Quotes Roundup - Week Ending 23rd Nov
November 23, 2008 by Christine
Filed under Weekly Quotes
The very best from the mouths of those in the know.
Testing out the 2009 Spec
We’re not the only ones who don’t like it…
- “I never saw such a sexy car.” Christian Klien
- “Considering this is Formula One - if people think the introduction of KERS and the reduction in downforce and slicks is going to transform Formula One, then forget it. It will still be a wide car, there will still be aerodynamic effect and offline will stay dirty. It will be easier, but it won’t be MotoGP. And people need to understand that.” Pedro de la Rosa
- “Obviously the set-up is far from ideal, especially on my car as I was focusing mainly on the KERS systems. We’re still having quite a few problems there, but at least we have it in the car.” Nick Heidfeld
The New Boys
We saw some fresh faces in Barcelona, but here’s what they thought…
- “Driving a Formula One car is really, really nice. And I was enjoying myself more and more each lap. Pushing harder and harder makes you find the edge and when the laptime comes from your effort that’s pretty good.” Bruno Senna
- “You can’t compare F1 to rallying, they are so different. It’s not true that rallying is more of a comfort zone, because when I am flat-out on the stages I am concentrating just as hard as I was today.” Sebastien Loeb
- “I only had a big curiosity to know. Well, I’m more and more convinced that with a bit of time I could have become a good F1 driver. It only remains to be seen how good, whether good enough to win or not.” Valentino Rossi
Bernie’s Corner
Three separate stories concerning Mr Ecclestone this week…
- “Given Mr and Mrs Ecclestone were reputed to be worth £2.4bn in the 2008 Rich List, this case may see the highest award to a wife in legal history.” Simon Bethel, family law specialist
- “Everybody understands gold medals and silver and bronze. Nearly all sports are done that way. The whole point will be, when they get to Melbourne for the first race, the guys will want to leave there with a gold medal.” Bernie Ecclestone
- “I think it’s almost certain that there will not be a grand prix in 2010. I always thought the Disney site was the right place for us, the new location that would suit the French Grand Prix. There’s a lot of infrastructure in place, the trains go there, everyone would know it – it was perfect.” Bernie Ecclestone
20-Nov-08: Valentino Rossi Takes to the Track for Ferrari
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 20th November 2008.
The test in Barcelona is over now, but the track time continued for Ferrari in Mugello. Valentino Rossi took to the wheel of the F2008, completed about 30 laps, and was a couple of seconds off the pace. He says it’s all for fun, and will be back in the car tomorrow.
Meanwhile, everyone is evaluating what they learnt over the three test days, especially Bridgestone. They ran slick tyres with some of the teams in Barcelona and gathered plenty of data, but have said it will take them a while to process everything. Technical Manager Kobayashi said: “It has been a very interesting three days, particularly as we have had feedback from a five-time World Rally Champion, as well as seeing new drivers, including the very well known motor sport name of Senna out on track.”
Finally, two Red Bull stories – they have said that Loeb is fast enough for F1, despite only being in a car for the second time this week, and there are rumours that the Red Bulletin will be shutting down production.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
03-Nov-08: Contract Extensions, Launch Dates, and Testing News
You’re listening to F1 Minute and it’s the 3rd November 2008.
Here are some of the news stories we might have missed this weekend.
Firstly, after such an amazing race, the good news is Interlagos has had it’s F1 contract extended, and will now feature on the calendar until 2014.
Toyota have confirmed that they intend to launch their KERS package in the middle of 2009, and not from the outset. Team President John Howett said they are working flat out on the device, but people “underestimate some of the major challenges.” Toyota announced the launch of their car a while ago, and now BMW have become the second team to confirm a launch date. Their 2009 car will be unveiled in Valencia on January 20th.
And finally, in testing news, Bruno Senna will have a go in the Honda in the hopes of a race seat for next year at the Barcelona test this month. Also, Red Bull will be testing with five-times world rally champ Sebastien Loeb, proving that the Red Bull empire really does have a thing for drivers called Sebastien.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.