Quotes Roundup - Week Ending 16th Nov
November 16, 2008 by Christine
Filed under Weekly Quotes
The very best from the mouths of those in the know.
The Force India / McLaren Partnership
On what that deal means for the team, and the sport…
- “Force India Formula One team has been in existence for only one year, and inevitably our first season has constituted a learning period. But we said at the outset that we meant business and were not interested in merely making up the numbers.” Dr. Vijay Mallya
- “I would love to see a Force India car on the podium in the inaugural Indian grand Prix. Obviously that has to be a core objective as well. Now that is in 2011 and I say why not? I’m sure Martin would love to see a Force India and a McLaren racing each other” Dr. Vijay Mallya
- “We are going to learn lessons by looking over the shoulder of Force India. I believe that we will become stronger as a consequence of this. I would not have gone into this partnership unless I believed it was going to help us to win world championships in the future.” Martin Whitmarsh
Ongoing Circuit News
Canada and China both worry about the future, Singapore doesn’t…
- “We’re doing the assessment. By next year we should be able to give you an answer. We want to create a win-win situation, for our side and for Bernie and the F1 organisers as well. If this is something we can do, and our cooperation is very happy and smooth, we will consider it.” Qiu Weichang, deputy director of the Shanghai Administration of Sports
- “We need to know if we’re going to have a Grand Prix in 2009. We’re trying to find a proposal that will meet with the approval of Bernie Ecclestone and his board of directors. He’s not interested in where the money’s going to come from, he just wants to get the money to which he thinks he’s entitled.” Gerald Tremblay, Montreal Mayor
- “We have received a great many compliments from around the world since the running of the race in September, but this is an award given by our peers, the professionals who work in motor sports. It therefore is especially gratifying to receive this award.” Jonathan Hallett, Singapore GP’s media director
Upcoming Test Drivers
We’re going to see a few new names on the timesheets in Barcelona…
- “Going back to Enstone will be very special for me. I often used to go and train there when I was on the Renault Driver Development programme. So I’ll be seeing people I already know. That will help me to integrate into the team more easily.” Giedo van der Garde
- “To have this opportunity is a dream. Even though I’ve been racing for only four years, it’s as if I’ve waited for ten years to drive an F1 car. I’ve worked hard in preparing for it, on the neck particularly. GP2 in any case is a good basis.” Bruno Senna
- “I don’t expect Barcelona to be easy at all: it’s the first time that I will be testing against the regular drivers in Formula One, so that’s obviously going to be interesting!” Sebastien Loeb
10-Nov-08: Force India Announce Partnership with McLaren-Mercedes
This is F1 Minute and it’s the 10th November 2008.
Force India have confirmed what we all suspected, that they are partnering with McLaren next year. The deal will see the 2009 Force India feature a Mercedes HighPerformanceEngine and a McLaren gearbox and hydraulic system. The agreement lasts for five years, and has given Vijay Mallya a lot of hope for the future. He says: “Of course in 2009 it’s virtually a brand new car and a brand new design. At least from my perspective, winning races I think I can certainly aspire for maybe in 2010, but for 2009 I would be happy if we are regularly in the points. ” For McLaren, Martin Whitmarsh has said the deal makes the two teams very close, and they will discuss all aspects of racing together, however they won’t be making driver decisions on Force India’s behalf.
Also this weekend, the FOTA have agreed that cutting the cost of customer engines is a way to appease the FIA, and have set the price at £4 million.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
06-Nov-08: Hamilton Receives Congratulations from the Queen
You’re listening to F1 Minute for the 6th November 2008.
It’s been a few days now but reactions are still floating around regarding the end of the championship last weekend. Firstly, Hamilton received a congratulatory message from the Queen, which was naturally quite understated: “I am delighted that you have succeeded in winning the Formula 1 world championship to become the youngest ever champion. I send you my warmest congratulations on your remarkable and historic achievement.” Do we think she actually watched the race?
Also, in a show of mutual respect, Massa has said he wants to congratulate Hamilton in person, as he admits having rewatched the race, he’s decided Lewis deserves it for having such a dramatic struggle in the last lap. Meanwhile, McLaren think Massa was a worthy opponent, with Martin Whitmarsh saying: “”I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the quality of his driving throughout the season and the impressively sportsmanlike way he handled the disappointment…”
It’s all just a bit too friendly, isn’t it?
That’s it for today, I’ll be back again tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
24-Oct-08: Portugal to Host Mid-Winter Test
This is F1 Minute for the 24th October 2008.
Both McLaren and Honda have today confirmed that they will be visiting a new track for some of their winter testing. The Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portugal opens at the beginning of November, and the test will be in mid-December. According to Autosport.com, the track will be under evaluation as a possible entrant to the 2009 test schedule, and it’s no secret that officials will be looking to impress in the hopes of getting an F1 race held there in the future.
