The Great Shame, Blame Game

The repercussions of Sunday’s race continue to reverberate around the F1 world and a select few are speaking out about what can be done. Christian Horner and Martin Whitmarsh in particular are keen to have a rule mandating drivers to take two pitstops be introduced. Horner said: “I think it would be a great shame for the fans if all the races were one-stop like today and I do think that’s a real danger. ”

Credit: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Image

Slot Car Racing

Jenson Button peers into Lewis Hamilton’s MP4-25 cockpit. The McLaren team are coming under close scrutiny at the moment from rivals who are questioning the functionality of the car’s airbox and rear wing.

Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner said today that his team have asked the FIA for clarification on the matter, and suggested that a slot in the wing might be an attempt to stall the wing to pick up straight line speed.

Credit: McLaren.com

Quotes Roundup – Week Ending 14th February

The very best from the mouths of those in the know.

Three Launches

Force India, Red Bull and Lotus all reveal their new cars…

• “There is a compromise now: either make the car much longer or wider, or, as we have done, a combination of both. This of course has influenced the mechanical design solutions and also the aerodynamics, specifically with respects to the diffuser and bodywork.” Mark Smith
  
• “I think you are going to have four teams that are race-winning contenders this season. McLaren and Ferrari look like they have come up with good cars, and for sure the Mercedes GP team is going to be competitive with its driver line-up. But we are quietly confident we’ve made good progress during the winter.” Christian Horner
  
• “What this is about for me, and it is the first launch I have been to where the whole team is here, there is a fantastic buzz about this place, the whole team has given their heart and soul to this project. I want to thank Tony on behalf of the whole team to have the courage to back us and trust us.” Mike Gascoyne
  

Moving on to Jerez

Testing switches from Valencia to Jerez…

• “We are still in the first week here, and a bit low on parts, so that means if we have a crash we are more in trouble for the next test. So we decided to not do much running today and unfortunately parts didn’t arrive until quite late yesterday – 11 or 12 o’clock – and the mechanics had to work 24 hours a day to get the car ready for this morning.” Timo Glock
  
• “On a normal wet, slippery day at Jerez it felt fine. There were no real vices in the car. We still have to understand a few things with it but now it is shaken down we can start to do a bit of work tomorrow and in the back part of the month we can start to look at lap times.” Mark Webber
  
• “We went deeper into set-up work and understanding the car after what we did in Valencia. We were lucky with the weather because yesterday it was quite bad and the next two days don’t look very good. It was important to get a lot of things done.” Robert Kubica
  

Former Champs Talk

Three champions talk testing…

• “It’s very tough for all of us to understand what is the order of teams. We have four that I think are the major teams, and others that look very interesting such as Sauber, the car is quite quick, and the Renault – there is a question mark how quick it is.” Michael Schumacher
  
• “The team spirit is very good, very special. You feel part of a big team, part of a legendary team, and it’s a nice feeling. I keep enjoying life. The team is very, very friendly with me and I felt at home straightaway.” Fernando Alonso
  
• “We’ve only done one test and there’s such a huge variation with fuel loads so we have absolutely no idea – less of an idea than we had in the past. Some people could be driving with 30 kilos or 10 kilos, others could have 150. So it’s impossible to say.” Lewis Hamilton
  

19-Jan-10: Pedro de la Rosa Claims BMW Sauber Seat

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Today is the 19th January 2010 and this is F1 Minute.

BMW Sauber have confirmed their full line up today, with Pedro de la Rosa joining Kamui Kobayashi for the upcoming season. The Spaniard is 38, and has been with McLaren as test driver for seven years, with his last stint behind the wheel in a race in 2006. Peter Sauber says: “Pedro has spent many years working for a top team at the highest technical level. We as a team stand to gain from his experience, and the same goes for young Kamui. The combination of a seasoned racer and an up-and-coming young driver has repeatedly proved a very fruitful one. I don’t expect either of them to disappoint in 2010.”

Elsewhere, FOTA have elected Martin Whitmarsh as their new chairman for the year as Luca di Montezemolo steps down. Stefano Domenicali of Ferrari takes over as vice chairman. Also voted in was Christian Horner who takes charge of the Sporting Regulations working group.

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

Martin Whitmarsh elected as new FOTA Chairman

The Executive Committee of the Formula One Teams Association elected Martin Whitmarsh as its new Chairman for the year 2010.

Stefano Domenicali will be the Vice Chairman. Completing the team which will lead FOTA in 2010, Christian Horner takes the role of Chairman of the Sporting Regulations Working Group while Ross Brawn will maintain his role of Chairman of the Technical Regulations Working Group. The activities of the Commercial Development Working Group will be directly managed by the Executive Committee.

All members placed on record their thanks to Luca di Montezemolo for his valuable leadership and remarkable contribution in the successful establishment of FOTA, as well as all the other key figures who contributed greatly to a successful first year. FOTA Teams now look forward to working with Martin Whitmarsh to continue the development of activities in the long-term interest of Formula One, in collaboration with all other stakeholders.

