Virgin Racing Stars Team Up With FxPro to Release New F1 Game

The Virgin Racing F1 Team and FxPro Financial Services Ltd (FxPro), a leading global retail broker in FX and CFDs, has launched an exciting new racing game that pits online players against each other for the chance to win VIP tickets to F1 races, football matches and other great sporting experiences.

The FxPro Currency Race is an online game and combines the thrill of F1 Racing with the high-pressure currency trading market. Online racers will be asked to choose a currency pair at the start of the race and their speed around the track will depend on its performance on global financial markets during that lap. The race will take place in real time. Each race winner will earn points towards winning tickets to F1 races, Premier League football matches and other great sporting prizes as part of a campaign to promote “The World of FxPro Sports”.

FxPro, as well as sponsoring Virgin Racing, recently announced shirt sponsorship of Aston Villa and Fulham football clubs, as well as an existing partnership with the WRC. The aim of “The World of FxPro Sports” is to offer consumers the chance, through FxPro, to experience top class sporting events. Timo Glock and team mate Lucas di Grassi, the Virgin F1 drivers, worked with FxPro to test the game, displaying their healthy rivalry, even during its test phase!

Virgin Racing driver Timo Glock says: “Nothing beats the thrill of F1 racing and this is a fun way to compete against people around the world to win a great prize!’’ he says. The launch coincides with high volatility in the markets around the confidence in Euro, which has played havoc with the currency markets. Players will be able to choose certain currency pairs that are depicted as F1 cars and race around the track in record time based on real time currency data received from FxPro. The game can be played at: www.f1.fxpro.com.

Article contributed by Nick

Red Bull Leads the Pack

Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel found themselves at the top of the Formula One drivers’ standings following Sunday’s Monaco F1 Grand Prix event in which the talented duo took first and second place respectively. As the sixth race of the season, the Monaco victory puts Webber and Vettel at the top of the standings, each with 78 points, however the Australian’s two-race victory puts him in the lead, with the German having claimed first place once this season. Webber started off the race in pole position maintaining his determination to stay ahead of the pack, following up on the success he had enjoyed in Spain just a week previously, where he claimed fastest lap, pole position and first place. He is also the first Australian to win at Monaco since Jack Brabham took the checkered flag in 1959. Driving for Ferrari, Spaniard Fernando Alonso fought his way from the pits to claim seventh place in the iconic street race, putting him at third place in the season.

This is Mark Webber’s fourth season with Red Bull and it appears that he is on a long-awaited winning streak. In his inaugural season with the team he scored just 10 points, finishing the 2007 season in twelfth place. The following year saw somewhat of an improved performance by Webber, with 2009 being his most successful F1 season – finishing fourth in the drivers’ championship with a total of 69.5 points. Certainly, 2010 has started out well for the Red Bull team, with both its drivers delivering superb performances.

Prior to joining Red Bull, Webber had spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons driving for Williams, but with limited success. So it may have come as a surprise to many that Frank Williams has been quoted as saying: “When we had him, our car was a disappointment, and we felt that he was part of the problem, but he probably wasn’t actually – with hindsight.”

There are many variables with auto racing and those who participate in it will readily agree that it truly is a team sport, with every member of the team contributing to success. The Red Bull team is on a roll right now and fans are no doubt eager to see how the season progresses.

Vitaly Petrov

Born in Vyborg, Russia, on 8 September 1984, Vitaly Aleksandrovich Petrov made his first appearance in Formula One at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. He did not have the opportunity to take part in karting, as many top F1 drivers have done. In 2001 he started competing in the Russian Lada Cup. He did the same in 2002, this time earning the maximum number of points (500) by winning all the rounds, thus gaining the title.

Vitaly Petrov made a move to Formula Renault racing in 2003. Racing for Euronova Racing in the Italian Championship, he finished in 19th position overall. That same year he made it to fourth position in the British Formula Renault Winter Series. In 2004 he returned to Russia for the Russian Lada Revolution Championship, where he finished in runner-up position. He also took part in the Formula Renault 2000 Italia and Eurocup, as well as the F3000 Euro series. Petrov won the Lada Revolution Championship in 2005, and also became the Formula 1600 Russia champion.

