McLaren has engine problem - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen says that McLaren has problems with Mercedes' new V8 engine and there is a lot of work for the car manufacturer to do before the start of the 2006 season. Raikkonen was only twelfth fastest in the team's 2006 car when he returned to the cockpit on Thursday.

Williams unveil the FW28

The car Williams will use to contest the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship was officially launched on Friday afternoon at the team’s UK headquarters near Oxford.
The FW28 will use Cosworth power, following the team’s split with BMW at the end of last season, and will run on Bridgestone tyres after Williams’ switch from Michelin.

Raikkonen expects four-way fight

As he returns to the cockpit of an F1 car for the first time since the Chinese Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen expects the 2006 championship to be a four-way fight between himself, Montoya, Alonso and Michael Schumacher.

Super Aguri gets the go-ahead

Formula One will feature 11 teams for the first time since 2002 after the Super Aguri outfit were given the green light by the world governing body, the FIA.
Super Aguri, founded by ex-Formula One racer Aguri Suzuki, were left off the initial 2006 entry list after failing to lodge a £27million bond with the FIA in time.
That left the Honda-backed team needing unanimous backing from all 10 rivals, as well as approval from the FIA.
With support from all 10 existing teams, Super Aguri's final hurdle was the backing of the governing body, which has now been confirmed.

Barcelona day three - Ferrari lead again

Unofficial Wednesday times from Barcelona:1.

Felipe Massa, Ferrari (Bridgestone), 1:15.6792.
Fernando Alonso, Renault (Michelin), 1:16.2003.
Jenson Button, Honda (Michelin), 1:16.5434.
Rubens Barrichello, Honda (Michelin), 1:16.7045.
Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault (Michelin), 1:16.7286.
Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber (Michelin), 1:17.0367.
Jarno Trulli, Toyota (Bridgestone), 1:17.0608.
Olivier Panis, Toyota (Bridgestone), 1:17.4209.
Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren (Michelin), 1:17.48210.
David Coulthard, Red Bull (Michelin), 1:17.58211.
Scott Speed, Toro Rosso (Michelin), 1:18.09212.
Gary Paffett, McLaren (Michelin), 1:18.24613.
Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber (Michelin), 1:20.042

Team's of 2006

Team's of 2006

Juan Has The Edge On Kimi

They've hardly spent any time in their 2006 challenger the MP4-21, but already Juan Pablo Montoya has the edge on his team-mate in the race for a McLaren seat in 2007...

McLaren launched their grand prix challenger on Monday and their two drivers surfaced to talk to the press. McLaren may or may not win both World Championships in 2006 but one thing is for certain - one of their drivers is leaving.
Ever since Ron Dennis announced that Fernando Alonso would be joining the team in 2007 there has been a lot of speculation as to who will leave. McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh says that he can see a situation where both Raikkonen and Alonso are retained for next year.

Honda target race wins with new RA106

Honda unveiled its challenger for the 2006 Formula One season, the RA106, in Spain this morning with the new driver line-up of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.
This marked an important milestone for Honda as it is the first Formula One car launched by a Honda works team since 1968.
As an indication of Honda's commitment to the new challenge and the strength of its manufacturing operation, the team delivered not one, but two identical RA106 ace cars to the launch to enable Rubens and Jenson to start testing at exactly the same time.

Alonso has lot to learn - Schumi

Seven-times F1 world champion Michael Schumacher says that he can still show Fernando Alonso a trick or two and the Spaniard can still learn a lot from him as the German bids to reclaim his title from the Spaniard.

Barcelona day 1: New BMW flies, new McLaren breaks cover

The new BMW F1.06 shone on its first day of testing today at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain. Jacques Villeneuve clocked a best lap of 1m17.242s after a busy day of 84 laps. As BMW gave its new car its first test, the new McLaren MP21 also broke cover.
It was a clear and sunny day at the Spanish circuit. Air and track temperature were around 10 degrees Centigrade allowing BMW and McLaren to enjoy a good day of testing.Villeneuve finished 0.8s ahead of McLaren test driver Gary Paffett in a hybrid winter testing McLaren Mercedes fitted with a limited V10 engine.
All eyes were on the other McLaren garage of Pedro de la Rosa as the Spaniard gave the all new 2006 McLaren car its first outing. It was a troubled first outing for the new car as de la Rosa managed just 19 laps before a problem with the hydraulics stopped him for the day. Nick Heidfeld was the only other driver in action at the wheel of a hybrid Sauber fitted with the BMW V8 engine. He finished fourth and last.

New Ferrari called 248 F1

In Mugello Ferrari launched their 2006 contender; the Ferrari 248 F1. The new car was driven this morning at Mugello in front of the press by Michael Schumacher. The '248' comes from 2.4 litres and 8 cylinders engine.

F1.06 gets Villeneuve approval

Jacques Villeneuve came away impressed after his first test in BMW Sauber’s 2006 challenger, the F1.06, on Thursday. Villeneuve completed 76 laps of Spain’s Valencia circuit as the team completed their first three-day session with the new car.

Belgian GP cancelled

This season's Belgian Grand Prix has been cancelled, according to reports in Belgium.
The race promoter recently went bankrupt with heavy debts but local officials had hoped to persuade Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone to step in and promote the event at Spa-Francorchamps.
Ecclestone claimed last week he would reluctantly agree to that proposal, claiming: "We need to keep Spa alive don't we?''
However, the Belgian media is now claiming Ecclestone has ended negotiations and pulled the race from Formula One's 2006 calendar.
Serge Kubla, the former economics minister of the Walloon region of Belgium, told the local parliament that sources close to Ecclestone had confirmed the news.
He said too little time was left to improve facilities at Spa-Francorchamps before the planned race on September 17.
If the Belgian race is cancelled, the 2006 season would be trimmed to 18 races.

Williams finding the groove with Bridgestone

Following its switch from Michelin to Bridgestone, the WilliamsF1 team has spent a major part of its winter testing programme getting to grips with the new rubber. The team finished the final day of testing in Jerez this week on the top of the timing sheets. It was also the team's final test before the new FW28 is launched next week.

Ferrari signs Acer

Ferrari has signed up themselves a new sponsor. The technology company Aces became the Italian's latest sponsor.