With speculation over his future at melting point, Kimi Raikkonen called in sick on Thursday.
Earlier, as the F1's media spotlight prepared to shine on the Finn as he chooses between Lotus, Red Bull and Ferrari for 2014, Reuters correspondent Alan Baldwin described the 2007 world champion as "the least garrulous" driver on the grid.
And yet, Baldwin added, he is "the man everyone is talking about" ahead of the Belgian grand prix, the first race after F1's forced August slumber.
Raikkonen's media rounds would have been packed to the rafters on Thursday, but the 33-year-old is not yet at Spa.
Lotus said Raikkonen is unwell, but will be present for Friday's free practice sessions.
Kimi Raikkonen (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)
On the flip-side, as three teams seemingly tussle for Raikkonen's services, Felipe Massa is fighting simply to keep his seat at Ferrari.
Reporting from Spa, Guardian correspondent Paul Weaver said the Italian team has given the Brazilian two more races - Spa and Monza - to prove he should stay beyond his 2013 contract.
At the very same time, Germany's Welt newspaper is reporting that negotiations between Ferrari and on-the-market Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg have begun.
German Formula 1 driver, Nico Hulkenberg on Thursday insisted he is "ready" should Ferrari call him up for 2014.
Earlier, Germany's Welt newspaper said negotiations between the Italian team and the Sauber driver have begun.
At the same time, Britain's Guardian newspaper said Ferrari will decide after this weekend's Belgian grand prix, and then Monza a fortnight later, whether or not to replace Brazilian Felipe Massa.
Asked at Spa on Thursday about the rumours, Hulkenberg - who switched from Force India to the Ferrari-powered Sauber over the winter - told the broadcaster Sky: "I would feel ready and I do feel ready."
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber C32 (Photo: WRi2)
But he said he is in talks with multiple teams: "I wouldn't name it (Ferrari) the ultimate drive but obviously it is a big team with a big history.
"I wouldn't exclude anyone at this point, we are talking to different teams and evaluating all the options, and when the time is right we will decide what we think is best for my future," Hulkenberg added.
It might be suggested that, as he is linked with three top teams Lotus, Red Bull and Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen is the cork in the bottle of the 2014 driver market.
But Hulkenberg insists the market is "not necessarily dependent all on him (Raikkonen)".
In the apparently unwell Kimi Raikkonen's absence, it was left to the other drivers on Thursday to talk about the 2014 'silly season'.
The big rumour is that Finn Raikkonen, also courted by Red Bull and Lotus, could be poised to return to Ferrari.
"I have no problem with having any teammate," Fernando Alonso is quoted at Spa by the Spanish sports newspaper AS.
But according to the wilder rumours, it could be Alonso himself who is not wearing red in 2014.
The Spaniard was publicly rebuked by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo in the wake of his post-race comments in Hungary.
But Alonso on Thursday said it was all a misunderstanding.
"Our relationship is better than ever," he insisted. "We talked almost every day of the summer, not only about F1, but about holidays, family, Madrid, Juventus.
"The relationship is great, he is a great motivator, he is the father of the Ferrari family and he knows how to keep the environment in the team good.
"There are zero problems," Alonso added.
"I think what happened is he got bad information, as we have looked into what he thought had been said in Hungary, but I think it was the right time for (the press to report) rumours and sell many newspapers."
Citroen team boss Yves Matton will start to pick his 2014 season WRC drivers next week, after a final chance to watch them in action this weekend at ADAC Rally Deutschland.
It is widely expected that Matton will change his current line-up of Mikko Hirvonen and Dani Sordo after an uncharacteristically poor season so far during which the pair has failed to win any rallies.
Citroen has held the WRC manufacturers' championship title since 2008 but looks set to lose it this year to Volkswagen, for whom Sebastien Ogier is on course to take the drivers' crown from Citroen's nine-time champion Sebastien Loeb.
Matton said it was important to wait until after Rallye Deutschland before making any decisions about his future squad.
“This is the first tarmac rally in the year and I need to have information about what happens in these conditions,” he told wrc.com. “Okay, I have some ideas, but I need confirmation this weekend before I start to work on next year's line-up and I start to make contact with drivers.”
Matton has made no secret of his liking for Kris Meeke, who will get a second trial in a DS3 World Rally Car at Rally Australia, and Matton admitted that Qatar World Rally Team driver Thierry Neuville - a former Citroen team member - had also impressed.
