F1 in America

FIA Release Details of Deal, Entry List

2009-06-24T16:47:00.003-04:00

The FIA have released the decision of the WSMC and the details of the agreement with FOTA. The 2010 season will be run under 2009 rules except where agreed to by both parties. Max Mosley's decision to not seek re-election is part of the deal.

Following is the text of the press release:

All currently competing teams have committed to the FIA Formula One World Championship.

There will be no alternative series or championship and the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April 2009.

As part of this agreement, the teams will, within two years, reduce the costs of competing in the championship to the level of the early 1990s. The manufacturer teams have agreed to assist the new entries for 2010 by providing technical assistance.

The manufacturer teams have further agreed to the permanent and continuing role of the FIA as the sport’s governing body. They have also committed to the commercial arrangements for the FIA Formula One World Championship until 2012 and have agreed to renegotiate and extend this contract before the end of that period.

All teams will adhere to an upgraded version of the governance provisions of the 1998 Concorde Agreement.

The following teams have been accepted for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.

TEAM
SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO
VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES
BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM
RENAULT F1 TEAM
PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING
SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO
RED BULL RACING
AT&T WILLIAMS
FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM
BRAWN GP FORMULA ONE TEAM
CAMPOS META TEAM
MANOR GRAND PRIX
TEAM US F1

CONSTRUCTOR
FERRARI
McLAREN MERCEDES
BMW SAUBER
RENAULT
TOYOTA
STR TBA
RBR TBA
WILLIAMS TOYOTA
FORCE INDIA MERCEDES
BRAWN TBA
CAMPOS COSWORTH
MANOR COSWORTH
TEAM US F1 COSWORTH

In view of this new agreement and with the prospect of a stable future for Formula One, FIA President Max Mosley has confirmed his decision not to stand for re-election in October this year.

Max Out! FIA and FOTA reach agreement

2009-06-24T08:40:00.002-04:00

Well, they did it. After a night of meetings with Luca di Montezemelo and Bernie Ecclestone, FIA president Max Mosley has announced that he will not stand for re-election and an agreement has been reached that will bring the 8 FOTA teams back to F1.

There will be no breakaway series and the 2010 entry list will be published later today.

The agreement includes reduction of costs and the teams will sign a new Concorde Agreement until 2012.

One assumes that The Bernie has exerted no little pressure on Max to get him to concede his position for the good of ~~Bernie's wallet~~ the sport.

Fans everywhere will breathe a sigh of relief today as the threat to their beloved F1 appears to be over. American fans can be happy that their new Team USF1 will be racing in the real F1 against real teams. It was disheartening to think that Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson had worked all this time to put together an American F1 team, only to have them end up racing in what would clearly be an inferior series.

Most importantly, the future of F1 is a little brighter with the departure of Mosley, whose dictatorial governance in the past few years has embroiled the sport in political tangles that mar the true nature of the sport.

Whither F1?

2009-06-22T10:15:00.000-04:00

Every time I look at the news in Formula One, someone is espousing a different opinion on its future. When FOTA announced their intentions to split from F1 and form their own championship series, the immediate reaction from Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone was to threaten legal action. I had rather assumed that FOTA wouldn't leave themselves open to lawsuits intentionally, and it seems my suspicions were correct as Max has announced he is dropping any legal actions. Instead, he wants to be friends.

But the teams and Max don't seem to be talking about the same situation. Martin Whitmarsh of McLaren has made reference to how time-sensitive any negotiation would be, while Ross Brawn says that FOTA is going ahead with plans for a new series and is not spending any time on negotiations with the FIA. Max says that a deal is close at hand while Flavio Briatore of Renault vehemently denies any such compromise.

Max, on the other hand, has said that Flavio imagines himself to be "the Bernie" and is at the head of a bunch of "loonies". The real Bernie says he will do whatever it takes to get this resolved, but one wonders if that includes using some muscle to get Max to resign.

The teams can't compromise, they couldn't accept Max's terms. To do so would mean that nothing would ever change and the reign of Max would go on forever. Max's offer to renegotiate a Concorde agreement if only they would extend the current agreement to 2012 is an empty promise he would never have to legally fulfill.

But maybe they should get together and decide what FOTA's official position on possible negotiations is before they speak to the press. It's getting very confusing out there.

Red Bulls Stampede to One, Two Finish at British GP

2009-06-21T21:18:00.005-04:00

It was the running of the Red Bulls today at the British GP. Sebastian Vettel who started on pole, never had any serious competition for the lead at any time in the race. Mark Webber took second during a Barrichello pit stop and maintained his hold on that position to the finish line.

The real action was further back in the field though, with Hamilton and Alonso battling it out for 13th with Alonso eventually winning out. Hamilton again was not able to overcome the ongoing problems with the McLaren and managed to move up to just 16th from his disappointing grid position of 19th.

Sebastian Bourdais and Heikki Kovalainen both retired after a collision, Bourdais taking off the front wing of his car in an ill-timed passing attempt. He hit Kovalainen's rear and both ended up back in the garage.

Felipe Massa showed supreme calm and mastery, battling his way to a respectable fourth while Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikonen took the last points position at eighth.

Jenson Button never seemed to be able to get the pace that has taken him to 6 wins this season and could finish no higher than sixth.

Nelson Piquet had a good day in finishing ahead of Renault team mate Fernando Alonso. Kaz Nakajima had a bad day, starting in fifth and ending with a disappointing eleventh for those of us who had thought today might be Kaz's chance to score a few points. Force India again found themselves going home without that elusive first point, despite the efforts of Giancarlo Fisichella who drove a great race from 16th to finish ahead of Nakajima in 10th.

2009 British GP Race Results

1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull
2 Mark Webber Red Bull
3 Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP
4 Felipe Massa Ferrari
5 Nico Rosberg Williams F1
6 Jenson Button Brawn GP
7 Jarno Trulli Toyota F1
8 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari
9 Timo Glock Toyota F1
10 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India
11 Kazuki Nakajima Williams F1
12 Nelson Piquet Renault F1
13 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber
14 Fernando Alonso Renault F1
15 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber
16 Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes
17 Adrian Sutil Force India
18 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso
Ret. Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso
Ret. Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes

Silverstone Qualifying Results

2009-06-20T11:37:00.003-04:00

Qualifying today at Silverstone brought some surprises and some heavy disappointments. Sebastian Vettel bested the field to take pole position, disappointing British fans who want to see their countryman Button take this race. Jenson Button could do no better than 6th in his home race, while his team mate Barrichello managed a very hard-won P2.

Mark Webber had some issues with Kimi Raikkonenm indicating that Kimi's presence on the racing line caused him to lose time on his final qualifying lap, leaving Webber in third.

"Kimi was, I don't know, drinking some vodka or dreaming or something, I don't know what hell he was doing but he should have been on the right and he was on the racing line, dreaming. That wrecked my rhythm really into Stowe, I was very tight into there."

You've got to have Mark around if only for the amusing and impolitic things he says when he's frustrated.

Kaz Nakajima made a very respectable showing to place fifth on the grid, besting team mate Nico Rosberg who finished in seventh.

