2006 Australian Grand Prix - Race 3/18

Flibster · 28 Mar 2006 at 10:02

Friday is pointless says Villeneuve

After two rounds of the new 2006 Formula One season, BMW Sauber driver Jacques Villeneuve has expressed his displeasure with the opening day of practice, the French Canadian claiming that the two race engine rule restricts drivers on track dramatically on the Friday, leaving the work to the teams that do run with third drivers, while the top teams sit in their respective garages.

“Friday is pointless," he told the Australian press. "It's not really a fair thing for the fans or the teams. I'm not a big fan. The fans come. They don't care about the third driver."

On the opening two events, teams restricted the mileage on their regular driver’s engines to ensure they lasted the distance and while a lot will be on new engines for this event, Villeneuve will be forced to complete the two race cycle on his BMW powerplant as he is out of sync due to an engine failure in Bahrain.

Flibster · 28 Mar 2006 at 10:03

Villeneuve: Webber victim of own ability

Williams driver Mark Webber's ability to win races may have been dented by spending too much of his career in uncompetitive machinery.

That is the view of former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, who believes that Webber's racing abilities may not be enough when it comes down to seizing the opportunity to grab that maiden victory.

"The problem is if you spend too many years in a car that can't win, the day you're in one that can, you're not used to it," he told Australian media on Monday.

"He's an amazing qualifier and he's also a strong racer. But his qualifying is so good that it makes his racing look not so good when it actually is."

The hype surrounding Webber ahead of his home Grand Prix is building up, especially because it is the first time in his career that he is heading into the Melbourne event with a real chance of fighting for the podium.

Williams have been one of the surprises of the year with their Cosworth-powered FW28 - although Villeneuve believes that the team's best hopes of taking a shock win are at the start of the year.

"It will be difficult for them, because during the season the level of development [at Williams] cannot keep up with the manufacturers," added the BMW-Sauber driver.

"But Williams has certainly started the season a lot more competitive than anyone expected ... but I think the longer the season goes, the more difficult they'll find it."

Zip · 28 Mar 2006 at 10:08

Tasmania is missing from the map of Australia you posted

Zip · 28 Mar 2006 at 10:10

Villnurve(sp?) is teaching the drives for the celebrity race to drive.
They are racing BMW 1 series.
Hes told them to drive it like they stole it

rpstewart · 28 Mar 2006 at 11:16

Stoddart submits Minardi entry for 2008
Former Minardi boss Paul Stoddart, who sold his Formula One team to Red Bull last year, has submitted an entry for the 2008 world championship.

"I've lodged myself an entry as European Minardi F1 team Limited," the Australian aviation entrepreneur told Reuters on Tuesday when asked about a possible comeback.

Red Bull's owner, Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, has renamed the old Italian-based Minardi team Scuderia Toro Rosso.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) has said all entries for the 2008 championship, the season after the sport's current commercial agreement expires, must be submitted by March 31.

The 11 teams taking part in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix have already submitted their applications and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said there will be room for only 12 in total.

First - WAHEY!! Minardi could be back

Second - Will they be allowed back? Is Max obligated to accept the first 12 entries he receives or can he decide that he doesn't want Stoddy back?

The only stumbling block is that setting up a new team is a huge undertaking compared to taking over an existing one. Even in the "low cost" F1 you'll still need a design team, engineers, mechanics, premises and equipment - autoclaves for curing carbon layups run into millions for example.

The other option revolves around the fact that Stoddy is nothing if not shrewd - if there are 12 teams signed up then the only way in for anyone else is to take over an existing team at, of course, the right price.

Zip · 28 Mar 2006 at 11:21

rpstewart said:
First - WAHEY!! Minardi could be back

Second - Will they be allowed back? Is Max obligated to accept the first 12 entries he receives or can he decide that he doesn't want Stoddy back?

The only stumbling block is that setting up a new team is a huge undertaking compared to taking over an existing one. Even in the "low cost" F1 you'll still need a design team, engineers, mechanics, premises and equipment - autoclaves for curing carbon layups run into millions for example.

