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 […]
2009 mid-season driver rankings: part 2
10. Kimi Räikkönen Increasingly, Kimi Räikkönen comes across as a disinterested Formula 1 driver. Any sense that last year may have been a blip has faded further. In Räikkönen’s favour, it is clear that his Ferrari car is probably one of the worst he has driven in years. But once again he is being outclassed […]
The championship changes focus
Brawn GP have had about a month in the spotlight. With their Lazarus-like rebirth, their fairytale Melbourne victory and the diffuser controversy, no-one has been able to stop talking about them. The dominance of their performance in Melbourne led many to suspect that Brawn would have at least the first few races completely wrapped up. […]
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 […]
2009 F1 season preview: Part 2
Continuing my look at how I think the teams line up going into the new season. 5. McLaren-Mercedes There has been lots of speculation over McLaren’s position throughout the winter. In the past month or so it has emerged that McLaren appear to have major problems finding grip at the rear. The McLaren has scarcely […]
Could Melbourne be a dusk race?
We have just about become comfortable with the concept of night races, after the success of last year’s Singapore Grand Prix. But in Bernie Ecclestone’s quest to have all races starting at a sociable hour in Europe, could he have inadvertently invented the dusk race? There were a couple of close calls last season. The […]