F1 links: Nakamoto walks, Pantano gripes
"Honda's Shuhei Nakamoto has this week left his position with the Formula One team." The former aerodynamicist had shouldered some of the blame for Honda's post-2006 slump. He said last year: "To be honest, I don’t have enough development experience in Formula 1 cars. Everyone knows my background is as a motorcycle chassis designer. Motorcycles never use downforce. In F1, aero is maybe 70 or 80% of the performance - in this area I have no experience. Everyone in our team knows this.”
Pantano “abandoned” by F1 teams
Giorgio Pantano: "I challenge anyone to have a CV as good as mine. I won two karting world titles, three European, three Italian, German F3, GP2 and was always at the front in F3000. But now I don't have a seat in F1, is this a joke?"
Read more: Giorgio Pantano beats Bruno Senna to the GP2 title - but will he get an F1 drive?
Willis: KERS won’t help overtaking
'[Red Bull Racing technical director Geoff] Willis says that teams will deliberately develop their cars to make it more difficult for rivals to follow in their slipstream. "Probably one aerodynamic development will be to disturb the air flow of the following car in order to make your own car less prone to be overtaken," he added.'
Ouch, this economic crisis thing is hurting…
"Back in 1998 there were 11 of 16 races held in Europe. The "flyaway" Grands Prix were in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Japan - all countries with a healthy tradition in the sport… Next year F1 will gain a high-paying race in Abu Dhabi, but will lose both France and Canada. This means that there will be eight races in Europe and nine flyaways - and no events in North America."
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No Giorgio, it’s not a joke. The F1 teams didn’t really want you first time round, why would they want you now?
I still think that Honda appointing a man that knew nothing about F1 in their F1 team is akin to me asking a raccoon if it can cook me a full English breakfast.
Not to worry Jack, with standard engines, aero and slicks, what’s there to worry about?
Well Haplo, obviously that problem’s fixed, but the raccoon is still shambling around the kitchen knocking my saucepans everywhere. I’m a tolerant person but there’s only so much more I can take before I am forced to try out other woodland creatures as potential chefs.
Jack - A guy with zero F1 experience took over at an F1 team in the late eighties, and by 1994 they’d won a world championship…
….and then Nick Fry tried it….
@ Keith - perhaps sometime it is better to have no experience at all than having experience from related but yet very different field.
Perhaps Honda should replace Nick Fry with a raccoon
just subscribed to your newsletter a few days ago and wanted to say that we’re very impressed. thanks, ed