Sunday youtube
Add comment June 29th, 2008
Archive for June, 2008
What jobs in F1 are available and what qualifications are needed?
Some time ago, one of our forum regulars and a senior motorsport engineer contributed a post which gave some background to a career in motorsport, what was involved and how to go about finding a job. You can find that post here.
Today I was emailed a page that used to be on Jordan Grand Prix’s website which sets out the range of careers that are on offer with a typical Formula 1 team and what a typical team would be looking for from a candidate. It’s a fantastic piece and seeing as the website which originally hosted this page is long gone, hopefully no-one will be upset if I repost it.
Jordan Grand Prix is frequently asked “How do I get a job in Formula One?”. The answer is different in every case, and in the end it often comes down to a combination of skill, determination and luck! This guide is intended to give aspiring motorsport industry employees an idea of the kind of jobs which exist in Formula One, and the qualifications and experience which will improve your chances of getting a foot in the door.
While prior experience in motor racing is not essential for every role, it is a great advantage and often required, so the best advice for anyone wanting to move into Formula One is to get some experience working in lesser formulae and motorsport series.
Please note that this is for information and direction only, and the roles detailed here are not currently open for applications. If you wish to apply to Jordan Grand Prix, please respond to the advertised vacancies on the Jordan site
.
Aerodynamicist
Aerodynamics Design Engineer
Chief Designer
Control Systems Engineer
Data Engineer
Design Engineer
Drawing Office Manager
Electrician
Electronics Engineer
Electronics Technician
Factory Manager
FEA Engineer
Finance Department
Head of Model Design
Press Officer
Race / Test Team Mechanic
Software Engineer
Sponsorship Manager
Sterolithography Operator (SLA)
Storeman
Sub-Assembly Manager
Technical Director
Race Engineer
Truckie
Vehicle Dynamicist
Wind Tunnel Manager
Wind Tunnel Operator
Continue Reading 5 comments June 28th, 2008
Provisional 2009 calendar
The provisional 2009 calendar is out
29 March, Australia
5 April, Malaysia
19 April, Bahrain
10 May, Spain
24 May, Monaco
7 June, Canada
21 June, Great Britain
28 June, France
12 July, Germany
26 July, Hungary
9 August, Turkey
23 August, Europe (Valencia)
6 September, Italy
13 September, Belgium
27 September, Singapore
11 October, Japan
18 October, China
1 November, Brazil
15 November, Abu Dhabi.
Valencia, Singapore & Abu Dhabi new for 2009. No return for Indy however.
2 comments June 27th, 2008
Why Canada?
Qualifying for the Canadian G.P. was:
dismal
stupid
suitable for a dirt track
pathetic
Once again, the track at the Canadian G.P. was shit. Not normal shit though, little balls of rubber shit.
If you look at the interviews after qualifying all the drivers mentioned how dismal the track was.
Good job Canada!!!
Hundreds of millions of people watched while the track fell to pieces.
The track is named after a great driver. To see if fall apart is embarrassing.
9 comments June 25th, 2008
Spa safe until 2012
Good news for F1 fans as the Spa circuit will host a grand prix until at least 2012. Belgium is a small country and I’m sure for purely commercial reasons Formula 1 management would love to move the grand prix to a sterile Tilke track in some rich country elsewhere in the world, but I think it’s through the efforts of fans that Spa remains on the calendar.
Jean-Claude Marcourt, Belgian Minister of Economics and Employment of the region of Wallonia, confirmed the agreement between the government and Ecclestone’s FOM. “We hope to extend our contract until 2015, but our new contract until the end of 2012 is a step in the right direction. With this contract we can safely invest in the track for a long term future.”
Investing in the track is great, but please stop destroying the elements that make Spa great. The “Bus Stop” corner for example was one of the great anachronisms of Formula 1. For a formula 1 car, the bus stop was a disaster. It was hard enough simply to drive through it, let alone race through it. It lended itself to kamikaze moves on the final lap and it was always a bit of a lottery getting through it. It’s uniqueness and individuality is what made it a famous corner, no track designer could possibly have built anything like it on a new circuit.
3 comments June 23rd, 2008
Sunday youtube
1 comment June 22nd, 2008
Oh la la - French Grand Prix race thread
http://www.linksheaven.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7891
2 comments June 20th, 2008
Mixed signals from Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve, great driver, rubbish career choices. JV narrowly missed out on capturing the so called “Triple Crown” of motor racing by finishing second at Le Mans over the weekend. He previously had won the Formula 1 World Championship and the Indy 500.
Following the race, he expressed a wish to return to F1 should a place be made available for him
“To be honest, I have no idea if it would be possible. I have never given up hope to re-enter F1. I have driven in some other series, but that was only because there were no vacant seats in F1.
“If the opportunity would occur, certainly with the new regulations, I would love to get back to work.”