The other option revolves around the fact that Stoddy is nothing if not shrewd - if there are 12 teams signed up then the only way in for anyone else is to take over an existing team at, of course, the right price.

How much does running an F1 team cost?
Stoddard is a billionair so you would think that he would have put more money into minadi when he owned them so they would have been at least competitive.
They dont cost billions upon billions a season do they?

Matt · 28 Mar 2006 at 11:24

He doesn't have that much money any more.

Wasn't the Minardi budget something like £20million/yr?

I'd love my local team to be back though

Richard T · 28 Mar 2006 at 11:28

Flibster said:
Friday is pointless says Villeneuve

After two rounds of the new 2006 Formula One season, BMW Sauber driver Jacques Villeneuve has expressed his displeasure with the opening day of practice, the French Canadian claiming that the two race engine rule restricts drivers on track dramatically on the Friday, leaving the work to the teams that do run with third drivers, while the top teams sit in their respective garages.

“Friday is pointless," he told the Australian press. "It's not really a fair thing for the fans or the teams. I'm not a big fan. The fans come. They don't care about the third driver."

On the opening two events, teams restricted the mileage on their regular driver’s engines to ensure they lasted the distance and while a lot will be on new engines for this event, Villeneuve will be forced to complete the two race cycle on his BMW powerplant as he is out of sync due to an engine failure in Bahrain.

I agree with JV totally on this!

It'll be even worse with the gearbox thing as well..

I can imagne the drivers going well I couldn't push because of wear and tear on my engine and box!! what a crock of sheeeet

:mad:

F1 to me is a sprint race not this jumbled up mess Max is ballsing up!
F1 should be fast as you can on the day and all new bits for the next race

did I mention Grrrrrrr??

rpstewart · 28 Mar 2006 at 11:30

Zip said:
How much does running an F1 team cost?

Currently you'd be lucky to get change from $80 million per season just to trundle around at the back. If you're wanting to be up at the sharp end then anything up to $400million is not unrealistic.

That's just annual running costs, there's still a huge infrastructure investment to be considered. It's rumoured that McLaren's new factory complex cost £300 million while Ferrari own two full test circuits at Fiarano and Mugello. Wind tunnels can be £30million a piece - Honda have two.....

The new rules should reduce the annual running costs but they won't make a huge dent in the capital cost of competing.

Zip · 28 Mar 2006 at 12:03

rpstewart said:
Currently you'd be lucky to get change from $80 million per season just to trundle around at the back. If you're wanting to be up at the sharp end then anything up to $400million is not unrealistic.

That's just annual running costs, there's still a huge infrastructure investment to be considered. It's rumoured that McLaren's new factory complex cost £300 million while Ferrari own two full test circuits at Fiarano and Mugello. Wind tunnels can be £30million a piece - Honda have two.....

The new rules should reduce the annual running costs but they won't make a huge dent in the capital cost of competing.

You would think Richard Branson would have an F1 team by now, with a bank account like his he could have a very competitive team if he wanted

It would have to have Virgin in its name though

Bill101 · 28 Mar 2006 at 12:45

CVC currently owns 38 firms in Europe and is also the majority shareholder of the Automobile Association (AA) in the UK.

Handy for Kimmi

Zip · 28 Mar 2006 at 12:55

Bill101 said:
CVC currently owns 38 firms in Europe and is also the majority shareholder of the Automobile Association (AA) in the UK.

Handy for Kimmi

Whats CVC? :confused:

Flibster · 28 Mar 2006 at 13:03

Matt said:
He doesn't have that much money any more.

Wasn't the Minardi budget something like £20million/yr?

I'd love my local team to be back though

$45million iirc...

Around $5 million less than Michael Schumacher gets paid...

Zip said:
Whats CVC?

http://83.245.33.200/showpost.php?p=6735118&postcount=20

Simon/~Flibster

Flibster · 28 Mar 2006 at 13:04

Hooton resigns from BRDC

The Board of the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) has announced that Alex Hooton, Chief Executive of the BRDC from May 2001 to August 2005 and thereafter Executive Chairman of Silverstone Estates, has tended his resignation to the Board which takes effect on 30 June 2006.

