Tag: Formula One

Sep 02 2012

F1 2012: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Oh how the mighty have fallen, which would be just about everyone after Jenson Button on pole.  Webber and Rosberg (both on Renault) had gearbox problems that dropped them 5 positions and Maldonado had a mix up with Hulkenberg that put him back 3.

Lewis Hamilton put on the wrong wing yesterday and now he’s stuck with it, Vettel and Massa were just slooow.

Tires today are Hards and Mediums.  Button has a set of unused Mediums in the bag over the rest of the field.  The weather is expected to be dry and perfect.  At 4.35 miles it is the longest circuit in Formula One and is considered twisty, hilly, and fast.

Speed coverage starts at 8 am.  Repeat at 12:30 am.  Pretty tables below.

Sep 01 2012

F1 2012: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Qualifying

Hard to believe it’s already been 5 weeks since Hungaroring but for the first 2 we had the XXX Olympiad to amuse us.  They take their vacations seriously which is why there was a lot of development work just before mid-season most of which they’ve still been unable to test except during racing because of the execrable weather.

Practice at Spa was just like that with very little track time at all and that using the Wets and Inters.  Lotus has a new passive F-Duct (spoils the airflow over the rear wing reducing drag and downforce) they’ve never gone fast enough to use.

So qualifying as always is a crapshoot, Spa itself is considered one of the fastest tracks on the circuit when it’s not raining which it usually is.  Rapid elevation changes can starve the engines of oil and cause failures.  Massa’s engine blew up in P1, but it was race used and there was no penalty.

While it’s fair enough to call this mid-season, the majority of races have already been run and there is a certain urgency for Teams that feel they are in contention to improve their positions or stave off rivals.  To me the story line at the top is whether Alonso can continue to make that piece of junk he’s driving look good and Red Bull will continue its malaise.  McLaren as always could be great if their race management wasn’t so damn stupid and Lotus is putting a ton of work into breaking the top 3.  Mercedes waves it’s hands in the air and just dosn’t care, Force India keeps thinking they can steal one.  The announcers will continue to sentimentally root Williams but they are years away.

Counting this there are 9 races left in 13 weeks before the end of the season on November 25th.  Spa and Monza next week are the last ones in Europe.

The full slate of Speed support broadcasts, Debrief, Practice, and Qualifying will be repeated Sunday morning from 12:30 to 4:30 with the GP 2 race starting at 6 am and the Belgian Gran Prix at 8.

Jul 29 2012

F1 2012: Hungaroring

So after all the teams burned up their good rubber on yesterday’s Qualifying today catches everybody on the wrong foot with car setups and tire management.

It will be dry.

This is good news for the pole sitters actually since their setups have already proven successful and the only hope for the back markers is that their fewer laps will be able to keep them on track enough longer to offset their demonstrated speed disadvantage.  We’ll be seeing the same Mediums (Prime) and Softs (Option) that we’ve seen most of the season.

The commentators are convinced that Red Bull has been hamstrung by the decision outlawing their engine torque mapping system, but I look at the results of Qualifying and I’m not persuaded yet.  Sure Webber is out in Q2, but Vettel puts the same car in 3rd.  Rosberg and Schumacher are mild disappointments for Mercedes fans, but the team has had good and bad weeks all season.

Why the big deal about Qualifying?  The Hungaroring has a reputation for driving like Monaco.  What people mean by this is that despite being a lot faster on lap times, it’s a horrible place to pass and cars tend to end up in the same grid they started unless they blow up or park in a wall.

Summarizing the season at the August break my impressions are that Alonso has an unassailable lead in the drivers’ standings because his rivals are inconsistent in their results in addition to his being an improved driver in an improved car (for proof look at Massa).

Red Bull would be in trouble except for the reliability issue.  Until their opponents can consistently put 2 drivers in the points no one can catch them.  McLaren engineering is quite good, but their race management sucks.  Ferrari deserves praise for producing a better car, or at least one Alonso is comfortable in.

