Formula One Blog

Italian Grand Prix - What a Race!

2008-09-14T07:08:00.001-07:00

Italian Grand Prix has always been one of the most interesting and exciting. But this time, it was a real thriller. Well, right from the qualification yesterday it was clear that the race would be exciting but not to this extent.

Who could have imagined that Sebastian Vettel at the age of 21 would storm his Toro Rosso to the winning position? Vettel is the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One Grand Prix. But this is not the only surprise. Let's not forget that the car that vettel was driving does not belong to the top runners.

I would like to congratulate Sebastian Vettel with this marvelous victory and the whole Toro Rosso team. Great job done.

Unfortunately, Giancarlo Fisichella was the only driver to retire from this race.

Things were not that well for the reds but still Massa managed to achieve his main task (finished 6th) a bit - win one more point from his main rival Luis Hamilton (finished 7th).

The bad luck still follows Kimi Raikkonen who was not able to score at all.

BWM was quite strong with Robert Kubica finishing on the podium (3rd) and Nick Heidfeld finishing the 5th.

Fernando Alonso's result is quite far from the one that a two times world champion would have expected, however taking into consideration the bad performance of the season's leader, Fernando looked quite strong and managed to get the 4th place.

We Are in Valencia

2008-08-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to announce that we are in Valencia attending the Grand Prix of Europe and I will do my best to transfer the excitement that goes along with this Grand Prix. The atmosphere in Valencia is fantastic. The circuit is great and the race is very promising. Today's qualification was really exciting. We were sitting right among the Mercedes-McLaren and Renault fans.

Unfortunately, the qualification for Alonso did not go that well and it was a major disappointment both for him and his numerous fans here in Spain. Lewis Hamilton's fans got really wild when the Briton managed to take the first position from Massa but that did not keep long. Within a moment, the Brazilian was able to push his Ferrari to the max and secure so much needed pole position.

Things don't go that well for Ferrari's the other driver. Kimi Räikkönen still does not seem to be in an optimal shape. While he will be starting from the fourth position tomorrow, I believe all of his fans and the team require and expect more from him. Let's hope that Kimi will manage to show his best tomorrow.

BMW looks very strong in Valencia as well and I think if Mario Theissen's guys are careful tomorrow, they may get quite good results.

We will be posting more photos and videos tomorrow. So, don't forget to subscribe to our RSS feed.

Will Piquet Score Again in Hungary Next Weekend?

2008-07-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Nelson Piquet Jr. has had his best race in Germany. The young driver started from the 17th position and ended on the podium. You will agree that this was totally unexpected. But hey, that's why we love Formula One, don't we?

As of writing this, the Formula One official website has a very interesting poll with a question:

"After his podium in Germany, will Nelson Piquet score again in Hungary next weekend?".

I'm not sure how many people have participated in the poll but right now slightly less than 5% of voters think that Piquet will Definitely score again. Almost 25% of the voters think that he Piquet will possibly score again and 70% of the voters think that it is unlikely that Piquet will score again.

My answer was Possibly. I think Piquet Jr. is a talented driver and maybe his car is not the best, but the driver has enormous motivation to push hard. I think Piquet has a chance to score again in Hungary and once again surprise us with his fantastic performance. And finally, let's not forget the factor of Flavio Briatore, one of the Formula One geniuses.

Let's Check Those Beasts

2008-07-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Formula One cars feature one of the most complex and advanced engines (for example compare F1 engine's 20,000 RPM to 6,000-7,000 RPM of a good road car's engine) and that's not a surprise. After all, Formula One is a sport where a thousands of a second can make a difference between winning and losing. Because of this, FIA does not allow any kind of engine alternation from the original specifications which are set by FIA at the beginning of the season.

We live in a world that is far from being perfect and the teams may have temptations to tweak their engines to gain advantage over their competitors. To keep the game fair, FIA checks all Formula One engines. The aim of the test is to reveal any changes that the engine manufactures may have made after the start of the season.

This year Mercedes-Benz is the first manufacturer whose engine will be checked. Tests of other engines will follow for sure.

Hopefully, the engine checks will go without any problems for the teams. The sport has already lost Super Aguri in this season because of the financial problems and it would be pity to see any other team disqualified.

Photo source: http://www.cartuningcentral.com

Impressions from the German Grand Prix

2008-07-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

The German Grand Prix, as expected, turned out very interesting and fascinating. It looks like that after a couple of unsuccessful races, Lewis Hamilton is back and he's unstoppable.

The Briton started the race from the pole position and he was driving pretty confidently for the first middle of the race. However, Glock's accident shook up the things and the whole advantage that Hamiton had created from the start disappeared.

For a moment, it seemed that Renault's Piquet Junior and Ferrari's Felipe Massa would manage to keep their positions. After all, only 15 or so laps were before the finish. However, Hamilton was fast, very fast and managed to quickly turn the race to his advantage.