Stuart Rolt, Chairman of the BRDC said, "We would like to thank Alex Hooton for the great contribution he has made to the BRDC over the last 5 years. At all times Alex has worked enthusiastically in the best interests of the Club and for the future of Silverstone and its development on behalf of British motorsport. The Board would like to wish Alex best wishes and success in his future career."

Alex Hooton said, "Being at the centre of British motorsport for the past 5 years has been an exciting and very challenging time, but I thought it was time to move on in my career. I hope I have made a valuable contribution to the Club and I wish the BRDC well in the future."

Flibster · 28 Mar 2006 at 13:04

Australia GP Preview: Super Aguri

Round three of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship commences next week at the Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne.

Super Aguri heads to Australia encouraged by the performance of the SA05 during its initial races. The team will introduce a further small aero upgrade package at the forthcoming grand prix and concentrate on weight distribution to enable better use of the Bridgestone tyres.

Albert Park is a high downforce circuit featuring a mixture of short straights and slow to medium speed corners along its 5.303km length. The circuit requires the car set-up to have a balance of good traction and stability under braking, in addition to aerodynamic efficiency. Although a popular track with F1 drivers they face the problem of a 'green' and slippery track during the Friday practice sessions and changing conditions to a high-grip surface as the race weekend progresses.

Takuma Sato: "I enjoy visiting Melbourne very much as the city has good food, a friendly atmosphere and, when the weather is fine, great sunshine. The circuit at Albert Park has very different characteristics to the tracks from the first two races. The team will have a new aero update for this race and I think that our car will be better suited to this meandering street circuit. After the opening back-to-back races the team has now had a chance to take a short break and we have also had time to evaluate our performance from the initial races and hopefully make a step forward for the coming grands prix."

Yuji Ide: "I have visited Australia many times and I always liked it. There's only one hour time difference from Japan and the weather is great. I am looking forward to the grand prix in Melbourne and to hopefully finishing a Formula One race for the first time. It has been very disappointing for me to not finish the past two races, especially since all the mechanics are working so hard. I know that there has been a mechanical problem on my car, but I feel very frustrated. I really hope that I will be able to finish the next race in Australia."

Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: "I always enjoy visiting Australia and I have a house there. This time my visit will be very special because I return to take part in our first ever Australian Formula One Grand Prix. Super Aguri will bring a further front wing development to Australia, so we shall hopefully see an improvement in our performance. I hope that we will be able to move up a position on the grid and see cars 22 and 23 both finishing the race."

Flibster · 28 Mar 2006 at 13:05

Australia GP Preview: BMW

The Formula One circus can look forward to rather cooler conditions in the next Grand Prix of the year following the sweltering heat of the first two races of 2006. Normally the season curtain-raiser, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne has been given a later slot in the calendar this time around and will take place on 2 April as the third of 18 world championship races.

Since last weekend's Malaysian GP, the BMW Sauber F1 Team has been preparing for the race in Australia with testing at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. Work has focused on making further improvements to reliability and building on the race pace the cars have recently shown.

Nick Heidfeld: "This season's Australian Grand Prix will certainly have a rather different feel about it. To start with, the race has been put back due to the Commonwealth Games, so there won't be that extra buzz you get when it's the first race of the season. And because it's later in the year, it won't be as hot as usual either – the race is a month later than normal and Melbourne will be getting really quite autumnal. The Albert Park circuit is nice to drive, but also a demanding one for the drivers. Because it isn't a permanent race track, there isn't much grip at the start of the weekend. The situation improves with each lap as the cars lay down extra rubber. Australia is my favourite place on the Formula One calendar to travel to and I tend to fly out to Melbourne a few days early to get used to the time difference."

