Bench Racing: 2009 Formula One Thread

[PAULBACH]

What I know about F1 racing could be written on the head of a pin with a railroad spike. I like the flashy cars. Honestly that's is the real depth knowledge of the sport.

The economic times have to be a consideration before spending hefty chunks of change on racing.

But I have heard about the "Renault fix". Bad news travels fast and deep. How much does that affect the sport.

So what's my real interest? If Mika writes it, I read it. Gresham's law in reverse.

[Mika]

Tokyo - TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announces it plans to withdraw from the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1) at the end of the 2009 season.

TMC, which had viewed its participation in F1 as contributing to the prosperity of automotive culture, remained dedicated to competing at the pinnacle of motor sports, even in the face of the abrupt economic changes that started last year. However, when considering TMC’s motor-sports activities next year and beyond from a comprehensive midterm viewpoint reflecting the current severe economic realities,TMC decided to withdraw from F1.

TMC leaves F1 having compiled 13 podium and 87 point finishes over eight challenging seasons since 2002 with Panasonic Toyota Racing, a full-constructor team. It views its time in F1 - in which teams put forth their best efforts to fiercely compete at racings' highest level - as an irreplaceable experience that provided an opportunity to develop both human resources and its R&D operations. TMC expresses its deepest appreciation to its F1 fans and others for their warm support.

TMC also wants to express its heartfelt gratitude to all Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers to date and to all Toyota Motorsport GmbH employees who have helped make the team’s achievements possible. TMC intends to do its best to find a solution for those parties who will be affected by any inconvenience this decision may cause.

Drawing on its experience in F1 and other motor sports, TMC intends to move forward in developing exciting production vehicles, such as the Lexus ‘LFA’ supercar and compact rear-wheel-drive sports cars. In motor sports, it will not only race in various categories, but will also actively contribute to further development of motor sports by supporting grassroots races and planning events in which it is easy for people to participate.

[Mika]

This is normally the time of year I put the F1 thread up on blocks turn out the lights close the garage door and try to convince myself I won’t do it again next season. Instead there has been more action in the three days after the last race of the season than fans have seen on track in the last three races. It’s time to review the week so far

Monday
F1 will be changing tires after the 2010 season. Bridgestone, F1’s current supplier of tires has announced they will not submit a bid to be the tire supplier again after their contract runs out at the end of the 2010 season. The search for a new tire supplier is on.

Tuesday
Toyota’s board met and rumors hit the street that moved an anticipated Sunday press conference to Wednesday.

Back to tires: Pirelli the supplier for World Superbike says it is not interested wanting to focus on building racing tires with street applications. The search for a new tire supplier continues.

Wednesday
Toyota announces that it will be withdrawing from F1 effective immediately if not sooner. This starts a series of releases hitting the wires.
-Ferrari issues their cryptic ‘Ten Little Indians’ press release regarding Toyota’s exit

- The other little Indians aka FOTA make their press release which is politically correct and yet gives each team the latitude to respond in a way that protects their individual interests.

- FIA: Press Release – Toyota and Bridgestone
Bridgestone’s exit may present problems but at least they are honoring their agreement.
While giving Bridgestone a pass the press release is clearly a first shot across the bow to Toyota. Unlike BMW, Toyota signed the Concorde Agreement that was to bind them to the series for the next three years. There will be legal repercussions.

- Mario Theissen is leaving Hinwil and heading to Paris to talk with the FIA. Toyota’s exit opens the door for Hinwil F1 to be the 13th car on the grid.

- The tire supplier search goes on. Michelin and Goodyear are not interested.

All of this happened before lunch here in fly-over-land. I barely had the last bite of my sandwich eaten when I made the mistake of tuning the computer back on and refreshing my rss feeds.

- Renault called an emergency meeting to consider withdrawing from F1. The report I read says three options were to be considered. 1. Remain in F1 as is. 2. Sell their share in the Renault F1 team but remain as an engine supplier. 3. Withdraw completely with immediate effect. There is no news as to the outcome of the meeting.

- What is a F1 story without a bit of scandal? There is a new F1 SpyGate brewing. The design of the Lotus car that was recently wind tunnel tested was based on Force India design according to this brewing story. As strange as it sounds the ring of truth to the story is that Force India has been the slowest payer of its bills of all the F1 teams.