Nelsinho Piquet's second position was a real sensation. Moreover, the young Brazilian driver started the race from the 17th position. Congratulations to Nelsinho and all to all his and Renault's with a marvelous race and fantastic results.

It looks like that there are some problems in Scuderia Ferrari. The race was quite okay for the red cars, but unfortunately not enough to compete against McLaren-Mercedes. For now, Hamilton is ahead of both Massa and Räikkönen. If this tendency continues for the next couple of races, it will bring serious problems to both Massa and Räikkönen.

New Faces in Formula One in 2009?

2008-07-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

The Formula One 2008 season has gone past the middle and as a result speculations have intensified regarding the new faces and the possible transfers of the drivers for the upcoming season.

There is an opinion that GP2 Series race-winners Bruno Senna and Sébastien Buemi may both become regular Formula One drivers in 2009. According to the rumours, Senna will be joining STR and Buemi will head to BMW-Sauber.

Buemi drove the Red Bull RB3 at the F1 test session in Jerez on September 18, 2007 and in January of 2008 he joined Red Bull as a test and reserve driver.

New Pit Building Inaugurated in Singapore

2008-07-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

In April we wrote about the Singapore's race and the special lighting system that will be deployed there. The race, which will take place by the end of September will be the first night race in the history of Formula One. At the same time, like the Grand Prix in Monca, the race in Singapore will take place in the streets. However, this is not the only similarity with Monaco. There is an opinion that the race in Singapore will be as great as that of Monaco. If we take into consideration the fact that Formula One is a business and a sport at the same time, then the race in Singapore has all chances to compete with Monaco in terms of interest, sponsors, advertising, etc.

Last week the new pit building was inaugurated and it looks like that the preparations are progressing well. I really envy all those people who will be attending this fantastic event.

Spy Scandal is Closed But Not for Nigel Stepney

2008-07-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

It looks like that the spy scandal that has shaken the whole motorsport is finally closed, however not for Ferrari's former employee Nigel Stepney.

While both Ferrari and McLaren issued statements on Friday confirming that the teams have agreed to settle their outstanding differences over the spying controversy, Ferrari still plan to continue legal proceedings against Stepney.

You can read the full statement issued by the Italian and British teams on the official Formula 1 web site.

Bernard Cahier Dies at the Age of 81

2008-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest Formula 1 photographers, Bernard Cahier, has died at the age of 81. Cachier was born in Marseilles in 1927 and began his career in the sport in 1952. The photographer had been working actively until 1980s.

The extensive memoirs of Bernard Cahier are now available in a massive two volume set containing more than 1,300 black & white photographs over 768 pages.

GrandPrix.com has a very informative story about Cachier and I highly recommend to check it out.

Photo source: GrandPrix.com

Driver Quotes

2008-06-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello on failing to make it through the first bout for Honda; Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica on a gloomy day for BMW Sauber; and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton on what he needs to do on Sunday if he is to salvage some points from the French race. All 20 drivers report back on the action…

I have chosen the most informative quotes. (For the rest and full story you have to follow the reference situated in the end of story.)

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (1st, Q1 - 1m 16.499s):

Felipe Massa, Ferrari (2nd, Q1 - 1m 16.490s):

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (3rd, Q1 - 1m 16.693s):

Fernando Alonso, Renault (4th, Q1 - 1m 16.840s):

“The times were very tight today, in both Q1 and Q2, but I made it through to Q3 and was able to set a good time. The car has really improved and so for the first time this season we have the real chance to fight for the podium. The Ferraris are certainly a step ahead, but we will give our maximum to get a good result tomorrow.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota (5th, Q1 - 1m 16.920s):

Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren (6th, Q1 - 1m 16.944s):

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber (7th, Q1 - 1m 17.037s):

"It looks like we are having a difficult weekend. After yesterday's free practice sessions I was expecting us to struggle. The balance of the car is not how I want it to be and my car has a poor overall grip. The gap to the top teams seems to have stayed the same, and at the same time the other teams obviously have made a big step forward. My goal now is to score as many points as possible in tomorrow's race, which certainly will not be easy."

Mark Webber, Red Bull (8th, Q1 - 1m 17.233s):

David Coulthard, Red Bull (9th, Q1 - 1m 17.426):

Timo Glock, Toyota (10th, Q1 - 1m 17.596s):

Nelson Piquet, Renault (11th, Q2 - 1m 15.770s):

Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber (12th, Q2 - 1m 15.786s):

"The circuit here in Magny-Cours is completely different to the one in Montreal, and right from the beginning of the weekend here we were not as good as we have been recently. But still we were hoping for a better qualifying. I'm 12th and Robert just made it into the top ten of qualifying - this is, of course, not what we at the BMW Sauber F1 Team expect from ourselves.

Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso (13th, Q2 - 1m 15.816s):

“That was very close and I think we can be happy to have both cars in Q2. I came very near to making Q3 and although I can’t say I’m angry, when you get so close it is disappointing not to have done it. My laps were not perfect but they were pretty good. We struggled mainly in the second sector and were unable to improve on that. Overall, we can be happy with the way the car has run with its new package for the first time and I was quite surprised with its pace since the start of the weekend.”

Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso (14th, Q2 - 1m 16.045s):

Nico Rosberg, Williams (15th, Q2 - 1m 16.235s):

"I knew it was going to be slightly hard for us here, but to be so far off the pace is quite surprising. If everything had gone perfectly, I may have been in P14, but that’s not good enough. We had to compromise our pace this afternoon because of the grid penalty, but that should only have cost us a tenth, not this much. We’ve had a good car in the last two races, and have been running in the top six, but there are some tracks, such as Magny-Cours, that don’t seem to suit our car very well. We started to address this problem at the last test, but it’s going to take some time to resolve it. Getting a decent result from P15 would be difficult enough but, with the ten-place penalty, it’s going to be even harder. That’s just how it is, though, and we need to work out how we’re going to play it."

Kazuki Nakajima, Williams (16th, Q3 - 1m 16.243s):

Jenson Button, Honda (17th, Q3 - 1m 16.306s):

"A very disappointing qualifying session today. The car was well balanced and we are pretty much getting the maximum performance from it, however unfortunately our pace reflects where we are at this track. My last run was slow as I was called into the weighbridge and then had to wait in the pit box as there was not enough time to go back into the garage before my final run. That meant that my tyres had cooled down which compromised my lap, although I don't think we could have improved enough to go through to Q2 anyway. Hopefully we can be more competitive in race trim but it's disappointing and unexpected as we thought that the car would perform better around this circuit."

Rubens Barrichello, Honda (18th, Q3 - 1m 16.330s):

"A pure lack of performance from the car today. The lap times have been very close all weekend but unfortunately we are at the lower end of the grid. We are really pushing the limit of the car to try and achieve more pace but it is evident from how close Jenson and I have been all weekend that there is no more to come from the car. Having achieved a good balance after practice, it's hard to accept the lack of pace, but we just have to try and do our best from here and see what the race will bring."

Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India (19th, Q3 - 1m 16.971s):

Adrian Sutil, Force India (20th, Q3 - 1m 17.053s):

Source: Formula1.com

Williams' Nico Rosberg vs Rivals

2008-06-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

Official F1 representatives now offer us exclusive interview with Williams' Nico Rosberg. His career in Formula one seems to be successful because Nico is one of the serious players. It was just a question of when he would get a car good enough to let him show his skill. At the season opener in Melbourne, the Williams FW30 was that car. Since then, reliability, good fortune and even his own judgment have at times deserted him. But the young German is determined to bounce back, safe in the knowledge that boss Frank Williams - a real racer at heart - will do all he can to give him the car he deserves…

Q: Nico, you had a fulfilling start to the season with your podium in Melbourne, but since then luck has deserted you somewhat…

Nico Rosberg: What a start Melbourne was! On that day in March everything came together perfectly. But from there on we started to struggle a little bit more at the normal high-speed tracks like Malaysia, Barcelona and Istanbul, where we haven’t been too strong. But we knew that before the season anyway - that under normal circumstances we would be behind the top six cars and that we’d be fighting for seventh or eighth place in order to get points. And that’s what we did: we were eighth twice - so just behind the top teams - and that worked quite well. Since then we’ve lost out a little bit. Other teams have developed a little bit faster, so we have to be really careful for the next races.

Q: Fast forwarding to the last round in Canada, qualifying fifth was your best result since last year’s Belgian Grand Prix. The car must have been working well…

NR: Yes, in Montreal - and also in Monaco - we definitely had a good car. I say “good” – “good” is a McLaren - but “good” for our situation. Unfortunately we didn’t make the best of it - or me, rather. Let’s put it that way: I didn’t make the best of it. But both tracks are probably the most difficult in the season, where luck often defines the result - and unfortunately it didn’t go my way. In Montreal I wasn’t the only one, but that doesn’t really help afterwards. Sure it was a huge disappointment because we had a very realistic chance of a good result. Now we have to look forward and try to improve on those quicker tracks.

Q: The pitlane incident in Canada. Can you give us your view of the situation as it happened?

NR: Until then everything was fantastic. I was very comfortable and we were beating a Ferrari, beating a McLaren, beating a BMW - there were only three cars ahead of me. I was very certain that I would score points. And then there was the pit stop. It didn’t cross my mind that the pitlane would be red - and if you don’t expect something then you can easily go wrong. The same goes for Lewis (Hamilton), but then again this doesn’t help as there is no such saying in Formula One that a problem shared is a problem halved. It was a pity.

