Renault Handed 2 Year Suspended Ban Sentence

The Renault Formula One Team were handed a 2 year suspended Formula One ban today after the World Motorsport Council met to discuss the alleged “Deliberate crash” by Nelson Piquet at the 2008 Singaporean Grand Prix.

Due to the severity of the situation, Renault are very lucky to recieve a suspended sentence, most likely because two of Renault’s top eecutives Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, 2 people Piquet alleges told him to crash, stepped down from their positions.

An FIA Statement read: “Renault had accepted, at the earliest practicable opportunity, that it committed the offences with which it was charged and cooperated fully with the FIA’s investigation. It had confirmed that Mr. Briatore and Mr. Symonds were involved in the conspiracy and ensured that they left the team; It apologised unreservedly to the FIA and to the sport for the harm caused by its actions;

“It committed to paying the costs incurred by the FIA in its investigation; and Renault (the parent company, as opposed to Renault F1) committed to making a significant contribution to FIA safety-related projects.”

The FIA explained their decision after the court left this afternoon.

“Renault F1’s breaches not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself. The World Motor Sport Council considers that offences of this severity merit permanent disqualification from the FIA Formula One World Championship.

“However, having regard to the points in mitigation mentioned above and in particular the steps taken by Renault F1 to identify and address the failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved, the WMSC has decided to suspend Renault F1’s disqualification until the end of the 2011 season. The World Motor Sport Council will only activate this disqualification if Renault F1 is found guilty of a comparable breach during that time.”

Fernando Alonso was present but not accused of any crime.  It is unknown whether Flavio Briatore will persue blackmail charges against Nelson Piquet Snr.

BMW Gets A Buyer, And 2010 Grid Slot Likely

BMW Sauber have announced this morning that they have found a buyer for their Formula One team.

Qadbak International are a Swiss based foundation representing the interests of several wealthy Middle Eastern and European families, and are headed up by a Lionel Fischer.

They have purchased the team outright, and are looking forward to starting their challenge.

“A strong investor has therefore been found for the Hinwil-based team,” BMW said in a statement.

“Qadbak’s interest in the team will be represented by Lionel Fischer, a Swiss national. BMW wishes Qadbak and the Sauber Team every success for the 2010 season and beyond.”

The only issues thus far for Qadbak is that the final grid slot, previously home to the BMW team has been filled with Team Lotus.  However, the FIA are now considering adjusting the rules to allow for 28 cars [16 teams], or perhaps they will fill Renault’s place if they are thrown out of the World Championship over the Crash-Gate scandal.

Nevertheless Qadbak, and BMW are sure their team will line up for 2010.

“We are pleased to confirm that the FIA has indicated that we may have a place in the 2010 Formula One World Championship.  The team expects to line up on the grid for the first race of the 2010 season.” Said a team statement.

2010 Formula One Rules Announced By FIA

The FIA have published their 2010 sporting regulations and technical regulations today.

The articles, posted on the official FIA website (Sporting: Click Technical: Click ) outline some new rules, most notably qualifying regulation.

Q1 and Q2 will now see 8 cars demoted out of each session, with 10 cars being able to run in the final Q3 portion.  These cars in Q3 will run in the low fuel format as seen this season to allow for the fact that no refuelling may take place during the race itself.  The 8 car rule comes in as 3 new teams, Campos, Manor and USF1 are joining the sport.

Another important point to note is the lack of change to the point scoring system, meaning that Bernie’s silly medal system is out of the window completely.

Tyre warmers will be allowed despite previous indications from the FIA being that they would be banned.  Minimum car weights have been increased to 620KG to allow for the KERS system, despite all teams saying they will run without the power boosting systems for 2010 to allow a level playing field.

Also worth noting is the lack of two tier racing.

Further Cost Reduction Detail Emerge From German Magazine

Highly regarded German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport have revealed some of the future cost reduction methods being outlined by the FIA.

While the overall actual plan of cost reduction is a closely guarded secret, AMuS claim these findings are from the highest sources.

The cost reduction proposals include:

• Reducing the number of staff travelling to races to 45, meaning double-ing up of jobs in a similar way to how driver Physio’s act as their pitboard men.

• Tem expenditure (excluding Driver + management salary and marketing) will be capped to 100m Euro in 2010 and 50m Euro in 2011

• Factory based staff reduction to 350 for 2010 and 280 for 2011.  More staff will be allowed if teams make more in-house products like engines, gearboxes etc.

These proposals don’t really fill me with hope here at The F1Fanatics Blog. In truth, the cap on members of staff at races is stupid as people already double up, such as those physio’s being pitboard men, and sometimes you find Chef’s and refuellers who are also truckies and stuff.  We dont want too few staff so that corners are cut and safety is hindered.  Staff will also have to be fired from teams which is unfair given the current economic problems and the lack of job availability especially for these highly skilled workers.

