In the round-up: Bortolotti to test for Williams and an F1 Fanatic readers explores India’s new track.
Links
Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:
Bortolotti Clinches F2 Title and Williams F1 Test (Williams)
“As his prize for claiming the Formula Two crown, [Mirko] Bortolotti will earn a full test with the Williams F1 team at Abu Dhabi in November. He will also qualify for an FIA Superlicence, required to compete in Formula One Grands Prix.”
A flying lap of the Buddh International F1 Circuit in India (YouTube)
F1 Fanatic reader Archie Leeming shot this video of the Buddh International Circuit on Monday last week and had this to say:
“We managed to get to walk around as well as sneak our bikes onto the track, telling local security that we were Jaypee VIP guests and he let us ride round the track – until we got to the main straight were a lot of Indian officials spotted us and highly unamused ordered us off the circuit!
“We also spoke to a few of the westerners there watching over the progress. We spoke to a guy from FOM who was English and he told us a bit but a not a lot. He reckons they are further ahead than Korea was at this stage but he still wasn’t very optimistic on whether it would be finished. Should have asked him for more team radio coverage!
“The Tilke guy standing next to us stood very quietly. Some of the western engineers working on the stands laughed at the idea if it being finished and said it was a nightmare.
“The track looked all fine, just needed the kerbs putting in. Run-off areas looked fairly incomplete. The internals of the buildings were extremely bare as you can see.”
Sauber plays down Perez’s Ferrari link (Autosport)
“There are no further arrangements regarding that. As we understand it, there is one test. The programme is not developed with us. We make sure that none of these activities conflict with any of our activities, and Ferrari respects that. We found a time when we could do his test and that’s it.”
“Williams‘ press release calls Suzuka designer John Hugenholz “The Hermann Tilke of his day”. If only Tilke’s efforts were a patch on Suzuka.”
Via the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app
Case study: Santander F1 strategy (FT, registration required)
“Santander decided to strengthen its relationship with F1 but to reduce its commitment to McLaren in favour of a team with greater global brand penetration.”
Follow F1 news as it breaks using the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app.
Comment of the day
Is Kimi Raikkonen on the verge of an F1 comeback? Prisoner Monkeys doubts it:
I can’t help but question Raikkonen’s commitment after his accident in the Rallye de France-Alsace.
His collision was Henning Solberg was bizarre to say the least, but the car was mostly undamaged. He could have easily restarted, but he simply decided to go home.
I think that would have poured cold water on any team looking at signing him – they’d have to question Raikkonen’s commitment, especially if things go badly. Lately, Raikkonen seems to be giving up on things when he doesn’t experience immediate success.
Williams in particular certainly have their work cut out for them. I also think Williams would be a poor choice because I don’t think Raikkonen would get along too well with them personality-wise.
Prisoner Monkeys
From the forum
Some terrific stats work from Guilherme.
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Iceshiel and StrFerrari4Ever!
On this day in F1
One year ago today Sauber announced Sergio Perez would drive for them this year.
It’s been a strong season for the Mexican rookie so far. A glance at his form guide shows he has out-qualified Kamui Kobayashi 9-4.
Perez trails on points but missed two races following his nasty crash in qualifying at Monaco. He’s already got a Sauber deal for 2012 sorted and has tested for Ferrari, prompting rumours he could drive for Maranello in 2013.
Calum (@calum)
4th October 2011, 0:10
Budh looks like a good circuit, apart from turn 1 and turn 15 – it is good fun to drive on my mates F1 game. :D
John H (@john-h)
4th October 2011, 0:42
Really hope they get the circuit finished, only 3 1/2 weeks to go. Some steelwork still to go up on those stands I see (!) but I suppose as long as they get the kerbs down and finish the run offs they can at least race on it.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 1:23
Tilke built Sepang and Istanbul, which are both excellent and feature in the top ten Tilke turns article. He has also designed Buddh International and the Circuit of the Americas, both of which look like real drivers’ circuits (though only time will tell).
