www.ferrari.it/ #13 - Prancing Horse Rulezzz!!!

[Rupert G]

Salam.

Sambung sini peminat Scuderia!

[detector]

Salamz,

naper yerrr...aku kena gumbira 2 kali??? .... ahakss...sendrik mau ingat laarrrr.....

errr....rupert aaa...ko dah jadik pengendali yerrr??? tahniah...
biler nak selebret nih????

[Rupert G]

Salam.

Selebret? aiseyyyy...kan Ahad lalu dah selebret dgn MS...har har har :D

[Bender]

salam...

pergh....diam2 dah jadi pengandali aaaa.....tahniah2.....

[Rupert G]

Salam.

Bender aaa...tahniah saja tak cukup...buka-bukalah meja...:D

[Rupert G]

Schumacher rules out return to Germany

Five-time world Formula One champion Michael Schumacher ruled out moving back to his native Germany, Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported.

He said he wanted his children Mick and Gina Maria to live normal lives.

"My children are learning very early how to deal with the fact that they have a famous father," the Ferrari driver said.

"The choice of where I live is not only a question of tax, but also quality of life. There's nowhere better for us in Europe than Switzerland." Schumacher said he would be happier if his son Mick did something else than become a Formula One driver.

"But if he was really passionate to drive, he would have my complete support just as I had from my parents," he said.

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[QMS]

uik..tak sabor...nak nengok anak bf aku plak ikut jejak daddy dia....

rupert: congrats...aaa...apsal aku call manjang tak berjawab tak pun voicemail....

[Rupert G]

Salam.

Maaf Q...aku ni bila tengah menulis tutup hp dan being absent-minded guy, aku selalu tertinggal HP aku...:D

[QMS]

rupert: if that case aku sms ko aje la.yeak...well nanti update aku yea...utk this coming satuday 2nd qualifying coz Q tak de kena kidnap sat so....best of luck to scarlet red....

[Rupert G]

New transportation trucks for Ferrari

Two new IVECO Daily Combi trucks in Scuderia red have been delivered to Fiorano. They will be used by the Gestione Sportiva and the Direzione Comunicazione for events and presentations, and for the transfer of the team and media crew throughout the world.

Franco Fenoglio, the Vice-President of IVECO, handed the keys to the Ferrari General Director of the Gestione Sportiva, Jean Todt, at the delivery ceremony. This event took place this morning in the Pista courtyard in the presence of the under-secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Paolo Uggè.

At the end of proceedings, Jean Todt was briefly detained by guests who had gathered around the two vehicles flanking the Combis for the photo shoot: the F2003-GA and the 575M Maranello.

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[Rupert G]

Ferrari completes testing schedule

The Ferrari team completed their fourth and final day of testing on Saturday, ahead of next weekend’s European Grand Prix.

Official test driver, Luca Badoer, was behind the wheel of the F2002, working on a tyre development programme with Bridgestone.

The Italian covered a total of 128 laps (13 on the short course) in hot and sunny conditions, setting a best lap time of 58. 791 seconds.

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[detector]

Kiriman asal oleh Rupert G
Maaf Q...aku ni bila tengah menulis tutup hp dan being absent-minded guy, aku selalu tertinggal HP aku...

Salamz,

ko tutup hp masa menulis kaaaa masa nyolammm????:ahaks:

[lonewarrior]

wz up semua
so apa kabar semua
agak2 korg lah
ferrarri leh menang x kejohanan f1
musim ini,aku tgk f2003 dia sama jerk cam 2002 nyer
korg nyer opinion lak camner
chow

[Rupert G]

Salam.

Pada ramalan aku...Ferrari akan menang F1 musim ini...kalau tak menang...pastinya pasukan lain yang menang. Tapi aku boleh jamin bahawa Minardi takan menang...:D

[Rupert G]

Schumacher defends brother over conspiracy theories

Michael Schumacher yesterday defended his younger brother, Ralf, following criticism of the latter's drive to second place in his wake in Canada a fortnight ago.

Speaking during his prepartions here for this weekend's Grand Prix of Europe, the world champion struck back at those who believed that his brother had not made a valid effort to overtake him. Schumacher Jnr qualified on pole on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve just outside Montreal and led until his brother took control after the first refuelling stop. They finished less than a second apart in first and second places, with the Ferrari driver taking his 68th triumph.

"I do not understand why people still don't comprehend what is going on," Schumacher Snr said. "Ralf simply never had a chance for an overtaking attempt. Overtaking has always been rather difficult when drivers are competing in cars on an equal level and no one is making a mistake.

"Even if you have a car with a potential advantage of one second per lap, you still cannot overtake. Ralf's car was not good enough out of corners and his top speed was not high enough for a promising manoeuvre.

"I think it's very simple, a lot of people talk without knowing what's going on, and you get criticism for something people shouldn't even make comment about. If I hear things like this, I don't feel very happy. And in Canada it was not just Ralf behind me, but Montoya behind Ralf, and Fernando Alonso behind him. It's all about how to create a story and make people look stupid, and that's what I don't like."

Schumacher Jnr defended himself by saying: "There has been talk about my driving for the last 18 months, and personally I don't understand that. Maybe people do comment where they shouldn't.

"Wherever it's been possible to overtake in the past, and it will be the same in the future, I will take the chance. In Canada there was never a chance. I was not even able to try, that's why I didn't. I'd rather take eight points than take two of us out."

So far this year he is the only driver to have finished in the points in all eight races. But he denied that points are more important to him than trying to overtake.

