Motorsport News!
-
Tuesday testing times from Barcelona
1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m15.461s
2 WEBBER Williams 1m17.137s
3 PIZZONIA Williams 1m17.357s
4 TRULLI Toyota 1m18.392s
5 COULTHARD Red Bull 1m18.449s
6 LIUZZI Red Bull 1m19.544s
7 R.SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m19.961s
Schumacher SnrÂ’s best time was less than two seconds slower than Takuma SatoÂ’s test record. -
Patrick Pivato will co-drive for Stéphane Sarrazin on this week's Monte Carlo Rally after an illness sidelined his original partner, Jacques-Julien Renucci.
Pivato, who partnered Sarrazin to victory on last year's French Championship, started the pre-event reconnaissance in Monte Carlo today after the team's doctor judged that Jacques-Julien was too unwell to take part. -
Ok then
-
Well, for one thing, it was a freshly repaved track, so grip was poor, and it looks like the changes in aerodynamics rules are showing their effect.Originally posted by Kuali Baba:Tuesday testing times from Barcelona
1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m15.461s
2 WEBBER Williams 1m17.137s
3 PIZZONIA Williams 1m17.357s
4 TRULLI Toyota 1m18.392s
5 COULTHARD Red Bull 1m18.449s
6 LIUZZI Red Bull 1m19.544s
7 R.SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m19.961s
Schumacher SnrÂ’s best time was less than two seconds slower than Takuma SatoÂ’s test record. -
yes he is. if you think about it, he treats his drivers more fairly than Flavio or Frank or any other team principal in the paddock.Originally posted by Kuali Baba:He's actually a polite person according to what my mates tell me. -
Michael says he wants to win 10 world titles now......I won't be surprised if he achieves his goal
Can't see anyone stopping him in the next 3 years or so
-
*starts praying for Kimi*Originally posted by EvilDead:Michael says he wants to win 10 world titles now......I won't be surprised if he achieves his goal
Can't see anyone stopping him in the next 3 years or so -
Ferrari have agreed a deal with the FIA and Bernie EcclestoneÂ’s Formula One Management to stay in Formula 1 until 2012.
All three parties released a statement on Wednesday afternoon announcing that they had "agreed to prolong the Concorde Agreement for the period 2008 to 2012.".
The move delivers a potentially fatal blow to the Grand Prix World Championship, the breakaway series that was being set up by a consortium of car manufacturers – of which Ferrari’s parent company Fiat was one.
A triumphant Bernie Ecclestone said: “Formula One Management are delighted that this agreement is in place and that the future of Formula 1 has now been stabilised.”
It had been rumoured earlier in the season that Ecclestone would attempt to cut a unilateral deal with Ferrari.
The ScuderiaÂ’s immense prestige and worldwide following puts them on a different level from any other team. Neither Ecclestone nor his equivalents at the GPWC would want to contemplate running a championship without them.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said: “It is important and also pleasing that the FIA, which is the governing body, and FOM, which represents those who have organised Formula 1 in these past years and Ferrari, which is the only team to have taken part in the world championship without a break since its inception, have put out a strong message of stability for the future of Formula 1.
“This agreement is in line with what Ferrari had hoped for, for a long time.”
It is not clear how much Ecclestone has had to pay to secure Ferrari’s cooperation – but it is likely to be a vast amount of money.
Ferrari already get more money than any other team under the existing Concorde Agreement, but Ecclestone is likely to have had to part with a whole lot more to encourage them to break ranks with the rest of the teams.
Where it leaves F1Â’s other nine teams is also a matter of conjecture. Will they continue to negotiate collectively with Ecclestone or follow FerrariÂ’s examples and sign individual deals?
FIA president Max Mosley has said in the past that he believes the teams will negotiate individually in future.
Mosley commented on the Ferrari deal: “We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with Formula 1’s commercial rights holder and the oldest team in the championship.
“The agreement is significant because it will ensure the future development of the FIA’s most important championship.” - ITV-F1.com -
It could well be that in 2008, we're going to see a two-car grid.
First, the Concorde Agreement is one of the main reasons for the formation of the GPWC. Team and circuit owners have been locked in with FOM, and they're tired of being dictated to by Bernie and his stool pigeon Max.
Second, after Ferrari refused to come aboard with the proposed cost-cutting measures last year, they'd already gotten themselves offside with the other teams anyway. IF the GPWC offers the other teams an opportunity to run the sport without Ferrari throwing spanners in the works, all the better.
Third, a lot of people, participants and fans alike, are getting seriously bored with Ferrari's domination. The GPWC would have its own draw to the fans since you might just get real racing back again. On top of that, without Max's stupid ideas being dictatorially implemented, we would probably be able to finally get away from high-speed processions and have some real dicing on the track.
Fourth, Bernie's got troubles of his own, what with the courts ruling that he's got no business talking over the banks that are the majority shareholders in FOM. If the GPWC goes ahead, the banks are likely to pull out, leaving his billion-dollar briefcase full of contracts worth only its resale value as a plain briefcase.
