Although their rivals are already tweaking their new cars after testing last week, Force India are yet to unveil their 2009 challenger. But on Friday the team revealed that they are on target to debut the VJM02 during testing in early March, ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix later in the month.

As well as adjusting to 2009’s extensive regulation changes, Force India have also switched from an engine supply deal with Ferrari to a new technical partnership with McLaren. And with the engine and gearbox contract only agreed in November, the team have been working flat out ever since to accommodate the late change of plan.

“The deal took quite a while to do and therefore the announcement and the opportunity to start work was late, especially considering the package included such fundamental items such as the gearbox,” technical director James Key told the team’s official website. “It’s obviously very tight, because of what we’ve had to do. But the plan is to hit the last two official team tests before the season.”

Although modifying the car's design to incorporate a new gearbox and engine has been a complicated process, Key has clearly relished the challenge and has been pleased with how smooth the transition has been.

“We had to determine how compatible the existing designs were,” he added. “In some areas it was fairly straightforward. Some areas of the car matched very well with the new packaging requirements we had, while in other areas it was significantly different.

“I think it’s just getting everything together. McLaren have been absolutely excellent, they understand that we’ve had a lot of work to do in a short time. They’ve been extremely supportive, very helpful.”

And if Force India's progress continues at the same rate throughout February, the VJM02 is expected to hit the track for the first time on March 1 at a multi-team test at the Spanish circuit of Jerez.

source: www.formula1.com

When Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi takes to the track in Melbourne in March, he’ll be the 25th Swiss driver to participate in a Grand Prix weekend. Given that motorsport was banned in the country for much of the 20th century, Switzerland has proved a surprisingly fertile breeding ground for driving talent over the years. We take a look at who Buemi will be aiming to emulate…

Clay Regazzoni
Regazzoni was by far the most successful Swiss-born Formula One driver. After memorably taking fourth place on his F1 debut - for Ferrari - at the 1970 Dutch Grand Prix, he scored a maiden win at Monza just four rounds later. His remains one of the all-time best debut seasons and Enzo Ferrari duly rewarded him with a permanent contract for 1971.

But Regazzoni had to wait until 1974 to score a follow-up win. It came at the Nurburgring, during a season in which he recorded a further seven podiums. In fact, going into the championship finale at Watkins Glen, he was just one point shy of leader Emerson Fittipaldi and was within a hair’s breadth of the title.

Unfortunately for Switzerland, an ill-handling Ferrari ultimately saw Regazzoni lose out to the Brazilian, but to this day it remains the closest a Swiss driver has come to winning the drivers’ crown. It also proved to be the best campaign of Regazzoni’s career. Though he won a further two Grands Prix for the team, he was eventually dropped by Ferrari in 1977.

He found a seat at Ensign, and then Williams, for whom he scored the team's first - and his last - F1 victory at the 1979 British Grand Prix. But at Long Beach the following season he crashed following a suspected brake failure and was left paralysed from the waist down. While it ended his Formula One career, he did go on to race a variety of other machinery using hand controls, as well as finding a new calling as an F1 commentator. His untimely death came, ironically, in a road accident in 2006.

Jo Siffert
Apart from Regazzoni, former motorcycle racer Siffert - ‘or Seppi’ as he was affectionately known - remains the only other Swiss driver to have won a Grand Prix. He made his Formula One debut as a private entrant, driving a Lotus-Climax, in 1962. After two years spent honing his craft, he joined the Rob Walker team. It was a relationship that would last six years and culminate in a win at the 1968 British Grand Prix.

Siffert continued to combine Formula One with a highly successful sportscar career for Porsche. In 1971 he took a second F1 victory in Austria driving for BRM, but it would prove to be his last. Whilst competing in a non-championship race at Brands Hatch later that season, he crashed and died in the flames that engulfed his wrecked car. He was just 35, but the estimated 50,000 countrymen who attended his funeral served as proof of the iconic status he had already attained in his homeland.

Marc Surer
Celebrated for his performances in the wet, Marc Surer’s best F1 finish from an eight-season career was a remarkable fourth place - he started the race 18th - for Ensign at the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix. Despite enduring serious leg injuries in two heavy accidents, he fought back to match that result with Brabham in 1985 at Monza, but he never quite made the podium and 13th was his best finish in the drivers’ championship. His racing career ended the following year with a rallying crash that claimed the life of his co-driver. Since then Surer has continued his long-term association with BMW, enjoying roles in management, driver instruction and TV commentating.

