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…
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Episode 176 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadOn Episode 176 of the OpenPaddock.net Podcast, the OpenPaddock quartet of Kevin, Mike, Doug, and Mike are joined by a surprise guest, Shaun Effin Pechin! We congratulate Danica on her pole, and banter about the latest F1, Grand-Am, and IndyCar rumors. Mike Shaw previews the upcoming Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, and Doug rants about INDYCAR’s decision to postpone the new Indy Lights chassis and engine. Oh, and with Shaun back on the show, there are firings all around!
Read MoreF1 – Caterham Unchained Episode 2
Episode 175 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThe whole crew, save for Shaun as we await his safe return from deployment, are on this episode of the OpenPaddock.net Podcast. Mike Shaw recaps the amazing Rally Sweden and the dominance Sebastian Ogier in his new Volkswagen Polo, and one of the best photos ever in the history of the WRC (of course it’s of Petter). Kevin Neely and Mike Whitesell share their opinions on the latest news from IndyCar, including the proposed tax incentive the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is seeking from the…
Read MoreEpisode 174 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadKevin Neely, Mike Shaw, and Doug Patterson review the week’s news in IndyCar, the Mazda Road to Indy, Rally, and Formula 1. Kevin keeps trying to throw AMA Supercross into the mix, but so far he’s not found much traction. The USF2000 Winterfest has started! Doug leads us through Tuesday’s activities and looks at the results as a foreshadowing of how the regular season will shape up. Kevin leads us through the silly season news in IndyCar and how Jay Penske may have pissed…
Read MoreEpisode 173 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s OpenPaddock.net Podcast, Kevin, Mike, and Mike recap an exciting Rolex 24 at Daytona and the opening round of the Rally America National Championship, the Sno*Drift Rally. They also go through the week’s news in Formula One and IndyCar including a look at the recently released 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series rule book. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to like us on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/OpenPaddock, and follow us on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/OpenPaddock, for a chance to win some sweet swag from MAZDASPEED…
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 MoreF1 – “Continuity” Helps Grosjean Keep Lotus Ride
Lotus Renault team boss Eric Boullier says that continuity is the reason Romain Grosjean will stay on with the team for 2013 according to an article at Speedtv.com. In what appears to be a solid endorsement from the man calling the shots at Lotus, I think the team actually had to settle on Grosjean for a couple reasons. Now don’t get me wrong, Grosjean showed very quick pace when he was actually on track. The Lotus Renault was one of the best cars on the grid for 2012. Taking that…
Read MoreF1 – McLaren Announce 2013 Launch Date
McLaren has announced today that it will launch its 2013 challenger on the 31st of January. This gives us now two confirmed launch dates as we get ready for the holidays and the frenzy that follows. Think back to last season, McLaren was the only team that opted to not run a step nose on its machine. The car was one of the better if not the best looking one in the paddock because of it. The interesting point of this launch will be the start of the Button/Perez era.…
Read MoreF1 – Driver Market News
It has been a busy couple of days for the Formula 1 paddock this week. Two more drivers have confirmed their seats while another has given up on his 2013 race seat. Here is a quick look at the news. Romain Grosjean Confirmed at Lotus Renault – The French driver is having a great start to his holiday. After winning the Race of Champions gala race, the 2012 King of Crash (pictured airborne right) was confirmed to partner with Kimi Raikkonen yet again at the Lotus Renault team. Grosjean has…
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