Zurich Gnome

Street Parade

2007-08-06T16:33:00.000+02:00

Time to don the glad rags and get down to the lakeside. One of Europe's biggest dance festivals is on this weekend in downtown Zurich.

Hundreds of thousands of techno-fuelled revellers will be heading for Burkliplatz by the lake in Zurich, and will be accompanied by almost as many spectators curious to know what all the fuss is about. And since you're asking I'll be in the later category!

Around thirty articulated trucks drive at about 2mph around the lakeside, pumping their own special brand of dance music out over massive PA systems. And male and female dancers (invariably scantily clad) provide visual entertainment for the watching masses.

The convoy finishes around 18:00, at which point it's time for a quick nap by the lake before moving on to one (or more) of the 100 or so parties that burst into life as the sun goes down.

And no problems about getting home either - the public transport system runs through the night until 4am.

Please don't phone me on Sunday morning...

Photo credits streetparade.ch

Standard CPUs

2006-07-07T16:59:00.000+02:00

There's been a lot of talk about MES getting the contract to make the standard CPUs for 2008 onwards.

Personally I don't mind the fact that the contract has been awarded to a subsidiary of McLaren. What I object to is the fact that there is a standard CPU at all!

Sure, companies spend a lot of cash developing in this area. But it is trivial compared to the amount they spend building and running wind tunnels. And the aerodynamic advances are so specific to an individual F1 car that it is a complete waste of money.

At least reserach into new engine mappings is something that can vaguely be translated into road cars, or reduces the amount of fuel used, which is the sort of goal the FIA should be looking at.

And a wing is not likely to break. I can imagine how a team will feel, the first time a CPU goes wrong while their car is leading a race.

It's a stupid decision and does nothing for the spirit of competition.

US GP Forecast

2006-07-02T18:16:00.000+02:00

Great to see that we're starting to inspire other people's forecats, but sadly, the combination of incompetence and alcohol fuelled sedation mean that I'll have to wait until tomorrow to write a proper appreciation.

My Forecast?

Well I missed qualifying - it clashed with the ballroom dancing on our local BBC channel, and sadly, that's the way it goes these days. Bernie, take note.

However, I know that there's a Ferrari front row, and stopped reading the times at that point. I assume the Renaults are close behind, and I also know that Rosberg has to start from the back.

Lap 1: Schuey and Massa both get off to a good start, but Massa soon turns into a defensive angel, protecitng Michael from the yellow and blues. There will be a lareish accident after five laps or so, and although I hesitate to predict that Ralf will go into the wall at turn 13, that is what wil happen. Montoya will make up places after the SC goes in, he really undertsands rolling starts. Most GP drivers don't and I ask myself why they don't watch more races on TV.

But Monty is nothing if not a nutter. He will not finish the race, having tried one move too many. Kimi will finish, Ron will wonder why he is letting him go. But I digress.

Lap 12: Schuey pits. Very early and it's a short stop, and he gets out in front of Alonso. Amazing! Massa carries on for another two laps but rejoins way back, his job done. The lamb has been scarificed.

Lap 18: Alonso is in. And out just behind Schuey. Kimi is doing well, having demoted Fisi to third. Sadly, that's about it.

SChuey, Alonso, Kimi, Fisi, Massa make up the first five.

Overall: The Hondas will do better than in previous races. Rubens will finish and Jenson will stop for no apparent reason. The team can only build one decent car, and the dynamic has changed. Rubens gets it now. 3-5 points is my predictiona.

The Aguris provide the most entertainment. Opting for a low downforce setup, Sato is blindingly fast on the straights and all over the shop in the infield. They score their best result ever.

MF1: I simply do not care, end result is that the drivers pay the cash and the team make money.

BMW: JV and Heidfeld drive their hearts out and look like they are starting to make an impression. One point is scant reward.

Williams: Webber moves up the field, has to stop and says good things about the car while showing body language of one who is clearly lying. Rosberg makes fantastic progress from the back, but one move too many at turn one is too much.

Toyota: Ralf hits the wall. Trulli goes backwards. That's all you need to know.

Which just leaves the two Red Bull teams. 10th thru 12th, with one retirement. Liuzzi probably.

25 minutes to the start now, so I'd better get ready to watch...

1982 and all that

2006-06-29T18:18:00.000+02:00

On pitpass today, the editor puts forward an interesting scenario, comparing the political struggles of today with those of 1982.

Not only are the differing musical abilities of the Villeneuve family apparent, but the quality of the racing has suffered immensely. When I write a forecast for the outcome of a GP now, it's very difficult not to put Alonso's name up there first. If I were writing in 1982 however, my forecasts would be considered perfectly plausible. Not mad enough even.

In 1982, no driver won more than two Grands Prix. There were eleven different winners. The championship was won by a driver that had scored zero points the year before. The reigning world champion leapt out of his car at Hockenheim to punch another driver. Nobody seemed able to win the Monaco GP, with five drivers sharing the lead over the last few laps. Switzerland held a Grand Prix, even if it was in France!

But we lost Riccardo Paletti and Gilles Villeneuve that year in fatal accidents. So while I'm glad that today's F1 cars allow the sort of crash that Ralf Schumacher seems to have annually at Indianapolis to be survivable, we have lost much of the entertainment. Safety must be the priority. But wouldn't it be great to see a repeat of the 1982 US GP (East) at Detroit? John Watson won from 17th on the grid with a series of fantastic passing moves.

I'll publish my forecast tomorrow, but I suspect that I will put my money on Alonso winning from pole. Not very racy is it?

Brickyard here we come

2006-06-28T18:18:00.000+02:00

Well, I'm back again after a couple of unexpected absences, so apologies to any of you that missed my ramblings over the past week or so.

I feel bad about not doing a forecast for the Canadian GP, but it strikes me now that there's no reason not to do it after the race, so here's a condensed version:

Renault will line up first and second on the grid, but Fisi will shoot himself in the foot by jumping the start (incurring a penalty) and still lose a place. JPM will brave it out with Schuey and will be so fired up by getting past that he suffers red mist and tries to get past a fast starting Rosberg on the second lap. Nico, won't use his mirrors though and both will suffer. Schuey will run long stints, moving up the field and will benefit from a silly mistake by Kimi, allowing him through into second. Nobody will look like getting near Alonso all weekend though.

This weekend, the circus moves down to Indianapolis, one of those must see sights. If you ever think of going there, don't forget to check out flyawaycafe for up to date travel tips. Actually, have a look evenif you're only going down the road to the shops.

Indy is, of course, the scene of last year's fiasco, of which we do not speak. So let's just hope that the boys put on a good show, and there's plenty of out-braking attempts into turn one.

Prediction revisited

2006-06-12T12:11:00.000+02:00

I should have mentioned that the Gnome crystal ball was a little fuzzy on Friday. Definitely not running in full HDTV mode, which meant that some of my predictions were a little out.

For example, the qualifying on the CB (Crystal Ball) stopped just as the session was flagged, and Kimi's time came in after that. And Michael and Kimi did get very close, although I now see it was on the straight up to Abbey, not Hangar straight. What a great piece of TV though, the shot from the cockpit of the Ferrari showed just how brave these guys are. Kimi moves over (legitamately) to within a few inches of Michael at well over 100mph and neither even flinches. I'd have dived off onto the grass! (I did that once at Cadwell Park in an FF2000 race but got the bas**rd back, later in the race)

And the Fast starting Williams causing mayhem? Well, there was a Williams involved in the first lap accident but I couldn't see the helmet colour on the CB. I thought Webber was unlucky to be taken out, and the bad pitstop was Heidfeld (unlucky after such a great start) instead of Fisi. Rubens did much better than Jenson as predicted, but as Carl pointed out in his comment, there are still some braking points so Rubens wasn't quite as much at home as I'd thought.

So, In true F1-press-release-style I'll suggest that I made serious progress with the CB, and that I'm working really hard to polish the performance and that by the next race I'll have new parts on board and should be turning in really respectable predictions.

Ha!

Silverstone Prediction

2006-06-09T16:28:00.000+02:00

Just like Saturday, Silverstone is warm and sunny on race day, quite a few of the spectators in the public enclosures are sporting pink shoulders in the classic British tradition. On the grid, Alonso is on pole next to Michael. Fernando's looking confident, as though he's carrying lots of fuel. Kimi and Fisico are on the second row with Rubens lining up fifth. Apparently there's not much need to brake for much of the circuit and so the car is much easier to drive for him. Jenson though, could only manage ninth, behind JPM, Webber and Massa.

At the start, the leaders get away in grid order, although Michael does try to squeeze Kimi onto the grass. Kimi doesn't lift but Michael's line means he has better exit speed onto Hangar straight. But by now the race has already been red flagged. Rosberg had a mega start from close to the back of the grid after his qualifying problems and was over optimistic at Stowe, taking out Klien, both STRs MF1s and the Aguris. Wreckage all over the place!

At the restart, Kimi does get the drop on Michael, So it's Fernando,Kimi,Michael,Rubens, Fisico, Webber. Rubens is clearly flying and coming out of Club he's hassling Michael. At Abbey he's alongside and Michael has to take to the grass, victim of his own tactics. Webber is doing the same to Fisi, and the Italian is blocked by Michael, but Webber manages to get through by bridge. What an amazing first lap!

After that things begin to settle. Alonso is smooth and doesn't seem to be trying to pull out too much over Kimi. Rubens catches and pressurising Kimi, but to no avail. After 16 laps, Rubens is in, but manages to get out ahead of the Coulthard and the BMWs, there's not many cars left at the back end of the race. A few laps later Kimi is in, then a couple of laps later the leading Renault stops, rejoining in the lead apparently having taken more fuel than the McLaren. It's looking good for Renault.

Fisi has a minor problem in the pits, his stop was a dreadful 16.782 seconds! He's still eight, but behind JPM and Button. Schuey managed to get back out in front of Webber at the first stop, although the Australian is still looking quick.

The second round of stops come and go without change, meaning that Alonso's championship lead grows a little bit more. It definitely looks like a McLaren will be carrying the number one next year.

Off the record

2006-06-08T13:46:00.000+02:00

I met up with the pitpass editor, Chris Balfe, for a few beers last night. I was working in London, so it seemed an ideal opportunity to catch up on all the F1 gossip.

Sadly, most of the gossip has to stay off the record, after all we don't want to be sued to high heaven like Tom Rubython, proprietor of Business F1.

I came away from the meeting thinking two things. The first is that Chris certainly knows how to drink beer. The second, and more important aspect, is that pitpass is an amazing site, especially given the resources available. Chris has built two of the ten most popular F1 sites, and pitpass is probably the most respected of the independent sites. It's also become the de facto source for A1 GP news, although Chris does not receive a penny for this.

And although pitpass has had up to 190,000 readers in a month (not hits, readers!) we're struggling to find a way to generate cash from the site. If anyone has a business model that might work, please let us know.

Technical Commission meeting

2006-06-07T17:11:00.000+02:00

Apologies for the lack of posts, but I've been out of the country and accessing the blog was just too slow.

But still not much has happened, and my main interest at the moment is to see what comes out of today's F1 technical commission meeting. They're discussing the regulations for 2008, but frankly I'm not hopeful. I still suspect that even if the members do reach agreement, then Max Mosley will simply turn round and overrule any changes that do not fit in with his ideas. I could be wrong, and I usually am when it comes to predictions, but we'll know more tomorrow.

Hopefully, we'll be allowed to have engine development. I really do not want to see fixed engines. If that's the case we may as well spec the current GP2 car as a basis for F1. That might not be a bad idea, after all, the FIA put the design of the GP2 car out to tender, so it must be able to specify a car fairly accurately.

But I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Oh dear, Jenson

2006-05-31T12:00:00.000+02:00

I know that the media demand statements and opinions from sportsmen and women, and it seems the question on everybody's lips is 'When will Jenson Button win a Grand Prix'?

Well, I think 'never' could well be the answer, because although he has the talent and speed, he doesn't have the car. And simply put, it is incredibly difficult to get to the stage where a car is capable of winning.

It's not like the 1970s when Chris Amon would regularly lead an F1 race, only for his car to let him down at the last minute. F1 cars are currently incredibly reliable. So for Jenson to win a race he needs to be regularly leading races, and not just in between pit stops. Even then the master strategists as discussed by Mike Lawrence in his latest article could still pull something out of the bag for Ferrari or Renault.

Jenson has effectively tied his colours to the Honda mast, and although it doesn't look like his car will match the performnce of the Ferraris, Renaults or McLarens anytime soon, he should not be making comments to the press about it, especially downbeat ones. If you say you won't win a race, you won't. I alwasys used to imagine ludicrously complicated scenarios where rivals would knock each other out of the race, and although that didn't work either, it has be be better than giving out negative vibes.

Engine supply

2006-05-30T12:57:00.000+02:00

I was reading on a rival website about the likely distribution of engines next year. Obviously the manufacturers: Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW and Honda will use their own engines, but there seems to be the possibility of change for many of the more independent teams.

Williams (Cosworth) change to Toyota/Lexus
MF1 (Toyota) change to Cosworth (assuming Toyota don't want to supply more than one other team)
Red Bull (Ferrari) change to Cosworth V8
Squadra Toro Rosso (Cosworth V10) change to Ferrari

which just leaves Aguri remaining with Honda, no surprise as they are the Honda B team after all.

Now this isn't a real issue, but given that changing engine supplier means a lot of change - it affects weight distribution, cooling characteristics, gearbox design etc: it's easy to see that a significant cost is involved.

And bearing in mind that it's the independent teams that are all changing engines, for one reason or another, it sort of makes a mockery about the insistence of Max Mosley that costs must come down. Just a thought.

Silly, Michael

2006-05-29T16:26:00.000+02:00

I'm not going to enter the debate on whether Mr Schumacher deliberately parked his car or not. I have no evidence to add, and I think it's all been said. OK, I am going to say something.

I don't think he did it deliberately, as in pre-meditated. If you understand the difference between murder and manslaughter, I think that's what happened. Michael entered the corner and braked a little harder than he intended, and realised he'd screwed his lap. And at that point, in a micro second, he considered stopping the car and before he knew it, he'd done it. He had no intention of doing that before he entered the corner, it was an automatic reaction to a set of circumstances. It was too late to complete getting the car round the corner without damaging the front wing, and he couldn't get reverse (it is difficult). He knew if he'd damaged the wing that the car couldn't be worked on before the race, so he couldn't go forward. That's the rules for you. So he had to stay where he was.

That said, it's no different to a football player, let's say the Arsenal goalie, Lehmann, during the Champions League final - taking down a striker when they are clear. It's not intentional, but happens in an instant and must be punished.

Thanks to all who commented on my predictions. I was wide of the mark as always. But was I? Montoya finished second, not first, and Webber was running well when his engine let go. So I don't feel bad about that. And I had Michael down as finishing fifth(!) only one place away from Rubens. Add the prediction that "On raceday, we'll see a clean-ish start, just a broken front wing near the back of the field" and I'm inclined to think it wasn't so far out. Maybe I should take up writing horoscopes!

Monaco GP Forecast

2006-05-26T12:03:00.000+02:00

There's probably going to be a few clouds in the sky on Sunday, but nothing likely to turn into rain. So as far as teams are concerned it's mainly about selecting the softest tyres that they can get to just over half distance with. Monaco is a one-stop race as passing is nigh-on impossible now. We usually use "difficult" to mean "impossible", but at Monaco, it really is the case unless someone has terrible tyre trouble, like Trulli did a few years ago.

