Today In F1

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Now then, about this Kimi to BGP story. Well, as I said, it came to my ears some time back and you know what? At the risk of having egg on my face, my sources are so good that I'll put money on it. That he is willing to take a pay cut is highly significant. It tells us a lot about his relationship with the Scuderia. Basically, he's not a happy puppy.

yes, It was quite a revelation. As I said in yer birthday thread, glad to have someone like yu onboard at TF1

[Insider 0]

guys, what exactly is going on here...

After what Alonso did to Mclaren, I won't be suprised if this is true...

http://www.totalf1.com/full_story/view/317983/FIA_investigating_Renaults_actions_in_Singapore_08/

Charlie Whiting's third cousin's aunt who is married to my nephew's great-aunt's fourth cousin's step-sister says there could be something in it. Personally, I believe it to be a load of bollocks! Renault are slippery, after all they employed me but even with Flabbio's devious mind involved I doubt they would deliberately trash a car. The only tinge of doubt I have in my mind is that Piquet Jnr will never be able to race in any form of motorsport - ever - after such a revelation.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Why? RB sets a car up well, has super pace and is massively competitive. The question is valid - surely? What superior quality does Kimi bring to the party?

In his own manner and way, when switched on, which we see lately, Kimi can bring the car close to scientific perfection. Can Rubens do that. Can Rubens win with an inferior car, with other faster cars around him, or can he only perform when the car is tops. Which seems to be the case, looking at his career. I have my doubts...Surely, if you ask this question you bring Kimi's supreme skills in doubt, more if you don't believe he is a special talent....

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Charlie Whiting's third cousin's aunt who is married to my nephew's great-aunt's fourth cousin's step-sister says there could be something in it. Personally, I believe it to be a load of bollocks! Renault are slippery, after all they employed me but even with Flabbio's devious mind involved I doubt they would deliberately trash a car. The only tinge of doubt I have in my mind is that Piquet Jnr will never be able to race in any form of motorsport - ever - after such a revelation.

yes, sounds to me like a bitter young man...

[Insider 0]

In his own manner and way, when switched on, which we see lately, Kimi can bring the car close to scientific perfection. Can Rubens do that. Can Rubens win with an inferior car, with other faster cars around him, or can he only perform when the car is tops. Which seems to be the case, looking at his career. I have my doubts...Surely, if you ask this question you bring Kimi's supreme skills in doubt, more if you don't believe he is a special talent....

I think he's OK. I don't know what 'scientific perfection' is in motor racing. Of late, Kimi has often let a bad car get the better of him. As a BGP fan, I'm wondering if the money is being spent wisely. The upside is if Kimi is partnered with JB, then JB may win more races. Rubens is an irritation for him - Kimi will be the ultimate challenge. I am sure that is how he will see it.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

I think he's OK. I don't know what 'scientific perfection' is in motor racing.

The car being in the state of optimum performance, coupled with the fact that he's one with the car. Not driving the car to it's limits, but theirs! Senna, Lewis, Schumie, Kimi, driver's that feel their cars, not reactory like Alonso or Rubens... They are a special breed.

I could go on, but I certainly don't want to bore you

[Persevere 0]

With all of the speculative rumors floating like a (toxic?) cloud above F1 this season this one may have some substance. Maybe the 'chemistry' between Kimi and Ferrari hasn't worked in the same manner as it did for him at McLaren and that's as much of an explanation as we need. The man has never been one to reveal much in his words or gestures - which most of us accept - so we tend to cling to the impressions of others. What we do know is that when he has the bit between his teeth during a race he is at once fearsome and fearless. So at the end of the day maybe he very much wants to remain in Formula One but would prefer to change teams; there's nothing extraordinary about this other than the fact that most drivers don't walk away from Ferrari. The more I think about it the more I would like to believe it.

[Autumnpuma 0]

I would concede that I should replace 'we with 'I', after all, it is only a personal opinion. Nevertheless, no matter how superior the BGP001 was in the opening weeks of the season, it had to be piloted to perfection and kept on the track. Barrichello couldn't do it but JB did. That was enough encouragement for me that he had the balls to take the WDC. However, since the little men have invaded his head he has taken an uber-cautious approach. Apart from running wide here and there, bumping kerbs and being made to pay for it, [yesterday's last flying lap in Q2 and his last gasp lap at Valencia being potent examples] he hasn't damaged the car or put in in a wall but overall, these protective tactics have cost him points and face. Maybe it's time he got a little urban gangsta! Michael 'broke' the car several times in his Championship years and I would rather see Jens ripping a piece of bodywork off here and there, putting some manners on the likes of Vettel and Co than driving like a girl and coming seventh. Banzai antics are promised today - we shall see whaddup!

