Sunday youtube
6 comments July 20th, 2008 Roy Madden
Bernard Cahier
I was sad to hear that Bernard Cahier had passed away last week, he was one of the most famous if not the most famous F1 photographer ever.
Grandprix.com have the story of his life here.
His son Paul-Henri runs the Cahier archive website which has a magnificent collection of F1 photographs from both Bernard and Paul-Henri.
1 comment July 14th, 2008 Roy Madden
Sunday youtube
Add comment July 13th, 2008 Roy Madden
Obama to sponsor Nascar
US Presidential Candidate Barack Obama appears to be planning to sponsor car #49 (Kenny Schrader) at the Pocono race on August 3rd. This inspired Conan O’Brien to say
“Barack Obama is campaigning very hard, going everywhere these days to get the vote out. Barack Obama’s staff recently announced that Barack is planning to hold a campaign event at a NASCAR race. Yeah. The event will be called ‘Meet your first black guy.’”
8 comments July 11th, 2008 Roy Madden
Is Donington being set up?
This is pure speculation on my part and comes following Bernie’s recent comments
“We won’t come back,” Ecclestone told The Times when asked if F1 will ever return to Silverstone. “We’re in the same situation as we were before Donington came into the deal. I am sure they will be ready but, if not, we will sign with another country. There won’t be a British Grand Prix. Pure and simple.”
Does Bernie perhaps think that Donington will not be able to meet its targets for a British GP in 2010 and so the British GP slot on the calendar can be given to some other country? It’d be Machiavellian, but it would allow Bernie to blame someone else for the decision to move.
When you look at all the aspects of the deal, it is extraordinarily ambitious
1. There is only 2 years to make all the changes
2. The circuit is not up to modern F1 standard
3. There is no planning permission for any changes
4. The road system around Donington is a nightmare
5. The £100m required is not available. I heard the Donington CEO on ITV say that the money was going to be raised through (I believe) a debenture scheme with the public. That’s a big ask
As Wikipedia points out, Brands Hatch also secured the deal to host the British Grand Prix in 1999 and was unable to complete the changes required
In 1999, Foulston announced that Brands Hatch had acquired the rights to the British Grand Prix from 2002.[6] Whilst discussions were ongoing with regards to planning permission to bring the circuit up to F1 requirements, Foulston sold BHL to Octagon Motorsports (a subsidiary of Interpublic) for £120 m.[7] Octagon, however, failed to obtain the necessary planning permission and instead decided to lease Silverstone in order to host the Grand Prix.[8]
5 comments July 9th, 2008 Roy Madden
Has Massa got what it takes?
Massa’s race at Silverstone was a disaster, from watching the TV I got the impression he spent most of his race doing little pirouettes onto the grass. It may be beautiful to watch and I’m sure brought tears to the eyes of many a ballet teacher, but “formula 1 has the best drivers in the world” it was not.
What surprises me now after the race is that no excuses are being offered.
Joint world championship leader Felipe Massa was at a loss to explain his catalogue of errors in the rain-hit British Grand Prix, after finishing last on track two laps down, having spun no less than five times.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68942
The Ferrari President even said his piece
“I hope we’ll manage to win our eighth title in ten years,” he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. “We will (manage it) if we don’t carry on doing stupid things.
“Obviously I wasn’t pleased with what I saw yesterday, but I hope it’s a useful lesson. Knowing my men, I’m certain it is.”
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68977
I think Massa has surprised us all this year with his ability to match and sometimes even surpass Raikkonen, but the question has to be asked - does he have the ability to win a Championship for Ferrari and if not, why is he in the team?
4 comments July 8th, 2008 Roy Madden
Sunday youtube
3 comments July 6th, 2008 Roy Madden
British Grand Prix on the move
Well the dramatic news of the day is that the British Grand Prix will be moving from Silverstone to Donington in 2010. Personally I’ve never liked Silverstone, beyond the first third of the race the track is boring, the facilities are awful and the circuit lacks character. Brands Hatch remains the true venue for the British Grand Prix.
Donington has previously hosted Grand Prix and most notably was the scene of possibly the greatest first lap in Formula 1 history.
A suitably excitable South American commentator in that Youtube clip.
Some of us on Linksheaven were at Donington recently to cheer on John Edwards and you can see the photos from that event here. Years and years ago I was at Donington to watch what (I believe) was the first truck race in Europe, which was smashing (literally) good fun.
Donington as a track has character. It is undulating and it has a Spitfire on a pedestal overlooking the track. As a circuit it is rather narrow and short so I’m afraid it would lead to quite boring Formula 1 races. The track facilities are not good, but there is lots of room for expansion. Getting in and out of the track is an utter nightmare.
