2006 Malaysian Grand Prix - Race 2/18

[Flibster]

Race Notes - McLaren

Team McLaren Mercedes driver Juan Pablo Montoya finished today's 56 lap Malaysian Grand Prix in fourth place. Juan Pablo was on a two-stop strategy coming in on laps 23 (8.3 seconds) and 42 (7.0 seconds). Kimi Raikkonen was hit by Christian Klien's Red Bull on the opening lap of the race which damaged his rear suspension and caused him to retire. Track conditions were very warm with air temperatures reaching 33 degrees centigrade, track temperatures at 37 degrees and 62% humidity. Juan Pablo remains fifth in the Drivers' standings with nine points and Kimi is sixth with six. Team McLaren Mercedes is joint second with Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship with a total of 15 points.

Juan Pablo Montoya: "The car was good today and I think we had a solid race. We lost a lot of time in the first stint as my front tyres were graining, but as soon as we changed the tyres the car came back to life and if you look at my pace against Jenson Button later on it was pretty much the same. With the hot temperatures here we did have to look after the engine, which means that we had to sacrifice downforce, so finishing fourth is encouraging. We have scored some more points for the team and I think we look strong going into the next race."

Kimi Raikkonen: "I am very disappointed because I had a great car set-up and very good race strategy. I think it was fairly obvious that Christian Klien made a pretty fundamental mistake and ran into the back of me at turn five, breaking my rear suspension in the process. A positive side, the team has had good race reliability in the first two races and I am already looking forward to Melbourne in two weeks."

Ron Dennis: "Kimi being taken out in the first lap and Juan Pablo's first stint tyre graining problems masked our true competitiveness. We also had to sacrifice some downforce to improve the cooling efficiency of the car. The whole team is looking forward to the scheduled improvements to both the car and engine, which should make us even more competitive in two weeks time. Unlike many teams, we have enjoyed good engine reliability which also supports our positive expectations for Melbourne."

Norbert Haug: "Kimi was pushed out in the opening lap and we missed him a lot in this race. Our reliability was there and Juan Pablo drove a solid race. I would like to thank everybody in the team in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart for all their efforts over the last busy month to create this level. Our engines ran fine in both races within a week's time. We have a solid basis, however we definitely want to do better and we will continue to work hard."

 

[Flibster]

Race Notes - Bridgestone

A notoriously tough Malaysian Grand Prix took its toll on the Bridgestone runners today in sweltering conditions but Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher and Toyota's Ralf Schumacher battled through to take valuable points. For the Williams team in particular it was a day of unfulfilled promise as engine and hydraulic problems put an end to their race. Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg had started from the second row of the grid and were running a strong race up with the front runners until their early demise potentially robbed them of podium places. In fact, engine problems seemed to compromise the progress of several Bridgestone runners this weekend. Both Ferrari drivers and Toyota's Ralf Schumacher had been penalized ten places on the grid following engine changes earlier in the weekend. Massa started from 21st and Michael Schumacher from 14th on the grid while his brother Ralf started from the very back, making their points scoring finishing positions significant achievements. The Bridgestone teams now head for Melbourne where the Australian Grand Prix will be held in two weeks time.

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager of Bridgestone Motorsport: "It was a shame not to make the podium today but both Ferrari drivers and Toyota's Ralf Schumacher scored points. We could see from Ralf's pace during the race that Toyota is steadily improving as they become more familiar with the Bridgestone tyres and I believe they will show their true performance as the season progresses. It was not a good day for the Williams drivers who stopped due to engine and hydraulic problems respectively but I am sure that if they had continued the race we would have seen the strength of the Williams package. Felipe Massa did a good job to finish fifth with a one-stop strategy. It was good to see how adaptable the Bridgestone tyres were this weekend, being able to support one, two and three-stop strategies, which is not easy in these hot conditions. Michael had a longer first stint than Felipe and although he pushed very hard to gain positions in that first stint he couldn't keep up the momentum. He did finish sixth however. From our point of view it is clear we had the right tyres for this weekend and once things start to come together for our teams in all areas of their packages we look forward to seeing their competitiveness increase. It was also good to see the two Midland drivers and Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri bring their cars home. This provided them with valuable track time and good car and tyre data, all of which will help improve their overall packages."

Ross Brawn, Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: "Considering our starting positions today it was a reasonable result. We're generally happy. The Bridgestone tyres were consistent. We certainly chose the right compound – which we saw in the first stint. Michael, however, did not seem to have the same pace in the second stint and we shall need to understand why that was the case."

Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director, Chassis – Panasonic Toyota Racing: "Clearly we managed to get the Bridgestone tyres working better this weekend. Qualifying was disappointing and we could have achieved a better grid position. We are very pleased with the race pace and Ralf was able to push when we switched to a three-stop strategy. To score points from the back of the grid is encouraging. We had no issues with the tyres and we are happy with the level of performance."

 

[Flibster]

Race Notes - Michelin

Giancarlo Fisichella maintained Renault's winning start to the season with a measured drive to victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix. After qualifying his Michelin-shod RS26 on pole position, the Italian led from the start and maintained his advantage throughout the 56 laps.

His championship-leading team-mate Fernando Alonso made a bright start from eighth place on the grid to seize third place on the opening lap, and he eventually worked his way up to second to complete a team one-two.

The Renault F1 team's executive engineering director Pat Symonds said: "We had a fantastic amount of success last season, but the one-two finish eluded us throughout 2005. It is the ultimate team prize, and we are delighted to have achieved it today."

Alonso netted the race's fastest lap to complete Renault's perfect weekend. He leads the world title chase by seven points after two of the 18 races.

Jenson Button qualified on the front row alongside Fisichella and ran second for much of the race, but he was unable to keep Alonso at bay during the final round of scheduled pit stops. "I lost quite a bit of time behind lapped traffic," he said, "and that cost me dearly."

Even so, the Englishman finished well clear of Juan Pablo Montoya. The McLaren challenge was diluted on the opening lap, when former Malaysian GP winner Kimi Raikkonen spun into retirement moments after a collision with Christian Klien. The incident also ended the Austrian's chances of a strong result.

As the race entered its closing stages, Michelin was set to complete a clean sweep of the top five positions, but engine failure forced Nick Heidfeld to retire with just seven laps remaining. His team-mate Jacques Villeneuve salvaged a couple of points for seventh, however.

