Confession time. I have always been a bit sceptical about the Le Mans 24 Hours. There is nothing to doubt about its prestige, or the special challenge it presents. It clearly is one of the most important races on the planet. But as a spectacle to watch on television, I have always been a bit […]
What do Williams need to change?
Over the past week or so, rumours that big changes are afoot at Williams have been ramping up. Last week when I saw that a German website had written about this, I prepared a simple but telling graph looking at the form of Williams over the years. But I refrained from publishing it in case […]
The Williams F1 simulator and museum
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 […]
Schumacher calls off comeback; Badoer deputises!
A pain in the neck has brought a halt to Michael Schumacher’s planned comeback. The injuries caused by his motorcycle accident in February have proved too much to cope with. There were rumblings about his neck immediately after his first test in an F2007, but the extent of the problem was not made clear. The […]
Michael Schumacher returns to race for Ferrari
Wow, a day certainly is a long time in F1. I am not sure when I will get round to actually writing about the Hungarian GP, though at least there is a long break until the next race. But the big news this evening is that the next race will feature Michael Schumacher on the […]
The testing ban: another botched rule change?
It has to be said, unintended consequences are never far away in the world of F1 rule changes. For just one example, take a look at how quickly aerodynamic flick-ups have resurfaced, despite their supposed banning. Skate fins? What on earth? Now we are presented with a number of oddities that have come about as […]
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 […]
From the vaults: Old F1 magazines
Okay, so it’s not from the vaults, it’s from my attic. I just happened to mention in passing to “me” from Sidepodcast on Identica the short-lived F1 magazine GPX. He asked me to upload it so that he could see what it was like, so I took photos of the two issues of GPX I […]
Two contrasting diets
One of the stories that emerged during the recent Olympic Games was the extraordinary diet of Michael Phelps who won eight Olympic gold medals this year. The swimmer takes in an incredible 12,000 calories per day. Here is his intake for the day: Breakfast Three fried egg sandwiches topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions […]
Bluffer’s guide — Part 3: teams and drivers
At last, bluffer’s guide makes its return. For the past couple of months I’ve been too busy to continue the series, but now I have some more free time. Previous bluffer’s guides have looked at the rules and aspects of strategy. This guide will look at issues around teams and drivers: how they enter, why […]