- Finally; I don’t have any links for this one but there are a growing number of references to Toyota’s exit creating problems for USF1. Rumors have persisted that USF1 was trying to sell its position on the grid to Sauber or others. Sauber refused and with the Toyota exit will not need it. In addition the Brit tout sites seem to think Ross Brawn is furious with USF1 and their failure to have done any safety crash testing to date. Apparently Brawn does not see how they can have a car ready by March and not have done that by now. As much as I want USF1 to be a new version of Dan Gurney and American Eagle taking on the world more and more I have the feeling that this is going to be the F1 version of Bernie Madoff does Enron.

Man what a week and its only afternoon on Wednesday.

[Mika]

Renault made a non-announcement-announcement of its F1 intentions today.

"You will have to be patient," Renault Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn told reporters on Thursday.” We will make an announcement on our participation in Formula 1before the end of the year."

Jean-Francois Caubet, Renault F1’s managing director, has been denying all stories that the team will not be on the grid in 2010. He points to a working budget having been approved and the signing of new drivers as examples of the teams on going presence in F1.

He may be right. I wonder who he will be working for when the season starts and who will be funding the team. My guess as an avid F1 conspiracy nut is the special meeting of the Renault board was held to examine the impact of Toyota’s exit on a pending sale of the Renault F1 team to a third party. The in this theory Renault agree to sell their interest in the team but remain as an engine supplier through the new Concorde Agreements term as the quid for the quo of not receiving a major fine from the World Moto Sport Council during the Singapore crash scandal.

As always my theories and a $1 will get you a small coffee and change at the official fly-over-land gas station. I just left there after gasing the Roadster and they were brewing a new pot.

[Mika]

F1 News

The F1 week is closing quietly after a boisterous start. I have always had the sense that the people involved with F1 don’t keep office hours so anything could happen at any time.

The search for a Bridgestone replacement will continue and undoubtedly take up a good portion of the 18 months available to do so. The key major companies involved in auto racing have made their initial position statements and will go home this weekend and begin to decide if that is their final stance. The series may not have a single provider doughnut provider in 2011 but they have other things on their plate right now.

Toyota’s shock announcement should not have been a surprise at all when you stop and think about it. Their exit has been rumored since Honda made theirs. Signs have been their all season with the failure to renew Timo Glocks contract or sign another driver to replace him the most recent. Surprise or not the exit will play out over the next days in several ways as Toyota responds to the FIA demands for clarification of their exit.

The first, and near and dear to the hearts of this thread, is the impact on Hinwil F1. They are slotted to replace anyone who did not make the 2010 grid. Their accent form paddock transport to gridded race team is not automatic. The major obstacle would be if Toyota sold their team instead ala Honda instead of shutting it down. Current reports are that Toyota has no plans of selling team thus it should be a fairly straight forward if bureaucratic process for Hinwil F1 to official join the grid. Don’t look for an official announcement until next week. There are many details in this that could set legal precedent for how future exits are handled.

The Toyota F1 employees and the city of Cologne are waiting for news of what will happen to the Toyota F1 facility if it is not to be sold. The facility is one of the largest in F1 sporting approximately 700 employees. F1 was the major focus of the facility but it did support other projects and much of the plant could be refocused in other directions. Toyota is exiting F1 but it has not said it is exiting motorsport. Distilling the current speculation we should expect an initial cut back to approximately 150 employees to run the remaining core business while Toyota decides where it will go from here. The nod generally goes to the Le Mans series. F1 technology quickly translates to that motorsport form and has more of the illusion of having a relationship to the street than F1 while generally requiring smaller staffs to field a team. If this is the case some but not all of the laid off workers could have a chance to return.

Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone have been amazingly absent in the press.

Todt’s silence may be a case of his being to busy his first week on the job trying to find his office to talk with the press. However; more likely he has found the office of the FIA layers and is going over every letter in the Concorde Agreement and their implications in the Toyota exit and future potential exits of teams such as Campos or USF1.

Ecclestone has been busy with other things and has dismissed most questions on the subject with a bit of ominous bravado. I don’t have the direct quote but it runs along the lines: F1 will survive without Toyota we have other options, but they signed the Concorde Agreement and they know their responsibilities under it. Toyota’s legal team will not be laying off anyone soon.

The exit of Renault has been put on hold until further notice. I continue to believe they will sell their ownership stake in the team while remaining in F1 as an engine supplier. Look for an announcement around New Years or sooner if the legal implications of Toyota’s exit are quickly sorted out.

