2253 replies to this topic

[DrDickAction]

Who were the teams a few years back that were going to create a breakaway series, called GP1? I'm all in for that...

No Mosley, no Bernie. Oh the possibilities I propose Todt to be the new Mosley, and Flavio to be the new Bernie. Altho I'm not so sure on my pick of Flavio

Agreed.

Flavio is too entertaining at Renault...leave him there.

Jackie Stewart as the new Bernie.

[yonson]

DC is smart-assed enough for the job.

[DrDickAction]

DC is smart-assed enough for the job.

ooohh...this would work too.

[DrDickAction]

I think we should register gp1-crew.com now

[Robert]

I think we should register gp1-crew.com now

But changing the format to GP1 will mean losing my post count and I haven't reached F1 status yet so Ferrari and FOA will have to wait.

[yonson]

But changing the format to GP1 will mean losing my post count and I haven't reached F1 status yet so Ferrari and FOA will have to wait.

what post count?

[Nacho]

personally, i can't wait to see Danica Patrick do laps around Alonso and Kimi in some $40M unlimited class car... because of these rules

She'll probably just run into her pit crew and some walls, as par usual.

[_R_]

so just looking at the current standings and want to highlight a couple things about Button/BrawnGP
• Button has more than twice as many points as the guy in third
• If you take the last 3 world champs (lewis, kimi, alonso) add up their current points, Button has almost twice as many points as those 3 combined...
• BrawnGP has more than twice as many points as the #2 constructor
• BrawnGP has as many points as the #2, 3 and 4 teams combined...

[vietlol]

Im happy for Jense/Brawn and all that but the WDC/WCC is pretty much over at this point and thats a letdown after the last 3 years.

At least the racing is still good, just that its for the minor places.

[mads]

Im happy for Jense/Brawn and all that but the WDC/WCC is pretty much over at this point and thats a letdown after the last 3 years.

At least the racing is still good, just that its for the minor places.

p3 = win

[chiuey]

so just looking at the current standings and want to highlight a couple things about Button/BrawnGP
• Button has more than twice as many points as the guy in third
• If you take the last 3 world champs (lewis, kimi, alonso) add up their current points, Button has almost twice as many points as those 3 combined...
• BrawnGP has more than twice as many points as the #2 constructor
• BrawnGP has as many points as the #2, 3 and 4 teams combined...

I think that the WDC is not really over.

You guys forget that Brawn had to cut a shit load of jobs after the season started.
So I do believe that the other teams will catch up.

[Shi]

Last time someone won 5 out of 6 was 2004 with Schumi driving god's chariot

[Dazed1]

I liked how Kimi said Rubens wasnt fast, he just got the good line

Rubens must feel like shit. He better retire

[vietlol]

I think that the WDC is not really over.

You guys forget that Brawn had to cut a shit load of jobs after the season started.
So I do believe that the other teams will catch up.

The WDC is over. Like Massa said a few weeks ago about the WCC being over, even if others catch up/overtake Brawn, they will still be there scoring good points and they already have a massive buffer.

[Robert]

Interesting to see Williams bitch out by signing but turn around and proclaim they aren't breaking ranks with FOTA. How does this not weaken the FOTA?

[Robert]

The WDC is over.

.
It's over.

[Nacho]

so just looking at the current standings and want to highlight a couple things about Button/BrawnGP
• Button has more than twice as many points as the guy in third
• If you take the last 3 world champs (lewis, kimi, alonso) add up their current points, Button has almost twice as many points as those 3 combined...
• BrawnGP has more than twice as many points as the #2 constructor
• BrawnGP has as many points as the #2, 3 and 4 teams combined...

And Jenson has that 1/2 point race victory as well.


For some reason, I'm fine with Brawn dominating, while I was annoyed by Ferrari's dominance back in the Schumi era (save 06).

[_R_]

Some news in brief

Williams has become the first of the current teams to enter next year's world championship, despite the continued uncertainty about the regulations.

Just 24 hours after Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) members claimed that the current grid was 'united' in its efforts to get the 2010 regulations changed, Williams has decided to lodge an application to compete in next year's championship.

