14-Mar-10: Alonso Leads a Ferrari 1-2 in Bahrain

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

Welcome to F1 Minute for the 14th March 2010.

Fernando Alonso has won the first race of the year, taking a Ferrari 1-2 victory in Bahrain. Vettel had been leading from pole, but his car developed some exhaust trouble and he started drifting backwards. Both Ferraris, and Hamilton got past him to make it onto the podium, whilst Vettel himself held on to fourth place.

Further back, the Hispania cars started from the pitlane, and Chandhok was out after just one lap. He hit a kerb and spun off. Senna’s engine blew up. Both Glock and di Grassi suffered mechanical problems for Virgin Racing. Pedro de la Rosa and Kobayashi both retired for Sauber. Lotus were ecstatic to be the only new team bringing both drivers to the finish safely, although Trulli did have to nurse his car across the line.
Elsewhere, Rosberg finished ahead of Schumacher – 5th and 6th place – whilst Kubica just missed out on some points finishing 11th, whilst teammate Petrov retired from the race.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

13-Mar-10: Vettel Takes Pole Position in Bahrain

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

Today is the 13th March 2010, this is F1 Minute.

Fernando Alonso led the way in free practice 3 this morning, showing some excellent Ferrari pace. He was followed by Rosberg and Webber. Di Grassi had gearbox troubles and didn’t set a time, whilst Chandhok’s car still wasn’t able to leave the garage, meaning he would have to put in his debut lap in F1 during qualifying.

When the three-part session took place, Chandhok did finally make it out on track, and although he was initially 21 seconds off the pace, he closed up considerably and finished last, but only one second off his teammate. All the new teams plus Alguersuari were out in the first session, but it was Glock who led the new team battle, finishing 19th. At the top, Vettel took a storming pole position, with Massa and Alonso lining up behind him. Webber made a mistake on his final flying lap to finish down in 6th. Rosberg was 5th, finishing ahead of Schumacher yet again – the seven times world champion qualified 7th,

That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

12-Mar-10: Sutil and Rosberg Lead the Way in Free Practice

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 12th March 2010.

F1 has finally returned and Free Practice 1 and 2 are complete. The drivers descended on the Bahrain International Track, well, most of them did. In FP1, Sutil topped the session, followed by Alonso and Kubica. Rosberg was 8th whilst Schumacher was 10th, amid suggestions that he was not at all comfortable in the car yet. Further back, neither di Grassi nor Senna set a time, although it was quite a moment when Senna began his installation lap, making both his and Hispania’s debut. Chandhok did not leave the garage at all, his car wasn’t ready. For FP2, his car still remained stuck in the garage, leaving the Indian with no laps completed at all. Rosberg was fastest at the end of the day, followed by Hamilton and Schumacher. We only had one major spin from Alguersuari who narrowly missed the barriers, but continued on his way unharmed.

That’s all for today. Don’t forget F1 Minute goes seven days a week now the season has begun, so I will be back tomorrow with all the news from qualifying.

11-Mar-10: McLaren Pass Scrutineering, Car is Legal

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

This is F1 Minute and it’s the 11th March 2010.

Firstly, McLaren have passed scrutineering today, with the FIA giving the rear wing the all-clear. Other teams, including Red Bull and Lotus aren’t at all happy about it but as usual McLaren have stuck to the letter of the regulations if not the spirit.

The FIA also announced that they will be re-opening the selection process for a team to replace US F1 in 2011. All the teams that applied this year can have another go, if they so desire. A statement from the governing body also hinted at the fact that it’s not over for US F1 and they may face some penalties for defaulting on their entry this year.

Finally, two quick snippets, Renault have signed up HP as a major sponsor this year – the company previously sponsored Williams, whilst Alain Prost is the first former F1 driver to join the stewarding panel for 2010, taking up a spot amongst the Bahrain stewards. Other stewards at future races will include Johnny Herbert, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Alex Wurz.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

10-Mar-10: Massa and Chandhok Discuss Potential

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

Today is the 10th March 2010 and this is F1 Minute.

It’s all about the build up to the race now as teams and drivers descend on Bahrain to prepare for Free Practice on Friday. Massa has said he thinks Ferrari are in a good position this year, especially compared to their recent history: “I am very happy and very motivated that we can start the championship in a better way not just than last year, which was not a very good year, but also than the other championships.”

Meanwhile, Autosport asked Karun Chandhok his thoughts on the recent comments by other teams about the slow new boys and he said: “In all honesty, I appreciate these concerns to some extent – because if I was in their situation then I would be concerned as well. The last thing you want in Q3… is to get someone in your way. But I would be amazed if any of the new teams get to Q3!” I’m not sure that’s really defending his team, but we’ll go with it for now.

