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Post by TennisHack on Sept 26, 2004 19:53:37 GMT -5
China GP Race Result:
1. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari 56 laps 1hr 29min 12.420secs
2. Jenson Button Britain BAR-Honda +01.000secs
3. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +01.400secs
4. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +32.500secs
5. Juan Montoya Colombia Williams-BMW +45.100secs
6. Takuma Sato Japan BAR-Honda +54.700secs
7. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Sauber-Petronas +65.400secs
8. Felipe Massa Brazil Sauber-Petronas +80.000secs
9. David Coulthard Britain McLaren-Mercedes +80.600secs
10. Mark Webber Australia Jaguar-Cosworth +1 lap
11. Jacques Villeneuve Canada Renault-Renault +1 lap
12. Michael Schumacher Germany Ferrari-Ferrari +1 lap
13. Nick Heidfeld Italy Jordan-Ford +1 lap
14. Olivier Panis France Toyota-Toyota +1 lap
15. Timo Glock Germany Jordan-Ford +1 lap
16. Zsolt Baumgartner Hungary Minardi-Cosworth +3 laps
Rtd Gianmaria Bruni Italy Minardi-Cosworth 38 laps completed
Rtd Ralf Schumacher Germany Williams-BMW 37 laps completed
Rtd Ricardo Zonta Brazil Toyota-Toyota 35 laps completed
Rtd Christian Klien Austria Jaguar-Cosworth 11 laps completed
Fastest lap: Michael Schumacher Ferrari-Ferrari 1min 32.238secs lap 56
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 26, 2004 19:59:22 GMT -5
Schumi: That was more interesting than I wanted!SUNDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2004 www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=1&nid=100180World champion Michael Schumacher is widely regarded as one of the luckier drivers in Formula One, but the German's fortune appeared to have gone sightseeing when the grand prix circus touched down in China. Already relegated to the back of the grid by a qualifying spin, the German opted to start from the pit-lane with a full fuel load, but then struggled to make headway against lighter-loaded opponents. Just as he did get motoring, however, Schumacher collided with Jaguar's Christian Klien - surviving the clash where the Austrian didn't - and then enduring another high-speed spin that pushed him back down the order. That wasn't it, either, for a late-race puncture ensured that the highlight of the Ferrari driver's afternoon would be battling with brother Ralf and fellow world champion Jacques Villeneuve en route to a twelfth place finish. “That was a slightly more interesting race than I would have wanted," he smiled afterwards, "But, at least all the unlucky things have come in just one race weekend, so hopefully we will have no more this season. “I tried to pass Christian when I saw the door was open, but he turned in as I was halfway alongside. It was just a normal racing incident. Then I had a spin as I was following Alonso very closely in his slipstream and lost downforce. Finally, the puncture on the left rear tyre cost me a lot of time as I had to drive a long part of the track at very slow speed. Because I came into the pits too early, the team decided to change my strategy, but it was to no avail.” Magnanimous to the last, however, Schumacher again took delight in seeing Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello claim the victory. “I am happy that Ferrari won today," he insisted, "If one driver fails, the other is there - that is the way we share our responsibilities. Congratulations to Rubens.”
