F1 links: (Mostly) non-Renault news

16th September 2009, 23:17 by Keith Collantine 21 Comments »

OK, so there’s only one big F1 story right now.

But there are some other interesting developments going on and other articles reading. Here’s a quick round-up from me, as usual please post yours below:

Merc SLS debuts with help from Hamilton (Auto Trader)

But would he rather have an SLS or an MP4-12C?

And now… the Virgin F1 Team (Joe Saward)

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the Manor Grand Prix entry that was granted in the summer will transform in the weeks ahead into a team called Virgin F1."

More about the Malaysian F1 team

"It is worth noting that in recent weeks AirAsia has joined forces with Mofaz Fortec Motorsport to run a team in the World Series by Renault Championship. Mofaz was originally a tobacco distribution company but it has diversified into many different sectors. The team is owned by Mohamed Fauzy Abdul Hamid, the President of Mofaz, who also happens to be the father of Fairuz Fauzy, the 27-year-old racer who competed in British F3 between 2002 and 2004 and then moved to GP2 on and off between 2005 and 2008. It is safe to suggest that the team will be used to develop new talent and that Fauzy is a leading candidate for one of the F1 drives. He won a race in GP2 Asia in February 2008 at the Sentul track in Indonesia."

Merc: ‘No end to McLaren F1 deal’ (Autocar)

"Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche has denied that his company plans to split with the McLaren Formula One team, but has admitted that the current deal could change in the light of changing F1 rules."

Teams may revisit engine equalisation (ITV-F1)

Stefano Domenicali: “With all respect we understand that we have seen a great performance from the Mercedes engine, but as always before giving the final sentence on that, we need to see the numbers and the power curve and everything connected to that."

Jenson Button set for new Brawn deal but Barrichello faces axe (Daily Mirror)

"Jenson Button is set to sign an improved multi-million pound deal to stay at Brawn in the 2010 season. But team-mate Rubens Barrichello is to get the boot even if he emerges victorious from their two-way title scrap."

BMW expects team to race in 2010 (Autosport)

"After announcing that Swiss foundation Qadbak Investments Limited is to buy the team, BMW Sauber issued a statement confirming that it now expects the FIA to guarantee its place on the grid."

Movements on the driver market

"Kubica seems to be keen to move to Williams, which he sees as being a team that knows how to win. The problem is that Renault F1 wanted Kubica to replace Fernando Alonso as there are no other star names available and was blocking the Williams engine deal if the team signed Robert. The word at Monza was that if Kubica does not join Williams the job will go instead to Rubens Barrichello, who will swap drives with Nico Rosberg, who is the choice of Mercedes-Benz for Brawn."

Monza crowd down 20%

"The Monza event attracted a three-day crowd of 110,000, with 75,000 spectators turning out on race day. Last year that figure was 97,000, which translates to a fall of 20%."

ING Renault F1 Team Statement – 16 September 2009 (Renault)

"The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team."

Time for me to admit to national stereotyping (Lynn Duffy’s Blog)

"When I think back over all the dodgy stuff Renault (and Benetton before them, even more so) got up to, Symonds has been right there in the thick of it. He was Schumi’s engineer FFS! So fundamentally, I was inclined to judge FB as guilty because I think of him as crooked (a dirty old man, really) while I was giving PS the benefit of the doubt and thinking that FB probably pushed him into it, whereas there was no evidence at all for that."

Early evidence indicates crash was suspicious, says Max Mosley (The Guardian)

"The data from the car indicated that something very unusual had happened on the corner where he crashed – according to the experts who look at these things."

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