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.
12-May-08: Singapore GP Schedule Revised
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 12th May.
Autosport.com is reporting that the Singapore Grand Prix timetable has been revised, after fears throughout the paddock that the Practice sessions weren’t going to be useful to night running. The original schedule had the first practice session of Friday and Saturday in daylight, but that has now been revised so they start later. The change means that the gap between sessions is reduced.
Barrichello became the most experienced F1 driver this weekend but now the celebrations have died down, he has revealed that the next target is to reach 300 starts. This would mean his staying in the sport for another two years,
Despite leading the driver’s championship and defending his world title, Kimi Raikkonen isn’t completely satisfied with his performance so far this year. He’s admitted that qualifying is the worst part of his race weekend, and is something that needs some serious work. He lined up 4th on the grid in Turkey, and says that was partly because of fuel, and partly because the lap just wasn’t good enough.
That’s all for today. Join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
17-Oct-07: Raikkonen Confident On Tyres
This is F1 Minute, I’m Christine and these are your top headlines for today, 17th October 2007.
As the championship finale draws closer, there are endless stories about who is feeling confident and who isn’t. Kimi Raikkonen is the latest to confirm his desire for a win at the weekend, despite speculation that McLaren will have the edge on the super-soft tyres. Raikkonen assures us that his team have made big strides forward in this department.
Meanwhile, AT&T Williams driver Nico Rosberg has pledged his allegiance with old GP2 buddy Lewis Hamilton, saying that the new McLaren driver deserves the championship this year. Either way, though, Nico believes it’s “fantastic for F1 to have a three way battle” in the last race.
And finally, organisers of next year’s Singapore Grand Prix night race have signed on the dotted line for a lighting deal with an Italian company. The track will need 1500 light projectors spaced 4 metres apart, and will in total be the equivalent of lighting up four football stadiums.
That’s everything for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 minute.