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 26, 2004 20:01:51 GMT -5
We need to sort starts, insists ButtonSUNDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2004 www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=1&nid=100178Jenson Button was happy enough to claim his fourth runners-up finish of the 2004 at the Chinese Grand Prix, but insisted that he could have been a contender for victory had it not been for a slow getaway at the start. The Briton had qualified third behind eventual winner Rubens Barrichello, but dropped to fifth away from the lights as he bogged down and both Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso took advantage to move ahead of the BAR. Although Button subsequently showed his new overtaking prowess by despatching both men, he knew that any hope of victory had gone. "It was a good race for us, and I was very happy to get second, but the starts have been a bit of a problem lately for us, and to lose two places off the start - almost three places - was disastrous," he said, "It is something we need to work on. If we have that, we will be a lot closer to challenging for our first win." Button's qualifying performance was rendered all the more impressive when it transpired that he had more fuel on board than many of his rivals. The Briton stopped later than both the drivers ahead of him - Barrichello and Kimi Raikkonen - and then surprised many people by showing that he was running a two-stop strategy in contrast to the widely-preferred three-stop option. The move allowed Button to get ahead of Raikkonen, but he did not quite have enough in hand to prevent Barrichello from taking his second win of the year. "The thinking behind it was that we thought it was quicker," he revealed, "We weren't sure what these two guys were going to do pit-stop-wise, but I saw them pit on lap twelve and come out extremely quickly after a short fill, so I realised that they were probably on three stops, and I was pretty happy. "It does put you under a little bit more pressure because the car is a lot heavier but, for me, it was a good race. When you know the other guys out there are doing a three-stop and you are doing two, it does make it fairly difficult mentally, because you have got so much weight on board. Towards the end, Rubens seem to be very, very quick, and was able to pull that gap out on me when I had made both my stops. He still had to pit and, when I saw I was 27s behind, I knew it was going to be very difficult when he finally stopped. Being able to push was almost impossible because, with that much weight, you get a lot of understeer and it was pretty tough." In the closing stages of the race, however, Button began eating into the Brazilian's advantage, but he admitted that he never really thought that he had a chance to win. "I didn't really know if he was just backing off, or if he was just slow at that time," he said, "I was just concentrating on the queue behind. Trying to close the gap was very difficult because, suddenly, he would put in some very quick laps. "Obviously, your main aim is to win the race, so my main aim was to catch Rubens - but I also had my mirrors full of Kimi at the end. He was putting in some very quick laps and it was very difficult, because I knew that, if I caught Rubens, it would be very difficult to overtake and I would also lose downforce in the high speed corners and Kimi would be a lot closer. So it was tough, but coming home second is good for the team and we have scored some good points."
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 30, 2004 23:46:07 GMT -5
Ultimatum forced Ecclestone's hand - reports
Fri 1 October, 2004 03:48
LONDON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone has said he was forced to drop the British Grand Prix from next year's calendar after the owners of the Silverstone circuit forced his hand with a "take it or leave it offer".
According British newspaper reports on Friday, Ecclestone ended 54 years of Formula One racing in Britain after a letter from the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) had forced his hand with an ultimatum.
"They came to me with a letter which more or less said 'take it or leave it'. The obvious thing they should know is that when they say that to me, that is an opportunity to leave it," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in the Daily Express.
Silverstone, a former World War Two airfield in central England, hosted the first Formula One grand prix in 1950 and only Britain and Italy have hosted a race every year since then.
Formula One sources said the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, which earned a late reprieve this year, could also be dropped to trim the provisional calendar from an unprecedented 19 races to 17.
China and Bahrain made their debuts this year and Turkey is due to be included for the first time in 2005.
Ecclestone, who has called the British race a 'country fair masquerading as a world event', had set Thursday as a deadline for offers to promote the event.
The non-profit-making BRDC made an offer to Ecclestone's Formula One Management to promote the race for the next three years, despite the likelihood that they would lose money, but it was not enough.
"There is no going back. They had until this date to come up with a contract and all I have is a contract saying they cannot afford my terms," he told the Express, explaining why he had declined the final offer.
SUPER DEAL
"I try to be fair and honest with everybody but I cannot give Silverstone what they want because it isn't fair to the other circuits around the world.
"The deal I offered them was already on the old terms and the cheapest in Europe and the rest of the world. It was a really super deal. We have gone along with them for a long time but I couldn't do any more.
"They don't want to take a risk. In fact, they don't want to do anything that doesn't suit them.
"We took a lot of time over Shanghai getting the deal right and the people there went and built this magnificent circuit. Turkey next year will be great as well.
"You can't go around the world asking people to build these terrific facilities and then we have this thing back in England called Silverstone that we are ashamed of."
In an interview aired on ITN news on Thursday, Ecclestone said there was still a slim chance that Silverstone could host a race next season if the teams agreed an 18-race season.
