F1 Tickets

Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher are among more than 300 drivers competing at the SKUSA Supernationals karting event in Las Vegas, USA, this weekend.

Buemi and Schumacher are entered in the Super Pro KZ2 class, the Swiss driver with Intrepid, the German with the Tony Kart Racing Team. They will battle it out around a 0.66 mile circuit constructed in the grounds of the Rio Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.

Among the other famous names taking part are ex-Renault Formula One star Nelson Piquet, former Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, and Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of the two-time F1 world champion Emerson.

Williams owners Frank Williams and Patrick Head announced Friday that they have sold a minority interest in the team to an investment company led by Austrian Toto Wolff, who also joins the Williams board of directors.

Wolff, a 37-year-old venture capitalist from Vienna, is a keen racer and motorsport enthusiast. His driving CV includes a wide range of series, from Formula Ford to touring cars, FIA GTs and rallying. Most recently he was runner-up in the 2006 Austrian rally championship.

His investment companies are also heavily involved in motorsport, through the likes of HWA, who build and race cars for Mercedes in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), and Baumschlager Rallye Racing, who run Red Bull’s Rally Junior Programme.

Wolff also co-owns a company with two-time Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen, involved in the management of up and coming young drivers.

For months it’s been merely an option. Now it looks set to become a reality. Kimi Raikkonen will take a one-year sabbatical from Formula One racing in 2010, to bridge the gap from one competitive car to another – or so he hopes. Some fear the recent Abu Dhabi Grand Prix may have been the Finn’s last race, and that would be a shame – seeing a great character leave the paddock with no further ado. Then again, the ‘Iceman’ can usually be relied on to surprise…

Q: Kimi, we learned yesterday that you are thinking of taking a year off from Formula One racing. What is the state of affairs?
Kimi Raikkonen: Yes, that appears to be the case. I could not agree terms with McLaren so I have decided to take a one-year sabbatical.

Q: You always said that your staying in Formula One was dependant on having a competitive car. Presumably you now feel this is not achievable for 2010?
KR: Yes. I felt McLaren offered the best opportunity to win races and challenge for the drivers’ championship and if that would not work the one-year break is the result. And to be honest, I will only return in 2011 if a competitive drive is available.

Q: What would you do in that year off? Rallying? Look for other talents lurking within you?
KR: I do not know yet. I will look at competing in rallying. Again, naturally I want to drive a competitive car. If not I will spend more time with my family and friends.

Q: And how convinced are you that you will be back in 2011? Couldn’t going now mean the end of your Formula One career? Are you ready for that?
KR: As I said, I will only return in 2011 if I can drive a competitive car. I do not want to race just to make up the numbers. That does not interest me. But there’s a lot of time until then, so let’s wait and see what happens in the months ahead.

Q: The McLaren route is now blocked following their signing of Jenson Button. What brought your negotiations with them to a halt?
KR: My management held many meetings with McLaren. Unfortunately, certain issues could not be resolved. We knew in the last three or four days that it would be highly unlikely a deal could be reached. Now we know it is definite.

Q: What about moving to the newly formed Mercedes GP team? Have you put out any feelers towards Brackley?
KR: No, I have not held talks with Brawn. I feel they will run two German drivers next year now that Mercedes are involved.

Q: There was a lot of speculation concerning the role salary played in Button’s switch to McLaren – and lots of reports suggesting the same team were unwilling to meet your pay demands. What is your position on bargaining for salary?
KR: I feel a good driver can make a bigger difference nowadays. If you look at how close the whole grid was this year, if a driver can lap two-tenths faster that is worth many positions on the grid. That could easily be the difference between winning and losing.

Q: 2009 was your ninth season in Formula One racing. Have you achieved what you wanted? Your Ferrari successor Alonso was quoted as saying that after Ferrari he will quit, because after Ferrari any other team is a step down. So you could go out with your head held high…
KR: I achieved my dream of winning the drivers’ world championship. I would like to win another championship, but I can only do that if I have a competitive car. It’s that simple.

Q: How much of a petrol head still lays within Kimi Raikkonen?
KR: I have enjoyed my time in F1 and I still have ambitions. In the right circumstances I am very keen to return. The door is open. Let’s see what the future brings.

The new Manor GP team, currently preparing for their Formula One debut next season, have confirmed 2009 Toyota star Timo Glock to lead their driver line-up. The announcement precedes the official launch of the team later this year.

Manor say their driver strategy has been to secure a blend of youth and experience – and that Glock ticks both boxes. The 27-year-old German made his F1 debut as a Jordan stand-in in 2004, before beginning his career in earnest with Toyota in 2008, going on to score three podiums and 51 points.

“I had several options for 2010, some of them with more established teams,” explained Glock. “Every driver has the same overall objective – to win the world championship one day – but the way I want to succeed is to be part of the process of building a team and to play a key role in developing the car. This is why the opportunity with Manor GP is so exciting for me.

“I have spent a lot of time with (technical director) Nick Wirth, (team boss) John Booth and other members of the team and what I liked most is that this a real racing team run by true racers. The team may be small and new but it has big ambitions and a very impressive car and development programme. I am confident that I can play a big role in terms of my technical input and that’s a fantastic opportunity for me. I can’t wait to start testing the new car early next year.”

