Barrichello was set for F1 comeback with Caterham

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Rubens Barrichello would have driven for Caterham in the final three races of the season had the team not gone into administration.

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Caterham problems put stop to surprise comeback for Barrichello (Fox)

“Encouraged by support from the Brazilian GP promoter Colin Kolles, there had been a deal being put together that would have seen Rubens replacing Kamui Kobayashi for the last three Grands Prix of the season.”

Lotus team prinicipal called in to negotiate boycott (The Telegraph)

“The three rebellious teams – Force India, Lotus and Sauber – have indicated that a one-off payment will not be sufficient to appease them. They want a greater share of F1’s £500 million of prize money.”

F1 plans £100m rescue package for GP strugglers (The Guardian)

“CVC Capital Partners, the majority shareholders in Formula One, look ready to pay out an extra £100m to help the struggling smaller teams in the sport.”

The Formula One Management crowd sourcing commentary challenge (Tata)

Formula One Management has begun transferring its archive of video footage, which goes back to 1981, with a view to offering it online with commentary supplied via this crowdsourcing competition.

Rosberg: Double points not cheap (ESPN)

“It is what it is, I don’t really care [about potentially winning the championship on double points]. As long as I have one point more at the chequered flag at Abu Dhabi I don’t care why or how.”

Audi: No plans for F1 in short-term (Autosport)

Audi motorsport director Wolfgang Ulrich: “Yes, [Stefano Domenicali] has joined Audi, but we haven’t said yet what his job will be; no, he will not be involved in motorsport.”

Hamilton, amid title chase, talks post-racing options (Reuters)

“It’s positioning myself so that when I stop, I have something to continue on with. There’s going to be an undeniable urge to want to get back in the car.”

Vijay Mallya Q&A: Force India can still catch McLaren (F1)

“The idea of the third cars not scoring full points – or only half points – would complicate the situation quite badly and I cannot imagine that the fans would appreciate that.”

USA could support three F1 races, says Ferrari boss (Adam Cooper’s F1 Blog)

“I want an extra race in the United States. I want three races in the United States. That’s my proposal, because the American market is fundamental to generate revenues, to attract sponsors, so that’s my proposal.”

Hamilton can win six titles – Moss (BBC)

“I can’t see any reason why he can’t get four or five or six championships. He is as good as we’ve got, and we’re very lucky to have him.”

Analysis: Why Mercedes might now allow 2015 Mid Season power unit Upgrade (James Allen on F1)

“Unfortunately though, and presumably this is why Mercedes will support this, they too will make progress from the upgrades and it’s quite likely that their advantage will not be narrowed all that much by simply allowing the others a bit more time to bring in the full extent of their 2015 developments.”

A small grid in Austin (MotorSport)

“I was impressed with Nico Rosberg after the Grand Prix. He told me that the feeling of losing the race having started from pole ‘sucks’. So often sportsmen hide behind a mask of infallibility but Nico was open and honest saying he just struggled to get into a rhythm and only did so several laps after Hamilton had already passed him.”

Tweets

Comment of the day

It’s time for a change of approach at CVC, says @Beneboy.

I’m loving the irony of CVC management having to intervene to prevent a boycott that only came about due to CVC taking so much money out of the sport and allowing Ecclestone to run the sport as if it were his own private cash cow. Had they put as much effort into ensuring the sport’s finances were properly organised that they’ve put into maximising their own profits the sport could have generated far more profits for everyone, including their investors.

If CVC aren’t careful they could end up killing the Golden Goose when they could have made it bigger, healthier and able to lay a few more eggs with changes that even a casual fan could have recommended years ago. Hopefully the latest crisis will make them realise that the sport is more than just a way to make a quick buck, although I won’t be holding my breath as we’ve been here before and will probably be back here again in a few years – if F1 survives that long.
@Beneboy

From the forum

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On this day in F1

Thierry Boutsen won the Australian Grand Prix which was held in atrocious weather 25 years ago today. Ayrton Senna crashed into Martin Brundle, which ended any hope he had of winning the world championship on appeal following his controversial disqualification from the Japanese Grand Prix.

The first attempt to start the grand prix was an absolute shambles. Many drivers hadn’t yet taken up their places on the grid when the race was started. In the dreadful conditions an inevitable series of collisions forced the stoppage of the race, and new champion Alain Prost withdrew saying it was too dangerous to race.

