Red Bull to change reserve driver

Share

Red Bull and Toro Rosso are changing their reserve driver for the rest of the Formula 1 season.

Reigning British Formula 3 series champion Jaime Alguersuari replaces Brendon Hartley, who will continue racing in European F3.

Alguersuari, who is 19, will deputise if either team's first-choice drivers is unable to race.

The Spaniard's first race as reserve driver will be the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring on 12 July. Red Bull will be keen to keep up their momentum from the most recent race, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber finished first and second, helping the team consolidate second place in the constructors' championship.

Vettel and Webber lie third and fourth in the drivers' championship behind Brawn duo Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, while Toro Rosso drivers Sebastian Buemi and Sebastien Bourdais are 14th and 16th respectively.

Red Bull expect wins from new car

Share

Red Bull have said they expect to be in the fight for race victories in 2009 as they unveiled their new car on Monday.

Sebastian Vettel, who is to put the first miles on the new Renault-powered RB9 later in the day, unveiled the car alongside team-mate Mark Webber.

And team boss Christian Horner said there was "no reason" why the team could not join the fight at the front.

"The new rules present an opportunity for teams to compete on a more level playing field," Horner said.

F1 bosses have introduced major changes to the cars in an attempt to make overtaking easier and improve the quality of racing.

And Horner believes his design team, led by the highly-regarded former Williams and McLaren engineer Adrian Newey, are in a good position to capitalise.

Vettel took the first victory for a Red Bull-designed car last year when he won the Italian Grand Prix while driving for junior team Toro Rosso.

"There is no reason to believe we cannot do that again with these new rules," Horner said.

"The regulation changes almost constitute a new formula for the sport and it will be interesting to see how the teams interpret them."

Newey's new car was one of the year's most eagerly anticipated - he is regarded as one of F1's most innovative designers, as well as the most highly paid.

The car appears to include a number of innovative features - including a top to the chassis in front of the cockpit which is lower than on other cars, and a more extreme aerodynamic treatment in front of the sidepods alongside the driver.

It also has longer rear-wing endplates than have been seen on other cars so far, and a very tightly-waisted rear.

Vettel will continue his test on Tuesday, when Red Bull will be joined by a number of other teams, with Webber taking over on Wednesday.

It will be the first time Webber has driven an F1 car since breaking his right leg in a mountain bike accident in November.

Newey described the new rules as the biggest change since flat-bottomed cars were introduced in 1983.

They include changes to the aerodynamics, the re-introduction of slick, untreaded tyres after 11 years with grooved rubber and the potential use of a kinetic energy recovery system (Kers), which stores energy that would have been dissipated during braking and reapplies it while the car is accelerating.

Horner said: "The regulation changes almost constitute a new formula for the sport and it will be interesting to see how the teams interpret them.

"Certainly in the early part of the season we expect to see a much bigger spread in terms of performance between the teams than we have over the past two years."

Webber recovery ahead of schedule

Share

Driver Mark Webber says his recovery from a broken leg is "ahead of schedule" as he prepares for the start of the new Formula One season.

Red Bull will launch their 2009 car in Jerez on 9 February and Webber expects to be fit enough to test that week.

The Australian has been using a cryogenic chamber to aid his recovery.

"The results over the last few weeks have been incredible. Dare I say it, we're probably a little bit ahead of schedule," he told Red Bull's website.

Webber broke his right leg in November when he collided head-on with a car while riding a bike at his own charity event in Tasmania.

The 32-year-old has been working intensely to get strength back in his leg and as well as improving his fitness in the pool and on a static bike, he has been using a cryogenic chamber to help knit the broken bones together.

"I've been doing it for three weeks now," explained Webber, who is also a BBC Sport columist.

"You go from a normal, ambient room temperature into a chamber of -50 C for about 30 seconds and then for another three minutes into -130 C.

It's very good for your general well-being, your immune system and apparently it's good for cellulite. Not much of a worry for me but it's very good for the whole body."

Webber insists Red Bull's first test of 2009 in Jerez next week is his main focus, not his home GP in Melbourne on 29 March, which will launch the new F1 season.

With the experienced Webber sidelined, the team have been relying on new recruit Sebastian Vettel to guide them in developing the car.

But Webber is determined to play his part as fully as possible when the RB5 makes its track debut in Spain.

"I've really worked hard to get in this position," Webber said.

"I'm not focusing on Melbourne as such, I'm focusing on Jerez.

"There's been some stuff in the press that I won't be 100% fit for Melbourne. I will be 100% ready to do my job."

Webber targets return in February

Share

Mark Webber is aiming to recover from his broken leg in time for the test debut of his Red Bull team's new Formula One car in February.

The Australian suffered a compound fracture of his lower right leg in a mountain bike accident on Saturday.

"I'm aiming to drive the car at the first test," Webber told BBC Sport.

"Whether that's possible, I don't know, but if I have to wait another week or 10 days for the sake of the whole season, then I will."

Red Bull's new car is set to make its first on-track appearance on 10 February - nearly seven weeks before the start of the 2009 season in Melbourne, Australia, at the end of March.

"I will make sure I'm in the best shape I can be for the first race," said Webber.

"Both [lower leg] bones are broken but the compound fracture was of the tibia and the bone was exposed.

"That complicates things a bit more but I am just learning to get up and about on crutches now.

"At the moment there is pressure and swelling whenever I stand up. There is talk it will be like that for the next two or three weeks and come the first week of February we should be on target for me to be able to walk unaided.