Williams CEO Adam Parr told Reuters that his team's decision did not mean that the outfit was breaking away from FOTA, however.

"The unity of FOTA is of paramount importance to Williams," said Parr. "Yesterday we joined the other members of FOTA in writing to the FIA (International Automobile Federation) to request a continuing effort to find a compromise concerning the regulations for 2010."

Teams have written to FIA president Max Mosley saying that they will commit to racing until 2012, and sign a new Concorde Agreement, if the FIA scraps next year's regulations.

Speaking about the Concorde Agreement, Parr said: "We believe that under the leadership of (Ferrari president Luca) di Montezemolo and (Toyota motorsport president) John Howett, FOTA has extracted some very significant concessions from the FIA.

"These include not only the procedural aspects of the budget cap but also other elements that will enable the higher budget teams to participate.

"Having said that, Williams has -- and has always maintained -- that we have a binding contract with both FOM (Ecclestone's Formula One Management) and the FIA to participate in the world championship from 2008 to 2010."

He added: "We have been paid in full for our participation and we feel both morally and legally obliged to make it clear that we will participate in Formula One in the future as we have in the past 30 years.

"We owe this to our employees, our sponsors and the fans, all of whom are affected by statements that the teams may not enter next year's championship."

"We will continue to work within FOTA and with FOM and FIA to find a compromise but no one should be in any doubt about our commitment to the FIA F1 world championship."

Other members of FOTA are expected to meet this week to decide what to do about their entries to next year's championship, with the deadline closing this Friday.

I can understand their place, if they're not in F1, what's the point of Williams? I expect FI to do the same...

Formula 1 teams have written to FIA president Max Mosley requesting that next year's regulations are scrapped if they are to commit their future to the sport, AUTOSPORT has learned.

Although Mosley hinted on race morning at the Monaco Grand Prix that he was open to a compromise deal about plans for a £40 million budget cap, the teams have now made it clear the conditions by which they will continue to race.

In a letter signed by all teams and sent to Mosley shortly before the race, the teams demanded that the FIA ditches the planned 2010 technical and sporting regulations and reverts to the current 2009 version.

This would then be used as the starting point for framing new regulations to bring costs under control - with agreed changes like a refueling ban still expected to go ahead as planned.

As well as the rule changes, the teams want guarantees about the governance of the sport and the reestablishment of protocols, like the use of the Formula 1 Commission, to ensure there is proper framing of the rules going forward.

A FOTA source said that in exchange for the FIA agreeing to such action, the teams have promised a "willingness to commit their future to the sport." It is understood that the teams are prepared to commit not just to next year, but until 2012.

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali confirmed the existence of the letter shortly after the Monaco Grand Prix.

"What we have asked is to go back to the rules of this year, the 2009 rules," he said. "And then see together what we can do in order to make changes for next year.

"Bear in mind that for sure the cost is something that all the teams are fully committed to work on, but the cost is something that is related to the business of the teams.

"We know what we can invest. We know what we can do, and this is something that the teams can discuss internally and decide on their own what they can afford to keep the value of F1 at the standard that we know. It is not something that we feel should be involved with somebody else."

While there has been talk of a compromise 45 million Euros budget cap in place for 2011, sources have suggested that the teams are still far apart from the FIA in agreeing a way forward.

It is understood that one suggestion being looked at is for the teams to invoke a 'Cost Control System', which will be regulated by FOTA rather than the FIA, to help bring finances under control.

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he was optimistic about a solution being found before Friday's entry deadline to the championship, Domenicali said: "I don't know really. I think the points that we have put on the table are pretty clear, and I think we raised some issues in the meeting that we had.

"It was as we said constructive, but there is an ongoing process to discuss. I am sure it will be a very important week because the entry to this championship has to be finalised by Friday. I think they will be long days."

FOTA vice chairman John Howett echoed Domenicali's reluctance to get too optimistic about a deal being easily reached.

"I think we have to wait and see," he said. "There are still some gaps. While there has been definite movement, I think we have to wait and see what the solution is and whether it is accepted or not."