The main points if interest will be whether any teams from mid-pack will be able to really effect a race or not and which ones will they be.  Renault and Mercedes are candidates, but there won’t be any improvements.

They’re on vacation damnit.

Pretty tables below.

Jul 28 2012

Formula One 2012: Hungaroring Qualifying

The big news is that Red Bull’s engine torque mapping has been ruled illegal in response to complaints by McLaren that it’s going to set off an expensive race to duplicate.  Unknown how much this will effect them.  Lotus and McLaren reworking their aero packages, McLaren with apparent success.

Vettel had to give up his place after putting all 4 wheels off passing Button at Hockenheim.

I’m not sure what the compounds are and it probably doesn’t matter yet.  It was damp both Practices and mostly all the running was on Inters (slicks had a tendency to slide).  Race day tomorrow they predict downpours that make Wets questionable, worst weather in 3 weekends (and that’s saying something).  Bring your paper boats to float in the gutters while you sit out the red flags damp.

Or not.  Today is supposed to be dry and I suppose one of the reasons the McLaren aero is working better is that they’ve been able to get the dry laps to test it.  Pirelli is still frustrated by it’s inability to test the new extreme hards they intend to introduce next season.

The Hungaroring is flat and twisty and reminds drivers of Monaco because it’s difficult to overtake, so the question of Qualifying vs. race setup could factor in.  It’s a great favorite of the Finns and they come in droves.  Expect them to be rooting for Raikkonen (actually picked as a potential winner by some of the commentators) and Kovalainen.

My last year’s coverage is here and here.  2010 is here and here.

Jul 22 2012

F1 2012: Hockenheim

Local Boys Geared Up for German Grand Prix, but Not at Pole Position

By BRAD SPURGEON, The New York Times

July 21, 2012

(A) bit of bad German news has been all the talk of how the other track that hosts the German Grand Prix in alternating years, the Nurburgring, is in a complete state of financial ruin and its future in doubt, as the circuit is going bankrupt. In 2009, the local government backed and paid for a renovation of the circuit into both a circuit and a theme park, and it has turned into a fiasco.

Last March, the European Commission sent out a press release that began thus: “The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether a €524 million set of aid measures supporting the racetrack and leisure park at the Nurburgring in Germany is in line with EU state aid rules.”

…

And in a final bit of bad news, German media has found the race a good moment to report that prosecutors in Munich are preparing to investigate claims by a German banker that Bernie Ecclestone had attempted to bribe him, offering $44 million in exchange for selling Formula One to CVC Capital a few years ago. The banker, Gerhard Gribkowsky, was recently sentenced to eight and a half years in prison in another matter, after admitting bribery, breach of trust and tax evasion.

F1 : No German arrest for corruption as Formula 1 supremo skips Hockenheim race

F1SA

Sunday, 22 July 2012

The Formula 1 Chief Executive’s absence, unusual for a European race but not unheard of, heightened speculation he is afraid of being arrested.

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“With Mercedes-Benz stalling on a new Concorde Agreement, and sponsors watching on anxiously, no one knows quite what will happen next,” Tom Cary wrote in the Telegraph.

If you build it, they will come? The Nürburgring folly

Mark Hallam, Deutsche Welle

7/21/12

How do you take the world’s most famous racetrack, with relatively small financial woes, and turn it into a half-billion-euro hole in less than a decade? The answer’s simple: renovate it with things it doesn’t need.

…

The idea behind revamping the Nürburgring was to turn it into a publicly-traded company at least partially owned by private investors.

Two businessmen, Kai Richter and Georg Lindner, combined with then-Nürburgring CEO Walter Kafitz to convince the state government that the project was viable. The pair pledged to contribute to Nürburgring GmbH, and said others would flock to the project once the foundations were laid.

No new investors emerged. Midway through the construction process, Richter and Lindner themselves withdrew, saying they were out of money.

…

“Well, firstly, Richter and Lindner obviously must go!” Hahne said. “Secondly, the racing and ‘event’ segments of the company must be divided. And thirdly – this is most important – the race tracks must remain in public possession, either at the regional or federal level.”