In 2006, Petrov took third position overall in the F3000 Italy series and Euroseries 3000. That same year he debuted in the GP2 series, competing for David Price Racing. During 2007 Vitaly Petrov took 13th position in the GP2 series and also participated in the Le Mans Series and Formula Master Series. He also enjoyed success in 2008, coming in third in the GP2 Asia and seventh in the main GP2 series. In 2009 he made runner-up in the GP2 Series, after two wins and seven podiums. He also got fifth in the GP2 Asia standings.

On 31 January 2010 it was announced that Vitaly Petrov would be racing in the Formula One Championship for the Renault team. He thus made his debut at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Vitantonio Liuzzi

Vitantonio “Tonio” Liuzzi was born in Locorotondo, Italy, on 6 August 1981. He began kart racing at the age of 9. During his time as a kart racing driver he won the Italian Karting Championship (1993) and the Karting World Championship (2001), amongst other successes.

In 2001 Liuzzi debuted in single-seater racing, taking second place in the German Formula Renault championship. The following year he competed in the German Formula Three championship, where he came in ninth overall. During the year he also test drove for F1 team Williams. In 2003 he was signed by Red Bull’s F3000 team. He ended the season in fourth position. Continuing on in F3000, he joined the Arden team for 2004 and took the title that season.

Vitantonio Liuzzi made his Formula One debut in 2005, racing for Red Bull, sharing his position on the team with Christian Klien. He scored his first point during his first race at San Marino that year. In 2006 Liuzzi enjoyed his first full F1 season racing for Toro Rosso. He earned the team’s only point at the United States Grand Prix, though his consistency was praised. The 2007 season with Toro Rosso was challenging and Liuzzi scored once at the Grand Prix in China. He joined Force India as the third driver for the 2008 season. In 2009 he raced the last five rounds for Force India. He became a full-time driver for Force India in 2010.

Timo Glock target

Formula One driver Timo Glock was born on 18 March 1982 in Lindenfels, Germany. He began karting in 1998 and won various championships. By 2000 he was competing in the BMW ADAC Formula Junior Cup, which he won. Then in 2001 Glock took the Formula BMW ADAC Championship title.

Timo Glock moved to competing in the German Formula Three championship in 2002. That year he came in third place overall. The following year he came fifth in the Formula Three Euroseries, after three race wins and three other podium finishes. In 2004 Glock made the move to Formula One racing, where he competed in a few races for Jordan Grand Prix. He managed to score two points during his debut race, the Canadian Grand Prix.

2005 saw Timo Glock heading to the United States to take part in the Champ Car World Series as part of the Rocketsports team. He ended the season in 8th position and was awarded the Champ Car World Series’ Rookie of the Year. Glock decided to give the GP2 Series a go in 2006, and finished the season fourth in the standings, with two wins. That same year he began testing for BMW Sauber’s F1 team and was signed up to be the second test driver for the 2007 season. In 2007, as well as testing for BMW Sauber, Glock won the GP2 Series after 5 victories.

A talented driver, Timo Glock, was signed on by Toyota for the 2008 Formula One season. He certainly impressed in his first season, gaining second place in Hungary, ending the season with 25 points and coming in tenth in the standings. The 2009 season started off reasonably well for Glock and he was able to come in third in Malaysia and second in Singapore. An accident during a qualifying round in Suzuka, resulted in cracked vertebrae and Glock was unable to complete the season.

With Toyota pulling out of Formula One by the end of 2009, Timo Glock’s future in F1 racing was uncertain. Fortunately he was signed on by Manor Grand Prix (now Virgin Racing) for the 2010 season.

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel was born in the city of Heppenheim, Germany, on 3 July 1987. The racing-bug bit Vettel at a young age and he began racing karts when he was five. At the age of seven he began taking part in the mini klasse kart league. In 2001 he won the German and European Junior Karting titles.

