Talk F1 Blog

Stoddart reveals mixed feelings over F1 future

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:07:34 UTC

The former owner of Minardi, Paul Stoddart, has revealed mixed feelings about the long-term prospects of Formula One. He was speaking publicly after the forced withdrawal of Honda as a result of the global financial crisis and, unfortunately for the world of motorsport, he believes that others may soon follow in the company’s footsteps.

Stoddart revealed that he had a “feeling there is one more to come”. and if this is the case, there will be “eight teams lining up in Melbourne”.

Stoddart acknowledged the difficulties caused by the credit crunch, especially since Formula One is an exceptionally expensive sport to compete in.

Trying to raise the funds to take part in the event can put a lot of pressure on individuals and Stoddart spoke of his sympathy for the employees at Honda who are now facing the real threat of becoming redundant over the Christmas period.

He described such a situation as entirely “regrettable”, since the people working at the Honda base in Brackley are a “fantastic bunch”.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Stoddart was all doom and gloom whilst speaking about the future of Formula One. However, this was not the case.

Stoddart remains confident that the sport will survive the financial crisis and come back better than ever before. In the past, Formula One, which in his opinion is the “greatest motor sport in the world”, has “been able to self-govern itself” and this is why Stoddart believes it will survive for many years to come.

Honda quits F1

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:51:03 UTC

Earlier this week, Honda announced some shocking news. The motor company has been forced to pull out of Formula One after the impact of the financial crisis left officials with no alternative.

In addition, Honda will be unable to supply engines to Formula One. A deadline of January has been set for Honda to find a buyer, a move which will allow them to stay in the sport but workers at the company’s base are expected to be made redundant prior to Christmas.

The shocking news was announced by the president of Honda, Takeo Fukui, who revealed that the decision had been extremely “difficult” to make. However, the “quickly deteriorating operating environment facing the global auto industry” and the manner in which global economies are suffering in general has left the company with no alternative.

Since Honda’s announcement, other teams have revealed that they will do everything possible not to follow in their footsteps. However, competing in Formula One is extremely expensive and teams have been forced to consider innovative cost-cutting steps during recent months.

Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, has been vocal for some time about the financial problems caused by the expensive nature of Formula One. Mosley wants to see changes made prior to 2010, including the controversial introduction of a standard engine.

Jenson Button has spoken of his personal shock at Honda’s decision. However, despite the pain brought by the move, Button seems determined to remain positive. He ended an emotional speech by revealing that “if it doesn’t kill us it’ll make us stronger”.

Donington delays put 2010 British GP in doubt

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:49:36 UTC

During the 2008 season it was announced that the British Grand Prix will be moving from Silverstone to Donington after next season. However, this week the plans came into doubt as the local district council aired concerns about the environmental impact of the renovations, which include extensions to the track itself.

The British Grand Prix is currently set to return to its former home in Donington in a 10-year contract - the track previously hosted the British Grand Prix up until 1987. This move replaces fans’ favourite Silverstone, which, just like Magny Cours and Montreal, couldn’t afford the cost of Formula 1.

The standard of facilities expected at each Grand Prix is a controversial issue in F1, as there is no consistent benchmark for what each track needs. For example, Sao Paolo in Brazil is classed as one of the best races on the circuit yet its facilities are modest at best, whilst new tracks like Valencia may have all the facilities but when it comes down to race day, the on-track excitement doesn’t quite live up to expectations.

Donington’s fate will now wait until after the New Year, when the council will make a decision. Worryingly, with a deadline set for April 2010, this would give just 14 months for organisers to carry out improvements. And to add to the problems, Bernie Ecclestone stated with very little hesitation that the British race could be removed from the 2010 calendar altogether if the work is not complete.

This isn’t good news for Formula 1 in the UK, which looks set to rise in popularity from next year onwards, mostly thanks to home-grown Lewis Hamilton. In fact, since the world champion’s maiden title win, ticket sales for the final race at Silverstone in 2009 have sky-rocketed.

Donington still has a long way to go before 2010, undergoing millions of pounds worth of redevelopment before F1 arrives at its door. Let’s hope some of this £38 million pound spend will include enough for an extra pair of hands or two!

F1 Season Review Part III

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:56:55 UTC

Exiting Europe and entering the unknown

The next race at Singapore was the first in a sequence of unpredictable races finishing off the 2008 season. It was the second of 2 new tracks this season and the first ever F1 Grand Prix to be held at night. The race was largely determined by the fortunes and misfortunes endured under the safety car, as many drivers fell foul to a 10-second penalty for pitting under the safety car.

Alonso was one of the few drivers that benefitted from the safety car. The Spaniard, who'd currently been on top form, then went on to win the race, his first win of the season. Previously his expectations for 2008 had not been met due partly to bad luck and mostly to a poorly performing Renault. Whilst it was a quiet race for McLaren, Ferrari brought more F1 drama. Raikkonen bizarrely crashed out near the end of the race, and a problem with a semi-automatic release system saw Massa waiting at the end of the pit lane for mechanics to remove the 15-foot of hose dragging behind him.

Race number 16 at Fuji, Japan was incident-packed. Alonso continued his fantastic form to win his second consecutive Grand Prix as both he and second place Kubica capitalised on the errors made at the front of the pack.

Hamilton, who was in the lead in the world championship took pole but had a poor start, and decided to go for broke at the start of the race. Hamilton braked late and heavily going into the first corner – cutting up both Kimi Raikkonen and team-mate Kovaleinen, flat spotting his tyres and incurring a drive-through penalty.

