Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Alguersuari treating GP as test
Formula 1's youngest ever rookie Jaime Alguersuari says that he will treat today's Hungarian Grand Prix as an extended test session, as he seeks to gain more track time for Scuderia Toro Rosso.
The 19-year-old Spaniard admitted after qualifying that he was still some way from his limit and that the 82 laps he completed during Friday's testing took a physical toll on him.
But the reigning British F3 champion added that he had been happy with his progress so far, despite an engine problem in qualifying relegating him to last on the grid.
"I feel free," said Alguersuari. "Free of charge and I feel this is testing. Tomorrow there are 19 cars which are racing and one that is testing, which is me. I have this philosophy.
"In qualifying I was not nervous because I knew what I could do. I knew if I was not doing a good enough job. I am learning. But I did a good job so I am happy."
By qualifying for the Hungarian GP, Alguersuari became the youngest person ever to do so, but he said this record was not important.
"It means nothing to be the youngest driver to drive F1 cars," he said. "It means a lot to be that close in the times, in means a lot to do a good performance, which with such a short time in the business is a good thing. Obviously being the youngest ever F1 driver, you can come here and crash at the first lap, it means nothing.
"I have reached my first target which was no mistakes through practice and qualifying, the next one is to finish the race. Then I want to keep making steps up until one day I hope to win the championship."
The 19-year-old Spaniard admitted after qualifying that he was still some way from his limit and that the 82 laps he completed during Friday's testing took a physical toll on him.
But the reigning British F3 champion added that he had been happy with his progress so far, despite an engine problem in qualifying relegating him to last on the grid.
"I feel free," said Alguersuari. "Free of charge and I feel this is testing. Tomorrow there are 19 cars which are racing and one that is testing, which is me. I have this philosophy.
"In qualifying I was not nervous because I knew what I could do. I knew if I was not doing a good enough job. I am learning. But I did a good job so I am happy."
By qualifying for the Hungarian GP, Alguersuari became the youngest person ever to do so, but he said this record was not important.
"It means nothing to be the youngest driver to drive F1 cars," he said. "It means a lot to be that close in the times, in means a lot to do a good performance, which with such a short time in the business is a good thing. Obviously being the youngest ever F1 driver, you can come here and crash at the first lap, it means nothing.
"I have reached my first target which was no mistakes through practice and qualifying, the next one is to finish the race. Then I want to keep making steps up until one day I hope to win the championship."
Friday, 24 July 2009
Alguersuari to prove himself
Formula One rookie Jaime Alguersuari goes into Friday’s two practice sessions in Hungary determined to prove that he deserves his place with Toro Rosso, after his arrival as Sebastien Bourdais’ replacement received a cautious welcome from his peers on Thursday.
The 19-year old Spaniard, whose name is pronounced ‘Heimi Al-gay-shuari’, raised a few eyebrows when he revealed that he has only done two straight-line tests in a Formula One car.
“To be honest, I have done just two aero tests,” he said. “For sure I am really happy to be here, to learn the car and learn a new situation but at the end it is just another car for me, another car in my racing career, in my life. I am very happy to drive and I am looking forward to it.
“I know this track. I raced here before. I am quite lucky for that. I know more or less all of the tracks in Europe but obviously the overseas ones I don’t know them really, like Japan, Singapore and Brazil, so for sure it is a good year to learn the tracks in Formula One as well."
He is the reigning British Formula Three champion, and the latest graduate from Red Bull’s young driver programme, but his peers are concerned that he has not actually done a full test session in a Formula One car.
“I started when I was 20,” said championship leader Jenson Button, “and I had done a fair bit of testing. It’s difficult, isn’t it? If you are offered an opportunity to race in F1, you are going to take it. But it could destroy his career if it goes badly. If it goes well, fantastic. But it’s a knife edge.”
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton agreed.
“When Juan Pablo Montoya left McLaren in 2006 there was a chance I would do the last three races but at that time I had only done straight-line running and that would have been the worst move of my career,” he said. “Before my debut I did eight solid tests. Formula One is difficult, and it takes preparation to build the confidence that you need to drive a car well.”
