Ecclestone: Midland underestimated task
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone says he feels guilty about having convinced Midland owner Alex Shnaider to buy the struggling Jordan team.
Shnaider had originally planned to enter Formula One with his own team, but he bought Jordan to save the $48 million bond demanded of newcomers.
The team now race under Midland's name but they are likely to face a tough battle to escape the lower positions this season.
In hindsight, Ecclestone believes Shnaider should have not bought Jordan and claimed the Canadian businessman underestimated the task of making the team competitive.
"I feel guilty for having convinced Alex Shnaider into buying Jordan, I shouldn't have done it," Ecclestone told Autosprint. "I tried to help him as much as I could. He's a business man but he probably underestimated the effort."
Ecclestone, on the other hand, backed Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz's decision to join Formula One.
"Red Bull and Mr Mateschitz would like to win the championship, they'll do everything they can to reach that objective," Ecclestone added. "They are doing things in a big way but they are realists, they understand it's not easy.
"For Red Bull, anyway, F1 is an excellent channel through which promoting their brand. They expect to have one day a return on their investments. That's why it's fundamental to cut the costs."
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2005/2006 F1 News and Testing.
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Thread starter's postsEcclestone critical of Dennis, Alonso
McLaren boss Ron Dennis and World Champion Fernando Alonso made a mistake in dealing behind the back of Renault chief Flavio Briatore.
That's the claim of Formula One commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone, who has been critical of both men after Alonso signed a deal to join McLaren in 2007, a year before he leaves Renault.
Ecclestone reckons Dennis should have informed Briatore about Alonso's plans so the deal could have been announced properly.
As it was, however, McLaren revealed the deal just two months after Alonso had won the title, a decision which has been subject of much criticism.
"It's no problem that Alonso signed with McLaren, because he was free to do so contractually," Ecclestone said in an interview with Autosprint. "I don't know the conditions of his management relationship with Briatore, so I can't have an idea.
"Ron Dennis, however, should have called Briatore immediately afterwards and let him know about it, then agree on a communication strategy which wouldn't put Renault in difficulty, but this didn't happen. Flavio told me he learned of it one month after the contract got signed.
"Alonso and Ron Dennis worked behind the backs of Briatore and Renault, and this shouldn't have happened."
Scott Speed, Brutally Honest
It’s time for the US of A to wheel its latest F1 cockpit jockey onto the grid, this time under the cloak of Scuderia Toro Rosso, owned by Red Bull Racing, which is busting a gut to raise its U.S. profile. So, can Scott Speed do the biz?
Scott Speed, 22, is arrogant, self-centered and difficult to deal with. His diagnosis – and mine.
“I think that, fundamentally, I’m self-centered, I’m arrogant and very competitive, and those three things make it quite difficult to deal with me off the track,” he says. “But they’re definitely the reasons I’ve gone so far in racing.”
Speed’s self-confessed reputation precedes him. At least five people warn me to expect the worst. “You’ll get nothing out of him,” says one experienced hack. “What that Yank needs is a good weighty kick up the backside.”
Our first meeting, in the GP2 paddock in Bahrain the day before our scheduled interview, appears to confirm the rumors. We’re introduced, but Scott – gangly, spotty, wearing an ill-fitting oversized Red Bull basketball top, Red Bull shorts and D&G flip-flops – isn’t interested. He barely grunts an acknowledgement, taking out one of his white iPod earphones and offering a floppy hand, before skulking off, neck poking forward-and-down, a model of bad posture. He couldn’t be further removed from the straight-backed enthusiasm shown a few minutes earlier by Europeans Heikki Kovalainen and Nico Rosberg, whom I also interviewed for F1 Racing in December 2005.
Next day, Scott’s interview with the world’s best-selling grand prix magazine is at least marked by the removal of both earphones. In fact, he’s generally more genial – which is saying not a lot.