Well said.

[Insider 0]

Ian Phillips says Giancarlo is off to Ferrari, Force India release a statement denying it and censure Phillips. What the **** are SF doing messing with Fisi. It smacks of desperation and p**s poor management. It wouldn't have happened under Jean Todt and Enzo will be spinning in his mausoleum. Call Ross and get get Ant in the car. He'll qualify it in a respectable spot and put on a professional show. FI is where Giancarlo belongs and he owes Mallya big time. It would be unforgivable of him to desert a team that has worked so bloody hard, against almost impossible odds for so long. Lets get real shall we. There is no future for Fisi at SF - period - and, there is no future for Ferrari without a young driver programme in place.

[cavallino 2]

I don't think Fisi is going to Ferrari, I think it's just another random paddock rumour that has been built up in the furious chinese whispers game that typifies the F1 paddock.

[dribbler 6]

I don't think Fisi is going to Ferrari, I think it's just another random paddock rumour that has been built up in the furious chinese whispers game that typifies the F1 paddock.

What's that about haddock?

[Insider 0]

I don't think Fisi is going to Ferrari, I think it's just another random paddock rumour that has been built up in the furious chinese whispers game that typifies the F1 paddock.

Ian Phillips is the Commercial Director of Force India. He held the same position at Jordan and Spyker. He's been around the paddock since 1988 when he joined Leyton House. He has has a journalistic background and worked as a PR consultant to Marlboro amongst others in the late 70s. I know him well and his sources are impeccable, believe me. He has clearly been muzzled by the team. Make of it what you will.

A more serious consideration are the claims by Globo in Brazil that Renault 'fixed' a race last year. If true, they are looking at a criminal investigation at best and of tarnishing F1's rep even further - if that is possible. As I said yesterday, I find it hard to swallow. Indeed, looking at several re-runs of the footage, I believe it would have been virtually impossible to stage that particular crash, certainly in such a way that the track became filled with debris - on cue, at a specific location - to say nothing of the risk to the driver's well being. At worst, Renault will withdraw from the sport at the season's end if the story continues to develop.

Jenson's babbling on about being more aggressive. He wants to secure the WDC crown by winning more races. He believes that by coming fourth for the rest of the season would make such an achievement seem a little hollow. Of course, it might appear that way but the fact is, he has already won six races and made the podium for a seventh. That is not too shabby. Many have done less and walked away with the prize but I believe JB will shine in Singapore, Japan, Brasil and Abu Dhabi. However, I have one word of caution for the Frome Flyer - take your chances more convincingly but be nothing other than yourself.

[Jean Todt 4]

Ian Phillips says Giancarlo is off to Ferrari, Force India release a statement denying it and censure Phillips. What the **** are SF doing messing with Fisi. It smacks of desperation and p**s poor management. It wouldn't have happened under Jean Todt and Enzo will be spinning in his mausoleum. Call Ross and get get Ant in the car. He'll qualify it in a respectable spot and put on a professional show. FI is where Giancarlo belongs and he owes Mallya big time. It would be unforgivable of him to desert a team that has worked so bloody hard, against almost impossible odds for so long. Lets get real shall we. There is no future for Fisi at SF - period - and, there is no future for Ferrari without a young driver programme in place.

I agree,

He was much better than Piquet though.

[wapi 4]

But there is also rumour that FI wants Giancarlo's retirement, because he is too expensive compared to Liuzzi. So, he might as well drive five races for SF (thus making every F1 driver dream come true) and then retire. Ferrari is overcrowded with interest for a seat in the next decade, so they do not actually need anyone with tendency to stick around.

Trouble is that f1 drivers are injured so seldom that it is not efficient to have reserve driver in training (especially when testing is limited) just in case; case that might not happen for a decade. (Last time Ferrari had need for reserve driver was 1999.) THere should be some change in restricted testing rules. I suggest that every driver prior to racing in particular car should have 600km of testing completed in the same car. That might increase cost, but driver change is costly anyhow so we could throw in 2-3 days of testing decicated for reserve drivers in a team.

[Insider 0]

FOTA need to come up with a solution regarding reserve driver testing that will suit the FIA. It's a no-brainer. There may never be another Massa-type incident but nevertheless, to run at series at this level without a built-in contingency for the emergency replacement of drivers is farcical.

