Full Throttle

Those that follow Formula One with any regularity know without hesitation Bernie Ecclestone is a nitwit and isn’t afraid to parade that fact before the general public at the drop of a hat.

But even well known nitwits can outdo themselves, witness Bernie’s latest as he opines on London’s 2012 efforts to hold that years Summer Olympics:

“I can’t see how London, or anyone, will follow that,” said the 77-year-old billionaire referencing the recently concluded Beijing Olympics, adding he didn’t want any part of the planning for or conducting the event.

“I wouldn’t want to be involved. There is only one way down for anyone who is involved. If it goes well you are not going to get any credit, and if it goes badly you’re going to get the blame.”

Ecclestone added that he believes London – and its transport system in particular – will cope with the challenge of welcoming the games ‘with great difficulty’, whilst quipping when he was asked if he had any advice for event organizers: “I suppose pray there’s an earthquake or something so it doesn’t happen.”

Bernie, one question, if praying for an earthquake is the preferred method of avoiding a problem why didn’t you and Max “The Littlest Perv” Mosley do the same for the 2005 United States Grand Prix?

F1’s driver safety union, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, is concerned about Formula One’s forthcoming inaugural night race in Singapore.

The floodlit event, to be held on the streets of the Lion City at the end of next month, will take place without any prior pre-race testing under lights and that has GPDA concerned and allowed Toyota’s Jarno Trulli to bust out a carafe of whine.

“At the moment we still don’t know what the schedule of the weekend will be,” Toyota driver and GPDA stalwart Jarno Trulli told reporters at Valencia at the weekend.

“We are a little bit concerned,” the Italian admitted. “We go there, we haven’t tested, we don’t have any idea. It’s going to be a night race, it’s going to be the rainy season, so it’s not exactly what you really want from a safety point of view.

“It doesn’t look comfortable so far.”

Geesh, remind me again who’s allegedly the best drivers in the world? (Some make that claim, but I say the WRC pilots are, but I’ll leave that for now - ed.)

Trulli also made the claim it would be a waste of time comparing notes with the MotoGP riders who recently ran their first night event:

“Because riding a bike is different to driving a car. And they were racing on a circuit and we are racing on a street circuit. They had run-off and we have walls,” Trulli added.

Yeah but, it wouldn’t hurt would it Jarno? While there are major differences in the two disciplines one could get a feel for the lighting and any problems with glare caused by the lighting.

He could have taken a couple days from his less than normal packed schedule during F1’s break and checked the lighting in person. As one who’s spent a fair amount of time in the city I feel relatively confident in saying the locals would have been more than accommodating demonstrating what the circuit looks like at night.

Hell…, he may have been able to consult a local weather-guesser and learned the cities rainy season is from November to February, not late September. Too much to ask I suppose, better to look ill informed.

In fact today’s three day Singapore forecast is for early morning and afternoon thunder-boomers. That’s not to say it won’t rain during the event, but they will be isolated and generally light and shouldn’t concern the “best drivers in the world.”

The F1 community has been playing a version of Where’s Waldo every time the name Bruno Senna crosses someone’s lips or gets printed.

So I wonder… is this a clue?

Bruno Senna, nephew of Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, currently occupies second place in the GP2 Championship and is widely tipped to make his Formula One debut in the 2009 season.

It has just been announced Senna has been named as the Brand Ambassador for Hilton Racing and will write an exclusive column on the team website.

I wonder why? Is it a clue to his future? Or is Hilton just latching onto the latest “hot thing?”

Commenting on his new role, Bruno stated, “I am absolutely delighted to have joined the Hilton Family and feel privileged to be working with such a recognized brand. I look forward to working with them over the coming months off track whilst I continue to work hard on track.”

“It is fantastic that Hilton Hotels have had such a passion for motorsport and I look forward to sharing my race experiences with HiltonRacing.com’s thousands of members”.

It’s a cinch Lewis and Heikki aren’t going anywhere soon, I think, but you have to wonder about this new association.

Lets see, Senna bides his time in riding herd over a Red Bull while waiting for Hamilton to self-explode and leaves for some other team. Yeah, sounds about right to me.

