wasn’t as, shall we say, ’champagne-soaked’. While reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel did secure a pole position last year, his race was ultimately cut short after 25 laps due to mechanical failures. As for hometown hero Mark Webber, he had a mediocre 9th place finish in front of his fellow Oz.
How will Vettel, Webber, and the entire F1 grid fare this year? It’s anyone’s guess, really, but with the introduction of the KERS system and the new rear wings that are supposed to provide more overtaking opportunities, we’re willing to bet that the 2011 Formula One season will be as exciting and action-packed as any season we’ve seen in history.
Strap on your seatbelts, fellas! The 2011 Formula One season is just about here!
Ever hear of an antivirus with a V12 engine? It may sound a bit confusing, but that is what you get when you mix software companies and the automotive world. Kaspersky Internet Security has announced the launch of a special Ferrari Edition antivirus to celebrate the Formula One season. This special antivirus has been developed in cooperation with Ferrari and will be available worldwide at the end of March 2011. And here we thought automakers were going to stop at mugs, apparel, and bicycles.
"It’s the first time that Ferrari has co-branded with a software company,” said Kaspersky co-founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky. "Ferrari is co-branded everywhere, with merchandise and clothing in Ferrari stores all over the globe. This is the next step in our partnership; from my point of view Ferrari is perfect for us. It has speed and safety, and in IT security we also are all about speed and safety."
Don’t expect too much of Ferrari in the new program, though. There will only be a new Ferrari-themed user interface and an added Windows desktop gadget.
After the political tensions in Bahrain caused the delay of the 2011 Formula One season, the world’s most prestigious racing series is finally set to turn on the green light at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
While the obvious attractions of the race are the Formula One race cars themselves, a few other tricked out vehicles are gearing up to make their services available for the 2011 season. Serving as the official medical car is the 2012 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Estate. Despite already serving the same role for the past three seasons, the C63 AMG Estate that will be used this year comes with a number of improvements, from a refreshed design, updated technology, and of course, a performance upgrade.
All of these refreshments and upgrades still underlie the car’s official purpose out on the track for all the races of the 2011 Formula One season. It’s there to provide immediate medical assistance for any harrowing crashes and, while all of us are probably united in saying that we hope that we don’t ever get to see this car out on track, it’s always a good idea to have a car as capable as the C63 AMG Estate to be on-call when an accident - or worse, tragedy - strikes.
Details on the Mercedes C63 AMG Estate F1 Medical Car after the jump.
The 2011 Formula One season was supposed to kick off last week in Bahrain, but because of increasing political tensions in the region, the Bahrain Grand Prix was moved to a later schedule, which then bumped the opening race of the season to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 27, 2011.
With the longer wait for the start of the season, Red Bull decided it was the best time to educate Formula One fans on some new technologies in place for the 2011 season, including the use of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) and the ability to adjust the car’s rear wing so as to reduce drag.
In this video, which serves as instructional more than anything else, Red Bull driver Mark Webber describes the benefits of using the KERS system within the race. Whether its an aggressive attempt at an overtake or a defensive tactic to keep a rival behind you, the KERS system provides an added boost of energy on the car’s engine, which in turn could spell the difference between being ahead and trailing the competition. The boost can be used in small doses or all at the same time, either at the start of the race where track position is paramount or in the middle of a heated battle with a rival.
Check out the video for a simple yet fascinating lesson on how the KERS system works in the high-tech and fast-paced world of Formula One.
You could use a steering wheel console with its own pedals, but no matter how you go around it, strapping it on a kitchen table doesn’t do much in the way of realism. What you need, if you’re really after the virtual racing experience, is a racing seat simulator. And not just any seat simulator; it should be one that will not only give you the feel of real-world driving, but is also pretty damn cool. This is the F1 Red Bull Race Game Racing Simulator, or shall we say, your ticket to one of the best possible virtual racing experiences you’ll ever find.
Designed and built by Playseat in collaboration with Red Bull Racing,, the F1 seat was made to take motor sport gaming to a whole new level. It’s a patented racing seat that was built to give the gamer the feeling of sitting in a real cockpit. It has a fully-adjustable Black coated steel framework, a seat that has been upholstered with high-quality leather that’s complemented by black vinyl and a red double stitching design with a matching G27 gearshift support that’s also included.
According to Fernando Smit, the founder of Playseat, the Red Bull Race Game Simulator is the next step in taking realism of virtual racing to new heights. “The time that people raced, perched on a kitchen chair with a racing wheel clamped to the table, have been gone for some time now,” he said.
“But the new Playseat formula takes virtual racing to a completely new level. The interaction with the racing game is unrivaled. The user feels every bump in the road surface. People will experience the race as if they are real racing drivers.”
The simulator is compatible with a number of game consoles, including Playstation2, Playstation3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC and sells for 949 Euros, which is about $1,300 based on current exchange rates.