Elsewhere today, Lucas di Grassi believes there is a “good possibility” he could make the step up from Renault test driver to race seat in 2009. He says: “They have the possibility of extending my contract, so I am waiting for their decision to see if it will be with Renault or if I will have permission to negotiate with other teams”.
Finally, McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has been talking about the buildup to Brazil, and says that reliability is the main worry in the garage, that and the possibility of a safety car.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
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.
23-Sep-08: FIA Reject McLaren’s Belgium Appeal
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 23rd September 2008.
The result is in, and the FIA have rejected McLaren’s appeal against Lewis Hamilton’s Belgium penalty, deeming it to be inadmissible. The official FIA Statement reads: “Article 152 of the International Sporting Code states that drive-through penalties are ‘not susceptible to appeal’.” McLaren tried to use an appeal from 2007 as a precedent – Tonio Liuzzi at the Japanese Grand Prix, for overtaking under yellow flags – but the FIA didn’t agree.
Hamilton released a statement soon after the announcement saying he was disappointed but ready to move on. “People will probably expect me to be depressed about today’s result, but that isn’t me. All I want to do now is put this matter behind me and get on with what we drivers do best: racing each other.”
McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh added to this that they are also disappointed to have received no ruling on the actual substance of the appeal, as they felt it was a perfectly valid complaint.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
09-Sep-08: McLaren Officially Lodge Appeal Against Penalty
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 9th September 2008.
McLaren have officially submitted their appeal to the FIA regarding Hamilton’s Belgian GP penalty, and now we have more details to go with it.
Firstly, Ferrari insist they didn’t raise a complaint with the stewards to get the incident investigated. Stefano Domenicali says the team were called to give their version of events to the stewards, but at no point did they instigate the complaint. He wouldn’t be drawn to comment on the penalty, saying simply: “I have often said that the race is not over until the official results are published and that was the case today.”
Meanwhile, Martin Whitmarsh has claimed that the team radioed Race Control twice moments after the incident occurred to check whether Hamilton’s actions were sufficient. He says they were told that Hamilton’s giving back the advantage to Raikkonen was ‘okay’. Therefore, after thinking about the decision for the allotted 48 hours, McLaren are pushing ahead with their appeal.
That’s it for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
28-Aug-08: Heidfeld Leads Monza on Test Day Two
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 28th August 2008.
It was just yesterday that I told you about BMW’s desire for Nick Heidfeld to start getting some better results, and the German driver has made a good start. He topped the timesheets for Day 2 at the Monza test, pipping Rosberg in the Williams by just two tenths of a second.
Kovalainen was third ahead of Vettel and then Massa, who caused the one red flag throughout the day, having a quick trip into the gravel.
Whilst we’re on the subject of Ferrari, team principal Stefano Domenicali has been talking about the dynamic within the team. Whilst they’re not ready to put their full support behind just one driver yet, Domenicali is quoted as saying that Raikkonen is more than happy to support Massa if it should fall that way. He also said he has faith that Raikkonen can pick up his game once more, it’s just a matter of the team giving him a car that he likes.
And talking of the championship, McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh believes a big part of the title this year will come down to the uncontrollable factor of the weather.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
25-Aug-08: Hamilton and Raikkonen Receive Morale Boost
Today is the 25th August 2008 and this is F1 Minute.
It seems to be the day for sticking up for your drivers, as first we have Martin Whitmarsh saying that Hamilton is getting stronger with each passing race. “Lewis is an intelligent driver, he’s absolutely committed to winning every race and he likes to end every session the quickest, but I think he’s becoming more relaxed and confident in his approach and realising that what really counts is winning the world championship at the end of the year.”
The love-in continues with Stefano Domenicali saying that they still have absolute faith in Raikkonen despite some poor results recently. He says: “It’s easy when things are going well, that everyone close to you puts your arms on their shoulders to say you are number one, number one, number one and then suddenly when you have a difficult situation, then you see, ha ha, this is already a boiled driver. That’s not the case.” That’s a weird quote. I think it’s a good thing, though.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
31-Jul-08: McLaren Confirm Kovalainen for 2009
This is F1 Minute and it’s the 31st July 2008.
McLaren have today confirmed that Heikki Kovalainen will be partnering Lewis Hamilton in 2009, and everyone is very happy about it. Kovalainen says he’s ready to commit to McLaren and hopes that he can stay there for the rest of his career. Hamilton is pleased with the improved atmosphere within the team, so he’s glad it will continue. Martin Whitmarsh said that Kovalainen is “a brilliant young racing driver” but they will still be working to “extract his full potential.”
Elsewhere today, Michael Schumacher has been involved in an incident in Kent, where the Fiat van he was driving hit a barrier and knocked over a man. Martin Kingham reported the incident and police arrived at the scene. They were at first suspicious of the driver’s claims to be the seven times World Champion, but with the help of some ID, they did confirm that it was indeed Michael Schumacher in the van. No one was hurt, details were exchanged, and the matter was dealt with swiftly. My question is, what was Schumacher doing in Kent in the first place?
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.