F1 teams drop breakaway bombshell

Formula 1 has been thrown into chaos after eight of its major teams said they are now planning to set up a rival championship for the 2010 season.
The threat by members of the F1 Teams Association (Fota) escalates their row with world motorsport boss Max Mosley over his budget cap proposals.
"The teams have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 F1 Championship," said the teams.
"We've no alternative than to commence preparation for a new championship."
Mosley was insistent on introducing a voluntary £40m budget cap for teams to curtail a "financial arms race" in F1.
But Fota refused to agree to his conditions, prompting championship leader Brawn GP, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso to take their drastic action.
They announced their decision following a four-hour meeting on Thursday night ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
"Since the formation of Fota last September the teams have worked together and sought to engage the FIA and commercial rights holder (Bernie Ecclestone), to develop and improve the sport," read a Fota statement.
"Unprecedented worldwide financial turmoil has inevitably placed great challenges before the F1 community.
"Fota is proud that it has achieved the most substantial measures to reduce costs in the history of our sport.
"In particular, the manufacturer teams have provided assistance to the independent teams, a number of which would probably not be in the sport today without the Fota initiatives.
The teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 world championship
Fota statement
"The Fota teams have further agreed upon a substantial voluntary cost reduction that provides a sustainable model for the future.
"Following these efforts, all the teams have confirmed to the FIA and the commercial rights holder that they are willing to commit until the end of 2012.
"The FIA and the commercial rights holder have campaigned to divide Fota.
"The wishes of the majority of the teams are ignored. Furthermore, tens of millions of dollars have been withheld from many teams by the commercial rights holder, going back as far as 2006.
"Despite this, and the uncompromising environment, Fota has genuinely sought compromise.
"It has become clear, however, the teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 world championship."
Fota added that its championship would put F1 fans first and boast the best drivers and sponsors.
"This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide, partners and other important stakeholders," added the statement.

"The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series."
Former champions Williams and Force India have already committed unconditionally to the FIA's world championship along with three new entrants - Campos, US F1 and Manor.
The FIA has said there are other would-be newcomers waiting to take the places of those teams that refused to enter unconditionally, although one, Lola, has already withdrawn its application.
The stage is also set for a legal battle, with the FIA saying champions Ferrari and the two Red Bull teams have existing contracts which commit them to the existing championship.
The FIA had set a Friday deadline for five teams - Brawn, BMW-Sauber, McLaren, Renault and Toyota - to convert their provisional entries into unconditional ones or risk being excluded.
There was no immediate comment from the FIA or Ecclestone.

Williams F1 to diversify Global Business Plans

Team shifts to bear market strategy and may branch into other businesses
The effects of the global recession are catching up with the Williams Formula One (F1) team, with the outfit now branching into other businesses in an effort to supplement income.
Williams F1 chief executive officer Adam Parr said it was “carefully” exploring other opportunities that won’t affect its F1-related activities in any way.

“As part of our strategy in a bear market, we are trying to diversify our business a little bit,” he told StarBiz during the second leg of the 2009 F1 Grand Prix earlier this month.
He said Williams F1 was currently designing the cars that would be used for the 2009 Formula Two (F2) season, scheduled to start in May.

“This is the first time this century that we will be utilising our skills and designing a car outside F1,” Parr said.
Williams F1’s experience in designing racing cars beyond F1 can be traced back to the mid-nineties.
It developed cars for Renault when Renault competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) between 1995 and 1999.
The touring car venture was a success, culminating in a constructor’s title in 1995 and 1997 and a driver’s title in 1997.
Williams F1 also built Le Mans Prototypes for BMW, known as the V12 LM and V12 LMR.
The V12 LMR won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1999.
Last year, Williams F1 acquired a minority stake in Automotive Hybrid Power Ltd (which was subsequently renamed Williams Hybrid Power Ltd), a company that develops high-energy composite flywheels for use in energy recovery systems.
The company’s primary function is to focus on developing kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) technology for the team.
F1 rules dictate that the teams are allowed to use KERS technology this season.
Parr said plans were ontrack to develop the technology for other vehicles.
“We are also looking at commercial applications for that technology,” he said.
To create more awareness of the Williams F1 brand, the team has also formed a partnership with Cambridge University Press to generate interest in math, science and technology among primary school children, using F1 as a platform.
Through a website called racetolearn.org, children will learn how to form an F1 team and other related issues from designing a car to investigating air resistance and pitching for sponsorships.
“It’s a great initiative to help kids in schools using the imagery of the team and the excitement of F1,” Parr said, adding that the initiative would start in June.
On another note, he said the team’s 2009 budget was relatively the same as last year’s.
Various websites, citing industry trade publication Formula Money, reported that the Williams F1 team had a budget of about US$160mil for the 2008 season.
Parr also said 10 of its sponsors had renewed their contracts with the team this year. The team has about 15 sponsors currently.
“Four of them increased their sponsorship of the team this year so that puts us in a relatively good position for the next couple of years. It also demonstrates the loyalty of our partners and the quality of our relationship with them,” he said.
The team’s sponsors include Dutch electronics giant Philips, US-based telephone service provider AT&T, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia.
“We were the first team to abandon tobacco sponsorship in 1999. Since 2000, our philosophy has been to have a broad range of blue-chip sponsors, a strategy that has served us well,” Parr said.
“These are tough times but we are very optimistic about the team and the sport,” he added.

