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how cute is his face

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Renault's RS25 engine achieved a milestone
Two consecutive wins with the same engine

Rob White, Renault F1 Team’s Engine Technical Director, explains the RS25 V10’s historic achievement last Sunday in Imola.

Rob, Fernando’s RS25 became the first modern era F1 engine to win two races on Sunday – how did that accomplishment feel?
"I was tremendously proud to see the RS25 take its second consecutive win, in difficult circumstances. A result like this is a fantastic reward for all the people back at the factory who have invested so much time, and so much of themselves, to achieve this kind of performance. But as we always say, it is whole car performance that counts – not just one element. We have produced a balanced package this season, exploited it well at the track and the drivers have put it to fantastic use."

Fernando’s race was run with one eye on preserving the engine – can you explain?
"As we have said before, running an F1 engine for two consecutive weekends is a considerable challenge, and one we managed to meet in Imola. We assessed the risks involved for Fernando’s engine through the weekend, established a plan for how to run, and then stuck to it. We knew how we needed to use the engine, and Fernando and the engineers did a fantastic job to win the race while controlling any potential problems. The management of the two weekend engine cycle is still very much a learning process, and it is pleasing to have anticipated and implemented the correct solutions."

Finally, both drivers will use a B spec engine in Barcelona after it debuted in Imola – how did that go?
"We were pleased to have been able to introduce the B spec engine early after a great effort from all the team to approve and build a unit for Giancarlo in time for Imola. The weekend was incident free for the unit, although Fisico’s race was of course marred by other troubles; we are looking forward to seeing both drivers get their hands on the new specification in Barcelona and having the opportunity to show its full potential."


Turkish GP circuit more expensive than expected
More funds are needed to complete the project

The construction of the Istanbul Otodrom - the circuit that will host the Turkish Grand Prix in August - is costing much more than expected.

The original $100 million project is underway but the total cost is now reaching $153 million, according to Zaman Online.

The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce is looking for an additional $55.1 million to complete the 5,378 km Istanbul Otodrom. Still according to Zaman Online, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce will partner with the Istanbul Governorship and the Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor if the extra budget is approved by the Parliament.

With the race set for 21 August 2005, there is very little time left to get the approval for the additional budget, which is necessary to complete the project on-time for the inaugural Formula One race in Turkey.


Ferrari attacked for unfair testing advantage
The other teams might return to a full testing programme

Ferrari have been accused of gaining unfair advantage by testing heavily this season after they stunned their rivals with a dramatic comeback in the San Marino Grand Prix here Sunday.

Michael Schumacher, a finisher in only one of the first three races, surged through the field into second at Imola after pushing winner Fernando Alonso, of Renault, all the way in a thrilling race. But the Italian giants benefited from their refusal to join a gentlemen's agreement to limit in-season testing to 30 days their critics say and their move could now force some teams to break their promise and return to a full testing programme.

BAR-Honda team chief Nick Fry, whose driver Jenson Button finished third, said: "Frankly I'm glad Alonso won because if Ferrari had won it would have been a hollow victory and I would have felt very sorry for Renault. It would have been fairly un-sportsmanlike in some ways had Ferrari revelled in a victory when we have handicapped ourselves deliberately by (limiting testing) to keep costs down. Ferrari are flaunting that and this is the result.

"BAR have done more testing than any other team, but Ferrari have done 85 percent more miles than we have by totally ignoring the gentleman's agreement between the teams and putting themselves in a better position. Ferrari undoubtedly will start winning because you cannot test in the way they test with their resources and not benefit versus the rest of us. It was inevitable they would come back."

Ferrari chose not to sign up to the testing agreement because they claim to have concentrated their resources on testing, with two private test tracks and a full test team, rather than in other areas of development.

The nine other teams insisted at the start of the season that they would remain committed to their cause, but Toyota president John Howett, whose team are currently second behind Renault in the championship, does not expect that to last.

Howett said: "I think the agreement has already (started to break down) because I don't think Ferrari's competitors can just sit there and accept them driving into the distance. Either Ferrari must join the remaining teams or we need to find some sort of compromise where there is an equivalence. Otherwise people will start to test remorselessly.

"I think everyone is saying that we feel everything we are doing is correct and right but Ferrari's (testing schedule) will force others to do the same. It is a question of common sense."

BAR have benefited from a heavy testing programme but they have still limited running in comparison to Ferrari, who piled all their efforts in the last three weeks into curing their problems from the opening races. The Italian team tested with their rivals at Barcelona in the week after the Bahrain Grand Prix then worked behind closed doors in Mugello and Fiorano before testing at Monza in the week of the San Marino race.

