A poor decision from the Mercedes F1 team at the Monaco Grand Prix lead Lewis Hamilton to throw away his easy lead for a third place position.
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Lewis Hamilton has taken delivery of his brand new McLaren P1 supercar in Monaco just days after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Current Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has treated himself to one of the world’s fastest and most exclusive supercars, the McLaren P1. Just 499 P1’s will ever be built, and this 903hp hybrid rocket ship can accelerate from 0-62mph in under three seconds and 0-184mph in around 16 seconds. This phenomenal performance comes curtesy of a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, which is supplemented by a pair of electric motors to give a total of 903hp.
The P1 also features one of the most aggressive and advanced aerodynamic packages ever fitted to a production car, capable of delivering 600kg of downforce in Race mode. In Race mode the P1’s massive rear wing fully extends and the car lowers right down to the ground. In fact, the McLaren P1 is so extreme in its Race mode that it’s actually illegal to use this setting on the road.
Thanks to its electric motors, the P1 can also be driven in silent emissions-free electric mode for around 6 miles. Even without the V8 engine in use, the P1 is just as fast as a Golf GTI or Fiesta ST – both decently fast cars.
Lewis Hamilton took delivery of his unique McLaren P1 in Monaco earlier this week, just days after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix. The car is finished in a unique electric blue colour with special blue pinstripes on the wheels and body. Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton can be seen collecting the McLaren P1 in the video below (he’s the guy wearing the blue clothes and hat).
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Mercedes F1 boss says his boy Lewis Hamilton has bought a $1.7 million Ferrari LaFerrari hybrid hypercar.
Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has an interesting collection of exotic cars in his garage. When he’s not behind the wheel of his winning Mercedes F1 machine, he gets around in a range of different personal cars including a Rolls Royce, classic Ford Mustang and a Pagani Zonda 760LH which was built specially for the British driver.
To celebrate his second world title in 2014, and his win at the 2015 F1 season opener in Melbourne Australia Lewis Hamilton ordered a Ferrari LaFerrari, says team boss Toto Wolff. Of course, Ferrari is one of Mercedes’ biggest on-track rivals in Formula 1 but at the moment Merc and its AMG performance division don’t build a supercar to rival the likes of LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918.
The LaFerrari is a limited edition mid-engine V12 hybrid monster which packs a total of 960hp and can hit 186mph (300km/h) in under 15 seconds making it one of the most accelerative production cars on the planet. It’s also one of the most expensive, worth around $1.7 million.
Unlike his world champion rivals Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso who have all been Ferrari F1 drivers, Hamilton is unlikely to be invited to drive the Ferrari hybrid hyper car around the maker’s Fiorano test track. With the quickest car on the grid and enough money to hire any track in the world, we doubt Hamilton will be worried about missing out on a go around Fiorano.
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Four-time Formula 1 world champion and Ferrari driver, Sebastian Vettel, hits the track in Ferrari’s new track-only LaFerrari based FXX K racer.
One of the perks of being a Ferrari Formula 1 driver is the company car you get to drive around in. While driving for Infiniti Redbull racing between 2010 and 2014 where Vettel secured four world championship titles, he had a choice of Infiniti vehicles and flavoured energy drinks to take home of an evening, now though at Ferrari, the German driver can pick from a selection of the world’s best supercars.
The promotional work isn’t too bad either. At is old team Vettel had to give a smile while sipping from a can of Redbull that probably isn’t ideal for an F1 ace’s diet, and he was also Infiniti’s ‘director of performance’ – whatever that means. This year, however, the Ferrari execs have much simpler public relations plans for Vettel – hop in our fastest and most powerful track-day weapon and spank it around our Fiorano test track for a few laps, and smile for the camera if you wouldn’t mind…
The video below shows the four-time world champ getting stuck in behind the wheel of Ferrari’s ferocious 1036hp LaFerrari-based hybrid rocket ship. It’s a super-exclusive track-only machine that Ferrari won’t actually even let you bring home. It’s kept at Ferrari’s HQ, probably in a maximum security shed somewhere, and will be delivered to your desired racing circuit whenever you feel the urge to wreck some slick tyres and burn a few gallons of race fuel. This is Ferrari’s most mental creation to date.
Check out the video.
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Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren were stood up at this week’s pre-season Jerez Formula 1 test as Red Bull unveiled a striking new test livery for their car.
It’s not often that Red Bull Racing let their hair down and do something a bit outlandish. Their livery has barely changed since the old Jaguar F1 team was taken over by the cashed-up energy drink company and is a strictly business affair with the typical Red Bull logos and a few others. However, at this week’s pre-season Formula 1 test in Jerez, the Red Bull RB11 racer rocked a dark black and white camouflage livery, which has since become the talk of the pit lane.
Originally intended to hide the car’s aerodynamic secrets from rival teams like Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari, the livery has wowed F1 fans with some calling for Red Bull to keep the wrap for the rest of the 2015 F1 season. However, that seems pretty unlikely given that you have to squint to recognise the sponsor logos.
