If you thought the last round of Concorde Agreement talks were wild and wooly, with a threatened breakaway series and posturing galore from FOTA, well aren’t you in for a treat in the coming months. Some strange forces are aligning as we hear more details about the supposed News Corp interest and with Ferrari sounding off about their displeasure with the current state of F1 and the future technical package. The Timeframe and Players The current Concorde Agreement expires at the end of this season, so this means the teams…
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F1 – Bernie/Ferrari: No World Engine…I Agree
Bernie Ecclestone has for sometime disapproved of Formula 1 adopting the FiA’s “world engine”. You know, the one that is a 1.6 litre turbocharged engine to be used in racing. I mean why not? A four cylinder that is green and pushes the FiA’s green initiative would be perfect. The engine is already used in the World Rally Championship and it runs well. Even sounds good for the rally cars. Compare that to the loud and over stressed naturally aspirated 2.0 used by IRC and SWRC (that sounds like a…
Read MoreF1 Soap Box – 2012 Venues Under Threat
Bahrain The May 1 deadline imposed by the FIA for Bahrain to reapply for a 2011 race date is upon us. But don’t look for a grand reshuffling of the season finale races to take place to allow Bahrain to slot in around Abu Dhabi. The situation continues to worsen in the tiny kingdom as Saudi troops have been blowing up Shia mosques and similar such things. While it is in Formula One Management’s (FOM) best interests to get this race rescheduled, the FIA is likely to spurn any attempt…
Read MoreF1 – Right! Who kidnapped my F1 and replaced it with exciting racing?
The 2011 Formula 1 season has been nothing short of spectacular, and this week’s race in China was one of the most exciting Formula 1 races I’ve seen in a very long time. Best of all, there was overtaking! And not that silly meaningless back-n-forth type of passing you see in some left-turn-only races, but well planned, well executed, well defended passes for position and even the lead! For the past few years, the Pinnacle of Motorsports has been trying to find ways to enhance the ability of drivers to…
Read MoreF1 – 2011 Launch!!!
2010 was by far one of the best seasons in history for the FiA Formula 1 circuit. The season finale that seen four drivers with a chance at lifting the the trophy and a boy emerging as THE man to beat in F1. Michael Schumacher returned after three year absence to drive for Ross Brawn and Mercedes GP. While the results were not pleasant to look at, his participation in the championship was rewarding enough. 2010 also seen a host of new teams arrive on the grid. Finally Max Mosley’s…
Read MoreF1 – Shell/Spa Reach Deal for Future
While the troubles of Bahrain have brought into question certain aspects of the “new market” push from Formula 1, we got a dose of good news today for a classic F1 venue. Spa-Francorchamps is the best track in F1 period. I don’t care what critics say about Monaco or even Monza. The one race I have circled every year and the one that resides on my bucket list is the Belgian Grand Prix. It combines ultra high speed with really technical sections and is always a blast to watch on…
Read MoreF1 – Season Opening Bahrain GP CANCELED!
There’s been a lot of talk about this being a strong possibility throughout the interwebs in recent weeks, and we should give a loud shoutout to Formula1Blog.com for really leading the discussion and analysis of the potential implications. Today, the official word came down from Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, that the season opening grand prix at the Bahrain International Circuit has been canceled due to the explosion of civil unrest. There had always been protests in Bahrain as the Shi’a felt that their rights and…
Read MoreF1 – Red Bull’s RB7 Plays The Exhaust Game Too
Apparently, trick exhausts are going to be the hip thing in this season’s FIA Formula 1 World Championship. After Renault’s bold reconfiguration to route the exhaust forward of the floor, McLaren and Mercedes have already stated that they’re working on similar exhaust systems. Red Bull Racing, on the other hand, is utilizing what they believe is a loophole that will allow them to run the exhaust directly into the diffuser through the floor inspite of the FIA’s attempt for prohibit this. Frankly, I’m not sure about the loophole, so I…
Read MoreF1 – Renault’s Trick Exhaust: Legal?
There’s been a flurry of unveilings for the 2011 Formula 1 chariots lately including the new machine from Renault Lotus R31 (The Group Lotus, not the Team Lotus). While because of the ever increasing strictness of the FIA regulations the cars are outwardly appearing more and more similar each year, there was something distinctly different about the R31: No exhaust outlets in the rear of the car! Racecar Engineering took a close look at the car during the reveal, and posted their findings in the article, Renault’s radical R31 exhaust…
Read MoreOP-ED – ALMS TV Deal A Future Model?
Today’s ALMS TV deal will undoubtedly benefit a series that is trying to pick up the pieces after a economic meltdown had it derailed. The American audience was treated to the premier sports car series via Speed and CBS last season. The upgrade to ESPN/ABC offers a lot more positives than negatives in a time where sponsor air time is key. For a series like ALMS that needs more sponsors, this could prove to be a dream come true. The deal today came from a healthy marriage between ALMS and…
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