As the Bavarian Board Fantasy F1 League topic  http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=40305 - http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=40305  was getting a bit confusing, I'd thought i'd start this one

McLaren’s appeal against Lewis Hamilton’s Belgian Grand Prix penalty will be heard on 22nd September, Formula 1’s governing body has announced.

The FIA’s International Court of Appeal will convene in Paris on the Monday before the inaugural Singapore GP, with a verdict not expected until the following day.

Hamilton’s Spa victory was rescinded after race stewards deemed that he gained an advantage by cutting a chicane during his battle for the lead with Kimi Raikkonen.

The Briton was demoted to third place, handing the win to Raikkonen and reducing his world championship lead over Felipe Massa to two points.

There is a possibility that the appeal will be thrown out on a technicality, without the substantive issue being considered, since the retrospective time penalty imposed on Hamilton was in lieu of a drive-through and these are not subject to formal challenge.

The admissibility of the appeal is expected to be decided at the hearing itself.

Ferrari has announced that Kimi Raikkonen will stay with the team for the next two seasons - ending speculation that the reigning champion is on the brink of retirement.

Raikkonen's future had been a hot topic in the paddock all summer, with his disappointing performances this year fuelling rumours that he would quit the sport at the end of 2009 - or even after at the end of this season.

Fernando Alonso was widely assumed to be waiting in the wings to take the Ferrari seat whenever Raikkonen departed.

However today's (12th September 2008) surprise announcement just before (Monza's) second practice means that Ferrari will retain the Raikkonen and Felipe Massa partnership for at least two more years, with Massa having been re-signed through 2010 last autumn.

"A year ago it wasn't possible to put him in our car, he was very inexperienced and you cannot gamble," team boss Mario Theissen explains. "The BMW management have missed what was the right time to have the right driver. That he drives now for a different team, makes no sense to me," said Stuck, who raced in F1 in the 70s.

Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing

The look of things to come ...........

http://www.itv-f1.com/photo.aspx?IM_ID=50167&PG_ID=22 - New 2009 Wing

For the 2009 season there is a raft of changes, something like 50% less downforce from the cars as a whole, no add-ons eg. barge boards,additional wing, shark fin rear engine cover and the re- introduction of slick tyres instead of the grooved slicks currently being used.

http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-public.nsf/90D889BE20961303C1257483004B8AC0/$FILE/1-2009%20F1%20TECHNICAL%20REGULATIONS%2011-07-2008.pdf - 2009 Technical Regulations

(It's a bit indepth and longwinded.)

lol, talk about a turn around, they make the cars faster, then safer, then take away safety features, then add some more, then take away downforce. MAKE YER FLIPPIN MINDS UP!!!

Keeps things interesting I suppose!

Mike

Email raises concerns about FIA's integrity

Tuesday 23rd September 2008

http://www.fia.com/en-GB/the-fia/court_appeal/judgments/Documents/ICA-23-09-08-McL-en.pdf - Appeal Result

kbannon wrote: It turns out that the FIA have rejected the McLaren appeal.

See told you so

Jarno Trulli has been reprimanded by the stewards and fined 10,000 euros for driving the wrong way round the track in Friday’s first practice at Singapore.

The Italian half-spun at the fast final corner halfway through the opening session and proceeded to drive for a short distance in the direction of the oncoming traffic before executing a U-turn into the pit lane.

Stewards ruled that he had breached of Article 30.2 of Formula 1’s sporting regulations, and Appendix L, Chapter 4, Article 4d of the International Sporting Code.

Article 30.2 states that “drivers are strictly forbidden to drive their car in the opposite direction to the race unless this is absolutely necessary in order to move the car from a dangerous position”.

The International Sporting Code states that “except in cases of force majeure (accepted as such by the stewards of the meeting), the crossing, in any direction, of the line separating the deceleration zone and the track is prohibited.”

