gleamingwriter6: August 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

Hamilton decision-making under the microscope

Lewis Hamilton has come in for criticism © Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton?s decision-making ability has come into question after he crashed into the side of Felipe Massa on lap one, causing his early retirement from the Italian Grand Prix. This incident has raised questions about his temperament and ability to bounce back. Kevin Garside of the Daily Telegraph questions how much we should really be expecting from Hamilton. ?Perhaps this is how it must be with Hamilton, an instinctive racer compelled to chase the impossible through gaps that don?t exist. He took the best part of an hour to compose himself before walking out into the sun to face the cameras. This was Hamilton?s third DNF of the season but the first of his own making. Occasions like this are perhaps reminders to us not to expect too much. ?On the days when Hamilton?s insane alliance of guts, skill and derring-do appear capable of delivering the world it is easy to forget he is only 25, an age when it is all too common for boys to believe themselves men.? Byron Young of the Mirror also pulls no punches about Hamilton?s performance and was heavily critical of the manoeuvre which meant he left the weekend pointless. ?To say that his dive down the outside at Della Roggia chicane was optimistic would be generous. Mystifying, definitely, with so much at stake. So often Hamilton has made them stick but yesterday the outcome was all too predictable.?

Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/hamilton_decisionmaking_under_1.php

Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks

Please help my mate Rusty...

Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/09/please-help-my-mate-rusty.html

Chris Amon Bob Anderson Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti

Red Bull under the spotlight

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel celebrate with Red Bull boss Christian Horner on the podium © Getty Images

Sections of the international media have questioned Red Bull's strategic approach to the world championship. After Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian Grand Prix from the team's points leader Mark Webber at Interlagos, Der Spiegel noted: "Red Bull gives (Fernando) Alonso wings". Not switching the places means that Spaniard Alonso can take his Ferrari to just second place this weekend in Abu Dhabi and be champion, whereas the alternative strategy would have set up Webber for a straight fight. "It is not easy for Webber to drive in a team that considers him a burden to be up against Vettel," said La Gazzetta dello Sport. Tuttosport noted that it seems "the Austrian team would be happier to lose than to see Webber beat Vettel". "No team orders at Red Bull. Another own goal," headlined La Repubblica. Joan Villadelprat wrote in his El Pais column: "Had Red Bull opted for Webber a few races ago, the Australian would probably now be champion." Red Bull, however, is unrepentant. Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper that "second under proper conditions can often be more valuable than a first". But there is a feeling that the team is not simply giving up the fight for the drivers' title. One columnist in Brazil's Globo wondered if Vettel's radio message in Abu Dhabi might sound something like 'So ... Mark is faster than you'. "I'm always in favour of leaving the fight on the track with equal chances for both sides," said Rubens Barrichello. "But I wonder if they would do that if the situation was in reverse. ?Mark has done a great job this year and he has been told by his team what position he is in," said Lewis Hamilton. "Against adversity he has kept at it. I want to see Mark win." Webber believes that, if a strategy is deployed, it will only be on the "last lap" of the season this weekend. "Sebastian is part of a team," said Niki Lauda, who believes Webber should be backed fully by Red Bull. "If he does anything it should be helping Webber and not just on the last lap." Webber is quoted by Bild newspaper: "It makes sense. Otherwise it would mean that Ferrari's team orders would have paid off for Fernando." Red Bull team boss Christian Horner hints that sense will ultimately prevail. "We have already given too many presents to Fernando this year," he is quoted by Autosprint.

Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/red_bull_under_the_spotlight.php

Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams

Not bad for the number two driver

There was a moment of levity in the news conference after the British Grand Prix when race-winner Mark Webber was asked if he would continue to fight for the championship or back off and support Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

The journalist in question clearly does not know Webber very well. But the men on either side of him - Vettel and the world championship leader Fernando Alonso - certainly do. The two of them broke out into broad, knowing grins at the sheer unlikeliness of the suggestion.

Webber, as befits a man with class out of the cockpit to match his ability in it, treated his inquisitor with a delicacy that some of his rivals might have found more difficult to summon. But, before expanding on his answer, even he couldn’t resist drawing the humour out of the situation.