Red Bull’s driver lineup for 2015 includes Aussie young gun Daniel Ricciardo, who was the only non-Mercedes driver to win races last year while his then teammate and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel struggled. Vettel will drive a Ferrari this year, marking his first season away from Red Bull. Red Bull’s second driver is another young lad, Danny Kvyat from Russia.
Power issues plagued Red Bull last season as the Renault turbo V6 engine didn’t have the outright grunt of the Mercedes engines, however things should be different this season. Red Bull is now Renault’s soul engine customer, and this has allowed the car and engine designers to work more closely for better integration of chassis and power unit.
Reigning world champions Mercedes are tipped to be a dominant force once again this year, while McLaren and Ferrari have four world champion drivers in total and should be strong. More will be revealed once the lights go out in Melbourne next month, marking the start of the 2015 F1 season.
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Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo will feature as a special guest on Top Gear next month.
Aussie Formula 1 ace, Daniel Ricciardo has confirmed that he will be a star in a reasonably priced car on Top Gear next month.
The Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver will be seeking to snatch the current lap record from 2014 F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton when he takes to Top Gear’s Suzuki Liana.
At a media event earlier this week he said, “It’s been a while since I’ve heard people say ‘When are you going to go on Top Gear?’ So the time has come…I believe Lewis has got the crown at the moment so it would be nice to take at least one title off him.”
Fellow Australian Mark Webber is second on the lapboard ahead of Ricciardo’s teammate from last year and four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel.
It is believed Dan Ricciardo will makes his Top Gear debut in episode three of this season which will air on February 8.
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In light of the recent events with Jules Bianchi many are asking questions about the safety of Formula One Racing. The FIA is the governing body responsible for Formula One Racing, and its rules. It has recently come forward with two major recommendations for improved safety following the horrific October 2014 crash at the Japanese Grand Prix. Bianchi was in the 43rd lap of the Grand Prix when he lost control of his car. It was raining heavily as a typhoon was bearing down on the track and it was dark. Former FIA president Max Mosley comments on accident in this interview with Sky Sports and he is one of a number of influential F1 figures who have spoken about the tragic circumstances around the accident and what a freak event it was. Since Jules’s tragic crash, the FIA and Malaysia Grand Prix organizers are working towards a compromise to allow the Grand Prix to run entirely during daylight hours. Even with all of the many safety measures necessary for a Formula One race to take place, the sport in its very nature of speed will always be somewhat dangerous. Despite the questions many are asking Formula One has always been a safety forward organization. They are a leader in driver safety and are usually quick to implement measures to further improve driver and patron safety. Over the years here are some of the safety measures F1 has shown leadership in implementing.
Fire Safety
Both Formula One and every day automobiles tend to go on fire when they crash. In the 1960s with this fact in mind, the Formula One governing body made it a requirement for drivers to wear a fireproof suit. In 1969 fire suppression systems were installed in all of the cars. In 1975 the standards for fireproof clothing were updated, and in 1979 new clothing 5 layers thick, designed by NASA debuted. A couple of decades later the requirement to wear fireproof clothing was extended to the various pit crews.
One of the earliest ways to minimize the number of fires related to crashes in Formula One cars was the introduction of highly structured reinforced fuel tanks. In 1973 the F1 governing body mandated that fuel tanks be relocated to a fire and crash resistant area of the vehicle. By 1988 the cars started to undergo crash testing focused on the fuel tank and safety cell.
Head Safety
The risk of a severe concussion or death from a blow to the head has long been a risk in F1 racing. In 1961 roll bars became an important part of the car, and by the end of the decade helmets and even sturdier roll bars were in use. However, it was not until 1991 that rollover bars actually underwent safety testing.
Breaking Technology
Breaks are one of the most important safety features of any car. This is why in 1955 Formula One introduced disc brakes on all of the vehicles. By 1994 Formula One had become an early adopter of the safer anti lock or ABS breaking system.
Beyond these areas Formula One has consistently led in making what is by nature a dangerous sport as safe as possible. Many measures and technologies have been implemented years before the same quality of technology was deployed on the passenger vehicle fleet. Despite the recent accident, safety is alive and well at Formula One.
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It is perhaps now the most crucial time in Michael Schumacher’s recovery. The seven-time Formula One World Champion, who was injured in a skiing accidentat the end of December and has been kept in a medically induced coma, is reportedly going to have his sedation reduced in an attempt to begin “the waking up process.”
We last reported on Schumacher’s condition when doctors who weren’t associated with the German’s medical teams at Grenoble University Hospital speculated that the driver could remain in a persistent vegetative state even after sedation had been withdrawn. Patients that are in induced comas beyond eight days have been known to suffer memory loss, or in worst-case scenarios, to never wake up. Schumi has been in a coma for over a month, meaning there could be severe neurological deficits if he manages to come out of it.