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44067&PO=44067 - http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44067&PO=4406 7

"After Felipe Massa’s scintillating qualifying performance, Ferrari were confident of victory heading into Sunday’s inaugural Singapore Grand Prix. Instead, however, they leave the Marina Bay circuit rueing vital pit-stop errors that ruined the Brazilian’s race and cost the Italian team the lead in the constructors’ championship.
Everything started smoothly for Massa, the pole-sitter quickly building a lead over title rival Lewis Hamilton. But at his first pit stop disaster struck. He was given the green light too early and left with the fuel hose still attached to his car.
Massa was forced to wait at the end of the pit lane for his mechanics to run down and wrestle the hose off, but he then received a drive-through penalty for being unsafely released from the stop. The blunder undoubtedly cost him the race and after a late puncture he eventually finished 13th - 35 seconds adrift of victor Fernando Alonso.
“It's hard to deal with losing in this fashion a race that was within our grasp, with a car that was just the way I wanted it,” said Massa. “We had a good strategy and all the signs were there that we could get a one-two finish. But things can change in a moment and that's what happened today. At the pit stop, one of the guys made a mistake. But we are only human. Each one of us always tries to do our best and these things can happen.”
Despite Massa’s strife, Ferrari were still poised to pick up four points courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen, who was running in P5 after his final pit stop. That was until the champion went off into the wall at Turn 10 with less than four laps to go.
"I was trying to attack Glock in case he might make a mistake, but I went slightly wide at the chicane, jumping over the kerb and when the car landed, I lost control and ended up in the barriers,” explained Raikkonen. “My situation in the championship was already rather compromised, so this doesn't really make that much difference but I am unhappy because the team has lost precious points in the constructors' classification.”
Ferrari’s failure to score in Singapore means that rivals McLaren now lead the constructors’ standings, with 135 points to the reigning champions’ 134."

oh dear, how sad, McLaren 6 Ferarri 0

And he wins in another way, too. Countries like Singapore are prepared to pay far more to host a Grand Prix than most European races can afford, even if they are funded by government.

For these new venues, an F1 event means an opportunity to showcase themselves to the world in the most flattering light - and that is effectively priceless. It was an opportunity Singapore grabbed with both hands at the weekend. The track was interesting, the event ran almost without a hitch, the cars looked even more spectacular than usual under the floodlights, and Singapore's evocative location and history meant it came already loaded up with a glamour that could soon rival that of Monaco. That glamour works both ways - Singapore's rubs off on F1 just as the sport's rubs off on its host. "It has a good chance of challenging Monaco for being the jewel in the crown of Formula One," team owner Frank Williams said. "They have great weather, a very good track, and the grandstands packed. There is a lot of enthusiasm out there."

Packed grandstands are not something F1 has been used to seeing in the new venues it has adopted around the world in recent years.

Places like Malaysia and Bahrain might have the money to buy the sport, but they have not been able to buy an interest among their populations.

Singapore, though, was different - partly because the race was held on a track through the middle of the city, but also because its inhabitants have a fair bit more disposable income than the average resident of Kuala Lumpur or Manama.

The race's success is likely to have ramifications that go further than simply increasing the number of Asian night races.

"It is not just a new experience, it is a real big step in the history of Grand Prix racing," said McLaren team boss Ron Dennis.

"When you see the shots of the city and the way they have brought the whole atmosphere of Singapore into the event, it is just a phenomenal spectacle.

"We can take this model and apply it to anywhere in the world - either to bring Europe the race at a time when people watch it, or even within Europe to make it more spectacular.

"Now there will be a lot of analysis as to when is the best time to put Grand Prix racing on television. It is going to set a new trend."

F1, though, might be best advised not to get too carried away by Singapore's success.

Great event though it undoubtedly was, as well as a fabulous spectacle on TV, if the sport introduces too many night races there is a danger they will lose their novelty value.

That, though, is not a concern of Singapore, which won almost universal praise for its first attempt at hosting a major sporting event.

Any criticism levelled at the race from its participants was minimal.

There were a few moans from the drivers about the number of severe bumps on the track surface, which made life quite difficult on a long lap with 23 corners.

There was also some criticism of the lack of overtaking points on the track.

And everyone in F1 found it difficult to stay on European time while in a place six or seven time zones away.

"Teaching your body to think it's day time when actually it's night time, it kind of messes with your mind," said Lewis Hamilton.

But these were pretty minor issues in the wider scheme of things.

Unlike Monaco, there were a couple of places where overtaking was just about possible if a driver got everything just so - particularly into Turns One and Seven, as was proved during the race.