"We were concerned about reliability at the beginning of the year so that's a surprise, but if you want to win a championship, that's what should happen," he said. "But every race driver, if he sees an opportunity, will take it, but as long as I don't see one I won't try a stupid move. That's always been my way.

"Last year I got criticised for not being good in qualifying. Now I'm good in qualifying and instead I'm getting criticised for not being good in the race. So it doesn't matter anyway, does it?"

Schumacher Jnr has taken pole position for the last two races for BMW-Williams, and McLaren-Mercedes are also pushing Ferrari hard.

"As we keep winning races I'm not so concerned," Schumacher Snr said with a smile as the brothers contemplated another race in front of their enthusiastic countrymen. But he added that he had expected a tougher ride in 2003.

"I have kept saying since the beginning of season that the others are knocking on the door, so there is no need to be surprised now," the world champion said. "We are doing as high level a job as in the past, but the others have picked up. I cannot see Ferrari getting the margin we had last year. Simply in all areas, the other teams have raised their game."

sumber: http://sport.independent.co.uk/motor_racing/story.jsp?story=419344

[Rupert G]

One car on the front row

A little over three hundredths of a second kept Michael Schumacher off pole position this afternoon in one of the most thrilling qualifying sessions of the season. The quickest time (1.31.523) was set by the last man to make his run, Kimi Raikkonen in the McLaren-Mercedes. The Finn put together an excellent lap to record the first ever pole position of his Formula 1 career. Michael (1.31.555) will start tomorrow’s European GP alongside him on the front row. The Scuderia Ferrari driver went out second from last, narrowly beating his brother’s time.

The second row is an all BMW-Williams affair, with Ralf Schumacher third quickest in 1.31.619 and Juan Pablo Montoya fourth in 1.31.765. Proving just how close this season is turning out, fifth placed Rubens Barrichello on 1.31.780, is less than three tenths of a second off pole. Joining him on the third row of the grid will be Jarno Trulli in the Renault, sixth in 1.31.976. Michael admitted that a slight driving error which saw him lock up a wheel under braking might have robbed him of pole, while Rubens, who won this race last year, was in confident mood for the Grand Prix, happy that his F2003-GA had made a big step forward since Friday. The only driver not to set a time this afternoon was Nick Heidfeld. The Sauber driver spun off at Turn 1 and stalled, so will start in 20th and last place.

Jean Todt: “We witnessed a great battle for pole position, with five drivers all within less than three tenths of a second. It is a testimony of the current high level of competition between the top teams, even though there is the question mark over the different fuel levels in the cars. Nevertheless, right from the start of the weekend we have seen there is little to chose between the main protagonists in the championship. Having one car on the front row and the other on the third is a good result overall. Tomorrow’s race should be very closely contested and reliability and strategy will be the key points. Bridgestone has done a very good job on the tyre front which means we can be competitive, given the importance of the tyres in Formula 1.”

Michael Schumacher: “It was very close between the top few drivers, so I think it should be an interesting race tomorrow. I made a slight mistake, when I locked up a front wheel, which could have robbed me of pole. In terms of strategy I feel we have made the right decision, but we won’t find out until the race. I think our lap times will be good tomorrow. In some ways, I would have been happier with third place, because being second on the inside line the track is a bit dirtier there and I could lose out a little bit.”

Rubens Barrichello: “We made a major step forward with the car compared with yesterday and my time is very close to the pole time. It’s a shame I am not further up the grid, but I am still confident about tomorrow’s race, especially as last year I did not start from pole but in the end I still managed to win the Grand Prix. I can therefore be optimistic given that we know we can count on an excellent car-engine-Bridgestone tyre package."

Ross Brawn: “It was a very spectacular session which puts us in a good position for tomorrow’s race. We have worked hard all weekend and we know what to expect from our chosen tyre. It will probably be hot tomorrow which will make tyre performance crucial. The fact we are not on pole is not too worrying as we have shown that we can win even when we have not been ahead of the entire field in qualifying. Bridgestone has come up with good tyres and we have a very competitive car, so we have all we need to fight for the win tomorrow.”

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[Rupert G]

Front row for Schumacher & Bridgestone


battle of the giants in final qualifying this afternoon resulted in Michael Schumacher taking a firm grip on a front row grid position on his Bridgestone Potenzas in front of his home crowd.

The reigning world champion, who ran second to last in the session, initially set pole but was pipped by Raikkonen, the final runner, by a mere 0.032 seconds. Schumacher’s teammate Rubens Barrichello drove a solid performance and he will line up for tomorrow’s European Grand Prix on the third row of the grid, in fifth.

Meanwhile, tomorrow’s Grand Prix at the Nurburgring will mark an important milestone for Bridgestone equipped Sauber Petronas driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen. The German, also competing in front of his home crowd, will be starting his 150th Grand Prix.

Fellow Bridgestone runner Jos Verstappen of the European Minardi Cosworth team joins him as one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, starting his 100th Formula One race.

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager of Bridgestone Motorsport, said : “A solid performance from the two Ferrari drivers again today. Their grid positions are competitive and I expect a good race from them tomorrow. I’m quite satisfied that our tyre performance will be competitive in race conditions.”

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[Man_United]

Assalamualaikum ..

tak sangka aku KR mampu ..
memotong MS untuk meduduki petak pertama ..
namun itu belum tentu akan menjdaikan KR juara .. :D

[Rupert G]

Schumacher vindicated as Williams clean up

What is the perfect riposte when you lose your world championship lead? Take it right back, of course. And for 25 laps of the Grand Prix of Europe here yesterday, Kimi Raikkonen was on course to do precisely that as he led comfortably from the Schumacher brothers, Ralf and Michael.