Hugenholtz built Nivelles-Baulers and Zolder, both of which appear in the ten worst circuits article from a few years ago. He also designed the Jarama, which was fiddly and difficult to pass on.
So I’d say the score is fairly even. For now.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th October 2011, 8:26
Only if you cherry-pick, as you have, the best of Tilke’s and the worst of Hugenholz’s.
I’d take Nivelles-Baulers and Zolder over Bahrain, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi. And nothing Tilke’s done comes anywhere close to the brilliance of Suzuka and Zandvoort.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 8:31
Well, the point is that both Tilke and Hugenholtz have made good and bad circuits.
And according to Wikipedia – I know, not always the most reliable source – Hugenholtz didn’t actually design Zandvoort. Sydney “Sammy” Davis did, using existing roads to form a rough outline of the circuit.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th October 2011, 8:35
No, my point is that Hugenholz’s best were incomparably better than Tilke’s, and his worst were nothing like as bad.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 8:38
That, I think, is a matter of opinion. When Hugenholz designed Suzuka, he was literally given a blank cheque; Honda were willing to do anything he asked of them the circuit built.
When Tilke designed Shanghai, he was given a reclaimed swamp on the edge of the city by the Chinese covernment.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th October 2011, 8:42
…and a nine-figure sum. Which he seemed to spend entirely on a nice building with the circuit as an afterthought.
Ditto Yas Marina, an inexcusably bad circuit without a single corner worth of the name.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 8:49
One million dollars doesn’t go nearly as far today as it did ten years ago, much less fifty years ago when Suzuka was built.
I’d like to see the costs of building for Suzuka, adjusted for inflation.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th October 2011, 9:12
So let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Suzuka did cost as much in real terms as Abu Dhabi. It’s still an incomparably better track.
Aside from the chicane at the end, every corner at Suzuka has more to offer than every corner at Yas Marina.
Mike (@mike)
4th October 2011, 9:07
With the resources Tilke has there is no excuse.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 9:11
Yes, I’m sure that if you look back at Hugenholtz’s creations, he was told that he absolutely had to build his circuits a) on man-made islands, b) running around a purpose-built harbour, and c) going under a hotel at some point.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th October 2011, 9:14
All architects have to work within restrictions. It’s not as if Hugenholz had much room to work with when he designed Jarama, is there?
unoccprost
4th October 2011, 9:15
+1 to Keith.
PM., a 9 figure sum by the way is hundreds of millions not millions.
And by the way, I don’t think anyone shouold be suprised that two tilke designed circuits have corners mentioned in the article called ‘Top 10 TILKE turns’. Infact I’d imagine that all the tracks with those turns in them were designed by Tilke.
Using that as a piece of evidence in an argument shows your bias.
And anyway, he have heaps of Tilke, infact nearly half the tracks are in some way Tilke. Bahrain, Malaysia, China, Valencia, Germany, Singapore, Korea, Abu Dhabi, India and Turkey. 10 out of 20 this year for the calender!
And almost all of them feature a long straight followed by a chicane along with his other generic party tricks.
I think others should get a go, if anything atleast it will be more exciting.
Next year we drop Turkey but gain America which is also Tilke. And then in 2013 we’ll get Tilke again and again… Russia and wherever else theres oil.
Atleast if they put the races in the middle of nowhere can there be exciting tracks.
I feel rather sorry for the Abu Dhabi guys, put alot of moeny into it, triewd to develop something around it, the tracks had the V8 supercars there, and brought in Ferrari World and a whole heaps of stuff, driving programmes at other times during the year. Actually effort, not just a GP. They then got a horrible horrible circuit.
Even siad they were happy to change in after this year to fix problems. Unfortunately the biggest one is Tilke
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 9:22
Yes, because Jarama is held up as an exemplar of circuit design …
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 9:25
I’m aware of that. If a million dollars will not go as far today as it would have fifty years ago, then a hundred million dollars will not go as far today as it would fifty years ago.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 9:41
Replace Tilke tomorrow, and whoever takes his place will be bound by the same limitations that he is.