Qualifying is, as always, vital and we're likely to see both McLarens and both Renaults fighting for the first two rows of the grid. Ferrari and Honda will be disputing the next two rows with Williams potentially able to get onto the third row. Their car looks good and seems to be working the tyres better than the Ferrari. I'm backing Coulthard and Trulli to be the fastest of the drivers not to make the final session, with Ralf and Heidfeld running them close. Monteiro will make the second qualifying session with an impressive performance in the MF1.

On raceday, we'll see a clean-ish start, just a broken front wing near the back of the field, Villeneuve perhaps, but nothing to trouble the safety car. Montoya leads away having suddenly decided he'd better do something this year and Monaco might just be the place to do it. Then it's Kimi, Fernando; Fisico, Webber, Schumacher, Rubens, Jenson and Felipe, who had a nightmare of a start, just ahead of Rosberg. As always at Monaco the race seems to be settling into a pattern but after ten laps Webber surprises Fisi with a successful move at Ste Devote. The Renault is slow out of the corner and Schuey drags past too. Trulli seems to be struggling with his car and heads a train of cars, with an agitated DC unable to do anything to get past.

Fisichella and Rosberg are the first to pit, but of the leaders Kimi manages to only stay out one lap longer than Alonso and Montoya and so the first three positions look set to remain the same. But Webber is still out and after fantastic pit work by the Williams team the Australian comes out second. Michael and Rubens are running Fifth and sixth, with Fisi and Jenson looking to make the last points positions.

Reliability has been amazing so far, nobody is out yet. Speed is the first retirement, he's been looking increasingly more ragged and finally gets it wrong at the swimming pool, and unfortunately Albers gets caught up in the melee. Twenty laps to go and the safety car is out. But everybody has already stopped and nobody manages to gain an advantage. The order remains the same to the flag, which gives us an unusual podium, with Montoya and Webber taking the first two places. It's looking good for Alonso though, as he's still picking up points over his rivals. Not a great race, but close and exciting. Kind of equivalent to a finely balanced 0-0 draw.

Anyone for Moscow?

2006-05-24T11:14:00.000+02:00

If it's Wednesday, it must be time for a new GP rumour. Apparently Moscow is back in the frame to hold a race, with the news that billionaire Abramovich (of Chelse football club fame) is talking to the mayor of Moscow about a Grand Prix.

It's bad enough that rich individuals can buy success by purchasing a team and throwing money at it - Chelsea has so many world class players that many regularly fail to get a game.

But I really hate this "I have the money and want a Grand Prix" approach. I think valuable prizes should be earned, not bought. And sure, it's an opportunity for Mr Ecclestone to add more scheckels to his already overflowing coffers. But he doesn't have to sell the family silver on day one.

Please, please, make them build a circuit, host other races to show that it can be done and then apply for a race.

Why is it fair to say that all teams that want to race in 2008 have to apply by March 2006, and yet circuit organisers can come along when they want? We need stability, not new circuits.

The thoughts of Flavio

2006-05-23T17:39:00.000+02:00

In recent Q&A Session, Flavio Briatore talked about his vision for the future of F1. To me, it makes so much sense and I can't believe why there is all the fuss about the regulations for 2008.

I really thought the point he made that at a GP weekend, the GP2 cars are only six or seven seconds slower than an F1 car, but cost less than a hundredth to run. When F1 started back in 1950, there were regularly cars that were 20 seconds off the pace. And nobody complained. It was still great. And having established that competetive race cars can be built at reasonable prices, isn't it sensible to do it? I know GP2 is a one-make series, but it must be possible to use the cars as a basis for design, and allow F1 teams to make more changes than is currently allowed. It would be more expensive than GP2, but perhaps by a factor of ten rather than 100-200.

A few years back, I used to think that Flavio was as mad as a bucket of frogs. But he's won championships with both Benetton and Renault in different decades, so he clearly is doing a great job. And he clearly has sensible ideas about cutting costs. Obviously there are team owners with their own political agendas, but the FIA needs to rise above that, instead of introducing further political issues.

In a recent interview for a friend's travel blog, flyaway cafe, I said that if I had to choose someone to sit next to on a transatlantic flight, it would be Max Mosley. But of the team owners, I'm sure that Flavio would be someone you could learn a lot from in a short time.

Mad Max 3

2006-05-22T15:45:00.000+02:00

It seems that Max is back on one of his hobby horses again. He'still advocating the idea of swapping drivers between teams, and getting each driver to race a car from each manufacturer.

I can actually see the point in this, because it means that the driver with the best car does not necessarily win, There would be complications obviously, and it doesn't seem to fit in with the spirit of F1, and that's what puzzles me.

Max seems to want a championship that puts the emphasis back on the driver, but the proposals that are going through for 2008 don't appear to do this. And by introducing fixed spec tyres, he's establishing the validity of freezing development of at least part of the car.

Which is why I find it hard to understand why Max isn't limiting aero progress. Wind tunnels run with three teams of people, 24 hours a day analyzing small changes. Limit the flexibility of those changes and a manufacturer can rent out the wind tunnel to road car or aircraft manufacturers and make the aero dept change from cost-center to profit-center.

And gearboxes - manual ones please, with a clutch that you press. No auto, or semi-auto boxes so that the driver really has to drive the car, not just point and squirt.

Now here's an idea for you Max; by all means have a drivers championship, where they swap cars. Why not make it into a support for the Grands Prix race. I'm sure that the GP2 teams or F3 squads would welcome some extra income. And the crowds at the racetrack deserve to be entertained, and an extra race like this would do just that.

Predictions

2006-05-18T09:19:00.000+02:00

After the Barcelona race, I started questing the whole concept of predictions. Quite frankly, my race was much more exciting than the real thing. Once the first stops were over it was clear what was going to happen. And quite frankly that doesn't make for good reading. I may, as one reader pointed out (thanks) that I do tend to assume that Rubens will stop somewhere o the circuit. But it does actually happen tio him quite a lot, so I feel vaguely justified. And until the racing starts to get more interesting, my predictions may well become ever more outlandish. I hope you don't mind!

I'm back to the UK to play golf for a while, so no posts until next Tuesday. Have a good weekend!

PS I'm predicting I'll come last in the golf!

Power mad

2006-05-17T13:26:00.000+02:00

The news that Max Mosley is determined to run roughshod over anyone that crosses his path isn't exactly surprising. But when the Sporting Working Group rejected Mad Max's proposals, the president responded by overruling them.

If he's entitled to do that according to the procedures of the FIA, I suppose that's fine and, as always with Max, his argument for doing so sounds reasonable in the extreme. Of course you can't go around changing regulations at will, but the point is that the regulations we're talking about are for 2008 and aren't agreed yet. And to say that the teams have signed up for those regulations is somewhat disingenious, because they only signed up when he announced that the deadline for entering the 2008 championship was the end of March, and if he didn't he would give their places to anyone else that cared to register.

I am the only one that thinks that as he gets older, he gets more like his father?

(Oswald Mosley was the leader of the British Fascist Party in the run up to World War II)

Spanish GP Forecast

2006-05-12T15:51:00.000+02:00

Montmelo is a circuit where overtaking is difficult (why do we bother saying that) and as everybody tests there so much there's very little scope to suddenly pull speed out of the bag or find a new sneaky way to pass someone. So the focus will be on long first stints, with a decision taken on the number of laps planned for the second stint depending on traffic and track position.

Consequently all the cars will be running very heavy, except Toyota, whose management insists they try something different (but wimp out from four stops). Alonso takes pole, with Michael alongside and Kimi third. Massa does well to take fourth ahead of Button, Fisichella, Montoya,Trulli, and Barrichello. JV will be starting from the back after the "dropped engine" incident and isn't lookinh happy, but then neither is Heidfeld, 13th behind Ralf and DC. Inexplicably, Rosberg had problems and only lines up 14th.

Predictably, Alonso scorches off into the lead, Michael aggressively tries to hold Kimi back but doesn't manage it, but Massa holds back to let him stay third, which throws the quick starting Webber; there are clouds of tyre smoke but all the front runners make it through turn one: Fernando, Kimi, Schuey, Fisi, Massa, Trulli, Webber, Button, Montoya, Rosberg and Rubens. There's long faces in the MF1 camp as neither car makes it to the end of the first lap when they touch unnecessarily.

Schuey seems to be struggling to keep up and is five seconds behind after 10 laps. A small gap to Mass who is holding up the rest of the train. Five laps later and the Toyotas are in, there won't be any points for them today. Schuey gradually seems to be making progress, and his lap times are coming down. Only two seconds behind when the two leaders stop, and Schuey stays out for a couple of laps. As he exits the pit lane it's going to be close, and Alonso is alongside as they go into the first turn. Schuey uses all the tarmac, forcing an irate Fernando on to the grass allowing Kimi through into second place. Webber got passed Massa in the first round of stops and is making good progress until the Cosworth cries enough. That could have been a good result for the Australian.

The second stops pan out pretty much the same, afterwards it's Schuey, Kimi and Alonso, not looking like he'll win his home race this year. Fisi is running by himself ahead of a lonely Jenson then Rosberg, Montoya and Ralf, who gets the last point when Rubens stops out on the circuit, apparently a sudden hydraulic failure.

Schuey is delighted to make it three in a row on a circuit where he didn't expect to win, and takes four points out of Fernando'd championship lead. Things are looking good for the rest of the year.

Superformula

2006-05-10T11:29:00.000+02:00

It was interesting to read Daniel McCalla's piece on pitpass on his ideas for a new formula. It's great to read something that deals with a lot of the issues in motorsport at the moment and proposes a potential way ahead. Of course, one man's meat is another man's poison, and I suspect my taste isn't the same as many other people's.

I'd like to think I have an idea about some of Daniel's points, having helped run a professional Formula Renault team in the 1990s, and even got involved with racecar construction. But let's have a look at Daniel's suggestions - I think that there may be issues with some of the points, but it's an interesting way of highlighting the problems within the sport, and maybe giving a better understanding of how the sport works to a wider audience. So thanks to Daniel for throwing down the gauntlet!

1. Central Preparation

No, no, no, no, no. I am not interested in watching single make series, and I am definitely not interested in centrally prepared cars. In fact I think the Parc Ferme regulations at the moment are a disgrace and help nobody. I used to love being at a GP circuit on a Saturday evening, walking down the pitlane, looking at the cars being worked on and hearing an engine being started every now and then. But that's gone now.

Race mechanics love three things: cars, women and beer. It's bad enough trying to find something for them to do to a one-make car over a weekend without telling them they aren't allowed to do anything. There are only so many times that you can clean wheels. Go to a BTCC meeting and wander through the paddock where the support series are. There's loads of mechanics standing idly around waiting for their thirty minutes of action. They all have to be paid for this too, so in my view they may as well do something useful. But with no work being done on cars, there's no punters so there's no women for them to look at, so they'll all end up down the pub.

Central preparation is fine for rich businessmen that want to play at racing Minis or Lamborghinis. I never really liked it when Jonathan Palmer was running Formula Palmer Audi. For a top level sport it's a disaster. No two race cars are the same, adjusting the setup is a complicated business and you need to have all the people working as a team. A key part of a driver's job is motivating his mechanics. If all cars are prepared by the same mechanics, who decides which drivers get the new bolts and which ones get the re-used ones? Who gets the best engine or the new set of shock absorbers? Even if there isn't a best engine, someone will believe there is and the best drivers will want it. Remember the story of "Patch", the Formula Ford engine? And if racing cars are so over-engineered that they won't break at all, then they're too heavy to be called racing cars.

And there's another point that nobody seems to consider. Today's racing cars are the historic cars of the future. If all series are one make series, there'll be much less interest in them in 30 years time. One of the joys of the Goodwood Revival meeting is the variety of machinery on offer. I want to see different solutions to engineering problems, V6s, V8s and flat 12s. If we had a fuel based formula we could have rotary engines too. Of course, today's F1 cars are currently too difficult to maintain for that to become a reality, but there's no reason that needs to remain the case.

2. Children are the future

I think this is a really good point. I was taken to Goodwood when I was about four, and the bug bit. I still have my Grandstand tickets from F1 Grands Prix at Silverstone in the 60s when Grandstand seats were more affordable. They cost around £2.50 which, adjusted according to the Retail Price index, is around £30 in 2005 terms. So a family of four could sit in relative comfort for about £120. And there was an impressive series of support races too. Formula 3, BTCC (except we called it saloons in those days) and even the big Sports Cars of the day. A good value day out.

But then there was no need for the promoters to hand over all their cash to Bernie, so they could afford to charge sensible prices. What we need is a benevolent commercial rights holder and as we'll see below, that will not happen. Because one day those rights will be sold to someone who knows their true worth and is keen to extract maximum value from them. If you don't believe that, I have a second-hand car I'd like to sell you.

3. Racing on the Sabbath

Another interesting thought. Again, at Silverstone in the 1960s, GPs were held on Saturdays, so maybe it's not quite so radical. When Nicola Foulston was running Brands Hatch, it was mooted that races could be run mid-week, behind closed doors, thus getting rid of the need for expensive insurance. Most people watch sport on television these days, so why not go the whole hog and hold races in the evenings under floodlights. And instead of using the trucks that Daniel wanted to move the cars around, they can carry the lighting equipment!

4. King of all circuits

Jack of all trades, master of none. A road racing car will need to be compromised if it is used on an oval. And vice versa.

In the same way that I'm interested in watching the 100m sprint at the Olympics, but don't even know if there is a sprint in the decathlon, I am not interested in compromise in motorsport. I want to watch sport at its highest level, whether that sport is football, golf, skiing, rallying or motor racing. I simply do not bother watching anything else. That includes A1 GP, Champ Cars and the BTCC. If one of the four Golf Majors is on TV I would rather watch that than a Champ Car race. If it's not one of the Majors, I do not watch golf. I watch the European Champions League Cup final. I do not watch the UEFA Cup final. I watch Arsenal, I do not watch Spurs. I do not have time.

And that, in essence is the problem with creating a market for a new series like Superformula. There is so much choice in the leisure industry there is no room for second best. The cult of the celebrity means that only the very best drivers will be known. A series like Superformula would need to have "name" drivers, but they'll all be in F1. Millions of people watch F1, how many of them could name three GP2 or A1 GP drivers? Come to that, can I? It is impossible for any series other than the leading one to compete. If F1 and NASCAR do not shoot themselves in the foot, Europeans will watch F1, Americans will watch NASCAR. F1 is just about managing not to shoot itself in the foot at the moment. NASCAR is doing a fantastic job. The FIA should watch and learn.

5. Qualifying

I never had a problem with the old 12 lap qualifying. Actually that's not true; before it was limited to 12 laps I thought it was even better. If there's a dull point during the TV coverage, switch to pre-recorded interviews with drivers and team owners. Show technical explanations of how various bits on the cars work. Don't ruin the sport because the TV presenters and journalists don't have the ability to present an interesting and reactive programme.

To be honest I really don't bother watching qualifying these days unless I'm in the house not doing anything. If they scrapped it completely it wouldn't worry me. Let everyone out of the pit lane 30 minutes before the race, as they do now, and give them fifteen minutes to set the grid. Cut out the middle man and scrap Parc Ferme. Finish qualifying and line up on the grid. That would actually get me watching the TV 30 minutes before I usually do. Isn't that a thought for the TV presenters?