Yves Matton and his 2013 drivers and co-drivers.(Photo: Citroën Racing)
“Especially on the last two rallies,” explained Matton. “From back in his [Citroen] Trophy days I knew he was very fast but he had always some lack of consistency and was making some mistakes.
“But in Finland he showed that he was able to fight for the victory, then after to slow down to finish the rally and take a very good second place. That was very interesting to see. If we believe that he is the best young driver then for sure we'll have an interest in him.”
Sordo meanwhile has promised a full-on fight for victory this weekend as he battles to keep his place. The Spaniard was dropped from Citroen's Rally Australia team after a poor showing at Rally Finland, but could redeem himself if he can show winning pace on asphalt.
“It's very important for me to show I can do it and, okay, that puts a little bit of pressure on me,” Sordo acknowledged. “I will try to do my best and if we do well then okay. If we do bad, then at least I know I did my best.
"This rally is always a difficult one, and I'm sure it will be close, but there's no holding back or complex strategy. On the first stage everybody will be on full attack. And I'm going to do the same.”
Sport Chek, the leading supplier of sporting goods across Canada, Motos Illimitées and DLGL have revealed the livery of young Alex Guenette's race truck, which he will enter in the September 1st Silverado 250, at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Household name Sport Chek, a premier banner of the Forzani Group, will join DLGL and Motos Illimitées to complete the livery of the truck, which will also carry the colours of Jumpstart, a foundation responsible over the years for facilitating access to sports equipment and activities otherwise out-of-reach for 612,000 kids across Canada.
Photo: Alex Guénette
Alex will have a busy week-end since he will also be driving his usual Motos Illimitées/DLGL No 39 car in the Nascar Canadian Tire Series' 9th race of the 2013 season, where he now leads the Rookie of The Year chase.
The Silverado 250 is the Camping World Truck Series first road course event in nine years.
Nissan is certainly planning well ahead. While manufacturers are falling all over themselves to announce the models to be launched at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show next September 10th, Nissan announced its plans this week for the launch of a concept vehicle... at the Detroit Auto Show, in January 2014!
At a recent Los Angeles event, Shiro Nakamura, senior vice president and chief creative officer, design and brand management for Nissan Motor Company, confirmed that the unnamed concept vehicle will showcase the future trend of Nissan style and design.
Whatever it turns out to be, we need sit tight and wait for more info regarding this new sports sedan, which certain pundits claim will be the future Maxima.
Source : autoblog.com
As part of Nissan's 80th anniversary celebrations, the manufacturer has launched ‘'Nissan 360'', a month-long event which consists of conferences, testing and presentations of the latest technological advances. Our correspondent, Matt St-Pierre will be on-site to report the various activities.
A hundred or so Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun vehicles, as well as various light commercial vehicles will be available for participants to test. Over 1000 automotive journalists, investors, suppliers and various industry stakeholders will be on hand to participate in the events and test the various vehicles supplied by the manufacturer.
The event will allow Nissan to showcase its latest models and innovations as well as highlighting their future plans to create zero emission vehicles, such as the LEAF. Infiniti and Datsun product info will also be an important part of the event.
Following the huge success of the Laferrari hybrid, which has already sold out, Ferrari is pondering an expansion of its hybrid-power offering. This is a more viable long-term strategy than electric vehicles, explained Ferrari President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, to Bloomberg News.
‘' I don't believe in electric vehicles, but I strongly believe in hybrids,'' declared di Montezemolo to Bloomberg. He also mentioned that the manufacturer will produce hybrids ‘'in moderation, without exceeding customer demand.''
Keep in mind that the LaFerrari model, launched last March at the Geneva Auto show, produces a combined 963 hp, thanks to its 800 hp V12 and twin-electric motors. It goes from 0-100 km/h in under 3 seconds, for a top speed of 350 km/h.
Kimi Raikkonen, no fan of the spotlight, is the man of the moment as F1's summer slumber ends this weekend in Belgium.
The Finn's manager has ruled out a move to Red Bull, but some sources at Spa-Francorchamps think the fact the team has put off announcing Daniel Ricciardo's 2014 deal is a sign Raikkonen might still be in the running.
At the same time, Lotus has made clear it wants to keep the 33-year-old on board, while reports continue to insist there is a real chance Raikkonen will return to Ferrari.
Germany's Sport Bild even reports that Raikkonen recently admitted to friends during an alcohol-fuelled night out in Helsinki that he will be wearing red again in 2014.