And the bumps actually made the event more interesting. They made mistakes more likely. A crash on a street circuit means a safety car and that is what made the race as eventful as it was, and which gave Renault's Fernando Alonso a massive helping hand on his way to victory.

The Spaniard's win after a year-long drought put the icing on a pretty satisfactory weekend all round.

It has been too long since Alonso stood on the top step of the podium.

Still regarded by many in F1 as the most complete racing driver in the sport, the Spanish double world champion has driven his heart out all year in a difficult car that, frankly, does not deserve him.

Renault had its most competitive weekend of the year in Singapore, and Alonso - as is the way of all great drivers - grabbed the opportunity with both hands when it came to him, even if the win owed a great deal to luck, and the timing of the first safety car period, as Alonso was the first to admit.

Only Ferrari have cause to rue their first visit to Singapore.

A disastrous error at Felipe Massa's first pit stop, when he was given a go signal while the refuelling hose was still attached, ruined his race and dealt his title hopes a heavy blow.

But even that was not as bad as it could have been.

The fact that Hamilton could manage only third place meant the McLaren driver extended his lead only to seven points with three races to go when in a normal race the Englishman would probably have converted Massa's misfortune into a win.

The result means Hamilton can afford to finish second behind Massa at each of the final three races and still emerge as champion.

But the run-in is unlikely to be that simple. This has been a season defined by the quite extraordinary number of mistakes made by the sport's leading contenders.

It would be out of character, then, if there were not to be a few more twists and turns before the destiny of the drivers' crown is finally decided.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7640907.stm - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/76409 07.stm

keep up to date with all the proper F1 news .......

http://www.redbulletinf1.com">

Sporty1 wrote: Another disasterous race for Ferrari, after such a promising start.

Oh dear, what a shame...

never mind - they've still got "friend's" in high places ...

Toyota’s Timo Glock was the surprise pacesetter in Friday afternoon practice at Fuji, giving the Japanese manufacturer bragging rights at the circuit it owns after an indifferent performance in the morning.....

.....BMW Sauber had another lacklustre session. Robert Kubica managed only the 11th best time, albeit within 0.5s of pacesetter Glock, while Nick Heidfeld was a full second slower than his team-mate in 19th

Jenson Button was plum last in the uncompetitive Honda RA108

all the latest here >>>>>>

http://www.redbulletinf1.com/#/?country=japanese - http://www.redbulletinf1.com/#/?country=japanese

Formula One racing will show its support for the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign by running on unique green-grooved tyres at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/10/8487.html - http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/10/8487.html

 - discuss! -

thepits wrote: Sporty1 wrote: Another disastrous race for Ferrari, after such a promising start. Oh dear, what a shame...

and McLaren at the Fuji Speedway

Sebastien Bourdais has been handed a 25-second penalty for his clash with Felipe Massa in the Japanese Grand Prix.

The ruling drops the Frenchman from sixth to 10th in the final classification and promotes Felipe Massa from eighth to seventh.

http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44245 - http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44245

kbannon wrote: Don't know if its really F1 related but http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/10/10/f1-bosss-daughter-posses-in-a-checkered-flag-for-a-cause/ - Bernie's daughter, Tamara, has been getting her out her chequered flag in aid of PETA...

Oh yes KB, I'm sure it is F1 related, I can tell by the flag

Nice one! It brightened up a rather dull day in F1.

Mike

Replays of the incident show Bourdais tucked in to the right-hand side of the track as he left the pits. With his wheels on the edge of the track, Bourdais was then struck by Massa's Ferrari as the Brazilian sought to overtake. Branding the decision to punish Bourdais as 'ridiculous', ITV's James Allen revealed in his post-race commentary that 'the team managers I spoke to after the race all said that FIA race director Charlie Whiting had briefed them in Singapore and again in Fuji that the car exiting the pits has right of way.'

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_4306491,00.html - http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_4306491,00.html

Have you noticed how ‘controversial’ the ITV F1 team are becoming now that their contract is coming to an end?  Yeah! I thought so too.

I think this rant is probably more appropriate here rather than on the F1 league thread so here it is, quite angrily again.

Rant mode on/off 

I don’t agree that both were racing incidents.   [540 V8 suggested they were]

While stupidity and exitedness will often see drivers going into corners too deep, locking brakes leaving those around to run for cover, no accident - racing incident, a driver error.   