BAR only had two tests, in Barcelona and Paul Ricard, but made dramatic improvements and Fry said: "We expected a podium in Imola and it wasn't a surprise to get it. Now we just need to get from third to first, and I have no doubt that we will do it. We are 100 percent confident that we have the depth of resources and the people to do the job. We should be able to do the next step again. We have yet more bits to put on the car in Spain and we are extremely confident.

"We have access to all the technical resources of Honda in Japan and they are just determined to win and we'll do what it takes."

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Fry – We’re not cheating
BAR Honda set for final decision

It’s curious times when the sports governing body goes against it own Stewards and decides to follow procedure against a competitor within its sanctioned series. This is what happened on Sunday and Monday as Scrutineering deemed the BAR Honda to be a legal weight and then the FIA then appealed against that decision on Monday.

"This team is owned by two blue-chip international corporations with huge integrity," Reuters report BRA Honda CEO Nick Fry as saying. "Does anyone really think that we would deliberately do anything against the rules? We've hidden nothing."

"Given the political situation in the sport we are concerned about everything," Fry continued. "We are hanging on to the basic belief that right will prevail at the end. At no time was the car light and I don't think that we've done anything wrong.”

The international court of appeal will hear the case on May 4th in Paris.

Newey to leave McLaren, F1
McLaren's Adrian Newey will either take a break or retire from Formula One at the end of 2005. That is the logical deduction of the highly lauded technical director and designer's six-month contract extension, reported in Autosport. Newey's existing deal was set to expire mid-year.


Despite earlier speculation of a return to Williams, Newey's actual destination is a well earned sabbatical, such as designing an America's Cup yacht or simply racing in historic car events.

"He said he's going to find his life again," Frank Williams answered when asked about negotiations with Adrian.

To ensure continuity, McLaren reportedly requested that Newey start work on the MP4-21 and then hand over to a successor. "I want to have a better quality of life," Autosport magazine quoted Newey as saying.


Alonso admits Schumacher is favourite for Barcelona
Imola was a 'warning' for Renault, race winner Fernando Alonso said. ''Actually I am surprised,'' the 23-year-old Spaniard - chased hard to the flag by Michael Schumacher's Ferrari - added.


''If he had started from a normal grid position, he would have won, probably easily. For Barcelona, Ferrari is the favourite.''

Disregarding the warning, though - at least for now - was Monday morning's Spanish media. 'Marca' exclaimed: ''Germany has the Pope, Spain has Alonso. The Prince defeated the King.''

Italy, however, took a different - if predictable - tact. ''Next time (Ferrari) will be first,'' La Gazzetta dello Sport hypothesised. ''For Schumacher, hope glows.''

Ferrari set for 'big update'
Ferrari will unveil the biggest bodywork update yet for their F2005 car at Barcelona, we reveal. And, given Bridgestone's resurgence to form at Imola last Sunday, world champion Michael Schumacher is sure he's 'back fighting for the title.'


"Bridgestone screwed up in Bahrain," tyre rival Michelin's Pierre Dupasquier noted to Reuters, "but they're definitely back in business."

Spain's Circuit de Catalunya, though, is a completely different kettle of fish to start-stop, anti-clockwise Imola. Flowing Barcelona, for example, will give - for the first time in 2005 - the front tyre a workout.

But Ferrari's Ross Brawn is upbeat. "The car is very good in fast corners," the technical director smiled. "A great car."


Baumgartner to return?
Hungarian driver Zsolt Baumgartner popped up in the Imola F1 paddock last weekend. With the rule now slightly freed, the former Minardi and Jordan driver reportedly 'met with several teams' about filling a vacant 'Friday' role, Autosport magazine said.


Sauber and Minardi, at present, have vacancies, although Hinwil's Peter Sauber was heard to not want a 'pay driver to just roll around. "We need a driver who can contribute to setup," he insisted, "or sort new parts. There are not so many available."

Minardi, meanwhile, are thought close to a deal with China-domiciled Marchy Lee Yin-Kin, who will test at Mugello.


Zanardi to make Formula 1 comeback
Allessandro Zanardi is about to make his comeback in Formula One. Zanardi was a guest at Imola of the Williams F1 team, the team he last raced for in F1, and sat in the FW27 to see if he could fit in easily. It wasn't a problem for the Italian to fit in the car and thus the Williams team has offered him a test in the car.

