Rob Veenstra

Rob founded GPToday together with Danny. He started as an intern at the end of 2004, after which he became the first journalist to be hired and wrote articles and various interesting columns for many years. He was regularly the daily hub of the news, but also provided live coverage of the test sessions.

News

Display:

De Villota hoping for a chance in a Friday practice this year
Maria de Villota is not ruling out appearing during a Friday morning practice session some time in 2012. The 32-year-old Spaniard made international headlines in March when she ...

09 May 2012 16:08
- 0
McLaren set to race new higher nose in Spain
McLaren looks set to run a higher nose this weekend in Spain. Last week, at the very end of the Mugello test, test driver Oliver Turvey debuted a new front wing that featured a ...

09 May 2012 15:37
- 0
Spain 2012 preview quotes: Williams
Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: "On the back of a busy Mugello test we are looking forward to the Barcelona race. As the first race back in Europe this is traditionally...

09 May 2012 14:52
- 0
Alonso: "Mutual respect between drivers less than in the past"
Fernando Alonso: "On the subject of excitement, yesterday was a special day at Maranello. It was the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Gilles Villeneuve and Ferrari chose to...

09 May 2012 13:49
- 0
Abu Dhabi criticises young driver test shakeup
The boss of Abu Dhabi's F1 circuit has criticised plans to run the young driver test at Silverstone later this year. Originally, the young driver test was scheduled to take plac...

09 May 2012 12:12
- 0
Spain 2012 preview quotes: Marussia F1 Team
The Spanish Grand Prix, Round 5 of the 2012 Formula One World Championship, heralds the start of the sports European season, when everything seems to move up a gear. The Ch...

09 May 2012 11:49
- 0
GP3: Jenzer completes line-up for 2012 with Jakub Klasterka
Jenzer Motorsport have today confirmed their third driver, Jakub Klasterka. The Czech who recently turned 18 takes the final seat at Jenzer alongside Robert Visoiu and Patric Ni...

09 May 2012 10:58
- 0
Ferrari men know Spain is crucial for title bid
Ferrari's title tilt could hinge on the competitiveness of the updated F2012 this weekend in Barcelona. "What I want is to have a competitive car in Barcelona," insisted the fam...

09 May 2012 09:27
- 0
Dani Clos will drive first practice in Spain for HRT
Spanish driver Dani Clos will step into the F112 for the first time on Friday to take part in the first free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix which will take place at ...

09 May 2012 08:55
- 0
Brawn: "Setup key to pace in new Pirelli era"
Getting the setup right is a challenge teams are grappling with in 2012. So far this season, four different cars have won the four grands prix, with Pirelli's difficult tyres cr...

08 May 2012 16:45
- 0
Carbonell joins HRT F1 Team as partner
Carbonell and HRT Formula 1 Team have signed a collaboration deal through which the leading olive oil brand will have its image present on the drivers overalls, whilst also fo...

08 May 2012 13:39
- 0
Mercedes teams up with IWC Schaffhausen for 2013
The Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team is pleased to announce a new partnership with IWC Schaffhausen, with the Swiss watch manufacturer becoming the Official Engineering Pa...

08 May 2012 12:16
- 0
Schumacher world's second-richest sportsman
Michael Schumacher has been pipped at the post in the race to be the world's richest sportsman. According to the Sunday Times' annual listings, the seven time world champion's (...

08 May 2012 11:57
- 0
Le Mans: Ishiura withdraws from Toyota with back problems
Toyota Racing regrets to announce that Hiroaki Ishiura is unable to take his place in the driver line-up of the #8 TS030 HYBRID at the Le Mans 24 Hours due to a back complaint. ...

08 May 2012 11:09
- 0
Webber hits back at Petrov's Mugello jibe
Mark Webber has hit out at F1 rival Vitaly Petrov. Last week, as the sport tested at Mugello, Russian driver Petrov suggested the high speed Ferrari-owned layout is too dangerou...

08 May 2012 10:20
- 0
Shareholders to vote on Mercedes' F1 exit
Mercedes' continued participation in formula one could be put to a shareholders' vote at the end of the year. That is the claim of the respected French commentator Jean-Louis Mo...

08 May 2012 09:43
- 0
McLaren tested higher nose at Mugello
McLaren tested a higher front nose at the Mugello test last week. Backmarker Marussia aside, the famous British team is the only team in 2012 to have resisted the temptation of ...