Q: The stewards’ decision for you and Lewis is a ten-place relegation on the grid at this weekend’s French Grand Prix. What is your stance on that? Is it justified?

NR: Moving ten places back on the grid, that’s really not very good for us as it probably destroys this race weekend too. And that’s an even worse situation. But yes, I think it’s justified. If it had been me alone it wouldn’t have been justified because then I wouldn’t have destroyed anybody else’s race. But in that situation, as it occurred, it is ok.

Q: Last week’s test was about getting the car fit for Magny-Cours. What were you concentrating on?

NR: We have made big progress as we learnt a lot - especially about how we can improve on tracks like Magny-Cours and Silverstone. We really found something strong, I think. We did introduce some new parts - aero parts, and also mechanical. More I cannot say.

Q: Kazuki Nakajima has had a very strong season so far, given his rookie status. He has seven points - only one shy of your total. Do you feel pressure from your team mate, as he’s your first challenger?

NR: Yes, I agree, he’s done relatively well - but that was expected of him as otherwise he wouldn’t have been taken on by Williams. And I hope that he can continue to be of assistance to the team in the constructors’ championship. And as for your team mate being your first challenger, fact is there are 19 guys out there I have to come to terms with to succeed - it’s not only one!

Source: Formula1.com

Gerhard Berger About Himself

2008-06-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Official F1 representatives offer us Gerhard Berger’s interview. It is an interesting story about his life business. He talks about career, sponsors and plans for the future. Follow the story…

Q: Gerhard, what is the state of affairs concerning customer car discussions - and your ‘disagreement’ with Force India on the matter?

Gerhard Berger: Well, the situation has definitely changed since Super Aguri dropped out of the championship, as now all ten remaining teams are eligible for the TV money allocation. Leaving aside that I still believe one hundred percent that we are fulfilling the wording of the regulations, now the lawyers are working on a compromise that everybody can live with. I think it cannot really be in the interest of all involved to spend a lot of money on lawyers and court procedures - we should focus instead on the sport.

Q: Rumour has it that Red Bull has agreed to pay a ‘bonus’ to Force India this year. Is that true?

GB: This is still in the hands of the lawyers - let’s see what the outcome is. My guess is that it will be finalized within the next couple of days.

Q: And where are the discussions regarding customer cars beyond the end of this season? You said that nothing is final yet…

GB: There is an agreement between the teams that from 2010 on there will be clear wording that defines what a constructor is and what is not. If nothing changes, from 2010 onwards we have to be a constructor in the wording of the new Concorde Agreement.

Q: Following the loss of Super Aguri, everybody seems to have realized that budget caps are overdue. How would you restructure team expenses to economize?

GB: I see that as a very complex process where specialists have to work on it and make the right proposals. The crucial thing will always be to make everybody think in the same way - that the costs really have to come down. At the moment you have some teams and individuals who strongly believe that costs have to be controlled. And on the other hand, you have those who say ‘we don’t have a cost problem, we would like to go on as we do now because this is Formula One and we have the money. The others have to see that they find the money’. There are two views and I am not sure which one will succeed, as the manufacturers want to show off all their technical abilities. If Force India and ourselves had a manufacturer behind us, we probably would not be in that discussion. But as we don’t, the question is whether in the future there will be room for an independent team to survive in a fair way, so that the market gives the possibility to find the money. I think the goal must be to give independent teams a chance to be competitive, because to be last is ultimately not worthwhile.

Q: For private teams to find money is very difficult. What could or should be done to help that?

GB: I think you have to find a way to value yourself. Today if you see the marketable (sponsorship) areas on the car, and you know that a budget is minimum 120 to 150 million Euros, then you know the price that you have to ask for certain areas. This price is not really fitting together with the return on investment for the sponsor. This only works if you have a winning team, one with a big history - if you are Ferrari, that’s fine, but if you are building up a team then that’s a problem.

Q: How do you see the team’s responsibilities towards its drivers? They obviously signed a contract under different conditions…

GB: That is something a driver always faces. Because in the same breath you could argue that Lewis Hamilton signed with McLaren without knowing that they would sell 30 percent to the Bahrainis. You never know the outcome of such a situation, except that probably the team is benefiting from such a move. Looking at us, I can say that we did a good job so far, so it would be sad if all that fell apart. For the drivers, I think that they have got what they expected to get and in the second half of the season it should be even better.

Q: And how do you see your personal future in Formula One racing. There have been whispers connecting you to the FIA Presidency…

GB: I heard that too. I have to say it is nice to hear that some people think you should put on those shoes, but it’s nothing that I would like to do. I was always interested in the sport, in the cars, the drivers, the teams, the fighting on the circuit. And doesn’t the old saying warn against trying on shoes that are too big for you?