Image © Williams/LAT

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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95 comments on “Barrichello was set for F1 comeback with Caterham”

  1. Alonso having banter with two Red Bull drivers = confirmed for 3rd Red Bull seat

    1. @davef1 who knows. Im definitely looking at his “fans will love it” statement. What you said fits well, I only had thought of him staying at Ferrari over his comment.

  2. Same Nico Rosberg that said in a fan Q&A that “it sucks” that Abu Double exists? Desperation = abandon principles?

    As for Rubens, gutted! Would love to see him back in single seaters, in F1 or IndyCar. Left the States just as he seemed to be cracking oval racing…

    1. @hosty96xd I’d rather see him in a decent IndyCar seat than a back-of-the-grid F1 team. Unfortunately neither seem likely at the moment.

      1. No, I totally agree! But I think the sun’s truly set on a full time seat in either series. Could easily, easily do the Indy 500 if he tried to push the issue! Hopefully, if that pulled off, I’d hope it wouldn’t be a victory like the last time he won at IMS… ;)

      2. @hosty96xd He is presently leading Brazilian Stock Car series, so as much as I’d like to see him in F1 again, I guess this is actually a blessing in disguise for him as he can focus on winning that championship.

        1. Fair point, well made. Proof he’s still got something!

          1. Definitely, Rubens can still race in F1.

      3. @keithcollantine Rubens is old enough to enjoy his ride as an F1 reporter. Why in the world would he “take the seat” of younger driver? For me that’s a man struggling to understand that his time has passed.

        1. BTW, nothing against his Brazilian Stock Car career.

    2. He deserved good F1 farewell like Webber which he did not get. He was in F1 long enough and should have seen right time and leave rather than just wait around. I think he still feels he has unfinished business here. He had his chance to win now he should just let younger generation have it.

    3. Desperation = abandon principles?

      He is a racing driver, an ultra competitive person who wants to win. Principals do not exist in that environment, at least not in the way we might think of them.

      Also, you can disagree with something yet still take advantage of it. As a trivial example, I use the M62 motorway every day. I completely disagree with them opening the hard shoulder, as I believe it presents too much of a risk. However, as they have done it, I make use of it.

      1. Actually, plenty of sportsmen and women maintain their principles in ultra-competitive environments. For many years, the only way to win grand tours was to dope, yet every tour, hundreds of cyclists entered knowing full well that they had no chance to win but refused to dope. In this specific case, Nico could have maintained his principles by stating that he would feel that it was cheap, that he would rather have won the championship without Abu Double and that would have been a powerful statement to the sport from a world champion if he won it. It would have caused debate and highlighted it’s absurdity, yet Nico would still be world champion.

        Saying what he said however will not send a powerful statement if he wins the championship, it will serve to do nothing but cosy him up with the powers who make these decisions and highlight his dramatic u-turn in principles. I don’t support any driver over the others, but I respect some more than others. I have gain a great deal of respect for Nico over the years, this season I have lost a great deal of it and on reading this, I have lost more. I hope that he is in first position in Bahrain, I hope Lewis is hovering in 11th with a dying car and someone like Alonso (Or Maldonado) to pass for the championship, not because I support one driver over the other but because I love excitement in a race. As to who wins, who cares!

        1. For many years, the only way to win grand tours was to dope, yet every tour, hundreds of cyclists entered knowing full well that they had no chance to win but refused to dope.

          That’s different, IMHO. Doping is against the rules. Just because you can get away with it doesn’t make it any less so. It is more like taking out an opponent on purpose in order to win (*cough* Schumacher).

          Combining Nico’s 2 statements, he is saying that he is not happy with the double points rule, it is how the rules are, and if he wins because of it then he still wins.

      2. @drmouse principles are actually an important part of sports my friend…

        If Nico said it sucks a few weeks ago and he has changed his speech because it suits his personal goals, it’s fine but don’t tell me principles do not exist in sports.

        People can change their opinion in presence of different facts, I just don’t think any fact has changed about double points since the beginning of the season so for me it’s more like an Orwellian metamorphosis than someone adapting to changing rules.