His suggestion, in short, is to do everything possible to turn the clock back on five disastrous years, at a great cost to the state and the German taxpayer.

Famed German Tracks Leave Their Mark on Series

By BRAD SPURGEON, The New York Times

Published: July 20, 2012

With the advent of the Schumacher era, Formula One became so popular in Germany that for many years the country hosted both the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim and another race – either the European Grand Prix or the Luxembourg Grand Prix – at the Nürburgring. Since 2008, the German Grand Prix has rotated between the Nürburgring and Hockenheim, while the European Grand Prix has moved to Valencia, Spain.

But many of the most memorable races of the German Grand Prix took place at the old Nürburgring track, the Nordschleife, or north loop, which was a track 20.81 kilometers, or 12.93 miles, long, winding through the forests of the Eiffel hills. It was a roller coaster of a track and on it only the greatest drivers could prove their mettle.

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The Hockenheimring was redesigned in 2002, with a vast portion of long straights through the forest cut off in favor of a small track with a large, tight hairpin to facilitate overtaking.

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The distinctive, winding track in the stadium area has remained, however, and is a favorite for fans to see the cars and for the drivers to see the fans.

3 drivers were penalized for gearbox changes, Rosberg, Grosjean, and Webber (at Silverstone).  Perez was penalized for impeding in Q2.  Red Bull is in violation of Engine Torque mapping rules.  No penalty imposed.

Forecast is for a dry track. Coverage is at noon on Faux

Pretty tables below.

Jul 21 2012

F1 2012: Hockenheim Qualifying

Sigh.

Thank goodness this is the last tape delayed broad cast on Faux this season because it’s just impossible to keep up with the point paying positions without using Speed Racecast and that is live though there is some update lag.

Then you have to watch it to sync them up.

These are the same tricks I used for Valencia and Silverstone.

The good news is that it’s not quite as damp as Silverstone was.  In the morning Practice the weather wasn’t so bad and they were able to turn some laps on the Softs.  It rained all afternoon and the only tires that would work were the Inters.  This is kind of a problem because lots of teams have mid-season aero replacements that have never been tried.

Did I mention mid season?

Yup, race 10 of 20 followed next week by Hungary and then Formula One takes August off entirely.

If the race is run on dry tires the choices on offer are Mediums and Softs.  Hockenheim is known for a lot of brake and tire wear because of its high speed straights and tight corners.

Kobayashi was fined 25k euros for hitting 3 crewmen at Silverstone.  Maldonado received a 10k euro fine for wacking Perez.

Jul 08 2012

F1 2012: Silverstone

Rolling in the mud

So one of the features of my “vacation” is working in large unpaved parking areas in the rain which comes down quite heavily at times.  I solve this problem by not worrying about it (Oh, what a world) and bringing a change.  I think I’ve told you about hip deep (no shit) Valet Parking but maybe not about the upper and lower lakes which are basically huge bowls that won’t drain until the water reaches the top of your door locks.

The sad fact is that when it gets dark they bring in the skip loaders and chains and yank them out any old way they can (hey, it was a total loss to begin with.  Call your insurance company.) and tape off any water still standing.

So I have some sympathy for the poor sods at Silverstone-

A Soggy Return to ‘The Home of Motor Sport.’ Why?

By BRAD SPURGEON, The New York Times

July 7, 2012, 12:27 am

Overnight things went from bad to worse at Silverstone as the track director decided to tell ticket holders not to show up on Saturday for the practice and qualifying session. The public parking lots on grass and soil were so badly flooded that they decided to prevent ticket holders from driving to the track, in order to allow the parking lots to be in better conditions for Sunday’s race.

But will anything improve? It rained massively on Saturday afternoon, causing a 1 hour and 30 minute pause during the qualifying session. Furthermore, the forecast is for one month’s worth of rain falling over Saturday and Sunday. In fact, some 60 areas of the country are under severe flood warnings.

