Autoracing1.com - Rumors

UPDATE: BMW back to F1? (Update)

2013-05-20T08:59:00Z

Formula 1[False] UPDATE This rumor is downgraded to 'false' now. BMW has hit back at Bernie Ecclestone's claim the German carmaker might be looking to return to formula one. Off the back of Honda's decision to make a F1 comeback in 2015, F1 chief executive Ecclestone told City A.M.

Honda’s ace in the hole?

2013-05-17T06:14:00Z

Formula 1[Speculation] Senna drove a Lotus Honda in 1987Mostly everyone agrees that the return of Honda to Formula One in 2015 is a good thing. After the departure of Toyota, the inclusion of a Japanese manufacturer is a shot-in-the-arm (or a distraction at least) for a sport currently beleaguered by a sketchy Concorde agreement and perceived apocryphal racing. Just how Honda will perform from the outset however is open to… Well interpretation.

Davey Hamilton to try and qualify for 500

2013-05-17T06:06:00Z

IndyCar[Speculation] Davey HamiltonSam Schmidt said time is running out to field the No. 99 car. Schmidt, who owns cars driven by Simon Pagenaud and rookie Tristan Vautier, apparently has the only car that could be a 34th contender for this year’s 500.

Seven Of 11 F1 Teams Are In Financial Trouble

2013-05-16T22:08:00Z

Formula 1[Strong] Seven of the 11 F1 teams "are reportedly unable to afford the new engines for the '14 season," according to Helmut Uhl of BILD. Besides the top four teams, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, "the rest of the field is in financial trouble." The three engine suppliers, Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault, "experienced it first hand when they announced the prices of the new 1.6 liter V6 turbo engines for the '14 season."

McLaren F1 switching to Honda engines (8th Update)

2013-05-16T05:41:00Z

Formula 1[Fact]

Raikkonen, and Ricciardo move into pole for Webber's seat (5th Update)

2013-05-15T14:28:00Z

Formula 1[Speculation]

Honda sandbagging?

2013-05-15T06:37:00Z

IndyCar[Speculation] Word in the Indy paddock is that Honda is sandbagging - letting the Chevy teams be fastest in every Indy 500 practice session - as they pretty much did last year. Then on race day Honda will turn up the wick and bury Chevy. Honda uses a single larger turbo.

NBC to pick up TNT's NASCAR races? ESPN to cut back?

2013-05-15T06:17:00Z

TV News[Speculation] NASCAR has signed one contract for 2015-2022, for the first 13 Cup races, with Fox Sports, which includes the new Fox Sports 1 that replaces Speed in August. Fox considered it a priority to get NASCAR as one of its anchor sports for its all-sports Fox Sports 1 network, so it already signed a deal for 2015-2022 (at a 36% rate increase). While the sport might have lost some of its buzz, Fox Sports recognized the loyalty of NASCAR fans to watch its programming.

Reprieve for pit-lane speedsters

2013-05-14T14:54:00Z

Formula 1[Strong] Motorsport's governing body, the FIA, has agreed to do away with pit-lane speeding fines, according to a report. Earlier this month the Grand Prix Drivers' Association sought clarification from the FIA as to why drivers were still being fined for speeding in the pit lane when a deal agreed for an increase in super-licence fees was supposed to have stopped financial penalties. The Sporting Regulations, though, state that drivers must be fined $200 for every kilometer per hour they are over the speed limit.

UPDATE: Bribery charge would end Ecclestone's reign (Updated)

2013-05-14T02:13:00Z

Formula 1[Strong] UPDATE Bernie Ecclestone may be trading in his black suit for a pinstripe one(GMM) If Bernie Ecclestone is charged with bribery, it will be the end of the 82-year-old Briton's long and famous reign over formula one. That is the claim of a source, who was commenting in the wake of reports at the weekend that German prosecutors are close to indicting F1's chief executive over the Gerhard Gribkowsky affair. According to Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, the next step would be a court deciding if it should hear the case, with a trial to shortly follow.