That’s probably more a dream than a realistic option so Jacques does appear to be looking for other more realistic alternatives
Barry Green, business manager for Jacques Villeneuve, said the former Formula One champion definitely wants to be in the Sprint Cup series in 2009. Green, who denied reports last week that he and Villeneuve planned to start their own Cup team, said Villeneuve has turned down several offers to race in Europe.
3 comments June 19th, 2008
The end of the Australian Grand Prix?
Looks like Melbourne has had enough of subsiding Formula 1
“After 14 years, residents have had more than enough,” City of Port Phillip mayor Janet Cribbes said in a statement. “Why should they have to suffer the noise and the inconvenience of a car race in a park for a race whose public price tag blew out to A$41.3 million (25 million euros) last year?’ The cost of staging the event has risen steadily each year.”
An alternative location for the Australian Grand Prix may be the Phillip Island facility whose promoters seem eager to attract F1. Unfortunately from accounts I’ve seen the track would require considerable investment and the surrounding facilities are poor for the mammoth task of housing and feeding F1 spectators.
Adelaide is always a possibility, but with them attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators to V8 racing you have to wonder whether they would care about Formula 1. Certainly the huge fees and demands from Bernie (he wants Australia to be a night race) would raise a questionmark.
2 comments June 18th, 2008
Trulli suspicious - Jarno saying nice things about Nascar
Following in the footsteps of David Coulthard, fellow F1 veteran Jarno Trulli has become the next Grand Prix star to stop in at a NASCAR event.
“It’s all so different from Formula One,” Associated Press also quoted him as saying.
He said he respects NASCAR drivers.
“It’s not so easy as people think,” he insisted. “Juan is having a bit of a hard time. The racing is very tough.”
What’s the betting we see Trulli trying his hand at Nascar in the near future? Whatever about Juan Pablo, I can’t see Jarno fitting into the Nascar scene.
3 comments June 16th, 2008
Sunday youtube
Add comment June 15th, 2008
Formula 1 drivers at Le Mans
This weekend will see the venerable country roads of Le Mans, France once again closed to public traffic in order to host the annual running of the 24 Heurs du Mans which will feature several ex-Formula 1 pilots, along with a few current F1 drivers, as well as many respected Sports Car drivers…
Just to name a few, Olivier Panis will make up part of a three car contingent of Courage-Oreca LC70 Judd’s, partnering cast-off Champ Car driver Simon Pagenaud and although the rules have been tweaked to encourage the continuance of these normally aspirated gasoline powered racecars, they’re still at a disadvantage against the turbo diesels. This years battle for overall victory will be centered upon the two mighty Turbo Diesel LMP1 behemoths, Audi vs. Peugeot, while the LMP2 Prototype category will be a Porsche RS Spyder shootout most likely.
The Peugeot three car 908 HDi FAP armada looks very formidable this year with its stellar cast of Formula 1 talent, with the likes of ex-world Champion Jacques Villeneuve along with Christian Klien, Pedro Lamy, Franck Montagny, Alexander Wurz and Ricardo Zonta.
The three car squad of Audi R10TDIs will be anchored by ex-F1 men Alan McNish and Emanuele Piro, plus the Lord of Le Mans, seven time winner Tom Kristensen.
In the LMP2 category, Jos Versappen will co-pilot a Porsche RS Spyder for Van Merksteijn Motorsport alongside A1 GP standout Jeroen Bleekemolen.
In the GT1 ranks look for some interesting battles as the main competition will be the Aston Martins squaring off against the Corvettes, although I’d find it wonderful if either the Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT or Saleen S7R could upset the apple cart.
The Works Aston Martins will be sporting Gulf Oil colours in deference to this being the 40th Anniversary of their first overall victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger in the #007 James Bond DBR9, while David Brabham will co-drive the #009. Christian Fittipaldi will drive a privateer Aston, while Jan Magnusson. Oliver Beretta and Max Papis will compete in the powerful GM Factory Corvette C6Rs.
The GT2 category looks set to once again be a fiercely contested scrum between the Porsche 997 GT3 RSR’s and Ferrari F430s, with Mika Salo and Gianmaria Bruni behind the wheel of one of Risi Competizione’s F430’s, while interestingly there are two Spyker C8’s entered…
1 comment June 12th, 2008
Hamilton-lovin’
I’m shocked at this article. Really expected better from Alan Henry - as respected F1 journalist as you can get. Lost a lot of respect for him now.
How any serious journalist can produce such utter nonsense is beyond me.
12 comments June 11th, 2008
Danica Patrick to get Honda test
Honda has confirmed that Danica Patrick will get a test in one of its Formula One cars later this year, fuelling speculation that the American is also to be given a race chance in the top flight in the not-too-distant future.
Report from Crash.net
Do you think Danica is getting this because of her gender or her ability? And if it is really her ability, how would she ever shake off accusations that it is just a publicity stunt?
Pic of Danica with her clothes on (hard to find on the Interweb)
3 comments June 10th, 2008
Hamilton oh hamilton what have you done
How much of a penalty should Hamilton get following Canada?
19 comments June 8th, 2008
