Today is the 31st January and here is your F1 Minute.
Renault launched their new R28 in Paris today, although there are no radical changes to the car, it’s paint job or it’s sponsors. Team boss Flavio Briatore spoke about his aims for the year and said that getting back onto the podium needs to be job one. He said 2007 was a disaster and they must do better. Of the driver line-up, Briatore was most complementary saying it was motivating to have Alonso back on board, and Piquet is a promising young talent. He said he is often asked of the chances of a French driver being on the team, but he feels that’s a job for the future.
Alonso himself said he feels Renault are about a second behind their rivals for the top spots, that there is no possibility to fight McLaren and Ferrari for race wins – yet. Alonso said he didn’t regret leaving Renault because of the poor performance they had last year, whilst he was enjoying another crack at the title, but he’s happy to be back. He wants to work with the team to get them back to a competitive position.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
I’m Christine, it’s the 30th January 2008 and this is F1 Minute.
2007 was a difficult season for Super Aguri in terms of revenue and budget, and the team are looking for investors for the coming season. This has prompted all kinds of speculation, from some saying the team won’t make it through the year, to others saying they’ll need to bring in pay drivers. Honda have said that they will continue to support Super Aguri but only if they keep a driver like Anthony Davidson on board. They want someone who can bring valued feedback to the team. Nick Fry also essentially said that supporting Super Aguri is a bit of a distraction for him and Ross Brawn and that their primary focus needs to be on Honda.
On that subject, Alex Wurz has obviously been listening to the speculation about his ability to stand in at a race after his sudden retirement from competitive racing last year. He has cleared the air saying he would stand in if required, but it’s not what he wants to do all season long.
And finally, the schedule for the Singapore GP has been released and shows that practice sessions and qualifying will also be at night, along with the race.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
It’s the 29th January, this is F1 Minute and today is all about Honda.
The Japanese squad launched the new RA108 and although we have previously seen it on track during testing, the excitement centred on the new livery. Gone is the total earth-style theme to a more sedate white and red paintjob, with a globe towards the back of the car.
The myearthdream initiative has evolved into simply earthdreams. Last year, fan donations reached almost £100,000 which will be shared out to environmental charities. There is no specific information about what will happen this year, but Honda want us all to know that the earth dreaming is a long term thing.
Back to the launch, though, Ross Brawn was saying that he’s enjoying life so far with Honda and that there’s no pressure on him to produce a quick fix for the car. He still seems a little unsure exactly how involved he’s going to get with the race strategies, saying he doesn’t want to interfere. Meanwhile, Barrichello was saying he isn’t thinking about retiring from F1 just yet, whilst Button is confident the team know where they’re going and he’s going to stick with Honda for the long term.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Sebastian Vettel thinks that starting the season with his old car might not be such a bad thing. Speaking to Formula1.com, Vettel said he felt comfortable in the old car and happy in the knowledge that whilst others are struggling with teething problems in their new machines, he will have a car he knows very well. There is no specific date for the launch of the new car, but it’s expected that it will appear after three or four races.
Prodrive boss David Richards isn’t joining F1 this year, but is still having his say about things that may affect the sport in the future. Talking of the proposed budget caps idea, Richards believes that the plan is simply an excuse for poor technical regulations. He says he’s seen the scheme attempted and failed in Australia, and as a team boss, he wouldn’t want to go back to being an accountant again.
And very quickly to finish, two snippets from Max Mosley: He says the sport will be stronger for the controversial 2007 season, and despite speculation, he believes teams will not be able to get round the standard ECU.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
It’s the 25th January 2008, I’m Christine, and this is F1 Minute.
The FIA are planning to change the way the stewarding process works at Grand Prix weekends. Previously, there were two at each race, joined by season-long steward Tony-Scott Andrews. Andrews has now retired and the FIA have taken the opportunity to shake up the organisation. Now there will be three stewards at each race, nominated by F1-neutral nationalities, so countries that have no interests within the sport. They will be joined by FIA representative Alan Donnelly who will be there to improve the decision-making process. It’s thought this setup is in a response to complaints about some of last year’s incidents – where it could take days for the stewards to come to a decision.
Also in the news today, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen are nominated in separate categories for the 2008 Laureus World Sport Awards – Kimi is up for the World Sportsman of the Year, whilst Lewis battles for Breakthrough of the Year. Ferrari have been nominated for Best Team.
That’s all for today, have a wonderful weekend and join me on Monday for another F1 Minute.
It’s the 24th January 2008, and this is F1 Minute.