UPDATE: Walker hired to be IndyCar President of Operations

2013-05-13T09:41:00Z

IndyCar[Strong] UPDATE Hulman & Company Chief Executive Officer Mark Miles will host a press conference at 11:30 a.m. today to announce and officially introduce the new head of INDYCAR operations and competition. The position includes the responsibility for the on-track and competition elements of the IZOD IndyCar Series and the series' participants.

UPDATE: Chevy testing 2014 IndyCar aero kits

2013-05-12T14:40:00Z

IndyCar[Strong] UPDATE It took getting through multiple false starts and a pair of protests from the paddock, but SPEED.com reports the long-awaited Indy car aero kits will finally debut in 2014. But not everywhere. The new Indy car bodies, designed by Wirth Research and Honda Performance Development for Honda, and Pratt & Miller and GM Racing for Chevy, will only be allowed in the Triple Crown events at Indianapolis, Pocono and Fontana.

UPDATE #2: Allison to Ferrari or Williams (2nd Update)

2013-05-11T10:00:00Z

Formula 1[Speculation] UPDATE #2 (GMM) James Allison's next destination in F1 will be known in two weeks. That is the claim of former F1 driver Alex Wurz, who said in Barcelona on Saturday that he has spoken with Lotus' newly departed technical director since he decided to leave the Enstone based team. The big paddock rumor is that Briton Allison, 45, is heading to Italy.

Busch and IndyCar

2013-05-11T07:02:00Z

NASCAR Sprint Cup[Speculation] A reader writes, Dear AR1.com, I see NASCAR is up to their old tricks again with their timing and scoring computers. No sooner did we hear that Kurt Busch's Furniture Row team may fold later in the year due to lack of sponsors did the timing and scoring computers come to the rescue and put him on pole at Darlington. Maybe it was a 'special' ECU he got and not the timing and scoring computers.

2013 F1 driver salaries

2013-05-10T06:02:00Z

Formula 1[Strong] Following is a rumored list of 2013 F1 driver salaries in Euros. The report was published by Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo citing information compiled by Business Book GP. Drivers (Currently 1 Euro = 1.3 US Dollars): 1.

Dodge back to NASCAR with Andretti (15th Update)

2013-05-09T10:15:00Z

NASCAR Sprint Cup[Speculation]

Mercedes eyes possible Indy 500, Le Mans return

2013-05-08T05:02:00Z

IndyCar[Speculation] CART Detroit 2000 - Mercedes engines powered a number of drivers. That was when CART IndyCar had Ford, Mercedes, Honda and Toyota engines in the field. Soon Mercedes left because Tony George's destruction of the sport was beginning to take hold(GMM) Toto Wolff is not ruling out a return for Mercedes in the future to the fabled Indy 500 and Le Mans races.

More on Long Beach sale rumors to F1 (12th Update)

2013-05-06T10:15:00Z

Formula 1, IndyCar[Speculation]

Webber will leave Red Bull, signs 5-year Porsche deal (9th update)

2013-05-05T00:02:00Z

Formula 1[Strong]

Reckless drivers face bans

2013-05-04T01:04:00Z

Formula 1[Strong] Reckless Formula One drivers have been warned that the introduction of a 'football-style' penalty points system may lead to them facing race bans in future. Discussions into the viability of a revised punishment system for dangerous or other irregular driving are expected to take place at next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix and could be introduced later this year. International Motoring Federation (FIA) race director Charlie Whiting is due to meet the teams at a meeting of the Sporting Working Group think-tank ahead of the Barcelona race to discuss potential future rule changes.

F1 may introduce penalty points system

2013-05-02T11:29:00Z

Formula 1[Speculation] Formula One may develop a new “penalty points” system for driver infringements. A report by Autosport indicates this would be one of the items discussed by the Sporting Working Group think tank, along with a revised testing schedule and clarification of pit lane speeding penalties, for future 2014 rule changes. Driver licenses would be hit with penalty points at small increments, only building later on.

