2005/2006 F1 News and Testing.

[Flibster]

Michelin: exit won't affect performance

Michelin's Formula One director Nick Shorrock says the company's decision to leave Formula One at the end of the season will not have any effect on its performance.

"It won't," Shorrock said when asked how would Michelin's withdrawal affect its development programme throughout the season.

"Everybody remains totally committed - and our advanced research team will be able to focus all its efforts on this year, rather than dividing its time between the present season and longer-term projects."

Michelin announced it will quit Formula One at the end of 2006 because it was unhappy about the move to a single tyre supplier in the sport in 2008.

Shorrock said the company's sporting division understood the decision.

"Formula One is widely regarded as the pinnacle of motorsport and Michelin has done a very good job since it returned in 2001, particularly last year," added Shorrock. "It's a pity that we won't be carrying on, but everyone here understands the reasons why.

"Next year, all of the F1 personnel will move on to new, equally challenging roles within Michelin. In the meantime, our motivation is as strong as ever."

The French tyre supplier dominated the 2005 season, winning all but one races and Shorrock is confident they will be able to repeat the feat and leave the sport on top.

"Michelin actively sought more balanced tyre distribution in F1 for 2006 and has achieved that," he said. "It would be exceptional if we were to repeat last season's magnificent results, but being realistic we anticipate that some of our keenest rivals will up their game.

"We don't expect it to be easy, but we are confident that we can win again this season by offering our partners high-performance products that will play a contributory role in their future successes."

 

[Flibster]

Alesi joins Direxiv

Direxiv has announced that former F1 star, Jean Alesi, will join the company as Senior Executive Director.

Alesi, who has more than 20 years experience competing at the top level of motorsport and has more than 200 Formula One Grand Prix races to his name, will support Direxiv President and CEO Misato Haga in the development of the motorsport programme.

Misato Haga, President & CEO, Direxiv: "Jean has been a friend of Direxiv for some time now and so we are very happy to make the relationship official. Our motorsport programme has grown significantly this year to include participation in five leading race series, including Formula 1, and Jean's extensive experience will be invaluable to our progress."

Jean Alesi: "When Direxiv first got involved in motorsport I followed their progress with great interest. They are a young and dynamic company with big ambitions and I am delighted we can work together to realize their motorsport objectives. It is exciting for me to work on the management side after so many years in the driving seat."

Last week, McLaren Mercedes and Direxiv announced the establishment of the 'Direxiv Dynamic Wellbeing Programme', which has objective of improving and optimising the fitness, health, wellbeing and diet of not only of the McLaren F1 team and its drivers, but also of the participants in the Direxiv Driver Programme.

 

[Flibster]

Renault's Pat Symonds explains pre-season testing

The 'winter world championship' is the affectionate name given to the ranking of the pre-season favourites in Formula 1. Each winter, teams and fans pore over testing times – short runs, long runs, qualifying simulations – to try and understand who's quick and who's not.

Renault's Pat Symonds explains what's going on during the final tests ahead of the 2006 season.

Pat, within an F1 team, how much effort goes into trying to work out the speed of your competitors?
Pat Symonds: A reasonable amount, but it's a very difficult job. Even for the teams, who have a little more information and ‘intelligence' about what's going on, it is a very tricky exercise.

What measures do you use?
PS: Certainly, the headline times produced at the end of every day probably have less relevance than anything else. We tend to concentrate more on the long distance running people do, rather than the short runs.

So what have you learned so far this winter?
PS: So far this winter, I think it appears ourselves and Honda may have slightly the upper hand, but McLaren are certainly getting there too. Last week in Valencia, they produced some very good long run times and started looking competitive. And Ferrari are not far behind.

Do you expect that assessment to remain fixed until the first race?
PS: Everybody will have new packages at the first race – ourselves included – and that may slightly alter the balance. So we cannot be sure of the final standings, but we know we are somewhere near the front.

So a team spends the winter assessing their relative competitiveness, but how useful is the knowledge?
PS: Well, we like to know where we stand, because it affects some of our strategic choices in how we approach the race weekends. But in a way, it is slightly irrelevant too…

Why?
PS: Well, an F1 team never thinks: “oh, we're quick enough, let's back off”. And equally, we don't say to ourselves “we're not quick enough, let's try harder”. We are always at 100%, and even if we knew exactly where things would shake out, it would not affect our philosophy of how we are going to improve the car. We will make it better race by race, and continue doing that come what may.

 

[Flibster]

Mosley 'biased' - A1 chief

Sheikh Maktoum, founder of the 'A1' concept, has hit out at Max Mosley after the FIA president predicted that the series' unique concept will not succeed.

Last week, Mosley said a world cup-style model would only work 'if the biggest and most famous names are on board - and that is not the case.'

In response, Maktoum has told the Chinese 'Shanghai Daily' newspaper that Mosley is 'biased' in favour of the FIA's premier championship, Formula One.

He said in Shanghai: 'It is very unfortunate when the president of the FIA, who is supposed to be neutral, is biased against one of the series that is under his jurisdiction.'