Of the remaining Michelin runners, Rubens Barrichello proved his tyres' durability by running the longest stint of the race – 31 laps – although he was subsequently penalised for speeding in the pit lane when making his only scheduled stop.

That dropped him to 10th in the final standings, ahead of Tonio Liuzzi. Liuzzi had to make an unscheduled stop for a replacement nose after clipping another car on the opening lap.

Scott Speed ran strongly in midfield for much of the race, but eventually stopped with a suspected clutch problem, while David Coulthard made a fantastic start from the back of the grid – the consequence of an unscheduled engine change – but dropped out with a loss of hydraulic pressure after 10 laps.

Nick Shorrock, Michelin F1 director: "We passed with flying colours. This was always going to be a challenging race in the fierce heat– but Michelin passed with flying colours. Our partner teams did an excellent job in terms of preparation and strategy – and the result speaks for itself. But for the unfortunate first-lap incident that befell Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld's engine problem, the outcome might have been even more convincing. "We ran three different types of tyre in the race and two of them featured inthe top three. Irrespective of strategies, all our tyres demonstrated a great blend of performance and consistency – a tribute to all the hard work that our engineers and six F1 partners carried out during the winter. This is a very pleasing result."

Pat Symonds, executive engineering director, Renault F1 Team: "Faultless! Sepang places enormous stresses on tyres, with its blend of intense heat, long corners and various traction events. Michelin worked hard in every area over the winter and the long stints we ran today were a real test. Michelin's tyres were faultless and allowed us to stick to our chosen strategies and kept the pace. There were no significant changes in balance or performance throughout the race."

 

[Flibster]

Race Results.

[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			Laps	Time		Grid	Points[/b]
1	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			56	1:30:40.529	1	10	
2	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			56	+4.5 secs	7	8	
3	12	Jenson Button		Honda			56	+9.6 secs	2	6	
4	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	56	+39.3 secs	5	5	
5	6	Felipe Massa		Ferrari			56	+43.2 secs	21	4	
6	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			56	+43.8 secs	14	3	
7	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		56	+80.4 secs	10	2	
8	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			56	+81.2 secs	22	1	
9	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			55	+1 Lap		9		
10	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			55	+1 Lap		20		
11	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		54	+2 Laps		13		
12	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		54	+2 Laps		15		
13	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		54	+2 Laps		16		
14	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	53	+3 Laps		17		
Ret	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		48	Engine		11		
Ret	21	Scott Speed		STR-Cosworth		41	Clutch		12		
Ret	23	Yuji Ide		Super Aguri-Honda	33	Mechanical	18		
Ret	15	Christian Klien		RBR-Ferrari		26	Hydraulics	8		
Ret	9	Mark Webber		Williams-Cosworth	15	Hydraulics	4		
Ret	14	David Coulthard		RBR-Ferrari		10	Hydraulics	19		
Ret	10	Nico Rosberg		Williams-Cosworth	6	Engine		3		
Ret	3	Kimi Räikkönen		McLaren-Mercedes	0	Accident	6

Fastest Laps.

[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			Lap	Time		Speed		Laptime[/b]
1	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			45	16:16:43	210.487		1:34.803	
2	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			16	15:29:19	209.402		1:35.294	
3	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	39	16:07:10	208.806		1:35.566	
4	12	Jenson Button		Honda			35	16:00:19	208.723		1:35.604	
5	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			44	16:15:23	208.629		1:35.647	
6	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			34	15:59:50	208.544		1:35.686	
7	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		41	16:10:30	208.403		1:35.751	
8	6	Felipe Massa		Ferrari			51	16:26:58	207.962		1:35.954	
9	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		43	16:14:34	207.858		1:36.002	
10	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			54	16:32:53	207.456		1:36.188	
11	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			52	16:29:28	207.042		1:36.380	
12	9	Mark Webber		Williams-Cosworth	12	15:23:13	206.206		1:36.771	
13	15	Christian Klien		Red Bull Racing		14	15:41:45	206.002		1:36.867	
14	21	Scott Speed		STR-Cosworth		25	15:45:26	205.057		1:37.313	
15	10	Nico Rosberg		Williams-Cosworth	6	15:13:32	204.946		1:37.366	
16	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		40	16:11:34	204.902		1:37.387	
17	14	David Coulthard		Red Bull Racing		4	15:10:23	203.458		1:38.078	
18	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		34	16:01:08	203.209		1:38.198	
19	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		39	16:10:42	200.530		1:39.510	
20	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	14	15:27:27	199.151		1:40.199	
21	23	Yuji Ide		Super Aguri-Honda	18	15:35:36	194.050		1:42.833

Pit Stops

[b]Stop	No	Driver			Team			Lap	Time Of Day	Time		Total Time[/b]
1	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		1	15:05:29	34.193		34.193	
1	15	Christian Klien		Red Bull Racing		1	15:06:22	9:34.749	9:34.749	
2	15	Christian Klien		Red Bull Racing		4	15:21:12	4:08.631	13:43.380	
1	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		12	15:24:10	28.625		28.625	
1	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			13	15:25:08	27.796		27.796	
1	9	Mark Webber		Williams-Cosworth	14	15:26:27	26.486		26.486	
1	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			17	15:30:56	29.126		29.126	
1	23	Yuji Ide		Super Aguri-Honda	16	15:31:41	30.339		30.339	
1	12	Jenson Button		Honda			19	15:34:15	26.023		26.023	
1	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		19	15:35:48	26.871		26.871	
1	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	19	15:35:53	28.588		28.588	
2	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		19	15:35:53	34.239		1:08.432	
1	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			20	15:36:35	25.511		25.511	
1	21	Scott Speed		STR-Cosworth		22	15:40:06	29.904		29.904	
2	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			22	15:40:07	28.675		56.471	
1	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	23	15:41:07	26.518		26.518	
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			23	15:41:12	30.135		30.135	
1	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		23	15:41:25	27.015		27.015	
1	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		24	15:42:48	25.701		25.701	
1	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			26	15:45:42	25.455		25.455	
1	6	Felipe Massa		Ferrari			29	15:51:04	28.412		28.412	
1	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			31	15:54:41	30.540		30.540	
2	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			36	16:03:00	30.312		55.823	
2	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			36	16:03:17	30.219		1:00.759	
2	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			38	16:04:59	25.473		54.599	
2	12	Jenson Button		Honda			38	16:05:13	26.325		52.348	
2	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		36	16:05:15	28.686		57.311	
2	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		37	16:06:07	28.201		55.072	
3	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		37	16:06:15	28.073		1:36.505	
3	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			38	16:06:16	28.431		1:24.902	
2	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	39	16:10:19	28.241		56.829	
2	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		41	16:10:58	25.341		52.356	
2	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	42	16:12:01	25.467		51.985	
2	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		42	16:12:07	24.971		50.672	
2	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			43	16:13:13	24.441		49.896	
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			45	16:17:00	25.614		55.749