6. Commercial Breakdown

I believe in market forces. I also know from bitter experience that a significant number of people that are involved in motor racing are crooks. It is the nature of the beast. Send three racing drivers into the pub. The one that buys the drinks will be the slowest on the track. He will brake first. Motor sport is about competition and getting someone else to pay for everything is part of the game. Fixing prices for sponsorship cannot happen. Deals will be done. Let's say a race seat for a series costs £100,000. Some teams will extract more from gullible drivers, some drivers will get race seats for much less. And still not pay the bill. Deals will be done. Ask Mike Lawrence about this. You know what he will say.

7. Points and Prizes

Back to Silverstone in the 1960s. The race programmes used to list the distribution of prize money for each position. Round about 1971 that stopped, simply listing an overall prize fund (in Swiss Francs) that would be divided according to a predefined formula. Now the Concorde agreement covers those arrangements but we are not allowed to know what's in it. But we do know that the higher a team finishes in the championship, the more cash it receives. So I guess F1 fits in with this view of Daniel's. Is there any prize money for GP2 or F3. I don't think so. A team that gets better results is able to charge more for its race seats. Market forces again I'm afraid.

And the powerboost button? It's an artificial fix. I don't want to see easy overtaking, I want to see racing. Of course, overtaking moves are the goal of racing and there's nothing better than seeing a skilful driver hounding an opponent into the tiniest of mistakes so that their exit speed from a corner is compromised. Casual viewers do not understand about racing and think it's just about putting your foot down more. It's not. I think TV coverage is partially to blame for this. When I see a great overtaking move, I want to see a replay of the two corners before, not just the bit where the cars are alongside each other. At that point it's job done. Kimi passing Fisi in Japan last year was a great example. When you saw them going through the chicane, you knew that Kimi had won the race. Passing Fisico at Turn one was academic at that point. I want to see the chicane, not turn one. Racing, not just overtaking.

Like Dan I have my own ideas. One thing I would do would be to allow the use of regenerative energy. Brakes currently generate so much heat it's not true. Wasted energy. Which is pretty criminal when you think about it. Why not let the teams build devices that slow the car and retain the energy so that it can be used again. Like a powerboost, but with no limit on how often it's used. Competition will develop these devices amazingly quickly and we'll start to see them on road cars, which will help to cut CO2 emissions and give F1 a more responsible image. Why do I have to think of this? What is the FIA up to? Why have they not offered me a highly paid consultancy job?

That of course is just one thought. We need Dan's ideas and many other people's too. It's clear that Formula One is too expensive, but it's a market place and teams will spend what they want to. Personally I'd like to see free development of engines, but with the proviso that a manufacturer must sell them to any registered team that wants them. And set a maximum price, say $10 million for a supply of engines for the season. If Ferrari or Toyota want to sell them at a loss for marketing reasons, fine. The FIA would distribute the engines at the track so that there is no preferential treatment and if a manufacturer leaves the sport, no problem, just call those nice people at Cosworth.

We need to get rid of artificial regulations that penalise drivers when their engines blow on the slowing down lap. We need to allow drivers to show their skill. But the best road-racing drivers will always gravitate to F1. And while that means that a series like A1 GP or Superformula will struggle to attract cash (and therefore top drivers) there's no reason why we shouldn't think about how the sport works and showing that we care. Thanks to Dan for doing just that.

Confession Time

2006-05-08T14:45:00.000+02:00

I admit. I set the video wrongly at the weekend. And yes, I'm ashamed to say that I still use video, no R/W DVD, No Hardrive. Unforgiveable.

So the story is I didn't see the race, and can't comment other than to say that it looks like Ferrari might be back in the hunt, and the the current scoring system sucks. Another five Schuey Alonso 1-2's would still see Fernando leadin the title race. And Kimi stands virtually no chance now. One day I'll stop griping, but not today.

European GP

2006-05-05T11:32:00.000+02:00

Time for the traditional pre-race forecast. (Obviously it's pre-race, but you know what I mean).

Alonso runs lighter than usual in qualifying, in order to get ahead of Schumacher's Ferrari on the grid. But Kimi puts together a blinding, if somewhat ragged, qualifying lap and snatches pole.

From the lights, Kimi leads from Fernando and Michael. Webber sneaks into fourth, avoiding the mistake he made last year, with Button, Massa, Montoya and Fisi in pirsuit. The two Toyotas are running eighth and ninth, with Barrichello, Rosberg and Coulthard hot on their heels. The two BMWs are up next with the rest of the stragglers safely getting through turn one. Sato and Montagny both manage to get ahead of the MF1s

Kimi and Alonso pull a substantial lead out over Michael, who has a train of cars behind him. Of the front runners, Alonso stops first, with Button also coming in on the same lap. Fernando gets out in Front of Massa, Button is back with the BMWs which will lose him pace and see him lose out to Massa. Five more laps, then Kimi is in, Michael's pace is picking up now, and after the first stops the first three are as before, but Kimi now has a cushion over the Renault. The Toyotas seem to be trying a three stop race and have fallen back, and poor Rubens seems again to have got the duff Honda parts, his car is parked in the garage.

Rosberg seems to be the most aggressive, pulling off a great move to pass Fisico only to be thwarted by a smoking Cosworth. Elsewhere not much is happening. A fluurry of activity around the second stops, but no change up front. One feels Kimi will avenge the spectre of last year. And that's exactly what happens.

So at the end it's Kimi, Fernando and Michael. The rest of the points go to Webber, Massa, Montoya, Button and Fisi. Not a great race, but at least the rain held off!

The Ring Cycle

2006-05-04T09:01:00.000+02:00

The Nürburgring was the last circuit I watched a race at. It was also the last circuit I drove on, although I must confess that was just a few laps round the infamous Nordschleife in the road car.

As for the race, my brother was driving in the historic Formula Junior race as part of the Oldtimer GP last August. As often happens, it rained, and as he'd never raced either at the circuit or in the rain, we'd have been foolhardy to expect a brilliant result. But the memory of the circuit stays with me, and although the new circuit isn't as exciting (terrifying would be more appropriate) as the old classic version, it's still a great circuit. The sort of circuit you'd love to drive on. Swooping corners, hills and dales. Fast corners, slow corners. It's actually got the lot, and it's possible to marshall the circuit and maintain high levels of safety.

In a week when there have been some serious accidents in motorsport around the world, mainly in rallying, it's important to remember that motor racing is dangerous. People can get killed or maimed. So the trend to race at modern circuits is understandable, but that doesn't mean that circuits have to be boring. The 'ring shows that, and if there aren't many overtaking moves there this weekend, just as there were so few at Imola, maybe we should be looking at the cars, rather than the circuits. The Formula Junior race finished with the first three cars line abreast, and the same chassis, albeit with different engines, were eligible for the F1 race later in the day.

Everybody knows we can learn a lot from history. I can't help thinking there is scope for that in motorsport.

World Championship

2006-05-03T14:52:00.000+02:00

I'm not generally in favour of countries hosting more than one GP. But the news that Japan may have a race at Suzuka next year gave me a warm feeling. And it made me think that we currently have really is a World Championship, albeit with a heavy European bias. I'd like to see Argentina back to host a second South American GP though and that made me wonder what would be the ideal mix of GPs.

The real problem would be which European GPs to axe. Personally I'd base it on the circuits which generate the best television, so Spa would be in, as would Monaco and Monza, and for some reason, Silverstone. But what about the Nürburgring and Hockenheim? Barcelona and the Hungaroring? Hungary doesn't really qualify as an Eastern European GP any more, so scrap it. Magny Cours? Get rid of it just because of that stupid change to the last corner they made a few years ago. And because it's in such an inaccessible place in the middle of nowhere. Sorry, in the middle of France. Imola? Just give Ferrari ten points and don't bother going.

It's a shame that Kyalami has been rebuilt as an African race would be great, maybe they could have a street race at Durban like the A1 GP had? And much as I don't like the trend towards Tilke designed circuits, it does at least allow us to claim it is a championship of the world, not just part of it.

Flexing Muscles

2006-05-03T14:51:00.000+02:00

I must confess I'm intrigued by the current fuss about the Ferrari wing. I really think it's impressive that someone can actually make a wing that changes its shape when a certain speed (load) is reached.

But as usual, the point is the regulations. First of all it's important to understand that even steel girders flex. There is no such thing as 100% rigid. So a regulation that specifies that a wing must be rigid is pointless unless it contains the constraints within which it is allowed to flex. For example, the crash test regulations specify that the car must not deform by more than a certain amount when a certain load is applied at a particular speed.

And as the idea of changing the shape of wings has been around for a while, there is no excuse for not having a reasonable test specified. They could insist that a car is taken to the MIRA wind tunnel (it's independent) and specify that the wing may not deform by more than a certain amount at wind speeds of 180mph (If the tunnel generates that). I'm not an expert, but it could be done. Or just say that a certain force will be applied, and it should not deflect by more than a predefined amount, say 2mm

Ferrari say that they have video evidence that all cars have wings that flex. Of course they do, because every car's wing will flex (see above). What someone is upset about is that Ferrari seem to be getting a benefit out of their deflection. But that's not explicitly banned, so fair play to them, and I would say that even if it were McLaren or Renault.

The FIA should make a clear statement on this and issue a revised regulation. It'd need all the teams to agree but I don't believe Ferrari would block it, as it would imply guilt. Nett result: no drama. Which is exactly what we need in the run up to the US GP. Can you imagine what will happen if teams get excluded at Indianapolis? Unthinkable.

Testing at Paul Ricard

2006-04-28T13:12:00.000+02:00

Following on from the previous post about testing at Silverstone, where I said that I would have opted to test in France, rather than rainy England, it transpires that there is another reason for testing near the Mediterranean.

Apparently Ferrari and Toyota are testing there at Bridgestone's request, as the tarmac surface most closely resembles that of Monaco. And because Monaco is a much slower race than any other, Bridgestone are producing special, softer, tyres for that race. And they need to be evaluated, hence the tests. It's still difficult to get meaningful results though, as the Ricard track has faster corners that generate more heat in the front tyres (and thus more rapid wear) but it's still considered worth the effort.

Just thought you'd like to know.

What I'd like to see

2006-04-27T15:50:00.000+02:00

I keep banging on about what I want the FIA to do, and that usually includes some kind of desire for a mission statement. Where they state what the reason behind F1 is. And while this is not a mission statement, here's where I'd see it going.

1. Unlimited engine development. No limit on number of cylinders, and no V-angle definition.

2. Cheap engine supply. By cheap I mean about $10 million dollars per year. And a manufacturer has to be prepared to sell engines to at least two teams that it does not have a financial interest in. So if Toyota want to invest $200 million building the best F1 engines, fine. It's a free market. But they could only charge a fixed amount for them. And manufacturers would have to deliver the engines to the FIA, and the FIA would deliver the engines to the teams at the track, to ensure that all teams get the same spec engines.

3. Manual gearboxes. CVT and smooth shift is fine. But I want to see the drivers work. It's important to understand that in the 50s, 60s and 70s a lot of passing was done when drivers missed a gear change, often as a result of being hassled by a following driver. I want a gearbox with no electronic or hydraulic input, just a shaft with a gear lever in the cockpit.

4. Limited aerodynamic effectiveness. Look at those pointless winglets and twiddly front wing end plates. Solution? Ban barge boards. Allow only flat end plates. Allow designers to choose from (say) six different aerofoil sections for the front and rear wings. Rear wings can remain in two sections (but still using the standard sections). Each team votes at the beginning of a year (eg (2006) for two sections, and the winning six sections (the FIA chooses in the event of a tie or not enough wings) can be used for the year following (2007 in this case).

5. Sensible wheel diameters. Nobody has a road car with 13 inch wheels these days. Increase it to 17 or 18 inches. The tyre manufacturers are spending a fortune on producing tyres that have nothing to do with road tyres because the major proble is in the compliance (flexibility) of the sidewalls.

6. Increased braking distances. When braking distances are so short, a driver has virtually no possibility to outbrake. limit the total contact area of the pads to increase braking distances by 50%.

There are more ideas, but this is a blog, so that's it for starters...

Testing again

2006-04-26T15:49:00.000+02:00

As we're back in Europe now, it might seem reasonable that teams test more. But two things stand out. Most teams have a separate test team of mechanics and engineers that goes to the tests, so that the race team can concentrate on building race cars. And the weather in the UK in April is known for one thing - rain showers.

So the fact that most UK based teams were testing at Silverstone yesterday comes as a bit of a surprise. I'm not really sure what they expect to learn, because the British GP is not for another three months yet, and the changeable weather makes any results from testing a little ambiguous, surely. If they want to test rain tyres, why not go to the South of France and do the dry running, and then turn on the sprinklers at Le Castellet to get the track to the degree of wetness that you want to simulate? And put more cash in Bernie's pocket as he owns the superb test facility at the same time.

That approach made sense to me until I remembered where the next race is. The Nürburgring. And the 'ring in May is likely to have what sort of weather? You got it, showers. Those team bosses aren't daft you know...

After the Race

2006-04-24T11:59:00.000+02:00

Well, my forecast wasn't as far out as I'd imagined, although I was surprised to see the McLarens struggle as much as they did. Mainly it comes down to the layout of the Imola track and the inability to overtake there. Various thoughts:

Honda: Bird, hand, bush - any of those words ring any bells? You haven't won a race yet, so just keep plugging away and score points when you can, not throwing them away ten metres short of the finish line. Put Davidson in the second Honda and run Rubens in the B-team. That would be a better use of his talents and give you an opportunity to evaluate Sato.

McLaren: Well done Monty. Still an anonymous performance, but you finished ahead of Kimi fair and square. OK, Raikonnen screwed qualifying but Montoya didn't put a foot wrong at all.

Ferrari: Did someone say Massa's race would be blown by slowing down Alonso? Well, Massa takes the Oscar for "Driver in a Supporting Role" and is another of those drivers that "could" have had a podium. Maybe we should ask the FIA to make bigger podiums? Oh, and a perfect race from Michael. I guess that's next year contract signed then.

BMW: Were you there?

Williams: Both cars finishing, and with only the Ferraris, McLarens and a Renault ahead of Webber, you can't expect much more than that.

Renault: How many races does Fisi have to do before we work out that the second Renault just isn't as quick as the other one? Cut your losses and give Kovalainen a go for a couple of races. Rosberg is already showing that experience isn't everything.

Toyota: Someone needs to understand that it's the end of the race that counts, not the start. Ralf seems to have the upper hand at the moment though, but sack the strategy man. Three stops on a circuit where you can't overtake? How often do you see that at Monaco? If you want to be radical, go for one stop.

Aguri: Good Bye Yuji. Please.

STR: What was expected. No more, no less.

Red Bull: Two retirements is just not acceptable.

Midland: At some point, someone has to ask what the point of this team is. Midland isn't a brand worth promoting and they always come last. But would I want to be on their pit wall? Of course. It's just that they really need to find a way to run a bit quicker, or show more passion, like Minardi used to. Currently, it's like Jordan without the humour and the parties.

San Marino GP

2006-04-21T11:00:00.000+02:00

As is customary, here's my preview of how the race will pan out.

The two Ferraris will start from the front of the grid, Michael heading off into the lead, with Massa lagging behind. Alonso tries to pass Massa but is forced to slot in behind and then looks increasingly frustrated as Schuey pulls away and he's also being hassled by Kimi. Button is also up in the leading group (again, Rubens was disappointing in qualifying) and then there's a small gap to Fisichella, then Montoya being hounded by Webber, Trulli and Heidfeld. Ralf tangled with DC at the Tamburello chicane on the first lap, both are out.

