Lewis Hamilton Dominates In Abu Dhabi Qualifying

McLaren Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton destroyed the 20 car field in taking the Pole position by an amazing six tenths of a second for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The event will be held Sunday at the 21-turn Yas Marina circuit and it is making its debut on the 2009 F1 calendar starting in the light of day, and finishing under lights.
For Hamilton and his MP4-24 McLaren Mercedes it was his fourth Pole of the 2009 season (Europe, Italy, Singapore - the others), and 17th of his 51 race F1 career. Tomorrow, Hamilton will go for his third win of the season (Hungary, Singapore - the others) and sixth podium in the last nine Grand Prix.

2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Formula One Starting Line-Up

Formula One’s 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will make history tomorrow as the world’s grandest circus takes to the 21-turn Hermann Tilke designed Yas Marina Circuit. It will be the first day-to-night Grand Prix, and the first Grand Prix under the lights on a ‘proper’ road circuit. Musco Lighting from Iowa (United States) provided the lighting, and they have done a fabulous job!
The circuit is 5.554 km (3.451 miles) long, and the race distance is 55 laps.
Although it could be said that the drivers and teams will be racing for pride since Jenson Button and Brawn GP wrapped up F1’s drivers and constructors championships at the last round in Brazil, there is at least one significant fight between two old foes – McLaren & Ferrari – as the silver arrows have a one point lead over the red cars for third place in the constructors battle
For McLaren, 2008 Formula One World Driver’s champion Lewis Hamilton will start from Pole and give his team a decided advantage heading into tomorrow’s race as Ferrari’s best hope for point Kimi Raikkonen will start 11th. Further still, Hamilton will have a very long run down to Turn one, and with KERS available to him once he hits 100 Mph, we don’t see any other outcome than Lewis leading after Turn One.
Hamilton is slightly lower on fuel (658.5 kg) compared to the Red Bull cars of Sebastien Vettel (663 kg) and Mark Webber (660 kg), but will be of no concern unless by some freakish streak of fate Hamilton exits Turn One in P2 or P3. And even if he does, Hamilton was nearly seven tenths quicker than either Red Bull.
We expect Lewis Hamilton to pit around lap 17-19 and use a two stop strategy. By the first pitstop, he should have a 12-14 second advantage if he is able to hold up his qualifying pace in the race. We expect Vettel and Webber in around laps 18-21, with Vettel able to go a lap longer than Webber. They may go even a bit beyond as the Renault powerplants have shown better fuel economy over the course of the season than the rest of the field.
A bit further back, the Brawn GP boys will line-up fourth (Barrichello) and fifth (Button). We don’t expect either driver to be a significant factor for the race win given they were over 1.1 seconds adrift of Hamilton carrying less fuel. But the boys will be racing to see why exactly Brawn GP should be keeping 2009 World Champion Jenson Button, and why they are letting Rubens Barrichello go to Williams. Over the second half of the season… the better driver hasn’t been the world champion. We expect Barrichello in on lap 16-18, with Button in on lap 17-19.
As for our pick for the race win. All signs point to McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. Should he stumble, it out to be a great fight between Vettel and Webber, though we’d expect Vettel to take the day as he was quicker in qualifying, and had more fuel.

Enjoy the 2009 formula One season finale. Someone will be the first winner of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and will put their mark on history!

2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Starting Line-up & Car Weights Pos Driver Team Weight (kg) KERS

1. Hamilton McLaren 658.5 K

2. Vettel Red Bull 663.0

3. Webber Red Bull 660.0

4. Barrichello Brawn 655.0

5. Button Brawn 657.0

6. Trulli Toyota 661.0

7. Kubica BMW 654.5

8. Heidfeld BMW 664.0

9. Rosberg Williams 665.0

10. Buemi Toro Rosso 661.5

11. Raikkonen Ferrari 692.0* K

12. Kobayashi Toyota 694.3*

13. Nakajima Williams 704.0*

14. Alguersuari Toro Rosso 696.5*

15. Alonso Renault 708.3*

16. Liuzzi Force India 695.0*

17. Sutil Force India 696.0*

18. Kovalainen McLaren 697.0* K

19. Grosjean Renault 710.8*

20. Fisichella Ferrari 692.5* K

FORMER FRENCH FORMULA 1 STAR PAUL BELMONDO NEW BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR SAINT HONORE

Parisian luxury fashion house SAINT HONORE announced the signing of former French Formula One star and actor Paul Belmondo as a brand ambassador to endorse its range of products creating an association with the world of racing.