 

[Flibster]

Current Standings

2006 Drivers Championship.

[b]Pos	Driver			Nationality	Team			Points[/b]
1	Fernando Alonso		Spanish		Renault			18
=3	Michael Schumacher	German		Ferrari			11
=3	Jenson Button		British		Honda			11
4	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian		Renault			10
5	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	McLaren-Mercedes	9
6	Kimi Räikkönen		Finnish		McLaren-Mercedes	6
7	Felipe Massa		Brazilian	Ferrari			4
8	Mark Webber		Australian	Williams-Cosworth	3
=10	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Sauber-BMW		2
=10	Nico Rosberg		German		Williams-Cosworth	2
=12	Ralf Schumacher		German		Toyota			1
=12	Christian Klien		Austrian	RBR-Ferrari		1

2006 Constructors Championship.

[b]Pos	Constructor 		Points[/b]
1	Renault			28
=3	Ferrari			15
=3	McLaren-Mercedes	15
4	Honda			11
5	Williams-Cosworth	5
6	Sauber-BMW		2
=8	Toyota			1
=8	RBR-Ferrari		1

 

[Flibster]

Shouldn't that be 2= for JB and MSC in the drivers championship and also McLaren and Ferrari in the constructors?

Nope. They are equal 3rd...

It's an old hang up going back many years that F1.com kindly chooses to ignore.

I could go through the rules and work out exactly who is where *non fo the = rubbish* but will take a little time...

 

[Flibster]

^^^

I like that story.

Nico 'slapped' for Webber squeeze

He was the toast of the paddock in Bahrain, but feisty rookie Nico Rosberg got 'a slap on the wrist' by Williams in Malaysia's searing heat, media reports say.

The British 'Mirror' newspaper suggests that Frank Williams and Patrick Head were none too happy about the 20-year-old German's squeeze on teammate Mark Webber on the run to the first corner on Sunday.

It cost the pair, shoved onto the dirty side of the track, track position to the fast-starting Fernando Alonso.

Webber, who touched down in Tasmania on Monday, complained : ''Another few feet and he would've had me in the wall.''

Following his Cosworth engine failure, though, Rosberg - the son of Williams' 1982 world champion Keke - admitted that he still has something to learn about taking on a F1 rival.

He said : ''I tried to block Mark but I realised he wasn't going to lift. I think in GP2 most people would have backed off.''

 

[Flibster]

Has Honda reneged on Super Aguri deal?

It should not be forgotten that talk of a new Japanese team first surfaced in the run up to last season's Japan Grand Prix.

With Takuma Sato dropped by BAR, which was to be subsequently bought out by Honda, the car manufacturing giant expected a backlash in the Japanese media. Therefore, when the Super Aguri rumour first surfaced, media sceptics elsewhere regarded it as a bit of smokescreen to take the heat off Honda at a difficult time.

However, as we all know, with the help of a couple of 2002 Arrows bought from Paul Stoddart, a helping hand from Bernie Ecclestone, the agreement of its rival teams, and the promise of support from Honda, Super Aguri became reality.

In Malaysia however, our sources learned that Super Aguri is feeling badly let down by Honda, which to all intents and purposes has reneged on previous agreements, with the order allegedly coming down from the President of Honda Racing, Yasuhiro Wada.

Originally it had been hoped the Honda (BAR) might help with chassis - well it worked for Toro Rosso - but instead Aguri Suzuki had to go to Paul Stoddart. Since then, Honda's assistance for the team that effectively saved its Japanese bacon, has been minimal, to put it mildly.

We hear that there is now a distinct feeling of bitterness within the Japanese F1 community, which feels that Wada has failed to complete his side of the deal.

That said, Aguri Suzuki has a lot of support in the paddock, including that of Bernie Ecclestone and Bridgestone.

 

[Flibster]

Technical analysis: front wing controversy

Television footage aired throughout the Malaysian Grand Prix has clearly shown movement of the upper element on Ferrari's bi-plane front wing arrangement.

Such in-car footage, aired on Germany's Premiere channel during qualifying, has lead teams to believe that either the upper element of Ferrari's front wing is twisting, or the whole front wing assembly is flexing at speed.

Both of these movements are considered outside the spirit of the regulations, and the latter movement ought to contravene the existing FIA deflection test for front wings.

This flexing could allow the front wing to provide downforce at lower speeds, then at higher speed - as the wing bends backwards - to improving top speeds, by preventing the increase of downforce and drag.

What has been seen on TV, is the in-board mount for the upper element. This consists of a sliding pin that allows the wing to move laterally relative to the nose-cone.

The movement can be seen (as illustrated by the yellow arrow) by clear space appearing between the wing and the nose. This space opens up when the car jumps around on the bumps, but also - and more disturbingly - upon increasing speed.

This movement can be caused by several potential explanations. As with any F1 car's bodywork, the front wing assembly does shake around as the car goes over bumps and kerbs. This would require some free movement in the mounting, but would not explain the gap increasing with speed.

This speed-related gap could be a result of the aerodynamic load flexing the wing in one of two ways, too: by the twisting of the upper element itself, or by the drooping of the lower wing under load (as illustrated by the yellow lines). Either of these movements could be deemed as aerodynamically beneficial.

Although the wings of most teams do show a degree of flex, as the wing is supported so close to its centre-line, the outer tips are not very well supported.

For many years (and in Sepang this weekend) on-car footage has shown many front wings flex at high speed, although this has never been seized upon by other teams or the FIA before.

Drooping front wings were, by coincidence, something that Ferrari were accused of in 2000, and an FIA test - to see if the wing drooped, by placing a load on the endplate - was introduced back then.

As the Ferrari current front wing has passed this long-standing test, it is deemed legal within the wording of the current rule-book.

