Volcano delay hits Virgin Formula 1 plans

Virgin have run out of time ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix to build two new cars with big enough fuel tanks to finish all races.
Flight delays caused by the Icelandic volcano have delayed preparations and they will have only one modified car, which German Timo Glock will drive.

Technical director Nick Wirth said the delay was "a bitter pill to swallow".
He added that Virgin hoped to improve reliability after "an extensive investigation" into their problems.
The team's poor reliability has meant that they have rarely been affected by their error on the fuel-tank size.
But the single time a Virgin car has finished a race this season, Brazilian Lucas di Grassi had to slow down to several seconds off his ultimate pace in the closing laps to ensure he could finish.

Virgin boss explains fuel tank problem
The fuel tank problem emerged after the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, and the team had hoped to use the three-week break between the last race in China and the Spanish event to produce two revised cars.
But Virgin said in a statement that they had run out of time because many staff were stranded in China for up to five days because of the the international flight delays caused by the ash cloud spewing from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland.
Team boss John Booth said: "What should have been a useful three-week break in the calendar, and an opportunity to ensure we are fully prepared for the European season, turned into something of a race against time thanks to the fallout from the volcano.
"It took up to five days after the Chinese Grand Prix before the entire team were back in England, so we had to rush headlong into preparations for Spain.

"The planned modifications to the chassis were always going to be our most significant development, but they were also the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we will bring to Barcelona.
"As a new team we will be using new trucks and a new motorhome for the first time and on top of that we moved into our new race preparation facility while the team were stranded in China."
As well as the larger fuel tank, Glock's car will feature an aerodynamic upgrade aimed at improving performance.
Team-mate Di Grassi will have some new parts, but not the full package.
Wirth added: "Running two fundamentally different specification cars at Barcelona will certainly challenge the team, but as the reliability fixes apply to both specifications, we'll keep our heads down and focus solely on getting both cars to the chequered flag."

Renault F1 Team cleared for European GP

Renault and Fernando Alonso have been cleared to compete in the European Grand Prix in Valencia after winning an appeal against a one-race ban.
The French team were punished after allowing Fernando Alonso to leave the pit lane with a loose wheel, which then came off, at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, Alonso will now be able to race at his home grand prix this weekend after the ban was overturned.


Motorsport's governing body (FIA) will instead fine Renault £30,000.
Alonso's right front wheel came off and bounced across the track at the race four weeks ago, race stewards subsequently ruling that the team's pit crew knew the wheel was not properly secured and failed to tell the driver.
But Renault team manager Steve Nielsen had said he was confident the team's suspension would be lifted.
"I've been optimistic since we got the penalty. We feel it's unjust," he said.
The stewards said Renault's pit crew "knowingly released car number seven from the pit stop position without one of the retaining devices for the wheel-nuts being securely in position."

They also determined that "being aware of this, Renault failed to take any action to prevent the car from leaving the pit lane... and failed to inform the driver of this problem or to advise him to take appropriate action given the circumstances, even though the driver contacted the team by radio believing he had a puncture."
However, Nielsen insisted his team did not realise there was a problem with Alonso's car.
"We admit we did some stuff wrong, but we don't think that the penalty fits the crime," added Nielsen.
To argue their case Renault used comparative footage from races where drivers breached safety rules - but either went unpunished, or were punished less severely.
One example was German driver Sebastian Vettel racing at the Australian Grand Prix in March with a loose wheel hanging by the side of his car after colliding with BMW's Robert Kubica.
Vettel was fined £30,000 - the maximum amount that race stewards can levy - for continuing on three wheels and Renault said their punishment - at worst - should be a similar fine.
But Whiting said that incidents such as Vettel's had not occurred when leaving the pits, but during the race itself.

