Are hopes for a Korean Grand Prix in 2012 disappearing down the plughole? Last weekend saw the second Korean Grand Prix. Already there are murmurs that it may be the last. Autosport are today reporting that the Korean Grand Prix organisers are seeking to renegotiate their contract with Bernie Ecclestone in order to stem their […]
Who calls the shots at Williams?
Here is a list of names: Patrick Head Sam Michael Adam Parr Frank Williams Toto Wolff This has been a turbulent week for Williams. Sam Michael has resigned as the team’s technical director. Along with him, chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson will also go. The team’s Chairman Adam Parr also offered his resignation. It is a […]
Blue flags debate reveals F1′s problem
Two influential figures in Formula 1 have begun to argue in favour of getting rid of blue flags in F1. The problem is that neither appears to understand motorsport. Both are businessmen who are in F1 to make more cash. They both also happen to be involved in F1 teams that are stuck at the […]
What went wrong with Williams?
I’ll be upfront here. While many like Williams, with their “plucky underdog” status and stridently independent approach, they have never been my among my favourite teams. To the extent that I have ever liked them, it has been as the anti-Ferrari. In other words, I like them about as much as I like McLaren, which […]
Tentative thumbs-up for the Conservative—Lib Dem coalition
A few days ago I wrote optimistically about the prospect of a coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Now that we have a coalition for real, I feel even more cheered. Part of my argument in my earlier post was that there needs to be cultural change in politics. When I listened to […]
The bad and ugly sides of the new F1 teams
Yesterday, I began looking at this year’s new F1 teams. This was following Ferrari’s controversial blog post and the news surrounding some of the new teams that has dominated the F1 news websites. Yesterday I looked at the good aspect of the process — the relative success of Lotus and Virgin. Today, I turn my […]
The state of the new teams (part 1)
As I mentioned a couple of days ago, Ferrari have raised eyebrows by choosing to speak the truth about the new teams in Formula 1: This is the outcome: two teams will limp into the start of the championship, a third is being pushed into the ring by an invisible hand – you can be […]
Fondly remember the past of ITV? Try living with STV today
This the accompanying article to my contribution to this week’s edition of The Pod Delusion. Parts of it are based on a previous article, What is STV playing at? You can listen to the full podcast below. In a recent episode of The Pod Delusion, Mark Thompson spoke about the good old days when ITV […]
Mercedes Schumacher move – crass marketing stunt
After weeks of speculation, it is set to be revealed today that Michael Schumacher has signed a three year deal with for Mercedes. The rumour first surfaced when Eddie Jordan opened his notoriously big mouth. Everyone laughed at the time, but as the weeks went on it became clearer that the prospect was serious. By […]
Brawn — another historic name disappears
Okay, so Brawn may only have been in Formula 1 for less than one year. But undoubtedly it is a name and a team that will go down in history. There was a magnetic attraction to the Cinderella story that was the life of Brawn GP. Until March, the existence of the former Honda team […]