The best of the rest
Another driver of unfulfilled promise was Rudolf ‘Rudi’ Fischer, who clinched two podiums in privately-entered Ferraris in the early 1950s, before retiring at the age of 40 after an eight-race career.

Beyond Fischer, only two other men have scored world championship points for Switzerland. Emmanuel ‘Toulo’ de Graffenried, who appeared in the first-ever world championship round at Silverstone in 1950, racked up nine with the best result of his 22-race career a fourth place at Spa in 1953. And Silvio Moser managed three from his 12 starts, courtesy of a fifth place in the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix and a sixth at Watkins Glen the following year.

The most recent Swiss driver to race in Formula One was Jean-Denis Deletraz. Now well established in the FIA GT series, Delatraz finished (in 15th place) just one of his three Grands Prix for Larrousse and Pacific back in 1994/95. Since then the nearest Switzerland has come to claiming an F1 star has been Neel Jani’s Friday practice outings for Toro Rosso in 2006, though given his subsequent strong showings in Champ Cars and A1GP, he could yet be a name to watch.

So back to Buemi and - for the time being at least - it looks like the prospects of his emulating his F1 countrymen are not as daunting as those faced by rookies from certain other nations. A Swiss driver has never won the world championship, and with that in mind, Buemi can happily set his career ambitions as high as he wants.

source: www.formula1.com

His stranglehold on the top of the timesheets at this week’s Algarve test will have come as a major boost to Sebastien Buemi’s confidence, even if his rivals were running in 2009 cars, whilst he stayed in Toro Rosso’s ’08 machine. And Buemi will need confidence. Not only is the Swiss driver set to be this season’s only newcomer, he’s also stepping into the seat of rookie extraordinaire, Sebastian Vettel, who took Toro Rosso to their first-ever victory last year. Buemi, however, is taking it all in his stride…

Q: Sebastien, how big a relief was it to be picked for one of the Toro Rosso cockpits?
Sebastien Buemi: I am very happy, it was fantastic - and yet it is almost impossible to describe how it felt when they announced it and I knew that I will drive in Formula One. But at the end of the day it did not change my job so much. For sure, I am a bit more relaxed now and the good thing is I know now that I can start to work to be well prepared for the season.

Q: If it had not happened, what was your Plan B?
SB: I was not thinking of a Plan B to be honest. But Red Bull would have thought about it because they manage me. They would have let me drive again in GP2 or play the part of the third driver. But in reality a third driver doesn’t drive much these days, so I am happy that I will be one of the Toro Rosso drivers in ‘09.

Q: When did they tell you?
SB: It was just a blink before Christmas. It was the best Christmas present imaginable.

Q: As Sebastian Vettel’s replacement, you will fill big shoes. Are you feeling under pressure?
SB: For sure coming just after Vettel is a bit more pressure, but he has improved the team, so my first feeling is that I am grateful to him for this. And of course I will try to do my best to live up to the standards that he has set. The rules have changed a lot so it will be very different anyway. We have to wait for the season start to see where we are and I will do my job in the best way I can. I don’t think too much about what he did or what I should do. For sure, there will be comparisons all year long, but I can live with that.

Q: But surely at the end of the 2009 season you would like to be in the position that he is in now…
SB: For sure I would like to, but to achieve that you have to work very hard - and I am prepared for it. For the moment I have a lot to learn and only after the first couple of races will it become clear where we are performance wise, and if we can repeat last year’s success story.

Q: You were given the chance to complete all four test days at the Algarve track this week. The team’s management must have a lot of confidence in you and it looks like they have big plans for you…
SB: They understand that for a new driver it is really hard to arrive at the first race and be 100 percent ready, so with these four days they are trying to prepare me as well as possible. These four days in the car have given me a lot of self confidence and helped me to understand the whole procedure of pit stops and starts, so that everything comes naturally to me on the grid in Melbourne.

Q: Your team mate is still unconfirmed, although there are two candidates for it - Sebastien Bourdais and Takuma Sato. Do you have a preference?
SB: Not really. Now that I have the cockpit I want to beat my team mate - that is the objective. If it is an experienced guy, he will be a big help in improving the car and I can learn a lot. But as for a preference, no.

