Recent rumors are around that Kimi Raikkonen is planning a more full season in WRC and possibly moving away from Formula 1. This once again sparks and would solidify the other rumors about Fernando Alonso possibly moving to Ferrari next season. Kimi has sparked a recent interest in rallying by participating in a snow and tarmac rally earlier this year. Could Ferrari/Fiat be using Kimi as a test driver or test bed to get into the WRC? I “believe” that Kimi has a contract through 2010 but as we all know, contracts can be bought out (right McLaren Mercedes?).
Kimi Raikkonen Rallying
A post just put out by www.autoblog.com stating that the FIA have already dropped the charges against FOTA in hopes that it will help bring the two organizations back to the negotiation table. Although the post was interesting, I actually found that the responses were more interesting. Most people were still hoping that FOTA come up with their new race series and rules. They want to see the “cutting edge technology” return to open wheeled racing with little regulation.
This is both good and bad. As I’ve stated in earlier posts, that the FIA are heading in the right direction but they’re doing it in the wrong fashion. We have to remember that anytime there is a rule change, that it will end up costing the teams millions upon millions of dollars or pounds. There has to be a progression and a plan in place and not drastic jumps in rule changes (unless it will save money in the long run). Also remember the Formula One is supposed to be the example in which the auto industry will follow. F1 should be able to make more “green” cars and they should be able to use technologies that are not in cars. It’s not just about racing but about how that technology brings racing to the next level. Padel shifting is a great example of this, along with many others and it’s these types of technologies that work their way into our everyday cars (well… almost everyday, exotic sports cars).
I’m also surprised by the FIA backing down a little bit. I actually thought this was going to end in a stalemate with both actually creating their own sport. However we’ve seen that with the possiblity of the teams and the FIA working together. This may pan out for the fans and the teams. I’m not holding my breath though, we all know how Mr. Mosley can screw it up. The question is “How?”
For the many of you that have watched Formula One over the years and how the rules have changed back and forth over the years, I’m interested to hear your thoughts on FOTA versus the FIA. It’s well known that Ferrari, Red Bull (both teams) and others have voiced that they do not care for the multi-tier cars in one series as well as the sudden budget drop due to happen in 2010. Rumors are already around about Ferrari and other manufacturers joining another racing series or creating one themselves. Please feel free to voice your thoughts and support your answers.
Personally, I would like to see Ferrari and the other teams to stay in Formula One. However, the FIA need to change their thinking and make it attractive for fans, teams and marketing. The problem that I see now is that the FIA have the right intentions with bringing the cost of the teams down. However, too drastic of a drop can make it nearly impossible for a team that has already spent the millions to get their teams at the top. A great example of this is Red Bull. For years they were at the bottom of the grid. They worked hard and now they are starting to see the rewards of their efforts. Now with the budget caps new teams can come in (Brawn GP) and with little money and support can be at the top.
Having a multi-tier car system doesn’t work for a single championship. Not even Le Mans does that. They still separate the racing categories and give championship points separately even though they are run at the same time. This doesn’t work.
The other part the FIA are missing marketing the new 2010 series. They are looking to the past results of what Formula One has brought to the world of Motorsport. However, with these new rules how will this be beneficial to marketing teams as well as fan support? There is a spending cap for 2010 now, so having sponsorship dollars going to the car will be very limited.
Should FOTA run Formula One? Part of me says yes and the other part says no. You need to have an outsider’s input to the series to help keep the sport fair. However, I think that a large part of the decision making should be done with the inclusion of FOTA. These are the teams that put their money, safety and reputations on the line and they should have a say on what should and shouldn’t be allowed. I think that both FOTA and FIA have to work together to get the most out of the sport.
The last thing that I want to say is that I think that the FIA are losing the vision of the epitomy of what Formula One should be. This is the best of the best. EVERYONE wants to be in Formula One. This is where technology should thrive and cars should sore. This is where automotive discoveries need to be found. I agree that Formula One should also start to look at more inovative ways that keep with current trends and lifestyles. An excellent example of this would be the developments in the KERS (Kintetic Energy Recovery System) and bio-fuels. These are the steps that are in the right direction and these are the reasons why Formula One is and should be the highest form of motorsport.
