I am regularly delighted with the quality of comment on F1 Fanatic. I am regularly dismayed by the quality of comment on motor racing in most newspapers. “Motorsport should be banned”, printed in Monday’s edition of The Herald is a good example. It is a stunningly ignorant hatchet job on the sport I love best. … Continue reading “Motorsport should be banned” – a rebuttal
Environment articles archive
Environment
Switzerland ends 52-year motor sport ban
Posted onSwitzerland’s parliament has voted to end the country’s ban on motor racing. It was outlawed in 1955 following the crash in that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours that killed over 80 spectators along with Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh. Time trials have been the only legal form of motor sport since 1955. Five world championship Swiss … Continue reading Switzerland ends 52-year motor sport ban
Green F1: Right idea, wrong approach
Posted onMax Mosley is on a mission: F1 must became the vanguard of environmentally friendly car technology. Mosley wants F1 to be a showcase for the world’s car manufacturers to display their environmental credentials. And he wants a radical set of F1 rules for 2011 to enshrine that. It’s deeply divisive and controversial. I agree with … Continue reading Green F1: Right idea, wrong approach
Debate: 2.2-litre V6 turbos for F1?
Posted onA turbo F1 car with a 2.2-litre V6 engine running on bio-ethanol, limited to 10,000 rpm and 770hp with traction control, four wheel drive and 13 seconds of power boost per lap. Does this sound like a realistic vision of the future of F1 to you?
‘Earth car’ marketing man leaves Honda
Posted onAlistair Watkins, Honda’s marketing director who oversaw the team radical ‘Earth Car’ design for the 2007, is leaving the team. Are the company going to ditch the environmental awareness concept created with Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment company? Related links F1 in the blogs special: Honda’s ‘Green’ livery Ignore the cynics: Honda’s ‘Green’ car is great … Continue reading ‘Earth car’ marketing man leaves Honda
F1 in the blogs 25: Better than Chapman?
Posted onColin Chapman produced some revolutionary cars each of which pushed F1 technology forward instantaneously in one huge leap. But the author of Post of the Week puts another designer forward as the greatest in motor racing history – and it’s not Gordon Murray, or even Adrian Newey. Plus the Felipe Massa backlash in the Italian … Continue reading F1 in the blogs 25: Better than Chapman?
Debate: Your verdict on Max Mosley
Posted onOn 9th October 1991 Max Mosley defeated incumbent FIA President Jean Marie Balestre by 43 votes to 29. In the 16 years that have passed with Mosley at the helm the sport has changed dramatically in character. But has it changed for the better? Has Formula 1 been efficiently and professionally managed under Mosley’s stewardship? … Continue reading Debate: Your verdict on Max Mosley
The Ben Evans Column – A crucial year
Posted on2007 could be F1’s most important season for decades. With a revitalised driver market and no prospect of Michael Schumacher dominating, F1 has the opportunity to win over new fans, and bring back those that switched off in the years of Ferrari dominance. At the same time there is a sense that the sport is … Continue reading The Ben Evans Column – A crucial year
F1Fanatic on the ‘Green’ Honda RA107
Posted onWell I donated some cash and pledged to fit a few low-energy lightbulbs, and here’s what I got for my trouble (see picture). I have to admit that, although it’s quite cool, I was hoping for a something bit more impressive – perhaps a note of thanks at least, or some data on how many … Continue reading F1Fanatic on the ‘Green’ Honda RA107
F1 in the blogs
Posted onF1 bloggers reacted to the sad news of Clay Regazzoni’s death this week. Also in the blogs – more Schumacher conspiracies, photographs from the FIA Gala, and is the sun setting on Rubens Barrichello’s career? Read on to find out…
Supercars outgun F1 in power race
Posted onIn the 2005 season the top F1 engines were producing in excess of 900 horsepower, with the leading engines believed to have as much as 950hp on tap. But as of this year engines were cut in size from 3.0-litre V10s to 2.4-litre V8s. And with that drop in size came a corresponding drop in … Continue reading Supercars outgun F1 in power race
F1 in the blogs
Posted onThe appointment of Lewis ‘first black F1 driver’ Hamilton is unsurprisingly the number one story among F1 bloggers this week. But there are also those with plenty to say about the new green F1 and the state of F1 television. Read on for more in our weekly round-up. (All blog links external)
F1 in the news
Posted onIn our weekly roundup of F1 headlines the next generation of F1 stars have impressed at the Formula Three Macau Grand Prix, the ‘Michael Schumacher comeback’ rumours have started already, Juan Pablo Montoya makes a crash-bang debut in the NASCAR Nextel Cup, and Alessandro Zanardi makes an incredible return to an F1 cockpit. All news … Continue reading F1 in the news
Sport may be ‘killing’ the planet – but don’t kill sport
Posted onWriting in last edition of the Observer Sport Monthly George Monbiot savaged sport in general and motor sport in particular for causing climate change. Motor racing he says is, “simply incompatible” with finding a solution to global warming: “the faster the car, the quicker it cooks the planet.” Never mind that Monbiot fails to make … Continue reading Sport may be ‘killing’ the planet – but don’t kill sport
F1 in the blogs
Posted onIn this week’s round-up of stories in the F1 blogs there’s scepticism on the FIA and GPMA announcement, speculation on the return of Mika Hakkinen, anticipation for the return of Spa-Francorchamps next year and incredulity at the Dubai F1 Theme Park. (All blog links external)
F1 in the news
Posted onIn this week’s round-up of F1 headlines the big story is peace in our time as the manufacturers and FIA lay down their arms in the battle for the future of F1. Also, Kazuki Nakajima is already coveting a race seat for next season, and Bahrain and Australia anticipate fleecing and giving discounts to F1 … Continue reading F1 in the news
F1’s new engines: 1-litre turbos?
Posted onThe FIA and the car manufacturers have finally found common ground on the future of the F1 rules. Along with which comes some important and surprising decisions on the future direction of F1 engine technology – which could see a dramatic reduction in engine sizes.
What the FIA’s F1 survey really tells us
Posted on“This reaffirms the view that Formula One is an important showcase for technology,”?Ø trumpeted the FIA’s press release on the publication of the results of the 2006 FIA/AMD F1 survey. But the same survey also showed that the number of people who felt that technology was the most exciting aspect of F1 fell compared to … Continue reading What the FIA’s F1 survey really tells us
The big green elephant in the corner
Posted onOver at the Motor Racing Journal, Qwerty has some very interesting thoughts on Max Mosley’s plans for the future of Formula One. Particularly on the controversial move to standard specification engines from 2008 and Mosley’s desire to see car manufacturers develop alternative fuel technologies in Formula One: For 100 years the emphasis of racing has … Continue reading The big green elephant in the corner