So what was the big story after Monaco? The near-collapse of Renault? That stunning pass by Nick Heidfeld? Juan Pablo Montoya’s remarkable drive from 16th to 4th? Or just Kimi Raikkonen’s maiden win in the glamorous principality? If you answered, “none of the above,” then congratulations, because you kept in mind the British press’s negative … Continue reading European Grand Prix 2005 Preview
Kimi Raikkonen continued his assault on Fernando Alonso’s championship lead by winning the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix.
An agreement between the teams at Monaco has finally given the unpopular two-session aggregate qualifying system the boot. As of the next round, the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, starting positions will be determined by a single qualifying session on Saturday where drivers will run with the same load of fuel they will start … Continue reading Aggregate qualifying finally axed
David Coulthard, revelling in his newfound outspokenness since leaving McLaren, has hit out at the increasing sanitisation of Monaco. Since 2003 the notorious Monaco Armco barriers have been removed from several places and the Rascasse corner has been made less tight (see The Magic of Monaco, issue 11). “Now they have changed the last part … Continue reading DC: Monaco is “normal”
A classic example of how different media outlets skew stories in different ways. BBC Sport claim Jacques Villeneuve is demanding that Sauber spend more in order to become more competitive. Autosport-Atlas treat the story more gently, reporting that Villeneuve believes Sauber are struggling because of their lack of money (but, note the difference, not actually … Continue reading Villeneuve pushing Sauber
The FIA are to launch a survey this weekend asking F1 fans what they want from the sport, ahead of the forthcoming new commericial agreements and rules packages. It will be opened for responses over the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. The FIA’s survey is supported by AMD (who also sponsor Ferrari) and Haymarket, who publish … Continue reading FIA want fans’ opinions
Not only is the Monaco Grand Prix the most glamorous event on the motor racing calendar, it is also a living piece of F1 history. Drivers have gone to battle in the impossibly tight confines of the streets of Monte-Carlo since 1929. Nine non-championship events were run at Monaco from 1929 to 1937, followed by … Continue reading The Magic of Monaco
They’re big. They’re red. They’ve got massive amounts of Vodafone cash behind them. They’ve done an awful lot of winning but have run into something of a dry spell lately. But that won’t stop them from demanding the lion’s share of the spoils. I’m writing about Manchester United, of course, the hugely successful British Premier … Continue reading Editorial: Red Devils
For the casual fan it may seem that F1 testing is more interesting than the races. Seemingly every week there is some new controversy about testing. This week, David Coulthard has decided to share with the world his opinion that safety standards at F1 test days are not up to scratch. I do sympathise with … Continue reading Crash Testing
There is an air of expectation as the F1 circus heads to Monaco. Runaway championship leader Fernando Alonso is starting to look vulnerable against the might of McLaren, and he may face similarly strong opposition from Italian Monaco specialists Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella. Kimi Raikkonen’s devastating pace sealed his Spanish Grand Prix win with … Continue reading Monaco Grand Prix 2005 Preview
David Coulthard’s recent remark on the issue of safety at test sessions has been given greater resonance by a massive accident Alex Wurz suffered in testing at the Paul Ricard facility today. A suspected suspension failure threw his McLaren into a barrier at around 280kph (180 mph). The car was reportedly broken into several pieces … Continue reading Wurz in the wars
There will be worried faces in Cologne tonight as the Toyota team await news from the FIA on how severely the team may be punished for racing for the past few seasons without a suitable licence. Although it appears to be only an administrative oversight that has allowed this to happen, the FIA do have … Continue reading Toyota next to feel FIA’s wrath?
BAR have revealed that they will not make any modifications to the fuel tank at the cetnre of the San Marino Grand Prix controversy when they return and their present two-race ban, but they will run with 6kg more ballast to ensure that they cannot possibly run underweight. They expect it to cost them around … Continue reading BAR 6kg heavier in Nurburgring
This is one of the more contemporary titles in Duke Video’s series of video biographies of notable champions. 1976 champion James Hunt was one of the sport’s most unusual characters, and his championship-winning season is just begging to be made into a feature film. There’s a lot of high quality footage and it’s been carefully … Continue reading “Champion: Hunt” (DVD)
An enticing prospect, but the title of this DVD is a little misleading. Yes, it features on-board footage of Formula One cars dating back around 50 years. But realistically, only since the mid-1980s have Formula One cars regularly been fitted with on-board cameras while racing. So this DVD features a mix of early flirtations with … Continue reading “50 Years of Formula One On-board” (DVD)
Another typical early ’90s Frontrunner tape as all the incidents from another cracking season are crammed together into an action packed hour. Although too short, this is more watchable than the 1989 video thanks to a good commentary and more thoughtful editing that shows slightly more of each race than the crashes. That said this … Continue reading “Showdown” (1990 season video)
The Front Runner videos use the same Formula One Constructor’s Association (FOCA) footage as the official reviews do, but the tapes are usually shorter. At a scant 60 mins for 16 races, the 1991 review is no exception. However it does pack a fairly thorough review of the season into this single hour. There’s no … Continue reading “Mansell v. Senna” (1991 season video)
1989 was a classic season, hinging on the rivalry of two of F1’s greatest drivers. This video gamely tries to compile all the relevant footage into one hour but it just doesn’t quite work. Instead the hour is a breathless rush through incidents and accidents of the year without ever really making sense. This is … Continue reading “Duel of the Champions” (1989 season video)
The Brunswick material stands out in terms of quality but is lacking in depth. Often entire races are missed and some have only fleeting moments of action. Such is the case with this DVD (also available on video, as the rest of the series are.) The South African, Spanish, German and Austrian rounds are all … Continue reading “Double First: Williams and Jones” (1980 season dvd)
Ferrari chief Luca Montezemolo has hit out at tyre supplier Bridgestone after Michael Schumacher’s double tyre failure at Barcelona. “We have a very competitive car, but we have a big problem with the tyres,” he told the press. A statement in response to his remarks read, “Bridgestone understands his frustrations and we are working closer … Continue reading Montezemolo blames Bridgestone, rules
