The F1 2009 thread

[Craig 6701]

Interesting to see which part of the company gets the name on the engine if this comes off. Bugatti, VW, Lambo, Audi all possible. If they wanted to cause a stir I suppose it could be a Seat or Skoda engine. Imagine a Skoda powered team winning a race!

 

Give it 12 months (for the obligatory Cosworth deal to expire) and I bet we'll see 'Seat-powered' Campos cars on the grid - that's if the team still exists.

 

Both Seat and Skoda have rich WRC pedigrees as does Audi in World Sportscars so their entry is definitely plausible. Lambo have of course been in F1 before.

[Craig 6701]

Oh Christ!

 

I thought Mike Gascoyne was a sensible chap...

 

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve looks set to return to Formula One - with the new Lotus team expected to announce their line-up next week.

 

The 38-year-old, who won the drivers' championship in 1997 for Williams, has not raced in F1 since 2006.

 

However he enlisted the services of his former trainer Dr Erwin Gollner in a bid to get himself back into shape with what the Canadian describes as a "really, really brutal" fitness regime.

 

And although Villeneuve has claimed the discussions with Lotus are "still preliminary" he has claimed that he wouldn't "come to suffer, in a retreat, leaving my two sons far away, if I didn't believe things are moving along well".

 

Lotus are set to name their team for the 2010 season in the immediate future, with chief executive officer Riad Asmat telling The Star: "We will name two drivers and a reserve. Negotiations are still going on."

 

Source: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12433_5740246,00.html

[Meenzer 15871]

Formula 1 will introduce a new points scoring system in 2010

 

Formula 1's points scoring system will be changed next season under a new scheme proposed by the sport's bosses.

 

At the moment, the top eight finishers earn 10, eight, six, five, four, three, two and one point respectively.

 

The new proposal will see the winner take 25 points, 20 for second place, 15 for coming third and then 10, eight, six, five, three, two and one points.

 

The World Motor Sport Council agreed to introduce the new system to reflect the expansion from 10 to 13 teams.

 

The plan to change the scoring system came from the FIA's F1 Commission, which is made up of key stakeholders from the teams, promoters, suppliers and sponsors, and chaired by president Bernie Ecclestone.

 

Last season Ecclestone tried to introduce a medals system, with the championship being decided by race victories rather than cumulative points, but the idea was shelved after receiving an unenthusiastic reception.

 

Under the medals system Felipe Massa would have beaten Lewis Hamilton to the 2008 world championship, but the Brazilian said it was not the correct way to decide the title.

 

The 2010 season will feature 13 teams, three more than in recent seasons.

 

For that reason, the governing body agreed to award the top 10 finishers points and change the points system for the first time since 2003.

 

World champion Jenson Button gave his support to the scheme, saying: It's a great idea. It's nice that you get five points over second for winning.

 

"That's important because we all love winning races. I won six races this year and I got just two more points."

 

A strong mandate has also been given to the Sporting Working Group, a sub-committee of the F1 Commission made up of the FIA and F1 teams, to develop detailed proposals to improve the show which will take effect from next year.

 

[Craig 6701]

Sounds like Bernie has got his way to an extent with his 'medals' idea. i.e. 1st will be rewarded considerably more than 2nd.

 

However as someone has pointed out, stick the new scoring system into the model onto dotdotdotcomma.com and in 2008 Lewis would still have won the championship by a single point - despite winning less races.

[Craig 6701]

I'm totally convinced this is happening now.....

 

Ferrari would let Schumacher go

 

Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:53pm GMT

Gavin Jones

 

ROME (Reuters) - Ferrari will not stand in Michael Schumacher's way if the seven-times Formula One world champion decides to come out of retirement and race for Mercedes, president Luca di Montezemolo told Reuters on Monday.

 

The 40-year-old has worked as a consultant for the Italian team since retiring at the end of 2006 but reports say he is close to signing with fellow Germans Mercedes, who have taken over world champions Brawn.

 

Schumacher announced in September he would work as a consultant for Ferrari for another three years. Asked if Ferrari would enforce the deal, Montezemolo said: "No, not binding."

 

"It's clear that if he decides to take another road our (consultancy) agreement will no longer be valid, that is logical. You can't work with a competitor and with us at the same time," Montezemolo told Reuters in an interview.

 

"I still haven't spoken to him about it. He is only a dear friend, not a team member. He is a consultant for our road cars."

