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SPEED Staff / GMM
Raikkonen to contest Rally Finland -- Kimi Raikkonen will shortly step up his foray into the world of professional rallying. After recently contesting three minor events in Finland and Italy, the 2007 world champion and Ferrari driver has now signed up for Finland's round of the World Rally Championship at the end of July. The 29-year-old Finn will again be at the wheel of his Tommi Makinen-prepared Fiat Abarthe Grande Punto S2000, with Kaj Lindstrom alongside. "It's always a great rally and for Kimi it's of course an even bigger thing because this is his first time," Lindstrom told the Finnish tabloid Iltalehti. "It's one of the world's fastest rallies and double the length of for example the Arctic rally," he added.
"The end of the season is accelerating upon us. We intend to start the (2010) season much more competitively than we started this one: that's the priority." - Martin Whitmarsh (Photo: LAT Photographic)
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Refueling still to be banned in 2010 -- Although this year's rules are to now remain essentially in place in 2010, the proposed ban on in-race refueling will still be introduced. As peace between FOTA and the FIA was declared last Wednesday, the World Motor Sport Council agreed that "the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations". But as teams had already begun the foundations of their 2010 cars based on the impending refueling ban, that rule will be introduced as scheduled, McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh told Holland's Formule 1 Race Report. "I am certain that the refueling ban is coming in," the Briton said. "We all agreed that at an early stage, because it is fundamental to the design of the car." Whitmarsh admitted that McLaren is one such team that has now finalized the basic concept of the 2010 car on the basis of a much larger fuel tank. He also said some other elements of the 2010 technical regulations are still yet to be finalized.
Ferrari to focus on 2010 car 'soon' -- Ferrari will "soon" forgo developing its current formula one car in favor of preparing for next year's world championship tilt. The defending 2008 constructors' champions are now nearly 80 points behind in this season's teams' battle, while the highest placed Ferrari driver is Felipe Massa, who has 16 points compared with Jenson Button's 64. "I am confident that we can improve our performance into the next race," president Luca di Montezemolo is quoted as saying by Germany's RTL. "But it is going to be difficult if not impossible to dramatically change the car within this season without any tests," he said. The Italian believes this year's campaign was tainted not by Ferrari engineers building a bad car, but largely because of the rules. He said he is happy that, in 2010, there will be "stable, clear and transparent" regulations. "Soon we will concentrate fully on next year's car," Montezemolo explained, confirming that the F60's successor will not feature a KERS system.
2009 Brawn is 'most expensive car' -- After the car won three-quarters of every race so far under the 2009 regulations, Alex Wurz has revealed the secret of the Brawn BGP001. At times last year, the team's predecessor Honda had five wind tunnels at its disposal, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, as well as a half-billion euro budget. "The car was taken in three different directions in the wind tunnel," test driver Wurz told 'News'. "Two directions were found to be wrong, so the team could just switch," he added. Amid the shock of the global economic situation, Honda then pulled out and the Brackley team was rescued by a management buyout headed by Ross Brawn. "The Brawn is probably the most expensive car with the lowest operating budget ever," the Austrian admitted. Wurz, 35, gives Sebastian Vettel "ten out of ten" for dominating last time out at Silverstone, but doubts Red Bull will have it so easily for the remainder of the season. "I would say that Brawn and Red Bull are at eye-level, and success from now on will depend on the circuits."
German clubs settle GP naming issue -- For the first time, the Nurburgring is able to use the official name 'Grosser Preis von Deutschland' (German Grand Prix) for its 2009 Formula One race. Previously, despite the circuit's agreement to alternate the hosting rights each year with Hockenheim, the official title was owned and controlled by the AvD (Automobilclub von Deutschland). In recent years the Nurburgring has been known as the European Grand Prix, because the AvD did not allow rival club ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club) to use the German GP title. The resolution of the situation, however, is the formation of a German formula one Commission under the authority of the country's motor racing governing body, the DMSB (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund). It means the AvD and ADAC are now bundled under the same authority, resulting in both Hockenheim and the Nurburgring being able to use the official German GP title.