        1. I would disagree. Sports are a competition. They are where people pit their skills against one another, within the confines of a set of rules, to determine who is best. I do not see where principles come into that. If you allow principles to affect your performance, your performance will be less than someone who does not. In terms of the sport, the competition, this is a disadvantage, and within that framework, given all else is equal, you are not as good.

          Principles are important in life, where important decisions are made which really affect the world. Sport is a game, and often a business. The entire objective is to do as well as possible within the limits of the rules. The only way principles are important in sport is when they are codified into the rules.

          This is only my opinion, and you are welcome to disagree.

          1. Couldn’t disagree more @drmouse. I think Olympic Comitee would be shocked with your sentence too. Even in boxing fighters are asked to act with principles.

            My problem here is not whether Nico’s opinion is breaking his principles but your point that principles and sports don’t mingle.

            Principles and sport is what most people know as “fair play”. You should win through correct means. It’s that simple.

    4. @hosty96zd and @William Jones I couldn’t disagree more. NR has not abandoned his principles whatsoever and does not deserve your wrath for his brief wording.

      Virtually nobody has agreed with double points, be they within F1 or outside F1. But nobody has been able to change BE’s mind, including NR. So thats why he says it is what it is. Ie. it’s there and there’s nothing he can do about it.

      As one of only two potential WDC’s he is not exactly going to stand on the highest mountain and proclaim that something he may be about to achieve will be ‘cheap’ or whatever number of words one might use to describe this. NO potential WDC would. So to single out NR as having abandoned his principles is in fact cheap.

      I’m not saying fans won’t consider him winning the WDC because of double points ‘cheap’ or ‘robbery’ or what have you, but he’s the one playing within rules he had no control over, and no driver in his spot would now be diminishing the situation, and no driver would be handing the trophy back and saying no thank you. And…he doesn’t need to make some ‘powerful statement’ like it is his duty to school everyone on the foibles of double points. We all already know what those are and have been expressing them from minute one of hearing of this concept.

        1. I’m not disagreeing, but it’s just curious that he’s changed his mind. But we’ve got what we’ve got, let’s see if it helps or indeed hurts him.

          1. And I’m saying I don’t think he has changed his mind. I think all the drivers would have had the same thoughts upon the announcement of double points…terrible idea…but if I win because of them don’t blame me, but do come and see my trophy in my den…it’ll have a special display case as it’s something we racers all dream of since our childhood.

      1. No, of course he doesn’t need to send a powerful statement against a rule he disagrees with, because he doesn’t need to stick to his principals! It’s not against the law or against the rules of the sport to not have principals!!!

        If no-one with a powerful voice speaks out against double points however, there will be no reason for the sport to change. If no money changed hands for Bahrain to secure last race and pressure wasn’t applied to the sport to ensure the championship was decided there, I will eat my hat!!! We know almost for sure that there are kickbacks and rampant corruption at the top levels, Abu Double is a symptom of that.

        Nico has principals, he criticised it. There is a chance he will become a deserving world champion this year (not deriding Lewis what-so-ever, he would be more deserving in my opinion, which doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what nico has achieved. Having an opinion on which drivers would deserve the wdc is not mutually exclusive, not to me) and whose voice has as much power in the sport? Very few. When a world champion tells the world they are the best driver, no-one cares. When a world champion foregoes the opportunity to wallow in their own self congratulation to deliberately criticise a decision that made them wdc, people will listen, people will talk and double points takes a blow. But it takes someone with a tremendous strength of character to do this, and we just learned that Nico is not that strong. That’s no criticism, unless you feel criticised when I tell you that you are not as great a man as Ghandi, honestly, who is!

        So no, Nico is not all we could wish he was, he’s dropped his principals to wallow for a few months, who can blame him. But dropped his principals he surely has and shrodingers cat is revealed. He’s not a great among greats, if he wins the wdc, he will be just another wdc, nothing to elevate him above the others.

  3. Why did Barrichello want to drive the car (KK’s) that was 1.5s slower than his-would-be-teammate’s car?
    Ian Phillips says on page 23 Oct. 30 issue of Autosport magazine the car (in this case #9 car) became 1.5 sec faster overnight (at Suzuka).

    1. I really don’t know what Barichello would have achieved by racing the Caterham. I just hope he wasn’t thinking he could be much faster than the drivers there. He should just accept the fact his F1 career is over and move on instead of making himself a laughing stock. KK can afford to drive a Caterham as he is still a young driver.

