F1 – 2011 Launch!!!

2010 was by far one of the best seasons in history for the FiA Formula 1 circuit. The season finale that seen four drivers with a chance at lifting the the trophy and a boy emerging as THE man to beat in F1. Michael Schumacher returned after three year absence to drive for Ross Brawn and Mercedes GP. While the results were not pleasant to look at, his participation in the championship was rewarding enough. 2010 also seen a host of new teams arrive on the grid. Finally Max Mosley’s…

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F1 – Ferrari Succeeded in 2010

As headlines ring around the world hailing Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel on his world championship, there have been some very vicious headlines as well regarding Ferrari and their strategy that lost the title for Fernando Alonso. While I have distanced myself from Ferrari and latched on to Mercedes (Schumacher), I still think these attacks are ridiculous after you compare 2009 and 2010. For that very reason alone, Ferrari should be praised and their season should be viewed as successful. look back at 2009 for just a second. Felipe Massa…

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Episode 61 – Openpaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin myself and Doug as we firmly plant our head in the wall over no motorsports news. We talk about Korea and Rally Spain of course as well as get into some IndyCar news. Also we prepare for the Indy Down Force Banquet and go into all of the great features and services the Indy fan club offers.

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F1 – Massa Extension Settles Market

Ferrari has announced this morning the extension of Felipe Massa until the end of the 2012 season. This will give the Maranello based squad the lineup of Alonso/Massa until that point. A smart move by Ferrari who need to keep things relatively the same until they produce better results. It was thought that Alonso and Massa would give Ferrari a nearly untouchable combo this season and while the season is still young, it has been far from roses for the Italian marquee. This decision however will make for a very…

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F1 – Grand Prix of Monaco

This weekend Formula 1 was on its grandest stage of all with the Monaco Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing was able to take yet another pole position with Mark Webber carrying momentum from the Spanish Grand Prix. However, we all know that Monaco can yield some surprising results and nothing would be a guarantee. Those surprises would not creep up this weekend as Mark Webber dominated his second event in a row. The Australian led flag to flag in what would be a Red Bull Racing 1-2. The result would…

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F1 – Ferrari on Massa and 2011

Felipe Massa looks set to continue his driving days at Ferrari after the Italian marquee indicated their interest in extending his current deal. The man who joined Michael Schumacher in 2006 after a stint at Sauber becomes a free agent at the end of the season. Currently Felipe leads the drivers championship after three rounds and has shown his championship potential in past seasons. There was news that Robert Kubica was going to take the seat after his Renault contract ends, but at this time I think that both Ferrari…

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F1 – Australian Grand Prix Thoughts

Saturday night/Sunday morning brought us the second round of the Formula 1 2010 campaign and WOW! What a difference a wet track makes! Jenson Button would take an impressive victory and would actually get a couple respect points added in my book. The first corner clash of champions would prove too much for Michael Schumacher to overcome, but what about Fernando Alonso? What a dominant performance in the Ferrari after being spun completely around. I for one had wrote him off after that and he then showed me why he…

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OP-Ed – Ferrari the Crusader

There are times when Ferrari releases some crazy PR statements, and then there are times where the completely fall off the wagon with what can only be called ridiculous. Yesterday the team released one of those ridiculous statements. The troubles faced by the new teams on the grid have been well documented by openpaddock and many motorsport publications. Campos Meta’s near collapse teamed with the bloody and ugly falling of USF1 have driven traffic on internet sites through the roof as people search for any bit of news they can…

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F1 – Schumacher/Ferrari Talk at Monza

With the silly season in full swing and the Italian Grand Prix coming up, what would be a week without a story out of Maranello. While we were lucky enough to acquire Fisichella from Force India to help finish this years campaign, we still have to focus on where we are going to be next year. So lets stir the silly season pot. Crash.net ran a story this morning indicating that both Ferrari and Michael Schumacher will be staging talks on Michael’s involvement in the team next year. However, what…

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F1 – Hungary Parting Shots

Another round of the FIA World Championship is in the books and it has been a weekend that has turned F1 upside down yet again. We thought that we may see a race weekend that was focused on the racing, but unfortunately it was not the case. This time it was a more humbling incident that made us loose focus. As by now all have heard, the Felipe Massa incident during the second qualification session ended any chance of having a normal race weekend. The young Brazilian was nearly taken…

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