“Yeah,” he drawled, smothering a smile. “At Hockenheim (the next race), we will let Seb through.” Cue even bigger smiles from Alonso and Vettel, who are well aware he will be doing no such thing.

Mark Webber (left) celebrates winning the British GP with team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Photo: Getty

There is no Formula 1 driver more rooted in the concept of fair but hard competition than Webber – as his battles for equal treatment at Red Bull, which boiled over at Silverstone in the previous two races, attest.

There was no repeat this year of the squabbles that took place in 2010 and 2011, when Red Bull’s apparent preference for Vettel – and the Australian’s absolute refusal to play a supporting role - were laid bare in different ways.

The internal dynamic at Red Bull is very different this year. The team and drivers seem more at peace with their respective positions, and the drivers are fighting it out on the track without the tensions of previous seasons. And Webber is proving every bit a match for the double champion.

Webber out-qualified Vettel in the wet on Saturday, lining up alongside pole position man Alonso on the front row, and then won a straight battle with the Ferrari driver in the sunshine of race day to move within 13 points of the world championship lead.

The internal qualifying score at Red Bull is now five-four in Webber’s favour, and the 35-year-old has two wins to the German’s one. After a difficult season watching Vettel romp to the title in 2011, Webber has bounced back in style this season. A serious title contender he certainly is.

For a long time, the British Grand Prix looked to be Alonso’s to lose. He converted pole position into a lead at the first corner, with the help of a take-no-prisoners sweep across the track to deter the faster-starting Webber, and he led through both rounds of pit stops.

But in the last 14 laps before the chequered flag, Alonso found his Ferrari a much less competitive proposition on the ‘soft’ tyres he had saved to the end of the race because he had not liked them when he tried them in the one dry practice session on Saturday morning.

Webber remorselessly closed him down and, with Alonso defenceless, swept by into the lead with four laps to go.

It would be easy to blame Ferrari for choosing a strategy that in hindsight turned out to lose them the race. Easy but wrong.

It made perfect sense to save the more fragile ‘soft’ tyres to the end of the race, when the track would have more rubber on it and the cars would be carrying less fuel. It just turned out, in hindsight, to be the incorrect choice.

Alonso, Webber and their respective teams have reason to leave Silverstone satisfied.

Ferrari confirmed their recent progress, and theirs is now clearly a seriously fast race car – as evidenced by the fact that Alonso has contended for victory in each of the last five races, as well as team-mate Felipe Massa’s upturn in form. It is a remarkable turnaround after starting the season 1.5 seconds off the pace.

But, as both Alonso and Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali admitted after the race, the car is not quite a match for the Red Bull, which is now clearly the fastest in the field.

Although Red Bull team boss Christian Horner denied it after the race, the championship seems to be distilling down to a straight fight between Alonso and the Red Bull drivers – Vettel is only 16 points behind Webber.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton is being left behind in fourth place. He is 37 points behind Alonso in the standings after finishing eighth at Silverstone, but more worryingly McLaren have slipped from the pace.

Quite apart from the problems this will cause for them in the championship, it is particularly bad timing for a team whose driver is out of contract at the end of the season.

Hamilton is known to have had conversations with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. It is not clear how much interest there is in him by any of them but this is not the sort of performance that will encourage him to sign a new contract at McLaren.

The other defining issue of the British Grand Prix weekend was Silverstone’s apparent return to the bad old days of traffic jams and muddy car parks.

The fact that even Bernie Ecclestone – who has never needed an excuse to kick Silverstone – refused to blame them for the horrendous traffic jams of Friday that led to them asking 20,000 fans with tickets not to come on Saturday underlines the reality that the organisers can hardly be blamed for the wettest June on record.

Nevertheless, there were clear examples of organisational problems as well as bad luck, and the track’s contingency plans clearly did not work on Friday, even if Silverstone did subsequently manage to dig themselves out of the hole they found themselves in with some effectiveness. They also showed laudable honesty in admitting there were serious problems.

The situation is more complex than it seems. The size of the fees charged by Ecclestone make it hard for races to make any money out of hosting a grand prix and Silverstone simply does not have the funds to pour money into solving the problem.