Time to disarm the attitude. After painfully chit-chatting about driving for America’s A1GP team at Brands Hatch the previous weekend (“What did you think of Paddock Hill Bend?” “It’s all right.”) and his brake problems in GP2 the previous day (which, with one race to go, looked as if it might hand third place in the championship to Alexandre Prémat, and explained Scott’s negative demeanor yesterday), I confront it head on: “People say you’ve got an attitude problem…”
Unabashed, he agrees. “Yeah, my personality is sure not easy to deal with sometimes,” he drawls. “But I’ve stopped trying to change it and have realized that the way I am is what makes me so good in racing. It’s why I’ve gotten as far as I have. I’m very brutally honest sometimes. And that’s why I think I get along so well with Helmut Marko and the Austrians.”
Ah, Helmut Marko, consultant to Red Bull Racing’s owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, and the Red Bull Austrians, better known in the F1 paddock as the “Austrian mafia.” Their own attitude is often derided by the F1 fraternity, but it seems that they and their American hopeful are happy bedfellows. Scott says he likes them – which is understandable, all things considered.
“I mean, they’ve given me an opportunity to go to F1,” he says, “which, for sure, I never would have had if it wasn’t for them. Dr. Marko, in particular, believed in me from the start.”
The start for Scott was winning the Red Bull American Driver Search in 2002, in which 16 home-grown U.S .talents were selected to prove themselves in a shoot-out at Bernie Ecclestone’s Paul Ricard circuit in France. Scott got in by virtue of his reputation on the American karting scene, where he’d won several national titles. His Red Bull prize was a fast-track into the European racing scene – the traditional proving ground for F1.
To understand why this particular American is about to enter F1 – and so become the first to do so since Michael Andretti drove for McLaren in 1993 – you have to take on board Red Bull’s obsession with the States. Buying a couple of F1 teams is just one arm of a two-pronged strategy by Mateschitz to conquer the biggest market in the world. The other is to deliver the first U.S. World Champion since Mario Andretti in 1978. That’s why Ecclestone is bending over backwards to help Mateschitz. And why Mateschitz is bending over backwards to help Speed.
What-Mateschitz-say-Marko-do, so of course Marko has believed in Scott from the start. But will he really be the star-spangled savior of F1 in the U.S. that Bernie and Mateschitz hope? Well, he has the perfect American racing hero name – it is his real name, by the way – and he is quick, but his nationality confers a mantle that sits rather uncomfortably on him.
“To be honest I only think about it when I’m talking to people in the media, because my goal is to become World Champion. It has been since I was 11. It obviously feels good to sort of represent my country in Europe and I think I changed the perception [European racers have] of all Americans in the last year.”
He’s undoubtedly the best U.S. road-racer of his generation and impressed in GP2, utterly demolishing his iSport teammate, the inexperienced Turk Can Artam (as expected), and taking one pole, five podiums and five fastest laps (less expected). Although a win eluded him, over the season he proved himself worthy of third place in perhaps the most competitive junior series ever. The only two drivers to beat him (and by a wide margin) – Kovalainen and Rosberg – are being touted as the next Kimi and Fernando, so fair play.
But how will Speed fare as F1’s evangelist in the US of A?
“Having been an F1 fan since I was 11 and knowing that the fanbase in America is so little compared with what it is in some other places, for sure I’d love F1 to become bigger, because it’s where my interest is. But I don’t think about it when I’m working.”
In other words, he’ll be pleased if his own success ignites interest in F1 in the U.S., but he’s not about to undertake an F1 PR pilgrimage for the good of the sport.
Time will tell whether he has the talent to let his racing do the talking and widen U.S. interest in F1. But he’s certainly confident of his ability to match the big boys, given the right opportunity.
“I don’t think there’s any one driver out there who is two-tenths better than anyone else. I mean look at Schumacher, for example. Say what you like, but when things are not running right, he’s pushing harder and making more mistakes. He’s like everyone else.”
Scott Speed in F1 will be fascinating. He’ll rub American F1 fans and the F1 establishment the wrong way. On paper, in the wake of Indygate, the great U.S. hope should be an Ivy League jock with a deft ability for road racing and a willingness to PR the sport in the Land of the Free. He should, in other words, be an American David Coulthard.
But he ain’t. And I’m glad. Scott Speed is his own man. And by the end of our encounter, I even quite like the guy. At least he’s got grit and personality.
Why is the GPMA so quiet?
The Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association is saying nothing about the latest ideas which have put into the public domain by FIA President Max Mosley. What is perhaps more interesting is the fact that none of the team principals involved have made any public statements about the proposals, particularly the idea that entries for the 2008 season will open and close within the next three months.
