F1 gossip column
G'day all. I've been digging around for all the latest gossip ahead of this weekend's season opener in Melbourne.
Who did Red Bull want as their back-up driver? Who will or will not be using the Kers power-boost system? And just who is sending out mixed messages over his future?
It looks as though Brawn GP have secured their first major sponsor in the form of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group. The deal is expected to be completed on Friday and Branson is currently on his way to Melbourne to announce it. (The Times)
Lewis Hamilton has joined the Grand Prix Drivers' Association ahead of the start of the 2009 season, having previously said he was too busy to part of it. (Autosport)
McLaren's poor pre-season performance has led world champion Hamilton to admit that he would "listen to an offer from another team if someone asked me". (Various)
However, the 23-year-old has backtracked on that statement by saying it is "quite cool if you find out other teams are interested in you" and added: "I honestly want to see out my career with McLaren. I do feel it's my family, it's where I am right now and it's where I'm happy." (Press Association)
Ferrari have been mentioned as a possible destination but Felipe Massa says he "doesn't care" where Hamilton may end up. The Brazilian listed a host of names he has driven with and who he may partner in the future and added: "Maybe my father will drive for Ferrari next year." (Planet F1)
David Coulthard could make a surprise return to the grid after being named Red Bull's stand-in driver for the new season. (Daily Star)
But the veteran Scot, now a BBC pundit, was only third choice for the Milton Keynes-based team. The first preference was reportedly Jaime Alguersuari, a 19-year-old Spaniard, while second in the queue was the New Zealand teenager Brendon Hartley, who has been unable to obtain a mandatory FIA super licence. (Marca, in Spanish)
The future of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne's Albert Park is under threat after local governors declared the hosting of the race as "an outrage". (Various)
Nick Heidfeld will reportedly use the Kers power-boost system at this weekend's Australian GP, but his BMW Sauber team-mate Robert Kubica has said he will not. (Planet F1)
Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug has confirmed that both McLaren drivers will use Kers at Melbourne. (Auto Motor und Sport, in German)
Renault boss Flavio Briatore has held discussions with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone about a possible cap on driver salaries after he slashed Fernando Alonso's wage by 25%. (Daily Express)
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~33~RS~)
Comments
RE: The Lewis Comments On Leaving.
Seems there has been a lot of spin on his comments. But I couldn't blame him for leaving if McLaren went bad. Will probably teach him not to make such big statements like "I will never leave McLaren".
My opinion: He is in F1 to win, one of his goals is to win three world titles in F1 - Will he leave if he can't win with McLaren? I think so. But I think things would have to get pretty dire before that happens.
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How great would it be to have Massa and Hamilton fighting out as team mates at Ferrari?
Perhaps then Raikkonen and Alonso could move back to McLaren. Those would be fun days!
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Oh Dear! On the eve of the new season it seems some teams might have a faster car that some of the others, so what do they do? Shoot them selves in the foot. No wonder F1 is not popular in the US when some of the teams act like spoilt brats. So someone else has a different diffuser? So what, get on and race and modify your own car if you can make it go faster. F1 is mired in rules and regulations, just get and race you wimps!
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I just hope for the sport that they sort out the read diffuser issue BEFORE any racing takes place. It's really bad for the sport, if someone that wins then loses in the FIA appeals courtroom.
I think the best they can do right now, is tell the teams one way or the other where they stand...
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I'm claiming this as a first post!
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Albert Park has been a doubt for ages, but it's still going strong. At worst I think they'll go back to Adelaide. We won't be losing the Aussie GP soon.
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I must ask, who is the picture of?
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This from the motorsport main page:
"Motorsport's governing body has rejected the protest made by three Formula 1 teams about the legality of certain cars.
With F1 just days away from the start of the new season in Australia, the FIA has ruled that the cars of Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams are all legal.
Ferrari, BMW Sauber and Renault claimed a crucial part at the back of the car does not conform to new F1 regulations.
The protesting teams now have until 1400 GMT to appeal against the ruling."
Thank goodness for that!
Okay, some of the teams may wish to appeal, but I can't see the FIA giving a different answer.
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RE: Hamiltons comments on leaving
This just shows how little respect for McLaren Hamilton has, after the team and Ron Dennis have put so much effort and backing into Hamilton since the age of 10, and as soon as the team start to struggle a little bit he starts taking about leaving, Disgraceful attitude from someone on 22 Million a year.
Just shows that it was the car that won the title last year and not the driver.
I would hate to see him join Ferrari, and want to see Alonso partner Massa when Kimi hangs up his driving gloves.
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After all the speculation about who has the best chances of challenging for points in Melbourne I wouldn't be surprised if it ended with Hamilton being the meat in a Ferrari sandwich on the podium.
