Posts tagged: Bruno Senna

Bahrain 2010 - Free Practice 2 Highlights

Published

By Christine Blachford

Free Practice 2 was a bit busier than the first session of the day, and we even saw a spin, and one car out of the running completely, albeit after the timer hit zero. The full results are available, but here's what happened step by step.


Session Started:

12/03/2010 at 10:30 GMT

Session Ended:

12/03/2010 at 12:42 GMT



  • 10:30

    Hello everyone, welcome back.

  • 10:31

    Let's get straight on with the good stuff. From @MikeGascoyne: Some new aero parts on the car for this afternoon and moving the weight distribution forward. Track will also improve

  • 10:34

    From the BBC live thread earlier, Lee McK: Karun Chanhok is frustratingly watching from the sidelines as his Hispania car won't be ready in time for him to make his F1 bow during first practice... Karun, who lives in Brackley where his local Indian restaurant has named a dish in his honour, really needs to get some running under his belt as this is Hispania's shakedown.

  • 10:37

    For reference, the BBC live thread and video: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8560745.stm. It's not started yet though.

  • 10:39

    From @Marissali: There's a #lotus chassis in the paddock in bubblewrap and a cardboard box... Fresh off. The jet, I imagine :) #F1

  • 10:44

    BBC live thread discussing who they think will win the title: The names mentioned: Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Schumacher and… Adrian Sutil. The colleague who mentioned the Force India driver then changed that prediction to Alonso but the deed is now done and we are holding him to it.

  • 10:46

    Heikki says the problem regarding the burning air is fixed. Eh-hem. http://twitter.com/H_Kovalainen/statuses/10366632849

  • 10:46

    From @redbullf1spy: Air temp 33°C; track temp 48°C before P2. It's hotter than the accumulated temperature of the three winter tests combined…

  • 10:47

    Autosport Live thread now open.

  • 10:52

    A pic of Heikki in the car: http://twitpic.com/182r3m

  • 10:53

    http://twitpic.com/182r3m

  • 10:58

    Maurice says Toro Rosso and other teams struggling with rear tyre wear.

  • 11:00

    Green light is on, Alguesuari out first.

  • 11:03

    Michael Schumacher asked to have the garage switched around when he arrived.

  • 11:05

    Di Grassi is out early this session.

  • 11:06

    Alguersuari sets the first lap time of FP2 - 2:02.757, immediately beaten by Kobayashi.

  • 11:07

    From A-Live: Petrov has a problem with his Renault - the headrest foam has come loose on the main straight and he will be pitting to have that fixed.

  • 11:10

    Button puts down the first realistic benchmark - 1:56.944.

  • 11:12

    Drivers still to come out of the garage - Rosberg, Chandhok, Senna, Glock.

  • 11:15

    Legard on BBC Live: "Bruno Senna finally took the Hispania car out on track during first practice in Bahrain and has reported back that he still needs the cockpit to be made more comfortable - apparently he keeps banging his elbows. He also wants the headrest to be adjusted."

  • 11:15

    Hamilton on the radio: "Rears are destroyed."

  • 11:21

    Williams having a quiet day so far, Nico 5th, Rubens 6th. FP1 leader Sutil down in 8th.

  • 11:21

    From @EliGP: Carabante now says Chandhok could go out in about half an hour

  • 11:23

    Just four drivers out on track, Petrov, Massa, Webber, di Grassi.

  • 11:24

    Vettel had a bit of a wobble, ran wide, messed up his tyres a little.

  • 11:24

    Good explanation from Alia: You can use up to 10 sets of tyres in FP2, but if you use more than 2, you'll have worn tyres among the 8 you have left on Saturday morning, which isn't ideal (1 set got handed back at the end of FP1).

  • 11:25

    Small piece of rear wing end plate fell off Trulli's Lotus. This morning his mirror fell off.

  • 11:27

    Hamilton gets a purple first sector on softs.

  • 11:27

    Hamilton runs off track on softs!

  • 11:28

    Senna leaves the garage.

  • 11:30

    Fastest sectors after half an hour:

    • S1 - SUT 246 km/h
    • S2 - BUT 272 km/h
    • S3 - LIU 287 km/h
    • Trap - KUB 311km/h
  • 11:30

    Track temperature - 47. Air temperature - 34.