Here's the grid for tomorrow's British Grand Prix at Silverstone:

1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault
2. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn-Mercedes
3. Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault
4. Jarno Trulli, Toyota
5. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams-Toyota
6. Jenson Button, Brawn-Mercedes
7. Nico Rosberg, Williams-Toyota
8. Timo Glock, Toyota
9. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
10. Fernando Alonso, Renault

Broadcasters Could Break Contracts if F1 Splits

2009-06-20T11:09:00.001-04:00

Here's even more reason for Bernie to worry. According to this article in the Guardian, most broadcasters with F1 deals believe that they will be able to break their contracts if a breakaway series becomes a reality.

Because the departure of the 8 major teams would mean such a fundamental change to the sport, lawyers feel that under contract law, broadcasters such as the BBC would no longer be held to the terms of the contract. The BBC has a new £200m contract with Formula One just this year.

FOTA Breaks with FIA - Will set up new series

2009-06-20T09:45:00.003-04:00

The big story in F1 this week is the desertion of 8 major teams from the sport. FOTA announced on Thursday that they will set up their own breakaway series rather than agree to the 2010 regulations formulated by Max Mosley and the FIA.

Max's first response was an expected one. Breathing out threats of lawsuits he insisted that if FOTA's main goal was to oust him then they have only made it more imperative that he stay on to guide F1 through this crisis. I don't for a second believe Max was planning on going anywhere regardless of how negotiations with FOTA turned out.

Bernie Ecclestone has also announced his plans to sue the teams. The teams have received commercial revenues in advance and Bernie will sue to have them returned. Fair enough. The question remains whether there is basis for a lawsuit in the setting up of a rival series.

I have to believe that the teams consist of intelligent, business-savvy people who have not blindly set out upon a path they are not sure they can travel down. Surely they will have had these contingency plans in place for a very long time, and have researched all the possible obstacles before deciding to break with the FIA.

Mosley stated that everyone would suffer monetary loss, but Bernie Ecclestone has the most to lose. Max will lose his power, and he's determined not to let that happen. This statement from Max says it all:

"They want to grab the money and the sporting power. Well I won't let them grab the sporting power and Bernie won't let them grab the money".

That's pretty much sums up what Max and Bernie see in F1 - money and power. There's very little said from that camp regarding what's best for the sport.

Canadian GP May Return to 2010 F1 Calendar

2009-06-18T08:57:00.001-04:00

It's still possible that the Canadian Grand Prix could return in 2010. Reportedly negotiations are still ongoing with Bernie Ecclestone to restore the GP at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the coming season.

The loss of the Canadian GP meant that there were no Formula One races held in North America. For fans that reside on this continent, it was a great loss.

With the introduction of an American F1 team into F1, my hope is that Bernie will not only revisit the Canadian GP but perhaps find a suitable venue for a US Grand Prix. Bernie has neglected a growing fan base, one that is bound to grow even larger with the advent of a home-based team in the sport.

The Canadian circuit is also being reported as available as a venue for a breakaway series, if FOTA and the FIA do not come to terms before the deadline and if the teams decide to form their own series.

FOTA offers compromise to FIA

2009-06-17T09:57:00.001-04:00

FOTA has offered a compromise to the FIA in an effort to end the standoff over the new regulations and the budget cap. FOTA has reportedly sent a letter spelling out the details of their proposal to Max Mosley.

Basically, the teams are agreeing to abide by the budget cap, now called "resource restriction" (it's important to find new and less inflammatory words for things that people might otherwise hate), if the FIA allows the teams to have the compliance with these restrictions monitored by a group of independent accountants. These accountants would be chosen by the teams and would make annual reports to the FIA.

FOTA has also requested that the deadline for finalizing the 2010 list of participants be extended until July 1 so that a new Concorde agreement can be negotiated.

Team USF1 on Twitter

2009-06-16T10:13:00.004-04:00

Team USF1 is now on Twitter for anyone interested in following their updates. The team website is still not active online, but for news and information you can read their tweets daily on Twitter.

Here's the link for Team USF1 on Twitter.

http://twitter.com/teamusf1

Power Struggles Continue in F1

2009-06-15T10:10:00.001-04:00

While the entire future of F1 seems to be in jeopardy as the dispute between FOTA and the FIA continues, there is speculation of a breakaway series. FOTA appears unwilling to back down and although there have been a few conciliatory murmurs from Max Mosley, little has been settled.

Mosley has given the teams until June 19 to drop the conditions from their entries. The row stems from new rules and regulations for 2010, including a budget cap that the teams has said is unworkable.

There has been a clear call for new governance in the sport, from both FOTA and the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (ACEA). Clearly, this means they want Max out.

"The ACEA members support the activities and objectives of the Formula One Teams' Association to establish stable governance, clear and transparent rules which are common to all competitors to achieve cost reductions including a proper attribution of revenues to the F1 teams, in order to deliver a sustainable attractive sport for the worldwide public.

"Unless these objectives are met, the BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Toyota along with the other teams are determined to find an alternative way to practice this sport in a manner which provides clarity, certainty of rules and administration, and a fair allocation of revenues to the competing teams. "

The FIA says that FOTA is trying to take over the regulations of F1 and released a statement that basically says "we don't need you".

"The FIA and FOM have together spent decades building the FIA Formula One World Championship into the most watched motor sport competition in history," it said.

"In light of the success of the FIA's Championship, FOTA - made up of participants who come and go as it suits them – has set itself two clear objectives: to take over the regulation of Formula 1 from the FIA and to expropriate the commercial rights for itself. These are not objectives which the FIA can accept."

Turkish GP Buttoned Up, Vettel comes third

2009-06-08T12:00:00.003-04:00

The Turkish Grand Prix was a very satisfying race, one that provided everything you could hope for. There was lots of overtaking, with Rubens Barrichello providing several occasions for a sharp intake of breath as he either narrowly failed or narrowly succeeded to overtake. Even though there were a few bumps and shoves, there were no accidents and therefore, no safety car periods that artificially eliminated the gaps between drivers. Unfortunately for Barrichello, his extreme efforts to gain positions led him to an early retirement, the first DNF for Brawn GP.

Jenson Button came through again for Brawn GP by winning the Turkish GP, ahead of Sebastian Vettel who started the race on pole. Button has an impressive 6 wins out of 7 races to his credit.

For anyone who doubted that Button has the right stuff, Turkey's GP should settle the question in his favor. Sure, Vettel gave Button his chance to take the race lead when Vettel made a mistake after turn 10 by sliding onto the grass. But not only did Button take advantage of that mistake, he went on to build a lead. It was a flawless race from Jenson Button.

Now for the Vettel question. Vettel, who not only made a mistake that cost him the race today, but has made mistakes that cost him his race twice before this. Vettel is a quick driver, of that there is no doubt. But he's young, he's still inexperienced. I know he's the wonder boy of F1 at the moment, but the level of worship is quickly turning this quiet and charming young man into an ego to be reckoned with. The sad thing is that when the media succeed in giving him a big head, they will turn on him, saying he's too egotistical. They make em, they break em. Look at Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton spent much of the race looking as if he didn't want to push anything too far, however, he did finish ahead of teammate Heikki Kovaleinen, coming in 13th to Kovaleinen's 14th. Kovaleinen ran an unspectacular race but also a race free of the accidents and mechanical failures that have plagued his efforts thus far this year.

