Formula 1: Sauber is Third Team to Leave FOTA, Toro Rosso to Follow?

A spokeswoman for the Sauber Formula 1 team has confirmed to ESPN that it has sent a letter to the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA), informing them that it will no longer be part of it.

The move makes Sauber the third team after Red Bull and Ferrari to leave FOTA which, ironically, was formed on July 2008 in a meeting in Maranello in order for the F1 teams to present a unified stance in talks with FIA and the Bernie Ecclestone-owned Formula One Group that owns F1’s commercial rights.

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Infiniti Offers Select FX European Buyers a Chance to See the Inner Workings of Red Bull F1 Team

The FX “concept” that was unwrapped at the Frankfurt Motor Show was supposed to be a one-off model designed with input from 2010 (and, subsequently, 2011) Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel.

However, Infiniti did what everyone expected, and less than a month later confirmed that the tweaked, 420HP luxury crossover would indeed enter production, albeit in limited numbers.

Now, as part of the celebrations for Sebastian Vettel's 2011 championship, Infiniti is offering European buyers of the FX the chance to get a unique insight of the inner workings of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team.

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Ferrari and Red Bull Quit F1 Teams Association over Rules Disagreement, FIA Announces 2012 Entry List

Now we know what Ferrari CEO, Luca di Montezemolo’s statements were all about when less than a month ago, he hinted at the Scuderia leaving Formula 1, something that the company had then denied claiming that its head honcho’s words were misinterpreted.

Well, leaving the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) is an action that is not really open to any sort of interpretations - especially when Ferrari itself issues a lengthy statement explaining why it is leaving the association that di Montezemolo himself was presiding over until 2009.

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Formula 1: Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride: this perfectly describes Mark Webber’s participation at the 2011 Formula 1 season so far. Despite driving the best car on the grid and being in the top-performing team, the Australian not only watched his younger teammate clinch the title with considerable ease, but until the last race of the season didn’t have a single win to show for himself. Read more »

Formula 1: Brazilian GP Qualifying Results

In Abu Dhabi, Sebastian Vettel matched Nigel Mansell’s record of 14 pole positions in a single Formula 1 season, which stood for 19 years. In the final qualifying session of the season at the Brazilian track of Interlagos, he had his last chance to break it - at least for the current season. Read more »

Formula 1: McLaren’s Boss Says Team “Must Win Races from the Start” in 2012

McLaren is second only to Ferrari in Formula 1 World Championships, having won 12 constructors’ titles, three less than the Scuderia. Yet the 2011 season has not lived up to the team’s expectations despite winning six races, because the combination of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull was clearly superior.

Speaking at the opening of McLaren’s new Production Center, the F1 team's principal, Martin Whitmarsh, admitted that they underperformed this year.

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Formula 1: Indian Grand Prix Results

Niki Lauda may have been wrong in our opinion about Michael Schumacher’s return to Formula1, but as far as the latest world champion is concerned, his predictions appear to be spot on.

The Austrian had said that, given the right circumstances, Sebastian Vettel has the potential to match and even surpass Schumacher who so far, has broken nearly all records in F1.

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Formula 1: Korean Grand Prix Race Results

With the drivers’ title already decided, the only question before the red lights went off to signal the start of the Korean Grand Prix was whether Red Bull would manage to snag the constructors’ championship as well or if McLaren, the only team with a shot at the title, could keep its (admittedly slim) chances alive for yet another race. Read more »

Formula 1: Korean Grand Prix Qualifying Results

Well, it was bound to happen at some point: Sebastian Vettel lost the pole position to another driver at the Korean Grand Prix qualifier. For the first time after five races, Vettel won’t be starting Sunday’s F1 GP from the first place on the grid. Read more »

Time Waster of the Day: Infiniti Launches F1 Pit Crew Challenge Facebook Game

If you're looking to fool around and waste some time on your computer, Infiniti might have something just for you.

The Japanese luxury brand, which is increasingly looking to Red Bull to improve its awareness, has launched its first ever social game called "Infiniti Pit Crew Challenge" on Facebook.