Reporting about the Helsinki party, the German broadcaster RTL suggested Ferrari has put a EUR 11 million contract on the table, including bonuses and sponsorship of his motocross team.
Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)
As ever in the 'silly season', though, there are conflicting reports.
Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat is now quoting Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson as saying the driver actually wants to stay at Lotus in 2014.
"Kimi likes it at Lotus," said Robertson. "But we are waiting for information on certain issues that are still outstanding.
"About Kimi's future, the ball is in Lotus' court."
And the German newspaper Welt reports that talks between Ferrari and Nico Hulkenberg, about replacing the Brazilian Felipe Massa, have now kicked off.
The second half of 2013 looks set to be a head-to-head between championship leader and favourite Sebastian Vettel, and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton wearing sunglasses (Photo: WRi2)
Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso still have more points than Hamilton, but many are tipping Mercedes to keep improving from track to track until the November finale.
High-speed Spa and Monza, for a start, look set to favour the powerful W04.
But Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko told Sport Bild: "We won in Montreal, even though the circuit is more of a Mercedes track.
"Will bring new parts to each of the last nine races."
Sebastien Vettel, Red Bull RB9 (Photo: WRi2)
It is on the Austrian's final point that many see the rest of 2013 as a likely Red Bull-versus-Mercedes battle -- most of their rivals might see focusing on the all-new challenge of 2014 as a wiser choice, given recent form.
Sport Bild claims that, in contrast, Mercedes' Paddy Lowe has been tasked exclusively with continuing to develop the German team's 2013 car right until the end.
Nonetheless, team director Toto Wolff is playing down the chances.
"We cannot be confident," he is quoted by the Mirror, "it would be the wrong approach to say we have found the golden key now."
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W04 (Photo: WRi2)
Red Bull's Vettel, with a 48-point lead over Hamilton, is also playing things down, despite others predicting him to wear a fourth consecutive drivers' crown.
"There is still half a season ahead of us, Mercedes has been developing well so we cannot say anything.
"Things change fast in formula one," he is quoted by Brazil's O Estado de S.Paulo.
The reigning Formula Renault 3.5 champion, Robin Frijns, announced he would be back in the GP2 series, this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, in Belgium.
Frijns, who is also Sauber's test and reserve driver in F1, competed in GP2 earlier this season, with Hilmer, until losing his seat to Adrian Quaife-Hobbs. This time, Frijns is taking the place of Jon Lancaster.
"About to leave to Spa this weekend. I will be back in the car again for Hilmer Motorsport," the Dutch wrote on his Twitter page.
As well as winning the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 series last year, Frijns won the Euro championship of the 2.0 division the year before, and the 2010 Formula BMW European title.
Infiniti is offering performance-driven engineering graduates an exclusive opportunity to work in Formula 1 via a new global talent search initiative.
The ‘Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy' will see two winning candidates complete a 12-month assignment with three-time World Championship-winning F1 team Infiniti Red Bull Racing, based in Milton Keynes, UK.
The two graduates will work alongside Infiniti engineers already based at the F1 team's factory. In addition, they will also spend time at Infiniti's nearby technical center in Cranfield, UK, where they will intensify their knowledge of future road car technologies.
The new program is the latest development in the Infiniti Red Bull Racing partnership, generating mutual benefits on the track and the road.
A view inside the Red Bull Racing's factory in Milton Keynes. (Photo Red Bull)
Recruitment will open later this year. National selections across several global regions will begin in May 2014, putting applicants through a comprehensive selection process to assess their performance potential and innovative thinking.
Finalists will present their ideas to a panel of senior technical figures from Infiniti and Infiniti Red Bull Racing in July 2014 with the two winners announced at the British Grand Prix. The placements will begin in September 2014.
This once-in-a-lifetime scholarship includes a salary, accommodation, and the use of a car.
Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest in this afternoon's shakedown for ADAC Rallye Deutschland as three different cars filled the top three positions.
The Finn's Volkswagen Polo R was fastest by 0.7sec over the 4.55km Konz test, south of Trier. Latvala set his winning time on the last of four runs over the asphalt roads in the vineyards on the banks of the Mosel River.
With qualifying not part of asphalt events, the shakedown was the last chance for drivers to test ahead of tomorrow evening's opening two stages of the season's first pure sealed surface encounter.
“The car feels good but, of course, this rally is tough. It's probably the most difficult of the dry asphalt events. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself. I just want to go out, relax and see how it's going to be,” Latvala told wrc.com.