Here in the US, the race wasn't shown live on SPEEDtv as it normally would be, Fox network having this and the next three races. The race was delayed until 3pm, leaving the American F1 fans to scramble about looking for a feed to watch the race in real time. When Fox played the pre-recorded question and answer period after the race, they completely cut out Mark Webber's comments. Instead, they went straight from the interview of Button to 3rd place Sebastian Vettel, skipping over Webber who finished in 2nd place ahead of his teammate. The decision to include Vettel's comments and ignore Webber was irritating but stems from the concept that the entire world has focused its hope for the future on the young German.

Perhaps when America has its own F1 team, the media in the US will understand better how to broadcast races and the fan base for F1 will increase. For now, they don't believe we will get up early enough to bother watching races live.

Bahrain Afterthoughts 2009

2009-04-27T11:56:00.001-04:00

The GP at Bahrain was won and lost by race strategy. Toyota lost what appeared to be an excellent chance at a win through poor strategy. I won't go into all the details, mainly because I am not as capable of explaining them as Clive does over at his blog.

Ferrari, for once, didn't do anything wrong. They didn't do anything brilliantly, but at least they didn't make the sort of mistakes of desperation that have cost them dearly so far this season. With Luca di Montezemelo in town for the race, Kimi Raikkonen suddenly found his mojo and managed to score the team's first points this season with a sixth place finish. There are many rumors about what has happened to Kimi since his World Championship year, certainly he has had a competitive car for two of those years without being as impressive as we expected him to be. A fastest lap here and there, but although he can be extraordinarily quick, Kimi doesn't seem to be in a mindset for racing.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, with or without brilliant strategy simply raced. He drove well, pushing the limits and his reward was a fourth place finish. Team mate Heikki Kovalainen was involved in an early skirmish and never quite recovered.

It was Brawn GP's strategy that won the race. Jenson Button was undeniably quick but the timing of pit stops and tire changes done well was enough when combined with the dismal mistakes that Toyota made.

Race strategy has always confused me because it always appears to be written in stone. Unless there's a monsoon, or a safety car period, teams set out a strategy for fuel and tires and pit stops go accordingly. What makes more sense is to have a strategy with just a little wiggle room built in so that it can be adjusted and reset according to the particular situations that occur during the race.

All in all, it was a very entertaining race, one which kept your attention focused. There were no incidents or stewarding decisions that made us wince - something that is always a pleasant change of pace.

It seems that 2009 is the year of Brawn GP .

Qualifying in Bahrain

2009-04-25T19:37:00.001-04:00

The Toyotas of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock triumphed in qualifying today, netting P1 and P2 respectively. Sebastian Vettel grabbed P3 while the Brawns were split with Button in fourth position and Barrichello in sixth with Hamilton sandwiched in between at P5.

Hamilton drove well, but a decision to go out early left his teammate Kovalainen just out of Q3, doing no better than eleventh. Kovalainen's car is heavier on fuel than any in the top ten, so an effective race strategy may still see him finish in the points at tomorrow's GP if he continues to drive well. Hamilton is also well-positioned for a possible podium finish.

Both Ferraris made it to Q3, with Massa at the 8th spot on the grid and Raikonnen finishing at P10.

BMW had a disappointing day with both Kubica and Heidfeld elimnated in Q2. They will start at 13th and 14th on the grid.

Mark Webber suffered the destruction of his hot lap by the Force India car of Adrian Sutil, leaving Mark Webber at the back of the pack in 19th position.

The starting grid looks like this:

1. Trulli
2. Glock
3. Vettel
4. Button
5. Hamilton
6. Barrichello
7. Alonso
8. Massa
9. Rosberg
10. Raikkonen
11. Kovalainen
12. Nakajima
13. Kubica
14. Heidfeld
15. Piquet
16. Sutil
17. Buemi
18. Fisichella
19. Webber
20. Bourdais

McLaren Admits All Charges to the FIA

2009-04-24T10:03:00.002-04:00

Having stood their ground and fought the FIA in the past without success, McLaren is throwing themselves on the mercy of the FIA and the WMSC. Martin Whitmarsh has sent a letter to the FIA in which he admits all charges against the team, mainly bringing the sport into disrepute by lying to the stewards.

Whitmarsh's attempt will blunt the dog and pony show, that is, once the charges are admitted there will be less strutting about as the grave mideeds are trumpeted by Mosley and the WMSC. But will this admission (along with the enumeration of mitigating circumstances) be enough to avoid the heaviest penalties that the WMSC can throw at them?

If they are truly working towards the best interest of the sport, they will settle on a course of action that provides a punishment that suitably mollifies the masses but doesn't destroy the season by removing an important team for the balance of it.

Fans have, for the most part, long tired of the controversy. The sacking of Dave Ryan by McLaren and the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton from the Australian GP is enough to satisfy whatever outrage they may have felt following the discovery that Hamilton and Ryan had neglected to tell the stewards the whole truth. If the fans mean anything to the FIA, they won't go too far in assessing a penalty at the WMSC hearing on April 29.

Ron Dennis, whose conflicts with Max Mosley are recognized publicly by everyone but Max, has stepped down from the racing team, and essentially removed any possibility of Mosley being able to continue any personal vendetta against him. Bernie Ecclestone, on the other hand, has stated that Dennis' absence from the team isn't going to affect the outcome of the hearing. In a public admission of what Max denies so vehemently, Bernie said "This is not about the personalities of Ron and Max, it is about finding out if there was more to what happened than we have already learned."

What should come out of this, but won't, is better stewarding and a commitment by the FIA to have race control more available to teams for quick decisions regarding on-track situations. Had the race director, Charlie Whiting and race control answered McLaren when they sought guidance about the change in positions on track under the safety car, none of this would have taken place.

China GP - Rain, Racing and Results

2009-04-19T11:08:00.000-04:00

Usually any predictions I make about a race turn out to be dead wrong. That's why I wish I had posted my predictions for the China GP, for once I would have been at least partially right.

I did feel that Vettel could hold on to P1 throughout the race, and even if he didn't, would finish on the podium. Red Bull skewed the rest of my pre-race predictions, with an unexpectedly strong race from Mark Webber.

Although a rainy start under the safety car deprives us of that exciting spurt to the first corner and the often-resulting thinning of the pack due to collisions, it did mix things up a bit by completely destroying the strategies of the teams, set up at a time when they obviously expected a dry track. Low fuel wasn't as big an advantage and without the ability to open a wide gap with a lighter car on super-soft tires, other tactics had to be examined. Some worked well, but were costly for others such as Fernando Alonso.

There weren't any risky decisions from Ferrari, but they still finished the race with no points. They haven't gone three races in a row without points since 1981. Massa's car gave up the ghost on lap 21 due to an electrical failure, leaving him parked and out of the race while Raikkonen could do no better than 10th.