But a problem there is, and it could easily recur – as every F1 driver pointed out at the weekend, the British summer is notorious for its poor weather.

Those involved in the post-mortem meetings planned for this coming week will have to be imaginative in trying to coming up with solutions, but solutions, whatever they are, do need to be found.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/07/andrew_benson_1.html

Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman

BMW M3 by G-Power

While most people are busy speculating as to whether or not the new generation BMW M3 will have two or three turbos to boost its six-cylinder engine, G-Power is skipping the whole standard nonsense by applying a boost of their own to a customer’s E92 M3.

The modifications done on the engine included the addition of a custom crankshaft and pistons from Mahle to increase the engine’s displacement from 4.0 liters to 4.6. A SK III ASA T1-723 supercharger kit, combined with a carbon fiber air box and titanium exhaust system, were installed to increase the engine’s output to an amazing 720 HP. As a result, the car goes from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds and can hit a top speed of 205 mph. Certainly not your average Bimmer.

G-Power proceeded to make the car look the part of a speed demon by adding a lower front spoiler, a new engine bonnet, and a new boot lid all made from carbon fiber. The final additions were a new set of 20" Silverstone Diamond alloy wheels and a Clubsport adjustable coilover kit.

gallery: 2008 BMW M3 Coupe

BMW M3 by G-Power originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 31 August 2012 17:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bmw/2012-bmw-m3-by-g-power-ar134393.html

Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth

Franchitti's run atop IndyCar comes to an end

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/08/29/2301364/franchittis-run-atop-indycar-comes.html

Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell

The Tomaso Files: Trains, Busses, a C-Eh-mobile, Pirate Band and Bitches...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/phIahjD5B18/the-tomaso-files-trains-busses-c-eh.html

Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo

Campaign launched to save Team Lotus

One side of the Lotus naming dispute has been put forward on a new and in-depth webpage called www.saveteamlotus.com. The basic background is that the Lotus Racing F1 team had its naming rights revoked for next season by Group Lotus and, in order to keep racing under the Lotus name, bought the Team Lotus brand off David Hunt, who had owned it since the original team?s last race in 1994. Group Lotus has now taken Lotus Racing to court to try and stop it using the historic name in Formula One next year. The issue has been a source of constant confusion for many fans and the new webpage offers a breakdown of David Hunt?s and Team Lotus? side of the argument.

Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/campaign_launched_to_save_team_1.php

Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis

Mt Tahoma calls...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/Wo2PeQs6uZ4/mt-tahoma-calls.html

Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza

Could a London Grand Prix ever take place?

Few things in sport are guaranteed to generate publicity like someone high-profile in Formula 1 talking about running a grand prix around the world-famous sites of central London.

After all, what's not to like? Who doesn't think it would make one of the most spectacular sporting events the world had ever seen?

That's clearly what the PR agency which represents one of McLaren's biggest sponsors was thinking when they invited the media to a lavish event at London's RAC Club on Thursday to hear Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button talking about what it might be like to race around such a track.

An expensively produced video was played. Hamilton and Button said all the right things - while being careful not to be seen in any way to diminish the importance of Silverstone as the home of the British Grand Prix.

And a virtual race was staged around the track with teams led by the McLaren drivers featuring Rio Ferdinand, Melanie Sykes, Olympic gold medal winner Amy Williams and Radio One DJ Sarah-Jane Crawford.

All in all, an effective way to generate a bit of extra media coverage ahead of next weekend's ninth round of the world championship at, yes, Silverstone.

In what will doubtless have been fantastic news for the PR agency and sponsor in question, though, the story developed a life of its own even before the event was held, when F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was quoted in a newspaper saying "maybe we would front it and put the money up for it".

A London race would see the drivers go past a number of iconic monuments.

Within F1, the idea of a race in London in such circumstances has been greeted with intense scepticism. "Of course it's not going to happen," one senior figure said on Thursday. "You know that, and so do I. But it makes a great story, doesn't it?"

On the back of it, there was an inevitable media whirlwind.

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, was asked about it, and said he was "broadly positive providing we can satisfy the air quality and noise issues".

