I write this post as the latest game in the series ‘F1 2011’ is launched and yes it includes the new Buddh International circuit at Noida. Its coded by codemasters and is marketed by Zapak in India.

The game has a number of new gameplay options, one of which is the much awaited co-op mode, you and your friend compete as formula one racing partners for a team. I have just got my review copy and cant wait to play it out. If you are looking for features, they are all listed here. You can also view the release trailer here, the graphics look simply awesome ! Am awaiting my Xbox copy to really see the HD graphics

The game is available on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

F1 2011™ is the sequel to the BAFTA winning FORMULA ONE™ videogame from Codemasters®, the developer and publisher of award-winning racing games. Developed under Codemasters’ exclusive worldwide agreement with Formula One   World Championship Limited, F1 2011 will come complete with all the official drivers, teams and circuits featuring in the 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE World Championship™. Zapak Games, the licensing & merchandising arm of Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd. will distribute the title in India.

Developed using Codemasters’ EGO Game Technology Platform F1 2011 will deliver an unrivalled FORMULA ONE experience that puts players into the heart of the world’s most exciting sport, powered by cutting edge graphics, advanced physics systems and integrated network play.

· Go Compete!  F1 2011 builds extensively on the multiplayer options from F1 2010. Split-screen racing is included for the first time in a high-definition FORMULA ONE title. Competitive online racing is extended with 16 players going head-to-head in GRAND PRIX™ with up to 8 AI drivers added to simulate the full grid of 24 drivers. An innovative new co-op Championship enables two players to lead their favourite FORMULA ONE team to Driver and Constructor glory across the course of a FORMULA ONE season. These enhancements are complimented by additional quick fire modes including Time Attack.

· New Circuits for 2011. Two stunning new additions to the race calendar extend the number of circuits to feature in F1 2011 to 19. Players will be able to debut ahead of the drivers on the Buddh International Circuit, the home of the first FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF INDIA and players will be able to test themselves on the iconic Nürburging circuit for the first time in High Definition, as this legendary track returns for the 2011 season.

· Be the driver, live the life.  From the paddock to the track, F1 2011 takes players closer to the experience of being a FORMULA ONE driver than ever before. A new Parc Ferme area, an expanded and revamped Paddock, new Pit Lane, celebration and reaction cinematics and an enhanced media interaction system fully immerse players in the glamour, pressure and excitement of being a FORMULA ONE driver. Players progress from rookie to FIA FORMULA ONE DRIVERS’ WORLD CHAMPION in an extensive career mode where gamers fight to become priority driver and shape the development of the car by performing well in races and earning performance upgrades.

· All the cars, all the stars. Fully licensed, F1 2011 features all the drivers set to contest the 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button. All 2011 teams are represented including Ferrari, Red Rull Racing, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Lotus Renault GP in their iconic black and gold livery.

· KERS, DRS and more! F1 2011 includes all the new rule changes set to make this year’s season the most exciting yet. F1 2011 debuts DRS (Drag Reduction System) – the new system which enables drivers to adjust the rear wing on the car to give a boost of up to 10km. KERS also returns, giving players an extra 80BHP for up to 6.67 seconds, enabling drivers to blast past rivals. Combined, these systems encourage close wheel-to-wheel racing with new options for both defence and attack. This season’s new Pirelli tyres are faithfully simulated in the game, and if players push their car too hard they may experience a range of authentic new damage failures.

· Full Day / Night Racing. The 2011 FORMULA 1 ETHIAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX comes alive with a full day/ night transition which recreates the special atmosphere at this unique track. Every one of the existing circuits from the 2010 roster has been given a complete visual overhaul. New atmospheric effects, including dynamic clouds, compliment a weather system which features an advanced rain model that affects on-track grip.  Powered by the EGO Game Technology Platforms, F1 2011 pushes forward the graphical standard of what can be achieved in a racing game.