 

Schumacher was forced to abort plans for a Formula One comeback with Ferrari because of fitness concerns in August.

 

He was due to replace the injured Felipe Massa but pulled out following medical checks on a neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident earlier this year that caused him pain during testing.

 

With his neck problem better, Ferrari had talked about including him in their driver lineup if plans to have a third car on the grid next season were agreed.

 

However, Formula Ones bosses blocked the three car idea.

 

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BD3HB20091214

[Craig 6701]

Michael Schumacher wants to return to F1, Ferrari say

 

Michael Schumacher has told Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo he is planning a comeback with Mercedes.

 

It is the first time anyone close to the German legend has confirmed he is actively pursuing a return, which has been rumoured for weeks.

 

"I spoke to him [on Wednesday] and he told me there is a very strong possibility but that it's not 100% decided," Di Montezemolo said.

 

He said a return by Schumacher, 41 in January, would be "good for F1".

 

Schumacher retired at the end of 2006 after winning five world titles with Ferrari in consecutive years from 2000-4, to add to the two he won with Benetton in 1994-5.

 

BBC Sport pundit Eddie Jordan revealed last month that Schumacher had had talks about a comeback with Mercedes and that it would probably happen - and now Di Montezemolo has confirmed it.

 

"A guy called Michael Schumacher told us at Monza (in September) he would renew his (Ferrari consultancy) contract," Di Montezemolo said. "And it looked like his career would finish with Ferrari.

 

"But then there's another one who looks like him, 40, 41 yrs old, German, same name and decided to do a new career.

 

"Everybody in life can do what they prefer, and I understand that there is somebody at 41 years who wants to try again.

 

"So I think it's possible this twin, another Michael Schumacher, same age, same capability, some determination and spirit, will drive for Mercedes next year."

 

Di Montezemolo said Schumacher had been "destroyed" when it emerged he would not be able to make a temporary return to F1 with Ferrari last summer as a stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa because of a neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident last winter.

 

"He phoned me, and he was so sad. He said: 'Listen, the doctor says I cannot do anything because I still have a problem with the neck.

 

"That day, Michael was not sad, (he was) more than sad. He was destroyed.

 

"Of course, I will have a lot of fans on our website very upset. They think Michael is a traitor. But I will explain to them it is not Michael but another one.

 

"As a friend, it is difficult for me, but I'm happy to see somebody so fit and with such big determination.

 

"As chairman of Ferrari, I'm so sad. He received a lot from Ferrari, and he has given a lot to Ferrari. I think the combination in the good and the bad moments was very, very good.

 

"This is the reason why I think we have to accept there is another Michael who is wanting to race. The real Michael is still with Ferrari."

 

Schumacher still has to have medical tests on his neck injury before he can confirm a return, and Di Montezemolo said he expected a decision to be made public "at the end of December or the beginning of January".

 

Massa has recovered from the fractured skull he suffered at the Hungarian Grand Prix and will be driving for Ferrari again in 2010 alongside their new signing, double world champion Fernando Alonso.

 

Di Montezemolo admitted that Ferrari had been "affected psychologically" by Massa's crash, adding: "For many days, we were very worried for the possible recovery of the man and then the driver."

 

Massa has completed a test in a 2007 Ferrari this week, and Di Montezemolo said the team "strongly believe he'll again be very, very quick".

 

Alonso will arrive at Ferrari with a reputation for being difficult to manage if the team does not focus on him - a legacy of his tumultuous season as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate at McLaren in 2007.

 

But asked if Ferrari could handle such a dominant personality, Di Montezemolo said: "Yes we can manage him, for three reasons.

 

"First, I spoke about these elements with (team principal Stefano) Domenicali 1000 times, not 100, and I spoke with Alonso.

 

"I told him: 'If you come to drive for us, because we want you, you drive for a team, you drive for a group, you don't drive for yourself.

 

"If you want a team, then you do your own team, fantastic, like John Surtees. In Ferrari we want to put you in the best condition to win. If not, we will never hire you.

 

"We know that you can win the championship. We will do our best but you are part of it. I spoke with him and he knows how to handle it.

 

"Second - and I'm proud for this - for many years, you have not seen any more polemics inside Ferrari.

 

"The only time was once with (Rubens) Barrichello when we asked him to (play second fiddle to Schumacher) but this was because Michael was in condition to win the championship and sometimes this is important.