Rosberg made a great start after a disastrous qualifying and heads Rubens,JV,Klien and the two STRs and Sato, again running well ahead of both Midlands. Ide managed to confuse himself on the first lap and span off, ending his race and F1 career.

Back at the front Massa stops first, with Schuey having built a ten second lead, which starts to come down as Fernando and Kimi are unleashed from behind the red mobile chicane. The Ferrari and Renault stop together, Schuey maintaing a narrow lead, but Kimi carries on for three vital laps, retaining the lead when he comes out. Ten laps later he's out though, with a pile of smoking German metal behind him.

So it's Schuey from Alonso, Fisichella, Button and Webber, who simply outdrove Montoya at Tosa. It's simply a question of whether Alonso will pass Schuey at the second stop, but the Ferrari's carrying more fuel and stays out two laps more than the Renault. Game over. But the Spaniard is happy to have eight more points in the bag and Fisichella can be happy with third, only a few seconds behind his team mate.

Webber makes it to the finish a fine fourth, having passed Jenson at the second stop, although Rosberg suffered engine failure stopping what would have been two Williams in the points. Montoya again disappoints, but at least finishes, as does Trulli, just behind Massa in seventh, his race screwed by the strategy of sacrificing his race for Michael.

Disappointment for Rubens, hydraulics being the reason for retirement, but he never looked like showing. Heidfeld and JV finish line astern just out of the points, BMW aren't up with the big boys yet amd they're still racing Klien, Speed and Liuzzi. Sato again finishes, showing how much he has matured, starting rumours that he will be back in the Honda A-team before the season is out. Albers and Monteiro also both finish, but frankly, nobody cares.

Schuey is delighted to be able to make his trademark jump on the podium, and has also taken Senna's pole record, almost 12 years after the Brazilian died at this very track. Very poignant.

Complete fiction of course. Or is it?

Sport - what's that?

2006-04-20T10:49:00.000+02:00

There's an interesting article on pitpass today, an interview with the new Renault F1 team president. Well, I say interesting, but frankly you'd need to be the sort of person that gets excited by the Financial Times to get any real enjoyment out of it.

It deals with cost reduction, benchmarking against competitors, brand awareness in emerging and existing markets, replacement of key personnel, keeping existing staff and other issues.

Does it mention sport, racing or passion? Of course not. I guess that says something.

Come on Boys

2006-04-19T16:59:00.000+02:00

I sometimes wonder who reads this stuff, but unless they follow F1 very closely, they (and I guess I mean you) must wonder what the hell is going on.

For a start there aren't many sports where a fan won't know how many events make up the championship. But in F1 it seems to vary from year to year. And then there are issues that cause pundits like me to go into orbit about various rounds of the series. So far this year I've ranted about Japan, Belgium and Italy, with a nagging suspiscion that something should have been said about the US GP after the tyre farce last year.

And now the British Gp is under discussion again. So that's about a quarter of the races being fiddled about with. we appear to have a bunch of money obsessed idiots sqaubbling over what will happen to one of the most featureless bits of land in England. I guess that's the problem with having a racetrack owned by a committee.

I stopped feeling sentimental about Silverstone when they remodelled Becketts, Stowe and Club corners. For all I care they can build houses on it. But then, there have been a couple of outstanding races there recently. Anyone fancy setting up a fund raising committee so we can buy it and run it ourselves?

Hear Hear

2006-04-12T17:08:00.000+02:00

Good to read on pitpass that the GP at Monza is safe. Cars can run unsilenced for 37 days a year, which sounds like a lot to me. That's five three-day meetings, five two-day meetings and 12 test days.

What interested me was that F1 cars can make noise up to 130db, which is about 1000 times more intense than the noise a chainsaw makes, or 30 times more intense than a loud rock concert. I'm not surprised I've felt physical pain in the past. It's clear that one should wear ear protection in the vicinity of such noise sources, but I'm afraid I still can't bring myself to do it. I keep telling myself that's only when you're close, but the ears do ring for days afterwards.

As it's Easter, I won't be posting again until next Wednesday. by which time there may have been some occurences worthy of comment. Come back then!

Finally, I hope you have a happy Easter, or whatever it is you celebrate that allows you to eat more chocolate.

Miles ahead

2006-04-11T12:57:00.000+02:00

If you'd asked me at the beginning of the season which team would have completed most laps at race weekends after three races, there's one team I wouldn't have mentioned; Super Aguri. Aguri Honda, as they are listed by the FIA on the results sheets, have though achieved this astounding feat. Totting up more laps than even Renault, the boys from Leafield have done a fantastic job to get the cars to three flyaway races, let alone have them finish. It makes me wonder what might have been if the Arrows team had had a reasonable budget to run the cars in 2003. All credit to the designers.

Less welcoming news is that Fosters are withdrawing from F1. This may well be due to the fact that the famous brand has been sold to Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, but it's a big sponsor to lose and that is rarely good news. Mind you, considering that we always say that the only way to limit F1 spending is to restrict the cash available, it might just turn out to be a good thing.

Too late for Suzuka

2006-04-10T13:50:00.000+02:00

If you were thinking of hopping on a plane later in the year and going to see F1 cars tackle 130R for the last time, you've left it too late.

At a time when many circuits are struggling to sell tickets, Suzuka has already sold out. That's six months before the race. So why do the powers that be feel that it's necessary to move the race to Fuji next year? Well, money, obviously. It certainly can't be that Suzuka is too hard to get to if 100,000 fans are so keen to get there they book this far in advance.

Another classic example of fixing something that isn't broken, when there's plenty of things that need doing.

It can't be right, can it?

2006-04-07T11:51:00.000+02:00

A question I'm often asked is "what would you do to make F1 fairer/more interesting". On pitpass, Chris Balfe has opened up the site to a talking point session that let's readers give their opinions, and there is now page upon page of response. You can see that on most F1 site bulletin boards too.

Everybody has their own ideas, some similar, some not. But what is worrying is that everybody thinks something (and I don't mean one thing, I mean a lot of things) needs to be done.

Can you think of another sport where that's true? And it's not motor racing that's at fault. NASCAR is fine, CART /Champ Cars is fine. Nobody there is talking about changing the rules. Sure you might think that a particular driver is useless at road courses, or a particular team is struggling to get the most from a driver/car combination. But nothing major

What would I change in F1? Lets see, starting from the front of the car: Front wings, end plates, tyres, wheel size, brakes, barge boards and winglets, engine, gearbox, rear wing and the diffuser. And on the sporting side: refuelling and tyre changes, race length, point scoring system, qualifying format and the restriction on teams entering.

Ask a football fan what they'd change and they might want a new player for their team, but not an entirely new set of rules. How can it be so hard? I know I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again, so sorry in advance. But not as sorry that I'll have to say it.

Gardening Leave

2006-04-05T10:42:00.000+02:00

I'll admit to being curious about the Gascoyne saga. Why are Toyota getting rid of him just at the point that the team seems to be picking up? And of course, there's no guarantee in a competitive sport that a team can maintain progress.

Williams in particular seem to be doing a great job with Cosworth, although a bit of reliability wouldn't go amiss. But it's always said that it's easier to make a fast car reliable, than it is to make a reliable car go fast. So I'm sure Frank and co aren't too worried. And could Toyota expect to be ahead of Ferrari? Renault? McLaren? I'd say no to all three, their improvement in the last couple of years was due to Ferrari struggling with the changed tyre regs, and McLaren's appalling reliability. Which means that seventh place is as good as they can expect, if they are better than Williams, one of only four teams to have ever won the World Championship. So getting a podium is a pretty good achievement. Honda haven't done any better, and you'd have to say that they look more like winning a race than Toyota do.

But either way, it looks like at least six months of gardening leave for Mr G. If you're reading this Mike, and are feeling generous, there's quite a bit of weeding needs doing at my place.

Twenty Two Entries

2006-04-04T16:32:00.000+02:00

I don't get this. This year we have 22 cars on the grid, but apparently we have entries for 22 teams in 2008. That's 44 cars. My first thought was that there was no way there's enough engineering experience to get 22 teams up and running, but of course, we're only talking about one team, as the total number of entries is limited to 12 teams.

So that means 12 potential entries scrabbling for one free slot. Aguri Suzuki clearly knew what he was doing when he bust a gut to get on the grid this year. Because an F1 entry is a potentially valuable resource. Which is why Paul Stoddart is keen to come back, and I'd be happy to see that. But as I'd also like to see David Richards back with a Prodrive entry, I'd have to choose.

Those of you that know the way I think might guess what I'd opt for. I'd thank all the teams for their entries. Tell them there's no need for the $48 million dollar bond (or however much it is these days). And if they'd care to have their cars ready for 2007, they can run in a brand new series. It'd be called F2. And it would be for cars complying to 2008 F1 Technical Regulations.

Because I'd organise a new series, probably just in Europe, because that's the kind of guy I am. And the team that wins the championship in 2007, gets an entry for the 2008 F1 championship. And I'd keep running it in 2008 and onwards, with relegation and promotion for the worst team in F1 and the best in F2. Only if they want to, of course, because it might be commercial suicide.

Seems logical to me. I don't see how the teams could object (they'll have to test anyway if they're serious). Spectators get more chances to see real F1 machinery in action, not stupid GP2 cars. Circuits get more revenue...

..and there's a new set of TV rights to be sold off. Can I have them please? It was my idea, after all...

Team Radio

2006-04-03T16:25:00.000+02:00

I quite like some of the comments you get over the radio during races. My all-time favourite happened during the first year JPM was racing at Williams. In Austria they decided to red-flag a practice session because a deer had been spotted. The conversation went something like:

Engineer: Careful JP, there's reports of a deer on the course.
JPM: What's a deer?
Engineer: Er, it's like a horse. With horns on.

This weekend there were two snippets that made me think. One from Renault to Fisichella, telling him that there was no way he could be two seconds a lap slower than Alonso. The other was from Red Bull to Coulthard, informing him that he had to pass Scott Speed.

Now I might be a simpleton, but Formula One is supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsport. The series where the best racing drivers get to show their talents. And the last time I looked, motor racing was all about driving faster than your opponents, and going past them if they are in front of you.

So how come two of the best racing drivers in the world have to be given such basic advice? Surely it would occur to Coulthard that overtaking a car in front was a good idea? It should be his entire purpose in life to get past that car. That's what it's about. And Fisichella? "Could you please drive a bit faster mate?". Well if he can, get him out of the car and fire him. I want someone in that car that drives it at its maximum without being told. And races. Not just drives in a race, races.

I used to think that the only thing wrong with F1 was that the cars made it impossible to overtake each other. If it's true that drivers aren't even thinking about it any more than maybe the rot is deeper than I thought.

Mine's a Point

2006-04-03T15:35:00.000+02:00

So, how much is a point worth these days? The reason I ask is because Jenson Button stopped just before the finish line. I thought at the time that it might have something to do with avoiding the 10 slot penalty that he would have received at Imola, had he crossed the line. Honda's post-race press release seems to confirm that point: "As Jenson did not take the chequered flag in Melbourne today he escapes a 10-place grid penalty in the next race, which gives the team the opportunity to maximise the benefit of its testing developments."

Now Jenson could have scored three points if he'd rolled across the line. And as a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, that's like trading sixth place for third. So Honda appear to think that Jenson is in with a good chance of finishing higher than third in Imola. Granted, he came third last year (before the stupid exclusion) and ran well the year before, leading for part of the race and finishing second. So they may well view Imola as their best chance this year.

But it shows what a stupid rule this is. Jenson was actually classified in the results, which in my book means he was a finisher. So he might get the penalty anyway. And if Coulthard and Speed had been lapped by Alonso, Button could still have scored a point, but escaped the penalty. Doesn't sound right to me.

Either way, if Jenson wants to win in Imola, he needs to watch the race and learn from his mistakes. He was great at the first corner, holding Alonso off. But he was a complete idiot (I used a much stronger word when watching the race) at the restarts. It is unforgiveable to lose a place when you are controlling the pack. Button should know all about slowing and speeding up on the pre-restart lap. After all he went off the road at Monza a while back trying to avoid Schumacher. And even when Alonso was alongside I thought a quick lift to make Fernando pass before the finish line (and thus get a penalty) would have been worthwhile. Not gentlemanly, but this is racing. Which Jenson should also remember, because Kimi was allowed down the inside with no defence at all. It was like watching a goalkeeper just cover his eyes and hoping the striker missed. Kimi didn't.

All in all an incident packed race. But not that exciting, which is a shame, because it could have been.

April Fool

2006-04-01T19:12:00.000+02:00

No, not my Melbourne Forecast from yesterday, although that's looking very wide of the mark! Just a piece I wrote for pitpass aboout qualifying changes.

Melbourne Forecast

2006-03-30T18:57:00.000+02:00

At the beginning of the year, I sort of vowed to make forecasts of race results for each GP. I did it for Bahrain, and then forgot to do it for Malaysia. So I guess it might turn out to be a random thing.

For Melbourne, it'll pan out like this (at least in GnomeWorld):

Schumacher will start from Pole. Alonso will howl through from the third row of the grid and squeeze through on the first two corners. Fisi will go into the corner third. Rosberg will be in the gravel with Coulthard and Button, Klien will amazingly make it through, trying hard not to get a penalty like he should have done in Malaysia.

JPM will initially run fourth. Kimi will start 12th, having had an engine change. By the end of the first lap he's already seventh.

Webber will qualify well, and run fifth initially. Trulli will also surprise, running seventh behind Massa, but Toyota will screw the strategy leaving Jarno out of the points. Ralf won't have made the third qualifying session and will have a pale race, even further outside the points.

Michael will stop just before Alonso and Fisi, at which point the race is settled, until, shock horror, Alonso's car stops and Fisi inherits the race. Michael 2nd, Kimi 3rd but threatening near the end.

JPM will still be fourth, even though you didn't notice him all race. Webber will be fifth, because he always is in Australia. Massa seemed to lose time in the pits, which is why he was sixth, just ahead of Barrichello who finally seems to be getting used to the Honda. And the final point goes to one of the BMWs. Villeneuve I think.

Sato will finish, Ide will not. I'm not that fussed about the rest of the Red Bull and MF1 guys, so they didn't figure in my mental simulation.

Total fantasy of course, but good fun. Excuse me while I watch the re-run of the first corner..

Small World

2006-03-30T11:00:00.000+02:00

Like the IT Industry in Switzerland, Motor Racing is a small world.

I've recently been reading Eoin Young's excellent book about Bruce McLaren; McLaren Memories.

Yesterday I got to the bit about Bruce's first exploits with his own team, involving two Cooper cars with which he was contesting the first Tasman series in 1963. His first team mate, Tim Mayer, was killed when his car left the road and hit a tree at the Longford circuit in Tasmania when Tim apparently failed to get the car in a straight line before braking for a corner.

When Bruce was killed at Goodwood in 1970, Tim's brother Teddy took over McLaren, taking it to two World Championships; with Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974 and James Hunt in 1976. Teddy later handed over the reins to Ron Dennis.

Today I read that Teddy's son, who he named in honour of his brother, has been made CEO of ALMS, the American Le Mans Series. I'd never really heard the name Tim Mayer before, and then uncle and nephew pop up the space of 24 hours. Small World.

Minardi is dead, long live Minardi!