Second was Dani Sordo in a Citroen DS3, the Spaniard happy to be on his favoured asphalt surface after a tough time on the gravel roads in Finland earlier this month.
“It was a good start, yes, but for me it was more important that my times were good from the start, because as the session goes on they usually get better and better anyway,” said Sordo.
Thierry Neuville was third fastest in his Ford Fiesta RS, the Belgian just one tenth slower than Sordo through the stage.
World Championship leader Sebastien Ogier overshot a junction on his final run and had to settle for the fourth fastest time, with Evgeny Novikov rounding off the top five.
The rally kicks off tonight.
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC (Photo: VW)
Of the twenty-five IndyCar Series drivers present at the Sonoma Raceway this Wednesday, Dario Franchitti ended up the fastest on the Californian road course.
Franchitti set a time of 1m18.2945 seconds around the road course, closely followed by his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon.
Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay and the Team Penske's drivers Will Power and Helio Castroneves completed the top 5 of the day.
Newcomer at Barracuda Racing, JR Hildebrand was 18th while James Davison was 23rd in his return to Dale Coyne Racing.
Reigning Americna Le Mans LMP1 champion Lucas Luhr was 25th in Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing's second Dallara.
Pos. Driver Team Time
1. Dario Franchitti, Ganassi Racing, 1:18.2945
2. Scott Dixon, Ganassi Racing, 1:18.3694
3. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport, 1:18.4707
4. Will Power, Team Penske, 1:18.5082
5. Helio Castroneves, Team Penske, 1:18.8965
6. James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport, 1:18.9329
7. Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport, 1:18.9912
8. Sebastien Bourdais, Dragon Racing, 1:19.1274
9. Sebastian Saavedra, Dragon Racing, 1:19.2560
10. Justin Wilson, Dale Coyne Racing, 1:19.2731
11. Simona De Silvestro, KV Racing Technology, 1:19.3386
12. Ryan Briscoe, Panther Racing, 1:19.3941
13. Charlie Kimball, Ganassi Racing, 1:19.4095
14. EJ Viso, Andretti Autosport, 1:19.4495
15. Josef Newgarden, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, 1:19.4671
16. Tony Kanaan, KV Racing Technology, 1:19.5319
17. James Jakes, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 1:19.5426
18. JR Hildebrand, Barracuda Racing, 1:19.6668
19. Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 1:19.7022
20. Simon Pagenaud, Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports, 1:19.7100
21. Tristan Vautier, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, 1:19.9103
22. Takuma Sato, A.J. Foyt Racing, 1:19.9302
23. James Davison, Dale Coyne Racing, 1:20.1534
24. Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 1:20.2236
25. Lucas Luhr, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, 1:20.2262
Beeton, ON's Dwight Brown used a victory in the season finale of the Techtonix Ontario Modified Race series to secure his second consecutive division championship.
It was Brown's fifth win in six starts in the abbreviated 2013 OMRS campaign, and came on Fan Appreciation Night at the 1/3-mile Peterborough Speedway.
"It's a great way to wrap up the points with a win. And it's nice to put on a show in front of packed grandstands," stated Brown from Victory Lane.
Starting from the inside of Row Four, it took Brown nine laps to finally close in on the race leading No. 90 Mod of Rick Warnes. Following two laps of 'dodge and duck', Brown was able to squeeze his familiar No. 2 Bourque Transmission Modified into the lead as he and Warnes streamed into the third turn.
With a clear track in front of him, Brown stretched his advantage until the lap 20 checkered flag, crossing the stripe four car lengths in front of Warnes, the No. 95 of son Rob Warnes less than a car length further behind, in third.
Season points' runner-up Nick Lees (No. 09) was next to see the checkers, followed by the No. 46 of Darren Kearnan.
Reflects Brown, "We had one of those seasons where we had no issues that were debilitating, and that's unusual. The only race we lost was the opener where we brought something new out of the box and we were a tick off. (Race winner) Darren (Kearnan) ran his own race that night, and we didn't have enough to get around him."
He adds, "The great thing about this series is that, no matter what speed your car is, you've got somebody to race with. No matter where you look on the track, there's racing going on."
With the demise of the Speedway at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the Techtonix OMRS competitors will be looking for a new home in 2014. According to series co-founder Bill Pickford, "we're still exploring our options, there are a couple of opportunities open for us."
