Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher made an impressive return to Formula One action by topping the times on the first day of testing at the Barcelona circuit.The German driver, who had not driven a Grand Prix car in anger since he retired from the sport a year ago, posted a best time of 1:21:922 in Ferrari’s F2007 to edge the Italian squad’s test driver Luca Badoer by over a two tenths of a second after 64 laps. (more…)
The Ferrari team have announced Stefano Domenicali will take on the role of Director of the Gestione Sportiva, a position held by Jean Todt.
Domenicali was the team’s sporting director.
Ferrari also said technical director Mario Almondo will now be the team’s operations director, while Aldo Costa will take on the role of technical director.
Gilles Simon will be Ferrari’s engine director.
The announcement comes after Honda confirmed Ferrari’s former technical director Ross Brawn will join the Japanese squad as their team principal.
The Honda Racing team have confirmed former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn as their new team principal.As revealed in April by autosport.com, Honda had contacted Brawn in a bid to convince the Briton to lead the Japanese squad from next year.
Brawn is on sabbatical after 10 years as technical director of Ferrari.
Honda said Brawn will have full responsibility for designing, manufacturing, and engineering the team’s car.
Brawn will work alongside Nick Fry, who continues as Chief Executive of the team.
“I am very excited to be joining the Honda Racing F1 Team,” said Brawn. “Honda has a proud heritage in Formula One and the opportunity to help the team to realise its potential represents a fantastic new challenge for me in the sport.
“The team has already done a great job of giving due consideration to its future and has spent a good deal of time putting in place both people and first class engineering resources to achieve its ambitions. I look forward to working alongside what I know to be some very talented people and helping Honda to rediscover its winning ways.”
Fry added: “One of my main tasks over the past six months has been to attract new talent to the Honda Racing F1 Team and we have made a number of key appointments in the areas of aerodynamics, design, engineering, marketing and on the racing team.
“Today’s announcement that Ross Brawn is to join our team is a very satisfying conclusion to the process of refreshing and revitalising a strong and determined team. Ross obviously needs no introduction.
At least 15 engineers at Renault knew about the McLaren technical information that is at the centre of the latest spy investigation, autosport.com has learned.
Renault are to face a hearing of the FIA World Motor Sport Council next month to answer charges that they had in their possession intellectual property belonging to McLaren.
This information was part of a number of floppy disks that engineer Phil Mackareth brought with him to the Enstone team from McLaren in September 2006.
Renault have admitted that Mackareth had the information transferred to his computer at Renault, and showed scale drawings to ’some engineers’, but are adamant that the details were not used to influence their car design.
McLaren have also conducted their own investigation into the matter at Renault’s Enstone headquarters, having used the independent Kroll company, and it is believed a dossier of evidence about the matter has been submitted to the FIA.
Autosport.com understands that Renault and McLaren’s investigations have revealed that more than 15 engineers in total examined the information from McLaren, which included details on the 2007 car. It is believed each of these has confirmed the fact in writing.
Sources have suggested that the engineers are not just junior staff members, but also include head of vehicle performance and R&D, deputy technical director, deputy chief designer and chief designer Tim Densham.
The extent of knowledge within Renault about the McLaren information mirrors similar claims surrounding the McLaren/Ferrari case, where the depth of the knowledge about Ferrari secrets extended well beyond just chief designer Mike Coughlan.
The FIA began its investigation into the McLaren 2008 car this week, in line with the World Motor Sport Council’s decision in the spying affair.
The governing body excluded McLaren from the 2007 Constructors’ Championship after confidential Ferrari information was leaked to McLaren’s then chief designer Mike Coughlan.
McLaren had since suspended Coughlan, but the WMSC said in its September verdict that it would make a decision on whether or not to further penalise McLaren for the 2008 season after an examination of the 2008 cars take place.
Investigators on behalf of the governing body visited the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking in the last couple of days, where they reportedly held a thorough examination on the premises and took with them data for further analysis.
Asked about the investigation, a McLaren spokesperson told autosport.com: “We are unable to make any comment other than to say that an inspection has always been part of the WMSC decision, and of course we are cooperating fully with the FIA.”
According to sources, the FIA has forbidden McLaren to reveal details of the probe. The governing body also said it would not comment due to the fact that it is part of an ongoing investigation.
FIA president Max Mosley last week revealed the governing body will likely use third-party experts to review the data collected on the McLaren 2008 car.
“The investigation will be thorough,” he told the BBC, “it will use outside experts and we will do everything we possibly can to make sure that either of the McLarens has no element of Ferrari intellectual property in it.
“If it does, we will then have to consider taking some sort of action.”
Mosley said, however, that McLaren would not necessarily be excluded again from the championship.
“That would not necessarily be preventing them from running,” he said. “It would be more likely that they would be given a negative point allocation.”