Then, in August of 2002, Vettel began taking part in the selection process at Valencia’s Formula BMW ADAC Racing School, where he met with much success. 2003 saw Sebastian Vettel taking second place in the Formula BMW ADAC championship and winning the rookie trophy. He followed this up in 2004 by winning the Formula BMW ADAC championship with 18 victories and podium finishes in all of the 20 races.

Sebastian Vettel advanced onto the Formula Three Euroseries in 2005, driving for ASL Mucke Motorsport. By the end of the season he came in fifth with 64 points and was named the best rookie driver. He was rewarded for his success by being permitted to test drive the Williams FW27 F1 car. 2006 was a busy year for Vettel. He finished the F3 Euroseries as runner-up, debuted in the World Series by Renault, and was BMW Sauber’s reserve and Friday test driver. A test driver for BMW Sauber in 2007, he substituted for Robert Kubica at the US Grand Prix, ending the race in eighth position. He gained his first ever F1 World Championship point and was named the F1’s youngest point scorer. At the end of July 2007, Vettel joined Scuderia Toro Rosso, and began racing for them in the Hungarian Grand Prix, with exceptional results for the team.

2008 was Sebastian Vettel‘s first full F1 season. During the season he became the youngest winner in F1 with a triumph at Monza. By the end of the season he had finished in eighth overall, with a total of 35 points. For the 2009 season, Sebastian Vettel was moved to the Red Bull Racing team. A thrilling season, Vettel scored the team’s maiden pole and win in China, as well as taking first place at Silverstone and Suzuka. After gaining victory at Abu Dhabi, he came in second in the drivers’ championship. It was announced that Vettel’s contract with Red Bull would extend to 2011.

Nicolas Hülkenberg

Born in Emmerich am Rhein, Germany, on 19 August 1987, Nicolas “Nico” Hülkenberg began karting at the age of 10. He won the German Junior Karting Championship in 2002 and took the German Kart Championship title in 2003.

In 2005, Hülkenberg made his Formula BMW ADAC debut, winning the championship with nine wins and eight poles. During 2006 he took part in the German Formula Three Championship and also joined the German A1 Grand Prix team. He gained nine wins in the A1GP, leading his team to victory. 2007 was another successful year for the talented Nicolas Hülkenberg, when he took third position in the Formula Three Euroseries championship, racing for ASM. He also won the Formula Three Masters race at Zolder. Hülkenberg really impressed in 2008 when he won the Formula Three Euroseries championship. That same year he was the official test driver for the Williams team.

Nicolas Hülkenberg made is GP2 Series debut in 2009 and took home the title. He was still testing for Williams at the time. In November 2009 it was confirmed that Hülkenberg would race for Williams F1 during the 2010 season. It seems that there is nothing holding this talented driver back, and F1 fans should keep an eye out for this rising star.

Nico Rosberg

Born on 27 June 1985 in Wiesbaden, Germany, Nico Rosberg is the son of F1 World Champion Keke Rosberg. Nico has certainly made a name for himself in the world of auto racing. He began karting at eleven years of age in 1996. In 2002 Nico Rosberg made his single-seater debut and won the Formula ADAC Championship after nine wins that season. This victory earned him a test with the Williams team.

In 2003 Rosberg moved on to the Formula Three Euro Series on his father’s team, finishing eighth overall. He continued in the series in 2004, gaining three victories. Then, in 2005, Nico Rosberg went on to take part in the inaugural GP2 Series as part of ART Grand Prix team. He won title!

Toward the end of 2005, it was announced that Rosberg would be a driver for the Williams team in 2006. It proved to be a challenging F1 debut season for Rosberg, who finished 14th overall, but also became the youngest driver to set the fastest lap at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The next year proved to go much more smoothly, with Rosberg coming in ninth overall and scoring his career-best fourth place in Brazil. 2008 saw Rosberg take 13th overall. In 2009 he continued to fight for the podium, only achieving fourth places. By the end of the season he was in 7th place, with 34.5 points, having scored all of the Williams team’s points for 2009. Nico Rosberg announced on 23 November 2009 that he would be Mercedes GP team’s first driver, and was later joined by Michael Schumacher as his teammate for the 2010 season.

