BlogF1

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone recently went on record to suggest in light of the planned Force India test with Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella, that the pair of aging drivers should consider their futures carefully. The general gist of Bernie’s comments lead one to believe that the 77-year-old feels both drivers have not performed well in competitive cars and should perhaps either wake up quickly, or retire. Continue Reading…

Traveling at close to 200mph, a racing driver has to absorb a lot of information in order to be as effective as possible. Looking through his visor, a typical pilot has to not only control the car through corners and over the undulations on the track surface, but also has to communicate with his team via the radio, adjust settings on the car via the steering wheel controls and concentrate on where the car is heading as well as being aware of what is around him, both in front and behind. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that what a racing driver actually sees is incredibly limited. Through the visor, the primary view is the steering wheel and a small amount of outside world just above that. Let’s wonder just how that looks, with a little help of real-world comparisons. Continue Reading…

The return of Michael Schumacher to the cockpit for a recent test session has apparently sent shock-waves through the Formula One media. I must admit, I don’t think the shock-waves have reached me, but it has certainly caused a few members of the paddock to suggest the German might want to make a comeback. Mika Hakkinen and Alan Jones have each said that the seven-times world champion might be missing the competitive racing aspect of Formula One, and knowing he can still set decent lap times could be enough to lure him out of retirement. Continue Reading…

With Fernando Alonso’s future still not set in stone, potential Formula One refugees are looking elsewhere for drives for the 2008 season. Flavio Briatore, Renault’s boss, has stated that his team would have “new drivers” for next year, intimating that both Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella will either be demoted to a testing role or will leave altogether. Kovalainen looks good for the McLaren seat, but he faces competition from Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil. Interestingly though, both went on record earlier in the week stating that there futures lie with their current teams, Williams and Force India respectively. Continue Reading…

Continue Reading…

Ex-Benetton and BAR boss David Richards has finally confirmed what most of us feared: Prodrive will not compete in the 2008 season. Having been awarded the twelfth slot on the grid for next year, beating other hopefuls along the way, Richards has invested an awful lot money into new facilities and staff to compete in Formula One. However, complications surrounding the Concorde Agreement have prevented the Briton from entering his team in next years championship. Continue Reading…

Since 1998, Formula One has used grooved tyres during races, initially intended to help reduce cornering speeds and improve safety. However, since then the FIA and the Technical Working Group have drafted in measures to curb speeds by limiting the aerodynamic areas of the cars. As speeds are becoming more controlled through other ways, there is a chance that slick (smooth) tyres might be making a comeback, possibly in 2009. The first phase of this movement is a test due to take place at Jerez next month. Bridgestone, Formula One’s sole tyre supplier, will bring three sets of slicks per them for them to test and evaluate. The mileage completed on slick tyres will be outside the general quota agreed by the teams. Continue Reading…

Continue Reading…

Who would have thought the off-season could be just as busy as the season itself? Well, perhaps not quite as busy, but a lot has been happening in the past couple of weeks; Schumacher returned to test the Ferrari, Ross Brawn jumped ship, Glock was signed to Toyota and Fernando Alonso still hasn’t officially decided on his future. That’s just a few of the stories that have made the headlines recently. Continue Reading…

Rumours have kicked into overdrive today following the revelation that Flavio Briatore suggested on Italian radio that the team will have a new driver line up for next season. Briatore said there would be “different drivers” and also that Fernando Alonso could be confirmed within the next 48 hours. Saying that there was a 60% chance the Spaniard would be with the Anglo-French squad, and with the suggestion of new drivers means that Nelson Piquet Jr looks set for the second seat. Continue Reading…