Zanardi will be invited later this season to come and fit a seat in the Williams factory. It is speculated that Zanardi will test the Williams during the USA Grand Prix but a Williams spokesperson explained a date has not been set yet. "On Saturday afternoon Zanardi has tried to see if he would fit in our car and he fitted absolutely ok. A seat will be made for him soon in our factory but we didn't set a specific date yet," a spokesperson told F1Racing.net

"After he made his seat in the factory he will most likely test the Williams car. This is just an invitation and it has nothing to do with signing him up for a contract."

Alessandro Zanardi made his debut in Formula 1 with the Jordan team in 1991 during the Spanish Grand Prix. He started from 20th position and finished 9th. His last race was in Japan for the Williams F1 team in 1999. Zanardi skipped a year of racing and joined the Mo Nunn Racing team in the US in 2001. During a race at the Lausitzring in Germany he lost both of his legs and nearly died from loss of blood. His amazing recovery has inspired many young racing drivers never to give up your (racing) dream.

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KIMI BOOKED FOR ROAD OFFENCE
Last Updated: Tuesday, 26, April, 2005, 13:41


Kimi Raikkonen has been slapped with a 30,000 euro fine for illegal trailer transport in his native Finland.

The McLaren star was stopped by a policeman in February 2004 for towing an abnormal load of three snowmobiles on a motorway in Mantsala.

Finnish law requires drivers to have special licences if they plan to carry such loads across long distances but Raikkonen had only a normal passenger car licence.

Raikkonen, who initially contested the fine, did not show up at the court hearing in Orimattila.

He faces such a hefty bill because in Finland road traffic offences are fined in proportion to the driver’s income – which, according to a police report, was 150,000 euros per month at the time of the incident.

STALEMATE ON QUALIFYING FORMAT
Last Updated: Tuesday, 26, April, 2005, 18:46


Bernie Ecclestone’s bid to broker a change to Formula 1’s qualifying format seems to have hit an early stumbling block after Renault boss Flavio Briatore revealed that he is opposed to any change for the time being.

Ecclestone is understood to have lost patience with the 2005 format, which aggregates lap times from two sessions, believing that the system is too complicated and has robbed qualifying of much of its drama.

Perhaps an even more pertinent defect of the format from the F1 promoter’s point of view is the fact that the session that settles the grid for the race, on Sunday morning, is not televised in many important markets and grid information is (naturally) unavailable in the Sunday papers.

Ecclestone held a meeting with team principals at Imola last Friday proposing a streamlining of the current format.

But Briatore, whose Renault team has claimed three poles in the first four races of the season, told Italian television station RAI that he favours keeping the status quo “for the moment”.

Meanwhile Minardi boss Paul Stoddart, while agreeing that recent changes to qualifying have been counter-productive, has counselled against constant tweaking of the system.

“We are very aware that we are not going to go changing qualifying again without really thinking it through,” he said.

“I don’t think the public can take any more knee-jerk reactions.

“We have made too many changes to qualifying over successive years and it has been going backwards.

“This year we went from the sublime to the ridiculous and cranked in Sunday morning qualifying – gee, that’s really popular – and aggregate times just to really mess it all up.

“Now we are getting back to real world stuff.”

Stoddart said any new qualifying system – in the (apparently unlikely) event that one can be agreed – should stand at least until the end of 2007, when the current Concorde Agreement runs out.


RALF BLASTS 'UNFAIR' FERRARI
Last Updated: Tuesday, 26, April, 2005, 10:55


Ralf Schumacher has hit out at Ferrari’s continued intransigence in the face of the testing restrictions adopted by the other nine Formula 1 teams.

The Italian team is not party to the 30-day limit which its rival outfits have agreed to adhere to – and has come in for widespread criticism for putting its own interests above those of the sport as a whole.

The younger Schumacher has now joined that chorus.

“What Ferrari are doing is unfair to everyone else,” the Toyota driver told Germany’s RTL television network.

“We restrict ourselves and Ferrari carry on testing happily. I don’t understand this at all.

“We at Toyota and maybe the other eight teams could also test but we adhere to the rules.

“We’re interested in Formula 1 carrying on for a long time, while Ferrari are not. That’s not the right way.”

In fact, Ferrari is breaking no rules by snubbing the testing accord, which is purely voluntary in nature since a regulation change for this season would have required the teams’ unanimous agreement.

However, the pressure on Ferrari to toe the line is only likely to increase as this ultra-competitive season – with its torrid development race – progresses.

Otherwise any success achieved by the team risks being branded hollow.

Mei Zhuo

thanks marie for all the news!

L i N d $ @ y

i'm stealing this one from my blog since this is such a late reaction to the race and i haven't been online since then...

and uh-oh on kimi's fine. tsk, tsk! and i thought he wouldn't join the ranks of ralf & JPM on the road...

