BlogF1

Now that Valentino Rossi has ended months of speculation over his future (deciding to remain with MotoGP for now), does this mean Ferrari have come to a decision regarding their future driver lineup?

According to the Scuderia, they are currenty awaiting a decision from their lead driver Michael Schumacher before announcing the 2007 squad. It was originally thought that the decision would be made by late May, but Mr Schumacher has now put off any annoucement by saying that it may not come until the end of the season. The reason behind this is quite clear - Michael Schumacher would like to end his career in a Ferrari, but in order for him to continue, he needs a good championship winning car. After the fiasco of last year, Schumacher is correctly waiting to see whether the recent upturn in pace is for real, or if it is just a temporary peak in performance. I think that once Michael has decided on the competitiveness of the Ferrari, he will announce his decision and all the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place.
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Reports on some news sites are suggesting that the multiple racer-winner David Coulthard is being courted by Japanese-giant, Toyota. This comes just days after the Scot said he could win at Red Bull providing he is given enough time and resources to help build the team.

Would David fair well at Toyota? Would the lure of big bucks be enough to tempt the Red Bull golden boy? Could David win again at Toyota?
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Regular reader and commenter Christine has just told the world that she loves Monaco, and presumably cannot wait ’til next weekend’s Grand Prix at the famous circuit. This got me thinking about the race, the city and the emotions that go with the descent of F1 in the little hideaway on the French coast, and that is why this post has been written… Continue Reading…

Some drivers in F1 have voiced their concerns over qualifying for next weekends Monte Carlo Grand Prix. Jacques Villeneuve and Mark Webber have both suggested that 22 cars trying to set lap times in the short 15 minute first session could be dangerous. Villeneuve went on to say that he hoped nobody was planning on playing “games” and Webber warned drivers “that if they back off they really have to look in their mirrors”.

Hang on a minute, isn’t Formula One a dangerous sport anyway? I know it is much safer now than it was even 10 years ago, but that still doesn’t rule out any dangers that come with driving a car at 180mph!

Secondly, qualifying in the days before the FIA meddled with it was a 15 minute 20+ car shoot-out. All the drivers would go out in the dying quarter of the session to post a lap because the circuit was invariably quicker.

And thirdly, Monaco is a tight and twisty circuit that will penalise even the smallest of errors. The barriers and lack of run-off areas always catch one or two drivers out over the course of the weekend, and this is in itself part of the charm of the magical track. No other Grand Prix comes close to the challenges presented by Monte Carlo, and is one reason why it is still so popular.
Well, that and the casinos!

So quit your whining and your moaning and get on with it, for crying out loud.

Fernando Alonso has won the Spanish Grand Prix with a superior drive from start to finish in front of his home crowd. Michael Schumacher tried to out-strategy the lead Renault, but Alonso had enough speed to match the German driver. Giancarlo Fisichella finished third after a tumultous race which saw him leave the track at turn three at one point.

After the top three, Felipe Massa was fourth, Kimi Raikkonen was fifth after a fantastic and brave start, Jenson Button crossed the line in sixth, and the top ten was rounded off with Barrichello and Heidfeld.
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1. Alonso - Renault
2. M Schumacher - Ferrari
3. Fisichella - Renault
4. Massa - Ferrari
5. Raikkonen - McLaren
6. Button - Honda
7. Barrichello - Honda
8. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber
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Despite the outcome of the Spanish Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso will still be in the lead of the 2006 Drivers Championship, such is his lead after his strong drives in the first few races. Renault are looking strong for points, so even if Michael Schumacher were to win, I’d put money on Alonso not being too far behind.

However, what about the drivers behind the main two contenders?
Well it is clear that Giancarlo Fisichella needs a strong result to boost his chances of being retained by the French F1 squad post-Alonso. But would the fans allow the young Italian to leave the circuit alive if he finished ahead of their idol and champion? A win is a strong posibility though, and he did well in qualifying, putting all the previous demons behind him. Currently, Fisi is 5 points behind Kimi in the title race, but only 3 clear of Massa.
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Fernando Alonso has taken pole position in Spain, followed by his team mate, the much improved Giancarlo Fisichella. Row two is all Ferrari, with Michael Schumacher pipping his team mate Felipe Massa to third. Rubens Barrichello put his Honda on 5th, but Jenson Button could only muster 8th after a poor session. Places 6 and 7 belong to Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli respectively, with 9th going to Kimi Raikkonen, 10th to Nick Heidfeld, 11th to Mark Webber and 12th to Montoya.

It seems that the McLarens are going backwards, along with many people who tend to do well in qualifying, like Button. But is clear that while Schumacher has pace in his Ferrari, he is going to have his work cut out again to beat the Renaults.

It has been a busy week for Formula One following the European Grand Prix. At the moment, the teams are settling in at the Circuit De Catalunya in Spain for the Spanish Grand Prix, and whilst it has not even been a full week since Schumacher took the chequered flag, a few things have happened that are worth mentioning…

Villeneuve has had to have his engine changed, despite not even driving the car on Spanish soil yet. It is rumoured that the plant was dropped whilst the team were packing everything up in Germany last Sunday. Mario Thiessen of BMW Sauber won’t give an exact reason, but has said that the engine has been changed as a precaution. This means the improving Vileneuve will drop 10 places on the grid no matter where he qualifies on Saturday.

Other teams are threatening to adopt a Ferrari-esque flexi-wing after it was realised that the FIA are not pursuing the matter any further. It was suggested that The Scuderia had bent the rules a little too far when on-board footage of the Ferrari showed elements in the wing flex at high speeds. The FIA asked for modifications which Ferrari did (for performance reasons) and since then the matter has been dropped. The teams still insist that Ferrari’s wings are flexing, but in light of no further involvement of the FIA, it looks like the technique will be employed by all those teams that can afford to develop and implement such a feature.
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I have never been angry at ITV’s coverage of F1 before. For sure, I have been frustrated - Imola 2005 et al…
…But I have never been so upset as recently.

I’m aware of protests against James Allen’s commentary on UK F1 coverage, and there are many sites that one can read on his faults. But surely this is just a man who sees what is on the screen and well, reads…?

…Wrong.

During qualifying, Mr Allen said that Schumacher would be partnering Raikkonen next year. A little presumptuous, me thinks. During the race, he made several blunders. And the icing on the cake? The fact that because a safety car had been deployed, that meant (UK) ITV could cut to a commercial break. When we returned, we learned that Alonso had backed Schumacher up in the penultimate turn, forcing him to pass to the Spaniard. Because Michael had made a pass, he was forced to back off and allow Alonso to regain position at which point, Fernando nailed the gas and created a margin on the re-start. A fantastic display of driving that was missed because ITV wanted to make some cash.

What the flaming hell are ITV up to? I know that we get it better than some other countries, and I should be grateful, but it seems very little consolation when I’m talking about an organisation that has showed Formula One for almost a decade now.

And James, when you start something but get interrupted by on-track events, be sure to pick up where you left off. This is something Martin Brundle does very well, and he shows you up no-end.

Sort it out, before I sign the petition…