The unusual silence in all these matters suggests that there are other things more important being discussed at the moment and we hear that the silence may be because the manufacturers are close to a commercial deal with CVC Capital Partners, the new owners of the Formula One group, the commercial rights holder of Formula 1. If such a deal were to go through it would leave the FIA in a very uncomfortable position as it could then appear to be the only thing standing in the way of long-term stability for the sport.
Our spies tell us that there are some questions which still need to be answered before a deal can be done between CVC and the manufacturers. One question is whether CVC is operating on its own behalf or whether it is representing a client. The shareholdings in CVC are public information but this does not mean that the company is acting in its own right or whether it is acting on behalf of someone else and simply taking a fee.
There are also questions about what CVC would do when it takes control of the Formula One business (which cannot happen until there has been regulatory clearance from the European Union). The fear is that it would immediately issue a large new bond and thus make back its investment in the sport, leaving the sport to once again commit its future revenues to paying off a large debt. This is important as a percentage of the income would then be disappearing each year, leaving less to be shared by the teams.
Public day is a big success
The Bahraini public filled the seats set out for them at the Bahrain International Circuit today, taking advantage of the exclusive opportunity to see the three teams present.
With over 1,500 people coming through the turnstiles the event was a great success and gave many people a chance to get up close and personal with the stars of the forthcoming Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix which marks the start of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship on March 10-12.
The crowds witnessed an intriguing day’s action from the three teams present, with seven-time World Champion and winner of the inaugural Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher, again thwarted in putting too many miles on his new Ferrari 248 F1 by technical difficulties. Honda, meanwhile, continued to set the 2.4-litre V8 pace and continued to rack up the mileage as Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello logged 233 laps between them.
Scuderia Toro Rosso concluded its testing schedule with the RB1 with the car being shared by both American debutant Scott Speed and Italian charger Vitantonio Liuzzi, showing a strong turn of speed in the restricted 3.0-litre V10-engined car.
There were further surprises for the crowds to enjoy at Bahrain International Circuit today. In the Vending Area behind the main grandstand the Bahrain International Circuit team and Ferrari organized an impromptu autograph session at the end of the day with both race driver Felipe Massa and test driver Luca Badoer in attendance. Over 200 happy spectators left the circuit with the drivers. signatures, but for one fan there was an even bigger surprise in store today.
Four-year-old George happened to find himself face-to-face with his hero Michael Schumacher after the former World Champion was left stranded in the pit lane and challenged him to a game of football. “It was fun!” he said. “Michael is my favourite driver. He thought I was good and I scored a goal.”
Shaikh Salman Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Director of Government Affairs and PR at Bahrain International Circuit, said: “We are delighted with the public response to our open day. As the countdown to the race has gone on, so the level of excitement in the Bahraini community has gone upwards like never before. That is why we have organized the Yalla Bahrain ! festivities with the Bahrain Economic Development Board throughout the month ahead, as a celebration of Bahrain and the Bahrain Grand Prix, and clearly we can look forward to our best event yet.”
Alex Shnaider's Great Leap Forward
After riding out a storm of negative press, destructive rumours and expert predictions of his team's ultimate demise in 2005, it would be easy to forgive Midland Formula One Racing owner Alex Shnaider for feeling a bit smug as his team heads into this season stronger than ever.
Rather than thumb his nose at the team's seemingly implacable detractors, the Russian-born, Toronto businessman simply insisted Midland Racing would ensure it continues to defy the experts through simple hard work and, sooner or later, the critics will be forced to recognize the results.
"We heard from the doubters from the moment we entered the sport: First, they said we would never make it on to the grid, then they said we would not make it through our first season, and so on, and so on," Shnaider said.
"Well, we're not only still here, we're stronger and more motivated than ever. As tempting as it might be to tell them to shut up, that's not our way. All we ask for is the opportunity to be judged fairly on our own merit."
There's no doubt that Shnaider, 37, received a quick initiation to the cutthroat politics of the F1 paddock after buying the Jordan Grand Prix team in January, 2005. Insiders quickly insisted the Midland Group chairman was a rank amateur who had no idea about F1 and how it worked.