  4. Daniel (@collettdumbletonhall)
    5th November 2014, 0:24

    I always thought Rosberg had criticised Double Points beforehand? So much for that…

    1. @collettdumbletonhall he’s not saying he likes it, he’s saying that if he wins the title, it’ll be his, and he won’t care how he did it, which to me is fair since the rules has been on the table before the start of the season.

      No one can complain at this point.

      1. I could think of one person who could complain, but honestly it doesn’t matter. What will happen will happen.

        Ironic though that Rosberg’s best chance comes at one ow Hamilton’s best tracks.

  5. I’m not sure about Nico’s comment about losing his rhythm. He held Hamilton at bay pretty well for the first stint. After the HAM’s pass, he really didn’t do much to close the gap, particularly when he says he got his rhythm back. Curious…

    1. Cannot be easy when you simply don’t have the answer, but know you were beat, then a hundred microphones and cameras come your way. You say one thing, it has to be repeated for consistency or you end up looking confused. In the room before presentations, I felt he was trying to find something anything that he could focus on as to reason he came 2nd, so he came up with Rhythm in the end, and the multitude of different variables that effect that, while also highlighting that Lewis just did a better job, and it was a hard pill to swallow.

      1. I don’t think he lost his rhythm…just took too long to gain it after the first pit stop. But that seems to be what has happened to him too often. If LH doesn’t already head him or drs him in the first stint, he will in the second. LH just seems that titch better as a driver, or at being more at one with the car and tires, or both. But I’m still not convinced that LH would have gotten by without drs in the U.S. LH could not build a cushion such that a mistake would go unpunished.

        1. @robbie
          Robbie you keep repeating about drs as some have told you Ros has it too haha…

  6. Like most people I’m hugely fond of Rubens, but reading this news I’d have to question why he’d want to return in such circumstances. There’s absolutely no doubt that the man truly loves Formula 1, and he had a career most drivers would kill for.
    However, after being in it for so long, why come back for three races? Did he really think he’d be able to get a seat for next year, when there are younger brighter talents (and drivers with fatter wallets) trying to get in?Would he have been fit enough, or able to adapt to racing in these new cars? He hasn’t raced in F1 since 2011 and as we saw with Schumacher, it gets to a point where ever a few seasons outside of the cockpit can mean that the sport can pass you by. Look at how Jérôme d’Ambrosio and Heikki Kovalainen far younger drivers struggled in competitive machinery in 2012 and 2013. Being parachuted into a seat is not easy. In my opinion I’d rather see a fresh face get a shot in a car over a 42 year old with over 320 races to his name.

    The only benefit I’d see to Rubens returning for the last few races was to give him a proper goodbye to the sport. The writing seemed to be on the wall for his future in F1 back in 2011, but he didn’t give himself the opportunity of properly celebrating his career and bowing out at Interlagos back then. It would have been nice to see.

    1. @colossal-squid I would question just how close the deal came, because on the occasions I’ve met Rubens this year he could not accentuate just how much he was enjoying working for Brazilian TV; being in the paddock and part of the circus but without the pressure of being a racing driver. Certainly fitness wouldn’t have been an issue for Rubey since the cars are no longer so physical, so the question is really why he’d want to.

      I suppose it would have been an opportunity to end his career on his terms, since Williams told a colleague of mine that Rubey was a genuine contender for a 2012 seat and they therefore couldn’t announce his exit in 2011. But equally knowing Raikkonen had approached Lotus, they probably had a fair idea that they’d either be replacing Rubens with Senna or Sutil. Knowing Rubens as I do, this wasn’t about a competitive showing but instead closure on his F1 career, and a celebration of his 320+ career would have been excellent.

      1. @countrygent Thanks, that was a really informative comment. Good to hear Rubens is adapting well to life outside of an F1 cockpit.

        In a perfect world Rubens would get the send off from F1 he deserved, at his home track.

    2. I think Jenson should announce his retirement, I can’t see him getting anything other than a McLaren drive next year, and if it was a choice between keeping a mid-thirties Button, or a super young K-Mag, there’s only one choice. I really hope we get the chance to celebrate his career in Abu Dhabi, rather than it being something inevitably announced in December…

      1. ***rather than do what Rubens did.