The best part of Donington is the museum, which has probably the finest collection of F1 cars ever assembled. Any museum with a “McLaren hallway” has to be something special
2 comments July 4th, 2008 Roy Madden
British Grand prix betting
If you’re the betting type and a fan of Formula 1, F1punter is a blog worth visiting. Before each grand prix he publishes some helpful statistics which he has kindly given me permission to repost.
1 comment July 1st, 2008 Roy Madden
Sunday youtube
Add comment June 29th, 2008 Roy Madden
What jobs in F1 are available and what qualifications are needed?
Some time ago, one of our forum regulars and a senior motorsport engineer contributed a post which gave some background to a career in motorsport, what was involved and how to go about finding a job. You can find that post here.
Today I was emailed a page that used to be on Jordan Grand Prix’s website which sets out the range of careers that are on offer with a typical Formula 1 team and what a typical team would be looking for from a candidate. It’s a fantastic piece and seeing as the website which originally hosted this page is long gone, hopefully no-one will be upset if I repost it.
Jordan Grand Prix is frequently asked “How do I get a job in Formula One?”. The answer is different in every case, and in the end it often comes down to a combination of skill, determination and luck! This guide is intended to give aspiring motorsport industry employees an idea of the kind of jobs which exist in Formula One, and the qualifications and experience which will improve your chances of getting a foot in the door.
While prior experience in motor racing is not essential for every role, it is a great advantage and often required, so the best advice for anyone wanting to move into Formula One is to get some experience working in lesser formulae and motorsport series.
Please note that this is for information and direction only, and the roles detailed here are not currently open for applications. If you wish to apply to Jordan Grand Prix, please respond to the advertised vacancies on the Jordan site
.
Aerodynamicist
Aerodynamics Design Engineer
Chief Designer
Control Systems Engineer
Data Engineer
Design Engineer
Drawing Office Manager
Electrician
Electronics Engineer
Electronics Technician
Factory Manager
FEA Engineer
Finance Department
Head of Model Design
Press Officer
Race / Test Team Mechanic
Software Engineer
Sponsorship Manager
Sterolithography Operator (SLA)
Storeman
Sub-Assembly Manager
Technical Director
Race Engineer
Truckie
Vehicle Dynamicist
Wind Tunnel Manager
Wind Tunnel Operator
Continue Reading 5 comments June 28th, 2008 Roy Madden
Provisional 2009 calendar
The provisional 2009 calendar is out
29 March, Australia
5 April, Malaysia
19 April, Bahrain
10 May, Spain
24 May, Monaco
7 June, Canada
21 June, Great Britain
28 June, France
12 July, Germany
26 July, Hungary
9 August, Turkey
23 August, Europe (Valencia)
6 September, Italy
13 September, Belgium
27 September, Singapore
11 October, Japan
18 October, China
1 November, Brazil
15 November, Abu Dhabi.
Valencia, Singapore & Abu Dhabi new for 2009. No return for Indy however.
2 comments June 27th, 2008 Roy Madden
Why Canada?
Qualifying for the Canadian G.P. was:
dismal
stupid
suitable for a dirt track
pathetic
Once again, the track at the Canadian G.P. was shit. Not normal shit though, little balls of rubber shit.
If you look at the interviews after qualifying all the drivers mentioned how dismal the track was.
Good job Canada!!!
Hundreds of millions of people watched while the track fell to pieces.
The track is named after a great driver. To see if fall apart is embarrassing.
9 comments June 25th, 2008 Art
Spa safe until 2012
Good news for F1 fans as the Spa circuit will host a grand prix until at least 2012. Belgium is a small country and I’m sure for purely commercial reasons Formula 1 management would love to move the grand prix to a sterile Tilke track in some rich country elsewhere in the world, but I think it’s through the efforts of fans that Spa remains on the calendar.
Jean-Claude Marcourt, Belgian Minister of Economics and Employment of the region of Wallonia, confirmed the agreement between the government and Ecclestone’s FOM. “We hope to extend our contract until 2015, but our new contract until the end of 2012 is a step in the right direction. With this contract we can safely invest in the track for a long term future.”
Investing in the track is great, but please stop destroying the elements that make Spa great. The “Bus Stop” corner for example was one of the great anachronisms of Formula 1. For a formula 1 car, the bus stop was a disaster. It was hard enough simply to drive through it, let alone race through it. It lended itself to kamikaze moves on the final lap and it was always a bit of a lottery getting through it. It’s uniqueness and individuality is what made it a famous corner, no track designer could possibly have built anything like it on a new circuit.
3 comments June 23rd, 2008 Roy Madden
Sunday youtube
2 comments June 22nd, 2008 Roy Madden
