31-Jul-08: McLaren Confirm Kovalainen for 2009
This is F1 Minute and it’s the 31st July 2008.
McLaren have today confirmed that Heikki Kovalainen will be partnering Lewis Hamilton in 2009, and everyone is very happy about it. Kovalainen says he’s ready to commit to McLaren and hopes that he can stay there for the rest of his career. Hamilton is pleased with the improved atmosphere within the team, so he’s glad it will continue. Martin Whitmarsh said that Kovalainen is “a brilliant young racing driver” but they will still be working to “extract his full potential.”
Elsewhere today, Michael Schumacher has been involved in an incident in Kent, where the Fiat van he was driving hit a barrier and knocked over a man. Martin Kingham reported the incident and police arrived at the scene. They were at first suspicious of the driver’s claims to be the seven times World Champion, but with the help of some ID, they did confirm that it was indeed Michael Schumacher in the van. No one was hurt, details were exchanged, and the matter was dealt with swiftly. My question is, what was Schumacher doing in Kent in the first place?
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
30-Jul-08: Mosley Talks Presidency, Costs, and Setup Issues
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 30th July 2008.
More Max Mosley news today, he has been talking a lot. Firstly, he has reiterated the fact that he’s not going to be attempting another term as FIA president. When his run is over in October 2009, that’s it. Until then, Mosley says he will be concentrating on making F1 cheaper for teams, and greener for the environment. He also wants the Concorde Agreement sorted before the end of this year.
Here’s a quote regarding the cost issue: “At the moment, if you’re an independent team like Toro Rosso or Force India, you can’t run at a profit – you depend on a billionaire to subsidise you. And there just aren’t enough billionaires around to subsidise.”
Mosley also discusses the problems that the new KERS technology has been facing, and says that fears about the new technology are being overstated. He said the electric shock received by a BMW mechanic was “surprising”.
Finally, Mosley mentioned that he believes his News of the World scandal emerged because he was setup by someone trying to force him to resign.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
29-Jul-08: F1 Teams Come Together to Work on Concorde Agreement
It’s the 29th July 2008, and this is F1 Minute.
Representatives of each of the F1 teams, plus Bernie Ecclestone and a colleague from CVC got together in Italy today to discuss the future of the sport. The meeting took place at the Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, and a spokesperson for Ferrari called it “extremely productive.” The most notable outcome for now, is that the teams are going to set up a new group called the Formula One Teams Association to try and sort out the Concorde Agreement with the FIA and FOM. Let’s hope they can achieve something.
The teams agreed on this new group unanimously, which should please Flavio Briatore as he has been reported as saying that things in F1 really need to change. His list of complaints include the fact that they need to have a majority rule, they need a single Director of Operations to represent all the teams, and he would like to see Max Mosley concentrating on his job instead of his personal life. Wouldn’t we all?
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
28-Jul-08: Valencia Street Circuit Gets the Go Ahead
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 28th July 2008.
The Valencia street circuit has been given it’s licence by the FIA meaning it can now hold the European Grand Prix next month. In order to get the licence, the circuit hosted races for two different series over the weekend. The International GT event, and Spanish Formula 3 race went without a hitch, and Charlie Whiting was there keeping an eye on proceedings. Afterwards, boss of the circuit, Jose Martinez said: “To be honest, I thought we would have more problems, but everything went fine. Our big worry was security and safety, but we have had no problems at all, just minor things.”
With this news, Jenson Button has been eyeing up the new circuit, and said he believes the spectacle will bring a lot of new fans to Formula 1. He continued: “It looks quick for a street circuit but you have the run-off that is necessary. It is a very different circuit to Singapore, and in their own ways they will both be exciting. Valencia for the high-speed and overtaking aspects and Singapore more for the new idea of the night race.”
I can’t wait.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
27-Jul-08: Kubica and BMW Expect Good Things in Hungary
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 27th July 2008.
With Poland not having it’s own Grand Prix, Robert Kubica is counting Hungary as the nearest thing to his home race. A large number of Polish fans are expected to turn up in Budapest, and Kubica is hoping for their support. He also enjoys the track as it’s where he raced his first Grand Prix in 2006. “As a driver you always have a special relationship with the track where you had your first Grand Prix. However, it is not for these reasons alone that I like this track. For most of the lap you have some steering angle, which means you rarely get a break, and this is made worse by the fact the straights are very short.” Doesn’t sound that much fun to me!
Meanwhile, BMW boss Mario Theissen says he is looking for a podium finish this weekend. “In 2006 the weather turned the race into a cliffhanger, and in 2007 an offensive strategy really put us on our mettle but rewarded us with a podium place. For 2008 the goal is to make it onto the Budapest podium for the third consecutive time.”
