16-Oct-08: Stewarding Process to be Discussed
Today is the 16th October 2008 and you’re listening to F1 Minute.
The stewarding process has come in to sharp focus this week, as drivers come to terms with what happened in Fuji. Heidfeld has offered the opinion that he would like a return to last season’s system, where there was a permanent steward who travelled to all races. He felt the penalties dished out were at least more consistent, even if they weren’t any less harsh.
Other drivers, including Trulli, Button, and Alonso, have said they’d like an ex-driver to join the stewarding team, as they believe he would have a much better idea of what is really going on out on track. The problem is likely to be discussed at the Friday drivers briefing in Shanghai.
Another item on the agenda is some of Hamilton’s recent driving. Webber has said that he wants to talk about the matter of moving around in the braking area, in his capacity as director of the GPDA. Trulli also wants to discuss being held up by Hamilton not adhering to blue flags in Fuji. And they say they’re not ganging up on him.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
24-Jul-08: Webber Leads Jerez Test and Talks KERS
It’s the 24th July, and this is F1 Minute.
Well, the result is in, and Max Mosley has won his court case against the News of the World. The High Court decided that Mosley’s privacy was invaded, and he deserved a £60,000 settlement in damages. Mosley has said he is delighted with the result and the money will go to the FIA Foundation.
Now, in real F1 news, Webber topped the timesheets in Jerez today, ahead of Piquet for Renault and Raikkonen in the Ferrari. Piquet did manage to bring out a red flag after hitting the wall, and de la Rosa, Glock and Barrichello also saw red flags. Glock was returning to action today after his accident and thankfully didn’t crash, but simply stopped out on track.
Also, we don’t appear to have had any KERS related incidents today, but fears about the safety of it continue. Webber has said that he doesn’t want to look into the technology too much as it makes him nervous, and the drivers are happy to let the engineers sort it out. From his position within the GPDA, he said they won’t be getting involved just yet.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
20-Jun-08: Massa and Alonso Make the Most of Friday in France
Today is the 20th June 2008 and you’re listening to F1 Minute.
A lot to get through today, but let’s start with Free Practice for France. Massa led the way in a very quiet first session, with the only incident really being Alonso’s engine blowing up out on track. However, in the second session, the Renault was much better with Alonso topping the timesheets.
Not the most action we’ve seen on a Friday, which could be blamed on the circuit. Magny-Cours have, however, unveiled their plans for some major upgrades to the circuit including new pits, paddock and hospitality facilities. They’re calling the project Magny-Cours 2.
At the end of Free Practice, the drivers that were still out on track took part in the new ECU safety car ruling test, apparently with mixed feelings. GPDA president Pedro de la Rosa said some are happy and some are not, and it’s still early days. De la Rosa also said there was no talk of a strike amongst drivers, which is good because Hamilton said, whilst he supports the cause, he wouldn’t be taking part in one.
That’s everything for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
19-Jun-08: Heidfeld Still Wants to Work on his Qualifying
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 19th June.
Nick Heidfeld has said that he still thinks he needs more practice when it comes to getting the best out of his tyres in qualifying. So far this year, Kubica has got the better of him on Saturdays, and Heidfeld took the opportunity of an extra days test in Barcelona last week. However, he says it wasn’t just a matter of changing one thing, but it’s a gradual process.
There were rumours going around the paddock that the drivers may be on course to strike at the British Grand Prix in response to the price hike of the superlicence. However, most of the drivers are playing down the talk. Alonso and Kubica are both unimpressed with how much their licence will cost, but Kubica says a strike is unlikely. Max Mosley has confirmed he is happy to meet with the GPDA to discuss the matter.
The BMW Pit Lane Park will be turning up in Manchester on the weekend of the British Grand Prix. There will be cars doing donuts, a Pit Stop challenge, and plenty of other F1 related goodness for visitors to experience.
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
22-May-08: Raikkonen and Hamilton Top Free Practice Times
Welcome to F1 Minute, today is the 22nd May.
McLaren and Ferrari continue to dominate, as Raikkonen led the way during Free Practice 1 and Hamilton topped the time sheets during FP2. There were several incidents during the day. At one point the track was red flagged as a drain cover had worked itself loose and water was leaking onto the circuit. Both Renaults touched the barriers at the same place, but at different times, with Alonso having to go back to the garage for a new rear wing. Also, Coulthard and Heidfeld both suffered mechanical breakdowns, whilst Trulli was another victim of the barriers.
Max Mosley turned up for his first Grand Prix appearance since his private life scandal broke. He visited the FIA motorhome for some meetings, then returned to his private offices, and made no comment to the waiting media.
Elsewhere today, Bernie Ecclestone has apparently said there is no place for the British Grand Prix on the calendar from 2010. As ever, Bernie is saying the GPDA need to meet the upgrade requirements before anything can be decided.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
09-May-08: Ferrari Head the Timesheets for Turkey Free Practice
This is F1 Minute for the 9th May 2008.
