Auto News 5

France's Economic Redevelopment Ministry has welcomed the nomination of former European Aerospace and Defence company chief executive, Louis Gallois, to its supervisory board.

News 26 Dec, 2012

Alfa Romeo-based Maserati has been given the go-ahead for production

News 22 Dec, 2012

Technology from the axed Jaguar C-X75 hybrid supercar is set to power future models

The Sunderland plant in England will no longer manufacture a C-segment hatchback which Nissan had planned to make there in 2014. Instead, the plant will be the sole build location of a new Infiniti model.

Its getting a bit late in the holiday season to add new items to your wish list, but there's no shortage of tempting options thanks to scale model-makers like Autoart and Automodello.

Tesla Motors said Daimler AG's Herbert Kohler resigned from its board and was replaced by another executive at the German automaker.

Private equity firm Carlyle Group LP today completed the sale of Metaldyne LLC for about $820 million to another buyout firm, its second divestment of an American auto parts supplier it picked up from bankruptcy in as many years.

Infiniti will build its new premium compact hatchback in the UK. Production of the entry-level model will begin in 2015 for global markets at parent Nissan's plant in Sunderland, England, Infiniti said.

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel insists he is not bothered that some regard Fernando Alonso as a better driver.

Recently, after a confidential post-season survey involving all 12 team bosses, Spaniard Alonso was voted the standout driver of the season, despite German Vettel winning his third consecutive championship with Red Bull.

"If people think that Alonso's wins are about the driver and mine about the car, that is also Fernando's responsibility - but it doesn't bother me," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"I admire him (Alonso) very much and I respect him as a driver," added Vettel.

Photo: WRi2

"For me it was clear from the beginning that my opponent for the title would be him. After the winter tests, Ferrari became competitive more quickly than we expected - yes, maybe in Malaysia he would not have won in the dry - but already by Barcelona he was among the best. His strength was to always be fast even if he was almost never the fastest," Vettel said.

As for the claims Alonso is a better driver, Sebastian Vettel insisted: "I don't want to stand here and prove my performance, but we have also won races that we should not have. Monaco last year, for example, when I made the decision against all reason to go with a one stop. Also Barcelona 2011, when Hamilton was faster but he couldn't get past me."

From GMM

Jean Alesi has decided to retire from motor racing.

At the wheel of a highly uncompetitive Lotus-powered Dallara, the F1 veteran made his Indy 500 debut this year and vowed to return in 2013 with a better performance.

But the 48-year-old Frenchman, who won just one grand prix for Ferrari during his 202-grand prix career between 1989 and 2001, announced this week he is in fact quitting.

"I do not feel like hunting for sponsors," Jean Alesi told the French sports daily L'Équipe.

Jean Alesi at the Indy 500, in 2012. (Photo: IMS)

From NASCAR

In an effort to strengthen and grow its racing series for 2013 and beyond, NASCAR announced Tuesday several revisions to its competition personnel structure.

The following changes will take effect in 2013:

Joe Balash, who has served as the Nationwide Series director since 2004, will be assuming a new role as international competition liaison. This position will be the NASCAR point of contact for competition-related matters relative to the Toyota (Mexico) Series, Canadian Tire Series, the Euro Racecar, Touring Series and other international competitions and series in which NASCAR might be involved and/or considering involvement. Balash will report to Richard Buck, who has been promoted to managing director, competition GRAND-AM and managing director, Touring Series, NASCAR.

Wayne Auton, who has served as the Camping World Truck Series director since 1995, will assume the role of Nationwide Series director. Auton will continue to report to John Darby, managing director, competition and Sprint Cup Series director.

Chad Little, currently Whelen Modified Tour Series director and director of racing development, Mexico, will serve as Camping World Truck Series director. Little also will report to Darby.

Brad Moran, currently Canadian Tire Series director, will serve as director of Touring Series, NASCAR, reporting to Buck.

With the increasing integration between NASCAR, Grand-Am, American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Euro Racecar, NASCAR Touring Series, these moves are designed to strengthen all of the sport's racing series, both at the national and international levels.

From GMM

F1's governing body backtracked on aerodynamic changes for the 2014 season because of fears the next generation of cars would be too slow.

After the recent World Motor Sport Council meeting in Turkey, the FIA announced that scheduled bodywork rule changes for 2014 to reduce downforce have been replaced by "2012 specification".

"There was concern that formula one cars would become too slow," read a report by the authoritative German magazine Auto Motor und Sport.

Red Bull RB8. (Photo: WRi2)

One problem is that the all-new turbo V6 and energy recovery systems will add considerable weight - and more than initially expected - to the 2014 single seaters.

With the 2014 rules, the FIA is reportedly aiming to slow down the F1 cars by no more than five seconds per lap.

Any more than that, the German report claimed, runs the risk that formula one could be genuinely outpaced by Le Mans prototype cars, or the US-based Indycars.

Ferrari F2012. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

According to his manager, Jules Bianchi has a "real chance" of securing one of the two remaining race seats on the 2013 grid.

The 23-year-old Frenchman's manager Nicolas Todt told RMC Sport that Bianchi is in the running for the vacant Force India drive alongside Paul di Resta.

