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.

BMW Sauber F1 Team with new management

Following the purchase of the BMW Sauber F1 Team at the end of November and the return of the BMW employees to Munich, Peter Sauber can now present the company’s new management structure.

Sauber himself is the new President of the Board of Directors and will lead the Hinwil-based team as Team Principal at trackside. However, he will not take on any operational tasks in Hinwil.

The new Managing Director at the team’s headquarters is Monisha Kaltenborn (38), who had previously held the post of Head of Legal Affairs since 1998 and has been a member of the Board of Management since 2001. In her former capacity she also looked after relations with the world governing body the FIA, the rights holder FOM and the teams’ association FOTA. An Austrian national, Kaltenborn completed a law degree at the University of Vienna before graduating as a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics.
Alex Sauber (36) is now responsible for the team’s marketing activities. The son of team owner Peter Sauber has worked in Swiss professional football for the last two years with Neue Grasshopper Fussball AG, most recently as Commercial Director. After graduating with a law degree in Zurich, he worked for two years at a firm specialising in sports and media law. Between October 2006 and October 2007 he completed an MBA in Sport Management in Liverpool.

Technical Director Willy Rampf (56) is responsible for the engineering side of the team, while Urs Jampen (62) returns to the post of Finance Director after 18 months away. Jürg Flach (40) joins the Board of Management as Director Operations with overall responsibility for production. The mechanical engineering graduate has been at the company since 1999 and was previously responsible for project management.

“Formula One is constantly changing,” says Peter Sauber. “This division of responsibilities not only meets the demands of the sport, but also freshens things up within the company. I will keep myself informed on all important developments, but will leave operational matters to the management in Hinwil.”

23-Dec-09: Michael Schumacher Returns to F1 with Mercedes

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This is F1 Minute for the 23rd December 2009.

Ah, here we go again. Michael Schumacher has confirmed he is returning to Formula 1 in 2010, signing up to a one-year deal with Mercedes GP. Supposedly, the call up to replace Massa which didn’t work out gave him the motivation, and a conversation with Ross Brawn in November spurred him on to really consider it. He says his neck is now 100% and no longer an issue, and adds: “I never left the race track. I was tired of F1 by the end of 2006, but in three years of absence I got back all the energy that I am feeling right now. I played around with motorbikes and I feel ready for some serious stuff now.” That’s a bit of a kick to his old motorbike buddies, I’m sure.

FOTA have officially confirmed they are calling off the single group launch idea that had been offered up as a cost saving measure. It was meant to happen at the end of January in Valencia, but all the teams could not agree – with the smaller names worried about being overshadowed, and some teams not sure they’d be ready in time. So, it’s been scrapped.

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

26-Nov-09: Lotus and Manor Join FOTA

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Today is the 26th November 2009 and this is F1 Minute.

Lotus and Manor Grand Prix have been welcomed to FOTA, according to reports from Autosport. Once again all the entered teams for 2010 are signed up to the organisation, and it was all done nice and unanimously. Although FOTA have been quiet over recent months, they are working on further cost cutting measures – potentially in the form of a group launch rather than the individual events we see in the few months before the season starts. They are also discussing the empty slot on the grid, and what is going to happen with Toyota’s exit and BMW’s potential entry – although I’m not sure that’s their decision.

Anyway, in other news, we have more names for the young driver test – IRL driver and Brit Mike Conway will have a go in the Mercedes GP car, joined by Marcus Ericsson, the Japanese Formula 3 Champion.

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

17-Nov-09: Glock Signs with Manor Grand Prix for 2010

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This is F1 Minute, today is the 17th November 2009.

Timo Glock has confirmed his immediate future in Formula 1 by signing with the new Manor Grand Prix team. Glock says: “Every driver has the same overall objective – to win the world championship one day – but the way I want to succeed is to be part of the process of building a team and to play a key role in developing the car. This is why the opportunity with Manor Grand Prix is so exciting for me.” And presumably why staying with Toyota if they hadn’t left, wasn’t exciting for him.

Anyway, elsewhere, Luca di Montezemolo has suggested that he is unlikely to continue with his role as president of FOTA past this year. Talking to Autosprint, he said; “I took up the president role because I felt it was good to have teams competing on the track and talking out of it like sports professionals. This is what we did. However, I have another job and I can’t do everything.”

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

06-Oct-09: Theissen Concerned About BMW’s Future

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Today is the 6th October 2009, and this is F1 Minute.

The team formerly known as BMW are now facing a shaky future in the sport, as they were hoping for unanimous agreement from the existing teams for a 14th slot on the grid to be opened up for them. They didn’t get it. Vice-chairman of FOTA, John Howett, said the organisation did discuss the subject during a meeting ahead of Sunday’s race, but they decided it was an individual team decision rather than an association one.

It has also emerged that the Qadbak company who have invested in the team are under investigation by the Football Association for their involvement with Notts County, and one of their top people had assets seized by the court.

Mario Theissen says these things are making life difficult, as they are trying to talk to sponsors and drivers, and an uncertain future doesn’t exactly entice them along. The FIA will have to make their decision soon over the 14th place, and Theissen says they are waiting.

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

17-Sep-09: Williams and Kubica Wait on Renault

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This is F1 Minute and it’s the 17th September 2009.

Although today’s minute isn’t about Renault directly, their impending hearing is causing all sorts of havoc. Williams are starting to get concerned about their engine deal for next year, as they are hoping to move away from Toyota, and were thinking about Renault as a possibility… if the team are still in the sport. Co-owner of Williams, Patrick Head has said they approached Mercedes but were told the option to run their engines wasn’t available to them. Head believes their request wasn’t helped by them not being a part of FOTA at the time. He also admits they are looking at Cosworth for a supply next year, but it’s no secret that Frank Williams isn’t a fan.

In slightly related news, Robert Kubica has said he is waiting to see what happens with Renault before making any announcements on his future. The French team aren’t his only option, although they have made the Pole an offer. He’s also linked with Williams to replace Nico Rosberg who, in turn, is linked with Brawn.

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

16-Sep-09: Briatore and Symonds Leave Renault

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Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 16th September 2009.

Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be anymore Renault news before the hearing next week, today the team confirmed that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have left. A statement by Renault said: “The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. It also wishes to state that it’s managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team.” Of course, this raises so many more questions than it answers, but the team have said they won’t comment further until after the hearing on Monday.

Elsewhere, Luca di Montezemolo has said that a FOTA conference later this year must address the falling ticket sales, and lack of testing to make Formula 1 more attractive to fans again. He also talks about the three teams thing again, but I prefer the other stuff!

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

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