F1 links: Renault announcement due soon

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Are the FIA going to put out details of the Renault investigation tomorrow so it gets buried in the Saturday papers? Let’s find out…

Mosley Call On Renault Could Come Friday

"The FIA could announce as early as Friday whether Renault is to be called before the World Motor Sport Council to answer allegations surrounding the 2008 Singapore GP."

Lotus confirms Bahar

"Dany Bahar has been appointed as the new CEO of Group Lotus effective October 1. Bahar was previously Senior Vice President, Commercial & Brand for Ferrari SpA where he was responsible for worldwide road car sales and after sales business, overall road car and F1 marketing activities, licensing, and merchandising business."

Malaysians pushing for Lotus F1 entry

"Autosport understands that the Malaysian government is keen to continue the promotion of its oil company Petronas in F1, but also start delivering a higher profile for the Lotus company name – which is owned by Malaysia's national car maker Proton."

Renault crisis deepens after FIA widens investigation

"A source within the FIA said: 'There were interviews going on all weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, and other issues above and beyond Singapore are also to be looked at.' Technical chief Pat Symonds and Alonso were among senior Renault figures interviewed more than once by FIA representatives in Belgium."

Hülkenberg in contention at Williams

Sam Michael: "Nico is someone that is on our list for a drive next year. But there are lots of drivers knocking on our door."

Ted Kravitz – the Belgian GP from the pit lane

"As a matter of interest, in the McLaren post-race press release, every quote – with the exception of Hamilton's – praises Kimi for his win. Given that most McLaren people would rather undergo root canal surgery than publicly praise Ferrari, one can't help thinking there's a bit of 'preparing the ground' going on here."

Blame the rules for "race-fixing"

"The FIA will never be happy until all the cars are the same, the teams marching to the same step, and drivers are racing on the same line on the circuit. We are already moving closer and closer to that world with a spec Formula 2 and GP2 right at the doorstep. I am tired of saying this, but I believe it would be better for Formula 1 to produce a smaller rulebook."

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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22 comments on “F1 links: Renault announcement due soon”

  1. this is gonna be another big pizza I believe….

  2. I thought the new Lotus F1 team proposition had nothing to do with actual Lotus. I thought Lotus would be annoyed by the plundering of their heritage, and it wouldn’t raise their profile as people would be aware the two are unrelated.

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      4th September 2009, 10:12

      The Litespeed-Lotus proposal didn’t go down so well. The actual Lotus marque is onwed by Proton, which is pretty much Malaysia’s natoional car manufacturer. That’s why the government is backing it. But I don’t know how they intend to gain entry; the FIA is only selecting BMW’s replacement from the shortlist of teams from June-July. The presence of Mike Gascoyne suggests to me that the Malaysian government group has taken control of Litespeed-Lotus and remodelled it into Lotus and Lotus only, but I can’t think of any way they might get in. The GP2 Asia team Qi-Meritus Mahara might have some invovement, since they sai they want to be on the grid by 2016. Maybe it’s a Lotus-Mahara thing?

  3. I love how Piquet is throwing Renault under the bus, much the same way Eric Mangini ratted out Belichick for using spy cams.

  4. why cant gascoyne just go away? now he’s pushing lotus in so he has a new f1 team to *** up.

    i’m all for having lotus on the grid, but it’ll take less than 2 years for gascoyne to **** everyone off and get his walking orders.

    1. I agree. It’s thoroughly disgusting that one of the best technical minds in the F1 world is allowed to keep having a job in the sport. What is the world coming to?

      1. Agreed Red Andy. Every team Mike Gascoyne has worked for has made great strides and it is only differences of opinion and I’m presuming MG is quite strong minded, and rightfully so with his successes, that he didn’t gel with Team Bosses.

        The fact remains though, as Red Andy says, he is…

        one of the best technical minds in the F1 world.

        1. PS. I for one would love to see BMW Sauber taken over by the Malaysian consort with Petronas backing, Peter Sauber in there somewhere, and Mike Gascoyne as Design Chief… all the better that it has the Lotus name as well.

          1. Mikes a good man, with a brillaint mind for the technical (well proven as well) As you say Dougie I would welcome a Sauber initiative involving Mike Gascoyne to F1.

          2. As a Norfolk man, no amount of legal naming rights will make me recognise a Swiss or Malaysian F1 car as a Lotus.

      2. yeah, he did wonders for toyota, spyker and force india.

        he had 1 good year with jordan, half a good year with renault and that’s it.

        toyota did better without him, spyker failed under him and force india has done great without him.

        over rated… maybe he was good in the 90’s, but in todays racing he doesnt have it.

        1. …in todays racing he doesnt have it.

          no kidding, but one thing he still has is a, most unbecoming, ego.

          as to tacking the Lotus name onto a team, I have already expressed my negative thoughts in this thread. I’ll find it impossible to support. let them make their own legacy, not be an ersatz team Lotus.

    2. LOL @ Red Andy

  5. There goes my Tax money.

    It a pretty common thing for my Government to use our tax money to set up new “ventures”..but an F1 team? I think thats a little much.

    Why waste all the money on F1 when we could do so much more with the half a billion or whatever is required to fund in F1? I dont believe the country will benefit from having an F1 team just yet..its going to be a waste of money.

    1. And this from an F1 fan! Can’t imagine it’s gone down any better with non-fans…

  6. I hope that someone buys BMW Sauber and they get the 13th grid spot as I can’t see a totally new team having enough time to be ready for next year if they were granted the place now.

    1. Perhaps this is how Lotus-proper get in – buy out BMW Sauber.

      Thing is I’d welcome Lotus into F1 in a heart-beat and I wouldn’t consider them a manufacturer team either. I mean I know Lotus is a manufacturer, but it would more like Spyker’s venture into F1…though hopefully more successful!!

      Potronas Lotus Sauber….doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

      1. Potronas Lotus Sauber….doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

        actually it sounds terrible to me.

        Lotus was ACBC and when he died it really was the beginning of the end. The name should rest in peace.

        While I admire the achievments of Peter Sauber putting his name with Lotus would be inapropriate as he had nothing to do with the Lotus history.

  7. http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/wmsc/2009/Pages/ex_wmsc.aspx

    It’s official 21st September.

    More to this than most of us dismissed initially.

    Is this good-bye Renault, and see-ya Flavio

    1. Is this good-bye Alonso??

      I never dismissed it after I saw that article in the F1 Reveiw Book for 2008.

  8. Remember Max Mosley called Favio ‘head of the loonies’ and Flav was a key part of the power house that got Max to finally resign. I mean you don’t think there could be any witch hunting here in the last days of the MM dynasty? That would assume the FIA was run as a personal fiefdom, which of course is absurd.. right?

  9. “The FIA will never be happy until all the cars are the same, the teams marching to the same step, and drivers are racing on the same line on the circuit.”

    Yeah. Banning refueling. Just stupid!

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