Ross Brawn seemed to make all the right decisions at all the right times, but they couldn't manage to catch Vettel who drove a flawless race. Button and Webber fought heartily for 2nd, in a series of passes where each took advantage of the other's slight mistakes. However, these mistakes caused both to lose precious seconds, allowing Vettel to increase his lead.

Lewis Hamilton worked hard, passing Raikkonen and Trulli, pulling himself up to 5th, only to have a spin-out set him back to do it all over again. He did too, managing to finish 6th, having started at P9 on the grid.

Trulli's race ended when the BMW of Robert Kubica climbed up Trulli's rear end. Kubica managed to finish the race but Trulli's car was too damaged by the accident.

Fernando Alonso was the victim of a very badly timed pit stop that put him at the back of the pack while the safety car was still out.

Adrian Sutil lost the opportunity to score Force India's first points when he slid off at turn 5 and hit the wall. He drove an excellent race to that point, moving up from his starting position of 18th on the grid to sixth place. With Lewis Hamilton on his heels, he may have overcorrected for the hydroplaning and the car went sideways off the track.

In my mind, the big winner was Heikki Kovalainen, who had not managed to complete a full lap in either of the first two races. There was a joking congratulations offered by the SpeedTV commentators when he did complete lap 1 of the China GP but very little said about his steady performance that gave him a 5th place finish, seven spots up from his grid position of 12th. In China Heikki gave us a solid drive that was admirably free of bad decisions, mistakes or accidents. Perhaps the McLaren car is genuinely improved, and I hope that Kovalainen can keep up the improvement in his performance as well.

So, despite Flavio Briatore's tirade that F1 was being ruined because of the change in fortunes of teams like McLaren and Ferrari and the rise of the Brawn GP team, China proved that mixing it all up a bit and throwing in a little rain can provide a very entertaining race. I think he would be hard put to find many disappointed fans.

Points Finishers:

1 Sebastian Vettel
2 Mark Webber
2 Jenson Button
4 Rubens Barrichello
5 Heikki Kovalainen
6 Lewis Hamilton
7 Timo Glock
8 Sebastien Buemi

Diffuser Decision May Destroy 2009 Results to Date

2009-04-13T10:18:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is the day that the big diffuser argument will finally be settled. Although it ought to have been settled when the stewards declared the double diffusers to be legal before the start of the season, it must be re-analyzed due to complaints lodged by teams without diffusers - or more simply, those who are losing more than they are used to doing.

The danger is that if the diffuser is now ruled illegal, it could completely shred the results of the first two races. The results of these races have already been changed enough times to make any scorekeeper dizzy.

So, when the international appeal court makes their decision regarding the diffuser, it must take into account several options. First, even if they rule it is illegal, they could decide to hold off banning them until next year. Loopholes are meant to be exploited, and if the FIA do not like the holes they have left or the consequences when the teams manage to squirm through them, they can tighten them up.

Maybe it's a very American viewpoint, but just what is wrong with ingenuity?

Possibly, they will rule that the double diffuser is illegal from here on in, leaving the first two races alone. Ferrari used an illegal movable floor in Australia in 2007. The FIA subsequently clamped down on this design yet didn't change the results of the race that Ferrari had won using the illegal floor, so a precedent has been set for this type of decision.

The possibility exists that they will rule that diffusers such as the one used by Brawn GP are perfectly legal within the established rules and all teams whose cars do not currently have these diffusers will rush to employ the design they are all most assuredly working on at the moment just in case the appeal doesn't go their way.

Let's just hope that they don't mess further with the two races that have already been the source of so much controversy this year. Fans love the politics, but not when they become that destructive to the sport.

Whiting Says Hamilton Offered Apology

2009-04-12T07:46:00.000-04:00

According to an article at autosport.com, Lewis Hamilton offered a private apology to race director Charlie Whiting for lying to the stewards regarding his actions at the Australian GP, and promised never to behave like that again. There is no indication that Charlie Whiting apologized for his utter incompetence in not rendering the ruling requested by McLaren during the race, that would have prevented all the events that followed.

I find it strange that there is no accountability when it comes to this aspect of the controversy. While under the safety car, Trulli went off onto the grass and Hamilton passed him. Hamilton and the McLaren team were communicating by radio, questioning whether Hamilton must now let Trulli retake the position or if the fact that Trulli went off meant that Hamilton could retain it. A decision was requested from the race director by McLaren, but none was forthcoming. The decision to let Trulli past was made out of fear of a penalty. All the subsequent events - the stewards' penalty on Trulli and the rescinding thereof, the disqualification of Hamilton from the Australian GP and the upcoming appearance of McLaren at the WMSC - all stem from that failure to provide guidance.

Here's an excerpt from the Sporting Regulations regarding the duties of the race director:

The race director shall have overriding authority in the following matters and the clerk of the course may give orders in respect of them only with his express agreement:
a) the control of practice and the race, adherence to the timetable and, if he deems it necessary, the making of any proposal to the stewards to modify the timetable in accordance with the Code or Sporting Regulations,
b) the stopping of any car in accordance with the Code or Sporting Regulations,
c) the stopping of practice or the race in accordance with the Sporting Regulations if he deems it unsafe to continue and ensuring that the correct restart procedure is carried out,
d) the starting procedure,
e) the use of the safety car.

If you are ignoring an urgent situation on the track because you are too busy looking at video of a crash that is over and done with, then it seems impossible that you could be in control of the race. Yet, the excuse given for not responding to McLaren when they asked for a ruling is that Charlie Whiting and the stewards were busy looking at the Vettel/Kubica accident. The fact that they handed down an unwarranted penalty to Vettel for what amounts to a racing incident indicates that this intense scrutiny was in vain.

What bothers me most about this interview with Whiting is that although he couldn't manage to definitively answer a question about passing under the safety car during the race, his psychic abilities allowed him to determine Hamilton's state of mind when he talked to the stewards:

"I was distinctly uncomfortable about Lewis's demeanour on Sunday [in Australia], and on Thursday [in Malaysia] I would say he was just doing what he was told to do."

There's little doubt that the FIA has already determined to heavily punish McLaren, and the absolution granted Hamilton was a necessary step towards the ultimate goal.

I suppose though, that since this all started in Australia, a kangaroo court is rather fitting.

WMSC Summons McLaren in Lie-Gate Saga

2009-04-09T10:07:00.000-04:00

The popularly dubbed "lie-gate" saga continues with the announcement that McLaren have been summoned to appear before the WMSC on April 29, to answer charges that they have brought the sport into disrepute.

The FIA announced on Tuesday that the team will appear before the extraordinary WMSC hearing in Paris on the Wednesday after the Bahrain GP to answer charges that it has breached Article 151c of the International Sporting Code.

The rule states that competitors are in breach of the regulations if they take part in: "Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally".

Dave Ryan and Lewis Hamilton

Rumors and conspiracy theories abound, ranging from the mildly amusing to the ridiculously improbable - such as the one that holds that McLaren and Hamilton enticed Jarno Trulli to pass Hamilton, hoping to get him penalized. We cry out for logic and justice when the stewards hand down some questionable decision. Let's apply some to this situation, please.

Setting aside the obvious question of what could be more disreputable than Max Moseley's naked Nazi romp, let's consider the situation at hand.