Bianchi, also supported by Ferrari's driver development 'academy', was the Silverstone based team's full time reserve driver this year.

"The decision is in the hands of two or three people at the Force India team," Todt, the son of FIA president Jean Todt and also the manager of Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado, said.

"I think Jules has a real chance but nothing is done," added Todt.

Jules Bianchi. (Photo: Ferrari)

It has been reported the favourite for the drive is German Adrian Sutil, but Todt insisted: "There are many drivers knocking on the door at Force India."

He said he doubts Sutil is a shoe-in for the seat.

"I would be surprised, but as of today I do not think anyone has signed," said Todt.

Sahara Force India has announced it will launch its 2013 car at Silverstone on 1 February, ahead of the winter test season in Spain.

Ford's F-Series is still going strong. Heck, it just sold its 100,000th unit in 2012, a feat no other automaker had ever accomplished in a single year.

"The F-Series has been Canada's favourite truck for 46 consecutive years, but we have never sold 100,000 F-Series in a single year before," said Dianne Craig, president and CEO at Ford of Canada.

The milestone vehicle was purchased in Kingston, Ontario. FYI, if you lined up 100,000 F-Series trucks end-to-end, they would stretch over a distance of nearly 600 kilometres!

Ford of Canada has now sold 2,755,788 units (and counting) since the model's debut 46 years ago.

From GP2

The GP2 series' organisers have revealed their 2013 calendar which will consist of eleven rounds in total, all support events of the official Formula 1 World Championship.

Seven rounds will be held in Europe whilst four overseas events have been added, making it once again an international Series.

The ninth season of the GP2 Series will open in Sepang, Malaysia on March 22-24 before flying off to Bahrain for the second round a month later on April 19-21. As Formula OneTM will make its way back to Europe, so will GP2 starting in Barcelona on May 10-12 and Monte-Carlo two weeks later. The action will then resume in Silverstone on June 28-30. The month of July will host two race weekends, first in Nurburg on the 5th, 6th and 7th, and then in Budapest on the 26th, 27th and 28th.

After the summer breather, the Series will set-up camp in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium on August 24th followed by the Italian round at Monza two weeks later. The Series will return to Singapore on September 20th, 21st and 22nd. The 2013 season will be concluded on the first weekend of November in Abu Dhabi at the prestigious Yas Marina Circuit.

The 2012 Champion, Davide Valsecchi, in Monza. (Photo: GP2 Series)

In addition to these eleven rounds, two pre-season test sessions will be organised first at Jerez de la Frontera on February 26-27-28, followed by Barcelona on March 5-6-7.

Date  Venue
26-27-28 February   Jerez de la Frontera, Spain   Test
5-6-7 March   Barcelona, Spain   Test

22-24 March   Sepang, Malaysia   Race
19-21 April   Sakhir, Bahrain   Race
10-12 May   Barcelona, Spain   Race
23-25 May    Monte-Carlo, Monaco   Race
28-30 June   Silverstone, Great-Britain   Race
05-07 July   Nurburg, Germany    Race
26-28 July   Budapest, Hungary   Race
23-25 August   Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium    Race
06-08 September   Monza, Italy   Race
20-22 September   Singapore, Singapore   Race
01-03 November   Abu Dhabi, UAE   Race

The 2013 DTM calendar has been modified, including the final round in Hockenheim to be held one month later than first scheduled.

The Norisring race has been moved one week later, following the change of the date of the German F1 Grand Prix.

Zandvoort has been moved to end of September, and the final round will be presented Cctober 20 at the Hockenheimring.

2013 calendar*:
May 5: Hockenheim I
May 19: Brands Hatch
June 2: Spielberg
June 16: Lausitzring
July 14: Norisring
August 4: Moscow
Septembre 15: Oschersleben
September 29: Zandvoort
October 20: Hockenheim II
*Subject to approval by the FIA

Photo: DTM

From GP3

GP3 series' organisers have unveiled the provisional 2013 calendar which will be made of eight rounds in total.

Seven rounds have been confirmed for the season which will run alongside the Formula 1 World Championship, with an eighth standalone race weekend mid-June (venue to be announced at a later date). The calendar features an exciting new venue for GP3 with Abu Dhabi hosting the final race of the season.

The Series will kick off its fourth season in Barcelona, Spain on 10-12 May with the brand new GP3/13 car. The eagerly anticipated second-generation machine will make its debut as the Formula 1 season commences its European campaign. The GP3 standalone event (TBA) will follow on 15-16 June before the paddock then travels to Silverstone, Nurburg and Budapest before the annual summer break.

Mitch Evans, 2012 Champion, in Valencia. (Photo: GP3 Series)

GP3 will return to action on 23-25 August at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit with Monza the setting for the penultimate race weekend. The magnificent Abu Dhabi will set the scene for the season finale on 01-03 November.

A total of nine pre-season test days will be held: firstly in Estoril on February 20-22, followed by Barcelona on March 12-13 and finally Silverstone on April 3-4. There will also be one mid-season test at the Hungaroring in Budapest on June 5-6.