Seriously, this is like the #1 topic, how sucky the parking and traffic situation is in the midst of this mid-summer English monsoon.

Silverstone invokes "Dunkirk spirit" after rain chaos

By Alan Baldwin, The Star

Sunday, July 08, 2012

“We had to make a difficult decision yesterday which was really upsetting but I have to say today has been a much better day,” he told reporters after another big turnout for a rain-delayed qualifying session.

“A remarkable number of people actually got here somehow, I’m not quite sure how…and we are very grateful to the people who did stay at home. At least it’s given us breathing space now and we are looking forward to tomorrow.

“The fans seem to be very supportive and there’s a bit of a Dunkirk spirit about this one,” added Phillips.

Never wear anything you’d be afraid to throw away.

British Grand Prix events are regrettable but the blame must be shared, says Damon Hill

By Damon Hill, The Telegraph

9:00 PM BST 07 Jul 2012

Damon Hill was, until last year, president of BRDC, the owners of Silverstone.

It’s a great shame what happened on Friday but finger-pointing does no one any good. Clearly the British Grand Prix is a big event of massive importance to the sport and what has happened is regrettable, but I think it’s important to point out that the efficient running of it is not just an issue for Silverstone, or Formula One, or Northamptonshire, but for everyone.

What happened here is not an isolated case this summer. So many events have been hit. Together we need to work out how to make this, a premier national event, work smoothly, so we’re not embarrassed and people don’t suffer.

We are going to have wet weather; we are going to have wet races. So there needs to be a sensible analysis of how to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

And it’s a good thing they have that to talk about too because everything you thought you learned in Practice and Qualifying you really didn’t because for the first time in 2 days we’re going to start dry.

Pretty tables below.

Jul 07 2012

F1 2012: Silverstone Qualifying

Know much?  Me either.

Silverstone is everybody’s test track, but they haven’t done much.

The weekend is going to be Wet, Dry, Wet which means the only time they’ll get with the drys (Hard and Medium) is P3 and Qualifying.  It will be a challenge to see how they balance the chassis setup between Qualfying (dry) and Racing (wet).  Clear vision is a distinct advantage.  Most drivers Friday spent the majority of their time in the garage.  To be fair the place was an ice rink.

They won’t be using drys tomorrow though they could run out of Wets and Inters.  I wonder if someone will try to spare his Mediums?

Debrief was all rain games, spins, and blooper reels.  They did mention that negotiations on the new racing agreements are not going well which is amazingly reality based for them.

Guess they ran out of everything else.

Renault has no idea what is wrong with their alternators.  Test driver Maria de Villota of Marussia lost her right eye in a crash.

Coverage starts at 8 am on Speed.  Tomorrow the race is tape delayed until noon on Faux so I’ll have to use the same tricks I used for Valencia.  I’ll mostly be watching this today though because nothing important ever happens in the first 90 minutes of Le Tour.  It’s like Turn Left that way.

Jun 24 2012

Formula One: Valencia

So we’ve been following the Gerhard Gribkowsky case since August 2011.

As you may recall it’s alledged that Bernie Ecclestone paid Gerhard a bribe of $44 Million so that the sale of the Kirsh Group’s interest in Formula One was not only below market value, but also so they would not participate in any profit sharing.  Bernie’s counter-contention was that it was merely an extortion payment to hide the fact that he and his wife were evading $3.2 BILLION in taxes on the family trust fund.

Well, Wednesday Gribkowsky admitted accepting the bribe in Court-

Ex-BayernLB Banker Admits Taking Bribe on Formula 1 Sale

By Karin Matussek, Business Week

June 20, 2012

Gribkowsky told the Munich Regional Court today the indictment against him was “in most parts” correct. He made his declaration after closed chamber negotiations between the court, prosecutors, and his defense lawyers. In exchange for his confession, the judges informally agreed Gribkowsky would get a prison term of 7 years and 10 months to 9 years, Presiding Judge Peter Noll said at the hearing.