As the experts eagerly awaited the team's collapse, Shnaider busily negotiated a series of shrewd deals to bolster his position in the paddock.
He aligned himself with Ferrari and Red Bull by signing an extension to the Concorde Agreement with F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone. The Concorde Agreement is the deal that governs the business and sporting relationship between the teams and Formula One Management, which runs grand prix racing.
In joining the Concorde group, Shnaider instantly stood with the sport's oldest and most revered name -- Ferrari -- and its newest force to be reckoned with -- Red Bull billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, who owns two F1 teams, Red Bull Racing and Squadro Toro Rosso (formerly Minardi).
Shnaider signed retired F1 driver Johnny Herbert last July to act as the public face of the team, which helped quell some of the ferocity of the British press. The team also extended its engine deal with Toyota, securing what is thought to be the sport's most powerful motor for another season.
After an often tumultuous and sometimes frustrating first year, an emotional Shnaider watched the first all-Midland racer roll out of the garage at its Silverstone, U.K., headquarters during the team's official 2006 car launch Feb. 3.
"To see this beautiful, brand new car -- the culmination of such a massive effort, not to mention investment -- finally roar to life, was almost a surreal experience," he said.
"It was what I had envisioned when we announced that Midland would be entering F1, and I was very proud of the whole team for being able to accomplish this goal. Now, with all the necessary resources in place, we are looking forward to a successful new beginning."
The new beginning was punctuated by the elimination of the old Jordan yellow that defined the team for 15 years, replaced by a new red, white, and grey colour scheme and a new modern team logo.
It also included registering the new outfit as a Russian entry, making it the first F1 team from that country and putting it in the driver's seat to capitalize on some lucrative sponsorship opportunities.
With a Moscow Grand Prix becoming more probable in the next few years, Russian companies will be looking for opportunities to capitalize on F1's anticipated arrival.
While the strategy hasn't attracted a Russian sponsor so far, Midland has been able to sign a number of new partners for 2006.
But F1's cruel reality also dictates that attracting sponsors depends upon improving performance on the track, something that may be a tall order for the traditionally tail-end team.
Unfortunately for Midland, its budget of approximately $100-million (U.S.) pales in comparison to the front-running manufacturer-owned outfits, which easily spend more than four times that amount on their F1 programs.
Until the sport reins in its spiralling costs, scoring more points than the 12 it achieved in 2005 remains Midland's simple goal for the upcoming season.
"We know that we have made a leap forward with the new car - there is no question of that. What remains to be seen is how much our competition has improved relative to us," Shnaider said.
"But, I don't think we could have possibly worked any harder to get to where we are today."
Old favourites not doing so well
McLaren and Ferrari are both admitting that their cars are not as good as they could be. Mercedes-Benz boss Norbert Haug is now admitting that the new 2.4-litre V8 engine is not as good as the company had hoped it would be and says that work is going on to make sure the package is improved before the start of the season. This is going to make it difficult for Mercedes-Benz to catch up with the opposition unless there is something obvious that has been overlooked.
At the same time the new Ferrari 248 F1 is not as competitive as the Italian team had hoped it would be. In part this is due to the Bridgestone tyres which still seem to be lagging a little behind the Michelins. Felipe Massa has told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper in Italy that the team still has a lot to do match the pace of the Renaults and the Hondas which seem to be the class of the field at the moment. Williams is doing well given that the engine has had a great deal less funding than its rivals but there is a feeling that eventually the big manufacturers will be able to develop their engines more rapidly than Cosworth.
Toyota has yet to show its true potential but is expected that the team will be in the hunt as well, which means that we are in for an exciting season.
Soldato
Bah, making excuses already.Old favourites not doing so well
McLaren and Ferrari are both admitting that their cars are not as good as they could be. Mercedes-Benz boss Norbert Haug is now admitting that the new 2.4-litre V8 engine is not as good as the company had hoped it would be and says that work is going on to make sure the package is improved before the start of the season. This is going to make it difficult for Mercedes-Benz to catch up with the opposition unless there is something obvious that has been overlooked.
Ferrari focussing on the wrong car?
