Filling the Gap 21/06/2007 After a hectic couple of weeks encompassing two GPs, suddenly the F1 world is quiet again. This season's calendar, with its long gaps interspersed with races tumbling over each other, is very unsettling and I can't wait for things to return to the usual two-week gap.This week there is nothing happening except wild rumors of driver swaps and a couple of test sessions at Silverstone and Jerez. Only Super Aguri and Honda are sampling the Spanish sunshine - the rest are preparing for the British GP in the unpredictable weather of an English summer.Ralf SchumacherNormally, there would be some interest in the times emerging but Honda are being coy about theirs so we cannot even compare them with SA's, and the others merely confirm that testing times mean nothing - they are all over the place.Toyota have been fastest on the first two days, Ralf on Tuesday and Trulli yesterday, with Ferrari next up. Unless Toyota have made a huge leap in performance, that must mean something weird is going on. This morning, Nelsinho Piquet was quickest in the Renault but the remaining order was closer to what we would expect; and Piquet's pace can probably be explained by the fact that he has a point to prove, especially now that Kovalainen seems to be getting his act together.So the tests are merely confusing for the F1-watcher and we must look elsewhere for interest. Which means the rumor mill, of course. Top of the bill is Ralf, still said to be in danger of disappearing from the Toyota camp at any moment, in spite of his denials. But I would say that he is safe for this year anyway, although he might find it hard to get a job after that. Word is that Raikkonen may well take over at Toyota for next season, with perhaps Alonso taking Kimi's seat at Ferrari. I'll believe it when I see it - that's a lot of contracts to be broken before it is even possible.Then there's the Kovalainen/Wurz swap between Renault and Williams, denied already by both parties but refusing to lie down and die. The Bourdais speculation has moved up a notch too; once a "certainty" for Toro Rosso next year, the latest gossip would have him go to Red Bull instead. And Albers has the rumor axe hanging over his head as well, although where he would go from Spyker is anyone's guess.It is all far too early for any of the rumors to be well-founded. Kimi and Alonso have time yet to assert themselves within their respective teams and are unlikely to be thinking of a change just yet. The rest is just journalistic wishful thinking, with the single exception of Ralf; if he is still driving a Toyota next year, I will be completely astounded.But the driver market is currently over-subscribed, Renault and BMW in particular having more promising youngsters than they can find seats for. No doubt there will be a flurry of changes and deals done towards the end of the season, but not now - it's too early yet.I will admit that it's fun working out who could go where, however. And I seem to remember that I suggested ages ago that Kimi would not last long at Ferrari and would be in a Williams for 2008...
Clive
Keith Nothing happening? It's Goodwood this weekend! I look forward to this almost as much as the British Grand Prix...The calendar will be better next year - there could even be 20 races in 2008. Now that's more like it! Date Added: 21/06/2007
Clive I meant there was nothing happening right at this moment, Keith, although I will admit that Goodwood doesn't loom large on my radar since I can never make it there. More than anything, I was bemoaning the fact that there seemed to be very little happening this morning!Goodwood is wonderful, by all accounts, and I envy you... Date Added: 22/06/2007
Mad My boss is going to Goodwood (for the third year running), I'm quite envious. Date Added: 22/06/2007
Clive Everything happens in the south, Mad; all they leave the Midlands is the British GP. And Bernie wants to take even that away.There was a strong rumour a while back that Donington was going to get its act together and bid for the GP - still waiting for the outcome of that. Date Added: 22/06/2007
Mad That is true. Unless you're a bike fan. There are loads of races and tracks in or near the Midlands. Date Added: 22/06/2007
Clive Bikes? What are they...? :D Date Added: 22/06/2007
Alianora La Canta Donington seems to get quite a lot of racing. The Nickel and Dime motorcycle Grand Prix is this weekend, and other events include the BTCC in mid-July, the Dunlop Motorsport Festival in early August (so that's your summer break motoring fix sorted, Keith!) and the Renault World Series in September.Croft Circuit up in Yorkshire (I know it's not the Midlands, but it's not the south, either) looks quiet until next month, but they have regular club events after that. Nothing as big as Donington (except for the British Superbikes), but very cheap tickets.If that's too far for you, Mallory Park in Leicestershire is hosting the Rally of the Midlands tomorrow and several club-level events on the weekends after that. While top-class motorsport may be thin on the ground up north, there is a good club scene (and some larger events) for those who want a change from the larger Silverstone and Brands Hatch venues. Date Added: 22/06/2007
Clive The depth of motor sport in Britain is quite amazing, Alianora - and the numbers of enthusiasts who devote hours of hard work to the various forms from professional to decidedly amateur. I suppose I should not be complaining considering the range available every weekend but, since the blog is essentially about F1, I have to limit myself to just that. And there are times when the F1 fan feels as though everything has gone deathly quiet... ;) Date Added: 22/06/2007
Alianora La Canta If you are talking about just F1, then I have to agree with you - I have found it quite difficult to get fresh material for my blog this week, seeing as I think the Alonso/Hamilton "spat" is overstated, that there isn't much to say about the Massa/Raikkonen differential and we've pretty much said everything that needs to be said on Ralf Schumacher... Date Added: 23/06/2007
Clive Alianora, your comment comes at the exact moment when I had given up on finding something fresh to say this morning and was researching for yet another article on Ralf! :D Date Added: 23/06/2007
RSS comments feed
Back to the main blog
You may use some HTML in comments. For bold text use <strong></strong> and for italic text use <em></em>. If you know what you're doing feel free to use more complex mark-up but please no deprecated tags, break tags or JavaScript.
Enter the code shown above: Name * Comment * Email * URL
