Here’s a video showing how a BMW mechanic suffered an electric shock and was thrown to the ground when he touched a car fitted with a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS): The incident occured during testing at Jerez last week. Links below.
Future of F1 articles archive
Future of F1
Grand Prix Legends hit out at state of F1
Posted onAnyone who’s shopped for F1 clothing, a model Formula 1 car or some other kind of memorabilia will likely have heard of Grand Prix Legends. Their adverts have been running on this site for some time. Their new catalogue dropped through my letter box today and I was surprised to see they’d given over five … Continue reading Grand Prix Legends hit out at state of F1
FIA?óÔé¼Ôäós plans for Formula 2 shows Max Mosley wants war with Bernie Ecclestone
Posted onA surprise announcement from today?óÔé¼Ôäós FIA World Motor Sports Council today revealed the FIA wishes to set up a new feeder series to Formula 1. It will be called Formula 2, reviving the name used for a similar series until 1984, before it was replaced by Formula 3000 and, later, GP2. But why is the … Continue reading FIA?óÔé¼Ôäós plans for Formula 2 shows Max Mosley wants war with Bernie Ecclestone
First drivers, now teams to pay more?
Posted onDuring the French Grand Prix weekend more rumours emerged about the behind-the-scenes discussions over the future of Formula 1 between the teams, the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone. According to Autosport the FIA is urging Ecclestone to increase the amount of money the teams receive from promotion and television rights. But with the FIA’s World Motor … Continue reading First drivers, now teams to pay more?
We are all weathermen now
Posted onWhat has been the biggest talking point on the Live Blogs during the past three races? Plenty has been said about the state of Lewis Hamilton?óÔé¼Ôäós driving and Max Mosley?óÔé¼Ôäós libido, but I think the most popular question is this: ?óÔé¼?ôIs it going to rain??óÔé¼?Ø
Engine rules and the F1 monopoly
Posted onOver at F1 Insight Clive is concerned about possible future F1 engine regulations: The FIA seem to want every engine involved to produce the same amount of power. Where is the logic in that unless what they really want is a spec formula? There are rumours the FIA wants to extend its control over F1 … Continue reading Engine rules and the F1 monopoly
What F1 can learn from NASCAR II
Posted onRegular F1 Fanatic commenter Robert McKay has written a guest article looking at what F1 can learn from NASCAR – a subject we’ve looked at here before. Here’s his take on America’s favourite motor sport. I?óÔé¼Ôäóve recently started watching Sky?óÔé¼Ôäós NASCAR coverage. Readers of Keith?óÔé¼Ôäós other blog, Maximum Motorsport, will know he?óÔé¼Ôäós a bit annoyed … Continue reading What F1 can learn from NASCAR II
Formula 1 as a spec series
Posted onYesterday I considered what would happen to Formula 1 if the economic crisis caused teams to leave the sport. Before I wrote that reader Scott Newton had sent in his thoughts on how F1 could work with just a few manufacturers supplying all the chassis. My idea stems from the concern that customer cars will … Continue reading Formula 1 as a spec series
The worst?óÔé¼ÔÇ£case scenario
Posted onCall it the credit crunch, call it the sub-prime crisis, whatever you call it, I call it trouble. It?óÔé¼Ôäós hard to pinpoint exactly what the consequences of the developing global economic downturn will be for Formula 1. But it?óÔé¼Ôäós hard to imagine them being good. And to the pessimists it could look very bad indeed.
No more Magny-Cours? Heard it before
Posted onBernie Ecclestone has reiterated his desire to see the 2009 French Grand Prix held in Paris instead of its current venue Magny-Cours: We agreed that there would be a French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours in 2008 but not in 2009. Prime Minister Francois Fillon told me we would then see if we could have a … Continue reading No more Magny-Cours? Heard it before
2009 F1 drivers – early predictions
Posted onIt’s early days, but Luca di Montezemolo’s comments last week about Ferrari not needing Fernando Alonso started me thinking about which drivers might be on the move for 2009. On the face of it Montezemolo doesn’t seem to want to change his pairing of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. And after three driver changes in … Continue reading 2009 F1 drivers – early predictions
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
Problems with KERS and its impact on F1
Posted onMax Mosley has tried to shrug off growing demands for him to quit in the face of lurid revelations about his personal life and pushed ahead with his plans to introduce environmentally-friendly kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) in F1 from 2009. He has written to teams outlining a vision of how a more powerful KERS … Continue reading Problems with KERS and its impact on F1
2010 F1 calendar may have 5 night GPs
Posted onIf Bernie Ecclestone gets his way (and how often does that not happen?) five Formula 1 Grands Prix will be held under floodlights by 2010 – which by then will probably be a quarter of the calendar. It’s an ambitious target given that the first F1 night Grand Prix at Singapore hasn’t even been held … Continue reading 2010 F1 calendar may have 5 night GPs
The FIA must solve the customer car problem
Posted onOnce again the Super Aguri transporters have departed a testing session with the teams’ F1 cars not even having turned a wheel. The teams presence in the 2008 championship looks less likely with every passing day. They could be the second team to announce their non-participation in F1 this year, following Prodrive who were originally … Continue reading The FIA must solve the customer car problem
Bernie Ecclestone is bored with Formula 1 (updated)
Posted onMany thanks to Alex who alerted me to this fascinating interview with Bernie Ecclestone in the Daily Mail. The article does not appear to have been written for Formula 1 fans and so Ecclestone did not get a grilling him on the kind of questions I would put to him – like why a sport … Continue reading Bernie Ecclestone is bored with Formula 1 (updated)
Night racing and the environment
Posted onMax Mosley is requiring teams to start using environmentally-friendly technologies on their cars from 2009 in the form of KERS. Meanwhile Bernie Ecclestone has signed a deal with Singapore to hold a race under floodlights, Malaysia looks set to follow and he’s pressuring Australia to do likewise. You have to ask yourself if the pair, … Continue reading Night racing and the environment
Imagining ‘Formula X’
Posted onHas Formula one lost sight of its purpose to be the ultimate form of motor racing with cars at the absolute cutting edge of technology? The FIA’s recent plans to reduce teams’ use of wind tunnels is just the latest in a long line of steps taken to reduce the development of Formula 1 cars. … Continue reading Imagining ‘Formula X’
Rumoured qualifying changes for 2008
Posted onI’ve seen a few details on F1 forums about changes to next year’s qualifying regulations that apparently were agreed by the teams last week. I encourage you to take the following with a pinch of salt, but the changes seem sufficiently odd and unnecessary to convince me this really is something the FIA has suggested. … Continue reading Rumoured qualifying changes for 2008
Traction control ban: Better races, less safe, more controversy?
Posted onIt’s been interesting to see how the drivers and teams reacted to last week’s test at which most (if not all) the teams tried running the cars with the standard electronic control unit for 2008 installed and the removal of traction control. Questions have been raised over safety and how hard it will be to … Continue reading Traction control ban: Better races, less safe, more controversy?