Brawn chief executive officer Nick Fry said that the push by the teams about using the 2009 regulations again in 2010 was not indicative of the discussions having broken down.

"No. It is not a stalemate. It is normal negotiations. The sides have some differences of view in terms of how the regulations should look, and once one side has put a view forward, the other side responds - and so on and so forth. I would consider that to be perfectly normal.

"We are all in favour of a degree of financial responsibility. I know there is no team that is proposing a financial free for all, we all represent big companies and the economic times are not appropriate to be spending a lot of money. The only discussion is how you do it, and what the right mechanism is.

"We have a huge range of teams - teams that want to come into the championship that are small and have limited resources and coming from lower formulas; we have teams who do have a huge amount of infrastructure and we have teams like ourselves that were lucky enough to benefit from manufacturer backing but now don't have that, and teams that are still very large and enjoy manufacturer backing.

"And the issue is how you actually find a compromise that enables the little guys to have a fighting chance and the big guys to downsize their companies in a sensible period of time. And that is not easy."

FOTA members are expected to meet later this week to discuss their stance towards lodging entries by Friday's deadline, but much depends on the FIA's response to the latest demands.

i agree, this years racing has been closer... dominated by a small team that came out of no where (technically) and it's not like BrawnGP is spending money hand over fist like Ferrari/Toyota... if anything, this season should show that the small guys can swim with the big fish...

According to the Spanish press, Fernando Alonso is growing weary of life in the Formula One midfield.

With every passing day, the signs are growing stronger that the Spaniard will definitely leave Renault - perhaps at the end of this season - to join Ferrari.

In multiple press interviews now, the 27-year-old has spoken glowingly about the famous team, and on Sunday said he was "excited" to hear that a poll in an authoritative Italian newspaper showed that the country's fans want him to occupy a red car in 2010.

On the other hand, Alonso is increasingly downbeat about his current mount, the Enstone-built R29, even after boss Flavio Briatore promised him an improved package for Turkey and a race-winning car before the end of the season.

Briatore, blaming traffic in Monaco, said: "I think today Fernando could have easily competed with Ferrari and Red Bull, but not Brawn.
"

In the pages of Spain's El Mundo, Alonso responded: "I am not going to spend the entire press conference responding to what Flavio has said or not said."

"We are going to introduce new pieces in Turkey but I think everything will stay more or less the same. It happened in Barcelona: everyone promised the world and everything stayed the same," said Alonso.

In Diario AS, he was quoted as continuing: "I am still very motivated, but I'm tired of being left behind."

Alonso needs a better car for a while now...

[Skyliner]

Toyota on way out of F1, BMW reflecting?
May 24, 2009 by James Allen
This morning in Monaco there was plenty of activity around the ongoing discussions about the 2010 F1 rules and plenty of chat about what was going to happen next.

It seems to be becoming widely believed that Toyota will use this situation to make its exit from Formula 1. They were thinking about it towards the end of 2008, but there seems to be general belief among the other teams that they will go at the end of this year. BMW, which is having its worst season by far in F1, is also said to be reviewing it’s participation.

Source: James Allen's Blog

[Robert]

Don't worry bro, Trulli will probably just take Kovi's place with McLaren or something.



















orforceindia

[Robert]

Interesting to see Williams bitch out by signing but turn around and proclaim they aren't breaking ranks with FOTA. How does this not weaken the FOTA?

FOTA suspends Williams <--- link

[vietlol]

welcome to the own zone

[_R_]

FOTA suspends Williams <--- link

I'd normally back Williams, they are a tradition in F1...
but if you're all "oh we're united, we're standing together" then turn around and be all "we do what we gotta do"... fuck'em... if you're not going to be united, don't be in the meetings and don't pretend you're trying to work together for something...

I understand that if Williams isn't in F1, there is no Williams, but way to stick together... why not give Max and Bernie a reach around while you're at it... you'll go with all their whims anyways...

fuckers...

[yonson]

Ruh Roh time to put Skyliner on suicide watch...

[chiuey]

Ruh Roh time to put Skyliner on suicide watch...

na I think he'll start collecting hair samples door to door before we need to put him on suicide watch.