It is MY opinion however that the chap in the little red car deliberately left the track, cut a corner knowing full well that when he came back on, into oncoming [silver] traffic it would cause some sort of accident or at worse he deliberately hit/rammed the little silver car. 

For both errant drivers to get the same penalty is a blatant abuse of the rules.   

It will also come back to bite them on the bum as occurrences like the first incident happen dozens of times a season and I cannot recall in the past, where there hasn’t been an accident as a result,  where a driver has been penalised – but they will have to be in future.   

Think first corner at Monaco – think all the drivers later lining up to do their drive through penalty.  There will be more drivers going through the pit lane in the first half of the race than will be crossing the start/finish line as all the penalties get dished out. 

Massa’s own career would have been over within the first couple of seasons as he would have been through the pit lane so often he would have thought it was part of the track! 

Rant mode on/off

Jack, you may well be correct, I just didn't want to seem like I was siding with the reds! lol.

It could be taken either way, whether Massa did it deliberatley or not but as you rightly pointed out, Hamilton outbraked himself and cocked up whereas Massa either 1) panicked and tried in vain to regain his place or 2) deliberatley tried to cut off Hamilton which when you look at it either way, it was different to what Hamilton did.

Infact, I agree that there should have been no penalty for Hamilton at all. If you look at the incident of old, i.e. Prost/Senna or Hill/Schumacher, there were no such penalties even though there were blatant ramming incidents.

F1 has gone stupid and something needs to be done before they lose a large quantities of fans and sprucing up the laws governing how the cars run i.e. downforce, turbo's, engine sizes etc will not work this time.

Fans want to see racing not cars driving. It's like the difference between football and rugby, football being for men who get paid too much to fall over and rugby being for real men who take knocks and the odd grab to the balls! 

F1 needs to unsure it is all about racing and racing is fighting for your place in the race without blatant cheating. Anything else should apply. The cars and tracks are safe enough now to enable drivers to take more risks so why not let them.

We don't wrap boxers up in bubble wrap before they fight and in touring cars they are allowed the odd 'rub'against the opposition.

Anyway, I digress, nuff said!

Mike

Rossi wrote: thepits wrote: Sporty1 wrote: Another disastrous race for Ferrari, after such a promising start. Oh dear, what a shame... and McLaren at the Fuji Speedway

Good to see Kimi finishing a race..... for once.

Same about Kovi's engine failure....... reliability issues at McMerc???

The motorsport authorities in France have announced that next year's French Grand Prix will be cancelled.

French racing federation the FFSA issued a statement saying that it had decided not to promote the 2009 race for financial reasons.

full text here > http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44290 - http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44290

So that's the Canadian & French GP's gone in 2009 (probably forever?) - who's next ??

thepits wrote: So that's the Canadian & French GP's gone in 2009 (probably forever?) - who's next ??

Plans for Silverstone/Donnington seems suitably vague that it disappearing isn't out of the question.  Lots of new money countries lining up to throw ridiculous amounts of money at Bernie. 

Bernie gave up being interested in the racing aspect of F1 a long time ago.  Money talks a language that Bernie seems to be fond of (think "a fish called Wanda").

kbannon wrote: Don't know if its really F1 related but http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/10/10/f1-bosss-daughter-posses-in-a-checkered-flag-for-a-cause/ - Bernie's daughter, Tamara, has been getting her out her chequered flag in aid of PETA...

How did such an ugly little dwarf produce such a sweetheart

Less Bernie more Tamara please

steven.seed wrote: How did such an ugly little dwarf produce such a sweetheart

He was helped...

meet the wife!

Brazil to pose championship dilemma for McLaren

McLaren could find themselves facing some tough calls at next weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, as they look to balance the respective needs of their drivers’ and constructors’ title campaigns.

Lewis Hamilton requires only a fifth place to be sure of securing his first drivers’ title at Interlagos. However, to stand any chance of overhauling Ferrari’s 11-point advantage in the team standings, McLaren would almost certainly need a one-two finish.

“Clearly, we can afford to be more conservative than normal in our approach to Lewis’s race, but we are still pushing to win the constructors’ championship and it would be wrong of us as a team to overlook this fact,” said McLaren’s Formula One CEO, Martin Whitmarsh.