German Grand Prix winner Mark Webber was also sceptical. "I've never been a big fan of Formula One being a learning school but it seems like it is these days," the Australian said. "When you arrive in F1 you should be ready. It's not a place to learn. Anyway, some guys are doing that but it's harder without testing these days. I think we're going to see a bit more of it."
There was support from Alguersuari’s other Red Bull stablemate Sebastian Vettel, however, who made his Formula One debut at Indianapolis in 2007 aged 19. He blamed the system.
"I heard Mark was not so pleased about the fact that Jaime is driving this weekend," the German said. "I think in the end if there is anything to criticise then I think it is the rules. As you can see, you end up having a situation that a driver is entering F1 without having done a single test. So I think it is extremely difficult for young drivers, independent from their age, the next generation, to get to F1 as you have no chance to prove yourself. You have only one or two days.
"If you start skiing, you know how hard it is after one or two days to really know what is going on for instance. Therefore, I wish him all the best and I think he has enough time, but for sure it is not the easiest way to go.
"In the end you have to find your own way, and I think there is more than one person who gave him advice to just take his time. That is the most important thing. If he is really quick enough or not, you can't really tell by one race. It will come or it doesn't. Every other driver has made this experience in their own way."
The 19-year old Spaniard, whose name is pronounced ‘Heimi Al-gay-shuari’, raised a few eyebrows when he revealed that he has only done two straight-line tests in a Formula One car.
“To be honest, I have done just two aero tests,” he said. “For sure I am really happy to be here, to learn the car and learn a new situation but at the end it is just another car for me, another car in my racing career, in my life. I am very happy to drive and I am looking forward to it.
“I know this track. I raced here before. I am quite lucky for that. I know more or less all of the tracks in Europe but obviously the overseas ones I don’t know them really, like Japan, Singapore and Brazil, so for sure it is a good year to learn the tracks in Formula One as well."
He is the reigning British Formula Three champion, and the latest graduate from Red Bull’s young driver programme, but his peers are concerned that he has not actually done a full test session in a Formula One car.
“I started when I was 20,” said championship leader Jenson Button, “and I had done a fair bit of testing. It’s difficult, isn’t it? If you are offered an opportunity to race in F1, you are going to take it. But it could destroy his career if it goes badly. If it goes well, fantastic. But it’s a knife edge.”
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton agreed.
“When Juan Pablo Montoya left McLaren in 2006 there was a chance I would do the last three races but at that time I had only done straight-line running and that would have been the worst move of my career,” he said. “Before my debut I did eight solid tests. Formula One is difficult, and it takes preparation to build the confidence that you need to drive a car well.”
German Grand Prix winner Mark Webber was also sceptical. "I've never been a big fan of Formula One being a learning school but it seems like it is these days," the Australian said. "When you arrive in F1 you should be ready. It's not a place to learn. Anyway, some guys are doing that but it's harder without testing these days. I think we're going to see a bit more of it."
There was support from Alguersuari’s other Red Bull stablemate Sebastian Vettel, however, who made his Formula One debut at Indianapolis in 2007 aged 19. He blamed the system.
"I heard Mark was not so pleased about the fact that Jaime is driving this weekend," the German said. "I think in the end if there is anything to criticise then I think it is the rules. As you can see, you end up having a situation that a driver is entering F1 without having done a single test. So I think it is extremely difficult for young drivers, independent from their age, the next generation, to get to F1 as you have no chance to prove yourself. You have only one or two days.
"If you start skiing, you know how hard it is after one or two days to really know what is going on for instance. Therefore, I wish him all the best and I think he has enough time, but for sure it is not the easiest way to go.
"In the end you have to find your own way, and I think there is more than one person who gave him advice to just take his time. That is the most important thing. If he is really quick enough or not, you can't really tell by one race. It will come or it doesn't. Every other driver has made this experience in their own way."
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Ascanelli On The STR4’s Progress In 2009
In the run up to the race at the Hungaroring our Technical Director gives us his take on the season so far and tells us what we can look forward to in terms of car upgrades…
We seem to have slid to the back of the grid over the past few races. Why?