Hamilton didn't want to let Trulli pass him after Trulli went off and then rejoined behind Lewis. It was the team that was encouraging him to allow Trulli to retake third. Hamilton didn't think he needed to, and Hamilton was correct. Trulli was off the track.

Hamilton did let Trulli go past him, on his team's advice, against his better judgment. When the stewards called him up, along with Dave Ryan, Ryan told Hamilton to withold the details of that conversation over the radio. Hamilton did so. Perhaps we can give him benefit of the doubt and believe that was also against his better judgment, but he did so. Why? Because his team told him to do so.

On the track, the direction of the team is essential to the driver in terms of the race and his safety. Drivers do as instructed.

As far as we know - as far as anyone knows for that matter - the responsibility for the decision to lie to the stewards was completely Dave Ryan's. Unless the FIA can prove that the decision came from upper management in McLaren, there is really no point in going further. Ryan told Hamilton to lie, Ryan was sacked, Hamilton was forgiven and even allowed to make his apology from the FIA press conference room (probably because they were so gleeful at this latest opportunity to point an accusing finger at McLaren).

If you ask me, it's over. The responsible party has been dismissed, Hamilton has already received the punishment that the FIA decided was fair and anything further is just another spectacle that will fill the news headlines and bring further disrepute on a sport that is desperately trying to win new fans.

Coulthard, Schumacher Defend Hamilton in Lying Incident

2009-04-06T10:07:00.000-04:00

Of some comfort to Lewis Hamilton may be the fact that at least two former drivers have stated that his lying to the stewards is perfectly understandable, and that he had no choice but to do as his team advised him.

Ralf Schumacher, having been asked about the lying incident by Bild am Sonntag defended Hamilton, stating that Hamilton surely was not the first driver to have lied. A rather weak excuse, but unfortunately realistic. Ralf admitted that as a driver, had he ever been in a similar position, he could see himself doing what Hamilton did.

"You are together with your team, and together you say what you have to say."

David Coulthard echoed similar sentiments in his blog at the BBC website. Coulthard points out that a driver must trust his team, and it is not surprising that a driver will follow team instructions, even if it means lying to the stewards.

I've been in that situation many times and you trust your team - you trust the integrity and safety of the car, so why would you not trust them when they give you a guideline on what to say?

Personally, I think the reports that Lewis was so upset about the incident that he was considering quitting F1 were purposeful attempts to garner sympathy and forgiveness for him. On the other hand, can a driver, in a few, confused moments, thoroughly assess a situation and make the difficult decision to defy his team's orders and jeopardize his career?

Is it possible that Dave Ryan also made a hasty decision? It is very likely, given that he would have had little time to consult with anyone or to think things through.

The plain fact is that if the prevailing attitude in F1 was honesty and openness, there wouldn't be any need to formulate any particular strategy in a meeting with the stewards. The "everybody lies" atmosphere (well, everybody else lies, since no one admits that they too, lie) creates the situations where unfair penalties are assessed and the stewards make insane decisions (such as the one penalizing Sebastien Bourdais for having the audacity to let Felipe Massa run into him last year in Japan).

I know it's a crazy idea, this honesty thing, but you never know - it could work.

Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time

2009-04-06T08:29:00.000-04:00

Bernie Ecclestone sees nothing wrong with twilight races. He figures that the European fans were happy and a good time was had by all.

In an interview with Autosport, Bernie opined that it would have rained in Malaysia even if they had started at 2pm. Yes, Bernie, it may have rained anyway, but it wouldn't have been dark.

The real shame is that it was shaping up to be a really fine race. Just the cautious and gentlemanly jockeying for position between Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber, that included several instances of each overtaking the other, was worth the price of admission. Alonso's use of KERS to battle off encroaching competitors was a good example of its usefulness. There was plenty of racing going on and no possibility of this race becoming processional.

So having the race suspended for rain and then cut short did both the drivers and the fans a great disservice. Racing is what we tune in to watch and there was plenty of it in Malaysia.

For me, the race started at 5am, which is admittedly a little more convenient than 2am. But I would have rather lost a good night's sleep if it meant seeing the race run to its full conclusion.

Rain Finishes Malaysian GP - Button Scores Second Win

2009-04-05T18:09:00.000-04:00

The Malaysian Grand Prix gave Jenson Button his second win, but the suspension of the race due to rain and the impossibility of restarting it due to the dwindling light has become the big story of this race.

The sky threatened rain from the start, looking so imminent at times that Ferrari doomed Kimi Raikkonen by putting full wet tires on his car several laps too soon. Had the skies opened up sooner, it would have been hailed as a brilliant move. Unfortunately, the rain held off, leaving Kimi to proceed slowly and carefully for several laps, trying to preserve the tires which degrade very quickly on a dry track.

Because Malaysia was one of Bernie's "twilight" races, held late in the day, the sun was setting by the time the rain let up. The race was suspended not long after the safety car came out, never to resume.

Final standings were determined by the drivers' positions in the last full lap before the race was suspended. Half points were awarded for the rain-shortened race.

1. J Button 5 points
2. N Heidfeld 4 points
3. T Glock 3 points
4. J Trulli 2.5 points
5. R Barrichello 2 points
6. M Webber 1.5 points
7. L Hamilton 1 point
8. N Rosberg .5 point

Half points were awarded for the rain-shortened race.

While we certainly can't blame the weather on the five o'clock start time, with fading light already a visibility problem that many drivers have complained about, was bound to be exacerbated by a rain event. The twilight race times have been requested by Bernie Ecclestone, to make viewing time for European fans more convenient.

The issues that have disgusted race fans most this week have absolutely nothing to do with having to watch the race at an inconvenient time. The undeserved penalty on Sebastian Vettel caused some fans to wonder why the stewards choose to investigate some racing incidents and not others. The Hamilton/McLaren scandal is simply depressing.

A sport with as many rules as this one should need very little interference by officials, yet the fear of incurring penalties for infractions not yet thought of is constantly weighing on the minds of the drivers and their teams. We can blame Hamilton and McLaren for not being truthful and forthcoming, but we must blame the FIA stewardship for creating the atmosphere of fear and distrust that leads to the type of confusion experienced by Hamilton at the Australian GP.

Qualifying Results Malaysia

2009-04-04T10:15:00.000-04:00

Jenson Button sits on pole for tomorrow's race in Malaysia, with Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock biting at his heels. Glock moves up to P3 due to penalties on Sebastian Vettel and Rubens Barrichello which drop them to 13th and 9th respectively.

Felipe Massa failed to get into Q2, but teammate Kimi Raikkonnen finished at 9th in Q3. Raikkonen will move up to 7th after penalties are applied. Neither McLaren made it to Q3. Hamilton, who qualified at 13th will start at 12th with Kovalainen in 14th behind Sebastian Vettel.

I didn't have the heart to write about the Hamilton apology but all I can say is, big dope slap to McLaren. Never cheat when you're already winning and never lie if you haven't done anything wrong. Fourth place was a victory for Hamilton, having battled his way from the back of the grid. He's young, he's team oriented and maybe he was just following orders, but that excuse falls a bit short on personal responsibility.