Renault engineering director Pat Symonds attended the hearing
Renault were represented at the hearing by engineering director Pat Symonds and technical director Bob Bell, while F1 race director Charlie Whiting represented the FIA.
With the ban overturned Alonso will now race at his home grand prix while Renault test driver Romain Grosjean will take Nelson Piquet Jr's seat.
Frenchman Grosjean was asked to step in after Piquet Jr was told by Renault he will not continue driving for them in F1 this season.
The decision to allow Alonso and his Renault team to race is also likely to delight the Spanish crowd.
"The reason there are two races in Spain is largely because of Fernando's involvement," said Nielsen.
"People in Spain were not so interested in F1 until he got involved, and now it's a big sport there."
The incident was particularly pertinent as it happened the day after Brazilian Felipe Massa was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries suffered while racing.
The Ferrari driver was struck by an object dislodged from the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello car during qualifying at the Hungaroring.
Massa had surgery on his skull and is recovering.
The previous week, 18-year-old F2 driver Henry Surtees - the son of former F1 champion John Surtees- was killed after losing consciousness and crashing into the barrier after a stray tyre hit him.

Insider Pictures - The Marshalls story

It has been a tremendous long week-end for all of us Volunteer Race Marshalls at the Inaugural Singapore Grand Prix. Almost a 1000 of us including Medics and fire Marshall.

We were divided in 26 posts - 1 for each turn plus a couple in between.

Each section would comprise

• Track marshalls : The one you see helping clearing the Track or moving accident cars - Usually about 6-8 pers.)
  
• Communications : in direct comms with race control, reporting everything from spinning cars to accidents... - about 3 on each post
  
• Flaggies, the one who would come up with all the different couloured flags - to maintain race safety - around 4 to 6 per post


• Fire Marshall - to help with accidents - there would be at least 3 to 5 at a section


• Medics : to help with the first aid - both to driver and staff


• 1 Deputy Sector marshall ( Singaporean)


• 1 Sector Marshall - From CAMS Australia- Volunteers as well brought in from Australia to train us all for the past 6 month
  

I think pictures speak louder than words so here are some of the highlights of the week-end form our perspective.

See you all in 2008....

Singapore releases Road closure Details.

FOR 12 days, as Singapore hosts its first Formula 1 race, those travelling to Marina Centre and Suntec City or the vicinity are being urged to do one thing: Take public transport.

The authorities yesterday released details of extensive road closures in the Central Business District – and as Today revealed in an exclusive report last month, these will take place in stages, from Sept 20 to the early hours of Oct 2, and include a morning access window for rush-hour traffic.

While drivers might find it easier to leave their cars at home for this period, the closures will also see 26 bus services diverted :to ply roads “closest to their original route”.

This would affect those working in the Collyer Quay area, for instance, who may will have to drop off at :North Bridge Road or Pickering Street instead, or Suntec City denizens who might have to walk from Beach Road bus stops.

Arrangements have been made, however, for free bus bridging services between the Marina/Suntec area and: City Hall and Bugis MRT stations. This will provide some relief for shoppers, office workers and visitors who want to avoid the long walk, said Land Transport Authority (LTA) chief executive Yam Ah Mee.

Meanwhile, taxis carrying passengers would also be allowed to drop them off at five points at Suntec City, Millenia Tower and the Conrad Hotel lobby. Vacant taxis, however, will not be allowed to enter the restricted or closed roads.

Energetic pedestrians can continue to use the underground CityLink walkway, :overhead bridges and underpasses, although the installation of the track infrastructure might make surface roads inconvenient to navigate. Motorists with season-parking passes should be able to continue to drive in and park, though details are still being worked out.


Challenge: Dispersing the race-day crowd

As for the three race days, Sept 26 to 28, of of the SingTel Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, authorities are working with operators to increase train frequencies and extend public tranport operating hours, to cope with the massive crowd logistics.

With 100,000 ticket holders expected, not to mention tens of thousands more turning up in the vicinity to hear the roar of F1 cars flying past, are the public transport provisions sufficient to handle the surge?