Q: And what about the recent rumors that a possible candidate to take over Dietrich Mateschitz’s shares in Toro Rosso has emerged?

GB: We are in talks with a number of interested parties. Ask me when the ink on the contract is dry who came out on top.

Source: Formula1.com

Results for FIA Press Conference

2008-06-07T02:23:00.000-07:00

During the Friday FIA press conference at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Renault duo Fernando Alonso and Pat Symonds and Red Bull duo David Coulthard and Geoff Willis answered the questions of the gathered press.

Q: Pat, I can remember in Barcelona you were very happy as you felt you’d taken a step forward. In Monaco you were going to spring a surprise. What’s been going on?

Pat Symonds: I never said we would spring a surprise in Monaco.

Q: What is the next step there is a test next week. Will you have some new bits there?

PS: It’s Barcelona next week. More bits there. Every week there are new bits on the car, new bits we are testing. Some aerodynamic updates for the French Grand Prix, some quite big ones, so keep on moving.

Q: Do you remember what you did with Heikki a year ago?

PS: Yes.

Q: Are you going to tell us?

PS: No.

Q: Fernando, tell us about the track conditions today.

Fernando Alonso: I think we had a little bit of everything. This morning a wet track to start with and it was dry just for the last 10 minutes but it was not completely dry, so we found a different track in the afternoon with more normal conditions. It was okay, a normal Friday in Canada with a slippery track and we tried to put some rubber down with the laps. I am sure during the weekend it will be better and better every lap we do on the track.

Q: There are a lot of words being written about what you might be doing in the future. What is your own personal comment on that?

FA: Nothing really. The same comment as always. It is too early to speak about the future and too early for me to think about the future. It is only the sixth or seventh grand prix of the championship this year and there is a long way to go to the end. First of all I want to improve the results and the performance we are having now. The aim for the next two or three months is to be closer and closer to the podium which is the real target. There is enough to do to reach this target that I don’t want to lose too much time on the future.

Q: David what are your feelings about this season so far?

David Coulthard :Well, I am clearly disappointed not to have scored any points. That’s the way it goes sometimes. I’ve obviously been involved in a few incidents which is unusual but again when you are in what I call the ugly part of the grid there seems to be a lot more contact. And clearly the goal is to keep out of that. In the first six races I have been in the top 10 three times in qualifying and clearly that is the key area to be to avoid a lot of the concertina effects especially somewhere like here in Montreal. We have seen that many years with cars getting out of position.

Q: And your feelings about today?

DC: As Fernando said it was a normal Canada Friday with the exception of some wet running thrown in. The track is pretty green but that is the usual gig especially when you come from Monaco as you have got a lot more speed on the car and a lot less downforce, so stopping it through the chicanes is a bit more of a challenge. Usually the cars that have good kerb ride tend to show their lap time here and the grid can be a bit more spaced out, so we just need to review our performance after qualifying tomorrow and hopefully we will have a strong one.

Q: Geoff, to what extent are you already working on the 2009 car?

Geoff Willis: Certainly we are already underway aerodynamically with the 2009 car, both wind tunnel programmes and the CFD programme. We are clearly looking at the tyres as there is a big regulation change there next year, one part of which is the slick tyres. We are still waiting until the last July team test when we will get the final specification of those tyres. Some of the main car lay-out will have to be delayed a little longer but we have done quite a lot of work. At the moment we are juggling that balance between the 2008 car development and 2009 and certainly where we are in the championship, and as David says, we are in that ugly area where a small performance improvement can give you help to get that one or two points. We do certainly have to divide out time as efficiently as we can between the 2008 championship, trying to turn an equal fourth place into a secure fourth place, but at the same time not penalizing ourselves for next year.

Q: As far as you are concerned are the regulations for 2009 perfectly clear?

GW: I think on a technicality the final things we have agreed in the last Technical Working Groups have to go before the World Motor Sport Council which I think is on 30 June but to all intents and purposes, as far as I understand, the regulations are fixed for 2009.

The conference was quite informative. Some questions were asked from the floor. F1 people were all in readiness. For detailed information check out the reference below.

Source: Formula1.com

Max Mosley Wins Vote to Remain FIA President

2008-06-05T01:47:00.000-07:00

Max Mosley overcame a sex scandal and won a vote of confidence Tuesday to remain FIA president in a decision that threatens to divide motor racing's governing body.

Before the votes were cast in the FIA extraordinary general meeting it was calculated that he needed at least 89 of 177 available votes to win (45 of the 222 clubs were judged ineligible to vote). He won with 103 votes to 55, with seven abstentions and four invalid votes.

With so much opposition to him having come out in public, not least from Bernie Ecclestone and many of the largest automobile clubs that comprise the FIA membership, it remains to be seen whether there will be further attempts to remove him from office.