What rival teams are upset about is that the rules are not entirely clear with regards to how rigid the bodywork must be, saying the current deflection tests are outdated and do not counter what Ferrari and several other teams might be doing with the front wing assembly.

Teams sail very close to what may be deemed as legal. And now that the matter has been raised with a whiff of acrimony, the FIA will most likely issue a clearer guidance before the Australian Grand Prix at the end of this month.

 

[Flibster]

Ferrari: We'll bring new wings to Melbourne.

Ferrari has agreed to bring modified front and rear wings to the Australian Grand Prix after a bust-up with rival teams on Sunday morning in Malaysia.

Eight teams "everyone except Ferrari allies Red Bull and Toro Rosso" presented a unprecedented letter to the FIA indicating their disquiet, and threatening a protest after the race. During the day, Charlie Whiting met with the teams and discussed their concerns. He also had contact with Ferrari.

As reported earlier, Ross Brawn met with Pat Symonds, Martin Whitmarsh and Geoff Willis to discuss the situation. We can now reveal that, while Brawn initially refused to concede that there was a problem with Ferrari's interpretation, after Jean Todt joined the meeting, a compromise was reached. Brawn reportedly had a dossier of information on wing behaviour on other cars.

Ferrari has now given its assurance to the teams and the FIA that it will bring revised wings to the next race in Australia.

 

[Flibster]

Interview with Jean Todt

Although both of his cars had finished in the points in Malaysia, fifth and the sixth was not the result he'd hoped for, and certainly not what Ferrari fans around the world had expected, following the Italian team's strong start to the season in Bahrain.

Therefore, when asked about his team's performance at Sepang, Jean Todt gave a typically Gallic shrug.

"I would say that we started from the twentieth lap quite good," he began. "However, we had to start the race at the first lap, and needless to say that starting from where we started, we can only be pleased with the final result, even if it's not pleasing, generally speaking, it's the best result we could expect to do today.

"It has been a tough weekend because we had to identify a potential risk of reliability on Michael's engine, a clear problem Felipe had at the first race, which meant that we decided to change his engine, we changed it again this morning, always to try to take as little risk as possible.

"Otherwise the package was quite good, even though I feel we need to be a bit more competitive. Tyres, definitely Bridgestone made some progress and it's quite interesting to have some other good teams with Bridgestone, because we can see some development which seems promising for the future."

And will the engine problem be sorted out fairly easily?

"I think we already did one step forward with today's engine," he replies. "I think we've understood quite a lot of things. That's why the factory has been working hard and it's been positive. Even if we saw some other teams have had their problems with engine reliability and some others didn't. So we have to be focused on doing our best, not on what other people's problems.

Asked to specify the problem, he replied: "It's around the piston. We have a specific failure that comes from the component so it's around that.

'Were those engines built a week later and were they in the programme?' he is asked. "No they weren't of a different batch, they were of a different specification," he responds.

So is it a manufacturing or a component problem?

"At the moment we are still analysing, before making a final judgement," he admits. "We need to have very accurate analysis."

In terms of the championship, Todt is asked if he is disappointed that Michael finished behind Felipe.

"After two races it's too early," he replies, clearly exasperated. "Felipe could not defend his chances in his first Grand Prix in Bahrain, so I think he did a pretty good job today. He was on a different strategy and considering the traffic Michael had, he could not take advantage of the two pit stops, and Felipe could take advantage of one pit stop. It's too early, at the moment. I was very happy for Felipe to be able to…" he trails off.

"He's under a lot of pressure as well," he continues, "so it's important that he can score points and he can demonstrate that he's a very good driver."

In retrospect does Todt regret pushing Michael all the way to third qualifying and not pulling him out as he did with Felipe?

"No," he replies without hesitation, "we knew that he could be in quite a good position at the start but we knew that it was a different strategy. On paper, two pit stops was quicker but then you can't predict the traffic.

"Renault did a good job," he adds, "they are the ones who did the best job."

Other than the race, the big story of the day is the news that eight team have signed a letter, calling on the FIA to investigate the flexibility of the front wing on the 248 F1. Todt is asked if the team has been asked to make any modifications to the car's wings for Melbourne?

"Ross has been talking with the FIA who were happy with the conformity, the legality of our cars," he replies, "and if there is something the FIA want us to do we will apply to what they ask us which was not the case today."

Nonetheless, TV images, seen in millions of homes around the world, clearly showed that the front wing was moving a lot - surely this is outside the rules?

"If it was outside the rules, considering the noise which has been made about that, I don't think we would be talking about our result today," is Todt's firm response.

One of the rival teams has officially protested, but eight of them have written to the FIA following a meeting on Sunday morning.

"They sent a letter," Todt agrees, "and you all have had a copy of this letter. If they want… either you do it or you don't do it. Nothing prevents them from protesting if they wanted to. The FIA say that it's OK for them."

So will Ferrari take a modified front wing to Melbourne?

"We are not in Melbourne," he snaps. "Ask me the question in Melbourne.

"Myself, I try to be a manager. I am not a technical director, so my people will know much better about this; they will then suggest to me what we should do. You must know your limit in life; I try to know mine."

"So no deal has been done?" he's asked.

"I would never do any deal with anybody in this business," he fires back, "only with people I contract to work for Ferrari, that's the only deal I do.

Moving on from the contentious issue of the Ferrari wing(s), Todt is asked how he sees the competitiveness at the front of the grid after two round of the championship.

"There are four teams which are very strong, even five teams, because Williams has been very strong, was strong in Bahrain, and was strong today. There was a problem with reliability but otherwise they were very competitive. I see five teams who are good competitors at the moment, and some others who may have good potential. We saw some teams who were not as good as they were in performance at this Grand Prix."

So will this be a particularly competitive season? "For me, all seasons are competitive," he replies, "each season is competitive."

And Renault in particular? "There is no major reason why they should not be competitive," he says. "They were very good last year, so it's continuity; the same people."

 

[Flibster]

Teams were ready to protest Ferrari

Ferrari's rivals were going to officially protest Michael Schumacher's car over the flexi-wing issue after yesterday's Malaysian Grand Prix, before the FIA stepped in to defuse the situation, autosport.com has learned.

Although teams are now waiting for a clarification from the FIA about whether Ferrari's wings are legal, the unhappiness about the situation in Sepang on Sunday morning led eight of Ferrari's competitors to actually lodge an advanced notice of protest.