· The world’s greatest cars, the most exciting racing. Building on the heritage of producing award-winning racing games for over a decade, Codemasters is uniquely placed to realise the spectacle and exhilaration of racing 200MPH+ FORMULA ONE cars for all fans. F1 2011 can be tuned for players from a wide range of skill levels, from the casual gamer to the hardcore simulation enthusiast and those in between, with a range of differing skill levels. A huge range of vehicle variables can be tuned to suit each player’s unique driving style, or drivers can entrust their Race Engineer to set their car up and head straight onto the track. F1 2011 will support a comprehensive range of racing wheels for the ultimate racing experience.

· Unprecedented authenticity. Codemasters has used its unprecedented access to the world of FORMULA ONE to connect the development team directly with FORMULA ONE teams and tyre manufacturers. Extensive consultancy has taken place with a range of FORMULA ONE professionals, including race engineers, mechanics and drivers. This has been combined with real world data including CAD and on-board telemetry to deliver a race experience complete with authentic handling, accurate circuits and precisely modelled racing cars.

· EGO powered FORMULA ONE. F1 2011 is being developed on the EGO Game Technology platform, evolved from the award winning EGO engine. Enabling Codemasters development talent to share tools and technology across Studios and Central Technology teams, the EGO Game Technology Platform empowers Codemasters game designers to realise their creative visions across multiple platforms featuring cutting edge graphics, powerful AI, advanced physics systems and integrated network play.

Fernando Alonso is not to thrilled with the uncertainty that’s being thrown into the 2011 season with so many new things to look out for. With new tyres , new wings, new tracks comes along a new type of uncertainty and fears that F1 may never be the same. Press release from Ferrari follows :

In his first press conference of the year, Fernando Alonso also talked about the new technical and rule changes that will affect the 2011 cars.

“They will certainly be more complex to handle on the part of the driver because we will have more operations to carry out,” explained the Spaniard. “There will be the return of KERS and the new adjustable rear wing, even if the front wing won’t be adjustable any more. You will need to find the way to adapt and find the right mechanisms for the buttons to avoid losing the correct concentration for driving. The simulator gives us a big hand with that, allowing us to do intensive training on this aspect.

“Will these changes help overtaking? I hope so. For years changes to the regulations have been brought in with this objective but they haven’t always worked. We’re crossing our fingers but I think that between KERS and the adjustable rear wing there will be enough difference in speed to be able to overtake a car you’re fighting. These changes have been brought in after meticulous work on the part of the Technical Working Group and I believe they will work. Will we have to be more aggressive? It depends on the situation: if you just need a place to win the title then there’s no need.”
Another change will be the Pirelli tyres that Fernando has already tested for two days in Abu Dhabi last November. “The first feeling is positive,” says Fernando. “But we will know more at the next tests, those will be very interesting. I will certainly have to change my driving style a bit. The unknown remains the wet tyres, that we haven’t yet had a chance to try.”

In 2009 the introduction of KERS pushed many drivers into a hard winter and slimming routines. But this year the minimum weight of the car has been increased to 640kg, meaning the weight of the driver is not so crucial for the effective use of ballast. “I haven’t lost much weight yet, partly because last week I had to interrupt my training because of a small muscle contraction in my leg,” explains Fernando. “For the start of the championship perhaps you will see more of a weight difference. This year we will have to pay even more attention to physical and mental preparation because of the calendar. For example we will have trips that are physically demanding such as Australia-Malaysia-China, with the last two races on successive weekends. If you arrive in Malaysia at 80% one week later you risk being at 50%.”

On the issue that the new rules could make the result of qualifying less important for the result of the race, Fernando was very cautious. “It’s possible, because overtaking should be less difficult. But qualifying, the start and the first corner will remain decisive moments. But it’s too early to make a real prediction: we will have to see how things go in the first races to have a more precise idea.”

November 14th is celebrated as Children’s Day in India in memory of Jawaharlal Nehru who was the 1st PM of India, what an apt day for Formula One to get its toungest even formula one champion. Sebastien Vettel drove an almost perfect race to clinch the F1 title beating closest rival Fernando Alonso by just 4 points. Sebastian Vettel took the chequered flag at the Yas Marina circuit to win the Abu Dhabi grand prix ahead of all his championship rivals.