08 May 2012 08:48
- 0
Only Red Bull teams stick with Abu Dhabi test plans
Red Bull's two teams look set to test alone in Abu Dhabi later this season. Until recently, the now-traditional young drivers' test - giving inexperienced drivers the chance to ...

07 May 2012 16:46
- 0
Spain 2012 preview quotes: Pirelli
For the first time this year, Pirelli has nominated the combination of P Zero Silver hard tyres and P Zero Yellow soft tyres, at the Circuit de Catalunya that will host the Span...

07 May 2012 16:15
- 0
GP3: Atech CRS GP signs Belgian John Wartique for 2012
Atech CRS GP today confirms Belgian John Wartique to complete its three-car line up for the 2012 GP3 Series, joining Hungarian Tamas Pal Kiss and American Ethan Ringel. The 2...

07 May 2012 15:51
- 0
Spain 2012 preview quotes: Mercedes
Michael Schumacher: "After completing our testing programme in Mugello, we are now heading to the start of the European season in Barcelona next week. The positive thing about t...

07 May 2012 15:20
- 0
HRT F1 Team welcomes Cristalbox as new sponsor
The Spanish windscreen repair and replacement company and HRT Formula 1 Team have signed a collaboration deal for Cristalbox to become a new sponsor of the Spanish outfit for 20...

07 May 2012 14:28
- 0
Spain 2012 preview quotes: Force India
Vijay Mallya, team principal: "We may be approaching the fifth race of season, but it's still difficult to get a true read on the relative competitiveness of all the teams. Each...

07 May 2012 13:49
- 0
New boss says F1 must consider future after Ecclestone
Food giant Nestle's boss has confirmed he is set to enter the world of formula one. Austrian businessman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe confirmed to Kleine Zeitung newspaper that he has...

07 May 2012 13:06
- 0
Spain 2012 preview quotes: Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel: "Of all the current GP tracks, Barcelona is the one that we know the most because we have done so much testing there in recent years. That said, the knowledge ...

07 May 2012 11:24
- 0
Barrichello still clinging on to F1 dream
Rubens Barrichello is still refusing to give up on his formula one career. After a record-setting 19 consecutive seasons on the grid, the 39-year-old Brazilian lost his Williams...

07 May 2012 10:48
- 0
Mercedes conducts F1 quit study
Mercedes is "on the verge" of quitting formula one. That is the alarming claim of the London newspaper The Times, in an article written by its authoritative F1 correspondent Kev...

07 May 2012 09:51
- 0
Spain 2012 preview quotes: Caterham F1 Team
Alexander Rossi (replacing Heikki Kovalainen in FP1): "I am looking forward to getting back into the F1 car in Spain and I want to thank the team for the chance to run in FP1 in...

07 May 2012 09:08
- 0
Sainz jr on track for Toro Rosso future
Carlos Sainz jr is on course for a future in formula one. The 17-year-old Spaniard is the son of Carlos Sainz, the former two-time world rally champion. Sainz jr, however, has p...

07 May 2012 08:37
- 0
Spain 2012 preview quotes: Sauber
The Sauber F1 Team is looking forward to the first European round of the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship, which will be the Santander Spanish Grand Prix on the Circuit d...

04 May 2012 16:29
- 0
Spain 2012 preview quotes: HRT F1 Team
With the first stage of the season completed in distant lands, its time for Formula 1 to head much closer to home with the first European event of the Championship taking plac...

04 May 2012 14:55
- 0
Father Alguersuari: "Axe by Toro Rosso unfair and incomprehensible"
Jaime Alguersuari's father has slammed Red Bull's decision to axe his son. Jaime Alguersuari snr said the decision by Dr Helmut Marko to oust the young Spaniard after a strong s...

04 May 2012 13:52
- 0
Ferrari getting ready to equip F2012 with F-duct
Ferrari might be gearing up to incorporate a 'double-DRS' setup aboard its improving F2012 car. If true, the famous Italian team would be the first team to successfully emulate ...

04 May 2012 12:13
- 0
Caterham boss Fernandes rues lack of Malaysian support
Tony Fernandes has admitted he would have liked corporate Malaysia to have backed his formula one team. The Malaysian entrepreneur founded a UK based start-up team in 2010, call...

04 May 2012 11:45
- 0
Michael Schumacher visited Pirelli at Mugello
Michael Schumacher paid a visit to the Pirelli motorhome at Mugello. The seven time world champion was heavily critical of the Italian supplier's 2012 tyres recently in Bahrain,...