The good news for Hamilton is the FIA have graciously accepted his apology, having found in it a way to further punish McLaren for having misled the young lad. Although there is no longer the threat of further sanctions against Lewis, the FIA is still looking at possible action against the team.

Qualifying Results:
1. Button Brawn-Mercedes
2. Trulli Toyota
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault*
4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes **
5. Glock Toyota
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota
7. Webber Red Bull-Renault
8. Kubica BMW-Sauber
9. Raikkonen Ferrari
10. Alonso Renault
11. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber
12. Nakajima Williams-Toyota
13. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
14. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes
15. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari
16. Massa Ferrari
17. Piquet Renault
18. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes
19. Sutil Force India-Mercedes
20. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari

* before 10 grid spot penalty applied
** before 5 grid spot penalty applied

Hamilton Disqualified from Australian GP

2009-04-02T10:54:00.000-04:00

In a shocking twist to the ongoing Australian GP saga, Lewis Hamilton has been utterly disqualified from the race by the FIA stewards, and Jarno Trulli restored to third place.

Speed TV is claiming that it was their interview that caused the FIA to take a second look at the incident. Immediately following the race, Hamilton told Speed TV reporter Adam Cooper:

"I was behind Trulli under the safety car, and clearly you’re not allowed to overtake under the safety car. But he went off in the second to last corner, he went wide on the grass, I guess his tyres were cold. And I was forced to go by. I slowed down as much as I could. I was told to let him back past, but I mean... I don’t know if that’s the regulations, and if it isn’t, then I should have really had third."

This caused the FIA to examine radio transmissions between Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes and Hamilton. After doing so, the stewards disqualified Hamilton from the race under Article 158 of the International Sporting Code - a little section that goes like this:

A sentence of exclusion may be pronounced by the stewards of the meeting under the conditions provided for in Article 141. The person so sentenced shall thereby be excluded from taking part in one or more competitions at a meeting. In all cases, exclusion shall entail the loss of the entry fee which shall accrue to the organisers.

I can imagine that after Sebastian Vettel's gushing apology for the accident between him and Kubica, that he was strongly advised by Red Bull to never, ever, admit fault so openly again. In fact, Vettel didn't appear to be at fault and his resulting penalty is unjustified.

McLaren and Hamilton have even more reason to expect unjust treatment from the stewards. After the incident with Kimi Raikonnen at Spa, when Hamilton passed, then gave the place back and then confirmed with race director Charlie Whiting that all was well, Hamilton was still penalized. Being a little gun-shy is completely understandable.

But, did they lie? Martin Whitmarsh, in an interview at autosport.com, asserted that they did not. He states that while Lewis and the team were discussing whether or not Lewis should let Trulli through, Trulli had already passed. During this time, the team was trying to get a ruling from race control, one which was never forthcoming. Whitmarsh says he assumed that since Charlie Whiting knew of the substance of the transmission, that the FIA knew and therefore assumed they had listened to it and taken it into account.

However, if one reads the transcript (available at autosport.com), it is clear that the team did tell Lewis to let Trulli by. Trulli was not mistaken that Lewis was letting him go by. The team did not advise Lewis to take the position back, they were waiting for a ruling from race control.

I understand that there are times when you can't win, and McLaren often seems to be in this position when it comes to the FIA. They obviously feared a penalty when Hamilton passed Trulli, even though Trulli was off the track. In trying to do the right thing, they gave up a position that they rightfully held.

However, when summoned by the race stewards, Hamilton denied purposely giving back the position and denied further that he had been instructed to do so, according to the FIA website.

During the hearing, held approximately one hour after the end of the race, the Stewards and the Race Director questioned Lewis Hamilton and his Team Manager David Ryan specifically about whether there had been an instruction given to Hamilton to allow Trulli to overtake. Both the driver and the Team Manager stated that no such instruction had been given. The Race Director specifically asked Hamilton whether he had consciously allowed Trulli to overtake. Hamilton insisted that he had not done so.

I guess, for me, the point is that if you can't win no matter what you do, at the very least, you should do the right thing. Tell the truth, regardless. If you suffer for it, at least you walk away with your reputation and integrity intact.

The FIA has said that they cannot state at this time whether any further action may be taken against Hamilton. The decision being that McLaren and Hamilton are in violation of article 151c regarding "any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally" the penalties could see him excluded from more than one race if the FIA pursue this before the World Motorsport Council. Could we see the entire F1 season proceed without Hamilton? Without McLaren?

Rain and Thoughts on Malaysia

2009-04-01T09:55:00.000-04:00

Toyota have announced that they will not pursue an appeal of Jarno Trulli's penalty in Melbourne. This seems a wise decision, as it is unlikely that the penalty would be vacated. Even if Trulli misunderstood the circumstances and made a mistake, it's still a mistake that is against a well-known and highly-enforced rule. Trulli was penalized for passing Hamilton while under the Safety Car. Hamilton will keep his points and third place, therefore, making Melbourne a much more successful race for McLaren than they had dared hope.

I don't think they can be as hopeful for Sepang. Lady Luck is nothing if not fickle, and her favor cannot be relied upon. The weather in Malaysia may be capricious as well. Drivers Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso have opined publicly that twilight races are too dangerous and Sepang is another of the races that Bernie Ecclestone has scheduled for the convenience of European viewers, rather than driver safety. The Malaysian BP may not only be driven in dwindling light and shadows, but also rain. If the rain arrives, and is heavy enough, the race may have to be stopped.

Therefore, it may be that the successful teams in Malaysia will be those with the best wet weather strategies and more importantly, the most skilled wet weather drivers. We know that Lewis Hamilton is pretty good in the wet. Sebastian Vettel also proved himself in last year's Italian GP, but he led from pole, an enviable position on a wet track.

Throw into the mix the allegations of illegal diffusers that has yet to be ruled upon and the possibility exists that none of the results from the first two races of the season will stand.

Brawn GP Hits Melbourne with 1,2 Punch

2009-03-29T15:12:00.000-04:00

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello took first and second in what can only be called a spectacular result for the new Brawn GP team. Button led the race from the beginning with only Sebastian Vettel ever being close enough to be any serious challenge.
A collision between second-place Vettel and third-place Robert Kubica resulted in both both cars being too badly damaged to finish. Barrichello was able to move up to second, with Jarno Trulli finishing in the third position. Lewis Hamilton, having started from 18th, came in fourth. The stewards' decisions on two post-race investigations shuffled that around a bit, and both are the subjects of hot debate this morning.

The stewards assessed Jarno Trulli with a 25 second penalty for passing Hamilton while under the safety car. This pushed Trulli back to 12th place, giving Hamilton third and increasing his points win to 6. The circumstances of Trulli's alleged passing of Hamilton are somewhat in dispute, Trulli believing that Hamilton was slowing up and pulling over to allow him to retake third position after Hamilton had gone by him.