"And then the acceleration between the first week of Feb and the first week of March will be quite extreme in terms of me getting about.

"In terms of me driving the car, it is impossible for me to say how I will feel when the car comes out for the first time.

"We'll look at how much driving I'll do early on. If I have three decent tests going into Melbourne then I am totally focused on not letting the team down in final qualifying and on Sunday in Melbourne.

"That's a long way away - it's the last week in March. That's when it counts for me.

"I think it will be a bit slow to start with. I'm just going to have to get used to a few things the first time I drive the car but that won't last long at all.

"In a perfect world, I would do every single day and test we had in mind for pre-season but it's not just the leg that will be suffering.

"Early on, I will need to work on my general fitness, which will take some work but which again will be spot on for Melbourne."

Webber's accident happened while he was riding in his own charity event in Tasmania.
Mark Webber on his Pure Tasmania Challenge
Webber's Tasmania Challenge is a gruelling seven-day fitness marathon

The Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge is a 250km endurance event consisting of mountain bike riding, kayaking and trekking on the Australian island.

The 32-year-old was riding along a forest road near historic Port Arthur when he collided with a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

He revealed the initial time after the accident was "pretty tough".

"It's a pretty remote area and it's quite hard to get a helicopter up there as well - the forest canopy was quite tight - but there were good people there and it was all right."

Webber added: "It takes an unbelievable impact to break our bodies. It's unbelievable how strong we are."

He said that he was initially down after the accident but that the experience of other racers who had come back to compete after more serious injuries was an inspiration.

He cited the example of ex-F1 and IndyCar driver Alex Zanardi, who has returned to race in touring cars after losing both his legs in a crash in 2001.

"I think a lot about Zanardi and these sort of guys - [five-time world motorbike champion] Mick Doohan as well," he stated. "It's such an inspiration. I could be worse off."

Webber's accident leaves Red Bull relying on his team-mate, the inexperienced German Sebastian Vettel, for their testing in the meantime.

That could be a hindrance to the team because there are major changes to the technical regulations, with refinements to the aerodynamics and the introduction of energy-storage systems.

But Webber said he was not concerned that the team's preparations would be affected by his lay-off - adding that he would try to attend as many tests as his rehabilitation allowed even before his injury has healed.

"I still could be there, physically," he added. "We've got a youngster who has got his head totally screwed on.

"There is a big regulation change and a lot of excitement for a lot of teams with the clean sheet of paper. I could go down to tests but I want to make sure it doesn't affect my rehab. The best thing is to concentrate on myself and work closely with the team and I'm ready when I'm ready.

"In a funny sort of way I'm looking forward to seeing the progress. I've never been in this position before in my life. I've got good people around me. The team have been amazing. I'll make sure we work very hard together to make sure it's seamless."

Kiwi Hartley to test for Red Bull

Share

New Zealand's Brendon Hartley will test for the Red Bull Formula One team in the wake of regular driver Mark Webber breaking his leg last week.

The Formula Three driver will join Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Buemi for testing at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain on 15 December.

Hartley, a Red Bull junior driver, recently finished third in the Macau F3 Grand Prix after starting in 20th.

The 19-year-old Hartley also set a lap record in the process.

"Brendon is one of several promising talents in the Red Bull Junior Team and an opportunity has arisen to allow him to get some time in a Formula One car," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

Webber broke his right leg last weekend after a collision with a car while cycling in a charity event in Tasmania.

The 32-year-old hopes to be back behind the wheel for the first test of the team's 2009 car in February. The 2009 season starts in Australia on 29 March.

Webber breaks leg in bike crash

Share

Formula One driver Mark Webber has broken his leg after colliding head-on with a car while riding a bike at his own charity event in Tasmania.

The Australian, 32, who drives for the Red Bull racing team, was airlifted to hospital where he underwent surgery on a broken right leg.

"The surgery is complete, a pin inserted and the recovery begins," said the event's director, Geoff Donohue.

Red Bull say they "fully expect" Webber to return for the new F1 season.

The accident happened south-east of state capital Hobart on Saturday, while Webber was taking part in the Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge - a 250km endurance event consisting of mountain bike riding, kayaking and trekking on the Australian island.

He was riding a bicycle along a road near historic Port Arthur when he collided with a four-wheel drive vehicle at 1240 local time.

"Mark's in good spirits," said Donohue. "The broken leg is the injury, and beyond that, he's in really good shape.

"He has a little bit of a graze on his left forearm, but he has had full scans and everything else is clear.

"He'll be in hospital for at least three days, for sure under a week. I was speaking to him before the operation, and he was already thinking about his rehabilitation."

Sergeant Jon Ford, of Tasmania Police, said: "We received reports of a collision between a bicycle and a motor vehicle on the Fortescue Bay Road on the Tasman Peninsula.

"He was airlifted from the scene by helicopter and taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital where he is now being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.

"He suffered a broken leg and other injuries and is reported to be in a stable condition."

Red Bull Racing

Share

Red Bull are eventually expected to emerge as a major force, but it is taking longer than some thought.

When a team recruit star designer Adrian Newey on a multi-million pound retainer, great things are expected.

After taking too many risks with last year's car, this year's has been far more reliable at the same time as being another step forward in pace.

And thanks to Mark Webber's impressive consistency this season, they are in the battle to be F1's fourth best team.


Nationality: UK/Austria
Drivers:
David Coulthard (GB)
Mark Webber (Aus)
Engine: Renault V8
Tyres: Bridgestone
Team principal: Dietrich Mateschitz
F1 history: 2005-
2007 position: 5th