Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Listen to this episode
Today is the 18th March 2010 and this is F1 Minute.
Martin Whitmarsh has confirmed that McLaren have bought back the majority of the 40% stake held by Mercedes in the team, leaving them with much less. During an event today to launch the new McLaren supercar, Whitmarsh said: “I think it is about 11% that is still owned by Mercedes, but it’s not an important or significant number.” Apparently, the buy-back was agreed upon in November, and will be complete in 2011 – and it makes sense as the two are now full competitors out on track.
Elsewhere, Bridgestone have said they do not intend to reverse their decision to leave the sport, despite rumours that the FIA were keen for them to stay on. Hiroshi Yasukawa, director of motorsport, confirmed that the FIA will have to open a tender process, and the company may decide to sell the tyre technology to whoever is stepping in, but no matter what, there will be no Bridgestone tyres in 2011.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Jenson Button has been defending his confidence to the media, after losing out to Hamilton in the opening round of the season. Button finished 8th and over 20 seconds behind his teammate, but says whilst his qualifying pace could use some improvement, he’s not too worried about it yet.
Credit: www.mclaren.com
A double points-finish for the team in hot and dusty BahrainLEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-25A-02
Started: 4th
Finished: 3rd
Fastest lap: 1m59.560s (4th)
Pitstops: one, lap 15, 4.9s (Op-Pr)
2010 points: 15 (3rd)
“Third place was a very strong result for us today. I feel that we did a good job: our reliability was great and the pace today was pretty good, but we still need to push very hard to close the gap to the cars in front.
“My race was decided on the first lap when I locked up at Turn Four, ran a bit wide, got in a bad position and Nico [Rosberg] got past me. After that, I spent the whole first stint close behind him, but just couldn’t get close enough to pass him.
“After the pitstop, the guys were able to get me out ahead of Nico – which was a fantastic job, thanks guys – and I had some clear air and was able to make up quite a bit of ground to Felipe [Massa]. If I hadn’t been sitting behind Nico, I think I might have been able to challenge Felipe for second place.
“I had a slight vibration towards the end of the race, but I think it was just the result of a locked front wheel. When you’re pushing to close the gap, you lock the tyres just once and it takes several laps to get over the flat-spot. But it wasn’t a big problem.
“It’s going to be difficult for us to close the performance gap immediately, but I think I’ll go back to the factory and give them the biggest push. I know they’re all pushing flat-out as it is, but we need to get some upgrades, and we need to bring as many of them forward as we possibly can.”
JENSON BUTTON
MP4-25A-03
Started: 8th
Finished: 7th
Fastest lap: 1m59.970s (9th)
Pitstops: one: lap 16, 4.9s (Op-Pr)
2010 points: 6 (7th)
“At the start of the race, I didn’t know what was going to happen to my tyres so I took it a little easy. I was a bit disappointed that we pitted when we did, because I’d probably looked after the tyres a little too much – because, in the last five laps of the stint, I was able to push to catch Mark [Webber] and Michael [Schumacher].
At the stop, I jumped Mark, which was great. It was a really good pitstop from the guys – both for Lewis and myself actually, because we each jumped the car in front.
“I then paced myself on the tyres until there were about 20 laps to go. I caught up with Michael, but didn’t have enough pace through the middle sector to stay with him and have a go at him in the last sector, which was disappointing. But it was fun all the same.
“Overall, I think our car is pretty good at looking after its tyres, but there’s always room for improvement and I think everybody in the team wants more speed and more downforce.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Both Lewis and Jenson raced very well here in Bahrain this afternoon. After the disappointment of our qualifying performance yesterday, the fact that our race pace was strong today was extremely encouraging. In fact, in the last part of the race, Lewis’s was the fastest car on the track.
“However, like Jenson, who got stuck in a queue of traffic early on, Lewis was a little delayed by Nico in the first few laps. As a result, neither of our drivers was able to show their true race pace until after their pitstops.
“Happily, both our drivers benefited from excellent pit stops – Lewis got ahead of Nico and Jenson got ahead of Mark – so I want to take this opportunity to say ‘Well played’ to the team for calling both pitstops at the right time and executing them so efficiently.
“Overall, then, we’re pretty happy with our haul of 21 world championship points today, and will now continue to develop our car on the back of this very promising first outing. Our aim is to be fully competitive in Australia.
“Last but not least, the seventh Bahrain Grand Prix was, as expected, an impressively organised event. This year is the second time it has been the first grand prix of the year, and I’m sure that all who either took part in it or watched it will agree that it was a very worthy season-opener.”