Apparently Trulli thought that Hamilton had passed him after the yellow flag. In fact, Trulli had gone off the track at the time Hamilton went by him. There was no way for Hamilton to avoid going beyond him, one certainly can't expect all the cars on the track to stop and wait to see if a car that has gone off is going to rejoin the race. As to Trulli's contention that Hamilton was purposely slowing and pulling to the side to allow Trulli to retake the position, there has been rumor and speculation that McLaren had told Hamilton to give the position back to Trulli. So far, no support for this theory has been offered, but it may be the case. I don't think Hamilton was required to give him back the position though, as Trulli had spun off the track and so Hamilton did not pass so much as he just kept going.

The 25 second penalty does seem a lot for the infraction but only because it dropped Trulli back so far after he had driven such a good race. The stewards however, have only the penalties spelled out in the rules and had no other choice as there were less than five laps left in the race.

As to the Vettel/Kubica collision, the penalty to Vettel is far too harsh and worse, completely undeserved. At best it was just a racing incident with both drivers making misjudgments. If a penalty was to be assessed, it ought to go to Kubica. The proximate cause of the accident was his overtaking maneuver, his misjudgment, and he had the room to avoid the collision. Vettel, having at first tried to defend his position, then ended up with nowhere to go and had no opportunity at that point to avoid the collision.

The whole incident would have been best left alone, both drivers having suffered the ultimate penalty of not being able to finish the race. It is likely that Vettel's apologetic manner and open sharing of the blame may have influenced the stewards. He's young, disappointed and crestfallen at the prospect of letting his team down. His apology was a rare event, but should not have been taken as a confession of blame.

The penalty to Red Bull, a fine of $50,000 imposed for having instructed Vettel to continue driving, however, was well-deserved. Vettel's car, loping down the track on three wheels posed a danger to other drivers and although I admire his tenacity in wanting to finish, the team had the responsibility to bring him off the track.

It's unfortunate when races are decided long after the race has finished, and it's too early in the season for so much controversy.

Regardless, it appears Hamilton deserved his third place and Trulli was the victim of the stewards applying the rules consistently and fairly, however unfair it may seem to Jarno. Vettel may learn his lesson and keep his naive mouth closed more often. Too bad. His honesty and earnest regret was a refreshing change from the whiny blame-game most drivers engage in after an incident.

Brawn GP Dominates Qualifying in Australia

2009-03-28T11:22:00.000-04:00

The big story of the Australian GP qualifying was all there in the smiles spreading across the faces of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. After several tense months of uncertainty, Melbourne revealed a much brighter future than they had been anticipating.

Barrichello was everywhere advised to give it up, just retire. Honda was no more, no buyers in sight, neither Button nor Barrichello had another drive and it appeared the gods of F1 had abandoned them. But now, things are looking up.

'It has been a great day, and I was hoping I could put the car on pole,
but the front row for both of us is a credit, and we must be happy.'

The emergence of the team as Brawn GP has wrought a great reversal of fortune for Button and Barrichello. It's as if they were orphans, abandoned and without hope. Suddenly, their real parents are found and not only are they no longer orphaned, it turns out their real parents are royalty and they are the heirs apparent.

I can feel nothing but joy for Rubens, he's a nice guy and he's been written off more times than I can count. P2 has got to feel pretty good right now.

The flip side of the story is, of course, how badly McLaren performed. Heikki Kovaleinen did no better than 14th and Hamilton, who never got on track during Q3 due to a gearbox problem, would have been 15th, if not for a five grid penalty imposed when the need for a new gearbox became evident.

He won't start out last, however. Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock lost their qualifying places of 8th and 6th respectively, and were tossed to the back of the grid after a ruling from the stewards. A Red Bull and Ferrari protest had the stewards examining the rear wings which were subsequently ruled illegal. Their relegation to the rear pushes Lewis Hamilton up two spots.

Perhaps the most telling comment as to the superiority of Brawn GP was made by Felipe Massa, who fretted that if they keep up this pace, Brawn GP will have the title won by June unless F1 finds a way to stop them. Was that a subtle appeal for help from Ferrari's friends at the FIA?

USF1 Team to Change Name

2009-03-04T08:59:00.000-05:00

Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson have barely got their new F1 team off the ground and already the team is undergoing a name change. Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One Management (FOM) have objected to the F1 in the American team's name and they will now be known as USPGE (US Grand Prix Engineering).

Although a 2007 case went against Formula One Licensing when a UK Trademark Registry ruled that the abbreviation was not a legally registerable trademark, there was no ruling regarding being anal-retentive and so not only will USF1 become USPGE, but Force India will abbreviate its logo to Fi, with a small "i" since using the capital letter looks frighteningly like F1.

USF1 Website

2009-02-25T08:03:00.000-05:00

Until the press conference yesterday, the official website of USF1 was simply a countdown to something big. But today they are up and running, and it's worth a look. If you missed the live press conference yesterday, you can watch the video and read the first entries in Peter Windsor's blog.

Peter tells of his campaign for capital, the enthusiasm of his investors and the good news that they have exceeded their investment targets.

Because they haven't yet signed a contract with an engine supplier, there won't be any engines until January, 2010. There won't be any testing in 2009 and we won't see the car roll out until early 2010. The months intervening will be spent designing and building the car.

Windsor has expressed his intent to look at American drivers for his new US team. Part of that, I am sure, is the desire to make it truly an American team. This will mean that they could enter F1 with two inexperienced drivers. Scott Speed is currently the only American driver with former F1 driving experience, but there has been no indication whether or not he has been approached or would be interested. Scott's NASCAR career is going well, could he be lured back into F1? Windsor has not ruled out looking at other NASCAR drivers with no F1 experience, nor did he rule out the possibility of offering Danica Patrick a driver's seat. However, Patrick says she has not been approached.

The naysayers are out in force, as well as those who applaud the idea but predict failure because of the low budget, the prospect of a Skunk Works team competing against teams with multi-million dollar budgets. It seems they are going forward on nothing but desire and bravado. What an American thing to do.

USF1 Announcement

2009-02-24T13:38:00.000-05:00

It's official. Today at 12 noon EST, Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson presented to the world their plans for a US Formula One team in a live interview on Speed TV.

I must say they presented a compelling and exciting vision for the future. For all American F1 fans this is thrilling news indeed. Looking as relaxed as I have ever seen him, Peter Windsor was very much at home in the Speed studios, chatting amiably with his Speed commentator colleague, Bob Varsha.

The question, of course, is can a US F1 team make it? Will Formula One garner enough of a fanbase in the US to make the FIA give us back a US Grand Prix? Peter's answers were both logical and satisfying.

First of all, he has chosen Charlotte, North Carolina for the team's home base. Smack dab in the middle of NASCAR country and in close proximity to Speed TV studios - in essence, increasing his the opportunities for media coverage for his new venture, and media coverage means sparking interests in both the F1 fan and the current racing fan who knows only NASCAR. Smart move, Peter.

Secondly, he has studied NASCAR and seen the great attention NASCAR teams pay towards keeping the fanbase interested and happy. Formula One teams are not known for being accessible, everything is top-secret and hush-hush. NASCAR teams market themselves, drivers give scads of interviews and fans have access to the teams and their facilities. Fans feel invested in their favorite drivers and teams.