Each member of the association, which now includes all Teams competing in Formula One, is entitled to appoint one representative within the Executive Committee and within each of the standing Working Groups. The different bodies work closely together in order to define FOTA’s objectives and initiatives.

15-Jan-10: Force India Also Set to Miss First Test

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It’s the 15th January 2010, and it’s time for F1 Minute.

Force India have confirmed they will be skipping the first test in Valencia in February, just as Red Bull are. Adrian Sutil said: “The new rules are a big challenge for everybody, so to make a clear statement about how good we have been in interpreting those new regulations we will have to wait until the first test in Jerez, where I will drive the VJM3 for the first time.” Interpreting the regulations sounds too much like the double diffuser debacle for my liking.

Moving on, Christian Horner has been talking on the Autosport International stage about the continuity of his team, suggesting that the drivers, the car, the engine, the staff, all of it will help enormously as they fight for the championship this year. He said they believe continuity is crucial.

Finally, to finish, Massa revealed that he asked Piquet Jr about the Singapore crash after it happened, and the Brazilian just laughed and wouldn’t answer the questions. Laughed!

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

12-Jan-10: Red Bull to Skip First Test of the Year

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Today is the 12th January 2010, welcome to F1 Minute.

Following on from yesterdays testing news, Autosport are reporting that Red Bull won’t be attending the very first pre-season test of the year. They did a similar thing in 2009, joining up with the rest of the teams at the second test, and Christian Horner explains: “It’s to optimise the team in the wind tunnel as much as possible. Obviously the car is much more of an evolution of the 2009 car rather than the clean sheet of regulations that we had for last season.”

Meanwhile, outside of F1, Nelson Piquet has decided to have a go at NASCAR in the States for 2010, although he hasn’t confirmed for which team or which particular series he’ll be in either. Piquet did say: “Being successful in F1 was always my goal but I have learnt that happiness is just as important as ambition and after my first 18 months in F1 did not go as planned, I have decided to focus on something different.” He’s feeling positive about the new challenge.

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

30-Nov-09: FIA Release Official 2010 Entry List

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 30th November 2009.

The FIA released the official 2010 entry list today, with plenty of to be confirmed notes. A couple of things stood out though, with Manor Grand Prix being listed as Virgin Racing. We’ve been expecting an announcement from Virgin to this effect, but it looks as though the FIA might have beaten them to it. Brawn GP are still listed as Brawn but it’s pointed out they have indicated their intention to change to Mercedes Grand Prix before next year.

Red Bull have been signed up with Renault engines, although Christian Horner has pointed out they still have not come to a final decision. Also, notably, Toyota are missing off the list, as you would expect, and there is no mention of whether the grid slot is going to be filled by anyone, with Sauber still facing an unknown future.

On that subject, Mario Theissen confirmed that he will be staying with BMW as head of motorsport, rather than moving to Sauber.

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

03-Nov-09: Theissen Weighs Up His Options

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Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 3rd November 2009.

BMW boss Mario Theissen has said that he’s keeping his options open for the future. He said: “I certainly have the option to stay with BMW with the other racing programmes. But I deliberately pushed the decision out of my way until the final race, so I will decide in the coming weeks. But the top priority is to get a place on the grid for the team, and even after that I will think about my own future.”

Meanwhile, Red Bull have a decision to make over who their engine supplier will be for next year. It looked like they might want to change, as they were a high profile team struggling with engine reliability, but now Autosport reports that they will likely be staying with Renault. Christian Horner said: “Since Monza, Renault have remarkably raised their game and done everything they could for us to have such a strong finish of the year. Renault has fuel-efficient engines which will be very important in 2010.”

