Quotes Roundup – Week Ending 29th November

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

Drivers Pick Their Teams

More sign-ups for 2010…

• “He did an exceptional job for Williams-Toyota this year and delivered some very strong races that come to mind like coming home fourth from 15th at the Nurburgring. He brought the car to the finish very often, not a lot of mistakes, good speed in qualifying – all of that was the reason behind it.” Norbert Haug on Nico Rosberg
  
• “2010 will be my fourth consecutive year with the team. I feel good here, it feels like family, and when you feel at ease you can focus your energy 100% on getting it right on track. Next season I want to be in the points on a regular basis, maybe even challenging for the podium, and the team has exactly the same goals.” Adrian Sutil
  
• “It was always my goal to be back racing in 2010 and I’ve finally achieved it,” he said. “I feel the five races I did in 2009 were a bit of a warm-up; get back racing, learn the car, get the feeling back. Now I’ve done that I feel ready to really push next season.” Tonio Liuzzi
  

Those Eyeing the Grid

There’s a spare grid slot and the future beckons…

• “We are in the process of evaluating our own plans for next year. We did some sort of agreement with them, to take over the F1 project, but I cannot discuss the details at present.” Zoran Stefanovitch, Stefan GP on Toyota
  
• “It would have been a crying shame had one of the best Formula 1 factories closed down. Regarding the slot on the grid I am very confident that we will be given a final confirmation very shortly.” Peter Sauber
  
• “We’re looking for innovative things, and Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport. Two years ago there was some talk that Volkswagen is going to buy the Red Bull F1 team, which we didn’t need to buy. Why should we stick with one team if we can give our engines to more teams?” Hans-Joachim Stuck, Volkswagen
  

Circuit Hopefuls

The 2010 Calendar is not confirmed just yet…

• “Next year is possible, but it wouldn’t be all of the construction. You’d end up doing pit garages, race control and the track the bare essentials to get the track up and running for 2010 and there’s still plenty of time for that to happen.” Simon Gillett, Donington Park
  
• “I am very pleased that our metropolis is bringing back this crucial stage in the Formula 1 series for fans from around the world and an outstanding opportunity in terms of the event’s international reach.” Gerald Tremblay, Mayor of Canada
  
• “That contract has gone. But Bernie Ecclestone has said that if someone turns up at Donington with the right ideas and the right money then he will talk to them.”Simon Gillett, Donington Park
  

25-Nov-09: Donington Boss Still Believes in British GP

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 25th November 2009.

Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd, the company who had hoped to host the British GP in 2010 went into administration l ast week, but boss Simon Gillett is still hopeful that everything will work out in the end, if the company is bought out or heavily invested in. He said: “Next year is possible, but it wouldn’t be all of the construction. You’d end up doing pit garages, race control and the bare essentials to get the track up and running for 2010 and there’s still plenty of time for that to happen.” I’m not sure that will appeal to Bernie.

In legal news, Autosport reports that Flavio Briatore’s appeal against his lifetime motorsport ban will not be resolved until next year. The hearing took place yesterday but the results won’t be announced until early January. And N.Technology – one of the new teams who failed to get a place on the grid have had their legal action against the FIA thrown out by the courts, who say the selection procedure was legitimate.

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

29-Oct-09: Rosberg Confirms Split from Williams

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Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 29th October 2009.

Nico Rosberg has confirmed today that he will not be driving for Williams after this final race in Abu Dhabi. He wouldn’t be drawn on where he was going and simply said: “I’ve been with the team for five years. They’re the only team I’ve worked with… There’s no reason why they can’t be as good as this year, but I’m not sure they can win races at the moment, and I would like to win races.”

Talking of drivers and their futures, Kimi Raikkonen has reportedly told Finnish TV that he’s not interested in Toyota, despite them offering him a deal. He thinks any future in F1 would only feature McLaren, but he’s not confirming anything just yet.

Finally, it really is bad news for Donington this time, as Bernie has confirmed that they have finally exasperated even his patience. He said it’s not going to happen, and talks with Silverstone are now ongoing. I’m gonna miss reporting every single deadline for you.

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

23-Oct-09: Jean Todt Replaces Max as FIA President

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This is F1 Minute and it’s the 23rd October 2009.

The FIA Presidency elections were held today and there was no waiting around for the result. About midday it was confirmed that Jean Todt had won the vote by 135 to Vatanen’s 49, with 12 non-votes. Todt’s first speech as President announced that he would be appointing commissioners to each world championship, so that he doesn’t have to run every single sport himself. Speculation begins now over who the F1 Commissioner will be. Meanwhile, FOTA chief Luca di Montezemolo said: “I am sure that, under his guidance, the Federation will be rejuvenated and will restore a climate open to dialogue and constructive collaboration with the teams and FOTA, thus ensuring stability of the regulations and the whole environment.”