The situation that Sebastian Vettel was in was similar to what Kimi Raikkonen was in a few years ago when he had pipped Lewis Hamilton to take the crown despite having the odds stacked against him. After the race Vettel acknowledged that the same was in the back of his head.

One also has to spare a thought for the Spaniard Fernando Alonso who fought valiantly in his Ferrari but couldn’t match the straight line speed of the Renaults in the end. He slipped and slid all over the track but still couldn’t pass the Russian Vikaly Petrov’s Renault.

Fernando Alonso wasn’t the only person to be heartbroken by the result, Vettel also dealt a blow to his teammate Mark Webber’s plans of celebrating his maiden F1 title. Webber finished the race behind Alonso in 8th place and the championship behind Alonso with 242 points losing out on the title by 14 points in the end.

Lewis Hamilton too wasn’t spared by Sebastian Vettel who smashed his record of being the youngest ever formula one champion at the age of 23.

Concluding, We would like to write that this young champion has heart and this surely isn’t the last we hear of him  . This surely was a fitting end for the season.

In other news AT&T Williams F1 have confirmed Rubens Barrichello for 2011. More on that later.

Red Bull’s Sebastien Vettel has won the battle for the pole position this Saturday at the Yas Marina Circuit to start ahead of the pack during the final formula one race of the 2010 season , the Abu Dhabi grand prix. He will start ahead of Lewis Hamilton (who is also in contention, but almost out of the race).

Fernando Alonso the man most favoured to win the championship will start in third place from the second row. He will be joined by Briton Jenson Button.

Mark Webber , the other major contender for the formula one crown starts from fifth place severely denting his chances tomorrow, but these Red Bull cars have got some real speed, so counting them out would be foolish.

So lets get set for the super race tomorrow !

Image courtesy : Yas Marina Circuit Media Center

Red Bull may have clinched the constructor’s championship at the race in Bahrain but the race for the driver’s title is still hot, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso heads into the final race of the season with a 8 point lead. Red Bull’s Mark Webber trails Alonso’s 246 with 238 points closely followed by teammate Sebastien Vettel on 231 points and Lewis Hamilton with his 222 points is a distant fourth but is still in contention for the championship.

Now to move onto the math :

The following is what each person gets in the final race :

Fernando Alonso – 246

Now let us imagine that Mark Webber comes 1st , even then Alonso can clinch the championship by coming second. So essentially for Alonso its all about taking that second place and he gets the driver’s championship. But the Spaniard’s job would be made tuff by the roaring Red Bull of Sebastien Vettel who would be aiming for the championship himself.

He would want Alonso to be at best in 6th place and himself to win the race to get the crown. This also brings in the question of team orders. The Red Bull team brushed aside concerns with team principal Horner saying that the drivers will know whats best for the team.

‘We will back both drivers equally. I am sure they will do whatever is right for the team, I have zero doubt about that. There will be no team orders, and I don’t think there are any difficult decisions to be made,’ said Red Bull team principal Horner.

‘If they find themselves in a situation where one, because he can’t win, needs to help the other then I can only imagine that they will do that. It will have to be a driver decision.’

Don’t know about you but sounds like tacit agreement on team orders to me, of course Red Bull will deny that.

The chances for Lewis Hamilton are very bleak, I don’t really think he will get the championship.

Whatever be the case , the final race at Abu Dhabi promises to be a thriller and you all should go to a sports bar to watch it

Most people had predicted it would be young Lewis Hamilton who would threaten Michael’s legacy of records in formula one, but Fernando Alonso is the one who is knocking on the door.

The surprising win at the first ever Korean Grand Prix meant that the Spaniard inched closer to his 3rd World Championship title, a feat which the German Schumacher had achieved at the age of 31.

More Praise : Meanwhile Gerhard Berger claimed that Fernando Alonso is in the same league as Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.

“There are sometimes those special drivers: Ayrton Senna was one, Michael Schumacher was one, and Alonso is one” said the Austrian champion

Meanwhile Berger also cast a shadow on the sportmanship of Red Bull driver Mark Webber who in this youtube video seems to be gunning for Fernando Alonso after his car developed a snag.

