2010 Fia Formula 1 World Championship Schedule

The official race day for the Formula 1 Grand Prix is confirmed

March 14, Bahrain;
March 28, Australia;
April 4, Malaysia;
April 18, China;
May 9, Spain;
May 16, Monaco;
May 30, Turkey;
June 13, Canada;
June 27, Valencia (GP of Europe);
July 11 Great Britain;
July 25, Germany;
August 1, Hungary;
August 29, Belgium;
September 12, Italy;
September 26, Singapore;
October 10, Japan;
October 24, Korea;
November 7, Brazil;
November 14, Abu Dhabi.

The races in Australia and Abu Dhabi will start at 1700 local time, in Malaysia at 1600 local time, in Canada at 1200 local time, in Singapore at 2000 local time, and in Japan at 1500 local time.

Book your tickets now

Villeneuve will drive Lotus?

Seems that this old man has been ruled out to become Malaysia's 1st F1 team driver. Jacques Villeneuve is a big name in F1 and being the son of Gilles Villeneuve, it adds all the hypes about it. Mr Fernandes must of have wanted someone younger that fits the desire and aura of this new team.

By Motorsport.com/GMM

Lotus team boss Tony Fernandes has played down reports Jacques Villeneuve is a candidate for a race seat in 2010.

38-year-old Villeneuve, F1's 1997 world champion who has been out of the sport for more than three seasons, has been linked with a return for next year and recently visited Lotus' UK headquarters.

But British reports including those in The Sun and the BBC insist that Fernandes, who is also in charge of the Malaysian airline and Williams sponsor AirAsia, ruled out Villeneuve while at the Motor Sport Business Forum in Monaco on Wednesday.

Fernandes was also quoted as saying Lotus' full lineup for 2010 should be announced next week, and that the drivers will be paid rather than selected because of their financial dowries.

"We know we aren't going to be competing (at the front) in year one, but it takes time and we'll have a good basis for moving forward," he said.

From A1 to Le Mans

Latest news on Malaysian A1 Team. They have been plagued with the rising cost and unmatch popularity to F1. Getting into Le Mans might be the answer

A1 Team Malaysia Looking To Race in The Le Mans Series in Europe

December 8, 2009

With the A1 Grand Prix in a dire strait and its future looking rather bleak, it’s team are being forced to look at other race series to compete in. Our very own A1 Team Malaysia is among those teams that are looking for greener pastures and one of the option seems to be the Le Mans series in Europe. Shazwan Mustafa Kamal of the Malaysian Insider recently caught up with A1 Team Malaysia CEO Jack Cunningham and spoke to him about the possibilities of racing in Le Mans, the article is posted after the jump.

“With the future of A1 Grand Prix looking bleak due to financial difficulties, A1 Team Malaysia have set their sights on another car racing category — the Le Mans series in Europe.

A1 Team Malaysia CEO Jack Cunningham, in an interview with The Malaysian Insider, explained that the Malaysian A1 team was finally getting a clearer picture as to its direction and what it needed to do to ensure the team’s survival and relevance in the world of motorsports.

“We are still trying to understand how to fit in the motorsports picture in light of the F1 programme in Malaysia. Although there is no complete position, as of right now we have a greater sense of an idea of what we’re going to do,” said Cunningham, referring to the hotly publicised introduction of Malaysia’s very own Formula One team — Lotus F1.

His declaration today came in light of the recent controversies surrounding A1 Grand Prix, where so far three major racing events have been cancelled with the most notable being the opening race at the Surfers’ Paradise International Raceways in the Gold Coast, Australia.

A1 Grand Prix Operations Ltd, a subsidiary of A1 Holdings, went into liquidation in June 2009 after cash-flow problems resulted in the company, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the series, being unable to pay its suppliers.

Its cars were also impounded by a freight company seeking outstanding payments, something which threatens to ground the series to a permanent halt despite assurances that a rescheduling of races is to commence in February next year.

“We think that we are going to run in what is known as the Le Mans series as well as the 24-hour race of Le Mans,” said Cunningham of his Malaysian team’s plans.