But in order to finish first, first you have to finish, and in the battle of Munich v Stuttgart it was BMW that came up trumps for Schumacher Jnr as a Mercedes-Benz engine failure handed victory to the young German on the manufacturers' home turf. Just to rub it in, a second place for Juan Pablo Montoya gave Williams-BMW a clean sweep and moved them past McLaren-Mercedes into second place in the constructors' championship.

It might not have been quite the race everyone expected, after the closeness of the qualifying times, but Raikkonen's demise lit a slow-burning fuse that led to further explosions of drama. First, Montoya and Schumacher collided on the 43rd lap, while fighting for second place. Then, at the chicane on the 57th lap, David Coulthard retired after spinning into the gravel, having come desperately close to running into the back of Fernando Alonso, who was so nearly caught on the final lap by the recovering world champion.

The top six drivers had not been so close in qualifying all year, but the second-fastest, Michael Schumacher, felt compromised by having to start on the dirty side of the grid, and went to the grid in pensive mood. Having redeemed himself for his Canadian Grand Prix qualifying error by taking his first pole position on Saturday, Raikkonen made a perfect getaway and soon began building a nice lead over the fast-starting Ralf Schumacher. The world champion's misgivings about his side of the grid proved correct and he dropped down to third place.

With metronomic precision the Finn extended his lead with each successive lap, so that by the time he made his first refuelling stop on the 16th lap he was almost nine seconds ahead of Schumacher Jnr and 10 ahead of Schumacher Snr. As the champion also stopped to refuel on that lap, so Ralf was handed the lead for Williams-BMW with no immediate pressure, and underscored the strength of his third-fastest qualifying time by going until lap 21 before he needed to refuel.

That was still not sufficient to keep Raikkonen out of the lead, but Schumacher Jnr was only 4.8sec behind the McLaren when Raikkonen's Mercedes-Benz engine scattered itself shortly after the Finn had begun his 26th lap. Somewhat remarkably, he was the first retirement of the race.

Having coasted to a smoky halt, the former championship leader pushed a marshal away and sat quietly by the side of the track, contemplating a failure that might ultimately cost him his shot at the championship crown. Eventually help arrived in the form of a scooter rider, and, after scaling a fence, Raikkonen waved philosophically to the crowd as he went back to listen to the apologies of Mercedes-Benz's senior management.

Meanwhile, Montoya gradually reeled in Schumacher Snr, until they were side by side on the run down to the Dunlop Curve on lap 43. In a moment reminiscent of his controversial collision with Jacques Villeneuve at Jerez in 1997, Schumacher ran up the kerb and hit Montoya's Williams-BMW as it moved into second place. The Colombian continued unabashed, but Schumacher spun and sat stranded, his Ferrari's rear wheels spinning helplessly in the gravel. By the time three marshals pushed his car from its dangerous spot on the corner's apex, he had dropped to sixth.

"Michael was quick on the straights but in the corners he was very slow," Montoya said. "He was on the inside and I was on the outside. I thought I gave him plenty of room. I wasn't going to give him all the track, but I thought it was all right." There was a stewards' inquiry, but even Schumacher believed that Montoya had given him sufficient room, and no action was taken. As the Williams technical director, Patrick Head, remarked, had action been taken it would effectively have been a declaration that overtaking is no longer allowed in Formula One.

Now it was a Williams one-two, with Barrichello's Ferrari following lamely in their wake and Alonso and Coulthard locked in a hard battle for fourth. But there was one final sting in the tail for McLaren. On the 57th lap Coulthard suddenly had to swerve round Alonso approaching the chicane, and spun spectacularly into retirement.

"Alonso braked 10 metres earlier than he had the lap before," Coulthard said. "He was dealing inconsistently with problems, as his rear tyres looked completely worn out. I have my own views on the incident which I will discuss privately with Alonso, but at the end of the day it's for the stewards to decide."

Williams's haul of points from a race in which McLaren went home with none sparked speculation of a late challenge for the championship. "No, I don't think so," said the ever-cautious Sir Frank Williams, who never likes to reveal his cards in public. But you can bet that with Ferrari only 13 points ahead everyone within the team believes that they have a serious chance of challenging them long before the season is over.

Ultimately, it was a day of vindication for Ralf Schumacher, who crashed out of the lead here in 1999. In a swipe at all the criticism he has endured of late, he said: "It just proves that a bad driver can win races."

NURBURGRING DETAILS

1 R Schumacher (Ger) Williams-BMW 1hr 34min 43.622sec

2 J-M Montoya (Col) Williams-BMW +0:16.821

3 R Barrichello (Br) Ferrari +0:39.673

4 F Alonso (Sp) Renault +1:05.731

5 M Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari +1:06.162

6 M Webber (Aus) Jaguar +1 lap

7 J Button (GB) BAR-Honda +1 lap

8 N Heidfeld (Ger) Sauber-Petronas +1 lap

9 H-H Frentzen (Ger) Sauber-Petronas +1 lap; 10 A Pizzonia (Br) Jaguar +1 lap; 11 R Firman (GB) Jordan-Cosworth +2 laps; 12 G Fisichella (It) Jordan-Cosworth +2 laps; 13 J Wilson (GB) Minardi-Cosworth +2 laps; 14 J Verstappen (Neth) Minardi-Cosworth +3 laps.

Did not finish: D Coulthard (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 56 laps completed; C Da Matta (Br) Toyota, 53; J Villeneuve (Can) BAR-Honda, 51;18 J Trulli (It) Renault, 37; O Panis (Fr) Toyota, 37; K Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes, 25.

