Formula 1: 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix Race Results

As the saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Likewise, you can’t predict the outcome of a race until the chequered flag drops.

Judging both from the first grand prix of the year, as well as Saturday’s qualifying practice at Sepang, the prime contenders for the top spot were the two McLarens, followed by Michal Schumacher in his Mercedes and, perhaps, Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus.

Of course, no one in his right mind would not count Red Bull Racing's duo – or bet a dime on Ferrari winning the race. Well, if anyone had that inspiration, he must have quite a lot of cash right now, because Fernando Alonso won the 2012 Malaysian Formula 1 grand prix.

Read more »

Formula 1: Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying Results

Immediately after the 2012 season opener in Australia, the Formula 1 circus moved to Malaysia for the second race of the year.

In contrast to Albert Park, which uses public roads that are closed in order for the Grand Prix to take place and is a relatively easy track, the Sepang Circuit features an unusual layout, with a tight hairpin leading from the very long back straight to the pits.

In Australia, we got a first taste of each team’s pace during tge race. Apparently, the Malaysian GP qualifying session proved that the picture it painted was an accurate one.

Read more »

Formula 1: Australian GP Race Results

Every year FIA, the sport’s governing body, changes Formula 1’s technical regulations with the purpose of leveling out the playing field. This forces designers to work within a very strict set of parameters that make gaining an advantage a great challenge.

Despite FIA’s efforts to increase competition even more, F1 is far from becoming something akin to a one-make series. Some teams always make a better job than others do, but we have to wait until each year’s first race before drawing any conclusions.

At the 2012 Australian Grand Prix, the Saturday qualifying session showed us certain things like that the McLaren is currently the fastest car out there, while Red Bull Racing seems to have lost some of its pace due to the rule changes that affected the design of the RB8.

Read more »

Caterham Brings Racing Lineup to the Track to Celebrate F1 Entry

This weekend's inaugural Formula 1 race in Melbourne, Australia, will mark Caterham's first entry in a Grand Prix as a standalone name.

To celebrate the all-important event, the British carmaker brought together three of its cars, the Superlight R500, the new SP/300.R sports prototype and the CT01 F1 racecar, at the Jerez circuit in Spain.

You can watch the video right after the break.

Read more »

Caterham Readying All-New Sports Car for 2015, But it's Not for U.S.

Buying a car company, especially a small one is not that hard, provided you have the cash of course. Building new models from the ground up is a much more demanding endeavor.

In the case of Caterham, which has been relying solely on the Seven (the 1994 "21" was essentially a rebodied and stiffer Seven), it's a task that’s practically been undertaken for the first time.

Launching Caterham Technology and Innovation, a standalone engineering company responsible for developing new models, was proof that new owner Tony Fernandes was serious about expanding Caterham’s range.

Read more »

Caterham Group Officially Named at Brazil F1 Grand Prix

Less than eight months after the purchase of Caterham Cars by Team Lotus, the company’s chairman, Tony Fernandes, confirmed the creation of a new group with four divisions that will all bear the Caterham name. Fittingly, the announcement was made at this past weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix

"We have been talking for some time now about our plans for Caterham in all its guises, from the road car company to Formula 1 and GP2, and in the technology, design and innovation fields”, said Fernandes.

Read more »

Wow Video: Amazing Driving Skills from Super 7 Driver

The Seven, be that the original Lotus model or one of its many clones produced throughout the years, may be extremely light and nimble, but it also packs mighty punch and can easily turn around and bite you just when you're least expecting it -a fact that makes this driver's skills all the more impressive.

This five-year old video was said to have been shot during the Hagley and District Light Car Club's annual international autotest event in England, with some claiming that the Super Seven seen here is a Locost and not a Caterham model.

Whatever the brand, you have to admit that the man behind the wheel of the Seven, Christopher Evans, is one very talented driver. Watch the video for yourself right after the break.

Read more »

Formula 1: Lotus Name Confusion Resolved, Caterham Joins F1 as Virgin Exits

The 2011 Formula 1 season may have been a very exciting one as far as the racing was concerned, thanks to the new rules that resulted in lots of overtaking and wheel-to-wheel battles between drivers, but in one aspect, it has also been confusing.

Outside the tracks there was a bitter legal battle between two teams over the right to use the Lotus name since the end of last season.

Read more »

Caterham Cars Enters the Indian Market, will Assemble the Seven Locally

Launching a new brand in a country takes a lot of careful planning, and timing is crucial. If said brand is a sports car maker, there’s a perfect solution: do it on the weekend of the local Formula 1 Grand Prix.

So far this year, McLaren Automotive has done it three times at the GP's in Germany, Italy and Singapore. Now Team Lotus is following its example, as it will launch Caterham Cars in the Indian market at this weekend's inaugural Indian F1 Grand Prix.

Read more »

Caterham Launches New Company, Will Introduce Brand-New Models

Back in April, when the owners of Formula 1’s Team Lotus acquired British sports car maker Caterham, they promised to “have all the ingredients and the launch pad to take Caterham to new exciting horizons with innovative products and greater brand exposure.”