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Vettel Wins Back-to-Back Formula 1 Titles, Lauda says “He Can Surpass Schumacher”

If you have two Formula 1 world championships under your belt by the age of 24, then you surely must be special. Sebastian Vettel, who last year became the youngest world champion ever in the history of the sport, didn’t have anything to prove .

Nor did anyone doubt after the first races of the season, that the 2011 driver’s title would be his. Mathematically, at least, only McLaren's Jenson Button had a –very long- shot at stealing the title after Singapore. At last Sunday’s race in Suzuka, he did his best: Button crossed the finish line first.

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Formula 1: 2011 Singapore Grand Prix Results Are In

And then they were two… Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are now officially out of the race for the world championship. After the end of the Singapore Grand Prix, only Jenson Button can, mathematically at least, challenge the reigning Formula 1 world champion, Sebastian Vettel in the remaining races. Read more »

Formula 1: Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying Round-Up

What a surprise…another Saturday, another Red Bull at the first spot of the starting grid, with a second Red Bull racer at its side: a site everyone has gotten used to this year.

What must have frightened poleman Sebastian Vettel rivals for tomorrow's race is his admission that he held back and did not perform at 100%: “On the last run, I tried a bit too much going into the really tricky chicane around Turn 10," said Vettel, adding that, "I decided to abort the lap, as it can be so easy to damage the car.”

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Cowboys and F1 Drivers: Red Bull Racing Saddles Up for Texas F1

So how do you promote a Formula One race in the United States? Well, depends on whom you ask. For Red Bull Racing, the answer to that question is a bizarre mixture of lasso-wielding cowboys, helicopters, former F1 driver David Coulthard and an F1 racecar doing donuts on a rural dirt road in Texas. Read more »

Formula 1: Singapore Grand Prix Practice Session

As in almost every Formula 1 event this year, Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing set the pace again, this time in the second practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix.

What was surprising is that the German pilot's time was barely better than that of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso - a mere 0.021 seconds. The only one capable of challenging the pair was Lewis Hamilton, but in the end he and his McLaren F1 racer were more than half a second slower.

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Live Photos and Video of the Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Edition

Infiniti is relying on its partnership with Red Bull Racing and the blessings of reigning Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel to promote a sportier image for the brand

At this week's 64 International Auto Show in Frankfurt, the Japanese automaker put the spotlight on a one-off Infiniti FX50 designed in conjunction with Vettel. The special crossover features a host of aerodynamic, styling and mechanical improvements, all designed with Vettel's input.

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IAA 2011: Sebastian Vettel's 420HP, 300km/h One-Off Infiniti FX50 Special

After many teasers but only six months since the idea surfaced during a conversation between Infiniti’s Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura, and Red Bull racing driver Sebastian Vettel, the Japanese firm's one-off FX50 Performance Concept dedicated to the reigning Formula One World Champion has been fully revealed.

Sebastian Vettel, who already owns an FX as Infiniti's Global Brand Ambassador [sic...], cooperated with the company's engineers to create the concept model that sports several changes over the standard production version both mechanically and cosmetically.

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Red Bull and Renault Renew their F1 Partnership for 5 More Years

You don’t change a winning team, or so the saying goes. And Red Bull Racing's collaboration with Renault isn't only about winning – it is about absolutely dominating Formula 1 as the pair has almost secured both drivers’ and constructors’ titles for the second year in a row six races before the 2011 season's finale.

So today’s announcement that the two parties have renewed their partnership, which started in 2007, for a further five years came to no surprise. Renault Sport will continue to supply V8 engines and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) to Red Bull Racing until 2013, and the new 1.6-liter turbocharged units that rules mandate from 2014 until at least 2016.

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F1 Results: 2011 Italian Grand Prix in Monza

The Italian GP that took place on Sunday at the Monza racetrack was nothing if not exciting. From the moment the red lights went off and the cars started accelerating, it was all drama. Although Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was on the fourth place of the grid, he was able to beat both McLarens as well as pole man Sebastian Vettel and take the lead in turn one. Read more »

Formula 1: Italian GP Qualifying Results

McLaren may have tried to secure some publicity by opening its only Italian showroom in Milan just before the local GP, but on the track, it was Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel who captured the spotlight with his 10th pole position of the year in Monza. Read more »