New Williams Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello has won a three and a half year battle with Internet giant Google over their hosting of fake profiles in his name on their social networking site, Orkut, and has been awarded a sum of half a million dollars minimum.
It appears that when the case was lodged in a Sao Paulo court in the middle of 2006, Google were told that they were facing fines of up to 600 dollars per day that they failed to remove the fake profiles, meaning that …

While most of the 800 strong Toyota Formula One team, as well as many F1 insiders who took John Howett at his word, were taken by surprise when the Cologne based squad announced that they were dropping out of the pinnacle of Motorsports with immediate effect, one of their long term drivers, Jarno Trulli, has revealed that he was not.
Speaking to the Italian press, Trulli revealed that although saddened by the Japanese engine giant’s decision, he was not surprised at all when the news was delivered….

Peter Windsor has denied reports that USF1 will not be ready for next season, following claims that the team has yet to start crash testing and could be for sale.
“The report seemed to come out of Switzerland/Germany, the land of BMW Sauber,” sporting director Windsor told GPWeek, referring to the fact that the Hinwil-based team has not yet been granted entry into next year’s championship.

A former senior member of Toyota’s team has slammed John Howett in the wake of the Japanese carmaker’s decision to withdraw from Formula One.
“The Japanese trusted the wrong people,” said ex-head of research Norbert Kreyer, who was fired in late 2004.

Sébastien Buemi will be remaining at the Toro Rosso team for next season. The 2009 rookie scored a points finish on four occasions in his debut Formula One campaign, having been the only new driver on the grid at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March.

By finishing in the top eight at both the first and last races of the year as well as two more in between, impressive Buemi finished the season as highest placed of any of Toro Rosso’s three drivers, with six points placing him in sixteenth …

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal of the new-for-2010 Lotus team, is keen to see more people karting from a young age with the principal aim of one day racing in Formula One. The 1Malaysia owner is particular interested in generating awareness in his home nation as the Lotus name prepares to return to the sport.

Although the backing of the team may be totally different to that of the Lotus last seen in F1 fifteen years ago, the famous name will no doubt bring with it a raft of attention. “The plan …

Ross Brawn believes that his team can be even stronger next season, thanks to beginning work on its definitive 2010 car far earlier than a year ago.
Brawn’s first Formula 1 car, the BGP 001, was originally designed around a Honda powerplant, and adapted for a Mercedes engine only weeks before the start of the season.
Despite this, the team still took the constructors’ world title in its maiden season with Jenson Button winning six grands prix on his way to the drivers’ crown.

British Formula 3 champion Daniel Ricciardo is to make his Formula 1 testing debut with Red Bull Racing next month.
Red Bull has confirmed to AUTOSPORT that the 20-year-old Australian will be its driver for the young driver tests that take place at Jerez from 1-3 December.
Ricciardo, a Red Bull protege, dominated British F3 in his rookie season this year, having graduated to the championship from Formula Renault.

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost expects Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari to have enough experience to show their true potential by the middle of the 2010 season.
The team had the least experienced driver line-up in Formula 1 this year, with Buemi graduating from test driver duties and Alguersuari being brought in as a total F1 novice to replace Sebastien Bourdais in July.
Tost admitted that STR had not intended to be in that position, and that the duo’s lack of F1 mileage had hampered the team.

Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost is optimistic that the need to
construct its own car in 2010 will not mean his squad loses ground, but
admitted that there could be a difficult transition period.

STR has so far used designs supplied by Red Bull Technologies, but
this arrangement was frowned upon by several other teams who felt it
was against the spirit of the regulations to run what could be
described as a customer car. Dispensation was given until the end of
2009 to allow Toro Rosso time to ramp up its design facilities, so next
season …

Nico Rosberg believes he has increased his standing in the paddock with his performances in 2009.
Although the German was unable to repeat his podium finishes of 2008, he took a career-best seventh in the world championship and was a consistent points contender – starting in the top ten for 15 out of the 17 races, and scoring in eight consecutive mid-season grands prix.
Rosberg thinks these results have prepared him well for next season – when he is expected to join the championship-winning Brawn team having parted company with long-time employer …