BMW-Sauber, Honda Racing, Midland, Renault, Toyota, Super Aguri, McLaren and Williams all signed a letter to the stewards of the meeting indicating that they were going to protest Schumacher's car unless action was taken before the race.

In the letter, a copy of which has been obtained by autosport.com, the teams wrote: "The undersigned teams, by means of this document, formally notify the Stewards of the Meeting that they intended to protest against car number 5 driven by M. Schumacher of the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Team whilst competing in the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang circuit on the 19 th day of March 2006 unless suitable actions are taken ahead of the race.

"The protest is based on Article 3.15 of the Technical Regulations of the 2006 F.I.A. Formula One World Championship in that the upper forward element of the front wing of car no. 5 is free to move laterally away from the nose of the car thus contravening Article 3.15 and that the rear bodywork is allowed to deflect in a systematic manner in order to improve aerodynamic performance at speed also contravening Article 3.15."

It is understood that after the stewards received the letter, FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting stepped in to calm the situation and promised the teams that a clarification would be issued before the Australian Grand Prix.

That promise of a clarification was enough for the teams to decide against lodging a protest in Malaysia, although the situation remains uncertain for Australia.

Honda Racing boss Nick Fry said: "The FIA will clarify the situation before we get to Melbourne. That's what we need. All we asked (FIA technical delegate) Charlie Whiting is which interpretation is correct.

"It would be unfortunate if Ferrari's interpretation is said to be right because all the other teams will have to do similar things."

Fry also suggested that two of the eight teams that had signed the letter to the stewards were also running flexi-wing systems and would need to modify their cars if the regulations were changed for the Australian Grand Prix.

Article 3.15 of Formula One's technical regulations outlaws moveable aerodynamic devices The rule states that all parts of the car, apart from pitlane covers and brake ducts, "must comply with the rules relating to bodywork", "must be rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom)" and "must remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car."

Television images of Ferrari's front wing indicated that it not only flexed at high speed but that it actually moved laterally away from the nose along a sliding pin.

The full letter from the teams:

 

[Flibster]

Funny how they did not protest about Massa at the same time, especially as afterwards he finished in front of MS

They only had video evidence for Schumachers front and rear wing.

The rear wing was even more obvious that then front tbh...

Down the straight it started vibrating like mad...a sure sign that it had stalled.

Was interesting that the only teams who didn't sign it were Red Bull and Toro Rosso... Make you wonder if Red Bull are contracted to go with Ferrari *as Sauber were*

Simon/~Flibster

 

[Flibster]

FIA tell McLaren and BMW to change wings

McLaren-Mercedes and BMW-Sauber are the two other teams required to make modifications to their rear wings in time for the Australian Grand Prix.

In Malaysia, the FIA told Ferrari that they must bring modified front and rear wings to Melbourne, or face the consequences.

A planned post-race protest from eight other teams (including McLaren and BMW) about the Ferrari front wing was put on hold, after race director Charlie Whiting brokered a deal that allowed the Italians to run unmolested in the Malaysian GP - on condition that new or modified parts were taken to Australia.

There were rumours that two other teams were also told to make changes, but their identity did not emerge immediately.

The changes required on the BMW wing are apparently relatively minor compared to those on the Ferrari and McLaren.

Furthermore, the FIA will issue no form of clarification or rule update before the next race - the teams concerned have simply been told that their wings don't comply with the rules, and that they have to make changes.

 

[Flibster]

Schumacher's future still undecided

Former world champion Michael Schumacher has insisted that he has still not decided whether he wants to stay in Formula One next season, despite reports in Germany suggesting he had agreed a two-year extension to his Ferrari contract.

Ferrari's strong start to the season in Bahrain prompted speculation that Schumacher was already convinced that he wanted to extend his current deal with Ferrari, which runs out at the end of this year.

But speaking after the Malaysian Grand Prix, Schumacher made it clear that he was still biding his time about his future plans.

"From my side, nothing at all has changed, so I am afraid I have nothing to report on that side," he said.

When asked whether his feelings expressed in the winter that he would remain at Ferrari if the F248 was competitive, Schumacher responded: "I am sorry to make you wait, but people should understand if I want to chose the time to make my decision myself."

Schumacher's stance has been backed up by his manager Willi Weber, who claims there is no point even beginning talks with Ferrari until his driver is sure that he wants to stay in F1.

"I'm not holding talks with Ferrari because in order to do that I'd need to know exactly what Michael has on his mind, that is whether he wants to carry on or if he'd rather quit," he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "At the moment he hasn't decided yet and he won't do so before the summer."

Schumacher's decision will be central to the F1 driver's market, with Ferrari unlikely to pursue other options until they have a definitive answer from the seven-times world champion.

Kimi Raikkonen remains strongly linked with the team, and his decision will almost certainly depend on the relative competitiveness of McLaren and Ferrari this year.

Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson said that they were also in no rush to decide their future plans - having also been linked to Toyota.

When asked which teams they were speaking to, Robertson said: "I'm not going to be specific, but you don't have to be a genius to work it out.

"We've got time. We're in a strong position. He (Kimi) is the driver everyone wants. Once Kimi and Schumacher are sorted that's when everything else falls into place."

 

[Flibster]

CVC gets EU approval but must sell MotoGP

The European Commission has given the go-ahead for a buy-out of Formula One shares by investment firm CVC Capital Partners - but only after the company agreed to get rid of its interests in MotoGP.

CVC announced last November that it, along with Bernie Ecclestone's Bambino Holdings and German bank Bayerische Landesbank, had formed a new company Alpha Prema that will control F1's commercial rights.

But the EU Competition Directorate had to look into the deal to check that it did not give CVC too much influence and be against European competition law. Spanish promotions company Dorna, which is a subsidiary of CVC, owns the commercial rights to MotoGP and other bike racing championships.

After weeks of investigations, the commission felt that CVC having control of both F1 and MotoGP rights would not be good for competition within the EU, so has requested that CVC relinquish its interests in Dorna.

In a statement, the EU said: "The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition by the private equity investment firm CVC of SLEC, the owner of the Formula One Group.

"The Commission's clearance is conditional upon the divestiture by CVC of its Spanish subsidiary Dorna, which is the promoter of the Moto GP motorcycle Championship. In light of these commitments, the Commission has concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the EEA or any substantial part of it."

