Renault has a lot to make up for with its 2008 car. The R28 has to return the team to its race and championship-winning form of 2005-6.
Month: January 2008 articles archive
Pedro de la Rosa criticises McLaren driver equality
Posted onSome people (myself not included) are sceptical about whether Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen are going to get equal treatment at McLaren this year. So it was interesting to see Pedro de la Rosa not only confirm that they will get the same treatment but say he disagrees with the approach, in an interview for … Continue reading Pedro de la Rosa criticises McLaren driver equality
Your F1 circuit remixes
Posted onLast week I invited readers to send in their plans to re-draw Formula 1 circuits. Thanks to everyone who e-mailled in with their circuit remixes – here’s a selection of the best…
Video: Valencia street track vs road course
Posted onVideo of a virtual lap of the new Valencia street circuit has been released – the track looks fast, challenging and not at all like many of the recent additions to the F1 calendar. However some of the local residents aren’t happy and have protested against the expense (financial and environmental) of transforming part of … Continue reading Video: Valencia street track vs road course
You’re nine years too late, Jacques
Posted onEx-F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve has split from his manager Craig Pollock. In a statement the 1997 world champion said: He has stuck with me through good times and bad, and I have a lot to thank him for. I think that’s incredibly charitable. If Villeneuve hadn’t followed Pollock’s half-baked idea nine years ago, to set … Continue reading You’re nine years too late, Jacques
Video: F1 testing in Valencia and Jerez (part 2)
Posted onHere are some more videos of last week’s F1 test at Valencia where Ferrari, McLaren, Toyota, BMW, Renault, Honda, Red Bull and Williams had their 2008 cars. There’s also video from the earlier Jerez test with some nice shots of F1 cars travelling sideways in the wet. More of that in 2008 please…
IRL vs Champ Car: the end game?
Posted onIt’s the time of year when the terrible state of open wheel racing in America makes everyone start to ask why the IRL and Champ Car can’t kiss and make up and form a unified series. Champ Car has lost Sebastien Bourdais to F1. His former team, Newman-Haas, is threatening to defect to the IRL … Continue reading IRL vs Champ Car: the end game?
Pictures: Honda reveals 2008 car in revised ‘Earth car’ livery
2008 F1 season
Posted onHonda have revealed they are sticking with their innovative ‘Earth Car’ livery for a second year in 2008.
How much does an F1 driver cost? And why…
Posted onMax Mosley has approved increases in the cost of F1 drivers’ superlicences that will net the FIA an extra ?óÔÇÜ?¼1.1m* (£818,000). F1 drivers have seen the cost of their licences increase by up to 479%. The top drivers will pay the most but it’s not as if they’re impoverished to begin with – Lewis Hamilton … Continue reading How much does an F1 driver cost? And why…
How much F1 did ITV miss showing adverts in 2007?
Television
Posted onITV broadcast every round of the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship. But how much of the action was missed during advert breaks?
Video: Road cars with F1 engines
F1 video
Posted onThe kind of technology transfer I like to see is where mechanics get mischievous and bolt howling F1 race engines into road-going cars.
Video: F1 testing in Valencia (part 1)
Posted onI came across a series of excellent videos covering last week’s F1 test in Valencia on Youtube today. The footage includes the debut appearances of two new 2008 F1 cars – the Williams-Toyota FW30 and Renault’s new R28, the latter driven by Fernando Alonso. See below for over half an hour of footage from the … Continue reading Video: F1 testing in Valencia (part 1)
Grosjean dominates on GP2 Asia debut
GP2 Asia
Posted onNew ART Grand Prix driver Romain Grosjean took a dominant double win in the first ever GP2 Asia round in Dubai.
The Massa delusion
Posted onFirst Kimi Raikkonen’s manager, now Felipe Massa is claiming unreliability has cost him a world championship: I think my countrymen understand that I would have been the 2007 World Champion if my car had been more reliable. Let’s get the calculators out and do some sums…
ITV Sport to broadcast in HD… but not F1?
Posted onSome time ago I started putting a bit of cash to one side so that when ITV finally arranged to broadcast F1 in high definition I could run out and buy a HD TV. Predictably enough there’s been little sign of progress towards HD. I gave up hope of seeing a race in HD last … Continue reading ITV Sport to broadcast in HD… but not F1?
It’s Nazir Hoosein all over again
Posted onSidepodcast have done some first-class sleuthing about the man who will appear as the new FIA-appointed permanent steward to rule on disputes during Grand Prix weekends. As of this year there will be three different stewards officiating on each race, plus one extra person appointed by the FIA who will be at every race. This … Continue reading It’s Nazir Hoosein all over again
2008 F1 testing round-up 4
Posted onAs testing for the 2008 F1 season continues apace it is becoming easier to tell how each of the different teams are faring. BMW have had trouble getting their new F1.08 up to speed, and the car has sprouted some unusual extra wings on its nose. On the other hand Williams’s new FW30 looked quick … Continue reading 2008 F1 testing round-up 4
Honda reveal their 2008 F1 car: the RA108
Posted onHonda actually revealed their 2008 F1 racer earlier this week – I’ve only just been able to get some pictures of it. This is one of the most important cars on the grid this year. Honda desperately need to recover from an awfully poor 2007. Boss Nick Fry has made the right staffing moves – … Continue reading Honda reveal their 2008 F1 car: the RA108
F1 blogs review: free Red Bulletin download
Posted onIn the F1 blogs this week grab yourself a complete back-catalogue of the free paddock magazine Red Bulletin in PDF format from the past three years. Just don’t try taking them into the McLaren pit… Plus an Australian F1 fan frustrated with the organisation of the Melbourne race, plenty of thoughts on testing and more.
‘Fuel burn’ qualifying laps get dropped
2008 F1 season
Posted onGood news – there will be no boring hiatus at the start of part three of qualifying in 2008. The FIA has finally gotten around to banning the ‘fuel burn’ phase (as many people had expected). I was hoping they would do this by getting rid of ‘race fuel’ qualifying altogether. Race fuel qualifying was … Continue reading ‘Fuel burn’ qualifying laps get dropped