By EUGENE MAHALINGAM

Mega F1 Sale at Suntec City on 18th - 20th September'08

IT IS WITH DEEP REGRETS THAT OUR EVENT IN SUNTEC CITY HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED BY THE ORGANISERS DUE TO ROAD CLOSURES AFFECTING SUNTEC CITY BEING PLANNED EARLIER THAN EXPECTED, THUS GREATLY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF VISITORS TO THE EXHIBITION.

WE WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED OF NEW DEVELLOPEMENTS.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PAST SUPPORT AND SEE YOU AT THE RACE...

Come September 18 - 20th (Thursday to Saturday) we will be having an amazing booth featuring the best of Formula1 Merchandise, at the "Acceler8" Show in Suntec City Hall 404. With only 3 mega days of bargains, it is a Sale not to be missed for F1 Fans and everybody's else too. Think birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas.... and of course Singtel Singapore Grand Prix the following week.

We will be featuring Vodaphone McLaren, Scudeira Ferrari, At&t Williams, Bar Honda, Renault F1 Team amongst others. As wholesalers we will be able to offer you genuine Official Merchandise at prices not available anywhere else.

Nestle has been very generous and will be sponsoring their New Nescafe Beverage promotion for all our customers as part of their "Catch Lewis in Person" campaign.
You can find out more by visiting their official website at : http://www.catchlewis.com/

We're looking forward to seeing you all there and even if you're not buying anything, just come and say "Hi"

Your Bank may be the ticket to F1 Singapore GP

WITH only a month left until Singapore's first Formula One race, some banks are pulling out all the stops to get their clients revved up for the big event.
Some are splashing out wads of cash to fly in top-tier customers from all over the world while others are hosting posh F1 cocktail parties at some top hotels.
Splashing out
Credit Suisse. The Swiss bank is inviting about 900 global guests who are its clients to the race.
Royal Bank of Scotland. Clients will be hosted to a cocktail party at the old Supreme Court building and get a chance to meet F1 legend Jackie Stewart.
ING. A major sponsor of the Renault team, it is hosting some 1,000 wholesale and private banking customers.
In short, the inaugural F1 night race is shaping up to be a major marketing tool for a number of the banks here.
Three big sponsors - ING Group, Credit Suisse and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) - are not only giving the highly sought-after Paddock Club tickets to wealthy clients, but also letting them hobnob with the world's best F1 drivers.
While the three declined to say how much they are splurging on their clients, observers estimate each bank could chalk up millions during the race period.
Credit Suisse is inviting about 900 global guests who are its clients to the race which runs from Sept 26 to 28.
The Swiss bank did not want to disclose how many of its clients will be treated to exclusive Paddock Club tickets.
But what is known is that these tickets - which allow guests to get close-up views of the pit-lane action while feasting on champagne and caviar - do not come cheap, with prices ranging from $3,500 to $7,500 for a single seat.
As Credit Suisse is the official partner of the BMW Sauber team, its guests will get to meet the team's drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica at a dinner.
RBS, a key sponsor of the Williams team, will host its clients at a cocktail party at the old Supreme Court building.
ING, a major sponsor of the Renault team, also said it is hosting some 1,000 wholesale and private banking customers.
Meanwhile, other banks have entered the fray to create opportunities for guests to meet and socialise.
'One of our party nights is built around a hawker stall theme,' said Mr V. Shankar, group head of origination and client coverage at Standard Chartered Bank. 'Our clients can look forward to lots of good, authentic Singapore food, lots of laughs and definitely F1 celebrities.'
SG Private Banking has chartered a private yacht for clients to cruise to the Southern Islands. 'It will provide guests, especially those from overseas, the unique opportunity to view the much-talked-about developments along Singapore's waterfront,' said Mr Pierre Baer, SG Private Banking chief executive officer for Singapore and South Asia.
OCBC Bank is the only local bank to invite its clients to the Paddock Club. 'No detail is too small for us as we make transport arrangements for our customers to get to the OCBC Paddock Club without fuss,' said Ms Koh Ching Ching, head of group corporate communications.
Despite the glamour of being associated with the race, industry watchers say some private banks, including those belonging to Citigroup, JPMorgan and Merrill Lynch, have chosen to give the race a miss, or are taking a subdued approach.
Sources say many of them - saddled with credit-related losses and write- downs back home - would have thrown parties and sponsorships without hesitation when capital was plentiful.
But now they have to be realistic.
Citi, JPMorgan and Merrill all declined to comment. Those willing to go on record were either skittish on details or simply painted a mood of conservatism.
UBS Singapore's chief operating officer Teo Lay Sie said it has made arrangements for clients to attend race-related hospitality events and the race itself.
Mr Rolf Gerber, CEO of LGT Bank in Liechtenstein (Singapore), said the bank is sponsoring tickets for top clients - but they will make their own flight and hotel arrangements. 'We wanted to see how exciting, if at all, the F1 turns out to be before making a decision on perhaps a greater commitment for F1 next year,' he said.