The brewing spy scandal may well turn out to be a business page story rather than the latest F1 my name is Bond, James Bond thriller. Aerolab, the scene of the alleged crime, has officially severed ties with Force India Formula 1. This may turn out to be the nexus of the F1 rules and the history of all F1 teams being notoriously slow bill payers. It is increasingly difficult for teams to field different cars due to the rules and risk of doing so. Brawn’s finding a minute hole to wriggle through with its diffuser is an anomaly. Ferrari’s risk with their F60 design tangent was a mistake. The similarity between the Lotus and Force India designs may just be a case of interpreting the rules in the same way. Either way Force India has found some cash to pay its past bills and layers as this scandal figures out where it will be published.


Rumors: Silly Season and More

Toyota’s exit impacts the silly season as well. Three Toyota drivers, instead of one, are on the market. Raikkonen continues to hold out for big bucks from any team willing to sign him knowing that Ferrari has to pay a buy-out if he is unable to come up with a deal on the same or similar terms. Hinwil F1 needs to sign drivers. Kubica is lost to Renault F1 and Heidfeld has been linked with McLaren, Brawn and others. Time is running out. Teams need to have drivers signed so they can finalize their chassis and comply with safety testing in time to make the March 2010 starting grid.

[Mika]

F1 News

toyora-f1.com: It’s not over yet...

Well it actually is for the F1 team but the site promises some treats for fans as the team winds down. I don’t know what is in store but you may want to check in on the site yourself over the next days.

It may be over at Toyota F1 but questions remain about if it is even started over at USF1. Peter Windsor continues to say they have..

Ecclestone never ceases to amaze me with inane comments.
crash.net: Ecclestone – Button doesn’t deserve to be F1 Champ
When you are the top promoter for the sport you make your living from why would you say things like this?

Rumors: Silly Season and More

motorsport-aktuell.com places the contract figure World Champion Jenson Button closer to the 3.6 million euro Brawn GP offered than the and the 5+ million euro he was reportedly asking. The signing of the contract has not been announced as this goes to post.

Buemi – I signed with Toto Rosso for 2010. No real surprise there. Buemi showed early potential in his rookie season that seamed to wear down as the season dragged on. The off season may be the break he needs to gain some perspective and focus to take on the 2010 season.

automot365.com: Villeneueve and Lotus

Along with others I have been trying to make sense of Kimi Raikkonen’s 2010 negotiating strategy. Granted he is a former World Champion but his performance since 2007 has been lackluster at best until Massa’s accident. Then he did step up for the team and his negotiating position. He was tagged by Ross Brawn as too expensive. McLaren is seriously interested but again have hinted they don’t want to pay his price given the other talent out on the market. As people are trying to make sense of it the numbers are slowly coming out and the money makes it clearer.

Raikkonen stands to make more money in 2010 if he takes a year off. If the Finn accepts McLaren's current offer, he will earn €15m in 2010, as opposed to €17m if he has a season on the sidelines.

According to his deal with Ferrari, they promised to pay Raikkonen €17m if he does not race in F1 next year, and €10m if he finds suitable employment elsewhere.

Realizing this, McLaren has reportedly offered Raikkonen just 5 million for the 2010 seat, concluding that €15m in total earnings is a very healthy amount for the 2007 world champion especially given his performance in the interim and substantially more than Button Vettel and Barrichello made this year while finishing ahead of him in the standings.

Damon Hill, when asked about Brawns struggle to sign Button, recently through the press told Jenson Button that winning a World Championship is not all about money. He may have a point particularly when you consider Barrichello paid his own way and earned only $600K in his title hunt this year.

It may not be about the money for Hill, Button and Barrichello in the end but for Deep Throat and Kimi Raikkonen €2 million is to much money to give up for the chance to risk life and limb in a McLaren in 2010.


If I hear about drivers in the off season I like to hear about what they are doing. Robert Kubica, for example, is off driving rally cars. I guess this is the F1 drivers version of hockey players going off and playing golf when their season is ended.