"The one thing I didn't want to happen, the last thing I wanted, was for Max to go today," - Ecclestone said. "Up until now, I've asked him a million times to stand down at the end of November. But today he got what he wanted. He is still there and that's it."

Van Woerkom said most of Mosley's support came from smaller clubs - which held equal sway in terms of voting power to the national federations - because of the money they received after FIA last year gave Formula One team McLaren a $100-million fine for possessing sensitive documents belonging to rival Ferrari. The FIA and its members received $60 million of that sum.

Mosley is the son of British Union of Fascists party founder Oswald Mosley, a former British politician who served in Parliament for the Labor and Conservative parties. Oswald Mosley died in 1980.

Still the sex scandal was Mosley’s big step down. Now people judge and rule, but who cares? He is the winner!

Sources:

http://217.204.13.141/mediacentre/Press_Releases/The_FIA/2008/June/030608-03.html

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/6/7869.html

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=ap-fia-mosley-vote&prov=ap&type=lgns

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1023952/Fury-shamed-F1-chief-Mosley-keeps-job-FIA-Paris-summit.html

Nico Rosberg Feels Better

2008-05-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Nico Rosberg has confirmed that he escaped completely unscathed from his Monaco Grand Prix accident and has no fitness concerns for next weekend's Montreal race. The Williams driver slammed into the Swimming Pool barriers in the closing stages in Monte Carlo, and although he immediately jumped out of the wrecked car. After that he was taken to hospital for further checks after the ferocious impact.

Rosberg wrote in a column on the Williams website that now he is fine, his crush was a big one, but there’s no damage. After consulting the doctors on-site he decided, as a precaution, to go to the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco. By the way all the routine checks in the hospital showed that everything was perfectly fine, so Nico was released to go home rather quickly. After a couple of days' rest, he is currently preparing and training as normal for the Canadian Grand Prix. He also admits that the crash was purely down to a driver error on the still-treacherous track."The cause of the accident was straightforward; I was pushing really hard on dry tyres and coming into the Swimming Pool corner after Tabac when the rear of the car flicked out suddenly on entry, most probably on a patch of water under braking. After that I was a passenger and hit the barrier on the right before being thrown across the track into the barrier on the left." - said Rosberg.

The German added that it was a frustrating way for his weekend to end after flying throughout the weekend – including setting the second-fastest time in Friday practice and Q2, and securing a strong sixth on the grid in a heavy car.

"What made the shunt so disappointing was the fact that the FW30 had been really competitive during practice and qualifying," – says Nico Rosberg.

Now Rosberg’s fans could calm down and follow his race way to the end.

Source: Formula1.com

600th Grand Prix For Frank Williams

2008-05-23T02:53:00.000-07:00

Team owner Frank Williams dispelled any thoughts of retiring on Thursday as he looked forward to celebrating his 600th Formula One grand prix this weekend. "I'm kind of proud of the number, it's a long journey but it doesn't mean a great deal," – says Williams.

Frank was already the longest serving Formula One entrant, with more races to his name even than the late Enzo Ferrari, who died in 1988.

Australian Alan Jones, Finland's Keke Rosberg , Brazilian Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill, France's Alain Prost and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve were all Williams champions.

"He really is the last team principal in the pitlane that goes motor racing for its true essence, and that's to race,"- says Rosberg senior.

Confined to a wheelchair since 1986 when he was paralysed from the neck down in a car accident, Williams made clear that he intended to add quite a few more races to his tally. Returning to the winners' circle, for the first time since 2004, is the immediate priority.

Williams' first world championship Formula One race was in Spain in 1969, when he entered compatriot Piers Courage in a Frank Williams Racing Brabham BT26 at the old Montjuic circuit in Barcelona. An engine problem cut short that race but the pair finished second in Monaco two weeks later. Courage died the following year in a fiery crash in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. The early years were a struggle, with Williams conducting some of his business from a public telephone box, but the arrival of Patrick Head as team co-owner and designer in 1975 changed everything.

The death of Brazil's triple champion Ayrton Senna in a Williams in 1994 provided the biggest regret while the first win, with Switzerland's Clay Regazzoni at Silverstone in 1979 and the first championship with Jones, have been highlights.

Source: Formula1.com

Motorsport Milestone with Force India’s Fisichella

2008-05-18T03:48:00.000-07:00

Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella will celebrate his 200th Grand Prix start in Monaco, becoming only the ninth driver in history to reach that milestone. By the end of this season he will have moved up to fifth overall in the rankings of all-time starts.

As is often the case, there are different interpretations of what counts as a start. His total does not include the 2005 US GP, when in common with the other Michelin runners he withdrew on the formation lap, and nor does it include France 2002, when he had a major crash in practice and did not take part in qualifying.To mark the event, Giancarlo will start the Monaco race in a new set of Alpinestars overalls and a helmet commissioned from Arai bearing a '200' logo.