2006-03-29T13:10:00.000+02:00

Business never ceases to amaze me. Specifically when it comes to the names of car manufacturers.

I'm quite comfortable with Ford buying Jaguar, and Aston Martin. And I know that Ferrari were effectively bought by FIAT in the 60s/70s, although what the current ownership structure is escapes me, even though there is talk that Bernie Ecclestone wishes to invest.

Race teams have usually been pretty straightforward. Ownership tends to pass from one company or individual to another, but it appears that that isn't the case with Minardi. I'd thought that the company was bought by Red Bull and renamed Squadra Toro Rosso, end of story.

But the news that Paul Stoddart still owns European Minardi and wishes to enter the 2008 F1 championship, and has indeed made an official entry, surprised me. He still owns the facility at Ledbury and all of the two-seater Minardi cars, so it shouldn't be a surprise.

But when you think that the Minardi name has disappeared, and then less than two races later see it bounce back, it does make you think a bit.

Mad BAFTAs

2006-03-28T17:01:00.000+02:00

When I saw the post on pitpass about the US GP being included on the list of BAFTAs, I thought the editor had gone mad. But I had a look at the BAFTA site, and sure enough, the US GP is listed as one of the most, well I assume exciting, sports events of 2005.

The BAFTA site says only "Coverage of a sports programme as transmitted. In the event of being shortlisted, one hour only is permitted" Now I 'm sure I don 't need to remind you that the US GP was one of the most disgraceful moments in F1 history as 14 cars were withdrawn at the last minute because they were worried about having to go round corners (I apologise for phrasing it thus, but they really could have braked). So the race itself was for just six cars, and although there was a teeny bit of excitement when Rubens and Schuey nearly took each other out, that 's not great television.

What might have been great television though, and I didn 't see all of this, was the hour before the race, when several chickens were running round, looking for their heads and trying to work out how to get everyone to race. I can only conclude that 's the hour that will be selected, but if that 's the case, then it 's politics and not sport isn 't it? I remember spending about half of the race on the phone to my father and brother, so it definitely provoked a reaction - but to think it 's the best bit of sports television in a year seems wrong to me.

I also watched the Liverpool AC Milan match live. Unlike my friend Bill who gave up when Liverpool were 3-0 down at half time, that 's when I switched on. And sat riveted for the next hour and a bit as the scousers fought back to snatch victory. That 's great TV. And great Sport. The sort you want to ring your friends about and say "Did you see that? Wow!"

A bunch of millionaires preening themselves and ignoring the feelings of hundreds of thousands of American fans in the stadium, and hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide is not great, and it 's not sport.

So I guess it 'll win the award then

GPMA 0 FIA 1

2006-03-27T18:22:00.000+02:00

According to the BBC, the five GPMA teams have submitted entries for the 2008 championship and can thus take part in the rule making process.

But it is Max and Bernie's ball, and they will take it back if they don't want the other children to play. Who said bullying doesn't work?

Monza Safe?

2006-03-27T14:49:00.000+02:00

News is coming through that the Italian GP at Monza has been saved. I've not seen it on Pitpass yet but apparently a judge has spoken to the three families involved and persuaded them it's not a good idea to protest, and the circuit will reduce the amount of unsilenced running and look at installin noise reducing walls.

That's great news. Not least because I now don't have to get in the car and drive to Milan in order to torch three houses...

And I'm only partially joking. Some things in life are serious!

Down Under

2006-03-27T13:52:00.000+02:00

With the Australian GP coming up this weekend, I was reminded that in the early 1960s, racing teams used to spend a lot of the winter in New Zealand and Australia.

There wasn't really an off-season in those days, just racing in different countries. Six or eight races spread across the Antipodes over a period of a couple of months probably allowed teams like Cooper and Lotus to evaulate their new ideas. Of course, they wouldn't be able to change much being so far away from the factory, and that in itself tells us how much things have changed in forty years. No tyres to test, just bolt them on and drive. No wings or barge boards. A new engine perhaps, or a switch to injection from carburettors. A new chassis design. Those were the kind of things that were hot topics.

So I'm curious. Should F1 be about aerodynamics and tyres? Or drivers and engines? And how does traction control fit in? Personally, I'd like to see the order of priority like this:

Driver
Engine
Tyres
Traction Control
Aerodynmaics

Although I know that traction control is very hard to police as teams will build "intelligent engines", so that might disappear from the list. But I really want to see a skilful driver being able to make the most of his/her talent. How about you?

More Testing

2006-03-24T13:37:00.000+01:00

Interesting that the FIA want to restrict testing time to a limit of 30000km.

Last year, when a limit of 30 days was in place for all teams other than Ferrari, all the serious teams exceeded this amount. Six teams covered more than 40,000 km, but it has to be considered that a lot of testing would have been for tyre evaluation. At least half in fact, and probably more in the case of Ferrari, who were the only team running Bridgestones.

Next year, there will be a control tyre, and thus no reason to run race simulations with different types of tyre. So probably no team will need to run as much as 30,000. (And what incidentally would be the penalty if a team exceeds it by 1km? Exclusion for both drivers?).

So it's congratulations to the FIA for finally introducing a rule that won't adversely affect F1. Because it won't have any affect at all.

PS If teams have money, they could spend it on simulating testing with six-post rigs and windtunnels. So as a cost cutting measure it doesn't work either. I wonder how long they took to come up with the idea?

Lighthearted relief

2006-03-23T12:50:00.000+01:00

If you get bored at work, VisionF1 is a highly entertaining site that allows you to "watch" a replay of a Grand Prix without the hassle of leaving your desk.

It's quite clear from looking at the replay of Sepang, that Alonso really was holding up Webber, and that Sato in the Aguri, was an obstacle for the two MF1s. And the pit strategy for cars being blocked also becomes clearer. If, like Monteiro, you're being held up, you may as well come in and get back out again, hoping to regain the time with a lighter fuel load later on.

I'm not sure I'm going to invest in a bank of monitors to surround the TV with, as F1.com gives all the sector times during the race, but I must admit, I'm tempted.

Thanks to Clive for telling me about Vision F1 in the first place

Bending Wings

2006-03-22T10:35:00.000+01:00

Are you following the saga of the deflecting wings? It would be quite fascinating if it wasn't so pathetic. In short, the problem appears to be that one (Ferrari) or more (Mclaren?) teams are using wings that do not conform to the regulations.

The rules are fairly clear, wings must not deform, well, not by much. Any engineer will tell you that if you hang a weight on a wing supported only at the other end, it will deflect downwards. But we're not talking about weight, we're talking about air pressure at high speed. The theory is that a wing will generate lots of downforce to help the car go round corners, but this in turn generates drag and slows the car on the straights. Ideally you'd have a system of flaps like you do on planes, you've all seen them change the section of the wing at low speeds to increase upforce (Is that a word? It must be if downforce is) for take off or landing. On a car you'd raise the flaps for the corners and put them flat for the straights. You may have seen pictures of the Mercedes Le Mans car in 1955 which used airbrakes in a similar manner.

But moveable aerodynamic devices (eg flaps) are not allowed. So an option is to make a bendy wing that generates lots of downforce until so much air is hitting it that it bends out of shape, typically making it flatter and thus generating less drag. So the car suddenly goes faster. I think that's quite clever, and given the number of pointless twiddly bits on the side of an F1 car these days, doesn't seem to present much of a problem. It might make it entertaining for the driver if halfway through a fast corner (accelerating out of 130R for example) downforce suddenly decreases, but entertainment is what we're after, isn't it?

But the FIA doesn't like that idea and so have the rule about deflection. And as it's difficult to measure deflection at high speed (difficult note, not impossible) we have a situation where we're not sure whether cars are legal.

So, congratulations to the FIA for yet another set of clear, enforceable rules.

A trip to Monaco

2006-03-21T12:49:00.000+01:00

There's only so many times I can get excited (exasperated?) by the new qualifying rules. But Chris Balfe's piece on pitpass today made me laugh. I just hope the FIA read it. The idea that a major website can suggest running a competition to predict the starting grid for a race after all the qualifying times are known shows just what a state we are in.

But maybe we shouldn't worry about it. There are rules, and the FIA claim to understand them. The cars will still start the race and if one of the quick cars does get moved back then it should just make the race more interesting (unless Christian Klien gets carried away again). So from now on, I'm not going to complain any more, just sit back and accept the situation.

Unless I get really wound up, that is.

Malaysian GP

2006-03-20T14:15:00.000+01:00

Yesterday's race wasn't dull by any means, but didn't quite deliver on the excitement front. There was some hectic racing at the beginning though, and there were certainly a number of passes we wouldn't have seen if it hadn't been for the various penalties applied to grid positions. Sometimes I think we may as well just go for a lottery on grid positions and have done with it.

Driver of the day? Well, Alonso certainly delivered again, and you have to think he would have won if it hadn't been for the extra fuel he was carrying because of the mix up on Saturday. Which brings me to something I really don't understand. Last week we saw Kimi start with full tanks and finish ahead of Montoya. This week Felipe finished in front of Schuey despite starting behind him. So at what point does a two stop strategy cease to be effective, with a single stop being better. And why doesn't it work higher up the grid. If Schuey had started with the same fuel as Felipe, surely he would have finished in front of Felipe? If you can explain, please let me know...

Effing and Blinding

2006-03-16T13:58:00.000+01:00

Poor old Giancarlo Fisichella! Not only does he have to suffer with a down on power engine, in both qualifying and the race, but he also has to apologize for his reaction. With the current fashion of broadcasting radio conversations between pit and driver, Fisi was caught telling his engineer that the car was a piece of f****** s***.

Now, I think that's a reasonable reaction. Would I want a driver that says "Oh, the engine is broken, but never mind I quite fancied stopping early"? No, you need a driver with passion (and Fisi is Italian after all) one that really wants to win. Surely the problem lies with the broadcasters. And how do they know when to switch on the coverage anyway? And why does it always appear to be Renault? The issue is much larger than whether Fisi should apologise to the children that heard him swearing. It's about F1 getting the TV show sorted.

We've seen many times that the commercial rights holder makes an obscene amount of money from the sport. Is it unreasonable to ask him to come up with a 21st century television package, including time delayed comments from the teams? It may just be the Austrian coverage that I get, but the commentator seems to have no warning that the radio link is about to be turned, leading to two people speaking at once, in two different languages. Personally I find that hard to follow! It's messy and shouldn't happen when so much money is available to get it right.

The solution? Pay someone to spend a year watching NASCAR (me!) and then implement their recommendations. F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle. Not a pale imitation.

Arriverderci Suzuka

2006-03-14T18:09:00.000+01:00

Another great circuit bites the dust. No race at Spa this year and now comes the news that we are losing Suzuka after this year's race. Looking back to last year, the Japanese race was possibly the highlight of the season. Remember Alonso passing Schumacher round the outside of 130R? Kimi passing Ginacarlo on the first corner of the last lap?

Sunday's race at Bahrain was great. The track is really wide and seems to allow racing. But at the end Schuey admitted that there was no way he could get close to Alonso.Maybe that's a feature of the Ferrari but it seems a shame that one of the greatest tracks will be removed from the calendar.

Fuji has been rebuilt and I guess that the facilities there are up to Bernie's high standards. And I suspect Fuji might have better transportation links. Personally I don't turn on the TV to see really well turned out pit buildings. They're covered by ll the team paraphernalia anyway. Nor do I care about the time it takes the average Japanese fan to get to the circuit. But these are important issues for Bernie so the GP moves to Fuji. Let's hope the weather is better than when the World Championship was decided in 1976 on one of the two occasions the Japanese GP was held there. Four drivers refused to race if memory serves me, but then it's rained at Suzuka too. The 1994 race was particularly damp, and in 2004 qualifying was completely washed out. I suspect the circuit at Fuji will be fine, after all it's not designed by Hermann Tilke. But Suzuka is a classic and it's not right that we will lose it.

One Down...

2006-03-13T15:31:00.000+01:00

With the first race of the season over, we now have a much better picture of where we are. And obviously the first observation must be that it was a very entertaining race. There was something going on all the time, with a lot of racing taking place. I don't subscribe to the view that what we want is more overtaking, what we want is more people trying to overtake. And yesterday there a lot of moves, some of which came off, some didn't.

First off, Alonso passing Massa was key to the race. It was effectively the key to the race. If Felipe had kept Fernando at bay, Michael would have won. As it was, the Spaniard was able to make the most of his slightly heavier fuel load and stay out those vital laps. And seeing the two World Champions going head to head into Turn One was worth watching the race for on ist own. Throw in all the racing with the two Hondas at the start (no team orders there then) and the various Williams and BMW sub-races and the crowd had a motor-race to watch.

The big disappointment has to be Toyota. Slow in qualifying and slow in the race. Can they really have got it so wrong? I hope not for Mike Gascoigne's sake, but they really need to do better in Malaysia.

Button was a star, and his clutch problem at the start caused him a probable podium position. I don't think he'd have won, but Honda are clearly in the hunt, much improved over last year. And Montoya must be gutted. In a year when McLaren will be losing one of their drivers, it doesn't do to finish behind your teammate, especially as Kimi started 18 grid positions behind him. And being passed by Jenson? Twice? Ever regret that statement you made JPM? The one where you said "Button can't overtake because he's too scared of the cars making contact"? Time to check the pension plan...

Qualifying Thoughts

2006-03-12T08:43:00.000+01:00

So, what did we think about the new qualifying? Well, the first two knock-out sessions really weren't that exciting, other than wondering if the Renaults were leaving it a bit too late. If anything, it showed that if you give teams a time-limited session, teams will always leave it until the last minute before going out. This of course gave people like Ralf Schumacher problems when the sesson was red flagged after Kimi's accident.

But the real benefit from the new format came in the last session, with some real excitement towards the end while Button and Massa challenged Michael's record-equalling pole time. Even the first few laps looked quite interesting, with more overtaking going on than we normally see in a race. But as soon as Michael suddenly went 3 seconds quicker, it was apparent that the earlier laps were just exercises in using fuel. It's by no means perfect, and there's still the question of how much fuel each team is carrying. But it's definitely an improvement.

First day in the Desert

2006-03-10T11:31:00.000+01:00

So it seems that my forecast might have been wide of the mark. Obviously we don't expect to see many of the quick guys pounding round and round today, as teams are heavily into engine conservation now that each motor has to last two races. But I really hadn't expected to see a BMW at the top of the time sheets. As I'm in Switzerland, I'll refer to it as a Sauber, but Messrs Heidfeld and Villeneuve must be looking forward tothe qualifying.

It's also interesting to see the news on pitpass that the FIA has added another sticking plaster to the gaping wound that is qualifying. Apparently if a car stops during any of the three sessions it will take no further part in qualifying and will be returned to parc ferme. I think I can see how this will work, but it would be nice to have rules that are obvious as well as fair. For example, if a car suffers a gearbox leak, spraying oil on the track, it would be beneficial for a driver to pull over and stop so as not to make the track dangerous. But now I guess a driver would be encouraged to drive back to the pits so the team has a few vital minutes to fix the problem.

Last minute changes are seldom well thought-out. Please stop!

Qualifying and Racing

2006-03-09T08:35:00.000+01:00

I may have given the impression that I'm not looking forward to the new qualifying rules. In fact, the reverse is true. I love the idea, but think it's way too complex. And unnecessarily so.

