13-Jul-08: Sato Discusses His Future Plans
Today is the 13th July 2008, and you’re listening to F1 Minute.
Although his team had to leave the sport early, Takuma Sato is doing his best not to become an ex-F1 driver. The former Super Aguri star has said he’s looking at all opportunities that come his way and deciding which will be the best route back.
Talking to Autosport, he said that he doesn’t really want to do anything other than race. “That’s our main target, but we will consider a test driver seat if there is nothing else available. That’s something I would have to think about much later on if everything else was closed off. Until then I will wait and see.”
Sato also said that he’s had some interest from other single seater series, particularly from the US. Although he hasn’t flat out refused the offers, his main focus lies on getting back into Formula 1. He didn’t want to name names when it comes to who he is talking to within the paddock, saying it’s too soon for lineups to be decided for next year. I would have to argue and say that teams are constantly assessing their future drivers, as the recent Red Bull announcements show. Let me know what you think at F1Minute.com.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
08-Jul-08: Hamilton Leads Day One at Hockenheim
This is F1 Minute for the 8th July 2008. Please excuse my voice, I picked up some lovely germs from Silverstone.
Testing got underway in Hockenheim today, in preparation for the German Grand Prix. Rain caused plenty of chaos throughout with showers on and off. McLaren were running a brand new addition to their car in the shape of the shark fin engine cover used by many of the other teams. It seemed to help them, with Hamilton posting the fastest time of the day. Raikkonen was second and Rosberg third. Wurz was behind the only red flag, when his Honda spun off in the wet.
Elsewhere, David Coulthard has said that he’d like to see Vettel take his place at Red Bull when he retires at the end of the season. Over on F1.com, he said: “For me Sebastian Vettel has everything that a future winner in Formula 1 needs. Also his maturity and approach shows me that he is the best man for the job.”
Finally, Super Aguri are putting their assets up for sale at an online auction later this month, and the Mosley court case continues with several of the women involved backing up the presidents claims that there was no Nazi element to proceedings.
That’s all 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.
27-May-08: Coulthard to Visit NASCAR Team
It’s the 27th May and this is F1 Minute.
David Coulthard is to visit the Red Bull NASCAR team to make a short promo film, including sitting in the car, attending a race, and hanging out with the team. Red Bull have released a press release saying: “Please note that David is visiting this event solely to shoot a film for Red Bull and we would appreciate it if you did not start a load of silly rumours about him switching from F1 to NASCAR in 2009.”
Ex-Super Aguri driver Takuma Sato has said he is looking to get back in F1 but has no plans at the moment. He played down rumours that he’s being lined up to replace Piquet at Renault, and said that he spoke to Honda about any opportunities they have, whether in F1 or outside of it. He said he’s in no rush, and will wait for the right situation to arise, even if that is a year or two of testing.
Finally today, in the most unsurprising news ever, Autosport are reporting that Max Mosley told a court he was “humiliated” by the News of the World revelations. No kidding.
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
13-May-08: Turkey Could Face Sanction Over Dog Invasion
This is F1 Minute and today is the 13th May.
The FIA have confirmed that the Turkish circuit could face sanction after two dogs got onto the track during the GP2 race this weekend. A spokesman said: “This was a serious lapse in circuit security and safety. How could such a thing happen at an almost brand new Formula One track?” He went on to say that the Safety Commission will investigate and sanctions can’t be ruled out.
Elsewhere today, Force India principal Colin Kolles has said that the independent teams in F1 can still do well, and that Super Aguri failed because of the lack of a business model and not because smaller teams have no place in F1’s future. He said: “You can find investors and shareholders if you have the right business model, a clean sheet, and you have a clean company.”
And finally, in sponsor news, AMD are not going to renew their contract with Ferrari, and Lewis Hamilton is apparently interested in a $20 million sponsorship deal with sportswear brand Reebok.
Thanks for listening, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
10-May-08: Massa Lines Up on Pole in Turkey
Welcome to F1 Minute, today is the 10th May.
After the rain dashed a bit of uncertainty into the Free Practice sessions yesterday, today was bright and sunny in Turkey. Free Practice 3 did see some unpredictable results though, with Webber topping the timesheets, and fellow Red Bull driver Coulthard in third. Between them, Alonso brought the Renault team a good result.
However, qualifying was a different matter. With the rules changed to accommodate the lack of Super Aguri, each drop out session was tighter than before. Piquet and Nakajima fell at the first hurdle, and Glock and the Honda boys at the next.
