BlogF1

During the Singapore Grand Prix, a number of teams made a mess of their pitstops and we saw a few mechanics fall to the ground as the cars sped away before they should have done. Most notable among the incidents was Felipe Massa, who was given the green light even though the fuel-rigger hadn’t released the hose from the car. In spectacular fashion, Massa kept his foot planted and ripped the hose from the rig, dragging it behind him and pulling the refueller to the floor in the process. Continue Reading

How Honda got 2007 so horrendously wrong is quite simply beyond belief. This time last year, most of us knew and had accepted that the RA107 wasn’t going to be a great car, but I don’t think many of us expected the junior team to wipe the floor with the factory team for most of the season. The fact that Super Aguri led Honda in the championships right up until the Chinese Grand Prix should serve as serious embarrassment for the Japanese car company. Honda absolutely have to improve and return themselves to the regular point-scorers they once were. Failure to achieve this could spell disaster for the future of the team. Continue Reading

With the much anticipated launch of the Honda RA108, their 2008 car, this morning, the drivers and team managers have been speaking to the media about what this season will hopefully bring to the Brackley-based squad and how they can turn around their fortunes following the six-point haul of 2007. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello are excited about the new car, although it is hard to see how the team could get much worse. Continue Reading

Austrian driver Alex Wurz has been announced as Honda’s test driver following his retirement from competitive racing after the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix. Alex first arrived in Formula One in 1998 with the floundering Benetton team, but soon after took up a testing role with McLaren. Realising his chance of turning his testing duties into a full-time drive for team he switched allegiances to Williams and worked at Grove until Mark Webber’s move to Red Bull for 2007 allowed him to compete alongside Nico Rosberg. However, the young German highlighted many of Wurz’s weaknesses, and while his season wasn’t a disaster, Nico showed excellent form that at times over shadowed Wurz. Upon retirement it looked as though Alex would disappear from Formula One, but today he has been signed to Honda to develop their RA108 chassis. Continue Reading

The final news round-up post of 2007 and a further three teams have announced when their 2008 challengers will be given the green light. Red Bull Racing, Honda and Ferrari have all confirmed dates and booked venues. Also in the news this week, Ferrari offer an unusual invitation to a photocopy shop employee and two pilots of the past are trying to remain with the sport they love. Continue Reading

As announced on Sunday morning, Williams driver Alex Wurz has decided to retire from Formula One racing, and initial thoughts presumed he would finally hang up is lucky boots after racing in Brazil for the season finale. However, today Wurz confirmed his retirement and has brought it forward - Alex will retire with immediate effect. While not much has been said about why Alex is stepping down now, one can only presume the team were involved and wanted to try out another driver while they have the chance. Continue Reading

Experienced test driver and current Wiliams pilot Alex Wurz has announced his retirement from competitive Formula One, having decided to stop racing after the Brazilian Grand Prix at the end of October. The comes as no surprise as speculation has surrounded the Austrian’s future from pretty much the start of the year. Williams appear to be keen to keep Wurz on as a test driver, but it has been stated by team bosses that the second seat is under contention by a handful of drivers; Kazuki Nakajima, Nelson Piquet Jr and Adrian Sutil. Continue Reading

With Williams admitting the shame of 2006 in front of the world’s media at the FW29 launch in February, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the great British team were on a downward spiral and heading for the back of the grid, forever to run around with the Rossos and Spykers. It was a bad year for Williams, and with only a total of 11 points, the tally equaled that of the team’s first season in Formula One back in 1978. However, Williams were once a formidable force in Formula One, and one day they will be again. The signs of improvement have started to appear in winter testing, and the recent partnering with Toyota should be good for the Grove-based squad. So how will they fair in 2007? Let’s take a look at the team and see for ourselves. Continue Reading