Which, of course, they never could. So, apart from the fact that it's a PR stunt on which Ecclestone has chosen to offer an opinion, that's the first reason why it is unlikely ever to happen. There are many more.

Before we get into those, however, it is worth mentioning that Ecclestone has tried to make a London Grand Prix work before.

In the mid-noughties, he discussed it with Johnson's predecessor Ken Livingstone and the Live Aid promoter Harvey Goldsmith, focusing on the two biggest hurdles - money and logistics.

Holding such a race would mean closing off part of central London for at least three days and disruption for much longer as preparations were made. There is an inherent cost in that.

Then there was Ecclestone's fee, setting up and securing the circuit, sorting out infrastructure, policing and so on.

On the plus side, a grand prix would showcase London and boost the city's profile, and probably - all things taken into account - bring in more money than it cost. Not that London, as one of the three biggest tourist attractions in the world, needs any extra publicity.

Five years ago almost to the day, I asked Ecclestone about these very plans. "I spoke about it with the mayor a couple of years ago, I think," he said. "He was very supportive. But we came to the conclusion that it would be too expensive."

A source close to Ecclestone expanded on that. "Bernie put a lot of effort into it," he said. "He said they looked long and hard at it and they couldn't make it work.

"There was very little money forthcoming from Livingstone, so it had to be self-supporting and they needed a way of getting people in.

"But there was only room for 30,000 people and, with the money they needed to pay to put it on, that would have meant charging �500 a ticket."

Damon Hill, then the president of the British Racing Drivers' Club which owns Silverstone, added that he had spoken "to Harvey Goldsmith about it a while back. I think it's dead. Logistically, it's a non-starter."

Which brings us back to the hurdles. The first being the idea that Ecclestone would put up the money for it. That's not how it works - venues pay a huge fee to the commercial arm of the sport, which Ecclestone runs, for the privilege of hosting F1.

That's not to say that F1 stumping up the money to host a race is a bad idea. Quite the contrary - some senior figures in the sport believe that's exactly what it should do to establish itself in America.

There is no market F1 wants to crack more than the US but last autumn Ecclestone played a game of brinksmanship with this season's new race in Austin, Texas, saying it would not be put on the calendar unless it paid its fee.

A similar situation seems to be developing with the proposed race in New Jersey overlooking Manhattan - an event F1 needs much more than one in London.

Then there's the fact that Britain already has a very popular grand prix at Silverstone, which has a contract until 2027, with a break clause either side can exercise in 2020.

With countries apparently queuing up for races - Russia is due in 2014, Mexico is also said to be imminent, Thailand is keen - the idea of holding two races in one country is seen very much as a thing of the past.

Equally, this is the second idea for a London Grand Prix that has come up in the past six days - on Friday another newspaper reported plans for a race around the Olympic Stadium.

Asked about this by BBC Sport at last weekend's European Grand Prix, Ecclestone said: "We're talking."

Hardly a surprise, is it, that F1 is so full of cynics?

In F1 - especially where Ecclestone is involved - one learns to never say never. But in a nutshell, what of the London Grand Prix?

Great PR coup? Yes. Likely to happen? Don't hold your breath.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/06/could_a_london_grand_prix_ever.html

Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza Mercedes Benz

Button Steps Up Pre Season Training With Lance Armstrong

Jenson Button teamed up with record breaking cyclist Lance Armstrong, as he continues to prepare for another Formula One season. The McLaren driver excitedly tweeted that he would be riding with Armstrong, the 7 time Tour de France winner, in Hawaii. Armstrong responded via Twitter “I hope he doesn’t ride as srong as he drives [...]

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/button-steps-up-pre-season-training-with-lance-armstrong/

Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Lamborghini

Remembering Jeff Krosnoff -The Final Chapters...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/6MBPviJBf30/remembering-jeff-krosnoff-final-chapters.html

Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Ferrari Launch Their 2011 Car The F150

Ferrari have become the first team to launch their 2011 Formula One car – named the F150. Thw F150 name comes from the fact it is 150 years since Italian unification, the flag bearer for the nation decided it was important to increase exposure of the major event in the country’s long history. �The cars [...]