‘He could have braked and stopped the car against the wall, but he did not do so. He took out Nico Rosberg, but he was the wrong driver. I think he would have preferred to have taken out Alonso or Hamilton’. Berger said

In a sensational accusation Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso has gone onto say that the result of this weekend’s European Grand Prix was fixed. He was ofcourse referring to the Lewis Hamilton incident with the safety car which saw the Brit illegally overtake the safety car to get a better position.

On lap 10 after pitting Hamilton came out from the pits just behind the Safety car which had been deployed after Mark Webber’s accident. Fernando Alonso was right behind. While Alonso respected the rules, Hamilton quickly overtook the safety car. the end result was that despite being a few meters from each other Lewis Hamilton came 2nd and Feranndo Alonso came 9th at the end of the race.

A drive through penalty was given to Lewis Hamilton, but with the super short pit-lane at Valencia it was in consequential to say the least.

Fernando’s outburst seems justified especially at the deliberate rule breakage by Lewis Hamilton, it seems he twisted the rule into his favour being well aware that a drive through penalty wouldnt affect him a lot if he was able to overtake the safety car. Also the penalty came too little too late according to most observers and in the end Hamilton was able to get mileage by breaking the rules and was able to finish in a better position.

‘All the kids in the stands know that you cannot pass the safety car. When the safety car came out I was one metre behind Hamilton. I finished ninth; he finished second. I respected the rule: he didn’t.’

‘I think 20 laps to see the replay is long.’

“But here, when you do the normal thing, which is respecting the rules, you finish ninth, and the one who doesn’t respect them finishes second.”

Lewis Hamilton put up a meek defence :

“As I was coming around turn one, literally as I got to the safety car line I saw the safety car was pretty much alongside me.”

“I thought that I’d passed it so I continued and that was it.”

Meanwhile Ferrari in a statement opined on the incident :

A scandal – that’s the opinion of so many fans and experts involved in the sport, who are all in agreement

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo released the following statement:

“The result of yesterday’s race was misrepresentative. Ferrari, which showed itself to be competitive in the European Grand Prix, paid a price that was too high for respecting the rules. Meanwhile those who didn’t follow the rules were penalised by the race officials in a way that was less severe than the damage suffered by those who did respect them.

That is a very serious and unacceptable event that creates dangerous precedents, throwing a shadow over the credibility of Formula One. We are sure that the FIA will fully analyse what happened, taking the consequent necessary decisions. Ferrari will watch this with interest.”

The Ferrari F1 team is all set to achieve an important milestone at this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix to be held at Istanbul. It will be the Marranello based team’s 800th Grand Prix. To commemorate the occasion the F1 cars will have special 800 races logo somewhere where the Marlboro used to be and the subsequent barcodes and the subsequent white blocks instead of the barcodes. Its a big day for the team that is also the most successful team in formula one (credit to Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn and Jean Todt).

The Ferrari F1 team is also the oldest still surviving formula one team with a history that goes back to 1948 (1st formula one race in 1950). Here are some stats from Wikipedia :

Races competed till now :
799

Constructors’ Championships
16 (1961, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008)

Drivers’ Championships
15 (1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007)

Race victories
211

Pole positions
203

Fastest laps
220

Meanwhile Ferrari’s chairman was also happy at the occasion.

“Eight-hundred Formula One Grands Prix represents a milestone in the life of Ferrari, which fills us with satisfaction and pride,” chairman Luca di Montezemolo was quoted  in an interview

“I want to share our delight in this achievement with all the drivers who have driven our cars in the world championship, and with our fans. It is nice to look back and see what we have done together, aware we are part of a story that is without equal and is ongoing.”

Meanwhile we have the photos of the special livery (not a huge change) including its design phase, Fernando Alonso needs a shave.

Photos : Ferrari SPA media

In what has come as a fresh impetus to peoples’ call for a Mercedes appeal against the FIA punishment, the FIA today acknowledged that the rule 40.13 used to punish Michael Schumacher for overtaking Fernando Alonso at the Monaco Grand Prix was ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations. In their words, problems showed a ‘lack of clarity’.