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Post by TennisHack on Oct 13, 2004 15:03:23 GMT -5
Japan GP Race Result:
1. Michael Schumacher Germany Ferrari-Ferrari 53 laps 1hr 24min 26.985secs
2. Ralf Schumacher Germany Williams-BMW +14.000secs
3. Jenson Button Britain BAR-Honda +19.600secs
4. Takuma Sato Japan BAR-Honda +31.700secs
5. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +37.700secs
6. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +39.300secs
7. Juan Montoya Colombia Williams-BMW +55.300secs
8. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Sauber-Petronas +56.200secs
9. Felipe Massa Brazil Sauber-Petronas +89.600secs
10. Jacques Villeneuve Canada Renault-Renault +1 lap
11. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +1 lap
12. Christian Klien Austria Jaguar-Cosworth +1 lap
13. Nick Heidfeld Italy Jordan-Ford +1 lap
14. Olivier Panis France Toyota-Toyota +2 laps
15. Timo Glock Germany Jordan-Ford +2 laps
16. Gianmaria Bruni Italy Minardi-Cosworth +3 laps
Rtd Zsolt Baumgartner Hungary Minardi-Cosworth 41 laps completed
Rtd Rubens Barrichello Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari 38 laps completed
Rtd David Coulthard Britain McLaren-Mercedes 38 laps completed
Rtd Mark Webber Australia Jaguar-Cosworth 20 laps completed
Fastest lap:
Rubens Barrichello Ferrari-Ferrari 1min 32.730secs lap 30 new lap record
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Post by TennisHack on Oct 21, 2004 1:22:56 GMT -5
BAR win contract tug-of-war over Button
Wed 20 October, 2004 19:26
By Alan Baldwin
SAO PAULO, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Briton Jenson Button will drive for BAR next year but is likely to join Williams in 2006 after Formula One's Contract Recognition Board (CRB) ended a tug-of-war between the teams on Wednesday.
The decision, announced three days after a hearing involving all parties in Milan, dashed the 24-year-old's hopes of an immediate return to the team with which he made his grand prix debut in 2000.
Button, with a career best third place in the championship secured, had agreed a two-year deal with BMW-powered Williams on advice from his management but BAR said their contract was watertight and still had a year to run.
Williams, preparing for this weekend's final Brazilian Grand Prix, said in a statement that they were disappointed but recognised the verdict and would not challenge it.
"Naturally we are disappointed with the CRB's conclusion. We took the view that Jenson was a driver worth challenging for, and based on strong legal advice, we have no regrets about making a bid for his services," said Frank Williams.
"The CRB accepted a significant number of the...team's arguments, but nevertheless found against us.
"We do not believe any further legal action in relation to this matter to be in the broader interests of the sport. In spite of the CRB's conclusion, which relates to 2005, we will maintain our close relationship with Jenson for 2006."
BUTTON DISAPPOINTED
The Swiss-based Contract Recognition Board is an independent body, backed by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA), that resolves contract disputes in the notoriously litigious sport.
A driver can only enter the world championship if he has a recognised contract.
"Naturally, I am disappointed by the ruling, but as a matter of principle, I firmly believe in standing by the decision the CRB have reached today," said Button in the Williams statement.
"BAR have been extremely professional at the race track during this process, and I expect this to continue. I look forward to joining the BMW WilliamsF1 Team in the future."
Button, whose 10 podium finishes in 17 races have helped BAR become the revelation of the season, will stay and lead the team alongside confirmed Japanese driver Takuma Sato.
Williams wanted Button to partner Australian Mark Webber, signed from the soon to disappear Jaguar team, in what would have been an all-new lineup replacing Germany's Ralf Schumacher and Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.
Schumacher is moving to Toyota and Montoya to McLaren.
The ruling will come as a blow to compatriots Anthony Davidson and David Coulthard who had hoped they might replace Button at BAR.
Williams may now opt for Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia, the test driver who stood in for the injured Schumacher in four races this season.
If they do, that would recreate Jaguar's 2003 line-up before that team dismissed Pizzonia for poor results.
Team boss Frank Williams has however spoken strongly of the Brazilian's potential.
Williams said they would make an announcement on their 2005 lineup "in due course".