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/ferrari-launch-their-2011-car-the-f150/

Eric Bernard Ferrari Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen

Sebastian Vettel stars in uninspiring music video, proves he should stick to racing [video]

If you've always wanted to see Sebastian Vettel randomly bob his head, you're in luck because the Formula One World Champion has decided to star in a new music video for Melanie Fiona.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/ECPzYfjfEYI/sebastian-vettel-stars-in-uninspiring-music-video-proves

Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi

IndyCar Series - Grand Prix of Baltimore Preview

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/08/29/2300942/indycar-series-grand-prix-of-baltimore.html

Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick

Pirelli - Technical tyre notes for the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/NdnAeZCP1Tg/pirelli-technical-tyre-notes-for-2012.html

Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Lamborghini Alberto Ascari

Can Any Of These Teams Make An Impact At Spa?

After an extended summer break, Formula One will make a welcome return to action this weekend with the Belgian Grand Prix. Held at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the race weekend will present teams with an opportunity to showcase the developments they have made over the last four weeks, with the title race now becoming the [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/7G0zm4fjPzo/can-any-of-these-teams-make-an-impact-at-spa

Lamborghini Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore

2012 Mid-Season Review ? Williams, Sauber and McLaren

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/vhv0O72VWT0/2012-mid-season-review-williams-sauber.html

Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati

Stolen Ford GT found chopped up [video]

A stolen Ford GT was found dismantled in a warehouse located in Vista, while some of the components were in a San Marcos stoarge unit.

Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/fCFPH5RoTvE/stolen-ford-gt-found-chopped-up-video

Fabrizio Barbazza Mercedes Benz John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla

Ducati 160 Monza

America has always liked its bikes to carry more power. That wasn’t any more evident than with the Ducati 160 Monza, a product of the 125 cc SOHC engine that was increased to 160 cc to cater to the power-hungry US market.

In addition to the 160 cc SOHC single engine that produced a top speed of 63 mph and was mated to a four-speed transmission, the Ducati 160 Monza also came with a bevy of features that further elucidated its Americanized credentials. Among these features include a square tank towards the end of its production run, as well as a side panel and engine number that pretty much let everyone know that the bike came with a 160-cc engine.

The Ducati 160 Monza that made its way to the 2012 RM Auctions in Monaco remains in sound, unrestored condition and is also one of only a few models left in the last production run of the 160 Monza line.

The auction price for the Ducati 160 Monza was around ?2,000 - ?3,000, which is about $2,500 - $3,800 based on current exchange rates. Actual selling price was $1,515.

Ducati 160 Monza originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 30 August 2012 09:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/ducati/1966-ducati-160-monza-ar129403.html

Bill Aston Richard Attwood Aston Martin Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer

Lewis Hamilton: ?I just hope for once we have a good start?

Lewis Hamilton has always felt at home in Hungary, and will again be in the thick of the action on Sunday after dominating qualifying. Hamilton did two laps that would have been good enough for pole, and is now hoping … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/07/28/lewis-hamilton-i-just-hope-for-once-we-have-a-good-start/

Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger

Zanardi wants to race in Indianapolis 500 | F1 Fanatic round-up

Zanardi wants to race in Indianapolis 500 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

In the round-up: Zanardi hoping for Indianapolis 500 chance ? Senna targets Q3 at Spa ? Boullier says picking Raikkonen and Grosjean was "brave or stupid"

Zanardi wants to race in Indianapolis 500 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/ycOVK2h6fxQ/

Hans Binder Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich

On the road

Today it is off to Spa, so unless something dramatic happens, and I am in a area where my iPhone has good coverage and can file from that I would not expect much news until the afternoon. Hopefully the weather up there won’t be horrible. At Spa you never know. In the meantime it is [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/on-the-road-4/

Christijan Albers Bentley Supersports Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari

Fernando Alonso: ?I think it will be an unpredictable race?

