The latest Max Mosley master plan to cut costs in F1 involved banning teams from using their wind tunnels. On January 11th proposals will be put to the team principals requiring that they reduce their wind tunnel use as follows: Each team may have only one wind tunnel operating five days per week, eight hours … Continue reading How do you stop teams from using wind tunnels?
F1 articles archive
F1: Formula 1 articles on RaceFans. The Formula One world championship began in 1950 and is considered the world’s leading form of single-seater motorsport.
The most successful F1 drivers include seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher, who also set a record of 91 career wins, and five-times world champion Juan Manuel Fangio.
Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are the leading drivers among the 20 competitors who take part in the championship today.
Ferrari has won the F1 constructors’ championship more times than any other team, with 16 titles. It is also the only team which has competed in every championship since the first season of Formula 1. There are 10 teams active in the championship, each of which fields cars for two drivers.
The Formula 1 calendar typically runs from March to November each year. Pre-season tests take place in February and March, and a post-season test is usually scheduled for late November or December.
Poll: McLaren – was it a cover up?
Posted onHanlon’s Razor says you should: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” When McLaren first investigated Mike Coughlan’s possession of 780 pages of Ferrari information they found little evidence of its widespread use within the team. But after two hearings the team were found guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute … Continue reading Poll: McLaren – was it a cover up?
Don’t blame Hermann Tilke, blame the rules
Posted onNew Formula 1 tracks usually have two things in common: they’re designed by Hermann Tilke, and they get criticised by F1 fans and commentators for being dull, sterile and unchallenging. Inevitably Tilke gets the blame, but I read something in Autosport recently that made me wonder whether that’s fair: Current F1 track design rules limit … Continue reading Don’t blame Hermann Tilke, blame the rules
“Cars at Speed” (Robert Daley, 2007 reprint)
Posted on“Cars at Speed” – what a fantastic title. I’d like to think that if the TV programme “Top Gear” had been created in the 1950s it would have been called “Cars at Speed” and presented by plummy-voiced Raymond Baxter instead of rant-meister Jeremy Clarkson. But no, “Cars at Speed” is a book about motor racing … Continue reading “Cars at Speed” (Robert Daley, 2007 reprint)
F1 blogs review: Alonso vs Piquet and McLaren vs Renault
Posted onThis week F1 bloggers asked how Fernando Alonso will get on with Nelson Piquet Jnr – and why McLaren got punished ahead of Renault. Plus a great video review of the F1 season and interview with Lewis Hamilton, and much more…
McLaren confirm Heikki Kovalainen for 2008
Posted onHeikki Kovalainen will be confirmed as Lewis Hamilton’s team mate at McLaren for 2008 according to today’s Times.
F1 news review: Win 2007 DVDs, Autocourses and more
Posted onIn this week’s round-up of F1 news and articles there’s stacks of prizes to be won including F1 2007 DVDs, Autocourse 2007 annuals, Lewis Hamilton books and more. Plus a fatality at Interlagos, new plans for a night race in Australia, more tests for Michael Schumacher, the battle for the last few 2008 F1 drives … Continue reading F1 news review: Win 2007 DVDs, Autocourses and more
Mosley proposes halt to McLaren spy investigation
Posted onMax Mosley has proposed that the proceedings regarding McLaren’s possession of Ferrari intellectual property be brought to a close following McLaren’s public apology earlier today. This comes following the publication of the FIA’s technical report which casts new light on how McLaren engineers were planning to use the material obtained from Ferrari’s Nigel Stepney by … Continue reading Mosley proposes halt to McLaren spy investigation
McLaren apologises over Ferrari spy scandal
Posted onMcLaren has taken the surprising step of issuing an apology over the spy scandal for which it was thrown out of the 2007 constructors’ championship. In a statement on its website the team said: It has become clear that Ferrari information was more widely disseminated within McLaren than was previously communicated. McLaren greatly regrets that … Continue reading McLaren apologises over Ferrari spy scandal