Ferrari's (testing) press release, like those of several other teams, give little away, other than the weather, number of laps completed, best time, and occasionally, as on Wednesday, a brief reference to a "mechanical problem".
The fact is however, that Ferrari has committed itself to a mammoth test in Bahrain, much of it running solo, and therefore unable to judge its progress compared to the opposition.
Furthermore, since his arrival in the desert, Michael Schumacher has completed just 60 laps (201 miles), with only two further tests planned before the start of the season.
The timesheets tell us that, between them, Felipe Massa and Luca Badoer, have completed 321 laps in Bahrain, that's almost 1100 miles (1700 kms). Furthermore, they have both topped the timesheets.
However, the Italian and the Brazilian have been at the wheel of the V10 powered F2004, not the 2006, so there is little reason to celebrate their 'achievements'. When Massa did run the 248 F1 - on Monday and Tuesday - he was over 0.6s off the F2004's pace, but more worryingly, behind both Hondas.
It is understood that the Italian team is introducing a new aerodynamic package this weekend, which will hopefully see an increase in pace, while the "mechanical problem(s)" will also be resolved.
However, one has to question the precise reason for this test, which, on the surface, appears to be as much about PR as anything else.
The fact is, the 248 F1 hasn't set the world alight, and there is serious concern that the Maranello outfit is devoting too much time to the V10 powered F2004, which unlike the 2002 Arrows and V10 Cosworth, will not be eligible in Bahrain in three weeks.
It's all smoke and mirrors...
The Ferrari 248 has had almost as many problems as the McLaren has - so far the testing times *which really mean squat* point to a Honda lead with Renault close behind.
Expect Schumacher to annouce his retirement shortly before the Italian Grand Prix.
Simon/~Flibster
Hockenheim asks Bernie for help
With the classic race at Spa Francorchamps already on the 2006 scrap heap, Hockenheim has pleaded for help as the health of the historic German grand prix continues to diminish.
According to reports in the German press, the Prime Minister of the local 'Baden-Wurttemberg' region has formally asked F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to intervene as Hockenheim runs out of money.
Among his requests, PM Guenther Oettinger asked the 75-year-old to reduce his fee - or, at least, slow the annual fee increases - for the annual German grand prix, the 'Stuttgarter Nachrichten' newspaper wrote.
Bernie's actual reaction is not fully known, but the Briton is believed to have entertained the idea of subsequent discussions with the people involved. By 2008, Hockenheim's annual race fee could be as much as $25 million.
A department of the Baden-Wurttemberg government will meet on Friday to examine the Hockenheim crisis, a spokesman told the 'paper.
Mosley moots Morocco race
With the likelihood of the mooted South African grand prix fading, Max Mosley has suggested that formula one could head to a different part of the continent.
Antarctica aside, Africa is the only global continent not represented on the F1 calendar. But with plans for a Cape Town (South Africa) event believed to have struck government funding problems, Mosley - the FIA president - dropped the name of an interesting northwestern kingdom: Morocco. ''There is a certain amount of interest in North Africa at the moment,'' the Briton confirmed, ''but as far as I know nothing concrete.''
Mosley, 65, said Bernie Ecclestone is in charge of organising new races. A single F1 race was staged in Morocco in 1958, with Stirling Moss winning on the 7.6km Casablanca circuit.
Mosley defends Red Bull 'betrayal'
Max Mosley has defended Red Bull for casting a controversial vote to axe the single tyre rule in formula one for 2006.
Renault boss Flavio Briatore recently slammed the Dietrich Mateschitz-owned camp for 'betraying' the other Michelin teams. Austria's Mateschitz voted in favour of the FIA president's proposal, thus appearing to gift rival Bridgestone its favoured rule.
Some said Red Bull's move was political, as the team is allied with engine supplier Ferrari, Bernie Ecclestone - via the 2008 Concorde - and skiing buddy Mr. Mosley.
But Max insisted: ''Mateschitz voted for it because he thought the most important thing was the spectacle.'' At his media lunch with reporters in London this week, Mosley backed his call to axe the single-tyre plan by saying that the spectacle of pit stops had dipped.
Honda clock most winter laps
Honda has topped a list of the biggest winter testers in Formula One, with a staggering tally of nearly 22 thousand kms.