It was 1996; Fisichella’s first Formula One start came with Minardi in Australia. Fisichella's first Formula One start came with Minardi in Australia back in March 1996. The start was, to a certain extent, unexpected: shortly before the race he was a test driver and the then 23-year-old had not expected to make the trip down under to Melbourne.

About Giancarlo Fisichella
* The 2008 Monaco GP will be Giancarlo Fisichella's 200th Grand Prix start. That total does not include France 2002, where he did not take part in qualifying after a heavy practice crash, or USA 2005, where in common with the other Michelin runners he withdrew at the end of the formation lap.

* Giancarlo is only the ninth driver in history to achieve the 200 mark. In the course of this season he will overtake Jean Alesi, Nelson Piquet Sr, Andrea de Cesaris and Gerhard Berger to become the fifth most experienced driver of all time.

* Giancarlo made his Grand Prix debut with Minardi in the Australian GP on March 10 1996, at the age of 23. It was also the first start for Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher's maiden outing for Ferrari, and the first race in Melbourne.

* Giancarlo's 50th race was Austria 1999, and his 100th was Europe 2002. His 150th should have been USA 2005, but was in fact France a fortnight later.

* When Giancarlo signed for Force India it was the sixth time he had changed teams. However, in effect he has only driven for four teams, as he had twice previously driven for the team under its Jordan name, and also has two spells with Benetton/Renault. His other teams were Minardi and Sauber.

* Adrian Sutil is the 11th team mate Giancarlo has had during his F1 career. The others were Pedro Lamy, Ralf Schumacher, Alex Wurz, Jenson Button, Takuma Sato, Ralph Firman, Felipe Massa, Zsolt Baumgartner, Fernando Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen.

* Until he was partnered with Alonso at Renault in 2005 Giancarlo had finished ahead of his team mate in the World Championship in every full season he had completed, except his first season at Benetton in 1998, when he was one point behind Wurz. In 2001 he beat Button by 8/2, and in 2004 he beat Massa by 22/12.

* Giancarlo has won three Grands Prix. The first victory was with Jordan in a wet Brazilian race in 2003. Unfortunately due to an error by the timekeepers he was only awarded second place on the day. After the mistake was acknowledged he was given his trophy at the next race at Imola. It remains the only official prizegiving ceremony that did not take place on the day of the race.

* His two other wins came with Renault in Australia in 2005, and Malaysia in 2006. Both were achieved from pole position. The first race he led was Germany 1997, when he was in front for seven laps before experiencing a tyre problem. He has led 14 different races at some point, most recently Japan 2007, for a total of 210 racing laps. He retired while leading in Europe 1999 (spin) and Canada 2005 (hydraulics).

* He has scored a total of 18 podium finishes, including six second places and nine thirds. Three of his second places came behind Michael Schumacher (Belgium 1997, Canada 1998, Brazil 2000), two behind Mika Hakkinen (Monaco 1998, Canada 1999), and one behind Kimi Raikkonen (Japan 2005).

* Giancarlo has been on pole three times. Prior to Australia 2005 and Malaysia 2006 he had achieved his first in damp conditions with Benetton in Austria in 1998. In total he has started from the front row on 10 occasions.

* Giancarlo has twice set the fastest lap, in Spain in both 1997 and 2005.

* Giancarlo's best World Championship finish was fourth with Renault in 2006, when he also scored a career best 72 points. He was fifth in 2006, and sixth in 2000. He has never finished lower than 12th.

* Giancarlo scored his first points when he finished fourth in Imola in 1997. He has finished in the points 72 times, and has scored a career total of 267 points.

Source: Formula1.com

Anthony Davidson About Bitter Blow

2008-05-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Super Aguri had withdrawn from Formula One racing - that news broke this week and it came as a bitter blow to all those involved, but in particular to driver Anthony Davidson. After years of toil as a Honda tester, it was Super Aguri who finally gave Davidson a full-time race seat. As he prepares to spend the Turkish Grand Prix on the sidelines, the Briton discusses his reaction to recent events - and his belief that his F1 career is far from over…

Here is an interview with Anthony Davidson on this occasion. (published on F1’s official web site)

Q: What was your initial reaction when you heard the news about the team?

- It wasn't a complete shock as we have all known how difficult things have been, but I'm obviously really disappointed that the team is unable to see out the rest of the season and beyond, and gutted not just for myself but for all the guys at the factory who have worked so hard.

Q: Have you spoken to the team since the news broke?

- Yes, I spoke to my engineer and a few people at the team this morning, and I have been at the factory in Leafield today.

Q: Looking over your time at the team, what have been the best moments, and the worst, other than our recent news?