  • 11:31

    Top three after half an hour - Rosberg, Hamilton, Schumacher.

  • 11:32

    BBC's Sarah Holt says: "The word is that Adrian Sutil's table-topping time for Force India from first practice was set with just a splash of fuel in the tank."

  • 11:35

    5live reports that Vettel is having his brakes changed.

  • 11:35

    The Williams team and their many screens: http://twitpic.com/182wx0

  • 11:38

    Massa has completed the most laps so far with 17. Buemi has the least completed with 1, whilst Chandhok and Glock have still to leave the garage.

  • 11:42

    5live say: From Spain onwards, F1 stewards will be separate for GP2 stewards so decisions should be coming quicker.

  • 11:46

    Senna's time: 2:09.115 - 13 seconds off the pace.

  • 11:47

    x2 Lotus cars: http://twitpic.com/182yog

  • 11:49

    From @VirginRacing: Timo is being belted in. Lucas very happy with the aero balance.

  • 11:50

    Alguersuari spun on track, narrowly missed the barrier, continues onwards.

  • 11:51

    From @TonyFernandes: arrived in bahrain. At the track. Second practise. Heikki out on track. our team looks very professional. Jarno going out.

  • 11:52

    Chandhok on 5live: "Problem with clutch and gearbox, can't seem to get it fixed, not confident they'll get out this afternoon."

  • 11:53

    Webber is out of the car, wandering around the pitlane, talking to Christian Horner.

  • 11:55

    Chandhok says that four weeks ago they just had two monocoques sitting in the garage, and they've all pushed hard to get here. He's disappointed he can't get out but knows everyone is doing their best.

  • 11:56

    From @VirginRacing: The virgins are on the track! First time we've had both cars on the circuit at the same time. Good feeling!

  • 11:57

    From @rf1paddockpass: Car bouncing about in the new section of track. Both guys commented that it's pretty bumpy

  • 11:58

    Fastest sectors after one hour:

    • S1 - ROS 248 km/h
    • S2 - PET 273 km/h
    • S3 - LIU 287 km/h
    • Trap - KUB 311 km/h
  • 11:58

    Track temperature - 39. Air temperature - 34.

  • 11:58

    Fastest three after one hour: Rosberg, Hamilton, Schumacher.

  • 11:58

    Glock has finally left the garage.

  • 11:59

    Massa still completed the most laps with 21, Vettel and Senna the least (of those setting times) with 7. Buemi and Chandhok have no time.

  • 12:01

    From @EliGP: Seven GP2 drivers went quicker in practice than what Senna has managed so far in the HRT

  • 12:01

    Webber really unhappy, the car has a driveshaft problem.

  • 12:06

    Vettel radio: It's breezy out there, the car is sliding a lot, doesn't feel quick. Grip is better on his tyres, but generally a bad feeling all round.

  • 12:07

    Down the field, only two drivers are improving their times. Hulkenberg has done two green sectors, de la Rosa just put in a first green sector, and Senna is improving at the rear of the field.

  • 12:08

    Make that three for Nico.

  • 12:08

    The cars will be 25% heavier at the start of the race now they are stocked up with fuel.

  • 12:09

    From @rf1paddockpass: Vitaly's back out for a longer run. He's still in top 10, a good first day at the office

  • 12:13

    An update from @EliGP: All F1 cars are now quicker than a GP2 one. At least those who have set a time

  • 12:15

    From @Jamesallenonf1: Lotus and HRT are outside 107%, if that rule were in place now. Lotus only just. Todt is speaking this afternoon, see if 107% comes up

  • 12:16

    Nick Heidfeld watching proceedings: http://twitpic.com/1832qd

  • 12:16

    http://twitpic.com/1832qd

  • 12:18

    More overtaking during practice - Alonso passes Vettel.

  • 12:19

    And Kobayashi took to the dust to get past Senna.

  • 12:21

    Glock is faster than di Grassi by a tenth of a second, but has only completed 3 laps to Lucas' 16.

  • 12:24

    We're seeing a vast field spread so far in 2010. Top ten within two seconds, which is what we would have seen last year. Followed by the remainder of the field at varying degrees off the pace. From 4 seconds, to 5, 6, 9 and 12.