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Post by TennisHack on Oct 21, 2004 1:26:35 GMT -5
British GP is off again!THURSDAY 21ST OCTOBER 2004 www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=1&nid=101620Silverstone's return to the Formula One calendar appears to have been absurdly brief, with Formula One tsar Bernie Ecclestone claiming that the British Grand Prix is not likely to feature on the final calendar issued in December. The announcement, which appeared in Britain's Daily Express newspaper and has yet to be officially confirmed by either the British Racing drivers' Club or the FIA, apparently follows the end of negotiations which had been ongoing over the length of a provisional contract that would allow Silverstone to continue hosting the F1 world championship while buying time for it to begin renovation work. To that extent, the BRDC had been pressing for a two-year initial contract with a five-year extension, while Ecclestone was only offering one year conformed, with an option on a further six. Talks were also continuing over the amount to be paid by the BRDC for the right to hold the event, but it is not thought that this was the main issue that caused the latest breakdown in negotiations. "We have been unable to reach agreement on the length of the commitment or the financial terms, so we will have to admit defeat and end the discussions," Ecclestone said, "What more can anyone do? The BRDC want everything their way, [but] business life is not like that. It looks certain that there will not be a British Grand Prix in 2005." Ecclestone went on to say that he had already given the BRDC more leeway than he would any other grand prix and, with other potential venues continuing to queue up for a place on an already over-crowded schedule, he felt that time had run out for what he has previously referred to as 'a gentleman's club short of gentlemen' "I have one country knocking down my door for a race who are prepared to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to build a state-of-the-art circuit for F1 in the 21st century, and to make a guaranteed commitment to pay substantially more than we have agreed to accept from the BRDC," he let on, "That is a seven-year deal, with an option on our part to extend by five years. "I can't make a sensible business case for turning them down in order to give the BRDC a two-year deal at a significant discount - which [is what] they want while they make up their minds what they want to do. If in two years the BRDC decides it does not want to exercise the option, F1 will have lost the chance of an attractive new venue." Silverstone had been handed a provisional date - 3 July - on the provisional F1 schedule issued by the World Motor Sport Council last week, sparking the belief that the race would go ahead. The final calendar is due to be issued on 10 December, but it now looks as though Silverstone will be among the expected two casualties needed to bring the number of events down to the Concorde Agreement-approved 17.
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Post by TennisHack on Oct 21, 2004 1:41:04 GMT -5
de la Rosa serves up excitement for tennis acesWEDNESDAY 20TH OCTOBER 2004 www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=1&nid=101630Three of the world's best tennis players experienced the thrill of high speed from the passenger seat of a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, driven by Formula One test driver Pedro de la Rosa. The Jarama event was staged in conjunction with Mercedes' sponsorship of the Madrid Masters tennis tournament, and gave Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Nalbandian and Paradorn Srichaphan the chance to see what the marque's latest model was all about. "It was an incredible and unforgettable experience - a pure rush of adrenalin," local hero Ferrero admitted after completing two laps with fellow Spaniard de la Rosa. Like Ferrero, Argentine Nalbandian and Thai Srichaphan said that they were impressed by the performance of the 600bhp street racer, but added that they never felt less than safe in their chauffeur's hands. "Pedro is an extremely skilful driver, so I did not feel at all frightened although the speed was really very extreme," world number ten Nalbandian commented, "I was impressed by just how well the car could be controlled despite such extremely high speed." Srichaphan declared that the experience was like 'venturing into a new dimension of speed'. "Never in my whole life have I driven a car myself or been driven at such a speed before," he exclaimed. Nalbandian, the 2002 Wimbledon finalist, returned the favour by giving de la Rosa a spot of tennis practice at Masters' venue, Pabellon de Cristal.
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Post by TennisHack on Oct 24, 2004 15:47:03 GMT -5
Brazilian GP - Race Result
1. Juan Montoya Colombia Williams-BMW 71 laps 1hr 28min 01.541secs
2. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +01.000secs
3. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +24.000secs
4. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +48.900secs
5. Ralf Schumacher Germany Williams-BMW +49.700secs
6. Takuma Sato Japan BAR-Honda +50.200secs
7. Michael Schumacher Germany Ferrari-Ferrari +50.600secs
8. Felipe Massa Brazil Sauber-Petronas +62.300secs
9. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Sauber-Petronas +63.800secs
10. Jacques Villeneuve Canada Renault-Renault +1 lap
11. David Coulthard Britain McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
12. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +1 lap
13. Ricardo Zonta Brazil Toyota-Toyota +1 lap
14. Christian Klien Austria Jaguar-Cosworth +2 laps
15. Timo Glock Germany Jordan-Ford +2 laps
