Quotes Roundup - Week Ending 9th Nov
November 9, 2008 by Christine
Filed under Weekly Quotes
The very best from the mouths of those in the know.
Reactions to the Brazilian Grand Prix
On the closest Formula 1 championship finish…
- “In all my years in Formula One, I haven’t seen such an incredibly exciting finish to a championship. I always said that we’d be fighting until the last corner of the last Grand Prix and that’s exactly what happened at the end of a brilliantly tense competition.” Luca di Montezemolo
- “He is great. Lewis went out there to win the title and he has won it. I believe the finale was amazing - but congratulations to Lewis. It was fantastic for the sport. It was fantastic for the television and an amazing finish.” Flavio Briatore
- “Both Felipe and Lewis are fantastic drivers to be honest. They have done the sport a credit, both of them, with their approach and their attitude. It is a shame that one of them had to lose as both did a great job.” Ross Brawn
Renault’s Driver Announcement
On the re-signing of Alonso and Piquet…
- “I have decided to stay with the ING Renault F1 team because, as I have often repeated this season, they have always been my first choice and I feel very happy and comfortable with them. It’s a very close-knit team with a competitive and winning mentality, and also a relaxed and warm attitude, which suits me perfectly.” Fernando Alonso
- “Although I have had a tough year, I have learned a lot from my rookie season and I will aim to put that experience to good use next season. I want to thank the team for their support this year and for the trust they have shown in me for the future.” Nelson Piquet Jr
- “This gives the ING Renault F1 Team one of the most exciting driver pairings with the perfect blend of youth and experience.” Flavio Briatore
Team Principals and Future Plans
On 2009 and beyond…
- “For me the reference point is BMW and the job they have done, it is pretty impressive. They have still to continue their climb but I think if we as a team achieve the competitiveness BMW manage to we will be quite pleased.” Ross Brawn
- “We have come a long way this season, but we need more and that requires some radical reorganisation of the management structure to ensure the maximum productivity. I would like to thank Colin Kolles for his tireless efforts in keeping such a small team alive and to Mike Gascoyne for bringing his wealth of technical expertise. Both have played an instrumental part in making the team what it is today.” Vijay Mallya
- “Formula One is set to experience the most significant rule changes in its history. Wide-reaching controls on aerodynamics systems will see the cars looking totally different in 2009, treadless tyres will be brought back and the totally new KERS technology introduced. “This may bring about shifts in the balance of power. This extremely challenging scenario does not alter our goal of fighting for the world championship title in 2009.” Mario Theissen
23-Oct-08: Di Montezemolo Wants Team Orders Rule Changed
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 23rd October 2008.
Luca di Montezemolo has been busy this week, but still has time to request a regulation change. He wants to get rid of the team orders ruling, as he says it’s really quite hypocritical. After the Ferrari switch at last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, opinion is divided on whether the ruling should be ditched because teams are obviously flouting it, or whether the FIA should tighten up on the regulation and stop it happening. We heard yesterday that Kimi was more than happy to step down in favour of Felipe, and di Montezemolo says that was the right thing to do: “The important thing is not to damage others. Besides that, team work, in a team sport, is one of the best things.”
Another follow up on yesterday’s minute is the meeting between the Montreal mayor and Bernie Ecclestone, with the mayor saying: “”We have a better understanding of the issues, we still have a lot of work to do to evaluate all the options, but it is still possible to hold a Grand Prix in Montreal in 2009 and subsequent years.”
That’s it for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
21-Oct-08: FOTA Issue Statement Following Mosley Meeting
This is F1 Minute for the 21st October 2008.
Max Mosley and the FOTA have met today in Geneva, with Luca di Montezemolo and John Howett representing the organisation. After the meeting, a joint statement was issued saying that significant cost savings had been agreed upon for the next two seasons, with 2010 and beyond still to be decided. No real details were released, but we do know that engine life will go up from two races to three from next year, manufacturers now have to supply customer engines at an agreed price, and there will probably soon be an agreement that bringing a standard KERS unit into the sport is a good idea.
There is plenty still up for discussion, including customer cars, and testing limits, but the current standard engines proposal is notably missing from the FOTA statement. Before the meeting, Mosley said he would be pushing the standard engine as he would prefer F1 to concentrate on technology that will benefit all areas of the motorsport industry.
That wraps up the news for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
06-Oct-08: BMW Lineup Remains Unchanged for 2009
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 6th October 2008.
BMW have become the next team to confirm their driver lineup for 2009 and it remains unchanged. Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld line up beside Christian Klien as test driver. BMW Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen said, of the pairing: “We are in no doubt that we will again achieve our ambitious aims with them in the team’s fourth year.” Of course, this news narrows down Alonso’s options for next year, with his main choice now being between Renault and Honda.
Elsewhere today, Bernie Ecclestone has hit back at the statements Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo made regarding Singapore. The team boss said the safety car rules make F1 a circus. Ecclestone has apparently responded to this with: “After the weekend Ferrari had, their president should have shut up and kept his head down. If Massa loses the world championship, he will know the team were responsible. He would have destroyed everybody in Singapore if he had kept going.”
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
30-Sep-08: Ferrari Boss Gives Singapore Race Thumbs Down
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 30th September 2008.
