The only two I’m not sure about are Natalie Pinkham and Steve Rider. I don’t feel that Pinkham adds anything and mostly just annoys me with her ‘one of the gang but I’m a girl’ thing. And Steve Rider is about as wooden as they come.

But overall, a great line-up. Quite how it’ll fair with the BBC team is yet to be seen but, as Martin Brundle has said, the fact that there are now two broadcasters who’ll be screening the 2012 F1 season can only be good for fans.

This is the same guy in the official press release announcing that he will be staying with Williams in 2012:

“This has been a tough season for the whole team but it has given me personally the opportunity to learn and develop. I am convinced that the steps we have taken to improve our competitiveness will bear fruit in 2012 and beyond. I am thrilled to be part of that and also to represent the people of Venezuela in Formula One.”

Perfect English and nice use of the phrase “bear fruit”.

(Just a bit of fun, you understand. I’m perfectly aware that all press release content is generated by one person — the team’s Press Officer.)

First Williams Renault, now (apparently) McLaren Honda.

All aboard the retro bus!

“If Formula 1 still wants Ferrari it must change and go back to being at the cutting edge of research, while always keeping an eye on costs.”

Ferrari, Monday November 7th:

“Montezemolo’s observations were seen by some as a sort of ultimatum or even a threat to leave Formula 1, but the Whisperer can assure you that it was nothing of the kind”

This isn’t just about team names, it’s about chassis names. Teams can call themselves anything they want from year to year (within reason, of course) but they cannot rename their chassis unless the majority of the teams and the FIA approve. If a team does rename their chassis without this approval, they’re deemed to be a new entry into the championship and so lose the previous season’s prize money.

So next year’s Lotus will be a Caterham, next year’s Renault will be a Lotus and next year’s Virgin will be a Marussia.

All clear? Good.

Surprising, yes, but entirely logical. Team boss Tony Fernandes:

“It is absolutely vital that we secure tenth place in 2011 to give us the platform to keep growing and despite the fact that Karun’s performance levels have continued to improve every time he has driven for us in 2011, it was considered too much pressure to put on Karun to drive in his first home race, deal with all the attention he would have had and be able to perform at the same level as either of our regular race drivers over the whole weekend.”

Chandhok — and his compatriot Karthikeyan — will be under intense scrutiny this weekend. It’s a sensible, if not altogether popular, decision from Team Lotus.

This has been on the cards for some time, what with all the recent hullabaloo the teams were making about F1 remaining on free-to-air television.

The first — somewhat soft — step from Mr E towards getting you to pay for your F1 viewing.

Jordan says that “there’s no downside” for Michael Schumacher.

I have to agree with Joe Saward on this one — can’t see it happening.

“The media played a fundamental role in the decision to replace me.”

By reporting on your woeful performances, yes. F1 has always been a piranha club — if you’re not quick enough, you’re out. The list of drivers who don’t make the cut is huge — this season we’ve had Nelson Piquet and Sebastian Bourdais shown the door for poor performances.

Badoer goes on to say that, had Ferrari given him one more race, he’d have been on the pace.

“Maranello had faith in me. I only have one regret – from the third grand prix I would have done better.”

I remember hearing something similar after Valencia. Maranello obviously lost that faith.

(As an aside, I’m pleased that Fisichella will finally get to drive a Ferrari in F1. It’s long been his dream and the deal he’s got — racing for the final five races, then test & reserve driver next year — sounds great. Seeing him in the Ferrari kit brings back memories of seeing Alesi in the Jordan in 2001. It just felt right, you know? Anyway. Forza Fisi.)

• Campos Grand Prix
• Manor F1 Team
• Team US F1

Surprisingly David ‘Dave’ Richards and his Prodrive/Aston Martin marque didn’t get a look in. I have to admit to being surprised by that omission — last time around the FIA granted Prodrive the last slot on the grid from a long list of entries. Maybe Max & the FIA saw something in the three new teams’ proposals that Prodrive didn’t have in theirs.

Ferrari & the Red Bull teams have been granted entries despite attaching conditions to those entries. This is all due to the fact that those teams supposedly signed an agreement with the FIA some years ago committing them to the F1 Championship for a number of years (one assumes that includes the 2010 season then). Ferrari are saying the FIA have breached those conditions; the FIA are saying Ferrari must race unconditionally or not at all.

The other teams that entered the championship conditionally are being warned that they risk being declined a spot if they don’t lift the conditions on their entry by this time next week (Friday 19th June). Whether Brawn, McLaren, Renault, BMW Sauber and Toyota will do that remains to be seen.

For sure, another interesting week ahead.

Highlights include doubling engine life, a complete ban on in-season testing, compulsory factory closures (six weeks per year) and possible changes to the qualifying format.

For 2010 there are more changes afoot: the much-mooted €5 million engine (on offer to independents), a standard transmission, some homogenization of certain car elements (as yet to be defined), a ban on tyre warmers and refueling and a possible reduction in race distance.

The cost-cutting debate has been raging in F1 for years — remember Stoddy getting all narked at the big teams for not giving him affordable engines when they allegedly said they would back in 2003? — but this is the first positive step that’s been taken.

Did it take a big team pulling out of F1 to make everyone sit up and take notice?

Modern-day F1 is laden with manufacturers. They are in F1 for business and marketing reasons alone — the ‘sport’ has absolutely nothing to do with it. If you think it does, that shows how good their marketing is.

So if/when a major manufacturer decides that the bang for buck ratio isn’t right they’ll be off. Nostalgia and heritage count for nothing in the board room. Think Ford circa 2004, Honda circa 2008.

Honda CEO Takeo Fukui confirmed the news today:

“Honda must protect its core business activities and secure the long term as widespread uncertainties in the economies around the globe continue to mount…A recovery is expected to take some time.

“Under these circumstances, Honda has taken swift and flexible measures to counter this sudden and expansive weakening of the marketplace in all business areas.

“However, in recognition of the need to optimize the allocation of management resources, including investment regarding the future, we have decided to withdraw from Formula One participation.”

It looks like they had little choice: cuts in road vehicle production, plans to shed 1000 jobs in the UK…

Honda Racing’s CEO Nick Fry is hopeful that the team can be sold so that they can be on the grid in Melbourne next March, with ‘three credible offers’ seemingly already on the table. And Fry and Ross Brawn (team principle) are ‘committed’ to saving the team.

Difficult times indeed.

Wow. After just one season Ross Brawn finds himself without a team to be principle of and Jenson Button is actively looking for a drive to remain in F1 (remember, most of the seats are now taken for 2009).

If it’s true, of course.

UPDATE: The BBC have more. I bet Eddie and Stoddy are interested if they can get the team for a quid!