Born on April 23, 1963, Paul is a successful former French racing driver who raced in Formula One for the March and Pacific Racing teams. He is the son of legendary French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo and grandson of sculptor Paul Belmondo.

Paul Belmondo has made a smooth and successful transition from the world of Formula I into show business and epitomizes Parisian style that is synonymous with SAINT HONORE.

Through 1987 Paul participated in Formula 3 and Formula 3000 too. In 1992 he joined the March F1 team as a pay driver. Two years later he became a member of the Pacific Grand Prix team, where he qualified for two races. Thereafter he concentrated on GT racing, at the wheel of a Chrysler Viper GTS-R. He started his own team, Paul Belmondo Racing which raced in the FIA GT Championship and Le Mans Endurance Series championship.

SAINT HONORE has created a special watch - the Orsay Black Racing limited edition in honor of this prestigious ambassador and the watch is now available to watch lovers and racing fans in the Middle East region.

Developed in conjunction with Paul Belmondo, the Orsay Black Racing chronograph has featured in the greatest world car races like the Paris-Dakar and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The 2009 model of the Orsay Black Racing is available in two versions: black PVD case or stainless steel case.

Both finishes magnify the aesthetic qualities of the model and promote the technical features - 3-counter chronograph movement to 1/10th of a second - of this watch produced in a limited series of 250 for each version.

“Vintage” spirit, bold finishes - the tradition of Orsay Black Racing watches draws its inspiration from the "beautiful cars" of the 1970s: dial with alternating smooth, guilloche and brushed surfaces; black or white pierced leather straps decorated with red topstitching emphasizing the sophisticated, masculine feel of the watch. This watch will clearly catch the eye of male enthusiasts of racy elegance and strong sensations.

BYD is ready to launch S8 in next month!

Sources from NetEase, China’s first convertible, the BYD S8 will be launched in August. The S8 will be BYD’s first S series model to list on market, price would come around 200, 000 Yuan(1USD = 6.8Yuan).
The S8 is well known of fashion design and its full sports-style. The grille, headlamps and peanut-based fits very perfect. It measures(L*W*H) 4490MM * 2020MM * 1405MM with wheelbase 2520MM

Ford Motor to launch new car every 1-1.6 yr in Indian Market

US car maker, Ford Motor, has decided to launch a new car every 12 to 18 months in India as part of its strategy to spruce up marketshare. This was indicated by Michael Boneham, president and MD of Ford India here on Thursday.
Talking to newsmen at the inauguration of Ford’s new dealership, Victoria Ford, Mr Boneham said: "We now have a marketshare of nearly 2% and we want to grow it significantly in coming years. Launching of new cars from the Ford stable, will play a crucial role in growing our market share in India." However he refused to divulge what sort of marketshare the company aims to achieve in the long run.
For calendar year 2009, Ford India aims to achieve a sales of 30,000 cars compared to 29,000 cars sold in calendar 2008. "In September ‘09, we have been able to sell 3,500 cars which is a 50% increase year-on-year basis," said Nigel Wark, executive director (marketing, sales and services).
The company exports its cars produced in India to South Africa. Last year, the company had exported nearly 4,000 cars. "This year, we expect to maintain the same export level," said Mr Boneham. Ford’s foray into the Indian compact car market with Figo is expected by the first quarter of calender 2010 and the vehicle would be exported to Asia Pacific and Africa along with sales in India.
Ford India is investing $500 million in expanding production at its Chennai plant from 1 lakh to 2 lakh vehicles, apart from producing 2.5 lakh engines, both in petrol and diesel. "The engine plant will be the export hub for Asia Pacific and Africa," Mr Boneham said. He, however, declined to state what percentage of production would be earmarked for the overseas markets.
Relaunching its SUV Endeavour with some added facilities, Boneham said the new Figo, on which the company is depending to get into the lucrative A segment, would be available in both petrol and diesel variants. "We are coming up with a 1.2 litre petrol engine while the diesel variant would be a sub 1.5 litre one," he said. "Pricing of the car will be extremely competitive," Mr Boneham said assuring that the car would be loaded with goodies.