  • 12:27

    All drivers out on track bar Hamilton, Webber and Glock, plus Buemi and Chandhok who have not been out at all.

  • 12:28

    Kovalainen appears to be the only man improving at the moment.

  • 12:28

    From @autosportlive: Hamilton has ended his running earlier than most of the others and is chatting to the engineers in the McLaren garage.

  • 12:29

    With no sign of Chandhok, he will go into Saturday practice without having turned a wheel out on track. Tough ask for the rookie.

  • 12:31

    Session over. Top ten - ROS, HAM, MSC, BUT, VET, HUL, MAS, PET, ALO, DLR.

    Full results soon.

  • 12:31

    Bruno Senna pulls to a halt out on track.

  • 12:32

    Wheel nut came off the rear right wheel of the HRT.

  • 12:39

    Full results: Free Practice 2

  • 12:41

    Thanks to everyone for two fabulous sessions. Factbyte Factbox will be back tomorrow. See you then!



Bahrain 2010 - Free Practice 1 Results

Published

By Christine Blachford

The first session of Free Practice is done and dusted, then, and we have a Force India at the top - although fuel weights have to be taken into account. The new teams had varying degrees of success but the moment of the session was seeing Senna and Hispania make their F1 debut.

PositionDriverTimeLaps
1Adrian Sutil1:56.58318
2Fernando Alonso1:56.76618
3Robert Kubica1:57.04119
4Felipe Massa1:57.05519
5Jenson Button1:57.06819
6Lewis Hamilton1:57.16319
7Tonio Liuzzi1:57.19419
8Nico Rosberg1:57.19915
9Mark Webber1:57.25517
10Michael Schumacher1:57.66216
11Jaime Alguersuari1:57.72218
12Nico Hulkenberg1:57.89420
13Sebastian Vettel1:57.94317
14Sebastien Buemi1:58.39913
15Rubens Barrichello1:58.78211
16Vitaly Petrov1:58.88013
17Pedro de la Rosa2:00.25018
18Kamui Kobayashi2:01.38811
19Timo Glock2:03.6808
20Heikki Kovalainen2:03.84821
21Jarno Trulli2:03.97015
22Lucas di GrassiNo Time2
23Bruno SennaNo Time3
24Karun ChandhokNo Time0


Daily: 5th March 2010

Published

By Christine Blachford

Friday has reached us at last, and I know I'm not the only one who is glad Thursday is over. From the very beginning when I thought it was still February, everything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong. But never mind, we're on to another (hopefully better) day and here are some things we're talking about:

  • The very badly named HRT team dominated headlines yesterday as they launched a new car and confirmed another driver. With a full line up now of Senna and Chandhok, they're gearing up for the season to begin and team principal Colin Kolles is still suggesting they could be the most successful of the new teams. I'm not sure about that, they haven't had a minute out on track.
  • It looks as though we might be getting another of those pre-season controversies, with Red Bull "asking the question" about the McLaren's rear wing. This brings back so many bad memories of the diffuser issues before the 2009 season got underway, and through the first few races. Let's hope they can sort this out before it gets anywhere near overshadowing the action.
  • Renault will be running some Lada branding on their car this year, as the manufacturer get on board sponsoring both the team and Vitaly Petrov. Presumably they don't mind the horrible red mirrors, then. The name looks good on the car, although I can't decide if that's just because it's nice to see sponsorship rather than empty chassis'.

That's all for now, let us know what you've got planned for the weekend, and I will see you in the comments.



Karun Chandhok Confirmed at HRT Formula 1

Published

By Mr. C.

Karun Chandhok aboard the Indian Empress in Monaco, 2009.

Credit: Alastair Staley / GP2 Series Media Service

Karun Chandhok aboard the Indian Empress in Monaco, 2009.

Former GP2 driver Karun Chandhok, has today been announced as Bruno Senna's team mate in the second seat at HRT Formula 1. The HRT team, previously known as Campos Meta, are expected to officially reveal their new branding at a presentation in Spain later today.

The team presentation will happen in Murcia, a city in the South East of Spain from where HRT will run their F1 operations.