Giorgio Ascanelli: “There are several factors why our performance hasn’t matched up to what it was in the second half of last season. The first is that the drivers are very important and last year, Vettel matured enormously, getting over the difficult phase every young driver does, not understanding why he was fast or slow. A second factor was that last year, within the limits of our own capabilities, we went down a different route to Red Bull Racing, particularly with suspension and the braking system that was different to their car. The third point is that last year we were racing in an era where the technical rules had been more or less stable for a decade so performance levels flatten out, making it harder to come up with something new. This year, the pace of development has speeded up enormously and as a small team, we have been unable to keep up with that. Today, Red Bull for example is producing large steps forward in development on a monthly basis. We cannot do that as we don’t have the manpower. Furthermore, with a young and inexperienced driver like Buemi, when we do introduce changes, it is naturally harder for him to adapt to those changes.”
Is that a criticism of Buemi?
GA: “Absolutely not: to date, he has taken part in just nine grands prix and in four of those he retired early. Add in the fact there is no testing and he is getting very little time in the car. When a young driver first comes into F1, he is like a daredevil, taking risks, but as his understanding increases and he suffers a few set backs, it knocks his confidence which then has to be rebuilt. We cannot expect him to learn any faster: he is trying his best and doing a good job. Remember that when Vettel came to us, he had done one year as a third driver for BMW and had even taken part in one Grand Prix, but he could do no better than qualify eighteenth for us in his first race… in Hungary.”
We’ve been talking about this technical upgrade for weeks now. What is it?
GA: “In Hungary we have a major upgrade, which includes the floor, rear wing, rear wing endplates, a nose which has had to pass a new impact test, new brake ducts etc. – pretty much the whole damn lot! We’ve worked our hardest to get this modification package and to do it this year is much harder than the work we did last year.”
But don’t you just get all the new bits from Red Bull Technology in the UK?
GA: “There is a view that the only difference between our car and the Red Bull Racing one is the engine, but that is inaccurate. It involves the engine, gearbox, clutch, hydraulic system, water, oil and electrical systems; and all this on top of the actual aero parts in terms of bodywork. The further complication is that, although we have not run it, our car was designed so that it could incorporate the Ferrari KERS system and that is very different to the one used by Renault, around which the RB5 was designed. Therefore, we are not in a “cut and paste” situation when it came to getting the parts. It was not a case of getting a drawing from Red Bull Technology and simply manufacturing it. The two cars might look the same but if you try and fit the bodywork from one on the other, it would not fit. The rear suspension is also different because, in order to maintain the same wheelbase, it needed a different arrangement.”
Will it bring a performance advantage?
GA: “I will tell you once we’ve run it at the race track.”
If you had to situate our car in Hungary specification with Red Bull Racing’s development, where would it be?
GA: “It would be a package equivalent to the one they introduced at the British Grand Prix.”
Will it be good enough to score points?
GA: “That depends how far forward the other teams have gone, because nothing stays still in this sport. It’s not as simple as saying ‘last year we made a technical step forward for the second half of the year and performed well so the same thing will happen again.’ Last year, the Italian media was keen for me to puff out my chest and say ‘oh yes, I am very clever and I have managed to outperform our Red Bull cousins,’ but the simple answer about the end of last year is that Vettel is a great driver. I wasn’t a genius last year, but I don’t think I am an idiot this year!”
We seem to have slid to the back of the grid over the past few races. Why?
Giorgio Ascanelli: “There are several factors why our performance hasn’t matched up to what it was in the second half of last season. The first is that the drivers are very important and last year, Vettel matured enormously, getting over the difficult phase every young driver does, not understanding why he was fast or slow. A second factor was that last year, within the limits of our own capabilities, we went down a different route to Red Bull Racing, particularly with suspension and the braking system that was different to their car. The third point is that last year we were racing in an era where the technical rules had been more or less stable for a decade so performance levels flatten out, making it harder to come up with something new. This year, the pace of development has speeded up enormously and as a small team, we have been unable to keep up with that. Today, Red Bull for example is producing large steps forward in development on a monthly basis. We cannot do that as we don’t have the manpower. Furthermore, with a young and inexperienced driver like Buemi, when we do introduce changes, it is naturally harder for him to adapt to those changes.”
