Auction Shows View Through the Lens of Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton snaps a photo from the cockpit of his McLaren for the Zoom Auction (Image Courtesy of Zoom Auction)

Would you like to own a photo taken by your favorite driver or team principal?  What if your bid for a piece of F1 history went to help a charitable cause, would you join in to help those in need?

Sebastian Vettel's favorite view in the Alps (Image Courtesy of Zoom Auction)

This is the concept of the Zoom Auction, a competition between the biggest names in Formula 1 to test their photography skills and auction their images to raise money for charity. Over 50 images make up the collection, all taken by the biggest names in Formula , including Lewis Hamilton, Damon Hil, and Sir Frank Williams. 

In partnership with motorsports auction specialists, Coy's of Kensington, the Zoom auction will be held tomorrow in the ballroom of the Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour in London, England.  The evening event includes a 250 person VIP reception and live auction to be attended by many of F1's biggest names.  Though only a small group of Formula 1's fans will attend the event, anyone interested in participating in the auction is invited to bid remotely. More information about remote participation is availible on the official Zoom Auction website.

The auction is a unique concept, offering the chance for fans to obtain a special piece of Formula 1 history and see the world through the eyes of a Formula 1 driver or team principal. All proceeds from the event go to support the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, a favorite of the Formula 1 Group and official charity of the British Grand Prix.

Race Review: Monaco Grand Prix

Tag Heuer grid girls atmosphere. Monaco Street Circuit 26/05/12. ©2012 WRI2. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: www.wri2.net

Beautiful location, Check. Royalties, Check. Challenging street circuit, check. The Monaco Grand Prix is like no other Grand Prix. Drivers who have won here show an extra twinkle in their eyes when they recall their win. The prestige of winning here is priceless.

Much of that, surely, is due to the mental and physical demands of racing at top speeds for 78 laps, where smallest of errors through the narrow streets can bring the race to an abrupt end; another part is that legends are made on this track. Ayrton Senna won 6 times at this track. Schumacher 5 times. All the championship top contenders for this season have won once or twice around this track before.

This year is no different. One particular contender, Mark Webber, often overlooked and over-shadowed by double World Champion teammate, came out a-blazing and took home the Gold medal. Vindication through victory has never been sweeter. It was as if stars were aligned for Webber to win at Monaco.

First, Schumacher lost the all-important pole position after qualifying due to a 5-place grid drop penalty, resulted from running into Bruno Senna in the last race. It must have been bittersweet for Schumacher to come so close to leading the race to fighting all the way, and ultimately out of the race due to car troubles. The luck continued for Webber when Vettel qualified 9th. With a pole position at hand on a track where it's nearly impossible to overtake, raindrops that teased but never came until after the race, Webber sealed the win with a spectacular well-deserved drive. He also won the Best Post-race Five o'clock shadow in my books. Rosberg still won Best Post-race hair though, someone please find out what shampoo he uses!

I didn't see too much of the grid girls on the race coverage, but the few shots I saw left me wondering where is the glamour and classy factor in the outfit. An upside-down triangle cutout near the bosoms in a white top over black shorts? I didn’t know what to expect but I certainly expected more from Monaco! Well, hopefully the grid girls outfit will improve in the Canadian Grand Prix on weekend of 6/8!

Off-Season Optimism: Livery Launches

"Where are the cars, Dad?"F1 off-season runs from November to March, which is often a painstaking time for an F1 fan in the absence of their beloved sport. But petrol heads are coming out of hibernation as teams begin to launch their livery for the 2012 season.

When referring to F1 cars, “Livery” is the distinct color scheme or emblem(s) related to the team. For example (and I'm simplifying), Ferrari is red; Red Bull is blue, red and yellow; Force India is orange, white and green (mimicking the Indian flag), and so on. As with just about every aspect of F1, there are rules and regulations pertaining to the teams and their livery established by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ("FIA," the governing body for world motor sport). Here are the highlights:

(Reminder: Each team has two drivers. And some have test drivers. More on this later.)

-Every car must clearly display its driver's race number on the front of the car. The driver's number is published by the FIA at the beginning of the F1 season.

-The team's name or emblem must appear on the front of the nose of the car and must be "at least 25mm in its largest dimension."

-The driver's name must appear on the external bodywork of the car and also be clearly legible.

-Each car has an onboard camera, located above the principal roll structure. In order to distinguish between a team's two cars, the camera on the first car must be predominantly fluorescent red and on the second car, predominantly fluorescent yellow.

-The livery must remain unchanged on both cars for the duration of the F1 season (however, it may be altered with approval from the F1 Commission).

Now on to the fun part: Caterham F1 Team revealed their 2012 car, the CT01, late last week. It was interesting because the official release date was published as Jan. 26, however recipients of F1 Racingmagazine received an early treat and images started circulating on Jan. 25. Here's the Caterham CT 01:

The 2012 Caterham CT01 Side note: we tip our hats to Caterham F1 Team's website - it's clean, well-organized and easy to navigate. Cheers.

Below is the most recent information we have found regarding the other 11 team's launches.

• Red Bull Racing: Presenting the RB8 at 7:00AM CST on Monday, Feb. 6.

• Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: Presenting the MP4-27 at 5:00AM CST on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

• Scuderia Ferrari: Presenting the F12 on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 3:30AM CST.

• Mercedes AMG Petronas: Will present their new livery during the first season testing at Jerez between Feb. 7-10.

• Lotus F1 Team: Presenting the E20 at 10:00AM CST on Sunday, Feb. 5.

• Sahara Force India F1 Team: Presenting the VJM05 at 3:00AM CST on Friday, Feb. 3.

• Sauber F1 Team: Presenting the C31 on Monday, Feb. 6 at 4:00AM CST.

• Scuderia Toro Rosso: To be announced.

• Williams F1 Team:  Will present their new livery during the first season testing at Jerez between Feb. 7-10.

• Caterham F1 Team: Presented the CT01 on Jan. 25/26 via F1 Racing magazine and the internet.

• HRT F1 Team: To be announced.

• Marussia F1 Team: To be announced; early March 2012.

Bruno Senna, newest member of the Williams F1 Team, in 2012 team livery.I thought this was interseting and would get your gears turning (pun intended): The website F1 Colours took note of this picture of Bruno Senna, the newest member of the Williams F1 Team. Are there clues in this new team shirt that will have us seeing a hint of red in their 2012 livery? I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Want all these dates in a calendar? We've got you covered. Click here to access our shared Google calendar. It includes important F1 dates such as launches and testing, 2012 F1 and MotoGP races, driver birthdays, and Austin community events that may be of interest. Check back often as we continue to update it, or just subscribe and have it populate your personal Google calendar in one click.