Speaking of the signing, Team Principal Colin Kolles said:

"We have been very impressed with Karun's performance in GP2. India is a great country. It will be great for the sport to have an Indian driver on the grid for the first Indian Grand Prix. Murcia is part of the roots of the team."

Chandhok previously partnered Bruno Senna in the iSport GP2 back in 2008.



Only 12 Teams Named on Official FIA Entry List

Published

By Mr. C.

The official FIA Formula 1 entry list was released on Wednesday and it featured only 12 teams. Team US F1 did not appear on the list, neither has Stefan GP been added.

The FIA also confirmed that it was not possible to replace USF1 so close to the start of the new season, but they will be looking into what can be done in 2011.

The USF1 Team have indicated that they will not be in a position to participate in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. Having considered the various options, the FIA confirms that it is not possible for a replacement team to be entered for the Championship at this late stage.

In the coming days the FIA will announce details of a new selection process to identify candidates to fill any vacancies existing at the start of the 2011 season.

The recently renamed Campos Meta outfit, HRT F1 Team (or Hispania Racing) do appear on the list, but with only one named driver, Bruno Senna. The constructor is named HRT Cosworth.

FIA Formula One World Championship - Entry List
No.DriverTeamConstructor
1Jenson ButtonVodafone McLaren MercedesMcLaren Mercedes
2Lewis HamiltonVodafone McLaren MercedesMcLaren Mercedes
3Michael SchumacherMercedes Grand PrixMercedes Benz GP
4Nico RosbergMercedes Grand PrixMercedes Benz GP
5Sebastian VettelRed Bull RacingRed Bull Racing Renault
6Mark WebberRed Bull RacingRed Bull Racing Renault
7Felipe MassaScuderia Ferrari MarlboroFerrari
8Fernando AlonsoScuderia Ferrari MarlboroFerrari
9Rubens BarrichelloAT&T WilliamsWilliams Cosworth
10Nico HülkenbergAT&T WilliamsWilliams Cosworth
11Robert KubicaRenault F1 TeamRenault
12Vitaly PetrovRenault F1 TeamRenault
14Adrian SutilForce India F1 TeamForce India Mercedes
15Vitantonio LiuzziForce India F1 TeamForce India Mercedes
16Sébastien BuemiScuderia Toro RossoSTR Ferrari
17Jaime AlguersuariScuderia Toro RossoSTR Ferrari
18Jarno TrulliLotus F1 RacingLotus Cosworth
19Heikki KovalainenLotus F1 RacingLotus Cosworth
20TBAHRT F1 TeamHRT Cosworth
21Bruno SennaHRT F1 TeamHRT Cosworth
22Pedro de la RosaBMW Sauber F1 TeamBMW Sauber Ferrari
23Kamui KobayashiBMW Sauber F1 TeamBMW Sauber Ferrari
24Timo GlockVirgin RacingVirgin Cosworth
25Lucas di GrassiVirgin RacingVirgin Cosworth

Note: The USF1 Team have indicated that they will not be in a position to participate in 2010.



Carabante and Kolles in at Campos Meta

Published

By Mr. C.

Former Spyker boss Colin Kolles, was today announced as new team principal at Campos Meta, while shareholder José Ramón Carabante has taken majority control of the operation from Adrian Campos.

The news means that the struggling Campos Meta team now have a better chance of making the 2010 grid.

Carabante said in a statement:

"I would like to thank Bernie Ecclestone, who worked tremendously to support our efforts to keep the team viable.

"The whole rescue operation has been a race against time with the goal of always having the team run two competitive cars at the first Grand Prix of the F1 season in Bahrain."

The restructuring sees Colin Kolles back in Formula 1 for the first time since his days with Spyker:

"Over the next 10 days we will review the entire operation, find the extra funding to ensure the team will make the first race in Bahrain, announce the lineup for 2010 in due time and make the operation viable under Jose Ramon Carabante's new ownership."

Previous Red Bull technical chief Geoff Willis is rumoured to be on board after the restructuring, and it is expected that the team will request permission to change it's name. Bruno Senna is contracted to drive for the team, but as yet a teammate has not been announced.



