30-Apr-08: Webber Asks the FIA to Consider Spain Run-off Areas
This is F1 Minute for the 30th April 2008.
Mark Webber has been talking about Kovalainen’s crash in Spain this past weekend, in his capacity as director of the GPDA. Webber says that the run off area on that particular turn is not big enough and needs to be looked at by the FIA. He mentioned the fact that Sebastien Bourdais also had a crash there in testing the previous week, although that was much less severe.
The FIA have today announced that their safety experts are looking into the crash, particularly from the angle that it took doctors a relatively long time to reach Kovalainen. The FIA have said they will be conducting a detailed analysis of the accident data but it is too early for any official comment just yet.
In aero news today, BMW’s technical director Willy Rampf has said that the team will be testing a version of the Ferrari nose hole in the wind tunnels to see if it will benefit them. And Renault believe they have already made significant improvements, as Pat Symonds said the gap may still be big to Ferrari, but the team have gained at least three tenths on their past performance.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
29-Apr-08: Confidence In Mosley Continues to Fall
It’s the 29th April and this is F1 Minute.
A report in the Sunday Times this weekend has said that some of the motoring bodies who are members of the FIA could leave if Max Mosley does not step down. Although not specifically saying they would do so, the American Automobile Association warned that several of their fellow organisations could breakaway to form their own version of the FIA, one without Mosley at the top. This comes on top of a meeting over the weekend between all eleven F1 teams, where only three of them did not want to sign a statement asking Mosley to resign.
Elsewhere today, BMW boss Mario Theissen has spoken out about what ruined Heidfeld’s race, saying: “Unfortunately, with regards the safety car and pit stops, the current situation is anything but satisfying - it is a true gamble. This time, we have been the ones to suffer. The team managers have been discussing this topic with the FIA for quite a while now. I hope that there will be a reasonable solution soon.” Meanwhile Heidfeld simplified matters, branding it a “stupid rule.”
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
28-Apr-08: An Update on Heikki’s Condition After Barcelona Crash
Hi everyone, this is F1 Minute for the 28th April.
An update on Heikki Kovalainen after his big crash in Barcelona this weekend. He stayed in hospital overnight, but should be released today. Heikki said he had no recollection of the crash or what happened immediately afterwards, so he has to trust McLaren’s version of events. They say it was possibly a stone that got into the wheel and caused the sudden tyre deflation. Nevertheless, Heikki said he had a headache and a stiff neck but was otherwise okay, and he’s going to concentrate on getting better so he can pass the FIA medical to be allowed to race in Turkey.
Elsewhere today, Williams have bought a stake in a company called Automotive Hybrid Power Limited, who research and develop energy recovery technologies. The team are obviously preparing for the introduction of KERS from next year, and are perhaps now one step ahead of some of the competition.
Two quick snippets to finish, Davidson has said he is preparing for Turkey as normal, despite not knowing whether his team will race, and Sydney are prepared to evaluate whether they could host F1 instead of Melbourne.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
27-Apr-08: Ferrari Take 1-2, Whilst Kovalainen Crashes in Spain
It’s the 27th April and this is F1 Minute.
From pole position to the chequered flag, Kimi Raikkonen won a relatively easy race at the Circuit de Catalunya, and was joined on the podium by Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton. Alonso lost out a place on the start but was keeping up with the front runners. Unfortunately he had an engine failure about halfway through the race and had to retire in front of his home crowd.
The big news of the weekend was for Heikki Kovalainen, though, who suffered a wheel failure at 150mph and crashed into the tyre barriers. The car seemed to be heavily embedded in the tyre wall, and the safety car was brought out whilst the situation was cleared up. Kovalainen was stretchered to the medical centre, giving the thumbs up to the crowd as he went, and later airlifted to hospital for further checks. Ron Dennis has told reporters that all the scans are clear, and Heikki has suffered only a concussion, after losing consciousness at the scene for a moment. He’ll stay in hospital overnight and Dennis is confident he’ll be cleared to race in Turkey.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
26-Apr-08: Raikkonen Beats Alonso to Pole in Spain
This is F1 Minute for the 26th April 2008.
After dominating Free Practice on Friday, Raikkonen lost out in FP3 to Nick Heidfeld, but remained top in Qualifying. It was a mixed up session with Coulthard and Vettel out early, and Hamilton and Kovalainen struggling. The most important moment came in the dying seconds of the third session, when Fernando Alonso posted the fastest time in front of his home crowd. It was literally only for a few seconds, as Raikkonen snatched pole position from his grasp, but everyone at Renault is happy with their much improved performance.
Elsewhere today, Super Aguri have said that their future will depend on a meeting with investors and Honda at some point next week. Aguri Suzuki has confirmed that talks with potential investors Dubai International Group are ongoing, but their future will rest on the meeting with Honda. Suzuki also said he was bound by a couple of Non Disclosure Agreements, so we probably won’t be finding out much more until after a decision is reached.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
25-Apr-08: Raikkonen Tops Both Practice Sessions in Spain
Today is the 25th April and this is F1 Minute.