And with another 18 points up for grabs, Whitmarsh is not only confident of taking McLaren’s impressive China pace forward to Brazil, the team could even add further new developments to the MP4-23.

“We do have a number of minor aerodynamic upgrades in the pipeline that we are evaluating for inclusion on our Brazil-spec car,” he said. “As with every race this season, we have brought something to the car - even if it has only been generating a few extra hundredths of lap time - and it would be wrong of us to close down that option for Interlagos.”

With no ‘joker’ engine changes allowed at the final round, McLaren will also have to keep a keen eye on Hamilton’s Mercedes V8, which will start its second race in Brazil. However, having turned the engine down in the latter stages of his Shanghai win, the team are not expecting problems. Kovalainen, who failed to finish in China, will have a fresh engine for the season finale.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/10/8581.html - http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/10/8581.html

Ferreari 'quit' threat........

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44417 - http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44417

Sporty1 wrote: Ferrari 'quit' threat........

more here -

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/10/8595.html - http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/10/8595.html

The F1 car of the future?

With cost-cutting high on the agenda, it has fallen to the Chinese to come up with what they think is the ideal solution to save F1 from itself – a car that costs only $400 to build and is made up of recycled materials.

Cheap and green – at least it ticks most of the boxes required these days.

Brothers Zhao Xiushun and Zhao Xiuguo from Tangshan, near Beijing, have shown that it is possible to knock together your own F1 car using scrap metal and old dishwasher parts (hang on – didn’t Andrea Moda do that in the early 1990s?) – and the resulting ZX01 is now nearly ready for winter testing.

All the intrepid duo need to make the 2009 grid is the small matter of an engine and a bit of technical help, so they are hoping that should the mooted McLaren-Force India tie in not happen, they could be in pole position to step in.

source - http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Gravel_Trap&id=44420&PO=44420 - http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Gravel_Trap&id=4 4420&PO=44420

Sporty1 wrote: Hope Mad Max hasn't seen that.

or he'll propose it as the "2010 cost-cutting project"

David Coulthard’s Red Bull will be emblazoned with a special charitable livery for his final Grand Prix. Coulthard will promote the research foundation, Wings For Life, which hopes to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, over the course of this weekend’s Interlagos event.

“I'm dedicating my last race to the vision of making paraplegia curable,” said the Scot on Red Bull's official website. “In Formula One success is determined by a few seconds, in medicine people think in terms of years. But in both disciplines, ambition and commitment are crucial factors that are needed in order to reach the finishing line as soon as possible. Wings for Life helps to accelerate the breakthrough in spinal cord research.”

The 37 year-old plans to officially unveil his RB4’s livery on Thursday afternoon, with the help of some of his fellow drivers.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/10/8608.html - http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/10/8608.html

Felipe Massa sent the partisan Brazilian crowd into delirium at Interlagos on Saturday as he claimed pole position for the third consecutive year at his home circuit and kept his title hopes alive.

To compound Massa’s joy, championship leader Lewis Hamilton managed only fourth on the grid as Toyota’s Jarno Trulli took a shock second place and Kimi Raikkonen grabbed third in the second Ferrari.

Massa’s smooth and composed final lap outpaced Hamilton by nearly half a second – suggesting that Ferrari may well have given him a light fuel load to guarantee pole.

In any event, fourth place in the midst of the pack will not be where Hamilton wanted to start, even though it means he is still on target for his first world title.

The Briton needs only a fifth-place finish to secure the crown on Sunday.

1.  MASSA         Ferrari

2.  ALONSO        Renault       +13.2s

3.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       +16.2s

4.  VETTEL        Toro Rosso    +38.0s

5.  HAMILTON      McLaren       +38.9s

6.  GLOCK         Toyota        +44.3s

7.  KOVALAINEN    McLaren       +55.0s

8.  TRULLI        Toyota        +68.4s

9.  WEBBER        Red Bull      +79.6s

10. HEIDFELD      BMW           +1 lap

11. KUBICA        BMW           + 1 lap

12. ROSBERG       Williams      + 1 lap

13. BUTTON        Honda         + 1 lap

14. BOURDAIS      Toro Rosso    +1 lap

15. BARRICHELLO   Honda         +1 lap

16. SUTIL         Force India   +2 laps

17. NAKAJIMA      Williams      +2 laps

18. FISICHELLA    Force India   +2 laps

R.  PIQUET        Renault       +71 laps

R.  COULTHARD     Red Bull      +71 laps

kbannon wrote: It did look very suspicious alright! Brilliant, dramatic ending, with the Ferrari crew all celebrating before they realised!