The Japan-owned, Brackley based outfit - with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello also impressing on the near-daily time sheets - appear a full four thousand kms clear of McLaren, in the list of total mileage tallied up since late November 2005.
Renault is third (17,200km), ahead of Toyota (15,000km), Williams (13,000km), BMW Sauber (11,600km), Red Bull (7100km), MF1 (6600km) and Toro Rosso (5000km).
The list's two omissions, compiled by Sir Frank Williams' Grove based team, is Ferrari - the only team resisting a new voluntary test limit - and Super Aguri, who make their proper track debut in Spain next week.
While some drivers who wear scarlet might have figured in the running, then, it is nonetheless Honda's Button (8700km) on top of the list of drivers who have had the busiest winter, followed by Pedro de la Rosa (7500km) of McLaren.
Plans to axe Brit GP bends
Plans to redevelop Silverstone could result in the axe of fabled corners at the British grand prix venue.
England's Daily Telegraph reports that Club, Abbey and Bridge could all go as proposed developer St Modwen ramps up its scheme to safeguard the Formula One race's future.
According to the newspaper, the scrapped corners would help to make room for plots of land for residential homes, apparently an arrangement to make money.
Members of the circuit owning British Racing Drivers' Club, some of whom are vehemently opposed to the suggestions, will meet at Silverstone next Wednesday to ratify the plan.
But the BRDC's board insists that doing nothing is not an option, as the axe of the historic and much-loved Belgian GP at Spa Francorchamps demonstrated.
'(It) should serve as a warning to us all that tradition is no safeguard in the modern Formula One environment,' said the board.
Man of Honour
^ Can anyone say Brands Hatch or Castle Combe? As soon as you start putting houses next to a circuit all you end up with is NIMBYs complaining about the noise. Apparantly it's not necessary to look over the back fence before you buy the place....
Just had a look on Google Earth to try and work out where the circuit would go if they removed Club Abbey & Bridge and the only thing I can come up with is the track taking a right at the end of Vale and heading up the short runway before joining the National Circuit and back onto the GP circuit at Priory. That of course would screw up the heliport, support paddock etc etc etc.
Nice idea boys.
Just had a look on Google Earth to try and work out where the circuit would go if they removed Club Abbey & Bridge and the only thing I can come up with is the track taking a right at the end of Vale and heading up the short runway before joining the National Circuit and back onto the GP circuit at Priory. That of course would screw up the heliport, support paddock etc etc etc.
Nice idea boys.
Alonso: Rossi wasting Ferrari's time
Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso says he is unimpressed with his motorcycling counterpart Valentino Rossi's attempts at trying out on four wheels.
The Renault driver said he was in fact happy Rossi was testing for Ferrari, because it meant the Italian squad were not focusing on developing their car.
"I'm glad that Rossi has tested with Ferrari because that means they have lost valuable time preparing the cars for the show they put on," the Spaniard told a news conference at a promotional event in Madrid on Thursday.
"Let him come and drive. It will be good because there will be more media attention.
"Until we see him race we won't know his true potential, but it will be very difficult for him. He might finish fifth or even get on the podium some time, but I could do the same on the bikes if I was given a bit of time to practise."
Rossi, winner in motorcycling's top category for the past five years, tested with Ferrari in Spain earlier this month and is seen as a serious prospect to switch from two wheels to four in the future.
Despite a few spins, the 27-year-old Italian acquitted himself well in testing and seven-times World Champion Michael Schumacher said he has the talent to make it in Formula One.
Soldato
Flibster said:"Until we see him race we won't know his true potential, but it will be very difficult for him. He might finish fifth or even get on the podium some time, but I could do the same on the bikes if I was given a bit of time to practise."
come on yamaha calll his bluff!!
Soldato
Excactly, if the circuit is there before the houses surely the people buying the houses agree to the noiserpstewart said:^ Can anyone say Brands Hatch or Castle Combe? As soon as you start putting houses next to a circuit all you end up with is NIMBYs complaining about the noise. Apparantly it's not necessary to look over the back fence before you buy the place....
