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2011 Marussia Virgin Racing MVR-02

2011 Marussia Virgin Racing MVR-02 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Last year, Virgin Racing popped its cherry with the VR-01 that led the team through a lackluster first season, finishing the 2010 Formula One World Championship dead last. The team failed to start one of its cars at two grands prix, retired fifteen times and scored a grand total of zero points in the standings.

Now with backing from Russian automaker Marussia Motors, the team has unveiled its Cosworth-powered 2011 challenger in the form of the MVR-02 in the hopes of a more competitive followup season. The car was unveiled at the BBC Television Centre in London, and followed the debuts from Ferrari, Lotus, Renault, Sauber, Mercedes, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Williams and McLaren, leaving only Force India and HRT to follow suit.

With a similar design to its competitors (but a slightly lower nose cone) reflecting the latest tweaks to the formula, the MVR-02 will be driven again by Germany’s former GP2 champion and Toyota F1 driver Timo Glock. Partnering Glock this season is the Belgian former International Formula Master champion and GP2 Asia Series runner-up Jérôme d’Ambrosio, who replaces axed Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi.

Follow the jump for the full press release from Virgin and check out the high-resolution images in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2011 Marussia Virgin Racing MVR02

[Source: Marussia Virgin Racing]

Continue reading Marussia Virgin Racing comes back for more with new MVR-02 F1 challenger

Marussia Virgin Racing comes back for more with new MVR-02 F1 challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Lotus, Renault

Lotus Renault GP Drivers

Jerome d’Ambrosio (above left) and Vitaly Petrov (above right) the latest drivers to be confirmed for 2011

As we wind down the remaining days of the calendar year, the final few seats are closing for the 2011 Formula One World Championship after both Renault and Virgin have officially confirmed their rosters for next season.

After much speculation and a change of ownership, the Lotus Renault GP team has confirmed that rookie Russian driver Vitaly Petrov will stay with the team to drive alongside fellow incumbent Robert Kubica for another two years. The announcement comes several weeks after widely-publicized negotiations with Kimi Raikkonen broke down.

The Virgin team, which has likewise rebranded as Marussia Virgin Racing, has also confirmed its drivers for next season, with Timo Glock staying on and newcomer Jerome d’Ambrosio taking the second seat. The Belgian driver won the International Formula Master in 2007 and placed second in the GP2 Asia Series in 2008/09. After a year as a Renault reserve driver, d’Ambrosio will replace Lucas di Grassi.

Shortly after the announcement, di Grassi made headlines by winning Felipe Massa’s charity karting event in Brazil ahead of Massa, Williams veteran Rubens Barrichello and Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari. Did Virgin act too hastily? Only time will tell.

There are just six seats still unconfirmed at Force India, Toro Rosso and HRT, and the 2011 F1 season is scheduled to kick off on March 13 in Bahrain. Follow the jump for the official announcements from both teams.

[Sources: Renault, Virgin]

Continue reading Lotus Renault GP, Virgin confirm drivers for 2011

Lotus Renault GP, Virgin confirm drivers for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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