Citing major events such as last year’s National Day Parade which was held at the Marina Bay Floating Platform for the first time, Mr Yam said the existing public transport modes would be able to handle similar large crowds during the grand prix.

On top of the free bridging service, which will run until 7pm on race days, when the main F1 event ends at about 10pm on Sept 28, shuttle buses should be lined up back-to-back to pick up spectators.

This will help move the crowds from the race circuit, to the City Hall and Bugis MRT stations, said LTA.

But in addition, organisers are lining up events, lasting up to two hours, that will hopefully keep some merrymakers back and allow for a staggered dispersal of the crowd. These will include concerts and F&B events in the Marina area, say organisers who will give more details later.

In the meantime, expect localised lane closures on roads affected by F1 works to start next week.

Also ahead of September: A series of rehearsals are being lined up to familiarise organisers, drivers and the public on the road closures. Stakeholders will also be engaged to fine-tune details of the logistical blueprint, said the authorities.

Kovalainen 'OK' after horror smash

McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen could return to action in time for the Turkish Grand Prix next weekend despite a horrifying crash in Barcelona that saw him airlifted to hospital.
The Finn, who was leading the race after both Ferraris and team mate Lewis Hamilton had pitted, speared straight into the tyre wall at speed on the 22nd of 66 laps with the car penetrating the barrier.
Circuit doctors attended to Kovalainen, who was extracted from the car before being taken away on a stretcher in a neck brace, while the safety car was deployed for the second time in the race.
"I extremely pleased to be able to report that he is safe and well," said McLaren chief Ron Dennis.
"Heikki was airlifted to the Hospital General de Catalunya in Sant Cugat del Valles, for precautionary checks, and will remain there overnight.
"However, he has no broken bones and CT scans performed at the hospital confirm that he has no head injuries and the team is optimistic that he will make a full recovery over the next few days.
"Subject to the results of an FIA medical examination we hope that he will be able to compete in the Turkish Grand Prix."
The Finn, who joined Mercedes-powered McLaren from Renault at the end of last season, gave a thumbs-up sign to spectators.
He was taken first to the circuit medical centre where officials said he was conscious and in a stable condition.
Television footage showed the McLaren's front left tyre suddenly deflated moments before the car left the track at speed with Kovalainen a helpless passenger.
The safety car had already been deployed after Sebastian Vettel's Toro Rosso and Force India's Adrian Sutil collided on the first lap.
"The precise cause or causes of his accident are not yet known," said Dennis.
"Our data shows evidence of a sudden tyre deflation shortly before the accident, but it is still too early to identify what triggered that deflation other than to say that it is likely to have been the result of a wheel rim failure.
"The impact was a relatively heavy one, but our car's passive safety devices, designed in compliance with the FIA's safety regulations, protected the driver in the way they were intended to do.
"Equally, I would like to pay tribute to the FIA Medical Team, whose work was both rapid and efficient. Finally, the local Spanish marshals also did an excellent job."

Eurosport

Fernando Alonso in warning to Renault

Fernando Alonso has warned his Renault team that he could leave at the end of the season if the car does not improve.
Alonso returned to the constructor after a tumultuous year at McLaren in which he surrendered his world championship to Kimi Raikkonen and was unsettled by his rivalry with team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso does not expect major improvement
The Spaniard is seventh in the 2008 championship after two races in which the Renault car has been well off the pace set by McLaren in Melbourne and Ferrari in Malaysia.
"I'm at Renault because I wanted to get back to winning, like in 2005 and 2006, if not this year then next year," Alonso said. "But I have an option to leave so I can be in the best possible car, and it is clear Ferrari is one of the best."
Alonso's comments have fuelled the speculation that he could join Ferrari after one season back at Renault.
However, his attempts to distance himself from that theory may have had the opposite effect as he highlighted errors made by Ferrari number two driver Felipe Massa at Melbourne and Sepang.