Correction to the post below:
The Turkish GP is June 6th and the Le Mans is June 13th. Sorry for the confusion. Therefore last weekend would still stand as the best weekend in motorsports.
Original Article:
Many people will say that the Monacod Grand Prix along with the Indianopolis 500 has to be the greatest weekend in motorsports of the year. However, I personally would like to put that as the “second” greatest weekend in motorsports. Only because I personally rank Le Mans higher than that of the Indy Racing League (IRL). I would like to say that “this” weekend is the greatest weekend in motorsport because we have the 24-Hours of Le Mans and Formula 1 (Turkish Grand Prix). You are correct that the Indy 500 has great history behind it and the glamour of Monaco is not rivaled by any motorsport but the Indy 500, in my mind, boring and Monaco is too tight for it to be exciting with very little overtaking. The Circuit De la Sarth and the Turkish circuits are both exciting and they include some of my favorite forms of motorsport. Please check your local listing for television times.
Kimi Raikkonen at the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix
2008 Circuit De la Sarth
Following the Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari have picked up the pace catching, but not passing the Brawn GP team. This is a significant boost to the Ferrari team to know that they are within reach of winning races again. Raikkonen finished 3rd and Massa finished 4th. It was good to see the Ferrari’s in front again. I was a little disappointed in Red Bull Racing with Vettle crashing out of the race. However, Webber did an outstanding job finishing in 5th place.
Now FOTA (Formula One Team Association) have filed provisional contracts for the 2010 season. This is mostly due to the multi teir system that the FIA are wanting to implement for the next season. Almost all the current teams (with the exception of Williams Toyota) have not signed for the 2010 season. However, new teams for next year have submitted for the 2010 season. Some of which are the USGP team, Lola and most recently, Prodrive. Ferrari will always be my number one pick… Kimi Raikkonen will always be my number one pick. However, I will be cheering for the USGP team and Prodrive. Prodrive is a favorite of mine only because of their success with the Subaru World Rally Team (being that I own a Subaru Impreza myself). David Richards did well with the BAR Honda team a couple of years back now and I hope to see him succeed in F1 once again.
Team Ferrari Tifosi; Scott Santiani, Daniel Lamb and Bernie Russnogle, won the Victory Racing Camp go-karting enduro this last Saturday. Reigning champs from the last race saw a new format to the endurance event, when only seven teams showed up for the fifteen team layout. So the organizers allowed for each team to run with two cars if they wanted. So our three person team devised a rotating plan to run twenty minutes in kart A, then transfer for another twenty minutes stint in kart B, then have a twenty minute rest before starting all over again.
We elected to start off with Dan in the 19 kart and Bernie in the 9 kart. Both karts seemed to be well tuned for the event. We were given three warm-up laps in which we had the chance to warm up the tires and get an idea of how the course was going to be. Once we lined up on the grid, kart 19 had a transmitter problem and was forced to take one more lap to ensure its functionality. This put Dan in last place and Bernie in first place on the grid. Upon the start of the race, Bernie maintained the lead into the first corner and Dan made a brilliant start jumping up several places before turn one. By the end of the first lap Bernie had already set several second lead and Dan had already made up ground for second place. For the first five laps or so Dan and Bernie traded positions and each turning fast laps. However some time before the tenth lap, Dan and Bernie were coming up on lap traffic, where Bernie took the inside line and Dan took the outside line; splitting the lapped person. Due to some miscalculations on the lapped kart, Dan was forced to take a wider line and then a mechanical failure of the drive belt caused him to lose control and end up in the grass in turn one. This was a disaster for the Tifosi (Kart B) team. However, keeping the charge going to ensure the placement wasn’t lost team Ferrari kept pushing. Ten minutes had gone by but with nothing sure about the Tifosi rejoining the race. Then Tifosi started back up and in a car that had a bad clutch. This equated to lower speeds and slower throttle response but grip was better than the Team Ferrari kart.
