Today is Ayrton Senna’s 51st birthday. It seems fitting, then, that Manish Pandey brings word on the Australian cinema release of Senna, which is scheduled for 21 July. The film will be distributed by Universal Pictures, so make sure to keep an eye out for screening details at a theatre near you.
We’ve run it a few times already, but you can watch a trailer for the documentary after the break. The film has been earning rave reviews all over the globe.
If you can’t wait for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix then you can help pass the time by downloading the official iPhone/iPad app. Well, assuming you have succumbed to the clutches of the Apple corporate beast.
After downloading the app last night and giving it a good test run it looks like it should be quite handy for those at home as much as those who will be trackside during the event.
Red Bull Racing, and most other F1 teams, do public promotion events all over the globe. The idea is simple, take a Formula One car out of its natural habitat, the racetrack, and bring F1 to the people.
It’s about promotion mostly, but it’s also about breaking away from the shackles of everyday life. Most of all, it’s about having fun. At least it should be. People like watching cars go fast and they like watching these highly skilled drivers burn a bit of rubber. Yes, it’s pretty pointless when you think about it, but it’s great to watch.
Last year, Webber controversially declared Victoria a “nanny state” and yesterday proved why. Is it that hard to put a smile on someone’s face? Webber played his part beautifully yesterday when he interacted with the fans that did turn up. But, the Victorian Government bottled it, and in a big way. Honestly, is there a lot to get excited about when an F1 car is harnessed by red tape to a measly 100km/h?
Just look at what the Germans allowed Sebastian Vettel to do in front of the Brandenburg Gates. In Melbourne, you get to pay your road toll and drive an F1 car as if it were a Toyota Camry.
The Western Australians didn’t object to a few donuts at last year’s Festival of Speed at Barbagallo Raceway. Fair enough, that’s on a purpose built circuit you might argue, but even the NSW Government let Mark crack 200km/h crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
After the break you’ll see some video highlights of what the Victorian Government should have let Mark do. What do you think, did the Vics get it right, or waste a golden opportunity?
A couple of weeks ago the FIA released an updated calendar for the 2011 Formula One season incorporating starting times for each race. You can check out the full list after the break.
Obviously, doubts remain over the running of the Bahrain Grand Prix; could Melbourne see the opening race of 2011? [Ed: Yes it will.]
UPDATE 20 March: A revised calendar has been added below, which includes the starting times for all races converted to Australian Eastern time.
Yesterday’s “Red Bull Run” across Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge came and went without much fanfare. Victoria’s over officious authorities ensured Mark Webber was unable to exceed the signposted speed limits for his short journey, despite closing all six lanes of traffic.
Webber only had to think of Lewis Hamilton’s troubles in Melbourne last year to know burning some rubber wouldn’t go down too well, either.
For his part, Webber was professional and played his role perfectly, signing autographs for the fans who watched on from Docklands. Speaking at the event Mark said, “It’s good to be back in Australia and in Melbourne in the sunshine.
“The city has gone to a lot of effort to make today’s event possible, so I’d like to thank them and Red Bull. It’s good to be able to say thanks for all the support the local people have offered me during the last few seasons.
“The Melbourne Grand Prix is a special event and one we should be very proud of. Of course, I’m a little biased as an Aussie but I know a lot of the drivers and fans love it too. It was a great way to start the Grand Prix week and hopefully we can finish it with a good result on Sunday.â€
There’s more pics after the break. Also included are a pair of videos, the first is the news item from Sports Tonight on OneHD, the other is a fan video featuring snippets of Webber’s interview with Greg Rust.
The TeamVodafone V8 Supercar website has confirmed the planned promo event at Mount Panorama, Bathurst is all set to go ahead next Tuesday, 22 March. The event will start at 11am and features five time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes and 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button.
Both men will drive their own car around the legendary 6.2km circuit during the event. After a lunch break Lowndes will take to the track in a McLaren MP4-23 F1 car, while Button will do laps in the Holden Commodore V8 Supercar.