04 May 2012 10:28
- 0
Sergio Perez treated after 'acrid' smoke incident
Sergio Perez had to be treated at Mugello on Thursday following a smoky incident. Blick newspaper reports that, early on the final day of the rare in-season test, "acrid black s...

04 May 2012 09:50
- 0
Vitaly Petrov critical of safety at Mugello track
Vitaly Petrov on Thursday dealt a blow to Mugello's ambitions to join the F1 calendar. The Russian, who drives for Caterham, said the Ferrari owned circuit in beautiful Tuscany ...

04 May 2012 08:38
- 0
Mark Webber full of praise for Lotus F1 Team
F1 is slowly adjusting to the sport's new reality. Although still with a winning car, Red Bull's utter dominance is undoubtedly over. Not just that, the Pirelli tyre situation, ...

03 May 2012 14:32
- 0
Barcelona determined to host Spanish GP in 2013
Barcelona has opened the door to alternating its grand prix with F1's other Spanish host Valencia. But the Circuit de Catalunya organisers, set to run the Spanish grand prix nex...

03 May 2012 12:15
- 0
Vergne: "Experienced teammate would have made it easier"
Jean-Eric Vergne has admitted his F1 debut would be easier if he was sharing the Toro Rosso garage with an experienced driver. Instead, the French rookie made his grand prix deb...

03 May 2012 11:48
- 0
Mercedes wants to continue with Rosberg and Schumacher
Mercedes appears in no mind to change its driver lineup any time soon. Breakthrough China GP winner Nico Rosberg admitted this week that he could imagine staying with the German...

03 May 2012 10:43
- 0
Mugello eyes spot on F1 race calendar
Mugello, the Ferrari owned circuit near Florence, has set its sights on hosting a grand prix. As the high speed circuit hosts this week's rare in-season formula one test, circui...

03 May 2012 10:00
- 0
Billionaires line up to push Sauber on
Sauber has the swagger of a team of the future. The Hinwil based team struggled for survival in the wake of owner BMW's shock withdrawal in late 2009. "We've been through a quit...

03 May 2012 09:37
- 0
Pirelli: "We built the tyres the way we were asked to"
An obvious tension was evident at Mugello when Pirelli's Paul Hembery was asked about Michael Schumacher. The seven time world champion had slammed F1's official supplier after ...

02 May 2012 16:52
- 0
Nico Rosberg could commit F1 career to Mercedes
F1's newest winner has admitted he has no plans to leave his team. After more than a century of grands prix, Nico Rosberg finally broke through with his first race win recently ...

02 May 2012 16:16
- 0
Sauber wins update race at Mugello test opener
Sauber was the team with the biggest update package as F1's ultra-rare in-season test began on Tuesday. Kamui Kobayashi was in charge of the revised C31, which including a new e...

02 May 2012 11:46
- 0
Mugello test 2012 day 1 quotes: Toro Rosso
Eleven of the twelve Formula 1 teams are taking part in this three day test session at Mugello, Italy, the first time in four years that there has been a test other than the You...

01 May 2012 18:20
- 0
Mugello test 2012 day 1 quotes: Caterham
Rodolfo Gonzalez: "Despite the weather, which was obviously frustrating this afternoon, I've had a good day with the team here at the Mugello test. I love this track - I've won ...

01 May 2012 18:13
- 0
Mugello day 1: Alonso fastest on rain-hit first day in Italy
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso posted the best time between the many rain showers on the first day of testing in Mugello. A 1:22.444 was enought for a top spot for the two times...

01 May 2012 18:13
- 0
Sponsorship only problem for Lucas di Grassi
Lucas di Grassi has admitted that even his continuing role at Pirelli is not a ticket back onto the F1 grid. "I'm in the best possible position technically, as the driver with k...

01 May 2012 15:28
- 0
France in rush to complete GP deal before the weekend
The French government is dashing to seal the lid on the country's return to F1. Bernie Ecclestone has said a deal has been reached to annually alternate a race between Paul Rica...

01 May 2012 14:47
- 0
'Ferrari looks to Webber to replace Massa in 2013'
More reports are suggesting Mark Webber could be Ferrari-bound. One of Spain's leading F1 correspondents, Raymond Blancafort, wrote in El Mundo Deportivo that "there may be a pr...

01 May 2012 12:14
- 0
Schumacher: "F1 in 2012 is a 1000 piece puzzle"
F1's new face of 2012 is polarising the sport. It seems teams, drivers and spectators alike either love or hate the new great influence brought largely by Pirelli's new generati...