The EU feared that control of Formula One and MotoGP rights could reduce competition in the sale of television rights in Spain and Italy, where both championships are popular. There were also fears that the company could force those countries where MotoGP is less popular to buy the rights if they wanted F1.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said: "When the two most popular motor sport events in the EU, Formula One and Moto GP, come in the hands of one owner, there is a risk of price increases for the TV rights to these events and a reduction in consumer choice. I am satisfied that the commitments given by CVC will eliminate this risk."

The go-ahead by the EU for the CVC deal will be viewed as a landmark for the sport, because it should move it a step closer to heading off the threat of a manufacturer breakaway.

The Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association are hoping to do a deal with CVC that will help secure the future of F1.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis, who has played a central role in many of the discussions within the GPMA, claimed that the CVC green light was vital for the future - even though the sport's commercial package is only one part of the equation.

"I think everybody has agreed that they are of the view that it's all about money," he said at the Bahrain Grand Prix. "Money's all that's talked about in Grand Prix racing. Here, it is very important to understand that this is the future of Grand Prix Racing until at least 2012 and maybe beyond.

"The document which is a memorandum of understanding that is being worked on, at the moment really deals with many issues. I think the discussions that have taken place in the last month really are those that will determine where we push in manner of the long-term interest of F1.

"The buyout by the CVC has been most positively felt because they want stability and also in terms of how we participate in that growth. Now, it's much more of a common interest in terms of how that document is sustained in the long term, so now we are, I will say, more than a day less than a month away, but it will happen in that period of time."

 

[Flibster]

Renault to decide on drivers by Monaco GP

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore says the French outfit will decide on their future drivers after May's Monaco Grand Prix.

World champion Fernando Alonso already announced he will leave the team for McLaren at the end of the season, while teammate Giancarlo Fisichella's contract expires at the end of this year.

One of the racing seats is likely to go to current test driver Heikki Kovalainen, who Briatore said last year would be competing with Renault in 2007.

There are several candidates for the other seat and, with Kimi Raikkonen still to announce his plans for the future, the McLaren driver could be a possibility.

Briatore said paying the Finn's salary would not be a problem for Renault, but the Italian admitted there are other considerations to take into account.

"Raikkonen at Renault isn't a matter of money," Briatore told Gazzetta dello Sport. "If I need 10% more Budget, nobody will deny me that.

"Our primary objective is to build a competitive team, but we must not forget that we are making Kovalainen grow and we won't necessarily have to change both drivers.

"We'll take a decision after Monte Carlo."

 

[Flibster]

Wings and a Prayer

The 2006 season began with question marks raised over the rear of the Ferrari car. In Malaysia, the accusations moved to the front. Adam Cooper has been following closely the flexi-wing affair, and he brings a first-hand account, with new details plenty of insight

By Adam Cooper
autosport.com contributing writer

Let me take you back to the 1993 Le Mans 24 Hours, and an earlier chapter in Jean Todt's long career. A classic confrontation between the works Peugeot and Toyota teams is in prospect, and Philippe Alliot has claimed first blood for the French manufacturer by putting his 905B on pole. However, after setting his quick lap time he's had a huge crash in the Porsche Curves, slamming the sleek white machine into a concrete wall.

Back in the paddock, the disappointed mechanics load the crumpled remains into a truck and transport them back to the Paris factory for overnight 'repairs.' It's their only option, since substitution of a T-car means starting from the back of the grid, and the enormous PR value of pole will be lost.

The following day the truck returns, and a pristine car is rolled out. The chassis number matches, and the race organisers are happy that all is well. Alliot's pole is safe. But having seen the original wreck up close, and suspecting foul play, I check with a reliable source inside the team. My 'Deep Throat' confirms with a grin that the team has indeed broken the rules by swapping monocoques. And appears to have got away with it.

Armed with this information I set out to challenge M Todt, at that time the all-powerful competitions boss of Peugeot. Is what his boys have done legal, I venture with a smile? He's a little surprised at first, but soon composes himself.

'If it is considered to be repaired, we 'ave no problem,' he insists. I pursue the matter further, and his blue/grey eyes fix with me a steely glare. 'Are you a policeman?' he asks. 'If you are a policeman, you should be wearing an 'at!'

On Sunday night in Malaysia I was once again wearing my policeman's 'at, and once again, I put Jean Todt to the test...

The gathering storm

But let's start at the beginning. The issue of Ferrari's allegedly flexing rear wing had been gathering momentum even before Bahrain, where members of rival teams expressed their doubts. In the race itself Felipe Massa was fastest through the two quickest speed traps.

In essence, what Ferrari's rivals said happens is that the main element of the rear wing is attached very solidly to the rear crash structure. The rest - the endplates, upper element and so on - has its own fixing. Under high loading at speed this box-like arrangement pivots back, allowing the upper element to close the gap to the lower element. And hey presto, you gain speed on the straight.

The problem for the critics was that, contrary to other evidence, the Ferrari passed the deflection tests applied by the FIA in scrutineering checks.

"I think there are a number of teams wondering where the limits lie," said Renault's Pat Symonds after the race. "There's a single measurement that's made on the wing, but wings have a distributed load, not a single point load. Therefore, the measurement doesn't show everything that can happen with a wing. One place, one direction, can be different to a true aerodynamic load on a wing. It needs a bit of analysis, doesn't it? You ought to be looking at the speed maybe of the Red Bull and the Ferrari, as they've got the same engine..."

He also hit the nail on the head: "You just need to know where you are. It's not a criticism of the FIA. You can't write rules that cover everything. The more precisely you write a rule, the easier it is to get around it. Having them a little bit vague sometimes is not a bad thing."

That summed things up. The FIA has a precise testing method, and the Ferrari had passed it - and such a test is black and white, pregnant or not. But in this case it seemed that there needed to be some grey, some room to be a little bit pregnant.

By Malaysia even Ferrari's closest ally in the paddock wanted answers to the conundrum Symonds posed, and on Friday afternoon Red Bull ran third driver Robert Doornbos with minimal wing compared to the other RB2s, in order to gather some data.

That afternoon Ross Brawn hosted his usual Friday press briefing, and inevitable the wing story came up. He made some interesting remarks about his (and most other people's) approach to the rule book, initially in response to a question about the accuracy of the testing method employed by the FIA.

"It's accurate enough," he insisted. "It's a device, they put a load on it, and they measure the deflection. It's an accurate enough process, and we all have a set of rules that we comply to. Within the spirit of the regulations it's up to the F1 teams to take the maximum advantage as they can from the regulations.