Bernie got to where he is through the dissention of team and circuit owners. If he's not careful, he's going to be knocked off his throne in that exact same way. -
yeah pray that he gets a drive with Ferrari , coz McLaren seem to have forgotten how to produce a race winning carOriginally posted by HENG@:*starts praying for Kimi* -
no way. last year they finished strongly. many people think they might be next year's strongest challengers.Originally posted by EvilDead:yeah pray that he gets a drive with Ferrari , coz McLaren seem to have forgotten how to produce a race winning car -
LATEST NEWS
McLaren will launch the MP4-20 in Barcelona, at the Circuit de Catalunya, next Monday, the 24th of January. -
*Evil laugh*
-
After 26 years as doctor to F1, Professor Sid Watkins finally stood down today. His successor, Gary Hartstein, has been working with Watkins since 1997.
-
Midlands F1's new Marketing Director will be former world rally champion co-driver Christian Geistdorfer. He is famous for winning two world titles, a European Rally championship title and an African Rally championship title. Geistdorfer is also known for co-driving two former world champions Walter Rohrl and Hannu Mikkola.
-
Actor Paul Newman, 80, is expected to take part in the Daytona 24hrs next months. woooo hooooo go old farts!!!!
-
Juha Kankkunen could test a NASCAR stock car for Robby Gordon next year.
-
2006? only if they get blessed by the Pope......or if they bother to work hard .Originally posted by HENG@:no way. last year they finished strongly. many people think they might be next year's strongest challengers. -
Originally posted by EvilDead:2006? only if they get blessed by the Pope......or if they bother to work hard .
-
Ex-Ferrari driver, Mika Salo finished 27th overall on last weeks Vanajanlinna Rally in Finland. The event was won by Jari-Matti Latvala in an old Toyota Corolla WRC.
-
Lots of people are suggesting that the man should be knighted. And I agree with them, he has saved many lives directly and indirectly, including Häkkinen's.Originally posted by Gedanken:After 26 years as doctor to F1, Professor Sid Watkins finally stood down today. His successor, Gary Hartstein, has been working with Watkins since 1997. -
i agree. he should be knighted. he also saved barrichello and martin donelly. Frank Williams was also partially under his care after his paralysing accident in the 80s.Originally posted by Kuali Baba:Lots of people are suggesting that the man should be knighted. And I agree with them, he has saved many lives directly and indirectly, including Häkkinen's. -
There was good and bad news for Red Bull in testing at Barcelona on Thursday – David Coulthard set the fastest time of the day but Christian Klien suffered a major accident.
Klien escaped unhurt after a high-speed brake failure in the early stages of the afternoon session.
The Austrian made heavy contact with the barriers at BarcelonaÂ’s first corner but was able to climb out unscathed.
Coulthard set the fastest time of the day, ahead of Antonio Pizzonia.
With Williams set to decide their driver line-up in the next 10 days, the Brazilian will have been delighted to have outpaced rival Nick Heidfeld, who was third.
Olivier Panis was called back into action by Toyota and completed a massive 153 laps in a Toyota TF104B. No other driverÂ’s lap count got into triple figures.
Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher were also both in action for the team and finished the day fifth and eighth respectively.
Rubens Barrichello was an uncharacteristically lowly seventh for Ferrari after suffering an engine failure and a spin.
Meanwhile, Alex Wurz was fastest for McLaren at Valencia, ahead of Franck Montagny's Renault.
Jenson Button was the quickest driver in a 2005 car, clocking the third fastest time in the new BAR 007.
Thursday testing times from Barcelona
1 COULTHARD Red Bull 1m16.134s
2 PIZZONIA Williams 1m16.230s
3 HEIDFELD Williams 1m16.954s
4 PANIS Toyota 1m17.019s
5 KLIEN Red Bull 1m17.035s
6 TRULLI Toyota 1m17.335s
7 BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m17.400s
8 R.SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m18.063s
Thursday testing times from Valencia
1 WURZ McLaren 1m09.510s
2 MONTAGNY Renault 1m11.179s
3 BUTTON BAR 1m11.255s
4 SATO BAR 1m11.388s
5 ALONSO Renault 1m11.468s
6 VILLENEUVE Sauber 1m12.298s -
on a lighter note:
The priest who ran on to the track during the British GP has been defrocked.
Neil Horan, 57, was thrown out of the priesthood on Thursday following a meeting with the Catholic Archbishop of Southwark.
Horan, who also interrupted last yearÂ’s Olympic marathon in Athens, was in high spirits before the meeting, performing an Irish jig in the street.
But he was less cheerful after the meeting, telling The Sun: “I completely reject this decision. I feel extremely let down. It was unchristian.”
The judgement means that Horan can no longer call himself Father or give communion.
The 57-year-old was jailed for two months after running down the Hangar Straight during the 2003 British GP. -
Monaco 2005 Overall results thus far:
1 1 Loeb/Elena Citroen Xsara 2h50'34"8
2 7 Gronholm/Rautiainen Peugeot 307 2h52'29"5
3 3 Gardemeister/Honkanen Ford Focus WRC 20'24"5
4 5 Solberg/Mills Subaru Impreza WRX 2h52'52"3
5 10 Panizzi/Panizzi Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 2h53'19"9
6 8 Martin/Park Peugeot 307 2h54'19"1
7 4 Kresta/Tomanek Ford Focus WRC 2h54'58"9
8 9 Rovanpera/Pietilainen Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 2h56'45"0
9 62 Stohl/Minor Citroen Xsara 2h57'48"5
10 65 Rossetti/D Esposito Peugeot 206 2h58'47"8
not bad! mitsu seems to be coming back.