The action in Turkey kicked off with two Free Practice sessions today, and predictably the Ferrari’s had both of them under control. Massa led FP1 and Raikkonen topped the timesheets for FP2. It wasn’t all plain sailing though, as a recently cleaned track left damp patches for the first session, and the second was preceded by a quick shower of rain. Plenty of cars spun and we saw as much action off the track as on it. Most notably, Mark Webber spun off track and crashed into the barriers, wrecking the front of his car. He walked away unscathed, but the car was pretty trashed.
For the first session today, Fisichella was first out on track, and it turns out he actually jumped the red lights at the pit lane exit. He has thus been given a three place grid drop from wherever he qualifies for the race.
Elsewhere today, Massa has left the GPDA claiming that although he agrees with the good things the GPDA do, he doesn’t like the way it’s being run.
That’s all for today, don’t forget we’ll run through the weekend for all the action, so I’ll be back tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
07-May-08: Trulli Discusses Non Members of GPDA
This is F1 Minute for the 7th May.
Jarno Trulli has hit out at some of the top drivers who are not members of the GPDA. He said that the drivers involved in the organisation are funding improvements to the sport, which those who are not members are gaining from, without having to get involved or pay. There’s an entry fee to the GPDA and another cost associated with how many points a driver has scored, which may be why some of the top drivers aren’t interested in signing up, but Trulli thinks there is more to it.
He says: “The most outrageous thing is that a top driver doesn’t give a damn about his safety. For me, that’s unacceptable. Even drivers that were part of the association and left pretend not to understand, and don’t read what we do.”
Elsewhere today, Sebastian Vettel has said that although he doesn’t believe in bad luck, he thinks he may be suffering from it a little bit. Having not completed a race distance so far this season, he’s pinning his hopes on Turkey for a good finish. He won’t have the new STR3 though, as Toro Rosso already confirmed they’d be pushing back the debut of the new car, they’ve now confirmed it will be at Monaco.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
30-Apr-08: Webber Asks the FIA to Consider Spain Run-off Areas
This is F1 Minute for the 30th April 2008.
Mark Webber has been talking about Kovalainen’s crash in Spain this past weekend, in his capacity as director of the GPDA. Webber says that the run off area on that particular turn is not big enough and needs to be looked at by the FIA. He mentioned the fact that Sebastien Bourdais also had a crash there in testing the previous week, although that was much less severe.
The FIA have today announced that their safety experts are looking into the crash, particularly from the angle that it took doctors a relatively long time to reach Kovalainen. The FIA have said they will be conducting a detailed analysis of the accident data but it is too early for any official comment just yet.
In aero news today, BMW’s technical director Willy Rampf has said that the team will be testing a version of the Ferrari nose hole in the wind tunnels to see if it will benefit them. And Renault believe they have already made significant improvements, as Pat Symonds said the gap may still be big to Ferrari, but the team have gained at least three tenths on their past performance.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
19-Mar-08: McLaren to Revise Pit Speed Limiter System
This is F1 Minute for the 19th March 2008.
McLaren will be looking into their pit speed limiter process after the incident in Australia with Kovalainen. Engineering director Paddy Lowe has said they will be revising the system in future as: “It shouldn’t be something you can pick up by accident when you’re moving your hands around.”
Ferrari test driver Marc Gene has criticised the system used by McLaren, saying he was surprised it happened, as his team has a way of making the button inactive over a certain gear or speed.
The GPDA fallout continues, after Jackie Stewart’s disappointment in Hamilton yesterday. Pedro de la Rosa has said they don’t back this attitude. “We look forward to Lewis becoming a GPDA member at some time in the future. But it isn’t mandatory to join and it isn’t our intention to put pressure on Lewis, as he has always been extremely helpful with any safety issue we have engaged in in the past.”
And a Toyota official has confirmed that Timo Glock will be okay to race in Malaysia this weekend.
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
14-Mar-08: Predictable Leaders for Australia Free Practice
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 14th March.
The 2008 season has officially begun! Kimi Raikkonen led the way in Free Practice 1, with Hamilton taking the honours during the second session. It’s worth pointing out that Mark Webber led for almost all of Free Practice 2, before Hamilton put in a flying lap with only a few minutes to spare. There was one red flag during the first session caused by Piquet, and Trulli spun off into the gravel during the second.
Mike Coughlan has had his contract with McLaren officially terminated, although details are still scarce due to legal reasons. It is thought that the FIA will make an announcement similar to that for Nigel Stepney, advising teams not to work with Coughlan for a period of time.
Pedro de la Rosa has been elected President of the Grand Prix Driver’s Association, replacing ex-Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher. De la Rosa said his main aim in the top job is to recruit younger drivers to the association.
And finally, a quick F1 Minute update. During race weekends, we’ll be going seven days a week, to cover all the news from Qualifying and the Race. Tune in tomorrow for the first ever Saturday edition of F1 Minute.