Today we’re exactly five weeks away from the first race of 2010. Here’s the Sunday round-up:
Links
Adrian Campos ‘working hard’ to secure F1 team’s future (BBC)
Adrian Campos: “Sometimes we pay the ?����?�7m [installments] to Dallara and sometimes we don’t have the money. We are trying to solve the problem.”
These are testing times (Motorsport Musings)
“Testing has never and will never appeal to me. Absolutely nobody really knows just who is quick until it comes to the first qualifying session of the season, and for anyone to form any conclusions this early on in the year is just foolhardy.” I have a lot of sympathy for this point of view. Bring on the races…
Patrick finishes sixth in ARCA opener (NASCAR)
NASCAR ARCA debutants Nelson Piquet Jnr and Danica Patrick collided in their first race in the category at Daytona. Patrick finished sixth, Piquet was a lapped 27th after a bruising first race.
Comment of the day
Remember a month go we were trying to find out what happened to Arrows’ three-seat F1 car? We have an answer, thanks to Adam:
The Arrows AX3s was sold to Ascari who use both of them at there race resort. The one for sale on Racecardirect is the display car used for the Autosport show.
Also you may also be interested that I own the three-seater simulator version in which all three seats are used for racing in. View http://www.f1showcars.co.uk for photos.
Adam
Happy birthday!
Today we’re wishing a very happy birthday to Victor!
On this day in F1
Force India launched their first F1 car on this day two years ago. The VJM01 failed to score a point – the team being infamously thwarted when Adrian Sutil was taken out of fourth place at Monaco by an out-of-control Kimi Raikkonen.
yelrom
7th February 2010, 5:51
this is a bit off topic, but what happened to the forums?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th February 2010, 9:14
Here’s where we are on fixing the forum: https://www.racefans.net/2010/02/06/f1-fanatic-round-up-622010/#comment-329045
Plink Plonk Plunk
7th February 2010, 6:46
When testing do teams brings just 1 car requiring the different drivers to share a single car or do they bring each drivers’ car?
Speedy Gonzalezzzz
7th February 2010, 8:02
First of all Happy Birthday Victor!
Well, i have wrote on these comments before that is far too early to see which teams are fast or not, at the monet only half of teams have put a car in tests, so my advice is wait and see….
I am a Ferrari fan, but i respect all teams, because without them, how can we beat them and improve the sport!
Politics doesn�t bother me, what really matters is what the drivers can take from the car and improve it even more, a manufacturer may be good but without a good driver they are done, look at Toyota, BMW, Honda.
F1 needs to stot these wars and have very defined rules or technical freedom to bring the sport togheter.
My wish is for this seasom F1 have real races without outside maniuvers!
By the way, i hope Ferrari will win and Alonso as well!
Bigbadderboom
7th February 2010, 9:08
So the Campos saga continues! He seems fairly confident and Autosport do report that he has found the required investment http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81275 , so is it is USF1 who are going to make way for Stefan Gp, according to the same article by Autosport USF1 are going to make it but our old friend Mr Ecclestone seems to be confident he can help Stefan GP get to the grid. I hope they do because Ralf deserves another go, and hes not going to be another lap dog to the media, with a wiser head he may get some results in the Toyota (Now Stefan) built effort.
jose
7th February 2010, 9:56
they will probably make it to the first few races: But how long are they going to keep going? Campos was always good at finding sponsorship, but in spain now for companies is not politicaly correct to spend large amounts of money with a lot of people being laid out of the jobs. It was bad timing to start a f1 team.
Bigbadderboom
7th February 2010, 21:33
Unless those companies are real madrid or barcelona LOL!!
Ali
7th February 2010, 10:22
Keith,
I am having this annoying look recently:
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/4606/f1fanatic.jpg
What is it all about? How can I fix it?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th February 2010, 10:45
Looks like one of the Google adverts is appearing in the wrong place. The problem is at their end, I’ll get in touch with them. In the meantime try refreshing the page.
Thanks for the advice.
Ali
7th February 2010, 10:54
Thanks. Here is my browser info:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.9.2) Gecko/20100115 Firefox/3.6
Striay
7th February 2010, 12:03
Does anyone know who will be attending the Jerez tests and what days? (Drivers)
Hairs
7th February 2010, 13:06
Impressive finish for Patrick, given that open wheel drivers generally don’t do well in Nascar.
Well done to Piquet for finding his niche in the driving world – at the back, lapped, in a race where crashing isn’t a big problem.
cpeterip
7th February 2010, 14:36
Hairs, Obviously you did not see the race! I am very far from a Piquet fan but his performance was every bit as impressive as Patrick! On a track he had never seen before he qualified two rows ahead of her, kept his position well in the draft of the first 6 cars for many laps and was only upset by Patricks highly optomistic lunge up the inside! For Nascar who see many people losing interest Patrick is the second coming but I for one will follow Piquets new career with interest.