But come Saturday, I'll be keen to see how it all works. Twenty-two cars on track at the same time for 15 minutes should prove exciting, and there are bound to be a few drivers that get caught up behind a Super Aguri and don't manage to set a blinding lap. But it shouldn't be too hard for most teams to easily outclass the MF1s and SAs, which just leaves the question of whether the STRs will make the first cut. (Interesting that I've just mentioned three teams, and even the most well-informed observer this team last year, would have had no idea who I'm talking about. Perhaps they don't now!).

STR are damned if they do get to the second session, and damned if they don't. If they do get through, demoting, say, a BMW to the final six, that V10 engine and the questionable parentage of the RB1 chassis (that's been cunningly repainted, but is still an RB1) will come back to haunt them. Would Ferrari be allowed to sell their last year's car to MF1? No. So how come Red Bull get away with it? And if they don't get through? How is it possible to be so slow with that budget? (Not that we know what it is of course)

But that's an aside. Last year I had no intention of watching the ludicrous farce that was two-day qualifying. This year I think it'll be more interesting than the race. Mind you, last year's races were made more exciting by the single set of tyres, isn't it a shame that the FIA can't get both right in one year. If the GPMA manufacturers do meet up with Max and Bernie in Bahrain, is it too much to hope that that's the direction they'll choose?

Bahrain Predictions

2006-03-08T06:59:00.000+01:00

It's always pointless trying to pick which teams will do well at a particular circuit. It's even more pointless at the start of a new season when every team has new cars. And when the regulations have changed, well, what chance does a pundit have? So on that basis, here's my thoughts on how the race will turn out.

Renault will be the strongest challengers. I'm backing Alonso to win, with Fisi not too far behind on pace. Schumacher senior will also be right up there, and I'm picking him to be second on the podium behind Fernando. Third will be between Fisi and Button. The McLarens will suffer with reliability, even though Kimi will have put his McLaren on the front row of the grid. Neither will finish.

Trulli will head Ralf in the second half of the fight for points, possibly split by Massa if he doesn't make fifth, with Webber picking up the last point for Williams. Rosberg will start well but suffer with lack of experience in racing with pitstops. Rubens will suffer some unexplained problem and not finish.

The BMWs will struggle, and not make the top ten shoot out, nor score points. Heidfeld will be quicker than Villeneuve. They will be beaten by DC in the RB2, but Klien won't make it to the finish. The STR boys will be quicker than Midland. Midland will get upset about the engines STR are using and whinge to the FIA.

The Super Aguris will start last on the grid, Ide significantly behind Sato. Neither car will complete more than 15 laps but the team will still be happy to have got there.

Pure fantasy of course. But I'm curious to see how it turns out. And surely at least one prediction will turn out right!

Future Days

2006-03-06T07:54:00.000+01:00

It seems wrong that less than a week before the start of a new F1 season, much of the news at present is about 2008 and beyond. Rumours that F1 bosses are to be given representation on the board of FOA, the company that owns the commercial rights to F1, and discussions about two potential new teams.

Surely, with new qualifying rules and technical regulations, we should be so excited that we're all making wild predictions and forecasts. Will Alonso keep his title even though he's signed for a rival team next year? Can Fisichella re-invent himself. Will the new tyre rules favour Ferrari? Will Minardi's (sorry, STR's) different engine configuration give them an advantage.

Instead, we're fussing about whether Eddie Irvine will be able to enter the sport or if Prodrive are building a new F1 facility. I think that's wrong and I hope the people at the FIA do to.

Mosley's way

2006-03-02T08:33:00.000+01:00

I'm not sure I like what Max Mosley is up to. Bearing in mind who his father was it would be all too easy to suggest that his current tactics are dictatorial (and I guess I've just done that). It would be a cheap jibe though, so let's just say his current tactics, strategy even, appears to be based on bullying.

Presenting the teams and manufacturers with an ultimatum, dressed up even though it is, as a rational argument for sense, is not fair. Half of the teams believe that change is needed in the governance of the sport and it looks like Max is trying to force them to relinquish any rights they may have in return for an entry in the 2008 championship. To me it smacks of "It's my ball and if you don't like it you can find another playground".

You're better than that Max. Open a series of negotiations instead and come up with an agreed set of rules. Not something that nobody wants and we'll be forced to live with for years.

An interesting choice

2006-03-01T19:35:00.000+01:00

It's amazing what drivers will do to be in F1. Frank Montagny has just signed to be Super Aguri's third driver for the first three GPs.

Quite normal you might think, but the boys (and girls, I guess) only have two cars. So what's the point? I assume that Frank thinks that staying under the noses of the F1 team managers means that should a vacancy arise, which would probably mean avain flu wiping out half a dozen drivers, he would be on hand to step in.

Sad that he has to turn down a drive in the US, but that's the way it goes these days.

The fun of qualifying

2006-02-27T11:21:00.000+01:00

Hmmm. You may have noticed that I wrote a full blown article about qualifying for pitpass. Chris, the editor, wanted a rant, but I couldnt quite run to that. Chris is renowned for his fake graphics, whether it's Eddie Jordan with a begging bowl or Antonio Pizzonia in the jungle, so I assumed he'd knock something up for my Qualifying for Dummies piece.

The graphic is more or less what I thought he'd do, except for giving the impression that I think the new qualifying system is "crap". Actually, I think it'll be miles better than last year's system, and most fans will probably tune in for the full hour of TV coverage.

The point I was trying to make though, is that the system is too complex. It's like an income tax system that has so many rules and regulations designed to be "fair" to everyone, but only tax lawyers can understand it. I don't think we need that in F1, especially when a simple solution is clearly available. I consider the changes to be progress, but a missed opportunity. At least I've learned how easy it is to give the wrong impression!

Was it worth it?

2006-02-24T13:05:00.000+01:00

So Max. Despite several changes in the regulations, including a substantial reduction in engine capacity, and a drop from 10 cylinders to 8, this year's F1 cars are no slower than last year's.

Yesterday Jenson Button posted a 1:13.9 lap at Barcelona, which is faster than any time set in qualifying at the grand prix last year, and compares with the best testing time last year of 1:13.5.

The way I see it, you've failed. You have caused a lot of people to do a lot of unnecessary work, and required companies to invest huge amounts of money when you claim to be cutting costs. I'm sure you will claim, that without the regulation changes the cars would have been even quicker this year, and that is true. But your aim was to slow the cars and cut costs and you have failed in both of these.

Can we expect your resignation? Thought not.

Just what we need

2006-02-23T14:54:00.000+01:00

Remember those discussions a few weeks ago where people were saying we don't need two GPs in Germany or Italy?

As an aside, I always include France in this list too, because think of Monaco as being part of France. But that's heresy, especially as that's the race that most sponsors want to be invited to. Invited in the sense of "I'll give you a few million quid with the strong expectation that there'll be a private jet around to fly me out to that mega yacht of yours".

Anyway, two GPs in a country is clearly excessive when so many new countries are queueing up to give Bernie hundreds of millions of dollars to secure a race and promote their nation. In the last decade we've had Malaysia, China and Turkey, with rumours of Russia and India. So what do we see now? Mr E in talks with the local government in Valencia, which would be fine if the Spanish GP in Barcelona wasn't such an established race on the calendar. Furthermore, unlike Silverstone, Barcelona is continually extending its facilities. It is getting more and more spectators at the race each year and already has a contract to hold the race until 2010.

So why have the talks at all? Spend the time sorting out the core business Bernie!

The Rain in Spain

2006-02-22T12:14:00.000+01:00

Doesn't appear to stick to the plain. Unless that is, if the Barcelona circuit is located on a plain. Yesterday afternoon's testing seems to have been hampered by precipitation (it was lovely here in Switzerland) and also Squadra Toro Rossos's test in Imola was restricted to wet running.

Teams always make the most of these problems, giving drivers the opportunity to try wet tyres etc, but it really isn't the reason they go testing. Super Aguri will have suffered most though, with Sato only completing only 8 laps before spinning at the hairpin.

Hopefully today's weather will be more clement.

Aguri On Track

2006-02-21T13:23:00.000+01:00

As announced, the Super Aguri team have managed to get their car on track in Barcelona.

So far, the car has only completed three laps, but that's more than some teams have managed in the past. Anyone remember Andrea Moda's efforts in the hands of Perry McCarthy? If you don't, you should think about reading his book for an explanation of why he was never allowed out in the car.

I've said before that all the team need to do is turn up in Bahrain, but it actually looks like some of the detail work on the car is quite promising. The SA05 is only an interim car to help the team start functioning together but clearly any team worth their salt will want it to be as good as possible.

Rules and Tank Tape

2006-02-20T11:04:00.000+01:00

You have to hand it to the FIA. They've apparently fixed the loophole in the new qualifying regulations. In an article I wrote at the beginning of November, I hypothesized that the FIA would have to make a change, and I'm impressed to say that they've done it before the season, rather than after the first GP.

But their "solution" has all the style and elegance of National Health glasses held together with sticking plaster. Of course, this is motor racing, so I should say tank (or gaffer) tape, but you know what I mean. Patching up bad regulations with more bad regulations is not the way to go. It makes it so much harder for the casual spectator to understand, and the commentator's job that much harder. "Villeneuve's just gone off at the last corner and got dirt on his tyres, not only has it screwed his lap time for this and the next lap, it could well cost him 4.5 litres fuel credit". Do you want to hear that kind of thing? I don't.

By adding a new regulation, it gives the teams something else to exploit. Hopefully the new regulation (which allows teams to add a fixed amount of fuel for each lap that they complete within 110% of their best lap) refers to the entire qualifying, and not just the last session. Otherwise we might see a team that believes that tenth is likely to be its best position driving round consistently slowly to gain fuel credits for the race.

But the main sufferers may be the poor software engineers. They now have to produce a new simulation program to calculate how the drivers should drive in the highest gear possible to save fuel, without exceeding the simulated best time on full fuel. And as the time taken to complete a lap is highly dependent on the exit speed of corners (and Max knows this) we'll see people on the ragged edge of corners and then tootling down the straights in top gear. Other drivers on hot laps won't know what to expect. Engineers will have to consider whether it's worth risking running the engine lean in qualifying. I'm sure there will be other options. None of them will cut costs.

For God's sake! Twelve lap qualifying, fastest time counts. Choose the fuel afterwards. If the FIA wants to ensure that all of qualifying is watched on TV, then split it into two 30 minute sessions, with the top ten finishers from the previous race running in the second session. If you put all the F1 fans in the world into a room (admittedly a very, very big one) and asked for a show of hands, you'd get a better than 90% acceptance with that. So why not give us what we want? Please.

Testing Times

2006-02-16T11:22:00.000+01:00

I know it comes up every year, but I never cease to be amazed by the fascination I have with the times set during testing. Yesterday you could be excused for thinking that Williams are about to set the world alight. Today, I'm thinking that Renault are still there or thereabouts.

Rumours of problems with the Mercedes engines in the McLaren are rife, and Ferrari are still setting their fastest times with the V10 powered 2004 car. Red Bull seem to have miraculously fixed their chassis problems (I can't believe it's that simple) and Toyota and making comforting noises about their performance.

The trouble is that we really have no idea what configuration cars are being run in. Even if they do a race simulation, they may be running with more (or less) ballast than they would for a race. Nobody really wants to show their hand, but still it's necessary to find out where you are.

Ferrari often test alone, and in some way I can understand that. A team has to have the mentality that it needs to improve, regardless of what the opposition are doing. You shouldn't really be any more motivated by knowing that you are a second off the pace.

But it's human nature to work harder when you know you are behind. And you can also see what other times are trying with their aero packages, and get an idea of works. But it's getting much closer to the real thing now. Just three weeks until the first practice session of the season, so not much time for any team to make big changes. Roll on Bahrain.

Ups and Downs

2006-02-15T10:47:00.000+01:00

Max Mosley and the FIA are apparently in favour of introducing the concept of promotion and relegation to motorsport. Are they mad?

Now I'm not against the idea of relegation and promotion. In fact, I've suggested it myself as a solution to the question of which circuits should be able to host Grands Prix. But given that racing teams run as businesses, one only has to look at the business model to see that it would not work.

F1 teams operate with budgets way in excess of GP2 teams, and have to manufacture their own cars. Can you imagine any company moving from a budget of, lets be generous, $3 million, to $100 million? In four months? And how about the other way around? A team would have to start the season thinking, "Hmmm, we're not looking too good, so we'd better give everybody notice and sell the factory" and hey presto, a self-fulfilling prophecy.

F1 and GP2 are different sports. It's fair enough to have relegation and promotion between leagues when the rules are the same, like football or cricket. But F1 and GP2? You may as well tell a team that wins the local cricket cup that they've just qualified for the America's Cup.

Jo Siffert

2006-02-14T11:51:00.000+01:00

We went to the cinema on Saturday evening and saw the Johnny Cash film, Walking the line. It was very good, but not the film I personally would have chosen.

For there is a film on release in Switzerland, about the life of Jo Siffert. It has the disadvantage for most Europeans that it's presented in the original language, which means Swiss German. And even most Germans struggle to understand that. Either way, it'll be out on DVD soon with subtitles so we can all understand it, and it'll be the film footage from old private super 8 cameras that will be most interesting.

I was a young teenager at Brands Hatch on the day that Jo Siffert was killed. That was the first time I'd been at a circuit when a driver died, sadly there have been more, and the pall of black smoke rising above the trees will stay with me forever. It's a reminder that we shouldn't forget about safety in racing. We shouldn't remove the element of danger completely, or racing becomes a pointless exercise, and "Seppi" wouldn't have wanted that.

The Third Man

2006-02-13T10:57:00.000+01:00

With Steve Ryder going to ITV to cover the F1 season instead of previous linkman Jim Rosenthal, the news comes that Tony Jardine is also superfluous to requirements.

Now, Jardine has never been a favourite of mine but he's OK. The question is, are they going to do anything about James Allen? He is simply the most irritating commentator there is. I hate watching GPs in the UK and would happily tune to an Italian channel to watch instead even though I only understand 10% of it. I'm fortunate that I can watch the Austrian coverage from Switzerland (it has no advert breaks) as Heinz Prüller just keeps quiet if there's not much to say.

But James Allen rabbits like an idiot. ITV really need to replace him. I'm available and believe me I spend all my time shouting at the TV when the commentating is wrong or slow, so it should at least be entertaining. Why not drop the folks at www.itv-f1.com a line and tell them? We should rest until James Allen's "Go, go, go" has become "James, Allen is gone, gone, gone"

Restrictions and Limitations

2006-02-10T10:42:00.000+01:00

The new Minardi (sorry, Squadra Toro Rosso) appeared at Jerez yesterday. It seems to be fairly heavily influenced by its sister car the RB1, which is fair enough, but what concerns me is the engine.

The FIA are allowing any team that does not have access to a competitive 2.4 litre V8, to use a 3 litre V10 with a rev-limit that may be changed "from time to time". Minardi, being a financially-constrained team, fell into this category. STR, in my opinion, do not. They certainly have the ability to go to Cosworth, their current V10 supplier, and ask for a supply of V8s. Cosworth are now independent and I imagine they are keen to sell their engines to anyone with a suitable supply of cash. Given the share swapping going on between Gerhard Berger and Dieter Mateschitz, it's surely safe to assume that this is the case at STR.

The FIA are now in the position of being able to control the speed of one team; namely STR. What happens if Tonio Liuzzi manages to qualify 4th in Bahrain? Or finish on the podium? I imagine there'll be an uproar and the rev-limit will be reduced. But by how much? And what if STR finish 7th or 11th?