Q: Looking at the two candidates, both are indeed experienced drivers. Was that another reason why the team let you test for the past four days?
SB: That was maybe the idea behind (it). If they take someone with experience, he needs less mileage.

Q: Did Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost indicate when the team will make an announcement about the second seat?
SB: No. Their deadline is the Thursday before the (Melbourne) race.

Q: It seemed like you’d set up home at the top of the timesheets in Portimao, driving the ’08 car. But is it nerve racking seeing all your rivals gaining valuable data in their 2009 machines?
SB: Yeah, but what can I do? Only learn the procedures and get as much confidence with an F1 car, so that I can fully concentrate on the new car when it arrives and don’t have to go through standard situations. Red Bull will work before us with the new car and so we will already have a small idea about it. At this test, yes, it was the ’08 car but with low wings in preparation for this season. It is true it is a lot better efficiency-wise, so it is difficult to imagine what the new package will be. The only real thing that we can try is the tyres. After the weather conditions over the past days, some of the others had long faces. But for me it was good as I was able to get a lot of experience in the wet.

Q: So the times that you did are a different matter to the others with their ’09 cars?
SB: The only real comparison for me was the times that Sato and Bourdais did (last year). And it was a good feeling to be ahead of them. And whatever the times were, they are good for the morale of the team and for publicity.

Q: Any idea when the new Toro Rosso will be launched?
SB: I don’t know exactly, but the RB5 will have its first outing on February 9. So I suppose we will get it a bit later.

source: www.formula1.com

With Formula One racing switching from grooved to slick tyres this season, this week’s multi-team test at the Algarve Motor Park should have provided suppliers Bridgestone with plenty of invaluable data. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas.

Five teams were present over the four days, but despite the Portimao location being famed for its hospitable climate, the bulk of the session was affected by wet and windy conditions. It meant most running was done on wet and extreme-wet rubber, with Bridgestone’s two slick compounds seeing precious little action.

"This was a difficult test because of the weather and we learnt that the Algarve does not always live up to its reputation of good conditions,” said Tetsuro Kobayashi, Bridgestone Motorsport’s technical manager. “The rain - and even hailstones - seriously hampered progress.”

The poor conditions only compounded the challenge of running on a newly-built circuit, with the oils coming out of the fresh tarmac making the track surface very slippery, even when the teams did have dry running.

“The track surface is very smooth, just as you would expect of a new facility,” said Kobayashi. “At this test the rain did not help with the grip levels, so in terms of gaining data for us to evaluate, we were at a disadvantage."

Despite Bridgestone’s frustration, Kobayashi was full of praise for the new Algarve facility and remains certain that the forthcoming pre-season tests would allow the Japanese company to successfully complete their development programme before March’s Australian Grand Prix.

"We are confident that there will be sufficient testing for teams before the season starts to enable good, safe, racing,” he said. “Of course, any test days lost means that teams have not been able to test their new cars and continue learning about our slick tyres. However, we will see several more tests before we visit Albert Park."

Bridgestone's Potenza Formula One tyres will next be in use at Jerez in Spain on February 10-13, where six teams are scheduled to test, and in Bahrain on the same dates, where three teams are due to run.

source: www.formula1.com

A week after its official launch, Kimi Raikkonen enjoyed his first taste of Ferrari’s new car on Monday at a private test at Mugello. But despite switching from Portugal’s Algarve Motor Park to their Italian test track, Ferrari still found their running limited by heavy showers.

Nevertheless Raikkonen managed to cover a total of 54 laps in the F60, setting a best time of 1m 34.430s as he continued development of the car ahead of the 2009 season.

The Finn will continue to test at the circuit on Tuesday before handing the car over to team mate Felipe Massa on Wednesday. Massa was charged with giving the F60 its
official shakedown last week.

source:www.formula1.com

McLaren have revealed the car with which Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton will defend his drivers’ crown in 2009. The wraps came off the all-new MP4-24 at the team’s UK base in Woking on Friday.

McLaren hope the car, which will be raced by the unchanged driver line-up of Hamilton and Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen, can take them to their first constructors’ title since 1998, after finishing second to Ferrari last season.