How can you complain about something you know before you buy the property, I hate the people soo much
Fit for F1
For 2006, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso are going to pool their resources when it come to making sure the drivers are fit enough to go the distance at a race weekend. With the Toro Rosso squad perceived as the rookie team, it makes sense for the drivers to go through the same training programme as their senior colleagues at Red Bull.
“We get a good understanding of the younger guys as they progress and if they do move from one team to the other, the transition on the fitness side should be as smooth as possible,” explains James Milligan who enjoys the godlike title of Head of Human Performance. “It is good to get the drivers together, at training camps for example, as both teams can benefit.”
The other benefits include economies of scale as a smaller team of fitness gurus can handle both sets of drivers. Nick Kitchen, is the trainer and sports therapist responsible for looking after the Scuderia Toro Rosso mob, Simon Fitchett is tasked with following David Coulthard all over the world, Milligan concentrates on Christian Klien and Robert Doornbos and all six drivers can call on the magical skills of Doctor of Chiropracty, Jerôme Poupel. “He concentrates on the neurological side and his programme fits into ours to complete the driver preparation picture,” says Milligan. “The beauty of this arrangement is that any one of us can help where we are needed at any time and I would describe our approach as very proactive in terms of preventing an injury from happening rather than waiting for it to happen and treating it.”
Getting training organised within a busy test programme can cause problems. “We had a training camp booked in December, but it got scrubbed as a test session was booked over it,” complains Milligan. “This is actually a cultural problem that we face, because Formula One is an engineering driven sport and naturally, the car and its performance are seen as the main priority. There is always a battle between engineering and human performance in any Formula One team I have been involved with. However, there is a shift and management are becoming aware of the benefits of having a fit team, not just the drivers, but the staff too. Fitness reduces absenteeism and has an effect on health-care policies. We are trying to put in place a programme at Red Bull Racing and there are plans to start off with a gym in Milton Keynes and include fitness testing facilities within that, which we hope will be up and running by the summer.”
There’s just three weeks to go until the first practice session for the opening round of the season and it’s not just the cars that will be going through last minute preparations. “All six drivers have some time together in Dubai before going to Bahrain which serves as a pre-season training camp and then we will have a further eight days together in Queensland, before going across to Melbourne for the third race,” says Milligan. “The first two races present a tough physical challenge because of the heat and humidity one can expect in Bahrain and Malaysia. In an ideal world you would break the drivers in gently with some cooler European races. Bahrain is not so bad, as it is a dry heat, but Malaysia is usually the toughest race of the season and with just a week in between these two, the drivers will not have been able to acclimatise to the humidity and there will be less time to adjust to the time difference. But I’m confident that all our drivers will be fine.”
If all this talk of fitness has prompted you to get in shape, please remember these rules if using a gym for the first time:
Do not blow your nose in the water fountain.
The containers on the cross-trainers are not ashtrays, they are for your water bottles.
Please clean up after your dog if you have been exercising it on the treadmill.
If you want to use the rowing machine, remember no life guards are on duty in the event of it sinking.
Ecclestone considering Las Vegas race
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that he is considering moving the United States Grand Prix to Las Vegas in 2007, if a new deal with Indianapolis does not come off.
The tyre controversy that marred last year's race at Indianapolis has cast big doubt about whether circuit boss Tony George will want to renew his contract with Ecclestone - which runs out at the end of this year.
And although it had been previously thought that the collapse of a new deal at Indianapolis would result in the end of the United States Grand Prix, Ecclestone has instead claimed he is focusing on a race in Las Vegas as a replacement.
"The contract with Indianapolis expires this year, and I don't yet know whether there will be the conditions to renew it," he said in an interview with Autosprint. "I'm looking around for an alternative solution.
"You can forget the idea of going back to Long Beach, although I'd like a street circuit anyway, like in the 1980's. Ideally it would be a track in Las Vegas, obtained from the 'Strip,' the road with all the most important casinos. We are trying that, we're working on it."
At last year's United States Grand Prix, Renault boss Flavio Briatore said he hoped F1 would return to Las Vegas, where a race was last held in a car park next to Caesar's Palace in 1982.
"You know (Formula One supremo) Bernie (Ecclestone) has tried very hard to have a race in Las Vegas and we have a few friends from Las Vegas visiting Formula One this weekend and I hope we start talking," he said.