      2. I really hope he stays, I don’t think his age is an issue at all, he is as fit as ever and driving as well as ever too.

  7. Force India can catch McLaren, McLaren can catch Ferrari and Ferrari can catch Williams. Suprise 3rd place for Force India.

    1. That doesn’t make sense. Force India can’t catch Williams by your logic

      1. @sato113 I think that @eriko was being sarcastic.

  8. McLaren are on pace with Ferrari and Force India are dicing with Toro Rosso. Force India will only take 5th if McLaren are a monumental failure in the last two races.

    1. You mean the last three races @stigsemperfi

      1. Don’t you both mean the last two seasons?

      2. @neeyo, nope. Brazil & Abu Dhabi. Unless there’s a surprise race after the regular season Bernie isn’t telling us about.

        1. @stigsemperfi

          I think @neeyo is referring to Brazil, Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi.

          1. Actually, @toiago referred to three races.

          2. I was referring to Brazil, Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi.

  9. – 2014 will be the second year in a row without a pole position for Mclaren. The last time it happened was in 1996.
    – Without the “lucky” (new regulations, DNFs) podium in Australia, it would have been the second year in a row without a podium for McLaren. This has happened in their history (1968 -> 2014) so it would have been quite a record.

    1. They would have had the podium anyway, as Magnussen was in third behind Ricciardo at the checkered flag @francorchamps17

      1. They only had the podium because of HAM DNF and RIC DSQ (although arguably RIC would not have been ahead of both of them if he had stuck to the prescribed fuel flow).

  10. The more I read about F1 giving free money to Force India/Sauber/Lotus, the less fair that sounds to me.

    A change to the prize money structure is great, but I’m not too keen on the hand outs.

    1. GB (@bgp001ruled)
      5th November 2014, 4:10

      ferrari is handed out money every season! by contract!

      1. Like I said – free money doesn’t seem fair, no matter what team it is given to.

  11. Not that it was addressed in this roundup, but I’ve been looking around, and I can’t find any current info on where the Merc drivers stand with their PU allocations. Any likelihood of grid penalties coming into play over these last two races?

    1. @schooner, shame on you, Keith has been sticking the table of parts use up all over the place, suggest you look back for a headline about Vettel starting from pitlane in TX.

  12. “No Plans for F1 in the short term” – Audi

    Right then.. Forza Rossa to make the grid next year after buying over the Caterham entry, Haas F1 to make debut in 2016 along with Audi F1 with Alonso as lead driver and Domeniciali as Team Principle.

    Alll good, by 2016, we will have a full 26 car grid..whoopee! And who said Bernie doesnt know what he’s doing?..oh wait..it was Bernie himself eh?..haha

    I am being cynical, but if there’s anything to go on in F1, if anything is vehemently denied, its typically means that it will happen!

    1. I like how you think!

    2. [Day dreaming]

      Santander Audi F1 team to race in 2016 with Domenicali as principal, assisted by Mark Webber. Fernando Alonso will be the lead driver with fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz Junior in the sister car.

      :)

    3. Domenicali is probably going to work with Lamborghini, which makes things even more interesting Scuderia Lamborghini vs Scuderia Ferrari?

  13. Was just watching the 2012 Abu Dhabi GP. If you don’t have HRT, you don’t get the crash between Rosberg and Karthikeyan that brings out the Safety Car that so dearly helps Vettel. Not to mention I saw it somewhere, I think @keithcollantine said it, if you don’t have HRT, Vettel doesn’t clip Karthikeyan in Malaysia of that year as well and doesn’t drop out of the points as a result.

    1. @sward28, HRT ? High Res Tv, Hispania Racing Team, something else entirely ? What is this amazing thing that alters history?

    2. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone could argue that the best reason to have backmarker teams is their ability to draw safety cars or ruin other teams’ races. There are far better reasons to draw upon.

      Unless you’re being cynical @sward28, in which case, I agree.

      1. @crunch It’s not a question of them ‘ruining other peoples’ races’ – the point is of there are more cars on track there is more going on. That may mean more cars for the leaders to lap (though that is not inevitable) but it could also mean more overtaking going on, more incidents, more drivers setting times in qualifying, more young drivers making their debuts, more nationalities represented on the grid and so on.