Constructors' Championship: 1 Ferrari 96pts; 2 McLaren 78; 3 Williams 76; 4 Renault 54; 5 BAR 17; 6 Jordan 10; 7 Sauber 9; 8 Jaguar 7; 9 Toyota 4.

sumber: http://sport.independent.co.uk/motor_racing/story.jsp?story=420239

[Rupert G]

Schumacher defends Montoya move

LONDON (espnstar.com) - Michael Schumacher has surprised everyone at the European Grand Prix by defending Juan Pablo Montoya after the two of them tangled two-thirds of the way through the race, resulting in the five-times world champion spinning off the track.

Despite rejoining the race after receiving assistance by the track marshals, the championship leader dropped from second down to sixth losing a valuable five points.

Montoya's actions brought an immediate and angry response from Ferrari's technical guru Ross Brawn, who did not spare the horses when he said: "It was a very crude overtaking move and he has done it several times before. He is not a classy driver in that respect."

However, the German driver adopted a more conciliatory approach and indeed, exonerated the Colombian driver of any blame for his spin on lap 43. "It was no problem. He gave me a little room to breathe - very little, but just enough to survive," Schumacher said.

"But then I ran a little wide and we just touched. I would have done exactly the same thing in his position. I would have been happier if he had left me more space, but it's not his job to make me happy. With his speed he was going to pass me sooner or later, it was only a question of time," Schumacher added.

"In an ideal world I would have liked more points and a better result but I have a bigger lead in the championship now so I'm not complaining. It was a good move."

Montoya said afterwards: "I gave Michael plenty of room but I wasn't going to give him all the track. We touched, he spun, I continued and that's it. It was a racing incident - even if I must say that overtaking Michael at his home grand prix was much fun."

sumber: http://www.espnstar.com/jsp/cda/formula1/aid=675569formula1_newsdetail.html

[Rupert G]

Komen Robbo...

Brawn Loser Come on, use your brain, Brawn!

How pathetic was it to hear the Ferrari man Ross Brawn bleating about how poor Michael was pushed off the track by Montoya.

Fact is, everyone else including lantern-jawed automeister Schumacher, was perfectly okay with the Colombian's cornering.

But silly old Ross, in an Alex Ferguson-style moment, says Juan Pablo's just "not classy". What the hell does that mean?

Are we to look forward to Juan Pablo driving in goatskin racing gloves and a Giorgio Armani jacket?

Grow up, Brawn, the lad just had yours for fun. And it'd be classy of you, if you just accepted that.

sumber: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/robbo/default.stm

[QMS]

camne plak jadik camni...tak pe....pas nie wat bebaik yea bf ako....ni..

[Bender]

MICHAEL TALKS ABOUT COMING TOGETHER WITH JUAN PABLO
Michael Schumacher has described his coming together with Juan Pablo Montoya as 'a straightforward racing incident.'

Montoya made his move on the German on lap 43 at the Dunlop hairpin while battling for second place. The German then spun, left the track and had to have marshall assistance to push him back onto the circuit. Schumacher finished fifth overall, with Montoya second.

"In my opinion it (the collision) was a straightforward racing incident," said Schumacher. "He (Juan Pablo) was faster than me, tried to pass, gave me just enough room to survive. Maybe I could have wished for a little bit more space, but I have no problem with Juan Pablo over this. No one was to blame."

Schumacher added that he couldn't be too disappointed with the race result. “Considering that my lead in the world championship has now increased to seven points, I cannot really complain about the result of this race. Especially as with the new points system it takes longer to catch up, except in the case of a non-finish.

[Rupert G]

Salam.

Haaa macam inilah bagus. Walaupun berlainan pasukan yang disokong namun tetap saling berposting...jangan jadi macam mamat sekoh yang beremosi tu dah laaa...:D

[kinetik]

Schumacher the footballer

Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher will take part in a charity football match tonight, which will be held at the Bessa Stadium.

The game is in aid of Unicef Allstar and the Luis Figo Foundation, and will begin at 20.30 local time.

Several stars will be in attendance, including: Luis Figo (with his foundation, the co-organisers) Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Rui Costa, Edgar Davids, Francesco Toldo.

Schumacher will play for both of the teams [Unicef Allstar and Luis Figo] and, as ever, is looking forward to the challenge.

“I can’t wait. Football for me is a great passion and to be able to line up alongside players of this calibre is great. It really is amazing what these guys can do with a ball and I hope to be able to pick up some new tricks!”

source: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[detector]

Salamz,

Sebagai Ahli Lembaga Pengarah Ferrari, aku ingin hadiahkan kat sumer fan Ferrari b.net sebagai mengenang jasa korang kerana setia dengan pasukan ini. Korang pilih laarrr yg mana satu...banyak sangat kat luar rumah aku tuh

[Rupert G]

Salam.

Ni semua baru kuar dari kandang kuda ko eh Detector? Aiseyyy nape takde cap HP? Har Har Har :D

[Rupert G]

Schumi salutes Ferrari boss

Michael Schumacher has insisted that most of the credit for Ferrari's recent domination of Formula One must go to team boss Jean Todt.
Todt is celebrating 10 years as sporting director at Ferrari this week.

And Schumacher, who takes a seven-point lead into Sunday's French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, says the Frenchman has been instrumental in transforming the team's fortunes.

"The way Jean works is absolutely incredible and I don't know where he finds the energy," said Schumacher.

"I could never imagine spending 15 or 16 hours in the office every day.