Is that a criticism of Buemi?
GA: “Absolutely not: to date, he has taken part in just nine grands prix and in four of those he retired early. Add in the fact there is no testing and he is getting very little time in the car. When a young driver first comes into F1, he is like a daredevil, taking risks, but as his understanding increases and he suffers a few set backs, it knocks his confidence which then has to be rebuilt. We cannot expect him to learn any faster: he is trying his best and doing a good job. Remember that when Vettel came to us, he had done one year as a third driver for BMW and had even taken part in one Grand Prix, but he could do no better than qualify eighteenth for us in his first race… in Hungary.”
We’ve been talking about this technical upgrade for weeks now. What is it?
GA: “In Hungary we have a major upgrade, which includes the floor, rear wing, rear wing endplates, a nose which has had to pass a new impact test, new brake ducts etc. – pretty much the whole damn lot! We’ve worked our hardest to get this modification package and to do it this year is much harder than the work we did last year.”
But don’t you just get all the new bits from Red Bull Technology in the UK?
GA: “There is a view that the only difference between our car and the Red Bull Racing one is the engine, but that is inaccurate. It involves the engine, gearbox, clutch, hydraulic system, water, oil and electrical systems; and all this on top of the actual aero parts in terms of bodywork. The further complication is that, although we have not run it, our car was designed so that it could incorporate the Ferrari KERS system and that is very different to the one used by Renault, around which the RB5 was designed. Therefore, we are not in a “cut and paste” situation when it came to getting the parts. It was not a case of getting a drawing from Red Bull Technology and simply manufacturing it. The two cars might look the same but if you try and fit the bodywork from one on the other, it would not fit. The rear suspension is also different because, in order to maintain the same wheelbase, it needed a different arrangement.”
Will it bring a performance advantage?
GA: “I will tell you once we’ve run it at the race track.”
If you had to situate our car in Hungary specification with Red Bull Racing’s development, where would it be?
GA: “It would be a package equivalent to the one they introduced at the British Grand Prix.”
Will it be good enough to score points?
GA: “That depends how far forward the other teams have gone, because nothing stays still in this sport. It’s not as simple as saying ‘last year we made a technical step forward for the second half of the year and performed well so the same thing will happen again.’ Last year, the Italian media was keen for me to puff out my chest and say ‘oh yes, I am very clever and I have managed to outperform our Red Bull cousins,’ but the simple answer about the end of last year is that Vettel is a great driver. I wasn’t a genius last year, but I don’t think I am an idiot this year!”
Alguersuari to Toro Rosso
Toro Rosso have announced that Red Bull reserve driver Jaime Alguersuari will race for the team at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix and for the rest of the 2009 season. Alguersuari replaces Sebastien Bourdais, who parted company with the Italian squad last week.
At 19, the Spaniard will become the youngest-ever driver in the 59-year history of the Formula One world championship when he takes to the track at Budapest’s Hungaroring.
“I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula One,” he said. “Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid.
“I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula One is never easy, coming into Formula One in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult. But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers.”
Born in Barcelona, Alguersuari is the reigning British Formula Three champion and was competing in the World Series by Renault championship this year before being called on to make his Formula One debut.
Over the past few years he as made his way through the ranks of Red Bull’s young driver programme and, as a result, already knows Sebastien Buemi, his new team mate at Toro Rosso, well.
Explaining his choice of driver, team principal Franz Tost said: “Red Bull’s stated aim for Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its young driver programme. We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.
“I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban. But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula One environment.”
At 19, the Spaniard will become the youngest-ever driver in the 59-year history of the Formula One world championship when he takes to the track at Budapest’s Hungaroring.
“I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula One,” he said. “Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid.
“I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula One is never easy, coming into Formula One in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult. But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers.”
