NEWS ARCHIVE
NO CARS FOR DONINGTON PARK
The British Grand Prix at Donington - if it happens - will be held without fans being able to drive into the circuit. If all goes according to plan the spectators would have to take buses from Nottingham, Leicester or Derby, take the train to East Midlands Parkway Station or fly to East Midlands Airport.
FORUM TO DISCUSS F1 SURVEY RESULTS IN MONACO
Key representatives from Formula 1’s teams, sponsors, media and governing body will take centre stage at this year’s Motor Sport Business Forum to discuss the findings of a recent global survey of motor racing fans.
FERRARI LOOKS TO A NEW GENERATION
Scuderia Ferrari has been testing three young Italian drivers to see how they do wioth F1 power. The team ran a test for Edoardo Piscopo, Salvatore Cicatelli and Mirko Bortolotti at Fiorano. Piscopo currently races in the Atlantic series in the United States, while Cicatella and Bortolotti have been racing in Formula 3 in Italy.
BAHRAIN AND ABU DHABI TO WORK TOGETHER
The Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM) have reached an agreement to work together to identify and harness opportunities stemming from the presence of two Grand Prix circuits in the Gulf region.
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS AND F1
The announcement of a global partnership between LG and the Formula One group seems set to mark the start of a campaign to raise money for the sport from marketing partnerships. This is logical given what has been seen with the Olympic Games and the soccer World Cup.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH A GONG?
Bernie Ecclestone's desire to have medals rather than points to decide the World Championship is much in the spotlight again. Ecclestone argues that deciding the World Championship on the number of gold, silver and bronze medals that a driver collects is a better way than adding up points in the course of the season.
BUILDING UP THE PRESSURE
The FIA wants Formula 1 teams to come up with a sensible scheme for cost-cutting in the mid-term and it seems to be intent on forcing the issue if there are no concrete proposals agreed with regard to engine supply.
IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO
It seems that the authorities in Shanghai have become rather uppity at reports that the Chinese Grand Prix may not continue in the city at the end of the current contract. The authorities say that the reports, quoting the city's deputy sports director, Qiu Weichang, were incorrect, probably due to problems of translation.
LG JOINS FORMULA ONE AS A GLOBAL PARTNER
The Formula One group is moving forward with its plans to increase revenues in the years ahead with the announcement in London of a global partnership with Korea's LG Electronics.
RED BULL BUYS OUT BERGER
Red Bull has bought Gerhard Berger's share of Scuderia Toro Rosso and will once again own 100% of the shares in the Italian-based team, previously known as Minardi. "I'm very grateful to Gerhard for his enormous input," said Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz.
LIUZZI FASTEST IN SPEEDCAR TESTING
Force India F1 test driver Vitantonio Liuzzi clocked the quickest lap at the Speedcar Series test at the Dubai Autodrome, beating Jacques Villeneuve's best time and clear of rising star Nico Hulkenberg, who in the Formula 3 Euroseries champion and the Williams F1 test driver.
MANWARING MOVES TO MALLOCK
Rupert Manwaring, who for many years was involved with various Formula 1 teams, has departed Lola Cars International and will become the new sponsorship and marketing director of the RML Group.
WEBBER TALKS ABOUT HIS ACCIDENT
Mark Webber has been talking to the Herald Sun newspaper in Australia about the cycling accident in Tasmania which left him with a broken right leg. The Red Bull driver is in Hobart Private Hospital and says he will be back in action as soon as he can be.
THE TRUTH WILL OUT
For years there have been indications that Rubens Barrichello was forced to hand over victory to Michael Schumacher in the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix at the A1 Ring. Ferrari wanted Schumacher to win the race and collect the maximum points for the Drivers' World Championship but he could not beat Barrichello and only won the race when Rubens let him at the finish line.
CAREFUL NICO...
Nico Rosberg has warned Williams F1 that he could leave after next season if the former World Champions fail to give him a competitive car. Rosberg is free to go at the end of the current season.
RACING MAN TO BE COMMERCIAL CHIEF OF BRITISH OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION
The British Olympic Association has appointed Hugh Chambers as its chief commercial officer. Chambers was a leading player in Prodrive from 1995 until 2005 during which time the company won multiple touring car, Le Mans and World Rally titles.
BBC CONFIRMS COULTHARD AND JORDAN AS PRESENTERS
Martin Brundle will lead the BBC television commentary team next year with David Coulthard alongside him. And in the wings will be opinionated Irishman Eddie Jordan, the former F1 team owner.
CLARE MOVES ON
David Clare has resigned as chief executive officer (Asia Pacific) for A1 GP World Cup of Motorsport, his intention being to pursue automobile manufacturing, PR and marketing projects in Asia.
WEBBER PLEDGES F1 COMEBACK
Mark Webber says that he will beback in actiuon next year, after suffering a broken leg while riding a bike in a charity event in Tasmania. The 32-year-old Red Bull Racing driver collided head-on with a car during the annual Mark Webber Challenge and suffered fractures of the two bones in his lower right leg.