Raikkonen dominated both Free Practice sessions in Spain today. The first was a Ferrari 1-2, with Hamilton just behind, and all in all it was a pretty dull affair. The cars sat in the garages for almost a third of the 90 minutes, which has raised some questions about whether it’s wise to test at a track the week before going to race there.
However, the second session put some of these fears to rest, because although Raikkonen took the headline again, we saw many drivers at the top. At one point, it was a Force India 1-2, something I never thought I’d say, then a Williams double, and also a Renault double, which made Alonso’s home crowd very happy.
Elsewhere, Mosley was invited to Israel to meet with the Minister of Science, Culture and Sport, but after news of the current scandal reached the Minister, the invitation was withdrawn. They said they’d rather wait until things had settled down. Mosley responded saying he understood.
That’s all for today, don’t forget we go 7 days a week on race weekends, so I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
24-Apr-08: FIA Launch the EveryRace Campaign
It’s the 24th April and this is F1 Minute.
The FIA have launched the “EveryRace” campaign, which appears to be an evolution of the previously announced Racing Against Racism initiative. The campaign took shape after an incident during winter testing that saw some racist behaviour towards Lewis Hamilton, and it aims to highlight the fact that “there is no place for racism in our sport or our society.” Visit everyrace.net for more information.
Hamilton, meanwhile, has said he isn’t anticipating any problems this coming weekend in Spain, says he always gets on well with the Spanish fans and he’s looking forward to a good race.
Elsewhere today, David Coulthard has been giving his opinion on the new rules and regulations, saying that he doesn’t believe reducing downforce and running slick tyres will give the audience the show it wants. He said more needs to be done, such as improving how the cars run through dirty air, before we start to see the increased overtaking that we want. He doesn’t go on to say how this could be achieved, though.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
23-Apr-08: Heidfeld Thanks The Team In Munich
Hi everyone, welcome to F1 Minute for the 23rd April.
Nick Heidfeld was at the BMW factory in Munich today to say thank you for the hard work that’s been going on. He didn’t just say thanks and sign autographs, though, he drove the F1 car in a demonstration, did a couple of donuts and brought the factory to a halt for an entire 45 minutes. Heidfeld said: “It is nice to give the workforce something back. I lost track of how many hands I was shaking.”
Patrick Head has finally admitted what we’ve all known for a long time, that Nakajima’s signing to Williams was at the request of engine supplier Toyota. Head said that although Toyota had some influence over Rosberg’s teammate signing, they wouldn’t have picked Kazuki if they didn’t think he was good enough. He does admit though: “It’s true, Kazuki has made some mistakes, but he also has learned from them, and has great potential, and I think that is what really matters.”
Finally, today, we have an early weather forecast for the weekend: showers are predicted for both Saturday and Sunday, but even if it doesn’t rain, temperatures will be much lower than F1 usually finds in Barcelona.
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
22-Apr-08: Super Aguri Are On Their Way To Spain
This is F1 Minute for the 22nd April.
A quick update on Super Aguri, co-owner Fumio Akita has said that as far as he is aware, the cars have now been sent on their way to Spain. This is after the short term future of the team looked very pessimistic following the collapse of the latest takeover deal.
In other news, Ferrari team president Luca di Montezemolo has said that they don’t really want to have Alonso in their team, squashing the rumours that he is destined for a seat there in 2009. Montezemolo said: “To line up a Raikkonen/Alonso double act would mean wanting to damage yourself. I want two equal drivers that work together.” Not necessarily as a response to this, but with coincidental timing, Alonso has said he has many options, including staying at Renault, but he’s also interested in Williams, BMW and Toyota.
Finally, today, a commissioner for the EU will be investigating the Valencia street circuit project after questions were raised by an environmental group. The concerns involve how the contract was decided upon, and also the potential noise levels.
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
21-Apr-08: Mosley Intends to Fight But Not Past 2009
This is F1 Minute for the 21st April 2008.
Max Mosley has spoken out in his first interview since the News of the World expose, and defended his right to have a private life. He’s said that for every letter he’s had telling him to resign, he’s had seven telling him to stay, and it’s for those people that he intends to fight his corner. He has admitted, though, that if he does survive the vote in June and remains president of the FIA, he won’t seek another term in 2009. The best part of the interview, however, was Mosley referring to his wife’s reaction, saying she was “not best pleased.” The first vocal supporter of Max has spoken out. It’s ex-Ferrari chief Jean Todt, and he says he’s amazed at the reaction to Mosley’s private life.
Elsewhere in the sport, Barrichello has set the date for Turkey to be his record-breaking 257th Grand Prix start, although there is some discrepancy over the actual number of races he has taken part in. Honda decided a lack of any definitive answer means that Turkey will do as the race to celebrate.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.