It’s the 7th October 2008, and you’re listening to F1 Minute.
The shock news of the day is that the FIA have confirmed the calendar for 2009, and have dropped the Canadian Grand Prix. Teams have got back the summer break that they were looking for, but we will no longer be heading to North American shores. Both the Belgian and Italian races have been shuffled by a week as well. Back to the Canadian GP, though, and organisers say that they weren’t informed of this decision ahead of time. They released a short statement that said they had only learnt of it through the media, and would therefore not be commenting until they’d spoken to the FIA and FOM. Needless to say they’re not happy.
Elsewhere today, Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali has confirmed that they will be going back to the old lollipop pit system at this week’s Japanese Grand Prix. After many, many pit lane incidents in the last few races, Domenicali says: “We need to stay calm so we’ve decided to go back to the old system.”
That’s it for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 9th September 2008.
McLaren have officially submitted their appeal to the FIA regarding Hamilton’s Belgian GP penalty, and now we have more details to go with it.
Firstly, Ferrari insist they didn’t raise a complaint with the stewards to get the incident investigated. Stefano Domenicali says the team were called to give their version of events to the stewards, but at no point did they instigate the complaint. He wouldn’t be drawn to comment on the penalty, saying simply: “I have often said that the race is not over until the official results are published and that was the case today.”
Meanwhile, Martin Whitmarsh has claimed that the team radioed Race Control twice moments after the incident occurred to check whether Hamilton’s actions were sufficient. He says they were told that Hamilton’s giving back the advantage to Raikkonen was ‘okay’. Therefore, after thinking about the decision for the allotted 48 hours, McLaren are pushing ahead with their appeal.
That’s it for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
It was just yesterday that I told you about BMW’s desire for Nick Heidfeld to start getting some better results, and the German driver has made a good start. He topped the timesheets for Day 2 at the Monza test, pipping Rosberg in the Williams by just two tenths of a second.
Kovalainen was third ahead of Vettel and then Massa, who caused the one red flag throughout the day, having a quick trip into the gravel.
Whilst we’re on the subject of Ferrari, team principal Stefano Domenicali has been talking about the dynamic within the team. Whilst they’re not ready to put their full support behind just one driver yet, Domenicali is quoted as saying that Raikkonen is more than happy to support Massa if it should fall that way. He also said he has faith that Raikkonen can pick up his game once more, it’s just a matter of the team giving him a car that he likes.
And talking of the championship, McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh believes a big part of the title this year will come down to the uncontrollable factor of the weather.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
Today is the 25th August 2008 and this is F1 Minute.
It seems to be the day for sticking up for your drivers, as first we have Martin Whitmarsh saying that Hamilton is getting stronger with each passing race. “Lewis is an intelligent driver, he’s absolutely committed to winning every race and he likes to end every session the quickest, but I think he’s becoming more relaxed and confident in his approach and realising that what really counts is winning the world championship at the end of the year.”
The love-in continues with Stefano Domenicali saying that they still have absolute faith in Raikkonen despite some poor results recently. He says: “It’s easy when things are going well, that everyone close to you puts your arms on their shoulders to say you are number one, number one, number one and then suddenly when you have a difficult situation, then you see, ha ha, this is already a boiled driver. That’s not the case.” That’s a weird quote. I think it’s a good thing, though.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
Today is the 18th July 2008 and this is F1 Minute.
Lewis Hamilton topped both Free Practice sessions in Hockenheim today, the first one being a McLaren one-two, and the second seeing Hamilton ahead of Massa. Notable events included Kubica smashing into the wall in FP1, he emerged unscathed and the mechanics worked furiously to get his car out in the afternoon. Also, Glock had an airborne moment in his Toyota, and landed with a serious bump.
Elsewhere today, Ross Brawn has said that he expects Button and Barrichello to remain with the team next year. Although negotiations are still ongoing, and Brawn doesn’t believe it is of high priority at the moment, he said: “I don’t think there will be any dramatic change. It’s unfair to criticise the drivers as we haven’t provided them with a good enough car.”
Finally, Anthony Hamilton has sparked a new raft of speculation by having a not-so-secret meeting with Stefano Domenicali. Pictures have emerged of the two chatting, and whilst that’s all we know, it doesn’t stop the Hamilton to Ferrari rumours from starting afresh.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
After featuring on the podium for all three races of 2008 so far, BMW are looking to be a strong contender for the championship this year. At least, that’s what Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali thinks, saying today that Kubica is a driver to watch out for. Domenicali also said that although McLaren appear to be struggling they shouldn’t be written off just yet.
Meanwhile, Ron Dennis has weighed in on the subject admitting that for McLaren, BMW are not a worry for the future. He said: “I think that we respect all competitors and they’re doing a better job than they’ve done at any other time in their involvement in F1. But it is when we get to Europe that the R&D and speed of manufacture starts to make a difference.”
At least everyone agrees it will be a tight race to the title, everyone, that is, except Alonso. He’s again reiterated that he’s not expecting to fight for the podium this year, and in response Renault have promised him an updated aero package and well, basically, a better car.
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
In a complex story involving land ownership and bad management communication, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has blocked off the access road to the Force India factory with some strategically placed concrete blocks. Jordan owns the land and is in dispute talks over the team buying it. He says: “I’ve got no problem with Mallya. It’s the people who are managing the business who don’t want to talk.”
Bosses of the Qatar MotoGP circuit have confirmed that they will be making some revisions to the track in the hopes of securing some F1 interest. Despite Bahrain and Abu Dhabi already secured on the calendar, the hopes are that the circuit can at least be used for F1 testing to bring attention and revenue to the country.
Jean Todt has said he will do everything he can to help replacement Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali adapt and settle in to his new job. Todt says: “It would be presumptuous to say advice. To have somebody you trust and like, and share emotions and doubts and problems with is a help.”
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
This is F1 Minute for the 24th March, and these are your top headlines.
Bernie Ecclestone has told reporters that next year’s Malaysian race is more than likely going to be a night race. He said he had come to an agreement with organisers that it would start at 7pm local time in a bid to raise viewing figures. It may also boost the response to the race with the Malaysian public, as the grandstands are notorious for not being at full capacity.
Alonso has said he is not surprised by the outcome of his team in Malaysia, and that he never expected a massive boost in performance as soon as he arrived. He said everything happened as they expected and it is much too soon to talk about rumours of him moving on to another team.
It has been speculated that Alonso could join Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, but the red team have defended Massa’s performance this weekend. Team principal Stefano Domenicali said: “Felipe has all the qualities and the capabilities to do well. The championship is long and the team are united, so I see no worries from this aspect.”
That’s all for today, join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
Hello everyone, I’m Christine and this is F1 Minute for the 12th November 2007.
Honda have been in the news over the weekend, starting with Jenson Button’s admission that he is not happy. Button issued an ultimatum saying he needs to see better performance or he will head elsewhere. Selected quotes include: “The car was a complete dog, and I’m just not interested in racing like this,” and “I can’t be bothered with working my nuts off and qualifying 14th anymore. It’s making me unhappy.”
Today, Honda have announced that Ross Brawn, ex-Ferrari technical director, will be joining them as team boss on 26th November. Rumours had been circulating that Brawn would be looking for a new challenge after his championship winning partnership with Michael Schumacher came to an end last year. Brawn believes that Honda will provide that challenge and he can turn the team’s fortunes around.
Also announced today, with much less fanfare, is the news that a restructure at Ferrari sees Stefano Domenicali take over from Jean Todt as F1 boss, whilst the latter will remain in a chief executive position.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.