Ontario Modified Racing Series-
Peterborough Speedway- August 17, 2013
FEATURE RESULTS: 1. #2 Dwight Brown, 2. #90 Rick Warnes, 3. #95 Rob Warnes, 4. #09 Nick Lees, 5. #46 Darren Kearnan, 5. #62 Randy Hollingsworth, 6. #61 Bill Pickford, 7. #53 Mike Poulton Jr., 8. #06 Wayne Carson, 9. #77 Chad Strawn (DNF), 10. #07 Alex Lees (DNS) // HEATS: 1. #09 N. Lees, 2. #46 D. Kearnan, 3. #95 R. Warnes, 4. #2 D. Brown.
OMRS FINAL POINTS (Top 5): 1. #2 Dwight Brown (172 pts.), 2. #09 Nick Lees (136), 3. #77 Chad Strawn (123), 4. #90 Rick Warnes (119), 5. #46 Darren Kearnan (98).
The Frankfurt Auto Show is getting set to receive the first diesel hybrid and Sport hybrid Range Rover vehicles, which will be sold as of 2014 by Land Rover.
Powered by a SDV6 3.0 litre diesel engine connected to a 35 kW electric motor, the total combined output is 335 hp, which is delivered through an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. The hybrid model zooms from 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, for a top speed of 218 km/h, while the Sport version is clocked at 6.7 seconds, with a 225 km/h top speed.
In order to demonstrate their ruggedness and reliability, 3 hybrid Range Rovers will start a 16,000 km trek on August 22nd from Solihull, home of Land Rover England, to Mumbai, India, home of Tata Motors Headquarters.
To achieve this feat, the journey will be broken into 10 separate steps, through 12 countries, riding the world's most treacherous roads and mountain passes, including the legendary Silk Road, that connects the Mediterranean to Asia.
Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest in this afternoon's shakedown for ADAC Rallye Deutschland as three different cars filled the top three positions.
The Finn's Volkswagen Polo R was fastest by 0.7sec over the 4.55km Konz test, south of Trier. Latvala set his winning time on the last of four runs over the asphalt roads in the vineyards on the banks of the Mosel River.
With qualifying not part of asphalt events, the shakedown was the last chance for drivers to test ahead of tomorrow evening's opening two stages of the season's first pure sealed surface encounter.
“The car feels good but, of course, this rally is tough. It's probably the most difficult of the dry asphalt events. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself. I just want to go out, relax and see how it's going to be,” Latvala told wrc.com.
Second was Dani Sordo in a Citroen DS3, the Spaniard happy to be on his favoured asphalt surface after a tough time on the gravel roads in Finland earlier this month.
“It was a good start, yes, but for me it was more important that my times were good from the start, because as the session goes on they usually get better and better anyway,” said Sordo.
Thierry Neuville was third fastest in his Ford Fiesta RS, the Belgian just one tenth slower than Sordo through the stage.
World Championship leader Sebastien Ogier overshot a junction on his final run and had to settle for the fourth fastest time, with Evgeny Novikov rounding off the top five.
The rally kicks off tonight.
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC (Photo: VW)
The reigning Formula Renault 3.5 champion, Robin Frijns, announced he would be back in the GP2 series, this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, in Belgium.
Frijns, who is also Sauber's test and reserve driver in F1, competed in GP2 earlier this season, with Hilmer, until losing his seat to Adrian Quaife-Hobbs. This time, Frijns is taking the place of Jon Lancaster.
"About to leave to Spa this weekend. I will be back in the car again for Hilmer Motorsport," the Dutch wrote on his Twitter page.
As well as winning the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 series last year, Frijns won the Euro championship of the 2.0 division the year before, and the 2010 Formula BMW European title.
The Frankfurt Auto Show is getting set to receive the first diesel hybrid and Sport hybrid Range Rover vehicles, which will be sold as of 2014 by Land Rover.
Powered by a SDV6 3.0 litre diesel engine connected to a 35 kW electric motor, the total combined output is 335 hp, which is delivered through an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. The hybrid model zooms from 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, for a top speed of 218 km/h, while the Sport version is clocked at 6.7 seconds, with a 225 km/h top speed.
In order to demonstrate their ruggedness and reliability, 3 hybrid Range Rovers will start a 16,000 km trek on August 22nd from Solihull, home of Land Rover England, to Mumbai, India, home of Tata Motors Headquarters.
To achieve this feat, the journey will be broken into 10 separate steps, through 12 countries, riding the world's most treacherous roads and mountain passes, including the legendary Silk Road, that connects the Mediterranean to Asia.
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