Either that, or Maclaren will occupy Honda's previously reserved places at the back of the grid while Braun GP lead the way.
I can't wait...
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does anyone else think that its about time the whole world stopped blowing smoke up lewis hamiltons backside? ok he did win the world championship, the youngest to do so, but he has been groomed for this for 2/3 of his life. he had the best car and the support of hundreds of people to get him there! if he isnt careful he will end up like his old team mate alonso who sulks like a petulant child if he doesnt get his own way. "you wont let me win here so i will take my talents back to renault"!!!
i would like to see some drivers who have the passion that they had with prost and senna, men who took risks to win, who wanted the top spot even if it ment taking out their team mate!
too much money has been pumped into drivers pockets and far too much smoke up their bum's. please please please could you try to entertain the millions of us who pay your outrageous wages, instead of complaining and sulking!!!!
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Who is it? place your mouse over the picture and you will see details of the subject.
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myf1dream is going to be twittering all through qualifying and sundays race join them at twitter.com/myf1dream
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Just read the news that the FIA have ruled on DiffuserGate in favour of Brawn, Toyota and Williams.
When will the FIA get something right ? If you are going to introduce new rules and regulations there should be zero ambiguity about interpretation.
The excitement surrounding the start of the new season has been marred once again by a lack of transparency that urgently needs to be introduced across the sport. These 3 teams will now be racing under appeal not knowing whether any points gained in the Oz GP will remain.
FIA overhaul seriously needed !!
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Comment 7, "I must ask, who is the picture of?
It's Brendon Hartley
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Formula 1: can there be a more overhyped and boring sport on this planet? Most races decided on pitstops or tyre changes; teams arguing like children about the design of a spoiler; Bernie the Bolt using the whole circus as a means to add to his billions. Can you imagine a tennis player dominating the sport because of the type or make of racket he/she uses? Car racing is great - but I'd far rather watch a bunch of guys charging around the track in their chipped n' lowered Ford Whatevers. What amazes me is that there are still so many people who pay a lot of money to sit and watch Formula 1 cars go whizzing past them every few minutes - is it just a nice day out?
For me, Formula 1 is fast becoming a redundant waste of the world's natural resources, if it isn't that already.
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Just to make things really interesting: why don't they store up all the protests and appeals until after the last race of the season? Then the FIA could make whoever they preferred world champion. Is this what they mean by a new scoring system?
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Strange how NEARPOSTHEADER has entered the BBC F1 site to complain about F1 to F1 fans...clearly has nothing better to do.
Anyway, as for speed differences between teams; this is just a dramatic start to what could be an interesting season. The last two seasons have been dramatic and you can bet that some of the struggling teams will improve (talking about mclaren here). Things won't stay the same and Brawn probably won't be fastest for long.
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Post No.16
What was the point in that? If you don't like it don't look at the F1-related content.
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Well .. here we are again .. another F1 season already losing potential viewers in droves because of its ever present ability to forget who really matters ..the fans.
Teams have had months to develop the new aerodynamic features in-line with the new rules and parameters, yet here we are again with a few teams appealing against the decision to allow the rear diffusers on some cars, probably because they didn’t use the rules to the best advantage themselves .. and other teams have. That’s just tough.
On the BBC a few minutes ago it was announced the race would be run ‘under appeal’. Well, what’s the point of watching it if the result might be changed days later! And how often has that happened before!
How long does it take some one with a measuring device etc to simply go check these rear diffusers again? .. probably no more than 30 minutes!
I have tried to stay loyal to F1, and have looked forward to a new season, always with the hope it will improve, but my faith soon evaporates.
This time, it’s just one controversy too much, and I really can’t be bothered to support it anymore, and I know many others feel the same way. I hope the BBC hasn’t wasted part of my licence fee, with a dwindling audience. I’m not even going to mention the debacle over point scoring.
Motorsport should be about close racing, as nearly always seen in virtually any other motorsport ie Touring Cars, GP2, Indycar, and dare I say even Nascar !
It’s not the drivers fault, I applaud most of them for their skill and courage, and I wish them all a safe season, but most businesses fail because of poor management, and this I fear is what will happen to F1.
No, enough is enough, I shall seriously consider getting Sky or Setanta satellite now to watch much better racing, without the whining and political motivations.
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Having been a loyal fan for some years i feel somewhat disengaged from the sport if someone like Bernie can say that the new Medal system will be inplace by 2010.. Surely we can not let this happen & how can 1 man have the right to say otherwise.
