For the first time since the 1980s Formula 1 has a trio of street circuits on the calendar. Monte-Carlo this weekend will be followed by the Valencia and Singapore street circuits later in the year. And Bernie Ecclestone has indicated he wants more street circuits in the future, including moving the French Grand Prix to … Continue reading Return of the street fighters
Monte-Carlo articles archive
Monte-Carlo
Video: Four decades of Monaco onboard
Posted onThe famous Monte-Carlo street circuit has held the Monaco Grand Prix since 1929, and was on the first world championship calendar in 1950. Since those early days the track has evolved, sprouting new corners, shifting its pits between three different locations and being completely overhauled to improve safety. The onboard videos from the 1970s up … Continue reading Video: Four decades of Monaco onboard
Pictures: 2008 Monaco Historic GP
Posted onIt’s the Monaco Grand Prix next and to get in the mood here’s some fantastic pictures of great Formula 1 cars from the 1960, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s in action in the 2008 Monaco Historic Grand Prix last weekend. Joris Meuffels kindly let me use a selection of these pictures he took including loads of … Continue reading Pictures: 2008 Monaco Historic GP
How new tracks are squeezing traditional circuits out of Formula 1
Posted onChristian Sylt keeps a close eye on all things money related in Formula 1 (that’s pretty much everything, then) for his excellent publication Formula Money. He shared some very interesting data with me on how the new Formula 1 circuits are raising the cost of hosting a Grand Prix beyond the reach of F1’s traditional … Continue reading How new tracks are squeezing traditional circuits out of Formula 1
Remix an F1 track
Posted onHow hard can it be to design a decent race track? Herman Tilke?óÔé¼Ôäós circuit designs tend to draw sighs of disappointment from F1 fans. So what would you change about the tracks on today?óÔé¼Ôäós calendar? In the past two and a bit weeks I?óÔé¼Ôäóve covered the history of every track used for world championship F1 … Continue reading Remix an F1 track
F1 circuits history part 15: 2003-2007
Posted onHermann 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 circuits history part 13: 1995-8
Posted onThe 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
F1 circuits history part 10: 1985-9
Posted onIn the late 1980s it often seemed like good tracks were dropped for safety reasons, and less good tracks found their way onto the calendar because money talked. How else could you explain a circuit like the awful Phoenix street track holding three Grands Prix? Or why the slow and dull Hungaroring remains on the … Continue reading F1 circuits history part 10: 1985-9
F1 circuits history part 7: 1971-4
Posted onIn the 1970s F1 continued to visit some of the sport’s great circuits, particularly in South America which boasted the original Interlagos circuit and the extended and very quick Buenos Aires track. But in Europe the trend was away from road courses and towards ‘safer’ autodromes, although many of these new venues (Paul Ricard, Zolder) … Continue reading F1 circuits history part 7: 1971-4
Lapped Legends: Andrea Moda
Posted onI sometimes wonder what the FIA are setting out to achieve with their spoilsport rules. In particular, what is gained by raising the entry fee from $100,000 to $50,000,000? Sure a few bad apples slipped in through the net, but it?óÔé¼Ôäós now nigh on impossible for a privateer team to enter F1. Of the bad … Continue reading Lapped Legends: Andrea Moda
“Cars at Speed” (Robert Daley, 2007 reprint)
Posted on“Cars at Speed” – what a fantastic title. I’d like to think that if the TV programme “Top Gear” had been created in the 1950s it would have been called “Cars at Speed” and presented by plummy-voiced Raymond Baxter instead of rant-meister Jeremy Clarkson. But no, “Cars at Speed” is a book about motor racing … Continue reading “Cars at Speed” (Robert Daley, 2007 reprint)
2008 F1 calendar ‘more credible’ than 20 years ago?
Posted onI wrote at length about a revealing interview Max Mosley gave recently in which he made this remark: It’s a far more credible championship [calendar] than it was 20 years ago. That’s Mosley’s verdict on the modern Formula 1 calendar. Have a look at how the 2008 F1 calendar compares with the 1988 schedule and … Continue reading 2008 F1 calendar ‘more credible’ than 20 years ago?
Lewis Hamilton dominates F1 Racing Awards
Posted onLewis Hamilton claimed five gongs in the annual F1 Racing ‘Man Of The Year Awards’. As well as the overall prize for Man of the Year, Hamilton scooped Driver of the Year, Personality of the Year, Qualifier of the Year (I’d have put Mark Webber, Jarno Trulli or Nico Rosberg top) and Rookie of the … Continue reading Lewis Hamilton dominates F1 Racing Awards
F1 07 review: Toro Rosso
Posted onThe Team Formerly Known As Minardi had the most successful season in its 23-year history in 2007, scoring eight points. But the Shanghai high was a one-off in a largely uncompetitive season blighted by unreliability, accidents and strife within the team. For Toro Rosso, 2007 was about getting to grips with a difficult car and … Continue reading F1 07 review: Toro Rosso
F1 in the blogs special: 50 opinions on 2007
Posted onRead 50 posts from the F1 blogging world on the sensational end to the 2007 season. Covering Kimi Raikkonen’s championship win, the fall out between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at McLaren, and loads more, this is what F1 bloggers made of the season…
Top ten… Team-mate crashes (Video)
Top ten
Posted onSay what you like about Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. However great the enmity between the pair was at least they never took each other off. Unlike this sorry collection of drivers from the front and back of the grid.
F1 07 review: The best of years?
Posted onIt was the best of seasons, it was the worst of seasons. We watched a gripping championship battle with three drivers fighting until the final race. The championship lead swapped hands at the finale, and the victor overcame a 17-point deficit to win in the last two races. We endured a string of shockingly poor … Continue reading F1 07 review: The best of years?
What if…
Posted onWith just one point separating three drivers at the end of the season, the two that lost will be cursing the twists of fortune that cost them the points that would have made them champion. While Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso may rue their misfortunes, Kimi Raikkonen will be relieved that his brushes with chance … Continue reading What if…
Chinese GP 2007 facts and statistics
Posted onFerrari scored their 200th Grand Prix win in China – check back later for a comprehensive look at their career history. Here are the rest of the facts and statistics from the Chinese Grand Prix.
Top ten… One-hit wonders
Posted onTwo drivers on the grid today have just a single win to their names – Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button. That puts them among the 29 drivers to have only ever won one race. Here are ten of the best.