I also wonder about the over/under bet, I say 5 working days.

5 working days before the celeb tabloids link Bruno Senna and Paris Hilton complete with “exclusive pictures” taken from a Mediterranean mega-yacht at a distance of, oh say… 100 kilometers and the “couple” are 2 millimeters tall on a 8×10 image

Related articles:

• Senna name set to return to Formula One

Scott Speed has declared himself happy to have lived the dream of Formula 1, despite the aborted nature of his time with Toro Rosso.

Speed became the first American in more than a decade to make it to F1 after signing for the Red Bull ‘B’ team in 2006, making the most of his links with the drinks giant to secure a place in the new Toro Rosso squad alongside Tonio Liuzzi.

Having failed to score a point in his debut season, Speed returned for 2007 but a spectacular fall-out with team principal Franz Tost following the European Grand Prix saw him leave the team, with Sebastian Vettel coming in to replace him.

Speed has since gone on to forge a career racing back in the States and has taken four wins to date in the ARCA stock car series as well as one victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Admitting he views stock car competition as something of a personal challenge, Speed said he was happy with how his 28 race F1 career had panned out, despite achieving ‘nothing’ during his time in the sport.

“Formula One was always my dream, always way above NASCAR,” he told USA Today. “In my mind, I have accomplished what I’m going to in my life. This [stock car racing] is a personal challenge. If I don’t make it, I wouldn’t feel any worse than if I did, honestly.

“I did absolutely nothing in F1, but I’m 1,000 per cent satisfied. It’s like going to college of the world. I never went to college, but I know a lot because I had the opportunity to live in Europe and travel the world.”

Car & Driver has an excellent account of the Speed/Tost bust-up that included Tost punching Speed.

The same mag has a piece on Speeds history leading up to, and while in F1 that includes this classic line that relates to his ongoing health problems:

“Are you kidding? I was wearing a diaper!”

A very funny line, but for those unaware he’s fighting a serious and lifelong health issue, the second link is also a recommended read.

NOTE: The image is the aftermath of the chaos during the rain plagued 2007 European Grand Prix. Although running a career high sixth (due to some serendipitous chicane chicanery) a screwed-up pitstop found him buried in the field when the rain turned into a torrent. Speed, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Liuzzi, Adrian Sutil, and Nico Rosberg all aquaplaned into the Turn One gravel trap.

Ferrari is in mourning following the death of Andrea Pininfarina, the chairman of the chassis company which designed some of the best-known cars branding The Scuderia’s name.

The 51-year-old was killed instantly when involved in a road collision on his Vespa scooter, on which he collided with a Ford Focus.

The driver of the car - Giuliano Salmi, 78 – was said to be in deep shock after the accident, which took place early on Wednesday in Turin. Pininfarina is survived by his wife Cristina and their three children Benedetta, Sergio and Luca.

He had recently left his role as deputy to Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo at the industrial employers’ association Confindustria and the Scuderia jead paid tribute to his lost colleague following the tragedy.

“With Andrea Pininfarina I have lost a great friend and outstanding business partner,” di Montezemolo was quoted as saying in The Daily Mail.

‘Together we shared years of work and successes with the Ferrari cars he designed.

“He was a man of great humanity and in this moment of deep sorrow my heart goes out to his parents, his wife, children, brothers and all his collaborators at Pininfarina.”

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Formula 1 chiefs announced on Friday that the British Grand Prix will move from Silverstone to Donington Park from 2010 onwards in a 10-year deal.

The announcement from Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, signals the end of Silverstone’s grip on one of the most prestigious Grands Prix on the calendar.

The Silverstone circuit has hosted the race every year since 1986 but after months of negotiation, Formula 1 chief Bernie Eccleston cited a lack of investment in facilities as the reason for the change in venue.

He said: “Finally the uncertainty is over. (after a five year battle - ed) A contract has been signed with Donington Park and the future of the British Grand Prix is now secure.

“I believe that the government should have supported them which would have cost probably less than 0.002 percent of the government’s commitment for the Olympic Games.”

The news will come as a bitter blow for Silverstone’s owners, the British Racing Driver’s Club, who had fought desperately to keep the race.