Fixy (@)
4th October 2011, 17:13
Nice to read this clash of the titans between Keith and PM ;)
vjanik
4th October 2011, 11:01
well done Tilke for winning the “top ten Tilke turns”.
Buddh and Circuit of the Americas have not yet been raced on so I wouldn’t use them as examples of his achievement. Lets wait for the GPs and see..
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 1:30
I wouldn’t go so far as to say I doubt he will come back, but I do think that any team considering him for 2012 would need to look at the events in Strasbourg very carefully before signing him up. If I were in Frank Williams’ position, I’d want some guarantee that Raikkonen is going to deliver his all, even on an off day. Especially on an off day. Williams has got his team to consider, and if Raikkonen is simply going to phone it in when he has a bad run, then there’s no place for him in the team – least of all because they’re trying to claw their way back up the grid. Any team principal would expect a certain level of commitment from their drivers, and what Raikkonen displayed in France this weekend simply isn’t good enough. I’d make sure any contract with Raikkonen is worded very carefully, giving the team principal the power to drop Raikkonen quickly and easily if his heart isn’t in it. If that means giving in to Raikkonen’s demand of minimal PR hours, then so be it – he can spend the extra time working on his qualifying and race performances.
bananarama (@bananarama)
4th October 2011, 1:41
I guess Raikkonen couldn’t even be bothered to read to the end of your comment, so a contract.doubting his motivation and forcing him to behave in a certain way would surely be something he’d entirely ignore. And rightfully so. You either take him the way he is or you don’t. It’s really simple, always has been and thats part of why I always liked him.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 2:26
If he wants to come back to Formula 1, he’s going to have to give a little to get a little. He demonstrated a complete lack of commitment in France, and his complete no-show in Australia – which got him excluded from the WRC standings for failing to meet his commitments – suggest that he simply cannot be bothered. It’s an attitude that needs to be corrected; he can’t expect to show up in Formula 1, put in a half-baked effort and then just assume his seat is safe because he’s Kimi Raikkonen. That attitude will get him nowhere fast, especially with Frank Williams.
Then he won’t race. It’s as simple as that. Any team principal considering Raikkonen would want some guarantee that he is commited to racing for them. If he isn’t, then he’s just wasting everyone’s time.
I don’t know what’s causing him to give up as readily as he has been of late. But if he is serious about a return to Formula 1, he needs to get over it.
bananarama (@bananarama)
4th October 2011, 8:49
Then, I guess, he won’t be driving in F1.
Sure Raikkonen could do better in WRC than he does, but until France he scored points in every Rallye he took part in this year. Since he had no chance to get near any kind of title this year, sure why would he bother taking the trip to Australia if he had no contractual obligation to do so. I didn’t get to hear much about the accident in France (nearly zero coverage in Germany) but the way Solberg described it was a rather big crash and it was called a terminal suspension damage.
I think its sad that he doesn’t have the work attitude of a young Michael Schumacher because I’m sure if he really wanted to he could be successful once again, but maybe he simply doesn’t care about that anymore. And no matter if he is motivated or not he wouldn’t take a contract the way you suggest so I suppose we won’t see him back in F1. Only on his terms (maybe the “spark” would come back if he could have everything the way he wants, who knows..).
vjanik
4th October 2011, 11:11
i dont see why Kimi would even want to go to Williams. A team that is on a downhill trend for a decade now.He himself said that he would only return if it was for a competitive team able to fight for the title. I really dont see Kimi returning to F1 just to fight for 9th 10th place at best. But lets say he would consider going to Williams. How are they going to pay him? They would be practically broke if the didnt have oil money from Venezuela and if they havent done an IPO. How will they afford Raikonnen?
This whole Kimi to Williams story is a media driven rumor. Probably started by kimi’s manager and fueled by a quiet break between GPs. Its one of the least likely moves of 2012.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 13:01
All the competitive teams have got full driver line-ups. And Kimi has been out of the sport for two years. Assuming there was a vacant seat, which team in their right mind would take him? If Raikkonen wants back into the sport, he’s going to have to do a year with a smaller team.