"Jean dedicates all his energies to the team and gets involved in every single detail.

"He is never distracted and is always 100% motivated, ready to urge everyone on to reach our objectives."

Todt lured Schumacher to Ferrari in 1996 after he had won the drivers' crown with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, building a dream team of technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer Rory Byrne around him.

Schumacher repaid the faith when Ferrari won the manufacturers' championship for the first time in 16 years in 1999, a title they have held ever since.

The German then ended Ferrari's 21-year quest to regain the drivers' title in 2000 and took his third straight crown last season, when Ferrari won 15 out of the 17 races.

"There was a time when the Scuderia was seen as a team riddled with politics," said Schumacher.

"Now, however, it is known as a model of internal harmony and that is one of the secrets of our success.

"This is mainly down to Jean and it is the mark he has made on the team, with the constant support of our president, Luca di Montezemolo."

Schumacher extended his championship lead over McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen despite finishing fifth in Germany last weekend in a race won by his brother Ralf.

"Given the circumstances, I can be more than satisfied," said Schumacher.

"It could have been much worse. The seven-point gap in the championship is a good platform seeing as, under the new points system, it is more difficult to catch up.

"We experimented on our set-up until a few races ago and so this can be considered a good start to the second half of the season.

"Last year Magny-Cours was considered the home of Michelin, but it was at the French Grand Prix that I clinched the world title, thanks to Bridgestone.

"I am convinced that we can challenge for victory in France.

"Everyone in the team, and our partners too, are very motivated and want to defend the lead we have. We will work extremely hard until the end of the championship."

sumber: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3039060.stm

[Rupert G]

Ferrari have a fight on their hands

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo admitted Wednesday the reigning Formula One champions face a mighty battle to retain their title.

The Italian team, who have won the last four constructors' titles, dominated the season last year with 15 wins in 17 races, but the present campaign has been anything but a cakewalk.

Williams secured a one-two finish at the European Grand Prix on Sunday to move into second place in the championship race and keep the heat on Ferrari. McLaren, whose Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen may well have won the race had his car not suffered engine failure, are still in the hunt, trailing Williams by just six points.

"I said at the start that it would be a difficult year," Montezemolo said. "After the Canadian Grand Prix some people wrote off the McLaren team, but instead they had a brilliant race last Sunday. Williams have made enormous progress and so have their tyre suppliers. How could anyone think that this would not be the case with some of the greatest companies in the world working for some of the biggest names in motor racing. And above all there is a great hunger for victory as they have haven't tasted it for four years."

Ferrari had a difficult start to the year when McLaren driver David Coulthard won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and his teammate Raikkonen won the second event in Malaysia. Ferrari's first win of the year did not come until the fourth race, the San Marino Grand Prix, when five-time champion driver Michael Schumacher treated the Italian crowds to a return to form with the final victory in the old F2002 car.

The arrival of their new F2003-GA car in Barcelona heralded another win and Schumacher had been on the podium in every one of the five races that preceded Sunday's Grand Prix, where he finished only fifth.

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[Rupert G]

Schumacher battles to save Ferrari dream

Michael Schumacher this weekend returns to the track where he wrapped up his fifth world title 12 months ago aware that the pretenders to his throne are growing in confidence.

Just a week after the trauma of the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, where younger brother Ralf swept to victory and where Juan Pablo Montoya pulled off an audacious passing move which left the German legend marooned in a sand trap, the Ferrari ace knows that the pressure will be just as intense here on Sunday.

Schumacher still leads the world championship after nine rounds but had Kimi Raikkonen's cool drive from the front at the Nurburgring not been sabotaged by a blown engine on his McLaren, then the champion would have been facing a gloomy outlook this weekend.

Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt has warned that the Williams duo of Schumacher junior and Montoya is beginning to pose a clear threat. "Nurburgring was probably the worst result of the season," said Todt after watching Rubens Barrichello claim third and Schumacher fifth after the world champion had lost second spot to Montoya. "It was the first time that we were not in a position to compete." How times have changed...
At the midway point in 2002 here, Schumacher made sure of the world title that took him alongside the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio as the only other five-time champion. Such was his dominance that the rest of the series was virtually reduced to a global lap of honour.

Now, with a new points system in place, Schumacher's advantage is just seven points ahead of Raikkonen and 15 in front of Ralf. "We didn't expect to have such an easy season in 2002 when Ferrari won 15 races out of 17, but we consider what has happened this year is closer to what should happen during a season where major manufacturers are taking part as are the biggest tyre manufacturers," said Todt. "So this year is more difficult because the others have made some good steps forward but we are still leading both championships, notwithstanding a very difficult start. We know that Magny-Cours will not be an easy circuit for us but we know as well that with the package we have, some circuits are more difficult, some are easier. Magny-Cours is one of the difficult ones."

The Michelin-clad teams, like Williams and McLaren, are expected to have an advantage this weekend, especially if the weather is hot. "Many consider the French Grand Prix the home race for Michelin and it is true that on this track the tyres will be crucial, because of the elevated temperatures," admitted Schumacher. "But over the course of this season, we have seen on many occasions how the theory that Michelin is better in the heat and Bridgestone in the cold, has been proved wrong. The performance of the tyres depends on many other factors, like the general characteristics of the track. I don't think you can say that it is determined by a general trend."

"Magny-Cours is a circuit whose surface can become very slippery if it is really hot. I have to admit that I don't really like these conditions as I prefer going through curves fast and not be held back by a lack of grip." added Michael Schumacher.