 

"But I am for team spirit, like in soccer, like in cycling. This is sport.

 

"The third reason is he's a very intelligent guy, very focused and he understands that even during the past, he made some mistakes, just as both Michael and I have done in our lives."

 

In a wide-ranging interview with a selection of British, Italian, Spanish and German journalists, Di Montezemolo addressed a number of other topics.

 

He backed world champion Jenson Button's decision to join McLaren as Hamilton's team-mate, saying: "Hamilton in McLaren is good motivation for him".

 

He said he backed the current drive to cut costs in F1 - but that it should never become a championship where all the cars were close to identical, adding that Ferrari would stay in the sport "until Formula 1 isn't Formula 1".

 

He questioned some of the current organisation of F1, saying the sport's stakeholders needed to look into issues such as whether the races were too long, ticket prices were too high, and its lack of engagement with the internet.

 

And he set out a vision for F1, which he believed "can play an important role for technology, ecology, environment, fuel consumption".

 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8420601.stm

[Craig 6701]

Jonathan Legard's blog entry today...

 

A lunch with Ferrari's president

 

The prospect of Michael Schumacher racing again in Formula 1, in tandem with his old partner Ross Brawn, has generated huge excitement and anticipation around the world but at a snow-covered Maranello this week, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo appeared overwhelmed instead by a mixture of surprise, frustration and wistfulness at the prospect.

 

"Everbody in life can do what they prefer and I understand that there is somebody at 41 years old who wants to try again," he said.

 

"But it's another Michael. I know Michael, and the real Michael has confirmed to me that he will finish his career at Ferrari."

 

It was as if the 62-year-old Italian didn't want to believe what Schumacher himself had said during their phone conversation on Wednesday.

 

And yet it was the seven time world champion's former boss who'd called on the German little more than four months ago to break his retirement for that abortive comeback in place of the injured Felipe Massa.

 

Did Di Montezemolo not fully appreciate that he had reignited the flame that had been reluctantly turned down in 2006 as Kimi Raikkonen was moved in to Ferrari in Schumacher's place?

 

Is the Ferrari president kicking himself for not doing more to ensure that F1's most successful driver was back on the grid for Ferrari?

 

Or does he fear that Schumacher may do his fearsome reputation more harm than good by trying to beat the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel - who is almost 20 years his junior?

 

Throughout a typically good-natured, wide ranging discussion, over lunch at Ferrari's Fiorano test track, Di Montezemelo consistently talked about the returning Schumacher as the "twin" of the "real" champion.

 

Di Montezemolo and and team principal Stefano Domenicali, who was also at the lunch, referred in similar terms to Raikkonen and his disappointing performances in the second half of 2008.

 

On this occasion, Di Montezemolo said the Finn "went around fishing" while Massa was fighting it out with Hamilton for the championship!

 

But listening to him talk about how quickly Schumacher had agreed to replace Massa in the summer of this year underlined why the speculation about a comeback never went away.

 

"At the end of July, when I called him into my office, I said: 'Listen, I need you to replace Felipe," Di Montezemolo explained. "For five minutes, not 10 minutes, (it was) no, no, then yes!"

 

"'You can convince me very well,' he said. It was not the truth. He was ready to be convinced. That was a different story.

 

"Unfortunately he was not able to prove himself. By replacing Massa in the middle of the season in a car that was not so competitive meant the pressure was not so big."

 

Di Montezemolo also revealed a little about the reasons for Schumacher's retirement in 2006.

 

"He told me that if he could arrive on the Saturday, not the Friday, just to make the qualification for the pole, then the race and then disappear, yes (that would be good)."

 

Given the current limit on testing, which could impact significantly on him ahead of the opening grand prix in Bahrain next March, you'd expect Schumacher to take a different view on time in the car during Friday's practice sessions should he return in 2010.

 

Having Schumacher on stand-by in case Massa's injuries prevented him from driving again was, apparently, never an option.

 

The German's own neck injury was clearly a major problem, with a doctor's decision only likely at the turn of the year.

 

And once Massa was making good progress and negotiations with Renault over Alonso's move had gathered pace towards a deal for 2010, there was no place for Schumacher at his old team.

 

But that's not to say Di Montezemolo didn't want him racing again in a Ferrari.

 

"We tried to push for the third car, not for Ferrari, but a third Ferrari managed by another team," he explained.