Ecclestone admitted that he was negotiating with Donington Park last month and acknowledged that for the circuit to host a Formula One race, investment running into tens of millions of pounds would be needed.

In fact, Donington Park will undergo a development programme running to 100 million pounds over the next five years. The track will probably need lengthening and the venue may require a new pitlane, paddock, media complex and grandstands.

Donington Park’s owners and joint CEOs, Simon Gillett and Lee Gill, commented: “We are naturally delighted and extremely proud to have acquired the rights to bring Formula One back to Donington Park from 2010.

“At the beginning of last year when we acquired the circuit and its substantial lands, we made clear our commitment towards realising the full potential of the Park by making the necessary investments in current and future events that will see Donington revitalised, ensuring its leading position as one of the most iconic racing circuits in the world.

“To that end, we have now entered a new and exciting chapter in the development of the Park and one that will bring significant investment and regional development while securing the future of one of the most important and significant sporting events in Britain.”

Donington Park does have some Formula One history: it hosted the 1993 European Grand Prix won by the legendary Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna. (See video, or this longer non-english version)

It will become the fifth home of the British Grand Prix which has also been held at Brooklands, Aintree and Brands Hatch.

FIA president Max Mosley welcomed the news and gave his endorsement to the investment planned by Donington’s owners.

He said: “After many years of patient but fruitless negotiation with the BRDC, we are delighted that Bernie has nevertheless been able to ensure that the British Grand Prix will keep its place on the Formula One World Championship calendar.

“We understand that the development programme planned for Donington will achieve the very high standards we and FOM expect from a modern F1 circuit. Finally, British Formula One fans will get the Grand Prix venue they deserve.”

Cross posted @ F1 Rage!

Technorati Tags: Donington Park, Silverstone, Max Mosley, Bercie Ecclestone, British Grand Prix

Formula One, as is the case with most racing categories, is a simple business. The only corporate mission is to win championships. There are no corporate line extensions or product extensions, so everything done within a race team follows the answer to the question: “Will this make the car go faster?”

It is as simple as that… sometimes.

At other times changes within the sport designed to offer better competition, or meant to lessen the financial burden on teams, or both in the case of current F1 proposals, result in running afoul of the Law of Unintended Consequences.

To hear Sir Frank Williams tell it the latest aerodynamic changes in F1 will result in less revenue for all the F1 teams.

“It will be interesting to see what comes out of it,” Williams says of the downsizing of wings and other aerodynamic components for the 2009 season. “But there’s something I don’t like about these regulations, and I must make it clear.

“If it had been five or ten per cent less surface… but 25 means, for whoever puts its name on the rear wing, that with the same deal you’ll get 25% less money.”

AT&T Williams current competitive troubles aside, Sir Frank has steered the team through many winning seasons both on track and off track by cajoling, conniving and schmoozing the many sponsors it takes to keep the modern F1 race team afloat.

His thoughts on wing size as it relates to revenue loss shouldn’t be taken lightly, the man spends as much time flipping through the pages of the Financial Times as he does touring the paddock on race weekends.

If he says F1 teams face a potential 25% reduction in sponsorship fees I tend to believe him.

Of course, we may never know for sure, reliable financial information in F1 is on par with what Germany had on the D-Day invasion on June 5th, 1944.

Which is to say not much, and of questionable value.

Technorati Tags: AT&T Williams, Sir Frank Williams, Max Mosley, FIA

“Holy cross-promotion Batman how do you say ‘Poof,’ with a Limey accent?!”

The F1 Toyota team have joined forces with Warner Bros. Pictures, in a deal that will see the Japanese squad adopt a new look at the British Grand Prix.

With the imminent release in cinemas of the latest sequel of the Batman saga, The Dark Knight, Toyota’s cars and their drivers’ overalls will feature artwork from the movie.

The deal also means the Batmobile and Bat-Pod vehicles will be on show at Silverstone during the weekend.

The Batmobile will even take to the track on Thursday evening for a demonstration run alongside the TF108.

The Dark Knight opens in Europe on July 25.

This all raises some interesting possibilities. It goes without saying Bernie “The Penguin” Ecclestone will be on hand. What would an F1 event be without a pre-race grid walk and media gaggle by The Hobbit The Penguin?