A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel compare notes as they make their way through the paddock in Bahrain. Button finished ahead of Vettel in both sessions, but the pair were only four tenths apart by the end of the day. Vettel is slightly concerned about the lack of running he got in the afternoon, a brake problem meant he completed ten laps less than Button.
Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-25-02
P1 programme
19 laps
1m57.163s (+.580s) 6th
P2 programme
22 laps
1m55.854s (+.445s) 2nd
“Out on track, it’s been very hot so tyre degradation of both compounds has been pretty high. But I think the degradation is something we can handle; you build it into your driving style and moderate the approach to each lap. Still, it’s difficult to know what laptime to target when you’re on a long run. The less you push at the beginning of a stint, the more there is left to push at the end. But it’s difficult to know exactly, and we’re still trying to understand that.
“The new section of track seems to be very bumpy and tricky – but everyone’s in the same boat. Equally, our car feels very heavy with a high fuel-load – it doesn’t want to stop under braking – but through the high-speed corners it feels quite well balanced. It’s just getting the car stopped that’s tricky: it doesn’t stop as well as when it’s on low tanks.
“Overall, today didn’t feel too bad. We still don’t really have a full understanding of where all the teams are because everyone was running different fuel-loads. As a result, the positions on today’s timesheets don’t really reflect overall pace too much yet.”
JENSON BUTTON
MP4-25-03
P1 programme
19 laps
1m57.068s (+.485s) 5th
P2 programme
28 laps
1m56.076s (+.667s) 4th
“Today’s shown us that looking after the rear tyres is very difficult here, especially on the softer compound. So you find yourself driving with a lot of oversteer through most of the stint.
“The new section of track is very bumpy. Turns Six and Seven are particularly tough because you’re trying to brake as late as you can, and, if you do that, the car hits the ground, you bounce all over the place and it’s very difficult to see where you’re going. So you have to brake earlier, and more gently, so the front doesn’t dip through that part of the corner – and that positions you better for the next turn.
“We’re still working on our set-up – and that’s not something you can really do in the second session because you’re working on a tyre back-to-back programme and the track’s so busy. We know where the car is now and we know where we want it to be, so there’s work to be done this evening to improve things overnight.
“I think we did an okay job today. We can be reasonably happy with the performance of the car, although we know there are areas we still need to work on. The basic car is working well, but we’re not quite there with the balance yet.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“After a long and incredibly busy winter, it’s fantastic to be back competing at a racetrack with all our competitors – particularly here in Bahrain, where our hosts always do so much to make every team feel so welcome. It’s a fantastic venue and the perfect place to kick off the world championship.
“Of course, today was very much about establishing a benchmark for the rest of the weekend. With the track still very green and dusty and, in some places, quite bumpy, we concentrated on establishing a solid base set-up for both drivers before moving on to evaluate the two tyre compounds over the course of several longer stints.
“As you’d expect, the larger fuel-loads still make accurate comparison of the teams difficult, but we’re optimistic that our pace relative to our closest rivals appears to be competitive.
“This afternoon, Lewis had a small issue when the nosebox camera detached itself during a run – but it caused no damage and he was able to continue.
“Our focus now turns towards understanding each tyre’s behaviour and finessing the car’s balance for tomorrow afternoon’s qualifying session. We feel we’ve made a solid start to our weekend.”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Listen to this episode
This is F1 Minute and it’s the 11th March 2010.
Firstly, McLaren have passed scrutineering today, with the FIA giving the rear wing the all-clear. Other teams, including Red Bull and Lotus aren’t at all happy about it but as usual McLaren have stuck to the letter of the regulations if not the spirit.
The FIA also announced that they will be re-opening the selection process for a team to replace US F1 in 2011. All the teams that applied this year can have another go, if they so desire. A statement from the governing body also hinted at the fact that it’s not over for US F1 and they may face some penalties for defaulting on their entry this year.
Finally, two quick snippets, Renault have signed up HP as a major sponsor this year – the company previously sponsored Williams, whilst Alain Prost is the first former F1 driver to join the stewarding panel for 2010, taking up a spot amongst the Bahrain stewards. Other stewards at future races will include Johnny Herbert, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Alex Wurz.
That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
The 2010 Formula 1 season is only just beginning, but Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button already has plenty to celebrate after picking up a Laureus World Sports Award in Abu Dhabi last night.
