01-Oct-08: Whitmarsh Talks Updates and Singapore Penalties
You’re listening to F1 Minute and it’s the 1st October 2008.
With most teams saying they will be focusing on 2009 now, it’s a refreshing change to hear that some updates will be taking place for McLaren. CEO Martin Whitmarsh says Singapore was supposed to be their last upgrade, but now they’ll be bringing in some more aerodynamic “bits and pieces” for Japan and China. Whitmarsh also had a bit of a moan about the penalty process in Singapore, saying that because the stop/go call for Rosberg pitting under the safety car came so late, that he had been able to pull out enough of a lead to effectively cancel it out. Whitmarsh believes Hamilton could have won it had things been different.
Elsewhere today, Malaysia have reportedly said no to the night race idea. Previously Bernie has said that the 2009 race would begin at 7pm local time, but officials have said they will compromise to start at 5pm. They certainly don’t intend to host a race after dark.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
31-Mar-08: Max Mosley Hits the Headlines for All the Wrong Reasons
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 31st March 2008.
The main news of the weekend was the story about Max Mosley and some of the things he may or may not get up to in his personal life. Pictures surfaced on the News of the World website and a video was posted onto YouTube that appeared to show Max in some compromising positions. At the moment, there has been no comment from Max or the FIA regarding the scandal and it is assumed that he is consulting with some lawyers.
In actual F1 news, McLaren have been pushed to the back of the pit lane in Bahrain, to their proper garage if last year’s championship result is anything to go by. The reason for this decision compared to the fifth place they enjoyed in Australia and Malaysia is still unknown.
Other stories today include Singapore testing out their lighting system on a stretch of road as a demonstration for the upcoming night race, Silverstone building a new grandstand to house over 2,000 more spectators, and Massa deciding he may keep his Malaysia engine for the Bahrain race.
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
25-Mar-08: Qualifying Tweaks Expected After Malaysia
This is F1 Minute for the 25th March.
Mario Theissen is heading up the paddock voices expecting a change to the qualifying format after the dangerous situation with Heidfeld and Alonso at the weekend. It’s expected there just needs to be a tweak to avoid cars on hot laps meeting with those on a slow in lap.
Fernando Alonso has clarified his situation at Renault, saying that he could leave the team at the end of this year if performance does not increase. His contract has a get out clause meaning that he can move to another team as he always wants to be in the best car possible.
Ron Dennis has been speaking about his new signing Kovalainen’s performance, saying that McLaren have rebuilt his confidence after a disastrous rookie season at Renault. Dennis said Heikki was systematically taken apart last year, and now they have put him back together again. He also said it would only take a couple more races, and Kovalainen would be giving Hamilton a run for his money.
Finally, after convincing Malaysian organisers that they should hold a night race, Bernie Ecclestone has turned his attention to South Korea and China.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
24-Mar-08: Malaysia 2009 Will Be a Night Race
This is F1 Minute for the 24th March, and these are your top headlines.
Bernie Ecclestone has told reporters that next year’s Malaysian race is more than likely going to be a night race. He said he had come to an agreement with organisers that it would start at 7pm local time in a bid to raise viewing figures. It may also boost the response to the race with the Malaysian public, as the grandstands are notorious for not being at full capacity.
Alonso has said he is not surprised by the outcome of his team in Malaysia, and that he never expected a massive boost in performance as soon as he arrived. He said everything happened as they expected and it is much too soon to talk about rumours of him moving on to another team.
It has been speculated that Alonso could join Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, but the red team have defended Massa’s performance this weekend. Team principal Stefano Domenicali said: “Felipe has all the qualities and the capabilities to do well. The championship is long and the team are united, so I see no worries from this aspect.”
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
23-Mar-08: Raikkonen Takes First 2008 Win in Malaysia
Today is the 23rd March, I’m Christine and this is F1 Minute.
Ferrari dominated proceedings in Malaysia, despite Massa retiring halfway through the race. Early on, Raikkonen and Massa were trading fastest laps, Raikkonen managed to jump his team mate during the first round of pit stops and held the lead until the end. Massa was close in second until he spun off and got stuck in the gravel.
Robert Kubica continued to show the strong form of BMW by taking second place on the podium, and Kovalainen made the best of a bad weekend for McLaren in third. Notably, Trulli took fourth place, in a much improved Toyota performance.
Retirees included Bourdais, Glock, Sutil and Vettel – who’s Ferrari engine blew up after about 40 laps.
In other news, speculation is mounting that Jean Todt might be lining up to take Max Mosley’s place as President of the FIA. The former Ferrari CEO said he was “open” to other roles within motorsport and didn’t deny the possibility of running for the Presidency.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
22-Jan-08: Ferrari’s Lead the Way at Valencia
It’s the 22nd January 2008 and this is F1 Minute.
Testing continues at Valencia, with Ferrari’s Massa outpacing teammate Raikkonen, with a surprising third for Nico Rosberg in the Williams. Two McLarens were next in the timesheets, followed by Alonso in the Renault. There continues to be a mix of old and new, with Rosberg in a new Williams, but Nakajima struggling in the old style car. Alex Wurz made his testing debut for Honda but finished the day at the very bottom of the timesheets. There were four red flags during the day, two from Heidfeld, one from Alonso and one from Massa, who ran out of fuel.
Elsewhere, Malaysian officials have decided they’d like to follow in the footsteps of Singapore and host a night race next year. The Chairman of Sepang said he is collaborating with the lighting consultants who are working on the Singapore setup with the aim of a night race in 2009.
Also today, the Circuit de Catalunya bosses have confirmed they will be making some safety upgrades after requests from several motorsport factions. Tyre barriers and run-off areas look set to be improved, with the pitlane getting a complete resurfacing.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.