McLaren have been moved back up the pitlane in Monaco, regaining the fifth spot amongst the garages that they had at the start of the season. Before the Bahrain Grand Prix, McLaren were pushed down to the last garage, but said it was not a disadvantage and was maybe even a good thing. However, now, and the reason has not yet been disclosed, they are once again in the fifth garage.
Max Mosley has stirred up emotions with a letter to automobile clubs, warning them that if he is ousted from the presidency next week, the FIA may risk losing control of F1 to commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone and FOM. In turn, Bernie has replied and said it sounds a little bit like a threat of war, and if it is so, he is completely prepared to stand his ground.
Elsewhere today, Jenson Button has ordered two planes from Honda in the hopes of setting up an aviation charter business. The light business jets apparently cost over $7 million and will be delivered in 2012.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
Massa has taken his first win of the season in Bahrain today, after overtaking pole position winner Kubica off the start line. The BMW wasn’t the only poor starter though, Hamilton also couldn’t get away from the grid, dropping seven places before the first corner. In his attempt to get back through the field, Hamilton found himself behind Alonso, and actually in the back of Alonso as the pair collided. The McLaren then had to pit for a new nose, and his race was effectively ruined.
Another collision out on track took place between Brit pair David Coulthard and Jenson Button, with Button attempting to come from behind and overtake, and Coulthard turning in and not allowing him. Although sustaining damage, Coulthard managed to complete the race, however Button retired a few laps down the line.
The only other two retirees were Sutil and Piquet, and the rest of the race was relatively uneventful. Raikkonen managed to get past Kubica meaning he now leads the driver’s championship, whilst BMW have gone straight to the top of the constructor’s championship for the first time.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
Robert Kubica has taken pole position in Bahrain today, just edging out Felipe Massa for Ferrari. The BMW driver takes his, and the team’s, first pole position, whilst Heidfeld sits in 6th on the grid after a difficult start to the weekend.
Sato was out in the first session, after making contact with the inside pit wall, and causing a red flag. Button in the Honda, managed to make it into the third session of qualifying for the first time this season, and although he was the rank outsider, he still managed to finish ahead of Alonso. The Renault driver has been making grumbling noises about this year’s car, saying he is working much harder now just to get a single point, than he was last year picking up podium’s almost every single race.
Finally, Rosberg has recovered from his bad weekend in Malaysia and the Williams driver is in 8th whilst his team mate Nakajima is down in 16th place. It’s unclear what the difference is between the pair, although tyres have been the foible of a lot of drivers so far this weekend.
That’s all for today, join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Welcome to F1 Minute, today is the 4th April 2008.
The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend kicked off today with Free Practice. The first session was not as exciting as some we have seen, and the second looked to be heading the same way, until Lewis Hamilton hit a kerb halfway through a lap. The car spun round, slid over the sandy run off area and smashed into the barrier. Hamilton was unhurt, but the car was a little worse for wear.
The crash created such G-force, though, that Hamilton should have reported straight to the medical centre for a check-up. Hamilton was unaware of this fact, and it wasn’t until he got back to the pits that he was told of the mistake. He then went straight to the medical centre and received the all-clear. The stewards investigated the incident but decided that no penalty was necessary.
Elsewhere, the German motoring body ADAC and the Dutch motorsport federation KNAF have both said that Mosley needs to think very hard about his future at the FIA.
That’s all for today, don’t forget that we go seven days a week on race weekends, so I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
The fallout from the Mosley scandal continues, with the Bahraini Crown Prince requesting for Max not to attend the race this weekend. Teams have begun to distance themselves from the President, with BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and Honda all criticising his position and asking the FIA to reconsider his tenure at the top. Mosley responded to BMW and Mercedes, saying he understood their reservations but they should have contacted him first to get the full facts and find out what was true and what was fiction. He has also called an extraordinary meeting of the FIA to discuss the situation, it will most likely take place in Paris, although no date has been confirmed as yet.
Elsewhere, Sebastian Vettel has been talking about his position at Red Bull, saying that he was one of the options for McLaren for 2008. However, after discussing the offer with his Red Bull bosses, he was denied the chance to leave. Although he’s now stuck in the mid-field, Vettel says he is perfectly happy where he is at the moment.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Welcome to F1 Minute, these are your headlines for the 2nd April 2008.