Jenson joined the ranks of legendary sports stars such as Lance Armstrong, Usain Bolt, Roger Federer and Mika Häkkinen in an emotional ceremony at the Emirates Palace.
Jenson won the Breakthrough of the Year Award, which recognised his achievement in taking his first world championship against considerable odds. Other nominees included multiple Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish, diver Tom Daley, US Open tennis winner Juan Martin del Potro, South Korean golfer Ji Yai Shin and the German football team VFL Wolfsburg.
“Last year was eventful but I have many happy memories,” says Jenson. “At the time I wasn’t thinking about the rewards, I was just tackling each challenge as it came. I’m honoured to have been given this award, and it comes at a very appropriate time as I face the fresh challenges of a new F1 season.”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Listen to this episode
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 9th March 2010.
More McLaren news, as managing director Jonathan Neale has been speaking about the rear wing problem, suggesting that it really is just Red Bull and Ferrari’s problem. He said: “We’ve spoken to Stefano and some of the other team principals and colleagues there and of course everyone wants to see clarity. We’re doing the same on a number of other teams’ developments. There’s nothing untowards about it though – we’re quite confident the car is legal.” Neale also added that if the stewards did go against them, they have contingency plans, but he is not putting too much effort into them as they do not expect that to happen.
Finally, some new pictures of the work at Silverstone emerged today, and it looks as though they are almost done. The managing director Richard Phillips said: “The team has been working around the clock, through some pretty terrible weather conditions, to make sure the circuit is ready on time.” That’s Britain for you!
That will do for now, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
X-Trade Brokers, a Warsaw-based brokerage house specialising in foreign exchange (FOREX), commodity and stock market investments, has today announced an historic partnership with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team.
X-Trade Brokers becomes the first Polish company to sign a partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, and its logo (‘XTB’) will appear on the overalls of reigning World Champion Jenson Button and 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, as well as on the upper engine cover of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-25 Formula 1 car.
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is one of the most successful teams competing in Formula 1, having won 20 World Championships since it entered Formula 1 in 1966, and in 2010 it will become the first Formula 1 team ever to field a driver line-up consisting of the two most recent World Champions: Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.
“X-Trade Brokers stands for success, prestige and being the best. Therefore, it’s only right that we’ve chosen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to showcase our company to the world: success is the foundation of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and the two companies therefore make a very natural fit,” said Jakub Zablocki, Chief Executive Officer of X-Trade Brokers.
“When looking for a sponsorship property, we pondered at length which sport and which team would best reflect our own benchmarks of professionalism, high technology and need for speed. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes meets all those criteria as well as bringing with it attractive opportunities for X-Trade Brokers to increase its global brand footprint and awareness. Our partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes marks a new stage of dynamic development and expansion for X-Trade Brokers. It’s also a great day for Poland.” Zablocki continued.
“Adding X-Trade Brokers to our already world-class group of partners is a testament to the unique and enduring appeal of Formula 1 and of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes,” said Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of McLaren Racing, who attended today’s announcement in Warsaw.
“As a truly international Formula 1 team, we’re proud that that we’re in partnership with companies from a wide variety of nations across a diverse spread of industry sectors; now, we’re delighted to be able to add Poland to that roster. Not only is the arrival of X-Trade Brokers excellent news for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – it’s also a very exciting development for Poland and Polish business generally, as Poland further extends its footprint into Formula 1.
“We at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes always make great efforts to ensure that our partners gain unbeatable returns on their investments, and that our partnership is just that: a mutually beneficial meeting of minds and aims, the result of which is an exciting blend of sporting triumph and commercial success,” Neale concluded.
This year X-Trade Brokers plans further development and international expansion as throughout 2010 operations will open in four new European countries: France, Italy, Portugal and Hungary. At the same time, XTB is concentrating on the acquisition of brokerage houses in Asia and South America which will see the beginnings of developing distribution networks beyond the EU.
Gary Paffett was busy in the simulator at the McLaren Technology Centre yesterday, preparing for his new role with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. After working hard behind the scenes over the winter to finesse the performance of the new MP4-25, Gary will attend the first four ‘flyaway’ grands prix of 2010 as our reserve driver.
“Gary has been on the team since 2006 and we value his dedication and technical feedback,” says Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh. “We need someone who’s ready to step in if anything should happen to prevent Jenson or Lewis from taking part in a grand prix weekend. We know from working with Gary, and from watching his performances in other racing categories, that he’s ready and able to take on this responsibility.”
Next Page »
