31-Oct-07: Mosley Keeps McLaren In The Press
Today is the 31st October, I’m Christine and this is F1 Minute.
Max Mosley has been making more headlines for McLaren. Firstly, he said Lewis Hamilton may end up having a negative effect on the sport, despite the droves of new British fans turning up at Silverstone this year. He is hoping it won’t turn into another Michael Schumacher – you either love him or you hate him – situation.
Mosley has also given more information about the inspection of McLaren’s 2008 cars, saying that the details will be handed to external experts. The trick will be in deciding if any ideas from Ferrari have been stolen, as it’s unlikely the engineering will look exactly the same.
Two quick stories to finish, Singapore are already making plans to build a permanent racetrack in the city, even though their first ever race has yet to be held. They are sure it’s going to cause a revolution in the sport over there. And Bernie Ecclestone held an auction in London today to sell off 50 of his rare car collection, including a Ford Anglia that only cost him just over £650.
That’s all for today, Happy Halloween to everyone. Please join me tomorrow for another F1 minute.
30-Oct-07: Ferrari President Says Happy Birthday
Hello everyone, I’m Christine from Sidepodcast, and this is F1 Minute for the 30th October 2007.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo had some harsh words to say about F1 supremos Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley last week, angry that they had not done enough with the espionage saga. He has today clarified his comments, saying he has nothing but respect and admiration for the pair. He even wished Bernie a happy 77th birthday for yesterday.
On the subject of the espionage scandal, McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa was called before the Italian magistrate who is investigating the criminal side of the affair. Ferrari initiated the investigation against Nigel Stepney, but gradually the case has been widening, with Fernando Alonso being called for questioning at the beginning of the month.
And finally, Honda have announced they will be letting three GP2 drivers behind the wheel for the upcoming test in Barcelona. Mike Conway, Luca Fillipi and Andreas Zuber will all be hoping to impress team bosses in hopes of a future F1 drive.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 minute.
29-Oct-07: Hamilton to Leave Britain for Switzerland
Welcome to F1 Minute. It’s Monday, 29th October 2007, I’m Christine, and these are your top headlines for today.
Lewis Hamilton has announced his intention to move to Switzerland, just a day after his hometown say they will name a street after the driver. Stevenage Borough Council want to commemorate everything their hero has done for the sport so far, but Hamilton has decided enough is enough. He cites the public and media intrusion into his private life as his main reason to move abroad, but there are probably financial benefits as well. Switzerland is a popular destination for F1 drivers, with Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher currently in residence there.
Honda have received two awards for their environmental efforts this year, at the 2007 Green Awards in London. The team and their myearthdream campaign won the best of their budget, beating off the likes of Marks and Spencer and Procter & Gamble, and then Honda picked up the best overall campaign. The overall award is known as the Grand Prix award, and I’m sure the irony of that against the poor Honda season this year is lost on no one.
That’s all for today, join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
26-Oct-07: FIA Court of Appeal Announce Fuel Hearing Date
Hello everyone, this if F1 Minute, I’m Christine from Sidepodcast, and today is Friday 26th October. But it’s not today’s date that matters, oh no.
The FIA’s International Court of Appeal has set the date for the BMW/Williams fuel saga as Thursday, 15th November, and it will be heard in Paris.
Max Mosley made the announcement to a small gathering of French press, but the news soon spread through the blogosphere, causing anxiety wherever it went. Whilst defending the championship result as decided, Mosley said: “For us, the world championship is over, the result is what it is.” But then the President went on to contradict himself slightly by saying: “If the cars classified ahead of Hamilton would be excluded, would this change his position? The Court of Appeal will have to rule on that.”
So, whilst we now have a date to focus on, we are still going to have to wait for the final results.
And very quickly, while we’re talking about new champ Raikkonen, ex-Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn has praised the driver for his ability to adapt to the car and overcome the challenges of the Bridgestone tyres.
That’s all for today, have a wonderful weekend, and join me on Monday for another F1 Minute.
25-Oct-07: The 2008 Calendar and Other Stories
This is F1 Minute, it’s the 25th October, and today I have lots of little snippets for you.
First up, the 2008 calendar is finally confirmed, with all the provisional tracks approved, including Valencia, and the Singapore night race.
Apparently, Kimi’s first words upon landing in Europe as the new World Champion were: “I am so happy it almost hurts!”
The British Racing Drivers Club have awarded Lewis Hamilton their 2007 Gold Star, for his success during the season.
Michael Schumacher got behind the wheel of this seasons Ferrari F2007 for a demonstration celebrating the companies 60th birthday.
The reports earlier this week claiming that Hamilton had admitted an error on his part have been proven to be false. The reporter behind the story revealed that he had heard the information second hand and it was not a direct quote.
And finally, Ferrari have been granted special permission by the World Motorsport Council to continue to supply two customer engines in 2008 and 9, despite the rules stipulating only one.