Prosecutors last year charged Gribkowsky, who managed Munich-based BayernLB’s interest in Formula One, with accepting bribes, breach of trust and tax evasion. They claim he received $44 million in bribes to steer the sale of the bank’s 47 percent stake in the racing circuit to CVC, a U.K.-based buyout firm, and also agreed to a sham contract under which Ecclestone received a kickback. Until today, Gribkowsky denied the claims.

“It took me a long time to come to terms with what I have done and to admit even to myself: Yes, it was bribery and yes, I should have paid tax,” Gribkowsky said in his first comments to the court since the trial began in October. “Still today I have troubles accepting this as a reality.”

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Ecclestone, who is being investigated by Munich prosecutors over the issue, has said he was caught up in a sophisticated shakedown and bribed Gribkowsky because he feared the banker might tell U.K. tax authorities about a family trust controlled by his then wife.

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BayernLB’s 47 percent share was sold for 840 million euros ($1.07 billion). Ecclestone asked for a kickback of $100 million from BayernLB for his role in setting up the sale, Gribkowsky told the judges. Gribkowsky reduced the amount to $66 million in negotiations and said he agreed to it knowing he had the power to reject Ecclestone’s demand completely.

…

Because Ecclestone didn’t want cover the cost of the bribes, Gribkowsky set up another scam to funnel money from BayernLB to the Formula One executive, according to the indictment. The bank manager signed a sham contract under which BayernLB had to pay Ecclestone a kickback of $41.4 million and another $25 million to his then wife’s trust, prosecutors claim.

Banker Admits Formula One Bribe

By LAURA STEVENS and DAVID CRAWFORD, The Wall Street Journal

June 20, 2012, 5:15 p.m. ET

Mr. Gribkowsky was arrested early last year after Munich prosecutors launched a probe into allegations that he accepted bribes from Mr. Ecclestone to divest BayernLB’s stake in Formula One for far below the actual value.

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BayernLB, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. secured a combined 75% equity stake in Formula One in 2002, part of a debt settlement plan from the bankruptcy of German media company Kirch Group.

F1 : Ecclestone in crisis as Gerhard Gribkowsky Formula 1 bribery affair develops

F1SA

Friday, 22 June 2012 09:41

The reinvigorated Formula One bribery affair has raised questions not only about the viability of the sport’s planned floatation, but about whether Bernie Ecclestone will lose his job or even face jail in Germany.

“Will Ecclestone go to Hockenheim?” the Die Welt newspaper, obviously musing a potential arrest now that former Formula 1 banker Gerhard Gribkowsky has confirmed the Formula 1 Chief Executive’s payments to him were indeed bribes, wondered.

…

German lawyer Sewarion Kirkitadze told Bild that Ecclestone ultimately face a prison sentence of “up to ten years”.

“He should also expect the prosecutor to prepare an international arrest warrant and an extradition request.”

Formula 1: Bernie Ecclestone Seeks Nothing Wrong in Paying Banker £28M

Auto Racing Daily

Jun 23, 2012

Bernie Ecclestone said that he had been “a bit stupid” to pay a German banker $44million (£28million) following the sale of Formula One to present owners CVC Capital Partners six years ago but insisted once again that he had done nothing wrong.

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“I have always said that we gave him money but it was not for what he said,” said the 81 year-old, who appeared as a witness at the trial in November. “He was shaking me down a bit and saying I had control of a family trust which was not true. He was doing the best he could. I was a little bit stupid – normally I would have told him to get lost.” Telegraph.co.uk

Ecclestone, 81, told Reuters that Gribkowsky had been putting him under pressure over his tax affairs. He paid some 10 million pounds ($16 million) to the banker to “keep him quiet” and not as alleged to smooth the sale of the Formula One stake to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.