McLaren boss Ron Dennis has delivered a speech at the Motor Sport Business Forum in Bahrain, and shared his views on the future of the sport. Addressing the expansion of the calendar, Dennis said he welcomes the idea of F1 becoming more and more global, but he doesn’t want to see more than 20 races per season. He said that the winter off-season needs to be preserved, because the anticipation is all part of the fun. Also during his speech, Dennis mentioned the constant rule changes, saying although he supported the ideas behind them, a bit of stability is needed to actually help save costs.
In other news today, the 2008 Toro Rosso car has made it’s track debut in a shakedown in Italy. Red Bull junior driver Brendan Hartley was behind the wheel. The car will return in the Barcelona test this month.
Finally, Barrichello has said that his career is not over yet, he still believes he has another couple of seasons left, and wants to get to 300 GP starts.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
Breaking his silence for the first time since hitting the headlines this weekend, Max Mosley has written a letter to the FIA and other governing bodies.
It starts: From information provided to me by an impeccable high-level source close to the UK police and security services, I understand that over the last two weeks or so, a covert investigation of my private life and background has been undertaken by a group specialising in such things, for reasons and clients as yet unknown. I have had similar but less well-sourced information from France.
He goes on to say that he has had plenty of support from various parties, mostly saying that his private life is just that, and shouldn’t affect his work. He intends to stay on as President of the FIA, and also sue the News of the World for violating his privacy.
Bernie Ecclestone had said he didn’t think Max should turn up to the Bahrain Grand Prix, but if Max does intend on staying, it is unlikely he will change his plans.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
The main news of the weekend was the story about Max Mosley and some of the things he may or may not get up to in his personal life. Pictures surfaced on the News of the World website and a video was posted onto YouTube that appeared to show Max in some compromising positions. At the moment, there has been no comment from Max or the FIA regarding the scandal and it is assumed that he is consulting with some lawyers.
In actual F1 news, McLaren have been pushed to the back of the pit lane in Bahrain, to their proper garage if last year’s championship result is anything to go by. The reason for this decision compared to the fifth place they enjoyed in Australia and Malaysia is still unknown.
Other stories today include Singapore testing out their lighting system on a stretch of road as a demonstration for the upcoming night race, Silverstone building a new grandstand to house over 2,000 more spectators, and Massa deciding he may keep his Malaysia engine for the Bahrain race.
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Hi everyone, this is F1 Minute for the 28th March.
According to Autosport.com, the FIA are set to tweak qualifying just slightly before the Bahrain Grand Prix. The new rules will see a maximum lap time imposed, so that there will be less danger of ridiculously slow in laps. An FIA spokesman has said that the matter is still under discussion but the maximum could be 120% of a normal lap time.
Massimo Rivola is the team manager of Toro Rosso, and he has joined the rising voice of concern about the lack of night running teams will get to do ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. Apparently, Rivola has already spoken to Charlie Whiting about the first Friday practice session being in the daylight. He wants the matter added to the next meeting of the Sporting Working Group.
Finally, the former President of the FIA Jean-Marie Balestre has passed away in France at the age of 86. Max Mosley paid tribute to him saying: “His contribution to motor sport in France and indeed throughout the world has been unique.”
That’s all for this week. Join me on Monday for another F1 Minute.
In a complex story involving land ownership and bad management communication, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has blocked off the access road to the Force India factory with some strategically placed concrete blocks. Jordan owns the land and is in dispute talks over the team buying it. He says: “I’ve got no problem with Mallya. It’s the people who are managing the business who don’t want to talk.”
Bosses of the Qatar MotoGP circuit have confirmed that they will be making some revisions to the track in the hopes of securing some F1 interest. Despite Bahrain and Abu Dhabi already secured on the calendar, the hopes are that the circuit can at least be used for F1 testing to bring attention and revenue to the country.
Jean Todt has said he will do everything he can to help replacement Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali adapt and settle in to his new job. Todt says: “It would be presumptuous to say advice. To have somebody you trust and like, and share emotions and doubts and problems with is a help.”
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.