Di Montezemolo: Ferrari laying foundations for winning cycle

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is convinced that the team have made significant strides over the first half of their 2014 Formula One campaign, even if results are "not always visible".

For the first time since 2009 Ferrari have failed to win once over the opening 11 races, with Fernando Alonso's podiums in China and Hungary the only two occasions on which the Italian squad have cracked the top three.

However, Di Montezemolo says changes are already being made in order for the Scuderia to rediscover front-running form, starting with an overhaul of how the team operates away from the circuit.

"We are making in-depth changes on both the organisational side, in our approach and culture," he told the Ferrari website. 

"We have taken important decisions and have made significant progress, even if, at the moment, the results of all this work are not always visible. 

"The aim is to get back to being as competitive as we were before in the shortest possible time, while at the same time putting everything in place so that we can embark on another winning cycle."

Di Montezemolo also dismissed speculation about the futures of Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, both of whom have been the subject of rumours suggesting they could leave Ferrari at the end of the season.

"We are lucky to have two great champions, who are working with the whole team to get back to being competitive again," Di Montezemolo added. 

"Of course, as is the case every summer, there is unfounded gossip about alleged problems with senseless rumours bandied about, such as the ones relating to Alonso's contract. We know that the summer heat always produces silly stories. 

"Our drivers must now relax in order to return in top form. The season is still long and we need Fernando and Kimi to be in great shape."

Ferrari currently sit third in the constructors' championship on 142 points - 77 points behind Red Bull, and seven ahead of Williams. Alonso is third in the drivers' standings, while Raikkonen languishes in 12th, sandwiched by Force India's Sergio Perez and Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne.

(source: f1.com)

David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen drive old McLarens

I have posted a few Mika Häkkinen pics and quotes lately and now I found this! Häkkinen and DC are very funny of course as usual.

The Limit [Full Documentary]

YouTube keeps erasing this documentary so check this now when you have a chance!

Our Facebook page has it's 1st birthday today!

The F1-4-LIFE Facebook page has got over 10 000 likes in it's first year and I couldn't be more proud. It feels great that I have reached so many F1 fans and got you all on the same page.

Thanks for the first year and may there be many years to come!

This is one of the shortest posts ever but I said everything that matters.

Anthony Ehrnrooth
F1-4-LIFE

Gutierrez: Mexico’s F1 return is 'greatest news of my career’

Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez has described the return of Mexico to the Formula One calendar for the first time in more than two decades as "some of the greatest news in my career so far".

Organisers recently revealed that Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which last saw official F1 action in 1992, is set to host a round of the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship, and for Gutierrez the news couldn’t come soon enough.

“It's really a dream come true for many of us,” said the 23-year-old from Monterrey following the announcement. “A Mexican Grand Prix would be the most fantastic experience for me - to race in front of my people. Mexico has a long F1 history, so the fascination for F1 is still in their genes.”

Gutierrez, one of two Mexicans - along with Force India’s Sergio Perez - to have recently broken onto the F1 grid, believes his previous taste of competing on home soil hinted at just how great a reception Formula One racing’s return will receive.

“I had the chance to race once in Mexico City, back in 2008, when we did the world finals of Formula BMW, and it was a great experience,” he said. “I think it was an introduction to what it can be. Now we will be going into the biggest thing in Mexico and to really physically share the sport with our fans and our supporters.”

Indeed, although Mexico has not held a Grand Prix in 22 years, the country shows no sign of losing its F1 appetite. When Perez carried out a demonstration event in his home town of Guadalajara just prior to his 2011 debut, between 150,000 and 200,000 people lined the streets to watch.

“This was one of the best days of my life,” Perez exclaimed at the time. “It was a great, great experience. I have never experienced something like this before with so many people cheering me. I’m proud to be Mexican, and I’m proud to receive all this support.”

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, named after legendary Mexican racing siblings Pedro and Ricardo, first hosted F1 racing in 1963 and was a championship fixture for the next seven years. It then returned to the calendar in 1986 and staged a further six Grands Prix. Famous winners have included Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, and now the event is set to provide many more classic Formula One moments. 

“I have good feelings about it, because all these years that Mexico has been involved in Formula One with obviously first Checo [Perez] and now myself,” Gutierrez continued. “We are both in F1 and I think this is a great step to have a Grand Prix.”

The famous circuit is expected to undergo a programme of improvements and upgrades in time for the 2015 race, when it will be capable of welcoming around 150,000 spectators. 

(source: f1.com)

This is how it feels like to drive in Spa!

The next race is going to be in Spa so here's an exciting video for you. I will probably post some more videos from Spa before the next race.

Chilton to race at Goodwood Revival

Marussia’s Max Chilton will become the first contemporary Formula One driver in nine years to compete at the UK’s famous Goodwood Revival meeting next month, when he climbs behind the wheel for the September 12-14 event.

British driver Chilton, who is in his second year of F1 competition, will race in the Shelby Cup, a one-off event being held to mark 60 years of the small-block V8 engine and the 50th anniversary of one of the most iconic cars to ever use the powerplant, the Ford Mustang.

With only cars powered by small-block V8s eligible for the race, Chilton will share a 1965 Mustang with Richard Dutton, boss of the successful junior single-seater squad Fortec Motorsport.

The last current F1 driver to take part in the Revival was Vitantonio Liuzzi in 2005, while former world champion Damon Hill was also an active Formula One competitor when he raced at the inaugural event in 1998.

The Revival routinely attracts famous F1 faces, past and present, both on and off the track. Last year saw Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey among the race winners, partnering former Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack in a Ford GT40.

(source: f1.com)