        We have this permanent debate about how to make F1 more exciting in which the simple fact has been overlooked that if there are more cars on track there is more going on, which is undoubtedly to F1’s benefit.

        1. I think it is better to have quality over quantity. It is kinda the same thing with drs or not drs as it is with hopelessly off the pace teams.

          With drs we get more overtaking just like with more teams and cars we get more “action”. But in the end drs overtaking is not really overtaking. It is just cars swapping places. Instead of having those rare race deciding overtakes we are left with total pancakes where it is just enough to be within 0,01 to get within drs for guaranteed change of position.

          With more teams we get just more negative action with races being decided by backmarkers getting in the way of good race and causing incidents. So much so that we need to spend actual time that could be spent racing to just drive around behind the safety car so the hopelessly slow back markers can be moved out of the way…

          F1 definitely needs teams like sauber, forceindia and lotus. But marussia and caterham? Not really. The saubers etc are real racing teams while marussias and caterhams are just rich men’s hobbies gone way past their best-before dates. Only thing exciting about the caterham/marussia is that which of them finishes in front of the other and gets the also ran money which the other team won’t.

          Even the 107% rule (I’m going off on a rant here..) is kinda silly when it is not even the real fastest time of the qualifying session. Now the 107% rule is based on the Q1 time where the fastest lap time can be more than 1 full second slower than the real fastest time at the end of Q3. Back in the day if you made it into the race you at least were truly within 107% pace (most of the time).

          The new teams have been given all kinds of competitive handouts so they can make the absolute minimums just so they can park their cars on the last spots on the grid come sunday… With the Haas team coming in 2016 I personally see it better for F1 if we get rid of at least one of the two back markers. Hopefully both. Quality over quantity. But then I cronged when marussia has new rich men buying them and runting at the back of the grid in 2015…

          The only sad thing is that some people will lose their jobs when the teams could collapse. But F1 is not a safe haven for job security and if you really want those seconds-off-the-pace back marker teams then you should also accept the fact that no one who works for those teams can expect same kind of job security that you can expect when you work with the real teams that are basically all the rest except marussia and caterham.

          If you want slow back marker teams (like the teams which once were the williamses and minardis) then you need to accept that many of them won’t just not make it but will fail more or less miserably. Just to be in F1 doesn’t mean you will stay in F1 no matter how broken the financial model is for the backmarkers.

    3. Didn’ the safety car in 2012 Abu Dhabi only help Vettel one place? I think so.

      1. That one place made the difference between tying them on points and putting Vettel 3 points ahead at the end of the season. Vettel would have still won due to countback but they would have both got 278 points if Vettel didn’t gain that place.

  14. I somewhat agree with Matiacci that there should be 3 races in the US; 2 or 3 races on very different circuits in the US would be great. Start the season at COTA in the mid section of the country, then a mid-season street circuit race in New York City on the east coast, then a near-end season race at the Fontana Roval near Los Angeles, California on the west coast. So 3 races on very different circuits located in places that look very different form each other: a purpose-built road circuit in a semi-arid, hilly enviroment, then a rough, demanding street circuit surrounded by buildings and greenery; and then a race on a very fast Roval that includes high superspeedway bankings combined with a road circuit inside the superspeedway in a very dry, sunny, desert-type enviroment.

    1. I think I would prefer 3 tracks very like COTA wherever they may be.

      1. I would just want 3 tracks that challenge the driver and/or that make overtaking possible so that a good race can happen, whatever they may be.

  15. Gap to Seb steady
    Keep Jenson behind
    Used options are ready
    That’s all we could find

    Cost caps are wrong
    Rich teams don’t share
    The Mercs are too strong
    Kimi won’t care

    Todt’s on it, baby
    He sure has a plan
    More grid girls or maybe
    A chill pill for fans

    The engines unfrozen
    But who’ll melt the sport?
    If Bernie is chosen
    Then where’s Voldemort?

    No more double points
    Stop tickling my feet
    Let’s get to the point
    What WE need is Keith!

    Happy birthday @KeithCollantine!

    1. Very beautiful @girts, happy birthday Keith! :)

    2. @Girts Very kind of you and very nicely written! Thanks a lot :-)

      1. @keithcollantine, you thoroughly deserve your fireworks display.