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

Red Bull – GP Abu Dhabi, Sunday Race

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Finish Position: WINNER, Start Position: 2nd
“That was a fantastic race. We had a very good start, it wasn’t good enough to overtake Lewis, but I was surprised I was so close to him. Then, when Lewis was on the long straight, he pushed a button and disappeared ahead, but I was able to stay close. We knew we were a little bit heavier and we were always able to catch him up, especially in the last sector. The car was a dream today. There was a lot of pressure, I nearly went a bit wide in the pit lane entrance during my first stop and then there was the scary exit through the tunnel, but I was on the limit and it was enough to get past Lewis. Unfortunately he then had to retire, but up to that point it was a fantastic race with him. After that I had a little bit of a cushion to Mark and Jenson behind and I was able to pace myself, but the car was fantastic until the end. It worked brilliantly on both tyre compounds and it was a pleasure to sit in the car this evening. To sum up the season, what can I say? I would say up and down, we are currently very strong and have just gained our fourth one-two finish, so congratulations to the team. They have been pushing a lot, working very hard back in the factory. It’s a shame now that the season ends, as we are on a roll! It’s just perfect to finish the season in this way on such a high.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Finish Position: SECOND, Start Position: 3rd
“I made a pretty good start and had a bit of a look on the outside of Sebastian, but I knew I had to get back on the inside and get a good exit, as it was a long run down to Turn five. My car got hit quite hard on the left rear after the first corner and I was worried about a puncture. My race engineer, Ciaron, told me the tyre had enough pressure and I was relieved. It looked like Lewis was struggling a little bit in the first few laps and Sebastian and I were able to get a bit closer to him than we expected. Things then started to stabilise and I was pretty happy on the prime tyres. Sebastian was a bit quicker today in the second two race stints, especially the last one. I didn’t have much of a feeling on the option tyre and it was the same for me on Friday. I was quite slow on that and preferred the stability of the prime. Towards the end of the race, Jenson was able to close the gap to me and I thought ‘this is going to be tight’! We knew we had a slight top-speed advantage, but not much and I had to make sure I was accurate with my braking points. We had a good clean fight on the limit and the battle was a credit to how Jenson’s driven all year. I want to congratulate the team on what they have achieved and thank them for their patience with me at the start of the year when I was coming back from my accident. It’s been very enjoyable driving alongside Sebastian this year, Renault has given us a fantastic engine and overall Red Bull can be incredibly proud of what they have done. It’s been my best season to date; we’ve had 16 podiums together; it’s very good.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “That was the most brilliant way to finish the season, by gaining our fourth one-two finish and our sixth win. Both our drivers were supreme today. Sebastian drove an immaculate race and we managed to jump Lewis through good strategy, good pace and good work with the pit crew. Mark also had enough fuel to get Lewis at the next pit-stop – however, that came sooner than expected when Lewis retired. Thereafter both guys were really strong on the prime tyre. Mark lost quite a bit of time with some difficult traffic just before his final stop and then he was struggling a little bit for traction on the option tyre, so Jenson was able to close in. It was a really exciting last lap of the year and Mark did a brilliant job to hang on to second place, so congratulations to the whole team – it’s been an excellent year. Thank you to Red Bull, to Mr Mateschitz for all his support, to our engine partner Renault and all the people who have worked so hard in Milton Keynes this year for this fantastic result. We’ve learned a great deal this year and we’ll come back stronger in 2010.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “
“That’s it, the season is over and it’s time to reflect on what we have achieved. Firstly, I think we’ve had a very good season: the team is second in the Championship, ahead of teams with far more experience than ourselves and we have twice as many points as McLaren or Ferrari. This is a big achievement and I would like to thank Red Bull for the excellent car they made. I also would like to thank the drivers who did a fantastic job, both in and out of the car. I mention the work they did out of the car, because both drivers stayed team members when we had difficult technical and political times with our engine. Our group team effort paid off and we only used the permitted number of engines this year. Sebastian didn’t need to use any extra engines, which is a true achievement and he even scored two more wins after he had no fresh
engines left. Thank you also to all the guys in Viry and Aubigny for the good engines they have provided us. And finally, thanks to my Renault team who have worked for Red Bull at the races and tests. They did a fantastic job and they can be proud of what we have achieved this year, I am proud of them.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER:
On Red Bull Racing finishing second in the 2009 Constructors’ Championship:
“Second is a fantastic achievement for the team. In many respects the team is still very young and it’s only our fifth season in Formula One. To have achieved 16 podiums, six wins, five pole positions and six fastest laps – including four one-two finishes – as well as in excess of 150 points, is a massive achievement. We were Championship contenders right up until the penultimate race – however the Championship ultimately wasn’t lost in Brazil and you have to show respect to the season that Jenson and Brawn had, with a very dominant early display in the Championship. We were playing catch up thereafter. I think the effort that’s gone into RB5 has been superb from every member of the team. We have to thank our partners, including Renault for their support and assistance – without which none of the results would have been possible this year. I think it’s a season that members of the team can be very proud of and, although second is one place off our ultimate target, it’s still a very good result. We’ll learn a lot of lessons from this year, which will only make us stronger going into 2010.

“In regards to the high point of the year, for me there have been several. The biggest was probably winning our first GP with a one-two finish in China. That was a really special moment for the whole team and a testimony to the support and commitment that both Red Bull and Mr. Mateschitz have made to Formula One. Winning the British GP was another high point of the season together with Mark’s first GP win two weeks later in Germany. Seb’s dominant GP drive in Japan was another,  Mark’s second victory in Brazil a week ago and, of course, the one-two we have just gained here in Abu Dhabi – there are so many highlights.

“There’s no room for complacency in this sport. We’ve beaten some formidable opponents this year, but they’re not going to be sleeping. They’ve demonstrated in the second half of the year that they’ve worked very hard to recover, by winning races in Ferrari and McLaren’s case, and I’m sure they’ll be formidable opponents again next year. But, we’ll learn lessons from this year and I think, as the team has developed, it’s only got stronger. I’m convinced that it can continue to evolve and with continuity in our line-up, we’re perfectly placed to build on this year’s campaign.”

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