The Italian police have said the statement they made last week that upset McLaren enough to send the team to the Home Office to complain, was misunderstood. It looks like the evidence the statement suggested they had found came from previous investigations into the team and had nothing to do with the visit to the factory and to staff’s homes.
McLaren have other things on their mind at the moment though, with the rumour mill going into overload speculating on the future of Ron Dennis. Autosport.com is reporting today that Dennis is ready to hand over his team principal status to Martin Whitmarsh, and will do so at some point before the end of this month. This is still unconfirmed though.
Elsewhere, Sebastien Bourdais has said his main concern about making the transition from Champ Car to F1 is his performance in qualifying. He said that Toro Rosso have been concentrating on letting him practice during testing so far, rather than on qualifying specifically. Now he feels it is his main weakness but he’s not too worried saying: “I’m not confident, I’m not un-confident.”
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Hi everyone, this is F1 Minute for the 29th February.
The Italian investigators that visited the McLaren factory and homes of the staff this week, said they found evidence that “clearly emerges the responsibilities of the management and some technicians at a high level in McLaren.”
McLaren have disputed this claim, saying that the wording of the statement is misleading and that facts about any searches made by the Italians are incorrect. The McLaren team are reported to want to contact the British Home Office with concerns about the way the Italians are handling the investigation.
In other news, Super Aguri have confirmed that they will be on the grid for Australia, laying rest to fears about the short term future of the team. Aguri Suzuki’s business partner Fumito Akita says it is not unusual for the team to be scrambling things together at the last minute.
And finally, Bernie Ecclestone has said that he is hoping to secure a deal to hold a French GP, not in Magny-Cours but in Paris. Ecclestone indicated that after this year, F1 will not return to Magny-Cours.
That’s all for this week, have a great weekend and join me on Monday for another F1 Minute.
It’s the 28th February, I’m Christine and this is F1 Minute.
The McLaren factory was visited by Italian police yesterday, as the top bods were questioned in regards to the Ferrari espionage last year. The police also turned up at the homes of several members of staff, although names have not been released. McLaren assured us that the visit was “part of a normal judicial process in connection with the ongoing investigation” and also that the police were satisfied with their co-operation.
Bridgestone have announced that they will supply more slick tyres for teams to test in April, as they continue to analyse the potential of a 2009 comeback. They also spoke of this year’s tyres, saying they are almost identical to those in 2007, except minor changes to the super-soft compound.
And in the world of predictions, Nelson Piquet is saying that he doesn’t believe Renault are expecting to win races, Alonso has said Lewis Hamilton could win but he thinks Raikkonen is the most likely champ, and Kimi has played down expectations saying he’s unsure who the strongest team are and that the testing results are not that reliable.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Today is the 19th February 2008, and this is F1 Minute.
Teams faced a difficult test session in Barcelona today, with adverse weather conditions making things tricky. The track never completely dried up and only Red Bull, Williams, Renault and Toyota decided to run. Alonso pronounced the track too slippery, and Trulli said data comparison was hard when conditions keep changing. Nico Rosberg topped the timesheets, nearly 2 whole seconds faster than team mate Nakajima in second. There were four red flags throughout the day – two spins from Coulthard, one from Piquet, who also stopped on track in the morning.
Over at Valencia, BMW were working on their programme but could not complete everything they had planned. Kubica only completed 6 laps, and Heidfeld stuck to practicing pit stops. No times were issued.
Also today, we have learned a bit more about what Nigel Stepney said to the Italian magistrate regarding the espionage saga last year. He maintains he did not pass the information onto Coughlan, although they were in contact. His lawyer said Stepney is disappointed with Coughlan’s version of events.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
Today is Friday 15th February, and this is F1 Minute.
A statement has been released by Nigel Stepney’s solicitors saying that he has maintained a dignified silence but is now ready to spill the beans. Unfortunately, the FIA weren’t able to be present at the arranged meeting for the 7th February, so it’s been put back to 7th March. Stepney is unsurprisingly eager to meet with the FIA and share his side of the story.
Whilst we’re on the subject of espionage, McLaren’s hearing with the Italian prosecutor has been pushed back, with no reason or renewed date given.
Tickets for the Singapore Grand Prix went on sale yesterday, and organisers were immediately plunged into chaos. 70,000 tickets were available, but buyers struggled to get through by phone and via the internet. The problem is so bad, the organisers are holding an emergency meeting to try and rectify the situation.
Finally today, Jenson Button has said the new Honda is making progress, despite the low results in testing. He and Barrichello agree that this week’s test in Jerez was the best for them so far, and now they’re waiting for some aero updates to see more improvement.
That’s all for today and this week, have a great weekend and I’ll see you Monday 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.
I’m Christine and this is F1 Minute for the 18th December 2007.
The World Motorsport Council have cancelled the hearing into McLaren’s 2008 car that was due to take place in February. This brings the espionage troubles to a close, although Ferrari are still continuing with some personal court cases that surround the issue. Max Mosley had requested the hearing be called off after McLaren’s apology, and the team are now free to focus on their 2008 car without worrying about any prosecution from the FIA.
Alonso has spoken out about his time at McLaren, saying that only a tenth of the things written about him actually happened. The fact he was still in with a chance at the championship until the very end meant he was satisfied within the team. Alonso says he’s not thinking about winning the championship with Renault, after their poor season last year he is going to concentrate on improving the car.
And finally, Lewis Hamilton was caught speeding in France, doing over 120mph in his Mercedes. He was fined 600 Euros and banned from driving in the country for a month.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Hello everyone, this is F1 Minute for the 13th December 2007.
McLaren have written a letter to the FIA apologising for the Ferrari information scandal, and offering to hold back any borrowed technologies from the rival team. The inspection of McLaren’s car found that some ideas, such as the gas in the tyres and the quickshift technology appeared to have come from Ferrari. McLaren say they will not develop these technologies, they have given a public apology to basically everyone, and offered to pay the inspection costs incurred by the FIA.
Also in the news, a lighting system by an Australian company has been submitted to the FIA after a secret night test by Mark Webber. He was joined by a former motorcycle champion last month for the test, and the results have shown the system is immune to blackouts and casts no shadows. If the FIA approve the lights, Australia could very well be hosting their own night race along with Singapore.
And your final bit of FIA news, Max Mosley has said that if the new aerodynamic rules in 2009 do not cut cornering speeds, then teams can forget about slick tyres returning to the track.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
It’s the 9th November 2007, I’m Christine, and this is F1 Minute with the top headlines for today.
The FIA World Motorsport Council have called for Renault to appear before them facing charges of possessing McLaren information. Renault are accused of holding information about the McLaren car between September 2006 and October 2007, including fuel and oil systems, gear assembly and some critical dimensions. The charge is very similar to the one McLaren faced in September, where they were found guilty, stripped of their constructors points and handed a massive fine. The hearing will take place on the 6th December.
A spokesperson for Renault would only say that the team have been and intend to remain cooperative with the FIA throughout the process.
Meanwhile, within the McLaren garage, the FIA have begun their investigation of the 2008 car, a part of the penalty mentioned above. McLaren have apparently been sworn to secrecy on the details of the study, and the FIA will not comment due to it being part of an ongoing investigation.
That’s the news for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.