"It's been like that ever since I've been involved in F1, and any team that wants to be competitive has to take that approach. And that's everything. You run within a one kilo of the weight limit. You don't run 10kgs within the weight limit because you want to be safe, you run one kilo within the weight limit.

"The FIA defines how stiff they want the wing to be, and you make it that stiff, or slightly stiffer. And they're entitled to change the regulations any time they want, which may be the case.

"Maybe they decide that the wings are evolving in a way they don't like, and they'll change the regulations again. But that's their prerogative. That's how it's laid out in the regulations, and we may well see some new tests evolve in the next few races. But I think what we have now is accurate."

He confirmed that if the FIA chose to use a different method of testing the rear wing deflection, it could be introduced without warning.

"In theory, they can change that today. The trouble is that if they enforce structural changes to something as critical as a rear wing, it's not a sensible thing to do. If people have to modify the rear wings because they impose a test, and they try to impose that during a race weekend, you've got a situation where a critical component - and a very highly stressed component - could be compromised.

"So I don't think it's very sensible. History shows that they've always done it between races, and given people a couple of weeks to react. I think that's the most likely scenario if they choose to change."

At the time it appeared that he was preparing the ground for a move of goalposts before Australia, and it may well be that there had already been some discussions with the FIA along those lines.

The story takes flight

Then everything turned upside down on Saturday afternoon. The German Premiere TV channel captured on-board shots from a nosecam on the Ferrari, and the commentators could hardly miss the unusual lateral movement of the upper front wing element, which created a gap between itself and the nose. The wide-angle lens may have created some distortion, and one well-informed estimate put it at just 2mm - not much, but a great deal in the rarified world of aerodynamics.

The attention of some teams was drawn to the pictures, and their technical guys told their bosses that there was no way this was right - it was clearly constructed as a movable aerodynamic device, and was not just a question of a piece of material flexing.

What did it do? Some felt that, like the upper rear wing element folding down, it allowed the upper front elements to dip out of the airflow and reduce drag.

One leading technical director, and a man with his feet firmly grounded in reality, had a more complex explanation.

He suggested that the opening gap allowed through a flow of air that helped to balance the car. The rear wing stayed in its down position for high-speed corners, the gap helped to adjust front downforce to match.

Then, for slower corners, the rear wing came up and the closed gap balanced out the front downforce. It certainly sounded like an interesting idea.

Whatever the truth, the reaction was quick. Honda and Renault were particularly incensed, and joined by McLaren, put a plan into action.

At one stage the rumour went round that there would be an FIA 'raid' on the Ferrari garage on Sunday morning - one poor photographer waited in vain for some excitement to happen - but it never did.

The real action took place in a meeting of team principals on Sunday morning, where a consensus was reached. The now infamous letter was composed - with Honda's Nick Fry taking charge - and then signed by eight team principals. Red Bull's Christian Horner and Toro Rosso's Franz Tost opted out for obvious political reasons.

This letter was presented, apparently by a Honda team member, to Charlie Whiting, who in turn passed it to the stewards. In essence it announced the teams' intention to protest.

It was an unprecedented document, without any formal value within the confines of the FIA procedures. For that reason it probably did not particularly impress Whiting - in some ways the hastily readied message was reminiscent of the teams' request for a chicane in Indianapolis last year - but he must have respected its sentiments, as the FIA has harboured doubts about the Ferrari's compliance.

During the morning there were many conversations up and down the paddock involving various combinations of team personnel and Whiting. Bernie Ecclestone was also keeping a close eye on things. I don't know how involved he became, but he was well aware of what was going on: "The teams just want a level-playing field," he told me.

The key event was when Geoff Willis, Pat Symonds and Martin Whitmarsh met Brawn to outline their objections to Ferrari's wing arrangement, and by all accounts, it was a fairly interesting discussion. Brawn refused to concede that the car broke the rules, and maintained that it had passed all the FIA tests - which it had.

As tensions developed, he went for the attack-is-the-best-form-of-defence strategy, producing a dossier outlining alleged infringements on other cars. The fact that he was apparently so well prepared for such a confrontation came as a surprise to the others.

But perhaps the key event of the day was when Jean Todt received a copy of the protest letter - handed to him, we understand, by Flavio Briatore.

Todt didn't need this sort of distraction on the morning of what had already been a very taxing weekend for the team. Anything involving rivals apparently ganging up on Ferrari was bound to agitate him even more, but he now knew how serious the situation had become.

Ferrari give in

The story took a new turn around lunchtime. After the Brawn meeting, and after further discussions with Whiting, who seems to have acted as a kind of broker, Ferrari made some kind of commitment to bring modified wings to the next race in Melbourne.

In turn, the FIA agreed that no further action would be taken in Malaysia pending checks on those revised wings in Melbourne, and the teams agreed not to launch the threatened protest on the same understanding.

I don't know the details of what was said, but I checked and double-checked the basics just before the start of the Malaysian GP with people who should know. Anything else you may have read or heard is probably smokescreen.

Armed with some good inside information, on the grid I spoke to Briatore:

"So Ferrari are going to be good boys?" I said.

"They are going to be good boys in Melbourne!" the Italian replied.

"And you won't protest even if they win today?"

"I gave my word," he shrugged. "It's difficult..."

After the race I asked Nick Fry for his thoughts on Honda's position, and what Ferrari might have agreed to.

"We're clearly uncomfortable with the Ferrari interpretation of the rules," he said. "And that's in common with most of the other teams. They've really got a different understanding of what can be done from anyone else.

"Before the race we got a commitment from Charlie Whiting that there would be a clear interpretation before Melbourne, so we're all playing on a level playing field, and we accepted his word that that will happen. We're expecting by the time we get to Melbourne that we all have a similar or the same understanding of how the rules are written.

"What Ferrari have agreed with Charlie, obviously we're not party to. But I get the impression that there is an understanding that the interpretation of the other teams is the correct one."

It was only fair to give Ross Brawn a chance to put his views across.

"We'll do whatever the FIA ask us to do," he told me. "And the FIA haven't asked us to do anything yet. There's a procedure to follow, and we'll follow the procedure."

He wasn't willing to take a secondary question. However, a few hours after every Grand Prix Jean Todt discussed Ferrari's weekend with the press.

