29-May-09: Teams Submit Entry to 2010 Season

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 29th May 2009.

Lola has confirmed they have submitted an entry for the 2010 season but will say little else, whilst Dave Richards and Prodrive have also put their name down as well. Richards says that although the budget cap figure is going up and up, it is still within their grasp.

All the teams within FOTA submitted their entry for next year, with certain conditions. They have signed up as one unit, so that no team will be able to come and go either of their own or Max’s accord. The conditions are that a new Concorde Agreement is signed by the 12th June, and that the 2010 regulations are based on this year’s, with FOTA’s own cost cutting proposals included. Although they have signed up for next year, if Max forges ahead with any plans they don’t like, they may forfeit the season. We have yet to hear from the FIA, and entries close at midnight.

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

23-Apr-09: Donington Park Suffers More Setbacks

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Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 23rd April.

We’ve been watching the progress of the Donington Park circuit closely and things have taken a turn for the worse. Legal proceedings have been issued against Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd, the company that lease the track. Owners Wheatcroft & Son say that they are owed almost £2.5 million in rent since September 2008.

Meanwhile, Prodrive have popped their heads up again and boss Dave Richards has said 2010 might be the right time to join F1. He’s always maintained that he’d be interested in returning when the costs and rules suited him. Apparently that is next season. Although he could also be jumping on the bandwagon with USGP and Lola to grab a couple of headlines. Cynical, me?

Finally, in KERS news, Raikkonen won’t be running the device in Free Practice tomorrow whilst Massa will, so the team can compare the two. And BMW are expecting to run both cars with KERS through the whole weekend, so Kubica better start to like it.

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

08-Jan-09: Autosport International Day 1 Special

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Welcome to a special F1 Minute for the 8th January – Day 1 of Autosport International.

News from the stage today includes some small hints from Prodrive boss Dave Richards. He has been one of the names linked with the team formerly known as Honda since news of their sale first broke. However, today he told the crowds in Birmingham: “The cost-cutting process that has been put in place has not yet seen its full benefit, and I don’t think it will be until 2010 that you will see those issues roll out properly.” Autosport.com is reporting that sources say he is not interested in buying the team.

However, Nick Fry has buoyed hopes again by saying they are looking at offers from 12 parties, narrowed down from 30. That number just keeps going up and up!

Also at Autosport, the managing director of a new track in Spain – Motorland Aragon – has said they are hoping to secure F1 testing, despite knowing with two Grands Prix already, the chances of another Spanish race are pretty slim.

That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with more from the trade show.

17-Dec-08: Prodrive Boss Indicates Desire to Return

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 17th December 2008.

Prodrive boss Dave Richards has indicated that the new cost-cutting regulations may mean his team can enter the sport. Prodrive were intended to arrive on the grid this year but couldn’t make it work. Now Richards says: “I have always said there are two criteria for Prodrive’s return to Formula One: one, we want to be competitive, and two, it must be financially viable. If we tick those two boxes there is a strong likelihood we will be back there.”

Elsewhere, Vettel has finally ended Buemi’s run at the top of the testing timesheets. He finished ahead of his Red Bull compatriot at the final Jerez test day of the year. BMW were third fastest, still working on their KERS device, although they did suffer a setback with a suspected fire.

Finally, ex-Williams sponsor Lenovo have announced they’ll be partnering with McLaren from 2009. The deal sees Lenovo providing “mission-critical computing solutions.”

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

08-Dec-08: Reactions Flood in Over Honda Withdrawal

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Today is the 8th December, and this is F1 Minute.

There’s been plenty of reaction to the Honda exit news, so let’s quickly run through some of the things we’ve heard:

• BMW, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Toyota and Williams have all said they are committed to their future in Formula 1. Red Bull also said both their teams intend to stay in the sport, although motorsport advisor Helmut Marko said they were going to be looking at the budget quite closely. The only team we haven’t heard from is Force India.
• Outsiders have been sharing their opinion, with Jacques Villeneuve saying Honda’s decision was purely political, and Dave Richards saying it’s a harsh lesson for Formula 1 to learn.
• The team themselves are still hopeful they can find a buyer, and will accept a relatively small price. Ross Brawn says he’ll stick with them to the end, whatever that might be.
• The FOTA are meeting with Mosley this week to look at more cost-cutting measures, and the organisation also want to meet with Bernie to discuss the possibility of teams getting a bigger share of F1 revenues.

That’s it for today, join me back here tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

10-Jan-08: Wurz Returns to F1 with Honda

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It’s the 10^th 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.

10-Oct-07: Prodrive Worry About 2008 Entry

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Hello everybody, this is F1 Minute, I’m Christine and these are your top headlines for 10^th October.

Autosport.com are reporting that Prodrive, the 12^th entrant for the 2008 season, may actually struggle to have a car ready in time for the season opener. After the FIA announced the hearing for the legality of customer cars in a couple of weeks, Prodrive’s misery has been compounded by McLaren dropping negotiations to be the supplier, for the time being. Team boss Dave Richards remains confident these are just short term issues.

McLaren have also made headlines today by reiterating their equality policy for drivers, especially for the last and deciding race in Brazil. There have been mumblings in all directions that either Alonso or Hamilton will be favoured, but McLaren are adamant this will not happen, despite strained relationships within the team.

And finally, UK newspaper, the Daily Mail is reporting that Williams have made a £28 million loss in 2006, down from a similar sized profit the previous year.

Please join me tomorrow for another F1 minute.