F1 Insight
Formula 1 analysis and race pondering
596 posts
- Regulations
Thoughts on the Regulations for 2010
The FIA has published the regulations for 2010 and there are some unexpected aspects included, as well as many that have been predicted for some time. Pitpass has a brief summary of the main changes and a few surviving…
- Teams
Focus on McLaren
After their victory in Hungary, everyone is expecting that McLaren will be amongst the leaders in Valencia with a strong possibility of another race win. This is good news for Martin Whitmarsh who has suffered from…
- Opinion
Renault and Stewarding Decisions
By now we will have heard the decision of the FIA Court of Appeal to reduce Renault's penalty from the original one-race ban. As I pointed out in my post, Thoughts on the Hungarian GP - Part 1 , it was almost inevitable…
- Races
Thoughts on the Hungarian GP - Part 2
It is very late to reflect on the Hungarian GP but last week was so busy with important events that I was not able to review the race until this weekend. It was a fairly typical Hungaroring race with overtaking almost…
- Drivers
Good and Bad News from BMW
Hot on the heels of the announcement of BMW's withdrawal from F1 comes the news that they will be honoring their commitment to give test drives to the winners of the Formula BMW series last year. Esteban Gutierrez won…
- Drivers
The Return of Mickey the Shoe
So the old man is to return and drive a Ferrari again - news as surprising as BMW's withdrawal but rather more welcome. That view may be unexpected, coming from someone who has never liked Michael Schumacher but time…
- Teams
Where To Now, Sauber?
It is sad news indeed that BMW has decided to withdraw from F1 racing at the end of this season. As a supporter, I hoped that the company would sign the Concorde Agreement and so be committed to the sport until 2012 at…
- Races
Thoughts on the Hungarian GP - Part 1
It was like old times again, with Alonso leading off from pole and beginning to establish a gap at the front, then Hamilton getting past Webber and closing on a lead which was to be his from the first stops onwards.…
- Races
Qualifying in Hungary 2009
Qualifying at the Hungaroring proved even more eventful than expected, with first Massa's accident and then a failure of the timing system reminding us that the real world does not always go meekly according to plan.…
- Races
Friday Practice in Hungary 2009
The Hungaroring is notoriously one of those tracks with few opportunities to overtake and so it was encouraging that today's practice sessions produced an unusual mix of teams at the front, giving hope of a great…
- Teams
Ferrari and the Blame Game
I see that John Iley, Ferrari's chief aerodynamicist, has been "let go" by the team and many sites are interpreting this as a result of the poor performance of the F60 this season. Yet it seems a bit extreme to blame…
- Drivers
Jaime Alguersuari - The New Recruit
Over the last few days, the saga of Sebastien Bourdais' replacement by Jaime Alguersuari as a Toro Rosso F1 driver has progressed slowly from rumor to confirmed fact. As Le Seb mutters about suing the team over his…
- Misc
A Mid-Season Break
I feel quite guilty regarding the lack of posts in the last week and must apologize again to my readers. The fact is that I have run out of steam and circumstances have dictated that I take a bit of a breather. It has…
- Races
Thoughts on the German GP 2009
Who could not be happy that Mark Webber at last defeated his rotten luck to win a GP? To have done it after a drive-through penalty that seemed to have ended his chances underlines how difficult things always seem to be…
- Races
Qualifying at the Nurburgring 2009
If rain shakes up the order in qualifying, intermittent rain creates complete chaos. So it proved for the German GP qualifying sessions, catching several drivers out and promoting others beyond their usual expectations.…
- Politics
Promises Broken
I must apologize for the lack of posts over the last week or so. The problem has been that events have left me speechless, Mosley's twists and turns so obviously a deliberate ploy to sabotage the agreement reached…
- Politics
More on Morality
I have not posted anything for a couple of days because the only thing happening was the storm over Bernie Ecclestone's recent remarks regarding dictators. Contrary to what many believe, I do not think Bernie is so…
- The Future
Picking a Team for the Future
Both McLaren and BMW are trying as hard as ever to solve their cars' problems during the three-week break, McLaren taking a more orderly approach to upgrades and BMW readying some major improvements . Whilst it is good…
- Teams
Thirty Years of Renault
Renault are celebrating thirty years of F1 involvement (occasionally out but mostly in) since their first GP victory in the modern era. That was the French GP at Dijon in 1979, a race won by Jean Pierre Jabouille in the…
- Technical
Cosworth Returns
I am rescued from having to write of Max Mosley's latest statement by Patrick Head giving his opinion on the Cosworth engine . The engine was last used in F1 by the Williams team and so he should know what he is talking…