Thirdly, he knows that good marketing means more exposure for suppliers and manufacturers, which will help him secure better contracts for necessary equipment. After all, they've managed to find the backing to get this team off the ground, and that's no mean feat considering the start-up costs of an F1 team.

But most of all, USF1 is going to be independent. Not being owned by a huge car corporation or a restless billionaire who wants to play race cars, the team will be completely run by professionals with great knowledge and experience and a lasting love for Formula One.

Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor: American F1 fans salute you, and wait for 2010 with heightened anticipation.

F1 Driver Profiles - Mike Hawthorn

2009-02-19T10:48:00.000-05:00

The Farnham Flyer

Blonde, handsome, possessing a winning smile and a winning spirit, Mike Hawthorn was the quintessential Formula One Champion whose rise to fame from club racer to Britain's first World Champion driver was both punctuated by climactic thrills and marred by extreme tragedy.

Born April 10, 1929, John Michael "Mike" Hawthorn grew up in Surrey, England near the famous Brooklands racetrack, the first track in the world to be built specifically for motorsports. His father had raced motorcycles prior to World War II and was only too happy when his son decided at the tender age of nine that he wanted to grow up to be a race car driver. His father supported his dream, often supplying Mike with motorcycles and cars for the purpose of racing.

In 1952 while driving in a Formula 2 Bristol-Cooper Mike Hawthorn began to show his true racing prowess. His first race at Goodwood resulted in Hawthorn taking pole position and going on to win the race. He competed in his first Formula One race that same year, and finished fourth in the standings, although he had not run in every F1 race that season. It wasn't long before Mike caught the attention of Enzo Ferarri, garnering him a driver's seat with Ferrari for the 1953 season.

Mike had a single but brilliant win at the French Grand Prix in 1953, taking victory from Formula One legend Juan Manuel Fangio by mere inches. French F1 fans nicknamed Hawthorn "Le Papillion" (the butterfly), referring to his penchant for bowties, which he always wore with his white overalls when racing. 1954 featured another sole victory, when Mike took first place in the Spanish Grand Prix at the end of the season.

1955 brought Mike to Jaguar and the race that perhaps best illustrates the constant fluctuation between the extremes of triumph and tragedy in his short life. Mike's Jaguar slowed to make a pit stop, but Lance Macklin whom he had just passed in an Austin-Healey 100 was unable to brake as quickly as the Jaguar. He swerved to the center of the track, unaware that driver Pierre Levegh was approaching from behind. Levegh was unable to avoid hitting the Austin Healey which sent his Mercedes 300 SLR airborne. Levegh's car hit an earthen barrier, tumbled over and broke apart, catching fire as a result of the ruptured fuel tank. Levegh was thrown from the race car, and killed. The car, made of magnesium, erupted into a blazing inferno which was made worse unwittingly by those who attempted to extinguish it with water. The fire and flying debris from the crash killed 80 spectators who were watching the race from behind the barrier mound. The race continued despite the tragedy to avoid a crush of spectators departing the scene and impeding the ambulances. Hawthorn went on to win at Le Mans. But the victory was shrouded in accusation and sorrow.

Although an official investigation cleared Hawthorn of responsibility for the accident, there were attempts to villify him in the press and many blamed him for the tragedy. Hawthorn did not celebrate his victory out of respect for the killed. It was, like his life, bittersweet.

In 1958, once again driving for Ferrari, Mike reached the pinnacle of his career. It was a year that saw British F1 fans with divided hearts as their countrymen Mike Hawthorn and famed driver Stirling Moss competed for the World Drivers Championship. Although Mike Hawthorn had won just one Grand Prix in contrast to Moss's four first place showings, he had racked up five second places and won the 1958 championship, beating Moss by just 1 championship point.

Dogged by bad press, saddened by the tragic death of his former teammate and close friend Peter Collins and suffering ill health as a result of a chronic kidney ailment, Mike Hawthorn announced his retirement from racing the same year he had attained the most sought-after title in his sport.

A few short months later, Hawthorn was killed in an accident in his Jaguar, driving on the A3 Guildford Bypass near his Surrey home. He was 29 years old. The cause of the accident has never been completely determined. He may have been racing with Rob Walker, who was driving his Mercedes on the same road. It was night, it was raining. Driver error, bad weather and excessive speed almost certainly contributed to the crash although it has been speculated that Hawthorn may have suffered a blackout. What is known is that his Jaguar skidded off at a corner and traveled backwards, landing up against a tree.

Hawthorn was a shooting star, blazing brilliantly across the F1 firmament, shining brightly for a few dazzling moments but extinguished all too soon.

Honda in Talks with Virgin Group

2009-02-18T15:57:00.000-05:00

While we count down the days to the first race of the 2009 season in Australia on March 29, the pressure is on for the Honda team to find a buyer. Honda put the team up for sale in December, citing the enormous economic burden of running an F1 team.

Rumors that Richard Branson's Virgin Group has been in negotiations with the team appear to be true, but Honda claims to be in negotiations with other interested parties as well.

What is clear is that time is running out for the Honda team, they need to find a buyer quickly, not only to be prepared to compete in the 2009 season, but also because it is reported that Mercedes, who will supply Honda with engines, has set their own deadline.

Driver Jenson Button, who has no other drive options for 2009, as well as Honda's 700 employees and millions of F1 and Honda team fans worldwide wait nervously, hoping for a deal to be struck.

2009 Teams and Drivers

2009-02-17T13:10:00.000-05:00

The Teams for the 2009 Formula One Season:

* McLaren-Mercedes
* Ferrari
* BMW Sauber
* Renault
* Toyota
* Toro Rosso-Ferrari
* Red Bull-Renault
* Williams
* Force India-Mercedes
* Honda

Honda announced their withdrawal from Formula One on December 5, 2008. Currently, the team is up for sale. There have been rumors that Richard Branson may be interested.

Drivers by Team:

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Kimi Räikkönen ,Felipe Massa
BMW Sauber Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld

ING Renault Fernando Alonso, Nelson Piquet Jr.

Panasonic Toyota Racing Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock
Scuderia Toro Rosso Sébastien Buemi, Sébastien Bourdais
Red Bull Racing Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel

AT&T Williams Nico Rosberg, Kazuki Nakajima

Force India Adrian Sutil, Giancarlo Fisichella

Honda ??

F1 Newbie - The Inauspicious Beginning

2009-02-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

I had thought about calling this blog, F1 for Dummies, but since F1 fans are some of the most knowledgeable and savvy fans in all of motorsport, that would have been not only an insult but completely inaccurate. My inaccuracies will occur, I am sure, but hopefully they will not be in the area of assessing the intelligence of F1 enthusiasts.

Make no mistake, I am the newbie, having followed Formula One racing for only a couple of years now. However, it occurred to me that there may be many fans such as I. Those of us who live in the US, currently neglected by the FIA who have no plans to stage a race here in the near future, although in the past the US has hosted its own Grand Prix. If you live in the US, racing means NASCAR to most and F1 translates as "elitist", but I know that you F1 fans are out there.

So for those of you who are new to the spectacle that is a Formula One Grand Prix, and those of you who aren't quite comfortable mingling with the "experts", I offer F1 in America - a place for both of us to learn more about the sport, together.