OVERTAKING IS EASIER!
The new Formula 1 cars of 2009 may look a bit odd at the moment and the front wings may be ugly, but the first impressions from the drivers are that the new aerodynamic rules that have been devised by the Overtaking Working Group will make it easy for them to race.
ECCLESTONE DIVORCE IS CONFIRMED
Slavica Ecclestone has confirmed that she is starting divorce proceedings against her husband, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.
THE ART OF READING FINANCIAL RETURNS IN F1
Reading financial returns is not an easy thing to do and often those who are not trained in the arts of accountants will make serious mistakes if they take the numbers in front of them at face value.
DISNEYLAND PULLS OUT OF FRENCH GP RACE
The company Lagardere Sports and Disneyland Paris have abandoned their project to hold the French Grand Prix, saying that the event is not economically viable. The plan was for a race in 2010 but it seems that the local government was not willing to come up with the funding because of fears that the local population would object to the event.
RED BULLETIN TO CLOSE DOWN?
The word in Formula 1 circles is that the paddock newspaper, known as The Red Bulletin is to cease production in F1 next year. Red Bull is continuing to fund other publications and is in the process of launching a glossy lifestyle magazine.
DE LA ROSA TESTS FOR FORCE INDIA
There are reports in the Spanish media that McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa will be signed to race for the Force India F1 team in 2009. De la Rosa tested a Force India car today, in an effort to see the potential of the current chassis.
THE IMPRESSIVE MR LOEB
Sebastien Loeb is a talented driver. In the World Rally Championship he has won multiple consecutive titles, and he has finished well in his attempts at the Le Mans 24 Hours. It was therefore reasonable to expect that he would do a decent job in a Formula 1 car.
BRUNDLE CONFIRMS BBC JOB
Martin Brundle told the audience at the Autocar Awards in London this evening that he will be commentating with the BBC next year.
THE TALENTED FOLK OF FORMULA 1
Dominic Smith, a team leader in the aerodynamic design group at Honda Racing F1 is to perform with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall in February 2009.
RADOVAN NOVAK SAYS
The Czech Republic's garrulous FIA member Radovan Novak, who hit the headlines in the summer by suggesting that Max Mosley's sex scandal had been caused by McLaren (a statement he later had to retract), has been holding forth again.
KUNIMOTO WINS MACAU
Japan's Keisuke Kunimoto won the Macau Grand Prix Formula 3 race on Sunday in his TOM'S Dallara-Toyota. He made a better start than fellow front row man Edoardo Mortara (Signature Plus Dallara-Volkswagen) and held the position when the Safety Car was sent out after third-placed Roberto Streit Raikkonen Robertson Dallara-Mercedes collided with Sam Bird (Manor Dallara-Mercedes).
BUSCH LOSES TOYOTA TEST
Kyle Busch's plans to test a Toyota Formula 1 car have been cancelled because the NASCAR star now needs to fly back from Japan to attend an awards banquet in Florida.
THE FUTURE OF RUBENS BARRICHELLO
Rubens Barrichello will not be testing for the Honda team this week in Barcelona and that seems to suggest that the Brazilian veteran may have had his last race with the team.
IT IS OVER FOR CANADA
Quebec Premier Jean Charest has confirmed that attempts to save the Canadian Grand Prix have now failed.
ECCLESTONE TO DIVORCE?
Newspapers in Britain are claiming that Bernie Ecclestone and his wife Slavica (28 years his junior) are to divorce now that their children have left home.
SHANGHAI DEAL LIKELY TO LAPSE
The government of Shanghai is thinking about ending its current deal with Formula 1. This is no surprise as the race has been a financial disaster for the city.
WHO SHOULD DRIVE FOR TORO ROSSO?
There are three drivers testing for Scuderia Toro Rosso next week in Spain and while there may be others in with a chance of one of the two drives, in all likelihood, the test will decide the matter. The team has suffered this year from having two drivers without much F1 experience.
NO INDYCARS AT SURFERS PARADISE
The Indy Racing League has confirmed that Surfers Paradise will not be on its schedule in 2009 as the series was "unable to come to agreement on a long-term scheduling solution" with Australian officials.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE MCLAREN-FORCE INDIA DEAL
Force India's new relationship with McLaren is going to be interesting to watch and the clear out of the old management - plus the addition of McLaren man Simon Roberts as Force India's new chief executive officer - suggests that this is not a normal engine supply deal. McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has, however, denied that Force India will become a McLaren B team.
HAKKINEN GOES INTO MANAGEMENT
Mika Hakkinen is to begin a new role in driver management. The Formula 1 World Champion of 1998 and 1999 has joined Aces Management Group, where he will work alongside his long-time friend and manager, Didier Coton
FORCE INDIA REVAMPS ITSELF
Force India has announced a new partnership with Mclaren and has made major changes in its management with the departures of Colin Kolles and Mike Gascoyne , and corporate and business director Patrck Missling. Dr Vijay Mallya will assume the responsibilities of team principal with Robert Fernley as a director. In a reorganisation of the team's technical department, Mark Smith, design director, and James Key, technical director, will share entire responsibility for the design of the VJM02 and future cars.