And if the FIA have set the limit too low, will it be increased if both STR cars are miles off the pace? In which case it would be worth STR sandbagging for a couple of races and then, when the limit is raised, blitzing the opposition. What great publicity for Red Bull that would be. Surely teams like MF1 and Williams have a right to be competing on equal terms?

The FIA must inform STR that a competitive engine is available, and that the team has until the start of the European season to comply with article 5.1 of the Technical Regulations. Otherwise there'll be tantrums, and we can do without any more of those.

Madder than Hell

2006-02-09T10:19:00.000+01:00

Well, I know I've been saying that the FIA et al should really be capable of making a decision on the Belgian GP, but I didn't think they'd all make the wrong one.

It's a black day for Formula One when the authorities allow stupid things like the cancellation to happen. Spa is undoubtedly the best circuit on the calendar (in the world?) and any nobody should care that the "facilities" need a bit of improvement.

The FIA and the commercial rights holder must take the responsibility for not having a backup solution in place, but no doubt they will simply claim that there was a contract in place and it was broken. They simply do not understand their responsibility to the millions of fans that think of F1 as a sport, not a business.

Stop fiddling with the distribution of money to manufacturers and concentrate on the core business. Getting cars racing on tracks.

Crash Test Dummies

2006-02-08T15:43:00.000+01:00

No, not the band, I was never really into them. But Super Aguri (and I'm sorry but I still think it's a daft name) have had some good news, as they've passed the FIA crash tests with the old Arrows FA23, suitably modified for the new regulations.

Somehow, this conjures up an image of the old Arrows car, with welded on roll hoops like the stock cars I used to watch as a youth back in the 70s. But I guess it's tricky to weld carbon fibre and metal, so it's probably a much more professional job. That seems to be a major hurdle out of the way though, and as I've said before, the cars don't actually need to run in Bahrain...

Well done boys.

Commercial Rights

2006-02-06T16:11:00.000+01:00

There's been a bit of fuss over whether the FIA should get involved with the commercial side of the sport recently (there's an EI anti-trust case ongoing). And now Max is saying that manufacturer based teams shouldn't get any revenue from the sport. Instead it should go to smaller independent teams so that they can compete against the big budget teams.

Now given that a team, once it becomes successful, tends to attract manufacturer support, that appears to me to mean that the teams that don't do well in races would be subsidised in future, whereas ones that do well, won't.

The question I keep asking myself, is why does Mosley get involved with these things? If he wants to keep money in the sport, he shouldn't go around selling the commercial rights for paltry sums. And he should insist that only a percentage of the income for the commercial rights holder can be paid out. The British Government is not renowned for its skill in organising privatisations, but Camelot, the company that runs the UK national lottery has a fixed percentage profit and is doing very nicely thank you.

The FIA is by nature a political organisation. But they should at least allow natural competiveness to be rewarded in a competetive sport.

Miss You

2006-02-01T17:42:00.000+01:00

Just like pitpass, Zurich Gnome will be down for the next couple of days as I'm going back to the UK for my Father's funeral.

Normal service (whatver that is) should be resumed on Monday.

Valentino Rossi

2006-01-31T12:26:00.000+01:00

I started reading Valentino Rossi's autobiography the other day. My wife bought it for me at Christmas, as part penance for taping over the race at Philip Island when Rossi won his first 500c World Championship.

It's an interesting read so far, and deals a lot with his reasons for changing from Honda to Yamaha for the 2004 season. And it's very reminiscent of Michael Schumacher moving from Benetton to Ferrari in 1996 (can it really be 10 years ago?). Both men were world champions and needed to prove it was them that was the best and not just the machine. So they opted to move from a proven successful team, to a team with a great name, but no recent success. Rossi won his first race with Yamaha, and went on to win the championship. To me it seems that Rossi will need another challenge soon - there's no point to him moving to another team, or staying at Yamaha. Which leaves cars.

Rossi is due to test an F2004 at Valencia next week, and you can bet that Ferrari aren't just doing it to amuse themselves. There's been a lot of talk about Rossi driving for Ferrari in 2007, but since I've started reading the book, I'm a lot more inclined to agree.

Hot Stuff

2006-01-30T11:42:00.000+01:00

Williams have released some interesting facts about their new F1 challenger. For me the most surprising revelation was that the brake temperatures can reach 10,000 degrees, and at that level it doesn't really matter whether you're talking Centigrade or Fahrenheit. (It's Centigrade)
That is just so incomprehensively hot! A hundred times hotter than boiling water, I suspect that the old ploy of claiming that water was being used as a brake coolant and could therefore be replenished after a race wouldn't even be contemplated these days.

One of my cars has an oil temperature guage and I get worried if the oil runs hotter than about 100 degrees. Compare that to the gearbox of the Williams, which gets up to 1,500 degrees during a race. I guess that's why oil companies get involved with F1, and why they claim that "racing improves the breed". Even if the products will never be used for normal road cars, it means that engineers can use new technology to make cars ever more reliable. I really wouldn't like to be the poor guy that has to change the gear ratios at the circuit though.

I wonder what temperature the engine runs at these days?

Good News, Bad News

2006-01-27T15:12:00.000+01:00

First the good news. he FIA have officially accepted Super Aguri's entry. Which means that the team now have six weeks to get the cars built, through the crash tests and transported to Bahrain. It must be frantic there at the moment. They're also planning to get to the Barcelona test which starts on Feb 21, so all I can really do is wish them luck. As I've said before, all they need to do is turn up, but even that will be a big achievment.

The bad news is that the race at Spa, the best circuit on the calendar, is still under threat. Given that normally you'd be able to book tickets for a major sporting event a long time in advance, it's a pretty poor show. Max and Bernie are always going on about the professionalism necessary to be active in F1. It's amazing how they are prepared to treat spectators though. They claim that contracts are in place - so that if anything goes wrong it's someone else's fault, but it seems to me to be basic supply chain management to have an alternative promoter in place. The FIA has a duty to all stakeholders to make sure that all races take place (and this is just about money, not safety). As a fan I'm not happy, if I ran a hotel nearby I'd be more annoyed, and if I'd already bought grandstand seats and airline tickets I'd be livid. Sort it out.

What's in a number?

2006-01-25T18:13:00.000+01:00

The new Ferrari F1 challenger has been announced and it's called the 248 F1. That might not mean much to many of you, but to some of us old Ferrari fanatics, it marks the resurrection of an old naming convention.

When Ferraris were powered by V12 engines back in the early 50s, they were known by the capacity of a single cylinder. So the 166 was a 2-litre engine, the 250 (as in the 250GTO) was a 3-litre engine, and so forth. Hence famous cars such as the 275 GTB (the 275 GTB/4 was a four camshaft version of the 3.3 litre engine) and the 330P4 (Fourth version of the 4-litre prototype).

But the 248 is not a V12, it follows the other convention started at the end of the late 1950s, which was epitomised by the Dino 246. This had a 2.4 litre V6 engine, and if you can remember back to the Ferraris of the 70s and 80s, as used by Magnum (TV detective) you may recall that those were known as 308 or 328 (depending on whether they were 3.0 litre or 3.2) GTBs or GTSs (Berlinettas, ie closed roof, or Spiders, ie open). Are you still with me?

Well in the 1980s numbering conventions seemed to go out of the window with the 126C. The C was "straightforward" in that it meant the car was super/turbo-charged (I vaguely remember that the Italian for supercharger is compressore) but the 12 apparently means that the engine has a V-angle of 120 degrees. Then we moved on to the 412, which although it had 12 cylinders, didn't (unless they were cheating) have a 4-litre engine. Although I suppose if you round 3.5 litres to a single digit, you could argue that it was correct to call it 412. When the engine size was reduced to 3-litres, the 310 again made sense (I assume that not many people would expect a 3.1 litre zero cylinder engine) and then Ferrari moved to numbers like F2004, which seems self-evident.

But now we're back to 248 and I know where I am again. But frankly, does it help? After all, most F1 petrolheads probably know the engine capacity for any given year of car, but you can't work out the year from the capacity. Unless, that is, Max Mosley goes completely loopy (sadly we can't rule that out) and changes the engine capacity every year for "cost-saving" reasons. So, even before the 2006 season starts, I'm really curious to know what they will call the 2007 car. 248 F1B? Any thoughts?

Picture © Ferrari

Masters of the Universe

2006-01-19T11:38:00.000+01:00

I'm not sure about this GP Masters thing. I was quite excited when I saw the news on pitpass that the dates for 2006 had been announced. But then I looked closely and saw that there are only five races currently planned, and that they do not appear to form a championship.

Now obviously the drivers involved are busy chaps and have other interests, but there aren't many races of any import that take place as single entities; Le Mans being a clear exception, as is the Indy 500 even though it's part of the IRL. Otherwise a race is a bit like a football friendly. Quite good fun, but if you lose, so what? And as the cars are all the same, there's no real interest there. So am I going to bother looking at the results for the race in Qatar, even if I intend to go to Monza? Again, it's like friendly matches. I'll have a passing interest but I don't think I'll care who's quickest in qualifying.

On the other hand, the Thoroughbred Grand Prix series (TGP) is run as a championship. There, we have the old cars, but driven mainly by people we've never heard of. Businessmen that have made enough cash to be able to buy and run an old F1 car. So with TGP, you get to see the cars, but not the stars.

I can't help but think we're missing a trick here. Famous drivers in famous cars is the way to go. But then, that's the Goodwood revival meeting, albeit only for pre-1965 cars. Given the choice between driving to Monza or flying to Goodwood, I think the Sussex countryside will win hands down.

What's in a name?

2006-01-18T11:11:00.000+01:00

It had never occured to me that the BMW Sauber F1.06 was BMW's first ever F1 car. To be honest I'll still think of it as a Sauber, in much the same way as I occasionally think of the engines in the back of the McLaren being Ilmor engines, rather than Mercedes. Obviously in the business world there's lots of name changes when companies change hands, as well as a fair degree of freedom to keep names or replace them depending on the new owner's perception of the relative brands.

Ferrari, for example, remained Ferrari even when FIAT took over, and Aston Martin are still around despite being owned by Ford. But Mercedes chose the other route with Ilmor. Either way, the F1.06 is a BMW even though its inception was handled by the Sauber design team (who are now BMW employees). Pretty much the same holds true for Honda, and of course, Renault.

In fact, Toyota and Williams are the only teams that really reflect their names. And coincidentally Williams are now back with Cosworth, the manufacturer that originally supplied them with engines back in the late 70s. Of course, the ownership of that particular engine maker has changed a few times, but then, what's in a name?

Crime Doesn't Pay

2006-01-17T12:09:00.000+01:00

After yesterday's refreshing news that Peter Sauber has been recognised as a decent and honest businessman, comes the announcement that a couple of fairly big names in the F1 world are about to be prosecuted in Germany. The two men concerned are Ove Andersson and Gustav Brunner, both formerly of Toyota.

Brunner has recently signed to work for Scuderia Toro Rossa (Nèe Minardi, where he used to work after leaving Ferrari) so I guess management there won't be too happy, and may decide to make changes in the design team. That's a shame because I believe he's a talented engineer and would work well with Adrian Newey.

Andersson; however, was formerly Team Principal at Toyota and is now retired. Toyota Motorsports GmbH was actually formed from Andersson's own Motorsport venture in the early 90s so the links there are pretty solid. Andersson was in charge when Toyota was excluded from the 1994 World Rally Championship for cheating, so he's no stranger to being investigated, but he is generally considered to be a decent and honest chap.

The charges this time relate to the use of a data analysis programme developed by Ferrari, and this is clearly an area where a team can make great inroads in the development process, and potentially make its cars significantly more efficient. It's a fine line that anyone treads when they change companies. You can't forget what you've learned, but on the other hand you can't take a finished product with you. Not even one that fits nicely in a CD case. Surprisingly, no charges have been made against the Ferrari employees that moved to Toyota, just against those that are alleged to have used (or authorised the use of) the software.

As the Toyota press machine has pointed out, the charges are against individuals, not the company, but when mud is being thrown, some will stick in the wrong place. The timing also seems a little cruel, with the announcement coming in the same week as the launch of Toyota's new F1 challenger.

The next stage is for the German courts to decide if there is a case to answer, and it could well be that it all comes to nought. For the sake of F1 I hope so. That said, it might just be time to purchase a copy of Cheating by Tom Jensen, which is one of the best books to cover the topic of "rule-interpretation" in recent years. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Man of the year

2006-01-16T13:00:00.000+01:00

I guess this probably won't make most of the racing websites in the world, but Peter Sauber was voted "Businessman of the Year" at the Swiss awards gala ceremony last night.

Not only that, but he was also voted "Swiss of the year". That's pretty impressive especially when he's up against Roger Federer (the all-conquering tennis star) and Tom Lüthi, who won the 125cc Motorcycling world championship. Unlike Federer, Peter Sauber is unlikely to figure at all in the "International Men of Sexiness" list (who thinks these titles up?) but he was recognized for his achievement in running a Formula One team out of Switzerland since 1993, and also securing a future for the team in Switzerland when organising its sale.

Peter Sauber has often been rated as the "Nicest Man in Formula One" and it's just reward that his efforts have been recognised. He has shown that business ethics can go hand-in-hand with Formula One, and you can't say that about many people. Tom Walkinshaw as "Briton of the Year" anyone? I think not.

Photo copyright Tages-Anzeiger www.tages-anzeiger.ch

Maranello on Monday?

2006-01-13T11:00:00.000+01:00

In recent years, Ferrari have introduced their new car relatively late in the season. In 2004 for example, it was three races into the season before the new car came out. But this year, it's thought that the new car will run as early as next week.

Of course, even in 2004, the all-conquering F2004 was seen on the Fiorano test track in February and March but with the changed regulations, there's a need to get the new car out early. The interim Ferrari with the 2006 engine fitted has been fastest of the V8 runners all this week, so there's hope for fans of the Scuderia that 2006 will have the red cars running closer to the front than last year.

I know it's not worth getting excited about testing times, but when the F2006 runs at Jerez for real, it'll be interesting to see how it compares against last year's car.

Wellness of Spa

2006-01-12T12:35:00.000+01:00

I'm not sure whether wellness is really an English word, but it's in the Merriam-Webster dictionary so that's good enough for me. Here in Switzerland there are loads of wellness clinics, or spas, and although I'm not a fan of Saunas or Steam Rooms (you can't read the motor racing news) I do like a good thermal bath. But I digress from the main theme, what is going in Belgium?

It appears that the Belgian GP is now safe. And Miraculously, Bernie Ecclestone will step in to promote the show. Last year, the promoter lost a significant amount of money. Does anyone think Bernie will lose out? Well, I guess he might not actually make money from the takings on the gate but overall, he'll still cash in. Here we have another classic example of how money leaves the sport. Last week Bernie was in Greece, investigating whether there is a possibility to create a circuit near Athens. Is there no end to the appetite to extract money from a sport that really needs to get back to the business of pleasing the fans?

Of course it's ok to make money from motor racing, but please, make sport the main priority.

Shy and Retiring

2006-01-11T12:49:00.000+01:00

As I mentioned yesterday, testing has started in earnest for the new season. Testing has often been called the “Winter Championship” because some teams seem desperate to impress new sponsors and run fast, while other teams tend to run with heavy fuel loads and run slower than they could so as not to give the game away. Sandbagging, in other words.