Ralf Schumacher, meanwhile, has been given a new lease of life by his win last weekend - a victory which should help quell talk of him being replaced next season by Italian Giancarlo Fisichella. "After my victory at the Nurburgring, I am going to Magny-Cours with much more confidence," said Ralf who celebrated his 28th birthday this week. "We have proved we can compete with Ferrari and the McLarens. Magny-Cours should suit our car and I am going there with fond memories - in 2001, it was where I achieved my first pole position."

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[Rupert G]

Final preparations for Ferrari


Luca Badoer yesterday carried out final preparations for Ferrari at the Fiorano circuit ahead of this weekend’s French Grand Prix.

The Italian driver was concentrating on electronic solutions for the team, which will be used in Sunday’s race.

Badoer completed a total of 17 laps – six on the short course – under warm and clear skies, his best time of the day 59.610 seconds.

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[Rupert G]

Ferrari Maserati Awards Ceremony

The Ferrari Maserati Group yesterday held an awards ceremony for their partners, which was attended by key personnel of the Formula 1 team.

It was the third event of its kind, which was held at the new Formula 1 Logistics Centre at the Fiorano circuit, near Maranello. Over 500 managers from the group’s partner companies attended the one-day workshop ad witnessed the award-giving ceremony.

The Presidents Award went to the US Lear Corporation, whilst the Ferrari Innovation Award was presented to Swedish company, Skf. Last but not least, the Ferrari Technology Award was given to Swiss-based, Rieter.

The awards were presented by Luca di Montezemolo, Ross Brawn, Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and Amedeo Felisa.

However, the event was altered slightly compared to previous years. There were no long speeches by the guest of honours, instead the attendees were treated to a privileged look at a Formula 1 weekend with the Ferrari team.

Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and their four drivers – Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Luca Badoer and Felipe Massa – were on hand to answer questions and explain the inside rules of choosing a strategy, preparing and modifying the car and dealing with any unexpected happenings that may arise.

After this, a mock qualifying lap and race was completed by the drivers before guests were ushered to Maserati’s HQ for a tour of their new production plant.

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[Rupert G]

Bridgestone take blame for failure


Putting aside Ralf Schumacher's comment that his race-winning BMW-Williams FW25 was "perfect and the tyres were perfect", the most apposite summary of the Grand Prix of Europe was to be found tucked away in a press release issued by Bridgestone, Michael Schumacher's tyre supplier.

Ferrari's technical director, Ross Brawn, said with diplomatic caution: "It was a difficult race. Our rivals proved clearly more competitive and there was not much we could do to change that. I don't think there is one specific area that was to blame. We must work on the whole package to improve our performance level."

Bridgestone themselves told it more like it is. "In conjunction with our teams we do need to look carefully at what happened," their technical manager, Hisao Suganuma, said. "To be honest, I'm not satisfied and we will be pushing hard in the next few weeks."

Schumacher Snr is still the best racer out there, and there is not much wrong with the Ferrari F2003-GA either. But in recent weeks the pendulum of tyre performance has swung in Michelin's favour, as their technical chief, Pierre Dupasquier, lost no time in pointing out. "I think our performance spoke for itself," he said at the Nürburgring on Sunday. "It's only in a racing situation that you get the full picture and the two tyre compounds we used performed exactly as we hoped they would in terms of pace and durability. I think Michelin has shown a clear tyre- performance advantage in the last three grands prix."

But Bridgestone, led by their experienced chief engineer, Kees van der Grint, will surely fight back. They will have been encouraged to see that Schumacher Jnr's team-mate, Juan Pablo Montoya, suffered some front-tyre graining that compromised his race.

Tyre performance is not everything, however. Reliability is just as key an issue. Since Monaco, BMW-Williams have scored 47 points between Ralf Schumacher and Montoya. Ferrari have taken 31 via Schumacher Snr and his currently subdued team-mate, Rubens Barrichello.

A month ago even their technical partners BMW were criticising Williams, but those doughty fighters, Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head, have marshalled their troops. Sheer effort from the aerodynamics team and some better chassis set-ups from the engineers have helped the team haul themselves back into contention just as their doubters were writing off their chances of ever winning another world title. With only 13 points separating BMW-Williams from Ferrari, and 15 separating the two Schumacher brothers, you will now get short odds about that possibility.

sumber: http://sport.independent.co.uk/motor_racing/story.jsp?story=420562

[Rupert G]

French GP - Happy Anniversary Jean!

Magny-Cours, 3rd July – The pace of Formula 1 is so frenetic that if you stop moving forward in your work, you immediately go backwards. However, this weekend, Jean Todt will no doubt allow himself a short moment to pause and reflect on what coming to Magny-Cours in 2003 means to him. Ten years ago, to the event, if not the date, a Ferrari official arrived at Todt’s Paris home, handed him a set of Scuderia Ferrari team clothing before tackling the drive to Magny-Cours for the 1993 French Grand Prix. The Frenchman who had topped the world as a rally co-driver, before taking teams to victory in rallies, rally-raids and endurance racing, was about the tackle the biggest challenge of his professional life with the most famous name in motor racing.

Cynics did not think Todt would last long in the role of Sporting Director of the Gestione Sportiva: he had no hands-on experience of F1, he was a Frenchman in charge of an Italian team which had a reputation for turbulent politics. Not only did Todt survive, he has steered the Scuderia through the most successful period of its time in Formula 1. The statistics speak for themselves: to date, he has run the team for 167 grands prix, recording 60 wins, scoring 1261 points (an average of 7.55 points per race,) with a win percentage of 35.92% on the way to three drivers’ and four constructors’ titles. Interesting to note that the second most successful man at the helm of the Prancing Horse, albeit for a much shorter length of time was Luca di Montezemolo, in charge from 1974 to ’75. Obviously a successful partnership is now in control!