    3. @girts Deserves a medal and @keithcollantine deserves many happy returns!

    4. Nice one @girts and a very happy birthday to @keithcollantine :)

    5. @keithcollantine Happy birthday Keith! And very very good @girts !!

  16. Am I the only one reading too much into Jensons career retrospective tweets…does he already know he’s out of F1 at the end of this season? I see the logic in keeping KMag on board when Alonso joins but with his close ties to Japan helping things along an Alonso/Button team at McLaren next year could be awesome (as long as the McLaren aero team pull their finger out obviously!)

    1. your not the only one… I get the feeling he either knows something we dont or feels his chances are slim. I think he is pretty fustrated about the whole thing but has to act fine and play the happy Mclaren driver until its confirmed.
      I think its totally unfair on both drivers that they dont know whats going on next year. I will not be supporting Mclaren next year no matter who they choose.

    2. Well the prevailing opinion is he will lose his seat to Alonso so there’s no reason he wouldn’t think the same in the absence of anything on the contrary from McLaren

      1. Also given his family bereavement at the beginning of the year, entirely understandable that he might be feeling sentimental

  17. “It would have been great to race in front of my people once again and say goodbye properly.”

    I’m sorry Rubens, but that’s all on you. It was pretty obvious you were going to lose that seat at Williams for 2012, so you could have considered 2011 Brazil your final race and make it into something special.

    1. All those fans at Interlagos thinking “I wish Rubens had more races – he just didn’t do enough of them”…
      That final race was special, but not in a good way. Hilariously bad start – the onboard is worth watching.

  18. Barrichello wants to go back in f1!??

  19. maarten.f1 (@)
    5th November 2014, 7:58

    I always find it kind of sad that a driver with an F1 career behind him is going to drive for a back marker team. It’s like the last spasms of his career. No top or midfield team is going to take him in anymore and he’ll just be driving there for the sake of driving in Formula 1. What would the point be for Barrichello to drive for Caterham in the last three races? I felt the same for Kobayashi actually, his F1 career was never going anywhere, why try to hold on to it so desperately?

    1. As someone who retired early and “went back” a few times :- it is flattering to be involved again, there is no long term commitment so what the heck, Barrichello may just love it and this would enable him to “scratch the itch”. I’m sure most ex f1 drivers (like most type A retirees) secretly believe they can still do it.

  20. I want to know who is asking for the Felipe Nasr signed caps!

  21. “Barrichello was set for F1 comeback with Caterham”. After the nice race that was Austin, yet another information that makes me admit that maybe Ecclestone was right… I’m ashamed.

  22. Phew! Dodged the bullet there Rubens!

  23. Happy birthday @KeithCollantine! and well written @girts – well played!

    I loved that footage from Adelaide 1989 and was at that Grand Prix. It was one of races that was very unique – most of the drivers really didn’t want to race but when it did start the going got tough, and Prost got out of his car and went home!! Senna showed two of his traits- utter brilliance and inability to know when he had destroyed his opponents and cruise to a win! It was very much like Monaco 1988 and he was about 1min ahead (but only after 15 laps or so). The massive spin he did was right in front of us- he went around 4 times, missed the wall and managed to gain 4 seconds that lap!! A few laps later came back around with 3 wheels- went up the back of Martin Brundle (maybe?) just for old times sake!! Good times!

    I would like to see Rubens have one last race for old times sake but also would hate to be disappointed and he needs to know his time is long gone- its like the favourite movie as a kid that when you watch again you realise its a let down- we don’t want that from such a top driver and bloke!! I don’t like these cameo’s in F1- it cheapens the sport!!

  24. If I was ROS I’d sooner retire the car and forfeit the title than win it on double points gimmick,

  25. Too bad Rubens, an average-to-good driver his whole career, does not know when to stop dreaming. In 2009, he had his chance, but Button got the best of him and the double diffuser loophole made Jenson a WDC.

    1. Rubens would’ve never won a championship on a British car with a No.1 British driver especially when joining at the last stages of pre-season testing sessions. And Rubens was one of the best drivers of his generation, “average-to-good” is a not so proper expression to describe his talent.

  26. So Rosberg has changed his opinion on double points, simply because he knows that he doesn’t stand a chance of beating Lewis on track.

  27. bring Rubens back for a proper farewell. He deserves it!

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