The big gossip over the last day or so is a BBC story linking Honda with McLaren for 2014 or 2015 at the latest. Honda whom used to run a team in the series (now the Mercedes AMG team) is strongly rumored to be making a comeback in the engine department as F1 moves to the turbo V6 for 2014. The Japanese manufacturer has made no official statement regarding their F1 plans, but the McLaren rumor isn’t going away. I think even the rumor shows there is a lot of…
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Formula 1 – Razia Out and Bianchi In at Marussia
One day after being ruled out of a seat at Force India, Jules Bianchi has landed a seat with Marussia with two testing days left until the 2013 season kicks off. Bianchi who had been reserve driver with Force India will take the race seat of Luiz Razia. A terrible and gut wrenching afternoon for Razia after his sponsor failed to deliver payment to the team. Bianchi will be set to test the Marussia over the final two days of the last preseason test. While heartbreaking for Razia, this is…
Read MoreFormula 1 – Ferrari Downplay Pace
Ferrari has looked pretty good so far during pre-season testing. At a minimum they look a lot better than a year ago. I found it really funny that a lot of fans on the forums have been rather critical of Stefano Domenicali and Ferrari for playing down their pace heading into Australia. The Italian squad firmly believes they will not be the fastest car for 2013 season opener. While it is hard to judge pace during testing, Fernando Alonso and Ferrari set one of the fastest times at the last…
Read MoreFormula 1 – Preseason Team Power Rankings
Welcome to the 2013 Formula 1 season! Well…sorta I suppose. Cars are not on the grid in Australia, but we are through launches and only a few weeks from the opening round of the 2013 campaign. We have had two testing sessions occur with one left in Barcelona. Testing is never a really good way to tell anything, so we will launch the first power rankings of the season anyway. I will break them up into team and driver’s rankings separately as a driver performance does not always match the…
Read MoreF1 – Sauber Launch 2 February
Sauber has announced that its Ferrari powered C32 will be released to the public on the 2nd of February. The team’s new driver pairing will also be together in public for the first time. Nico Hulkenberg and Mexican rookie Esteban Gutierrez will be looking to put Sauber on the top step of the podium after a 2012 season that seen four podium finishes. I really look forward to this launch. I thought the Sauber was one of the sharpest looking cars in 2012 and certainly proved to be one of…
Read MoreEpisode 163 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadShaun makes his last appearence on OpenPaddock Live before being shipped out to Qatar to pound sand and watch MotoGP racing. Joining Shaun are Mike (as always), Doug, and the new Shaun, Kevin Neely. On the docket this week: Rally WRC – the future of M-Sport. Will Nasser Al-Attiyah’s Qatar money be the team’s saving grace? WRC – Sistemas Integrales de Telecomunicacion (SIT) slated to take over timing duties for 2013. Kubica will drive the WRC Citroen C4 in two rallies this month. Back…
Read MoreEpisode 155 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Shaun, Mike, and Doug as they rehash the weekend that was Monza for the Formula 1 traveling circus. We also preview Rally GB and talk a little bit more about the ALMS/Grand-Am merger (buyout). This is it! Championship week for the IZOD IndyCar Series and also the Mazda Road to Indy for those title that have yet to be decided. Sit back and enjoy the show and as always, thanks for the download!
Read MoreEpisode 140 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadShaun returns after a two week break to talk all about the 96th Indianapolis 500. Join Shaun and Mike as they talk all about the happenings this past weekend and break down what has been called one of the best Indy 500s ever. The show uses the new format with a primary focus on the IZOD IndyCar Series and Mazda Road to Indy. We do briefly cover a couple F1 and rally topics at the end. Given the new format, you may be disappointed…
Read MoreEpisode 137 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
Episode 136 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Shaun and Doug as they look back at IndyCar in Brazil and WRC in Argentina. That and lots of great discussions on engines. Could this be the beginning of the end for Lotus? Not if INDYCAR has anything to do with it.
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