02-Jan-09: Di Resta Wants a Seat at Force India

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 2nd January 2009.

News is still a bit thin on the ground, so I have two pretty tenuous stories for you today.

Firstly, DTM driver Paul di Resta, who was hoping for a race seat at Force India this year, still believes he could get into Formula 1 now that McLaren are involved. He said: “There’s still a bit of talking to be done before I’ll be able to confirm exactly what I’m going to be doing. One important thing is that F1 remains a possibility.” He adds he’s not giving up on the dream of turning up to Melbourne as an F1 driver.

Elsewhere, Michael Schumacher has been reported as saying that if Lewis had lost the 2008 title in the last race, just like he did in 2007, it would have done some serious damage to his reputation. He’s quoted: “If it happens to you once it is an anecdote but when it happens to you twice it is starting to become a habit. If we saw the championship title slip through his fingers again in the final round it could have been an ill omen for the rest of his career.”

That’s it for today, please join me again on Monday for a new week of F1 Minute.

01-Jan-09: Round Up of Festive F1 News

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Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 1st January 2009 – Happy New Year.
Here is a quick catchup of the news we’ve missed over the festive season:

• It almost looked as though Honda Racing would be saved by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, as there were rumours he had visited the factory and was about to sign on the dotted line. He has since come out and dismissed this speculation as “completely false”.
• Hamilton has been named in the Queen’s New Years Honours list, meaning he will pick up an MBE. He says it is a massive privilege and an honour.
• Kubica isn’t rejecting some of the praise he has received after a great year of driving in 2008, but does admit a title would be nicer: “It’s a much better feeling to win the world championship because that is what counts. It would be better for me to win and have people saying that I have not been such a good driver, than it is to finish fourth and have people saying that I did a good job.”
• Finally, Bernie Ecclestone has said that Button deserves a place in a top team, and would prefer him to sit out a year rather than be at the back of the grid in 2009.

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

25-Dec-08: Merry Christmas to F1 Minute Listeners

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Today is the 25th December 2008 and this is the 365th episode of F1 Minute. That means you can now listen to one episode of F1 Minute every day for a year… except Leap Years, like this one.

Anyway, there is little in the way of Formula 1 news today, apparently it’s some kind of holiday. That being the case, I’d like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and hope you are having a good festive season. Thank you to everyone who listens to F1 Minute, has the player installed on their own sites, and has left comments on F1Minute.com. It’s been a good year for the minute, and we have some exciting plans for 2009 as well. There are already additional features on the site, if you haven’t visited for a while, check out F1Minute.com for quotes, snippets and links and of course, the daily show.

There’s unlikely to be any major F1 developments over the next few days, so F1 Minute will take a short break and will return on the 1st January. Merry Christmas once again, and I’ll see you in the New Year.

24-Dec-08: Karthikeyan Blasts Force India Link Speculation

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This is F1 Minute and it’s the 24th December 2008.

Narain Karthikeyan has hit back at suggestions that he has been spurned by Force India, in quite a vicious way. The former-F1 racer said: “I spent a frustrating time with Jordan, where I had a car that just could not perform. I have no desire to be with another pedestrian team that’s low on performance and loud on talk. The vibes from the camp have been extremely negative and I want to make it clear that I am not interested in driving for Force India.” I’m not entirely sure what’s so bad about being linked to Force India, but he’s clearly not happy about it. He also said that Spyker offered him a job in 2007 but he: “declined as the team was going nowhere.”

Elsewhere today, rumours are starting to appear that Ferrari will reconsider their contract with Michael Schumacher when it runs out in 2009. Continuing on his cost-cutting drive, Stefano Domenicali has said ’09 sees nothing change but after that, the deal will have to be assessed for it’s costs and benefits.

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

23-Dec-08: Massa Disagrees with Salary Cut Ideas

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 23rd December 2008.