 

"Formula 1 needs competitive teams, competitive drivers and to see Ferrari with an American team or a German team, or Spanish or British would be fantastic."

 

"I tried to do this. In that case the real Michael, not the new one, because he looked like he was ready to race with us."

 

US F1 or Campos with Michael Schumacher... intriguing.

 

But would a new entry really have been of genuine interest to a driver who's accustomed to being a championship contender?

 

His imminent return with the world champion team, albeit rebranded as Mercedes, would seem a suitable answer.

 

Without doubt, that prospect turns up the heat on the Ferrari design team to prepare a stronger car for 2010 than in 2009.

 

Di Montezemolo was keen to talk up the changes made by Domenicali to have "fresh air" in the team, referring in particular to the replacement of Gilles Simon by Luca Marmorini as engine and electronics director.

 

The team principal sitting opposite at the lunch table, and only referred to by his last name, was left in no doubt what was expected, with a double world champion such as Alonso brought into the line-up.

 

The Spanish contingent around the table hung on Di Montezemolo's every word, particularly when it was made clear that their man was expected to be a team player.

 

"One year without victory seems like a scandal. I'm disappointed. We were used to win (championships) in the last 10 years. We have to do a competitive car on the track," Domenicali was told.

 

The presentation box containing a 1:16 model Brawn double diffuser, with the words "If only we had been so sneaky..." was intended as a festive joke, but Domenicali and his engineers can't afford to be caught out again.

 

At least the Ferrari name remains in F1.

 

Mention of the third car idea recalled memories of the acrimony between the teams and the sport's leading officials over budgets, regulations and governance for much of the early part of last season.

 

"This was the only year since I became president of Ferrari when I was determined to stop Formula 1," admitted Di Montezemolo.

 

"It was a unanimous decision of the board - too much polemics, rules, not enough research.

 

"Now everything is over, even if we have paid a big price. Not to have BMW, not to Toyota, to have Renault in a different situation is not good for F1."

 

Even though he is no longer the chairman of the Formula 1 Teams' Association (Fota), Di Montzemolo still views himself as one of the sport's key statesmen.

 

He said he was certain that the priority of the new FIA president, Jean Todt - once his employee at Ferrari - "to recreate a different dialogue and atmosphere, be sure of the credibility of the sport".

 

(His predecessor, Max Mosley, hardly got a mention. Funny that...)

 

Bernie Ecclestone and Formula 1 Management (FOM), he said, "had to promote and modernise Formula 1 ready for the new years".

 

"This is what Ferrari will heavily try to improve in the next months. Ferrari will stay in Formula 1 until Formula 1 isn't Formula 1."

 

Whether his intended triangle of goodwill between FOM, Fota and the FIA can work in harmony is another fascination for 2010.

 

But it's my guess that Michael Schumacher's comeback will ensure most attention is riveted to the track.

 

Certainly, the manner in which the last Ferrari he helped develop, the 458 Italia, hurtled me round two post-lunch laps of Fiorano in the hands of a test driver, suggested Schumacher had lost none of his touch behind the wheel.

 

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jonathanlegard/...s-presiden.html

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Interesting read. I'm in two minds about it: I know it'll be good for the sport, but I think of him as a Ferrari company man and I don't want to see him drive for anyone else.

[Craig 6701]

I know what you're saying Dr Ken and had he only ever driven for Ferrari then the point would have had more substance. I still see him as the Benetton driver from 94/95 at times - what he achieved at Ferrari was incredible but of course his true roots actually lie with Mercedes. It was with them alongside Frentzen & Wendlinger that he competed in the World Sports Car Championship before he even got into F1.

 

To me he is going 'home'. For Merc to come into F1 as a manufacturer rather than simply an engine supplier for the first time since the 50s offers him the opportunity to add his name to the likes of Fangio, Moss, etc who've driven for the famous marque. Much like being asked to deliver Ferrari's first Driver's title in (what was then) 17 years, he's found it an opportunity that's far too tempting.

 

We'll only see him for 12 months mind you, then it'll be Vettel replacing him with Raikkonen coming back from a heavily Red Bull sponsored Citroen rally team to replace Vettel IMO

[Craig 6701]

Michael Schumacher signs up for F1 return with Mercedes

 

Seven-times Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher will come out of retirement to race for Mercedes next year, BBC Sport understands.