A little suspicious..........it stinks, just heard a Glock interview on Radio 1 news, no explanation as to his drop off in pace, except to say he did as good as he could and he didn't help Lewis out..... what   bo$%ocks, especially when LH was off the leaders pace the whole race and Massa was not running a light fuel load as McMerc though he was.

Rhys wrote: Sporty1 wrote: kbannon wrote: It did look very suspicious alright! Brilliant, dramatic ending, with the Ferrari crew all celebrating before they realised!   A little suspicious..........it stinks, just heard a Glock interview on Radio 1 news, no explanation as to his drop off in pace, except to say he did as good as he could and he didn't help Lewis out..... what   bo$%ocks, especially when LH was off the leaders pace the whole race and Massa was not running a light fuel load as McMerc though he was. Unlike a certain instance where Michael Schumacher's team-mate did the same a while back eh?

I must have missed the bit were Glock switched to Mclaren.... or is that for next season?

The Fine Print: Hamilton will get his McLaren F1 LM after 3 titles

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mclaren-f1-lm/722099/"> Now that Lewis Hamilton has secured the Formula One championship, supercar fans around the world are asking when he'll get his hands on that rare McLaren F1 LM. The incredibly valuable supercar – initially reported at $4 million but now apparently worth closer to 8 – was promised to the budding young driver if he won the title. However, the condition was that he win both the drivers title and, together with team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, lock up the constructors' title for the team, as well. Although he won the drivers' championship, the constructors' crown went to arch-rivals Ferrari, but since McLaren chief Ron Dennis is such a good sport, he's renegotiated the terms. If Hamilton manages to repeat his title victory with a hat-trick – that is, take another two championships – he'll get his hands on the bright orange supercar. That's quite a challenge, but Dennis called it a "small price to pay for three world championships." Indeed, but by then McLaren will have a whole slew of supercars on the market for Lewis to choose from. In the meantime, he'd better keep his head down and focus on the prize. http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mclaren-f1-lm/722260/"> http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mclaren-f1-lm/722265/"> http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mclaren-f1-lm/722246/"> http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mclaren-f1-lm/722099/"> http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mclaren-f1-lm/722098/">

Surely he could just buy any car he wants?

It's not like he going to be hard up is it

Peter Fenwick wrote: Surely he could just buy any car he wants? It's not like he going to be hard up is it

I'm sure he is wealthy enough to buy 'any car he wants' but the car has to be on the market before one can buy it, and all of those will be in private collections which will not be for sale, like the one in question whcih is in the in the Mclaren collection.

Rubens and his F1 facts

Honda superstar (for now at least) Rubens Barrichello has hinted that he may spill the beans on his F1 career, including his six years at Ferrari, saying: “The public does not know even half of the story about what I experienced with Ferrari – perhaps they will be able to read the truth one day in a book.”

In anticipation of this blockbuster, we can exclusively reveal just a small selection of Rubens F1 Facts – Ferrari and otherwise...

* According to Wikipedia (so it must be true) Rubens’ lucky number is 11, which is exactly how many points he scored in 2008 and quite impressively 11 more than he scored the previous year.

* When Rubens gave Michael Schumacher victory just metres away from the finish line at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, people were really very cross and team orders were officially banned. They have not been used since. Not even a little bit.

* Another former Schumacher support act, one Edmund Irvine, reckoned that trying to compete with the German was like being hit over the head all day with a cricket bat. In his book Rubens will reveal that Michael Schumacher does not like cricket. So maybe he is a decent chap after all.

* On the rare occasions these days that Barrichello makes it to the podium, he famously likes to do his Norman Wisdom ‘tripping over impersonation’.  While Norman Wisdom is, to this day, one of the biggest stars in Albania, Rubens has yet to crack it in the former Byzantine state.