Fernando Alonso says he?s relieved to have qualified as high as sixth in Hungary after worrying that he?d end up further down the order, given Ferrari’s struggle for pace this weekend. Alonso starts immediately ahead of his team mate Felipe … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/07/28/fernando-alonso-i-think-it-will-be-an-unpredictable-race/

Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Carlo Abate George Abecassis

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Speculation starts early over Hamilton's future

Lewis Hamilton's future was the subject of fevered discussion at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend as the driver market 'silly season' began in earnest.

Hamilton is out of contract with McLaren at the end of this season and, at 27, his career is at a crossroads, with arguably the most important decision of his life looming.

Hamilton is heading into his prime as a grand prix driver. With good reason, he regards himself as the fastest in the world and it pains him that he has won only one world title so far.

That came in 2008 and it has not escaped Hamilton's attention that since then, at least until the start of this year, McLaren had not provided him with a car that was truly competitive enough.

This season started promisingly, with McLaren locking out the front row at the first two races and Hamilton on pole in both. But since then their form has dipped, particularly in the last three races.

Lewis Hamilton was fifth in the Monaco GP, behind Sebastian Vettel who was fourth. Photo: Getty

Hamilton is still very much in the title race, but he left no-one under any illusions about his feelings after his fifth place in Monaco on Sunday.

It used to be the case that discussions about drivers' futures did not start until July and August. No longer. Teams and drivers will say publicly that it is far too early to discuss it. What they mean is that it is too early to talk about it to the media; behind the scenes a lot is going on.

Hamilton's future is tied up with that of Red Bull's Mark Webber and Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher and also, to some extent, Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
It is widely believed that all four top teams are interested in Hamilton - at least to the point of holding talks with his management.

McLaren definitely want to keep him and have made that clear to both Hamilton himself and his management team - but no substantive negotiations have taken place and no financial offers made yet, despite reports to the contrary. Mercedes are known to have him seriously on their radar as a potential replacement for Schumacher. The picture at Ferrari and Red Bull is slightly less clear.

There was a rumour going around in Monaco that Ferrari were keen on signing Hamilton for next season in place of Felipe Massa, whose time at the team is expected to end this season.

That seems unlikely for one obvious reason - Fernando Alonso is contracted to Ferrari until the end of 2016. There is huge mutual respect between the two - each regards the other as their biggest rival - but that's very different from wanting to be team-mates again.

When they were at McLaren in Hamilton's debut year in 2007, it did not go well, to put it mildly, and Alonso ended up leaving at the end of the season - just one year into what had been a three-year contract.

Alonso's problem was far more with McLaren boss Ron Dennis than it was with Hamilton. Nevertheless, it is unlikely he would want Hamilton to be his team-mate again - and Ferrari is very much his team these days.

Equally, Hamilton would have to think carefully about moving to a team where he does not speak the language - even if the debriefs are conducted in English and there is an English ex-McLaren technical director - and where a man as clever, cunning and political as Alonso has been ensconced for three years.

Nevertheless, Hamilton would be highly attractive to Ferrari's main sponsors, the cigarette company Philip Morris and Spanish bank Santander, who could drop McLaren if they had an English driver at Ferrari. Together, they could basically afford to pay him whatever he wanted.

The problem with this is that a normally impeccable source close to Ferrari says the team only want a one-year driver in 2013, as they have a pre-contract with Vettel for 2014.

This pre-contract, the source says, is two-way - ie, either party can exercise it - and is performance-related. Ferrari need to be at least third in the constructors' championship at a specific stage of next season to bring it into effect.

However, a senior Red Bull insider says this is "nonsense", that they have Vettel under contract to the end of 2014.

The favourite for the expected vacancy at Ferrari is Webber, who is coming towards the end of his career and may well be interested in a year or two at Ferrari to finish it off.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner asked rhetorically in Monaco: "Why would he want to leave?" But there are several potential reasons.

It would vastly increase Webber's post-F1 earnings potential and he would relish the chance to test himself against Alonso, a friend whom Webber regards as the best driver in the world.

Webber would not expect to beat him - in fact, he would almost certainly have to go to Ferrari on the understanding that Alonso was number one - but he would enjoy ruffling the Spaniard's feathers from time to time, as he almost certainly would.

If Webber were to leave Red Bull, that would leave a vacancy Hamilton could potentially fill.