So we really can’t draw many conclusions from what is happening in Jerez, in that sense it’s very much like Friday mornings at GP weekends. The cars are going round, the teams are learning and making decisions, but we have no idea exactly what is happening. But at least it’s possible to say that if someone finishes at the top of the timesheet that they were probably trying fairly hard. If they are over a second ahead, either the car is good or the driver is fairly committed.

Which is good news for Michael Schumacher. On the first day's testing of the year, he was out putting the new Ferrari through its paces, completing more than a race distance and setting fastest time by more than a second. Normally at this time of year, Michael would be in the Alps skiing, or up in Norway, but this year he's down in Spain and he's not just there for the weather. It's been reported that he will make a decision mid-season on whether to retire when his contract expires at the end of the year. But it appears to me that he wants that decision to be to continue racing. So he's putting in the effort now so that halfway through the season, he'll be leading the championship and he'll have no trouble deciding. The last thing he needs is a season like last year. On yesterday's form, and with continued commitment, there's a good chance he'll still be racing next year.

Anyone for Sherry?

2006-01-10T13:53:00.000+01:00

Jerez de la Frontera in Spain has two connotations for me. First of all it's the home of Sherry, that excellent drink commonly associated with the elder generation which I seem to be getting ever nearer. I suspect the reason we call the golden liquid "sherry", is because early British consumers wouldn't have been able to cope with the Castellano pronounciation after a couple of pints of product. But that's neither here nor there.

Because there's also the race track. Scene of the great 1986 Spanish GP, where Senna beat Mansell by 0.014 of a second. Except Senna wouldn't have won if the finish line hadn't been moved on the day before the race, as Mansell had passed him by the time they'd got to the original line. But before conspiracy theorists start getting excited, I don't think anyone really expected such a close finish - I just wanted to mention the heritage of the track, and to say that testing of this year's GP cars started there today. If you're really keen, you can check out the pictures.

The Future's Orange

2006-01-10T13:16:00.000+01:00

It hadn't occured to me that the McLarens wouldn't be silver this year. The Silver Arrows, as the Mercedes racing team was known both pre-war and in the short period of domination from 1954-1955, have become almost as much as a fixture on the grid as the scarlet Ferraris.

Except of course that the Ferraris are not quite as scarlet as they used to be. Over the last few years, the marketing men at Philip Morris have requested that the colour be changed, making it more orange, so that it more closely resembles Marlboro red when seen on television. And now the Mclarens are appearing, albeit temporarily, in a new colour scheme.

Echoing the original scheme favoured by founder Bruce Mclaren (shown here in an M7A) the cars are currently painted orange, and frankly, I'm very happy about that. I remember after Bruce was killed while testing a Can-Am car at Goodwood, that his wife sold the company. I also remember being told was that one of the conditions of sale was that the car should continue to have some parts of the car painted orange. Whether that's true or not I don't know, but I remember my Mother telling me, and you don't get more reliable than that.

Of course, commercial interests make promises like that tricky to keep. When Yardley came along, I was happy, part of the M19 remained orange. Then came Marlboro, and as we've seen with Ferrari, you can spend a long time discussing whether orange is red or not. So still I was vaguely happy. But with West sponsorship came the rebirth of the Silver Arrows and no significant orange on the car. Very sad. But today, even if it is only for a few tests (but hopefully longer) the Bruce McLaren heritage is being restored. Thanks Ron.

Minardi at Le Mans

2006-01-09T12:32:00.000+01:00

Paul Stoddart, ex-Minardi chief, has apparently been talking about the future of F1 on British radio. If you read the article on pitpass, you'll notice editor Chris Balfe's thought that Paul could create a new sports car team, in order to run at Le Mans.

I think that's a great idea and, if I'm honest, I can't help but ask myself why sportscar racing isn't watched as much as it should be. I certainly don't watch it myself, except maybe every couple of years when I go to Le Mans for the 24 Hour race. But that's as much a social event as a race; I go to meet friends, and eat and drink much more than I should. Apart from the Grand Prix, there are never more than 30,000 spectators at a UK car racing event. But double that number of Britons get in their cars and catch ferries or use the channel tunnel to go to the classic French event. There's clearly an interest, but it's just not developed into a watchable, sustainable series.

Chris may be right that Paul Stoddart should start a sports car team. But maybe he should go one step further and organize a viable sports car racing series. Wresting control of Le Mans away from the ACO would be impossible, but it must be possible to work with them. Wouldn't it be great if Paul could use all of the experience he's gained dealing with Bernie Ecclestone, and give us a competetive sports car series to watch too?

Happy New Year Alex

2006-01-03T13:12:00.000+01:00

It's nice to start the New Year with a bit of good news, and I have to say that hearing that Alex Wurz has signed to be the third, or "Friday" driver at Williams counts as good news.

Alex has had a bit of a checkered career, never really capitalising on his early talent. Most pundits will remember spectacular crashes like the first corner incident in Canada in a Benetton, but while standing in at McLaren this year, he showed he still has what it takes. It's very difficult to estimate the importance of the third driver role. As he doesn't race, he's not restricted by the engine-change rule, and can consequently pound round gathering data. The fact that Williams have chosen to pay someone to do this, rather than take a few million dollars from a pay-driver, indicates that it must be a vital role. And obviously, they believe Alex can do it. Let's hope it helps them get back into the fray with the other big teams, so that we end up seeing closer racing.

And finally of course, a Happy New Year to all of you kind enough to read this. Posts should now go back to being regular after the break.

A deal has been done

2005-12-22T13:28:00.000+01:00

Well it happened more quickly than I expected, but as predicted Super Aguri are still in with a chance of racing next year. It would appear that all teams now support Aguri's entry for the championship.

What does that mean? Firstly, money has changed hands. Sweeteners have been agreed, and MF1, the Turkey that Martin Whitmarsh talked about, has indeed voted for Christmas. Secondly, there will be a couple of mobile chicanes on track during practice for the first few races of the year. Assuming that Aguri has bought the rights to the old Arrows chassis, then the chassis will still have to be beefed up to pass the current impact tests. There will also be modifications so that the engine can be installed, and a number of detail changes so that the car complies with regulations.

But what Aguri won't be worrying about, is whether the car is quick. The only thing it has to do is be legal, and go round the track a few times. The team just needs to have a car so that they comply with the rule that insists that all teams turn up to all races. And since the demise of the 107% qualifying rule, they will probably be allowed to start the races as well, which will give the team a bit of experience.

In the meantime, work on the real car will be going on, and by mid-season, we can expect to see the first real SA chassis on the tracks and at which point MF1 can expect to have to fight not to be last on the grid. Producing an F1 car is a complex job, requiring a lot of time. The guys at Aguri have a massive amount of work ahead of them to get two chassis designs up and running. But it's motor racing, so everyone will buckle down and do it, and it could well become one of the legendary F1 stories, like when MARCH entered F1 in 1970.

Of course, the FIA still have to approve the entry, but let's hope that's just a rubber stamp away.

Racing at Christmas

2005-12-21T13:08:00.000+01:00

I mentioned the other day that we were about halfway through the close season before F1 racing starts again. This year we have a gap from October to the middle of March. It wasn't always the case though, back in 1962 and 1963 the season only finished at the end of December.

In both years, there were races in South Africa, a country that I now associate with golf more than racing. That was the time of the 1.5 litre formula, when the cars were very light and nimble, and probably not as powerful as they should have been. But those regulations did produce some of the prettiest (in my view) cars ever built. The Lotus 25/33 and BRM P261 stand out as examples, but I digress. I'm currently wondering whether I should work on 28th December or not. It's a week away, but we have guests so working seems like a bad idea. But for drivers in 1963 it was a case of packing up and heading off to South Africa for the last race of the season. No Christmas celebrations with family - unless they come with you, and in those days, travel wasn't so easy as it is now. And I suspect that mechanics had a worse deal, travelling early to be with the cars. I guess the current schedule is a lot more acceptable, even if it does have 19 races instead of 9!

Keith Duckworth

2005-12-20T17:09:00.000+01:00

I guess most people, in Europe at least, will have heard of Cosworth. With the company's association with Ford, particularly for the high performance variants of the Escort and Sierra, Cosworth became a high street name. And yesterday, one of the founders of the company, Keith Duckworth, died.

For me of course, the DFV Formula 1 engine was the company's finest product. For an engine to win 155 Grands Prix, you know it's got to be great. And you can still see (and hear) it in action at the Thoroughbred Grand Prix events throughout Europe.

I have a particular memory of that engine, even though I've heard it running at many racetracks, it'll be Silverstone that stays with me for ever. In particular at Stowe corner, as the cars accelerate down towards Club. The DFV was never the best sounding engine, the V12 Matras, Ferraris and BRMs would win that title, but it did did sound great. As the cars accelerated away from the corner, particularly if there were two running close together, you'd hear the revs rise, drop as top gear was selected and again and then just before the next corner, a reverberating resonance would take over, hanging in the air for a split second before the corner was taken and the throttle was back on the floor.

Keith Duckworth retired a while back, and has been able to enjoy the fruits of his labours. My commiserations to his friends and family, he'll be sorely missed.

All Change

2005-12-19T12:41:00.000+01:00

The silly season, when drivers start moving teams, gets ever earlier. It used to be the case that at around the time of the Italian GP in September, rumours would be rife about who was going where for the next year. But now, and it seems particularly where McLaren are concerned, changes are being made well in advance.

Juan Pablo Montoya signed with them for the 2005 season back in November 2003, and today McLaren have announced that Fernando Alonso will join them for the 2007 season. This opens up lots of speculation, as it means that either Kimi or JPM will be driving elsewhere. So speculation will no doubt mount that Kimi is off to Ferrari, which will only happen if Michael Schumacher leaves (retires?) at the end of next year.

And what about Renault? If Alonso is leaving, does that mean that the rumours about the French team quitting at the end of 2007 are true? Will Renault and McLaren have to restrict information that they give to the drivers that are leaving, and will that destabilize their title chances?

I guess that's why it's called the silly season. Personally I'm having enough trouble waiting for the 2006 season to start, without worrying about what's going to happen a year later.

Whatever happened to the Siracuse GP?

2005-12-16T13:21:00.000+01:00

Ron Dennis has been saying that there are too many Grands Prix at the moment. And I happen to agree with him. People are also saying that there's too much testing, and there's no opportunity for new drivers to get into F1 now that the privateer teams, with the exception of MF1, have disappeared. Oh, and there are apparently countries like Russia that would like to host a GP but can't because we already have 19 each year. And by the way, why should Italy, France (if you include Monaco) and Germany each host two races?

What we need is some clever chap to come up with a blindingly simple idea that solves all these problems at a stroke. Step forward Zurich Gnome. In the dim and distant past, even before the Gnome family was blessed with a son called Zurich, there used to be lots of F1 races. Races that didn't count to the World Championship, but were run to F1 regulations. And there really were masses of them. In 1954, to pluck a year at random, there were more F1 races held in Britain than counted towards the World Championship. OK it's not a random year, I'm one of those sad people that happen to know that 1954 was a prime year for F1.

These races were held all over the place: Goodwood, Snetterton, Oulton Park, Castle Combe, Crystal Palace, Aintree, Silverstone and even a circuit called Davidstow in Cornwall. Around the world it was the same story. Sometimes there were two F1 races on the same day, either at the same circuit, or in different countries. It didn't matter. Some were quite short; the Lavant Cup at Goodwood, for example, barely troubled the scorers as it was run over seven laps, making a total of just under 17 miles. Others were even longer than today's GPs. The Siracuse GP in Sicily was 278 miles, which took Farina 2hours 51 minutes to complete but still netted him zero points.

Are you with me yet? Why not re-instate non-championship Grands Prix? Limit the number of counting rounds to 16, so that Ron and the other team managers are happy, but allow, nay insist that, other circuits hold races before being eligible to host a championship round. It works for everybody. The teams run race simulations anyway when they test. So why not race instead of testing? They test using drivers that don't normally get to race. So let the youngsters race and then their racing skills can be evaluated in an F1 car. The circuits are presumably making money out of renting their track to half a dozen F1 teams for a day, so they'd stand to make more if paying customers turn up to watch a race. It's great for the public because they can attend an F1 race and not have to pay an arm and a leg for it. And if a country like Russia really wants to get into F1, because they see it as beneficial, then make them prove they can do it. F1 is a valuable commodity, which is why Bernie trousers a fortune each time he signs up a new country, but the sport should benefit too.

Here's the plan. Make Nurburgring and Hockenheim hold the German GP in alternate years. Relegate San Marino, and Magny Cours to Non-Championship races. Let Russia build a circuit, pay the travel costs for the teams and hold a couple of races. Ditto for Mexico or any other country that is keen to get in on the act. Let the test tracks like Jerez and Vallelunga hold races instead of test days. Oh, and can I have the TV rights please? No, that would be unfair - the money should go to the teams and the circuits.

Except perhaps for the promoters of the three races that are relegated (and they could receive a compensation package) I really can't see who would lose from this. If you can, would you please tell me?

Talking Turkey

2005-12-15T11:17:00.000+01:00

It appears that the fuss over Super Aguri continues. Having missed the deadline to put $48 million in Max Mosley's piggy bank (why didn't they ring and say the cheques was in the post?) Aguri now need the support of all ten teams to get an entry for 2006.

Understandably MF1 (née Jordan) aren't overkeen on the idea as a second Honda works team will undoubtedly outpace them and relegate MF1 to 11th in the championship. Which would mean the loss of the share of TV income and Travel support that Bernie doles out to the top ten teams. As Martin Whitmarsh of McLaren succinctly put it yesterday "If you are a turkey, you don't vote for Christmas".

So unless a deal is done (and this is F1, so deals may well be done) there will be no 11th team on the grid in March. And March is, let's face it, only two months away if you assume that racing people spend Christmas with their families. And Super Aguri have not yet, as far as we know, got a chassis, just a very powerful engine.

If Honda are serious about wanting Aguri to race, all they need to do is to agree to waive the TV and travel monies for two years. It might set Honda back a few quid (about $30 million) but when you consider that so far this year the Japanese company has spent over $550 million investing in F1 (including buying BAR shares) you have to assume it's achievable. The alternative is for Aguri to spend 2006 testing and playing at racing by themselves. This is what Toyota did when they started, but this has no PR benefit and costs almost as much as the real thing. If there is a chassis in the offing, a deal must be the way to go.

A Load of Bull

2005-12-14T13:41:00.000+01:00

One of the most fascinating statistics that I came across recently concerns Red Bull. Now we all know that certain items, like Rolex Watches, Prada bags and diamaonds cost significantly less to produce than they do to buy. Luxury goods are heavily marketed and people willingly pay a premium for them. And I guess we know that a can of sugary-flavoured water isn't exactly going to cost a fortune to produce either.

But I was still impressed to learn that on a can of Red Bull, the buyer pays a premium of about 1000%, as it costs approximately 14 cents to produce each can sold. And following on from that, it appears that in 2008, it is planned to spend more on running the Red Bull Racing team (this may also include Squadra Toro Rosso) than it costs to manufacture the entire year's output of Red Bull product.

So if you happen to be one of those people that go out clubbing a lot and rely on the well-known energy drink (with or without vodka) to keep you going, then thank you. Because without you, there would only be eight teams on the Formula One grid next year.

Now please excuse me while I go off to the lab with my collection of flavourings, sugar and pure Swiss water. I reckon that in a year or two, the Zurich Gnome drinks brand will be well enough known for me to be able to run an F1 team of my own.