The final part of the factory tour was the chance to see the simulator. It is an impressive piece of kit. The driver sits in a cockpit, surrounded by a massive screen that curves round to take up his entire field of vision. Little wonder it has been known to induce sickness. Drivers are advised […]
BMW – Bizarre Manufacturer Withdrawal
The other big news of yesterday was the sudden withdrawal of BMW from Formula 1. This season will be their last. It can’t be called a complete shock. It had become very fashionable in F1 circles to say something like, “I am sure one or two or all of BMW, Renault and Toyota will pull […]
Forza Felipe
I will review the Hungarian Grand Prix soon, but I have a couple of other articles I need to get out of the way first. I didn’t want to do any of that before mentioning Felipe Massa. It goes without saying that I deeply hope that Felipe Massa makes a full recovery, and that it […]
How is Kimi Räikkönen viewed by the Tifosi?
For a long time, Kimi Räikkönen has been the subject of much innuendo. He is often criticised for his known partiality to a tipple and condemned for being apparently disinterested. A few races ago BBC pundit David Coulthard described his former team mate as “the laziest driver you ever saw”. After the Malaysian Grand Prix, […]
Yet another McLaren controversy
The story surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix has moved quickly without me having had a chance to write about it yet. There are so many aspects to this story. First of all, it’s worth looking at the role of the FIA stewards here, and the process behind how stewards make their […]
The Red Bull RB5 launch
Among the final cars to launch was the Red Bull Racing RB5, which was launched yesterday. We can safely assume that the Toro Rosso will be very similar, while we are led to believe that the Force India will be in large part a McLaren customer car. Everything has gone all quiet on the Honda […]
The day when ‘GP’ stands for ‘Gifts and Presents’
For those of you who were celebrating, I hope you all had a great Christmas. I had a great time and a number of Formula 1-based gifts were involved. Keith at F1Fanatic wrote a series of posts outlining F1 gift ideas, but none of the gifts I received were featured by Keith. Firstly I got […]
Memories of ITV-F1
ITV showed that when it mattered, they could cover an unfolding event properly. Even though it was a low point for Formula 1, the 2005 United States Grand Prix was a high point for ITV’s coverage. When it became clear that there was a chance that the race would go ahead without the Michelin runners, […]
Twelve years of ITV-F1
As well as David Coulthard’s career, the Brazilian Grand Prix brought down the curtain on another fixture of Formula 1 life. ITV broadcast their last grand prix before Formula 1 moves back to the BBC for 2009 onwards. ITV’s first race was way back in 1997, the Australian Grand Prix. “Do not adjust your sets,” […]
Felipe Massa: A worthy runner-up
I think this year Felipe Massa has converted a lot of people. Particularly, his performance — both on and off the track — were a demonstration on what a true sportsman should be all about. After turning in a perfect performance in challenging conditions, Massa had the World Championship snatched from his grasp by events […]