Entry is open to the public and a gold coin donation will be collected to go towards the Queensland and Victorian flood appeals. It’s sure to be a once in a lifetime, which is exactly why AUSmotive will be there to see all the action.
Ross Brawn, Mercedes GP boss and one of the men behind the revolutionary blown double diffusers, says the forward exit exhaust found on the Lotus Renault GP R31 is a “clever idea”. Blown Double diffusers have now been banned, but their concept was relatively simple; direct the flow of the exhaust gasses inside the rear diffuser and, hey presto—bags of extra downforce! More downforce means more grip and that means higher corner speeds and, ultimately, a faster car.
So, with that aerodynamic aid now gone teams have been forced to come up with new ideas. In the end it turned out only Renault came up with a new, forward thinking, idea. Forward being the operative word, of course, whereby they have radically altered their exhaust design by bringing it forward of the engine to exit just ahead of the sidepods (highlighted area above). This means the gasses can then be directed to the car’s undertray forcing more air ahead of the rear diffuser.
Speaking to Autosport, Brawn claimed, “It is a significant area and maybe more significant than the double diffuser in terms of performance and of course the teams are all working with their engine partners to work out how to get the most out of the exhaust energy so that is the new interesting area of development.”
Earlier in the year Melbourne’s Lord Mayor created headlines when he poured a liberal dose of hot water on the long-term future of the Australian Grand Prix being held in the Victorian capital.
At the time F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone seemed only too happy to talk about relieving Melbourne of its Grand Prix hosting responsibilities. However, it would appear the 80-year-old has had a change of tune, telling local media that, “Australia is as important to us as Monaco.
“It’s part of the world championship and has been for an awful long time. We’d hate to think that we’re going to lose Australia.”
With that said, Ecclestone still left the door wide open for the event departing Melbourne, at the very least, if not Australia, “In the case of Melbourne, if the product is too expensive for them, we understand that and when the contract comes to an end there’s no need to renew it.
Red Bull Racing could be heading for a new Formula One dynasty with two of the sport’s hottest properties agreeing to extend their contracts. Vettel, the youngest man to win an F1 world championship, has been re-signed until 2014. While Newey, designer of three championship winning cars at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull Racing, has also agreed new terms.
In a short statement released by RBR Vettel said, “The reason why I’ll stay until 2014 with Red Bull Racing is that I feel very comfortable in the team. I am proud to be part of the team, and I am proud of what we have archived so far and will achieve together in the future.”
Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel is on hand here to give a brief rundown on the introduction of moveable rear wings and KERS. Both have been thrown into the mix for the 2011 Formula One season. We’ve spoken about these new regulations during the off-season already and it will be very interesting to see how the projected theories pan out during the cut and thrust of racing.
Take the jump to watch the clip.
UPDATE: If you prefer the sound of Mark Webber’s voice you can watch the new YouTube clip added below.
Hats off to young PJTierney who has created 19 striking new designs for each of the races on the 2011 Formula One calendar. The Irish design graduate completed the posters over 19 days, allowing himself one day per poster. They’re simple, effective and it would be great if you could find them in a store near you. Follow the source link below for more.
Above is a video of the moveable rear wing on the Sauber C30. It’s one of the best demonstrations yet of how the new aero feature works on the 2011 Formula One cars. It all looks good in theory, but the operation and guidelines for using the rear wing are complicated.
Each car has a light on its dash display that will be activated during a race by race control to let a driver know he can use his moveable rear wing. Designed to increase overtaking opportunities on straight sections of track, a driver about to be overtaken cannot use the wing to defend his position. So, there’s all sorts of potential for drama with this feature, both on-track and off-track in the form of possible protests and the like.
However, during qualifying there are no restrictions on use. That means drivers will be able to use the wing at any time during a hot lap, including through corners. It’s this aspect that concerns Barichello, the sport’s most experienced driver.