16. Zsolt Baumgartner Hungary Minardi-Cosworth +4 laps
17. Gianmaria Bruni Italy Minardi-Cosworth +4laps
Rtd Mark Webber Australia Jaguar-Cosworth 23 laps completed
Rtd Nick Heidfeld Italy Jordan-Ford 15 laps completed
Rtd Jenson Button Britain BAR-Honda 3 laps completed
Fastest lap: Juan Montoya Williams-BMW 1min 11.473secs lap 49 new lap record
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Post by TennisHack on Oct 24, 2004 15:47:39 GMT -5
2004 FORMULA ONE DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (AFTER ROUND 18 OF 18)
POSITION DRIVER TEAM POINTS
1. MICHAEL SCHUMACHER FERRARI 148
2. RUBENS BARRICHELLO FERRARI 114
3. JENSON BUTTON BAR 85
4. FERNANDO ALONSO RENAULT 59
5. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA WILLIAMS 58
6. JARNO TRULLI RENAULT 46
7. KIMI RAIKKONEN MCLAREN 45
8. TAKUMA SATO BAR 34
9. DAVID COULTHARD MCLAREN 24
= RALF SCHUMACHER WILLIAMS 24
11. GIANCARLO FISICHELLA SAUBER 22
12. FELIPE MASSA SAUBER 12
13. MARK WEBBER JAGUAR 7
14. ANTONIO PIZZONIA WILLIAMS 6
= OLIVIER PANIS TOYOTA 6
16. NICK HEIDFELD JORDAN 3
= CRISTIANO DA MATTA TOYOTA 3
= CHRISTIAN KLIEN JAGUAR 3
19. TIMO GLOCK JORDAN 2
20. ZSOLT BAUMGARTNER MINARDI 1
2004 FORMULA ONE CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP (AFTER ROUND 18 OF 18)
POSITION CONSTRUCTOR POINTS
1. FERRARI 262
2. BAR 119
3. RENAULT 105
4. WILLIAMS 88
5. MCLAREN 69
6. SAUBER 34
7. JAGUAR 10
8. TOYOTA 9
9. JORDAN 5
10. MINARDI 1
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Post by TennisHack on Oct 24, 2004 16:06:56 GMT -5
Teams gang up on Ferrari over cost cutting plansSUNDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2004 www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=1&nid=101835Paul Stoddart has led an unprecedented effort by the F1 teams to introduce measures to cut costs next year, attracting the support of every team except Ferrari in a move to limit testing. The teams have agreed with Bernie Ecclestone that a reduction in testing will help to make room for the French and British GPs to appear on next year's calendar, and the nine other teams have, in effect, ganged up on Ferrari in an attempt to force the Italian team to agree to the changes. In recent times, the world champions have blocked a series of proposals by preventing the required unanimous agreement from being achieved, but the general feeling among their rivals is that ‘enough is enough'. Stoddart and Eddie Jordan were, as usual, the driving forces in getting the teams to push for changes for 2005 and beyond, but even they were surprised at the level of support they were able to attract. "Those two teams have been the catalyst to the larger teams sitting down and listening and trying to address those concerns," McLaren boss Ron Dennis, an antagonist of Stoddart in press conferences over the years, admitted, "We need to have a responsible position that is not only what is best for your company, but also for F1. I think this is an effort to bring together those people who are prepared to take a view which is we will adopt what is better for F1." Dennis also conceded that the recent loss of Ford had been a major wake-up call for the other top teams. After a meeting with Ecclestone in Brazil on Saturday morning, all team bosses bar Jean Todt signed a one-page document that covered two main areas, namely tyres and testing, which was then published under the title ‘Teams present initiative for substantial and tangible cost savings in F1'. The extraordinary document carries no actual legal weight, but is merely an outline of where the teams – bar Ferrari – currently stand. Stoddart spent much of the day chasing his fellow team bosses around the paddock and getting them to sign a definitive version. The last to agree was Peter Sauber, who usually sides with Ferrari on all such matters, but was persuaded to join the majority in this instance. On the subject of tyres the document stated that "Mr Ecclestone agreed… to progress this matter further with the tyre manufacturers and, in particular, to seek their assistance to eliminate the majority, if not all, tyre testing". Although not stated as such, it is hoped that eventually there can be a return to a single tyre supplier, a situation last seen in 1999, before Michelin joined Bridgestone. In the short term, it seems that the two tyre companies will have to produce raceable ‘long-life' tyres in 2005, with far less track testing permitted than has been the case up to now. The teams propose to cut testing to just ten calendar days in the course of the season, although the wording allows them to run as many cars at as many venues as they want on those days. That will be balanced out by having two two-hour sessions of free practice on the Friday of each grand prix weekend. In the document, the teams stated that they "feel this is only the first move towards achieving the goal of reducing the necessity to spend enormous sums of money in order to be competitive in F1". It concluded by asserting that it was hoped that unanimous agreement could be ‘achieved over the coming weeks,' which means that Ferrari will have to change its mind. The Scuderia is adamant that it will suffer more than most because of its regular use of two test tracks in Mugello and Fiorano. The team does not agree with the way its rivals went about introducing their ideas. One grey area concerned whether the Friday testing would allow teams to by-pass the two races per engine rule, as Ferrari thought that the race engines would only go in on Saturday. This would benefit the teams that could not produce reliable engines. Peter Sauber, however, confirmed that he has signed up on the understanding that Friday was part of the race meeting and that engines would be used all weekend.