*MH*

*giggles* I'm just as bad. I either update LJ first and then put the same thing over here or I post here and then use that as my LJ update on the race

L i N d $ @ y

well, its the first time i did that because i wasn't able to go online after the race and posted my thoughts first on my blog before coming here in FF.

alright, spanish grand prix. i'm so high on expecatations for alonso. i hope he wins again!

Mei Zhuo

i'm excited for the spanish grand prix too!

tigger817

i just read this in "the daily mirror" (UK paper) - May 5th 2005

Boot Out Button - BAR face ultimate punishment

Jenson Button's BAR team face being hit with the biggest punishment in the sport's 55 year history today.
Lawyers representing the FIA want BAR kicked out of this year's Formula Once world championship and forced to pay a record fine of at least £1million if allegations that they cheated are proved at an appeal hearing in Paris.
BAR-Honda are battling claims they ran underweight in the San Marino Grand Prix 10 days ago as Button notched his first podium finish of the season.
The decision by the three man International Court of Appeal due today as the entire grid assembles in Barcelona for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix will either vindicate the star performers of last season or leave their future in ruins.
It could also cost them sponsors and, more importantly, Button's services for 2006.
BAR- Honda can only retain the 25 year old if he scores 70% of the total of the championship winner. Otherwise he is free to complete last season's aborted attempt to switch to rivals BMW Williams. A ban would also destroy Button's year. Although he is unlikely to be implicated in the scandal that would engulf the team and would be free to drive elsewhere, there are no seats available.
Even if there were, his sponsorship commitments would prevent him making the switch.
The drama began when Button's car was minutely examined after the fourth round of the world championship. The FIA had allegedly been tipped off by a BAR-Honda engineer who had switched to a rival team at the end of last season.
A secondary tank was found on his car by scrutineers using an endoscope.
Measurements at the end of the race showed Button weighed 73.6kgs and his car weighed 532.5kg, totalling 606.1kgs - 6.1 kg over the 600kg weight limit.
But when it was completely drained of fuel the combination weighed 59.4kgs, 5.4 kgs UNDER the weight limit.
"These are very grave allegations and would not be made without real and serious grounds" said Pierre de Coninck, general secretary of the FIA, who was presiding over the hearing.
"BAR failed to comply with the rules systematically. We believe BAR must be excluded and be fined £1million".
BAR -Honda's chief executive officer Nick Fry said he would take the matter as far as the civil court if his team were thrown out.
"What happens next depends on the hearing", he said. "If we were excluded we'd have no choice buy to take it further. The civil court is our final port of call. These allegations are abhorrent in the extreme".
De Coninck added: "A flexible fuel compartment allows a car to stay out for two or three laps when a legitimate car would have to pit stop. This enables cars to complete more laps than a genuine 600kg car".
It is not the first time that Willis, one of the sport's best designers has clashed with the rule makers and won.
Last year at the German Grand Prix he was forced to remove a ground breaking system that improved cornering amid claims it was illegal. But after an extensive examination and detailed explanation they were allowed to run the system at later races."

L i N d $ @ y

uh-oh. this is way bad news for BAR. if they get kicked out, no button and sato for sure. but why would BAR cheat? they absolutely know they won't get away with it...

i missed quali 1 but i heard trulli was 1st, then alonso, then kimi. and ralf's 4th! i can't wait for the race! i hope alonso will win...but ferrari's breathing down his neck so it will be a tough race.

L i N d $ @ y

and now i hope kimi wins! great quali lap for him! and too bad for alonso! i was hoping he'd beat mark's time.

as long as kimi's engine doesn't die on him, he'll win this race. i have that much faith in him. schumi doesn't even worry me. he won't let that guy through! but alonso's known to have good starts at the start of the race so let's see how it'll go...race on in 30 minutes! good luck mclaren, good luck kimi!

tigger817

wow!!! kimi's performance in that race was astounding!!! the lap times he was putting in were amazing. no one else could touch him. he was so determined to get some points on the board today after poor performances the last few weeks with retirements.

and was anyone else cheering when schumacher went off?? his own fault for blistering both his tyres after pushing too hard, but it was hard luck to have one blow up on one lap, pitt to change the tyre and then have the other blow up on the next lap!!

Mei Zhuo

i missed the race yesterday but i'm hoping to catch the replay!

btu congets for kimi! i heard he did a great job! and poor schumi

and Jensona nd BAR, that's so sad for them! i hope there is an appeal again

marie: did u catch the Alonso interview? he looked really good there! esp. the close-ups