Spanish sponsor quits McLaren for 2008
Posted onOrdinarily I wouldn’t bother writing a separate post about a sponsor leaving a team, such as today’s news Spanish insurance group Mutua Madrilena are leaving McLaren before the 2008 season. According to Autosport: Mutua Madrilena said in a statement that its decision to leave McLaren was not linked with Alonso’s exit and that they had … Continue reading Spanish sponsor quits McLaren for 2008
‘McLaren witch hunt’ discussed at second spy hearing
Posted onI’m still trying to get everything that happened in F1’s two spying scandals straight in my head at the moment. While doing some work on it tonight I came across a passage that give further insight into Max Mosley’s thinking on the FIA’s pursuit of the Sunday Times and Martin Brundle over the ‘witch hunt’ … Continue reading ‘McLaren witch hunt’ discussed at second spy hearing
Video: Raikkonen & Hamilton get started in karts
Posted onHere’s one for those who like chuckling at floppy youth hairstyles: six videos showing 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen and runner-up Lewis Hamilton in their karting days. Some of their strongest characteristics are already plain to see – Raikkonen’s laid-back reticence and wry smile are much in evidence. Behind the wheel Hamilton’s attacking, opportunistic race … Continue reading Video: Raikkonen & Hamilton get started in karts
David Coulthard: “This is another Senna situation”
Posted onDavid Coulthard is worried about the planned ban on tyre warmers for the 2009 season: The tyres are operating in a very different temperature range, and we are talking about some cars with 20psi and others that have just 14psi. This is another Senna situation. Does he have justified cause for alarm?
2008 F1 calendar ‘more credible’ than 20 years ago?
Posted onI wrote at length about a revealing interview Max Mosley gave recently in which he made this remark: It’s a far more credible championship [calendar] than it was 20 years ago. That’s Mosley’s verdict on the modern Formula 1 calendar. Have a look at how the 2008 F1 calendar compares with the 1988 schedule and … Continue reading 2008 F1 calendar ‘more credible’ than 20 years ago?
Renault confirm Alonso and Piquet Jnr for 2008
2008 F1 season
Posted onRenault has confirmed its driver line-up for the 2008 season with Fernando Alonso making a widely-anticipated return to the team.
Mosley on McLaren, F1 engines, customer chassis and more
Posted onAmong the myriad development that have come from the FIA recently a detailed interview with Max Mosley gives some interesting new insights into the McLaren-Ferrari spying scandal, future F1 regulations, customer cars and more. The interview was published in The Paddock, a recent addition to the world of F1 publications which has just published its … Continue reading Mosley on McLaren, F1 engines, customer chassis and more
Martin Brundle hits back at the FIA over ‘bullying’
Posted onMartin Brundle has hit back at the FIA following the news that the sport’s governing body intends to sue the Sunday Times over one of his articles. In a new piece today entitled “How can Formula One justify blatant double standards?” Brundle defends his earlier claim that the FIA is engaged in a witch-hunt against … Continue reading Martin Brundle hits back at the FIA over ‘bullying’
“Kimi made it at last” (F1 2007 season DVD)
Posted onFormula One Management guard the rights to show Formula 1 video with utmost jealousy. The cost of buying and broadcasting Formula 1 footage is so extortionately expensive that even major television news channels will only show the briefest glimpses of race action. The end-of-season video reviews remain the only official way to watch the highlights … Continue reading “Kimi made it at last” (F1 2007 season DVD)
“Lewis Hamilton: New Kid on the Grid” (Ian Stafford, 2007)
Posted onJoining the pile of Lewis Hamilton biographies vying for the consumer pound in the gift-giving season is this effort from Ian Stafford. Does it have anything to make it stand out from its many rivals?
2008 testing round-up 2
Posted onThis week saw the final four days of testing of 2007. Although much was made of the opportunity to compare Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton on track at the same time, in reality the diversity of testing programmes being run meant that no worthwhile comparison was possible. Teams ran a mixture of grooved and slick … Continue reading 2008 testing round-up 2