With all the talk of cost-cutting that has taken place recently, the latest development is the idea of teams cutting their driver salaries. Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali said that he believed a revolution in driver wages would occur that would see smaller amounts offered to retain talent in the future. Now, Felipe Massa has said that the driver is fundamental to the team, and that costs can be cut elsewhere. He would say that, though, wouldn’t he? Also, Massa isn’t a fan of the standard engine, saying: “I do not find this idea interesting. The fight to diminish costs is important, but a standard engine gets away from what F1 is all about - and it cannot happen.”

Elsewhere today, Toro Rosso have confirmed they’ve signed up Gianfranco Fantuzzi as team manager. He was previously at Toyota and now replaces the Ferrari-bound Massimo Rivola.

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

Quotes Roundup - Week Ending 21st Dec

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

The Future of KERS

New technologies always come with mixed reactions…

• We are behind on schedule with KERS. We have prepared a hybrid car to test the system but unfortunately it is not ready yet.” Gilles Simon, Ferrari Engine Chief
• “My personal concern for next season is the safety aspect of the KERS system. My question is whether it will be safe enough to race. For a team racing with KERS the expectations are clear - it has to be quicker and one hundred per cent reliable. But I think there’s one thing people underestimate at this stage - is it safe enough?” Sebastian Vettel
• “Our cars will for sure also run without KERS. And it’s my opinion that the car built without KERS can go quicker than the car built with KERS but not using it. KERS needs space and if you then don’t use it, you’re wasting space in the car.” Robert Kubica

Ex-Honda Drivers

What next for Button and Barrichello…

• “Things are going better and better at Toro Rosso. My laps were improving every day. I hope to get a strong team-mate next season and if it was up to me I would prefer to have Jenson Button racing next to me.” Sebastien Buemi
• “When you sit down in the cold light of day and realise the liability you would be taking on, and the huge restructuring of staff and resources that will be needed, investors will have to think long and hard before taking a punt.” David Richards
• “I have unfinished business in F1. I am sure I can finish higher up, if not winning the championship. I really believe that is what I deserve. It would be a shame not to use the services of someone so eager to do it, plus with all the experience and the speed. It is the right time - and it comes with the willingness to do well.” Rubens Barrichello

2009 Expectations

The promises of good performance start here…

• “With the new rules it could all change, especially with the slick tyres, and different downforce levels. I think it’s very important to build a good car for those rules, and to try to run as soon as possible with the new car with the slicks. With the new partnerships I think it’s a great opportunity for us.” Giancarlo Fisichella
• “Once the new car comes in February the race drivers will be in that all the time, so at this stage I don’t expect to do a great deal of running outside of promotional events.But my contract is there and my training is continuing - I haven’t wound down in that respect, and I will have primarily an advisory role in the team.” David Coulthard
• “Our reliability record compared to the other teams was good, but we still lost points on several occasions due to problems and we must strive to eliminate any reliability problems because lost points can be very costly in terms of the championship. We will target 100 per cent reliability even if we know it’s an ambitious target.” Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota Team Principal

Quotes Roundup - Week Ending 14th Dec

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

More Reaction on Honda

The sport is still coming to terms with Honda’s exit…

• “It’s a great team and a great team of people, but it’s a salutary lesson for the whole of F1 that things are going to have to change, and everything is going to have to come back a little bit if the whole sport is to prosper in the future - which I am sure it will do.” David Richards
• “It’s a shame. It was a surprise for me and for most of the people in the paddock because Honda has been in Formula One for a long time and is one of the biggest teams in F1. But it was not an easy decision for them to make and hopefully no more teams make the same decision.” Fernando Alonso
• “My way of thinking is that if this team does happen in 2009, we will be very strong. I’m sure there would be other options to race in F1, but very limited, because it’s so late in the day. So it is a difficult decision to make. But at the moment I’m completely focused on working with the team to try to find someone to buy it - that has to be my best option for 2009.” Nick Fry