Valencia back in 2014? 2014 return again in doubt (4th Update)

2013-05-02T06:06:00Z

Formula 1[Speculation]

UPDATE: Goodyear Tire Testing at Indy (Update)

2013-05-01T06:15:00Z

NASCAR Sprint Cup[Fact] UPDATE This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' today. A half-dozen Sprint Cup Series drivers are testing this week at IMS. Jeff Gordon, two-time Brickyard winner Tony Stewart, a Columbus, Ind., native and resident, along with Mark Martin, reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Trevor Bayne.

UPDATE: Marussia looks set for Ferrari power in 2014 (Update)

2013-05-01T06:07:00Z

Formula 1[Strong] UPDATE Probably tipping the scales in Ferrari's favor was Marussia's last-minute signing of Jules Bianchi, who is strongly supported by the famous Italian marque(GMM) Marussia looks set to use customer Ferrari engines in 2014. With the team's current supplier Cosworth unlikely to build a new power unit for next year's radical V6 rules, Marussia's choice appeared to have boiled down to Mercedes or Ferrari. "We'll talk with both," chief executive Andy Webb said in March.

Long Beach talks 'a message' to New Jersey

2013-05-01T06:02:00Z

Formula 1[Strong] With Manhattan as the backdrop, the New Jersey race is probably what Ecclestone is really after(GMM) A respected formula one correspondent has played down reports the sport could return to Long Beach. Following reports Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed talks with the iconic street race's owners, Brazilian journalist Livio Oricchio admitted he suspects it is just one of the F1 chief executive's classic negotiating ploys. "It will be surprising if these preliminary negotiations develop," said O Estado de S.Paulo's Livio Oricchio.

UPDATE #2: Less than 33 cars to start Indy 500?

2013-04-30T12:48:00Z

IndyCar[Speculation] UPDATE #2 Pippa Mann has been confirmed for dale Coyne Racing in this announcement. 04/25/13 Rumor has it that Pippa Mann will land a ride for the Indy 500. So along with the Lazier brothers the Indy 500 might get just to 33 cars.

Google Self-Driving Vehicle Trained to Hog The Left Lane?

2013-04-30T06:00:00Z

Automotive[Speculation] Google 'left-lane-dick' driverless carA reader writes, Dear AR1.com, I have been looking for what to do with the photo taken a couple of weeks ago in the San Francisco Bay Area. Your article on driverless cars triggered an answer. Northern California drivers are not particularly disciplined about keeping to the right, as evidenced in the photo, which makes me wonder: have the programmers designed in 'left-lane-dick' logic? Harry Smith, San Francisco

Is IndyCar in Kentucky Speedway’s future?

2013-04-29T21:08:00Z

IndyCar[Speculation] Kentucky Speedway held its Ford Fan Day on Saturday. As part of the event, which benefited from more hospitable weather this year, general manager Mark Simendinger fielded questions from fans during two town hall-like sessions in the press box. Simendinger again raised the possibility of the IndyCar Series someday returning to Kentucky Speedway.

UPDATE #2: DRR parking No. 22 after Indy

2013-04-26T16:28:00Z

IndyCar[Strong] UPDATE #2 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will attempt to make occasional appearances in IndyCar over the remainder of the season if it is unable to secure the funding to continue full-time after the Indy 500. It was revealed on Friday that the team will be forced to stand down after the Indy 500 unless it can attract additional investment, with the hope of regrouping and re-entering the series full-time in 2014. However, team co-owner Robbie Buhl says that even if DRR is forced to scale back after Indy, it could still race later in the season.

UPDATE: McLaren 'supremo' Dennis demoted

2013-04-26T11:00:00Z

Formula 1[Speculation] UPDATE (GMM) McLaren on Friday played down reports Ron Dennis has been demoted by team co-owner Bahrain. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport had reported the McLaren 'supremo' was stripped of his voting rights, and is now only a non-executive member of the board. The report said McLaren shareholder Mumtalakat Holding, the Bahraini investment company, is angry because Dennis' pet project, McLaren Automotive, is losing millions.

Overheard in Long Beach - Saturday (UPDATED)

2013-04-25T09:50:00Z

IndyCar[Speculation]