"Well, obviously, I haven't driven it yet,” said Hamilton at the launch, “but there's an old saying in motor racing that says a beautiful car often turns out to be a quick car. And all I can say is that I hope that's right, because I reckon the MP4-24 looks simply sensational. Really beautiful, in fact."

The design of the Mercedes-powered machine incorporates the significant 2009 rule changes - including slick tyres, reduced aerodynamics and the introduction of KERS - and it will run for the first time in testing at Portugal’s Algarve Motor Park next week.

The 2008 aerodynamic regulations were framed by the FIA and the Overtaking Working Group (OWG - headed by McLaren’s engineering director Paddy Lowe, Ferrari's Rory Byrne and Renault's Pat Symonds) which met throughout 2007 to address the issues affecting the difficulties of overtaking in Formula One.

"This year's changes to the bodywork rules are probably the biggest in Formula One's history; and such a comprehensive change is both daunting and thrilling in equal measure,” commented Lowe. “While the new regulations mean it's difficult to predict which teams will be out at the front, we feel confident that we've approached the task wisely and produced a car of which everybody here can feel very proud."

The OWG's influence can be most clearly seen around the MP4-24’s front wing, now wider, and the rear wing - now more compact. Other factors affecting the car’s aerodynamics include the banning of ancillary appendages, the addition of driver-adjustable front-wing flaps and a heavily revised rear diffuser.

"The huge rule changes are really exciting for a driver,” added Hamilton. “The winter months are already quite busy because you're very heavily involved in developing the new car, but this year it will be even more intense. And the whole experience will also feel quite fresh because so much is new. I hope the racing is as close and as exciting as has been predicted because that's always more fun for a driver and fantastic for Formula One's fans."

The MP4-24's KERS device has been developed in collaboration with McLaren and Mercedes- Benz HighPerformanceEngines, which has been developing and refining the system for almost two years. The device enables the car to recover energy under braking, store the energy for a lap and release it when the driver presses a button on the steering wheel.

With a fully optimised KERS device's output capped at 400kJ (discharging 80bhp boost for 6.7s per lap), the development team's primary focus has already shifted to further improving the unit's integration within the chassis in order to minimise performance loss elsewhere within the package. An optimised KERS package can be expected to deliver a 0.3-0.5s gain per lap.

With in-season track testing now prohibited, the MP4-24 will undergo an intensive winter programme prior to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 29, starting at Portimao next week and followed by two more group tests at Jerez in Spain and another in Barcelona.

“The regulatory changes have only increased our ambition to remain at the competitive vanguard,” commented McLaren boss Ron Dennis. “And, for this year, our target is clear: to win both world championships if possible. Lofty aims, I grant you, but we exist to win."

source: www.formula1.com

Toro Rosso have confirmed that Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi will drive for the team in 2009. Buemi, who competed in GP2 last year, was Red Bull Racing's reserve driver in 2008 and has been supported by the Austrian drinks company as a member of its Junior Driver programme since 2005.

“We are delighted to welcome Sebastien, who was already part of the Red Bull family, to our team,” said Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost. “Our engineers have been impressed with his speed in the car and his ability to learn and progress during the testing he has carried out for us last year.

“That, along with some impressive performances in GP2 was enough to convince us to give him the drive. His appointment also fulfils the aims of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme and meets Dietrich Mateschitz’s intention to use Scuderia Toro Rosso as a showcase for young drivers the company has supported in the lower formulae.”

Twenty year-old Buemi first tested for Red Bull in 2007, whilst racing in the Formula Three Euroseries. In 2006, he competed in Formula Three, Formula Renault and the F3 Euroseries, while in 2005 he raced in the Formula BMW series, finishing the season second overall after winning seven events.

“I am naturally very happy to be driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso this year,” he said. “Being a Formula One driver has always been my target, since I first started racing. This year, I will do all I can to bring home the best possible results and to show Red Bull that the confidence it has shown in me is justified. I want to thank Red Bull for this opportunity and for all the help they have given me in my career, dating back to 2005.”

Buemi will make his first outing as an official Toro Rosso driver at a test session to be held at Portugal’s Portimao Circuit later this month.

Toro Rosso have promised an announcement on Buemi's 2009 team mate 'at some point before the Australian Grand Prix'. Their 2008 driver Sebastien Bourdais and former Super Aguri racer Takuma Sato have both spent significant time testing with the team over the winter.

source: www.formula1.com