It’s the 19th September 2008, and this is F1 Minute.
Pedro de la Rosa headed up the final day of testing at Jerez for McLaren, just ahead of BMW and Renault. There were no rain interruptions today, and no major incidents. Vettel returned to the Toro Rosso cockpit whilst Buemi returned to work for Red Bull.
Talking of which, it appears that Buemi may be a favourite for the Toro Rosso race seat in 2009, after Franz Tost has been quoted as saying as long as they could find an experienced driver to pair him with, they would want him in the car. Buemi isn’t getting too carried away, but says he is excited and getting into F1 is his main objective for next year.
Elsewhere today, Wurz has finished up testing Honda’s KERS system and declared that it’s quite safe: “Honda has an enormous amount of know how with the battery system and we have some security checks all the time going on, so we are very confident that we won’t be electrocuted.” He said it’s fine in road cars so all F1 teams have to do is work out how to package it correctly.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
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.
This is F1 Minute for the 8th July 2008. Please excuse my voice, I picked up some lovely germs from Silverstone.
Testing got underway in Hockenheim today, in preparation for the German Grand Prix. Rain caused plenty of chaos throughout with showers on and off. McLaren were running a brand new addition to their car in the shape of the shark fin engine cover used by many of the other teams. It seemed to help them, with Hamilton posting the fastest time of the day. Raikkonen was second and Rosberg third. Wurz was behind the only red flag, when his Honda spun off in the wet.
Elsewhere, David Coulthard has said that he’d like to see Vettel take his place at Red Bull when he retires at the end of the season. Over on F1.com, he said: “For me Sebastian Vettel has everything that a future winner in Formula 1 needs. Also his maturity and approach shows me that he is the best man for the job.”
Finally, Super Aguri are putting their assets up for sale at an online auction later this month, and the Mosley court case continues with several of the women involved backing up the presidents claims that there was no Nazi element to proceedings.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with 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.
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.
It’s the 10th January 2008, and this is F1 Minute.
Alex Wurz has come out of retirement to sign for Honda as third driver this year. Wurz retired from racing at the end of last year, to be replaced at Williams by Nakajima. However, lured by working with Ross Brawn, Wurz has joined the team to help develop the car.
Force India held an event in India to officially confirm Fisichella as their number one driver, with Adrian Sutil as team mate, and Tonio Liuzzi as test driver. Fisichella was quick to point out that this was not his only opportunity, but the best one.
Toyota launched their 2008 contender this morning, in Cologne. The drivers and management were present, with everyone pretty much admitting the pressure is on to get some results after a disappointing 2007.
And very quickly, the Autosport International show has started today in Birmingham, and an interesting snippet comes from Dave Richards, who has said that customer cars are looking really unlikely, and therefore Prodrive’s plans are basically scuppered.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Hello everyone, I’m Christine from Sidepodcast, and this is F1 Minute for the 7th November 2007.
Williams have confirmed their driver line-up for 2008 as Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima. Rosberg will be starting his third year with the team, whilst Nakajima gets his first full season after a one race debut this year.
Najakima expressed his gratitude to Williams and to Toyota, as he took part in their young driver program and the contract has been agreed between the teams. He’s also set his sights on taking over Takuma Sato’s reign as Japan’s best racing driver, and believes that the rule changes might help. He drove in GP2 this year, where there’s no traction control allowed, so he thinks he may have a slight advantage when he takes to the track in the Williams.
Also in the news today, de la Rosa is convinced that he has what it takes to partner Lewis Hamilton if McLaren were to offer him the chance, and ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz’s top priority for the future is to a return to the Le Mans 24 hour race.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Today is Tuesday, 9th October, I’m Christine from Sidepodcast, and this is your F1 minute.
Williams announced their replacement for Alex Wurz today as Kazuki Nakajima. The test driver will step up for the race seat as a one-off in season-closer Brazil, and although it’s obviously a great opportunity, Frank Williams has made it clear that he will not be judging the driver for 2008 potential on this one race alone.
Max Mosley stands by his recent unfavourable comments about Jackie Stewart, even though the former world champion is threatening legal action. Stewart has said his lawyers are talking to Mosley and his people, but Mosley is determined to make no apology for calling the Scotsman a “certified halfwit.”
Fernando Alonso was interviewed by magistrate Guiseppe Tibis, regarding the criminal investigation into the Ferrari/McLaren espionage. There was no visible outcome from the enquiry, but questions asked are believed to have been about the email exchange and confidential information received from Stepney.
Those are your F1 headlines for today, join me tomorrow for another F1 minute.
Hi everyone, this is Sidepodcast’s F1 minute. I’m Christine and these are the F1 headlines for today, 8th October 2007.
Kimi Raikkonen won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, followed closely by Fernando Alonso, meaning both drivers are still in with a chance at the drivers title when F1 descends on Brazil. Lewis Hamilton scored another unexpected pole position, but during the race he suffered a tyre failure, and retired to score no points.
Alex Wurz has today confirmed that he will be leaving both Williams and Formula 1 as a whole with immediate effect. After much speculation, rumours were squashed this weekend when Alex announced he was going to leave at the end of the season, but the Austrian has moved his plans forward after another poor showing in Canada.
Ex Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney is still planning to release his autobiography, despite it being dropped by the previous publishers. Proceeds from the sale of the book, entitled Red Mist, will go to the Great Ormond Street hospital. Visit nigel-stepney.com for more details.
Those are the top stories for today, join me tomorrow for another F1 minute.