If Hamilton had not already thrown away his point-scoring chances, shortly after this first incident, Massa re-entered the track and crashed into Hamilton whilst battling with his rival. This sent Hamilton into a spin and put the final nail into the coffin for Hamilton’s race. The third controversy of the day was on Sebastien Bordais’ exit from the pitlane, when he came into contact with Massa who was going along at race pace - a controversial incident which didn’t do too much damage to either driver, and despite Charlie Whiting’s declaration that drivers exiting the pitlane have right of way, Bourdais was awarded a 25-second penalty after the race.

The Grand Prix at Shanghai, China was race number 17 and the penultimate race of 2008. After the constant drama and incidents of most of the season, this was a realatively serene race.

Hamilton got a much-needed clean get away off the grid from pole and went on to bag a solid win, which he desperately needed as it was his first win since Germany six races before. Raikkonen gave his second place to Massa to give his team-mate a boost in the championship fight.

The finale

Finally, and whilst remaining firmly off the band wagon of season finale-followers, my favourite race of the season was number 18, Brazil. This race was very much in keeping with the rest of the season – unpredictabile rain and a controversial result (although not so debateable).

Having dominated the weekend, Massa took pole and the win, followed by Alonso and Raikkonen. Both Vettel and Glock played their part in the Grand Prix – 2 outstanding drivers this season and totally unexpected form for both. David Coulthard crashed out on the first corner as did Piquet Jr, but there was no great drama until the end of this race when the rain almost put the fire out of Hamilton’s championship bid, but fortunately for him he capitalised on Glock’s final struggle on the wet last lap.

The lack of patterns and predictability this season makes it difficult to sum up in just a few words. There were so many factors contributing to the story: the lack of a dominant reigning world champion, the frequent wet weather conditions, younger drivers unexpectedly outperforming their cars, and the inconsistent and controversial stewards' decisions are a few examples.

To add to this, the fact that both the tacticians and the drivers in the top teams (Ferrari and McLaren) made some huge errors this season meant that they had to relinquish some of their stranglehold on F1 (although they still had their hands all over the world and constructors' championships).

The overhaul of rules next season will be the biggest change in Formula 1 for 20 years, revolutionising the sport. The smaller teams and younger drivers will be inspired by this season, and the hope is that the rule changes will equal the playing field.

Not only this, but the current front runners will have more to prove than ever next year - Massa still chasing his first title, Raikkonen re-establishing himself as Ferrari’s number 1, Alonso continuing his end-of-season form, Kubica back with a stronger car, and Hamilton trying to defend his first title will no doubt provide high-quality entertainment. Of course there’s also potential for a brand new audience – British television coverage will be returning to the BBC from advert-ridden ITV in 2009, and this might give F1 the platform it needs to captivate new viewers.

So it seems this season, one of the most exciting in recent times, is just the tip of the iceberg. 2008 has been full of firsts in F1 but this may merely be an indicator of what is to come.

Buemi set to make F1 debut

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:03:57 UTC

The young driver from Switzerland, Sebastian Buemi, may make his debut in Formula One next season with the Toro Rosso team.

The driver tested for the junior team at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain last week, along with Sebastien Bourdais and Takuma Sato. Bourdais may not be kept by Toro Rosso after racing for the team last season, whilst his team mate Sebastian Vettel from Germany has earned a promotion to the senior Red Bull team.

Whilst the Japanese driver, Sato, who has previously raced for Honda and Jordan, set a faster time than both Buemi and Bourdais, the boss of Red Bull was impressed by the young Swiss driver. Dietrich Mateschitz revealed that Buemi remains “very likely” to become one of the drivers for Toro Rosso next season and stated that the final line-up will be finalised in the middle of December.

Buemi has spoken of his excitement at this potential inclusion but also believes that he still has a lot to learn. However, the Swiss driver revealed that his youth makes him a fast learner. Buemi also looked at past Formula One history to boost his confidence further. He mentioned the case of Renault, who teamed up Fernando Alonso with the relatively inexperienced Nelson Piquet Junior last season.

This mix of experience and youth is, according to the Swiss driver, something desired by most Formula One teams now. Furthermore, young drivers are starting to make a bigger impression in the world of motorsport, with Lewis Hamilton acting as a good example of this trend.

Points System under Fire, Again

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:11:41 UTC

Bernie Ecclestone wants to scrap the conventional points scoring system used in F1 racing in favour of Olympic-style medals. Ecclestone, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential people in the sport, believes that the current system rewards consistency over victory and stifles competition between racers.

Under the new proposal, the driver who wins the most races (and by extension, obtains the most gold medals) will be crowned the overall victor of the championship.

Had the scheme been implemented a month ago, Lewis Hamilton would never have become the youngest champion in F1 history. Ferrari's Felipe Massa, having won an additional race in Brazil, would have taken the crown for himself.

The current points system dictates that the top eight teams in a race are awarded points on a descending scale. Bernie Ecclestone’s scheme, however, will encourage drivers to race faster in order to achieve a position in the top three. Points will not be awarded for cars that finish in fourth place or below.

Ecclestone has said that most of the F1 racing teams are in agreement with him but the general public has voiced concerns about meddling with an established and functional points system. A large majority of F1 fans feel that Bernie Ecclestone has become detached from the sport and is implementing rules to appease a minority.

Consistency, not speed, has always been rewarded in F1 racing; removing the need for thoughtful driving may make a mockery of established etiquette.

The FIA and the Formula One Teams Association will meet to discuss the proposal in Monaco on December 12th.