The Famous Car in F1

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Posted Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008 by carried

Ferrari

Despite being more than three weeks away from the first Formula 1 race of the 2008 season, Jarno Trulli has already predicted that Ferrari will win the 2008 championship. After testing in the Toyota alongside Ferrari in Bahrain, Trulli declared that "the championship already looks over to me before it has started." The F2008 was noticeably quicker than the competition, posting lap times half a second quicker than even McLaren. Meanwhile, Trulli seemed depressed about the Toyota TF108, saying that it was "unrealistic to talk about podiums."

McLaren

Remember the case of the former Ferrari Formula 1 tech who shared his company's secrets with rival McLaren-Mercedes? The FIA has announced that it has concluded its investigation into that matter and Team McLaren-Mercedes will not be penalized. Formula 1's governing body held an "extraordinary meeting" of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris today and found that although McLaren did in fact have possession of confidential Ferrari material, there was 'insufficient evidence that it had been used in such a way as to interfere improperly with the FIA Formula 1 World Championship'. So no penalty was given to McLaren-Mercedes.

Renault

Last month Renault became the second manufacturer participating in F1 this year to be accused of spying on its competitors. In this case, the Renault team was accused of "unauthorized possession of documents and confidential information" pertaining to McLaren's F1 cars. We recognize the ironic twist of fate that McLaren was accused and convicted of spying on Ferrari last summer and penalized by being stripped of all its constructors' championship points for the 2007 season and fined a record $100,000,000 USD. Today Renault was also found guilty of possessing documents on McLaren's cars that included details about "the McLaren fueling system, gear assembly, oil cooling system, hydraulic control system and a novel suspension component used by the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars." What was Renault's punishment for its crime? Nothing. Though it technically was in breach of article 151c of the International Sporting Code, Renault's getting off scott free. We bet McLaren is none too happy with this verdict considering the heavy penalty its team has paid for their snooping, but the FIA's ruling stands.

BMW

For you F1 fans, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is launching its 2008 challenger live on the team's website, www.bmw-sauber-f1.com. The unveiling happens Monday, January 14 from 12:00 to 12:30 CET. BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld has played down the team's title chances; nevertheless, BMW finished second in last year's Constructor's Championship (due to the exclusion of McLaren), and nearly doubled the next constructor's total. This is also one of the cars that current World Champion Kimi Raikkonen said he would be looking out for. BMW has climbed the charts without a superstar driver, which makes one think, to paraphrase Mars Blackmon, "It's gotta be the car."

Spyker

Spyker's well-publicized tumult continues on its way to some sort of conclusion with news that the F1 team has been sold. The buying consortium includes Michiel Mol, until recently the head of Spyker Cars, his son Jan Mol, and Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya. The F1 team has always operated under financial terms independent of Spyker Cars, and this move should further assure the continuation of the team no matter what happens to the car company.

Toyota

Since starting its F1 team in 2002, Toyota has poured in an unprecedented – although undisclosed – amount of money into its Formula One team. But after five years of lackluster performance, even Toyota's patience – and cash – is beginning to run out. Team principal Tadashi Yamashina revealed in his annual report that the company has given him until 2010 to increase the team's level of performance.

Honda

We just told you about Marco Andretti getting a test with Honda's F1 team, making him the third Andretti to take the wheel in a Formula 1 car. That was in a test last month in Jerez. Now the team has had its first full test of the new 2007 RA 107 at Catalunya and has issued a statement saying they are ready for the new season. OK, what did you expect them to say? The team is playing up its collaboration between the Japanese parent company's engineers and the Formula One engineering stronghold in England. They also are looking forward to a great year from drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

Williams

After McLaren decided to hold an official unveiling of its new car after all, another British grand prix team has decided against it. Hard at work on the new FW30, Williams F1 has opted instead to focus on the car's development rather than making a big spectacle, as is expected of most of its rivals.

Super Aguri

In the fast-paced world of Formula One, teams come and go. Only most of the time, they're just changing names and management (in fact, Ferrari and Williams are the only teams still on the grid that were founded under the same name and same ownership as they remain today). So Jordan Grand Prix, for a most vivid example, became Midland F1 Racing in 2006, then Spyker in 2007 before its metamorphosis into Force India for 2008. Super Aguri was another story. Founded by former racing driver Aguri Suzuki, the team was the first in years to actually put up the bond necessary to start a completely new entry. Unfortunately, the uniquely Japanese-named team never had the money it needed to succeed, and after a little over two years, the team folded. But not before millions upon millions were spent on cars, equipment and everything else.

Comments

by leaness on July 9, 2008, 7:55 am

i love these cars so much!
by reminder87 on July 9, 2008, 8:50 am

I agree black looks good. My two favorite colors for this car are Black and Dark Red. The Cherry color is nice.
by run87 on July 9, 2008, 8:51 am

he didnt pay sticker because it was probably negotiated with nissan for this publicity stunt they got in return.
by sgtpeppers on July 9, 2008, 8:52 am

I know he loaned one of them to that particular dealership to do promotional work and to display in the showroom to help generate interest.
by shelly on July 9, 2008, 8:52 am

I really want to know
by smaxzax on July 9, 2008, 8:54 am

I saw a silver one on the road three weeks ago.