True to their word, Caterham's new owners announced on Monday that they are creating a new, standalone engineering business named CTI (Caterham Technology and Innovation).

Read more »

Caterham Seven Makes its Way to China

Small boutique sports carmaker Caterham is looking for ways to expand its sales reach by entering Asia’s most lucrative car market. The UK-based company announced today that it has signed an exclusive deal with import firm Courtenay Trading International (CTI) to sell its iconic Seven model in China.

Caterham said that even though it has had a “long-standing presence” in the Far East, most notably in Japan, this will be the first time the Seven will be available in China.

Read more »

Caterham Logos to Appear on Team Lotus’ F1 Cars

It’s funny how things turn out sometimes. In 1973, Caterham, which was founded in the 1960s as a Lotus dealer, acquired the rights to build the Seven from Lotus. Now, Team Lotus has purchased Caterham Cars through a holding company, part owned by Malaysian Tony Fernandes. Read more »

Want to Try out the New Caterham-Lola SP/300 R? Here’s How

With the development of the new Caterham-Lola SP/300 R now complete, the British carmaker is ready to give potential owners their first taste of the prototype-racing car on the tarmac. The dates on which racing drivers and trackday enthusiasts alike can get behind the steering wheel of Caterham’s 300bhp, 180mph (289 km/h) sports prototype are:

-Saturday, August 27 at Donington Park
-Wednesday, September 7 at Donington Park
-Thursday, September 15 at Snetterton
-Wednesday, September 21 at Donington Park

Read more »

F1’s Team Lotus Acquires British Sportscar Maker Caterham

The owners of Formula One Team Lotus announced today the acquisition of lightweight sportscar manufacturer Caterham, for an undisclosed sum from the shareholder consortium led by Corven Ventures.

Based in England, Caterham has made a name for itself for building the Seven, a lightweight two-seater sports car that was designed by Lotus founder Colin Chapman and who sold the rights of the car to Caterham in 1973.

Team Lotus chiefs Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin said in a statement that the company plans to expand Caterham’s profile and product family while also continuing the development of the Seven.

Read more »

New Caterham Seven Supersport Targets Hardcore Enthusiasts on a Bugdet

A little over two months after the introduction of its first truly new model in 15 years, the SP/300R, Caterham has now presented the first brand new addition in two years to its core model series, the Seven. As its name implies, the new Seven Supersport is derived directly from the race-prepped version that competes in the one-make Caterham Supersport championship.

Read more »

Artist Envisions a New Take on the Lotus Caterham 7

Much in the same way as Morgan’s pre-Supersports models, the Lotus / Caterham 7 has remained relatively unchanged throughout its long life. A lightweight body with no fixed doors or roof, a flat windscreen, exposed front wheels and a four cylinder motor embody the Seven’s design and engineering philosophy.

Diseno-Art has drawn up a nice design study in the form of the “New 7”, a vehicle designed to expand and complement the existing range of 7-badged vehicles.

With larger proportions and more refinement than the archaic (yet still beautiful) lines of the current generation, the New 7 is designed to be uniquely tailored to each customer’s needs and offer a high level of customer service while still holding to the brand’s philosophy of lightweight, simple and fun.

Read more »

Caterham-Lola SP/300R: British Sportscar Maker Reveals its First Ever Prototype Racer, Road Going Model a Possibility

The Autosport International Show in Birmingham, UK, welcomed the world premiere of Caterham's first ever sports prototype racing car, the Caterham-Lola SP/300R. Created in partnership with legendary British racing and engineering brand Lola, the SP/300R is currently in the final stages of development and will be ready for a one-make championship in 2012, with the company planning to build up to 25 examples per year. Caterham said that a road-legal version of the sports car is also being considered.

Read more »

Caterham Retires The Stig's Superlight R500 [with VIDEO]

The Caterham Superlight R500 took the world by surprise in 2008 with its 263 hp 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-pot and sub-3.0 seconds 0-60mph sprint time. The same year it was launched, Top Gear’s racing driver, The Stig, drove it around the show’s test track completing a lap in just 1 minute and 17.9 seconds. That's the seventh fastest official lap time ever recorded on the show, putting to shame “heavyweights” like the Bugatti Veyron.

But everything comes to an end, and today, Caterham announced that the special model is making its final journey next week before being retired from active service.

Read more »

Caterham launches Roadsport 125 Monaco Special Edition

Caterham is ready to release another "entry-level" special edition Seven in order to celebrate the amazing city-state that is Monaco. Called the "Roadsport 125 Monaco", this Seven gets a unique paint scheme representing the Monegasque flag to highlight its aluminum body; also, "Monaco" is pasted down the side if people can't make the connection.

Read more »

Caterham Launches Special Edition Seven Designed by Lambretta

Caterham has joined forces with British-owned fashion company, Lambretta Clothing, to produce a special edition version of its Seven sportscar. The visual overhaul includes a unique body paint, decals and livery that would make Austin Powers feel pretty groovy baby...

The same theme continues inside with a matching color scheme spanning the leather seats, dash, carpets and boot. Hand-stitched seat piping, embossed Lambretta motifs and a Moto-Lita steering wheel round off the interior upgrades.

Read more »