Archive for January, 2007
Where would F1 be without a legal row threatening the first race? In this case it is the row over whether or not the Toro Rosso and Super Aguri teams are using what are essentially “customer” chassis. Some teams are reported to be upset, particularly Williams and Spyker.
Gerhard Berger is interview by Autosport here, and as the Toro Rosso principal he gives his views on the reservations expressed by Williams and others.
You can read the entire 400 pages of the interview, or else read our summarised version:
“Dear Spyker and Williams, go f**k yourselves”.
“Look, who is really complaining? It is Williams and Spyker, and they are both nervous that they will end up behind us.”
January 27th, 2007
The UK Guardian are reporting that a second Middle East GP is to be announced for 2009 in Abu Dhabi. It will feature a track designed by Hermann Tilke. Another country with no motorsport series to speak of that is buying an F1 franchise.
What is the point of giving another commission to Tilke? His tracks are uniformally bland and lacking in character. Better I say to give the commission to a bunch of schoolkids, preferably high on drugs and alcohol and have them come up with something completely insane. I want to see more bus stop chicanes and less “long straights leading to hairpin”.
January 24th, 2007
F1racing.net have announced that they are sponsoring Spyker this year. I think that’s pretty cool, nice one Jeroen.
In addition to the regular columns from Christijan Albers and Colin Kolles, the F1Racing.net logo will appear on all the Spyker F1 team drivers` helmet.
January 24th, 2007
The Economic Times in India is reporting (speculating?) that an Indian Grand Prix is to be announced and it will be located in Delhi.
After conducting its final reccee on four states-Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab-the team from F1 seems to have settled on a location close to the Capital city. The newly modernised international airport in Delhi, good roads and a whole host of new hotels coming up in the region helped Delhi score over rival cities.
January 24th, 2007
When I was a kid of about 10 years old, we got a cable connection at home. That was the time when satellite television was introduced in my country. Only a few channels were broadcast those days. My favourite channel those days was a sports channel which I would watch for long hours. In those early days I was introduced to formula one. In the beginning I did not realize the greatness of the sport. I did not even know what formula one meant. I did not know who Alain Prost was or who Ayrton Senna was. I hadn’t heard of Ferrari or Mc laren. I simply liked watching fast cars… and I felt a rush of excitement when a car overtook another. I continued watching the sport for many years on TV, not regularly, but whenever I did, I liked it. Years later, when my family moved to a big city, I met friends who were, to my surprise, also formula one fans. Only then did I realize that F1 had a fan following in India, albeit small.
Many years have passed. Now I know a bit of history about the sport. Some technical aspects too. One can say that I am a ‘more refined’ watcher of the sport now. I understand the strategy, the technicalities, the politics and the money involved in Formula One today. I know how crucial pit stops are. I know which tire does well in which track. I am mature enough to enjoy a Monaco race with the knowledge that overtakings will be exceptions.
There are many things about formula one that I feel attracted to. The glamour, the speed, the politics, the strategy, the personal rivalries, the technology. But I feel that it doesn’t matter that formula one drivers are driving their cars at 300 kmph. It wouldn’t have made much difference if they had been driving at 150 kmph. Of course, it feels good to know that your favourite sport is at the leading edge of sport. But that is not what made it my favourite sport. More than the technology behind the 300 kmph speed, I admire the courage of the men behind the wheels who take a parabolica or a eau rouge at that speed. I do not mean to belittle the efforts of the engineers and technicians behind the technology. Of course I appreciate the great efforts they put in. But they are not the reason I watch formula one.
I like watching the pit girls before the race and the celebrities that throng the tracks. But they are not what I dream about when I think of a race weekend.
When I think of the big money that is involved in the sport, it excites me. But that is not what keeps me awake on saturday night as I think of the starting grid the next day.
I ask myself- what is the one thing that makes me long for those weekends when I can watch a race. What is the one thing that made me love this sport so much even when I saw no one around me who had even heard of it.
It is simply watching two men fight each other with their courage and their talent. Each man fighting and exploring the limits of the grip in the tire, the limits of the car, the limits of the track and the limits of his own courage and the courage of his rival. That is what gives me an adrenalin rush. That is what gives me pure pleasure. Now THAT is why I love this sport.
January 20th, 2007
I like Ron Dennis, but I realise a lot of people have a great deal of antipathy towards him. He’s managed to build an amazing business on the back of Formula 1, and I’m sure he’d have done the same no matter what field he had chosen. He has created a team that not only combined technical expertise, but also introduced new management and marketing styles. I know a lot of motor racing people have no time for the management side (a bit like programmers!), but to be a team boss and stay at or close to the top for the length of time McLaren has been there, you need someone who can continuously innovate and manage the world of business.
It looks like he’s on the way out though. Two days ago it was announced that the Bahraini holding company would buy 30% of the team off of Dennis and his partner Ojjeh. Mercedes already own 40% of the team. This leaves Dennis and TAG with 15% apiece.
Even this exit (if it is an exit) tells me a lot about Dennis. He’s heading towards retirement at (close to) the top, and he will retire rich. He has tied a major manufacturer into his team. Contrast to Eddie Jordan who, although I’m sure is still a rich man, saw it pretty much crumble at the end. I fear for Williams and a similar fate.
January 11th, 2007
The guys in our forum have begun to compile the latest information they have on F1 car launch dates. Here’s the latest
Renault: Jan 24
Ferrari: Jan 14
McLaren: Jan 15
Honda: Jan 25
Sauber-BMW: Jan 16
Toyota: Jan 12
Red Bull:
Williams: Feb 2
STR:
Spyker:
Super Aguri:
January 8th, 2007
You know we get all excited over the use of supercomputers in F1. BMW Sauber are claiming that their new supercomputer, “Albert 2″, is the fastest supercomputer in industrial use in Europe.
Albert 2 uses 1,024 Intel processor cores, has a total memory of 2,048GB and a maximum power of 12,288 GigaFlops.
2,048 GB of memory? Still not enough to run GP4 at full frame rate.
January 8th, 2007