Also, Today in F1, it seems that another big fish may have slipped Nick Fry's wimpish hook. With Renault rumoured to now be courting Nokia and Kimi, I hear they have already been in the Brawn tent but were left hanging while Fry 'had a chat' with the flying Finn. As it is, Flab couldn't meet Kimi's bar bill - sorry! - I mean, terms. So, he who hesitates is.............ready for the boot? By my well informed tally, that's at least five big players who have moved on. Virgin, Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and now Nokia have all apparently been Brawn courtiers this season - Virgin did put some beer money in and would have stayed for the long haul but for Fry. I have that on impeccable authority. He comes off like amateur night at the Locarno. Brawn is the geek and doesn't get involved - perhaps it's time he did. Fry must go. Mercedes were talking about a branding deal akin to McLaren but that will only happen if JB wins the crown, surely. With RBR in the frame as a Merc customer for 2010, especially with a German pilot on board, BGP may get the bad end of the deal. That's just unnecessary added pressure on Jens, in my book. The team's 2010 fiscals should have been nailed in Monaco, to my mind. They could be in serious sh#t if Ross doesn't get a handle on this. Firing Fry would be an excellent first move, that's for sure.

[Persevere 0]

"Insider": Very interesting post re: Nick Fry supplying too much dead weight to the talented but underfunded Brawn team. You obviously know much more about the subject than I do but it does help to explain the lack of sponsorship dollars/Euros for Brawn early in the season when they had the F1 community by the short and curlies. It would be unfortunate to have Brawn GP win all the marbles this season and yet find themselves without the heavy backing of Mercedes or the driver line-up they would prefer for 2010 due to the shortcomings of Mr. Fry. And I do think it's only a matter of time before Red Bull announces their switch to Mercedes.

Thanks, again.

[Insider 0]

It would appear that Ferrari prised Fisi away from FI with an offer Mallya could not refuse. After a fervent denial from the Spa runners-up earlier in the week and a degrading, public muzzling of FI director, Ian Phillips, the deal was done without a whimper. That the team were still in debt to the Scuderia by way of outstanding payments for 2008 engines is apparently, neither here nor there. Both teams deny there was any financial arrangement involved with Vijay gushing that 'no Italian driver should be prevented from racing in a Ferrari at Monza'. What a nice man.

EDIT: Typo

[Insider 0]

Today in F1, I have learned that Renault's 'Crashgate' fiasco may have proper substance to what at first, seemed to me, nothing but spite and speculation. We now know that Felipe Massa threw the allegation of a 'fixed' crash at Flabbio immediately after the 2008 Malaysian GP. A hot-headed Brazilian and a hot-blooded Italian - who would have thought it was anything more than an after-race spat? Even in the current F1 climate, It all seemed a little preposterous to me. Former Renault colleagues have now told me that senior technical staff, who are no longer with the team have told FIA and internal investigators that they were not privy to race strategy. That is pure bollocks. If you are in the garage, you're in the 'mix'. They have clearly been muzzled and, of course there is Piquet Jnr's evidence to the contrary, en suite. OK, any good lawyer will dismiss that as sour grapes. The Renault legal team could probably further suggest, that based on recent evidence, he's hardly skilled enough to shunt the car in such a precise way that he walks away unscathed. In fact, It could all be easily dismissed as a mudslinging exercise, way after the fact if it wasn't for the following two points:

1. The WMSC doesn't summon teams to a grilling if it doesn't have substantive reason to do so. The fact that the Council has stated it is also investigating several other matters, probably means Piquet Jnr had spilled his guts completely. The repercussions of that could be huge.

2. Senior Renault staff and lawyers were all over the staff and drivers at Spa last weekend much to the chagrin of Flabbio and Alonso. I know this company well enough to acknowledge that while being extremely heavy-handed in certain areas of internal management, 'les burglars', as we called them would not show up on a race day unless some very large rats had been detected or skeletons unearthed.

I fear that whatever the outcome of this matter may be, the Regie may not stay in F1. They have left for a lot less in the past.

On an upbeat note, the British press has been reporting that despite the fact that Toyota's board will not discuss budgetary matters until November, word is coming out of Tokyo that the team will indeed survive into 2010, but will have to do so with a 50% reduction in spend. I do hope it's true. I like a good 'Trulli Train'.