[Mika]

F1 News

guardian.co.uk: Flavio Briatore to demand €1m payout from FIA

f1complete.com: Belgium GP post loss

Taking a deep breath after a whirlwind first season Sebastien Buemi admits his view of F1 has changed

Rumors: Silly Season and More

Raikkonen, Hamilton, Alonso and Massa may be disappointed they did not win the Driver’s Championship but all are glad they are not Jenson Button right now. They may not have won the championship but they all have solid contracts that are going to pay as much or more than the ₤6 million the new champion is trying to get in a deal with Brawn GP.

The two sides have come close to a deal at various times. Last week Ross Brawn thought they were 99% of the way there. This week they have hit a snag and Brawn is suggesting he won’t pay Button’s price. At the same time he thinks they can do a deal by altering Button’s sponsor obligations to the team and allowing him to go out and get sponsor dollars for himself.

Brawn seems to have learned his lesson from Branson and the deal he made with the team for Virgin. Virgin bought space on the car like any sponsor but reserved the right to sell portions of that space off on a season or race by race basis to recover some of Virigin’s costs or even turn a profit. Brawn is offering Button a variation of the same deal and has Button asking; what’s up with that?

If we believe Bruno Senna, what is up with that, Champ, is the way business is done in the new F1 economics. Senna and Campos Meta made their formal announcement that Senna will be driving for the team in 2010. Everyone was all smiles at the press conference especially Campos because Campos will not pay Senna this season.

Senna will receive no salary from the team but if he worked out a deal along the lines that Brawn is suggesting to Button and he does what he says teams were demanding of him as a base; the young Brazilian will make around €5 million this season. At the current exchange rate about what Button is asking for if not a bit more. This is where it gets hazy because all the terms of his contract are not being reveiled.

Senna has been hunting around the F1 paddock for over a year trying to find a ride. In that time he talked with the existing teams and the new teams. He told reporters that “almost all of them demanded that I contribute €5 million in sponsorships” to the teams. Senna is claiming that he has not bought his seat and in some way will be able to live on what he can drum up for sponsorship. So if he does for himself just the base line for a ride he claims was required by other teams he signed a €5 million deal.

Reuters News Service is confirming Senna’s story in a way. De la Rosa looked to be Senna’s team mate but now it is being reported that De la Rosa needs money to get Campos F1 drive. Are they putting an additional squeeze on him because of the Senna deal?

F1 economics have changed during Button’s career. We are no longer in the champagne and caviar dream days when Schumacher was regularly the highest paid athlete in the world based on endorsements alone while racking up a substantial salary from SF on top of that. Which makes me wonder why rumors persist of his return in a third red car for 2010? He will not confirm nor flatly deny the possibility. Apparently he has more fire in the belly to race red cars in F1 than his Finnish successor.

On the Street

I started with Briatore and ended with Schumacher which all sets us up to go spend money in the F1 Flea Market, or the ebay branch in this case.

[Mika]

F1 News

Progress for the new teams?

autosport.com: Cosworth confident on new teams.
Cosworth general manager of F1 Mark Gallagher tries to dispel the question marks dogging the new teams’ viability. At the same he can be seen as working to give credibility to Cosworth’s ability which some have questioned.

racecar-engineering.com: Aerolab and Lotus F1 join forces.
No surprise here. Lotus, the late entry, is fast tracking itself very publicly.

USF1 is in the news with two stories that pull me in two directions.

f1sa.com: USF1 lodges $440,000 Formula 1 entry fee with FIA
It always helps credibility when you put your money where your mouth is.

- But -

Toyota has said it is not selling the F1 team but they may be selling their 2010 car design and USF1 is the team linked most closely as a potential buyer. Here are three versions of the same story.

motorsport-total.com: Toyota know how for the teams?

flagworld.com: Toyota would sell 2010 car design

motorsport-magazine.com: Toyota to sell?

If true this could leap frog USF1 back into the lead for development amongst the new teams. Yet the idea of buying the Toyota design and running it in 2010 raises more questions for me than it answers.
- How long has this deal been in the works? I doubt it has come up overnight.
- What has USF1 been doing all this time with its own design?
- Windsor claims the team has crash tested parts already in response to Brawns comments. Did USF1 crash test parts it designed and built or was Windsor referring to Toyota crash tests with the knowledge they would be buying the design?

I really would like to root for an American team in 2010. But how American is it going to be? The home office is in North Carolina but the track base is on the Iberian Peninsula, there are no drivers signed yet (US Canadian or other nationality), the engine is British and now the chassis design could come from the German arm of a Japanese firm that never won a race. Somehow this does not stir the jingoist fan ardor I first felt when I saw the name USF1.