What is unclear is that why its own stewards and Damon Hill couldn’t see this obvious flaw and ended up penalising Michael Schumacher for no fault of his. Also, since the FIA admits the rule was unclear , something should be done about the Schumacher penalty but under another rule they cant do anything about it.

So basically, FIA goofed up folks and Schumacher gets the short end of the stick. The statement from the site with a spelling mistake corrected

2010 FIA Formula One World Championship Monaco Grand Prix

The problems identified during the final lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, counting for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, showed a lack of clarity in the application of the rule prohibiting overtaking behind the Safety Car.

Adjustments to the regulations are necessary to clarify the procedure that cars must meet when the last lap is controlled by the Safety Car whilst also ensuring that the signalling for teams and drivers is made more clear.

These adjustments will help to avoid the problem which occurred during the Monaco Grand Prix from happening in the future.

The Formula One Commission, upon a proposal of the F1 Sporting Working Group will submit an amendment to the Sporting Regulations to address this issue. These amendments will be considered by the World Motor Sport Council at its next meeting in Geneva on June 23.

It seems Mercedes was right when it said that the FIA agreed the rule breakage if any was not their fault. Still doesn’t explain why they withdrew the appeal.

Michael Schumacher might be the most successful driver on Monaco, but from this weekend he would be getting another tag of probably being the most unlucky/controversial driver at the Monaco circuit. Fresh on the heels of the controversy that the British media generated about the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix incident.

In the latest incident Michael Schumacher was punished with a 20 seconds penalty which threw him out of the points for illegally overtaking Fernando Alonso. The point of contention here is if he was allowed to overtake Alonso when the safety car went in. The article 40.13 states :

If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking.

But the article should not be valid here as the race monitors said Safety car in this lap.

The rules state if the race ends under the safety car period, the order will remain the same, however Michael Schumacher and Mercedes GP contend that since an all clear was given to race the overtaking move on Fernando Alonso was legal and legitimate.

FIA Stewards José Abed (FIA Vice President), Dr. Christian Calmes (a representative of the Automobile Club de Monaco), Paul Gutjahr  announced the verdict alongwith Damon Hill. The text was :

The appeal went to the stewards where Michael Schumacher’s old foe Damon Hill was the driver’s representative. A large number of press sources are blaming Hill for the verdict. Also British press sources are very happy about the penalty, totally ignoring another incident that happened in the race, Rubens Barrichello after retiring threw his steering wheel onto the track, but no action was taken.

Schumacher in his defence said :

“The message was ‘safety car in, track clear,’ if that’s given then its racing,” said Schumacher.

 

Damon Hill meanwhile defended himself and was quoted as saying :

“Believe me my only concern was that the right thing was done.

“But there was a wry smile from Michael. Slightly ironic you could say.” said Damon Hill

Ross Brawn also came in defence of his driver Schumacher and was able to demonstrate dissimilar endings at Melbourne. He also mentions the marshalls had waved green flags, a symbol for normal racing to resume.

“We believed that the track had gone green and the race was not finishing under a safety car when article 40.13 clearly would have applied,” said Brawn. “The reason for the safety car had been removed, the FIA had announced ‘Safety Car in this lap’ early on lap 78 and the track had been declared clear by race control.

This was further endorsed when the marshals showed green flags and lights after safety car line one. On previous occasions when it has been necessary to complete a race under a safety car, full course yellows are maintained, as in Melbourne 2009.

On the last lap, we therefore advised our drivers that they should race to the line and Michael made his move on Fernando for sixth place. We have appealed the decision of the stewards.”

In a video he explains that at 15:51 – Safety car coming in was flashed

15:52 – Track Clear was flashed

15:53 – Chequered flag

The appeal looks very promising as the race doesn’t appear to have finished under the safety car as track clear was flashed before chequered flag.

The result of the appeal will be announced by the FIA court of appeals and the result of Monaco Grand Prix is at the moment provisional.