Indeed, I believe if the FIA wants to save money on personnel at races they should have less races outside of Europe to dramatically cut down on flight and freight costs.  More European GP’s should help the staff to be available much more cheaply.

Burti Calls For More Visor Safety After Massa Incident

Luciano Burti, a former F1 driver who is probably best known for his huge accident at the 2001 German Grand Prix, or even at the Belgian Grand Prix of the same season has called on the FIA to increase helmet safety even further.

Burti, a fellow Brazilian race driver of Massa’s crashed heavily at the Belgian GP of 2001, when he clashed with Eddie Irvine of Jaguar and his Prost was embedded deep into the tyre wall.  His helmet was badly damaged, much more so than Massa’s and left him with a brain concussion – pretty much why his F1 career came to an end so quickly.

Burti admitted that Carbon Fibre helmets have proven to be stronger in Massa’s case, however Burti cites his visor being in-tact because of 4 screws whereas Massa’s collapsed because it is only held by 2 screws to save on weight.  Luciano wants the FIA to make 4 screws compulsory.

“After Felipe’s accident at the Hungaroring, I can see the helmet’s evolution since my accident in the Belgium GP 2001,” said Burti, who now commentates on F1 for Brazilian TV.

“Looking at the pictures of my helmet, we can see that if it was made of carbon fibre, like they are today, the damage would have been be less significant.

“This shows the merit of the FIA and helmet constructors on improving drivers’ safety.

“But at the same time, I would like to point something out. You can see on my helmet, even with the strong front impact against the tyre barriers, the visor remained attached because it was fixed by four screws, different than most helmets which have two screws only for visor fixing (to reduce weight).

“But on Felipe’s accident, we could see the visor became loose because the screw didn’t resist the strong impact, and with the face exposed, he could have suffered worse consequences, especially on the face and eyes.”

Luciano Burti came to Formula One in 2000, racing a single GP with the Jaguar team finishing in 11th place.  The team signed him as a driver for 2001, but he was fired after just 5 races.  He managed to secure a seat at Prost however when Gaston Mazzacane was released, and Burti continued racing.  After the Belgian GP crash he never raced an F1 car again competitively, but worked as a test driver with Ferrari until 2004 when he conceded his injuries were too bad for him to race again.

Luciano Burti's huge crash at the German GP, the first of two massive incident for the Brazilian...

F1 Teams And FIA Finally Agree On 2009 Concorde Agreement

Formula One finally hit peace last night between the FIA and FOTA teams, when Max Mosley signed the new 2009 Concorde Agreement.

FOTA, the teams association, previously said they were going to split from the FIA and F1 over Max Mosley’s beligerent rule changes and constant rule changes.  However after a serious of meetings, many of which containing heated moments, the FIA announced this morning that a new agreement securing the F1 future was signed.

“Following approval by the World Motor Sport Council, late last night FIA President Max Mosley signed the 2009 Concorde Agreement, heralding a renewed period of stability for the FIA Formula 1 world championship,” said an FIA statement.

“The WMSC has also approved a slightly revised set of stable sporting and technical regulations (to apply from the 2010 championship onwards), which have been agreed by the FIA and the teams and which will be published shortly on the FIA’s website.

“The new Concorde Agreement, which runs until 31 December 2012, provides for a continuation of the procedures in the 1998 Concorde Agreement, with decisions taken by working groups and commissions, upon which all teams have voting rights, before going to the WMSC for ratification.”

All of the teams are signed up, except BMW who are have another 4 days onto which to sign an agreement of a place next season.

A meeting will take place soon to discuss more cost cutting measures.

BMW Sauber To Leave Formula One At The End Of 2009

BMW have announced that their Formula One team, BMW Sauber will not be competing in F1 beyond the end of the 2009 season.

It is a bitter blow for the German/Swiss team which had seen gains through 2007 and 2008, but have suffered with a poor car in 2009.

The team were formed after BMW, who had supplied engines to Williams from 2000-2005, decided to buy out Peter Sauber’s small but successful Swiss team, Sauber based in Hinwil.  They took over, and in 2006 they had an average season with Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve at the wheel.  In 2007 they were much more competitive with Robert Kubica partnering Heidfeld.  In 2008, Kubica recorded the teams first victory in Canada, a circuit where a season before RK left in a medical helicopter following a horror shunt.

Dr. Norbert Reithofer, chairman of BMW said this morning: “Of course, this was a difficult decision for us. But it’s a resolute step in view of our company’s strategic realignment,” he said.

“Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula 1 campaign is thus less a key promoter for us.

“Mario Theissen has been in charge of our motor sports program since 1999. We have scored a large number of successes in this period, including some in Formula 1 racing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mario Theissen and his team for this.”