Jacques Villeneuve: "It's always a pleasure to travel to Melbourne, especially if I have bit of time there to relax before the race. I enjoy racing at Albert Park – I like the circuit and am looking forward to the GP. BMW have got a lot of things going on around the grand prix and that in itself will make it an interesting weekend for me. As for our performance, I think the two points we collected in Malaysia show that we can be pretty competitive – and that was psychologically important for the team. Added to which, BMW has proved with my engine that they can react extremely quickly when a problem comes up. There is a very constructive atmosphere within the team. Having said that, the circuit in Australia is another that's heavy on engines, and this will be my second race with the engine I used in Malaysia. So we'll have to exercise a certain amount of caution during the weekend."

Robert Kubica: "Melbourne is the third circuit in a row that will be totally new to me. However, my performances in Bahrain and Malaysia have given me confidence that I can rise to the challenge on basically any track. On the Friday in Sepang I drove more or less an entire GP race distance in extreme climatic conditions without experiencing the slightest problem. Up to now the team have been happy with my work, and my top priority, of course, is to collect as much information as possible in Melbourne in order to help Jacques and Nick in their preparation for the race. I've never been to Australia but I've heard a lot of good things about Melbourne, so I'm really looking forward to this third race of the year."

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director: "We'll experience a different side to Melbourne this year. The Australian Grand Prix isn't the first round of the championship this season and the race has been put back a month into the Australian autumn. The city always gives Formula One an extremely enthusiastic welcome and I'm sure we'll all be won over by the atmosphere again in 2006.

"As far as the demands on the engines are concerned, the nature of the Albert Park track and the expected weather should make for pretty benign conditions. After the blistering heat of Bahrain and Malaysia, it's unlikely we'll be faced with any extremes demanding special preparation for the engines this time. The high number of engine changes made by the teams so far is evidence that the development time allowed for the new V8 powerplants was simply too short. We are now working all-out on reliability. As far as basic speed is concerned we're just about where we want to be, and during the weekend in Melbourne we'll be looking to build on the good race pace we showed in Malaysia.

"The Australian GP is the last in the first batch of overseas races in 2006. After that comes the first extended break of the year, followed by the beginning of the European season at Imola on 23 April."

Willy Rampf, Technical Director Chassis: "Following our good race performance in Malaysia we are confident that we can be similarly competitive in Melbourne. The character of the Albert Park circuit is very different from Bahrain and Sepang. It's a ‘stop-start' kind of track and the layout is similar to Imola, which is why we held our last round of pre-season testing there. The layout of the circuit means that brakes are placed under serious loads in Melbourne and we will therefore focus heavily on braking stability when it comes to car set-up. Another typical feature of Melbourne is that the track is still fairly dirty on the Friday and grip only really improves after a significant number of laps.

"The last race showed how incredibly tight the field is this year. That's why it will be extremely important to get the maximum out of the cars in qualifying."

Flibster · 28 Mar 2006 at 13:22

Zip said:
Tasmania is missing from the map of Australia you posted

It's only Australia...

Full of criminals and sheep molesters anyway.

Simon/~Flibster

Zip · 28 Mar 2006 at 13:27

Flibster said:
It's only Australia...

Full of criminals and sheep molesters anyway.

Simon/~Flibster

Well thats Tasmania for ya

Its only the Eastern state (Victoria, Tasmania, NSW and QLD) That are convict states.
The rest were settled by settlers

And its New Zealand that molests sheep not us

Who do you thinks going to win this week?

Flibster · 28 Mar 2006 at 13:34

Zip said:
Well thats Tasmania for ya
Its only the Eastern state (Victoria, Tasmania, NSW and QLD) That are convict states.
The rest were settled by settlers
And its New Zealand that molests sheep not us

Who do you thinks going to win this week?

True - it's the convict states that molest each other...

McLaren are again in with a shout.
I suspect Ferrari may well be a bit slower here.
Renault are going to be favourites I think.
Honda will be around McLaren
Williams will be snapping at the heels of McLaren and Honda I think.

Zip · 28 Mar 2006 at 13:38

Flibster said:
True - it's the convict states that molest each other...

McLaren are again in with a shout.
I suspect Ferrari may well be a bit slower here.
Renault are going to be favourites I think.
Honda will be around McLaren
Williams will be snapping at the heels of McLaren and Honda I think.

Should we expect much from Mark Webber?
To me he is yet to prove that he can win tbh