 

The German, who will be 41 on 3 January, has signed a contract and the deal will be announced imminently.

 

Schumacher will partner compatriot Nico Rosberg in the team that won the drivers' and constructors' titles in 2009 in its former guise as Brawn.

 

His spokeswoman Sabine Kehm said she could not make any comment.

 

The German newspaper Bild is reporting that Schumacher signed a one-year deal and it is likely he will have the option to continue beyond 2010 if his returns goes well.

 

Schumacher will reportedly earn £6.2m after signing up to reunite with Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, who masterminded all seven of his titles, the first two with Benetton in 1994-5 and the subsequent five with Ferrari from 2000-4.

 

Mercedes are known to want German rising star Sebastian Vettel in the long term, but the 22-year-old is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2012.

 

Rosberg, who signed for Mercedes shortly after the season ended, has already warned Schumacher he faces a tough task getting back up to speed with F1 but said he would welcome him as a team-mate.

 

"It will not be easy for him," Rosberg was quoted in German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung.

 

"When you stay away from F1 for a long time, it takes time to get used to all the test sessions again. It's not simple.

 

"I have no idea if it (a comeback) is true or not, but if he did join that would be an absolutely fantastic move."

 

Schumacher was forced to call off a planned temporary comeback as a stand-in for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa last season because of a neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident last February.

 

But Schumacher is known to have had medical checks recently and it must be assumed he has been given the all clear as he would not want to face the same embarrassment again.

 

He signed a revised contract as a consultant for Ferrari, but he told Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo last week that he was "very close" to concluding a deal to race for Mercedes.

 

Ferrari have had to release him from his contract to enable him to race for Mercedes.

 

His comeback is the most high profile in F1 since Austrian Niki Lauda came out of a two-year retirement for the 1982 season to race for McLaren.

 

Lauda, who was 33 at the time, went on to win a third world title in 1984.

 

Juan Manuel Fangio is Formula 1's oldest world champion, the Argentine won a fifth world championship at the age of 46 before retiring.

 

Nigel Mansell won the 1994 Australian Grand Prix at the age of 41, having stepped in as a substitute for Williams for four races following the death of Ayrton Senna.

 

Schumacher has been training hard in preparation for a return and, assuming his neck is fully healed, is not expected to have any problems with fitness.

 

His former team-mate Johnny Herbert told BBC Radio 5 live: "The fitness side is very, very important, but the way Michael keeps himself in shape - he brought the physical aspects of F1 up a couple of notches - it isn't going to be an issue.

 

"I don't know of anyone that has gone out of F1 and come back and actually achieved something by coming back. Alain Prost wasn't the same when he came back but because of Michael's mentality it is different."

 

Another former team-mate, Eddie Irvine, told the BBC last week that he expected Schumacher would win races, even though he would not be as powerful a force as before.

 

"The speed will be there, though he won't be as fast as he was seven years ago," Irvine said.

 

"He's not at the peak of his game, but he's still good enough to win races as he has such an immense talent. It's still four wheels, a steering wheel and an engine and there's never been anyone better than Michael."

 

Irvine said he thought Schumacher would be at a disadvantage in wheel-to-wheel racing compared to the younger generation of drivers such as 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

 

"Lewis isn't going to back off, but Michael will have to because he'll be 41," Irvine said.

 

The BBC's F1 commentator Jonathan Legard believes Schumacher can compete with the likes of Hamilton and Button if he is given a competitive enough car.

 

"He wouldn't do something unless he knew he could do it justice," he said. "If Mercedes are any good he'll be in the top four, maybe even pitching for the Championship."

 

Schumacher's decision brings his career to a neat conclusion - Mercedes, for whom he was racing in sportscars at the time, paid for his F1 debut with Jordan in 1991 but he has never raced for them in F1.

 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8427552.stm

[Toonraider 0]

Ohh goody, someone to hate again!

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

So we've got the Mercedes German All-Stars vs. the McLaren English Dream Team vs. the Ferrari Hispanic Alliance. Interesting!

[Craig 6701]

So we've got the Mercedes German All-Stars vs. the McLaren English Dream Team vs. the Ferrari Hispanic Alliance. Interesting!

 

F1 is almost becoming A1-GP in it's own right! It's going to be a good year

[Craig 6701]

Confirmed by Mercedes.

[snakehips 0]

I seem to recall a certain poster on here telling everyone he'd be back behind a wheel of an F1 car.