Lewis Hamilton has been talking once again, about his relationship with Alonso, saying that the Spaniard taught him how not to behave during their time together at McLaren. Hamilton reiterates that he does not want any advantages out of the team, that everything should be equal. He says: “Beat him on the same tyres, same engine then, knowing all that, you just know you’re a better driver.”
Kimi Raikkonen gave Ferrari the headlines for the final day of testing in Valencia, ahead of Kovalainen and Massa. Nakajima put in another strong performance bringing the Williams to 4th. There were five red flags in total, Hamilton, Vettel and Fisichella stopped on the track, whilst Bourdais and Piquet spun off. Jenson Button had a go in the new Honda, but once again, the team were the slowest of the day.
Talking of Honda, I want to finish with Barrichello’s vote of confidence in the new car: “There is not much to say. You could quite easily say it is better than the other one. That’s not so difficult as the other one was tremendously bad.”
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Today is the 23rd January 2008, I’m Christine and this is F1 Minute.
Kovalainen has put McLaren at the top of the testing timesheets in Valencia. The two Ferrari’s were sandwiched between the McLarens, with Lewis Hamilton in fourth. Williams continued their strong showing and Red Bull showed an improvement in pace, although Mark Webber was the cause of two red flags during the day. Felipe Massa also caused a red flag in the morning. Rubens Barrichello was driving the new Honda RA108, but unfortunately finished at the bottom of the timesheets.
In other news, Flavio Briatore has been speaking about the welcome return of Alonso to the Renault garage. He said that the Spaniard is stronger and more motivated after the difficult season he had with McLaren. He was also quick to point out that the double world champion won’t find the same troubles with rookie driver Nelsinho Piquet. Quote: “I won’t be the new Ron Dennis. I know how to manage the team and I don’t want any dispute. Each person directs the team in their own way but I can guarantee that there will be no problems this season.”
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Testing continues at Valencia, with Ferrari’s Massa outpacing teammate Raikkonen, with a surprising third for Nico Rosberg in the Williams. Two McLarens were next in the timesheets, followed by Alonso in the Renault. There continues to be a mix of old and new, with Rosberg in a new Williams, but Nakajima struggling in the old style car. Alex Wurz made his testing debut for Honda but finished the day at the very bottom of the timesheets. There were four red flags during the day, two from Heidfeld, one from Alonso and one from Massa, who ran out of fuel.
Elsewhere, Malaysian officials have decided they’d like to follow in the footsteps of Singapore and host a night race next year. The Chairman of Sepang said he is collaborating with the lighting consultants who are working on the Singapore setup with the aim of a night race in 2009.
Also today, the Circuit de Catalunya bosses have confirmed they will be making some safety upgrades after requests from several motorsport factions. Tyre barriers and run-off areas look set to be improved, with the pitlane getting a complete resurfacing.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Nigel Stepney has revealed in an interview with Sky Sports, that he does not feel to blame for the espionage affair. He says although he did supply the information to McLaren, it was used to a much higher extent than he’d anticipated. Stepney also commented that there is still a lot that has been left unsaid on the subject.
Williams rolled out their new car, the FW30 at a very foggy Valencia circuit today. With no official launch taking place, this is the first time we’ve laid eyes on the car. Nico Hulkunberg managed to complete just 20 laps, before heading back to the garage due to the weather conditions. Fernando Alonso was also at Valencia, taking to the track in the new Renault R28 around lunchtime. He completed 39 laps, and was comfortably faster than Hulkenburg. Renault will be running the car at Valencia this week, before the official launch takes place at the end of the month.
And finally, Alex Wurz has spoken about his decision to join Honda, saying he feels he wouldn’t have the energy to complete a full season of racing but that’s just a small part of what a driver does and the development of the car is just as fulfilling.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Lewis Hamilton has signed a deal with McLaren that sees him staying at the team until 2012. His contract is reported to be worth £10 million a year which will make him one of Britain’s highest paid sports stars. Ron Dennis didn’t talk numbers, but said Hamilton’s spectacular debut year deserved some financial reward, and Lewis for his part, said that he feels connected to McLaren and could drive for them through his entire F1 career.
The cost of a Formula 1 super licence from the FIA has seen a massive price hike for 2008 and onwards. Previously it cost less than 2,000 Euros to purchase a licence, with the renewal price adjusted depending on how many points you scored in the previous season. This year, the price has gone up to 10,000 with an extra 2,000 Euros for each point. The FIA haven’t given a reason for the massive increase, but speculation is rife that it’s to preserve the exclusivity of the sport, and keep out the less able drivers.
That’s all for today, have a great weekend, please join me on Monday for another F1 Minute.