Horner has always sounded lukewarm about taking on Hamilton, pointing out that it would raise the tension in the team as he and Vettel went toe to toe.

But ultimately it's not his decision - it's that of Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz, and the marketing value of pitting Hamilton against Vettel would be enormous.

And if Webber did leave, who else would Red Bull get? Even if Vettel is under a firm contract to the end of 2014, that's still only two years away - at which point they would still need a guaranteed top-line driver if he left.

Theoretically, Red Bull are committed to progressing their junior drivers, but Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne do not look ready for that sort of promotion yet.

Then there is Mercedes, whose decision is complicated by Schumacher.

Team boss Ross Brawn said in Monaco that he would like the seven-time champion to stay on as long as he is competitive, but there have been internal questions about whether - and how long - he will remain so.

Schumacher's commercial value to Mercedes is huge. But they have to ask themselves whether they are potentially harming their competitive position with their driver line-up - few in F1 would argue they would not improve it by recruiting Hamilton, Alonso or Vettel, who is also of long-term interest to the team.

Hamilton's decision is not just about driving, either. Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes would all almost certainly be able to pay him more than McLaren can afford to offer. And McLaren's portfolio of sponsors makes it almost impossible for Hamilton's team at Simon Fuller's XIX Management to raise money from private deals.

Ultimately, though, Hamilton will surely base his decision on competitiveness.

The best way to guarantee that in the last 20 years has been to drive wherever Adrian Newey is designer, which is Red Bull. Or does Hamilton bank on Mercedes continuing to raise their competitiveness (and, for that matter, staying in F1, which is far from a foregone conclusion at the moment)? Or take a risk on joining Alonso at Ferrari, should a seat be available?

Or does he stick with what he knows and trust the team with which he has been associated since he was 11-years-old to finally get it right, but potentially reduce his earnings potential?

Hamilton has some tough decisions to make in the next few weeks.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/05/will_hamilton_stay_at_mclaren.html

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Architects and engineers step forward

Infiniti has sent out a teaser of something that Sebastian Vettel has been getting up to on its behalf. It would be fascinated to know if anyone can tell what it was from the following photos. This is not a quiz, as I do not know the answer, but perhaps someone out there does… The [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/architects-and-engineers-step-forward/

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Alonso and Massa around Fiorano in the all-new Ferrari F12 Berlinetta (Video+Pictures)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/-gtog6DAow4/alonso-and-massa-around-fiorano-in-all.html

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Button Steps Up Pre Season Training With Lance Armstrong

Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/button-steps-up-pre-season-training-with-lance-armstrong/

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Remembering Jeff Krosnoff -The Final Chapters...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/6MBPviJBf30/remembering-jeff-krosnoff-final-chapters.html

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MOTOGP: Where To Ben?

Ben Spies' 2012 MotoGP campaign has been a mystery, and so too are his plans for 2013 and beyond.

Source: http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-where-to-ben/

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A unique exhibition of 50 photographs taken by Drivers and Team Principals for Charity

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/-T0YDWGfK6Q/a-unique-exhibition-of-50-photographs.html

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F1: Fernandes Bullish As Caterham Settles In New Base

Caterham F1 boss Tony Fernandes is excited about the latest changes for the team...

Source: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-tony-fernandes-bullish-as-caterham-settles-in-new-base/

Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella

Engine dispute threatens F1 schism

Seven different winners from the first seven grands prix, an intensely competitive and wide-open championship battle, unpredictable races. On the surface, all is well with Formula 1. Behind the scenes, though, there is ferment.

At its heart is the planned introduction in 2014 of new rules, including new, energy-efficient, turbo-charged engines. The debate about whether this is wise or even possible in the current global financial climate has the potential to tear Formula 1 apart.

The new engines are being pushed strongly by governing body the FIA and have the support of the key manufacturers in Formula 1. But there are fears they will be much more expensive than the current 2.4-litre V8s and that the teams - the engine manufacturers' customers to a large degree - will not be able to afford them.

The engines have a powerful enemy - F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has been against them from the start. He describes the arguments behind adopting them - which can be read in detail here - as "PR" and thinks they should be dropped.