While Todt has always paid tribute to the work of the drivers, test drivers and the entire Ges, when asked to explain the current run of success, Michael Schumacher reckons Todt’s great strengths are his attention to detail, his appetite for work and above all his motivational skills, used to drive the team forward.

sumber: www.ferrari.it

[QMS]

keep up the news abt Ferrari...rupert...lately i very bz so..hope i won't miss out any news abt ferrari & others as well also...

[Rupert G]

Salam.

Thx for result Q...:D

[Rupert G]

Eight more points for Ferrari

Michael Schumacher started third and finished third in the French Grand Prix, while Rubens Barrichello had a hard day’s work, fighting back from a first lap spin which dropped him to last, to finish seventh. The BMW-Williams team scored its second one-two finish in the space of a week, victory going to Ralf Schumacher ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya. Michael thus extends his lead over Raikkonen in the Drivers’ championship by one point to eight, while the Scuderia now has 103 Constructors’ points, three more than Williams.

Jean Todt: 'As we had expected, this was a difficult race. Michael managed to limit the damage in the Drivers’ championship with his third place finish, while Rubens’ two points helped us to maintain the lead in the Constructors.’ Undoubtedly, the balance of power in the last four races between ourselves and the BMW, Williams, Michelin package has shifted in their favour. Both Championships’ are now wide open. With six races remaining, there are four drivers within 17 points and three teams covered by 18. Now we are about to tackle a week of testing, the last before the summer break and it will be very important. We will be in action at Mugello, Barcelona and Fiorano, working along with Bridgestone, on the entire package. We will put all our efforts into improving the situation, with the aim of maintaining our lead in both Championships to the very end of the season.'

Michael Schumacher: 'We realised earlier in the weekend that we were not going to be as competitive here as we had expected, so third place was probably the best I could do. At the start, Kimi got ahead because he made a better start: we will have to see if it was my reaction time or something on the car. David nearly came past as well and we ran side by side for a couple of corners which was exciting. I got back ahead of the two McLarens, because they pitted earlier for the first two stops, so we knew they would have to take on a heavier fuel load at the end. I pushed hard at that point and that gave me the advantage. The car was as good as it could have been, although I struggled a bit on the second set of tyres. We have a good car, but so has BMW-Williams. Of course we are aware of the situation, but we will now work very hard with Bridgestone to improve the situation. We are definitely not going through a crisis. I have extended my championship lead over Kimi and I am confident we can put an end to this current run of poor results.'

Rubens Barrichello: 'I got my line wrong at the new chicane at the end of the first lap, as I was unsighted because I was following Alonso’s Renault in front of me very closely. When I turned, I went up on the kerb, the car didn’t want to respond and all I can say is that it was my mistake. My chances of a good result ended at that moment. For the rest of the race, I tried to climb back through the field, making the most of the change to a two stop strategy. I managed to do just that and at least I picked up a couple of valuable points for the Constructors’ championship.'

Ross Brawn: 'Given the situation, we can be satisfied with Michael’s third place. It was a shame for Rubens, whose car was going well. After his spin, we changed the strategy and at least we managed to get him home in the points. We were not competitive enough today. We still lead both championships, but our advantage in the Constructors’ is now much reduced. We know we have to work around the 360 degrees of the whole package. As from next Tuesday, we will be running in Barcelona, Mugello and finally at Fiorano to try out new solutions on the car and with the tyres.'

sumber: Ferrari Press

[Rupert G]

Todt vows Ferrari fightback

Ferrari boss Jean Todt admitted on Monday that rivals Williams have gained the upper hand in the chase for the world championship. After watching Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya run away with the French Grand Prix here on Sunday for a second successive one-two finish this season, the sporting director of the Italian giants said his drivers and engineers will now endure a whole week of testing at three different sites as they seek to regain the advantage.

"Undoubtedly, the balance of power in the last four races between ourselves and the BMW, Williams, Michelin package has shifted in their favour" said Todt. "With six races remaining, there are four drivers within 17 points and three teams covered by 18. Now we are about to tackle a week of testing, the last before the summer break, and it will be very important. We will be in action at Mugello, Barcelona and Fiorano, working along with Bridgestone, on the entire package. We will put all our efforts into improving the situation, with the aim of maintaining our lead in both Championships to the very end of the season."

That determination was echoed by the team's technical chief Ross Brawn. "We were not competitive enough. We still lead both championships, but our lead has been much reduced. We know we have to work the 360 degrees of the whole package so in testing we will try out new solutions on the car and with the tyres."

This time last year, Michael Schumacher had already wrapped up the title for Ferrari but, on Sunday, even the five-time world champion was shunted into the shadows by his younger brother and the Colombian. His third place kept him top of the driver standings, eight ahead of McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen but he finished the race almost twenty seconds behind Ralf whose second succesive win has moved him into third place, 11 points off the top. Montoya is fourth with 47 points.

In the constructors race, Ferrari's advantage over Williams is now just three points with six rounds left. "We are definitely not going through a crisis" insisted Michael. "The car was as good as it could have been in France. We have a good car but so do Williams-BMW. We are aware of the situation but now we have to work very hard with Bridgestone to improve."

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is next on the schedule on July 20 and it's a track expected to favour Ferrari where Michael led home teammate Rubens Barrichello in a one-two last season. Even Montoya suggested that the English circuit could prove to be tough while team owner Frank Williams admitted his great rivals will have the advantage.

