12-Nov-08: Singapore Grand Prix Wins Motorsport Award
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 12th November 2008.
Singapore has picked up an award for it’s spectacular hosting of the first ever F1 night race. The Professional Motorsport World awards were held in Cologne on Tuesday, and Singapore was given the title: Motorsport Facility of the Year for the circuit around Marina Bay. They beat the new Valencia street circuit as well, plus two non-F1 calendar tracks. Franz Tost won the award for Team Principal of the year, whilst Adrian Newey for Red Bull was nominated for the Design Engineer of the Year. I found it interesting that the R28 was nominated for the Vehicle Development award, although they didn’t win.
Talking of Renault, they’ve confirmed that Giedo van der Garde will be testing with them in Barcelona next week, as a prize for winning the World Series by Renault. Van der Garde says he is extremely excited about the chance to get back into an F1 car, as he was previously a test driver for Spyker in 2007.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
12-Jun-08: Ferrari Head Up First Test Day in Spain
You’re listening to F1 Minute for the 12th June 2008.
Testing in Barcelona kicked off today with Luca Badoer topping the timesheets for Ferrari. Robert Kubica was second in his BMW, and David Coulthard third with Red Bull.
The day was relatively uneventful, with some rain towards the end limiting the running. Anthony Davidson returned to Formula 1 action, for the first time since the demise of Super Aguri. He was testing for Honda and finished 6th out of 9 drivers. Only eight of the teams were represented with Force India and Toro Rosso not on track.
Elsewhere today, Giedo van der Garde has launched claims against Force India, saying that when they were Spyker, they did not allow him the testing mileage they had promised. He is demanding the sponsor money returned to him as his contract was breached, he wants 1.3 million Euros, and the case will be heard on the 20th June.
Finally, today, the boss of the Montreal circuit has said that they will definitely be looking into the problems that were experienced with the track during the last race, he admits it’s unacceptable.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
04-Mar-08: Hamilton Speaks About This Year and Last
Hi everyone, today is the 4th March 2008, and this is F1 Minute.
Lewis Hamilton has thrown down the gauntlet today saying that he can give Raikkonen a run for his money and that the fight for the championship is on. Talking about the testing results over the winter, Hamilton said that the only fair comparison was in Barcelona recently when both Ferrari and McLaren were at the same track at the same time. He feels that they are equally competitive. Hamilton also said that his training over the winter has been focused on handling the pressure and this year, he knows what to expect.
Vijay Mallya has spoken of his desire to get his Force India team back to the glory days of Jordan. There’s mutual respect between Eddie Jordan and Mallya, and the latter is hoping to get back to the days when Formula 1 could be fun whilst still getting the results. Meanwhile, the previous owners of the team, car manufacturer’s Spyker, have just announced major losses for 2007 and said that the sale of the team is not actually finalised yet, there are still “minor differences of opinion” with Force India.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
08-Feb-08: Super Aguri Pass the Test with Flying Colours
This is F1 Minute for the 8th February 2008.
The new Super Aguri car has passed the mandated FIA crash tests, meaning it has the go ahead for the 2008 season. Rumours are also rife today that Russian investors may be looking at buying into the team. Speed TV have reported that it is a Russian consortium and does not involve Midland F1 who used to own Spyker.
Mark Webber has been talking about the changes to the regulations, saying that it will make racing more exciting, will challenge the drivers and there will be more accidents. Of potential leaders, he said: “It will be the usual suspects at the front but in terms of actual racing, the changes can only help us.”
Also in the news recently, Williams are in negotiations with Spanish authorities to base a test team near the circuit at Valencia, so they do not have to transport their cars so far for testing sessions. The deal would see Williams giving young Spanish drivers opportunities in the car in exchange for permission for their base.
That’s all for this week, enjoy your weekend and join me on Monday for another F1 Minute.
24-Oct-07: Spyker Confirm 2008 Name Change
Hello everyone, welcome to F1 Minute for the 24th October 2007. These are your top headlines for today.
Spyker have confirmed their new name for 2008. The team will be onto their fourth name in three years. No more Jordan, Midland, or Spyker, from next season they will be known as Force India. Team boss Vijay Mallya also announced the colours of the car, predictably, the same as the Indian flag, green, white and orange.
Now this season is over, the FIA have worked out that McLaren would have finished second, had they been allowed to keep their points. This means that the $100 million fine handed out at the espionage hearing can be reduced, but reports say it will still be in excess of $50 million. The money is payable in December and will go towards setting up the FIA Development Fund.
And finally, engine development will be frozen for 10 years from 2008 in an effort to reduce costs. A change could be made after 5 years, as long as it’s unanimous and subject to a two-year notice period.
That’s all for today, join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
15-Oct-07: Toro Rosso Appeal Rejected
Welcome to a new week of F1 Minute, I’m Christine and these are your headlines for today 15th October 2007.
The FIA announced on Saturday that they have rejected Toro Rosso’s appeal against Liuzzi’s Fuji Penalty. The team were hoping to have the 25 second penalty revoked and get back the point that was granted to Spyker’s Adrian Sutil, but they have now accepted the outcome of the appeal.
The battle continues to rage between Jackie Stewart and Max Mosley, with the former champion rallying for the FIA President’s resignation. Mosley is adamant that he stands behind everything he has said and everything the FIA has done this year, and even goes so far as to suggest that Stewarts complaints may have something to do with publicising his new autobiography.
Renault boss Flavio Briatore is confident that Renault will bounce back from their bad form this year and start winning races again in 2008. No doubt he is still trying to entice Fernando Alonso back to the championship winning team, as Briatore continues not to announce the driver line up for the next season.
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 minute.