Maktoum, a member of Dubai's ruling family, claimed that 20-30 million viewers tune in to each A1 race, which compares to F1's TV audience of up to 350 million every grand prix.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that former Minardi racer Patrick Friesacher will drive the Austrian team's A1 car in Mexico this weekend.

Austrian regular Mathias Lauda, the son of the triple world champion, will be testing his GP2 car in France.

 

[Flibster]

F1 costs $2.6bn per year

In an analysis of F1's staggering annual costs, a British magazine has found that teams spend more than a combined $2.6bn each year.

To put the figure into perspective, Fiji records a similar yearly gross domestic product.

Citing insider sources and laborious research, 'F1 Racing' said pitlane's biggest spender in 2005 was Toyota, with a whopping half-billion dollar budget, ahead of Ferrari, spending $437m.

Drivers' and constructors' champions Renault, on the other hand, also proved more efficient than McLaren, delivering the double crown on a $289m shoestring.

'F1's annual spend is at a level that, in a post-tobacco world, can only be sustained by the car manufacturers,' the specialist magazine contended.

 

[Flibster]

Schu story is 'pure rumour' - spokeswoman

Michael Schumacher's spokeswoman has declined to deny rumours that the German driver could be looking into starting a Formula One team with Ross Brawn.

Sabine Kehm, accompanying the 37-year-old Ferrari driver to Bahrain for the winter test, was asked about Eddie Jordan's recent comments that Schumacher and Brawn might buy Renault and look to lure Volkswagen or Audi into the paddock.

'This is a new rumour,' she was quoted as saying in Melbourne's 'The Age' newspaper, 'although it's not too full of fantasy, considering the link between Michael and Ross.'

Kehm added: 'But it's pure rumour.

'Michael has said countless times that there are few things he would be less interested in doing.'

 

[Flibster]

Like me, Rossi can switch - ex-racer

The last motorcycle racer to switch to F1 says Valentino Rossi is capable of doing the same.

Venezuela's Johnny Cecotto, now 50, won the 350cc world motorbike class in 1975, before switching to two wheels and driving for the Theodore F1 team in 1983.

A year later, he was Brazilian rookie Ayrton Senna's Toleman teammate.

Cecotto suggested that, these days, the switch from two to four wheels is easier than in his time.

'There are so many driver aids now,' he told the Milan daily 'Il Giornale', also dismissing suggestions that Rossi's regular jumps from his bike to the Ferrari F1 seat could actually be a hazard because he might start to confuse braking distances.

 

[J1nxy]

Mosley biased??? never.

I don't think hes biased as desperate to destroy every formula he has any involvment in. In F1 does it by sticking his nose into the finance side, looks like for A1 hes just rubbishing it in the press. Didn't the FIA under him destroy the BTCC championship? and rallying etc etc??

If the F1 breakaway happens what formula will get his undivided attention next for his cost cutting and other intatives???

 

[rpstewart]

It's frightening to see the costs involved in F1 these days - $500 million for a podium and a pole for Toyota?

I can remember the days when Williams could design, build and race the most sophisticated racing car the world has ever seen for a tenth of that.

 

[Richard T]

I think its got a lot to do with the newer exotic materials used

 

[Flibster]

And speaking of newer exotic materials here's the Super Aguri on track again...

 

[Richard T]

And speaking of newer exotic materials here's the Super Aguri on track again...

any times yet? Are they on a stopwatch or calendar??

 

[Flibster]

 

[Dutch Guy]

It's frightening to see the costs involved in F1 these days - $500 million for a podium and a pole for Toyota?

I can remember the days when Williams could design, build and race the most sophisticated racing car the world has ever seen for a tenth of that.

Remember the BMW 1.5 Liter Turbo engine, iirc it was lifted from a normal car and worked better if it had been used as well

 

[Flibster]

 

[Flibster]

 

[Flibster]

Remember the BMW 1.5 Liter Turbo engine, iirc it was lifted from a normal car and worked better if it had been used as well

All the race engine were form cars that had done over 100'000 miles.

They were then left outside in the weather for a few months and apparently the engineers used to relieve themselves against them..

Then they were turned into race engines...

Simon/~Flibster

 

[Flibster]

any times yet? Are they on a stopwatch or calendar??

Ooooh...

Saucer of milk - table 2...

Simon/~Flibster

 

[Flibster]

Super Aguri take to the track in Barcelona

The Super Aguri Formula One team made their track debut on Tuesday morning when they completed their first public laps at the Barcelona circuit.

Japanese driver Takuma Sato was the man in charge of completing the first installation lap in the Honda-powered SA05 early in the day.

Super Aguri, a last-minute entry for the 2006 season, had already shook down the car in private in the Kemble airfield last week.

Sato's running, however, was curtailed after the car hit trouble on its third lap, stopping on track and causing the first red flag of the day. The car was towed back to the pits, where the team are still working on it.

Sato's best lap so far had been over 13 seconds off the pace set by Williams driver Mark Webber.

13 seconds!!!

 

[Dutch Guy]

13 seconds!!!

Is there still a 107% rule or is that rule long gone?