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Post by TennisHack on Oct 24, 2004 16:09:59 GMT -5
Ferrari stands in way of brave new worldSUNDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2004 www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=1&nid=101817Information circulating the Formula One paddock at Interlagos suggests that just one team, Ferrari, has yet to sign an agreement designed to radically overhaul the category ahead of next season. Paul Stoddart and Eddie Jordan were spotted rallying the teams during and after qualifying, getting them to sign up to proposals that would reduce and restrict testing, limit the sport to a single tyre supplier, revise qualifying and increase the number of races in a season. Sources claim that, once Peter Sauber had been convinced of the proposals' merits, Ferrari remained the only team not to sign - and the Scuderia was coming under pressure to do so. After months of stand-offs at various team principal meetings, it was as if the penny had finally dropped, with all and sundry suddenly realising that the sport could lose more than a couple of teams during the winter, with third cars becoming expensively de rigueur, and costs continuing to spiral upwards as more and more money was poured into testing. Among the proposals being put forward by Stoddart and Jordan was the switch to a single control tyre and restrictions on testing. One would naturally lead to the other, with all teams running on the same brand of rubber, and a hard compound at that, reducing the amount of time and money being spent on tyre development during the season. It is understood that the deal being put forward is for there to be unlimited testing allowed during the winter 'off-season', but then only a restricted number of days permitted once racing has begun. Most teams have agreed that these plans would have an effect on spending - and also admitted that, with less time being spent away from home between races, extra events could be added to the calendar. At present, the number of grands prix is restricted to 17 by the Concorde Agreement, but it is thought that, should the new proposals be accepted, that two further rounds could be accommodated, giving fresh hope to Britain and France for 2005. Most teams signed up on request, although Sauber took a little cajoling because of its links with Ferrari. The Scuderia, at the time of writing, remained the only team to stonewall the agreement. However, with nine out of the ten teams committed to adopting the proposals, pressure will be put on Ferrari to fall into line - particularly as it will be seen to be blocking moves to safeguard the future of the sport, its smaller teams and traditional events.
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Post by TennisHack on Oct 24, 2004 18:20:38 GMT -5
New qualifying for next seasonSATURDAY 23RD OCTOBER 2004 www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=1&nid=101799In a move that goes against the grain of previous thwarted attempts this season, Formula One's team bosses have agreed on a new qualifying procedure for the 2005 season. Provoked in part by the vagaries of the Japanese weather, which forced qualifying to take place on Sunday morning at Suzuka, the new format will see the second half of a split session take place on race day, with times from that added to a first session held on Saturday. The first session will run from 1pm on Saturday, and fuel is free. In practice, that does, of course, mean that they will run with minimum fuel and in effect show the true potential of the cars, something that was missing this year. After the session, the cars go into parc ferme to stop the use of any qualifying ‘tricks' for the out-and-out Saturday run. Teams will then put race fuel in before the second session, which will take place at 10am on Sunday morning. As now, there will be no more refuelling before the race, with cars being returned to parc ferme after their second outing. In a new move, the times from both sessions will be aggregated to determine the grid. The split between no fuel and race fuel is one of the anomalies of the system, and teams will have to make sure that their cars are balanced and quick on new tyres in both configurations, which was not the case this year. It also flies in the face of the FIA's plans to slow the cars down, because they will undoubtedly be doing very quick times on Saturday afternoon. Despite calls from some quarters to reduce each grand prix meeting to two days, Friday practice will continue to exist for the foreseeable future, after FIA president Max Mosley confirmed the changes had been accepted by the Formula One Commission.
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