18-Nov-08: Vettel Ahead For Second Day of Barcelona Test
Today is the 18th November 2008, and you’re listening to F1 Minute.
Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheets at testing in Barcelona today, in his Red Bull. Yesterday’s leader Takuma Sato was close behind in second, with the other two Toro Rosso entrants Bourdais and Buemi settling in third and fourth. Gary Paffett in the McLaren was best of the rest with normal McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa in the Force India car. He ended the day last.
After seeing the potential 2009 BMW yesterday, tester Christian Klien has admitted that it’s not a nice looking car: “To me, for the moment, it’s the worst Formula One car I have ever seen. It just doesn’t fit together.” Kubica agreed that it looks a lot better from inside the cockpit.
Finally today, Bernie Ecclestone has resurfaced his idea of changing the current points system to a medal tally, to encourage drivers to fight for gold instead of settling for silver. He says that the FIA and teams are all for the idea.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
17-Nov-08: Takuma Sato Tops Day 1 of Barcelona Test
Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 17th November 2008.
Testing got underway at Barcelona today, with our first glimpse of the 2009 wings in action. BMW ran a very high rear wing and low front wing, and it’s not that pretty. They were also testing out KERS, with the mechanics protected with thick gloves.
Toyota were the only team not in action, and we saw Takuma Sato top the timesheets in his test for Toro Rosso. Sebastien Buemi, also in the Toro Rosso, was just three tenths slower.
There were three red flags, caused by Robert Kubica for BMW and Nico Hulkenberg for Williams, with the main disaster saved for Giedo van der Garde in the Renault. He completed 27 laps as part of his World Series prize, but crashed out and finished the day in 16th.
Elsewhere, it appears the Canadian Grand Prix will definitely be off the calendar as the Montreal Mayor has admitted: “Despite our endeavours, the unreasonable demands of Formula One exceeded the taxpayer’s ability to pay.”
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
11-Nov-08: Toro Rosso Set Up Driver Shoot Out
Today is the 11th November and this is F1 Minute.
Toro Rosso have confirmed who they’ll be running at the test in Barcelona next week. With just two seats available and a raft of drivers interested in having a go, just three will get a chance at the Circuit de Catalunya. Sebastien Buemi is scheduled to drive for all three days at the test, with Takuma Sato getting a chance for a day and a half, and Bourdais getting the other day and a half. It seems pretty tightly organised, and I hope it goes to plan. It’s been ages since we saw a good shoot out for a race seat. Apparently Bruno Senna is still in the running, despite having a go in the Honda, and Autosport.com is reporting that Barrichello was also in discussions with the team, but needs to bring some sponsorship money with him.
Elsewhere, David Coulthard has raised doubts about Hamilton’s pledge of commitment to McLaren. Lewis said he wants to see his career out at the team, but DC says if McLaren become uncompetitive, he doubts that will remain the case.
That’s it for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
18-Sep-08: Vettel Leads Day 3 at Jerez Test
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 18th September 2008.
Vettel led the way at testing in Jerez today, still in the Red Bull car. He posted the fastest time despite only managing 37 laps due to an engine change. BMW were second, and Renault third. There was some rain in the middle of the day, which disrupted quite a few of the team’s programmes.
Someone in particular who was affected by the weather, was Takuma Sato who returned to Formula 1 for a test with Toro Rosso. He completed just under 50 laps and was 6th out of 8 runners. Afterwards, he said: “Although I couldn’t complete the day due to the weather conditions, I really enjoyed driving the STR3. I would like to say a big thank you to Red Bull and to the team for giving me this great opportunity.” What he doesn’t say is: Please give me a race seat next year.
Elsewhere today, Ron Dennis has issued some fighting talk, saying that McLaren are confident to do well at every circuit left on the calendar this year, and he feels they’re closing in on the constructor’s title at every stage.
That’s it for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.
16-Jul-08: Red Bull Factory Suffers a Small Setback
It’s the 16th July 2008, and you’re listening to F1 Minute.
Mark Webber paid a visit to the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes today, although it was probably cut a lot shorter than he was expecting. At about lunchtime, one of the new components the team was testing out, failed and gave off a lot of smoke. Everyone inside that part of the factory, including Webber, was evacuated while the fire alarms rang. A spokesperson said it’s all fine and has no effect on their preparation for this weekend’s race.
Following the news earlier this week, that Takuma Sato is desperate to return to Formula 1, we now have Tonio Liuzzi eyeing up a return to racing. Currently test driver for Force India, Liuzzi says sitting on the sidelines each race weekend is more difficult than he expected. He also hints at the drivers market for next year, saying it all rests on a certain someone’s shoulders… again. “The decisions will be taken around mid-August, and I’m not just talking about Force India. Everything revolves around Alonso and the market will move once he moves.”
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
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.
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.
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.
08-Apr-08: Super Aguri May Miss Barcelona Test
This is F1 Minute for the 8th April, and these are your top headlines for today.
Takuma Sato has let slip that Super Aguri will not be attending the test in Barcelona next week. Although the team has been bought by the Magma Group, the deal is not yet complete, so Super Aguri have no more budget than they did pre-season. Missing out on yet more tests can only compound the miserable start to the year for the team.
Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has said that Fernando Alonso was a contender for the team ahead of this season, but he was only available for one year. Red Bull would have snapped him up if his contract was less complex, and he had been available for two seasons. This will only add weight to the speculation that Alonso is at Renault for one year only before joining Ferrari in 2009.
Finally, today, the controversy surrounding Alonso and Hamilton’s crash looks as though it has been cleared up now. Renault have already shown the data proving that Alonso was trying his best to accelerate out the corner, and now McLaren have the data to prove that Hamilton’s front wing was already broken.
That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.