FIA CONFIRMS CRAW
Nick Craw, President of the Automobile Competition Committee for the US, has been elected as the new FIA Deputy President for Sport. At its annual meeting in Paris today, the FIA General Assembly, the supreme executive body of the FIA, voted unanimously for Craw’s election.
DI GRASSI TO TEST FOR HONDA
Honda Racing F1 Team is to run Renault test driver Lucas di Grassi in Barcelona later this month. The Brazilian driver will join the Brackley team for the three-day test which begins on November 17.
CRAW TO BE NEW FIA DEPUTY PRESIDENT
America's Nick Craw (62) will be nominated as the new FIA Deputy President at the General Assembly this week. The head of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS), which governs US racing on behalf of the FIA, Craw has a stellar career behind him.
ALONSO AND PIQUET STAY AT RENAULT
The ING Renault team has announed that it is not changing its driver line-up next year - and that Fernando Alonso will stay with the team for 2010 as well.
FIA CONFIRMS EXTENDED ENGINE LIFE
From 2009, engine life in Formula 1 will be extended from two to three races. This is no surprise as the teams all agreed that this was the easiest way to reduce costs significantly without disrupting the show.
FIA MOVES TO IMPROVE CREDIBILITY OF F1 STEWARDS
The FIA has decided to try to get people to understand more about what happens with F1 stewarding. The current panel of stewards consists of two international stewards and one national steward, all of whom must be eligible for the FIA’s super licence.
CHINA MOVES TO APRIL
The FIA World Council met in Paris this morning to discuss the matters of the moment and the federation has now issued a new Formula 1 calendar for 2009 with the Chinese Grand Prix moving from its normal October date to a date in April.
CHANGES AHEAD FOR FORCE INDIA
Force India team boss Vijay Mallya is expected to announce some changes in his F1 team in the days ahead with an announcement due that the team will be using an entire drivetrain from McLaren-Mercedes in 2009. We expect that to be announced on Monday.
LOEB TO TEST RED BULL F1 CAR
On Sunday Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena claimed their fifth consecutive World Rally Championship, a feat which is unique in the history of the sport. This received little coverage as Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa stole all the headlines later the same day.
RENAULT TO CONFIRM ALONSO TODAY
Renault F1 is expected to confirm Fernando Alonso as its lead driver in 2009 later today. The big question is not whether the Spaniard will stay but rather who will be with him in the team.
A CHANGE OF EMPHASIS FOR RON DENNIS?
McLaren boss Ron Dennis is often rumoured to be leaving McLaren and with Lewis Hamilton's World Championship, the team's first title since Mika Hakkinen's Drivers' crown in 1999, there are once again suggestions that Dennis will be leaving Formula 1.
RACE REPORT - THE RACE OF THE CENTURY
Timo Glock won the World Championship for Lewis Hamilton in Brazil. He did not mean to do it.
HONDA TO TEST SENNA - AND PIQUET?
Honda F1 has confirmed that it will test Bruno Senna in Barcelona in a fortnight. The team may also test Nelson Piquet, if the Brazilian has not been retained by Renault F1 between now and then.
A VERY SPECIAL OFFER
Lewis Hamilton's dramatic World Championship victory in Interlagos was a remarkable event in motorsport history and rather than have to wait until paper magazines start to arrive at the end of the week, Formula 1's first electronic magazine, the award-winning GP+ is offering a free magazine to anyone who wants to download it.
HAMILTON IS WORLD CHAMPION!
Lewis Hamilton took the World Championship two corners from the finish of the Brazilian Grand Prix - after Felipe Massa had crossed the line, believing that he had done enough to win the title. In a story that would not be out of place in Hollywood, the brave little Brazilian had driven a brilliant race and won it from the front.
TWO MINUTES TO GO - A DELUGE!
As the cars lined up for the World Championship decider in Brazil there was asudden downpour, ending a period of sunshine. The start was delayed for 10 minutes. While it is raning on the main straight, the bottom end of the track remains bone dry.
IT IS RAINING IN SAO PAULO
With three hours to go before the start of the World Cahmpionship-deciding Brazilian Grand Prix, rain is falling at Interlagos. The forecast is for continued rain this afternoon.
QUALIFYING REPORT - FELIPE CHASES THE DREAM
Felipe Massa took pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix, giving the Brazilian fans the opportunity to use up soem of their energy cheering and dancing with joy. Felipe was in about as good a position as he could have hoped for.
PRACTICE 3 REPORT - FERNANDO FASTEST AGAIN
There are some in Formula 1 who say that Renault's recent performance has been such that it cannot possibly have been achieved given the performance of the cars at the start of the season. There are now films beginning to appear that rear wings are not supposed to do, but this does not seem to worry the team.