“Michael’s sedation is being reduced in order to allow the start of the waking up process which may take a long time,” a statement from Schumacher’s management team read. “For the protection of the family, it was originally agreed by the interested parties to communicate this information only once this process was consolidated.”
It’s unclear when more information on Schumacher’s condition will be released. As always, as soon as more information becomes available, we’ll be sure to let you know.
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The 2014 Formula One cars have an ‘interesting’ looking nose this year.
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It seems crazy that Formula 1 racing legend Michael Schumacher has spent his whole life racing at speeds of 240mph, and yet he is tragically clinging on to life following a skiing accident.
After suffering a head injury while skiing on Sunday afternoon in the French Alps with his 14 year old son, the 7 time German Formula champion is in a medically induces coma with doctors monitoring his critical health hour by hour.
Doctors treating Michael Schumacher refused Monday to predict an outcome for the seven-time Formula One champion, saying they were taking his critical head injury “hour by hour” following a skiing accident.
Chief anesthesiologist Jean-Francois Payen told reporters that Schumacher was still in a medically induced coma and doctors were focusing only on his current condition.
“We cannot predict the future for Michael Schumacher,” said Payen, who is also in charge of Grenoble University Hospital’s intensive-care unit.
“He is in a critical state in terms of cerebral resuscitation,” he added. “We are working hour by hour.”
Schumacher, the most successful driver in Formula One history, arrived at the Grenoble hospital a day earlier already in a coma and immediately underwent brain surgery.
The German driver was skiing with his son Sunday morning in the French Alpine resort of Meribel, about 130 km southeast of Geneva, when he fell and hit the right side of his head on a rock. He was wearing a helmet, but doctors said it was not enough to prevent a serious brain injury.
Gerard Saillant, a trauma surgeon who operated on Schumacher when he broke his leg in a 1999 race crash, was at the hospital as a visitor. He told reporters that Schumacher’s age — he turns 45 on Jan. 3 — and his fitness should work in his favor.
Top neurology team
But the Grenoble medical team was being very cautious about Schumacher’s prognosis. Working to relieve the pressure on his brain, they lowered his body temperature to between 34 and 35 degrees Celsius as part of the medically induced coma, which essentially rests the brain, slowing its metabolism to help reduce inflammation after an injury.
Meribel Village, a ski resort in France, located about 130 km southeast of Geneva, Switzerland. Michael Schumacher was skiing with his son in the region when he fell and struck his head. (Igluski.com)The neurology team at Grenoble University Hospital is recognized as among the best in France and the hospital, in a city that is the gateway to the French Alps, sees a large number of skiing accidents every year.
Schumacher has been seriously hurt before. He broke his leg in a crash at the Silverstone race course in 1999. He also suffered serious neck and spine injuries after a motorcycling accident in February 2009 in Spain.
The area where Schumacher was skiing is part of a web of trails that slice down through a vast and, in parts, very steep snowfield. Although challenging, the snowfield is not extreme skiing. The runs are broad and neatly tended, and the ungroomed area in between, known as off-piste — where the resort said Schumacher was found — is free of trees.
Local hospital then Grenoble
The resort said Schumacher was conscious when first responders arrived, although agitated and in shock. But Payen said Monday that after the fall Schumacher was not in a “normal state of consciousness.” He was not responding to questions and his limbs appeared to be moving involuntarily.
He was airlifted to a local hospital and then later brought to Grenoble. Doctors said this stopover was typical and did not affect his condition.
His wife and other family members were by his bedside.
“The family is not doing very well obviously. They are shocked,” said his manager Sabine Kehm, who added that the family still appreciated the outpouring of support.
As news of the accident spread, Formula One drivers and fans rushed to wish Schumacher a quick recovery.
Boyhood idol
“Like millions of Germans, the chancellor and members of the government were extremely dismayed when they heard about Michael Schumacher’s serious skiing accident,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said in Berlin.
Sebastian Vettel, for whom Schumacher was a boyhood idol, told German news agency dpa: “I am shocked and hope that he will get better as soon as possible.”
Ferrari, which Schumacher raced for, expressed its concern in a statement.
“Everyone at Ferrari has been in a state of anxiety since hearing about Michael Schumacher’s accident,” it said, adding that company president, Luca di Montezemolo, and race team leader, Stefano Domenicali, were in contact with the family.
British former world champion Jenson Button said posted that his “thoughts are with Michael Schumacher at this tough time .… Michael more than anyone has the strength to pull through this.”
During his career, Schumacher won seven drivers’ championships and 91 race wins. After initial success with the Benetton team, Schumacher moved to Ferrari and helped turn the Italian team into the sport’s dominant force. After initially retiring in 2006, he made a comeback in 2010 and raced for three years with Mercedes.
via: CBC
Our thoughts and prayers are with Schumacher and his family at this time.
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