Talk of 2009

• “I think in the end the tyres will work well, but it takes time to get used to them. In general I prefer slick tyres, but if I think back at the grooved tyres, thanks to the competition between Michelin and Bridgestone they became very good. When we moved to a single supplier, the push from competition ended. So it’s better to wait and see.” Kimi Raikkonen
• “I am very positive actually. We have got a lot of exciting things coming through to the car - some of them from new regulations and some of them which are things we were working on anyway. So I am feeling very optimistic actually.” Paddy Lowe, McLaren Director of Engineering
• “It looks like we got back to 1995 or something! It is pretty strange the shape of the cars. To be honest, the car we are using now is much more beautiful compared to what we are going to use next year. But that’s the rules and we’re going to try to do the best we can. The shape of the car is going to be the same for everybody.” Felipe Massa

Mosley’s New Rules

• “I would hate anyone to think that we want Formula One to lose sight of one of its main objectives, which is to remain the pinnacle of motor racing technology. If properly managed the regulations will ensure that this continues to be the case.” Max Mosley
• “As an organization we have a very clear view of what drives costs and we have a very clear view on how to manage and control them, so I am confident that we can and will survive the recession. Simply put, we will have to make less resource go much further and I predict that the motorsport supply base will be the hardest hit as teams do less and in-source much more.” John Howett
• “Extending the points-paying positions to the top eight by reducing the difference between first and second was a mistake, but I’m against changing the points system too often. It disorientates people.” Max Mosley

Renault F1 - Jerez Testing, Day 3

Fernando Alonso, R28-05, 124 laps, 567 km, fastest lap 1:19.319

The ING Renault F1 Team completed its final test of the year today as Fernando Alonso clocked up 124 laps behind the wheel of the R28 in Jerez in the south of Spain. The team again benefited from ideal weather conditions to get through a trouble-free technical programme and round off a positive week for the team. Fernando concentrated on acclimatising further to the 2009 slick Bridgestone tyres as the team evaluated some suspension set-up options and added further mileage to various components. The team now returns to the factories in Enstone and Viry to concentrate its efforts on the development of the R29, which will make its first appearance in January.

Fernando Alonso: “It was a good day as we continued to add miles to the car and to understand the tyres. We maximised the time on the track and managed to do a lot of laps as well as some basic-set-up work. I have already been doing a lot of physical work to get ready for next year and so spending a couple of days in the car this week was another important part of my preparation and has helped me get back up to speed. I’m now looking forward to testing the new car in January.”

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer: “Another productive day which went smoothly with no major problems on the car. Fernando had a busy programme and did a lot of laps once again, and so we completed all the main things that we needed to. It’s nice to end our 2008 testing season on a high as the test team have done a great job this year so thanks for all their efforts. We now look forward to the New Year as we get ready for a busy winter developing the new car.”

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Test in Jerez - Day three

Weather conditions: Very cold in the morning, sunny all day.
Temperature: Air: 6 – 15 °C, Track: 5 – 22 °C
Number of drivers participating: 10 from 6 teams
Fastest lap overall: Sébastien Buemi (Scuderia Toro Rosso) 1:17.258 min
Circuit length: 4.428 km

Robert Kubica
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.08B-06 / BMW 86/9
Test kilometres today: 594 km (134 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:19.559 min

Christian Klien
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.08B-03 / BMW 86/9
Test kilometres today: 448 km (101 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:19.738 min

Programme:
Running interim cars – 2008 chassis and engine configuration with some body work complying with the 2009 regulations – the BMW Sauber F1 Team today continued its development work in preparation for next season. After sitting out the chilly early morning, when temperatures of around five degrees Celsius made any meaningful testing impossible, Robert Kubica and Christian Klien worked on the mechanical set-up of the F1.08B. Both drivers also did tyre evaluations for the different compounds of the 2009 slicks.

“I could do a lot of laps today and covered nearly 600 kms, which was very good. Our main goal at this stage is to understand what we can do with the set-up options for next year’s car,” said Kubica.

What comes next:
There is only a short break over the weekend before the BMW Sauber F1 Team starts testing again in Jerez. Another three days session is scheduled to begin on Monday.

Renault Press Statement

Following speculation that appeared this morning in the Italian press, the ING Renault F1 Team would like to state that the positions of the Team and Renault are in complete accordance to those of the FOTA. We would like to point out that neither Mr. Briatore nor Renault have spoken to the press regarding this matter before this official press release.

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