Month: July 2006 articles archive

Colin Chapman’s death in 1982 was an untimely shock. But if he were still wielding his brutal, uncompromising design genius in modern times, would the restrictive regulations completely neuter his capacity for thinking the unthinkable? It’s a question you can’t help but think as you flick through the 264 pages of this exhaustive history of … Continue reading F1 book review: “Lotus – The competition cars” (Anthony Pritchard)

The news that Super Aguri have given Franck Montagny a one-race stay of execution to contest his home Grand Prix this weekend is bittersweet. Montagny has laboured away with a four year old car as well as a rookie could be expected to, and far better than Yuji Ide did, but commercial pressures upon the … Continue reading In praise of Franck Montagny

You don’t expect to find an interview with an ex-Formula One World Champion in the pages of the Society Guardian. But there it is, page nine, Jody Scheckter on the joys of biodynamic organic farming. Hmm. Sexy. Scheckter only did one more season of F1 following his 1979 World Drivers’ Championship for Ferrari – their … Continue reading A Formula One farmer?

Listening to the radio this morning I was surprised to learn that there is a road named after Ayrton Senna in Reading. The residential road was apparently named for the three times champion because he had a house in Wokingham during his McLaren years. The radio caller complained that the road was inappropriately covered in … Continue reading Ayrton Senna Road

While rivals Honda go for speed record glory, Toyota have joined forces with BBC’s Top Gear to promote the forthcoming British International Motor Show. Top Gear’s “tame racing driver” The Stig blasted a 2005-spec V10 TF105 through ExCeL in London Docklands, the new home of the show. Top Gear returns to our screens in Britain … Continue reading Toyota promote British Motor Show with indoor test

After the seismic tremor of Juan Pablo Montoya’s decision to move to NASCAR in 2007, comes the aftershock: he will not race in Formula One with immediate effect. His F1 career is over, and his place will be taken by Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa. In retirement he brings to mind a driver he has … Continue reading F1 is over for Montoya

Honda have announced that their attempt to set the fastest speed ever recorded by an F1 car will take place between the 17th and 21st of July at the Bonneville salt flats. The attempt had originally been slated for October 2005 but was postponed due to bad weather. South African Alan van der Merwe will … Continue reading Honda ready for F1 speed attempt

The F1 Commission has made changes to the Formula One qualifying system ahead of the French Grand Prix. From next weekend’s round at Magny-Cours the third part of qualifying will be cut from 20 minutes to 15. This will reduce the amount of time drivers spend burning off fuel which has been widely regarded as … Continue reading FIA tweak qualifying

Ex-F1 racers Mika Hakkinen, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jean Alesi and Bernd Schneider were in action at Brands Hatch last weekend for the British round of the German Touring Car Championship. Seven-times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen led most of the race but crashed out due to a car failure late on. Briton Jamie Green took over … Continue reading Gallery: DTM Brands Hatch

After the 2005 farce, Bernie Ecclestone’s remarks to the media about the ‘unimportance’ of America to Formula One, Scott Speed’s lap one retirement, and a generally tedious 2006 race, the response of the American press to F1 was somewhat mixed. The dividing lines between America’s devoted band of F1 followers and those who seem perplexed … Continue reading F1 gets mixed reaction in USA