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
26-Jul-08: Two More Drivers Weigh Up the Future of KERS
This is F1 Minute for the 26th July 2008.
As the weekends are scarce for important, headline grabbing news, I thought it would be good to look at two more reactions to the KERS problems we’ve seen recently.
BMW and Red Bull have both had the most public issues with the technology, but Heidfeld believes that it will all be okay in time. “KERS is very new. I think we are one of the first to use it on track. Everyone knows what happened and everybody tried everything in advance to be safe, but when you introduce new technologies these things can happen. I am quite confident for the future that it can be made safe.”
Meanwhile, Coulthard has said in his latest column for the ITV-F1 site that there was always bound to be teething problems. “I know there are working groups looking at how to manage and overcome these issues, so hopefully a satisfactory solution will be found, but the timescale is certainly pretty tight to be ready for the start of next season.” He also said that when he consults for Red Bull next year, he’ll be wearing a full rubber body suit just to be on the safe side.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
25-Jul-08: Kovalainen Heads Up Final Day in Jerez
Welcome to F1 Minute, it ’s the 25th July 2008.
Heikki Kovalainen put McLaren on top in Jerez for the final day, leading Bourdais in the Toro Rosso, and David Coulthard in the Red Bull. McLaren were running brand new nose wings, similar to Honda, although more elegant, but notably, Kovalainen’s fastest time was set without them. There were three red flags during the day, one from Heidfeld, and two from Kobayashi in the Toyota. He started the day by running into the gravel, and ended it by stopping out on track.
Elsewhere, Max Mosley has launched a new lawsuit against the News of the World. After successfully winning his case for invasion of privacy, he is now suing them for libel, after saying he was lying about the Nazi element of what went on. He is also suing German newspaper Bild. Quite a few top names have come out and said that whilst Mosley has successfully won his court case, he should now step down. They include Jackie Stewart, Eddie Jordan, Paul Stoddart and Stirling Moss.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
24-Jul-08: Webber Leads Jerez Test and Talks KERS
It’s the 24th July, and this is F1 Minute.
Well, the result is in, and Max Mosley has won his court case against the News of the World. The High Court decided that Mosley’s privacy was invaded, and he deserved a £60,000 settlement in damages. Mosley has said he is delighted with the result and the money will go to the FIA Foundation.
Now, in real F1 news, Webber topped the timesheets in Jerez today, ahead of Piquet for Renault and Raikkonen in the Ferrari. Piquet did manage to bring out a red flag after hitting the wall, and de la Rosa, Glock and Barrichello also saw red flags. Glock was returning to action today after his accident and thankfully didn’t crash, but simply stopped out on track.
Also, we don’t appear to have had any KERS related incidents today, but fears about the safety of it continue. Webber has said that he doesn’t want to look into the technology too much as it makes him nervous, and the drivers are happy to let the engineers sort it out. From his position within the GPDA, he said they won’t be getting involved just yet.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
23-Jul-08: Toro Rosso Leads Day 2 at Jerez on Slicks
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 23rd July 2008.
The second day of testing in Jerez drew to a close today with Vettel still leading the way. Toro Rosso were testing out slick tyres and posted the fastest time ahead of de la Rosa in the McLaren and Raikkonen in the Ferrari – who was on grooved tyres. There was just one red flag caused by Alex Wurz for Honda, as he stopped on track with what appeared to be an engine problem.
Following yesterday’s incident where a BMW mechanic suffered an electric shock from a car with KERS installed, we’ve had a few updates. The mechanic was released from the medical centre with just a minor injury to his arm, but was later taken to hospital suffering dizzy spells and kept overnight for observation. He was released today. Toyota team president John Howett has spoken out, saying he doesn’t believe that KERS will be ready in time for introduction as soon as 2009.
It looks like the F1 Working Group will be discussing the issues at their next meeting.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
22-Jul-08: Vettel Leads the Way on Day 1 of Jerez Test
This is F1 minute and today is the 22nd July 2008.
All ten teams turned up in Jerez for the first day of testing this morning, and by the afternoon, Vettel was top of the leaderboard. He beat Paffett in the McLaren and Badoer in the Ferrari. The only other racing driver out there was Trulli who finished 7th. The day was not without it’s mishaps though.
BMW were testing out their new KERS, but when a mechanic touched the car, he received an electric shock. He fell to the ground, and later went to the medical centre but was unharmed. BMW were understandably cautious, and Klien didn’t complete any timed laps in the car. The team have also now decided to halt testing the system for now.
Elsewhere today, Toyota have confirmed that Glock will be back in action on Thursday, and Glock himself says: “It was a really hard impact and my back hurt immediately after I got out of the car but now it is fine. Actually, it looked worse on TV than it really was.”
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.