Dr. Gonzo
7th February 2010, 14:54
Instead of listening to this tripe watch the 2 clips marked ARCA: and judge for yourself
http://www.speedtv.com/video/popup/65387859001/595223643
cpeterip
7th February 2010, 15:48
Dr Gonzo,
I do not know if you have ever seen a nascar race, but all Piquet did was squeeze Patrck down, he no way lost control-in fact he held it after banging doors from the car above.No different to 90% of races in Nascar- a so called “contact sport”! My point is that if Patrick was not a woman – her starting position etc would not have even been noticed!
James_mc
7th February 2010, 23:46
If that link was the same as the hick nonsense that was a Speed Tv clip on youtube then I am astounded. It was dire for starters. And yes Danica did well to keep the car under control but judging by the commentator’s comments about a crash afterwards it is more luck than anything that keeps you upright in those bangers.
Aussie Racer
7th February 2010, 13:50
I read a couple of days ago that Peter Windsor said about Bahrain “it won’t be pretty, but we’ll be there” & “we hit a bump in the road with a sponsor not paying up but we’ve replaced them now” then there are rumours that Valles might get the drive, is another pay driver their sponsor replacement? …..
How can this happen? Since this time last year USF1 were saying that they were entering F1 whether the budget cap was in place or not & that they’ve been planning their entry for 4 years. ie: expecting to spend a couple of hundred million. I know the states are suffering big time with the gfc but surely they need to put a gun driver in the team not 2 or 3 pay drivers.
I wrote recently that I hoped Ryan Briscoe got the drive but after reading Windsors comments I sincerely hope he stays in IRL until a better opp comes around.
I don’t mean to be negative it’s just that I was really looking forward to this team doing well to increase F1s global punch back into the states.
cpeterip
7th February 2010, 14:24
Am not sure if UK saw the ARCA race last night or the following adulation from the nascar rednecks and US media alike! I happen to follow both sides of the Atlantic & it is interesting to see the difference in how F1 & Nascar treat the promotions & their stars. Nascar is in a hole right now as the masses are getting bored with a nice clean upright driver in Jimmie Johnson winning 4 on the trot without cheating and Dale Jnr’s continued lack lustre drives -so they desperately need a new injection of interest! Enter Danacia Patrick the all American poster girl not ashamed to flaunt her feminity for a buck. In the lead up to last nights race you would have thought she was the only driver, right up to the grid shots -where Nelson Piquet’s excellent place on the grid two rows further up front were only mentioned as an aside! I am no Piquet fan but in my opinion, everyman has the right to learn from his mistakes and move on. To me his performance was very impressive, on his first ever visit to what we are always told is a “specialist” track, he qualified well, kept his cool and position well in the race and defended no different to any other driver when Patrick made her highly optomistic and ill judged lunge down the inside! Yes she caught it well but she was also extremely lucky the car did not dig in and roll as numerous others have!
I for one reserve judgement but already you can sense that Nascar and Patrick are smelling the money but it will be different when the likes of Smoke and Rowdy get to deal with her!
As for Piquet to me he is the first ex single seat driver to make an immeadiate impression in nascar and I respect him for that.It will be interesting to follow his future!
Dr. Gonzo
7th February 2010, 15:06
There was nothing overly optimistic about Patrick’s pass, Piquet lost control and came down on her and punted her off the track. Watch the clip!
http://www.speedtv.com/video/popup/65387859001/595223643
Hairs
7th February 2010, 21:04
Piquet? Losing control? Never…..
cpeterip
7th February 2010, 14:43
If US GP & Campos do not turn up 2 days ahead of the first practice for the first GP then they should be out and Stefan take there place! Windsor has been talking up US GP for months whilst knowing the finance was not in place & Campos just the same. What a pity David Richards did not buy Toyota with factory engine support!
VXR
7th February 2010, 17:40
It’s possible that the new teams have the option of missing up to three races during the season in order for them to be able to survive.
With regards to David Richards, he was a staunch supporter of the budget cap and is unlikely to enter F1 unless costs come down still further. He was also hoping to use customer chassis from McLaren, but that plan was scuppered by one or two of the current teams.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th February 2010, 15:59
We’ve had some problems with a user trolling on the site pretending to be other people. If you think you spot any vandalism from the user in the comments please let me know. Thanks.
Hallard
8th February 2010, 14:42
Glad to see Piquet junior playing to his strengths…
Chaz
15th February 2010, 21:11
I think I must be the only person who does not get the Danica mania.
And thanks for shedding light on other good sites like Motorsport Musings in this case…