Born in Barcelona, Alguersuari is the reigning British Formula Three champion and was competing in the World Series by Renault championship this year before being called on to make his Formula One debut.
Over the past few years he as made his way through the ranks of Red Bull’s young driver programme and, as a result, already knows Sebastien Buemi, his new team mate at Toro Rosso, well.
Explaining his choice of driver, team principal Franz Tost said: “Red Bull’s stated aim for Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its young driver programme. We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.
“I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban. But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula One environment.”
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Monday, 20 July 2009
Alguersuari claims Toro Rosso drive
Jaime Alguersuari will become the youngest Formula 1 driver in history in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix after Toro Rosso confirmed the young Spaniard as Sebastien Bourdais’ replacement on Monday morning.
The 19-year-old reigning British F3 champion had been expected to step up from his newly-held position as Red Bull’s reserve driver from the Hungaroring for several weeks following intense speculation over Bourdais’ future.
And after the Frenchman was officially dropped on Thursday, Alguersuari has now been given the nod to compete at the Hungaroring alongside fellow STR young gun Sebastien Buemi.
The delighted Spaniard acknowledges he faces a tough F1 baptism coming in during the middle of the season without any testing, but feels he is in the right environment to learn the ropes quickly.
“I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula 1," Alguersuari said.
"Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid. "
"I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula 1 is never easy, coming into Formula 1 in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult.
"But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers.”
STR team boss Franz Tost says Alguersuari was given the drive as he is currently the most mature driver on Red Bull's young driver books, adding that he expects it to take at least three races for the teenager to get fully up to speed.
“Red Bull’s stated aim for Scuderia Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its Young Driver Programme," he said.
"We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.
"I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban.
"But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula 1 environment.”
Alguersuari – who claimed the title of the youngest ever British F3 champion last year – will succeed Mike Thackwell as F1’s youngest driver, the New Zealander having made his debut at 19 years, five months and 29 days in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix.
While Alguersuari was confirmed in the statement as simply the ‘new’ STR driver, it remains to be seen whether he will compete in all of the season’s remaining eight races.
World Rally legend Sebastien Loeb has been heavily linked to a drive for the final round of the campaign in Abu Dhabi on November 1.
Alguersuari’s promotion also means that Red Bull will have change its reserve driver for both of its Formula 1 teams for the third time this season, after also using Brendon Hartley and David Coulthard.
The 19-year-old reigning British F3 champion had been expected to step up from his newly-held position as Red Bull’s reserve driver from the Hungaroring for several weeks following intense speculation over Bourdais’ future.
And after the Frenchman was officially dropped on Thursday, Alguersuari has now been given the nod to compete at the Hungaroring alongside fellow STR young gun Sebastien Buemi.
The delighted Spaniard acknowledges he faces a tough F1 baptism coming in during the middle of the season without any testing, but feels he is in the right environment to learn the ropes quickly.
“I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula 1," Alguersuari said.
"Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid. "
"I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula 1 is never easy, coming into Formula 1 in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult.
"But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers.”
STR team boss Franz Tost says Alguersuari was given the drive as he is currently the most mature driver on Red Bull's young driver books, adding that he expects it to take at least three races for the teenager to get fully up to speed.
“Red Bull’s stated aim for Scuderia Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its Young Driver Programme," he said.
"We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.
"I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban.
"But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula 1 environment.”
Alguersuari – who claimed the title of the youngest ever British F3 champion last year – will succeed Mike Thackwell as F1’s youngest driver, the New Zealander having made his debut at 19 years, five months and 29 days in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix.
While Alguersuari was confirmed in the statement as simply the ‘new’ STR driver, it remains to be seen whether he will compete in all of the season’s remaining eight races.
World Rally legend Sebastien Loeb has been heavily linked to a drive for the final round of the campaign in Abu Dhabi on November 1.
Alguersuari’s promotion also means that Red Bull will have change its reserve driver for both of its Formula 1 teams for the third time this season, after also using Brendon Hartley and David Coulthard.
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