* Finally – Rubens Barrichello is one of the top F1 drivers in anagram terms with a staggering 58,824 variations on his name, including our favourite ‘Rhubarb Niece Rolls’, though somewhat predictably Michael Schumacher beats him by one (and you can check this) with 58,825.

source - http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Gravel_Trap - http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Gravel_Trap

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Talkback&id=44596 - http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Talkback&id=4459 6

any particular comment catch your eye? (nudge-nudge>

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44608&PO=44608 - http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44608&PO=4460 8

BMW 2008/9 Hybrid.

http://images.gpupdate.net/large/115669.jpg - http://images.gpupdate.net/large/115669.jpg

"The sign-off for Donington Park’s redevelopment plan has been delayed by its local district council – raising fresh doubts about the venue's readiness to stage the British Grand Prix in 2010.

Donington won the contract to host Britain's GP from Silverstone earlier this year when Bernie Ecclestone signed a surprise 10-year deal with the Leicestershire circuit.

The owners are planning a £38 million redevelopment scheme to get the facility up to Formula 1 standards by 2010, including a new pit and paddock complex and an extension of the track itself.

Planning approval was expected this month, but North West Leicestershire District Council has postponed its decision until 27 January in order to carry out a full environmental impact assessment.

 It means organisers will have just 14 months to complete work on the circuit before their self-imposed deadline of 1 April 2010.

Nevertheless, they remain confident that the construction work will be completed on schedule. "There is no question that Donington's ability to stage the race will be jeopardised by this delay to the planning procedure," a spokesman told the Daily Telegraph newspaper. (Yeh right!) "As soon as permission is granted construction work will begin."

Ecclestone has made it clear that Britain's race will simply be taken off the 2010 calendar if Donington cannot satisfy the FIA that it will be ready in time.

Bridgestone's Kobayashi on the progress of slicks - http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/11/8729.html - here

thepits wrote: Bridgestone's Kobayashi on the progress of slicks - http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/11/8729.html - here

Mad Max wants to bang on about costs but they are still producing two compounds of tyre??????

Why not one tyre of one compound for all the team at all the circuits?

Sporty1 wrote: Mad Max wants to bang on about costs but they are still producing two compounds of tyre?????? Why not one tyre of one compound for all the team at all the circuits?

like Goodyear used to do in "The-Good-Old-Days"

thepits wrote: Sporty1 wrote: Mad Max wants to bang on about costs but they are still producing two compounds of tyre?????? Why not one tyre of one compound for all the team at all the circuits? like Goodyear used to do in "The-Good-Old-Days"

Abso-f%&king-lutely.

Sporty1 wrote: thepits wrote: Sporty1 wrote: Mad Max wants to bang on about costs but they are still producing two compounds of tyre?????? Why not one tyre of one compound for all the team at all the circuits? like Goodyear used to do in "The-Good-Old-Days"   Abso-f%&king-lutely.

And no fuel-stops (That'll save money, less equipment, crew...)

^^^^ I'm reserving judgement until I see the finished article.

But, its not looking to good so far.

thepits wrote: http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44676&PO=44676 - button says wins are possible in 2009 - yeh, roight,

I'd like to see him and Honda do well, and I believe they may pull it off next year.........

The way i see it, F1 cars aren'tmeant to be pretty, they are function more than form. If they deliver wins, I'm not sure the drivers give two hoots what they look like!

Hamiltons car is stunning though, I saw it at Mercedes Benz world last week and compared to Mika's winning car (also there) it look totally different. It's amazing how quickly they change.

Mike

Sporty1 wrote: I'd like to see him and Honda do well, and I believe they may pull it off next year.........

Maybe Button is taking over Coulthards quote? "This is my year"

TBH I’ve never liked Button.  To my mind he’s never talked any sense, his dad even less, and his choice of teams while obviously he’s a world champion elect driver has smacked of money, not having to make much of an effort, first.