If you ignore the slight marshalling issue, all reports regarding the Singapore Grand Prix have been good. Until now. Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has some pretty harsh words about the race, and Formula 1 in general. He’s reported as saying: “When we race on tracks which should be used for the circus, anything can happen. This is humiliating for F1 and it is an aspect I want to talk about with the other teams in the next few weeks.” In particular, he’s annoyed about the safety car, as are many of the teams.
Elsewhere today, Renault believe they have done enough to convince Alonso to stay with them for next year, including a rumoured replacement of Piquet with tester Lucas di Grassi. Alonso, in turn, says that his lack of enthusiasm on the podium this weekend was because he was tired, and not because he wants to leave the team. But, he’s still going to leave us waiting for a decision until the end of the season.
That’s it for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
21-Sep-08: Ferrari Boss Discusses Raikkonen and Singapore
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 21st September 2008.
Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo has been talking about the ever increasing number of street circuits on the calendar, which he thinks is a problem. He believes that street circuits don’t allow many opportunities for overtaking, and regarding the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix, he said: “I have the impression it will be one of those letdowns where you cannot overtake, like Valencia.” He added that to keep on encouraging street circuits on the calendar would be a bad thing for Formula 1.
Montezemolo has also been discussing the team’s decision to extend Raikkonen’s contract after he has failed to live up to expectations this year: “I know some disagreed when we lengthened his contract, but we are talking about the world champion, who won the title in his first year at Ferrari.” He said that Kimi will soon be back on form and getting results once more.
Finally, Lewis Hamilton is preparing for a busy week, as not only does he have to prepare for the race next Sunday, he is also planning to attend the Court of Appeal hearing in Paris tomorrow. Let me know how you think the result will pan out at F1Minute.com.
16-Sep-08: Final In-Season Test Gets Underway at Jerez
This is F1 Minute for the 16th September.
The final in-season test of 2008 has started at Jerez, with BMW, Williams and Honda turning up for the first day. The teams tested three young drivers: Marko Asmer finished the day on top for BMW, followed by Dani Clos for Williams and Mike Conway for Honda. Both Williams and Honda tested out the new KERS technology, but Honda only managed 20 laps whilst the others completed over 70 each.
Elsewhere today, Ron Dennis has been talking about his team’s relationship with Ferrari, and says things have never been better, despite last year’s spy scandal, and the Belgium penalty incident. Dennis spoke out to put pay to rumours that there might be trouble within the FOTA, and of new chairman di Montezemolo, he said: “Luca is an old friend. Granted, inevitably, our relationship has had its ups and downs as a result of the competitiveness of our respective organisations, but there’s a deep and mutual respect between us.”
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
30-Aug-08: Ferrari Confirm Driver Lineup For 2009
Today is the 30th August 2008 and you’re listening to F1 Minute.
The speculation about Kimi Raikkonen’s desire to remain in Formula 1 has been rife recently, almost as much as the question of whether a seat is available for him at Ferrari next year. Well, now we have the answer to both questions.
Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo has confirmed to the Italian media that their driver line up will be the same in 2009 as it is this year. He also said that Raikkonen is as motivated as ever and continues: “It can’t be forgotten that he’s the world champion, and that last year he won in his first season with Ferrari, while many people never thought he would do so. Now he has 17 victories and I hope he’ll get back to winning ways in the next Grand Prix in Belgium. Anyway, he’s not a driver in crisis.”
Meanwhile, concerned about the expanding calendar, BMW boss Mario Theissen has said he thinks it would be okay if Friday practice was revamped into a test day, with in-season testing scrapped altogether.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
29-Aug-08: American Racer Phil Hill Has Died Aged 81
This is F1 Minute and it’s the 29th August 2008.
Sad news to begin with, ex-F1 champion Phil Hill has died aged 81. Hill is the only native-born American to have won the title, and did so in 1961 driving for Ferrari. He won three Le Mans races, and started 48 F1 races, winning just three of them. He retired in 1967. Hill died yesterday due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease.
Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo issued a statement after hearing the news, saying: “I, as well as all employees of Ferrari, am extremely saddened by the news of the passing of Phil Hill, a man and a champion who gave so much to Ferrari and who has always greatly represented the company’s values inside and outside the racing track.”
Finally, a quick update on the test at Monza, Hamilton has finished the final day with the fastest time, followed by Raikkonen and then surprisingly, Fisichella in the Force India.
That’s it for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
07-Jul-08: Honda and Ferrari Reactions to the British GP
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 7th July 2008.
After their unexpected podium finish at Silverstone this weekend, you’d imagine Honda might want to rethink their plans to abandon development this year. However, CEO Nick Fry says they won’t be doing that. He says: “The plan is really designing the car Ross wants for next year, and this year is about getting everything as Ross wants it in the way the team operates.” Fry does concede that the podium finish has boosted everyone’s morale (except perhaps Jenson’s) but they have to remember it was mostly down to luck.
More reaction to the weekend, and of a less positive kind, comes from Luca di Montezemolo. “I hope we’ll manage to win our eighth title in ten years. We will if we don’t carry on doing stupid things. Obviously I wasn’t pleased with what I saw yesterday, but I hope it’s a useful lesson. Knowing my men, I’m certain it is.”
Finally, Max Mosley’s court case against the News of the World has begun, and the FIA president has been on the stand today denying the Nazi side of the allegations.
That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.