By Gabriel chen (Asiaone.com)

Massa wins New Valencia GP street Circuit.

Felipe Massa has won the European Grand Prix in Valencia ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica.
Starting from pole position, the Ferrari driver led from start to finish through the harbourfront streets of the Spanish city, which was hosting a grand prix for the first time.
With team-mate and World Champion Kimi Raikkonen retiring with engine failure on lap 46, the result also moves Massa up to second place in the Drivers' Championship, six points behind Hamilton.
The victory, Massa's fourth of the season, remained provisional for a time after his second pit stop almost brought a collision with Force India driver Adrian Sutil.
Sutil was forced to dart left and scrape the pit wall as both drivers accelerated away out of the pit lane.
Race control then announced that Massa's car was being investigated for 'unsafe release from a pit stop' by stewards.
And, although it was then announced that any punishment for Massa would be meted out after the race, he eventually escaped with a reprimand and a fine of €10,000.
Hamilton's McLaren Mercedes team-mate Heikki Kovalainen finished fourth, ahead of Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel.
Trulli's team-mate Timo Glock finished seventh, with Williams driver Nico Rosberg claiming the final Championship point.

Massa gave a dominant display in the heat of the Mediterranean summer, three weeks after an engine failure cruelly cost him victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
But Ferrari's afternoon was nevertheless a chaotic one, with Massa's pit lane infraction being followed by another incident which befell Raikkonen.
Disputing fourth place with Kovalainen, the two Finns pitted in tandem for the second time on lap 44.
However, Raikkonen's eagerness to get away saw him depart with the fuel hose still intact and also drag a mechanic to the ground.
As the mechanic was stretchered away to hospital - having suffered a foot injury ( broken Ankle) and back pains - Raikkonen fell to sixth place behind Trulli.
But his race was soon run - Raikkonen's Ferrari trailing a plume of smoke across the start-finish line much as Massa's had in Budapest.
After qualifying fourth around the 3.380-mile track, it has to be said that, before his retirement, Raikkonen had once again failed to shine.
Massa looks Ferrari's best bet of mounting a Championship challenge on current form, the opening stint alone seeing him build a lead over his team-mate roughly the equivalent of one pit stop.
But it was during the second stint that he really extended his lead over the second-placed Hamilton, with Massa setting successive fastest laps on laps 34, 35 and 36 as he went 10.2 seconds ahead of the lead McLaren.
The race had already lost its biggest draw when Fernando Alonso retired with rear wing and suspension damage after his Renault was hit from behind by Kazuki Nakajima's Williams on the opening lap.
Incident
And it wasn't until lap 37 and Massa's near-collision with Sutil that the processional affair that had developed produced any more genuine incident.
Elsewhere, Kovalainen passed Raikkonen off the line to take fourth, with the next change of track position in the top eight coming when Trulli leapt ahead of Vettel for sixth at the opening round of stops.
Given the newness of the track, teams also were feeling their way in terms of tactics and strategy.
Most drivers elected to make two stops but Glock was among the few to pit only once as he climbed from 13th on the grid to seventh at the chequered flag.
Despite his rather lonely race, Hamilton nevertheless sees his Championship lead increase by one point, with Massa now leading the pursuers.
Raikkonen drops to third place and now stands just two points ahead of Kubica.
In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren have closed the gap to 13 points on leaders Ferrari.
However, after another race for the Italian team not without its difficulties, they at least have the knowledge that they now head to a track - Spa-Francorchamps, venue for the Belgian Grand Prix in two weeks' time - on which they dominated 12 months ago.

Lewis Hamilton seeks repeat of 2007 win in Montreal

Canadian Grand Prix: By Andrew Baker

In Lewis Hamilton's ideal scenario, Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix will play out as a repeat of last year's race, but Robert Kubica, the Polish prodigy, is hoping for something very different.

