F1 Insight
Formula 1 analysis and race pondering
596 posts
- News
Tata Enters the Game
In the comments to my previous post, the subject of Tata's new sponsorship deal with Ferrari cropped up. Although it might seem just another boring commercial announcement regarding F1's ability to draw in new…
- Politics
Power Shifts in Formula One
It is always a good feeling when one of the great and good says something that I pointed out some time ago. Not that it happens often - I am not claiming infallibility! So it was with some satisfaction that I read Luca…
- Regulations
Thoughts on Cost-Cutting
Reflecting on the WMSC decisions on regulation changes for 2009 and beyond, I have to admit that good sense seems to have won over the FIA at last. None of the new rules for the coming season appear to threaten the…
- Teams
Peugeot-Citroen Ponders
On the day I manage to get back online, I notice a rumor that Peugeot-Citroen may be interested in buying the Honda F1 team . As an old Citroen man, thanks to an AX14TZS I owned for many years a while back, I would love…
- Politics
The Honda Withdrawal Crisis
Formula One fans may have their favorites but they all hate to see any team disappear from the grid. The sport is about competition, after all, and, if the number of competitors drops, the races become that much less…
- Politics
Meetings in Brackley and Geneva
No doubt we all chuckled at the news that Honda's F1 team have cancelled its usual media lunch in an effort to cut down on expenses. Coming on the heels of the revelation that Honda spent more than any other team in…
- Opinion
Gerhard Berger Joins the Club
With the sale of Gerhard Berger's share in Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Austrian leaves F1 to join the growing ranks of ex-team managers hovering around the edges of the sport, always ready to give an opinion on the latest…
- Politics
Medals and Morality
It seems that this week FOTA are going to discuss Bernie Ecclestone's proposals to introduce medals to F1. That comes as no surprise to me as I suggested in a previous post that Bernie was being economical with the…
- Teams
Red Bull and Toro Rosso
A few days ago, Dietrich Mateschitz of Red Bull bought back Gerhard Berger's 50% stake in Scuderia Toro Rosso. The deal was amicable, apparently, and, contrary to initial expectations, Berger will no longer be involved…
- Circuits
Cry for Me, Argentina
F1 Fanatic has an article today looking at a new circuit in Argentina - Potrero de los Funes. It is a fabulous track, winding its way around a lake and climbing up and down hills, and the comments are coming in thick…
- Misc
Photos at the Back of the Grid
Recently I did a post in praise of Renault's excellent photographs of F1. The original idea was to post separately on each team but I decided against that because I would have to be rude about one or two of them - and…
- Drivers
Chris Amon and Winning
Over at Vee8 , Doctor Vee has written a post about the proposed medal system for deciding the drivers championship - he is coming round to the idea. I still think that medals would put too much emphasis on winning…
- Regulations
A Qualifying Change From FOTA
I see FOTA have an idea for altering the qualifying procedure . While the present system definitely needs changing, I cannot help thinking that there must be more important things for the team managers to put their…
- Politics
Bernie Loses His Grip on F1
One of the things I forgot to mention in my post on Bernie's idea for medals rather than points was the sheer irrelevance of the matter at this moment in time. With enormous difficulties facing F1 in the near future, to…
- Drivers
Thoughts on Testing in Barcelona
One of the interesting things happening at the current test in Barcelona is the progress in the battle for seats at Toro Rosso. The fact that Sebastien Bourdais is having to compete with the applicants is ridiculous but…
- Regulations
The Madness of Medals
Bernie seems to be serious about changing the points system by replacing it with gold, silver and bronze medals as in the Olympics. His idea is that the driver with the most medals wins and this would avoid the…
- Drivers
An Early Test in Barcelona
The financial storm clouds are gathering over F1, with team accounts showing big losses , a battle between the teams and CVC possible and rumors of a divorce for Bernie in the offing - with accompanying implications,…
- Drivers
Annual Ratings 2008 - Part Two
Yesterday, I began my rating of the drivers in 2008 with the lower ten, taking into account their records in previous years. Most of the comments were favorable with minor adjustments here and there, which surprised me…
- Drivers
Annual Ratings 2008 - Part One
I see that the annual end-of-season rating of the drivers has begun - The Times newspaper has conducted a poll of its readers and the winner is Alonso. That should show that British fans are not nearly as chauvinist as…
- Technical
A Brief Ponder on KERS
For those who are interested in the KERS systems due to be introduced on the cars next season, Reghardware has a good article on McLaren's latest tie-up regarding their system, plus educated guesses at what the other…