After twenty minutes had gone by we did our first exchange. Where Bernie came in first to send out Scott Santiani and then a couple laps later, Dan came in to exchange with Bernie for his second twenty minute stint. This is where we could tell the difference in the karts and how much different they really were. Scott Santiani, a SyKart indoor league champion, was blindingly quick in the Team Ferrari kart easily passing Bernie in the clutch-crippled kart. Twenty minutes later another exchange between the drivers took place.
Per the rules, each team had to stop at least four times with one of those stops being a mandatory four minute fuel stop. Finding a good time to come in for that stop was challenging and we decided on both cars to wait for the last exchange. With this in mind we changed up the strategy and sent in Team Tifosi into the fuel first. This would allow for more time to try and overtake cars that still had to do their fuel stop. Unfortunately this was a strategy that originally was a mistake by Bernie who called in Scott Santiani first. However, this mistake may have been a blessing in disguise. Being down a lap going into the fuel exchange, we were lucky to have better track position with less congestion after the fuel stop. Once both karts did their final exchange (Bernie in the number 9 kart and Scott in the 23 kart) we continued to push each other to overtake the team in third position. Our final result paid off and we ended up first and third. Team Ferrari won with 107 laps completed for the two hour event, five laps ahead of second place.
Once again Victory Racing Camp (www.victoryracingcamp.org) did a great job putting a flawless event together with an excellent BBQ to top it off. The next event will be August 22nd and we hope to see more team out there. Until then, Scott, Dan and Bernie will continue to practice to defend their title.
As of late, I’ve found myself not siding with the decisions of the FIA and Max Mosely. I’m finding it hard to believe that when a number of teams and supporters threaten to pull from the very heritage of the sport and the governing body won’t listen… then there’s a problem. Something has happened to the integrity of the sport and I’m afraid that it’s not just the teams that will suffer but the fans as well. I’m a Formula One fan but I’m slowly starting to pull my interests away from F1, if Ferrari and other manufacturers pull from the F1 Championship. It defeats the whole purpose of manufacturers participating in motorsports. I find it sad that an old, grumpy man cries like a little baby when he doesn’t get his way (a figure of speech Mr. Mosley, don’t get your panties all up in bunch. Although from last year’s tabloids it appears that he likes to be punished…) I understand that the FIA needs to put together rules and regulations and administer penalties when they are due. However, rule changes are usually changed, added, deleted or modified when there is a calling for it “and” for when teams request it; NOT when the governing body “feels” like it. I support Ferrari in their legal action against the FIA for implementing rules that did not go through the proper processes, regardless of the FIA “thinks”. The FIA is really starting to become a JOKE and I’m losing my interest in all of the FIA sanctioned events (i.e.: World Rally Championship and the lack of manufacturers in the now deemed, the Ford and Citroen show). I hope that the FIA will get their act together and start working “with” the teams and not “against” them. There should be happy mediums and better project planning. Think of it this way guys and girls… for every rule change it ends up costing the teams millions. Thanks for that!
Over the last couple of days, Ferrari have sent out numerous quit threats to the FIA if it doesn’t come to a more agreeable solution to the spending cap and to the removal of the multi-tier rules. Then Ferrari sent out a written quit threat that the FIA have not taken seriously or seriously enough. Now, with the support of other teams such as Renault, BMW, Toyota and the Red Bull (both Scuderia Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing) Teams, will the FIA take the treat more seriously? It’s hard to say. According to
F1technical.net, Bernie Ecclestone thinks that Ferrari won’t quit and is confident that an agreement will come to surface. However, as of right now, the FIA don’t seem to be budging on the topic nor do they act like they are going to. I feel that if the teams stick together on this one, the teams will have a chance at getting what they want, which is one set of rules and a more agreeable price reduction. The general consensus is that all the teams do want a lower team price cap but to also encourage to do it in stages over a longer period of time rather than all at once. As it sits right now, Formula One may go to the privateers because there will be no or little manufacturer involvement. That would not only be sad but bad for the sport and for marketing of the automobile industry all together.
