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.

‘Fuel burn’ qualifying laps get dropped

2008 F1 season

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Good news – there will be no boring hiatus at the start of part three of qualifying in 2008. The FIA has finally gotten around to banning the ‘fuel burn’ phase (as many people had expected). I was hoping they would do this by getting rid of ‘race fuel’ qualifying altogether. Race fuel qualifying was … Continue reading ‘Fuel burn’ qualifying laps get dropped

Ecclestone under pressure to set United States GP for 2009

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This month’s issue of “The Paddock” sheds some light on last July’s negotiations between Bernie Ecclestone and Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George. The pair failed to reach an agreement for a 2008 race reportedly because they failed to agree a price. Ecclestone apparently demanded $10m more than George was willing to pay. According to … Continue reading Ecclestone under pressure to set United States GP for 2009

Max Mosley can’t stop talking about spygate

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I enjoyed American political drama “The West Wing” very much before it was cancelled two years ago. I thought of it today, and how the president’s communications experts in the series would earnestly debate the implications of anything he said in public, when I read a new quote from Max Mosley. The same care and … Continue reading Max Mosley can’t stop talking about spygate

F1 circuits history part 15: 2003-2007

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Hermann Tilke has had a monopoly on circuit design work in recent years. His brief is apparently are to design safe venues for F1 racing where overtaking is possible – making tracks that are dramatic or challenging is a secondary consideration at best. Recent examples of this include his new circuits in Bahrain, Turkey, China … Continue reading F1 circuits history part 15: 2003-2007

F1 news review: Honda drop ITV-F1

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Honda has cancelled its sponsorship of ITV’s F1 coverage – does this signal a change in direction for the team’s marketing agenda? Plus McLaren and Williams stay quiet over rumours that part of their teams are to be sold. And who is Robert Kubica’s favourite sports person? It’s not a racing driver… Read the full … Continue reading F1 news review: Honda drop ITV-F1

F1 circuits history part 14: 1999-2002

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At the end of 1990s Formula 1 began to look east. With the teams hit by ever-tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising, and eastern countries offering less tight restrictions, moving the sport beyond its traditional heartland made good commercial sense. The fact that it bolstered the sport’s claim to being a ‘world’ championship was merely a … Continue reading F1 circuits history part 14: 1999-2002

It’s hard to dislike drivers once you’ve met them

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Getting to meet F1 drivers properly is not something I get to do very often. The days of being able to mill around the pits with them are long gone – these days you’re lucky to get a cursory glance and an unintelligible scrawl on your race day programme. But on the rare occasions I … Continue reading It’s hard to dislike drivers once you’ve met them

F1 circuits history part 13: 1995-8

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The after-effects of the traumatic 1994 season were felt throughout the Formula 1 calendar. Circuits that had made temporary changes to slow down high speed sections now had to find ways of making those alterations permanent. And new courses would have to either be much slower or built with even larger run-off spaces. The man … Continue reading F1 circuits history part 13: 1995-8