It will be interesting to see which other teams clamour for his signature.  While admittedly my expertise, apart from a wee flurry in the Aurora F1 in the early 80s, has been limited to a keen spectator I’d take Rubens Barrichello if I was a team manager/owner.

kbannon wrote: Sporty1 wrote: thepits wrote: http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44676&PO=44676 - button says wins are possible in 2009 - yeh, roight,   I'd like to see him and Honda do well, and I believe they may pull it off next year......... Looks like it ain't gonna happen: Honda to quit F1 - reports 04/12/2008 - 21:45:42 Honda are expected to make a formal announcement on their future in Formula One tomorrow amid reports they are set to leave the sport. The team’s senior staff are reported to have been informed at a meeting today Honda in Japan are no longer willing to bankroll the outfit. It is suggested the team will be put up for sale, and if no buyer is found by the end of the month the manufacturer will withdraw from F1. Any such move would send shockwaves through the sport and cast question marks over the future of other manufacturers in the current financial climate. FIA president Max Mosley warned earlier this year the sport was unsustainable at the moment because of the high costs needed to compete. It would also mean the grid being reduced to only 18 cars and would leave drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello without seats. [ http://www.breakingnews.ie/text/sport/mhidsncwmhkf/ - source ]

Shows that I know exactly SFA.

TBH formula one is becoming an expensive joke. Race results are decided in the court room and when people do overtake they get penalised.

It's about time they got rid of the stupid egos, stupid rules and got down to some proper racing. It quite simply does not make a good spectator sport anymore.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1093009/Des-Kelly-Are-real-fans-left-Premier-League.html - Climate change makes fossil fools of F1

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1093009/Des-Kelly-Are-real-fans-left-Premier-League.html - ...But there's time to turn the corner - with some great ideas!

thepits wrote: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1093009/Des-Kelly-Are-real-fans-left-Premier-League.html - Climate change makes fossil fools of F1 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1093009/Des-Kelly-Are-real-fans-left-Premier-League.html - ...But there's time to turn the corner - with some great ideas!

Usual cr%p from that rag.

Sporty1 wrote: Usual cr%p from that rag.

You're a Sun "reader" I take it?

thepits wrote: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1093009/Des-Kelly-Are-real-fans-left-Premier-League.html - Climate change makes fossil fools of F1 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1093009/Des-Kelly-Are-real-fans-left-Premier-League.html - ...But there's time to turn the corner - with some great ideas!

It seems to me to be the rantings of someone a wee bit bitter and twisted.

Was he missed out when the freebies for the GB GP were handed out?

Has he just discovered he and his ‘partner’ haven’t been invited to the Max & Bernie Christmas bun fight?

It really is difficult to find any paper to read when the quality of reporting has become so shockingly poor, for the most part irresponsible and being virtually answerable to no one.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/12/8768.html">Mosley Delighted

thepits wrote: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/12/8768.html">Mosley Delighted

Has he been for another spanking session?

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/12/8773.html - FIA Confirms Radical Cost-cutting Plans

Read elsewhere it was Tata's IT consultancy, not their automotive arm.

ETA; http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tcs-inks-marketing-dealferrari/18/31/51474/on - http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tcs-inks-marketi ng-dealferrari/18/31/51474/on

Sporty1 wrote: thepits wrote: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1093009/Des-Kelly-Are-real-fans-left-Premier-League.html - Climate change makes fossil fools of F1 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1093009/Des-Kelly-Are-real-fans-left-Premier-League.html - ...But there's time to turn the corner - with some great ideas!   Usual cr%p from that rag.

Wouldn't wipe my ar*e with the Mail

Sporty1 wrote: Read elsewhere it was Tata's IT consultancy, not their automotive arm.

Still Tata though, so as they own Jaguar/Land Rover, and it is rumoured that the UK government is going to bale them out to the tune of billons of £'s, and we pay the UK government taxes, does that mean that WE end up sponsoring Ferrari?

thepits wrote: Sporty1 wrote: Read elsewhere it was Tata's IT consultancy, not their automotive arm. Still Tata though, so as they own Jaguar/Land Rover, and it is rumoured that the UK government is going to bale them out to the tune of billons of £'s, and we pay the UK government taxes, does that mean that WE end up sponsoring Ferrari?

Not unless the UK government also 'bail' out TCS.

3 potential buyers for the crappy Honda Team.

David Richards, owner of Prodrive.

Achilleas Kallakis, a Greek shipping tycoon, is interested.

Carlos Slim Helú, the second richest man* in the world.

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/early-suitors-for-honda-formula-one-team/?nl=wheels&emc=wheelsa1 - http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/early-suitors-for -honda-formula-one-team/?nl=wheels&emc=wheelsa1

* Imagine being THAT rich and being described as that - not quite good enough!!!  Ron Denis should have a word with him!