Will the Joker make an appearance as he has the last two Grands Prix? Or will The Joker take sage advice and dump his stage father and morph into a real title contender?

With Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock featuring Batman inspired driving uniforms will one of them referring to the Paddock be heard to say, “It’s a place to hang our cowls?”

As the youngest of the two will Glock play Robin to Trulli’s Batman?

Will one of the F1 media members ask of Jarno, “Batman, I think that’s a darling little costume you’re wearing. Where did you get it, in London or Rome?”

To which Jarno responds, “No, I believe in patronizing local craftsmen.” (To Jarno that is Rome.)

And finally, who will be playing the part of Bat Woman at Silverstone? I vote for Tamara as she’s interviewed by Martin Brundle. but I don’t think my vote will count.

Regardless, how can you not vote for this?

Know what I mean?

Technorati Tags: Bernie Ecclestone, Tamara Ecclestone, F1, Martin Brundle, Silverstone

Event organizer Rotterdam Racing proudly present Moscow City Racing 2008. On Sunday 13 July 2008, roaring Formula 1 cars will visit the city center of Moscow for a fantastic Formula One spectacle. Famous Formula 1 drivers will start off at the paddock located on the Red Square and drive past the Kremlin and the Moscow River to the Bolsjoi Theater Square.

The Williams F1 team has confirmed that it will take part in the event the weekend after the British Grand Prix [13 July], with Nico Rosberg driving one of the team’s FW30 machines against the stunning backdrop of the Kremlin.

Nico Rosberg: “This is just great. I know Williams race cars have demonstrated in some impressive locations over the years, from the Sydney Harbor Bridge to downtown Buenos Aires, or in the center of London. But, for a spectacle, driving past the Kremlin will take some beating. There is clearly a massive appetite for Formula One in Russia, and it is great to be contributing to spreading the sport’s popularity.”

The event marks the first demonstration of Formula One in Moscow, despite the Midland team taking its entire operation to the capital for its launch a couple of years ago, and over a million Muscovites are expected to witness the free six-hour landmark event, which will be staged on a street circuit taking in the centuries-old citadel of early Tsarist Russia, as well as running along the embankment of the Moskva river.

The Moscow event builds on a recent trend for taking Formula One to the streets, with Renault’s ‘roadshow’ programe and Rotterdam’s Bavaria City Racing - organized by the same group as the Russian spectacle - helping to pioneer F1. Russia is among the countries bidding to join the F1 world championship in the coming years, despite various plans to construct circuits around the nation having fallen through.

The Grove-based Williams will be joined by the Red Bull Racing F1 Team. Russian driver Mikhail Aleshin, who drives in the World Series by Renault, will make demonstrations runs for the team.

Aleshin became the first Russian driver to win a major international single seater race when he won the opening round of the World Series by Renault season at Monza last year.

He also had two 2007 starts in GP2 for ART Grand Prix scoring 3 points for 25th place in the final point standings.

Despite considerable doubt over its place on the F1 calendar in recent months, it would appear that the future of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne has been saved. In a surprising turnaround, it seems a deal has been struck that will keep both Melbourne and the Australian Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar for at least the next seven years.

According to the Sunday Herald Sun deal to retain the Australian Grand Prix will be agreed within days, extending the contract to host the race around Albert Park to 2015.

A verbal agreement has allegedly been reached, with a senior source in Victoria’s government confirming that the event will remain in Melbourne and revealing an announcement is ‘imminent’, adding: “We haven’t signed the deal but we’re going to quite soon.”]

The deal is expected to include a move to later race start times — probably about 5pm local time — to attract a wider European television audience. Tourism and Major Events Minister Tim Holding re-iterated that a night race remained 100 per cent out of the question.

“We have ruled out a night grand prix and that is not negotiable,” he stressed. “This is a good event for the state. It’s one we want to keep, and we’ll be working hard to ensure that it does remain here in Melbourne in the years ahead.”

Technorati Tags: Melbourne, Australian Grand Prix, Formula One, Sports, Auto Racing, F1, Full Throttle, F1 Rage!