Date    Venue
20-22 Feb   Estoril, Portugal   Test
12-13 Mar   Barcelona, Spain   Test
03-04 Apr   Silverstone, Great Britain   Test
10-12 May   Barcelona, Spain   Race
05-06 June   Budapest, Hungary   Test
14-16 June   TBA   Race
28-30 June   Silverstone, Great Britain   Race
05-07 July   Nurburg, Germany   Race
26-28 July   Budapest, Hungary   Race
23-25 Aug   Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium   Race
06-08 Sep   Monza, Italy   Race
01-03 Nov   Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates   Race

From GMM

Pirelli's new tires for the 2013 season could shake up the pecking order in formula one.

That is the view of the Italian marque's British head of motor racing, Paul Hembery, who this week was in Sao Paulo to announce Pirelli's new foray in the Brazilian stock car series.

It has been said that, because the technical regulations are not significantly changing over the winter, next year's pecking order could be a continuation of the 2012 season.

But Hembery is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo: "The tires next year will be different from those used this year. The walls flex a little more, which will have a significant influence on the aerodynamic performance."

"I don't think the next championship will necessarily be anything like how it finished this year," added Hembery.

"I think there will be teams who will look deeply into this feature of our new tires," he said.

"I am sure they are racking their brains as to how it affects, for example, the suspension. We saw in testing how the tires changed the behaviour of the cars. The designers will be looking at that," said Hembery.

Renault R30 Pirelli. (Photo: Pirelli)

Although it's no longer Colin Chapman's original team, Gerard Lopez's Lotus F1 Team scored a victory this year in Formula 1, 25 years after Ayrton Senna won the U.S. Grand Prix in Detroit in 1987.

The near-fatal rally accident of their star driver, Robert Kubica, prior to the start of the 2011 season turned out to be a real disaster for the team led by Frenchman, Eric Boullier. The team needed a genuine leader and eventually found one in rally refugee, Kimi Raikkonen. The 2007 F1 World Champion adapted very well to his new home and proved to be a great source of motivation despite his reluctance to talk.

The team name was officially changed from Renault to Lotus for this year. Lotus finished the season in fourth place in the Constructor's championship with 303 points.

Photo: Lotus F1 Team

Kimi Raikkonen
3rd in the Driver's Championship with 207 points
Best place in qualifications: 2nd (once, Belgium)
Best race result: 1st (once, Abu Dhabi), 7 podiums
Never retired (scored points in 19 races)

Romain Grosjean
8th in the Driver's Championship with 96 points
Best place in qualifications: 2nd (once, Hungary)
Best race result: 2nd (once, Canada), 3 podiums
Retired 7 times

The Renault-powered Lotus E20 was a brillant race car, but a not-so-good qualifier. It seems the Lotus had difficulties getting its tires up to the correct temperature during the qualifying effort. But on a full tank in race trim, it was a totally different story and the car was really fast and consistent

Kimi Raikkonen finished five times on the podium -- including three second-place finishes -- in the opening 11 Grands Prix. However, a win remained elusive until the 18th round in Abu Dhabi. Despite having been away from F1 for two full years, Raikkonen was brilliantly consistent.

The Finn scored points in 19 races out of 20 (China was his only off), and earned thousands of new fans when he told his team on the radio, “Leave me alone. I know that to do,” when he was en route to victory in Abu Dhabi, demonstrating his (very) strong character.

Kimi Raikkonen won at Abu Dhabi ahead of Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). (Photo: WRi2)

Romain Grosjean made his return to F1 after clinching the GP2 serie's title. Inexperience showed in an erratic early form, but he then scored three impressive podiums. The second half of the season was characterised by a number of high-profile accidents, including one at Spa that earned him a one-race ban, but he managed to retain his seat for 2013.

Grosjean scored 76 points in the opening 12 races of the season, then got his race ban and drove very carefully afterwards, collecting just 20 points in the final seven races.

From GMM

Norbert Haug has admitted he is stepping down due to Mercedes' lack of success as a works team since 2010.

But in an interview with Germany's Bild daily, he denied reports he is being made a scapegoat.

"No, I'm not," said Haug, who served as the German marque's motor sport vice president for more than two decades.

"If I had nothing to do with our failures in the last three years, then I would have nothing to do with our victory in China this year," said the 60-year-old, "and I wouldn't like that."

But why has Haug been axed, and not the Brackley based team's British principal, Ross Brawn?

"Because over 22 years I have borne the overall responsibility for motor sport at Mercedes, not Ross Brawn. I am ultimately his superior," he insisted.

Haug said he accepts that he must take the responsibility.

"The basis of our car was good, but the development was poor to very poor," he admitted.

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

Norbert Haug denied rumours he is actually quitting for health reasons.

"Thank god not," the German insisted. "Almost three years ago to the day I had thyroid surgery, but since then I'm doing very well. I'm totally healthy," he added.

He said he doesn't know if his job will now be split into two roles -- DTM and F1.

"I have no information. Maybe there is a very capable professional who can do much more than I can," said Haug.

He played down suggestions ex-drivers like Michael and Ralf Schumacher, or Mika Hakkinen, can fill his shoes.

"Honestly, I don't think they were born to be in the office," laughed Haug.