The most infamous of these meetings took place in Malaysia back in 1999, when Todt was joined by Brawn to explain the ins and outs of the bargeboard problem that had just got Eddie Irvine and Michael Schumacher disqualified, and apparently handed the world championships to Mika Hakkinen and McLaren.

Brawn duly held up an offending bargeboard and showed us what was wrong with it, where it had gone astray by 5mm. Of course, events moved on apace in the following days, and suddenly the bargeboard wasn't quite so illegal after all. Some of the people pushing like hell last weekend at Sepang have never quite forgotten what unfolded before the finale in Suzuka 1999...

Anyway, here we were, seven years later, in the very same room or one a couple of doors down. But this time with no bargeboards and no Ross Brawn. Todt talked about the race, and when someone brought up the subject of wings, he echoed Brawn's sentiments about respecting the FIA.

The Colombo question

The Q&A session appeared to be coming to a close, and I waited for my moment before putting on my policeman's 'at. Could I ask a direct question - will you be bringing revised wings to Melbourne? Jean made me repeat it before giving his answer, those steely eyes glancing from side to side rather than fixing me with his usual stare.

"We are not in Melbourne. Ask me the question in Melbourne. Myself, I try to be a manager. I'm not a technical director. So my people know much better, and they will then suggest to me what to do. You must know your limits in life. I try to know mine."

So no deal has been done?

"I would never do a deal with anybody in this business. Only people I contract to work with Ferrari. That's the only deal I do..."

Where do we go from here?

Publicly, Ferrari are still maintaining that 'respect the FIA' line, and in the circumstances I suppose they cannot do anything else. There was of course no way that Todt could have acknowledged on Sunday that there was a deal, and that particular word may not have entered his head in respect of any discussions he had that day.

The Ferrari front wing is said to deflect at high speed © LAT

There was also no way that he could even countenance any suggestion that pressure from other teams - either directly or channelled via the FIA - could have influenced the team's thinking. And that policy will no doubt be maintained, whatever happens in Melbourne.

Equally, rivals have no real wish to stir things up any more. There is even a scenario where Ferrari turn up with revised wings, they are approved by the FIA, the eight teams are satisfied that the job has been done, and no more is heard about it. At the other end of the scale, if they turn up with the same arrangement as seen in Bahrain and Malaysia, all hell will break loose.

The interesting thing will be if there is no further communication from the FIA in the coming days in terms of revised standards of deflection testing and so on. If there is a formal change, then Ferrari can point to the new ruling and say look, the goalposts have moved, the wings we think are legal are no longer so, and we've complied.

On the other hand, what if there isn't a formal change, and they still bring new wings? That can only mean that the team have conceded that what they ran before was not going to be allowed to run again, whatever the results of the standard FIA tests.

I have some sympathy for Ross Brawn, a man I've known for some 16 years, and admire a great deal. As he noted earlier, it's the job of every team's technical leader to push the limits, and he's proved better at that than most. He is adamant that the wings are legal, and can point to the car passing the tests as they are written.

Equally, every technical director knows that sometimes an advantage they've found - even if apparently legal - can be taken away at almost any time. Some teams have spent a lot of money going down development paths that the FIA has very quickly closed off.

There may also been an element of the Al Capone syndrome here. For all his more heinous crimes, the Chicago mobster was finally nailed for tax evasion. Who knows, it may well be that the neatly moving Ferrari front wing serves no useful purpose, but its high profile TV appearance has led directly to the team losing focus of the thing that really did something - the rear wing...

The bigger picture

What happened on Sunday may have avoided a potentially huge mess. Just think of what happened with BAR at Imola last year, and how that saga rumbled on. Far better to catch something early and relatively painlessly. That could have been done with the BAR fuel tank saga; suspicions had been aroused among rival teams (including Ferrari), the FIA was tipped off, and yet nothing happened until the cars finished third and fifth in Imola. Then it all kicked off.

By indicating their intention to protest, the eight teams didn't necessarily expect the response they got on Sunday, but their letter had the effect of defusing the situation - assuming Ferrari do indeed bring different wings to Australia, and everyone is happy. Ferrari will also surely much prefer a quiet, albeit frustrating, end to the affair.

The bottom line is that other teams wanted to know where the line should be drawn in respect of this particular regulation. They had one idea, Ferrari another. Had the latter interpretation been given the OK, everyone else would have pursued the same direction - and I'm not saying that others haven't already explored the margins in this area - and that would not have been a good thing for the sport.

It must be frustrating for the FIA that despite its carefully drawn up testing methods, a car that's legal in the garage is not when running on the track - shades of the Brabham BT49 that Messrs Whiting and Herbie Blash ran all those years ago!

In this very complex area, there has to be scope for new ways of keeping that playing field level, using official cameras and/or a physical method of measuring deflection at high speed.

There may be greater forces at play here, too. The next week or so will be critical for Grand Prix racing, and the whole issue of who will sign up for 2008 remains in the balance. A huge row was not what certain parties needed to see right now. Renault, Honda, McLaren-Mercedes, Toyota and BMW left Malaysia in rather better mood than they otherwise might have. And who knows? Maybe somewhere along the line there will be a benefit for Ferrari.

A final thought. The Scuderia might be on the receiving end this time, but it wasn't always so. Perhaps Ross should take a look at the F399 bargeboard he keeps on display in his office. After all, Malaysia '99 kicked off seven years of good luck...

 

[Flibster]

GPMA welcomes CVC deal clearance

The Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA) has welcomed the EU clearance for investment company CVC Capital Partners' takeover of shares in Formula One.

The green light for the move, conditional on CVC ending its involvement in MotoGP, has been viewed by many as key to a deal between the GPMA and Formula One's bosses to secure the future of the sport happening in the near future.

And in a statement issued by the GPMA on Tuesday, the group said it was hopeful that there was enough momentum now for a deal to be sorted out imminently.

"The GPMA manufacturers and their teams welcome and support the EU clearance of the planned acquisition of SLEC by CVC, conditional upon the divestiture of its subsidiary Dorna," said the statement.

"Since CVC announced its intention to acquire SLEC, significant progress in the discussions about the commercial future of Formula One has been made.

"Today's approval was actively supported by the GPMA manufacturers and teams and they are optimistic that it will create additional momentum for the ongoing negotiations."

 

[Flibster]

BBC's second Chequered Flag webcast is now up for grabs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sport/formulaone/podcast.shtml

Simon/~Flibster