The Le Mans series (LMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24-hour Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de ‘Ouest (ACO). The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season.

The Le Mans 24-hour race, widely touted as one of the most gruelling races in the racing industry, requires drivers to drive 24 hours non-stop where whoever goes the furthest wins. Only refuelling and the changing of tyres are allowed. Three drivers take turns to drive each car.

Although the future sounds promising for A1 Team Malaysia, the issue of sponsorship remains a problem.

“We are talking to our current sponsors in the light of the probability that A1GP will only adjourn in February… we have to see whether they will support us in another series.”

Asked whether the talks are proving to be favourable, he declined to speculate as things were too early for any concrete indication.

“Impossible to say at the moment, it’s too early to gauge their feelings on this, but without the transfer of sponsors we would not be able to go ahead with this (Le Mans series plan). We also need to find other sponsors that would want to do the series with us,” noted Cunningham.

He hinted that the prospective sponsors were more “flexible” than the current sponsors the team had under A1GP.

Besides that, a deal with car racing engineering company Lola is possibly in the works, as Lola has shown positive feedback towards A1 Malaysia’s courtship of them.

“I don’t want them (Lola) to think that the sale to us of these cars is a given… I want to go back to them and negotiate a proper deal. It’s not finalised. Lola was here in Malaysia last week discussing a range of issues, to see if there are potential partners for Lola in Malaysia.”

Cunningham asserted that the focus on Lola was also because the original A1 cars were of Lola designs.

It is understood that Lola aims to expand its reach and influence in Malaysia far beyond motorsports, as Lola also owns a large composite business, and 75 per cent of the company’s work is outside the motorsports field.

A1 team Malaysia’s racing engineers are currently in a training programme with Lola to “familiarise” themselves with its cars.

There is also the probability of the team hiring a non-Malaysian for the position of one of the three drivers as Fairuz Fauzy’s availability depends entirely on Lotus F1.

“We have three weeks to decide on this. The entries for the Le Mans series have to be submitted in January,” said the A1 Malaysia boss.”

Lotus F1 Racing

Another 2 weeks and we all would know who the drivers for Lotus F1 is.

"We are still in discussions with drivers but I don't want to disclose their names yet. Just wait for the announcement to be made by Team Principal Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes in one or two weeks," he told reporters at the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM)'s Karting Talent Search Programme here Sunday.

Alex Yoong Among Three New Faces To Join Lotus F1 Racing Team

Alex Yoong joins Lotus F1 as Head of Driver Development (Asia). Lets hope more Asians especially from Malaysia to race in F1 in the future

SEPANG, Dec 6 (Bernama) -- Lotus F1 Racing today announced three senior appointments to its team as the Malaysia-based motorsport team gears up for its debut season in the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) Chief Operating Officer, Mia Sharizman Ismail was appointed Lotus F1 Racing's Head of Operations (Asia), former Malaysian F1 driver Alex Foong as Head of Driver Development (Asia) alongside United Kingdom-based Litespeed Formula 3 Team Principal Nino Judge as the Head of Driver Development (Europe).

Lotus F1 Racing Team Principal Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, in a press release here, said: "These new senior appointments will be a great boost for Lotus F1 Racing. The team have achieved many important milestones and we are on track to be on the grid in Bahrain next year."

Mia would oversee selected areas of the team's operations including promotion, nurturing alliances with motorsports bodies in the region, and tasked with studying the team's race operations currently based in United Kingdom with the aim of transferring knowledge and expertise back to Malaysia.

Yoong and Judge will co-host Lotus F1 Racing's driver development programme with the aim of nurturing young drivers programme for future development in Malaysia, Asia and Europe.

Meanwhile, Lotus F1 Chief Executive Officer Riad Asmat said: "The young driver development scheme will play a key role in finding and developing future Malaysian drivers and it is great that Litespeed can play such an important role in that process.

"There is a lot of raw motorsport talent in Malaysia and as the country's national F1 team, it is our responsibility to bring that to the fore.