- There have been a lot of good moments - being on the grid in Melbourne for the first time last year having waited so long for a race drive, and some very strong qualifying performances would be among my favourites. The worst moment was hearing that the team was withdrawing, and of course the infamous ground hog which cost me a top five result...

Q: What do you think made Super Aguri team so special?

- It was a small team, but with a lot of passion. The team has always worked incredibly hard, and I think this year the guys showed great dedication and loyalty to keep fighting especially given the uncertainty over the future.

Q: What is in store for you now?

- After several years as a test driver in F1 I’m glad that I had the chance to show that I can race and to prove my speed, and I’m grateful to the team and Honda for the opportunity. Although it's a difficult time of the year to find an alternative option as most plans are finalised and the season is well underway, I’m glad I took the opportunity to compete again this year and strongly believe that I have unfinished business in Formula One.

Q: And finally, Super Aguri fans in their thousands have sent messages of good will and support to the team in Leafield. Do you have a message for the fans around the world?

- The SAF1 Team fans have always been brilliant and I would like to thank them for their incredible support. The many messages that we have received have been very much appreciated.

BMW VS FERRARI

2008-05-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Italian press believes Ferrari is set to dominate the 2008 season. Despite officials for the Maranello based team's rivals McLaren and BMW playing down the gap following Ferrari's second consecutive one-two victory on Sunday, the sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport insists that the "dominance" of the scarlet F2008 at Barcelona was "impressive".

"Not a single mistake was committed," - Gazzetta added. "McLaren and BMW are far away. After Spain, the 2008 world championship could be over."

Corriere dello Sport said of championship leader Kimi Raikkonen: "The Finn is objectively the only true candidate for the title. As in the past, this championship could become 'formula boredom'."

The Turin-based national newspaper Tuttosport added: "Raikkonen and Massa conquered Spain and demonstrated Ferrari's absolute power.The advantage over their rivals is almost embarrassing, even though Stefano Domenicali has called for restraint. Raikkonen had the race totally under control, and Massa actively supported him. This is his role, even if he does not want to admit it."

Rome-newspaper Il Messaggero wrote: "The Ferrari conductors are trying to curb the enthusiasm, but it is obvious that Ferrari's lead over McLaren and BMW is great."

And now BMW-Sauber, and probably other formula one teams, will shortly experiment with the new 'nose hole' innovation that featured on the dominant Ferrari cars in last weekend's Spanish grand prix.

Although Maranello based Ferrari insists that the
shark mouth-style feature in front of the driver position may not be used at every race this season, BMW technical director Willy Rampf confirmed that a similar concept will be trialled in the team's Hinwil wind tunnel in the coming days.

"I am almost certain that it would also work on some of the other cars so we will have a look," -Rampf is quoted as saying by Switzerland's Motorsport Aktuell publication.

References:

http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/4/7701.html

Electonic Flag Displays

2008-04-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Formula One racing’s first-ever night race - the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix brings an unusual lightning conditions to the sport and marks specially developed electronic flag displays. Italian-based Valerio Maioli S.P.A. is lighting consultant, who developed this new technology . The necessary lighting system is design and constructed to illuminate the Singapore event. It will be used in conjunction with the traditional flag signals waved by marshals.

‘DigiFlags’ will convey the different flag colours in a more visible way during the night race. Thirty five display panels will be situated around the Singapore track, each controlled by handheld panels operated by officials at each marshals’ post. In addition to improved visibility, the new system will also provide the race director with an overview of every flag display around the circuit, thereby ensuring the more efficient communication of warnings.

Earlier Colin Syn, deputy chairman of the Singapore Grand Prix commented: "Staging the first Formula 1 night-race is a huge undertaking but, with Valerio Maioli's extensive experience, we are confident that they are able to deliver the system successfully."

With less than six months to go before the inaugural Singapore event takes place on September 28, the race organisers have been hard work preparing the new street circuit. A week-long demonstration of the lighting system was held from March 29, with a 64-metre stretch lit up with 16 projectors, ahead of its complete installation in August.

References:

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/4/7655.html

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/156028-0/singapore_sheds_light_on_key_contractor.html

No Money, No Race - Super Aguri's Financial Problems

2008-04-18T03:40:00.001-07:00

Super Aguri is experiencing financial problems that may seriously affect the team's future. As it turns out, the team has just three days left to secure its future in Formula 1. An expected investor pulled away its backing on the eve of an extremely important agreement that was expected to save the team.

Without financial backing, the team may not only miss the Spanish Grand Prix on the 27th of April, but stop participating in the whole season altogether. The team's principal Aguri Suzuki is desperately looking for alternate solutions.

According to the Grand Prix Magazine, there are possible signs of interest from both Germany and America. But the time is running up. Hopefully, the team will manage to secure financial backing and we'll see their drivers on the grid in Barcelona.

Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/17042008/23/super-aguri-admit-money-racing.html