YMMV

[Mika]

F1 News

Back to the important stuff – F1 scandals.

The FIA is upset with Briatore’s press leaks and has responded with this press release. Todt has been very quiet in press terms compared to what we grew to expect out of Mosley and how he would have possibly handled this.

FIA.com
Press Release
Tribunal De Grande Instance
12/11/2009
The FIA condemns the selective leaking of extracts from Mr Briatore’s pleadings to the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris.

The FIA rejects the allegations made in these leaks and confirms that the decision to impose a sanction against Mr Briatore was made by an overwhelming majority of the attending World Motor Sport Council members.

In respect for the authority of the French Court, it would be entirely inappropriate for the FIA to comment further on this matter in advance of the hearing.

end

Still no news rumors or anything on Himwil F1 being accepted to the grid replacing Toyota F1.

[Mika]

F1 News

motorsport.com: Sauber ‘waiting paitiently’ for 2010 entry

reuters.com: Lotus F1 looks to GLCs for cash

grandprix.com: FIA discusses overtaking

formula1.com: Bridgestone on 2009, Korea and 2010’s narrower front tires

racecar-engineering.com: F1 2010: Narrow front tires

The AT&T Williams blog takes a look at what is going on in the design office during the off season. All of this makes sense and leads me to wonder why Auto-Motor-und-Sport found things so quiet in North Carolina when they visited.

Bruno Senna has been to the Dallara factory for seat fitting. Dallara is build the Campos car and Campos is thrilled with Dallara’s progress with the new car.

Crash testing is a major hurdle to making the grid and reports are that Lotus F1 has passed internal versions of the first FIA crash tests. Official testing is pending.

Rumors: Silly Season and More

This is the longest silly season I can remember.

Heidfeld is confident he will have a ride in 2010 but is not certain with whom. Hinwil F1 remains a possibility but they are still not officially on the grid.

His now former team mate Kubica’s new team Renault is on the grid but will they be there when the seasons started. His new team mate was thought to be Timo Glock but with Renault’s future in doubt he is talk with Manor. From the frying pan into the fire once again?

Jenson Button is reported to be talking with McLaren again. He toured the McLaren HQ. Whitmarsh the McLaren team principal gave Button the tour and gave the same tour to Raikkonen and his managers. Button’s interest may make Raikkonen more pliable on salary if he in fact still wants another F1 Championship in his future. Would the newly crowned champion be able to deal with being second to Hamilton? How would Raikkonen deal with the same issues?

Louts F1 has signed its first driver but is not saying who that is just yet. Lotus has said a Malaysian driver is not essential even though they are seeking backing from government linked companies. But if not a Malaysian driver who?

With so many known names with out a ride or their rides having lingering questions about them there are also new names to consider. With a broad hint that he is the only North American with a valid super-license Robert Wickens says he has talked with many of the teams and is hoping for a call. He echoes Bruno Senna’s comments that the new teams expect drivers to bring money along with their skills.

While all this has been going on the German press takes us back to Nick Heidfeld who it says Norbert Haug thinks would look good in silver.

On another front of the Sad Silly Season – Briatore says secret talks led to F1 ban.

[Mika]

Kimi Raikkonen may want to win another title but he is taking a sabbatical and it will be Jenson Button who teams up with Lewis Hamilton for McLaren’s renewed push in 2010. This leaves Brawn GP with no signed drivers and saying Button breached contract according to a ‘disappointed’ Ross Brawn.

Hamilton has made it clear that Button may be the current Formula 1 World Champion but he is still the number one driver at McLaren. For his part Button is ready for the ’lions den’ at McLaren.

The Brawn GP team will disappear for 2010 as Mercedes takes a controlling interest in the team. They will hold approximately 75% of the team with the current owners retaining the remaining shares.

Norbert Haug has confirmed the Mercedes has been in talks with Nick Heidfeld. They want a German drivers for their German team. Rosberg would be the second driver in this German super team, if they can come to financial terms. Brawn had not been able or willing to pay what Rosberg wanted but with Mercedes in control things could be different.

Trulli is in talks with Lotus but no confirmation of any contract yet.
Kovy is unemployed with the heart felt thanks of McLaren for his efforts.

Still no news on Hinwil F1’s grid future.