That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

09-Mar-10: McLaren Confident Rear Wing is Legal

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 9th March 2010.

More McLaren news, as managing director Jonathan Neale has been speaking about the rear wing problem, suggesting that it really is just Red Bull and Ferrari’s problem. He said: “We’ve spoken to Stefano and some of the other team principals and colleagues there and of course everyone wants to see clarity. We’re doing the same on a number of other teams’ developments. There’s nothing untowards about it though – we’re quite confident the car is legal.” Neale also added that if the stewards did go against them, they have contingency plans, but he is not putting too much effort into them as they do not expect that to happen.

Finally, some new pictures of the work at Silverstone emerged today, and it looks as though they are almost done. The managing director Richard Phillips said: “The team has been working around the clock, through some pretty terrible weather conditions, to make sure the circuit is ready on time.” That’s Britain for you!

That will do for now, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

08-Mar-10: Renault Hoping to Fight in Top Four

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

This is F1 Minute for the 8th March 2010.

The ongoing saga with McLaren’s rear wing continues, as the FIA will now wait until Bahrain to inspect the design. Charlie Whiting was due to visit the factory last week, but travel delays meant that could not happen. Apparently, McLaren and the FIA have corresponded previously, and there was no problem found with the part, but they will confirm this in Bahrain.

Preview quotes are coming thick and fast now, and team principal of Renault, Eric Boullier, has said he hopes the team will be fighting in the top four for the championship. He says their testing performance seemed slow because they ran with heavy fuel loads.

Finally, a quick note that Sir Stirling Moss was injured over the weekend in a lift accident at his home. He fell down three floors after the door opened without the lift present. He suffered broken ankles and bones, underwent some surgery and is now safe and stable. His wife has said he is in high spirits after his fall. We wish him a speedy recovery.

That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

05-Mar-10: Ian Phillips Leaves Force India F1

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

Welcome to F1 Minute for the 5th March 2010.

Force India have confirmed that Ian Phillips, their director of business affairs, will be leaving the team. Phillips has been with them for 19 years, since they were Jordan but is now being let go. The consensus of opinion appears to be that he was not popular after letting slip Fisichella’s move to Ferrari last year before it actually happened, and that people tend to go to Phillips for the gossip. A Force India statement simply read: “The team would like to wish Ian every success in his future endeavours.”

Elsewhere, McLaren have invited the FIA to come to the factory and take a look at their rear wing, after Red Bull queried the design. Charlie Whiting was due to inspect the part today, but didn’t make it to the factory.

Very quickly to finish, Mercedes won the race to get their preview quotes out first, and Schumacher says: “Finally the season will start! I feel like a child looking forward to Christmas.”

That’s all for now, please join me on Monday for another F1 Minute.

04-Mar-10: HRT Confirm Chandhok and Reveal New Car

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

This is F1 Minute and it’s the 4th March 2010.

Today was all about the new HRT team, as they confirmed Karun Chandhok as second driver alongside Bruno Senna for the upcoming year. Talking about the former GP2 driver, team principal Colin Kolles said: “We have been very impressed with Karun’s performance in GP2. India is a great country. It will be great for the sport to have an Indian driver on the grid for the first Indian Grand Prix.” That’s not this year, of course, who knows what will have changed by then! Also today, the team revealed their 2010 car at an event in Murcia. The car is a murky grey and white, and with just a week to go before Bahrain, there’s little chance of seeing it out on track before Free Practice.

Talking of the first race of the year, with echoes of 2009, Red Bull have asked for clarification from the FIA regarding an aerodynamic part on a rival team. They’re asking about the legality of McLaren’s rear wing – where the shark fin joins the wing itself. Oh joy.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

03-Mar-10: FIA Release Entry List With 12 Teams Only

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

It’s the 3rd March 2010 and this is F1 Minute.

Following the revelation yesterday that US F1 were closing down their bid to make it to the grid this year, Ken Anderson has finally spoken out. The co-owner of the team has said they are still keen on getting into F1. “We have applied to the FIA to hold our entry until 2011. It was supposed to be confidential, so I could not really comment on it. It seems to have leaked out though. We are waiting for a reply from the FIA and are working with them. In the mean time, there is nothing for the employees to do, so we have told them to stop working on the current car until we have a decision.” The FIA released the entry list with no US F1, and no Stefan GP either. There are just 12 teams this year.

Meanwhile, Campos have officially changed their name to Hispania Racing F1 Team, to be known as HRT F1. Not the best acronym they could have chosen, for various reasons.

That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Next Page »