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With the new Brawn team seemingly dominating i think that this could be a very different season. Obviously the climax of last season had many of us on the edge of our seat. I think that the appeal of F1 has somewhat faded. Discussions with friends are boring as none of them seem to watch it apart from me. I think that formula one needs something more to liven it up a tad. The new rules of who wins the most wins the title is a possibility but i think it is lacking. I think this rule effects the lower teams such as, Force India , Toyota , Bmw Sauber. The fact is that they are not going to be able to win many races. But some of them are more consistent than people like Lewis , Felipe and Other big named racers. They are also at a dis-advantage if they happen to get tangeled with another driver. This will have a large effect on there season if the fail to win a race due to being crashed into.
I darn't say F1 has faded but i do not think that it has the magnitude and grace that it used too.
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At FreddyOfGreggs (Post 19): Agree totally. Go over to Indy or Nascar if you don't like F1 (or that silly A1).
On Massa's comment: Massa and Massa: Massas of Ferrari! Love it.
Can't wait for Raceday. Can't remember so much suspense in recent history. Good rule changes or not, the imponderables are ponderous ;)!
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Any views on the likely qualifying time for Austalian Grand Prix bearing in mind all the rule changes?
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Practice session tomorrow? very exciting. As Lewis's fan, i think Mcleran let down lewis this year with the MP-24.. but its just the start of the season, so let's not to be pessimistic about the situation... as i heard that the protest against the teams which are using different back diffuser been overruled. this is means a green-light to other teams to attach the same diffuser, hence everyone will have very close pace and driver's skill will again play the role in the winning.....About Lewis leaving to another team?! Let's wait and see!!....
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i have been eagerly awaiting the return of this great sport to the beeb, no more ad's or james boring allen!!!!!
as a jenson fan i was releaved to hear they would be racing as brawn & what a job they have been doing in testing.
but now as many of the comments i have read, i feel let down that once again the bloody politics are set to deminish the uniqueness & quality of what is meant to be the pinnacle of motorsport. i believe that once the fia make a ruling on a car's legality, it is a done deal. i fear for the future of f1 if bernie & his henchmen continue to try a fix something that ain't broken.
i could rant 4ever, but not long to go till action begins, i just hope that any standings will remain
GOOD LUCK JENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Great to see you keeping an eye on foreign news sources too, and thanks for providing the direct links. Many of us have an insatiable appetite for F1 and relish the linguistic challenge! Who's a clever Mole then?!
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Why keep trying to slow the cars when what they should be doing is forcing the circuits to update there safety by moving barriers further back and increasing the run off areas so that the tracks are safe enough for F1 which is after all meant to be the fastest motorsport in the world. with the added safety of larger run off areas the drivers would be able to push harder to overtake, safe in the knowledge that if an overtaking attempt didnt work they aren't going to end up crahing into walls or spinning out on the grass
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i have to sat that i am glad 2c f1 back on bbc. But as a reular viewer without being a car nut my viewing of qualifying was spoiled by the constant references to cers? or curs? without any explanation of it's meaning.
could someone help with a laymans explanation of the term. Please dont make it too technical.
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Re: Post 15
Brendon Hartley???? I thought it was Zara Phillips for a moment!
Someone tell him to get a haircut!
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Like the coverage of the F1 on the BBC but on keen on the commentator, bring back Blundle......
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I was a honda supporter now brawn GP, and i think the whole diffuser issue is been blown out of size, due to amazing win and race domination by jenson in australia....
now another team "BMW" has joined the 'ban'-wagon when the issue involes other F1 teams they seem to be focusing on brawn because of how well they did, (and their cars can't seem to match the pace brawn set) it out of order! the car was declared "LEGEL" before the first race.
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Alonso is, yes I said is, one of the Ferrari drivers for 2010.
Remember, when you travel by helicopter, ears might be covered but they can still hear.
Although contracts can be signed, they can also be 'ripped' up.
Listen to the Spanish... they know/are very confident about this 'rumour'.
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Surely it's time that driving skills alone decided the outcome of F1 races. Let's have no more of these diffuser design deciders, slicks/wets/intermediates, and all the other techical refinements that mean driving skills become irrelevant.
It is obvious that it is not the best driver that wins races, but the best car. F1 would be much more exciting if all the drivers drove identical cars (different colours so that the spectators could work out who's winning)on identical tyres suitable for all conditions . The world champion would be the one with the best driving skills, not the one with the best spark plugs.
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quote taken from a recent BBC article...
The judges in Paris heard evidence from both sides, with Ferrari's legal representative, Nigel Tozzi QC, describing Brawn GP team boss Ross Brawn as "a person of supreme arrogance".
Arrogance or Confidence? There's a fine line, which of course any Italian Lawyer knows and sits the right side of!!!
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So Nigel Tozzi considers himself well-qualified in identifying people of extreme arrogance.
Is that based on himself, his experience with Ferrari or the world of QCs?
What relevance has arrogance or any other insult to the 'legality' of a diffuser?
And what place has all this in something supposed to be sport?
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