"It's early to talk about moves and rumours, but Massa has had two bad races with mistakes and that has kicked off speculation about me," Alonso said. "It's logical, but it's too early."
Renault managing director Flavio Briatore said it was a "waste of time to get involved in hypothetical daydreams." He said: "Fernando is a great sportsman who will always give his best and rumours I never comment on."
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali defended the role of Massa, who is under contract until 2010, despite the setback to the Italian team in both the drivers' and the constructors' championships.

"Felipe has all the qualities and the capabilities to do well," he added. "The championship is long and the team are united, so I see no worries from this aspect."
The Ferrari team were also running checks on the car to be sure a mechanical failure did not cause the spin-out.
At the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Massa retired after a collision and Raikkonen came to a halt with only five laps to race as Ferrari failed to collect any points - its worst start in 16 years. Alonso performed well at Melbourne, moving up from 11th on the grid to finish fourth.
While Alonso said he expected improvements in his car, he also suggested that rival teams would also perform better as the season progresses. "In Barcelona we will have some improvements for the car, (but) the same ones all teams will have, so the championship is going to stay more or less the same.
"We saw it last year and we see it every year. The cars that win the first two or three races stay on top. We are not going to see big surprises during the year."
Briatore, meanwhile, remained optimistic about the team and his star driver. "It does not make sense to judge a car after one or two races. Of course, McLaren and Ferrari have a fast car, but look what happened to Ferrari in Australia," Briatore said. "So we will have to wait and see how it will be at the next couple of races."

Fan Denies Being a Racist - Spain incident

One of the Spanish Formula One fans who caused a diplomatic storm by "blacking up" to hurl insults at the British driver Lewis Hamilton has insisted: "I am not a racist."
Toni Calderon was one of four fans who wore dark curly wigs, black make-up and T-shirts with the words "Hamilton's family" at the Montmelo circuit near Barcelona during testing last weekend. As Hamilton walked from the McClaren team paddock to the circuit last Saturday, he faced more insults and racist abuse.

Gerry Sutcliffe, Britain's Sports minister, condemned the incidents as "sickening" and said he would make an official protest to his Spanish counterpart.
Formula One's governing body, the FIA, has launched an investigation and could ban Spain from holding two Grands Prix in Barcelona and Valencia later this year.
Mr Calderon told the Spanish daily Publico: "We went last Sunday and we dressed up to celebrate Carnival. We wanted to give a touch of humour to Montmelo and have a laugh at the father of [Lewis] Hamilton. We didn't have the slightest intention to laugh at anyone, nor to laugh at the British driver for the colour of his skin.
"I am not a racist and it has made me ashamed to appear like that in the British press. Also, as I am in the middle of the photo [of four blacked up fans], I seem like the protagonist. This has angered me."
Mr Calderon said no one on security said a word when the group arrived at the circuit dressed as "Hamilton's family". "On the contrary, the people on security at the gate started laughing and let us pass," he said. "In fact half the people who saw us thought we were fans of Hamilton. Lots of people took pictures of us.
"If I had known that this was going to happen, I would never have dressed up, but I want to be very clear that we never intended to offend.
"We haven't done anything wrong. I would not have any problem to explain it personally to McClaren and Lewis who is a star."
Hamilton finished second in the drivers' championship last year in his rookie season and was widely blamed in Spain for the failure of his team-mate Fernando Alonso to win a third consecutive Formula One title. Hamilton said: "The truth is that I feel somewhat sad, I am in love with this country, and especially the city of Barcelona and this circuit, which is one of my three favourites."
The Spanish Motor Sports Federation expressed its "absolute repulsion" after the incident.
At Montmelo, circuit staff erected barriers around the McClaren paddock while banners making references to Hamilton and the team boss, Ron Dennis, were removed. The stands above McLaren's garage were cleared to ensure no missiles could be thrown.
Racism has dogged Spanish sport for many years and it is common at football matches for abuse to be directed at black players.