10-Nov-09: Brawn Believes Manufacturers Will Be Back

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This is F1 Minute and it’s the 10th November 2009.

Ross Brawn has been talking about the future of Formula 1, and said that it really does go in cycles and car manufacturers will return to the sport. Despite the fact that Honda, BMW and now Toyota have all pulled out, he’s confident they’ll be back. Brawn said: “It will take a while, it’s going to take a few years but Honda’s was their second or third involvement in Formula 1. Manufacturers look at the value to them of Formula 1, there’s no sentiment I’m afraid. So when it’s viable, they come in, and when it’s not, they don’t.” He said luckily it’s the privateers who sustain the sport.

Meanwhile, Cosworth are confident that the new teams who are signed up with them will be ready in time. The general manager of F1 for Cosworth Mark Gallagher said: “There are very well-respected people involved in all four teams and they are going about their preparations for next season in the right way.” I reserve judgement until I see the cars on the track.

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

FIA – BMW

The FIA regrets the announcement of BMW’s intended withdrawal from Formula One but is not surprised by it.

It has been clear for some time that motor sport cannot ignore the world economic crisis. Car manufacturers cannot be expected to continue to pour large sums of money into Formula One when their survival depends on redundancies, plant closures and the support of the taxpayer.

This is why the FIA prepared regulations to reduce costs drastically. These measures were needed to alleviate the pressure on manufacturers following Honda’s withdrawal but also to make it possible for new teams to enter.

Had these regulations not been so strongly opposed by a number of team principals, the withdrawal of BMW and further such announcements in the future might have been avoided.

Nevertheless, as a result of a sustained cost-cutting campaign by the FIA, new measures are in the process of being agreed which should make it easier for new teams to enter and enable existing ones to participate on much reduced budgets.

It is no secret that these measures do not go as far as the FIA would have liked but a compromise was needed in the interests of harmony in the sport. Hopefully it will be enough to prevent further withdrawals and provide a solid foundation for Formula One.

As the guardian of the sport, the FIA is committed to ensuring that Formula One remains financially sustainable for all competing teams and it will always act to ensure that this remains the case.

Brawn GP Continue to Support Will Stevens on Driver Development Programme

03-May-09: Simon Gillett Still Confident on Donington

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This is F1 Minute for the 3rd May 2009.

Donington Park has hit the headlines once again as the owner of Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd has to face the local council again next week in a bid to extend his hopes of keeping the British GP. Although the council issue is to do with paperwork and red tape, there is still the very real problem of funding facing the event as well.

However, Simon Gillett, the owner in question, is adamant it’s going to happen. In fact, he says Britain are a lot of doubters, and if he could, he’d make money that way. “The best way to fund my business, I’ve found, is to get a pound from everyone who thinks we will not have a grand prix here. I could fund Donington’s rebuild a thousand times over.”

Finally, it’s a quiet day in F1 news, so I had a look back at what we were talking about this time last year, and on the 5th May 2008, we learnt Super Aguri had been denied access to the Istanbul circuit, as Honda were moments away from pulling out. If only we’d known what was to come!

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

30-Mar-09: McLaren Boss Admits They’ll Still Struggle

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Today is the 30th March 2009, and this is F1 Minute.

Martin Whitmarsh has said that we can no longer look at Brawn GP as the underdog, saying that whilst McLaren were busy trying to win world championships, the then Honda team were developing this year’s car. He also admitted that despite Hamilton’s decent points haul in Australia, they will likely still struggle this coming weekend in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Brawn GP have confirmed they are having to reduce their staffing levels with 270 employees being made redundant. Although the management buyout has saved the team, the budget is naturally reduced and they’re dropping to a similar level to the BAR days, before Honda got involved.

Finally, the FIA have said they are still waiting for Toyota to confirm their intentions regarding the appeal over Trulli’s Australia penalty. Although the stewards denied the initial complaint, Toyota may take it further.

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

FOTA Members Photocall

The representatives of each team line up for a FOTA photo during their press conference yesterday. They revealed various suggestions for the future of F1. Notably, Nick Fry was in attendance, suggesting the ex-Honda team would make an announcement soon. True to form, today we saw their evolution into Brawn GP. Ross Brawn particularly thanks the FOTA members for helping the team survive.
Credit: TeamsAssociation.org

06-Mar-09: Honda Racing Becomes Brawn GP

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Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 6th March 2009.

You can sigh with relief, as the Honda saga has finally come to an end, with Ross Brawn’s takeover complete. He now owns 100% of the team that has been renamed Brawn GP. A press release and website were released in the early hours, that confirmed the news, and announced Button and Barrichello as drivers. The car then hit the track at Silverstone for a shakedown today, where we got a sneak peak at the livery. It’s mostly white, with some yellow and black stripes.

The team confirmed they are running Mercedes engines, and we will next see them in action at Barcelona next week. When asked about his hopes for the first Grand Prix in Australia, Brawn said:

“The debut race weekend with 20 brand new cars is always difficult to predict and on this occasion I’m not even going to try. What I know we can take away from Melbourne is an enormous sense of pride and achievement at having already met and overcome our biggest challenge.”

That’s it for this week, have a fabulous weekend and I’ll be back on Monday with another F1 Minute.

A Pitstop for Honda

Button stops in the pitlane during the Singapore GP 2008. Nick Fry as good as announced today that the team have been saved, thanks to their fellow teams and FOTA’s plans for the future. These were also announced today, including a radical idea to award a constructor’s point to the team completing the fastest pit stop during a race. The proposals will have to be passed by the FIA before they come in to effect.
Credit: HondaRacingF1

05-Mar-09: Ex-Honda Team Close to Announcing Future

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This is F1 Minute for the 5th March.

Nick Fry has all but confirmed that the ex-Honda team will continue racing. At the FOTA press conference in Geneva, he said: “All the teams and their support have helped us preserve our team. So I, Ross and our 700 employees thank them.” That is as much information as we got, except that their new colours would be blue and red, and Fry said more details would be coming soon.

Meanwhile, FOTA announced their proposals for the future of F1, that they are submitting to the FIA for agreement. They want shorter races, more open-ness when it comes to data, fuel loads, and strategies, and a change in the points tally to try and encourage racing for the win. The entire press release is available, and well worth a read, on F1 Minute.com.

Finally, it was the last day of testing in Jerez, with Heidfeld quickest. Notably, Hamilton crashed into a barrier after a gust of wind sent him off course. Trulli also struggled with front wing damage after crossing the kerbs.

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

03-Mar-09: Barrichello Ready to Sign With Ex-Honda Team

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Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 3rd March 2009.

Whilst the future of the ex-Honda team is still not confirmed, reports have surfaced today that Barrichello has agreed to race with them, hopefully starting at the final Barcelona test. The information that has been leaking out over the past few days puts the team’s future squarely in the hands of Ross Brawn, with a management buyout expected to be announced, and a possible team name of Brawn Racing. None of that is official yet, though, and Barrichello is not thought to have signed a contract yet. However, Bruno Senna has come out and said he was supposed to meet with Brawn but that was cancelled. For his part, Rubens says: “I’ve lived four months of waiting and I’m not going to celebrate before crossing the finish line.”

Meanwhile, Glock remained on top for the third day of testing in Jerez, with the wet weather clearing up considerably. Even Ferrari hit the track with Massa finishing second behind the Toyota. Alonso pulled the Renault from the bottom of the timesheets into third.

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

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