McLaren's Hamilton took his first grand prix win in Montreal in 2007 after a string of podium places, while BMW Sauber's Kubica suffered the most spectacular crash in recent Formula One history. They return to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with Hamilton leading the championship after last month's Monaco win, but only six points separate him from the fourth-placed Pole.

In between are the Ferrari duo of world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who is three points behind the Briton and one ahead of Felipe Massa, the Finn's Brazilian team-mate.
However, Montreal, like Monaco, is a special track for Hamilton. "Last year in Canada was one of the biggest accomplishments of my life, to take my maiden pole and victory in Formula One was incredible," he said. "It would be great to go back there and do the same."
Hamilton, now 23, has put flesh on the bones of his promise, with six wins, 16 podium finishes and seven pole positions from his 23 starts so far.
Kubica has also grown stronger, taking two second places and a third already this year, as well as BMW Sauber's first pole position. Paddock gossips hint at a future move to Ferrari for the Pole but for now he remains firmly committed to BMW. The German team have set a maiden victory as their priority for the year.
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While Ferrari and McLaren are the race favourites, Canada would be just the place for Kubica to make the breakthrough. "I like the track because there's a lot of heavy braking and stop-and-go," he said.

Bahrain Grand Prix, my comments....

It seems BMW are on a roll, 2nd in Australia, 2nd & 6th in Malaysia, and now a pole position for Bahrain. If you remember some of the post I wrote before the start of the season, I predicted the rise of GP2 drivers, well so far so good isn't it ? It certainly makes for a very intersting start to the 2008 season where we can clearly see that more than two teams can hold the candle and does make it more Fun for fans all over the world to have more than two teams hogging the limelight.

BMW looks surely the party poppers and if they can maintain their momentum we should be be able to witness some serious "fights" for the top positions.

I am certainly looking forward to the next 3-4 races to see if BMW and Williams have what it takes to compete a whole season at the top and put some dents in Ferrari and Mclaren advantages.

Let's discuss this after this afternoon Grand Prix in Bahrain, where my predictions are as follow :

1/ Hamilton

2/ Kubica

3/ Raikonnen.

Rosberg Fearful over Singapore Safety

Williams driver Nico Rosberg concedes drivers are still jittery about Formula One's first floodlit race through the city streets of Singapore on September 28.

"Safety is always a concern for street races, and that plus being under the floodlights at night -- safety is a bit of a question mark still," the 22-year-old German said of the night-time race on an untested street circuit.Rosberg said he had no idea how tearing through the streets of the Lion City at more than 300 kph at night would differ from racing in daylight.
"I couldn't tell you because I've never driven at night. I've never tested. There's no tracks with lights so you can't really prepare," he added.

However Rosberg, who finished a career-best third at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, was convinced Formula One authorities would iron out the safety issues.
"I'm sure the FIA has done their job and I think it'll be a great event."
Rosberg, whose father Keke won the world championship in 1982, put an end to two years of frustration on Sunday by claiming a podium place, but it was an achievement just to finish the chaotic Albert Park race.

What a start to the 2008 F1 season !!!!!

It didn't take long for my predictions to come true... Nico Rosberg got the first podium of his carreer in Formula 1 on the first race of the season that proved to be quite eventful start to the 2008 F1 championship and Sebastien Bourdais got a top 8 finish...

Pos Driver Team Pts

1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 10
2 Nick Heidfeld BMW 8
3 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 6
4 Fernando Alonso Renault 5
5 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 4
6 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 3
7 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 2
8 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1

Sebastien Bourdais could have had a 5th place finish except for an engine failure 3 laps from the end.

Ferrari had many troubles and could only get 1 point from Kimi's extravagant day on the track.

A season that promises a lot of surprises and the probable rise of GP2 drivers used to the non traction controlled cars as opposed to the more experienced F1 drivers.

I'l be in Malaysia next week for the Grand Prix and will post all the pictures from the "hottest" race on earth... Sepang - Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix

Have a great week ....

Unleash Your Inner Speedster with Nico Rosberg

SCHUMACHER-wannabes can fulfil their car racing fantasies once more with the RBS Grand Prix Challenge.

Now in its second year, the challenge lets speed demons get behind the wheel of the F1 racing simulator, brought in by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), an official partner of the AT&T Williams F1 team.
RBS has been a major sponsor of the Williams team since 2005. The virtual track is made up of the best straights, corners and chicanes from various circuits including Silverstone, Montreal and Monaco. The simulator will be parked at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza till tomorrow. It will then move to Raffles Place from March 10 to 14.

Anyone above 18 can have a go at the leader board. Holders of the two fastest
lap times from both venues will be invited to race against Williams F1 driver Nico Rosberg on March 18 at the National Museum. The top racer will win a pair of grandstand tickets to September’s Singapore Grand Prix.