01 May 2012 11:52
- 0
D'Ambrosio could get some Friday action at GP's in 2012
Jerome d'Ambrosio has revealed he could drive one of the Lotus cars during Friday morning practice sessions at some point in 2012. The former Virgin driver, who is managed by Lo...

01 May 2012 11:29
- 0
Singapore eyes new race deal and F1 floatation
The fact F1 has chosen the Singapore exchange for the sport's high profile floatation does not mean the city-state's popular floodlit street race is guaranteed. The night event'...

01 May 2012 10:54
- 0
Kimi Raikkonen: "F1 is my job, not my life"
Kimi Raikkonen insists he is "not interested" in formula one -- except the cars, and winning. Asked by the reporter for Bild am Sonntag newspaper if the famous Finnish character...

01 May 2012 09:36
- 0
Sauber confirms Chelsea FC as new sponsor
Rumours that a top English premier league football club is entering formula one as a sponsor have proved correct. Ever since Sauber has been running teaser 'Out of the blue' and...

01 May 2012 08:18
- 0
GP2: Davide Valsecchi scores hattrick of wins in Bahrain
It was a hat trick for DAMSs Davide Valsecchi: the mighty Italian pocketed his third win in a row in todays Feature Race at Bahrain International Circuit. Starting from P2 o...

27 Apr 2012 20:14
- 0
F2: Pommer fastest as Portimao circuit dries out
Markus Pommer ended today's (Friday) second Formula Two practice session at Portimão as the quickest man, closely followed by Mihai Marinescu and Alex Fontana. On a now dry tra...

27 Apr 2012 16:28
- 0
Bernie Ecclestone engaged to Fabiana Flosi
Bernie Ecclestone is getting married again. It will be the F1 supremo's third marriage. His first wife was Ivy, and they had a daughter, Deborah. 81-year-old Ecclestone's best k...

27 Apr 2012 14:08
- 0
GP2: Van der Garde survives investigation and keeps pole position
Giedo van der Garde is a happy man: the Caterham Racing driver claimed todays pole position at the Bahrain International Circuit in 1:42.451, one tenth quicker than Davide Val...

27 Apr 2012 12:18
- 0
Williams and McLaren use loophole to change gearbox
Two teams deployed a quiet 'trick' in Bahrain in order to exploit a loophole in the long-life gearbox rules, a specialist publication claims. Williams' Pastor Maldonado had to m...

27 Apr 2012 12:16
- 0
Pirelli getting credit and blame for unbalance of power
Pirelli is getting the credit - or the blame - for F1's unstable pecking order so far in 2012. For the first time in almost three decades, four different cars - McLaren, Ferrari...

27 Apr 2012 11:51
- 0
GP2: Max Chilton sets the pace in practice in Bahrain
One week following the second round of the 2012 GP2 Series season, the thirteen teams remained in Bahrain for a standalone round 3. Max Chilton set the fastest laptime of free p...

27 Apr 2012 10:24
- 0
McLaren won't bring any massive updates to Mugello
Jenson Button has admitted he sees no point to changing McLaren's Mugello test programme next week. After the British team struggled for pace on Pirelli's complex tyres last wee...

27 Apr 2012 10:02
- 0
Alguersuari could have been racing for Lotus this year
Jaime Alguersuari reportedly ended talks with the Lotus (nee Renault) team late last year because he believed his job at Toro Rosso was safe. That is the claim of the Spanish pu...

27 Apr 2012 08:53
- 0
FIA tests forward roll-hoop for F1 cars
F1's governing body is looking into mandating 'forward roll-hoops' to boost driver safety. The innovation would be to prevent the kind of incidents that, in 2009, seriously inju...

26 Apr 2012 15:47
- 0
Lotus F1 Team owner Genii considers buying Group Lotus
Rumours that F1 team owner Genii is contemplating buying the Group Lotus sports car company are continuing to gain steam. That is despite Genii's Gerard Lopez confirming recentl...

26 Apr 2012 14:16
- 0
F1 racing ahead with $3bn floatation plans
F1's plans to float on the Singapore stock exchange are continuing to harden. The sport's majority owner CVC has reportedly lined up several banks - including UBS, RBS, Morgan S...

26 Apr 2012 12:48
- 0
Ecclestone risks losing Mercedes due to dispute with Brawn

A spat between two Britons could drive the German giant Mercedes out of formula one, according to a new media report. F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone recently confirmed he ...

26 Apr 2012 10:41
- 0
<< Previous Next >>