F1 Debrief - The Hotel Did a Great Job Today

Published

By Christine Blachford

Sidepodcast logo

Audio preview

This week we discuss the little action from Abu Dhabi, some circuit and team news, plus catch up with some great feedback.

Intro

Mr C gets called a legend. Hmm.

Good Week / Bad Week

Good week for Senna and Campos as they join forces, and for marriage proposals, plus a bad week for Heidfeld and window cleaners.

News and Views

Donington Park has quite a lot of bad news this week, plus Williams seemingly cosy up even further to the FIA.


The Race

We skirt around the issue quite a lot in this week's debrief, trying to avoid talking about the race. However, we do talk about it briefly, and look forward to the off-season.

Fantasy Racers

Naturally, Kathi won the championship, and we review some really good end of season team owner press releases.

Feedback

A couple of voicemails, some emails plus yet another new blog for Mr C to read.

Housekeeping

Our Top Gear competition comes to an end this week, and we finally got around to releasing the new homepage.

Linkage



Daily: 1st November 2009

Published

By Christine Blachford

It's a brand new month, and we are looking at a brand new circuit for the final race of the year. Abu Dhabi has looked stunning but so far the action has left quite a lot to be desired. Meanwhile, there is plenty to talk about as the season draws to a close:

  • Yesterday, Mr C finally got round to writing his post about the recent site updates, which he was supposed to do when he released them mid-week. Still, it's worth having a quick read if you want to know what we're trying to achieve and why it has taken us so long to get round to it. Don't forget to leave your thoughts and feedback at any time, we are always open to ideas.
  • Campos META confirmed the speculation that they have signed up Bruno Senna for 2010. They seem very impressed with the young driver, who has risen through the motorsport ranks very quickly. I haven't watched him in any lower formulae but have heard concerns that he may not be ready. What do you guys think? There's a breakout thread waiting for your comments.
  • Another thread we opened up yesterday was to discuss the lighting situation in Abu Dhabi. It seems to work very well, but it is so vastly different to Singapore that it has made me pause for thought. In one of my digest shows, I also picked up that Heidfeld did say it was brighter in Singapore, but that here it hasn't been a problem so far.

That'll do it for now. Don't forget that there is an extra special super duper two hour Parade Lap season finale extravaganza starting at 10am Sidepodtime today. In fact, here's a trailer for it, as created by host Alex:

We'll be waiting for you and I will see you in the comments.



Campos META Confirm Senna for 2010

Published

By Christine Blachford

Campos META have signed up Bruno Senna for next season, and have said they are honoured to give the youngster a chance. CEO Enrique Rodriguez de Castro said:

"The deal with Senna confirms and re-enforces our prime objective of being not only the first Spanish Formula 1 team, but rather the first Iberian-American F1 team. The 2014 World Cup, the 2016 Olympics, and three drivers in F1 - it's clear that Brazil is coming up."

He also added that it is impressive how fast Senna is moving through the motor racing field having started quite late compared to other drivers.



Daily: 31st October 2009

Published

By Christine Blachford

It's Halloween!! Well, it will be at this time tonight. Are you going to any parties? Dressing up? Or simply eating a lot of sweets? I know what sounds good to me. I carved a pumpkin once and it was gross. Anyway, here are some F1 things to discuss:

  • Williams confirmed they would be running Cosworth engines yesterday, which is something we had suspected for a long time. On the one hand, we were surprised as Mr Williams has said previously that Cosworth aren't his favourites, but on the other hand, he seems to know what he's doing. So, we'll wait and see.
  • Did anyone else see the free practice sessions that I saw yesterday? The track in Abu Dhabi is interesting and looks good under lights, but there wasn't much to talk about on track, and none of the drivers seemed that perplexed despite being faced with a brand new circuit. I'm hoping today will offer a little bit more.
  • Autosport reports that Bruno Senna has as good as signed a deal with Campos META (don't forget the META) which means he has a seat for next year. He was so often rumoured with Honda that their demise can't have done his chances any good. However, this new development means some more fresh blood into the season in 2010.

That'll do it for now. We'll be back with live commenting threads and podcasts throughout the day (am running slightly late on the FP Digest), and we look forward to seeing you there. I'll see you in the comments.



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