Commenting on Glock’s signing, Wirth said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Timo has chosen to drive for our team. It has always been my recommendation that we have at least one driver with experience of the 2009 cars to help our development programme, but to get a driver that has not only achieved podium finishes in 2009 but has such proven talent and the potential to take us forward for many years is very exciting. The fact that he has come and seen all aspects of the project before making his decision speaks volumes about what we have achieved so far.”

Manor are one of four new teams joining the grid next season, along with Lotus, Campos Meta and the US F1 Team. They expect to reveal more of their plans and car development programme later this year, but in the meantime have been quietly progressing towards their inaugural year of Formula One competition.

“Progress on our new car continues to be very encouraging,” added Wirth. “The first fully-finished monocoque was completed a week ago, and we’ve been crash testing all areas of the car since May. I think we’ll have the bulk of the official FIA tests done by Christmas, bang on our schedule. Now we just can’t wait to get Timo into the new car once track testing begins next year.”

The GP3 Series kicks off next season as a new support event at Grand Prix weekends and Red Bull’s Mark Webber was at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on Tuesday to give international media and the ten GP3 teams their first taste of the new car.

The standardised single-seater machine is built by Dallara and powered by a turbo engine developed by the Renault Formula One team. Transmission is by Hewland and tyres for the GP2 feeder event will be supplied by Pirelli.

“I have been pleasantly surprised by the new GP3 car,” said Webber after completing 19 laps of Paul Ricard’s 3A configuration. “It’s my first experience driving the car and I can honestly say it is like driving a small F1 car. A lot of the aspects are what I am already used to, but obviously on a smaller, more junior scale, for example the car has a full paddle-shift gearbox and clutch system.

“The biggest advantage for this championship has to be racing at the Formula One race weekends. This will give drivers great exposure, and for sure all of the team bosses will be watching. Overall I think it is a great car I am very impressed by the whole package, and I am looking forward to the first race next season.”

Webber has more than just a passing interest in the new series. In partnership with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s Arden organisation, the Australian driver has entered a team, MW Arden.

“Christian was interested in taking part in the series and approached me,” explained Webber. “ I’m not at the beginning of the F1 career so it was a logical step for me.”

Kimi Raikkonen will be missing from the grid in 2010 after failing to agree a deal to drive for McLaren, according to his management. Raikkonen, who has a keen interest in rallying, is expected to pursue other options next year as he looks to secure a winning drive for 2011.

The Finn, 2007 world champion with Ferrari, agreed to leave the Italian team at the end of this season despite having a year of his contract still to run, in order to make way for Fernando Alonso. He has always said he would only contemplate staying in the sport with a top team.

“The Formula One alternatives for next season were McLaren or nothing,” Raikkonen’s manager Steve Robertson was quoted as saying by Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat. “Kimi and McLaren could not reach an agreement, so he will not drive at F1 level – at least not next year.”

Raikkonen previously spent five seasons with McLaren, from 2002 to 2006, winning nine Grands Prix and twice finishing runner-up in the drivers’ championship. He moved to Ferrari for 2007, taking the title that year, but was overshadowed by team mate Felipe Massa the following season.

This year Raikkonen has experienced mixed fortunes, with pundits repeatedly questioning his level of motivation. He won the Belgian Grand Prix, but was subsequently hampered by Ferrari’s decision to halt development of their 2009 car.

He also made his World Rally Championship debut at his home event in August, setting competitive times before crashing out. He could now return to that series next year, although Robertson hinted his driver’s Formula One career is far from over.

“Kimi still lives and breathes driving ambition,” he added. “In that sense a year off means nothing. More important is to find a place for Kimi where he can fight for victory and the world championship.”

“It’s hard to believe that I have been in Formula One for nine years already,” was Raikkonen’s own take on the situation earlier this month. “I am very motivated to win races and a championship again and will only remain in Formula One if I can race for a team that can give me a car to fight at the front.”

Raikkonen’s apparent removal from the running for a 2010 McLaren seat has already boosted media speculation that the British team could sign reigning world champion Jenson Button to partner Lewis Hamilton next season.

Fresh from his first experience of rallying a Renault car at last weekend’s Rally Taormina-Messina in Sicily, Robert Kubica has confirmed he will be back behind the wheel of a Clio Sport R3 Maxi at the Rallye du Var in France later this month.

Kubica, who will race for Renault’s Formula One team next year, said he will be using the event, the final round of the French championship and the Clio R3 West European Trophy, to build on his experience after he crashed out of the Sicilian competition, despite setting some impressive stage times.

“I’m interested in all categories of motorsport and I particularly like rally,” said the Pole. “It’s a very demanding and spectacular category and I have been thinking about participating in a rally for quite a while so joining the Renault F1 Team has created the perfect opportunity to try this out.

“I will approach the event cautiously, without any particular objective. The roads in the south of France are as nice as they are challenging and I will try to enjoy it as much as I can behind the wheel of the Clio Renault Sport R3 Maxi of Team Chazel.”

Jean-Fran