[Insider 0]

So Ross Brawn escapes with a hefty fine and six more points on his licence. Only three to go! An Indian consortium led by Neel Jani's dad has put in a bid for BMW Sauber which, if succesful would leave the Proton/Petronas - Lotus thingy out in the cold. Though Peter Sauber was making a last minute pitch in Kuala Lumpar this week to bring the Malay sponsorship package to Hinwil, it's my guess that BGP are a secondary target for the Malaysian Government-backed initiative if the Indians succeed with their bid. Brawn had previously 'flirted' with Petronas, Proton and Hyundai/Kia last year but obviously nothing came of it. Nick Fry, a serial 'gun-jumper' gushed at one press briefing: 'you'll be really surprised when you learn which engine we're using'. The press immediately plumped for Hyundai/Kia who had retained Bernie to find them a team. However, the better informed hacks were aware that the team had already been in talks with the Malaysian Government. We will see.

I am delighted for Fisi though he loses brownie points with me for jumping ship on a team that clearly, have worked damned hard to get him on the podium in only their second season in the sport. Nonetheless, I am sure they will be happier without the burden of his sizeable pay packet. Personally, Toni Luizzi would not be my choice as his replacement. At 28, with 5 career points from his two seasons at STR but without a race under his belt since 2007 and no testing this year, I don't believe he will add much to FI's quest for more points. Sutil is more than capable of emulating Fisichella's efforts but they need a more experienced racer to underpin Sutil's charging with solid performances. For me, Heidfeld could fill that role admirably and it will keep Mercedes happy too. Any new owner at BMW will probably want to keep Kubica with either Neel Jani in the second seat if the sub-continent deal comes off and perhaps Aaron Lim or Fiaruz Fauzy if the Lotus/Sauber/Petronas/Proton/Malay Gov thingy comes to fruition.

The point is, will all the new teams make it to the grid? USF1 have applied to join FOTA and have announced they will be testing in November. Not a tweet from from Campos or Manor though. If the Indians do buy BMW, I would still encourage a Lotus-Sauber team to join the fray too. It would mean having to put up with Gascoyne but he's an acquired taste, like pickled beetroot and you get used to him in the end. There is certainly no rock hard evidence that all the new teams will make the grid and that brings me to my last point. Where the hell is everyone to go? Are we looking at shared garages again? Have all the new tracks got room for 14 teams? There's a thread in that subject alone!

[mikathegreat2 2]

Jani GP?? Wonder who's gonna leave to make way for Neel, Kubica or Nick??

[Rainmaster 7]

So Ross Brawn escapes with a hefty fine and six more points on his licence. Only three to go! An Indian consortium led by Neel Jani's dad has put in a bid for BMW Sauber which, if succesful would leave the Proton/Petronas - Lotus thingy out in the cold. Though Peter Sauber was making a last minute pitch in Kuala Lumpar this week to bring the Malay sponsorship package to Hinwil, it's my guess that BGP are a secondary target for the Malaysian Government-backed initiative if the Indians succeed with their bid. Brawn had previously 'flirted' with Petronas, Proton and Hyundai/Kia last year but obviously nothing came of it. Nick Fry, a serial 'gun-jumper' gushed at one press briefing: 'you'll be really surprised when you learn which engine we're using'. The press immediately plumped for Hyundai/Kia who had retained Bernie to find them a team. However, the better informed hacks were aware that the team had already been in talks with the Malaysian Government. We will see.

Yep, caught doing 100mph and only gets points on his license, because "traffic was light" and he apologised. A testament to Britain's legal system. I wonder if Renault will use the same defence for Singapore.

[Insider 0]

Jani GP?? Wonder who's gonna leave to make way for Neel, Kubica or Nick??

I'd keep Nick but they won't.

[Insider 0]

Yep, caught doing 100mph and only gets points on his license, because "traffic was light" and he apologised. A testament to Britain's legal system. I wonder if Renault will use the same defence for Singapore.

That rather depends on whether they have anything to defend!

[cavallino 2]

I think a pat on the back is what you should get for 100 mph. It is ridiculous that with all the improvements in safety over the last 50 years we are stills tuck with the same old speed limits. And the same speed limits for 30 year old vans and 75 year old senile drivers. I bet Ross is a better driver and was driving a better car than most drivers.

[cavallino 2]

Thanks insider, your insight is appreciated.

The Indian consortium to buy BMW just sounds weird. Who would be crazy enough to want to buy an F1 team in India. Even worse if it's based on Jani's tenuous Indian links.

At least for Mallya it makes some sense with his future plans.

Fisi hmm, I think he was like a kid who was offered the toy he always wanted. It might even be a bad career move if he gets whipped by Kimi - on the other hand, if he does better than Kimi, it would raise questions about Ferrari demoting him to test driver, and more importantly he should have a drive next year. In fact FI should take him back, unless they are going the pay driver way.