To better prepare myself though, I think about, “what if Ferrari left Formula One?” Honestly the best and next option would to go to Le Mans racing. I would love to see Ferrari build a P1 car to race against the Audi and Peugeot race teams. I also think that the other teams such as BMW, Renault, Toyota and Red Bull would do well there too. Many of the technologies can move over and would make for some great racing once again. Not to say that there’s not good racing in Le Mans. I find endurance racing to be one of my favorites along with Formula One and World Rally Championship racing.
So the ball is in the FIA’s court. They are essentially going to be the decision for whether Ferrari and other teams will remain in Formula One.
Ferrari started the fifth round of the grand prix season on an upswing with the new evolution of their car, the F60B. The car was made considerably lighter and more stable with new aerodynamic (cough – Super Diffuser – cough) pieces. By the final practice on Saturday before the round of Qualifying, Ferrari had once again stepped into familiar territory, at the top of the time sheet table. Once again, “Good” had made it back into the Ferrari garage.
However, Qualifying would be a completely different story. Not learning from past mistakes, Kimi Raikkonen set out early to set a time and then failed to go back out as times came tumbling down. Soon the Fin would be out in the first round of Qualifying putting him in 16th place. This is “Bad” for Ferrari and an outrage from a fan’s point of view because we could all see it and wondered, “what was Ferrari thinking?” Did they not learn from their mistakes from Massa’s qualifying catastrophe in Malaysia? I’d like to think that I could be the guy in the Ferrari garage screaming at the engineers to get Kimi and Massa out on the track. However, I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t happen. Do you think with all the potential price cuts people are starting to cross train in other fields and they are losing track of their focus? I’m sure there are a thousand things going on in the garage that we, the public, are not aware of but someone has to be responsible for not sending Kimi out. I mean let’s really look at this, over the last several rounds of qualifying all the cars have been so close to one another. We are talking that most of the time they are within a second of one another between ten cars or more. So why wouldn’t you send someone out on the track when times are going down. The only reason that I can think of is that there was a mechanical problem with the car and Ferrari didn’t want to expose them. Maybe there’s something deeper that the public are not aware of. Because in the end, Kimi’s car failed on him after he had pushed the car from sixteenth starting position to ninth, when the car failed and he was out of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Kimi Raikkonen doesn't get our of Q1 at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2009
Then to top off Ferrari’s weekend was the fact that Ferrari didn’t put enough fuel in the car telling Massa to slow down when he was fighting for a podium finish. This was such an “Ugly” scene to see. Having to let Sebastian Vettel by and then later on the final lap, letting Fernando Alonso by was the knife in Ferrari’s back. Massa was a trooper though and I will admit that even though Kimi is my main man in Formula 1, Massa is finally starting to get on my good side. I like the way he ended last season’s championship finish humbly and respectfully. In my mind, he’s finally starting to become a class act.
There is light at the end of the tunnel though and it’s not a train either. I like that Ferrari have evolution-ized the car and that they’ve finally become fast again. They are not at the top of the time tables all the time like the Brawn GP and Red Bull teams but they are progressing, where McLaren Mercedes if failing. I like that Kimi and Massa are still up-beat about the team and they’re confident that they can once again be at the top. Although my Fantasy Formula 1 League is boding well for me, I have hopes that Ferrari’s, Cavallino Rampante will once again have free reign over the field. Go Ferrari Go!
Event: Oregon Trail Pro Rally pre-race event.
Where: Carr Subaru
Time: 7:00pm
Special Guests: Travis Pastrana and Ken Block from the US Subaru Team
Who’s invited: Free for EVERYONE! These guys are great ambassadors to the sport and will be a great pleasure to be around!
Travis Pastrana