"I'm told Juan thinks we'll struggle" said Williams technical director Patrick Head. "It is a complex and very interesting circuit, but we'll be trying very hard. "On Sunday, we had a very good Michelin tyre, but it has been the other way around with Ferrari and Bridgestone before. That's the beauty of Formula One, it can all change around very quickly."

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[Rupert G]

Burti predicts a fierce battle at Silverstone

Luciano Burti was not surprised by last weekend's French Grand Prix results.

The Brazilian driver believed that the Michelin tyres would give an advantage to Williams and McLaren at Magny-Cours and as a matter of fact the winning team was equipped with the French tyres, Williams taking the first two positions with Ralf Schumacher and Juan- Pablo Montoya.

"It was as I expected." said Burti. "Michelin was on top at Magny-Cours and Williams and its drivers have done an excellent job along the whole weekend."

"Ferrari and Michael achieved a very good result, because even struggling a little bit in terms of performance, they managed to beat the McLaren drivers for the third place in the podium." added the former Ferrari driver.

As for the next race at Silverstone, Luciano thinks that the battle for the win should be closer than last weekend's. "I believe that at Silverstone, Bridgestone and Michelin will be closer in terms of performance and, for this reason, I think it will be a very competitive Grand Prix." concluded the Brazilian.

sumber: http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html

[Rupert G]

Schumacher dismisses calls of a crisis


LONDON (espnstar.com) - Twelve months is a long time in motor racing, as Michael Schumacher will testify following the French Grand Prix.


"We realised earlier in the weekend that we were not going to be as competitive here as we had expected, so third place was probably the best I could do," he insisted after the race.


A year ago Magny-Cours signalled the end of an era as the sport's governing body, the FIA, decided to radically overhaul the rule book after Schumacher wrapped up the title for a record-equalling fifth time.


This year however, and as a result of those changes, the Ferrari driver was not having it all his own way.


"At the start, Kimi got ahead because he made a better start: we will have to see if it was my reaction time or something on the car," he explained.


"I got back ahead of the two McLarens, because they pitted earlier for the first two stops, so we knew they would have to take on a heavier fuel load at the end. I pushed hard at that point and that gave me the advantage."


However, Schumacher acknowledged the current situation but dismissed calls of a 'crisis' once again.


"We have a good car, but so has BMW-Williams," he said. "Of course we are aware of the situation, but we will now work very hard with Bridgestone to improve the situation. We are definitely not going through a crisis. I have extended my championship lead over Kimi and I am confident we can put an end to this current run of poor results."

sumber: http://www.espnstar.com/jsp/cda/formula1/aid=683933formula1_newsdetail.html

[Rupert G]

Schumi worried about Williams


Ferrari need to "get their act together" if they are to stop Williams from beating them to the Formula One world championship this season.
That is the view of Michael Schumacher after Williams scored their second one-two within seven days at the French Grand Prix.

"We need to be concerned about Williams," said Schumacher after being left trailing in third place while Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya staged a private battle for victory at Magny-Cours.

"We know what they do and we must get our act together. Looking at the weekend here, what we achieved was as well as we could have done.

"But we have to improve the situation and we have a big test coming up. We will all have to try very hard.

"What we need to do is keep concentrated to get our act together and improve the situation. Everyone knows what needs to be done but I can't tell you what it is because Ralf is listening.

"I won't divulge secrets. All I can say is that we have a very good car, so do Williams."

berita lanjut: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3049474.stm

[Rupert G]

Ralf 'will be champion'

Ralf Schumacher will beat brother Michael to this year's Formula One world championship - that is the view of former Grand Prix driver Martin Brundle.

The Englishman believes Ralf Schumacher has the advantage because of the progress made in recent weeks by his Williams team and their tyre supplier Michelin.

That has meant that both the Williams cars of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya and both the McLarens, Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard, are potential winners of each race.

But Ferrari use Bridgestones, which are lagging behind Michelin, and Rubens Barrichello is being left behind the battle between Michael Schumacher and the rest.

Brundle said: "I think Ralf will win the championship because he's got a team-mate [Juan Pablo Montoya] who can get between him and Michael, while Michael hasn't got a team-mate who can get between him and Ralf.

"The McLarens and the Renaults can also sometimes get between Ralf and Michael."

But Brundle does admit that the older Schumacher's genius behind the wheel could yet make the difference.

"The only problem [with that theory] is that Michael is a bit good," said Brundle.

His fellow ex-driver Mark Blundell, speaking with Brundle at a news conference to promote next weekend's British Grand Prix, believes the Ferrari driver will come through to win a record sixth title.

"I said at the beginning of the year that Michael would win it, but now you've got to wonder," Blundell said.

"But if I have to pin my colours to anyone, I'll go with Michael because when you get down to battling in the last couple of races, Michael knows what it's like and I'm not sure Ralf will be able to handle it."

Michael Schumacher leads the championship by eight points from Raikkonen, but Ralf has closed to within 11 points of his brother with two wins in the last two races.

Brundle believes the Silverstone race on 20 July could be the decisive moment of the season.

"It can turn around so quickly - three or four races ago everyone was saying: 'What's the matter with Williams' and 'Ralf's off to Toyota'.

"But Williams have a lot of momentum and we have a period coming up where Ferrari can't test and sort their tyres out [because of a testing ban between Silverstone and the Hungarian GP on 24 August].

"Silverstone is a pivotal race. If you look at the ramp of Williams' form, if they continue that, they'll win the championship," Brundle said.

sumber: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3052696.stm