He lost the first battle - they were formally adopted last year as part of the 2014 technical regulations, which also feature major chassis changes - but is still fighting to kill them off.

In that context, the recent formation of a group representing the interests of the F1 circuits should be seen as a transparent attempt by Ecclestone to bring more weight to the argument to scrap the engines.

What has developed is a classic impasse.

Bernie Ecclestone is working away behind the scenes to stop the new engines. Photo: Getty

F1 is in theory committed to the new engines. Renault and Mercedes want them to happen, and Ferrari dismiss rumours they would prefer them to be dropped by saying they will happen. Whether independent Cosworth, which supplies lowly Marussia and HRT, will be able to afford to build one is unclear.

But the teams not directly supported by engine manufacturers have not yet been told how much the new engines will cost, and fear it will be much more than the five million euros they currently pay annually.

Meanwhile, Ecclestone is working away behind the scenes to stop them. He has got former Renault team boss Flavio Briatore to come up with a 'GP1' set of rules, which include - among other things - continuing with the current engines.

The threat, clearly, is that he will take the commercial rights holders and the circuits with him (and possibly many of the teams), giving the FIA the choice to drop the engines or lose the substance of its championship.

But if that happened, Renault, for one, would almost certainly drop F1, and so might well Mercedes. So who would supply the engines to the new championship? And it would take a brave team to join any breakaway series.

On the other hand, if the FIA presses ahead and the teams cannot afford the new engines - there are rumours they could be as much as four times the price of the current V8s - where will all the cars come from in the FIA F1 world championship?

As the chief executive of the Sauber team, Monisha Kaltenborn, puts it: "If we go back to the days when engines were so much more expensive, I wonder how many teams could afford that. And F1 with four teams wouldn't be very exciting."

The manufacturers, though, believe dropping the new engines would be a mistake - as would delaying them by a further year (their introduction was already pushed back from 2013 as part of negotiations last year).

For them - and particularly for Mercedes and Renault - the new small-capacity turbos with significant energy recovery systems are in line with the way the road-car business is going. Without them, there would be no justification for a continued involvement in F1.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn says: "We're committed to a new engine programme, it's progressing, we've been able to justify the budgets to our board and we don't want to see a deferment or a delay in that new engine.

"It sends a very bad message back if Formula 1 keeps changing its direction on things that are so fundamental, which need so much investment to make work. I think the new engine is very exciting."

Brawn adds that the future sustainability of the sport depends on moving with the times.

"We're going to be running around on two-thirds of the fuel that we're running on now with, we think, comparable power outputs," he says.

"We've got to change the engine at some stage. We will become irrelevant with the engine if we don't look to change.

"The world's changing and I think the new engine is a far more relevant engine for F1 for the future.

"If we're going to get new manufacturers into F1, which I think is a good thing, then why will they come in to build an antique V8 engine? They won't.

"They will only come in with this new engine, so we want to attract manufacturers back into F1 and this new engine is very important (in doing that)."

But the sustainability argument has a counter-point, as detailed by Marussia chief executive officer Graeme Lowdon.

"The teams do understand the direction the FIA is going with the new engines and people do generally support it," he says.

"We're happy to see technology go in that direction, but that has to be secondary to the sustainability of the sport."

The backdrop to that statement is that times are tough for all but the very biggest teams in F1. While the top four are all pretty much financially secure, there are concerns to one degree or another for the other eight.

The latest development in the saga came at last weekend's Canadian GP, when Mercedes vice-president of motorsport Norbert Haug said: "It's absolutely clear if you introduce a new engine that it will cost more in the beginning but I think we can achieve comparable spending over a five-year period and that has to be the target."

This was news to most customer teams - but even that might not be enough to end the argument. As Lowdon puts it: "The challenge for most businesses is cash-flow." In other words, many teams don't have the money to pay higher up-front costs, even if they come down later.

Talks are continuing behind the scenes, but as for what the solution to the conundrum might be, Lowdon voices the current situation best: "I have absolutely no idea."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/06/engine_dispute_threatens_f1_sc.html

Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Ferrari Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia