Tall men are not meant to make top racing drivers, yet he had a busy 12-year career as F1 racer and tester. Now his heart is set on a third Le Mans win By Simon Taylor Alex Wurz looks like Hollywood’s idea of a racing driver: alert, clear-eyed, charming yet steely, wiry and very fit. And tall. But, as we know, in real life the most successful racing drivers tend to be little guys. It’s not just...
Synonymous with Audi’s success in touring car and endurance racing, he’ll be chasing the company’s 13th Le Mans win in 15 years this June
Writer Simon Taylor | Photographer James Mitchell
Being a racer, and being a winner, takes many forms. The man in the cockpit climbs onto the podium and sprays the champagne, and he gets most of the glory. But without the serried ranks lined up behind him who...
Mercedes emerged with consolation, rather than points, from its home GP.
The board has made it clear that Mercedes-Benz needs victories if its F1 programme is to extend beyond the end of next season, and at face value it would appear difficult for the Stuttgart giant to draw any succour from gleaning just two points from races in Canada, France, England, Germany and Hungary. Notwithstanding its...
Sir,
After the stunning victory of Nico Rosberg in the Chinese Grand Prix, two thoughts immediately played in my mind. The first is: haven't Mercedes-Benz done the whole thing well? Honda, Peugeot, Ford, BMW and Toyota have all come, spent millions and left, and through it all Mercedes-Benz have stayed, spent effectively and must now be reaping the Monday morning reward. So, thank you M-B....
* The FIA has granted Sauber an F1 entry for 2010, ending months of doubt over its future. The news came after BMW confirmed that the team had been sold back to Peter Sauber. The Swiss, who had maintained a 20 per cent shareholding, bought the remainder for a lot less than he was paid in ’05. The deal was made sweeter by the fact that the Hinwil facility has been greatly improved under BMW. As...
Formula 1 is preparing for a return to turbo power in 2013, but with revs reduced and the advance of KERS this won’t be like travelling to the ’80s
Under Jean Todt’s leadership the FIA is committed to launching a new 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine for Formula 1 in 2013, with a new generation of KERS or energy recovery systems as an integral part of the package. Onboard fuel capacity...
Manfred Winkelhock never backed off in life or in racing. Adam Cooper recalls a true charger
The appearance of 'M Winkelhock' at the top of the timing screens caught the eye in Monaco — but then it all went wrong. The yellow car arrived at Ste Devote out of shape and slid into the tyre barrier with a thump. The driver clambered out, frustrated at wasting his chance to hold on to pole position.
It...
As one Mercedes graduate was crowned at Aida, a possible heir to his throne made his debut
The Pacific Grand Prix saw a former Mercedes junior crowned world champion for the second year in succession. It also marked the debut of a current junior who many people tip one day to emulate that feat.
Brought in by McLaren when appendicitis ruled Mika Hakkinen out of the race, Jan Magnussen looked, as...
By Nigel Roebuck
The inexorable growth of aero clutter
Missing AJ Foyt at the Daytona 24 Hours
Dario Franchitti’s love of motor sport history
When Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton pulled the wraps off the McLaren MP4-27, it was a relief — and perhaps a bit of a surprise — to note that the car did not have the 'stepped nose' common to all the other new cars revealed to that point.
A rule...
Support systemF1 mechanics who fall on hard times can rely on a trust set up by JYS for help
The Grand Prix Mechanics Trust (GPMT) was founded by Jackie Stewart in 1987 and is a charitable body that cares for Formula 1 mechanics around the world. Its mission is ‘to put lives back on track’, and this it has achieved for a great many men who, for a variety of reasons, have found themselves in...