On paper, 2008 should be all about Ferrari. Double champions last year, they ended the season on an upswing in form that saw them dominate the Brazilian Grand Prix. They appear to have carried that momentum through into the off-season where Kimi Raikkonen has usually been the man to beat. As far as technical director … Continue reading 2008: Ferrari
Keith Collantine's articles on RaceFans
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring journalist, Keith began running the site full-time in 2010, achieving a long-held ambition to dedicate his full attention to his passion for motor racing.
Moto GP gets it, F1 does not
Posted onThe Moto GP season starts this weekend and the promoters have made sure that anyone who uses Youtube knows about it. An official promotional video is listed on the front page of the web’s favourite videos site.
F1 blogs review – 2008 is on
Posted onGreat to see The Times’s excellent Formula 1 blog back in time for the new season. Renault also have their official blog up and running in time for Melbourne and have previewed the first race.
2008: BMW
Posted onBMW were Formula 1’s third-best team in 2007: an excellent achievement given they only took over the Sauber team two years ago. Their challenge for 2008 is to reduce the gap to the leading teams, McLaren and Ferrari, It’s a big ask, and early in winter testing it looked as though they’d actually taken a … Continue reading 2008: BMW
F1 news review: changes at Honda
Posted onWhat’s going on at Honda? Reports indicate chairman Yasuhiro Wada, the man behind Super Aguri, is leaving the team. So is chief designer Kevin Taylor, who had apparently been squeezed out by the rival of ex-BMW man Jorg Zander. Is this Ross Brawn getting his outfit ship-shape?
2008: Renault
Posted onRenault are one of the most fascinating propositions of 2008 for me. As Felipe Massa said yesterday, many expect them to struggle again in 2008: If you have to take on Alonso it’s better that he’s driving for the French team than McLaren because it seems to me that Renault aren’t at the same level … Continue reading 2008: Renault
2008: Williams
Posted onThere’s a buzz around Williams as the new season approaches but team boss Frank Williams isn’t getting carried away: I don’t subscribe to what the press has said. Our competitors around us, of which there are many, are just as competitive. Is he being cautious or pessimistic?
F1Fanatic’s third birthday redesign
Posted onI’m delighted to mark F1Fanatic’s third birthday by revealing a brand new design and lots of new features. Continue reading for more on the redesign and new stuff on the site this year.
Poll: Should Nico Rosberg have signed for McLaren?
Posted onFrank Williams revealed last week that McLaren made a serious bid to sign Nico Rosberg for the 2009 season. He described McLaren’s offer for Rosberg as “majestic”, saying: “He could not have gone there this year, he had a fixed contract, but 2009 was going to be the worry. We had an option for 2009 … Continue reading Poll: Should Nico Rosberg have signed for McLaren?
2008: Red Bull
Posted onAlong with Williams, Red Bull are early contenders for the title of ‘most improved team’. Adrian Newey’s flaky RB3 of 2007 seems to have evolved into a rapid but reliable car in the form of the RB4. This was what the man himself had to say: This car is very much an evolution of RB3. … Continue reading 2008: Red Bull
Pictures: Final 2008 Williams livery
Posted onWilliams have shown off the final livery for their 2008 FW30 which looks only slightly different to the leaked version revealed a few weeks ago. Notable changes are the appearance of sponsor Hamleys on the side pods where previous it had less prominent position. As Pitpass noted last week Hamleys is owner by Baugur Group … Continue reading Pictures: Final 2008 Williams livery
Farfus half-disqualified from Curitiba races
Posted onAugusto Farfus has been stripped of the points he scored in yesterday’s first WTCC race at Curitiba after it was found an engine protection support had been incorrectly mounted to his car. However he has not lost the points he scored in the second race, which suggests that his car was legal in the later … Continue reading Farfus half-disqualified from Curitiba races
2008: Toyota
Posted onA lot of mixed messages have been coming out of Toyota this winter.
Poll results: Push-to-pass
Posted onMost F1 fans would like to see the quality of racing improve. But how far should the governing body go in trying to make the sport better? Other series like A1 Grand Prix use ‘push to pass’ systems to give drivers a brief boost of power to let them overtake an opponent. Is this too … Continue reading Poll results: Push-to-pass
Another Seat win at Curitiba
Posted onGabriele Tarquini was chased home by 2007 champion Andy Priaulx in the second WTCC race at Curitiba. Further back another Seat, race one winner Yvan Muller, desperately kept Augusto Farfus at bay for fifth place. Seat have started the year with a quicker car over a single lap – their turbo engines aided by the … Continue reading Another Seat win at Curitiba
Yvan Muller wins WTCC round 1 at Curitiba
Posted onYvan Muller bounced back from the disappointment of losing the 2007 WTCC to win the first round of 2008. But it looks like being another year of tiresome political wrangling over how competitive the cars are. The turbo diesel-powered Seat Leons were able to cruise away easily from the petrol BMWs on the straights. Seat … Continue reading Yvan Muller wins WTCC round 1 at Curitiba
New rumours say Ron Dennis to quit this week
Posted onThe Sunday Times claims Ron Dennis will hand over the role of chief executive at McLaren to Martin Whitmarsh this week. According the newspaper Dennis had planned to relinquish his role in the team at the end of 2007 but postponed the change because of the espionage affair. The story alleges Dennis’s decision to step … Continue reading New rumours say Ron Dennis to quit this week
2008: Scuderia Toro Rosso
Posted onToro Rosso are supposed to be using the same car as sister team Red Bull this year, as they did last year. But they’re having to wait until later in 2008 to get their hands on the new car, even though Red Bull got the latest model earlier than they did in 2007. Are Red … Continue reading 2008: Scuderia Toro Rosso
The Top 100 F1 Drivers of All Time – Alan Henry, 2008
F1 reviews
Posted onIt’s a book called “The Top 100 Formula 1 Drivers of All Time”, it’s written by a British journalist, and Michael Schumacher isn’t in the top ten. This is going to go down well.
F1 testing round-up 10: Catalunya & Jerez
Posted onThe final big test before the 2008 season was completed this week and it wasn’t Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen or Michael Schumacher who set the fastest time – it was Jarno Trulli. Afterwards a confident Trulli praised the new Toyota: The TF108 is a completely different car. Last year straightaway I knew we had a … Continue reading F1 testing round-up 10: Catalunya & Jerez