“Watch the Ferraris”, everyone seemed to be saying after the United States ‘race’. “They’ve made a big step forward.” Michael Schumacher unusually bullish, suggested as much after qualifying. But on the track, Fernando Alonso blitzed them all for his fifth win from ten. It was not a thrilling French Grand Prix. Indeed, after the shame … Continue reading Alonso cruises to fifth win as Raikkonen limits damage
Jenson Button is the next Tim Henman as far as the British press are concerned. But that won’t stop Ferrari snapping him up. Don’t believe everything you read in the papers or, for that matter, in this week’s media review. Amid the frenzy of the British Grand Prix the tabloid heavyweights slugged it out in … Continue reading British Grand Prix 2005 Media Review
I find nothing more frustrating than listening to over pampered Grand Prix drivers moaning about the amount of travel in their job, firstly, because the title World Championship indicates frequent flights, and secondly, because they get to race in China, Brazil and the USA. There are worse jobs. Over in Formula Vee ‘international’ extends about … Continue reading The Grand Prix alternatives
The FIA’s survey brought up a number of head-slapping, ?�?�?����?�?��ǣI could have told you that,?�?�?����?�?�?� type results. Not least of which was Silverstone’s place among the top three of the best circuits in Formula One at present. Now, for a dedicated Silverstone enthusiast such as this it is not a major surprise. Crucially both the … Continue reading Editorial: Sublime Silverstone
Juan Pablo Montoya broke his 2005 duck and took his first win for McLaren in fine style. But a second consecutive weekend troubled by engined failure for Kimi Raikkonen stymied his assault on Fernando Alonso’s championship lead. The final practice session for the British Grand Prix had barely begun when the number nine McLaren-Mercedes of … Continue reading Montoya grabs win as Alonso extends points lead
Seven of the ten Formula One teams are rumoured to be lining up a potential replacement for under-fire FIA President Max Mosley. The seven teams exclude the FIA-aligned Ferrari, Red Bull, who are to take a supply of Ferrari engines from next year, and Jordan, who have distanced themselves from the ‘Group of Nine’ since … Continue reading Mosley replacement rumours
The French Grand Prix was as dull as ditchwater – there’s no avoiding that fact. Did the British press tell it as straight? And how did ITV-F1 cope with the Magny-Cours snoozeathon? The post-race media review reveals all. At long, long last Wimbledon is over. It feels as if we’ve had months of the tedious … Continue reading French Grand Prix 2005 Media Review
The latest Playstation 2 F1 game to hit the shelves boasts the full 2005 roster of teams, drivers and circuits. Is it worth parting with a significant chunk of your hard-earned for? We give it a thorough track-testing.
France was not quite the reputation recovery exercise that F1 might have hoped for. Alright, nothing went wrong, but the race was rigidly dull at best. We can surely hope for better at F1’s spiritual home, Silverstone. Fast, flowing, dramatic and challenging – Silverstone is one of the best circuits in modern Formula One, a … Continue reading British Grand Prix 2005 Preview
France was not quite the reputation recovery exercise that F1 might have hoped for. Alright, nothing went wrong, but the race was rigidly dull at best. We can surely hope for better at F1’s spiritual home, Silverstone. Fast, flowing, dramatic and challenging – Silverstone is one of the best circuits in modern Formula One, a … Continue reading British Grand Prix 2005 Preview
Most people, when pressed to name a female in motor sport, would probably say Danica Patrick. But what about Louise Goodman or Williams public relations manager Ann Bradshaw? Women racing drivers may be few but women are growing in number throughout motor sport. Despite gender equality becoming increasingly apparent in all aspects of the workplace, … Continue reading The gender mind-bender
Increasing numbers of racing drivers claim to use PC and Playstation games as a way of learning their way around new circuits. But is it same as, or even a close approximation of, the real thing? Our resident real racer Ben Evans takes the top titles for a spin?�?�?����?�?�?� This is a slightly contentious issue … Continue reading Even better than the real thing
With BMW’s decision to move into a partnership with Peter Sauber’s team for 2006 the opening salvo has been fired in the battle for the drivers to find the best seats – and the teams to find the best drivers – for next year. So let’s indulge ourselves in a little educated (we hope) guesswork. … Continue reading Editorial: Who goes where?
The seven teams at the heart of the United States Grand Prix fiasco have responded to the FIA’s suspended punishment with an immediate appeal. They argue that the FIA’s contention that they were not in possession of suitable tyres is not applicable to them as it was the responsibility of Michelin, not the teams, to … Continue reading Suspended ban for 7 teams
By way of apology for the United States Grand Prix fiasco, Michelin have offered to refund all tickets for the 2005 United States Grand Prix and buy tickets for 20,000 spectators at the 2005 race to the same event in 2006, at a total cost of up to USD22.5m (GBP 1.4m / EUR 2m). This … Continue reading Michelin’s $22.5m refund
Two days ahead of the hearing into the US GP farce, FIA President Max Mosley has given his strongest indication yet that he will hit the Michelin teams as hard as possible. He also used the opportunity in an interview with the Guardian to dismiss suggestions that the ‘Group Of Nine’ will break away and … Continue reading Mosley raises the stakes
Put to one side the speculation over the future of F1 and the threats that, if the FIA hit Michelin with an excessive punishment, we could find ourselves watching another six-car race. If normal service is resumed in France, there is a mighty championship battle to be fought. If Silverstone, host of the first ever … Continue reading French Grand Prix 2005 Preview
Now, as anyone will tell you, last week’s US GP was a disaster, and a stultifyingly tedious one at that. OK,some die-hard Ferrari fans loved it, but that’s all. But was there really a better way for us to spend a Sunday evening? We came up with a few alternatives: Watch another channel? – Among … Continue reading Something Completely Different
The toughest decision a sportsperson faces in their career is when to retire. This is especially true in F1, where drivers, team owners and even the sport’s administrators past and present have outstayed their welcome, to the detriment of their legacy. Of course back in the ‘golden age’ of racing this was not a problem … Continue reading How to know when to go
5. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 17 pts (9) Yes, he should have got out of McLaren much sooner than he did. But now he has, and found a comfortable berth at Red Bull where he is free to stick two fingers up at his detractors and produce quality drives that give this flamboyant team a … Continue reading 2005 half-term Report: Drivers #5-1
