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.
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.