"We have to encourage more parents to get their children into karting but the most crucial step is a direction and stage for our national karting talent to go next," he said after the launching of MAM Karting Talent Search Programme here on Sunday.

Lotus F1 Racing is operated by 1Malaysia Racing Team Sdn Bhd.

The team are placed 18th and 19th in the full entry list of constructors and drivers announced by Federation of International Automobile (FIA) on Nov 30.

Lotus F1 Racing was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in September and Lotus F1 Racing will be one of the new teams to FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2010 season.

Lotus F1 Racing will be flying the Malaysian flag in the championship with full support from the Malaysian government and the team is fully financed by Malaysian entrepreneurs.

BMW Exits F1, Petronas Stays On

Seems like Petronas will continue to have its role in F1 as "Title Sponsor" for Malaysian F1 Grand Prix

PETRONAS Motorsports
MEDIA STATEMENT
5 November 2009


The final race of the 2009 season at Abu Dhabi marks a turning point for PETRONAS’ involvement in Formula One. PETRONAS’ partnership with the BMW Sauber F1 Team, which is a progression of its earlier relationship with Sauber, has now come to an end following BMW’s decision to exit Formula One at the end of the season.

PETRONAS however will continue to be the title sponsor of the PETRONAS Malaysian F1 Grand Prix, which is proven to be an effective platform to promote Malaysia on the global stage.

PETRONAS’ participation and investment in Formula One – and in other motor sports – has always been based and is built on partnerships that provide direct support towards its business expansion, while complementing international branding efforts. This requires PETRONAS to constantly review, evaluate and explore its position and involvement in international motor sports.

PETRONAS is currently evaluating its future options based on similar commercial considerations. The eventual decision will hinge upon the ability of the new partnership in facilitating and generating sustainable business growth for PETRONAS, particularly in its global operations.

PETRONAS’ past and current participation in international motor sports has not only built its global brand but has significantly contributed to the growth of its business, in particular its lubricant and fluids business in several key markets across Asia and Europe. It has also paved the way for technological and knowledge acquisition relevant to the oil and gas industry.

MOTORSPORTS ASSOCIATION MALAYSIA HOSTS KARTING PROGRAM

This is a good platform to unearth next racing talents

The Motorsports Association of Malaysia is preparing for the 2010 season to unearth new talents in Motorsports. With the set up the 1Malaysia Formula 1 Team this year, top on the list for the talents identification is in the karting discipline.

The MAM Karting Talent Search Program will be held throughout December for the second year running. The program is open to Malaysian primary and secondary school children between ages 8 till14-years-old.

There will be four Kart Camps over a period of four weeks with a total of eight days from 9.00 a.m.- 5.00 p.m. On the first day, the children will learned about parts of karts, track configuration, braking, and turning, racing lines and apex. Lap times and a child’s aptitude will be taken into account, while a session on general road safety will also be conducted.

Second day will be about basic sporting regulations, overtaking, flags, exiting pits, entering pits, start procedure in which again, lap times and child’s aptitude will be taken into account. In a whole, every student will be guaranteed a minimum of 120 minutes of karting session.

The Kart Camp is limited to the first 30 children at any one session. A maximum of 150 children will be exposed to proper tutorial karting for their entire duration of Phase 1.

At the end of every Kart Camp, 5 highest ranking Cadet and 5 highest ranking Junior will be selected to proceed to Phase 2 of the program in which a total of 25 Cadet Karters and 25 Junior Karters from the 5 Kart Camp will make through to Phase 2.

“In 2008, approximately 150 children benefitted from this Kart Camp organized successfully by MAM. After a successful first year, we are now eager to hold the second karting talent search program in which MAM hopes will churn out champions of the future. We believe the talent search idea has proven itself and the formula works,” said MAM's CEO Mia Sharizman Ismail.

Dates
1st 5 & 6 December @ Sepang International Circuit Go-Kart track
2nd 12 & 13 December @ Sepang International Circuit Go-Kart track
3rd 19 & 20 December @ Sepang International Circuit Go-Kart track
4th 26 & 27 December @ Sepang International Circuit Go-Kart track