Dr_Race_Craft (@dr_race_craft)
4th October 2011, 13:23
If he comes back we se it when we se it, or not. Why or because doesnt matter much!
Fixy (@)
4th October 2011, 17:14
Only PM could argue with Keith about his own comment of the day :P
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
5th October 2011, 1:49
I’m transcending the boundaries of awesomeness.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
4th October 2011, 7:24
From a financial point of view, how could Williams even afford Kimi? I doubt he would come anywhere near as cheap as Barrichello.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 7:45
If Raikkonen is deadly serious about coming back, then money will not be an option. He knows he won’t get the $50 million per year that he was commanding at Ferrari from anyone, much less Williams. And considering that he was being paid $50 million per year, he probably doesn’t need the money. So if he absolutely wants a way in, he’s going to have to take a pay cut – and he knows it.
davidwhite (@davidwhite)
4th October 2011, 8:02
Perez to replace Massa next year. Thoughts? For me, it makes perfect sense.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 8:12
Perez is under contract with Sauber for 2012. Unlike Massa, he did not have a contract guaranteeing him a Ferrari drive when he started at Sauber. Ferrari would need to buy Massa out of his contract and then find a way to Perez out of his 2012 contract.
bananarama (@bananarama)
4th October 2011, 8:36
Getting a driver out of the Ferrari has proven to be possible when they really wanted to. Getting a driver from a team that gets Ferrari engines and would always welcome some money could be possible aswell. Nevertheless I doubt it, I don’t think Perez can do anything Massa couldn’t for Ferrari yet.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th October 2011, 8:33
Massa’s under contract at Ferrari for next year and they say he’ll be driving for them, and Perez is under contract for Sauber next year. At this stage it would be a pretty embarrassing volte-face by Ferrari if they did give Massa the boot in 2012.
And you have to wonder whether they’d baulk at cutting a driver a year short on his contract twice in three years.
See: Kubica and Raikkonen among drivers considering 2012 options
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 8:40
Would they care? Sometimes I get the impression that Ferrari will insist Massa is still under contract with them right up until the moment the ink on his planned replacement’s contract has dried.
BasCB (@bascb)
4th October 2011, 20:04
Even if, I think we can take Peter Saubers statements as meaning that Ferrari has no kind of option on Perez and would need Sauber to agree with a move (it might have influence on the sponsorship deal as well, so that would probably be really expensive).
As testing is not much help, I think its far more sensible for Ferrari to wait a year. See how Perez improves next year, if Bianchi gets out of his slump and how good Kubica will be.
F1 Sight
4th October 2011, 20:22
Not sure I get the Perez hype. He is not even the best rookie and his good results were due to tire strategy management not outright pace. What makes you think he would be quicker than Massa? Also wasn’t Bianchi quicker at Fiorano a few weeks ago?
mantolwen (@mantolwen)
4th October 2011, 9:26
Mirko Bortolotti fully deserves the Williams test. He has been the most consistent driver this season, and while the driver currently second in the championship – Christopher Zanella – started well, he hasn’t been so good recently. He is likely to be beaten to second by Spanish rookie Ramon Pineiro. Zanella will get one of the GP2 test prizes, though, because he is guaranteed to finish second or third. I suspect Pineiro and Zanella will get them.
It’s a shame for Alex Brundle that he’s had so many problems this season, as when he hasn’t had punctures or other mechanical issues he has been on good form.
Steph (@)
4th October 2011, 10:33
I quite like the look of Bortolotti I must admit. Didn’t he get a test with Ferrari back in 09 or maybe 08?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th October 2011, 10:51
He’s had at least two runs for them:
Ferrari tests 3 Italian racers
Ferrari’s young drivers sample F2008
BasCB (@bascb)
4th October 2011, 20:04
The saddest thing about the whole of that is, I did not see any footage at all of the F2 season save one fan video online!
verstappen (@verstappen)
4th October 2011, 21:35
I wonder if F2 will be maintained.