Those are the many headlines today, join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
24-Oct-07: Spyker Confirm 2008 Name Change
Hello everyone, welcome to F1 Minute for the 24th October 2007. These are your top headlines for today.
Spyker have confirmed their new name for 2008. The team will be onto their fourth name in three years. No more Jordan, Midland, or Spyker, from next season they will be known as Force India. Team boss Vijay Mallya also announced the colours of the car, predictably, the same as the Indian flag, green, white and orange.
Now this season is over, the FIA have worked out that McLaren would have finished second, had they been allowed to keep their points. This means that the $100 million fine handed out at the espionage hearing can be reduced, but reports say it will still be in excess of $50 million. The money is payable in December and will go towards setting up the FIA Development Fund.
And finally, engine development will be frozen for 10 years from 2008 in an effort to reduce costs. A change could be made after 5 years, as long as it’s unanimous and subject to a two-year notice period.
That’s all for today, join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
23-Oct-07: Was The Error Hamilton’s?
Hello everyone, today is the 23rd October, I’m Christine and this is F1 minute.
The fallout from the championship decider in Brazil this weekend continues, and as usual, most of it centres around McLaren.
Pitpass.com, and Eurosport have both reported that Lewis Hamilton made the error that caused his car to reset itself, meaning his loss of power and many places at the start of the race. A spokesperson from McLaren has rubbished these stories though, claiming that the fault lies within the gearbox rather than with the driver.
McLaren have also tried to defend the issue they have with BMW and Williams, saying that it is not anything to do with the championship, but simply they think people would have criticised them for letting an illegal technology race legitimately.
No one appears to agree with them though. Alonso hopes Raikkonen doesn’t lose the title, and Hamilton says he would only want to win on track, not through other teams being disqualified. In fact, the only people who don’t appear bothered by the fuss are Ferrari and Raikkonen himself. Presumably, he is still celebrating.
That’s all for today, join me tomorrow for another F1 minute.
22-Oct-07: Raikkonen Championship Winner - For Now
This is F1 Minute, I’m Christine and today is the 22nd October 2007.
The only headline you need to know today is that Kimi Raikkonen has won the 2007 Driver Championship after an absolutely thrilling race in Brazil.
Heading into the race, Raikkonen was still in with a chance, but the rank outsider. Hamilton lost out to Alonso at the first corner, then ran wide trying to gain the place back. That pushed him out of the points, and he then suffered a problem with his gears that left him with too much work to do to recover. He finished 1 lap down, in 7th position, amid calls that the pressure finally got to him. Raikkonen won the race, and backed up by team mate Felipe Massa, with Alonso in third, he took the championship as well.
The only blight on his celebrations comes in the form of an investigation into fuel temperature issues. The stewards looked into BMW and Williams procedures but deemed it too hard to rule on. McLaren are appealing the decision, and if anything comes of it, the championship may not be as certain as we think.
I will keep you posted, so join me tomorrow for another F1 minute.
19-Oct-07: Hamilton, Button, and Sato May Face Penalty
Today is the 19th October 2007, this is F1 minute, and I’m Christine from Sidepodcast.
The Ferrari’s were top of the timesheets for the first free practice session in Brazil, with Raikkonen leading Massa and the McLaren’s nowhere to be seen. The second session, however saw Hamilton lead Alonso, then followed by their rivals.
Hamilton, however, may face trouble this weekend. He, along with Honda’s Jenson Button and Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato, are under investigation by the Brazilian stewards. The three drivers were deemed to have used two sets of wet weather tyres in the first practice session this morning, which is against the rules. They have been summoned to meet with the stewards and a decision should be reached tonight.
And very quickly to finish, while we’re on the subject of Hamilton, Bernie Ecclestone believes the Brit deserves the title more than any of the other contenders, whilst Jackie Stewart believes Lewis would benefit from the experience of losing the title this year.
That’s it for today. Make sure you tune in to the race this weekend, if you can. It’s your last chance for Grand Prix goodness this year. I’ll be back on Monday for another F1 minute.
18-Oct-07: Alonso Accused of Mind Games
Hello everyone, today is 18th October 2007, I’m Christine and this is your F1 Minute.
The news is all about Fernando Alonso today, as two former world champions come out of the woodwork to have their say on the current title contender. Triple champion Nelson Piquet has expressed his belief that Alonso is just playing mind games when it comes to the talk of sabotage from McLaren. He’s also said that McLaren would be stupid to release Alonso to a rival team, just because he and Hamilton don’t get on, when he could get the results for them.
4 times world champion Alain Prost takes an opposing viewpoint, by saying that McLaren should have given Alonso number 1 driver status from the start of the year. Prost believes that Ron Dennis is sympathetic and protective of Hamilton to the expense of the success of the team. If Alonso was given number one status, most of the problems this year would have been avoided.
And finally, a word from Alonso himself, he doesn’t like the idea of the equality steward for Brazil, He doesn’t believe it is necessary.
Those are your Alonso flavoured headlines for today, join me tomorrow for another F1 minute.