FIA releases entry list for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship

There are three new teams in the list:

• 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.

Sebastien Vettel explains the new rules for 2009

FIA announce radical cost-cutting measures for 2009

The FIA announced today a raft of cost-cutting measures intended to save the teams in excess of 30% of their 2008 budgets for 2009.

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 confirm immediate F1 pullout

It’s been confirmed then: the Honda F1 team have confirmed their immediate withdrawal from F1.

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.

Honda to quit F1?

Autosport are running a story on Honda’s purported exit from F1, due to be announced on Friday.

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!

A Flurry of F1

Well, we’ve finally landed in Chicago and lots of exciting things are happening.

First off is the crazy new that Bernie wants to award medals rather than points. “The whole point will be, when they get to Melbourne for the first race, the guys will want to leave there with a gold medal” said the wee one. Not sure I agree with that.

On a more fantastic note, Martin Brundle has confirmed that he will be working with the BBC next year. And not a mention of James ‘The Cock’ Allen — fantastic.

The new-for-2009 rules make for some pig ugly cars. Christian Klien agrees. Reminds me of the cars of the early 90s — remember Damon Hill’s Brabham that looked like it was held together with fishing line?

In other news, de la Rosa is testing for Force India (presumably as part of that team’s recent technical deal with McLaren) and Sato just topped the testing times. After months out of the cockpit. In a Toro Rosso.

Right, back to me Starbucks.

Super Aguri withdraw from Formula One

Super Aguri withdraw from Formula One:

Super Aguri have withdrawn from the Formula One world championship with immediate effect, the team announced on Tuesday.

After weeks of speculation about their future following the collapse of a proposed takeover by the Magma Group, a last-minute rescue package by German automotive company Weigl Group was not good enough to keep them racing.

Team principal Aguri Suzuki is understood to have met with the Honda board in Japan on Tuesday, but the outcome of that meeting was that the team will no longer be racing.

A sad day.

Back At the Beeb

So, following ITV’s ‘commercial decision’ to terminate their F1 coverage contract at the end of 2008, the BBC have acquired the rights for the next five years.

So what are the BBC planning?

Well, apparently the ink is still drying on the contract so we don’t yet know the details, but Dominic Coles, BBC Sport Director of Sports Rights told Autosport:

“Fans will be able to enjoy uninterrupted, state of the art and innovative coverage from BBC Sport, across all of our TV, radio and new media platforms…”

Hopefully some of their plans include the following.

1. Martin Brundle is an exceptional commentator. Do whatever it takes to hire him.
2. James Allen is the single most annoying person on television today. Please do not — under any circumstances — hire him. If you do, people will tune into Radio 5 instead and just watch the pictures.
3. Please show the races and qualifying live. If qualifying for the Canadian GP clashes with “Dancing on Celebrities” on a Saturday night, please show the qualifying live. It’s only one weekend out of 52. And I pay for my TV licence.
4. Hire a decent commentator to work with Mr Brundle. Note that Conor McNamara, Guy Mowbray, Johnathan Pearce (please, God no) or Alan Green do not fall into this category.
5. Suzie Perry doesn’t look that busy nowadays. Do you still have her number from the Moto GP days?
6. Ditto Ben Edwards.

Just my little wishlist, you understand.

Formula One to return to BBC TV

File under “didn’t see that coming” — Formula 1 is to return to the BBC from 2009 onwards.

With the advent of slick tyres and a ranch of other changes, next year could be very exciting.

Note to BBC: please do hire Martin Brundle from ITV.

Please do not hire James Allen, Louise Goodman, Lenny’s brother Ted or Steve Ryder. You know, that turncoat what did defect. Ta.

More on Alonso & McLaren

A few days ago, I noted that Alonso’s threatening of his team boss was a grave misjudgement on Alonso’s part. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge about McLaren (and, in particular, Ron Dennis) would know before they started that it was a futile and ultimately pointless effort by Alonso.

It now seems that Alonso and Dennis are no longer on speaking terms; indeed, they haven’t been since the Hungary debacle (when Alonso was found guilty of impeding team mate Hamilton during final qualifying, thereby ensuring Hamilton couldn’t get another lap in and leaving Alonso free to run to pole position) back in August.

Historically, when a team boss and driver are no longer speaking it doesn’t bode well for the relationship. Think of Prost and Alesi in 2001.

So where does that leave the Alonso/McLaren relationship? Can they continue after this? I think it highly unlikely. The facts, as they have recently emerged, are:

• Alonso did threaten his team boss.
• Alonso felt his status as World Champion should mean McLaren focussed their efforts on him, to the detriment of his team mate. Ron Dennis disagreed.
• Ron Dennis demonstrated his integrity by going straight to the FIA as soon as he had knowledge of the extra evidence Alonso threatened him with (thereby effectively calling Alonso’s bluff).
• When asked by the team to attend the FIA hearing in September, Alonso refused, prompting Ron Dennis to label him “…a remarkable recluse for a driver.”
• Alonso was in possession of crucial evidence in the ‘spygate’ scandal yet didn’t notify Ron Dennis immediately.

The last point is also true of Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren’s test driver. I wouldn’t be surprised if, as a result, de la Rosa was shown the door.

Also questionable is how much effort the team are now prepared to put into engineering Alonso to a championship: he’s already proved he thinks he’s above the team, we’ve had revelations that he’s offered money (out of his own pocket) to his mechanics to ensure he beats Hamilton, so surely he can’t expect any preferential treatment now?

It all smacks somewhat of an insecure driver who has been rattled by a rookie.

So all this leaves the burning question: will Alonso be sitting in a McLaren next year?

My guess is that he won’t. He’ll either go back to Renault (who have failed to maintain their competitiveness since Alonso departed) or he’ll sign for Ferrari.

How better to poke Ron Dennis in the eye one last time?