After all the name implies much more then it is. Shame that F1 cars are so complex, I would love it when F2 would be filled with jahreswagens. Maybe tuned down a bit, but obviously then those cars would’t work anymore.
So in the end the proper F2 is still GP2.
Which makes F2 obsolete in my view.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 10:22
Finnish newspapers are reporting that Raikkonen’s Williams salary would be funded by money from the National Bank of Qatar, who would become a major sponsor for the team (Sir Frank has been trying to get them on-board as a sponsor for years).
electrolite (@electrolite)
4th October 2011, 10:43
Well if that really is true then that’s really encouraging. Those are quite a few reasons this whole thing with Raikkonen could actually go ahead. A world champion, a salary for Raikkonen to save Williams money, and plenty of sponsorship.
Is Raikkonen really that bothered about jumping into a winning car straight off anyway? I’d say from seeing his ventures since Formula 1 he’s liking a challenge and something different. He wasn’t happy in F1 in a top team when he left, so in that that respect why go straight back to a top team?
BasCB (@bascb)
4th October 2011, 20:07
That sounds like a realistic way to make the deal.
Still, there is no real clue if it will ever get further than a proposal right now.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
4th October 2011, 10:23
I should be on the birthday list as well.
Now, how to celebrate… watch a few hours of F1 maybe? :P
BasCB (@bascb)
4th October 2011, 20:06
Happy birthday then KaIIe!
By the way, any thoughts on that article PM refers to above (in the Finnish paper – Kimi)?
PJTierney (@)
4th October 2011, 10:40
It’s a shame that arguably Tilke’s greatest track (Istanbul) won’t be on the calendar next year. Turn 8 is only one of the many great aspects of the track.
Atticus (@atticus-2)
4th October 2011, 10:57
You must be kidding that track is going to host a Grand Prix in less than a month’s time…
Rob Wilson (@rob-wilson)
4th October 2011, 12:48
Thats what i thought but other readers seem to think it’s ok…In my oppinion it looks far from finished, it looks like they have another 6 months to go, it’s very rough round the edges, i would expect them to be ready by now, but it’s still just a building site with a grandstand and a bit of tarmac..
Journeyer (@journeyer)
4th October 2011, 13:19
Keith, as the forum thread has been closed, but it is a fresh news item, I’ll link to it here for your roundup.
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/an-interesting-ruling/
Basically, it means that getting pictures from foreign broadcasters should be legal, and indeed, would allow you to watch the race with a 5live audio feed if you so wanted.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 13:25
I’d preach caution for the moment. Just because a law has been applied to a particular case in a particular manner, that does not mean that the law will be applied to all similar cases on the bases of their similarity to the original case. There are elements to the Formula 1 and Premier League broadcast deals that make them unique, and within those difference lie scope for the law to be applied differently.
BasCB (@bascb)
4th October 2011, 20:42
It doesn’t. But it might open the door for others to have a fresh look at things and could lead to a shift away from country bound TV rights deals to better fit the options available through IP-TV, streaming, sattelite etc.
HounslowBusGarage (@hounslowbusgarage)
4th October 2011, 20:42
Hmm, yes but . . .
The principle seems to be that it is illegal for any provider of goods or services to seek to restrict availability of their product on the basis of national boundaries within the EU.
In that way, my friends in Belgium drive to Germany to buy their washing powder, but go to France for their wine without any hindrance.
By extension, it would seem that it is no longer defensible or legal to restrict the reception of broadcast television transmissions (not sure about cable) by national boundary.
As a poster called Josh put it on Joe Saward’s blog
Perhaps it will mean that Mr B will have to spend the next few years welding all his individual country agreements into one Europe-wide contract with a Pan-European broadcaster like . . . . Sky!
HounslowBusGarage (@hounslowbusgarage)
4th October 2011, 20:43
Bother. That should have been a reply to Prisoner Monkeys.
Fixy (@)
5th October 2011, 16:35
Bravo Mirko! I hope you can win in higher series as well!