There are lots of unknown’s following today’s ruling.  The team is likely to be put up for sale, and could be bought by one of the teams who failed to get into F1 such as Lola or Prodrive or perhaps by a new investor looking to buy a going concern.  The latter would secure jobs, but if the slot is made available then the jobs will be lost.  Epsilon Euskadi has expressed interest in taking the slot of the team if they fold altogether.

Robert Kubica is a very talented and young driver, and although he stated he is keen to try his hand at rallying it is likely a big team will buy him in.  Williams could be looking for a Nico Rosberg replacement, McLaren are looking for a replacement for Heikki Kovalainen or perhaps if Massa will not drive in F1 again and Alonso doesn’t have a contract with the Italian’s he could make a shock move to Ferrari.  Nick Heidfeld on the other hand is far more uncertain, and at his age he might struggle to get another drive on the back of always promising good things but never really delivering.

Renault Handed European Grand Prix Race Ban After Alonso Tyre Failure

The Renault F1 Team have been handed a suspension from the next round of the FIA Formula One World Championship in Valencia, the European Grand Prix after Fernando Alonso’s tyre incident in this afternoon’s Hungarian GP.

The Spaniard was released from the pits, his first scheduled stop with the front right hand wheel not correctly attached.  The wheel hun “spinner” then spun round at high speed, undoing the centre nut and releasing the tyre from its housing sending it bouncing down the Hungaoring circuit.  It was a tyre that hit Henry Surtees’ helmet in Formula 2 last week, killing the 19 year old.

The FIA reprimanded the team under safety breach 3.2 with article 32.1.i being broken, with the car being knowingly released from a pitstop without being safe.

The statement said that Renault “knowingly released car no. 7 from the pitstop position without one of the retaining devices for the wheel-nuts being securely in position, this being an indication that the wheel itself may not have been properly secured.”

It added that Renault, “being aware of this, failed to take any action to prevent the car from leaving the pitlane….failed to inform the driver of this problem or to advise him to take appropriate action given the circumstances, even though the driver contacted the team by radio believing he had a puncture.”

Renault will appeal the decision, with an appeal, the letter and 6,000 Euro fee being lodged around 20 minutes ago by Renault management at the circuit.  The hearing will likely take place within the next 2 weeks.

Alonso's Renault with the near wheel rim clearly out of position compared with the other Renault of Nelson Piquet passing.

Meanwhile Kimi Raikkonen was cleared of any wrong doing in connection with making contact with Sebastian Vettel, the stewards deemed he lost control of the car and touched in a “racing incident”.

Rossi Would Drive 3rd Ferrari In New Series

Valentino Rossi has been quoted as saying he would happily drive a 3rd Ferrari race car if one was fielded in the potentially new FOTA racing series.

Everyone thought that the FIA/FOTA war was over as Max Mosley brought the rules for 2010 back to the 2009 ones, said there would be more continuity and also declared he would step down in October at the end of his term as FIA president.

However these promises were thrown into doubt after British newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph produced an open letter sent from Mosley to Luca di Montezemolo the head of Ferrari and the FOTA that he could well stand for another term.  Christian Horner said this morning that another war between FOTA and the FIA would be terrible for the sport, but it looks likely the battle’s could begin once again.

Rossi, who just won his 100th Motorcycle Grand Prix has driven for Ferrari twice before, most recently last year impressing with the 2008 car on the Mugello circuit.  He has also dabbled with World Rally Championship.  His contract with Yamaha motorcycles ends in 2010 and a 2011 race car seat could be beckoning.

“I am quite happy about it, it could happen in 2011 — why not?” Rossi was quoted as saying by Corriere Dello Sport

“In 2010 I have a contract with Yamaha so it would be difficult or even impossible. What’s more, Ferrari do not have a third car and I have taken no decision about changing sport,”

Refuelling Ban Still On For 2010 Despite FOTA/FIA Agreements

The refuelling ban set out by the FIA as part of it’s eleborate new rule system for the 2010 season will still go ahead despite the majority of the new regulations being binned after FOTA/FIA agreement talks for FOTA team involvement in the 2010 Formula One Season.

The teams are fairly positive towards the refuelling ban due to the high cost of transporting refuelling equipment around the world, and also some accidents which have led to large fires, such as Jos Verstappen’s memorable pitfire at Hockenheim 1994, Eddie Irvine 1995 at Spa and Michael Schumacher’s at the 2003 Austrian Grand Prix when despite flames licking the car he still went on to win the Grand Prix.

A source within FOTA said this was still on track, despite 2009 rule revisions for 2010.

The source said: “There will be a few amendments to the rules that need to be agreed unanimously. This will be about refuelling and a few other items, and should be completed in the next few weeks.”

A pitfire for Gianmaria Bruni's Minardi in 2004

Just wanted to add, R.I.P Michael Jackson – King of Pop who sadly died yesterday evening of a cardiac arrest.