Ecclestone puts brave face on Gribkowsky’s £28m bribe confession

David Tremayne, The Independent

Saturday 23 June 2012

As investment banker Gerhard Gribkowsky awaits sentence in Germany after confessing to taking a $44m (£28m) bribe, allegedly from Bernie Ecclestone, there has been inevitable speculation whether Ecclestone can escape being dragged further into the sport’s latest cause célèbre. It has already led to a delay in the proposed flotation of F1 in Singapore even though the $10bn (£6.4bn) valuation sought by rights holder CVC Capital Partners had been achieved by a recent sale of shareholdings to American investors.

Theoretically if somebody is found guilty of receiving a bribe then the person making the bribe can also be charged but, for Ecclestone, Valencia has been business as usual and he does not appear to have a care in the world. He blamed Gribkowsky for “shaking him down” while testifying at the Bavarian banker’s preliminary hearing, and his attorney Sven Thomas issued a statement after Gribkowsky’s confession claiming that it would have no impact on the prosecutors’ investigation into Ecclestone’s dealings.

Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone faces fresh allegations over £28 million ‘bribe’

By Tom Cary, F1 Correspondent, The Telegraph

10:31PM BST 20 Jun 2012

If Munich’s state prosecutors decide to go after Ecclestone, sources have indicated they might try to agree a financial settlement rather than go through a lengthy and costly trial with a billionaire in his eighties.

Should they press charges, it remains unclear what action, if any, CVC will decide to take. Ecclestone told The Daily Telegraph earlier this year that the private equity firm “could get rid of me tomorrow if it wanted to”.

These are extremely delicate times in the sport. CVC has sold more than £1.3billion worth of shares over the past few months ahead of a mooted flotation on the Singapore stock exchange later this year, although it says it intends to remain F1’s controlling shareholder. CVC declined to comment on Wednesday night.

I’ll be extremely surprised if any of this is mentioned today.

Speaking of surprises, in racing related news the headline is ‘Scuderia Marlboro UPC fails to advance to Q3’.  Timo Glock is too sick to race so only 23 cars will start.

Tire choices are Mediums and Softs.  Hardly any Softs escaped unused among the contenders in Qualifying so some of the big names in the back might attempt an early charge and extend strategy.  It will be Soft, Medium, Medium and after Canada I’d hardly expect any team to deviate.  It’s a fuel and brake hog so there could be some failures.

One newsworthy exchange that did air during Practice or Qualifying, I misremember, is that the stands are pretty empty this year.  The commentator observed that it’s hard to justify $400 for a ticket with 24% unemployment.  What did not get said is that there is discussion about dropping Valencia next year.

live stream?

Pretty tables below.

Jun 23 2012

Formula One: Valencia Qualifying

So, do you want to talk about tires?

Me either, but the engineers want to talk about tires because they’re very unhappy, calling them ‘unpredictable’.

Pirelli, for their part, deny this, saying that not only are they utterly reliable in their performance, but that durability and speed are consistent (though variable) throughout the range of racing temperatures which are beyond their control (being weather based and all).

All of this precipitated of course by Alonso’s spectacular late race, 7 place fold in Canada as he attempted to execute a skip pit advantage strategy that went disastrously wrong.

Please forgive my complete lack of sympathy for the Maranello crybabies of Scuderia Marlboro UPC.  The sad fact of the matter is that the Rules Committee is getting exactly the kind of competition they designed with 7 different winners in 7 races so far.  It’s a personal disappointment to me also since I’d prefer to see the possibility of a two stop vs. three stop, but I’d like a fuel weight strategy too and longer stops mean less ability to run away and hide in the lead.

So I entirely disagree with the concept that when you pit and for what is the dominant factor- they are like the weather, sucking equally and for everyone at the same time.  It’s still about qualifying to the extent of balancing saving tires and getting good position, a good start, and staying within a stop of the lead and out of trouble.

And if pit idiocy were eliminated McLaren would have a good team, so count your blessings.

Tomorrow’s broadcast is going to be challenging.  Tape delayed @ noon on Faux it makes my life miserable because the Speed Racecast at 8 am and that’s where I get my in-race positions.  I expect I’ll suffer through it like silent radio, taking periodic measurements.  Speed.com is supposed to live stream it too.

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