Mark Webber

Australian Formula One driver Mark Alan Webber was born on 27 August 1976 in the New South Wales’ town of Queanbeyan. His father a motorcycle dealer, Mark Webber began racing motorcycles at a young age. In 1991 he decided to start karting, winning the New South Wales state championship two years later in 1993. The following year he went on to compete in the Australian Formula Ford Championship, where he finished 14th overall. 1995 saw greater success for Webber, who gained a number of victories and finished in fourth place.

Mark Webber moved to the United Kingdom in 1995, so as to further pursue his career in the world of auto racing. That same year he took part in the Formula Ford Festival for the Van Diemen team and took third position. In 1996 Webber came in second overall in the British Formula Ford Championship and third in the Formula Ford Euro Cup. At the end of 1996 he was signed by Alan Docking Racing to begin his foray into Formula Three racing in 1997. His Formula Three season was successful, ending the season in fourth position overall. Webber was signed to the Mercedes team for the 1998 FIA GT Championship. He met with further triumph that year, taking the runner-up position after five wins. 1999 saw Webber again racing for AMG, but the season was cut short after aerodynamic problems with the vehicles.

In 2000 Webber made a move to Formula 3000 racing. Racing for Eurobet Arrows, he came in third overall in the FIA International Formula 3000 series. A talented driver he went on to take second place in the 2001 F3000 season, driving for Super Nova Racing. 2001 also saw Mark Webber test driving for Benetton Formula One.

Mark Webber’s Formula One career began in 2002. Competing for the Minardi team, with teammate Alex Yoong, he impressed many in his debut season. Webber decided to join the Jaguar F1 team for the 2003 season, gaining 17 of the team’s 18 points and coming in tenth overall in the standings. He carried on with Jaguar in 2004, though it was a difficult season with few highlights to speak of. 2005 saw Webber joining the Williams team, though it was not quite what was hoped for, though he did qualify with seven top-five grid slots and gained a podium position in Monaco. Still with Williams in 2006, he was able to score just seven points for the season. Webber had a trying 2007 season with the Red Bull team, ending on 10 points and 12th place overall. 2008 was an improvement gaining 21 points and finishing 11th in the standings.

2009 was Mark Webber’s most successful F1 season. He finished fourth in the drivers’ championship with 69.5 points, racing for Red Bull. Amongst his achievements for the season were eight podium finishes, three fastest laps and two race wins. He continues racing with Red Bull for the 2010 season.

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is a British Formula One driver, born in Stevenage on 7 January 1985. His love for racing began at a young age with remote-controlled cars. He then moved onto karting at the age of 8.Lewis Hamilton quickly rose through the ranks, winning the British Championships twice and was signed to the McLaren driver development program by Ron Dennis.

In 2001 Lewis Hamilton took part in the British Formula Renault Winter Series, where he finished fifth overall. He then joined Manor Motorsport in 2002 to compete in the full Formula Renault UK series, coming in third place overall. The next year he won the Formula Renault title, with a total of 10 race victories, 11 pole positions and 9 fastest laps.

Lewis Hamilton moved on to the Formula Three Euroseries in 2004. He came in fifth place overall during that season. In typical Hamilton style he won the Formula Three Euroseries the very next year, with 15 wins, 13 pole positions and 10 fastest laps. Continuing his success, he went on to race for the GP2 team ART Grand Prix in 2006. A remarkable driver, he won the GP2 championship in his debut season.

Hamilton’s F1 career began in 2007 when he was signed with McLaren to drive alongside Fernando Alonso. Lewis Hamilton quickly showed that he was a force to be reckoned with, with errors in the final two rounds putting him in second place for the championship title, which went to Kimi Raikkonen. 2008 was a year to be remembered, as Lewis Hamilton became the youngest Formula One world champion at the age of 23.

Hamilton come in 5th place in the 2009 season, with 49 points. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button (the 2009 championship winner) are McLaren teammates for the 2010 season.

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