In the battle for pole position, it was close at the top between Ferrari, McLaren and BMW, with Kubica appearing to fare better than Heidfeld. A last minute tyre choice by Hamilton, however, handed pole to Felipe Massa, with Heikki Kovalainen lining up beside him on the grid. Webber made up for yesterday’s crash by putting the Red Bull in 6th.
The line up looks promising for tomorrow’s race, don’t forget to air your thoughts during live commenting on Sidepodcast.com, and join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
08-May-08: Kovalainen Given the Okay to Race in Turkey
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 8th May.
Heikki Kovalainen has been given the all clear to race in Turkey this weekend, after an FIA medical examination today. Heikki says he is obviously very pleased about the decision as he is feeling 100% ready.
The FIA have confirmed that there’s a small tweak to the qualifying setup, due to Super Aguri’s withdrawal from the competition. From this Saturday, the first and second sessions of qualifying will see five cars drop out each, leaving ten to go through to the third session. This rewrite comes after the rules were already adjusted to accommodate the missing Prodrive team, and now we are down to just twenty cars.
Finally today, there is controversy surrounding Germany’s new state-sponsored sporting Hall of Fame, as it misses of three of the most famous sporting personalities. Michael Schumacher, and tennis stars Steffi Graf and Boris Becker are all missing. The initiative is intended to encourage youngsters to take up sport, but the list is made up of mostly deceased sporting heroes.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
06-May-08: Super Aguri Withdraw From F1
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 6th May 2008.
Apologies for the second Minute in a row about Super Aguri, but unfortunately it is most likely the last.
Today, they announced that the team are withdrawing from the championship, with immediate effect. Aguri Suzuki met with Honda to discuss the possible Weigl group deal but the outcome of the meeting today was bad news.
Suzuki announced the team’s departure from the sport, and blamed it on the non-payment of SS United from 2007, which put the financial position into immediate turmoil. He went on to thank the entire team including Davidson and Sato for always pushing hard and staying loyal.
Of the future, Suzuki said he was exhausted from the last few weeks of trying to save the team, and so he wasn’t planning a rush return to F1. And he left with a parting thought to the recent comments of Nick Fry.
“Honda were our backers and he’s not the CEO of Honda. I have no interest in Nick Fry whatsoever and have no idea what he was talking about.”
That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
05-May-08: Super Aguri Barred From Istanbul Circuit
Hi everyone, this is F1 Minute for the 5th May 2008.
Super Aguri’s transporters turned up at the Istanbul circuit yesterday in preparation for this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix, but they were denied access. The trucks and motorhome were not allowed into the paddock, and Aguri Suzuki has said he doesn’t know why this is. Formula One Management were told the team wouldn’t be racing and so have been barred from the track. It looks like Honda were the ones to inform FOM of this, although it hasn’t been confirmed.
Honda chiefs are due to meet with the Weigl group tomorrow, and therefore Super Aguri have been left confused as to why they have been denied access when no decisions have been made.
Takuma Sato has written a piece on his website, asking Honda to reconsider their actions, as he desperately wants to race. He believes the team can still be competitive, and that the deal with Weigl is an attractive proposition.
CEO of Honda Nick Fry, however, has said that it’s unlikely the Weigl group could support the needs of an F1 team, and is approaching the deal with some scepticism. Hopefully we will find out more after the meeting.
That’s all for today, join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
02-May-08: Super Aguri and Weigl Open Up About Potential Deal
This is F1 Minute for the 2nd May 2008.
Super Aguri have revealed that their future is looking slightly brighter, as they are in the final stages of a deal with German company Weigl. The automotive group are apparently in discussions for a substantial shareholding, and are being very open about it, which is unusual for a business deal of this size and importance. The CEO of Weigl issued a statement simply expressing their support of Super Aguri, whilst Aguri Suzuki also spoke out saying: “Super Aguri F1 Team believes this to be a just and reasonable offer.”
In other news today, Vijay Mallya has asked his Force India team to find out what is hampering their pace in qualifying, as he believes a good slot on the grid is key to moving up the finishing order. Mallya said the team had demonstrated they had the race pace, but: “”We do need to sort out our qualifying pace, which is our Achilles heel at the moment. If we start a few places up the grid we won’t get into traffic or be a little accident prone like we are when starting from the back.”
That’s all for this week, have a great weekend and join me on Monday for another F1 Minute.