Formula One News — January 2011

The launch of the new Sauber C30 at Valencia is, the team hopes, the beginning of an upturn cycle after a difficult 2010 after BMW withdrew from the sport at the end of the previous season. Peter Sauber, Key and Kaltenborn were all on hand in Valencia to give their thoughts on Sauber's season ahead:

In the final unveiling of the day at Valencia, Renault has launched is R31 chassis in the pitlane prior to the three day winter test that starts tomorrow.

At the launch of the new Renault R31 at Valencia today, the team also announced it's new driver lineup, naming Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean as third drivers.

At Valencia this morning, Sauber launched it's new C30 chassis that it hopes will bring improved pace and reliability for the coming season.

Team Lotus has unveiled it's 2011 F1 challenger, the T128, claiming that it is a significantly more aggressive design than last season's chassis and hopes the car will figure strongly in the mid-field.

The new Senna movie has won a prestigious American award at the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Mercedes has released a sneak peak of its 2011 Formula 1 chassis, the W02, before it's first public showing on Tuesday at Valencia.

Ferrari became the first team to unveil its new car for the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship when it pulled the covers off the F150 at Maranello today.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, at the launch of the team's new F150 chassis, says that Ferrari wants to win the championship after all of Italy's heartbreak in losing at the final race last season.

"The first project I did at McLaren was the power-braking system in 1993," recalls new technical director Paddy Lowe. "It was really exciting because we only had six races to invent it, deliver it and race it."

Paddy Lowe, formerly McLaren's engineering director, has been promoted to the role of technical director in a team reshuffle.

Reports from Italy say that authorities have frozen €1.5 million from bank accounts held by Flavio Briatore in Italy and Monaco.

In a move that has been widely anticipated, the Force India F1 team has announced that driver Paul di Resta will join Adrian Sutil for the 2011 season. Nico Hulkenberg has been named as reserve driver.

A question and answer session with Force India's new driver lineup, Adrian Sutil, Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg.

Michael Schumacher's 2011 preparations have not been helped by motion sickness problems affecting his time in the team's simulator, although the team says it is not a major issue.

The High Court in London decided on Monday that the dispute over the use of the Lotus name in F1 racing will go to a full trial starting on 21 March.

Melbourne's Lord Mayor has told Australian newspaper The Herald Sun that the city could become the first to walk away from a grand prix when the current deal with Formula One Management expires in 2015.

Following an exciting year in F1 this past season, Formula One Management announced today that the television audience for Formula 1 increased by 1.3% in 2010.

Frank Williams has issued a statement today that the team will look at making a public stock offering to secure the long-term financial stability and health for the future.

The chairman of the British Racing Drivers' Club, Robert Brooks, has stepped down.

John Button, father of 2009 world champion Jenson, caused a bit of a furore with the Italian police when he reported his Ferrari 550 stolen.

Renault has announced that Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy has been signed as reserve driver for the 2011 season.

Group Lotus is pursuing a summary judgement in the row over the Lotus F1 naming rights, with a hearing scheduled for next Monday, January 24.

Pat Symonds, the man at the centre of the Renault 'Crashgate' scandal with Flavio Briatore, says that he still has a passion for F1 and is keen to get involved once again.

David Richards has said that Prodrive may have another look at Formula 1 when the regulations change in 2013.