Meanwhile, Donington Park is looking ever more shaky, as they confirmed their bond scheme has not worked. They are in crisis talks with Bernie, but it’s clear they need a serious investor to bail them out now.

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

12-Oct-09: Donington Get Yet Another Deadline Extension

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Today is the 12th October 2009 and this is F1 Minute.

This can’t really be classed as news anymore but Donington has had yet another extension to prove their circuit will be ready in time for the 2010 British Grand Prix. Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that it’s not looking good for the circuit though. Speaking to The Times newspaper he said: “Even if they get the money, I cannot see how it will all be ready in time to go. It is very disappointing because we thought it would happen but they cannot go on missing deadlines.” Having said that over the weekend, Donington boss Simon Gillett has confirmed they’ve been given two more weeks.

Meanwhile, Massa had his test in the F2007 with GP2 tyres on and said he felt exactly the same as he did before the accident happened. He said: “Everything went well, I felt very good physically, it felt like the crash from 25 July had never occurred. I haven’t had any eyesight problem and today I’d be ready to do not just one, but two races in a row.”

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

26-Jun-09: Rosberg Optimistic Ferrari Next Target

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It’s the 26th June and this is F1 Minute.

Rather than the normal party line of “we are moving forward but so is everyone else” Nico Rosberg has issued a rather optimistic warning to Ferrari, suggesting that Williams are catching them up. He said: “In the last couple of races we have been developing the strongest out of everybody – apart from Red Bull who are making big progress – which is very nice to see.” He said they’re beating McLaren, and in the next few races it is mission Ferrari.

Elsewhere, you’ll know we are following the saga of the Donington Park circuit, and they’ve finally had some good news. The final planning permission for the building works and redevelopment has been given the go ahead, so the diggers will be back in action. Boss Simon Gillett says: “There’s no denying that we still have a lot of hard work ahead but we’ll continue to remain positive and do everything that we can to deliver against the promises that we have been made.” And there was me thinking he was the one making promises.

That’ll do it for now, I will be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Pointing in the Right Direction

Kimi Raikkonen during Friday Free Practice in Istanbul. The Ferrari driver has said that their performance in Turkey was a one-off dip and they are still on the way up. He says all they need is patience and Silverstone will hopefully be better.

Credit: Bridgestone Corporation

11-Jun-09: Raikkonen Believes Ferrari Can Fight Back

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This is F1 Minute for the 11th June 2009.

Ferrari appeared to be on the way back to the front of the grid recently, but Turkey was not a great weekend for the team. Raikkonen is keeping his spirits up, though, and says that one bad race isn’t the end of it all. He says: “We don’t have any reason to give up, we just need patience. That’s what I’ve said before the race at Istanbul. We do have the potential to achieve a good result, I know it.” Kimi enjoys racing at Silverstone, so is hoping they can pick up some good points next weekend.

Elsewhere, Donington organiser Simon Gillett has been talking to Autosport about his plans for the circuit and revealed that they have a 17 year deal with Bernie to host the British Grand Prix. He says: “What Bernie has done is given us a safety net. Part of the problem with our financing has been that everyone out there saying it doesn’t matter if Donington doesn’t make it because Silverstone will pick it up.” Question is, are uber-long term deals wise in this current climate?

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

05-Jun-09: Rosberg and Kovalainen Hit the Top in Turkey

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This is F1 Minute for June 5th 2009.

Nico Rosberg was fastest in Free Practice 1 this morning, navigating a seriously dusty circuit. It was a messy session that was red flagged towards the end as some of the AstroTurf lining the track had come away from the ground. In Free Practice 2, Kovalainen was the man at the top, with very little incident of note to report.

Also today, Force India confirmed they have lodged their own unconditional entry for 2010, away from the stance that FOTA are taking. The team suggest their own commercial obligations have forced them to do this, similar reasoning to Williams. John Howett of Toyota, and VP of FOTA said that it is highly likely the team will be suspended from the association for the time being.

Finally, for those following the Donington Park progress, the legal action between organisers of the GP and track owners Wheatcroft & Son, over unpaid rent, has been settled before reaching the courts.

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

12-May-09: Ferrari Won’t Sign Up to Two-Tier Championship

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This is F1 Minute for the 12th May 2009.

Naturally the news of the day is that Ferrari have joined the ranks against the budget cap and said they won’t sign up to the 2010 season if nothing changes. This is hideously being reported as Ferrari sensationally quitting F1, but their more rational comments were: “The Board considers that if this is the regulatory framework for Formula 1 in the future, then the reasons underlying Ferrari’s uninterrupted participation in the world championship over the last 60 years – the only constructor to have taken part ever since its inception – would come to a close.”

It seems unlikely that the powers that be would allow this to happen, so we’ll await the next step with interest.

On a completely different note, Bernie Ecclestone has said that if Donington Park isn’t ready to host the British GP next year, then he’ll be happy for the race to sit out a season, rather than lose it altogether. Thanks Bernie.

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

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